Who runs the world? Vegan girls!

They certainly run the 11-day Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert. Forty-two-year-old vegan Briton Fiona Oakes ran 151 miles—more than a marathon every 24 hours—in the world's toughest foot race.

Official U.S. Navy Imagery | cc by 2.0

Oakes joins an elite club of vegan and vegetarian athletes, including nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, Ultraman triathlete Rich Roll, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, and record-breaking 100-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh, who know that a great performance starts with healthy food.

Ready to get your own motor running? 

What has 1,200 legs, lives in several countries, and runs, swims, and bikes to stop animal abuse? It's the 2011 PETA Pack team, a group of committed individuals who were able to wildly surpass their fundraising goal and raise $120,000 for PETA's Investigations & Rescue Fund! On behalf of the PETA Pack, a special thank-you goes out to this year's team sponsor, Nasoya, as well as to all the donors who contributed.

PETA Pack members receive 14 weeks of valuable coaching tips from team leaders to help them meet their running goals, whether they are beginning runners or experienced triathletes. Each member ultimately participates in a race of his or her choice in early autumn. Top fundraisers receive great prizes, in addition to the satisfaction of getting into shape while helping animals.

To join the PETA Pack and make next year's team another resounding success, e-mail PETAPack@peta.org.

Congratulations to the 2011 PETA Pack team!

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

Here's what Jeff says about this week's masterpiece: "The strip is based on the sad measures that officials have to take in order to protect rhinos from poachers. And a little depravity thrown in for good measure."

He also let me know that, in honor of Earth Week, he sprayed this strip with 50 percent less pesticides. Which was very noble of him, I thought. Anyway, this one's a zinger—enjoy!

Click for a larger version

To check out the archives of past strips, click here.

People are traditionally a bit more relaxed about nudity (and, indeed, most things) in Europe, but a fully naked, guerrilla-style news conference in the middle of the town square will make even those too-cool-for-school Europeans sit up and pay attention. Seriously—even the French were surprised. These stunning (and, be warned, NSFW) naked news conferences have been an amazing way for PETA Europe and our other international affiliates to get the word out about the barbaric cruelty inherent in the archaic “Running of the Bulls”. Check it out:

Inspired by my friend Noemie’s unbelievably brave protest against conditions for mother pigs in factory farms last week, Asylum has put together a 48-picture-strong gallery of the “World’s Most Naked Protesters”, and it looks like a whole lot of them are from PETA demonstrations. Because when it comes to getting naked for a cause, we get more nakeder than anyone else around. Or something.

Check it.

Check out the gaggle of nearly naked PETA members who converged on the Spanish Embassy in Washington D.C. yesterday in a warm up for PETA UK’s sixth annual Running of the Nudes in Pamplona, Spain, to protest the cruelty of the Running of the Bulls. OK, so I guess this demo is more like the Running of the Almost Nudes since they were all rocking underwear, but still . . .

Of course in the real Running of the Nudes, most of those participants roll buck naked, save for running shoes and the red scarves that are traditionally worn during the bull run. And lots of body hair. Come on, it is in Europe after all.

Here’s the video from last year’s event.

Attention: Only watch this video if you are over 18 and if seeing naked people protesting cruelty to animals is legal where you live (the lawyers made me say that).

Click here if you want to get in on this year’s run in July.