peta2 Daily Blog

Victory! Oakton Community College Cuts Out Cruelty

2009-11-06T21:36:13Z

When PETA was contacted by a compassionate student at Oakton Community College nine months ago and they told us horror stories about students in anatomy and physiology classes cutting open live rats and mudpuppies (no relation to sea kittens), we jumped into action. We reminded the administration that using live animals is both cruel and ineffective for teaching, especially when so many scientific non-animal alternatives are widely available.

Well, our emails and petitions have paid off, because this week OCC confirmed that they would stop the use of ALL live animals in the classroom! As a result of OCC's decision, countless animals, like the happy character you see below, will be spared a lifetime of misery and a needless death under a student's scalpel.

shiachat / CC

Of course, not all schools are as progressive as OCC. Some colleges are still stuck in the stone age (*cough* ASU *cough*)—despite pleas from students to join the 21st century. Don't they know—biology is supposed to be the study of life, not death?

—Ryan!

Suicide Girls: Animal Testing Breaks Hearts

2009-11-06T19:30:07Z

What better way to celebrate the end of the week than a new video and photo slideshow with our favorite punk pinups? That's right—the Suicide Girls are back to spread the word that "animal testing breaks hearts" with a new photo slideshow and video in support of buying cruelty-free cosmetics.

So what's the big deal about testing on animals? Every year in testing laboratories, millions of animals including rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, and rats (just like the ones you may have as companions at home!) are forced to inhale and ingest products like hairspray and household cleaners and have cosmetics rubbed into their eyes. Since these animals are significantly different than humans, these cruel tests often lead to inaccurate and misleading results. Thankfully, there are more than 700 cruelty-free companies who have banned animal testing and use more humane methods like computer models, cell cultures, and voluntary human studies to research and test their products.

This is why some of our favorite pinups—Moxi, Zoli, Sash, and Bob—joined forces to talk about their favorite cruelty-free products (Urban Decay was a popular choice!), and why animal testing breaks their hearts. Check it out ...

Can't get enough of the Suicide Girls? Check out our new "animal testing breaks hearts" slideshow with the girls here, or check out their past campaign against fur here.

Happy Friday!

xo
Shan

Free Stuff Friday: 'Tofu Never Screams' Tee!

2009-11-06T14:08:42Z

Who doesn't love tofu? You can eat it so many different ways—baked, stir fried, grilled, broiled, steamed, sautèed, or deep fried (my fave). You can even use tofu to make a vegan cheesecake! Plus, tofu's low in calories, high in protein, and contains no cholesterol. Want to know the best part about tofu though? No animals have to suffer to make it! If you didn't already know, tofu's made from soy beans.

To show how much we heart tofu, everyone in the office is sporting our new 'Tofu Never Screams' t-shirts.

The shirt's so popular that even our favorite four-legged pal, Zoe wanted one of her own!

I know you want one too ... and you're in luck! This week, you can enter to win the 'Tofu Never Screams' t-shirt of your choice.

For your chance to win, just comment below with your favorite tofu dish. Entries must be received by November 13. The three people with the most delicious sounding dishes will be chosen as our winners and notified on November 16. Each winner will win their choice of our 'Tofu Never Screams' t-shirts.

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!

- Tiffany

Win A Copy of 'Eating Animals'!

2009-11-05T21:38:36Z

Like a lot of people, Jonathan Safran Foer went back and forth between eating meat and not eating meat. If this is you or someone you know, then you need to hear about his latest book Eating Animals. The book explores the many excuses people use to justify eating animals—from religion to family traditions to "the way it tastes".

So if you're still on the fence about veganism, Eating Animals is a must-read. The book's already been getting people to lead a more cruelty-free lifestyle. Actress and 20-year vegetarian Natalie Portman said Eating Animals turned her vegan. Score for animals!

Not many of us can say we really know what animals on factory farms experience because we haven't been there—but Jonathan has. He ventured onto factory farms to share with you what the animals lives are like up close. What you learn will no doubt make you think twice before grabbing that piece of bacon and drinking that glass of milk. Here's a short excerpt from one of the chapters describing the typical cage for an animal on a factory farm:

Step your mind into a crowded elevator, an elevator so crowded you cannot turn around without bumping into (and aggravating) your neighbor. The elevator is so crowded you are often held aloft.

This is a kind of blessing, as the slanted floor is made of wire, which cuts into your feet.

After some time, those in the elevator will lose their ability to work in the interest of the group. Some will become violent; others will go mad. A few, deprived of food and hope, will become cannibalistic.

There is no respite, no relief. No elevator repairman is coming. The doors will open once, at the end of your life, for your journey to the only place worse (see: processing).

