funpeak / CC

Perez Hilton reported Monday that an Ohio woman got into a flap when she was told that McDonald's was out of McNuggets—and was apparently arrested after she punched out the drive-thru window. This altercrazion* is just the latest in a recent rash of fights, stabbings, and shootings that have taken place at various McDonald's restaurants across the country.

We know that a diet full of meat and dairy foods can make people limp, lumpy, and, er, well, dumb. And we know that McDonald's, aka McCruelty's, hideous treatment of animals makes caring people mad. But dare I say that a McDonald's-heavy diet may make people violent? Ladies and gentlemen, consider the following:

• Police in Kansas City, Missouri, are looking for a woman who reportedly threw a bucket of water over a McDonald's counter and pushed over a glass display case and three cash registers after she was told that she couldn't have her money back.
• A man in Massachusetts reportedly climbed through a drive-thru window and attacked the employees with a box cutter.
• An impatient Denver cop apparently flipped his McMuffin and pulled a gun on a drive-thru employee.
• A Naples, Florida, man went to McDonalds for a double fish sandwich—but ran into double trouble and was stabbed seven times.
• Apparently a threesome in Utah reeeally wanted their Big Macs—so much so that one of them reportedly blasted his sawed-off shotgun at the drive-thru after learning that the menu was breakfast-only.
• A North Carolina man apparently tried to cut in line by stabbing another McDonald's customer.

On the flip side, I don't recall ever having read about vegans duking it out for flesh-free Southern Fried Drumsticks at Brooklyn's Foodswings or getting into nunchuck battles over mock chicken fingers at Venice Beach's Good Karma (although I'll admit that my husband and I once thumb wrestled for the last bite of "meat loaf" at The Chicago Diner—I won, BTW).

McDonald's fast-food fights are so common that I'm thinking about suggesting that the PETA Files introduce a new semi-regular feature called "McDonald's Mayhem"—that is, unless you can think of a better title for it?

Written by Karin Bennett

*"Altercation" + "crazy" = "altercrazion."

On Saturday, a bat found his or her way into the San Antonio Spurs game. (Some speculate that the animal didn't just fly in by accident.) The bat, of course, did what anybody would do in such a terrifying, unfamiliar situation—try to get the heck out of there—which, naturally, delayed the game. Until, that is, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili smacked the bat out of the air and slammed the animal into the hardwood court. Sports blogs across the 'net have been replaying the video of Manu in action as they celebrate his quick reflexes.

 

clap.name / CC

 

Here's our take on it:

To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one—with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn.

Bats always try to avoid contact with humans, and there are plenty of easy ways to keep bats out of a basketball arena (or your home). We hope that the next time someone's life is on the line, Manu Ginobili will take just a few seconds to think before he acts.

Written by Amanda Schinke

"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

Despite complaints from thousands of concerned consumers, undercover photos of frogs living in decrepit conditions, reports of dying frogs, and a run-in with the law in New Jersey—Brookstone still refuses to stop selling its cruel Frog-O-Spheres.

As the death toll mounts, we're turning up the pressure:

 

PETA's giant frog showed up at a Boston Brookstone to let the company—and potential customers—know that he's hopping mad.

These Boston College students won't be shopping at Brookstone anytime soon.

Kids, Just Say "No" to Brookstone.

 

Please urge Brookstone to immediately stop selling Frog-O-Spheres and implement a policy against the sale of any live animals at Brookstone stores.

Written by Liz Graffeo

You don't have to blog for PETA in order for your posts to help us help animals.

Users of Blogger and WordPress can now earn donations for their favorite charity (hint, hint) without actually spending any money.

That's because Blogger and WordPress have teamed up with SocialVibe—a social-networking site with a cause—to help people educate others about animal rights issues and contribute to PETA campaigns.

If you don't use SocialVibe yet, it's easy to do. All you have to do is sign up, and then create and post your customized badge to generate that first $1 donation to PETA. Then, each time you or one of your blog readers completes a SocialVibe activity, a microdonation is made to our organization.

Also, if you sign up right now, you can help PETA's youth division, peta2, meet its goal of raising $3,000 before September 14 for its "Animal Testing Breaks Hearts" campaign.

 

 

Don't forget to tell all your blog-inclined friends too!

Written by Heather Drennan

You've seen what it's like on Chinese fur farms, but what about Norwegian ones?

 

Animals on fur farms around the world are often driven to cannibalism because of the extreme stress and frustration caused by intensive confinement.

 

Yep, the fur industry is heinous wherever you go.

Need more proof? Check out the rest of the images from Network for Animal Freedom of Norway's 2009 investigations.

Written by Shawna Flavell

 

We're all for reaching for the lettuce, but hands off this salad, bucko!

Written by Shawna Flavell

Britney in Furs

You know, maybe there is something to all this "Leave Britney alone" hoopla. Given her recent trip to the psych ward, it's becoming more and more clear that she's not entirely accountable for her actions—and that includes her poor fashion choices just as much as it does her bad parenting decisions.

With that in mind, we've decided to give Britney a bit of a break this year, and take her off the Worst-Dressed-List poll, despite the fact that she had established herself as a strong front-runner in the first two days of voting. Here's what PETA Vice President Dan Mathews had to say about the decision:

So there you have it, but the question is, did we make the right choice in giving Brit a break this year despite her unfortunate penchant for, um, flaunting her fur in public? Please feel free to comment with your thoughts.