Peta

The animal activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals alleges that the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter allowed a mortally injured cat to sit for up to seven hours before euthanizing it — a charge the shelter denies. In letters to BARCS leaders and to city officials, PETA also describes conditions at the shelter as "overcrowded and unhealthy. " The situation regarding the cat stems from a complaint made by a Hamilton man who witnessed a dog maul a cat Aug. 8. Joe Lombardo called animal control to pick up the cat, which was not his, and an officer told him to call BARCS the next morning to follow up. "When he followed up the next day, he was told that the severely injured cat was left without treatment or euthanasia for more than 7 hours, and was not put out of his or her misery until 8:30 am," wrote Teresa Chagrin, a specialist with PETA's cruelty investigations department, in a letter to the director of BARCS.

N o matter how much snow lands on Maryland, one thing's for sure: Katie O'Malley will face it furless. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals surveyed the nation's first ladies on their outerwear habits and trumpeted the results in a news release Wednesday. "[A]fter mentioning that first ladies Michelle Obama of the U.S. and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy of France had issued statements that they are fur-free" - no pressure! - "[PETA] simply asked, 'Do you wear fur?

Browns coach Eric Mangini was encouraged by two days of meetings with Ravens pro personnel director George Kokinis and indicated his longtime friend will soon be Cleveland's new general manager. Kokinis spoke with team owner Randy Lerner yesterday and could be days away from joining the club. It is not known whether Lerner offered Kokinis a contract. Patriots: : Quarterback Tom Brady said his rehabilitation from season-ending knee surgery was "going really well," but he did not offer any timetable for a return to the football field.

No fumble: Brady pops question; model says yes New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady proposed to supermodel Gisele Bundchen on a private jet on Christmas Eve - and she said yes, TMZ.com is reporting. Brady, who, it said, is famous for his quarterbacking skills and running errands for Bundchen, proposed aboard a jet that took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and landed in Boston. There were four dozen white roses on board, as well as champagne. Her parents were also onboard.

Hampstead twins Dustin and Dylan Schreibman darted, dashed and splashed in the pit of mud and puddles, but they and two other youngsters couldn't get a good grip on "the other white meat." For 90 seconds, the diminutive pig eluded capture inside a fenced-in ring - sometimes standing still long enough to allow the youngsters to close in, only to slip away again. The audience of 200 that braved yesterday's pouring rain at Spring Meadow Farms in Upperco laughed and cheered. And Spring Meadow Farms owner Stan Dabkowski smiled with delight.

The Ravens probably have enough on their plate right now, what with a new coach and a new quarterback and Derrick Martin's recent citation for alleged marijuana possession and impersonation of a Cincinnati Bengal, but they still found time to run afoul of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA has sent a letter of protest to Ravens vice president for marketing Gabrielle Dow concerning the team's plan to feature a pair of actual ravens during pre-game player introductions at M&T Bank Stadium during the coming season.

Finally, an answer for that age-old question: What part of the chicken does the nugget come from? Answer: maybe not from a chicken at all. The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $1 million prize for laboratory-produced meat that tastes like fried chicken. Of course, there's a lot of fried stuff that tastes like chicken, but PETA is quite firm on the laboratory bit. They expect scientists to grow the meat in vitro - without killing any animals.

New in hoosgow chow: veggie burgers, tofurkey and mock dogs. Faux meat has gone mainstream among those who are, alas, no longer in the mainstream. Most correctional institutions around the nation offer vegetarian entrees at all meals, according to a new survey by the Norfolk, Va.-based animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The group has also looked at colleges (very veggie) and ballparks (not as much) and insists there has been a response to growing demand in the nation's institutions, some of which haven't often been at the forefront of wholesome eating.

And now let's go to the infield to interview the Fantastic Two. During Sunday's NASCAR telecast on Fox, reporter Steve Byrnes was set up to interview four cast members from the new Fantastic Four movie. However, he introduced only Jessica Alba and Michael Chiklis. (OK, to be perfectly honest, Mr. Flip recognizes only those two, also. For the record, the other half of the four is composed of Chris Evans and Ioan Gruffudd.) Byrnes talked about the movie briefly and then ended by expressing his outrage that Alba finished behind Lindsay Lohan in Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" list.