Win a Skate Deck from Pep Williams November 18, 2009

Posted by Megan Rondeau at November 18, 2009 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 16 ) | TrackBack

Over the years peta2 has brought you interviews, contests, and PSAs from a number of different extreme sports athletes. Everyone from X Games gold medalist Paul Rodriguez to MTV prankster turned movie producer Rob Dyrdek to world renowned motocross star Carey Hart. Today I'm psyched to introduce Pep Williams. Pep is truly old school, holding it down as a Third Generation Dog Town skater. Check out our Q&A with Pep Williams, and enter to win a limited edition skate deck!

1. Tell us a little bit about where you're from and what you do.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I'm a professional skateboarder and photographer.

2. What made you want to get involved with PETA?
I went to the pound with my friend looking for a dog. She picked a cool lil dog and she was happy. I was talking to one of the staff and I asked what happens if they aren't adopted. He said they are put to sleep. I felt sick to my stomach; couldn't believe it. The cats and dogs were so healthy. So I decided to try and help in some way, so I reached out to PETA to learn more.

3. Of all of the major animal rights issues what issues are particularly close to your heart?
It all hits close to home, but you will never see me in fur. When I see people in them (fur coats) I just get a cringe in my stomach.

4. As someone who lives on the coast of California and is exposed to lots of marine life, what are your thoughts on the Canadian seal hunt and the fact that every year hundreds of thousands of seals are legally killed for their skins?
I see seals every day. I live by the beach and hear them every morning. I watch them fish. It's a very calming thing to see. Dolphins show up sometimes as well. I think it sucks they are hunted legally. They are such peaceful and playful animals. Anything I can do to help them or any animal I'll be first in line!

5. What advice would you give to young people who might just be getting into skateboarding?
The best advice I can give someone about getting into skateboarding is to just hop on and roll. Just enjoy the flow and cruise.

6. What advice can you give fans of yours who want to be more involved in animal rights?
If you have ever cared about a pet or any animal please find time to somehow find a way to help the ones that don't have homes and are being killed by the thousands daily. Go to PETA and you will learn a lot. I did.

7. What are you working on and what projects do you have coming up that we can check out?
I'm working with my sponsors on putting out new products. I have a new Pro Model on Miramar Longboards that just came out and also a new line of skateboard wheels on Sublime Wheels. Also on the photography side of things, I'm working on a photography book and doing gallery shows. You can see my work on my website and MySpace.

For your chance to win the limited edition, custom designed, Pep Williams skate deck pictured above, leave a comment with why you first wanted to get involved with peta2! The person with the most convincing answer will be chosen and notified on November 25.

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NFL Star & His Wife Star in "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" Ad November 10, 2009

Posted by Larisa Proulx at November 10, 2009 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Football nerds: I hope you didn't let the trade keep you from taking Tony Gonzalez as one of the top tight ends in your fantasy draft this year. The uni may have changed, but Gonzo is his same old reliable self, converting on third downs and creating space for himself in the end zone.

Non-football nerds: Tony Gonzalez is a very large man who competes with other very large men for possession of a semi-spherical orb known as a "foot ball." He does this much better than most of the other very large men.

Everyone: You may have heard about how Gonzalez attributes much of his recent success on the field to his nearly-vegan diet, but now the All-Pro tight end-and his wife, October-are taking their compassion for animals to a whole new level. Check out their "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ad for peta2 below:

Tony's just the latest pro athlete to speak out against cruelty to animals-Ron Artest of the Los Angeles Lakers, NBA legend Dennis Rodman, world welterweight champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley, and others have all teamed up with peta2 to speak out against the cruel fur industry, the inhumane underground world of dogfighting, or the importance of spaying and neutering your companion animals.

You can hear Tony tell you more about how his nearly-vegan diet helps him on and off the football field in our exclusive video Q&A with him and October!

So who's the next athlete you want to see star in a peta2 ad? Tell me in the comments.

Did You See What Katy Perry Was Wearing? January 13, 2009

Posted by Shannon Phillips at January 13, 2009 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 17 ) | TrackBack

Since awards season is underway, I've been checking out all the best and worst dressed lists to see what the celebs are wearing. I thought Katy Perry looked amazing at the Critics Choice Awards last Thursday! From the hair and makeup to the gown, Katy looked to be channeling her inner Hollywood starlet. But wait, is that a... (insert gasp here) fur stole?! Her hair and makeup were gorgeous, but when I noticed the fur draped across her shoulders, my heart sank! Could it be real?

RE/Westcom/starmaxinc.com

As soon as we saw Miss Perry in this ensemble, we made sure to confirm with her management that the fur was synthetic rather than the skin of a tortured animal. Her manager responded by letting us know that he had "gotten some calls and emails from Katy's fans" who were concerned about whether or not the fur was real, and confirmed that the fur was "a fake vintage shrug." I couldn't be happier! Kudos to Katy's fans for checking in on the fabric, and even bigger kudos to Katy for keeping it fur-free and beautiful in 2009!

