Scariest. Costume. Ever.

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KFC has just started test-marketing a new "sandwich" that is sure to have customers beating down its doors (sarcasm alert).

I'm going to ignore for now that countless pigs, cows, and chickens will suffer for this sucker (and I'm betting that the "secret" in the sauce is crushed ducklings).

Instead, I'm going to bring to your attention its nutritional value—or lack thereof. While KFC won't release the Double Down's fat and calorie stats, there's plenty of speculation. The Vancouver Sun's educated "guess-timate" is that "this one menu item can be estimated to supply more than the daily recommended allowance in fat (124%), saturated fat (117%), cholesterol (105%), sodium (125%) and protein (194%), as well as 61% of your daily recommended calorie intake" and "compares closely to the fat, salt and calorie totals of three McDonalds Big Macs put together …."

In other words, eating a Double Down makes Russian Roulette look like child's play.

What happened to KFC being the "better-for-you option for health-conscious customers"? Its carcinogenic grilled chicken wasn't much better, but this oozing pile of grease just screams, "We're out to kill you." Keep up the genius marketing, KFC. You're doing our job for us.

Posted by Karin Bennett

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.

Posted by Karin Bennett

What do you get when you combine our favorite hockey player with one of our favorite faux-chicken sandwiches?

Hat trick! Georges Laraque was so impressed by a Canadian KFC's vegan sandwich, he ordered two more to go.

While there is one major animal offense that keeps Canada in the penalty box, KFCs in Canada offer an awesome vegan sandwich—and they are also making efforts to phase in controlled-atmosphere killing. Partner that with Georges Laraque's insatiable hunger for animal liberation and I'd say you have one of the sweetest assists Canada's seen in some time.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

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!

Posted by Amanda Schinke

It's been a busy, busy week here at PETA. With so many different campaigns in full swing, we've had people out on the streets protesting the circus, and McDonald's, and the seal slaughter, and … phew. Why don't you just check out the pictures?

Me-yow!

At a recent "Unhappy Meal" giveaway, the staff of the neighboring convenience store couldn't wait to protest McDonald's.

Face it, Vancouver Olympic Committee. Protests will continue until the seal slaughter stops.

Hey, Olympic Committee! How about you help us get a "Countdown 'til the End of the Seal Slaughter" clock?

Fried or grilled, flesh is flesh no matter what animal it came from. Hopefully, this restaurant in Nevada got the message (and maybe KFC will too).

I don't know about you, but if I saw a giant seal with a hakapik, I'd pay attention!

Posted by Lianne Turner

There was no love lost between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings as they battled on the ice last night in game three of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but there was love in the stands during intermission when Jason Levy asked his girlfriend, Nicole Hughes, to marry him.

But wait—there's more! While the couple's special moment was rolling live on the stadium's huge screen, Jason surprised the audience when he held up a sign reading, "McDonald's Breaks Birds' Wings and Legs."

Jason jumped at the perfect opportunity to tell thousands of people that the fast-food giant refuses to alleviate the suffering of the chickens killed for its restaurants by adopting an improved slaughter method called "controlled-atmosphere killing." Currently, birds killed for McDonald's are grabbed by their legs and slammed upside-down into shackles, and many are still conscious when their throats are cut and they are immersed in scalding water.

So, to sum up: First, PETA Foundation staffer Alex Bury and her then-fiancé Jack Norris got hitched at a KFC restaurant in Toronto to celebrate the introduction of a faux chicken sandwich at most Canadian KFC outlets. Then, Jason Levy spotlights McDonald's cruelties to birds in his marriage proposal.

Anybody else have any ideas for the "fast-food cruelty nope-tials" (ouch) tour?

Posted by Karin Bennett

It's started grilling dead birds, as opposed to frying them, and so it's encouraging people to "unthink what you thought about KFC."

I can only assume that it's referring to our thoughts about how unhealthy KFC is—which, admittedly, is one of the things I think about KFC. Of course, I mostly think about its awful animal welfare record, which it doesn't appear to be asking us to "unthink." (Possibly because, well, it's still awful.)

Give me a break, KFC. You can put a shiny "Healthy!" sticker on it all you want, but cholesterol-filled, artery-clogging flesh is still unhealthy, whether you fry it or grill it—and grilled chicken has been shown to contain carcinogens. I think I'll pass on the three-piece breast and thigh meal with an increased cancer risk on the side. Thanks anyway.

I can think of a better response to KFC's new grilled chicken—how about we grill KFC? Click here to write to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and ask it to investigate KFC's false animal welfare claims.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

People have lost one of the greatest comic actresses of all time, and animals have lost one of their all-time greatest defenders. An honorary PETA director and the winner of multiple PETA Humanitarian Awards, Bea Arthur joined PETA in 1987, when the Golden Girls did an anti-fur episode and Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Betty White filmed a PETA anti-fur PSA on the set of the show.

A tireless advocate for animals, Bea campaigned against the force-feeding of ducks in the foie gras trade, travelling to London with PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, where she called on Harrod's to stop selling the cruelly made pâté. She was particularly upset about fur and used to place ads in playbills calling for theater patrons to have a change of heart and donate their furs to PETA. Bea recently called for a boycott of KFC until it improves the way it raises and kills its chickens, campaigned against animal experimentation, spoke out about the abuse of animals on factory farms, and was a vocal opponent of the use of exotic animals in circuses. She also helped launch and was a member of PETA’s Augustus Club, which helps members remember PETA in their estate plans and wills.

She will be sorely missed.

Posted by Dan Mathews

Mayor Michael O'Brien of Warren, Ohio, is currently thinking about allowing us to fix his city's potholes, but he wants to run it by KFC before making a final decision. Hmm, is he trying to start a bidding war?

As a nonprofit, we might not be able compete with dollars against a money-hungry company that can't even spare a few cents out of each bucket of chicken bits that it sells to improve conditions for the very animals it profits from. That's why we've offered to "sweeten the pot," so to speak, with a free vegetarian meal for the road crew—on any day that Mayor O'Brien chooses.

If he agrees to this, the mayor won't just be doing right by 1 billion chickens; he'll show that he's invested in the health of his city's employees and the well-being of his city's environment. I can't think of a better ending to "Meat's Not Green" Week than that.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

Artist and designer Edgar Lituma Soto doesn't waste a moment in his stunning animated video short, "Chicken Hormonio," which makes it clear that chickens who are raised for KFC are bred and drugged to grow so huge that they can barely stand.

Posted by Karin Bennett

richmondoktoberfest / CC

Turns out, I'm not the only one looking. KFC is hoping to make a name for itself—other than Kentucky Fried Cruelty … or the company with the most people who've resigned from its animal welfare committee … or the company that's most resistant to taking any effort to stop chickens from being scalded alive in its de-feathering tanks—by attempting to break the world record for (wait for it) most people doing the chicken dance at once.

The Guinness World Records folks have already shown that they are a sensible and decent bunch by stating, "We do not accept records based on the killing or harming of animals." So we've now approached them to ask them to refuse to accept record attempts from companies that have yet to adopt even modest humane reforms to reduce the needless suffering of animals. After all, the chicken dance is what people do at weddings and bat mitzvahs. Who wants it associated with the pain of billions of chickens, many of whose throats were cut while they were still conscious?

Here's hoping you'll be seeing my name in Guinness World Records before anyone shakes their tail feathers for KFC.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

For this week's "Win It" Wednesday, we're calling out Colonel Sanders for Kentucky Fried Cruelty! As you know from our Super Chick Sisters game and The Roost Web series, the farms that supply the Colonel's KFC restaurants raise and kill chickens in horribly cruel conditions. Birds raised for KFC are forced into filthy cages and sheds and are sometimes scalded alive while they are still conscious. It takes a pretty awful mindset to be responsible for this kind of cruelty, so we created an evil Colonel bobblehead figurine to reflect KFC's true nature.

How do you win? Post a comment about what you'd say to Colonel Sanders if he were still around. I know it's difficult, but keep it PG-13 so that we can make sure your comment gets approved. The five people who post the most creative answers will each win a Colonel Sanders bobblehead.

The contest ends on April 29, 2009, and we'll contact the winners on May 1, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Check back every Wednesday for new prizes. Good luck!

Posted by Lianne Turner

Campaigners from PETA and our affiliates have been working their tails off, fearlessly campaigning against McDonald's, protesting KFC, and pumping up the case against bad zoos. Take a look:

The San Antonio Zoo sold giraffes to Michael Jackson and now refuses to help them. Our giraffe friend just wanted you to know that.

Nugget sharpens his knife for a little payback.

"Wait, what do ya mean it's supposed to be his throat?"

Our skeletal friends at PETA Germany would rather be dead than eat KFC.

Inspired yet?

Posted by Shawna Flavell

In our fight to get KFC to enact minimal welfare standards for the more than 350 million chickens slaughtered for its U.S. restaurants each year, our supporters have helped us choose billboards and dressed up like the Colonel for Halloween. Now we'd like to ask your help with an even bigger task.

