Guinness Pictures of the Week - 19 February 2012

While I was in Australia, playing with the kangaroos, I kept thinking that Guinness would love to have a little roo to play with. I also thought if he smelled the roos he would go nutso wondering what kind of animal I had been playing with and how dare I play with another animal while I have left him alone. So I devised what I thought was going to be a hilarious plan.... When I went back to the wildlife park with Mel I took a washcloth with me (don't worry Vicki it wasn't one of yours!) and wiped it all over the kangaroo to grab some of his smell. The roo thought it was his new toy....

I sealed it in a ziplock bag to bring back to Guinness. Once I got home I waited an extra day so Ken could get home from his work trip too... I was convinced it was going to be hilarious when I have Guinness the cloth... well much to my dismay I couldn't have been more wrong. He looked at the cloth and looked at me like "What the heck is this? And why would I be interested in it?) So much for my grand idea ;) Back to the original idea of bringing him an actual roo!!

Guinness Pictures of the Week - 12 February 2012

Hey PAY ATTENTION TO ME!! I said pay attention to me ;) Very typical Guinness :)

Guinness Pictures of the Week - 5 February 2012

Apparently Guinness is a big fan of mashed potatoes. Ken found this out as he.... well take a look at the pictures :)

Dining Out

Many of you asked what a Dining Out is when I posted the pictures about a month ago for the AOD Dining Out. Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to writing this blog!!

(And for the record - AOD is Aircraft Operations Division - it's the division at NASA in charge of all the planes.)

I will admit that some of this event is shrouded in secrecy :) But most of it you can find info about on the internet. Dislaimer - I have copied most of this information from a "Letter of Instruction" about the event that Ken wrote by swiping most of the info from a formal Dining Out Letter of Instruction for the Military. The AOD one was slightly modified to fit the needs of the group.

Background.  Historically, officers have enjoyed each other’s company at dinner, and on special occasions, have arranged elaborate formal affairs appropriate to group participation.  The custom of celebrating special occasions, or events in a unit’s history, is the forerunner to the formal Dining-Out.  A well planned and executed formal Dining-Out should enhance unit esprit de corps, provide for a pleasant evening’s association among aircrew and their spouses, and, due to the formality of the event, add an air of dignity commensurate to the character, bearing and mission of the unit.

BRIEF HISTORY

1.    The term “Mess Night,” like so many service traditions comes to us from the British.  The dignity and elegance of a formal dinner by the Mess for its members and their guests became uncommon when the US Navy and NASA abolished the use of alcoholic beverages on board sea ships and space ships in 1914 and 2007, respectively.  Though recently revived in an effort to preserve tradition, the custom of intrepid warriors, raiders and explorers and their guests dining as a Mess or “Dining-Out,” is as old as the longship and battle ax.  A “Dining-Out” is NOT a “Dining-In!”  Many of the customs observed in the Mess during a typical “Dining-In” are, for reasons of propriety, not followed at a “Dining-Out.”  Since the general plan is similar,, however, the following paragraphs and subsequent enclosures will assist each member, spouse, and guest in understanding the proceedings.

2.    “Mess Nights” had their inception in the earliest military victory celebrations.  In the opening centuries of the Christian Era, they took their first step toward stylized format in the revels of the Viking clans on the occasion of their return from successful raids and forays against distant shores.  These celebrations saw all clan male members present, with the exception of the lookout or watch.  Feats of strength and skill were performed to entertain the members and guests.  The leader took his place at the head of the board, with all others to the right and left in descending order of rank.  Those of the clan that did not participate in the raid were seated below the salt, and did not share in the disposition of the spoils.  Warriors who conducted themselves with valor or distinction were “guests for the evening.”  In that way, they were seated closer to the leader than their rank normally entitled them.  These “guests” customarily received a bonus from the share of the leader for their deeds. 

3.    The celebrations of the Vikings were great feasts where vast quantities of food and drink were served.  Down through the millennium since the heyday of the Norsemen, the practice of recognizing and perpetuating the anniversaries of significant battles and feats of outstanding heroes by formal ceremony became adopted as the natural outgrowth of the special camaraderie of those that go in harm’s way.

4.    In 1649, Oliver Cromwell took over the government of England on the execution of Charles I.  The royal successor, James I, was in exile on the continent.  Thus, it came to pass that certain subterfuges developed in the military among those officers that remained loyal to the crown.  Water goblets formally remained on the table during the toasts, and the officers who were loyal to the uncrowned king always passed their wine over the water in the goblet.  In this manner, they were secretly and silently saluting the Royal Exile, who was “over the water.”  When the clandestine homage was exposed, the least of the consequences was the removal of water goblets prior to passing the port, a custom that remains with us today.

