Day: November 23, 2004

RSPCA Upset at Ketchup Commercial Featuring Hamster

UK newspapers are reporting that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is unhappy with a Heinz ketchup advertisment that features a hamster.

The ad features a hamster in a cage drinking from a ketchup bottle instead of a water bottle.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said of the ad,

We are concerned about child copycat incidences arising from this ad. Hay, grass, cereal mix and water are an essential part of a guinea pig’s diet and in no case should water be replaced with ketchup.

Heinz said in response that, “The advert is about exaggerating the fact that all foods taste better with Heinz Tomato Ketchup, and in no way is Heinz encouraging families to copy the adverts.”

Wow. The first place I ran across this was in British tabloid The Sun and assumed it was a hoax or, at best, exaggerated, but numerous other British newspapers are reporting the same story.

The RSPCA has really mastered the art of unintentional self-parody of late.

Source:

Heinz tomato ketchup guinea pig ad criticised by RSPCA. Media Bulletin, November 23, 2004.

Guinea pig’s tomato sauce TV role leaves a bad taste. Russell Jackson, Scotsman.Com, November 23, 2004.

RSPCA criticises guinea pig ad. ITV.Com, November 23, 2004.

Fury over new ketchup ad. The Sun, November 23, 2004.

You Mean Genocide and Corruption Aren’t Good for the Economy?

Speaking at a conference in Ethiopia, United Nations investment analyst stated the obvious — investors don’t want to put their money into Africa when they see genocide in Sudan, civil war in Ivory Coast, and the sort of endemic corruption in countries like Zimbabwe.

According to the BBC, Africa as a whole only sees about $15 billion total each year. That’s just pathetic.

Moreover, even in countries where there are not ongoing wars or endemic corruption, there is plenty to trouble investors. South African president Thabo Mbeki’s close relationship and support of Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe, for example, must surely give some investors pause.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no end in sight to such problems, as Africa seems unable to get itself off a vicious cycle of war and corruption.

Source:

Africa conflicts ‘scare investors’. The BBC, November 22, 2004.

PETA Activist Arrested Outside KFC In Vietnam

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activist Jason Baker was arrested today while protesting outside of a KFC in Vietnam.

Baker, 32, stood inside a cage holding a sign reading “K-F-C Tortures Chicken” (so technically, they didn’t take him to jail, they just moved him from one prison to another).

Baker is a long-time PETA activist. He’s the guy who in 1999 dressed up in a bunny suit featuring gaping and bloody wounds, and followed Al Gore around the country to protest Gore’s support of a program to test industrial chemicals for toxicity (High Production Volume Chemical Testing).

Baker is currently in charge of PETA’s first Asian office.

The most amusing part of this story, is the fact that there is a KFC in Vietnam. What, the People’s Revolutionary Chicken just doesn’t measure up?

Source:

Michigan protester outside Vietnamese KFC. WoodTV, November 23, 2004.

Michigan man arrested after protesting outside KFC in Vietnam. Associated Press, November 23, 2004.

Caesarean Birth Rate Continues Rise

Earlier this year, I mentioned the ongoing debate about the rise in elective Caesarean births. This week the National Center for Health Statistics released statistics highlighting the fact that the Caesarean birth rate in the United States set a new record in 2003.

In 2003, 1.13 million of the 4.1 million births in the United States were Caesarean deliveries — 27.6 percent of all live births. According to the NCHS, that represents an increase of about 1/3rd since 1996. Unfortunately, the report doesn’t distinguish between elective and non-elective Caesareans. This is the seventh straight year that the Caesarean birth rate has risen in the United States.

Another interesting trend is the odd trend at the opposite ends of the age scale. The teenage birth rate is continuing to drop, while the number of births by women 35-44 continues to increase.

The birth rate for unmarried teens fell, but the overall birth rate to unmarried women increased by 3 percent from 2002.

Sources:

Birth Rate for Women Aged 40-44 Years Rose in 2003, New Report Finds. Press Release, National Center for Health Statistics, November 23, 2004.