tedkerwin / CC by 2.0

This one's scarier than that shower scene from Carrie: It's been shown before, but there's more news that researchers in the U.K. have found a link between high meat consumption and early periods in girls.

Using data from a group of children who were studied from birth, researchers determined that 7-year-olds who regularly chow down on meat face a 75 percent chance of prematurely getting their periods by age 12. The curse of earlier puberty for youngsters also sets the stage for their increased risk of breast cancer later on, thanks to extended exposure to higher levels of estrogen.

OTR tweens, IBD, UTI—it's easy to crack the code: Stop eating animals. Period.

Written by Karin Bennett

From plane flyovers to 18-hour tub-ins, people are saying "enough" to SeaWorld's exploitation of orcas, bottlenose dolphins, and other animals. And now, even if you live nowhere near Orlando, San Antonio, or San Diego—where SeaWorld forces marine mammals to spend their entire lives in tiny tanks—you can still make a difference for animals if you RSVP to our virtual protest on Facebook and participate in it on June 18.

SeaWorld, which owns most of the captive orcas and bottlenose dolphins in the U.S., has a hideous history of animal exploitation. Marine mammals suffer for years in tanks that are only a few times larger than their bodies. They are never able to swim freely, feel the ocean current, or enjoy life in a closely knit pod, and they die far short of the life span that they would enjoy if they lived in the ocean where they belong. And the park's death toll is staggering, counting not only orcas such as Taima, her mother, and her stillborn calf but also humans, including the trainer who was killed by Tilly the orca in February.

If you RSVP for the Facebook event now and update your Facebook status with a comment about SeaWorld on Friday, you and all the friends you can muster can show park officials that their deadly attraction belongs in the history books.

Spread the word to your friends and family: Never buy a ticket to SeaWorld.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Good news: Canada's annual commercial seal slaughter ended last night—and more than 80 percent of the seals who had been marked for death were spared this year.

Thanks to a huge PETA push and the hard work of caring people like you, worldwide demand for seal fur is plummeting. We worked to get the European Union to ban the sale of seal products, and the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senate Resolution 84, which calls for an end to the annual slaughter. There are few places left for sealers to sell these wretched pelts.

But we must keep up the fight until Canada stops the slaughter altogether, and that means year-round pressure! PETA has big plans to do just that. And you can help by staying active online and in your local community. Let's stop this barbaric massacre forever.

Written by Paula Moore

PETA's presence was felt by Australian wool producers who are attending a weeklong international trade meeting in San Francisco. Yesterday, 120 protesters made a striking appearance as they gathered outside the conference building and denounced industry executives for allowing wool producers to abandon their commitment to ending the bloody and painful practice of mulesing this year.

Leading designers and retailers around the world—including Gap Inc., Timberland, Abercrombie & Fitch, Limited Brands, Liz Claiborne, HUGO BOSS, and Perry Ellis—have pledged to move away from wool that comes from mulesed sheep or have instituted an outright ban on it.

Shoppers can make a difference by turning their backs on wool altogether.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

PETA U.K. knows how to party. During last Saturday's Trooping of the Colour—The Queen's official birthday celebration—PETA U.K. members gave away "Bear Hugs, Not Bear Caps" biodegradable balloons to pumped-up parade attendees.

Nothing says, "Look over here, Royal Family!" like bunches of balloons in the crowd!

Unlike this cute little cub, real bear cubs are often orphaned and left to die when their moms are shot and killed.

Pelts on parade: 1 slaughtered bear = 1 silly hat

Here's hoping that after this colorful display, Queen Elizabeth will one day become the Queen of Hearts for bears and urge the Ministry of Defence to ditch the skins. After all, bears deserve to see another birthday too …

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

BP has more than the loss of human life, livelihoods and tourism to answer for. And so do the government inspectors who allowed this corporation—as seemingly greedy as the bankers, mining companies and marine park owners whose careless conduct has resulted in similar destruction—to put profit over safety.

If the criminal investigation of BP and those who signed off on the drill-site inspection sheets and safety assurances shows willful fraud and deception, dereliction of duty, bribes or who knows what else, there is one additional set of criminal charges that should be added to the list: cruelty to animals. For this is the largest case of cruelty to animals in U.S. history.

We are being spared, for political reasons, some think, but mercifully perhaps, most of the photographs of the animals who have died and are still dying, slowly, painfully, not just coated but drenched in oil. It is hard for anyone with a heart to see the gulls and pelicans, blinking up through a thick coat of muck that prevents them from flying, eating, taking a drink of water and escaping the burning heat of June. It is even too much to come across a snippet of video that shows a huge rubber-gloved hand gently plucking a tiny crab out of a puddle of black glop. Only the outline of his body tells you what he is, although his struggles tell you that he is still alive. For the moment.