This is your chance to win one of three copies we have up for grabs. Just comment below with what you'd say to someone to get them to stop eating animals. Entries must be received by November 19. The three people with the most convincing comments will be chosen as our winners and notified on November 23.

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!

- Tiffany

peta2's Sandwich of the Week: Breakfast Sandwich

2009-11-05T16:02:55Z

We have seen some amazing sandwiches but something is missing. The most important meal of the day needs a sandwich and peta2 D.C. is up for the challenge. So I enlisted the help of our lovely interns to make and taste test our sandwich.

Here it is the easy Mexican Fauxwich recipe (Faux as in fake eggs).

Ingredients:

-Vegan English muffins (read the package; you don't want any eggs or dairy)
-Fantastic Brand Tofu Scramble (available at many grocery stores and health food stores)
-14 oz package of extra firm tofu
-Salsa
-Guacamole

Steps:
1) Open the tofu package and drain the water
2) Cut the tofu into half inch cubes (be careful with sharp and pointy things, please)
3) Place tofu cubes in a large bowl; add the seasoning packet and a tablespoon of oil
4) Stir and smash large chunks with a fork
5) Heat the tofu mixture in a pan for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally
6) Slice and toast the English muffins
7) Put some scramble on a toasted English muffin and top with salsa and guacamole
8) Share with friends!

Now you can spice your breakfast sandwich up anyway you like; maybe some spicy peppers or vegan cheese.

How would you top off your Mexican Fauxwich?

Smiles!
-Regina

Vote for Your Favorite Dumb Comment

2009-11-04T23:13:15Z

Apparently I'm out of the loop because I didn't realize that wool was "the goods."

You know the drill: Names removed to protect the idiotic parties, and I've thrown some asterisks in the expletives. Enjoy!

1) U people are friggen crazy! were the hell do u get ur info? maby if u ate meat u would b able 2 comrehend that ur all a bunch of crazies!

2) Haha you guys are missing out. Seriously what is so f**king wrong with meat that you HAVE to criticize normal people and call them murderers. Well you guys kill the plants absorbing CO2 thus killing our world. Think about it!!

3) You people are insane! its just an animal. I cannot fathom how you people treat animals like babies. They are not humans. They are ANIMALS. Get it through your head. You people have issues Oh by the way i LOVE eating cows, pigs, Chicken and Fish.

4) wats up with peta being anti wool? sheep need to be shawn? wouldnt be many sheep round if they wool wasnt the goods, lamb would be a lot cheaper, thatd be tyyyite

5) why da f**k do u care. the are raccoons stupid b**ch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment with your favorite below!

♥ Marta

P.S. As always, you can check out past installments of dumb comments here.

peta2 Continues Cross Country Fight Against McCruelty

2009-11-04T17:55:53Z

Hey there peta2 guys and gals!

Renee here on the K.O.D. Tech N9ne tour. We've been working our way down through the central plains over to Texas. We had a great time this Halloween in Wichita, KS, at The Cotillion. Rob and his new friends are definitely down with the wicked clown!

We then headed over to the historic Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK.

Throughout the tour we've gained a lot of support against the way McDonald's suppliers torture and slaughter billions of chickens each year.

Keep it real and keep helping animals!

The winning streak continues for peta2 college outreach. This is Daniel reporting in from Oxford, Mississippi, home of the Ole Miss Rebels. Considering that northern Mississippi is relatively uncharted terrain for animal rights outreach, we've been surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to our campaign to introduce more vegan options in the Ole Miss dining halls. But I guess we were fools to expect any other reaction from people here—this part of the country is well known for 'southern hospitality.'

Our time in Miami at Florida International University last week was also a great success. The student body there was very fond of our McCruelty petition. More than 2,000 students stood up to make a statement against what happens to chickens in American slaughterhouses.

It was a long ride to Mississippi from southern Florida, so we had to prepare ourselves properly. First we had to stop in to fuel up at our favorite Miami-area vegan restaurant, Garden Eat'in, which serves some of the best Jamaican vegan food we've ever had (Jamiacan jerk fish, curry and coconut pumpkin, 5 spice tofu, and more!).

Then we took a nice dip in the warm turquoise waters of Hallandale Beach. As always, we're livin' large and helping animals on the road. We hope you had a fun and animal-friendly Halloween!

Hey kids! This is Joey reporting from California to let you know about our Halloween. We worked at the Halos and Horns show in Costa Mesa, CA, to inform the event's attendees about McCruelty. We got a lot of support from the crowd, and they definitely loved the creepy masks we brought along with us.

Thanks for stopping by guys!

