Barbara Curtis's Blog, page 177

Komen/Pink ribbon funds Planned Parenthood

Which is why I don't support them and am not thrilled at the Pink Tide - which has even forced itself onto the football field. I really wish people would educate themselves before jumping on these bandwagons. They're so hard to stop once they start chugging down the money-making track.



And the bitter irony: that there is actually a link between abortion and breast cancer, so Komen is actually complicit in causing more.

Pink Ribbon Scandal: Pro-Life Groups Speak Out Against Komen

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 10/11/11 5:34 PM

With October as the month for breast
cancer awareness and Komen for the Cure, which donates to the Planned
Parenthood abortion business, holding events across the country,
pro-life groups are taking a more active stance speaking out about the
problems with the organization.

Texas Right to Life has launched a new effort, "Pink Ribbon Scandal, A warning to Pro-Lifers about Susan G. Komen's 'race against Life."

"October
is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and men and women clad in pink will
gather to mourn, celebrate victories of healing, and express solidarity
in their goal to eradicate breast cancer by participating in Susan G.
Komen Foundation-sponsored races to fundraise for this worthy cause. 
Susan G. Komen, however, compromises its own mission to find a cure for
breast cancer by associating with Planned Parenthood, America's largest
abortion provider," the pro-life group says. "Texas Right to Life urges
Susan G. Komen Foundation to stop sponsoring Planned Parenthood
immediately and to start benefiting real health clinics for women.
Furthermore, Texas Right to Life calls on Pro-Life individuals to
boycott the Susan G. Komen Foundation and its 'Race for the Cure' until
Komen severs all ties and affiliations with Planned Parenthood."

The concerns over Komen are more than its donations to Planned Parenthood -- which totaled $730K in 2009 and $569K in 2010.

"Many studies have linked an increased risk of developing breast
cancer after an abortion, yet both Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood
deny the risk abortion poses to breast health," TRTL says.

Elizabeth Graham, the director of Texas Right to Life, says that
Susan G. Komen's partnership with Planned Parenthood is "deceiving and
troubling."

"While Komen has duped the public as a leader in breast cancer
awareness and research funding, by linking arms with Planned Parenthood,
America's largest abortion provider, they defeat the purpose of
fighting breast cancer," Graham said.

According to the most recent data available from the Guttmacher
Institute and Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood did over 25 percent
of all abortions in the United States in 2008, a total of 324,008
abortions. In that same year, they performed zero mammograms.

Read more at LifeNews

3 finger pointers at Drudge today

Really - all posted right this minute:






The respective stories:

War Drums: Iran Calls Terror Plot Lie

Obama Invokes Race (So what else is new?)

PELOSI UNGLUED: Republicans 'want women to die on the floor'...

Opera at the Movies 10/15 - Anna Bolena live in HD

This Saturday marks the beginning of the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD 2011-2012 series, which I hope you will consider adding to your list of things you must experience at least once.

The simulcast is fabulous as you can see the performers up close and personal, and also we are taken backstage during intermissions, with interviews and peeks at scenery changes. 

If you are new to opera, it helps to print and study the synopsis. You might want to Google and read some reviews.  The first in the series - which begins at 12:55 Saturday, is Anna Bolena with Anna Netrebko, recently found on a four-page spread in Newsweek magazine. I really think opera is having a surge in popularity, especially when I see so many young people studying it:    

Donizetti's Anna Bolena - New Production

October 15, 2011, 12:55 pm ET

U.S. Encore: November 2, 2011 6:30 pm local time

Canada Encores:November 12, 2011 1 pm local time
November 21, 2011, 6:30 pm local time

Anna Netrebko opens the Met season with her portrayal of the ill-fated
queen driven insane by her unfaithful king. She sings one of opera's
greatest mad scenes in this Met premiere production by David McVicar.
Ekaterina Gubanova is her rival, Jane Seymour, Ildar Abdrazakov sings
Henry VIII, and Marco Armiliato conducts.

