Daughter of No Comment -- August 2000

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The extremely conservative billionaire Catholic businessman, Thomas S. Monaghan, Founder of Domino's pizza empire (who still owns a large stake in the company) is described by his friend, media mogul E. W. Scripps, as someone who has " a deep-seated belief that culture is wobbling out of control, and a profound hatred of forces that are not in conformity with his beliefs." His Catholic law school (his because he is funding it) has a strong anti-abortion stance with many of the country's most visible pro-life activists on its board or faculty such as IL Rep. Henry Hyde and failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. Pizza from this empire should be looked at as garbage that only makes money to be used against us and poisons our dreams. In the real world, where breasts deflate and droop, breast lifts have become one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery. New techniques which essentially create a kind of Wonderbra of mesh or muscle inside the breast with a very minimal scar are the reason for the explosion of demand. The patient cost is between 5K and 8K and the surgery is not for large breasted women, just droopy average breasts. It is a complex procedure, not yet done by very many surgeons, but it does not interfere with breast feeding or mammograms. It seems many women want to eliminate "bounce" along with the droop. It is too new to know how long the results will be satisfactory before gravity trumps and it needs to be done again. The latest trend in cosmetic surgery (up to and including face lifts) is for physicians to provide free services to reporters and magazine writers. They then profit from the free media exposure (no pun intended) since "more women make decisions based on magazine stories than from doctor referrals and friends combined" says Dr. Debra Jaliman, a dermatologist. A media hound doctor, Dr. Patricia Wexler says "All the time I give free botox, collagen and chemical peels to journalists who will write about it. They quote me as if I were George Washington." Dr George Beraka, who is a plastic surgeon says "Absolutely all the time, doctors give writers free services to get them to write about it. Free face lifts, even that, sure." Dr Laurie Pollis says that "I feel strong-armed. I don't want to barter services for mentions, but I can't bite the hand that feeds me." Judy Foreman who writes a health column for The Boston Globe says that "It's totally unethical, and any journalist at a respectable publication would be fired for it." She goes on "Anyone can't help but be influenced by free treatment." The greed factor of doctors, and the magazines is fed by women's insatiable need to feel they are as "perfect" as the pictures these very same magazines print. Not all dermatologists and not all magazines prostitute themselves in this manner but anyone contemplating having any procedure done needs to do her own research and ask tough questions. The headline read "Women Narrow the Salary Gap" but the fine print underneath said the Bureau of Labor Statistics data (July 2000) indicate that women earn 76.5 cents for every dollar earned by men. This is up 14 cents since tracking started in 1979. This is way under one cent a year. The new data also show that women who don't have children and opt instead for a fast-track career still earn 10% less then comparable men. The study also found that women tend to start out with similar salaries to men, but men who have accrued seniority are paid better then women with equivalent experience. Three points of view about baring all in "Playboy". Faye Resnick says "It was actually part of my reawakening. From my Mediterranean background. I'm very European in my thinking, and Europeans aren't judgmental. To them nudity is considered natural. I strongly believe the human body should be celebrated." Reagan daughter, Patti Davis said "I'm really proud of the work I've put into my body. I'm 41. When I was 21, I didn't look like this....Besides, my parents are never going to approve of what I do, anyway." Singer, La Toya Jackson said "I had the most fun when I posed with a 60-pound Burmese python. I love snakes and wanted to do a shot all covered with them." How do you feel about uncovered skin??? Is it an issue?? When does art become porn and who decides??? This company's motto must be "What They Don't Know Won't Hurt Us." Corrine Lykens of Swanton, Vt., worked in the payroll office of a small trucking company until she was fired for talking about the pay gap between women and men where she worked. Sharing info with other employees was a company no-no. "Too many women are too scared to find out what other women are making because of these policies," says Ms. Lykens. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is against any legislation which would tighten protection for workers who discuss salary because, as Randel Johnson, V.P. for labor and employee benefits says, "employees may ban salary talk for morale or other good reasons." Daughter thinks "other good reasons is spelled CYA." Women's health care advocates are concerned that the bias in heart attack care for women is still a problem. Women get less variety in treatment, partly because men are more aware of the treatment possibilities and demand them. Women were less likely to be given aspirin when they are admitted and women get fewer catheterizations which determine the best next stage of care. "To say everything is fine belies what we already know," says Marianne Legato, professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University, "The story is much bigger than what happens in the emergency room." Heart Attack is the leading cause of death for women (and men) and any scaling back of possible treatment to women because women aren't assertive points out that we must always be our own best advocates. The current Supreme Court has a slim 5-4 split on many issues, including abortion. Three of the pro-choice justices are the oldest on the court and have a history of cancer treatment. They are John Paul Stevens,80; Sandra Day O'Connor, 70; and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 67. The next president may appoint up to 4 new justices and is expected to appoint at least two. Women (and their allies) have a major stake in the November election to insure their reproductive choices are not lost. Anyone who thinks this is not a risk has not been paying attention. Zina Garrison, a black tennis star in the 1980's and early `90's who lost in the finals in 1990 said there were many times security guards "...at first wouldn't let me into the arenas I was playing in, because they didn't believe that someone who looked like me could be a player." How sweet it is or maybe Go Girl Go would be better. 34 year old John J. Clouster who earned $30K a year as the director of development and planned giving for the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries has pleaded guilty to money laundering and bank fraud and admitted spending $769,000 of the ministries money on women last year. That is a lot of ministering aka monkey business. Stress and pregnancy in the paid workplace is a much discussed issue and very controversial but Ellen Bravo, 9-to-5 co-director, has a great way of looking at the issue. Says she "Pregnant women are like the canary in the mineshaft, whatever is affecting them is really affecting the work force as a whole. They are just the most vulnerable." Peggy Orenstein, author of "Flux Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids and Life in a Half-Changed World" writes in a study of women between 25 to 45, that although they grew up with "you can be anything you want to be," the messages they receive from society are so mixed that theory doesn't often turn into practice. In one study of college seniors, 7 out of 10 said they expect their spouse's job to take priority over theirs once they get married. As Orenstein puts it.They're "Talking Gloria Steinem, Thinking Carol Brady." Ever vigilant Kim B. sent the following: Three nine year old boys who held down a 9 year old girl and simulated intercourse with her on two separate days will not be charged. Since they are under 11, Maine law limits action against them. They and two others were suspended for less than 10 days for inappropriate sexual behavior and the girl was taken out of school by her parents. They feel she is a victim of a school that did not deal with the issue. The boys lawyer, Michael Feldman, praised the (West Bath, ME) prosecutor's decision not to press charges which he said "could have done irreparable damage to the psyches of little children." The boys lawyer is afraid "That the more we expose them and their fantasies to some big juvenile justice system, the more we're playing with fire." One can only wonder what this asshole thinks simulation intercourse by force (being held down) does to a little girl and her psyche. Or don't little girls count? This is a horror story in real life with a judicial and school system that doesn't have a clue, and flaunts its' stupidity for all to see. The Ava Maria School of Law (see the first paragraph) will open this fall with 40 students and plans soon to have 400 a year. Its emphasis will be on what the Catholic Church sees as moral truths and students will be taught to incorporate that philosophy in their legal analysis. "The rule of law must be founded in a belief that there is an objective moral order. This is something no law school does effectively," said Bernard Dobranski who will be the dean. The first professor who signed on is Robert H. Bork. No surprise there. The pizza empire founder wants it to become "the West Point for Catholic laity..." Daughter sees the writers of the Constitution rolling over in their graves. Dr. Laura (Nag) Schlesinger has said "If you are gay or lesbian, it's a biological error that inhibits you from relating normally to the opposite sex. We have vaginas and penises. We were biologically meant to give birth to more people. Not being able to relate normally to a member (pun intended?) of the opposite sex is some kind of error. In defense of her own lapses she said "So what, I never said I was divine." No kidding??