Burton Snowboards Goes Fur-Free July 31, 2007

Posted by Pulin Modi | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Less than two months after peta2 put out a call for phone calls and e-mails from Street Teamers, MySpace and Facebook friends, and other concerned people around the world, Burton Snowboards has committed to going fur-free. Thank you all for voicing your opposition to the fur industry and for supporting companies that take a stand against slaughtering animals for their fur! Burton prides itself on being environmentally conscious, so it's great to see them extending their consideration to animals who are often beaten, drowned, or electrocuted to death on fur farms.

With Burton replacing its fur trim items with fake fur, the extreme sports community is even stronger than ever in uniting against cruelty to animals! In fact, to our knowledge, none of the major apparel companies in the snowboarding community uses real fur, including Ride, DC Shoes, and Volcom. To pledge your personal commitment to going fur-free, please sign the fur-free pledge here. Thanks to everyone for helping with this campaign!

-Pulin

Vote for the Cutest Food! July 31, 2007

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One day I was playing around on Flickr and saw something that made me jump up and start showing everyone what was on my computer screen. Basically, there's an amazingly creative and compassionate young woman, Asia, who makes these really awesome bento boxes. They are incredible as you can see below!

I don't know if I have ever used the word "cute" to describe food before, but that's the only thing I can think of. Oh, and of course it looks tasty! These all vegan creations look almost too good to eat. Anyway, if you're looking for tips on food click here, and if you're wondering why someone would want to go vegan, your answer is just a click away.

Remember to comment back with your favorite! Check back later for more of Asia's vegan bento creations!

-Pulin

Last of the Believers Contest-5 Winners! July 30, 2007

Posted by Lara Sanders | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Chris Chasse, longtime peta2 friend, vegetarian, and former member of Rise Against, has a new band called Last of the Believers. This hardcore punk outfit has been getting buzz all over AbsolutePunk and the peta2 office since their new album, Paper Ships Under a Burning Bridge, dropped last week.

Now just because I love you, I'm hooking you up with a chance to win your very own copy of Paper Ships Under a Burning Bridge! All you have to do for a chance to win is fill out the form below...oh yeah, there will be 5 winners!

First Name
Last Name
E-Mail
	Sign me up for peta2 E-News and special announcements from PETA.

xoxo-Lara

By filling out this form, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.
Heads up: By signing up here and giving us your details, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Have We Told You Lately... July 30, 2007

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Have we told you lately that we love you? It's an incredible feeling to get such positive feedback from people online, at shows, and with phone calls and letters always coming in. So thank you. I hope you enjoy working with peta2 as much as we love it! I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos and video clips from being out at Warped Tour last week. Also, be sure to upload your own 'Not A Nugget' photos here.

I love action shots!

Awww, the chicken wants a smooch!

And now for some video clips.
First is something I would love to get videos from you and like 10 of your friends doing. It would be incredible.

These girls are not nuggets.

This is a mini-interview with some peta2 pals who are out and about helping to spread the word about veganism while having some fun at the same time!

Are you as excited as these nice gals?

You're all too cool for school.

<3
-Pulin

Victory: Nike Suspends Vick Contract July 27, 2007

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Following PETA protests outside Niketown stores and countless calls and emails to the company asking that they cut ties with Michael Vick in light of horrific allegations of his involvement with dogfighting rings, Nike has released the following statement:

"Nike has suspended Michael Vick's contract without pay, and will not sell any more Michael Vick product at Nike-owned retail at this time."

As a result, we have called off our planned protests outside Nike stores around the country. Thanks to everyone who wrote to the company about this issue or attended the demonstrations, and thanks to Nike for doing the right thing by ending its association with someone accused of torture.

Reebok has also made the decision to stop sales of Michael Vick apparel, stating:

"While we respect the legal process we find the allegations against Mr. Vick too disturbing to ignore, therefore, we have decided to immediately suspend selling Vick NFL product, both at retail and online through the Reebok website."

This is great news for anyone who is concerned about cruelty to animals, and we hope that it sends a strong message to the NFL that they need to do the same thing and suspend Michael Vick immediately, pending the outcome of this case. To send a message to the NFL asking them to get on with that, please click here.



<a title="dog fighting" href=" http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/p2_nfl_vick?c=p22487"><img src="http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/images/webbanners/200-dogfighter-peta2.gif" alt="Dog Fighting" height="200" width="200" border="0"></a>

-Pulin

The Two Coreys and PETA July 27, 2007

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This weekend I'm looking forward to doing...nothing. Yay! The only thing on my calendar is the premier episode of A&E's new reality series, The Two Coreys, starring Corey Feldman, his wife Susie, and Corey Haim. Finally, Corey and Corey togther again, I can't wait! I have to say that as a duo, The Lost Boys is my fave C&C flick, but independently, I'm going with The Goonies. That movie just makes me so happy. Maybe I'll watch them both in preparation for the big event. I actually met Corey Feldman at PETA's 25th Anniversary Gala and he was super sweet. He and Susie are veg and big PETA supporters, and Corey Haim...well, let's just say he's got a lot to learn, which you'll see in the first episode when PETA staffer Nicole Matthews stops by for dinner.

Some of my friends from PETA's LA office will be attending the big launch party tonight and I'm sure they'll have a great time. Since you and I won't be there chatting it up with the Coreys, check out this exclusive interview with Corey Feldman below and just pretend he's speaking directly to you.

