A Catholic-oriented U.S. mutual fund that refuses to invest in birth control, abortions, pornography, companies that provide homosexual benefits, or in other objectionable causes, yielded an impressive return of 23 per cent this year, thereby outperforming 84 per cent of U.S. mutual funds. The $125 million (US) fund ranks second among 21 “ethical” funds tracked by the Bloomberg financial agency.
Pro-lifers were encouraging people to contact General Electric in the U.S. to congratulate the company on its commercial for a 4-D ultrasound system that they said was transmitting an “awesome” pro-life message. The commercial was complimented for being “beautifully done” and “a tribute to American family life.” However, pro-abortion elements were said to be providing negative feedback.
In response to protests, the U.S. Miller brewing company announced it was discontinuing a series of TV spots depicting women stripping to their underwear and wrestling. One ad critic said Miller got “a lot of backlash, more than it expected.”
The IBM corporation in the U.S., which has been lauded by the pro-homosexual group Human Rights Campaign as one of the top homosexual activism-supporting companies, recently laid off 500 workers indefinitely, and told another 3,000 they’d have to take a week off without pay. The moves follow the layoff of 1,000 workers in Vermont last year.
HRC gave 100 per cent scores on its recent “corporate equality index” (for support of the homosexual agenda) to U.S. companies including Intel Corp. and Nike Inc. Other high scorers were Hewlett-Packard Co. and Levi Strauss & Co. Among the lowest-ranked companies were Exxon Mobil Corp. and Domino’s Inc.
The U.S.-based Walt Disney Co. is once again coming under criticism, this time for the release of Buffalo Soldiers, a film depicting the American military as drug dealers and criminals. The film also features excessive profanity by senior officers, suggestive sex, theft and rampant drug use.
In August, the Christian Action Network slammed Disney for what it called an “orgy of depravity” at the annual Gay Days event in Disney’s Orlando, Fla. theme park. CAN’s videotapes depicted homosexuals kissing and fondling, as well as engaging in simulated sex acts and alleged drug use. “It’s absolutely impossible to describe the depth of depravity we saw,” said a CAN spokesman.
A human rights complaint has been made against General Motors Corp. in the U.S. after the company rejected a request to create an “affinity group” for Christian-related activities. GM turned it down specifically because it was religion based. However, according to the company’s website, managing diversity does include dimensions such as “sexual orientation.”
Warren Buffett, who was named as campaign advisor to California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Swartzenegger, is carrying out a low-profile, international campaign to push abortion “rights” and widen access to birth control through a foundation bearing his and his wife’s names. In 2001, the Buffett foundation gave $21 million, or 75 per cent of its total grants, to abortion and “reproductive health” causes.
The March of Dimes charity in the U.S. is being challenged over information on abortion that is disappearing from its website. The postings that have been removed include information linking multiple abortions with an increased risk of pre-term birth. MOD has been “very cozy” with the U.S. abortion industry over the years by, among other things, providing research on amniocentesis.
Talon News reports that Hollywood money continues to flow to pro-abortion groups and political candidates. Among the most notable culprits have been movie director Steven Spielberg ($5,000 to Voters for Choice, and thousands more for pro-abortion politicians), Barbara Streisand ($1,000 each to numerous pro-abortion presidential candidates), Gweneth Paltrow ($1,000 to Emily’s List) and Janeane Garofolo ($250 to Emily’s List and pro-abortion candidate Howard Dean).
Texas-based American Airlines is being criticized for sponsoring a major conference on bisexuality – shortly after it laid off thousands of employees. The North American Conference on Bisexuality took place in San Diego, Calif. August 21-24. The event featured nudity, workshops on erotic touch and sessions on how to host sex orgies. The U.S. Avis car rental system was also listed as a sponsor of the conference.
NBC/Bravo has been slammed for pushing a “queer agenda” through programming such as Boy Meets Boy and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. NBC was reported to be trying to block e-mails sent to it about the issue.
Several U.S. advertisers have pulled their sponsorship from offensive television programs, including McDonald’s and Burger King from Paradise Hotel, and Rubbermaid and Office Depot from Lucky. However, Greyhound Bus Lines and the Andrew Jergens Company in the U.S. have continued their sponsorship of Paradise Hotel.
The U.S. Marriott hotel chain has received hundreds of thousands of e-mails protesting its continued provision of hardcore pornography in its rooms and is reported to be attempting to block further e-mails on the issue. The controversy came to a head after an eight-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother from New York were inadvertently exposed to hardcore pornography while in a Marriott hotel room. The hotel manager then refused to speak to the parents.
