I would have liked to have titled this blog "Bull: 1, Matador: 0," but unfortunately, in the world of bullfighting torturing, even when the bull wins, he loses. Even though he clearly won this "fight," the bull in the below video was reportedly killed by other matadors after running a horn through one bullfighter's throat.

Warning: Graphic video below.

You can see still photos on The Huffington Post.

The matador, Julio Aparicio, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but is expected to recover. Wish we could say the same for the bull.

Let this serve as a reminder: Never book a trip to Spain that includes tickets to a bullfight. Better yet, don't book a trip to Spain at all until it abolishes this abomination (unless you plan to participate in an anti-bullfighting protest, of course).

Written by Alisa Mullins

Did the film 2012 give you nightmares? Have you made plans for worldwide apocalypse yet? If not, check it: The Vivos Group is selling spots in fully stocked disaster-proof underground bunkers, complete with power systems, water wells, waste disposal, gym equipment—the works.

There would be little reason to survive, say, a nuclear holocaust, only to die of heart disease or a stroke, so PETA sent the Vivos Group an urgent letter explaining the health benefits of a vegan diet and asking the firm to stock its bunkers with healthy plant-based foods. Plus, a post-apocalyptic vegan diet would spare any surviving animals more terror by making sure that they aren't exploited and killed for food.

I don't know about you, but I'm not the world-rebuilding type—after Hurricane Ike, I was barely able to survive for nine days without electricity. But daily life is plenty challenging, and choosing vegan foods over meat, milk, and eggs can give us a significant advantage. So don't wait for Armageddon to make the switch to a better diet!

Written by Jeff Mackey

It's a hazy day here on the Right Coast. As I watch leaves fall and steam rise from my soy mocha, the mood is set for a lazy (yet highly skilled) meander through gossip rags for fun stuff. Here are my faves:

• Warning! Seals can literally cute you to death.
• Kiddies catch E. coli from petting zoo. Animals unnaturally held captive. Why is this still appealing?
• "Clucking" mad at KFC? I bet that's why this chicken wanders through its drive-through.
• The real Scorpion King creatively atones for his sins. Love this!
• Sesame Street reps tofu! The revolution is here!
• Lacking imagination and compassion, yet another "Elmer Fudd" accidentally shoots himself.
• Hug a Vegetarian Day is right around the corner. Show some love, y'all!
• This is both creepy and thought-provoking.

Thanks for stopping by! Catch you next time, and don't forget to hug all your vegetarian friends.

Written by Missy Lane

Last week, Elizabeth Carlisle appeared in court to face cruelty-to-animals charges for allegedly drowning two rabbits while she was working at a Petland store in Akron, Ohio. On the day of Carlisle's arraignment, local PETA members and other outraged members of the community stood outside the courthouse calling on Akron's chief city prosecutor, Douglas J. Powley, to prosecute Carlisle to the fullest extent of the law.

The maximum penalty for each cruelty-to-animals charge is six months in jail—totaling a year in prison if Carlisle is found guilty.

Two peaceful protesters were pushed by members of Carlisle's entourage as they left the building.

Want to get involved? Use this form to urge Petland to end rabbit sales immediately.

This incident is just one example of the abuses animals suffer in pet stores nationwide. For nearly 30 years, PETA has fielded complaints regarding sick or unwanted animals who were cruelly disposed of by pet store employees, all because the cost of caring for or treating the animal exceeded the animal's "price tag." This trial offers an opportunity to send a strong and desperately needed message to the pet-store industry: Pet stores have no business selling animals.

Written by Liz Graffeo

ecorazzi / CC

We already loved Kathy Freston for her wonderful books, Quantum Wellness and The Quantum Wellness Cleanse, which promote a vegan diet as part of a healthy lifestyle. (Even Oprah tried the cleanse!) Now we have yet another reason to love Kathy: Her animal-friendly fashions have earned her a spot in Vanity Fair's 2009 International Best-Dressed List.

And that's not all. Kathy also defines her personal style as "cruelty-free" and her cause as "animal protection." Favorite shoes? Why, Stella McCartney, of course!

"Best-dressed" Kathy Freston is yet more proof that nobody has to die for fashion. Just wait—I'm sure we'll see a whole slew of cruelty-free fashion mavens on 2010's list.

