My First Animal Rights Protest (and Fun Pictures Too!) August 12, 2008

Posted by Ryan at August 12, 2008 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

You know, people often ask me "How did you get started in all of this?" and "What was the first step?"

Well, for me it began with a circus protest. Since I had signed up for the peta2 Street Team a few months earlier, I received an email in the fall of 2004 stating that the UniverSoul Circus was coming to town, and bringing their horrific record of animal abuse with them. I promptly emailed peta2, and requested posters and leaflets to hand out to attendees. I also gathered a few of my friends together, to hopefully show people the seedy underside of "The Big Top".

It wasn't the most highly attended demonstration in history (in fact, it might have been one of the lowest), but from that point forward I knew that organizing a demonstration really was as simple as can be. Needless to say, once I had one protest under my belt, I searched for opportunities to speak out again.

Since I had recently started a student group at my school, and I knew that those notorious uber-douches Ringling Bros. were coming to town, I got on Facebook and started organizing.


The feeling of success that comes with organizing these events really is incredible. Like a bus with no brakes, there was no stopping my friends and me. It didn't matter which animal abuser we were targeting:

KFC...


Dogfighters...


Heck, we even had a little fun when speaking out against the fur industry (yes, that's me on the far left)...


The point is that protesting industries that abuse animals is not only super-easy, but it can also be really fun! All you have to do is take that first step. Trust me, you'll never look back.

- Ryan!

Totally Michael Checking In... August 7, 2008

Posted by Shannon Phillips at August 7, 2008 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

Totally Michael is checking in again to talk about Noodles the cat, getting active for animals, and amazing vegan food. Check it out! Also, if you happen to be in Encino, CA tomorrow, go see him at his show! - Shan

Hello again!

For those of you keeping up with my blog, Noodles is doing amazing. She was very shy when my roommates first introduced her to her new home. But within the past few days she's started showing her true side. And she's insane! It's awesome. She seriously runs from room to room, back and forth, pouncing on every piece of furniture in the house. We got a laser pointer for her to play with too. The laser pointer is any cat's best friend. She never gets tired of it.

In other news I made some badass pancakes earlier. I used this recipe and they turned out amazing. I didn't think to take a picture until I was almost done eating them. But here you are:

Mmmmm. Half-eaten pancakes. Hell yes. No, but seriously. They were delicious. I would suggest making them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everyday.

Hey! Check out this picture I found from a KFC protest years ago. I think I was 19ish. Media is a demonstration's best friend.


And here's a random baby picture I found of me!


Holy crap. I was bummed about something. I probably couldn't reach that toy behind me or something. Man, I wish I was still this cool.

So I fly out to L.A. in a few hours. I'm going to be playing a show in Encino on August 8th. If any of you want to hang out and party hard you should come out! You can get all the info on my myspace. I'll be in town until the 15th. I'm pumped to get a nice change of scenery. Everything's coming together smoothly with my new album and I'm really pumped. October 14th. Mark your calendars! Or something. Alright. I'm out of here!



Au Revoir!!

Michael

How A Lettuce Bikini Helped Turkeys January 22, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at January 22, 2008 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

My friend and co-worker Nicole is pretty incredible. Here's a little guide to her recent trip to Philly.

Step 1. Figure out a catchy way to get people's attention (lettuce bikini).

Step 2. Figure out something everyone will want (vegan "turkey" sandwiches).

Step 3. Find someone who likes turkeys (Ben Franklin, who once suggested that turkeys should be the national bird).

Step 4. Have a "lettuce lady" feed "Ben Franklin" a sandwich.

Step 5. Tell thousands of more people about the way turkeys are abused by doing an interview for the evening news.

Step 6. Smile knowing that there are creative and fun ways to reach out to people about animal rights issues.

Remember to please join the peta2 Street Team so you can learn about all the ways you can help out where you live with cool activism ideas. That's what I love about working in this office. If everyone paid attention to something as simple as a leaflet, we'd have an easy job. But the fact is it's hard to get people's attention these days! So we'll do what it takes to shine the spotlight on the suffering animals endure and inform people about what we can all do to help stop it.

-Pulin

KFC Protesting = Love August 3, 2007

Posted by Pulin Modi at August 3, 2007 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

You may remember that Lindsay was on the road doing tons of KFC protests. Well, now that she's done, there are some more photos to share with you. Check these out!

Lindsay spreading the word at Mt. Rushmore!

Ashley standing up for the chicks!

I have a feeling this doesn't happen every day in Lincoln, Nebraska!

Oh and I was scoping out the scene on YouTube last week and came across this amazing video from Jay and his buddies. It's amazing, so check it out and be inspired. Activism is fun, so make sure you are on the Street Team to get updates on what you can do to help!

What's wrong with KFC you may wonder? Well, they refuse to put standards in place to make sure birds don't get scalded alive and suffer from broken legs and wings. So that stuff is common. So show your disgust for them by making an anti-KFC sign and posting it on your page. There's a fancy way to do it here.

-Pulin

Who Else Hates Ringling Bros Circus? August 2, 2007

Posted by Pulin Modi at August 2, 2007 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 11 ) | TrackBack

I like my friend Jason and his whole Psychosomatic Rants thing. I do not like Ringling Bros circus and their history of cruelty to animals. Only a complete moron would support the idea of keeping wild elephants, lions, and other animals in chains and behind bars while beating them into submission, then expose these same wild animals to thousands of young kids! Ummm, can you say "lawsuit waiting to happen?"

In fact, there have been many instances of circus animals attacking "handlers" and members of the public because believe it or not, wild animals do not like being beaten up! Go figure! Now you see why I used the word "moron" to describe anyone who supports torturing animals used in the circus? Of course, this only applies to people who know what's going on and still support the abuses, not the average person who may not even realize that these animals are wild, suffer from isolation and depression, and are kept shackled in chains or trapped in cages for much of their lives!

With that rant out of the way, I wanted to get back to my buddy Jason. He's on the road right now 'til the end of the year at least, giving Ringling Bros what it deserves. He's helping to organize protests, keeping people aware of the issues by leafleting, and talking to local media outlets about the truth of how Ringling Beats Elephants!

He's got some great photos from the time so far with tons of people coming to support. If you're anywhere near the dates he has around the country I'm sure Jason would love some help leafleting and protesting and getting people at your school to sign a petition

Oh and did you ever hear about all the sex crimes and stuff lots of creepy circus workers have been charged with over the years? Seriously, watch out for those weirdos and tell your friends, too. We care about people and animals, but it seems like maybe some of these circus workers like to abuse both.

-Pulin