Way back in November 2014  (wait, a year and a half ago; is that possible?) I wrote about the shame of menstruation, the last worst taboo. (See that post here. If you haven't read it, go back and do that now. I'll wait.) I have also spoken about the fact that sanitary hygiene products are taxed as luxury items in 40 states - unlike nearly all medications, Rogaine for men and, of course, viagra, all of which are untaxed 'necessities.' (See The Power of Love: Violence Against Women and What We Can Do About It.) So it is utterly delightful when…

To file under the "ya think?" category, this from our friends at the New York Times: A Growing Disenchantment with October Pinkification. During this month's pinkification of every-single-thing, I bit my tongue. Last October was my first fall in the USA in a while, and the pink-washing hit me full force. Then I spouted off enough to alienate numerous friends and colleagues. If you missed it, read my post on that here. So this year I was mum. Well, almost. But now the mainstream media has decided it's time to ratchet back the glowing pink-licity, so perhaps the tide has turned. As…

I received many comments on my Pink October post which took a rather dim view of corporations  sharing our Breast Cancer pain. (If you missed the original post, read it here.) Now the folks at the Daily Show - good ole John Stewart and Samantha Bee - have their own take on this subject, aired December 3rd.  Yes, those pink drill bits really do exist. And Breast Cancer Action is featured too. Check it out here.  And get out those pink ribbons.    

Prepare yourselves -  this is an anti-pink post. If you’re just back from your local Breast Cancer Awareness Walk or happily clicked on that ‘donate a mammogram’ button, be prepared. Before you dismiss my forthcoming comments as an angry rant from someone just transitioning back to the USA, note: I am not an unfeeling person, untouched by chemotherapy in the family or blissfully absent the experience of death. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. My mother-in-law died of cancer, in her early 50's, never to see most of her grandchildren. My beloved step-brother died of AIDS in the 1980’s,…