For those who wonder what they’ll watch once season two of Downton Abbey is over, here is a suggestion. This year is the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and there are a number of movies coming out about it. This one particularly caught my interest. Titanic is a 4-part mini series from Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey.
Titanic will debut on April 12, 2012, airing simultaneously in over 50 countries. (I believe that includes us.) It will be broadcast on ITV1 in the UK, ABC in the US and on Australia’s Seven Network.
(For you Downton Abbey fans, you may notice in the trailer actress Maria Doyle Kennedy, who played Mrs Vera Bates, as Titanic passenger Muriel Batley. I can’t help but wonder if we will like or despise this character…or be able to see her without thinking of Mrs. Bates.) Either way, the mini series looks good!
Blog Archives
New Titanic Movie by Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey
Lifesite News: Komen to Stop Grants to PP Abortion Biz… and Their Reversal
UPDATE: Four days later Komen caves to the pressure. But all hope is not lost. For details read:
Komen May Continue to Fund Some Planned Parenthood Grants
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This article has been circulating since yesterday. I’m happy to repost it.
Lifesite News: Komen to Stop Grants to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
After years of protests and criticism from pro-life advocates, the biggest breast cancer organization, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has announced it is halting further grants and donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
Figures from August directly from the Komen for the Cure foundation show 18 affiliates of the breast cancer charity gave a total of more than $569,000 to the Planned Parenthood abortion business in 2010. That was down from the $731,303 Komen officials publicly confirmed in October 2010, when they acknowledged that 20 of the 122 Komen affiliates gave to Planned Parenthood during the 2009 fiscal year.
Now, Komen says it is halting all grants due to the impending investigation in Congress of the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Its new guidelines prevent it from funding any group under congressional investigation.
The policy makes it so no further Planned Parenthood grants will be given unless the investigation results in Planned Parenthood’s favor.
According to Fox News, Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said “the cutoff results from the charity’s newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it’s the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.”
Aun said pro-life pressure was less of a factor than the Congressional investigation.
“We want to maintain a positive relationship with them,” she said of Planned Parenthood. “We’re not making any judgment.”
Planned Parenthood officials are upset by the decision and have already publicly responded, saying they will quickly try to raise the funds Komen had generated.
“It’s hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women’s lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying,” Richards told The Associated Press. “It’s really hurtful.”
Richard indicated Komen officials informed Planned Parenthood in December of the decision and that it came via a phone call from top Komen officials. Planned Parenthood responded by requesting a meeting with the Komen board, including CEO Nancy Brinker and board chairman Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. Komen, according to Fox News, replied with a letter ignoring the request for a meeting and adding, “We understand the disappointment of any organization that is affected by these policy and strategy updates.”
“We’re kind of reeling,” said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia, told Fox News. “It sounds almost trite, going through this with Betsi, but cancer doesn’t care if you’re pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative. Victims of cancer could care less about people’s politics.”
Komen affiliates in Austin, Texas; Central New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Greater Amarillo, Texas; Los Angeles County, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Salt Lake City, Utah stopped giving to the abortion business while affiliates in Dallas County, Texas; Denver, Colorado; North Carolina Triad; North Carolina Triangle; and Puget Sound, Washington all began new relationships with Planned Parenthood in 2011.
A Komen affiliate in Orange County, California is the last to have given a grant to the abortion business, doing so in December. The grant was approved prior to Komen announcing its changes.
“Stephanie Kight, a vice president with Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, said her affiliate in Southern California received a Komen grant for 2011 and was able to obtain an additional grant of $120,000 for 2012 by signing the deal with its local Komen counterpart just before Komen’s new criteria took effect,” according to Fox.
The official Komen statement follows:
At Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the women we serve are our highest priority in everything we do. Last year, we invested $98 million in community health programs, which included 700,000 mammograms. Additionally, we began an initiative to further strengthen our grants program to be even more outcomes-driven and to allow for even greater investments in programs that directly serve women. We also implemented more stringent eligibility and performance criteria to support these strategies. While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a longstanding partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission.
It is critical to underscore that the women we serve in communities remain our priority. We are working directly with Komen Affiliates to ensure there is no interruption or gaps in services for women who need breast health screening and services.
ACTION: Contact Komen for the Cure to thank it for stopping grants to Planned Parenthood at http://ww5.komen.org/Contact.aspx
It is particularly important that we let Komen for the Cure know that we are grateful to them for stopping their funding to Planned Parenthood (especially since abortion has been linked to breast cancer) and that we will once again give them our financial support. They received 200 emails yesterday denouncing their decision. They must hear from pro-lifers supporting their decision. Use this link http://ww5.komen.org/Contact.aspx to send them an email. I just did and it only takes a couple minutes.
Operation Clean and Organize: Vol 6 – The Cupboards/Pantry (Part 2)
**Taming the procrastinating, ADD, mess cat within me.**
I feel like I can’t get very much done in the house organizing department, especially since my project list is so long. But I figured that if I tackle one small job a week I’ll slowly but surely get my job list complete.
Before the holidays I started organizing my kitchen cabinets, particularly the mini pantry cabinet that I blogged about here. Now that holidays are over, I have been able to continue with the cabinet over the sink where we keep canned goods and baking items. I had a few blue plastic containers but instead of being organizers they were just catch-alls for anything and everything.
My spices were particularly a headache since I had to dig through this mess whenever I was looking for a spice, whether it was cumin or nutmeg.