I didn't grow up with the arts, but made a decision to learn as much as I could after I became an adult - specifically so I could open up worlds to my children that I hadn't known myself. Maria Montessori, convinced that the seeds for our futures are planted mostly before the age of 6, said it is our responsibility as parents and educators to give children the world - meaning a taste for the rich diversity in continents, countries, cultures - and the arts.


So, lo and behold, 20 years later, I have several opera singers among my kids. Honestly, it's not because they were pushed. I gave them a small introduction, but in their passion for opera they've taken me so many, many performances and taught me so much more.



Originally, my opera singers wanted to be Broadway singers, but somewhere along the line in their musical educations, they felt drawn to the challenge of perfecting their voices - power, range, control - and switched to opera. You have to understand that and opera singer can fill an entire concert hall with his or her voice - no mics needed. That is some amazing use of God's gift of vocal cords.


Opera is misunderstood by those who associate it with wealth and snobbery. And it's true that opera is expensive. But you can hear an opera live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York every Saturday for free on the radio.

And now, thanks to HD Live, you can see live simulcast operas on scattered Saturdays throughout the fall and spring.

For three years, I've been going to these whenever possible - with whichever of my kids/ and or hubby can go - and I'm seeing a real resurgence in interest in opera as there are more opportunities for people to see it. Though these performances at select theaters only happen once or twice a month, they are sometimes sold out.



Which is why I'm so glad that a recently-opened theater near me has signed on for the concert series this year. The Cobb Theater in Leesburg will be participating in the nationwide simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera's Anna Bolena this Saturday at 12:55.  I will be there, so be sure to say hi if you go too.


Opera is also misunderstood as being less "real" than Broadway shows, but opera is not related to musical theater, really.  It is more descended from Greek tragedy, which is why everything seems so exaggerated in form  And ah, the form!  There's nothing like the tremendous amount of artistry, time and effort that goes into making an opera - the set, the costumes, months and sometimes years of preparation by a great singer for one particular role.

I recently came across a book which I enjoyed every page of and passed on to my kids, who are enjoying it too:  Who's Afraid of Opera?  It's reader-friendly, humorous, informative and very down-to-earth.  Great for someone curious about opera, but also one who already knows it all.  Check your library - or Amazon has copies for a penny.



Here are the links you need to know:

Metropolitan Opera 2011-2012 Live in HD Series

Met - Anna Bolena Live-buy tickets (Fathom entertainment-check out their other great events)

Register to vote! Deadline October 17 5pm

At least in Virginia - check your state.

Google your county's Registrar of Voters to find out how and where to register.  Make sure all members of your family 18 and over are registered, including any with disabilities.

Remind your college kids to get absentee ballots if they can't come home to vote.

Many elections are decided on very narrow margins, so your vote does make a difference.

Remind your friends and neighbors and social networks to be ready to vote by registering NOW.

Jerome Lejeune and JFK - advocates for Down syndrome

Jérôme Lejeune and President John F. Kennedy, Pioneers of Advocacy for those with Down Syndrome

October is
Down Syndrome Awareness Month and various advocacy organizations across
the country are conducting "Buddy Walks" to raise funds for research and
to increase awareness among Americans of Down syndrome, or Trisomy 21,
and other genetic intellectual disabilities. As we head to the streets
in support of our family members and friends, we should do so with
thanks and remembrance of two key individuals who were among the first
advocates.