Written by Amanda Schinke

My "case of the Mondays" went up in smoke as soon as I read about a capless, clueless cop who landed himself in hot water during a PETA India protest outside the Calcutta Zoo.

The officer, Assistant Commissioner Anil Kar, wasn't about to interrupt a smoke break to make an arrest. Instead, he held his coffin nail* (see note below) in one hand—and in the other, he held PETA India's own Chiranjeet Karar, who was decked out in a police uniform and monkey mask and was encouraging people to boycott zoos because they incarcerate and exploit animals, not to mention that Indian zoos are extremely substandard and that animals are frequently denied basic care.

The multitasking officer didn't realize that smoking on duty is a no-no (Yes, Rule 13 of the Police Regulation of Calcutta states that police officers in uniform are forbidden to smoke on the streets), as is abandoning various parts of his uniform.

(*Or is it "coughin' nail?" I guess either one works, right?)

Written by Karin Bennett

The following is a guest post by Amy from the VegCooking blog:

PETA Files readers were outraged by yesterday's story about an Akron, Ohio, Petland employee who allegedly drowned two rabbits in the store's back room. Our readers are not alone, and thanks to the overwhelming public outcry, the store where Elizabeth Carlisle was photographed holding two sopping-wet, dead rabbits by the scruff of the neck has been permanently closed.

In other good news, Elizabeth Carlisle has been charged with cruelty to animals and is scheduled to appear in court later this month. We have written to the authorities and are urging them to throw the book at her—hard.

While it's great that this particular hellhole has been shut down, Petland still has a lot of cleaning up to do. PETA receives many complaints alleging abuse and neglect of animals in Petland's stores. Here are just a few examples:

One person claiming to be a former Petland employee writes, "[I] used to work at a Petland … and [I] can totally relate to this picture … The stores … have puppies dying all the time, due to not having water and food. [T]he kennel techs are untrained and underpaid and they get back at the company by not taking care of the animals! … [A]ll Petlands should be shut down or the animals should all be taken away. [A]ll they care about is money, money, money!"

Another writes, "I used to work for Petland … I ended up being let go, because I refused to … [p]ut dying hamsters, parakeets, … kittens, [and] small puppies in plastic bags and put them in the freezer, and let [animals] breed rampantly. I also got in trouble for … wasting company money by cleaning animal cages that were out of customer sight …"

And yet another writes, "I opened the freezer once and there were frozen snakes in there. I asked what they were … They said they weren't paying the vet to treat [the animals], so they put them to sleep in there. Rats and mice, hamsters and gerbils, and other small critters were always committing cannibalism, because of lack of food, and not having enough space."

Petland is unable to monitor all its employees all the time, which means that other animals are bound to suffer as a result. We would like Petland to stop selling animals in all its stores, but if the company isn't willing to make that leap immediately, what it can do right now is stop selling rabbits in order to ensure that these small, vulnerable animals are spared death at the hands of people like Carlisle.

Written by Alisa Mullins

We've been busy countering KFC's offers to fill potholes in various cities across the country with our own proposal to pay double to fill them ourselves. We're excited to announce that at least one mayor is seriously considering our offer.

Mayor Michael O'Brien of Warren, Ohio, is currently thinking about allowing us to fix his city's potholes, but he wants to run it by KFC before making a final decision. Hmm, is he trying to start a bidding war?

As a nonprofit, we might not be able compete with dollars against a money-hungry company that can't even spare a few cents out of each bucket of chicken bits that it sells to improve conditions for the very animals it profits from. That's why we've offered to "sweeten the pot," so to speak, with a free vegetarian meal for the road crew—on any day that Mayor O'Brien chooses.

If he agrees to this, the mayor won't just be doing right by 1 billion chickens; he'll show that he's invested in the health of his city's employees and the well-being of his city's environment. I can't think of a better ending to "Meat's Not Green" Week than that.

Written by Shawna Flavell

Artist and designer Edgar Lituma Soto doesn't waste a moment in his stunning animated video short, "Chicken Hormonio," which makes it clear that chickens who are raised for KFC are bred and drugged to grow so huge that they can barely stand.

Written by Karin Bennett