Written by PETA
It's a heaping, hearty helping of Internet Soup today, and just like Justin Bieber's tower of trophies at the Teen Choice Awards, it's guaranteed to make u smile.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
To combat the epidemic of kids who are shaped like McNuggets, more than 550 health organizations and professionals are demanding that McDonald's stop marketing its fat-and-calorie bombs to children. The campaign was organized by Corporate Accountability International, which ran an open letter to McDonald's in newspapers nationwide, stating, "[W]e know that reducing junk food marketing can significantly improve the health of kids."
Although a recent survey shows that adults think that Ronald McDonald is just plain creepy, children are still susceptible to the red-haired reject and the toys that he touts. And while several states have tried to ban toys from Happy Meals, industry lobbyists squelch the bans before they get off the ground.
It looks like McDonald's McCruelty isn't limited to scalding chickens alive. You can help by urging the kids you know to make every meal a "Happy Meal" by adopting a healthy vegan diet.
San Francisco's Board of Supervisors has voted to require restaurant kids' meals that come with free toys to contain fewer than 600 calories, include fruits and veggies, and exclude fat- and sugar-laden beverages. And (surprise!) McDonald's Happy Meal doesn't make the cut.
As a kid (before I went vegetarian "cold turkey" at age 10 after realizing that meat comes from a living, breathing being), I would beg my parents to take me to Mickey D's for the latest cheap plastic doodad. I couldn't have cared less about the fat-and-cholesterol bomb in a bun that came with it, but the toy lured me (and my parents) to the drive-through month after month.
With 15 percent of American children now classified as overweight or obese—putting them in danger of serious health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—stopping restaurants like McDonald's from using "kid bait" to market unhealthy animal flesh to children seems like a pretty good idea to this former Happy Meal lover.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
The adorable peta2 mascot, Not a Nugget, is out to educate people about an issue that is near and dear to his heart: the abuse of chickens killed for McDonald's Happy Meals. To alert young and old alike to the suffering that goes into every McNugget, Not a Nugget is embarking on a tour of the U.S., tirelessly handing out free Unhappy Meals to each and every McDonald's customer who crosses his path.
Want to know when Not a Nugget is going to be in your town? Sign up for our Action Team today and find out about demonstrations in your area.
Written by Liz Graffeo
"Would you go to see a brilliant actor who's been framed for something that he didn't do, and put him on a stage and say he's going to do Hamlet for you, and why don't you enjoy it? That's a hell of an analogy, but it's about the same thing."
That's what comedian Jerry Stiller had to say as he was leaving a screening of The Cove, a documentary about the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. During the slaughter, some of the young dolphins are captured and sent to aquariums to be put on display. But Stiller won't be going to see them—and neither will many of the other people who see this powerful movie.
Look for The Cove at a theater near you on July 31.
Written by Amanda Schinke
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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