First Jérôme Lejeune, the French geneticist who discovered the cause of Down syndrome and appropriately named the disability Trisomy 21, to describe the disability as being in the genetic structure of the individual. Prior to Lejeune's discovery in 1959 children born with an extra 21st chromosome were scorned as "Mongoloids"
and considered to be the product of syphilis, or some immoral conduct
of their parents. Dr. Lejeune proved, by his discovery, that Down
syndrome is caused by an error in cell division immediately following
fertilization. With his discovery, Lejeune became a champion of the
dignity of these individuals. He committed his life to finding a cure,
to caring for their physical and emotional needs, and to being their
advocate, giving the full measure of his life to ensure their place of
respect in society as well as their very survival. He knew that once
diagnosed in their mother's womb their lives would be threatened by
those seeking to rid humanity of "imperfection". In fact, over 90% of
babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the United States are aborted and
about 96% in France. Dr. Lejeune's work continues today through the
Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in Paris, and the newly formed daughter
foundation in the United States, The Jérôme Lejeune USA Foundation. The
Lejeune Foundation has contributed over $21 million dollars to research
initiatives around the world in addition to maintaining the Lejeune
Institute, a medical clinic in Paris which provides care to patients
through the provision of a variety of medical specialists.

Second,
we owe deep gratitude to President John F. Kennedy for bringing
intellectual disability out of the shadows and into the light. Prior to
1963 few were engaged in research into the causes and treatments of
intellectual disabilities. The president's younger
sister, Rosemary, had been born with an intellectual disability so he
was very aware of the neglect these individuals and their families
experienced. 9 months after his inauguration, on October 11, 1961, he
appointed a panel to address this missing aspect of healthcare and
social services in the United States stating: "The central problems of
cause and prevention remain unsolved, and I believe that we as a
country, in association with scientists all over the world, should make a
comprehensive attack." Attack he did. The panel spent a year
considering his request and then presented him with 100 recommendations
for a federal approach to "mental retardation". At the press conference
announcing the new legislation he said in his most eloquent way: "It was
said, in an earlier age, that the mind of a man is a far country which
can neither be approached nor explored. But, today, under present
conditions of scientific achievement, it will be possible for a nation
as rich in human and material resources as ours to make the remote
reaches of the mind accessible. The mentally ill and the mentally
retarded need no longer be alien to our affections or beyond the help of
our communities."

 [image error]


It is clear why President Kennedy acknowledged Jérôme Lejeune's
achievement in Down syndrome research by awarding him the Kennedy Prize
in Genetics in 1962. It is also no wonder that members of the
Kennedy-Shriver family befriended Dr. and Mrs. Lejeune and together became strong advocates for the intellectually disabled, paving the way for the ongoing pursuit of research leading to treatments - some of which are now in clinical trial.

 

Even the most skeptical of researchers expect the work of these
pioneer advocates will soon bear fruit with treatments which improve
cognitive function, and address the particular health concerns of these
remarkable members of our human community.



The Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in Paris and the United States is proud
to continue the legacy of Dr. Lejeune. The Foundation is the largest
funder of research in the world and is unique among similar
organizations in that it continues to embody the life of Jérôme Lejeune
in his research, care, and advocacy of individuals with intellectual
disabilities of a genetic origin.

Jérôme Lejeune Foundation USA

contact@lejeuneusa.org | http://lejeuneusa.org  |  http://www.facebook.com/Lejeune.Foundation



The
mission of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation USA is to provide research,
care, and advocacy to benefit those with genetic intellectual
disability. This is carried out by conducting, promoting, and funding in
the United States therapeutically oriented medical research in the
field of genetic intellectual disability, primarily Trisomy 21; by
assisting in the development of healthcare services for these
individuals; and by serving as their advocate in a spirit of respect for
the dignity of all human persons.

friend on Facebook | forward to a friend 

42,912 Christian denominations

Japan nixed Obama apology

Apologies Not Accepted

 Posted 10/11/2011 06:29 PM ET

In November 2009, Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to bow to Japan's emperor. View Enlarged Image

Leadership:
Leaked cables show Japan nixed a presidential apology to Hiroshima and
Nagasaki for using nukes to end the overseas contingency operation known
as World War II. Will the next president apologize for the current one?

The obsessive need of this president to apologize for American
exceptionalism and our defense of freedom continued recently when Barack
Obama's State Department (run by Hillary Clinton) contacted the family
of al-Qaida propagandist and recruiter Samir Khan to "express its
condolences" to his family.

