Sometimes working at PETA means being exposed to some pretty weird stuff—take for instance the latest issue of National Hog Farmer magazine. While it's always full of the latest news and gossip from the ever-glamorous pork industry, it was particularly interesting to see what they had to say about Smithfield’s recent announcement that it is phasing out cruel gestation crates:

Well Mr. Witty Mc-Hog-Farmer is right, PETA’s vegetarian campaign honcho Chris P. Carrot does have some clout, and while his 2004 run for President may have been unsuccessful, we here at PETA HQ—along with Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton as well I’m sure—are on the edge of our seats waiting to find out if he will throw his hat in the ring in 2008 . . .

Dare to dream Chris P. Carrot, dare to dream . . .

With The Pretenders set to play Sydney, Chrissie Hynde made a quick stop to unveil a new PETA ad designed to draw attention to a gruesome procedure that Australian lambs are subjected to. The launch comes just a month after Pink narrated our video exposé of the wool industry. This ad isn't exactly PETA's most lighthearted work, but the procedure, which involves an Australian farmer, a frightened lamb, and a pair of gardening shears, doesn't really allow for a whole lot of levity. Chrissie, whose tireless dedication to helping animals is nothing short of heroic, unveiled the ad at the Sydney Opera House today. Incidentally, this is why I don't wear wool.

Barbaro, the horse who suffered a catastrophic leg injury during the 2006 Preakness, was euthanized yesterday morning. He had been in poor condition for more than 8 months after the accident, and it is a small mercy at least that his suffering is finally over.

Of course, in all the outward show of regret about Barbaro's cruel fate from within the horse-racing industry, everyone conveniently forgot to mention the fact that this kind of misery comes standard for horses used in racing. While the world watched to see what would happen to Barbaro, countless other horses continued to die on the tracks, and tens of thousands more (including thoroughbreds) were sold for slaughter—their meat used in cat food or sold to European countries for human consumption.

The story is being pitched as an unexpected accident that shocked the country, but the truth is that Barbaro's tragedy is a very public reminder of the plight of racehorses everywhere and the cruel fate that awaits so many victims of the horse racing industry.

After PETA UK released its brand-new "Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse" billboard, a number of groups complained about the ad to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Having a brief look through the list of complainants, it really seems like they all have something in common, but I just can't quite put my finger on it. It does strike me as a bit weird that The National Farmers' Union, the Guild of Welsh Lamb and Beef Suppliers, and the International Meat Trade should suddenly come down with a case of social responsibility, but who am I to question them? I'm sure they're just worried about Britain's children. It's a moot point though, as the ASA rejected the complaints and cleared the ad, because, honestly, if feeding dead bodies to your kids isn't widely considered to be abusive, it probably should be …

Either way, the ad's a classic. Check it out:

So, for the past few months we’ve had this awesome intern named Ilze around PETA HQ here in Norfolk, VA. I didn’t know much about her, other than that she was from Europe and had a cool accent, but as it turns out, Ilze is from Latvia (my favorite Baltic state), is a kickass activist, and is pretty amazing all around.

A huge national magazine back home got wind of her US exploits and did this great feature on her. Those of you who haven't bothered to learn Latvian yet will just have look at the pictures.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal had a great front page piece about the ethics of corporate lobbying on Capitol Hill. And while that is interesting and all, the best part is that PETA is included in the handy guide to the new rules about wining and dining lawmakers.

What would you rather see—a bunch of geriatric baseball players handing out pig parts or a pair of Playmates dishing out veggie viagra?

I rest my case.

OK, so this title is lame. Forgive me. But I just had to give a shout out to international it girl Shilpa Shetty for last night’s win on the British reality show “Celebrity Big Brother.” Gorgeous Bollywood actor, reality show star, international celebrity, and the star of this stunning PETA India ad illustrating the misery of animals used in circuses. Seriously, is there anything this girl can’t do?

I’ve got a feeling we’ll all be seeing a lot more of Shilpa in the future . . .

As you probably know, Prince Charles has been making the rounds throughout the northeast this week. And we’ve been there every step of the way, urging him to use his influence with the British Ministry of Defense to switch to fake fur rather than slaughter Canadian black bears for the Royal Guard hats.

I mean, seriously Prince Charles, if you can suffer through the torture of a first class commercial flight to save a little jet fuel, can’t ya make a few phone calls to keep bears from being gunned down and their families orphaned for some ornamental hats? I promise that the Japanese tourists videotaping the changing of the guard won’t know the difference.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Paul Mooney (from Dave Chapelle's Show). Dude has some sage advice about interacting with animals and some great tips on effective child-rearing practices.