Aquarium apologises for tweets about sea otter
California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium has apologised after some people perceived a tweet about a sea otter as body-shaming. The aquarium on Tuesday tweeted a picture of Abby, an otter who helps train orphaned otters how to survive in the wild. The tweet featured social media words and phrases such as “thick,” “chonk” and “OH LAWD SHE COMIN” which are often used to describe someone who is overweight. People took offense. The aquarium on Wednesday tweeted a multipart apology that it called a “learning moment.” It apologised and said it was unaware of the connotations associated with some of the memes. The aquarium says “Abby is looking fit.”
(AP)
Lawyer tradES gift cards for pledges not to drive drunk
A Houston lawyer is offering local residents free $40 Uber gift cards if they pledge not to drink and drive on New Year’s Eve. Brian White announced he is hosting an event December 28 called “Sober Ride Houston,” where he will promote alternatives to drunk driving.He said the first 195 people to pledge not to drink and drive on New Year’s Eve will receive $40 Uber gift cards at the event — a total $7,800. “Houston has had more fatal drunk-driving accidents over the last 16 years than any other major metropolitan area,” White told KTRK-TV.
(UPI)
What’s the point of Hershey’s missing tips?
Hershey’s Kisses are falling flat with home bakers. They have been complaining that the pointy tip on many pieces of the signature candy made by the Hershey Company have been smushed or missing points. The Wedding Cookie Table, a Pittsburgh-based baking group, had noted imperfections of the candy on its Facebook page. “I just opened a few bags today for cookies I’m making next week ... every single one is missing the tip,” wrote one member.
Another person said: “This is crazy!!! Looks like way more have broken tips than not!! Unacceptable Hershey!!.” And one member of the Facebook group wrote: “I really don’t believe they are snipping the tops off. I think there was a problem at the factory. Call and complain! I haven’t purchased yet because of this but I will this week and see what I get.”
The Hershey Co. issued a response Thursday. “We love our Kisses as much as our consumers,” Jeff Beckman, a Hershey spokesman, said in a statement Thursday obtained by Penn Live. “We make more than 70 million Kisses a day here in Hershey, Pa., and we want each of them looking as great as they taste.”
The spokesman explained the desire to improve the appearance. “The iconic, conical shape is one of the reasons families have loved Kisses for generations,” Beckman said. “We shape the tip on our classic, solid Milk and Dark Chocolate Kisses to create that iconic appearance. And while there has always been some variability in that process, we are working to improve the appearance because it’s as important to us as it is to our fans.”
But the company didn’t explain why tips are missing. On Wednesday, Hershey showed off an advertising campaign that encouraged consumers to embrace the broken Kisses. In a photo of a variety of Kisses, some with their tops missing, it includes the message: “Warm hearts this holiday season and take the time to celebrate our differences.”
(UPI)
London cops: Non-emergency calls include KFC complaint
Police in London said a man who called the 999 emergency line to complain that KFC was out of chicken was among the most frivolous calls of 2018. The London Metropolitan Police said more than 20,000 of the about 2 million calls that came into the 999 emergency line during the past year were for non-emergency situations, including a man who called to complain that KFC was out of chicken.
The department tweeted audio from the KFC call, as well as others including a person complaining about a bus being broken down. Police said they also took calls about how long it took a pub breakfast to be served, a call complaining about a whistling bus driver and a call from a woman demanding a taxi cab be sent to pick her up.
A woman called 999 on New Year’s Day to wish police a happy new year, the Met said. “During the time that our call handlers are dealing with these time-wasting calls, a member of the public could be in real danger or have built up the confidence to call with an important piece of information that could take a dangerous person off the streets,” Chief Superintendent David Jackson said.
“Imagine if one of your friends or loved ones was in need of the police as quickly as possible and it turned out we could not help because we were having to deal with one of these hoax calls — I’m sure that you, like us, would be devastated and extremely annoyed,” Jackson said.
(UPI)
