A non-profit organization is linking cancer to hot dogs outside one of the most iconic U.S. sports parks.

The Cancer Project is reminding fans of the Chicago Cubs baseball team of the connection between consumption of hot dogs and the occurrence of colorectal cancer with a billboard outside Chicago's storied Wrigley Field.

The 48-foot-wide billboard (pictured above) -- featuring an image of hot dogs jammed into a cigarette pack labeled "Unlucky Strike" --  is scheduled to debut on Monday at the intersection of W. Addison and N. Halsted, just east of Wrigley Field.

The organization is not asking the Cubs to ban hot dogs at Wrigley. (They don't want a fan insurrection after all). The group even lauds the Cubs for offering such vegetarian options as veggie burgers and hummus at Wrigley. 

What the Cancer Project asked in a letter to Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney dated Aug. 3, however, is for the team to place "dietary disaster" warning labels near where hot dogs are sold at the ballpark since processed meats have been linked to colorectal cancer.

"Baseball stadiums need to be frank about the cancer risk posed by hot dogs and other processed meats," Krista Haynes, a Cancer Project dietitian, said in a statement. 
   
"Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer," she added. "Like cigarettes, hot dogs should come with a warning label that helps baseball fans and other consumers understand the health risk."

Kenney and a Cubs spokesman could no immediately be reached for comment.

The billboard is part of Cancer Project's national campaign, launched in July with a similar billboard outside the home park of Cubs rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.

There are no further plans at this point to expand the campaign, a Cancer Project spokeswoman said.

More than 21 million hot dogs are expected to be sold this season at U.S. major league ballparks, the Cancer Project said, citing a survey by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

In March, the National Cancer Institute published a study of more than half a million people showing red and processed meat intake is associated with a higher risk of dying from cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to the Cancer Project. 
 
In 2007, the American Institute for Cancer Research published a report showing that just one 50-gram serving of processed meat (about the amount in one hot dog) consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent, the Cancer Project said. Every year, about 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 50,000 die of it, the Cancer Project said.  

The Cancer Project is affiliated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which advocates a vegetarian diet as a way to better health, based on research and not animal rights beliefs.
 
(Billboard image provided by Cancer Project; Reuters photo of Wrigley)

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs told the world Wednesday that he discovered that his health issues are more complex than he had previously thought, so he’s taking a medical leave of absence. Jobs, who earlier this month said his recent weight loss was caused by a hormonal imbalance that was relatively easy to treat, plans to be off until the end of June. Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will mind the shop in the interim. Once Apple shares resumed trading after-hours, investors knocked off about 10 percent of their value.

Here’s a quick roundup of what we found online about these latest developments (And of course, here’s the Reuters story before we get to the other ones):

Silicon Alley Insider:

Tim Cook should do fine as Apple’s interim day-to-day leader. He took control of the company last time Steve went on a leave of absence to treat his pancreatic cancer. Steve says he plans to “remain involved in major strategic decisions” while he is out.

Gizmodo (saying it was right all along for posting a rumor on its blog about this very subject in recent weeks, a blog that other reporters chopped into a million itty bitty pieces):

What’s interesting is that while we broke the rumor of Steve being sick a few weeks ago, and speculated that he was resigning months ago, peers at CNBC and All Things D and others were not convinced, because it was hinging on one particular source. Apparently, they believe the story now and are both moving quickly to report it. The letter above clearly notes that his health issues are more complex than previously thought, but his reasons for stepping down include the fact that stories about his health distract the company from doing its core work.

The Wall Street Journal (providing background):

Last week’s disclosure came on the eve of the Macworld trade show, which he had attended every year since 1997. Last month, Mr. Jobs said he wouldn’t give the keynote speech at the conference and Apple would no longer participate after this year. At the time, Apple said he wouldn’t appear because it was cutting down on trade show activities, but the decision spurred new speculation about Mr. Jobs’s health.

Bloomberg (providing way-back background on why Jobs and Apple are intertwined from many investors’ points of view):

Jobs, who co-founded Apple in 1976, returned as CEO in 1997 and transformed the money-losing maker of Macintosh computers. His focus on stylish design and simple-to-use gadgets won over millions of buyers, turning Apple’s iPod media player and iPhone into best sellers. Jobs, who had successful surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2004, appeared thinner at Apple events last year.

And finally, a Paul Chapel commenting on the Engadget blog about Jobs’s importance to the world:

Get well, Steve, and thank you for the MacBook Pro I got over Christmas. That thing has helped me meet more girls at Starbucks than what would have been possible otherwise. Look forward to seeing what you have prepared for us in June.