Animal abusers, be warned: You do not want to mess with PETA cruelty caseworker Kristin DeJournett. Not only is she relentless in pursuing justice against people who hurt and kill animals, she’s also a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

After a rigorous series of tryouts that tested competitors’ stamina, technique, and expertise, Kristin was recently chosen from among thousands of black belts across the country to participate in a prestigious international Tae Kwon Do tournament in England.

To prepare for the competition, Kristin and her teammates met twice weekly for grueling practice sessions that lasted up to four hours. Kristin also trained daily for at least an hour with jogging, sprinting, and calisthenics—all fueled by a vegan diet, of course.

“I was able to build lean muscle and shed fat by eating lots of vegetable protein (tofu, beans, and faux meat), whole grains, and a ton of leafy green vegetables and fruits,” says Kristin. “I’ve noticed that a vegan diet helps me feel quicker and lighter on my feet.”

Kristin reports that Team USA cleaned up—all the teams earned gold medals in their age groups—and Kristin captured the bronze in an individual event!

Are you a vegan athlete? Post a comment below to tell us how you fuel your workouts.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

At PETA, we sometimes embrace things that others might call “bizarre,” like Andy Dick’s interview as Ronald McDonald with Jiminy Glick.

So when people started ringing our phones wanting our reaction to the recent news that Mike Myers is “kind of obsessed” with painting KFC’s Colonel Sanders, we might have puzzled some callers who assumed we’d be alarmed or offended to learn about his muse. We’re not. Monet may have had his water lilies but, hey, not all artists are inspired by foliage.

Besides, at the recent premiere of Shrek Forever After, the actor/funnyman/artist told our own Senior Vice President Dan Mathews that after watching a PETA video, he doesn’t eat chicken anymore.

That’s no surprise, really—after all, like art, many individual’s attitudes are ever-evolving—and countless caring people have kicked KFC’s unhealthy buckets from their diets.

So we’re thankful that one more person has chosen not to support the appalling cruelty that’s imposed upon billions of chickens, and we’ll daydream that Mike Myers might one day honor us with a gift of one of his renderings of the Colonel. If we paired it with our crippled KFC chicken statue from artist Harry Bliss, we could add immeasurable artistic flair to our Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign.

Calling all connoisseurs of cuteness: We need your help deciding which of the following pics from recent PETA demonstrations is the most aww-inspiring.

© Michael Croland

Personally, I’m rooting for my boy Chris P. Carrot and his sweet pea Penelo, who recently attended the Veggie Pride Parade in New York City. Then again, I really ♥ the picture of the little dude in diapers sharing his disgust over the abuse of dairy cows at a Land O’Lakes supplier. But how can you not love Ellie the Elephant, who travels around the country educating elementary school kids about Ringling’s abuse of baby elephants? Dang, I can’t decide. You decide for me:

Which PETA moment most makes you stop and say, “Aww”?online survey

Posted by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

I would have liked to have titled this blog “Bull: 1, Matador: 0,” but unfortunately, in the world of bullfighting torturing, even when the bull wins, he loses. Even though he clearly won this “fight,” the bull in the below video was reportedly killed by other matadors after running a horn through one bullfighter’s throat.

Warning: Graphic video below.

You can see still photos on The Huffington Post.

The matador, Julio Aparicio, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but is expected to recover. Wish we could say the same for the bull.

Let this serve as a reminder: Never book a trip to Spain that includes tickets to a bullfight. Better yet, don’t book a trip to Spain at all until it abolishes this abomination (unless you plan to participate in an anti-bullfighting protest,
of course).

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Did the film 2012 give you nightmares? Have you made plans for worldwide apocalypse yet? If not, check it: The Vivos Group is selling spots in fully stocked disaster-proof underground bunkers, complete with power systems, water wells, waste disposal, gym equipment—the works.

There would be little reason to survive, say, a nuclear holocaust, only to die of heart disease or a stroke, so PETA sent the Vivos Group an urgent letter explaining the health benefits of a vegan diet and asking the firm to stock its bunkers with healthy plant-based foods. Plus, a post-apocalyptic vegan diet would spare any surviving animals more terror by making sure that they aren’t exploited and killed for food.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not the world-rebuilding type—after Hurricane Ike, I was barely able to survive for nine days without electricity. But daily life is plenty challenging, and choosing vegan foods over meat, milk, and eggs can give us a significant advantage. So don’t wait for Armageddon to make the switch to a better diet!