Shirley Manson Does It... Terminator Style! September 29, 2008

Posted by Shannon Phillips at September 29, 2008 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Friend to peta2, Shirley Manson, has been appearing at a television near you on Fox's series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as a T-1000 liquid Terminator Robot. Yes, it's true! Tonight will be her third appearance on the show, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she does next. Did anyone happen to see the episode where she morphed into a urinal? I don't make this stuff up, guys!

You may know Shirley Manson as the beautiful and talented lead singer of the band Garbage. I don't know about you, but every time I hear "Vow" or see the video for "I Think I'm Paranoid", I am reminded of why I love Garbage so much.

Even better though, is the fact that Shirley is not quiet when it comes to letting fur wearers know exactly where their coat came from. This ad is personally one of my favorite ads we've ever done.

Shirley thinks fur is garbage (I know, we're clever!), and hopefully you do too. Take the pledge against fur if you haven't already, and be sure to check her out in action tonight, September 29th, on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at 8 pm on Fox.

xo,
Shan

City Invasion Tour: Fur Is Dead! April 3, 2008

Posted by Patricia at April 3, 2008 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Today's blog features guest blogger, peta2 UK's Violet...

It's that time again, time to get your glad rags on (or punk equivalent of glad rags) because peta2 UK are on the move taking the Fur Is Dead campaign to the road with The City Invasion Tour and Distorted magazine! Here's the deal - 20 bands will play on 2 stages and the dates are:

Bolton - April 12th @ Soundhouse
London - April 13th @ Islington Carling Academy

On the bill, Agnostic Front, U.S. Bombs, MDC...the list goes on. For your chance to win 2 tickets to your selected date click here!

As it happens, Agnostic Front's frontman Roger Miret is an old friend. Check out the KFC SUCKS ad with Roger below!

Martin, peta2 UK's youth outreach coordinator will be at both shows gathering support for the Fur Is Dead campaign. Go and say, "Hi", sign the petition and take some free stickers and a DVD!

See ya later soldiers.

*Violet x

Some Of The Coolest Kids In The World March 24, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at March 24, 2008 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Before I made the switch into some more office-based work for peta2, I used to do a lot of tabling and stuff on the road. And even before that in high school and college, I spent years tabling shows in NJ and NY at all sorts of venues from little halls with a few dozen people per show (with bands like Shadows Fall and Thursday as they were coming up) to larger festivals (like Warped Tour in the late 90s). The thing that's always been most exciting for me is that I got to meet inspiring people everywhere who care about doing something positive for the world.

I recently got a chance to check out some shows tabling for peta2 and wanted to share some photos. The first was the Taste of Chaos tour in Philly. It was awesome and people were really into the Fur Is Dead campaign. It was crazy to see Avenged Sevenfold with a huge setup for the show including pyotechnics and all. One of the first tours I did for peta2 was A7X opening for Rise Against in 2003 to crowds of maybe one hundred people. So this was definitely a step up for them.

Check out Rebecca and Caitie showing off their shirts at the peta2 table.

Then last week, I went to check out Earth Crisis and Shai Hulud! These are among the most influential and well-respected hardcore bands on the face of the planet, and Karl from Earth Crisis also handles vocal duties for Freya. Many of you have no doubt seen the amazing anti-animal testing video for Struggle To Survive from Freya, too. Here are some pics from that.

We had a slightly misprinted petition sheet around so we let Matt Fletcher of Shai Hulud use one for his band's setlist.

Spot the peta2 banner during Earth Crisis!

Awesome Richmond vegan straight edge kids and their XVX shirts!

A closer look at those shirts.

So overall, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone I've ever met on the road. And please do stay in touch with any peta2 staffers you ever meet at protests, shows, or anywhere else. We all love hearing about all that you do, and hopefully the feeling is mutual. Send us your Street Team feedback, photos, videos, and always feel free just to say hello.

-Pulin

Free Stuff Friday: peta2 Guitar Picks! February 29, 2008

Posted by Ashleigh at February 29, 2008 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 66 ) | TrackBack

How many of you out there play guitar? And I mean real guitar, not Guitar Hero. I can't play guitar at all, but I can rock some Sex Pistols like nobody’s business on Xbox.

Anyways, I have these sweet new peta2 guitar picks to give away!

We have them in two widths. This means nothing to me, but hopefully guitar players everywhere will be excited! To win, comment below with your favorite Animal Rights song! Mine is definitely Propagandhi's “Nailing Descartes to the Wall�.

Three of you will win two guitar picks and some of our new Fur Is Dead leaflets to pass out to all your friends. Spend some time exploring our new Fur Is Dead site, it is really amazing. Plus you can find out which Skelanimal you are. I'm Jack the rabbit!

Are you like Pulin and don't have a guitar to play? You can win one of those too!



This contest ends March 14, 2008 and the winners will be chosen and notified by March 21, 2008!

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

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

Have fun!

-Ashleigh