So how did you first get involved with PETA?
Corey: I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years now; I've been doing animal rights activist type stuff for that length of time. But the first project I did with PETA was about 6 years ago when I was doing the Surreal Life when I married Susie and did the Meet Your Meat campaign.

What was it exactly that first made you go vegetarian?
Corey: When I was 8 years old, my parents wouldn't let me do it, and I think I was about 12 or 13 when I made the final decision like, "I know what I'm doing and if you don't like it too bad." And that actually came though the influence at the time of Michael Jackson and Stephen Spielberg, because I was working on the film The Goonies. I was eating a steak one day and he sat down next to me and was mooing and saying, "You realize you're eating a cow right? Why are you doing that?" And then I became friends with Michael and he was vegetarian at the time but no longer is an advocate—but at the time he was very influential in that world. But he brought me to his house and had his chef prepare me my first vegetarian dinner which basically helped sell it. So between the two of them I was like, "Ok that's it forget it, all bets are off."

And then you didn't look back?
Corey: Never once.

In the episode that's about to air with Nicole Matthews from PETA, how does the whole dinner go over?
Corey: It's kind of a train wreck but that's kind of what makes the whole episode work so well and kind of what made the point go across so well. Because what happens in the episode is Nicole comes over and we're having this great dinner and it's really informative and the point of it is we're trying to figure out a new campaign to do with PETA. What happened was Corey found her very attractive, so he starts like hitting on her. We had sort of set up a blind date and he was gonna go off with her as we did our business, but he ended up sending that girl home so that he could focus on Nicole.

Corey: We're not going to say how it was resolved because that would give away the first episode...

To find out what happens tune in to A&E Sunday night at 10 for The Two Coreys premier. I'll leave you with this exclusive sneak peak.

xox

Patricia

Protesting Outside the Michael Vick Hearing July 27, 2007

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I'm sure you already know that Michael Vick, star of the Atlanta Falcons, will be on trial this Fall for charges related to dogfighting. It's insane that a guy who makes millions of dollars a year would get himself anywhere near the horrifying world of dogfights, but the indictment does seem to suggest a link between his property and this horrifying, illegal activity. I wonder why watching animals fight is more appealing than a real physical challenge like, oh, say cage fighting.

So yesterday, PETA protesters (including several peta2 Street Teamers) and hundreds of members of the public stood outside the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia, to support vigorous prosecution of Michael Vick and the three other men charged in this horrific dogfighting case.

I spent the day up there and tensions were definitely high. When Michael Vick showed up he quickly walked into the building as the crowd erupted in booing and other name-calling which I will not repeat. The point being that the public is very clearly against abusing animals and anyone associated should know this is a serious issue.



If you're interested in helping put pressure on all illegal dogfighters join our Street Team for updates on how to help. While there hasn't been time yet for a jury to decide whether he's guilty, the court of public opinion (people like you and I) know that it's just a bit strange for Vick to have owned property on which 56 pit bulls were found, then claim that he knew nothing about the training and fights alleged to have happened there.

-Pulin

Bikes, Dogs, and France July 27, 2007

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What do bikes, dogs, and France have in common? Levi Leipheimer that's what—let me tell you why. Not only is Levi Team Discovery's top hope to win this year's Tour de France (you know, that ginourmous bike race in Europe that Lance Armstrong won a bunch of times?), he is also the star of a brand new PETA ad, encouraging people to have their companion animals spayed and neutered. Check out the ad starring Levi and his rescued pup Bandit (to the right), then scroll down to read the interview.

When did you decide to pursue cycling professionally?

I started riding when I was 13, and I basically knew then that it was what I wanted to do. I race for seven months of the year and train for 10. During the off-season, I usually ride my mountain bike for fun. In an average training week, I ride between two and seven hours a day.

We heard that you enjoy eating vegetarian food. Is there one vegetarian dish that you would recommend for athletes in training?

Every day when I head out on my bike, I'm fueled by an energy-packed vegetarian breakfast of oatmeal, apples, blueberries, strawberries, and nuts. I've done this for years. My favorite post-ride meal is pasta with lots of garlic and sunflower seeds or pine nuts.

What message would you like to get out to folks about how they can help reduce companion animal overpopulation?

In the Unites States, there really isn't any excuse for not spaying and neutering your pets. There are low-cost spay-neuter options in almost every city and town. All you have to do is look.

You have a lot of fans out there, which gives you a powerful platform to reach people and make a difference. What is your message to them about having compassion and getting active to help animals?

The world belongs to animals, too—it's not just ours for the taking. Be kind to animals.

Levi is currently in 3rd place, so ride like the wind Levi...ride like the wind.

xoxo-Lara

Beef Made From Kitties and Puppies?! July 26, 2007

Posted by Marta | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Our office has been getting tons of calls from people asking what we're going to do about KittyBeef.com and PuppyBeef.com, which claim to sell prime cuts from kittens and puppies. Well, we're not really going to do much about it at all other than wish we'd thought of the idea for these hoax sites ourselves. You see, for anyone who's horrified by the concept of having puppy chops or kitten nuggets for dinner, they're just one step closer to realizing that chowing down on pigs' butts or chickens' breasts is sickening, too!