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Look who PETA U.K. uncovered earlier today on the Westminster Bridge:

Who knew the Westminster Bridge had such curves?!

Wearing little more than painted-on Queen’s Guard uniforms and faux-fur caps, former Lara Croft model Lucy Clarkson and PETA U.K. campaigners protested the use of real bearskins in The Queen’s Guards’ ceremonial caps. Under the previous government, the Ministry of Defence refused to switch to synthetic fur despite Britons’ overwhelming opposition to the use of real bear fur.

Lovely Lucy joins Ricky Gervais, Pamela Anderson, Sir Roger Moore, Joss Stone, and a host of other notables who’ve spoken out against this cruelty. Will you, too, speak up for bears?

Posted by Karin Bennett

What was the grooviest thing about having hippie parents? Growing up listening to Donovan. Seriously, my mother almost named me “Jennifer Juniper.” Instead she went for something more mainstream—Skylark.

And I’m sure he hears it all the time, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’m Donovan’s biggest fan. Star-struck? Yes, consider me struck. What’s even more striking is that this folk/pop legend lent his anti–seal slaughter anthem “Celia of the Seals” to this heart-wrenching new video:

Here’s what the “Sunshine Superman” had to say about his song and putting an end to the war on baby seals:

“I wrote this song to show what’s going on. And the song is influenced by Celia Hammond, the great 60s model who is such a Green Goddess for all the creatures of the Earth. Shortly after I released ‘Celia of the Seals’ back in the 70s, I was glad to see a reduced demand for seal products worldwide. It’s now disappointing to see that the Canadian government is doing everything it can to prop up this dying, violent industry, including challenging the EU’s recent compassionate decision to ban seal pelts. Instead of trying to salvage this cruel slaughter, the government should listen to the court of public opinion and ban the massacre on ice.”

Celia of the Seals, we know just how you feel. So for the love of Donovan, help us get the word out by showing this video to everyone you know!

Posted by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

While we here in the States are focused on recently discovered godly gluten, the folks at PETA Germany have offered the Catholic Church the “Veggie-Shroud” to fill the void when the Shroud of Turin is retired on Sunday.

Debate abounds over the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, but there’s no mystery surrounding the powerful message put forth by the clearly defined slaughtered pig depicted in the “Veggie-Shroud”: Animals who end up on a dinner plate “died for the diet sins of mankind.”

While we wait to find out whether the Catholic Church will agree to display the “Veggie Shroud,” won’t you urge everyone you know to find savory salvation from the universal cruelty and unholy unhealthiness of flesh-based diets? Catholics, atheists, Muslims, and people of all faiths and views are coming together to say, “Praise Seitan!”

Posted by Karin Bennett

Who wouldn’t, right? Earlier this month, we asked our Twitter followers to let everyone know what they’d rather do than torment animals in NASA’s cruel radiation experiments.

If you haven’t heard, NASA plans to spend $1.75 million of our tax dollars to fund an experiment that entails irradiating squirrel monkeys, socially isolating them in barren cages, and then watching what happens to their minds and bodies. Effects of the radiation exposure may include blindness, brain tumors, and cancer. This is why we pay taxes?

Check out these creative Tweets from the tweeps who are exposing NASA’s monkey-torment plan:

And if you haven’t yet, let NASA know how you feel. It’s not too late, tweeple!

Posted by Paula Moore

This summer, I plan to exercise, read, and socialize, so I intend to focus my Web surfing and not get so lost in cyberspace. Enter PETA’s new Internet Explorer add-ons.

By placing them in your Internet Explorer favorites bar, you can stay current on streaming PETA News and PETA Files updates—no Googling required. Instead, you’ll go straight to the streaming source: The PETA News widget will keep you in the know on PETA’s groundbreaking work for animals, and the PETA Files add-on can boost your chances of being the first person to “awww” us with your “Win It” Wednesday entries. The add-ons are free and easy to install, so what are you waiting for? Go get ‘em.

Posted by Karin Bennett