When 10-year-old Nicky Schwarz learned that the principal of his California elementary school had agreed to eat fried worms if the students read for a half-million minutes, this kind kid sprang into action. Nicky circulated a petition calling for an alternative to the event and rallied his friends and classmates to speak up, too—and the stunt was called off!

For demonstrating that compassion should apply to all beings, Nicky received a PETA Kids Compassionate Action Award. We sent this smart fifth-grader a framed certificate, a letter of recognition, and a bagful of PETA goodies.

Help inspire the kids you know to turn their compassion into action by giving them a copy of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's book 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals.

Every animal advocate has been faced with a challenging situation at some point, be it a question we aren't quite sure how to answer or even a person who is downright rude. In her 30 years at PETA’s helm, President Ingrid E. Newkirk has faced them all, and she wanted to share her wisdom for maintaining grace under fire and still getting out important messages about cruelty to animals.

Ingrid has recorded a CD chock-full of helpful suggestions, Ingrid Newkirk on Activism, which is available for free on iTunes. For a quick preview, we've compiled some of our favorite "Newkirk Nuggets" on our website.

You can hear Ingrid's advice on feeling confident ...

... dealing with difficult people ...

... and many other pearls of wisdom.

After you've listened to Ingrid's advice, let us know which nugget is your favorite, and share some of your own by leaving a comment below with your best suggestions for being an ambassador for animals.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Imagine if you could be fired from your job just for supporting animal rights on your own time. That's what Joe Hashman believes happened to him. The vegan anti-hunting activist was sacked from his job as a gardener at the Orchard Park Garden Centre in the U.K. the day after ghastly TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright pleaded guilty to charges of attending an illegal rabbit-hunting event. Dickson Wright was brought up on charges in part because of undercover video taken by Hashman. The owners of the garden center are known to be hunting supporters.

Hashman has filed a suit, which has now gone before the court, and a pre-hearing review has been called to determine whether his animal rights positions constitute a "philosophical belief" that's protected under the law. Here's what he had to say—judge for yourself:

We're pulling for you, Joe! No one should be afraid to speak out against injustice. Animals have rights—and so do the people who defend them. To find out how to work within the law to help animals, check out PETA's activism guide.

Written by Jeff Mackey

On Saturday, PETA's DC Outreach Team, which is based at the Nanci Alexander Center for Animal Rights in Washington, D.C., held its 400th outreach event of 2010. No, that's not a typo! To mark the occasion, PETA volunteers and interns helped hand out almost 1,000 copies of PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit (VSK) and The Kids' Guide to Helping Animals magazine.

One volunteer estimated that 90 percent of passersby took a VSK. Many people said that they had been thinking about going vegetarian and were impressed by the numerous vegan dining options in the D.C. area. Since a whopping 45 percent of people who pick up a VSK kick the meat habit—and since every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year—the Outreach Team is making some tracks!

To be a lifesaver for animals wherever you go, please join PETA's Action Team so that you can order literature, get tips, and get started helping animals right away.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Our neighbors to the south have been busy bees for animals lately. Last Saturday, more than 9,000 people took part in a massive activist-organized march for animal rights in Mexico City. How inspiring are these pics?!

The event raised tons of awareness, got lots of media coverage, and allowed organizers to gather more than 6,500 signatures on a petition asking the government to introduce tougher penalties—including jail time—for people who are convicted of cruelty to animals. Not bad for a day's work.

If you are the mood for a margarita and a march for animals, swing by Mexico City on June 27 to join this stellar group of people for another march in honor of Mexico City's official Animal Rights Day. Or if you are just feeling inspired by all this activism, be an amigo to animals by trying one or two of PETA's easy summer outreach ideas.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

The filmmakers behind The Cove showed that taking brave action for animals can make a difference. The highly acclaimed documentary—about a group of extraordinary people who aim to shine a light on Japan's dark dolphin trade and slaughter—was just released on DVD and is the prize for this week's "Win It" Wednesday.

Acts of compassion and courage are everyday events. At this very moment, people everywhere are sticking up for animals. Someone is confronting a neighbor about a lonely dog tied in the backyard. Another person is finally telling her beloved aunt how she truly feels about that fur coat. A high school student is telling his biology teacher that he won't dissect a frog—no way, no how.

Now is your time to shine. Describe a courageous action that you took in behalf of animals. We've got three copies of The Cove to award the people who offer the most heartfelt responses. I have a feeling that the animals will win too—there's no doubt that people who read the entries will be inspired to take action.

The contest ends on December 16, 2009, and we'll choose one winner on December 18, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Karin Bennett

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on this Win It Wednesday. The winner of the stencils is Nina. Congratulations!

Sure, I'm kind of bummed that summer is winding down—no more lazy days at the beach or Saturday afternoon veggie barbecues. But then I remember how awesome fall can be—long walks under canopies of changing leaves, followed by warm apple cider. Bring it on.

For this week's "Win It" Wednesday, we've got just the prize to help you ease back into work and back to school—PETA stencils that will help you jazz up that plain T-shirt, boring school binder, or blank wall—virtually any flat surface—with a lifesaving message for others to consider. Add a little fabric paint, spray paint, or Sharpie strokes, and you've got instant style and action for animals.