I had this old circular spice rack from years ago but a number of spices that came with it were ones I did not use so they just gathered dust and took up space. I decided to dump out all the spices from the jars and remove all the labels. I washed them and relabeled them with the spices that I use all the time.
In the blue bucket I keep spices I don’t use as often (like BBQ rubs) and refills of frequent ones.
As for the cabinet I pulled everything out and reorganized, keeping the baking goods in top. Brian was shocked when he opened the cabinet to look for some tea and he knew exactly where it would be.
That’s it for this week. Upcoming posts will be the garage pantry, the living room bookshelves/my work area, and the DVD/media shelf. Happy organizing!
80’s Flashback: Ferris Bueller & the Honda CR-V
As a child of the 80’s and a fan of Ferris Bueller, I thought this commercial was really funny. š
TV Talk: Downton Abbey 2: Episode 4
Wow. What an episode. Talk about needing a handkerchief. I watched it again this morning as I was doing laundry and folding clothes. Here are a few thoughts I had.
First Tears – The tears already started the first few minutes as we watched the men prepare for their battle. I loved the way William gave Matthew encouraging words to help him be strong. In turn, Matthew went out and rallied his men to be strong and keep their spirits up. It was painful to watch the men fight in the battle knowing that the ravages of war are all too real, even today.
Fave Scene – I think my favorite scene was when Mary was telling her father of her plans to sit with Matthew in the hospital and he told her that Lavinia was coming too. When Mary agreed that she should be there, you could see the look on Lord Grantham’s face and how proud he was of Mary that she is showing such maturity and selfless love. My second favorite was also seemingly insignificant but it is when Lavinia entered the hospital and Mary walked over and kissed her on the cheek. I am growing fonder and fonder of Mary as each episode passes. I love the way she has put aside her feelings and has befriended Lavinia and encourages her to be strong in her fight for Matthew. She knows first hand the pain of not fighting for something when you have the chance. Yet Mary has not lost the essence of her personality in being strong willed and determined like her Grandmother. I couldn’t help but smile when she told the doctor that she would be a volunteer caring for Matthew whether he liked it or not.
Questioning Team Matthew & Mary – For the first time this season, I really got a sense that Matthew truly does love Lavinia. Perhaps it is on a different level than how he loved Mary but I believe his feelings for her are genuine and that he would truly be happy as her husband. I think this is what Mary sees and what stops her from telling him her true feelings. I was also proud of Lavinia. Perhaps she is not as tenacious as Mary but I don’t think she is as weak and feeble as people think she is, especially remembering how she helped her father earlier. For a moment I actually stopped hoping Mary and Matthew would get back together. I wanted Lavinia to have a chance to prove herself and show that she truly loves Matthew and is willing to live a life of sacrificial love with him. I will hate it if they have her just run away and stay away. Perhaps, circumstances will stop a marriage between them that but I’d hate it to be a character flaw that drives them apart. I also can’t help but wonder if Lavinia’s line “I can’t live without Matthew” will be prophetic.
The Champ – Last week was a quiet week for The Countess but this week she was in all her glory. What is the use of being a Countess if you cannot pull a few strings to benefit those you love? In this case, I was cheering her on. My favorite scene was Travis vs The Countess. One of the best knock outs I’ve seen in a long time! The most touching scene was when she was crying at William and Daisy’s wedding because she “has a cold.” I also liked when she was concerned about hurting William’s father and wanted him to come to the truth gradually so it would be less of a shock.
Sybil & Branson the Pest – Since at least nine months have passed since last week’s episode (assuming with the birth of Ethel’s baby) I can’t help but wonder how long Branson will continue badgering Sybil. His character is getting really annoying so if they land out getting together they had better make him seem less selfish in order for us to be happy about the union.
Snakes in the Grass – Sir Richard may have saved Mary from the scandal but I don’t trust him for a moment, particularly since he finds pleasure in having Mary in his debt. (The previews for next week seem to confirm that.) His only redeeming quality is that he was able to stick it to Mrs. Bates and we were able to see the look of shock on her face when he threatened to imprison her. But it’s easier for a snake to outsmart another snake. Vera certainly will not let Bates and Anna go unpunished. Everything in Bates and Anna’s garden is far from “rosy” and I dread what she has in store for them. (BTW, loved when they were praying together in church!)
Bride & Widow on the Same Day – The whole situation is heart breaking. William may have been a servant but he behaved like a gentleman showing incredible courage, selflessness and quiet dignity in his actions – from saving Matthew’s life, to providing for Daisy to accepting his inevitable death. Although I felt sorry for Daisy to be in anguish over her deceit, I am glad that William was able to die in peace. And honestly, was there a dry eye during the wedding scene amongst characters or the viewers? Good heavens, even O’Brien and Thomas were touched.
Most Tear Educing Scene – I completely lost it when Matthew, feeling completely dejected, looked at his just arrived mom and says, “Mother.” (Makes me want to go hug my little boys.)
Random Thoughts
- Is Jane, the new servant, telling the truth or is she like Ethel?
- In the previews, why were Carson & Mrs Hughes talking about leaving?
- Who was the disfigured soldier?
- Are they including the UK Christmas Special in the USA’s Season 2?
Well, that’s it for now. Fell free to leave your comments or join the discussion at By Sun and Candlelight’s Last Night’s Downtown.