Men Dominate Cable News Birth Control Talk | Sister Carol Keehan of US Catholic Health Assoc Supports Compromise

Daily French Roast

Anne is reading …

Karen Handel says Planned Parenthood launched “a vicious attack.” John BazemoreRecently-resigned Komen head of public policy Karen Handel does a boo hoo with The Daily Beast, calling Planned Parenthood a “gigantic Bully, using Komen as its own personal punching bag”. Handel is furious, saying that Planned Parenthood had agreed to keep quiet about losing their funding.  It was a ladies agreement that Planned Parenthood would keep quiet, saying Handel without considering for one moment why they would do that. Several Beast commenters write that Handel sounds delusion, and we agree. Planned Parenthood is viciously under attack and Handel thinks they should graciously roll over and not make a ruckus.

“Two dozen Catholic bishops were saying not to support Komen,” she (Handel) continued. “We needed to find some options for moving to neutral ground. I was tasked with doing that.” She added, “An inordinate amount of staff time was spent trying to manage the controversy. We should be able to focus on our own mission and not be distracted by the controversy of another organization.”

Planned Parenthood sees the issue differently, countering that the news of the Komen defunding was first reported by “anti-choice outlets”. This is our sense of the evolution of events as well, although facts must be checked.  Bottom line, at least Handel admits that the Catholic bishops were really on Komen’s case, telling parishioners not to support the charity because of its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

Silent Majority Goes Social

Republicans apparently launched the term ‘silent majority’ when Richard Nixon was president. He misguidedly believed that the majority of Americans supported the war in Vietnam and his administration’s infamous Deep Throat shenanigans.

“And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support.”

Writing for Forbes, Peter Himler reminds us that Nixon got it wrong. The silent majority wasn’t on his side. Himler goes on to cite three recent events that have changed the political landscape: the Komen reversal, the SOPA defeat & BofA’s withdrawal of it $5 debit credit card fee.

In each case the ‘silent majority’ wasn’t so silent at all. Republicans joined Democrats, young and old, male and female, moms and no kids, progressive and liberal — not sure about conservatives — in an Internet roar, forcing 180-degree changes in policy.

One of the biggest questions stemming from the Komen backlash, heading now straight into the wall of America’s Catholic bishops and their permanent war on contraception is: will women rise up again? It occurs to me that women — and the men who support them, minus the Catholic women who embrace the Catholic patriarchy — could change church doctrines in a heart beat. It’s about the money, honey.

Related: Apple’s Brand Is at Stake as Customers Demand Better Labor Practices GOOD

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Sister Carol Keehan, President of US Catholic Health Assoc supports Obama accommodation on birth controlToday the Obama Administration shifted access to fully-paid birth control for employees in religious institutions to health care insurers and not the religious institution.The Catholic Church’s position is that use of contraception is a mortal sin, although the majority of Catholic women use birth control.

“Religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women,” Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room as he sought to put the political furor to rest. via Reuters

Aetna Inc said it will comply with the policy but needs “to study the mechanics of this unprecedented decision before we can understand how it will be implemented and how it will impact our customers.”

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops called it a “first step in the right direction” but is reserving judgment.

Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, welcomed the move, saying she was “pleased and grateful that the religious liberty and conscience protection needs of so many ministries that serve our country were appreciated.”

On Contraception, Cable News Says Men Know Best

Out of a total of 146 guests who discussed contraception, the cables invited 91 men compared to 55 women as commentators. In other words, males comprised 62 percent of the total guests who commented on contraception. Fox was the most gender stratified network – on the Business network, 10 of 11 guests were male; on the News side, male pundits took up 65 percent of the guest lineup (28 men vs. 15 women). Sixty percent of MSNBC’s lineup was male (44 men vs. 31 women). And while CNN was more evenly balanced, it was still slightly tilted in favor of male perspectives (9 men vs. 8 women). via ThinkProgress

Elle’s Women in DC Power List

Lovely & Amazing: The Women in DC Power List interviews Savannah Guthrie; Kathleen Parker; Dana Perino; Maureen Dowd; Stephanie Cutter; Debbie Shore; Michelle Rhee; Linda Daschle; Lisa Jackson and Jaci Reid.