5.    A “Dining-Out” is a ceremony as old and as rich as the traditions of the quarterdeck or the mounting of the guard, and as essential to a close knit, smoothly performing flying organization, as are landing with fuel in the tank, achieving a timely rendezvous, and leading, following or staying out of the way.  Throughout the messes of the world, military men and women, civil servants and contractors meet to honor their units, ships, standards and their dead.  It is significant to note, irrespective of nationality, that these ceremonies vary in form only so much as do the traditions of the units.  It can not be too strongly emphasized that this ceremony is not a party in any sense, but is likened to honors, for it is the purpose to solemnly pay tribute to all of those intangibles for, and by which, the unit stands.  The ceremony ends with the lighting of the lamp, at which time an air of affability prevails.

And here's a wikipedia link about it....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dining_Out

Got more questions? Ask away because there is just way too many potential topics to type without some questions :)

 

I just love Colbert!

I love witty humor that is based in truth so needless to say I am a big fan of Colbert. Here are 2 videos that are great examples of other reasons I think this guys is awesome!!

http://gawker.com/5791100/watch-stephen-colberts-defense-of-planned-parenthood


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX_GZiNog_I&feature=player_embedded

Easy Dinner Idea - Italian Pork

I  made this a few nights ago for Ken and he LOVED it! It's super easy and worth having in your arsenal of quick fix dinners....

Italian Pork

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
flour
milk
olive oil
bread crumbs
pepper
boneless pork chops

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
Pound the pork to 1/4" of 1/2" thick.
Dredge the pork in flour, then dip it in milk, then dredge it in breadcrumbs.
Pepper to taste.
Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil  in a non-stick pan.
Brown the pork on each side (about 5 minutes each side)
Remove from pan and place on baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes.

I served this with a bit of pasta with pesto and it was delicious!

ENJOY!

My Heart Hurts... My Commentary on the Latest with Komen

I have to tell you all right now that this is a painful blog for me to write. It hurts me to see something I believed in so much turn so bad. I am not sure what brought this about but I can tell you that it wasn't always like this - only the last year I was very active (about 1.5 years ago) did I see any of the big issues that I am about to talk about. And to be honest I didn't see this first big one coming at all...

I want to know what Komen was thinking when they hired their VP, Karen Handel, this past year. As best I can tell she wants to trample all over women's rights and assert that only her thoughts and beliefs are what we all should live by. She tried to defund Planned Parenthood as a Republican anti-abortion anti-choice (she termed herself anti-choice) activist while in Georgia but failed so it looks like she brought her baggage to her job at Komen.

The ongoing investigation about Planned Parenthood using federal money for abortions is a fishing expedition that pretty much everyone knows will end with nothing. Given their accounting and how under scrutiny they have always been I have no doubt that they have been sure to ear tag all federal funding for things other than abortions.

Here are some facts folks... okay and some opinions interjected too...

• Planned Parenthood has a budget of nearly $1 billion a year
• Less than 1/3 of this money is from the government in the form of grants/contracts
• The rest is from private donors
• Guess what - Bill & Melinda Gates are large contributors to Planned Parenthood. Everyone in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood should have to give up their PCs and Microsoft products if they really feel strongly about this. Otherwise they are just hypocrites because guess what - buying that Microsoft product just helped put money in the pocket of Planned Parenthood. 
• Federal funds can not be used for abortions
• Only 3% of the services are abortions
• Do the math people... 3% of $1billion does not add up to 1/3 of the budget
• 35% of the services are for contraceptives
• Again - do the math people... do you really want all these people to be without proper birth control and end up with unwanted pregnancies?
• 16% of services are for cancer related testing and treatments
• Other services include mammograms, education, vasectomies and general healthcare
• Planned Parenthood serves more than 5 million people a year
• 26% of these are teenagers under 19
• Who guess what? Likely won't go to their parents or regular doctor if there is no Planned Parenthood. Do we really want all these kids having uneducated unprotected sex? 
• Yes I mentioned uneducated because a large part of Planned Parenthood is education and given that it seems more and more that schools are taking real sex education out of schools and replacing it with abstinence only (which we all know is crap!) isn't it important that teens have somewhere to go to get educated and to get help?!
• 75% of the patients have income at or below 150% of the poverty level
• http://www.ibrinfo.org/poverty_level_2011.vp.html

Nixon signed into law in 1970 an act that allows funding to a place such as Planned Parenthood because "no American woman should be denied access to family planning assistance because of her economic condition." Perhaps the rich (like Karen Handel) forget what it's like to not have healthcare they can afford.

My personal opinion is this... All of a sudden Planned Parenthood has come into the limelight from the far Right due to them performing abortions (which they have for many years). This has become a hot button in politics and enough people starting screaming about Komen donating to Planned Parenthood that they have decided to cower to the far right because of fears of unpopularity and perhaps some drop in donations. I suspect what they have done is alienate many staunch supporters of the cause who stand by their beliefs and are not swayed by the "presiding" political opinion of the day.

Bottom line for me is I support a woman's right to choose and a woman's right to health care that is in HER best interest. (Do we really want to return to the days of back alley abortions?) I feel in this case that Komen has bowed to the Right Wing faction that has decided that personal and religious vendettas are more important than a woman's individual rights.