You can win a stencil set by sharing your favorite simple way to get others to think about animals. Maybe you've got an animal-friendly message on your car's vanity plate, or maybe you rock a different PETA shirt every time you go to the gym. Share in the comments section below.

We've got one set to give away. The contest ends on September 23, 2009, and we'll choose the most inspiring comment on September 25, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Karin Bennett

"Why is PETA always doing crazy stunts and demonstrations?" As a PETA Foundation employee, this is probably the number-one question I get asked. So, if you are one of those curious folks—or even if you just don't know what I'm talking about when I say "wacky PETA stunts"—you're in for a treat, because I'm about to give you the rundown of the wackiest of the wacky things that PETA and its affiliates have pulled off over the years.

Brace yourself.

10. Wienermobile Takeover
    Long before the Wienermobile nearly brought about its own demise by crashing into a suburban home, we trailed it around the country as it conducted a talent search for children to sing the Oscar Mayer theme song. At one stop, our "pig" even managed to clamber aboard the Wienermobile, and he was poised to take the fiberglass frank for a spin when he was apprehended by the authorities.
9. Grim Fairy Tale
   Mother Goose doesn't take it too kindly when her feathered brethren are force-fed so that their grotesquely enlarged livers can be sliced up and served on toast points. When she took her case to a foie gras convention in NYC, bemused police officers felt obliged to arrest her and insisted that she keep her head on during booking so that everybody in the precinct could get a "gander" at their unusual collar.
8. Cannibal Comparison
   Way back in 1991, when newspapers were abuzz with stories about Jeffrey Dahmer, we ran what is arguably our most controversial ad ever. In it, we made the point that people who are creeped out by a cannibalistic serial killer should also be creeped out by the serial killings of thousands of animals in slaughterhouses every day. Strangely, some folks found this inconvenient truth a little hard to, er, swallow.
7. KKKrazy About Dogs
   Ever notice the eerie similarities between the AKC and the KKK? No? Well, our fiendishly funny "Wrong Meeting?" TV ad, in which a Klansman shows up at an AKC meeting, spells it all out.
6. Milk Gone Wild
   When PETA's "Milk Gone Wild" spoof was rejected by Super Bowl censors, so many people flocked to MilkGoneWild.com to see what could possibly be racier than Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction that they temporarily crashed our servers.
5. Unhappy Mother's Day
   How do you spend Mother's Day if you are eight months pregnant? How about by baring it all in London to protest the filthy, cramped gestation crates that pregnant sows are forced to live in?
4. The M-Word
   After celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey served horse meat on his U.K. show The F-Word, PETA Europe made sure that everyone knew Ramsey was "full of it" when they dumped a ton of manure at his restaurant's doorstep.
3. Rest in Pieces
   PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk gave people food for thought when she released the contents of her will, which stipulates, among other things, that her feet be made into umbrella stands and that her pointing finger (no, not that finger) be mounted and sent to Ringling chief Kenneth Feld as a reminder of who's to blame for the deaths of 26 elephants (and counting).
2. Putting the 'Ma' in 'Vermont'
   When we told Ben and Jerry's that "breast is best" and asked them to start making their ice cream with (human) mother's milk, it turned into a breast-milk brouhaha.
1. Faux Father Furor
   PETA V.P. Dan Mathews was a man (of the cloth) on a mission when he talked his way into furry designer Gianfranco Ferré's 2004 Milan fashion show and leaped onto the catwalk. As security guards tackled him and tried to drag him off, they were attacked by outraged Italians who swatted them with their programs while shouting, "Leave the priest alone!"

smh.com.au / CC

If all this has left you wondering, "Why pick on cranky chefs and giant hot dogs, PETA?" you should check out The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights. The book explains why our passion for animal rights drives us to push the envelope—and push compassion into the public consciousness.

So which is your favorite PETA stunt? Spill it below.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Moms everywhere warn their children that if they lie, their noses will grow*, à la Pinocchio:

Yep, those are vegan lederhosen.

PETA Australia took that lesson to the next level when it sent one of its members to the headquarters of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) to call out the trade group for reneging on its promise to stop mulesing (slicing flesh off lambs' backsides) by 2010.

Written by Karin Bennett

*My mom also told me that my pants would catch on fire if I lied, but for obvious reasons, PETA Australia opted to go with the puppet/boy.

Firefighters from New York City's Engine 245 are heroes in our eyes, and not just because they put their lives on the line for people in need.

When asked to participate in a publicity stunt for Ringling Bros. by washing one of the circus's elephants, the firefighters resisted.

Unfortunately, while this engine company might have realized that Ringling was resorting to a cheap stunt in the hope of finding something—anything—that would distract people from the circus's abuse of animals, city officials weren't on the same page.

Despite the fact that it's the firefighters' job to protect the public, not to hawk circus tickets, the higher-ups in the city government pressured the NYFD to go along with Ringling's scheme.

franklinnow / CC

So, for trying to do the right thing and for staying focused on their (vitally important) jobs, PETA is recognizing Engine 245 with our Compassionate Fire Department Award.

As for those folks at City Hall who decided that the best use of firefighters' time is to shill for Ringling, what the heck were you thinking?

Written by Jeff Mackey