Save Lives During Breast Cancer Awareness Month! October 23, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at October 23, 2009 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

We care about animals and people—and a big reason why we hate animal testing so much is because it kills both animals and people. Every year, monkeys, dogs, cats, mice, bunnies and other animals are killed in cruel and ineffective breast cancer experiments, when thousands of women continue to die.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the countless animals and women who die every year of breast cancer need you to stand up and help raise awareness for humane and superior testing methods that will actually save lives, instead of only taking them.

Please click here to send a letter to all of the newspapers in your area! We've set up an easy form that will give you talking points, and a sample letter—and will even find the newspapers near you! Getting these letters printed means that more people become informed about wasteful and cruel experiments on animals, and find out how they can support humane charities that are focusing on what causes breast cancer and how to prevent it.

E-mail us at StreetTeam@peta2.com with a copy of the letter you sent, and we'll give you 1,000 Street Team points.

Why Does Animal Testing Break My Heart? October 7, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at October 7, 2009 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack When I was 12, my Dad died from a heart attack. To this day, he was the funniest man—and the biggest meat eater I've ever met. My Dad loved trips to the McDonald's on the corner, eating ice cream by the gallon every night, and frying up bacon and eggs every morning—with a tall glass of milk, of course.

My Dad was overweight, had heart disease, and diabetes—can you guess why?

My Dad was on every medicine you could imagine for being diabetic, or having heart disease, but he was also a big Polish guy, who came from a family who had always eaten meat. Sure, he heard bits on the news about vegetarian meals or eating blueberries to help this or that disease—but no doctor ever told him exactly what the cure was for being overweight and sick. In November 1999, his diet caught up with him, and he died at the age of 43.

Right now, monkeys in Charles River Laboratories, in Mass. are being "fattened up" to be sold and tested on, mutilated, and killed to find the "cure" for diabetes and other "obesity related diseases". What does this have to do with my Dad? He wasn't alone. He's one of millions of people every year who die of diseases that are preventable—while scientists (the guys we trust) are blinding, poisoning and killing animals in labs to find a way out of telling people to simply stop eating animals. A vegan diet has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as cancer and stroke—not to mention, a vegan diet helps to reverse diabetes! Why didn't someone tell my Dad this, or the millions of others? Why are animals still being killed in useless, cruel and wasteful tests while people continue to die?

I love animals, and I love my Dad—and the proof is clear that animal testing is profit driven, cruel, and tragically wasteful. The sad fact is, companies make money off not only selling meat to consumers, but also off of torturing animals to cure diseases caused by eating unhealthy food. The truth? Animal testing takes lives, it doesn't save lives.

Why does animal testing break your heart?

peta2 Takes Over the University of Michigan! Where Next? September 25, 2009

Posted by Ryan at September 25, 2009 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

When walking around the lovely and historic campus of the University of Michigan (U-M), you'd never guess that tens of thousands of animals are used in grotesque experiments there.

That's because many of the cement buildings that house these animals have no windows, and nobody can hear the screams. Hidden from public view, students go from class to class each day, never knowing what happens right next to their dorm.

That's where we come in. You see, we at peta2 do know what happens behind the scenes—stuff like monkeys being intentionally addicted to cocaine and nicotine, or cases of live mice being placed out with the trash, only to be crushed to death in a compactor—and we want everyone else to know too.

That's why we worked with the student animal rights group at U-M to host a peta2 event on campus this week, called "Testing ... One, Two, Three." We even brought in one of the big guns, named Dr. Alka Chandna, who is one of PETA's senior researchers on animal experimentation issues. Animal abusers didn't stand a chance.

Of course, as you've seen before, when peta2 comes to town, people tend to notice. That's because all this week, we were everywhere at U-M.



We chalked the word "Test" hundreds of times on the campus sidewalks, to highlight the staggering number of cruel tests performed there.



I do say, who's that charming chimp in the student newspaper?

What do you think—should we come to your school to shake things up? If so, why?

Classes Begin--Bad News for Students and Animals September 3, 2009

Posted by Ryan at September 3, 2009 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

JesseBarker / cc

Yes, it's that dreaded time of the year again. The pools are starting to close, and the commercials are running 24/7 advertising 10-cent file folders. Classes are back in session.

Of course, as unbearable as those commercials are, it hardly compares to the abuse animals will face at the hands of researchers and professors armed with scalpels and needles.

