Written by PETA
PETA's macabre protest outside the Louisville, Kentucky, leather goods store Leatherheads on Tuesday morning was apparently really scary—so scary that employees refused to open the store until our corpses made ghosts of themselves.
Instead of a dead animal skins, everyone who passed by Leatherheads during our protest left with pictures of the "deceased" and information about how cows and other animals are abused and killed for their skin. And while the police were at first busy trying to figure out something they could put the protestors in the pokey for, they relented and took pictures instead.
Not into the zombie look? See our guide to fun, not fatal, fashion.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
This is Kristina.
This is Kristina on Craigslist. Taking inspiration from Animal Friends Croatia, we're "renting out" our vegan experts to help people make the easy and ever-so-scrumptious switch to cruelty-free cuisine.
Kristina "I can veganize anything" Addington—an accomplished cook—will help the highest bidder in Louisville, Kentucky, shop for $100 dollars' worth of groceries (on our dime), and then she'll cook a gourmet vegan meal for up to six people! Don't live in Louisville? Don't worry—PETA will soon be renting vegans in a town near you. Until then, take advantage of this priceless shopping and cooking companion.
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
On Saturday, Alexandria Mills of Louisville became the first American in two decades to win the Miss World crown. So what does that have to do with the PETA Files, dear reader? Well, proving that her beauty is far more than skin-deep, the new titleholder noted how ironic it was that the other contestants had nicknamed her "KFC." (Geddit? Since she's from Kentucky?) After all, she's a vegetarian.
The moral of the story? If you want to take on the world—or become Miss World—go veg to get an edge. Oh, and stay away from KFC—the chicken-abusing fast-food chain, that is, not the lovely Ms. Mills.
Written by Jeff Mackey
After more than a year of stonewalling, KFC's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, has finally gotten around to officially denying PETA's request for a permit to display our giant crippled chicken statue at a city intersection.
Over the past year, Louisville officials have devised various creative and ever-changing obstacles to PETA's application, including an imaginary "moratorium" on permits for public exhibits, a new requirement that adjacent property owners must approve of a public exhibit, a months-long delay in reviewing PETA's application, and other free-speech-trampling tactics that PETA believes were nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to prevent people from finding out how KFC suppliers abuse chickens.
Strangely, officials didn't seem to have any objection when KFC erected a giant bucket of fried chicken in a shopping mall.
Hmmm … sounds like a great spot for our chicken statue. Speaking of which, does anyone know a good pro bono attorney in Chickentown?
Written by Alisa Mullins
While billboard companies in Louisville may want to keep Kentucky Derby fans in the dark about the racing industry's appalling abuses, which lead to breakdown and death, The Onion makes them front-page news.
In making their predictions for the upcoming Kentucky Derby, The Onion's "Steam Room" commentators reveal just how shockingly* far "horse beaters" (their words) will go in forcing their beleaguered, drugged thoroughbreds to race (or hobble) toward the finish line, including whippings and more. As one of the sportscasters notes, "As far as I know, there are no rules in horse racing. You just procure a horse and get [him or her] across the finish line by any means necessary." Folks, you won't want to miss this video:
The last time "America's Finest News Source" shed light on "expendable athletes," some readers didn't make the connection to the horse-racing industry—but this time, there can be no denying it. Thanks, Onion!
Written by Karin Bennett
*and satirically
This is one of those stories that starts off sad, but gets better—I promise!
Earlier this summer, a man in Louisville, Kentucky, threw a puppy off a bridge and into the Ohio River. Kelsey Westbrook, a college student who works part-time at a riverfront restaurant, saw the dog swimming in circles and immediately raced down to the water's edge and helped nearby firefighters guide the dog to safety.
Although Kelsey had originally planned to find a good home for the dog—whom she named Sunny for her loving disposition—the bond between them grew, and Kelsey soon realized that Sunny had become part of her family. So, Kelsey and her other dog—a 2-year-old rescue mix—asked Sunny to stay.
The warm-fuzzies don't stop there. Kelsey has decided to turn the attention she's receiving towards the issue of cruelty to animals. She's organizing a fundraiser at the restaurant next month, and the proceeds will go to local low-income spay-and-neuter clinics. Now that's compassionate. And because Kelsey keeps going that extra mile to help animals in need, we're happy to be sending her a Compassionate Action Award—along with some treats for Sunny, of course.
Written by Amanda Schinke
It's a hazy day here on the Right Coast. As I watch leaves fall and steam rise from my soy mocha, the mood is set for a lazy (yet highly skilled) meander through gossip rags for fun stuff. Here are my faves:
Thanks for stopping by! Catch you next time, and don't forget to hug all your vegetarian friends.
Written by Missy Lane
Less than a month ago, we sent requests asking permission from the Louisville Department of Public Works to place our crippled-chicken statue, which was designed by renowned cartoonist Harry Bliss, on public property.
I should clarify—we submitted six separate applications, asking for our statue to be placed at six different locations, to nix any issue of public versus private property. We were pretty confident that we'd covered all the bases.
We've finally received a response. Apparently, Louisville has placed a 45-day moratorium on issuance of the very type of permit we requested.
Coinkydink? Methinks not. I suspect that Louisville officials and KFC don't want any attention drawn to the horrible abuse that millions of chickens suffer at the hands of KFC's suppliers.
Click here to read our response.
When I lived in the Louisville area, there were several things I thought the city could've used—like more vegan restaurants or a more extensive public transportation system. But you know what Louisville—home to the headquarters of KFC—really needs? The city is sorely in need of our chicken statue, designed by award-winning children's book author and cartoonist for The New Yorker Harry Bliss.
We're asking Louisville's Department of Public Works to allow us to install the statue in downtown Louisville for three months, starting July 15. We hope that it will draw attention to the millions of chickens who are killed each year for KFC—chickens who live out their short lives in ammonia-ridden sheds locked in cages in which there's not even room to take a single step in any direction. At the slaughterhouse, their throats are cut while they are still conscious, and they are often scalded alive.
We submitted our permit request this morning—hopefully Louisville's downtown area will have an artsy new addition in just a couple of weeks!
You may have heard about this already: KFC is offering to fund pothole repair in five U.S. cities in exchange for ads promoting the decomposing bird bits that the company sells at its fast-food outlets.
KFC even hired a Colonel Sanders lookalike for the kickoff of the program in its hometown of Louisville.
KFC might concentrate instead on improving conditions for the chickens it abuses, but it won't, so we're offering to double the money that KFC offered the City of Louisville—if the city will use our ads against KFC cruelty on its potholes instead. After all, drivers have a right to hear the chickens' side of the story—and it isn't pretty.
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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