For most of the animals, any help is too late. Studies show that even if wildlife rescuers capture an oiled bird in time, before much damage has been done, the terror of being handled by a predator, of being force-fed, doused and scrubbed, is too much for their pounding hearts to endure. Even if they survive the trauma of being cleaned and re-cleaned, it is suspected that most die after their release.

And in this case, one must ask, "Where can they be released?" Many birds mate for life; others are lost without their flocks. Their nesting grounds now lie under the oil slick; their friends and family are dead or dying. What is there for them to return to?

And what of the turtles, dolphins and—dare I write it—the whales? Cetacean experts do not expect whales to escape this slick completely. Once killed for their own oil, will they now be killed by ours?

And don't laugh, but what of the fish? As inconvenient as it may be to think about it, given the seafood buffets of summer, studies show that fish feel pain and fear just as acutely as mammals do.

Whether or not BP is charged with cruelty, there are many things that we can and should do other than just pointing a finger. Some suggestions are to provide less support to oil companies by consuming less oil, by buying fewer oil-based plastic goods (the beaches of Hawaiian atolls are inches deep in discarded plastic) and by following the recommendations issued by the United Nations this month and going vegan in order to save the waterways, forests and ozone layer. Paul McCartney's "Meat-Free Monday" project is getting institutions and individuals to look at the environmental devastation caused by energy-intensive factory farming and to do something about it by reducing meat consumption. In taking responsibility, President Obama would do well to announce that he, too, is embracing at least that one baby step.

Those responsible in the corporate world and in government can never truly make amends. How do you "make it up" to those who are suffering and dying in agony out there at this very moment or to those who have already lost their lives or loved ones? However, before looking away from the umpteenth heart-wrenching photo of an oil-coated pelican, the rest of us can do something positive and make some personal choices ourselves so that none of the oil companies will be able to claim consumer demand as a reason for misbehaving. It's just a thought.

Written by Ingrid E. Newkirk

Ladies and gentlemen, in this corner—fighting for animals—we have Strikeforce mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and pro boxer KJ Noons.

Mixed martial arts junkies (it's so addictive!) know that the MMA world champion never backs down from a good fight, and now KJ's taking on his meanest opponents yet—animal abusers.

KJ is a hell of a fighter (he's one of the top lightweights in the world), but he can't beat animal abuse all by himself. He's calling on you to help K.O. violence against animals. If you think that an animal is being abused or neglected, report it immediately. Want to hear more about what KJ has to say on the subject? You're in luck, because the busy brawler, who will fight live on Showtime on June 16, gave us this exclusive interview and was even kind enough to autograph some swag for us to give away.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

Sue E / CC by 2.0

The Florida Marlins plan to spend millions on their new stadium, which is set to open in 2012. But they can save countless animals' lives as well as tons of money by rethinking plans to build two saltwater aquariums as part of the project.

Instead of exposing fish to the loud crowds, bright lights, and reverberations of a baseball stadium in an unnatural environment that will certainly have a negative impact on the health and well-being of the fish, the team should consider one of several innovative alternatives. We've asked the Marlins to explore the following possibilities:

• Artist-designed aquariums full of beautiful blown-glass animals offer unique and eye-catching displays.
• The stadium could feature a coordinated display of 16 high-definition plasma screens showing underwater footage of sea life. Footage using this technology (called 9X Media) is taken by professional divers and showcases the true magic and mystery of the seas—something that an artificial ecosystem simply cannot replicate.
• Finally, the Marlins could feature realistic robotic fish like those that the Bridge Marine Science Group in the U.K. plans to use to detect pollution in ports throughout Wales.

Considering all these fresh and innovative alternatives, there's no reason why the Marlins can't think "outside the tank." Let Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria know that you think our suggestions are home runs!

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

urinaryincontinencesolutions / CC

Ladies—if KFC's cruelty to chickens hasn't convinced you to (as the company suggests) "UnThink the Wing," this wing-induced woe for women might wipe away any cravings for the Colonel's unhealthy offerings.

ScienceDaily.com reports that researchers have found a link between the consumption of E. coli-contaminated chicken flesh, which is available in abundance at supermarkets and restaurants such as KFC, and urinary tract infections (UTI).

For anyone who has ever suffered from an awful UTI, KFC's Web site currently features a chilling reminder of the burning pain (be sure to turn up your computer's volume before visiting the site): Flames light up the screen while a woman sings screeches, "Fire … Fire … Fire."

Could it be that a woman who has to go feels that way because she already went to KFC?

Written by Karin Bennett