Be Bold, Be Bald Day

October 17th is national be bold, be bald day (www.beboldbebald.org). I had never heard of it before this morning but its the 6th annual. I am not so sure how I feel about this.

If you are a supporter, you get to wear a lovely bald cap (which looks nothing like a bald head) to show your support of people who have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment. Once you sign up you can order your kit of a bald cap and sign up sheets or you can order bulk quantities of bald caps for your team.

You can sign up your organization to be a beneficiary of the BBBB effort. Then you will receive about 75% of what was raised by your supporters.

I have decided I have two problems with this effort:

1. All the smiling people wearing ugly bald caps over long hair do not make me think of cancer patients. 
2. 25% of the amounts raised don't make it to you.

I have a friend of mine who shaved his head to show support for someone with cancer. That is what I call bald. But it still doesn't have that chemo pallor we all know and love. And its not worth 25% of your money to wear an ugly bald cap.

How ugly are these bald caps? this is a picture of actress Kathy Bates wearing one of these.


Now that I have written all this I guess I have decided I don't really like this much at all. I like the solidarity but that's about it.

A warning

Please brace yourself for the annual onslaught of pinkification in the month that starts on Wednesday, formerly known as October but know is Pinktober.

Pink is not the new black. We do not need a world wrapped in pink. Buildings lit up in pink do nothing. Football players dressed in pink do nothing. Regular items, including kitchen utensils, trash barrels, clothing, changed to pink do nothing. We are all aware of breast cancer.

If it makes you feel good to pay for something pink, please read the fine print. The advice to all is to do your research before donating to a cause to make sure you know how much is really going to the cause. However if you are in a store with a huge display of somethingfabulousinpink and you succumb to the pressure and decide to purchase it, please stop, breathe and read the fine print.

If it says 50% from all profits go to somepinkfund, put it back. What that means is that 50% of the manufacturer's profit is probably some tiny amount. For example, if the item costs $50, the wholesale is probably around $20-$25. The manufacturer probably sends it to a distributor who marks it up another 30%. So a quick shot at doing the math means that the manufacturer sells it for around are around $15 for the $25 wholesale item. And the manufacturing costs probably are around $13. (Note these are rough estimates but I do work in marketing and at a distributor so I am probably in the ball park to give you an idea.) So the 50% of the profits are maybe $1....

You are better off buying something you would prefer that is not pink and sending a check to your favorite charity.

Besides that pink item will probably clash with the rest of your kitchen and will get hidden away.

So skip the pink bandwagon. If we stop buying pink stuff, they will stop making it (some day....).

OMG A picture without makeup? How scary!

Okay, this is just dumb. As far as I am concerned this is right up there with the Facebook fad of a few years ago where women posted their bra color or purse color to show their support for women with breast cancer. It was a secret and men were not supposed to know.

But if you are daring you can post a picture of yourself, a selfie, without makeup (!!!) and text it to a UK charity to donate 3 pounds (think of this as $5). The charity has raised over 15,000 pounds (which is somewhere in the $25-30K) range depending on the day's exchange rate.

While I support small organizations which provide local support for those with cancer, I find it sad that we have evolved into a society so dependent on artifice that a selfie without makeup is supposed to be shocking.

I rarely never wear make up these days. Maybe I'm lazy, or cheap, or not hung up on the way I look, but you would not catch me participating in this because I simply hate the way I look in pictures.

On some levels it is fairly ingenious as a way to get people to donate to their organization, the no make up thing just gets me. Why couldn't they just have people text a picture of something they like? 

Waiting for the end of Pinktober

At the beginning and end of September I asked all to take a pledge to avoid pinkification and wasting money on pink things that do not help cancer research. It is still not too late to take the pledge for 2013.

I (state your name [and not the Animal House version]) promise that during the month of Pinktober, formerly known as October, I will not arbitrarily purchase pink items or donate to pink causes with out first researching how much actually goes to breast cancer research or screening services. 

I will first research them using services such as Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) to ensure they are legitimate.

I also promise that I will not support pinkification efforts to paint things pink, light up buildings in pink, or other such activities.

Thank you.

Today is the second to last day of Pinktober, formerly known as October. Did you research causes to ensure they were legitimate? Did you arbitrarily purchase pink items?

Its not too late. You have 36 hours or so to still make a difference without being pink. If you did help in pinkification, now is your chance to take a step back and reevaluate what you did so you will not repeat again next year.

You may think I am being redundant here but I do feel strongly about this. Ridiculous amounts of money are spent on cancer awareness causes, of which Pinktober contains the worst, that are unnecessary.

