 Professional Women's Village News
By The Associated Press
British academics debate female celeb fascination
By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press Writer
Jun 26 17:07
LONDON (AP) - We're fascinated by
Britney's meltdown, Lindsay's drink and drug arrests, Amy's rehab
struggles.
Should that make us uncomfortable? Do
the media and the public like giving women a hard time?
Some academics think we do, and
dozens of them met to discuss society's fascination with what they
termed "train-wreck'' female celebrities such as Britney Spears, Lindsay
Lohan and Amy Winehouse.
The topics for the one-day symposium
Wednesday at the University of East Anglia mixed tabloid talk and
academic argot. Papers included "Britney's Tears: the Abject Female
Celebrity in Postemotional Society''; "Hooker, Victim and/or Doormat:
Lindsay Lohan and the Culture of Celebrity Notoriety''; and "Just Too
Much? Heather Mills and Celebrity Transgression.''
Diane Negra, one of the organizers,
said the participants wanted to study why we take "pleasure in seeing
women brought low.''
"The massive coverage these women
draw is only a little bit about themselves,'' said Negra, a professor of
film and television at the host university in Norwich, 115 miles
northeast of London. "These women operate as lightning rods for a lot of
other concerns.''
There's nothing new in our
fascination with celebrities. But the Internet and the spread of
"tabloid'' culture into the mainstream have created a whirlwind in which
rumor, claim and rebuttal swirl and feed off one another.
The Web has also helped drive an
explosion in the volume of news, rumor and gossip. A Google News search
for soul diva Winehouse on Wednesday produced almost 10,000 stories. The
AP has run Winehouse-related stories on 12 days so far in June. In
British newspapers, the story of the singer's erratic public
appearances, struggle with drugs and health worries is played out almost
daily.
There are plenty of male celebrities,
from Pete Doherty to Robert Downey Jr., whose personal and legal
difficulties also make headlines.
But Negra said the coverage of women
is more judgmental, casting wayward female celebrities as "cautionary
tales.'' She said coverage of female celebs is less likely to celebrate
a troubled star's triumphant comeback, the way Downey has been lauded
for "Iron Man'' or Owen Wilson has been shown returning to work after a
reported suicide attempt.
"We seem to have a lot more fixed
ideas about what women's lives should be like than we do of men,'' she
said.
"When we use female celebrities this
way, we see them failing and struggling, they serve as proof that for
women the work-life balance is impossible. Can you have it all? The
answer these stories give again and again is 'absolutely not.'''
Unsurprisingly, celebrity journalists
disagree. Gordon Smart, who edits The Sun newspaper's celebrity pages,
said the preponderance of troubled female stars in the news was a
coincidence.
"At the moment there just happens to
be cluster of female celebrities that are going through difficult
times,'' Smart told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Cary Cooper, a professor of
psychology and health at Lancaster University in England, said negative
celebrity coverage is not the media's fault -- readers and viewers want
to watch celebrities struggle.
"It makes people feel good,'' Cooper
said. Celebrities "look like they lead a golden life, and yet it doesn't
make them happy. So in a way it justifies our humdrum existence.''
Negra suggested the negative tone of
much coverage reflects public concern about the growing number of
celebrities who are famous simply for being famous, like Paris Hilton or
the stars of reality TV shows. The criticism is a way of addressing
troubling questions about the link between talent and fame.
"Do we expect people who are famous
to be talented?'' she said. "How do we deal with the ubiquity of reality
TV?''
She thinks much of the hostility to
Paul McCartney's ex, Heather Mills -- depicted as a self-serving
gold-digger by the British press -- arose "because of the sense that her
fame was unearned,'' in comparison to that of the former Beatle.
Veteran celebrity publicist Max
Clifford doesn't believe women get a harder time from the media. He
thinks the knives are out for all celebrities.