In case the thought hasn't crossed your mind, animals killed for food are just as capable of suffering as the animals we share our homes with. While many people may be thankful that KFC doesn't stand for Kentucky Fried Cat, the fact is that chickens do love to be with their friends and families and be free to live out their lives without fear of being beaten, starved, or otherwise exploited. That's why we encourage anyone interested in helping any animals to take the Veg Pledge.

So the morals of the story are as follows:

1) KittyBeef.com and PuppyBeef.com are hoax sites.

2) Animals are not food, they are friends.

3) Chickens are not nuggets.

4) Those interested in helping animals should check out the peta2 Street Team.



-Pulin

Your Weekly Dose of DeFlocked July 26, 2007

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This week's installment of Jeff Corriveau's DeFlocked is hilarious, if I do say so myself. And even better, it points out how cruel the "Running of the Bulls" is. The bulls that are used in the run will later face their bloody and terrifying deaths in the bullfighting ring. I can't believe anyone considers it a tradition—it's straight-up cruelty.

Anyway, Mr. Corriveau manages to bring to light a serious issue in a funny manner, which is an awesome way to introduce an issue to someone. Enjoy!

Click for a larger version
To check out past installments, click here.



♥ Marta

Warped Tour VA Beach Woot! July 25, 2007

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Yesterday I went to Warped Tour, and the following events took place:

Went onstage during the Hawthorne Heights' set to take pics of our good friend Casey rockin out.

Nice view, right? I also got to help out at the veggie burrito giveaway/signing at the K-OS booth.



Unfortunately, I did not get a burrito...this was all that was left!



To round out the day, I took a pic with the Nugget in my newly reconstructed tee.



Despite that fact that my nose got sunburned, I still had a great time. I'll be at Warped again for the Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and New York shows, so come out and say hello! Running low on cash? You can still win tix here.

xoxo-Lara

UK's National Fishing Week July 24, 2007

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Fishing I tell you, what’s that about? How can anyone derive pleasure from that so-called sport? You're either sitting on your arse or you're maiming defenceless animals, not a lot of fun either way, but for some reason a few crazies still do it. To try and boost the popularity of the prehistoric blood sport some UK-based fishing organisations have created National Fishing week in the UK. I guess they are going to try to give it a new look—maybe getting people to run around in caveman outfits so the image matches the ethics.

peta2 US is currently running a mission in the UK—Save Fish, Eat Chips and this week is definitely the best time to get involved. So print off your sign and get your cameras out and start snapping.

Fish are often overlooked when it comes to cruelty as they are not as cute and cuddly as a dog or cat, but they still feel pain. They can learn from one another to avoid nets and they can recognise individuals in a shoal. Learn more about fish here. Remember boys and girls, if you aren't already a member of the Street Team, you should be swimming with excitement to join and start helping animals!

Martin

This is a guest blog from Martin with peta2 UK.

Tans, Cruelty-Free Sunscreen, and Apples July 23, 2007

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A bunch of you have been sending us photos of you using your tans to spread a positive message. Check out a few of our faves:

Go Veg!


Against Bullfighting!

And in case you're on the lookout for some cruelty-free sunscreen, look for products by Alba and Kiss My Face.

♥ Marta

PS - Check out this amazing picture that Raquel Pellicano sent our way (that has absolutely nothing to do with this blog, but I love it, so I'm including it!). Thanks, Raquel!

Who Wants Vegan Cupcakes? July 20, 2007

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Sorry to get your hopes up, but there's no way I can mail you some cupcakes (I know, how selfish of me). Anyway, as you may have noticed in the blog I wrote yesterday, it was Pulin's 37th birthday (okay, so he really turned 42, not 37), and our good friend Liz made him some oh-so-delicious vegan cupcakes. You may recognize the cupcakes from their nasty, animal-product filled, famous cousins. Anyway, here's a picture of the scrumptious vegan version:

And if you're wondering: Heck yeah, they're creme-filled! Why would anyone ever eat dessert that causes animals to suffer when stuff like this exists?

So anyway, when Liz dropped by the peta2 office yesterday, I filmed a short video of Pulin and Liz seeing who could eat a cupcake the fastest. Check it out:



And I'm not giving any names, but someone in the office actually volunteered to eat the cupcake that Liz had in her mouth. Whether he actually ate it or not, I don't wanna know.

Have a great weekend!

Pleasantly yours,

♥ Marta

PS - Okay, so Pulin didn't really turn 37 or 42. He turned 53.

PPS - If you want to make these cupcakes for yourself, check out Vegan With A Vengeance. For more dessert recipes, check out VegCooking.com.

Kate Hudson's New Cruelty Free Hair Care Prods July 20, 2007

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Last weekend Kate Hudson was spotted hiding behind the shirt of Mr. Dax Shepard as the duo left Malibu's Nobu restaurant hand in hand. Allegedly Shepard took the shirt right off his back and gave it to the lovely Ms. Hudson so she could shield herself from the paps. Good to know that chivalry isn't dead in Hollywood. Whether or not any of the rumors surrounding what they were doing together are true is of no concern to me (OK, actually I do care because I like them both and they're cute together) but what is of concern to me is her new cruelty free hair care line. Kate and her hair stylist David Babaii are creating a line of products called David Babaii for WildAid. "I've considered doing other campaigns in the past, but with this one, I jumped in without hesitation," she says. "I love that the products use natural ingredients and aren't tested on animals." Yay! The products are expected to hit shelves later this year and a portion of the proceeds are going to WildAid, an org working to stop the devastation of wildlife, so scoop 'em up when you see them, I know I will, especially if they make my hair look anything like Kate's.


xox

Patricia

KFC Is Going Down July 20, 2007

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Lindsay's on the road (as usual) protesting KFC all over Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, and South Dakota. I hear it's all been going well. Check out what she's got to say about her trip.