-Renee, Daniel and Joey

Street Teamer Miho's peta2 Sticker Tote!

2009-11-03T22:33:23Z

We always love sharing awesome things that Street Teamers are doing with you, and Miho Stanberry is no exception! Check out what the crafty 17-year-old from Seattle made with her stickers:

Super cute tote, right? Here's what she had to say to me:

How long have you been vegetarian? Do you have a favorite recipe?
I became a vegetarian on April 27th of this year. Right now, I'm making a transition into going vegan. My favorite vegan recipe is "Simply Fried Tofu" (It's on my blog).

What's your favorite peta2 campaign?
My favorite peta2 campaign is pretty much everything, but if I had to choose one, it would be McCruelty.

What's your favorite part about being involved with the peta2 Street Team?
My favorite part of being involved in the peta2 Street Team is that I get to talk to a lot of people, influence them, get influenced, and have ideas bounce back and forth with the people who are just like me!

Thanks, Miho! Feeling inspired? Check out some of the other awesome DIY stuff Street Teamers have done.

Are any of you crafty? If so, do you incorporate animal rights into your crafts?

♥ Marta

peta2 + Florida Colleges = <3 (PICTURES!)

2009-11-03T20:15:45Z

The peta2 College Campaigns division has really been running at full throttle over the past couple of weeks, so we figured it was time for an update! Sure, you've heard about our all-star campus outreach crews, dominating colleges from coast to coast, but what else have we been up to?

Well, for starters, I traveled deep into the heart of Swamp territory to visit the University of Florida. Working with the superstar student group at UF, called EnVeg, peta2 helped host PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich for an on-campus talk titled "Meet Your Meat." The event even featured free vegan ice cream!

Of course, as anyone who has ever seen our "Start a Buzz" video knows, it takes more than flyers to ensure a large event turnout. We had to pull out the sidewalk chalk! Enter the students of EnVeg, taking over the campus in the middle of the night ...

As expected, we caused so much of a stir that a packed room of UF students turned out to hear what all of the fuss was about!

The event even caught the attention of the student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, which wrote a great article, helping us to reach thousands more students.

Elsewhere in the state though, my buddy Adrianne was holding down peta2's Liberation display at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of South Florida (USF). For those who haven't checked it out, Liberation is a traveling educational exhibit that draws the parallels between the abuses humans have inflicted on each other, with the abuses we currently inflict on animals.

While at UCF, our crew couldn't resist the opportunity to join the student group, BARC, at the legendary vegan hotspot, Ethos Vegan Kitchen. Here's our buddy Kortney enjoying a delicious curry tofu wrap ("one of the best things on the menu, next to Yo' Mamma's Lasagna").

At USF, we worked with the student group, SPEAK, to really focus on animal testing issues. Some students on campus even admitted to performing cruel tests on hammerhead sharks! Who does that?

Well, that's it for this week. Stay tuned for more updates soon. You never know where peta2 is going to pop up next!

—Ryan!

She Was Kicked in the Face, Ribs, and Back ...

2009-11-02T21:56:34Z

This is the heartbreaking true story of a downed cow who was kicked in the face, ribs, and back in an effort to get her to stand up.

What do you call someone who kicks a defenseless animal when they're down?

—Ryan!

Nugget Speaks Out Against McCruelty!

2009-11-02T13:58:11Z

Here's the latest way for you to take action against McCruelty!

Step 1. Print out this cute Nugget and letter to McDonald's.

Step 2. Since chickens can't speak in their own defense (at least not in a way we can understand), write your own message in the speech bubble for them! Some suggestions include, "I Am Not A Nugget," "McCruelty Sucks," and "Help Me!" But be as creative (just keep it polite!) as you'd like!

Step 3. Sign your name to the bottom of this letter!

Step 4. Take a picture of you with Nugget speaking up for animals and e-mail it to us at StreetTeam@peta2.com to get 2,500 Street Team points!

Step 5. Mail your Nugget and letter to McDonald's! The address is on the file you printed out!

We'll feature some of our favorite photos on upcoming blogs, too, so make sure you send those in as soon as possible!

-Pulin

It's Almost Halloween!!

2009-10-30T17:23:33Z

Are you excited? What are you going to be for Halloween?

Here are some pictures I thought you'd enjoy ...

Zoe dressed like a turtle.

A McCruelty protest in Virginia!

A protest in Arizona!

Did you have a party at school? Any cool photos of your costume? Let us know!

Remember there's still time to carve a pumpkin or make some amazing vegan treats for Halloween. Yes!!!

-Pulin

Free Stuff Friday: 'Not a Nugget' Jewelry!

