Posted by Pulin

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Cobra Starship Says Down with Fur! April 28, 2008

The very good people of Cobra Starship are at it again. And when I say again, I mean Gabe and crew are helping more animals. Oh I love that Cobra, just love 'em!

Posted by Nicole

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Science Fiction + Animal Rights = The Keepers April 25, 2008

So here's the thing—I am a straight-up sci-fi nerd. I definitely have a collection of old Star Wars action figures, and I was definitely there at midnight for the first screening of all three prequels (but don't front, you know you were too). Which is why when I heard about The Keepers—a new trilogy of science-fiction novels by Rick Friar with some serious animal rights themes going on—I needed to share the love. Think Battlestar Galactica meets Animal Liberation meets...I don't know, Awesome City.

I sat down with Rick to pick his ridiculously large brain about the book, animal rights, light sabers, and being vegan. He also hooked us up with an autographed copy of the book, along with a t-shirt featuring one of the Animalians (more on that later), to give away. The person who comments back with the best Star Wars quote wins the prize.*

Don't win? Pick up The Keepers yourself! Now, witness the power of this fully armed and operational interview.

What made you want to write The Keepers?
I've long known I was going to be a writer. It was always my passion. However, The Keepers made itself. My other two passions, animal rights and history coalesced with my love for writing to create the storyline. I was reading about everything from Plato to World War II and I came to see how certain patterns repeat themselves and that we seem to be on the verge of one of the cycles of chaos. I also saw how vegetarianism and kindness towards animals was not some trendy concept as many tend to think. It has roots which step deep into antiquity. For instance, Socrates and Plato were vegetarians because they had been disgusted by the sacrifice of animals in Athens. The Bible has many vegetarian elements, which seem to portray God as saying that all things should be herbivores.

And what's an Animalian, exactly?
The Animalian Projects form the crux for this trilogy. They are based off the field of science and engineering known as biomimicry, which literally means "imitating life." Biomimicry had produced a wide-range of inventions, such as Velcro, which was created when a Swiss man hiking through the Alps was inspired by the burrs that attached to his socks. Burrs are those small seed casings with many small hooks in them. But, biomimicry when it comes to imitating animals fits nowhere better than in the military spectrum. The reason for this is simple. Animals have been at war with each other for billions of years and, in that time, they have honed their physical designs and capabilities to best move about on planet Earth. Fans have written me that, seeing how humans can learn from the animal kingdom, gives them a respect for it.

How do your beliefs about animal rights play in to the book?
My beliefs about animal rights come out as a cathartic romp through the endeavors of a charismatic, silver-tongued tyrant by the name of Geiseric. From what feedback I've received, my fellow animal rights activists are enjoying the vicarious thrill of seeing how this man takes charge, gets thing done by hook or by crook, and enforces Isaianism upon the world. The Isaianic movement centers around Isaiah's prophecies that in the end times there would be an end to all killing, in the human and animal world. True world peace. However, to accomplish his Utopian vision, Geiseric is willing to use any means necessary, including political manipulation and total war. What is extremely fascinating to me is how palatable this character is to the masses. Those who are not animal rights activists are intrigued by this man and, though they disagree with his views, they can't but love his wit and determination, even when it's being skillful and unrelenting at such controversial aims. As one fan wrote, "He's a totalitarian prick, but damn it, I love him!" One thing I've learned is that, while people may like a compassionate hero, everyone loves a badass.

I know that you're a vegetarian—what made you make the switch in the first place?
I was always an animal-lover. Besides the fact that my family had three dogs, one of which we saved on the side of the road, we always supported a number of specific causes such as saving the Arctic Wolf and stopping fur. But, my family and I had yet to link our ideals to the ultimate cruelty, which is the meat industry. Logic eventually led us to see that debasing an animal that is like our beloved pets to nothing more than a meal is abominable, forget the fact that's it's also one of the most torturous of the industries.

Do you think the book will inspire people to think differently about animals?
Absolutely. I did not write this book to preach to the choir. As I said earlier, animal rights activists have certainly expressed as much excitement about the story as anyone. However, I purposefully set Geiseric as an anti-hero, instead of the all out protagonist, which is Logan. If a radical animal rights activist were the hero, the masses would put the book right down. However, if he is the "bad guy," he can say whatever he wants, make as poignant arguments as possible, and the regular person will keep on reading. But, what if that bad guy starts to grow on you until you actually like, even respect him. I heard you say at an event one time that the worst thing for a movement is silence. This will get the people talking about it.

Who would win in a light saber duel—your main character Logan, or Colonel Sanders?
Well, certainly Logan would win in such a duel, for Logan is a well-trained swordsman!

So when The Keepers gets made into a huge summer blockbuster starring Will Smith and you're rolling around in a room full of royalty checks, you won't forget about your pals over at peta2, right?

You know it.

-Dan

*The contest will end on April 28th and we will pick a winner by May 2nd. And just so you know...by commenting here, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy, and that you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

Posted by Marta

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Free Stuff Friday: Vegan Chocolate for Mom! April 25, 2008

Mother's Day is May 11th, and it's time to sing the praises of moms everywhere. Here are some facts about animal moms that are too amazing to keep to myself:

• Mother pigs have been known to sing to their piglets during feeding
• Cow moms take turns babysitting for each other
• Mama cows have been known to jump fences and travel for miles looking for their calf if they are separated
• Fish moms use their mouths to hide their babies from harm
• Elephant moms maintain constant touch with their children, never allowing them to stray too far
• Chickens "talk" to their chicks before they hatch

Posted by Ashleigh

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Vegan Pizza Party! April 24, 2008

This past weekend, I threw a little vegan pizza party. My boyfriend, Matt, made three huge soy cheese pizzas (one jalapeno and pineapple, one mushroom and onion, and one veggie sausage).

