Be(A)ware
Yep, it's that time of year again: October, otherwise known as "Breast Cancer Awareness Month." By all means, be aware. Know that breast cancer still kills millions. That mammograms are great for detecting breast cancer, but they don't prevent it. That racing for the cure will make you feel great and will give you a chance to get informed, but it won't get much money into research for an actual cure.
By all means, get educated. And please, be an educated consumer. When a company puts a pink ribbon on a product, ask them where the money goes—and how much.
By all means, buy Yoplait yogurts if you like them—but don't bother mailing back three pink lids in an envelope with a 37-cent stamp on it. You'd be better off sending 67 cents (or better yet, $5, $10, $50) directly to a breast cancer charity and skipping the middleman. Feel free to test drive the BMW, buy the Avon lipstick, use the Eureka vacuum. But if you really want to do something for yourself *and* find a cure for breast cancer, skip the car, the makeup, and the dirt sucker and go straight for the tax deduction.