Kimi brought up a point that I had started to see during my time doing a lot of volunteering and fundraising with Komen. They are very protective of their "brand" to the point that it is prohibitive and elitest. They need to officially approve anything and everything that has their name on it. It caused people to have more issues with fundraising which was crazy to me - I mean isn't the point to raise as much money for the cause as possible. Conversely, there's the Multiple Sclerosis Society who runs the MS150 bike rides. They want you to put their name and logo all over everything if you want to for fundraising. That just passes a sanity test for me. Looking more into this I am finding out more alarming news....They have sued 100s of small charities for using the words "for the cure" or anything with pink in conjunction with the words "for the/a cure." They have done this to many "mom & pop" type charities who are simply trying to raise money for worthy causes. These charities don't have the means to fight this and are forced to change their name. How can the simple words "For the cure" be trademarked? Fact of the matter is they really can't but smaller groups can't fight that battle. (What Komen can trademark is "Komen for the Cure" with their specific pink ribbon - the 2 tone one with the running head.) Komen spent more than $1 million in lawsuits against groups last year over their names... that is NOT how I intended for my donations to be spent.

I had a major issue during the Pasta Party & Auction where the president of the Houston chapter told me that I couldn't use a Hooters gift certificate in the auction. Never mind that it was a fairly valuable gift certificate (worth more than $500) and I had 2 of them... She said it wasn't in keeping with Komen's "values." I thought this was BS because the last time I checked that gift certificate could have raised enough money to provide a few mammograms for women who needed them. And Hooters is "technically" a family mainstream restaurant. (Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't take my small kids there but I am trying to make the point that it's not like it's a strip club or something and yes you do frequently see families in there.) I was annoyed by the snobby attitude which I found to be completely unacceptable. Then Komen launches the KFC campaign for pink buckets - last time I checked unhealthy diet is a contributor to cancer possibilities. Let me be clear - I am actually okay with the fundraising gained from KFC or a winery etc. I have no problem with it. But you can't be a hypocrite and say I'll take money from KFC but not Hooters.

Shame on you Komen... it breaks my heart to say it but Shame on you.

Pardon me while I go clean out a large portion of the shirts in my closet. I will continue to support breast cancer research and awareness but I will not do it through Komen, or any other charity, who will throw another well-intentioned group who is providing for women's health rights and needs under the bus. We live in a country where we are afforded freedom of religion (last time I checked it's part of why our Founding Fathers came here) - don't try and force your religion on others in ways like defunding Planned Parenthood.

I hope one day Komen will go back to its roots of truly helping women (and men!) but until then... they won't see another dime of  my money... I will do a lot of research on the next charity I choose to pour so much heart, soul and time into. To be fair - I did do a lot of research on Komen many years ago and it was nothing like this.

Shame on you Komen for becoming someone who I cannot in good conscience support in any way... shame on you.

ADDED AFTER INITIAL POSTING:
I wanted everyone to know I had a very hard time sleeping last night (even after I went to bed very late). This whole thing really bothers me so very much. A few other things I want you to know...
FIRST & FOREMOST - there are some absolutely amazing people who still do good work for Komen. I have worked with incredible individuals who work tirelessly for all the right reasons. Please remember that the choices of a large corporation/charity are not necessarily the choices of individuals within this organization.

The pink ribbon in general is not owned by Komen - only their specific iteration of it. (I'd post a picture of it but don't want to get in trouble for it so google it if you're not sure which one is theirs.) So you will still see me wearing pink ribbon items - just not Komen ones.

There are 2 walks in the country of a large variety that support breast cancer. Avon originally started a 2-day walk and here is some more information on where that money goes.
http://www.avonwalk.org/about/avon-walk-faq.html

Komen decided to copy this and do a 3-day variety of the walk. Funny how they didn't see that as an "infringement" on Avon's previous creation and note that Avon didn't sue Komen.

A lot of the pink products with the generic pink ribbon are to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I've only just started looking into more detail on them and will keep you posted if I learn anything of value

Lastly (hopefully for now) - I feel it's also important to make a statement about Planned Parenthood in general. In case you can't tell this is an organization I whole heartedly believe in. Frankly even if you are pro-life it's an organization you may want to consider getting behind given all the good it does for so many women (and men too!) who have no other alternative. I respect your right to choose not to want to choose please respect my right to have the choice. I can tell you that at a time when I was in college and had no money to spend at the doctor and no health insurance I was a patient at Planned Parenthood because I wanted to be sure that I did not end up with a child. I give you this piece of very personal information so you can realize that it's not just some "random" or "faceless" woman who has benefitted from Planned Parenthood services... I, your friend or acquaintance, or maybe former friend if you are so annoyed by my stance on this... I, a college educated, professional woman have in the past been helped with affordable birth control by Planned Parenthood. Perhaps you should ask yourself who else you know may have been in need of their services in the past. I can tell you I plan to write my donation check to Planned Parenthood today.