Written by PETA
Of course I don't mean that these sexy vegetarians contribute to the mind-blowing amount of greenhouse-gas emissions caused by the meat industry. Au contraire! The winners of our Sexiest Vegetarian Alive contest turned up the heat with their sleek physiques and radiant good looks. PETA’s affiliates also recently announced the winners of their international Sexiest Vegetarian contests.
And the winners are:
PETA U.S.
Kellie Pickler shares more with the world than her stunning voice. When she went vegetarian, she was quick to share her decision with close friend and past PETA champ Carrie Underwood.
Mamma mia! How handsome is Milo Ventimiglia? There's really no question, judging by all the winning votes that the star of television's Heroes raked in.
PETA Asia-Pacific: Australia
Voters went gaga for gorgeous Geelong-born Portia De Rossi, who went vegan with her wife, comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres. Portia says, "It feels like such a compassionate choice. We are such animal lovers, why stop short of cows and chickens? It didn't make any sense."
Hunky Australian Idol host Andrew G. racked up the most votes for the gentlemen. He says of his decision to go vegan, "The cleaner I kept my diet, the more obvious benefits I felt."
PETA Asia-Pacific: Asia
Voters crowned beautiful Taiwanese actor and singer Barbie Hsu Asia's Sexiest Vegetarian Woman of 2009. Barbie says, "Lives are equal, eating meat is like eating corpses to me, and it makes me feel sick and sad."
And Bollywood superstar and heartthrob Shahid Kapoor has won the title of Asia's Sexiest Male Vegetarian. Word is, he convinced leading lady Kareena Kapoor to go vegetarian while they were dating.
PETA Germany
The writing was on the wall early in the competition: The lovely tattooed television host Lina van de Mars won top spot for the women.
Rap star Thomas D. of the hip-hop band Die Fantastischen Vier wrapped up his win for Sexiest Male Vegetarian.
Now put your palms together, not just for these winners but for all the vegetarian hotties who were in the running for this year's title.
Written by Karin Bennett
If you've already subscribed to Playboy Philippines, be prepared for the June issue to rock your world. It features more than 15 pages of scorching-hot animal rights material, including a spread about the cover girl—avid PETA Asia-Pacific supporter and Miss Eurasia Mia Gray—and an anti-fur spread. It also includes a feature called "Confessions of a PETA Girl" about the women of PETA Asia-Pacific as well as an article about going vegan.
Holy hotness! If you can't afford the international shipping for a subscription to the magazine, no worries. We have some images from the launch party that are sure to tide you over (at least until the end of this blog entry).
Written by Shawna Flavell
According to a UPI story from earlier this week, researchers at Spain's University of Murcia announced that they had found that "men who eat large amounts of meat and full fat dairy products have lower seminal quality" than those who eat more fruits and vegetables.
Yep, the trick to improving erectile projectile apparently has to do with consuming plant foods rich in anti-oxidants.
And, while I'm not quite sure what constitutes "high quality" semen, my guess is that it has something to do with men's lil' guys' being strong swimmers. So, fellas, think of it this way: Would you rather eat your veggies and have sperm that swims like Michael Phelps or chow down on burgers and have sperm that flails like a toddler in his floaties?
The choice is yours, boys.
Written by Amy Elizabeth
In cities all over the world, humans share sidewalks, windowsills, awnings, and patches of grass with pigeons. And while some people, businesses, and government officials aren't always nice to these amiable urbanites, pigeons have many defenders.
The New York Bird Club and pigeon fans are gearing up for the National Pigeon Day celebration on Saturday, June 13—and they want New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. to make an official proclamation.
A few quick facts: Pigeons are courageous and intelligent birds who mate for life, and both parents tend to their young. They are hardy birds—adept at dodging pedestrians, taxis, and the occasional hawk. No wonder so many humans are content to sit back and watch them during their lunch hours.
Please ask Mayor Bloomberg to officially declare this upcoming June 13 "National Pigeon Day." And if you'll be celebrating at Pilgrim Hill in NYC's Central Park,look for me. I'll be wearing my Pige Patrol T-shirt.
