Written by Michelle Kretzer
Is Bill Clinton's healthy diet rubbing off on his wife? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in a vegan state of mind on her birthday, celebrating with her family and a vegan cake.
The Clintons might be a power couple for decades to come: Bob Barker names his vegetarian diet as the reason for his longevity and vivacity, telling Vegetarian Times, "I became a vegetarian out of concern for animals, and I was a vegetarian for a very long time before I realized that many people become vegetarians out of concern for their health. I think they are absolutely right. I think it is the healthiest way to live. I worked until I was 83 years old."
Ever wondered what made country cutie Carrie Underwood first ditch meat? Now we know. On VH1's Behind the Music, she described seeing her parents castrate calves. "And lightbulb," she said. "I was horrified and sad and I just couldn't believe this was happening, you know, in our pasture."
Another vegan singer, Renee Olstead, might have made a certain magazine editor cringe recently when she prominently rep'd PETA in an interview. We've had our famous run-ins with furry Vogue editor Anna Wintour, but in Renee's Teen Vogue interview, the singer and actor proudly declared, "I love animals. I'm getting ready to do a campaign with PETA. I went vegetarian when I was twelve, and I went vegan about a year and a half ago."
Staunchly fur-free Mayte Garcia just made the list of the hottest reality stars. Would her naked ad for PETA have had anything to do with that?
One of the hottest former reality stars, Lauren Conrad, has a reason to celebrate as well: She just adopted a new puppy, Fitz, from a shelter. Fitz scored some "welcome home" toys and treats from PETA to share with his new canine sister, rescued dog Chloe.
The Los Angeles City Council's vote to ban stores from selling animals who came from breeders and puppy mills was a hot topic on Twitter this week, as were the bill that could end the Canadian seal slaughter and protecting animals during Hurricane Sandy.
To keep up with what all your favorite celebs are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Wrongdoers, watch out—wearing animals' skins and fur is a total (and literal) rip-off, but PETA, as always, is on the case! October has been declared Crime Prevention Month by the National Crime Prevention Council, and we're glad to do our part here at The PETA Files—after all, it's the least any animal advocate could do for a group whose symbol is a dog.
What happens to animals who are killed for their skins may not be illegal in many places (yet), but it's a flagrant violation of their rights. Confined to cages, caught in steel-jaw traps, subjected to cruel abuses, nailed to trees, suffocated, electrocuted, gassed, poisoned, bludgeoned, hanged, and often skinned alive—together, it's a crime against common decency.
So PETA's walking the beat and throwing the book at offenders. The fabulous PETA "fashion police"—gotta love a cop in pleather!—hit the city streets to hand out tickets for leathery larceny and felony fur-flaunting. They've even braved that most hostile of precincts, New York Fashion Week, where they issued a citation to the cruelest of all fur hags, Vogue's Anna Wintour, proving that they never miss the meaner misdemeanors.
Some of PETA's famous friends are taking on crime-busting duties, too. Pink and Ricky Gervais use their voices to call out the skin trade for what it really is—theft—in PETA's attention-getting "Stolen for Fashion" video, while Tim Gunn reminds everyone that these aren't victimless crimes. Then there's the animals' own wonder woman, Pamela Anderson, who gets the message across that "cruelty doesn't fly" (with a little help from Steve-O, Andy Dick, and Carol Leifer) as only she can:
Keep on the straight and narrow—sign PETA's pledge that you'll shed everyone's skin but your own!
Written by PETA
We know where Bill Maher got the shirt that he wore to perform at George Washington University—'cause we made it. Lookin' good, Bill.
© Michelle Rattinger/ GW Hatchet.
Speaking of making it: After becoming the first vegan to win a Food Network cooking competition, chef Chloe Coscarelli is still on a (vegan-buttered) roll, making the world a better place for animals and our waistlines. Check out her scrumptious new recipes on Eatocracy.
Anna Wintour took some heat for being cold-hearted enough to wear several cold-blooded animals on her back. "She looks like she got that at a consignment store where pimps drop their coats off," said E! news anchor Giuliana Rancic.
Another proud animal friend who's "still right here" is Melissa Ferrick, who is currently on tour promoting her new album. The adoption advocate would love what Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan, are up to—the couple adopted a pair of cats their friend found in a bush.
Cats don't belong in the wild, but elephants certainly do, according to Coldplay, whose new video features the band members dressed up as elephants searching for "Paradise."
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Does your home need more "om"?