Anne of Carversville

Eva Mendes | Txema Yeste | Marie Claire US March 2012 | Hot & Bothered

AOC Private Studio

Ilva Hetmann | Stefan Milev | Derzeit Magazine #6 Winter 2011/12 | ‘Apocalypse Postponed’

Rosie-Huntington Whiteley, Julianne Moore, Helena Christensen, Erin Wasson, Elizabeth Olsen & Shailene Woodley | Cover Vs. Magazine S/S 2012

Mariacarla Boscono | Patrick Demarchelier | Vogue Italia February 2012

Leelee Sobieski | Michael Donovan | Bullett Winter 2011 | Never Been Kissed

Rooney Mara | Glen Luchford | Dazed & Confused January 2012 | Who’s That Girl

AOC Style

Josefine Nielsen | Sean McMenomy | Dansk Spring/Summer 2012

Sensuality News

SN Living

Lydia Hearst | Yu Tsai | Glamour France March 2012 | Skin Tonic

Lydia Hearst | Yu Tsai | Glamour France March 2012 | Sensuel Pastel

Lydia Hearst | Yu Tsai | Glamour France March 2012 | ‘Bombe Baroque’

Won Kyoung Kim | Ji Yang Kim | Dazed & Confused Korea February 2012 | Self Mosaic

SN Provocateurs

Georgie | Karla Majnaric | Factice Magazine #10 | ‘Georgie’

Eliza Sy | Yiorgos Mavropoulos | Xenia | The Creatives

AOC Apple Valley

Europe’s largest urban mall will convert energy from people’s footsteps in time for London’s summer Olympics, writes CNN. It’s hoped that the 20 tiles will supply half of the mall’s outdoor lighting needs.

The recycled rubber “PaveGen” paving slabs harvest kinetic energy from the impact of people stepping on them and instantly deliver tiny bursts of electricity to nearby appliances. The slabs can also store energy for up to three days in an on-board battery, according to its creator.

Canadian Documentary 'Pink Ribbons Inc.' Rips Into Komen's Big Business Charity

Breaking News in the midst of the Komen | Planned Parenthood conflict that has energized American women as no other event in decades. We repost this article from CTZ British Columbia:

A new documentary from a breast cancer survivor raises questions about the “pinkwashing” she believes brands are using to sell products that are actually carcinogenic.

Dr. Samantha King’s investigation into the growing corporate involvement in breast cancer fundraisers is the basis for Léa Pool’s new documentary, “Pink Ribbons Inc.,” opening in select theatres Friday.

The documentary suggests brands use the pink ribbon to create a feel-good sense for their product –-a tactic she calls ‘pinkwashing’.

“That’s when corporations … sell products that might be linked to breast cancer,” King explained. “So cosmetics with toxic ingredients, for example, also make money by doing pink ribbon marketing”.

She said many of the products are not even related to breast cancer.

“One of my favourite examples is a breast cancer handgun that went on sale in the U.S. last year. We’ve seen Kentucky Fried Chicken, snowshoes — the list is really endless” she said.

The trailer for the documentary shares a few stories from women with breast cancer who claim only a small percentage of money raised for fundraisers goes towards research.

“It’s almost like our disease is being used for people to profit and that’s not OK,” said one woman featured in the film.

University of B.C. researcher Carolyn Gotay said she values the questions the documentary raises but argues the push to find a cure has not overshadowed prevention research.

“I think we’re on a good upward trajectory but we’re still not near the finish line,” she said.

Gotay added that some of the film’s arguments have not been scientifically proven.

“Some of the carcinogens identified in the film haven’t really been shown necessarily to be deleterious to the levels they’re being used,” Gotay said.

Representative for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation B.C./ Yukon. Judy Caldwell also said the documentary uses decade-old campaigns.

“If it’s a product we don’t believe in, if the amount to be donated is highly inappropriately small, then we would refuse it,” Caldwell said

She added that Run for the Cure, the foundation’s signature event, is monumental in raising awareness about breast cancer and providing to prevention research.

“Pink Ribbons Inc.” opens Friday at Denman Cinemas and The Rio in Vancouver, Roxy Theatres in Victoria, Avalon Cinema Centre in Nanaimo and the Paramount Theatre in Kelowna.

Now that Komen has reversed itself on defunding Planned Parenthood, the question NPR asks: Can Komen Recover From Controversy?

Anne of Carversville has withdrawn ANY support for pink ribbons associated with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. We will not BUY any brand or product associated with the Komen Foundation, and we will list all brands and companies who supported Komen in their 2011 campaign.

I will be contacting those companies personally to voice my strong disapproval of Komen’s decision to align with social conservatives against the fight for breast cancer among poor women. Komen’s decision to reinstate Planned Parenthood does not impact our policy.