"The media don't mind whether it's a
male or a female -- if they can assassinate them and sell newspapers,
they will,'' Clifford said. "The sad thing is, bad news is news and good
news isn't.
"When I started out in the business
in 1962, it was all about promotion. Now most of my job is about
protection -- protecting celebrities from an ever-more vicious media.''
New York women's median pay down from '89
The Associated Press
Jun 26. 15:57
NEW YORK (AP)- New York women are
losing economic ground, according to a report released Thursday.
Women in the state were more likely
to be poor in 2005 than they were in 1989. During the same period,
median pay for full-time, year-round work also fell, according to the
report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research.
Median annual earnings for women in
the state were largely flat for the 16 years from 1989 to 2005. Women's
median earnings for full-time, year-round work in New York were $33,400
in 1989, falling to $33,300, in 2006, on an inflation-adjusted basis.
By contrast, women in the rest of the
United States got a tiny raise, with their median incomes rising from
$28,500 in 1989 to $31,800 in 2006.
One reason New York may have lost
ground is that its population of immigrant women increased, said Erica
Williams, study director at the institute. In 2005, more than one-fifth
of the women in the state were foreign-born, nearly twice the national
figure. Roughly half of New York's immigrant women are not U.S.
citizens.
"Immigrant women, particularly those
who are not naturalized citizens or are undocumented, face gigantic
obstacles when it comes to finding decent employment,'' Williams said.
Another possible reason for women's
overall pay stasis is the increase in the total number of low-paying
jobs in the service sector, such as home health aids.
Asked if the bad jobs have gotten
worse, Williams said, "The real issue is that more and more women are
working in bad jobs.''
For instance, the study found that
the 16,863 Latina women working in childcare had median earnings of
$11,200 a year -- meaning half the women earned less than that.
Dealing with depression: one physician's story
AP Wire Service
Jun 25 18:48
Statistics that indicate physicians
experience depression at roughly the same rates as the general
population, although women physicians had higher rates. The statement
cited barriers to treatment, including the stigma. It recommends
transforming professional attitudes and institutional policies to
encourage physicians to seek the help they
need. In May, AFSP worked in association with other institutions to
release "Struggling in Silence: Physician Depression and Suicide,''
which aired on public television. Here's the story of a Lynchburg
doctor, who agreed to talk about his bout with depression.
By CYNTHIA PEGRAM
The News & Advance
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - Depression
slams you,'' said Dr. Stuart Harris.
It comes unexpectedly and opens up a
dark hole of despair you just fall into, the retired Lynchburg surgeon
said.
"You don't think you can communicate
with anybody.''
"It's just like appendicitis,'' said
Harris. "The sooner you see a good doctor, the better off you are.''
Years ago, depression in a physician
was a problem only discussed privately lest it affect his medical
practice or his patients' faith in him.
Not any more.
Today, medical students learn early
on that depression is a lifelong risk for them as well as their future
patients. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO), the premier accrediting organization, requires
hospitals to have in place a system apart from the disciplinary
committees to help doctors struggling with any kind of impairment.
And this spring, public television
released a program developed in cooperation with the American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention, "Struggling in Silence: Physician Depression and
Suicide.''
Harris -- a leader in state and local
medical professional organizations, and recognized at every level of his
career by his colleagues -- went through an episode of depression in
1992 after losing a patient he cared a lot about.
"I'm a poor loser,'' he said. "I had
a lot of trouble handling when I lost.''
He went to the Menninger Clinic for
treatment. And he's not afraid to share that he's overcome severe
depression.
"I've been there,'' he said. "It's
just as important to say you've been down as it is to say you've been
up.''
Born in 1931, Harris grew up as a
gifted student and athlete. His way of working off anxiety was by
running and lifting weights. Later, he moved with honors from Virginia
Episcopal School to the University of Virginia for his undergraduate
years and, later, to medical school. His surgical residency was in the
Boston area, followed by a tour of duty in the military. He came back to
Lynchburg to practice in 1965.
