• PETA U.K. Staff Goes Back to Grade School

    Written by PETA

    Remember Queen's classic pump-up hit "We Will Rock You"? Well, PETA U.K. has its own version, which its staffers recently taught to students at Great Missenden Church of England Combined School when they stopped by as part of their Meat-Free Monday outreach, now in its second year. Here's part of it (don't forget the "We Will Rock You"–style clapping and rhythm!):

    Tomato pasta bake, orange-berry cake,
    Apple-mango shake, aubergine* pie,
    Spicy cashew roast, tofu strips on toast,
    Lentils cooked with cloves, crispy stir-fry!

    Meat-Free, Meat-Free Monday!
    Meat-Free, Meat-Free Monday!

    Catchy, huh? The "nippers" loved it.

    The kids also learned a Meat-Free Monday rhyme, played a veggie-themed game, watched part of "Let's Ask the Animals," and helped prepare an easy Meat-Free Monday snack. They had a great time, but, most importantly, they learned the benefits of eating meatless meals.

     

    Meat-Free Monday

     

    Students all across the globe are enthusiastically taking part in the Meat-Free Monday movement. Schools in Helsinki, Finland, recently began celebrating a weekly vegetarian day, and schools in Baltimore have been hosting "Meatless Mondays" since last fall. New York City schools are currently considering a similar initiative as well. Sir Paul McCartney's efforts to push the campaign have helped put Meat-Free Monday on the international map.

    And when Meat-Free Monday takes hold around the world, we'll start singing the praises of Tofu-Time Tuesday too. Or maybe Soy-Day Sunday …? What do you think?

    Written by Heather Moore

    *That's eggplant to you and me.

  • Animal Skinning and Racism Go Hand-In-Hand

    Written by PETA

    Racism, slaughter, skinning … this video has it all—all things inhumane and barbaric, that is.

    In a shocking new video released by our pals across the pond at PETA Europe, some bear-skinners recently got their five minutes of fame when, unbeknownst to them, they were videotaped cutting the skin off a black bear and spitting out racial slurs that will have their own mothers dodging their phone calls this holiday season.

    You can view this footage below, but please be forewarned: The images and language are graphic.

     


    Other Viewing Options

     

    These pin-head hunters sell bear hides at the very same auction where the British Ministry of Defense buys furs to make the Queen's Guards' caps. Now, you might think that the Queen is simply unaware of the cruelty sewn into each cap, but that's hogwash. PETA Europe has joined forces with top British celebs such as Ricky Gervais and Lucy Davis about this issue. Even Pink has gotten into the mix, sending the Queen a letter expressing outrage over her support for the slaughter of Canadian black bears.

    There is no excuse for racism and there is no excuse for the Queen to support the killing of black bears for their fur. The Ministry of Defense needs to stop dragging its heels and make the switch to faux. Until the change is made, the Queen's Guards' caps will be symbols of cruelty at its worst. One way to help is to send a message to Canada's Prime Minster and demand that he ban the practice of bear-baiting.

    Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

  • A Brief Exchange With Queen Aretha Franklin

    Written by PETA

    One of our most popular anti-fur slogans here at PETA is “Fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people”. And we’ve got some great ads to back it up. But the pictures that have been circulating of Aretha Franklin at the Grammy awards last week don’t even really need the tagline to drive that point home. She looks like a walrus in a cat costume. Except, like, nowhere near as cute as that sounds.

    Here’s the note that PETA VP Dan Mathews sent to Aretha, who got all in a tizzy yesterday about the fact that Beyonce called Tina Turner “the Queen” and not her.

    Dear Aretha-

    Music lovers may think of you as a "queen," but to animal lovers, you are a court jester. I'm sorry, Aretha, but your furs make you look like a clown. Why not shed the old-fashioned look that adds pounds to your frame and detracts from your beautiful voice? Won't you donate your furs to the poor as "queen of compassion," Mariah Carey, did? You'll get a tax credit for the donation, and we at PETA will all sing your praises.