Hey there! This is Lindsay checking in from South Dakota. The last week has been absolutely hectic for me. In case you didn't know, I'm based in Louisville, KY now. Why, you may ask? Well, that's where KFC is based, so what better place to stick it to em?! It's an amazing city, the people are really nice, and I am really happy to get some anti-KFC activism going on in their corporate backyard!

Last weekend we had an amazing all vegan BBQ as well as a KFC demonstration at a really high visibility location. Lots of people came out to both. It's great to know that we told people about what they shouldn't eat (KFC), but also what they should eat instead (amazing vegan foods)!

Check out this picture and note the vegan "crayfish" picked up from a local Asian market (complete with little "eyes" painted on—creepy)!!! Also notice the "fish" (soy protein wrapped in seaweed) from the Asian market plus the veggie burgers and dogs, and eggplant.

Kent (A.K.A, the Grillmaster A.K.A. the drummer for Risen).
The local demonstration, of course, was fantastic and we were able to reach hundreds, if not thousands of people with our signs and leaflets! I hit up that KFC location pretty regularly, and every single time there are new people honking in support, giving the thumbs up, and thanking our organization for speaking out for the chickens.



And for the past few days I've been traveling with my co-worker Ashley and intern Jennifer protesting at various KFC locations a couple times a day. Local activists have been excited and the local media is always really interested in what we've got to say.



If you're in the Louisville area, drop me a line to get more involved with the campaign. And if you're basically anywhere in the world and want to pressure KFC to make sure chickens don't get scalded alive and suffer from broken bones, just visit KentuckyFriedCruelty.com.

Thanks so much.

-Lindsay

Multiple Stab Wounds May Shorten Life Expectancy? July 19, 2007

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A friend passed along this hilarious parody video from The Onion and I just had to share it with you all. So funny. My favorite line from the video: "This tells us that the effects of stab wounds are more physical than psychological."

Study: Multiple Stab Wounds May Be Harmful To Monkeys

It's hard to believe that people still test other ridiculous things on animals—like mascara. WTF? I personally don't want a bunny blinded so I can use a brand new lash-lengthening mascara. If you haven't watched our "Testing...One, Two, Three" video yet, well, get on that.

♥ Marta

PS - The Onion is totally amazing. Check it out regularly. Seriously, dude.

PPS - It's Pulin's birthday. Wish him a happy one!

This Week's Installment of DeFlocked July 19, 2007

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Jeff Corriveau has brought you another installment of DeFlocked to...well...keep you satisfied until next week's installment!

Click for a larger version

To check out past installments, click here.



♥ Marta

Upcoming Events for Stella McCartney's Second Life World July 19, 2007

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The virtual anti-fur protest and party are in full swing on Stella McCartney - PETA island over there in Second Life world. If you haven't checked out all of the goings on yet you're really missing out. You may recall that the events got underway last week with the first ever worldwide virtual anti-fur protest and ginormous outdoor celebration complete with live DJ sets, Stella McCartney and PETA tree houses to visit, and Linda McCartney veggie burgers that Second Life characters can munch on. Where else can you "rent" roller skates, bicycles, and row boats to tool around a virtual English countryside, or pop into a topiary maze for a massage while discovering the gloriousness of CARE by Stella McCartney, the first 100% organic skincare line? Oh, and don't forget about the anti-fur slogan contest! There are loads of events and activities coming up so check out the schedule below, then head over to Second Life to get in on the fun.

US Schedule (Eastern Standard Time)

Thursday July 19th
2pm: Screening of the new Paul McCartney video for 'Dance Tonight'

Saturday July 21st
2pm: Wheelbarrow race.

Sunday July 22nd
2pm: Winner of anti-fur slogan competition announced:
The best 3 slogans will win Stella McCartney prizes. First prize: 2 tickets to the Spring Summer 2008 fashion show in Paris in October. Second prize: a Fall/Winter Appaloosa bag. Third prize: a full set of CARE by Stella McCartney, the first luxury organic skincare line, containing 100% organic active ingredients.

Monday July 23rd
9am: Winning anti-fur slogans uploaded in main island areas.

Friday July 27th
2pm: Sack race.

Sunday July 29th
7am: Final protest. Island closes with a celebratory wrap party with live DJ.

And don't forget that daily protest marches take place at 8am and 1pm.

UK/Euro Schedule (Greenwich Mean Time)

Daily protest marches take place at 13.00 and 18.00 (GMT).

Thursday 19th July at 19.00 (GMT)
Screening of the new Paul McCartney video for 'Dance Tonight'

Saturday 21st July at 19.00 (GMT)
Wheelbarrow race.

