Magical Creature At peta2 September 15, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at September 15, 2008 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 22 ) | TrackBack

One of my coworkers is helping to rehabilitate a tiny, magical creature. So I got the pleasure of seeing this the other day as I was walking around the office!

Isn't that ridiculously awesome? Can you guess what animal this is?

The staff here at the PETA office consists of the most compassionate, hard-working, and dedicated people in the world. They'll do whatever it takes when it comes to helping animals. If you haven't considered it, you should look into our internships to see what it's all about.

And if you're looking for back to school ideas, check out some ideas.

-Pulin

Meet Cassandra: Lettuce Lady Extraordinaire July 30, 2008

Posted by Ryan at July 30, 2008 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Meet Cassandra. She's one of PETA's current interns, and a full-time student at the University of South Florida. She's also one of the lucky folks that has chosen to participate in our most recent "Lettuce Lady" tours, offering free gasoline to drivers who try one of our Tofurky-brand vegan sandwiches (since eating meat is the #1 cause of global warming, even more than all of the cars, boats, trains, and planes combined)!

"Naked" demonstrations are always a great opportunity for empowered and confident men and women to draw attention to a very serious issue, using a fun and upbeat approach. It also helps them reach people who may not be generally receptive to animal rights messages, since not everybody will willingly sit down and watch videos of animals being killed. With this approach though, TV, radio, and newspaper outlets have been falling over themselves to cover the events at every stop, which allows the demonstrators to broadcast the benefits of vegetarianism far and wide!

I was fortunate enough to catch up with Cassandra, right in the middle of her current demonstration tour. Here's what she had to say:

What message are you trying to get across with your demonstration?

I'm hoping that people who see our demonstration will recognize that switching to a vegetarian diet is the best thing you can do to help the environment, and to eliminate cruelty to animals. Using a fun way to attract attention to a serious issue is a great way to get people to hear our message, and if I can get even one person to stop eating animals, then I will have accomplished my goal.

What are some of the amazing foods you've been able to eat on your tour?

There is so much incredible vegan food around the country. My favorites so far have been coconut crusted chick'n, a vegan fish filet sandwich, vegan soft serve ice cream, and vegan waffles. Stuffed vegan waffles. They were packed with delicious, melty vegan cheese and tofu scramble goodness. It was like a party in my mouth.

Would you recommend that other students intern at PETA?

Most definitely. Interning has been such an amazing opportunity for me. I get to do what I am most passionate about, helping animals, while doing incredible things and having so much fun along the way. By interning at PETA, you will learn many skills to promote animal rights in your school and community, along with having the experience of a lifetime.

What kinds of things do you have planned when you return to college this fall?

There are TONS of things I have planned. The first thing I am going to do is get a group together on my campus. Through that, I am hoping to launch a campaign to ban KFC from our campus and to get better vegan options in our cafeteria. I also want to leaflet weekly, screen the movie Earthlings, and do some vegan food giveaways. Free food always goes over well on my campus.


Sounds great, Cassandra! Best of luck with the rest of the tour!

- Ryan!

P.S. - Want to get active on your campus? Drop us a line to get started!

Imagine If Your Name Were FishingHurts February 28, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at February 28, 2008 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

My friend, formerly known as Rachel, actually changed her name to FishingHurts. You know, as in the website FishingHurts.com and the pretty simple concept that the practice of fishing hurts these aquatic animals. Seriously, it's true that this Flagstaff, Arizona resident legally changed her name.

I thought you might be interested in meeting her, so here's a quick interview with 21 year old FishingHurts.

What is your background with animal rights?
I went vegetarian when I was 13, vegan at 19. I did various animal rights demonstrations throughout my teen years such as the circus and KFC. At 20, I got an internship with PETA.

What do you think of the internship program at PETA?
My internship with PETA was the best learning experience I could ask for. I learned how to effectively discuss animal rights as well as the important steps for organizing a demonstration—many of which I hadn't been doing. My internship made me a better advocate for animals.

Why did you want to change your name to FishingHurts compared to all the other industries which also abuse animals?
Of all the industries where animals are abused, I chose fishing because I feel that people tend to forget about fish because we can't relate to them. People see them as "sea vegetables," and I want to remind people that they are living beings that are capable of fear and pain.

Where can people learn more about the cruelty involved in the fishing industry?
People can learn more about the cruelty involved in the fishing industry, as well as the health risks and environmental concerns, by visiting FishingHurts.com.

What's your recommendation for people looking to get involved in animal rights?
Anyone who is looking to get involved in animal rights, I would highly recommend to reading PETA's websites as well as watching videos such as Earthlings. Knowledge is power. I also recommend PETA's internship program as a great introduction to activism.

What do you do for fun?
I love to sled. While everyone here is into snowboarding or skiing, it's all about sleds for me. I also spend a lot of time drinking espresso in locally-owned coffeeshops.

What's on your music playlist these days?
Right now, I've got Common on repeat. Other favorites right now are Fort Minor, Outkast, Citizen Cope, Gnarles Barkley, and Talib Kweli.

Thanks to FishingHurts for the interview and being so dedicated. If you're looking for ways to get involved in the fight for animal rights, join the peta2 Street Team!

-Pulin