We're filing a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking it to take action against KFC for the chain's deliberately deceptive and unfair statements to consumers about the treatment of chickens raised and killed for its buckets and boxes. KFC allows its suppliers to house chickens in crowded sheds—with waste on the floor so thick that the ammonia burns the chickens' skin, feet, eyes, and throats. It allows its suppliers to use a slaughter method in which birds' throats are cut while they are still conscious. A company like that should not be allowed to claim a "commitment to animal welfare."

Please, take the time now to file your own, polite complaint with the FTC about KFC’s false claims of humanity and send this video to 10 friends so they can see just how "humane" KFC chicken really is.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

Phew! We have so many great protest pictures to share that we decided to hit you with them all at once. Brace yourselves:

Animal defenders of all ages turned out for our protest against the (ab)use of animals in trauma training exercises at Fort Bragg …

… including baby McCartney (named after you-know-who).

Our gaggle of PETA chicks caused quite a stir in Youngstown, Ohio, where they told the "naked truth" to passersby outside a KFC. Even the manager of the KFC was sympathetic, telling them that his son had just gone vegetarian.

Mickey and Minnie are up to their old tricks, this time at a Lowe's in Houston, Texas. A construction-induced traffic jam proved to be a mouse's best friend, providing a captive audience who eagerly snapped up all our leaflets.

It was an embarrassment of riches for Houston, which was also blessed with one of our much-coveted veggie hotdog giveaways featuring PETA's Lettuce Ladies.

Deputy Dog, I presume?

More babies! This mother and munchkin who were passing by just happened to be wearing coordinating PETA T-shirts. What are the odds?

And finally, we travel to South Korea, where PETA Asia-Pacific stole all the thunder from Seoul Fashion Week.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

The design for our pothole ad, which doesn't promote torturing chickens

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.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Colonel Sanders got a taste of his own medicine when PETA marked the Association of Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisees Convention in Maryland last month by "slaughtering" the Colonel outside a nearby KFC restaurant.

Luckily for the brave actor portraying Colonel Sanders, our slaughter methods are a bit more humane than those employed by KFC's suppliers. The Colonel was not slammed into shackles (which often breaks birds' legs), he wasn't jolted by an electrified "stun bath," and he wasn't dunked into a scalding-hot defeathering tank. Nope—we just strung him up, poked him with a plastic knife, and let the red paint fly. But it made a darned nice visual, didn't it?

Notta Nugget prepares for battle.

My, what big orange feet you have!

He seems to be enjoying this a little too much …

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Top o' the mornin' and happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Since you'd never find a real leprechaun at a KFC (leprechauns are far too smart for that), PETA sent out our own sexy Leprechaun Ladies to encourage passersby to opt for pots of gold, not buckets of chicken. Check out these photos for a leprechaun sighting that doesn't require a rainbow:

This sexy Leprechaun Lady encouraged people to go for the gold, not the chicken, this St. Patrick's Day.

That greasy bucket looks even less appetizing when you see who suffered for it.

This driver got an eyeful and an education.

"Even on St. Patty's Day, chickens raised and killed for KFC are the unluckiest animals in the world," says PETA Leprechaun Lady Kristina Addington. "Once people find out about the cruelty behind every bucket of chicken, they won't eat at KFC for all the pots of gold in the world."

Posted by Lianne Turner

quid / CC

But I digress. Perhaps you heard that a long-lost statue of our arch-nemesis Colonel Sanders was dredged out of the Dotonbori River in Japan earlier this week, supposedly ending a 24-year curse on the Hanshin Tigers, whose fans tossed the statue in the river in the first place. Can't say I blame them. Well, the folks over at KFC are now offering the statue to the Chicago Cubs as a way to break the team's own "Curse of the Billy Goat," stemming from an incident in 1945 when a fan and his companion goat (yep) were tossed out of Wrigley Field's bleachers because of the goat's unpleasant odor.

Today, PETA wrote to the Cubs recommending that they turn down KFC's offer. If Cubs fans believe that they haven't won a World Series in 60 years because the ghost of one goat has it in for them, think about the consequences of offending the nearly 1 billion chickens who are tortured and killed for KFC every year. Here's my prediction—if the Cubs accept this Colonel Sanders statue, there won't be a World Series game at the friendly confines until KFC's slaughterhouse suppliers stop scalding live chickens to death and the company adopts PETA's recommended animal welfare program.

You heard it here first.

Posted by Dan Shannon

Just as David Novak, CEO of KFC's parent company, Yum!, stepped up to address a crowd of Louisville business owners yesterday, two animal rights activists entered the stage, commandeered the mic, and told the assembled captains of Kentucky industry that "David Novak tortures animals," a reference to the millions of chickens who have their wings and legs broken in shackles and transport crates and are scalded alive (among other abuses) by KFC suppliers because KFC won't take any action to stop it.

The women were removed by security, but their words had already caught the attention of reporters and was front-page news on the Louisville Courier-Journal's Web site.

Consummate "suit" that he is, Novak proceeded by leading the crowd in the "Yum! cheer" (which we assume is not to be confused with the Bronx cheer that KFC so richly deserves).

Novak also—presumably with a straight face—told the crowd that he rewards outstanding employees with rubber chickens. I'm not making that up. "It does not take a lot of money to give away a rubber chicken," he said. It wouldn't take a lot of money for KFC to implement the minimal animal welfare standards we've asked for, but that's not of any interest to him. Who came up with this business model—Stalin?

We have some lovely shots of PETA protesters outside the event. Check it:

Posted by Alisa Mullins

It should be no surprise to regular readers of this blog that we keep an eye on happenings at KFC, so this caught our eye: According to news reports, the manager of a KFC in Manchester, New Hampshire, received a hoax phone call from someone who claimed to be from KFC's corporate offices and told her to test the fire-suppression system. When she did so, she and two staffers preparing sandwiches were coated with a chemical powder that is a respiratory irritant. Authorities were summoned, who took the unfortunate trio to the hospital for decontamination.

Just a couple of observations:

1. Even without being doused with firefighting chemicals, KFC's chicken sandwiches are already contaminated.



2. Pulling a dangerous hoax on unsuspecting people is cruel, but it's much less cruel than what KFC does to chickens.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

As the Midwest's snowy winter drags on, PETA beauties have been heating things up. They recently flocked to a KFC in Champaign, Illinois, to tell customers the "naked" truth about how cold-hearted KFC abuses chickens. After hearing the gruesome details, I think it's safe to say that many would-be customers were seriously thinking about flying north to one of the KFCs in Canada that sell the delicious faux chicken sandwich.

Check out these pictures of the demonstration and tell us what you think:

Posted by Liz Graffeo

All across our great nation, bikini-clad PETA members have been out in full force, snatching media attention and educating the public about cruelty to animals. If only math classes used such brilliant strategies, we'd all be calculus whizzes!

From the International Putrid … excuse me, Poultry Expo in Atlanta to the slushy streets of Flint, Michigan, our bevy of beauties shared the facts with fascinated passersby. Take a peek at the action:

These ladies took up positions in their battery cages outside the International Poultry Expo to remind people that chicks suffer in the egg industry.

Our fierce "bunnies" braved freezing flurries in Flint to get out the fur-free message.

In South Carolina, this painted lady told circusgoers that wild animals don't belong behind bars.

The reception for our pro-chicken "chicks" was anything but chilly in Tucson, Arizona.

Impressive work, ladies! You braved the cold to help our voiceless friends. From my warm office, I raise my soy hot cocoa to you.

Posted by Missy Lane

We were blown away (sorry) by the Kentucky Fried Cruelty demonstration that PETA Asia-Pacific held earlier today. Maybe it's a cultural difference, but in that part of the world, people apparently go into giggling fits over the very idea of blow-up dolls. Go figure!

Anyway, the clever folks at PETA Asia-Pacific, with the help of a posse of, um, inflatable activists, just held a truly "out-there" demonstration in the Patpong red-light district of Bangkok. The scene drew crowds of onlookers, and the live activists gave local residents a mouthful with regard to KFC's cruel treatment of chickens.

While we were a bit amazed by the photos of the demonstration ourselves, we know it will convince some curious people to check out KentuckyFriedCruelty.com. There they can learn about how chickens raised to fill KFC's buckets are drugged and bred to grow much larger than normal, have their throats cut while they are still conscious, and are often scalded alive in defeathering tanks.

Considering the shocking treatment of chickens, I understand why PETA Asia-Pacific would hold a demonstration that nobody could ignore. But maybe that's just me. What do you think? Was this demo a little too much or exactly the kind of attention-getting tactic that chickens need? Post a comment below with your thoughts.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

knoxnews / CC

PETA reached out to Bill and let him know that more than 1 billion chickens are raised and slaughtered every year for KFC restaurants. They are drugged and bred to grow so large that many become crippled, and many have their throats cut while they are still conscious. In our undercover investigation of a KFC "Supplier of the Year" slaughterhouse in West Virginia, we documented that workers were ripping off live birds' heads, spitting tobacco into their eyes, spray-painting their faces, and violently stomping on them.