Sunday 22nd July at 19.00 (GMT)
Winner of anti-fur slogan competition announced:
The best 3 slogans will win Stella McCartney prizes. First prize: 2 tickets to the Spring Summer 2008 fashion show in Paris in October. Second prize: a Fall/Winter Appaloosa bag. Third prize: a full set of CARE by Stella McCartney, the first luxury organic skincare line, containing 100% organic active ingredients.

Monday 23rd July at 14.00 (GMT)
Winning anti-fur slogans uploaded in main island areas.

Friday 27th July at 19.00 (GMT)
Sack race.

Sunday 29th July at 12.00 (GMT)
Final protest. Island closes with a celebratory wrap party with live DJ.

xox

Patricia

Sign the Petition Against Dogfighting! July 18, 2007

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Dogfighting is disgusting. It's horrifying that some people actually bet money to see dogs injure—and sometimes even kill—each other. In case you didn't hear about the craziness a little while back, 66 dogs and dogfighting paraphernalia were seized from Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick's property.

This morning, in the wake of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's indictment on charges related to dogfighting, all of his corporate sponsors, Falcons CEO Arthur Blank, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell received a joint letter from hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, civil rights leader The Rev. Al Sharpton, and PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk roundly condemning dogfighting and other forms of violence.

workingpitbull/CreativeCommons

A dogfight is a cruel activity in which two dogs are forced to fight for the sake of human entertainment and profit. These dogs are abusively trained to be aggressive. Dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It's a felony offense in all but two states—Idaho and Wyoming—where it's a misdemeanor. Because dogfighting is a felony in most states, dogfighting rings are difficult to infiltrate and are run by extremely dangerous people.

We need your help! Spread the word about dogfighting, and get everyone you know to join Russell Simmons, The Rev. Al Sharpton, and Ingrid Newkirk in signing the statement that dogfighting must be rejected in our local communities. The statement calls on people not only to condemn Michael Vick for his alleged participation in this illegal activity but also to work to end dogfighting in our local communities.

Remember, as the statement says, "Our battle must extend to those innocent animals who literally have no voice or choice."

♥ Marta

Warped Tour Continues On July 18, 2007

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The folks on Warped Tour for peta2 have hit some poor weather recently in Texas, but continue on in good spirits. Fresh off a trip to NYC, Nicole flew halfway across the country to meet up with the crew, hang out with some bands, and get a taste of peta2 style outreach! I'm sure she'll have more to come, but for now here's a photo.

Guys have been proving time and time again that no one can resist a cute chick.



And of course we have been using some fun spray chalk to stencil the message that chickens are not nuggets all over the place! Pretty nifty, isn't it?



So that's where we're at with tons more updates to come from awesome food to compassionate bands to weird stories from the road. A bunch of our peta2 office staff is heading out at various points, so say hello to us if you spot us at the peta2 booth or walking around the venues. I'm even checking out a couple shows in Virginia and New Jersey, so maybe I'll see some of you? I hope so!

Take care,

-Pulin

Try Not To Throw Up July 17, 2007

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You may have heard that we've been in touch with Al Gore and the Live Earth folks about the whole meat production/global warming/environmental destruction connection. Well, we just found this absolutely disgusting video (in a good way) that kind of puts a visual to the fact that, for instance, animals raised for food produce 130 times as much piss and shit as the entire U.S. population! And that a groundbreaking 2006 report from the United Nations concluded that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined. Some people claim to care about the planet while contributing to its destruction with every bite they take. To them, I dedicate this video.

Again, I am warning you that this video is powerful and while it's not bloody by any means, it is totally disgusting. So try not to throw up.

.

-Pulin

Everybody Was Tofu Fighting! July 16, 2007

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Has anyone seen the new "Everybody Was Tofu Fighting" sumo wrestling button at Hot Topic? My friend, Mylie, was sportin' one on her bag today, and it is totally cute! What do you think?

I think I am going to get one today, or beg Mylie for hers. I suggest that you do the same (go get one—not ask Mylie). If you don't have a mall with a Hot Topic nearby, you can still get it online here.

Did I mention there is a keychain too?!? Do they take pin submissions over at Cute Overload?

xoxo-Lara

Join Rise Against, Silverstein, and Comeback Kid In Signing Our Petition July 13, 2007

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Has anyone been to a show on the Rise Against, Silverstein, Comeback Kid tour? It's going all over the US and Canada, so if you haven't made it out, hopefully you can check out a show soon. Our peta2 crew is on the whole thing so check the dates here.

Some of the band dudes (in addition to tens of thousands of you nice people) recently signed our Not A Nugget petition to encourage the government to provide basic federal protection for chickens.

Tim and Zach from Rise Against with their merch dude Jason


Billy (and his vegan mustache) from Silverstein


Jeremy from Comeback Kid
If you're inspired by seeing some of your favorite bands sign this petition, please check out the newest peta2 mission, When They Line Up, Make 'Em Sign Up. You get a whole freakin' ton of Street Team points for helping with this one. So print out some sheets and bring 'em to a concert, your next church youth group meeting, or pass it around to people at camp.

And speaking of Rise Against, check out this piece from Spinner.com entitled "Rise Against's Tim McIlrath Calls Out America's Problems."

Don't hold your breath, but there will be tons more photos and videos from bands coming soon!

-Pulin

PS- It's Friday the 13th so here's a creepy link. What do you think of it?