Here are some pics from the pizza-filled event:

Me and a plate of jalapeno and pineapple...

Posted by Lara

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Beautiful People Saving Beautiful Animals April 24, 2008

This week on the west coast, The Lady Road Warriors have been holding it down, hanging with Tegan and Sara, hitting up places like HSU and UC Davis, and getting thousands more to pledge 100,000 Strong Against Fur!

Posted by Marta

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We Need Your Help! April 23, 2008

It's finally happening! peta2 is working on a brand-new vegan cookbook, specifically focusing on SIMPLE, and EASY recipes. Here's where you come in! We're looking for creative and delicious vegan recipes that we can use in the book!

Posted by Ryan

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World Week for Animals in Labs April 23, 2008

This week, April 20 - 26, is World Week for Animals in Laboratories. What exactly does that mean? This week is all about exposing the plight that animals go through for testing. What better way to do that than with demonstrations? Check out a few that PETA had this week:

First up is the protest that took place outside drugmaker Eli Lilly's annual shareholder meeting on Monday. These six protestors let the company's shareholders know about its decision to outsource animal experiments to China and other countries where animal protection laws are virtually non-existent.

Posted by Marta

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Vanessa Carlton's New ABC Ad April 22, 2008

Spring is in full swing, thank goodness! I am totally over cold weather and apparently so are all the wildlife around here, they're um, well, they're downright frisky. That's what happens when Spring rolls around, which makes it the perfect time to talk about spaying and neutering, and our brand new ABC (Animal Birth Control) ad starring Vanessa Carlton and her handsome canine companion, Victor.

Posted by Patricia

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Test Tube Meat? April 21, 2008

There's a story that's all over the place from The New York Times to your local television news about PETA offering up a $1 million reward to the first scientist to produce and bring to market "in-vitro" meat. Here's the deal with it...

Scientists around the world are figuring out how to produce meat in a laboratory without killing animals. Do we want animals to suffer? No, so then why not at least consider it as an option for those who seem to crave flesh? "In-vitro" meat production would use cells from an animal (they can be taken once an animal has died of natural causes, obviously we don't want animals to be killed in the process). The cells are harvested and grown on sheets to try to achieve a texture similar to the "normal" taste of flesh.

Some promising steps have been made, but "in-vitro" meat is still years away from being available to the general public and, although some governments and the meat industry are looking at this process with great interest, we would like to see the process sped up. That's why PETA is now stepping in, offering $1 million ($1 for every chicken killed each hour in the US) to the first scientist to produce and bring to market commercially-successful in-vitro meat.

Ok so, we're not idiots. We still want everyone to go vegan, but we also realize that despite all the amazing fake meat products out there some people are just so addicted to flesh that they may need this step in their path towards an actual vegetarian or vegan diet.

We could sit here and pretend that your obese uncle is going to grill up some Boca Chik'n this summer, but chances are that he will more likely eat some gross breast or leg of a poor chicken. Why not support having an option that will at least spare animals the suffering and reduce environmental destruction while satisfying that sick desire for eating flesh?

Anyway, what do you think? Do you think the die-hard meat-eater in your family would eat meat grown in a lab?

-Pulin

Posted by Pulin

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Apparently I Am A Rising Star April 21, 2008

Hi peeps. I just got back from a whole week out of the office in California. It was lots of fun. At Yosemite National Park, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the park grocery store has soy milk and rice milk, vegan cookies, vegan yogurt, vegan ice cream, vegan cream cheese, all sorts of frozen vegan meals, and more! It's a sure sign that all the hard work we're doing is creating a demand for these healthier, more humane options!

Also, my bro has a new movie out this week so I went to Leno and a fancy premiere, plus the set of that show House and all that with the family. I also checked out the John Steinbeck museum in Salinas (he's one of my favorite authors), hung out with John Feldmann of Goldfinger and met up with Matthew Lush. Of course, I ate amazing food everywhere I went including Real Food Daily and Vegan Plate in Los Angeles. There was also an awesome coffee shop near Sequoia National Park where I had this incredible tofu scrambler for breakfast.

So that's that and now I'm back in lovely Norfolk, Virginia, where we're based. It's really a great place to work. I recently did an interview for a site called Experience.com for their "Rising Stars" section. It's all about how I got interested in working for peta2 and what I do, so check it out here and remember to check out peta2.com/jobs for opportunities to come here and work for animal rights!

Take care!

-Pulin

P.S.- Have you seen this yet?

Posted by Pulin

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Get A Life Tour and The Food Revolution! April 18, 2008

Howdy friends! This last week has been a busy one with lots of great food and meeting more amazing people on the Rockstar Get A Life Tour.

I have a couple amazing highlights from the last week. First, I want to thank all of the amazing folks that have been coming out and pledging to be fur-free! You all are INCREDIBLE!

Posted by Marta

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Free Stuff Friday: It's Raining Cats And Dogs April 18, 2008