Take these three examples:

• At Marquette University, instructors bash the heads of turtles with hammers. These a-holes then slice a hole into their shells so that students can observe the animal's heart beat. MU students have gathered over 1,200 petition signatures against this kind of cruelty, and the school still hasn't changed their policies. WTF MU?
• At Saginaw Valley State University, rats are deprived of food in order to train them to press a lever to receive a food pellet. Then the rats are killed by asphyxiation. All this, while there are humane, non-animal methods available to replace these cruel and deadly experiments.
• And finally, at Bucknell University, Prof. Owen Floody drills holes into the skulls of female hamsters, damaging their brains, and observing the injuries' effects on the hamsters' sexual behavior. The animals are killed at the end of the experiments, and their brains are dissected. You can give Bucknell a piece of your mind by clicking here!

Are you running into similar issues at your school? Know somebody who is? Make sure to let us know!

Show Off Your Heart! August 13, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at August 13, 2009 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

From coast to coast, on the road with Warped Tour and Rise Against, on Facebook and MySpace, our Animal Testing Breaks Hearts campaign is everywhere!

Check out a couple of creative pictures that peta2 Street Teamers have sent in to help make a difference for the hundreds of thousands of mice, rabbits, rats and other animals that suffer needlessly for useless product tests every year.

If you haven't shown the world you have a heart for animals yet, get to it! Send your heart photo to us StreetTeam@peta2.com. We'll give you 500 Street Team points, feature it on our Flickr page, and maybe even on peta2!

Wanna know what all these hearts are about? Don't be a heartbreaker! Check out peta2.com/breakshearts!

How Can You Help Cure Breast Cancer? July 28, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at July 28, 2009 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 103 ) | TrackBack

liberationbc / CC

As someone who has lost both of her parents to diseases without a cure, I have an idea of what it's like to be frustrated knowing someone you love is sick and not knowing how what to do or how to help.

Breast cancer is a disease that affects millions of women and families every year, and for many of them, the only hope they have is in research being done to try to cure it. All hope is with charities and scientists—many of whom continue to fund animal testing.

The truth? The use of animals for breast cancer research is unreliable because of animals' significant genetic, cellular, and physiological differences from humans. Former National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Richard Klausner has stated, "The history of cancer research has been the history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn't work in humans."

We should all feel let down by this research and demand something better—an end not only to the cruelty of testing on animals but to the end of useless experiments that haven't helped cure cancer. Repetitive, expensive, cruel and absolutely selfish tests continue to go on while women are still dying of breast cancer every day.

Please take a minute and send one single e-mail to executives of the organizations that still fund animal research. Ask them to support scientifically sound and humane research that can stop breast cancer before it starts.

Win Harry Potter Movie Passes! July 15, 2009

Posted by Megan Rondeau at July 15, 2009 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 74 ) | TrackBack

I'm not at all embarrassed to admit that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan! I'm that girl who's read all the books at least twice, owns a Gryffindor t-shirt or two, and occasionally references Hogwarts and apparition in every day conversation. Obviously I've been anxiously awaiting the release of the sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (in theatres today!), but what I'm even more excited about is introducing you to some of my new favorite bands!

These aren't just any bands, these are Wizard Rock bands. I know what you're thinking: "what in the what is Wizard Rock??" Wizard Rock bands are Harry Potter enthusiasts like you and I who took their fandom one step further, plugged in keyboards and picked up guitars to pay tribute to the wizarding world. I reached out to just a few of the many Wizard Rock bands to get their take on the role that animal rights plays in the Harry Potter series.

Here they are in their own words:
What are your thoughts on the treatment of creatures that are often discriminated against in the Harry Potter series, such as house-elves, centaurs, and werewolves?
The Moaning Myrtles: The issue of animal rights is one of many in the Harry Potter series that is reflected in our own world and I think it's really important for kids to read a series like this. The difference in the Harry Potter books is that many of these creatures are able to speak for themselves, where ours cannot, but they are still discriminated against. I'm glad that Rowling chose to focus so much on animal rights issues (and others that we also face) in her books, perhaps to show us what is wrong with our own world.

Many, if not all, of the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have companion animals. Whether owls, cats, rats, or toads, the characters all cherish their animals as part of their lives. Did you have any companion animals growing up?
The Whomping Willows: I've always had cats from the moment I was born—I think they add something very valuable to a household. They are an unconditional friend at the most difficult times.

Of all of the major animal rights issues, is there anything that you feel particularly strongly about and why?
The Parselmouths: I guess I would have to say that among all of the terrible problems out there, the issue that pulls at my heart-strings the most is the idea of pet abandonment. All animals deserve to be loved, but the idea of giving an animal a home and then taking that away from them is terrible.
The Moaning Myrtles: Ever since I was younger, I've always been stunned at the horrible things that are done with animal testing ... the convention that these studies can be done on animals without consequence is just messed up.
The Whomping Willows: I think the most important issue is really the preservation of natural habitats, because when ecosystems are destroyed, countless species are impacted.