His medical education about
depression came as he went through psychiatric rotation training for
medical students.
Yet when depression moved into his
own life, it was as unexpected as it was hard-hitting. Harris says he
had always been a serious person, tense "and a perfectionist to a fault.
But I was a happy guy.''
Although depression was overtaking
him in much of his life, he said his surgical skills weren't affected.
"When I was operating and when I ran
-- that was my escape.''
But he just couldn't sleep. "Then I
got so that to be by myself was almost unbearable.''
Two close friends, also colleagues,
told him how concerned they were, that he needed some help.
"We were very close friends as
physicians, and we competed in sporting activities, in tennis and squash
for 30 years,'' said Lynchburg orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Fitzgerald.
The three talked and the friendship
among them meant they say to Harris that something "had to happen and
happen right away,'' said Fitzgerald.
"He couldn't keep going on.''
Harris' reaction?
"He addressed it like a surgeon
would. He had a problem and needed to do something,'' said Fitzgerald.
His friends helped expedite his entry into Menninger.
But accepting the tough call was
exactly that for Harris.
"I have a hard time leaving the
ballgame,'' he said. "I am a competitor. I have a hard time raising my
hand and saying, 'Time Out.' "
He entered Menninger, then in Topeka,
Kan., which had a professionals-in-crisis program. He and his wife,
Marie, flew out to the clinic; they interviewed her as well as him.
"They had an excellent program,''
said Marie Harris.
He stayed; she flew home. He asked
her to let people know he was at the clinic, and she did.
Back home, Marie Harris found great
support for her husband and herself. "My friends rallied around me.'' In
the flat Kansas landscape so different from home, Harris felt bleak,
deserted and lost.
But he worked hard. He started by
building a strong bond with his psychiatrist.
"I knew that I'd gotten myself in
that hole, and I needed someone to get me out of it. And I knew this was
the person to do it.''
Having been a surgeon, he knew "I had
to trust my doctor -- my doctor and the good Lord.''
Just as it takes a team to win a
football game, "a person can't get themselves well,'' he said.
He built rapport with the other
patients, and took his medications.
Harris knew when he had begun to
heal.
"All of a sudden, I got up in the
morning, and things looked good,'' he said. "The sun was shining, and I
felt like I could make it.''
It had taken three to four weeks. He
went home. If stigma was present, he said, he didn't feel it.
"The medical profession accepted the
competence of the people who said I was all right,'' Harris said. "I got
tremendous support. I think all doctors understand depression, whether
they can treat it or not.'' Fitzgerald said that Harris did not express
concern about stigma.
"He was very upfront about it in
public settings,'' said Fitzgerald, and that opened up the door for
others to address their own problems.
"It was quite remarkable. I was in
great admiration.''
Harris resumed his practice, starting
with office visits, and then assisting in surgery. When he realized
everything was OK, "I went back into the ballgame.''
In all, he'd only been out of the
office about six weeks.
Harris thinks the treatment he got at
Menninger was crucial.
Looking back, he said, "I think if I
had not been there I would have introverted and shrunk away.''
Harris continued practicing until his
retirement in 2004. It took awhile to acclimate to the slower pace, and
he still doesn't feel like he has quite enough to do.
But the Harrises, who have two
children, are doing some traveling and spending time with their five
grandchildren, whom Dr. Harris describes as "God's gift to grandfathers
and grandmothers.''
FDA: Merck can't market Gardasil to women 27-45
By JEFFREY GOLD
AP Business Writer
Jun 25, 16:30
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The drugmaker
Merck & Co. said Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration has
rejected expanding the use of cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to
include women ages 27 to 45.
The agency cited "issues that
preclude approval'' within the expected review timeframe, Merck said.
Gardasil was approved in 2006 for
girls and women between 9 and 26 years old to prevent cervical cancer
caused by the human papillomavirus. The agency's current action does not
affect this population's use.