    Dan Mathews
    VP, PETA
    Queen_Aretha_Franklin_fur_Grammys.jpg

  • Roger Clemens Asks Congress: "What's a Vegan?"

    Written by PETA

    Seriously, our letter pretty much wrote itself after that.

    If you’ve been following the Clemens hearings, you may have caught a surreal moment yesterday when a Congressman asked Roger whether he was vegan or not. Honestly, I’d be happy if this were a mandatory question at all congressional hearings, but I have to admit that it was a little odd in context. Nonetheless, Roger’s response (essentially “Dude, WTF is a vegan?”) more or less mandated another letter from our corner, and this time we’re sending him a gift basket full of steroid-free vegan goodies to sweeten the deal. It’s an established fact that a letter from PETA goes down a lot easier with a couple of vegan cookies and some faux-beef jerky. Check it out.

    Roger_Clemens_second_letter_about_drugs_and_meat.jpg

    P.S. Thanks to PETA Files reader Tamara for sending in a transcript of this exchange!


  • Happy Valentine's Day From PETA Europe!

    Written by PETA

    And remember: Pels Ud, Kaerlighed Ind!

    Fur_Out_Love_In.JPG

    Fur_Out_Love_In_2.JPG

    Fur_Out_Love_In_3.JPG

    Some more pics and video at these sites, which are presumably more informative if you speak German Danish.

    http://politiken.tv/nyheder/indland/article470983.ece
    http://galleri.tv2.dk/index.php/category-Nyhederne/id-10407233/page-1.html


  • Emmylou Harris in the Country Hall of Fame

    Written by PETA

    The title says it all really. The country sensation took her rightful place alongside country’s biggest stars this week in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Emmylou, for this well-deserved honor, and thanks again for everything that you do for animals.


  • Vegan Treat at Dairy Queen

    Written by PETA

    Plan59/Creative Commons
    dairy_queen.jpg
    When word of a good new vegan food product hits the street, it spreads through the PETA office faster than a California wildfire. Sometimes the product lives up to the uber-vegan hype; sometimes not. So when I caught wind of Dairy Queen’s new "Star Kiss" frozen treat, I was more than a little skeptical. But I had the chance to try one yesterday and I can honestly say that the Star Kiss is the best thing to hit the market since sliced bread. OK, it may have a little bit to do with the fact that it’s a frozen ice cream type treat and it's like a million degrees in Virginia right now, but still, it’s good. Really good. Obviously, it's not exactly an ice cream bar—it is vegan after all—but it is definitely rich and creamy like ice cream, and there is the added advantage that it’s not full of fat and cholesterol like ice cream. Oh, and there's another small advantage over ice cream—extreme cruelty to animals isn't involved in its production. So anyway, there’s my pitch. Check out the Star Kiss at DQ and judge for yourself.
  • PETA's Bear Meets the Queen

    Written by PETA

    This Sunday, at Churchill Downs racetrack, thousands of spectators gathered to watch the Kentucky Derby, brought to you by KFC parent company Yum! Brands—kind of like a little mini convention for animal abusers, where the horse people and the chicken people could get together and talk torture tactics. A cruelty conference, if you will. Or a suffering summit. OK, I'm done, I promise. But one bright spot in the event came in the form of PETA's Bear, who has been following the Queen everywhere she goes on her U.S. visit to draw attention to the fact that her Guards' regiment wear dead bears on their heads, despite the fact that it is now the 21st century. The bear, as usual, was a big hit, and the pictures from the protest are awesome. Ten points for anyone who can identify the Houston Texans lineman in the bottom pic. Also, check out the great news coverage of the bear's nationwide tour here.

    Kentucky_derby_bear2.jpg

    Kentucky_derby_bear.jpg

    Some kindhearted paperboys at the derby helped the bear out by putting leaflets in the newspapers they were passing out to the crowd.
    Kentucky_derby_bear4.jpg

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    P.S. Don't forget that this week is Be Kind to Animals week. To get things started, you might want to have a look at some of the tips on how to keep your companion animals happy here.

REPORT CRUELTY

If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2. 

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Chicken Photo: © Rommel Manuel