For the Birds PETA holds silent protest outside a local KFC BY T. KEVIN WALKKR THECHKONIC1 1 About half a dozen protesters from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held an hourlong demonstration outside of the KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) restaurant on Reynolda Road last week. They stood silently along the sidewalk, facing the busy street They let their protest signs do their talking. One sign stated in bold letters that "KFC Tortures Chickens"; another had the words "Boycott KFC" set along side a crossed-out image of the Colonel, KFC's legendary founder. Similar protests have been staged at KFC restaurants around the world over the last two years PETA claims that at least one ol the suppliers that provide* chick en to KFC restaurants, uses unimaginably cruel methods to slaughter birds. PETA's battle against KFC was launched after undercover video taken at a Pil grim's Pride slaughterhouse in Moorefield, W.Va., showed workers chopping off the beaks of live chickens with hot blades and killing chickens with their bare hands. Pilgrim's Pride sup plies chicken to KFC and many other fast-food chains. Scenes from the grue some video were shown during the protest via a portable video screen that one of the protesters strapped to her body. "It is just the worst animal cruelty you could have imagined." said Ben Goldsmith, a PETA spokesman who r */L Beaks CutOff ''PET A members hold signs in front of the Reynolda Road KFC . Pholo by Kevin Walker this because we are the most rec ognized brand selling today, and our name. Kentucky Fried Chick en. is synonymous with chicken." PETA admits as much on its Web site. The organization says as the world's most famous chicken brand. KFC has a I fume responswimy 01 leading the way in ensuring that chick ens are treated humanely. But Goldsmith admitted that even if KFC adopted PETA's guidelines, many in the organi zation would still not he fully satisfied because animals wnnlrl vtill hi'.Lilli'rl mayed by the Pilgrim's Pride video that he sent a letter to the head of Yum! Brands Inc.. KFC's parent company, expressing his horror over the video. But since (hen. the NAACP has distanced itself from PETA and the boycott, stating that Mfume was merely writing to find out if the video tape was authentic. joined local protesters last week. "We are asking them to stop tor turing birds on the factory farm and in the slaughterhouse." Gold smith said PETA also has docu mentation of chickens being boiled alive and kept in such cramped quarters that they die ol heart attacks. PETA wants KFC to adopt a four-pronged animal welfare pro gram that includes provisions that the chain's suppliers would provide chickens with more liv ing space in sheds and more humane slaughter methods. KFC has publicly expressed outrage over the Pilgrim's Pride video. KFC responded to the video by establishing anti-animal abuse guidelines for its suppliers. But KFC says that PE TA - long known for ift aggressive protest ing methods - has distorted KFC's relationship to the slaugh terhouse. KFC says that it buys only 15 percent of the product that Pilgrim's Pride produces. Other fast-food chains buy the other 85 percent. At a news conference in July. Gregg Dedrick. the president of KFC, wondered why PETA is singling out his company. "We think it's outrageous that PETA is unfairly singling out KFC." Dedrick said during the news conference. "They've done "Of course, we advocate a vegetarian diet. That is the way to protect the most amounts of ani mals," he said. "But certainly we are a pragmatic organization, and if KFC is going to continue to slaughter more than 750 million chickens per year for their restau rants. we think it needs to he done in the most humane way possi ble." Stan Leonard, the manager at the Reynolda Road KFC. said that sales were up on the day of the PETA protest,- so he does not e think it had a negative impact on business. Leonard said he is more concerned with other issues such as children going to bed hungry, but he respects PETA's right to protest. "This is America, and they have the right to do that," he said. PETA claims that its boycott against KFC has hurt the compa ny. Goldsmith said a cross sec tion of people - from hunters to vegetarians - have stopped buy ing KFC products in response to the boycott. The boycott, which PETA calls the Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign, has also got ten the support of some well known names, including writer Alice Walker and music mogul Russell Simmons. Kweisi Mfume. the leader of the national NAACP. was so dis Multiracial from pa^e A2 funding; and would put UC out of step with other universities. UC applicants now have the choice of checking one or more of 13 race or ethnicity boxes, including "other." Checking the boxes is voluntary. eral student groups opposing the change. v UC officials surveyed the approximately I54.IXX) under graduates enrolled last spring about the issue. About 42.(XX). or 27 percent, of students respond ed. with just under 1 1 .(XX) identi fying themselves as multiracial or multiethnic. Of those stu dents. 44 percent said they want However. UC reports the data based on the five categories mandat ed by federal offi cials: American Indian. Asian, black. Hispanic or white. Some oppo nents to Connerly's proposal say adding a multiracial or multiethnic box >ynej eu to cnecK more man one box. 21 percent warned to check a mul tiracial or multiethnic box instead, of individ ual categories, and 35 percent had no prefer ence. The demographics of UC have been an issue for years. In 1 995. regents, led by Conner ly. dropped affirmative would confuse the data and is inferior to the option of checking one or more boxes. "It's going to prevent the UC system from accurately report ing who's really here." said UC Berkeley student Ai-Ling Mal one. Malone. who is of Asian and white descent, said multira cial people are not homogeneous and "to lump us all in a box would really hurt the true repre sentation of who's on campus." Malone is president of UC Berkeley's Multi-Cultural Stu dent Union, which is one of sev ?action admissions, w hich led to a sharp decrease in black and His panic students. The numbers have rebounded since then for the system as a whole, but black and Hispanic enrollment remains low at the top campuses. Connerly went on to chair Proposition 209. passed in 1996. which banned considering race in state hiring, contracting and education. His latest campaign. Proposition 54. which would have stopped the state from ask ing people about race in a num her of settings, including college admissions, failed last year. Locals among North Carolina Award winners Awards are state's highest civilian honor SPECIAl 1 ? ' I Ml CHRONICLE Penelope Niven, a Salem Award in Creative Nonficlion in her honor. Walter Harrelson, a city eouege writer-in residence and noted author, is one of seven recipients of the 2004 North Car olina Award, the state's highest civil ian honor. Gov, Mike Easley presented the awards to Niven and the other winners at a reception on Nov. 1 7 C in Research Triangle Park. Niven, a native ot Wax haw, is the author of Niven resmeni, aiso won i>ne of the honors. Harrelson ' has worked for years to preserve theo logical manu scripts. LeRoy Walker was also among ihe honorees. Walker, a Durham native, is a former university chancel lor, educator and track coach. He became the first African several hooks, including biogra phies of Carl Sand burg, Edward Ste ichen and James Earl Jones. Her most recent book "Swimming Lessons: Life Lessons From the Pool, From Div ing in to Treading Water" - was pub lished this year. Walker American elected to serve as presi dent and chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Commit tee in 1992. The North Car olina Awards are granted to individ uals who have made outstanding lifelong contribu Since 1997. she has served as a member of the English faculty and writer-in-resi dence at Salem College. Last year the Salem College Center for Women Writers created the national Penelope Niven of public service, literature, science and fine arts. Since the General Assembly began grafting the awards in 1964, more than 200 North Carolini ans have been honored. :riday Early Opening Specials ik ? nnliil 6am-11am only! Find nufif Friday 6-11am only! 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