Stella McCartney's Second Life Anti-Fur Protest and Giveaway! July 13, 2007

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I ♥ Stella McCartney. And not just for all of the amazing clothes and accessories (don't get me started on her vegan shoes) she designs although that's a huge part of my adoration. I also ♥ her for everything she does to help animals, like teaming up with PETA to co-host the first ever worldwide virtual anti-fur protest on Second Life. How cool is that?! The week-long protest takes place on a specially created island, which was inspired by the English countryside and features, stables, a lake, bee hives, fields, a topiary maze, picnic tables, Linda McCartney mini-veggie burger stands, and a "live" DJ. There are also Stella McCartney and PETA info tree-houses, and get this, visitors can even "carve" personalized messages into the trees!

There are loads of activities taking place on Stella McCartney - PETA Island until July 29, and everyone who visits will get a bunch of cool anti-fur shirts and accessories for their Second Life characters to wear, including a T-shirt with the slogan, "I'd rather be pixelated than wear fur." Visitors will also be able to submit their ideas for a new PETA slogan based on our "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" tag line. Stella will judge the slogans herself and the winners will be announced around July 22. And these prizes are so awesome; I'm crushed that I can't enter! Third prize is a full set of CARE by Stella McCartney, the second prize is a Fall-Winter Appaloosa bag, and the grand prize winner receives two tickets to Stella's Spring-Summer 2008 show in Paris in October. Le sigh. As Stella says, "Sometimes it's nice to have a bit of humour on serious subjects," and we agree, so let the virtual paint fly!

xox

Patricia

Time to Get DeFlocked! July 12, 2007

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Yep, it's time for your weekly DeFlocked fix. See what Jeff Corriveau has in store for you this week!

Click for a larger version
To check out last week's comic, click here.



♥ Marta

Do You Have a SoyWallet Yet? July 11, 2007

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If you don't, you're totally behind the times. Well okay, not really—I don't have one yet either ("Yet" being the keyword here, people!). But anyway, an awesome activist who goes by the name of Drew (he's totally my MySpace friend) recently started up this sweet site where you can buy wallets made out of recycled soymilk containers! Brilliant, right? Look how freakin' cute they are:

They're only $7, and shipping is free. Need more incentive to shell out the dough? The proceeds are going to an animal rights group (Vegan Outreach, PETA, Boston Animal Defense League, and Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary are all in the running), so get buying!

Are you broke? Stingy (kidding!)? Maybe you're simply a Crafty Crafterson type and would like to make a wallet of your very own. You're in luck, because Drew's one step ahead of you and already posted the instructions to make one yourself!

And if you want to be cool like me and help spread the word about Drew's site, you can add a banner to your MySpace profile showing off the SoyWallets. Come on, you know you want to.

♥ Marta

Morrissey Shout-Out! July 10, 2007

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When I was just a young tyke, my babysitter, who sported a pink mohawk, introduced me to The Smiths. Ever since then, I have had a deep fascination with Morrissey and his highly coifed hair and impeccable taste in clothes. But it wasn't until years later—when I went vegan—that I really appreciated the man who coined "Meat is Murder."

Not only is he a music icon, he is also known far and wide for his animal activism. That's why I am so excited to pass along the following report from his VA Beach show last night:

"...three songs into the concert with the sold out crowd going absolutely mad, Morrissey paused to say that he was very gratified. A thunder of cheering applause interrupted him, so he said coyly, 'You haven’t even heard what I'm gratified about yet...' And he continued, 'I'm very gratified to be so close to the international headquarters of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.' Wild applause!"

That gave me chills. The good kind.

xoxo-Lara

peta2 on Warped Tour! July 10, 2007

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Warped Tour is unquestionably the longest, hottest, and most exhausting traveling festival you'll find around. But with peta2 on the road, it's also the most fun!

This summer, we're focusing on our "I Am Not a Nugget" campaign, and everyone loves it! Sometimes people need to see the word "free" to get their attention though...

Another guy who was aching to support our campaign was the lead singer of Fabulous Rudies, who wore our shirt on stage for all to see!


Upon entering Denver, our tent almost flew away in a heavy thunderstorm, right in the middle of the show! Everyone huddled under our tent for safety, but if you know peta2 staffers, no amount of rain, sleet, or snow can hold us back!


There are still several weeks of Warped shows left (check the peta2 MySpace for all the dates), so we hope to see you out there! If it's really hot in your town, stop on by our tent and we'll help cool you off...


Rock on!

Ryan

AFI Represent Vegetarians at Live Earth July 9, 2007

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I'm not ashamed to admit that I was glued to the TV set this weekend. Rarely do I get to see so many bands I love performing together but that was the case this weekend when AFI, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, the Chili Peppers, and two of my all-time faves, The Police and Duran Duran performed at Live Earth. Frankly any time there's even the slightest chance that I'll get to see my Davey Havok—a.k.a. the "World's Sexiest Vegetarian for 2007"—people know not to expect me to leave the house.

The beautiful Mr. Havok took the stage in a striped light colored suit and launched into my fave song from Decemberunderground, "The Missing Frame". His newly colored and cut locks looked divine...sigh. Earlier in the day Davey and Jade spoke to Aamer from VH1 about how living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle aids the environment. And during their set, Davey told the estimated 2 billion viewers that going vegan is one way they could help the planet. "We in AFI are all vegetarians. I've been vegan for almost 10 years now and it's those types of personal changes that you can make, going vegan, recycling, using automobiles that use less gas, or using no automobile at all that will make changes now that will affect us for years to come in the future in a positive way..." He's a good Davey, in fact, he's the only performer that spoke about the negative impact that eating meat has on the planet.