After learning about the cruelty endured by chickens on KFC's factory farms, Bill's rep contacted us and let us know that Bill understands our concerns, but that "unfortunately, it's too late for him to cancel his appearance at the gala" because of his contract. Perhaps after his performance, he'll pass the information we gave him on to KFC executives. Maybe they'll listen to what he has to say!

And if they don't? Well, KFC, now that Bill knows about what goes on at your factory farms, let's just say that I wouldn't expect him at your next gala—unless you improve your slaughter methods to make them more humane for the billion chickens you kill every single year. And after what I'm sure will be a brilliant performance at this year's event, you're really going to be missing out.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

So we all knew that KFC has some trashy practices, but did you know just how disgusting they can be? Recently, a delivery person recorded a KFC employee in Hong Kong picking fried chicken out of a trash can, putting it on a tray, and serving it to customers. While this might be shocking to those who still turn a blind eye to the company's hideous ways, I'm definitely not surprised. KFC has proven to be fairly heartless in the past, and we know they aren't big on that whole "ethics" thing. So, should it be such a big deal that employees don't mind serving deep-fried flesh from a trash can?

The delivery person who brought this to our attention says that trash-diving is a regular practice at this particular location. According to this source, the employees stop cooking and throw everything away before the restaurant closes. When anyone else orders, they serve them literal junk food. Oh yeah, and the manager approves of it because it saves money! Gross.

Know what else KFC seems to think is perfectly acceptable? Check out our undercover investigations to find out for yourself. I certainly know The Roost wouldn't take this laying down!

Posted by Lianne Turner

While Santa's making his list and checking it twice, you'd better believe that KFC is getting nothing but coal, coal, and more coal—and PETA's "Sexy Santas" want to make sure that the world knows why! Check us out at our demos handing out info on Kentucky Fried Cruelty!

Santa's not the only one who objects to KFC cruelty, and rightfully so! These bikini-clad hotties certainly didn't get their sexy bods by downing greasy fried chicken loaded with cruelty and cholesterol. These chicks remind everyone to ditch KFC and have a very veggie holiday instead!

Posted by Christine Doré

The wonder crusaders over at PETA Asia-Pacific have been crossing country borders nonstop for the sake of animals. Their efforts as of late have reached crowds of people in China and Australia, and even more individuals are tuning in via news circuits and the Internet. We say, rock it, PETA A-P! Of course, we fancy our readers to be in the know about everything animal rights—so we've compiled a few photos of our affiliate's latest efforts below. Enjoy!

PETA Asia-Pacific's naked holiday chicks assembled outside a KFC in Adelaide, Australia, where they encouraged bystanders to have a cruelty-free holiday. The brave ladies wore nothing but a banner that read, "Make It a Merry Chickmas: Boycott KFC!" The back of the banner read, "Turn Your Back on KFC Cruelty."

In Hong Kong, locals were greeted by sexy angels outside the Giorgio Armani flagship store. The wretched designer buys his rabbit fur from China—which is now the world's largest fur exporter. PETA Asia-Pacific's investigation of rabbit fur farms in China revealed that the fur industry there is one in which cruel practices—such as shooting animals in the head with electrical stun guns—are rampant.

The Asia-Pacific crew held another Armani demonstration, this time in Sydney, Australia. Activists held oversized posters of the designer sporting an extra-long Pinocchio-esque nose because he went back on his earlier promise to remove fur from his collections permanently. I guess when you're already an animal abuser, lying doesn't bother your conscience that much.

Now, don't those pics just make you want to get out there and do something? Well, get to it!

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Back in January, we told you about one of our cheekier stunts in our ongoing quest to help chickens who are raised and killed for KFC. Long story short: It involved the cemetery where KFC founder "Colonel" Sanders is buried and a headstone for PETA's own Matt Prescott (who, don't worry, is still among the living). The headstone is inscribed with a poem, the first letters of which spell out, "KFC TORTURES BIRDS."

Now, granted, we might have a slightly, um, off-center sense of humor, but what we saw as cheeky, others thought of as, well, morbid. One commenter even accused us of having "desacrated [sic] an entire graveyard." (Seriously? And people call us drama queens!)

Fortunately, a lot of other people "got it." Unfortunately, among those who didn't see the humor were the operators of the cemetery (and, just possibly, those chicken-pluckers at KFC). Suffice to say that we now find ourselves in possession of a homeless gravestone.

Cave Hill Cemetery forced us to remove Matt's headstone after cemetery officials caught on to the hidden message it sent. As such a unique piece of activism history, we'd hate to see it collecting dust when it can be out there getting the message out about KFC's real secret recipe. So now this piece of animal rights history can be yours just in time for Halloween, the creepiest holiday of the year—give or take Yom Kippur and Dia de Los Muertos. We're offering you the chance to own something that will scare the bejeepers out of your local trick-or-treaters. So head on over to eBay and make a bid—not only can you own a piece of animal rights history, you can help PETA put an end to the cruelty of KFC and other animal abusers as well.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Still don't have a Halloween costume? Too tall to pass for a Trollsen Twin? Take a tip from PETA VP Dan Mathews: be the Colonel.

"Impersonating a scary guy like Colonel Sanders at Halloween is a great way to get a PETA point across at parties and become a frontrunner in costume contests," says Mathews, shown in the accompanying photos in his anti-KFC get-up. KFC is a total house of horrors after all—and our depictions of the colonel are terrifying enough to go along with Saw V. So, why not take advantage of KFC's hideousness and make a gloriously scary Halloween costume? All you need is a white suit and a bloody bucket!

Conveniently, printable versions are available for you to make your very own bucket of blood to accessorize your costume.

Yikes! Terrifying, no? It's a little scary how well Dan pulls that off … of course, he does have experience—no, not as a chicken torturer! In costumes and as a model! Sheesh.

Only eight days left until Halloween! Better get cracking with the corn syrup and red food coloring—you want to have enough blood, don't you?

Posted by Amanda Schinke

They've both been featured in killer PETA street demonstrations this month! Now, we're known for being clever, sexy, and interesting when it comes to our eye-catching demos, but in my opinion, the last few weeks have really taken the cake. Check it:

These hottie-boom-botties have teamed up at San Francisco's annual leather-fetish festival to remind people that you can still have the fetish without the flesh.

This devoted peta2 crowd got in the Halloween spirit this year by donning fake blood and zombie makeup to remind the rest of New York City that they'd rather be dead than eat at KFC.

This awesome activist removed her clothes and slapped on the tiger stripes to remind circusgoers that wild animals don't belong behind bars.

PETA Germany activists staged a naked die-in to draw public attention (as well as tons of German media attention) to their frustration with the European Union's support for the cruel bullfighting industry.

Our good pal Frieda the Sea Kitten laid out our ever-popular (not to mention massive) sea kitten quilt for aquarium attendees in Tampa to remind them that sea kittens are wonderful animals who shouldn't be held in captivity.

Posted by Christine Doré

Just in time for the release of Saw V and the craziness of the Halloween horror-movie season, PETA will be running one of our creepy KFC ads in movie theaters in Baltimore and Denver for the next four weeks. This will really make horror-movie lovers think about the horror that chickens go through just to end up in a greasy KFC bucket.

While people cringe in their seats at the blood and guts on screen, hopefully they'll think back to the ad and realize that the same bloody butchering scene goes on in slaughterhouses every day.

Check out the ad here and tell us what you think:

Posted by Christine Doré

As I'm sure you are already aware, today is World Farm Animals Day! It's a good time for all of us to remember the pain that many farmed animals go through every day for human consumption, but it's also a good time to remember the joy that animals bring to our lives. In light of this holiday, we are hosting Kentucky Fried Cruelty demonstrations all over the country to encourage people to think about how their meal choices affect the environment—and the pain that meat-based diets inflict on farmed animals.

We're hoping that the demos today will really make people think, but it's not the first time we've donned chicken suits and sat in scalding tanks to make the public aware that KFC tortures birds and that chickens are intelligent, wonderful animals who feel pain and fear for their lives just like dogs and cats.

Please check out our slideshow of KFC demos from around the world and leave a comment to tell us which is your favorite picture! If you haven't yet, please order a copy of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit." World Farm Animals Day is the best time to take that first step!

Posted by Christine Doré

Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams is one heck of a hard-rockin' musician and a photographer extraordinaire to boot—this Renaissance man has even helped PETA with our own celebrity photo shoots. During his nearly three decades of entertaining the masses, his talents have garnered him 13 Grammy nominations; five Golden Globe nominations for songs he wrote for films, including the film Bobby; and three Oscar nominations. He's recorded hits such as "Straight From the Heart," "Heaven," and "Summer of '69"—a karaoke favorite 'round here!

He's also a vegan, and he's been one for quite some time—17 years to be exact! He says he gets the energy and endurance he needs to put on a rockin' show largely from the food he puts into his body.

Sadly, his tour isn't taking him to any U.S. venues this year, but you can check out his new veggie testimonial right here!

Yes, it's safe to say you won't find this Canadian scarfing down an unhealthy, cruelty-filled bucket of fried chicken. In fact, you might remember that the Kingston, Ontario–born rocker spoke out against most of the KFCs in Canada before the new animal welfare standards were adopted there. To adopt a cruelty-free diet just like Bryan's, you can order your very own "Vegetarian Starter Kit" right here.