Until Komen fires its board members and SVP of Public Policy Karen Hanley AND gives more than the current 20-28% of its donations to cancer research, Komen is ‘black’ not pink at AOC.

Michelle Obama Out Push-Ups Ellen DeGeneres As Million Moms Denouces JC Penney for Hiring Popular Talk Show Host

Karlie Kloss | Mario Testino | Vogue UK March 2012 | ‘Luxe Lady’ AOC Private Studio

Daily French Roast

Anne is reading …

America’s First Lady Michelle Obama won a push-up challenge with Ellen DeGeneres, knocking out an impressive 25 in front of the audience.During a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres Show airing today, America’s First Lady Michelle Obama accepted and won a challenge from Degeneres to see who could do more push-ups on the spot. Michelle was appearing to promote her ‘Let’s Move’ campaign, which stresses the need to exercise in America’s battle against obesity.

Michelle Obama’s Push Ups

“And I thought it wouldn’t be good to show up the first lady,” retorted Degeneres. “So, I stopped because I thought this looks bad that I’m going to beat her. And I’m 54 and you’re 48. Let’s make sure we know.” via ABC

Michelle Obama’s arms in top spot on Google Sept. 8, 2009Soft Gloves Only Will Be Worn By Lubna’s Smart Sensuality Arms Agents AOC Sexual Politics

You’re talking to somebody who directed traffic in the middle of Sixth Avenue, when New York went dark in “Son of Sam” summer.

Decending 62 floors of late-night darkness with only a candle, I had a terrified, weeping Spanish cleaning woman in tow. “It’s all right,” I kept telling her. “You can lean on me. Come on, you can do it. You’ll be fine.” Anne

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McDonald’s Abandons Use of ‘Pink Slime’ in Burgers

MSNBC reports that McDonald’s has eliminated the use of ammonium hydroxide in its hamburger meat. Denying that the decision had anothing to do with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign to get amonium-treated chicken and beef out of the US food supply, the company agrees that an ingredient used in fertilizers, household cleaners and some ‘roll-your-own- explosives doesn’t belong in its Big Macs.

Ah yes, Timothy McVeigh used 1625 kilograms of ammonium hydroxide to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. The US Agriculture Department classifies ammonium hydroxide as ‘generally recognized as safe.’

British chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign began in April when he called for the elimination of ‘pink slime’ on his TV show, ‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

The use of treated scrap meat “to me as a chef and a food lover is shocking,” Oliver said. “… Basically we’re taking a product that would be sold in the cheapest form for dogs and making it ‘fit’ for humans.” Note that McDonald’s calls the pink slime ‘Select lean beef trimmings’.

Jamie Oliver | 70% of America’s Beef Is Treated with Ammonia

Exercise as Housecleaning for the Body via New York Times

When ticking off the benefits of physical activity, few of us would include intracellular housecleaning. But a new study suggests that the ability of exercise to speed the removal of garbage from inside our body’s cells may be one of its most valuable, if least visible, effects.

AOC Culture Wars

Yesterday’s news focused on the decision of the Susan G Komen Foundation to stop funding breast exams and mammogram referrals for poor women through Planned Parenthood. Today the social conservatives have taken on JC Penney’s decision to hire Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson.

“Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families,” the million (or so) moms write on their website. “DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store. The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there.” via Reuters

First a Planned Parenthood update. The backlash against Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been severe, probably because the transparency of the timing of their action is so obvious to thinking people. When you hire a woman named Karen Handel, who is an avowed opponent of Planned Parenthood as your Senior Vice President for Public Policy in April 2011, and then amend your bylaws prohibiting funding any organization under investigation, after a Republican has launched one of Planned Parenthood in Congress, the general public really isn’t that stupid as to your intentions.

Many Republican moderate and even prolife women are astonished that Komen would hijack breast exams for poor women without a backup plan, which they do not have.

“Komen has placed its supporters in the untenable position of aligning themselves with acquiescence to the agenda of the religious right, or aligning themselves with health care and breast cancer organizations that will not bow to such pressures,” said Calif state Sen. Alex Padilla said, formerly one of Komen’s ‘Pink Tie Guys’.

“The choice is clear to me. I choose the latter.”

Anne of Carversville also supports Planned Parenthood, and Anne has signed the petition condemning Komen’s decision. In its 7th new goal, the petition has garnered 61,543 signatures in a little over 24 hours.