Say what you will about Live Earth, but some people really did learn from the experience, like Kelly Clarkson for instance. She had no idea that being vegan helped the planet, that is until she heard about AFI...

The band sounded great but I'll let you be the judge. Enjoy "The Missing Frame"!

xox

Patricia

What's Wrong With This Picture? July 9, 2007

Posted by Pulin Modi | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack


Here's a hint: The answer is neither the What They Never Told You booklets on the table, nor the stickers on the "FREE DVD AND HUGS" sign.

Any guesses?

-Pulin

PS-You know you cannot resist clicking on the mystery link.

DeFlocked, Part 2 July 6, 2007

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The week's winding down, and yes, I'm quite pleased to bring you another installment of DeFlocked by Jeff Corriveau. Enjoy.

Click for a larger version
Check out the first comic here and click here to learn more about DeFlocked.


Have a great weekend!

♥ Marta

Live Earth, Davey Havok, and Veggie Dogs! July 6, 2007

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Unless you have been living under a rock these past few months, you know that Live Earth is tomorrow. Needless to say, I am quite excited. Not only because a band of scientists will be playing the Antarctica show, but because tons of peta2 favs are also on the lineup including...

Fall Out Boy
AFI
Joss Stone
Taking Back Sunday
Bloc Party
Razorlight
Jack Johnson
Missy Higgins

Live Earth mentions on their site that one way to curb global warming is to "green your diet." We agree (big shocker eh?), but don't just take our word for it—take the U.N.'s too. Last year, they released a report that said raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined.

If you want even more proof, check out what Davey Havok had to say when he was interviewed by Rolling Stone about playing Live Earth:

"Being a vegan, the environment means a lot to me. It's the underlying focus of my diet, which is both political and health-focused."

So kids, the lesson learned is that veggie dogs can save the Earth—so get eatin'!

xoxo-Lara

Davey Havok Image-Evan Agostini, Getty Images/Creative Commons

Where Have You Been With Nugget Lately? July 5, 2007

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Chickens are the most abused animals on the planet. It's absolutely sickening to know that the only law that protects farmed animals in the United States—the Humane Slaughter Act—doesn't include chickens. And it's totally ridiculous, considering that nearly 96% of all animals killed for food are chickens.

We want to make sure that chickens aren't scalded alive in defeathering tanks and don't have their throats slit while still fully conscious. No caring person wants to see animals treated like crap, right? So we just launched our "I Am Not A Nugget" campaign last Friday, the first day of Warped Tour, to ask people to sign our petition to have chickens protected under the Humane Slaughter Act.

We're going to have you do all sorts of fun things this summer to help us get the word out to people that chickens aren't nuggets, and to kick things off, we want you to send us photos of all the fun things you do with Nugget this summer! You know, a little something like this:

Go here to download your nugget and print it out. Then color it and tweak it however you like. Take a picture of yourself and your nugget, then upload your photo here. We'll feature some of our favorites on the blog. Here are a few other pictures that Street Teamers have submitted to give you a little inspiration:








Click here to check out the rest of the photos, and then get to it! My hope is to see the nugget anywhere and everywhere this summer. Nugget Goes Camping. Nugget At A Picnic. Nugget Rock Climbing. Nugget Watching Transformers. Nugget Goes Bird Watching. Come on, make me happy! :)

Have fun!

♥ Marta

PS - Okay, so I have to share this comment we received on one of our YouTube videos. And people think WE'RE crazy...

"kids out of marraige are treated worse when parent split then a cow or pig does when it's slaughtered. if she knew a n y t h i n g she'd know that meat is important. i don't she can say full branch chain amino acids...nore can she speak. peta sucks. they'd rather cry dead meat then cry ignored child, raped child, drug addictied child."

BBQ and Baseball July 3, 2007

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With the 4th of July almost upon us, the smell of grilled flesh can be found everywhere and let's face it—it's downright nasty for vegetarians. However, if you're as lucky as I am, you'll be spending tomorrow at all all-vegan BBQ. Okay, so I totally realize that not that many people are as lucky as I am, so that's why you gotta show those meat-eaters just how delectable veggie food can be. If you're going to a cook-out tomorrow, make sure to bring along some Gardenburger Riblets, a few Boca burgers, or some Tofurky 'Foot Long' Veggie Dogs for all to enjoy. Or try whipping up some veggie kebabs with zucchini, tomatoes, onions, pineapple, eggplant, mushrooms, potatoes, and peppers, slathered up in a juicy marinade.

If you're feeling fancy, throw on your 'Kiss the Cook' apron and get started on some other summer grilling recipes here. Yum, yum. My stomach is rumbling just thinking about the delicious food I will be consuming tomorrow.