2009-10-30T14:10:50Z

Boy, are you in for a treat! This week you have the chance to win some amazing jewelry pieces from Christy Robinson. Christy Robinson creates one of a kind, earth and animal-friendly jewelry. And, because we know how much you love the peta2 nugget (I mean, what's not to love? Is he not the cutest thing ever?!), we're giving away these two pieces from her collection:

The chick and heart pendant is made of Earth-friendly recycled aluminum, so it's super lightweight. The ring (size 6) is made of recycled copper and aluminum. And guess what! The top of the ring SPINS! Um yea ... it doesn't get much cooler than that. Since we have two necklaces and two rings to give away, your chances of winning are pretty damn good.

You're all familiar with our McCruelty campaign right? Pretend you're talking to the CEO of McDonald's and comment below with what you'd say to convince him to adopt a more humane method of slaughter. The four people with the most convincing comments will be chosen as our winners and notified on November 9. Two will receive the 'Not a Nugget' necklace and two will receive the 'Not a Nugget' ring.

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!

- Tiffany

Natalie Portman Turns Up the Heat on 'Top Chef'

2009-10-29T21:51:30Z

JFL / CC
Did y'all catch last night's episode of Top Chef? I admit, I do watch from time to time but their dishes are usually pretty, well, flesh-filled, and I can only take so much of that before I start yelling at the screen.

So last night, the always lovely and newly twenty-year vegetarian turned vegan activist Natalie Portman was the guest judge ... you can see where this is going, can't you? (Warning: If you haven't watched it yet, there are a few spoilers ahead.)

The "Quickfire Challenge" was about creating TV dinners that were inspired by iconic TV shows, and were of course, all meat-based. Then they announced that the "Elimination Challenge" would be at judge Tom Colicchio's Vegas steakhouse, Craftsteak ... yay, more dead animals, right? Wrong!

Enter Ms. Portman who quickly told the anxious chefs, "I love food. I love eating. I'm pretty adventurous with flavors and different cuisines and the one thing is, I'm a vegetarian." Yes!

Now I won't give everything away in case some of you haven't watched the episode (you must though, it's a good one!) but let's just say, she taught the chefs a thing or two. And score one for the animals!

xox
-Patricia

P.S. Natalie says that it was an advance copy of Jonathan Safran Foer's new book Eating Animals that made her go vegan. For me it was all about the cruelty to animals that I learned about by watching videos like Meet Your Meat. What made you decide to stop eating animals or to make the switch from vegetarian to vegan?

A Creepy Clown and Vegan Ice Cream

2009-10-29T20:27:15Z

Greetings, everyone. Daniel reporting in from southern Florida. It's been a strenuous but rewarding week of college outreach since the last blog. We were in Kent, Ohio, at Kent State University helping students expand vegan options in their dining halls. The campaign was an overwhelming success, as we gathered over 2,500 signatures from KSU students in two days. Faculty and dining service personnel were accepting and enthusiastic about our campaign as well.

From Ohio, we had a long trek down to humid Florida. On the way down we stopped to treat ourselves at the renowned Karma Cream near the University of Florida campus. Karma Cream is a 24 hour ice cream shop which makes life in Gainesville just a bit sweeter by featuring 16 flavors of vegan ice cream! As always, it wouldn't be a peta2 tour if we weren't stopping to indulge in some kind of vegan decadence.

We now find ourselves in Boca Raton, Florida, where we've been helping the student group at Florida Atlantic University to push forward with an intense campaign to get FAU to cease involvement with a neighboring lab that does cruel experiments on primates. We're raising awareness about the cruelty and futility of animal testing on the wider scale. According to the lab itself, one of its experiments involved intentionally infecting macaque monkeys with Mad Cow Disease and then killing them and dissecting their brains. Clearly, this must be stopped. This campaign has certainly sparked some heated debates about animal testing here on the FAU campus, but overall the students at FAU have been supportive and sympathetic to our monkey friends in the laboratories. Of course, we will continue to kick ass and take names to prevent this kind of madness from continuing wherever we find it.

Hey everyone! This is Renee and I have to tell you ... every night of Tech N9ne keeps getting better and better! We hit up the lines at The Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ, and found something a little interesting ...

Ronald stopped by! This little clown of a man represents the millions of brutal deaths to our chicken friends each and every year. The peta2 tour crew is working hard to let the country know what really happens in the slaughterhouses of McDonald's suppliers. Fortunately, this wasn't the real creep Ronald McDonald ... just our fellow tour leader, Joey, helping out our crew.

We've already gathered thousands of signatures demanding that McDonald's put an end to the suffering.

See you next week ... who knows what will happen by then!

—Daniel and Renee