Khan, a right-hand man to Anwar al-Awlaki, was killed along with
Awlaki in an airstrike in Yemen on Sept. 30. We apologized for killing a
terrorist before he could help kill any more of us.

It's yet another part of the world apology tour that began with Obama
taking the oath of office to protect and defend the United States and
its Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, something he
immediately felt sorry for.

Read more at Investors.com

Obama cuts funds for human trafficking victims

From the Washington Examiner (because of course the Washington Post isn't interested):

Payback? Obama drops grant to Catholic bishops
byCharlie Spiering Commentary Staff Writer







[image error]
President
Obama failed to renew the $19 million grant awarded to the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops for providing assistance to human
trafficking victims.


The grant from the Department of Health and Human Service was awarded
to the bishops in 2006 by President George W. Bush and funded the
Migration and Refugee Services.


The office helped 2,700 victims of human trafficking obtain food, clothing and access to medical care.

 

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that she hoped the "position against abortion, sterilization and artificial contraception has not entered into this decision."


The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for
Children and Families gave no reason to the Catholic Bishops for
refusing to renew the grant.


"HHS's primary focus in serving victims of human trafficking is
ensuring that they have access to the high quality and comprehensive
case management services they need," Marrianne McMullen, a spokesman for
the agency told Bloomberg News. "These are individuals who have endured
traumatic experiences in many cases and who face uniquely complex
challenges."

In recent months, the Conference has criticized Obama for positioning himself against the Catholic Church.

 

In August, the Conference urged the HHS to repeal Obama's private insurance mandate to cover contraception, including abortifacients and sterilization.


Last month, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, head of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, issued a strong statement warning that Obama's failure to defend the Defense of Marriage Act was a "serious breach of Church-State relations."

Facebook humor/inspiration stream #3

My Facebook News Feed is like a river streaming so much humor and inspiration, I plan to do roundups of the best whenever I have a minute. In the random order they appeared:

Obama bus tour - VA and NC next week

Truly criminal how the Obamas have used tax payer money to party, vacation - and even campaign:

 

Friends-

President Barack Obama will be taking a taxpayer funded
campaign bus tour through Virginia and North Carolina next
week. I'm sure that you will want to rush out and
thank him for bringing his agenda of higher taxes,
increased business regulations, record levels of national
debt, and rising unemployment to our Commonwealth.

I am wondering how many of his fellow Democrats that are
on the ballot this November are going to join him on stage?
My guess is that many of them will have "other things
to do" during his taxpayer funded campaign bus tour.
I can't say I blame them. They have supported his
policies the past few years, but now that they have to run
on their record, you can hardly find a Democrat running for
re-election who is willing to be seen with Barack
Obama.

Since many Democrats won't be there to greet him,
I thought the Republican Party of Virginia should do
something to welcome him to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
So, we had a special bumper sticker designed that I hope
you will put on your car. 

 

While we do have an important election in just over
three weeks when all 140 Members of the General Assembly
will be on the ballot, we must start preparing for 2012 and
ensure that we defeat Barack Obama and his big spending
ways. But we need your help to do it.

We have already established our Victory 2012 campaign
and your financial support will be critical to our success.
Anyone making a donation of at least $25 between now and
October 31st will receive a special "Not Again!" bumper
sticker.

I know Virginia Republicans will want to show Barack
Obama how excited we are that he is spending our hard
earned tax dollars on a campaign bus tour, using it to aid
in his re-election and promoting a "second
stimulus".

Please click here to support the Republican Party of Virginia and to
get your bumper sticker today!

 

Yours in Republican Victory,

 

 Pat Mullins, Chairman

P.S. Please click here to make your donation to the Republican
Party of Virginia to get the special "Not Again!"
bumper sticker. We know these special bumper stickers are going to go fast,
so get yours today!

 

 

Paid for and
authorized by the Republican Party of Virginia.
Not Authorized
by any candidate or candidate's committee.
www.rpv.org

 

 

Paid for and authorized by the Republican Party of
Virginia