Speaking of delicious cook-out food, guess what?! I ate my first-ever veggie dog at a Norfolk Tides baseball game last weekend! I know, I was totally behind-the-times, but I was very, very apprehensive about trying one after I found a bone in a real hot dog when I was little. So gross! Needless to say, after the rave reviews from all of my friends, I bought a veggie dog and piled on the ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, and sauerkraut, and it was absolutely delicious! Here's a shot of me at the game with just a bite left (and in case you're wondering—yes, I did manage to get mustard all over my ring):


There are tons of veg-friendly ball parks out there—PETA even compiles a list every year of the Top 10 Veg-Friendly Ball Parks. Check out last year's list here, and if you live near one of the ball parks, then you need to buy some tickets, chow down on veggie dogs and vegetarian sushi (yeah, so random!), and thank me later for your day of fun.

Happy 4th of July (or Happy Tomorrow, for the many of you not in the US!), and keep your eye on the blog—cause I just might post some mouth-watering post-BBQ photos for you on Thursday!

♥ Marta

PS - There are rumors flying about that the Stars and Stripes Starkiss Bar from Dairy Queen is non-dairy and yummy. Has anyone tried it?

Hello from Shane / Silverstein July 3, 2007

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Hey everyone. Happy Tuesday! Today is July 3rd and that means our new CD, Arrivals and Departures is out! As you can see from the video below, we're really proud of the release and hope you will buy it to support our band. We just shot a video for our first single so look for news on that soon!

You may have noticed my I Am Not A Nugget shirt in the video above. If you like the shirt, it turns out peta2 now has these brand new designs to order online here. There's also a whole microsite with a video, game, and a petition at peta2.com/NotANugget so check that out.




Even though this is the last scheduled posting from Silverstein on the peta2 blog, our tour with Rise Against and Comeback Kid is still in full swing so come hang out with us! And stay in touch with everything peta2 does by signing up here.

-Shane / Silverstein

Good News Galore! July 2, 2007

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I'm pleased to present you with not one…not two…but three amazing things that have happened for animals in the past week. Are you on the edge of your seats?!


First up, last week, Oregon banned the use of gestation crates! Basically, pregnant pigs in Oregon will no longer be confined in two-foot by seven-foot cages. Gestation crates prevent pigs from lying down, fully extending their limbs, or turning around freely. So that means in 2013, when the law goes into effect, the approximately 4,000 breeding sows in Oregon will no longer be abused quite so terribly.

Yay for pigs!

Second up, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), a trade group representing the Australian wool industry, abandoned the lawsuit they have been pushing for more than two years against PETA's boycott of Australian wool. AWI has pumped millions of dollars into this lawsuit, and this development is a big victory both for free speech and for animals. Here's what PETA President Ingrid Newkirk had to say:

"Our message is that when animal abusers sue PETA, it's at their own peril. AWI has wasted millions of dollars of woolgrowers' money, only to find that PETA's call for a boycott of Australian wool is going at full throttle as long as lambs have chunks of their rumps cut off with shears and sheep are herded onto export death ships."

To read more about why we encourage everyone to boycott Australian wool, click here to check out the video that Pink narrated for us.

Yay for sheep!

And finally, did you know that the slaughtering of horses for human consumption was recently outlawed? Well, on Friday, the nation's last horse slaughterhouse closed its doors for good!

Yay for horses!

Now, if you're like me, all this good news has probably made you itchin' to do something to help animals right now. Click here to see all the latest ways you can help.

♥ Marta

Neil from Silverstein Speaks July 2, 2007

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Hey! This is Neil from Silverstein! We are here in the beautiful state of New Jersey! It has been a very lazy day to say the least. I'm 3 Heinekens in and waiting for the venue to make food for our hungry bellies. I'm not totally sure what they're preparing us. My guess would be that it's the standard tomato sauce pasta with a garden salad, borrrrrrrring! (I had a veggie meatball sub in Philly the other day and I haven't stopped thinking about it since!)

So basically today is a standard day of beer and video game tournaments of Guitar Hero and Call of Duty on the bus, how exciting! I can't wait to perform because Jersey kids just go nuts for us, I'm so stoked!

I just got a chance to sign the peta2 petition that will be out at our shows this summer.

Click here to sign the petition online!

Anyway, time to check out the food. I'm starved! Peace Y'all.



-Neil / Silverstein

Heck of a Hellfest July 2, 2007

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I had only been back in the peta2 UK headquarters for about the same amount of time as it took Paris Hilton to fake out of prison when I was called out on my peta2 UK tabling duties again. This time it was in different surroundings, namely Clisson in France for Hellfest. I am sure you can imagine I jumped at the chance to go and see Earth Crisis, Converge, Primal Age, Emperor and a whole lot of other bands and to help the French see that living a cruelty-free lifestyle is the best for the environment, health and the most compassionate way to live. Me and tabling wizard Sarah set off in the evening of Thursday and basically rocked the driving and got there the next morning.

After meeting up with our PETA France cousin Nicolas and friend Marc we set the wheels into motion and stormed the venue—getting a whole lot of sign ups.


That's kinda when it started bucketing it down. Imagine Glastonbury but with less British and more black clothes. But with a brolly in one hand and a clipboard in the other we carried on, much like the warriors of old. Now I don't class myself as one of life's campers and it was with a heavy hand and sorry heart that I had to stay in a tent but I was pleased we got to bust out the barbeque for some vegan burgers.


Oh and finally I found some one with pig tattoos in the same place as my chickens.


Much rock

Martin

This is a guest blog from Martin with peta2 UK.