Too bad you're not coming to the U.S. this go-around, Bryan, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for next time.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

PETA Foundation staffer Alex Bury and Vegan Outreach pres Jack Norris' recent wedding was for the birds—and they wouldn't have had it any other way. You see, the Bay Area couple are so committed to spreading the vegan message (she proposed to him while they were handing out veg leaflets) that they flew to Canada and shared their commitment to each other at a Toronto KFC restaurant.

Why get hitched at a Canadian KFC? Marriage isn’t the only thing new and exciting on the menu. Thanks to PETA’s landmark agreement with the company that coordinates the purchase of chickens for all KFC franchises in Canada, conditions for chickens killed for KFCs in Canada are now subject to various welfare improvements and most KFCs in Canada have added a faux-chicken sandwich to their menus. Making their vegan wedding a joyous occasion for all peeps (geddit?) involved, the newlyweds served the new sandwich at their reception. What did guests think of the faux fowl? It was love at first bite. Speaking of love ... congrats, Alex and Jack! Here are pics of the happy event:

Posted by Amy Elizabeth

Animal rights is not just an American or European issue. All the way across the world, our colleagues in PETA India are doing their part as well. Each month, The PETA Files will bring you an update on PETA India's accomplishments.

On August 13, in Hyderabad, PETA India protesters held signs reading, "Broken Wings and Legs," while a giant crippled "chicken" crossed the road in front of a KFC to protest the company's abusive treatment of chickens and urge people not to eat at KFC until the company improves their animal welfare standards.

In Delhi, on August 22, PETA India members stood outside the Livestock and Dairy Expo to protest against the cruelty inflicted on animals raised for milk and to point out that those who drink milk share responsibility for the suffering of cows and calves outside the dairy industry. They also wanted to inform the public that dairy products are linked to heart disease and certain types of cancer in human beings.

On August 27, a PETA India activist in Lucknow led a protest against the cruel and bloody leather industry, hoping to raise awareness about the horrible suffering that animals endure before they are killed and their skin is made into leather shoes, bags, and other products.

Keep up the good work, PETA India!

Posted by Carrie Ann Harris

KFC is known to work with suppliers that breed and drug chickens to grow so large that they can't even walk, cut off baby birds' sensitive beaks without any painkillers, and drop birds into tanks of scalding-hot water—often while they are still conscious. KFC accepts these cruel practices because they help fill the chain's buckets of chicken at a cheap price.

To highlight the twisted practices of a company that focuses on its wallets while ignoring animal welfare, we've created a series of provocative billboards. "Another Life, Another Dollar," "3 Lives for $2.99," and "Cheap Chicken Means Animals Pay a High Price" are just a few of the taglines. Hey, we never said subtlety was our forte.

Check out the ads, and then tell us which is your favorite by leaving a comment below!

Pamela Anderson, PETA's honorary director, was in Canada, her home country, today. Where'd she have lunch? At a KFC with local animal rights advocates, just to sample the new faux-chicken Classic Vegetarian Sandwich!

For the past five years, Ms. Anderson has been a big part of PETA's international campaign against KFC, whose suppliers have been responsible for some serious Kentucky Fried Cruelty. While the KFC boycott continues to rage outside Canada, the United Purchasing Group of Canada—which is responsible for coordinating the purchasing of all chickens for Canadian KFCs—entered into an agreement with PETA to dramatically improve animal welfare standards and reduce suffering. Yes, before you comment—we'd rather all the KFCs were all-vegan and we'd rather the whole world went vegan. But if you were a chicken with the choice of whether or not you wanted to have a wing painfully broken and be scalded to death, and PETA could help you get that relief but didn't control the whole world, I'm guessing I know which option you'd go for.

The new faux-chicken Classic Vegetarian Sandwich is available at most KFCs in Canada, so head on up north of the border and try one yourself!

Quick—what reason do people usually give for continuing to eat meat even after you've told them about all the awesome health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits of going vegetarian? If you said taste (as in, people don't want to give up meat because they like the taste), you win $1 million! Not really (sorry!), but it does mean that you've been doing a great job trying to get your friends and family members to take the cool vegetarian plunge—go, you!

Now, people who've explored veggie cuisine know that you don't have to give up anything in the way of taste or texture to go vegetarian, but guess what massive corporation is going to help spread that message to new audiences? If you said most KFCs in Canada, you don't win $1 million, but you are right (go, you, again!).

Most KFCs in Canada have just added a vegetarian chicken sandwich to the menu, and by all reports, the faux chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and delectably flavorful inside and out. YUM! (YUM! is actually the name of the company that owns KFC in the U.S., but they aren't serving it, dammit).

The company that coordinates the purchase of all chickens for Canadian KFCs has also entered into an agreement with PETA, which includes landmark animal welfare reforms that will substantially improve the lives and deaths of chickens killed for Canadian KFCs. And we at PETA have been so happy about this that we sent our Lettuce Ladies on a Canadian tour to pass out KFC's faux-chicken sandwiches to anyone eager for a taste. How's that for winningly fabulous, eh?

Here are some photographs from Montréal!

Posted by Grace Friedan

Colonel Sanders has finally met his heavily accessorized, bouffant-wearing, monster-sized match: Lady Bunny. The queen of all queens has teamed up with PETA to create an awesome anti-KFC billboard, which just went up in New York City. The larger-than-life female impersonator's ad advises tourists and commuters that the Colonel's "secret recipe" is cruelty to animals.

Lady Bunny joins other gorgeous pin-ups, including Pam Anderson and Imogen Bailey, who have protested the well-documented abuse of chickens who end up in KFC's deceptively pretty buckets of breast meat. However, only Lady Bunny can talk about there being "more than meets the eye" (regarding animal welfare, of course).

I've cocktailed at enough gay bars to know firsthand what happens "when queens attack"—and it ain't pretty. After all, who wants to upset a burly guy who has spent an hour squeezing into a size 3 dress and a pair of high heels?

Posted by Sean Conner

Our good friends over at PETA Asia-Pacific got some unexpected attention during a protest outside a KFC restaurant in Sydney, Australia, when the police showed up offering the protesters blankets and a free ride to the station.

The three ladies—who had crammed their bodies into a wire cage to protest the cruel methods KFC uses to raise and slaughter the billions of birds that fill its buckets each year—were wrapping up the peaceful demonstration when the swoop occurred (swoop, geddit?) and arrested the activists for ... indecent exposure. Of course, there had been no indecent anything, and the ladies were later released. An apology is in order.

The demonstration was a magnificent follow-up to Pamela Anderson's Australian rendezvous last week, when the actor hand-delivered a letter to the managing director of KFC Australia's parent company telling him exactly what she thinks of KFC suppliers' scalding birds to death.

All our Australian supporters are pushing for KFC restaurants to adopt the same animal welfare standards now applied to chickens killed for KFCs in Canada. The PETA Asia-Pacific crew reached even more blokes and sheilas! Well done!

Check out photos from the demonstration below!

scopefeatures.com.au

scopefeatures.com.au

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

During our KFC Naked Truth demo tour, PETA campaigners encountered one bossy spectator—and he was a cop! Let me start by saying that our campaigners are trained, professional, and passionate (plus they know how to rock an eye-catching demo), and they always check local laws before every demo to make sure we abide by the city's regs. Colorado Springs was no different, yet a serious party pooper might be lurking behind every corner—a person who perhaps didn’t appreciate being forced to think about his or her meat consumption.

As the demo started, the ladies stripped down to bikinis and held a sign around their bodies (to create the illusion of nudity—I mean, what's hotter than a little mystery?) stating, "The Naked Truth: KFC Tortures Chickens." All was going well as the passersby received important literature and information about KFC (not to mention a visual that could get them through the rest of their day), but then the party got officially crashed when a particular police officer showed up.

Exhibit A:

Mr. Officious, the man with his back to the camera, threatened the girls with citations for public indecency and demanded that they drop their sign (excuse me?) so that he could see what they were wearing behind it. The girls assured him that all their naughty bits were covered, but the officer wouldn't take "No!" for an answer. He demanded that they follow him and get dressed behind a blanket, snickering all the while (he was snickering, that is!). The girls were polite and complied.

Exhibit B:

After the girls got dressed, they had their information taken down by the police and the whole shebang ended with the other officers telling the first officer that it wasn't a violation. Right—they knew that! The "bad cop" left, but one "good cop" stuck around a bit, took a leaflet, and said he would check out our Web site to see what this demo was all about. The demo still affected him ... score! Not to mention, the police action drew a large crowd of inquisitive folks (including a local KFC employee) who took our literature and became super interested in challenging their KFC ways.

Currently, PETA's legal eagles are reviewing the details and photos and deliberating about taking action on our First Amendment rights, so we'll let you know if anything more comes of this. But for now, I'd just like to say thanks to the Colorado Springs police—a lot of folks now know the naked truth behind KFC.

