Reality check

All in a slather Hummus maker Lisa Err is the latest to take offence at the antics of Madge, whose anti-GM billboard (above) of a modified milking maid has drawn complaints since it was put up this week.

Err, who has launched an anti-GM campaign of her own, says stunts by the group are taking attention away from Take 5, her more moderate campaign to keep GM organisms in the lab for another five years. Madge's billboard, directed at research by dairy giant Fonterra using human genes, follows pink bra-flashing at Parliament which saw group members banned from the House. Frontwoman Allanah Currie says only "stupid white men" are likely to take offence at the billboards. A handful have taken the issue to the Advertising Standards Complaints Board, but the former Thompson Twins singer defends the campaign, saying: "I'm a feminist and an artist as well and I would be one of the first to say I don't want to see naked women selling biscuits but this is . . . about the bigger picture, not just the image."

Take 5 says it expects this weekend to pass 30,000 messages of support by text or website (www.take5.net.nz) towards its goal of one million messages.

* * *

Finding Nemo is a double-edged sword for the fish fraternity. The animated children's blockbuster is driving young fans into fish shops and prompting awareness of the fragile eco-systems they are drawn from, but fears of fish fatigue are prompting conservationists to beseech: Don't flush!

Inspired by the adventures of the clownfish - including his unlikely escape down a dentist's spit sink - conservationists say hundreds of children in the United States have flushed their pet fish down the toilet, hoping to free them. The United Nations Environment Programme is speaking out to discourage the practice. It estimates two million people worldwide keep household aquariums, creating a NZ$510 million industry.

"Parents who have aquariums need to explain to their children that the fish will not survive if they are flushed," says marine expert Paul Holthus.

* * *

Former "King of the Cornflakes" Merv Smith returns to a regular spot on radio next weekend.

The 70-year-old will host Radio Pacific's Early Bird Show from 5am to 7am, which he says will be heavy on nostalgia and bound to play some of his beloved country music.

Although it is a decade since Smith's top-rating show ended its 25-year run on 1ZB, he has kept busy with slots on Radio I and FM Country, set up a model train business and won awards for narrating talking books.

* * *

* Email Reality Check