Orlando Magic center Dwight "Superman" Howard recently revealed that his favorite movie is Finding Nemo. (Pause for the resounding "aww" as readers imagine this 6' 11" Defensive Player of the Year watching the animal-friendly animated classic.)
While that's great all by itself, Howard has also reportedly said, "Fish are friends." Dwight, we couldn't agree more, and we hope that your kind words will inspire fans and other athletes to realize how awesome sea kittens are.
Maybe Dwight's next step will be to consult John Salley about fish-free cuisine …?
Written by Christine Doré
Now that the World Health Organization has declared the swine flu outbreak "a pandemic," I'm going to predict that PETA's "flu prevention" mask will sneak past blinged-out cell phones as the must-have accessory this summer. I have a feeling that fashionistas and health officials all over the world will soon agree with me.
Despite denials issued by big pig farms and the change in the name of the illness, funnyman Jim Carrey hit the nail right on the head when he said, "There wouldn't be a swine flu if we treated the pigs better!"
PETA's swine flu mask will serve as a reminder of that.
Our friends over at globalGrind have given Tila Tequila a place to speak her mind, and the Queen of MySpace has some harsh words for animal abusers.
Titling her post "Killing Animals is F**ING Wrong … It's That Simple," she's giving raccoons, bunnies, foxes, and all animals killed for fur a shout-out:
I don't know who those people are that have it in their hearts to skin an animal while [he or she] is still alive, but I hope that by promoting fur alternatives I'm doing my part to stop that needless suffering. You will never see me wearing a fur, and if you do, rest assured it's FAKE. If you love animals, you cannot justify wearing them. It's that simple. Remember, hot girls fake it … for the animals. I should know, cause I'm hot. Lol.
Yes, Tila, you are hot! And your heart of gold makes you even sexier (if that's possible). I would like to be the first to officially suggest that the charity work you are considering should include joining other sexy celebs such as Eva Mendes and Khloe Kardashian and using what your momma gave ya to rock our "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.
Yesterday, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk turned 60! (Can you believe it? She says, "Yes, count the crow's feet!") Our staff asked supporters who wanted to wish Ingrid a happy birthday to send a donation to one of her favorite programs, Animal Rahat. And boy, did you come through. So far, birthday well-wishers have donated more than $12,000 to Animal Rahat, and that means the world to all those bulls and donkeys!
The folks at Animal Rahat were tickled to be the recipients of such generous gifts, so they made a birthday cake and gave out celebratory fresh grass (a big treat for the animals) and vital nutrition packs along the village roadways. Here are some photos of the big shindig:
For those of you who aren't familiar with Animal Rahat's work, it provides desperately needed relief—such as food, veterinary care, water stations, and portable sunshades—to working animals in India. It also runs relief camps where injured, sick, and debilitated animals can recuperate as well as a retirement center where elderly animals can live out their golden years in comfort. Check out these photos of Animal Rahat in action:
Thank you all for helping to improve the lives of these working animals.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Our recent undercover investigation, which revealed exactly what happens to horses abandoned by the coldhearted racing industry, has been picked up by a variety of news outlets, but we were particularly glad to see this piece featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines:
Maybe now more sports fans will recognize that horse racing is anything but sporting—especially for the thousands of horses who meet tragic ends every year—and perhaps they'll join us in calling for an end to these abuses.
Written by Jeff Mackey
In the way that slavery, once a broad social norm, later became an unthinkable crime, we can expect to see a similar shift once meat-eating disappears from our planet. Perhaps, some day, the very idea of eating animal flesh will seem as remote as the idea of owning humans does now. —Jim Motavalli, ForeignPolicy.com
Seems like the folks at ForeignPolicy.com—as well as many others—are starting to realize that the meat industry isn't just bad for the environment and our health, it's an industry based on exploitation and cruelty.
Maybe … just maybe … they got the idea for their article from our Animal Liberation Project display in Washington, D.C., or our recent setup in New York City's Battery Park.
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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