Posted by Christine Doré

Beachgoers in Fort Myers and Pensacola today got the envious privilege of being able to see planes hired by PETA flying up and down the shoreline towing signs reading "8 REASONS TO BOYCOTT KFC," and featuring a demonic, blood-soaked "Colonel Sanders" in the act of stabbing a chicken. So without further ado:

8 Reasons to Boycott KFC

1. Being top-heavy is only cool for women


2. They do chickens wrong


3. Sometimes big bright packages contain dirty little secrets


4. Being scalded to death sucks


5. If Pam’s doing it, I want to do it too


6. Cheap food costs animals dearly


7. Those wings were broken when the chicken was still alive


8. The “secret recipe” involves de-beaking with a hot wire

I never got to see anything that fun when I lived in Pensacola, though there were a lot of orange people....

Posted by Sarah King

Pamela Anderson Visits a KFC in Australia

The walking fantasy with a heart of gold is in Australia for the filming of the reality show Big Brother. Earlier today, Pam hand-delivered a copy of her letter to Albert Baladi, managing director of KFC's parent company in Australia, to speechless-but-drooling staff at a local KFC. She also gave the manager a copy of her explicit video—no, not that video…the other startling exposé (narrated by Pam), which reveals that KFC suppliers scald chickens to death in defeathering tanks and use other outdated and cruel gathering and slaughter methods.

In her letter, Pam writes:

I've been in Australia filming Big Brother, in which my housemates and I are confined and sealed off from the outside world, much like the chickens who are crammed inside barns for KFC. Fortunately, I won't be stomped to death, have my legs broken or be scalded to death in a tank of hot water—yet, as PETA's undercover videos have revealed, the chickens raised for KFC's restaurants in Australia often suffer these abuses.

Pam urges Baladi to adopt the same animal welfare standards now applied to chickens killed for KFCs in Canada, which are a result of PETA's campaign and will substantially improve the living and dying conditions of chickens.

And a little eye candy for your day: pictures of Pam in action!

The Scene In Gold Coast

Posted by Grace Friedan

It's a bird! It's a plane! Wait! It's a plane looking to help birds—chickens, to be precise.

Beachgoers flocking (geddit?) to Panama City's crowded beaches had something far more interesting to gawk at this weekend than women in skimpy bikinis, as an airplane hired by PETA flew overhead, towing a banner that read, "Boycott KFC Cruelty."

Now if you've been following PETA campaigns for the last, oh I don't know, 7 years or so, you'd know that this is a huge success considering we spelled all the words right this time around! Way to go, literate banner-manufacturers! (Yes, we got our money back when one banner company misspelled "dangerous")

After reaching a landmark animal welfare agreement earlier last month that will mean better living and dying conditions for all chickens killed for KFCs in Canada (the new faux fried chicken sandwiches offered at most Canadian KFCs are even causing us to celebrate that today is Canada Day), PETA is unleashing its "air force" to turn up the heat on Canadian KFCs' lousy, mean U.S. affiliate. Celebrities from Ryan Gosling and Pam Anderson to Sir Paul McCartney and Russell Simmons have all spoken out against KFC's extreme abuse of chickens, but this is the first time that an airplane has "spoken up" for chickens.

Check out this picture of our superhero for chickens in action!

Posted by Grace Friedan

news / CC

As you might know, I once helped open a KFC restaurant in Gungahlin, ACT. However, if I knew then what I know now about KFC, I never would have taken part. I was shocked to learn ... that KFC has refused to demand that its suppliers eliminate the worst abuses suffered by the more than 850 million chickens raised and killed for its restaurants every year.

As the head of KFC in Australia, you have the power [to] improve the way that chickens are treated, and I hope you will take action to do so. Take it from me: No "chick" wants to be treated like a piece of meat.

Imogen goes on to discuss problems that were documented during an undercover investigation into a KFC supplier in Australia. The undercover investigator found chickens who were suffering from broken limbs and failing organs because of the animals' unnatural growth rates. The investigator also documented living birds forced to live amongst dead bodies in a long, barren shed.

KFC isn't the only animal issue close to this beauty's heart: She's also done some fantastic anti-fur ads and compelling (not to mention hot) ads that shine the light on cruelty to elephants and bulls. Check 'em out here! Animals—and everyone who had to pick their jaws up off the floor after checking out this ad—thank you, Imogen!

Posted by Sean Conner

The following open letter is a response to this letter.

Dear Best Week Ever,

We really appreciate that you shared your suggestion with us about tiny footwear being the key to convincing people not to eat animals anymore. I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner. Your idea is genius.

B.W.E., we couldn't agree more that upping the cute factor to nearly vomit-inducing levels is a tactic that perhaps we should try more often in order to dissuade people from eating animals. And we're going to start now.

We are adding "provide boots to all chickens" to our list of demands for KFC. Sure, it might not be the most pressing issue the twisted corporation needs to address (they should probably focus on fixing the whole scalding birds alive thing and preventing future rat infestations), but every little bit helps!

In addition to cuteness, there's also the practical value of wearing boots while crammed in pens or sheds with zillions of other animals. Unsurprisingly, those floors aren't too clean and even Britney Spears wouldn't be caught barefoot in a factory farm. OK, maybe she would, but little chicks shouldn't be. Not to mention that the boots will provide extra ankle support for chicks and make it harder to hang them upside-down in shackles.

Again, thanks for the great suggestion and we'll be sure to keep you posted on the status of our new "Chicks for Boots" campaign.

Regards,

The PETA Staff

—Jeff

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Today Canada, tomorrow the world (insert maniacal laughter here). We were totally spent from doing a victory dance over our recent KFC campaign triumph in Canada, but we've rested up and now we're ready to get back to kicking the Colonel's bucket. Continuing our Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign in other countries, including the U.S., we're not going to let up until KFC cries uncle and agrees to make some serious changes to the way its suppliers treat chickens.

Speaking of our campaign, we were recently reminiscing—while recovering from our V dance—about all the actions we've taken against KFC. We couldn't decide which one was our fave, so we thought we'd ask for your input. I'm partial to the completely unappetizing but utterly inspiring, demo-licious Bucket of Blood. Then again, Pam Anderson's video is pretty cool. See why we need your help? Check out our list below, and vote for your favorite by leaving us a comment.

1. PETA staffer changes his name to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com

2. Pam Anderson video

3. Super Chick Sisters video game

4. The Rev. Al Sharpton's video

5. Bucket of Blood

6. 'Crippled Chicken Crosses the Road' demos

7. KFC sign generator

8. Kentucky Fried Cruelty: The Movie

9. Colonel Sanders headstone

10. Kentucky Fried Cruelty HQ

—Amy

Posted by Amy Elizabeth

Every once in a while, someone notices that women are featured in PETA's provocative ads and demonstrations more often than men are. It's not that PETA, as an organization, doesn't appreciate animal-loving, nearly naked men—it's just that usually the ads and demonstrations make more sense or will garner more attention to animal rights issues with women as the stars.

For instance, if young chickens were called "dudes," "guys," or "homeboys," I personally assure you that we would have called out the Broccoli Boys and there would have been a couple of male PETA volunteers at our recent scalding-tank reenactment demos (photos below). Alas, young chickens (the chickens killed for KFC are only about 45 days old when they are slaughtered) are called chicks. As are women. Global conspiracy or convenient protest idea? I can't say—but it is one thing we have to work with in the battle against KFC.

PETA's latest demonstration highlights that while chickens killed for KFCs in Canada will soon be killed using the least cruel slaughter method available, birds killed for KFC in the U.S. are still scalded to death. It costs KFC more money, and it's just plain cruel.

Here are some details from our news release (it's not that I'm lazy—I just thought it was already well explained):

Because the voltage levels of electric stun tanks in U.S. slaughterhouses are kept at only a fraction of the level needed to render chickens insensible to pain, birds are usually paralyzed but still conscious when their throats are cut. Government studies show that birds feel pain after being shocked, even if they can't move. According to the USDA, every year, millions of birds—who are conscious and able to feel pain—enter tanks of hot water that are intended to remove their feathers after the birds are dead.

Great demo, Colleen and Shawn. And happy birthday, Colleen! I'm sorry you share it with the gruesome twosome.

More photos, wonderful photos:

—Joel Bartlett

Two-time-Grammy-nominated songwriter KT Tunstall has just lent her voice to the campaign against KFC, firing off a letter to the managers of every KFC in Scotland encouraging them to pressure the company to stop its suppliers' worst abuses of chickens. You can read the full letter here. For the full experience, I highly recommend that you do it while listening to KT Tunstall’s latest smash hit, “If Only.” I’ve provided a video for you below so you can get the multimedia.

Thanks for taking a stand, KT. We really appreciate it.

-Jack

So I told some of my animal buddies about the progress with the KFC campaign in regards to the animal welfare changes we secured for chickens killed for Canadian KFCs..

So we had a little celebration, as you can see here. They couldn't really wait for the grapes to ferment into wine and all that, so they just gobbled (no pun intended) them up.

Congrats to everyone for doing such a great job with the campaign so far! The chickens especially thank you for working to make their lives better.

