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There’s a big heart in that big chest. In her first visit to the Nation’s Capital since becoming a U.S. citizen, Pamela Anderson made a personal appeal to the government on Friday to drag itself out of the dark ages as far as animal testing is concerned.

Pam (who also stuck around to lobby the guests alongside PETA VP Dan Mathews at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday) hand-delivered a PETA science report—the impetus for a recent front-page Washington Post story—condemning the failure of the Department of Health and Human Services to use sophisticated, non-animal test methods widely used in Europe, in place of decades-old, cruel and crude animal tests for toxicity. Asked about her decision to act as a courier on PETA’s behalf, she said, "Being a citizen excites me not just because I can vote, but because I can crack the whip on Capitol Hill to defend animals."

And she does it all with a smile. You rule, Pam.

P.S. If you want to help out yourself by contacting your members of Congress about this issue, you can do so through the webform here.

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I got the following e-mail yesterday from PETA Director Michael McGraw, who was in Paris to accompany Pamela Anderson after she was asked to fill in at Brigitte Bardot’s annual press conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter. Brigitte Bardot has been an advocate for animal rights since before most people had even heard of the concept, and she has some mighty big shoes to fill—but if there’s anyone in the world who can do it, it’s Pam. Here’s how it all went down, according to Michael:

"Brigitte Bardot asked Pamela to fill in for her today at her annual news conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter (Brigitte is ill and couldn't make it). Pam of course did an amazing job. We arrived at Bardot's offices to a swarm of press. Pam read a 1-page statement about how, as a Canadian, she is appalled that the seal hunt continues...she described in graphic detail how the seals are beaten to death, and encouraged consumers to boycott designers who work with any fur. She then screened a graphic 2-minute video of the seal slaughter. The press were stunned. After a few words from the Bardot Foundation's campaigns director, Bardot herself called and was put on speakerphone...in front of all of the press, she thanked Pamela for continuing on the campaign in her place, and in broken English called Pam her daughter and her Valentine. Pam was so moved; it was very sweet. Pam was then presented with a heart-shaped bouquet of roses and a personal letter from BB. Then off we went to the Canadian embassy (with AP reporter and photographer and about 15 paparazzi in tow) where Pamela asked to see the Canadian ambassador so she could personally deliver a letter from BB to him in protest of the seal slaughter. Photographers went wild. We were turned away at security, but it made a great photo and a shocked guard promised to hand over the letter for her."

If you want to know what all the fuss is about, you can watch the footage Pam screened for press (and sign a petition asking the Canadian government to stop the seal hunt) here, and there are a few pics from the event here. Thank you Pam and Brigitte!

The wonderful Pamela Anderson, who was once paid to promote M&M's, has come out against Mars Candy for funding inhumane experiments on animals in violation of its own written policy. Pam faxed a letter to Mars President Paul S. Michaels this week expressing her support for PETA’s Mars Campaign, and letting him know that she will be encouraging her fans to boycott the candy this Holiday season. "When my friends at PETA showed me evidence that Mars continues to fund cruel and pointless animal tests,” she writes, “I was shocked—and it takes a lot to shock me."

You can read the full letter here.

Update: The event was a huge success! Pam dished out plate after plate of the faux turkey, which was a big hit with the guests at the homeless shelter. Check out these exclusive pics:

Pamela Anderson will be spending some time at a homeless shelter in Las Vegas this evening to serve an early Thanksgiving dinner to homeless families in the area. And Pam’s act of charity will also be setting an example for people who want to make Turkey Day a bit kinder on the turkeys, as the dinner she’s serving is 100 percent vegetarian, with Garden Protein’s amazing faux turkey as its centerpiece. All of the veggie turkey (which you can get in any Whole Foods, btw) was donated by the folks at Garden Protein. Here’s what Pam had to say about the event,

"The holiday season can be especially hard for those who find themselves homeless. And it's murder on turkeys. With so many healthy and delicious options nowadays, it's easy to have a holiday meal that gives even turkeys something to be thankful for."

Pam was inspired to host the event after she saw video footage from PETA's recent investigation at a turkey slaughterhouse, which showed workers striking and handling birds so roughly that the animals suffered broken bones. Not to be too much of a downer here since this is a really positive story, but the footage is heartbreaking, and it shows standard practices in turkey slaughterhouses around the country, which should make anyone think twice about eating turkeys this Thanksgiving.

The good news is that there are some wonderful alternatives, and if you’re trying to come up with a menu for your Thanksgiving dinner this year, you could do a whole lot worse than the feast that Pam is serving tonight, including Veggie Stuffed Turkey Roast with wild rice and cranberries donated by Garden Protein, mashed potatoes with veggie gravy, and garlic-braised collards.

I’ll have pictures of the event up later tonight, so be sure to check back!

And if you’re still undecided about whether to have an all-vegetarian Thanksgiving this year, this is the footage from our recent investigation which inspired Pam to host the event.

Other Viewing Options

Remember what Pam Anderson said a few months ago about the whole Uggs craze?

"I feel so guilty for that craze being started around Baywatch days - I used to wear them with my red swimsuit to keep warm - never realizing that they were SKIN! Do NOT buy UGGs! Buy Stella McCartney or Juicy boots - I'm looking for alternatives myself for my boys and the men in my life! I'm designing some right now for my family and will try and have some available on my Web site soon."

Well, Pam dug the original Uggs out of her closet and offered them to us to help draw attention to the cruelty involved in the Australian wool industry (Uggs are made of Australian sheep skins), and this is where you come in. We want to hear your best ideas on how to use them to bring attention to this important issue. Feel free to post your ideas as comments or send them to me directly. We’ll announce the best idea on the blog in couple of weeks.

Here are a couple of my own ideas to get you started, though admittedly these aren’t the most exciting.

1. Offer them to the Hard Rock Café to be displayed along with Pam’s quote.
2. Use them in some kind of demo with the slogan being “Give Cruelty the Boot”
3. Use them in an ad saying “Uggs . . . Australian for Cruelty”

Pamela Anderson and PETA prez Ingrid Newkirk celebrated a joint birthday party in Florida yesterday with a gigantic vegan birthday cake at Sublime restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. Asked how she felt about turning 40, Pam said ''I have no problem with being 40. … I think 40 is the new 20,'' which—I can't help but point out here—is easy to say when you look like Pamela Anderson. Happy Birthday, ladies! Check out the beautiful pics:

A lovely pic of Pam from her new-look website

I'm going to come clean with you guys and admit that I didn't know what Uggs were until I heard about this. I try to be trendy and keep my ear to the ground about this sort of thing, but apparently the whole Ugg thing has completely eluded me for, like, 10 years. Anyway, I'm told by my colleagues that they were this huge fashion phenomenon that got off the ground in a big way when Pamela Anderson started wearing them in her Baywatch days. Well, Pamela isn't wearing them anymore, and the story has gone everywhere—starting with People magazine. Here's what she had to say on the topic.

"I feel so guilty for that craze being started around Baywatch days - I used to wear them with my red swimsuit to keep warm - never realizing that they were SKIN! Do NOT buy UGGs! Buy Stella McCartney or Juicy boots - I'm looking for alternatives myself for my boys and the men in my life! I'm designing some right now for my family and will try and have some available on my Web site soon."

No wonder they call them Uggs

I know I've said this before, but I love you very much, Pamela. On a related note, you should check out the new design for Pam's website. It's very, very animal friendly. Did I mention that I love her?