OmStone's "Bitch and Germ Repellant" aromatherapy room spray promises to rid your abode of negative energy and icky germs all in one misting—and we've got some to give away to 10 lucky PETA Files readers. To enter, just comment and tell us whose negative energy toward animals you would most like to make disappear with a single squirt. Maybe it's a frightful fur-flinging Vogue editor or a clown who makes you frown. Just let us know, and the ten people whose answers are the most inspiring and most make us want to whip out our spray bottles will win.
The contest ends May 4, 2011, and the winners will be chosen on May 6, 2011. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.
Good luck!
It's Friday afternoon, and we're betting that you're getting a rumbling in your tummy thinking about dinner out, popcorn at the movies, or a pretzel at the mall. Well, to tide you over, have a hearty, heaping helping of Internet Soup:
PETA would never advocate sticking pins into Vogue editor Anna Wintour (pies on, perhaps), but some people are suggesting that it would be the best use for the new Anna Wintour doll. Hmm, what do you think—is this one-of-a-kind creation the perfect voodoo doll, or could you put it to better use? Send us your ideas.
Posted by Paula Moore
P.S. Perhaps someone with deep pockets would like to buy the Wintour doll and donate it to PETA, so that we can put everyone's creative ideas to the test. It's for a good cause!
We're not ones to say "I told you so," but …
A new study has confirmed what we've known all along: Vegans and vegetarians have more empathy—for both animals and people—than meat-eaters do.
Researchers in Europe recruited vegan, vegetarian, and meat-eating volunteers and placed them into an MRI machine while showing them a series of random pictures. The MRI scans revealed that when observing animal or human suffering, the "empathy-related" areas of the brain are more active among vegetarians and vegans. The researchers also found that there are certain brain areas that only vegans and vegetarians seem to activate when witnessing suffering.
We've always thought that people who lack empathy may have something wrong with their brains. That's why we urged the NFL to give Michael Vick an MRI scan to look for evidence of clinical psychopathy, and it's why we sent U.S. Vogue editor and fur pusher Anna Wintour a certificate entitling her to a brain scan as well.
So, to sum up: Vegans are smarter, sexier, and healthier than meat-eaters, and they're more empathic too. If you haven't yet made the switch, what are you waiting for?
Written by Paula Moore
PETA Files readers already know that few "retired" racehorses live out the remainder of their days frolicking in rolling green pastures. Now, Washington Post readers know it, too, thanks to a great article that was published over Memorial Day weekend.
The article describes one of the many ugly sides of the horse-racing industry—the fact that with approximately 35,000 thoroughbreds born in the U.S. every year, there are thousands of horses who don't have quite enough speed and stamina to be champions. What becomes of these also-rans? Most are eventually sold at auction, where many are bought by "killer buyers."
While no horse slaughterhouses are currently operating in the U.S., horses are still being shipped to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. Some retired racehorses—even Derby champs like Ferdinand and Charismatic—also wind up in Japan, where they may initially be used for breeding. But when they stop being moneymakers, they, too, may be slaughtered, as a PETA investigation at a Japanese slaughterhouse last year revealed.
You can help by contacting your U.S. representatives and asking them to sponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which would make it illegal to slaughter horses for consumption in the U.S. or to export them for slaughter.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Because Anna Wintour hasn't yet realized that fur is out of vogue and therefore should be out of Vogue—and hideous images of animals suffering on fur farms do not move her—PETA will get the infamous pelt-pusher's attention with a hideous image of … herself.
As Wintour was giving a talk about nuclear physics—wait, sorry, fashion—at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, PETA members held a lively protest outside with signs featuring this picture of the Vogue editor.
We think that "Nuclear" Wintour is the perfect poster girl for the ugly fur trade. What do you think?
"A pie has to hit … and explode into a thousand pieces so you see the person's face and see it take away his dignity." —Soupy Sales
Legendary comedian, television host, and film star Soupy Sales has died at age 83. The funnyman, who claimed he'd been hit by 20,000 pies in his lifetime, was an inspiration to many animal defenders. Big names like Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. clamored for a chance to be pied by Soupy. Animal abusers try to "duck and cover" from the Soupy-inspired tofu-cream projectiles that have been hurled by animal advocates over the years.
On this day, let's honor Mr. Sales by taking a few moments to reflect on some of our favorite pieing moments.
So many pies, so many laughs. So many thanks, Soupy. Animal defenders couldn't have done it without you.
Written by Karin Bennett
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.
Follow PETA on Twitter!