—Pulin

Posted by Pulin Modi, Senior Street Team Coordinator, peta2

If I were to list the most interesting experiences I've had in my 26 years of life, I'd say that eating a meal of vegan fried chicken with the president of the company that coordinates the purchasing of chickens for all Canadian KFCs at the PETA HQ—in the midst of our bitter five-year battle with the chicken chain—would make the top 10.

That was back in December. Six months later, I'm happy to report that our bread-breaking (along with negotiations, dozens of e-mails and phone calls, and a meeting in Toronto that preceded my "chicken" dinner) was successful: PETA has officially ended our Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign in Canada. Our decision came with a new animal welfare plan that will affect all chickens killed for KFCs in Canada.

For one thing, 100 percent of the chickens killed for Canadian KFCs will be purchased—through a phase-in program—from suppliers that use "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK), the least cruel method of bird slaughter available. CAK works by replacing birds' oxygen with a mixture of nonpoisonous inert gasses to gently put them "to sleep." It may sound horrible—because killing animals for a fleeting taste sensation always is—but for animals killed for food, it's a 180° turnaround. Gone will be the days of broken bones, abuse by workers (because with CAK, workers never handle live birds), electric shocks, and live throat slitting and scalding.

The conditions for animals on farms will also be improved. In addition, the company that coordinates the purchasing of chickens for all Canadian KFCs will encourage the chicken companies supplying Canadian KFCs to move away from the cruelest breeding and farming practices and will also form an animal welfare advisory council.

But I haven't even gotten to the best news yet. That vegan fried-chicken meal that I ate with the head honcho in December might not be his last. Most KFCs in Canada will now be adding a vegan chicken item to their menus. That means that at least 65 percent of KFCs in Canada will now have a totally cruelty-free option (ask for the item, called the Classic Vegetarian Sandwich, in a wrap and with no mayo to make it vegan). Not too paltry, huh? (Get it?)

As for our campaign against KFC, it continues in full force everywhere else. In fact, I sent a letter to the CEO of KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, today urging him to make the same changes that are being made in Canada.

Thank you to everyone who helped us win this historic victory by staging protests, writing letters, and forwarding videos (among other things).

To everyone who has yet to help: Lend a hand by logging on to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com and signing our petition urging KFC to improve animal welfare worldwide.

—Matt

Posted by Matt Prescott, Assistant Director of Corporate Affairs

In a recent conference call with investors, KFC outlined strategies for improving flagging U.S. sales, including projecting a "younger image." Since we're going to be matching these guys stride for stride until they agree to make some major changes in the way they treat chickens, that means we need to be hitting the same markets with our message that KFC tortures animals. The latest salvo in this operation is our series of edgy horror-movie-style anti-KFC spots, which will be debuting in Boston this week for the BU, Tufts, and Harvard audiences as a counter to the college-targeted advertising that KFC's been running.

This one's my favorite from the series. If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out the whole site. It's kind of awesome.

Those wily British counterparts of mine just won’t stop pushing the envelope. I wrote last week with some pride about how their “Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse” ad made the BBC’s top 10 most controversial ads list—well, according to The Guardian, they’re at it again! Apparently there have been complaints about the anti-KFC ad pictured below. Some nannies are worried (not kidding) that it “breaches the advertising code's stipulations on responsible advertising, decency and causing fear and distress.” A couple of points here: 1) I’ll admit that the prospect of KFC slicing up defenseless animals is both frightening and distressing, but surely that’s KFC’s fault, no? 2) As PETA President Ingrid Newkirk told the journalist who wrote the Guardian piece about this ad: "The cartoon image of Colonel Sanders killing a chicken on our leaflet is obviously a caricature - a comic. We cannot imagine that our leaflet would provoke fear in anyone unless the reader was a chicken." ‘Nuff said.

I wanted to do a joke here about the fact that “gosling” means baby goose, but it’s not coming, so I’ll just play this one straight: Ryan Gosling, the Oscar-nominated star of Lars and the Real Girl, Murder by Numbers, and Half Nelson, has just fired off a letter on behalf of PETA to John Bitove (who runs the show for most KFCs in Canada, Ryan’s home country) urging him to stop Canadian KFCs' suppliers worst abuses of chickens, who are killed when they’re still just babies. "The time is ripe to do the right thing," he writes. "By adopting the basic recommendations made by PETA and scientific experts (including raising birds in a more natural manner and employing less cruel slaughter methods), you could dramatically improve the lives and deaths of chickens …."

Ryan Gosling	Goslings

Image credits: DeadlineHollywoodDaily, BBC / CC

And if you haven’t seen Lars and the Real Girl yet, you should rent it. Definitely one of my favorite movies this year.

Yup, our pal Ron Jeremy has signed on to PETA’s KFC boycott, because he’s a firm believer in, um, doing chicks right. Before I get too carried away with the sexual innuendo here, let’s take a long, hard look at what Mr. Jeremy had to say about KFC. Good stuff, and thanks, Ron, for coming through.

This was a big one. The photos were taken after the peta2 Take Action Conference in Toronto last week. More on that on peta2’s blog (fair warning: my peta2 colleagues tend to use a lot of hip, slangy, young-people lingo, so try not to let it get you down), and there are plenty more pics on this Flickr photostream. Anyway, what I’m trying to say here is that’s a lot of people protesting that one little Toronto KFC. I bet they were pretty surprised. Nice work, peta2. You guys are, like, totally rad.

We’re debuting our very first branded food product today, and, being PETA, we figured we’d do something that would make a bit of a splash. We’re launching Newkirk Nuggets™ (patent pending), a cutting edge (and surprisingly delicious) animal-meat alternative created by cloning cells from an upper arm biopsy of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk who is “100% free range, grain fed, white meat.” It’ll be a little while before these bad boys appear in grocery stores, but we’re planning to generate some buzz about the new product by handing out free samples outside KFC restaurants here in Virginia, in the hopes that fast-food lovers with a taste for flesh will choose our “100 Percent Human(e) Alternative” instead of chowing down on the tortured remains of chickens inside a KFC. As Ingrid says, “They say everything tastes like chicken, and now so do I.”

The breakthrough has been in the making for 11 years in laboratories spread across three countries, working to grow animal tissue with the taste, texture and, most difficult of all, the “skin depth” or muscle mass of fish and chicken. According to the experts: “The tissue was taken from Ingrid’s upper arm and cultured in a “nutrient soup” of mushrooms, human collagen and soy broth to form myoblasts. The myoblasts reproduce rapidly to form ¾-inch-thick sheets of what PETA calls “100 per cent victimless meat.”

I know, it sounds a wee bit gross at first, but I suspect that anyone who really knows how meat is processed will welcome this safe, humane, and tasty alternative. Check it out:

The guys who run ICanHasCheezburger.com gave one of the most inspired and hilarious talks at South by Southwest this year, and, when they gave away burgers to everyone in the crowd at the end of the discussion, they made a point of providing lots of veggie burgers, which I thought was very decent of them. I know I'm not the only person in the office who's a devotee of the site, because a ton of people have been sending me this little gem, which they posted yesterday.

see more crazy cat pics

I’ve written about these Colonel Sanders effigy-burnings before, but this video really shows just how striking these demonstrations can be. This one’s from a protest in Pittsburgh earlier this month.

If you want to organize your own demonstration against KFC, (no need to get quite so fancy as this—a few friends and some simple signs is all it takes), we can walk you through the process.

If you were following the Super Bowl ads closely this year, you would have noticed an advocacy ad for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which depicted a drug dealer lamenting his recent lack of customers, because “kids are just getting high out of their medicine cabinets nowadays.” Which, well, no problem with that specifically—it’s a perfectly sound message reminding parents to be careful about their prescription drugs. Some big question marks do arise, however, when you consider the email that PETA received from FOX Television last month when we submitted our own series of ads to run during the Super Bowl:

“Time will not be sold on FBC network facilities for viewpoint or issue advocacy, and advertisers may not use their commercial time for addressing viewpoints or issues.”

So what’s going on here? Was FOX outright lying to us to get us off their case, or is there something I’m missing here? To make FOX’s double standard even more obvious, one of the three ads that we submitted (the series was designed to raise awareness about KFC’s cruel treatment of chickens) specifically addressed the issue of drug abuse. I’ve posted that ad below.

Here’s the letter we sent to FOX Broadcasting Company's VP of Advertising Sales today, asking him, essentially, WTF?, and you can watch the entire series of ads that were banned from Super Bowl consideration here.

In 2005, PETA released footage from an undercover investigation into a slaughterhouse run by KFC Supplier Tyson Foods, which showed live chickens’ heads being ripped off, among other acts of unbelievable cruelty. Two new PETA investigations of the company, which have just been released today, reveal that Tyson has done nothing to prevent the torture it inflicts on these animals—and provide gruesome examples of what KFC’s continued refusal to do anything about the cruelty that is endemic to its suppliers means for the animals used by the company. Please click here to write to KFC and Tyson Foods and demand that they follow through with PETA's recommendations to stop this hideous abuse.

File this one under “hilarious.”