What is necessary is money for cancer research. I do not think anyone ever the age of 10 living in US, Canada, and Northern Europe who is not aware of cancer these days. We have all 'been there, got the t-shirt'. And cancer still has no cure, along with many other diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cystic Fibrosis, diabetes, and more.

Skip the awareness, skip the t-shirt, and help with research.

Please take a moment to reflect on your contributions to pinkification this year and see how you could change your efforts next year to help with research instead of another t-shirt.

OMG A picture without makeup? How scary!

Okay, this is just dumb. As far as I am concerned this is right up there with the Facebook fad of a few years ago where women posted their bra color or purse color to show their support for women with breast cancer. It was a secret and men were not supposed to know.

But if you are daring you can post a picture of yourself, a selfie, without makeup (!!!) and text it to a UK charity to donate 3 pounds (think of this as $5). The charity has raised over 15,000 pounds (which is somewhere in the $25-30K) range depending on the day's exchange rate.

While I support small organizations which provide local support for those with cancer, I find it sad that we have evolved into a society so dependent on artifice that a selfie without makeup is supposed to be shocking.

I rarely never wear make up these days. Maybe I'm lazy, or cheap, or not hung up on the way I look, but you would not catch me participating in this because I simply hate the way I look in pictures.

On some levels it is fairly ingenious as a way to get people to donate to their organization, the no make up thing just gets me. Why couldn't they just have people text a picture of something they like? 

Helping your cause or not

Yesterday at work a co-worker said she was trying to find a pink tool set for her home repair inept daughter who was moving into her own place. She said that Komen (for the Cure) had them. I said to her that she should not buy from Komen as their money does not go to cancer research but to pinkification and events. She hadn't realized this and was glad I told her.

She is someone who has never had breast cancer (yes I really do know people who have never had cancer) and was really out of the whole cancer conversation. Her husband had prostate cancer but that doesn't have a pinkified bandwagon to hop on. But I digress. She will find the pink tool set from another source and not give money to Komen.

[And why does Komen sell pink tool kits any way? I mean how is that helping breast cancer awareness and research? Really?]

You may not know this about me but I have become addicted to knitting and crocheting. I am a member of SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy). I have realized the depths of my addiction and have started selling my wares at local craft shows. I try to sell at craft shows that are fundraisers for local schools or other organizations. I have done three shows this year - two benefiting schools and one a temple.

I am now signed up for three more shows - two to benefit schools and one which is a fundraiser for a team in the Relay for Life in Smithfield, RI. I had two shows to pick from that day - one for a school and one for the ACS. It was a no brainer for me. I went with the one for the ACS. I can't always afford to donate to as many causes as I have in the past these days but this way I am donating to a cause that really means a lot to me.

I find this to be a really creative way to raise funds for a worthy cause.

A warning

Please brace yourself for the annual onslaught of pinkification in the month that starts on Wednesday, formerly known as October but know is Pinktober.

Pink is not the new black. We do not need a world wrapped in pink. Buildings lit up in pink do nothing. Football players dressed in pink do nothing. Regular items, including kitchen utensils, trash barrels, clothing, changed to pink do nothing. We are all aware of breast cancer.

If it makes you feel good to pay for something pink, please read the fine print. The advice to all is to do your research before donating to a cause to make sure you know how much is really going to the cause. However if you are in a store with a huge display of somethingfabulousinpink and you succumb to the pressure and decide to purchase it, please stop, breathe and read the fine print.

If it says 50% from all profits go to somepinkfund, put it back. What that means is that 50% of the manufacturer's profit is probably some tiny amount. For example, if the item costs $50, the wholesale is probably around $20-$25. The manufacturer probably sends it to a distributor who marks it up another 30%. So a quick shot at doing the math means that the manufacturer sells it for around are around $15 for the $25 wholesale item. And the manufacturing costs probably are around $13. (Note these are rough estimates but I do work in marketing and at a distributor so I am probably in the ball park to give you an idea.) So the 50% of the profits are maybe $1....

You are better off buying something you would prefer that is not pink and sending a check to your favorite charity.

Besides that pink item will probably clash with the rest of your kitchen and will get hidden away.

So skip the pink bandwagon. If we stop buying pink stuff, they will stop making it (some day....).

Be Bold, Be Bald Day

October 17th is national be bold, be bald day (www.beboldbebald.org). I had never heard of it before this morning but its the 6th annual. I am not so sure how I feel about this.

If you are a supporter, you get to wear a lovely bald cap (which looks nothing like a bald head) to show your support of people who have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment. Once you sign up you can order your kit of a bald cap and sign up sheets or you can order bulk quantities of bald caps for your team.

You can sign up your organization to be a beneficiary of the BBBB effort. Then you will receive about 75% of what was raised by your supporters.