If a fan were to ask you how to be better involved with animal rights, what would your advice to them be?
The Moaning Myrtles: Do your research! The best way to start fighting for any cause is to learn as much as you can about it. Thanks to the internet you can not only look up anything you want about animal rights or any other topic, but you can also find people who feel passionately about the same thing!
The Whomping Willows: Like with any other issue, the best thing to do is research local organizations and get involved with the one(s) that fit your personality and your particular goals as an activist.
The Parselmouths: Usually my first plan of action when I want to know how to do something is to look for information online, and naturally, peta2!

Of all of the memorable, heroic, and hilarious characters in the Harry Potter series, who is your favorite character and why?
The Parselmouths: Would now be a bad time to admit my favorite character is Draco? I always have a soft spot for the misunderstood bully. I just feel like Draco has such an interesting life and story.
The Moaning Myrtles: Snape is my favorite character. It's amazing what people are capable of doing for love, and it's incredible that Snape was able to do so much without taking any credit for it or ever being loved in return.
The Whomping Willows: Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. Hermione because she's a total bad ass, and Snape because he's one of the most complex and mysterious characters in the series.

As much as I love them all, I would have to say my favorite character is Dumbledore. Leave a comment with who your favorite character in the Harry Potter series is and why. The most convincing entry will be chosen to receive two free movie passes! Entries must be received by July 22 and the winner will be notified by July 24.

Heads up, by commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy. Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions

Are You a Heartbreaker? June 29, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at June 29, 2009 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

So you're not a heartbreaker, right? You check all of your products to make sure they're on our list or have our cruelty free bunny logo, and you've told everyone you know about our Animal Testing Breaks Hearts campaign—so what else can you do to help the hundreds of thousands of animals killed every year in useless product experiments?

The sad fact is, a lot of people have no idea that countless (literally—mice and rats, the most commonly used animals in product testing aren't even counted) animals are killed for deodorant, makeup, hairspray, lipstick and more, or that they have an easy alternative. Every time you open your purse or wallet at the counter, you make a choice to either support animal testing, or shop cruelty free. Your friends could be breaking hearts without even knowing it!



All the power to end these experiments is in your hands! Show the world that you have a heart for animals by posting your photos (see examples above, don't actually go breaking any hearts!) on our Facebook wall or by making it your default photo on MySpace! If you post a photo, e-mail us the link to earn 500 Street Team points.

Free Stuff Friday: Dirty Shirty Tee! June 26, 2009

Posted by Tiffany Wright at June 26, 2009 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 772 ) | TrackBack

We've just launched our Animal Testing Breaks Hearts campaign and what better way to kick it off than with an awesome giveaway! This week, you've got the chance to win this 'I Am Not a Test' tee from our friends at Dirty Shirty.

Over 200 animals are killed every minute in labs across the country. These animals die alone, after undergoing excruciating experiments. We all know testing on animals is bad science, but thousands of companies and universities continue to conduct animal experiments. You'll love rocking this tee because it lets everyone know that we should be loving animals, not testing on them.

For your chance to win the 'I Am Not a Test' tee from Dirty Shirty, comment below with a phrase or slogan you'd most like to see on a Dirty Shirty tee. Entries must be received by July 3rd. The three people with the most original comments will be chosen and notified by July 6th.

Just so you know ... by commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

GOOD LUCK!

What Breaks Your Heart? June 26, 2009

Posted by Marta at June 26, 2009 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

We all likely know at least one heartbreaker—someone who flashes a smile that makes you melt and then is on to the next victim in the blink of an eye. However, many people don't realize that they're breaking hearts left and right on a daily basis. How's that? I have two words for you: Animal testing.

Animal testing breaks hearts, plain and simple, so we decided to launch a campaign with the same name! This summer, we want every single one of you to make sure that everyone in your life (and everyone you happen to meet!) knows that animal testing breaks hearts. Did you know that countless mice, rats, rabbits, and other animals suffer and die in cruel and pointless product-testing experiments every year?

It's so ridiculously easy to buy cruelty-free shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and makeup these days that I honestly believe that the only reason people still buy products that are tested on animals is because they just don't realize that animals had chemicals rubbed into their eyes and skin just so someone could look a little more attractive. And if you can look just as attractive (and smell just as good!) without the cruelty, then why wouldn't you make the kinder choice?

Say it with me: Animal Testing Breaks Hearts! We have a brand-new video, a "Be Nice to Bunnies" iPhone app, banners, and of course lots of other things to keep you busy. Be sure to show your support for animals by adding a heart to our pledge!

So, tell me—will you be breaking animals' hearts this summer? I'm pretty sure that animals hope you won't be ...



P.S. Not sure if your fave products are cruelty-free or not? Add the "Be Nice to Bunnies" iPhone app or check out our database here.