PETA Asia-Pacific had planned to take the dolls on a tour of red-light districts, including Pat Pong in Bangkok, Kings Cross in Sydney, Kabukicho in Japan, and the Philippines' Angeles City. The dolls were confiscated by customs officials when they arrived in the Philippines via U.S.-based package carrier UPS en route to PETA Asia-Pacific's office in Makati.

"The blow-up dolls were a trouble-free prop because KFC also treats chickens like inanimate objects," says PETA Asia-Pacific Director Jason Baker. "KFC profits from using crude killing methods—the company has an international obligation to stop torturing the birds who end up dead in its buckets. We're calling on people worldwide to boycott KFC until the company implements minimal animal welfare standards."

Next maybe PETA Asia-Pacific will challenge KFC’s executives to Beirut to decide the fate of the 850 million chickens raised and killed for KFC.

Canadian Rocker Bryan Adams, a vegan and a friend of PETA who has donated his talent as a photographer to help us create our ads, took it upon himself this week to let John Bitove, the CEO of most KFCs in Canada, know exactly what he thinks about KFC suppliers' treatment of chickens. Adams said, "[Y]ou could set your company apart from KFC operators in the U.S. and elsewhere by eliminating the worst abuses on these birds, as … chickens killed for KFC in Canada are scalded to death in tanks of hot water, suffer broken wings and legs, and worse."

Thanks Bryan, for, um, "Everything You Do" (I'm going to be singing that song all week now).

And if you’d like to write to KFC’s execs yourself, you can find their contact information here.

Earlier this year, we took our KFC Campaign up a notch by sending our fearless Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaigner, Lindsay Rajt, deep into the heart of darkness—Louisville, Kentucky, itself—to help make sure that employees at KFC’s headquarters had a constant, chilling reminder of the fact that we are not going to go away until they stop the worst abuses of the hundreds of millions of animals they kill every year for their restaurants.

(A couple of things I should note about that previous paragraph before I go on: 1) Lindsay has informed me that despite having one or two irredeemably evil residents, Louisville is in fact a very cool, vibrant, and progressive town. Not a heart of darkness. And 2) Lindsay has also registered an objection to being described as “chilling.” She is in fact a very lovely person in her free time, and only fills people’s hearts with fear in a strictly professional sense.)

Anyway, the point is that this weekend marked the grand opening of our “Kentucky Fried Cruelty” Campaign Headquarters directly across the street from a Louisville KFC. Here are some pictures:

I can’t think why, but apparently, the good folks at New Hampshire Community Technical College-Manchester have grown unhappy with their institution’s name. I guess it’s possible that they thought it was a bit on the boring side. Or perhaps just a teensy bit unwieldy?

Either way, as of last week, their long wait for an exciting new moniker is over, since the kindhearted souls in PETA’s Vegan Campaigns Department had a little brainstorming session and decided to offer them this striking suggestion:

It has a real ring to it, doesn’t it? Something about the alliteration, maybe. If they like our idea, not only will NHCTC students be able to hold their heads high with the knowledge that their school finally has a genuinely interesting name, but they’ll be sending a strong message that their progressive institution opposes cruelty to animals in all its forms. Plus, in case they need an incentive beyond the good they’ll be doing for the chickens abused for KFC’s restaurants, I can assure them that name changes like that tend to get a whole lot of publicity …

You can read our letter to the school here. We haven’t heard back from them yet for some reason, but I’ll let you know when we do.

Since the Halloween season is upon us and all that, I wanted to share this bit of Halloween trivia with you. Zombies hate KFC. Seriously, they hate it. In fact, they hate it so much that they held a protest at a KFC in Moscow, ID, with signs reading “I’d Rather Be Dead Than Eat at KFC”. Unfortunately for this group of zombies, their photographer only got shots of their signs reading “Aurgh Graun Uargh”. But you get the idea. If you’d like to do your own zombie-themed KFC demo, click here.

And since you asked . . . No, I am not dressing up for Halloween. In fact, I’d rather go naked than dress up for Halloween.

Lindsay and Nicole, a couple of die-hard anti-KFC campaigners, completed the Louisville Half-Marathon in KFC’s hometown yesterday. So what, you ask? Well, they did the whole thing with “Boycott KFC” and the like written on their bodies, and the pair reported that they got tons of support from the crowd and even talked to several Yum (KFC’s parent company) employees along the way, including one particularly chatty woman who wanted to debate around mile six. Of course, she couldn’t defend KFC, since you can’t really defend a company that refuses to take even the smallest steps towards improving the miserable lives and deaths of the animals killed for its products, despite the fact that its own animal welfare advisory board recommends the changes, and other industry giants like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy’s, and scores of others, have already taken similar action.

Congrats Lindsay and Nicole!

And on a totally unrelated note, Wu Tang Clan member RZA walked away with the crown in the Hip Hop Chess Federation’s first annual Chess Kings Invitational. Lucky for RZA that I didn’t know about it in time to enter!

Saturday night, PETA campaigner Matt Rice was in Louisville, KY, with a giant crippled chicken to protest at a Yum Brands (the parent company of KFC) fundraiser at CEO David Novak’s house. The shindig was supposedly to fight global hunger, which is totally laughable. Global hunger isn’t laughable of course, but KFC pretending to give a hoot about it is. Let’s be real here: since it takes several pounds of wholesome grain to produce a single pound of unhealthy chicken meat, KFC does more to contribute to global hunger than it does to stop it. KFC holding a fundraiser to fight global hunger is like Marlboro holding a fundraiser to fight lung cancer. The WorldWatch Institute puts it like this, “[M]eat consumption is an inefficient use of grain—the grain is used more efficiently when consumed directly by humans. Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat-eaters and the world’s poor.”

Oh yeah, we were also there to remind consumers to boycott KFC until it takes the advice of its own animal welfare panel to end the worst abuses of chickens by its suppliers.

Here are a couple of photos from the evening.

BabyGirlCigars/Creative Commons

For those of you who haven't heard yet, I'm a new dad! And I've been giving out these cigars all over the office for the past few of days to celebrate. Granted, I'm celebrating the birth of an amazing new internet marketing campaign, not a baby, but hey, my work is all I’ve got . . . so just humor me, OK?

You see, I've been working on this Super Chick Sisters game (for those that haven't been a teenager at any point in the last 23 years or so, it is a parody of, like, probably the most popular video game in human history, Super Mario Brothers) for what seems like the better part of my adult life. And to be honest, the process has been a lot like what I imagine having a baby must be like, minus the super fun part at the beginning and the gross part at the end though. But now that all the work is done and the game is out there, I gotta say, I'm a damn proud Papa.

Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of people to thank for this little bundle of joy, not the least of which is Karen, who spent God only knows how many hours making changes based on my latest whims. And dear dear Paula, who bless her sweet little lawyerly heart, actually thought that a koopa was a contagious disease when the game's concept was first thrown her way.

My excitement comes not just for finishing the game—but because it's already been extremely successful! It's gotten great pick up on super popular blogs and gaming sites. All in all over 100,000 folks have been to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com in the past couple days to play the game (and learn about how chickens killed for KFC are crueltly treated)! Best of all it's received over 1k diggs on digg.com, driving massive traffic to the game. So play the game, and if you enjoy it give it a digg yourself, or at least tell everyone you know to go play it.

And one more thing. I'm not giving up the cheat codes, no way.

In addition to being an icon of the adult film world Jenna Jameson is also an entrepreneur, a model, and oh yeah, she also happens to be a good friend to PETA. Jenna first got involved in animal rights after watching Earthlings a year or so ago, and we could't be happier to have her on our side in our KFC campaign. She also happens to date the Huntington Beach Bad Boy himself, my favorite UFC fighter, Tito Ortiz, but that's another story for another day.

Anyway, during a recent photo shoot, Jenna made some time to say a few words about KFC. She really is beautiful, inside and out.

Have you heard of Jason “Gummi Bear” Davis? Don’t worry if you haven’t, he’s just another in the long line of disposable tabloid fodder LA rich kids. Usually Gummi’s only real claims to fame are having a slightly less un-famous brother and not getting into clubs, which while funny of course, wouldn’t land him on this blog. But I just heard he was spotted at a KFC event the other day, and honestly, I don’t think I can come up with a better advertisement for vegetarianism than having this kid roll around town in his KFC shirt he’s so proud of . . .

Check out this KFC protest organized by PETA Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong yesterday. This is truly a global campaign, with demonstrations happening in about 100 countries so far. KFC needs to wake up and realize that people all over the world are against grotesque cruelty to animals, and the sooner it makes the simple animal welfare improvements we're pushing for, the better.

Want to organize a demo like this where you live? Get in touch here.

Finally. This project has been in the works for longer than I care to admit, and it's incredibly exciting for me to see the beautiful, beautiful final product. A lot of people have been working really hard on this, so I did want to particularly thank my friend Drew, who generously donated his time and expertise and was a huge help in the early stages, as well as Shawn from our Web department, who crafted it into the masterpiece it is now—and who had to deal with me making obnoxious demands of him, like, "This is good, Shawn, but can you make a version with Satan in the background?" The generator is all part of the newly revamped Kentucky Fried Cruelty Campaign site, so you should probably check that out too. It’s pretty much the worst thing to happen to Colonel Sanders since people found out he wasn’t really a Colonel.

