Pinkwashing, or even DOUBLE #pinkwashing Dallas News style

Ahh, it's October, the season when leaves turn golden yellow, orange and red in much of the country, while NFL players' cleats turn pink, in an abomination even MLB baseball doesn't (yet?) indulge.

Behind much of this is the Susan G. Komen, which, after dropping the "Race for the Cure," and dropping the "Foundation" before that, surprisingly has not followed the Dallas Morning News in capitalizing the "the," which ain't done on this block. Suck it, Snooze.

And, if you want to do some honest reporting, now that the ACS has said women should wait until 45 on mammograms, how about telling people mammograms can kill more than they save.

The Snooze has taken the pinkwashing for which Komen is known to new levels this year, putting that banner at top as a floating banner among all webpages. (Please, just trust me; do NOT reward bad behavior by visiting the News' website.)

Cheap PRwashing for the NFL, which has other problems
with women's issues, like domestic violence (can you say
Johnny Manziel?), let alone not wearing pink-gray shoes
to try to actually fight CTE.

I've already joked that, due to its lack of a paywall, and its general financials, the Snooze's website is in the pink because it's not in the black.

Meanwhile, Komen has a long history of "issues." Most of them have been lightly and belatedly reported by the Snooze. Probably because the organization was incorporated in Dallas, and via founder Nancy Brinker has lots of connection to Dallas-area heavy hitters in the conservative political world. (Husband Norman founded the Brinker restaurant conglomerate, owner of Chili's, Maggiano's, Steak and Ale, Romano's and more, either currently or in the past.)

Like Brinker, who garnered multiple Bush Administration diplomatic posts. And went on to keep garnering CEO salary at the Komen nearly a full year after saying she was stepping down. And, was quite highly paid for a nonprofit CEO had she even been one.

In the past, it's also sold products with alleged carcinogens, then tried to either ignore or bury that. Or used its muscle to fight claims about carcinogens.

Then, there was former Komen executive VP Karen Handel, deliberately separating ties with Planned Parenthood. And, since this was when Brinker was CEO, this wasn't all Handel's call. Indeed, Brinker publicly defended it.

Part of it seems to be Nancy Brinker's swelled head. NYMag documents. After she left the White House and returned to Komen (her husband had died in 2009, too), she wanted five-star treatment, and to run the "foundation" in a five-star way. And, she, a Bush "pioneer" in 2000, brought BushCo henchwomen to work with her.

The Snooze could have reported on any and all of this, of course.

But didn't. Or buried it when it did, and borrowed other reporting when it had to print something. Jim Schutze at the Dallas Observer has some past lowdown.

That said, since the Komen fiasco, Brinker moved WAY left on one social issue, supporting gay marriage. (Of course, it's because of her son. It's amazing how gays in the family can change a family matriarch or patriarch stance at times. It's both more amazing and less amazing how often it can't or won't.)

That said, I've never heard that Brinker has changed her general political stripes or her stance on reproductive choice.

Assuming she hasn't, and the Snooze wouldn't tell you anyway, that's more reason to stay away from Komen, and nonsense like pictured at left. Or above.

Speaking of ... about that second pinkwashing?

Also questionable is the design of that area on the left.

It doesn't look so much like a breast cancer ribbon as it does an ichthys.

A WHAT?

That's the Greek word for "fish." As in the far-right Christian fish symbol.

Like St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, and his lyingly claiming to be paying tribute to Stan Musial on the Busch Stadium mound last year. (Click link for photo and story.)

And, no, it wouldn't surprise me if the Snooze is trying a double brainwashing. I've already Tweeted it and gotten bupkis as a response.

Or, yet more on the first brainwashing.

Per Brinker's outlandish salary, how's it rank as a charity?

Charity Navigator only gives it two stars out of four.

Brinker’s finishes dumping Macaroni Grill

And, dumping is right, as Brinker’s had to sell the Romano’s restaurant line for less than half its original asking price.

Oh, if you have gift cards, they remain valid.

Brinker’s drop reflects economic slowdown

Brinker’s, the parent of Chili’s and Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurants, saw its fiscal first quarter profits drop 37 percent. And, its projections indicate it will be an ongoing indicator of an ongoing slowdown.

As I’ve blogged before, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brinker’s fold some restaurants in its two flagship chains, entirely fold lower-performing nameplates besides the big two, or both.

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see some restaurant chain mergers in the next 12-18 months. Macaroni Grill is already up for sale, but no buyers yet.

Chili’s avoids a chill

Last week, upon the closure of Bennigan’s restaurants, I pondered what eateries might be next, and noted that Brinker’s was high on the list of many analysts.

Well, with a 49 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, Brinker’s obviously hurting.

Well, non-Chili’s restaurants in the chain are, at least.

Macaroni Grill, different story. Brinker is selling its majority interest, and if Chili’s is doing OK, that means Macaroni and other Brinker restaurants ain’t. However, analysts don’t like that Brinker is keeping any share in Macaroni, which means it must really be stinking.

And, Bennigan’s appears to be a harbinger of recession-related restaurant weakness.

The Dallas Morning News story notes Bennigan’s bankruptcy filing was one of four major restaurant bankruptcies during the first seven months of 2008, compared with just two during all of 2007.

“In periods of stress in the industry before, we typically have not seen more than six bankruptcies in a year,” said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based market research firm. “And we already have four.”

“We’re well on our way to the most we’ve seen in a single year” since the 1980s, he said, when the economy was roiled by tumbling real estate values and the S&L crisis.

Back to Brinker’s.

Frankly, I’d worry about On the Border, too. It’s got plenty of competition in the Mexican restaurant world, from grab-and-gos like Chipotle below it to, here in Texas, a place like Matt’s Rancho Martinez, a cut above in quality.

What restaurant is next after Bennigan’s?

To tighten ship, or even close, that is.

Locally, here in Cedar Hill in particular and the Best Southwest part of suburban Dallas in general, we have several representatives of the top candidates among restaurant chains to close at least some individual restaurants, if not have company-wide troubles.

In general, think of the casual/semi-casual dining type and you’ve got the idea: from Red Robin at the low end through Cheesecake Factory and on to Brinker, the parent of Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, On the Border, Olive Garden and Red Lobster.

Why?

Anthony Mirhaydari says its because the current recession is shaping up to be more like the Carter-Reagan recession than the H.W. Bush or Clinton-Shrub recessions. I agree.

Both those recessions did not have oil or food prices as drivers. And, neither lasted as long as the Carter-Reagan one.

Beyond that, let me weigh in with some other observations.

Too much overlap.

How different, really, are Olive Garden (Darden’s) and Romano’s (Brinker’s)? No, I’m not encouraging restaurant company collusion, just making an observation.

For that matter, within Brinker’s, how much difference is there between Romano’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy?

As for Bennigan’s? The signs were there a month ago.