The FDA decision bars Merck from
marketing Gardasil to women ages 27-45, but does not prevent those women
from getting the vaccine from their doctors.
Merck said that the agency identified
several issues related to the application in a "complete response''
letter, including stating that the data submitted does not support
extending Gardasil's use to include non-vaccine HPV types.
Merck also reaffirmed its goal of
attaining compound annual growth of between 4 percent and 6 percent from
2005 through 2010.
Gardasil is the only cervical cancer
vaccine approved for the lucrative U.S. market. It is outselling another
vaccine, Cervarix, from GlaxoSmithKline PLC, in worldwide sales,
analysts said, garnering over $1 billion in sales since its June 2006
U.S. launch.
"This is clearly not what Merck
wanted. It reflects the painstakingly slow process that the FDA has in
approving anything,'' WBB Securities analyst Steve Brozak said. "I think
this is one where they would rather err on the side of getting another
23 pounds of documents.''
Whitehouse Station-based drug maker
Merck said it has already had discussions with the FDA and plans to
respond next month.
Merck shares dipped about 1.5 percent
but later recovered and closed down 5 cents at $36.98 in Wednesday
trading.
On the Net: www.merck.com
Obama tells women he supports equal pay
By SARA KUGLER
Associated Press Writer
Jun 23 20:54
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Democrat
Barack Obama, determined to win over female voters, talked Monday about
the women who helped shape his life in arguing that he would be a better
proponent of equal pay than Republican John McCain.
The presumed Democratic nominee
toured a bakery and chatted with female workers about their economic
challenges.
Sen. Obama told how he was raised by
a single mother and his grandmother, who made sacrifices to support
their family. He told them that Sen. McCain opposed legislation earlier
this year that would have made it easier for women to sue their
employers for pay discrimination. Obama supported the bill.
"I'll continue to stand up for equal
pay as president -- Senator McCain won't, and that's a real difference
in this election,'' Obama said.
McCain has said he supports equal pay
for women but had said the measure would lead to more lawsuits.
Obama also said he would expand the
child care tax credit, increase funds for after-school programs and
expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover small businesses with
as few as 25 employees.
Later during a question-and-answer
session with about 30 women, Obama said he constantly questions the
balance of work and family in his life.
"I'm away from my daughters all the
time, and I'm away from my wife all the time,'' Obama said. "And so I'm
always comparing, 'OK, is what I'm doing -- running for president or
even being president -- worth the sacrifice of not being with my
family?'''
Since he clinched the Democratic
presidential nomination earlier this month and Hillary Rodham Clinton
abandoned her bid, Obama has praised her most often in the context of
what her campaign did for women, often mentioning his two daughters as
examples of those who will benefit from the barriers she broke.
Women supported the former first lady
by just 7 percentage points in the Democratic primaries, though Obama
managed to win majority backing from females in a dozen states and tied
Clinton in four others. The real distinction was by race: White women
preferred Clinton by 24 percentage points, while black women backed
Obama by nearly 70 points.
Obama again praised Clinton as a
trailblazer on Monday, saying the nation has come closer to one where
women have equal opportunities "because of the extraordinary woman who I
shared a stage with so many times throughout this campaign -- Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton.''
His campaign also announced the
location of his first appearance with Clinton. The former foes will
campaign together on Friday in Unity, N.H. The name evokes the
candidates' desire to unite the party, and the place is symbolic, too --
each candidate received 107 votes there on Jan. 8, when the state held
its primary that Clinton ultimately won.
Obama was following his New Mexico
stop with an appearance in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The Illinois senator
has set those states and Colorado in his sights as potential
battlegrounds in the election against McCain. The three Western states
were once Republican strongholds, but Democrats sense opportunities to
win there this year.
Also of Interest
[Back to Top]
[Back
to Women's Village Home]
[Add
Women's Village to Your IE Favorites]
|