You can reward yourself for having read all the way through my little self-congratulation fest by clicking the sign below to play around with the generator yourself. It really is something special. And I promise that's the last time you'll see me gratuitously patting myself on the back in this blog.

Thanks to a few compassionate Kentucky residents, including the insuppressible Lindsay Rajt, who works on our KFC Campaign out of Louisville, David Novak, the CEO of KFC's parent company, got more than he bargained for out of an evening at a local restaurant on Friday night. Lindsay and company were in the midst of a well-attended KFC protest that was drawing a lot of attention in downtown Louisville when a passerby shouted out that Novak was eating at Seviche restaurant just down the street. Lindsay and a fellow activist got into their vehicle (which, by a stroke of good fortune, happened to be a large black truck with a video screen set to play images of chickens suffering live scalding, debeaking, and other abuses) and circled the restaurant until the entire wait-staff came out to gawk. Despite a slightly unpleasant incident in which the chef thought a good way of handling the situation would be to spit in people's faces, the protest was a big success. At the very least, it probably put David Novak off his dinner.

In case you didn’t catch the Wall Street Journal article this morning, I wanted to tell you about a new approach we’re taking in our KFC Campaign.

Most people don’t know this, but KFC’s top executives like to boast about being good Christians. They donate large sums of money to a prominent evangelical Christian church, which one of them ran before joining KFC in 2003. That’s all well and good of course, but actions speak much louder than words, and the reality here is that the way the 850 million chickens killed each year for KFC are abused is a complete mockery of basic Christian values. It is completely unfathomable to me for people who claim such virtue to turn a blind eye to the extreme suffering that they have the power to stop.

My question to them is this: What would Jesus think of the fact that you’re not willing to even lift a finger to help the 850 million chickens killed for your restaurants, even though it is entirely within your power to do so? I’m not trying to be some Biblical scholar here, but honestly, it is just plain evil to continue to cause massive suffering when there are simple changes that can be made, and have been made by other fast food joints.

Well, if they’re not willing to listen to their own animal welfare advisors and the thousands of outraged people all over the world, maybe they’ll listen to the most powerful and influential religious figure in the world, Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Catholic church. In case you haven’t seen it, here is a famous quote from Pope Benedict, "Animals, too, are God's creatures. ... Degrading them to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible." Sums it up pretty nicely I think.

Anyway, we’ve made leaflets with the Pope’s picture and quote, along with all the gory details of what KFC does to chickens, and we’ll be distributing them at KFCs worldwide. If you attend church, you can order a batch to share with your congregation.

Let’s hope this at least nudges KFC in the right direction . . .

My friend Lindsay, who's on tour at the moment exposing some of the sordid truths about KFC, just sent me some pics of a little street theater she did in Memphis to turn the tables on Colonel Sanders. Lindsay is actually extremely good at just explaining the issue to people when the subject of KFC comes up, but if the opportunity arises, she likes to get downright elaborate. Check it:

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Really rolls off the tongue. I think it has something to do with alliteration. Anyway, apparently Mayor Sean Ford, who rules over the Denver suburb of Commerce City with a firm but benevolent hand, has pooh-poohed his citizens' attempt to expand the symbolic reach of their eager little town by changing its name to something with a little bit more punch. Well, since we here at PETA are always inspired by stories of communities working together to make their little corner of the world a better place—and, to be totally straight with you here, because we're deadly serious about letting as many people as possible know exactly what KFC does to the hundreds of millions of chickens it kills every year—we've taken up their cause and put together a little petition to ask Mayor Ford to change his mind and change his city's name … to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com, Colorado. It really does have a certain je ne sais quoi, doesn't it? You can read our letter to the mayor here and sign the petition here.

If you've never been implicated in a preposterous conspiracy theory, I can highly recommend the experience. It's a roller-coaster ride of emotions from shocked to flattered to downright amused. This is especially true when the person responsible for the conspiracy theory is a high-ranking government official, as we discovered last week when we were tipped off to an alleged claim by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao that PETA's Kentucky Fried Cruelty Campaign is not what it seems—that it is (wait for it) a cleverly disguised initiative designed to help labor organizations pass bills that will assist in unionizing workers.

In response to Chao's statement, which she evidently made while speaking at one of Grover Norquist’s “Leave Us Alone” meetings, we've sent her a little letter to clear things up and to ask for her support in the campaign. Just so that this point is crystal clear—PETA's campaign against KFC is single-mindedly focused on that company's treatment of chickens (which, by the way, is appalling). On account of we're an animal rights organization. I.e., an organization that concerns itself with the treatment of animals. Like chickens, for instance. Which is why we have a campaign against a chicken chain. I do hope that makes sense to everyone. Anyway, here's the letter:

Proving once again that the folks in our Factory-Farming Campaigns Department are just brimming with so much compassion it could make you sick, they've just extended an offer to help our archenemy, KFC, deal with its apparent rodent problem. After video footage of a KFC in Greenwich Village that was overrun by rats on Friday went just about everywhere on the Internet, PETA sent a letter to the eatery’s owner, offering to help him implement a humane rodent-control program at his restaurant. Here's what PETA VP Bruce Friedrich had to say about the incident:

“This store’s lethal attempt to deal with rodents has failed miserably. Although KFC refuses to work with us toward minimizing the suffering of the hundreds of millions of birds killed for its restaurants every year, we hope that this store owner will work with us on a safe, effective, and humane solution to the rat infestation.”

Honestly, all this turning the other cheek and being nice to our enemies has me reeling. I'd go over to the other side of the office right now and congratulate our Factory-Farming Campaigns Department, but I'm worried that I'd be bowled over by all the excess compassion floating around. Here's PETA's letter to the store.

Awww, look at all the adorable rats! In other, extremely important news, KFC is really, really disgusting.

This video puts PETA in a bit of a difficult position, because we wouldn’t want to actively encourage other impressionable rats to eat at KFC—both for their own health and because of the ethical issues involved—but the restaurant does seem to be quite a favorite among rodents. Check it out:

The bird flu post the other day reminded me of a hilarious old picture from The Onion. Unfortunately, I just didn't get around to writing about it in the blog at the time, but as I like to say about me marrying Natalie Portman and you going vegetarian ... better late than never.

With all the people getting sick, don’t ya think this is exactly what KFC needs—a bird flu vaccine dipping sauce?

The lovely Pamela Anderson has a thing or two to say about a new postal stamp under consideration by the US Postal Service that would feature famed chicken torturer Colonel Harland Sanders. After a little detective work, it becomes pretty clear that the evil masterminds behind the projected stamp are none other than KFC themselves, but Pam's letter to the Postmaster has put a dent in their scheme. She writes,

Honoring a man whose legacy involves breaking animals’ bones and scalding animals to death in defeathering tanks is contrary to the values of most compassionate citizens, and I hope that you’ll deny KFC’s request. How about another Elvis stamp instead?

Anyway, as is so often the case, hooray for Pamela Anderson—I couldn't have said it better myself. MSNBC reported on the story, and you can read Pamela's letter in its entirety here.

In related news, KFC already has some battery-cage egg on their faces this week after Yum Brands (KFC's parent corporation) put a bid on a warehouse in PETA's hometown of Norfolk for a million dollars. What they didn't realize was that the property was owned by the PETA Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides support services for PETA. We responded with what we felt was an extremely reasonable counter offer—that we'd give them the warehouse for free if they'd listen to their own advisors and make a few small improvements in their animal welfare standards. Unfortunately, they suddenly lost interest and decided that maybe they didn't want a warehouse after all. Weird. The New York Times ran that story, which you can read here.

Jack Black is amazing. First, because his band rocks so damn hard that he had to go into hell to find his rhythm section; and second, because he had the good sense and foresight to put Colonel Sanders there, where he belongs. Check it out:

KFC employees who are used to seeing PETA's crippled chicken hobbling across the street or watching Colonel Sanders burned in effigy in front of their restaurants are in for a pleasant surprise: The KFC Campaign is finally going naked, with our brand-new "Naked Truth" demonstrations. The bad news for the company is, unfortunately, that the "naked truth" about KFC is that it's gross and unethical and abusive and, seriously, don't even think about eating there. Even if there are attractive naked girls outside. Our first Naked Truth protest was immediately picked up by the Associated Press, proving, once again, that taking your clothes off really is a great way to help chickens on factory farms—though that line never works for me for some reason.

More pics after the jump.

Whatever PETA does in the U.S., our counterparts in Germany always feel like they have to do it better. A month or so ago, we were patting ourselves on the backs after a protest where we burned Colonel Sanders in effigy was picked up by national media. Well, in Dusseldorf today, PETA Deutschland—who apparently felt that the demonstration just wasn't exciting enough for the discriminating German audience—decided they needed to spice it up by bringing along a firebreather in a chicken suit. If by some odd chance you get Germany's main television station, RTL TV, you should be glued to your set tonight for the exclusive footage. The whole thing is kind of incredible.