PETA WATCH

* Good news for the poor in Sacramento: they can now eat if they are prepared to go vegan. The not-for-profit Sacramento Food Bank has partnered with Earthsave International to implement a 'health program' for hungry citizens that supplies free food and education to 'dramatically improve their health'....Yet the lofty sounding scheme has some fine print that includes a strict vegetarian ideology and a lurking Ingrid Newkirk, who serves on Earthsave's international advisory board. The Meals for Health program started on April 8th and consists of a 'low-fat, plant-strong diet'. But critics are wondering: are the starving best served when nourishment depends upon vegan criteria?

* OSCAR WINNER and self-proclaimed 'vegan activist' Natalie Portman is no longer vegan because "...if you're not eating eggs, then you can't have cookies or cake from regular bakeries...." Portman - who recently designed a line of vegan shoes- went back to being plain vegetarian when she became pregnant and says "...I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy and that sort of stuff."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has written a letter to the translators of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible accusing the current text of being "speciesist" and requesting that pronouns like "he" and "she" be used instead of "it" when referring to animals. Ubiquitous PETA spokesman and all-round killjoy Bruce Friedrich told CNN that "Language matters. Calling an animal 'it' denies them something...".

* A PETA insider has alleged to this site that the lobby group could be in a financial pickle, citing salary freezes and an apparent slashing of its operational budget and staff of up to 15 percent. PETA WATCH has been unable to confirm any details to date, but will keep you updated on related news. The group appears to still be hiring staff. Could it be that donors are waking up to the fact that much of what they donate is going to causes other than those they would have wanted?

(Thanks to readers).