I have decided I have two problems with this effort:

1. All the smiling people wearing ugly bald caps over long hair do not make me think of cancer patients. 
2. 25% of the amounts raised don't make it to you.

I have a friend of mine who shaved his head to show support for someone with cancer. That is what I call bald. But it still doesn't have that chemo pallor we all know and love. And its not worth 25% of your money to wear an ugly bald cap.

How ugly are these bald caps? this is a picture of actress Kathy Bates wearing one of these.


Now that I have written all this I guess I have decided I don't really like this much at all. I like the solidarity but that's about it.

The numbers behind pinkification..

The NFL has decided to cut back on their pinkification... They will stop using pink penalty flags in week 6 - I have no idea when week 6 is but assume it is sometime around now. That is how much I know about football. But do not be too upset as they will still use pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline hats, helmet decals, captains' patches, chin cups, shoe laces, skull caps, sideline towels, eye shield decals and quarterback towels.

The reason given for the stop is that pink penalty flags can easily be confused by players with the other flashes of pink. Out of the corner of your eye, was that a pink penalty flag dropped or another player running by or a dropped quarterback towel? I guess it can be confusing to players but then I find the whole game confusing.

Pink penalty flags are a small portion of the NFL's efforts.

The  big picture effort is called a Crucial Catch and is a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the NFL and supported by corporate sponsors. This has been going on since 2009. It is not very altruistic of the NFL as they are trying to recruit more female fans, particularly younger ones.

But here are the real details behind this all. How much do you think the NFL must have donated in the past four years? Guess a number and read below:

"This is where the campaign gets murky. While all proceeds from auctioned game-worn items go to breast cancer causes, the league declines to say what portion of the apparel sales do. Inquiring minds can estimate, however. Ticketmaster limited its 2012 A Crucial Catch contribution to 10 cents for every ticket sold last October (up to $40,000 total), and The New York Times reported that Old Navy donated only five percent of revenues to a foundation via a similar 2011 campaign featuring the Dallas Cowboys. Charlotte Jones Anderson, the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, supervised this campaign, and Anderson in December was appointed chairwoman of a new NFL foundation that will direct league community efforts.

The bottom line: The league hardly donates much to "fight" breast cancer. You'd need to use scientific notation with negative exponents to express what percentage of the NFL's annual revenues it contributes via A Crucial Catch. The campaign raised a combined $4.5 million during its first four years (2009-2012), including $1.5 million last year. League-wide revenues approached $8 billion in 2009, when NFL teams earned a median profit of $28.6 million, according to The Economics of the National Football League, a 2012 book edited by Kevin G. Quinn. (The NFL says it plans to donate $23 million to all community causes this year -- less than one percent of its likely revenues.)

If they are not really concerned with aiding breast cancer causes, then, why do the NFL and its corporate partners orchestrate this campaign? The cynical answer is that they are more interested in their images, and in growing their products and revenues. They are seeking to attract new consumers, usually female, and to establish a positive connection with them."

A whopping $4.5 million dollars from four years of effort out of $8 billion in revenues in a single year? Thats a teeny tiny percent.

I am not blasting the NFL here but using them as an example of how the numbers of pinkification never add up. If you really care, send your dollars to a worthy cause that you have checked out first.

The number is: 0.01406% each year. Basically a drop in the bucket.

There can be humor in cancer

Cancer isn't supposed to be funny. But to patients it can be. People in cancer treatment are still people. They keep their sense of humor. Here's some proof.

A 12 year old boy from Milton, MA self published a joke book while in chemotherapy. He got other children in the pediatric cancer center to leave jokes for him each day. He compiled them and published a book. You can buy a copy online here.

All proceeds from the book sale go to pediatric cancer research. For $8.95 you can get a few snickers and laughs and help a worthy cause. If you don't like jokes for kids, buy a copy and donate it to your local hospital.

Accountability

Accountability means the state of being accountable, liable, answerable. Accountable means being able to explain. That is what I am asking for.

The people who brought us pinkness, a/k/a Komen for the Cure, claim they are out for the cure of breast cancer. They spend 18% of what they take in on research. That's it. The rest is on pinkness.

Twenty two years ago they started handing out pink ribbons to help find the cure for breast cancer. In that time they have painted the world pink, and introduced us to pinkwashing and pinkification. There is no cure, treatments are still horrible. Mortality rates are unchanged. And they have sued other organizations for using the words 'for the cure'.

A little accountability is needed here to explain what they are really doing. They are not for the cure. They are selling pink.

On this October 1, as the landscape slowly turns pink, make an accountable decision with your donations. Do not paint the world pink, make sure your money is going to something other than just pink paint.