In case you missed it

1

OKCUPID, CEOS AND THEIR POLITICS 

Brandon Eich, the co-founder of Mozilla, was forced out of his new job as CEO after dating site OKCupid.com called him out for supporting a measure limiting the definition of marriage to a union of a man and a woman. “If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we’ve worked so hard to bring about would be illegal,” OKCupid posted on its website, encouraging people to use any browser but Mozilla’s Firefox to find the love of their life (or at least their next horribly wrong date). Eich, who made a $1,000 contribution backing Proposition 8 in California, stepped down after the post went viral. But if you agree with OKCupid, hold off before you pat them on the back. Consider also what’s unfolding this week on Uncrunched.com. Debate on that site is raging because OKCupid co-founder and CEO Sam Yagan — also the CEO of Match. com — donated $500 in 2004 to the congressional campaign of Chris Cannon, a Utah Republican who supported a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, earned a 0 rating from NARAL Pro Choice America and sought to prohibit adoptions by gay and lesbian parents.

THE FISHY BUSINESS OF GMOS 

Biotech firm AquaBounty Technologies has attempted to bring its girth-y, genetically-modified salmon to market for two decades. Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to finally decide whether to allow the company to sell the so-called “frankenfish” to grocers, debate is hitting a fevered pitch. The fish, which grows at twice the rate of a farmed salmon, is receiving plenty of opposition from environmentalists, health advocates and fishermen.

And it seems that even if the salmon is approved, the company will face an upstream fight in winning the hearts of consumers. Kroger, which runs King Soopers stores, Trader Joe’s, Safeway and Target are just the latest grocers to join a long list of those refusing to stock the fish on its shelves. “Now Costco, Walmart, Albertsons and other retailers need to catch up and provide their customers with what they want: natural, sustainable seafood that isn’t genetically engineered in a lab,” writes the Friends of the Earth environmental group.

BOULDER: NOT TOO SHABBY 

In the ongoing, relentless world of ratings and rankings, Boulder once again is No. 1 in something — this time for not being as fat as the rest of America. Just 12.4 percent of the city’s residents are considered obese, according to Gallup and Healthways pollsters, citing survey results that relied on self-reported height and weight measurements from more than half-a-million adults across the nation. Unless Boulderites were more prone to lie about their weight than people elsewhere in America, the results seem worth bragging about because the national obesity rate is 21.7 percent. The most obese pocket in America? The Huntington- Ashland region in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, where almost 40 percent of people score a body mass index of 30 or greater.

IN DIVIDE: WILL A DONKEY BE MAYOR?

In Divide, a small town 30 miles west of Colorado Springs, nobody seems to want to be mayor — or care. So Mary Steinbeiser, the CEO of the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter, is taking action and holding an alternative election. On her ballot: 11 pets vying for the right to give out the key to the city, cut ribbons, make proclamations and wear, should the occasion so merit, a top hat. The idea is really just a ruse. Steinbeiser is looking to raise money for her no-kill shelter and voters from around the country are responding with $1 clicks that tally as votes, according to The Associated Press. Among those on the ballot: Keyni the wolf, Teddy the mutt and Herbie the donkey. The candidates’ political affiliations were not available at press time. As for Steinbeiser, she is already mired in a small scandal for overseeing the election but endorsing a favorite: Pa Kettle, a bloodhound with an apparent nose for fundraisers.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com 

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.