Women News July 28, 2009

Jane: History was made this week in London when Great Britain crowned 20-year-old Rachel Christie as Miss England during the country's annual pageant. She is the first black woman to receive that distinction. Shevelle Rhule editor at Pride magazine, U.K'.s leading periodical targeting black woman, said "It's incredible to see such a strong, ambitious and inspirational black woman winning the Miss England crown. She is a great role model to young teens and proves that beauty comes in all forms and that includes black." Christie specializes in the heptathlon (hep- tATh lon) an athletic contest for women comprising seven different track-and-field events. She also specializes in the 400 meters and is hoping to join the ranks of the 2012 London Olympic Games

Outside of the pageant were protesters who held banners bearing signs that read "every woman is a queen" and "beauty is not skin deep.”

Joan: I agree, and yet, well, I’m not sure what to think about their choice to participate and to change social images.  Oh--and do you know what you have to do in a heptathlon? Hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, javelin throw and both a 200 and 800 meter run.

Here’s some good news for gays: Gay married spouses in the AAA Auto Club South will now be able to get AAA discounts the same as heterosexual couples, proving again, that the first thing to do is ask. After AAA received phone calls from gay couples who had been denied family memberships, AAA decided to allow same-sex married couples to receive spousal discounts under AAA's Associate Membership program. In a statement on Thursday, Tom O'Brien, president and chief executive officer of AAA Auto Club South said "Our policy does include gay and lesbian spouses, wherever they were married. Whether in other states or countries, they qualify." Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida said "To have AAA South set a standard for full equality for all married couples, regardless of sexual orientation, is an important message and one we hope other companies will follow." Well, I certainly think that means triple A gets a 5 star rating--or make that a 5 diamond rating, which is how Triple A rates hotels and restaurants.

Jane: Here’s a bit of hope for waiters, waitresses, and other workers who depend on tips. A new minimum wage increase has been proposed for tipped employees. Last Friday the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 per hour but not for tipped employees who, since 1991 earn only $2.13/hr, the theory being that they make the difference in tips. Recently Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) has introduced a bill that would raise the wages of tipped employees to $3.75 per hour three months after enactment. Their minimum wage would  increase again to $5.00 per hour in 2011 and then cap out at 70% of the minimum wage” no less than $5.50 per hour” by 2012. 

According to a National Employment Law Project (NELP) report waitresses and waiters "the largest group of tipped workers" have nearly three times the poverty rate (14.9%) of the workforce as a whole. Tipped workers earn a nationwide median wage $17,118 annually, including tips, according to NELP analysis of the Current Population Survey.   Joan: Here’s a question for you:  Do you prefer your hot dogs steamed or grilled? Either way, you might want to reconsider. The American Institute for Cancer Research reported that a regular consumption of processed meat can increase the risk of colo-rectal and other forms of cancer. For this reason the Washington, D.C.-based Cancer Project, a non-profit vegan advocacy group, wants to force hot dog makers to use warning labels. The organization, led by medical doctors promotes cancer prevention and survival through a better understanding of cancer causes, particularly the link between nutrition and cancer. The group filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Superior Court in Newark on behalf of three New Jersey residents. The defendants are Kraft Foods Inc., manufacturer of the Oscar Mayer brand; Sara Lee Corp.; Nathan's Famous; ConAgra, the makers of the Hebrew National, and Marathon Enterprises who produce Sabrett brands.

Jane: Research has given an answer to the question concerning HIV transmission by un-circumcised males. Basically, the answer is it doesn’t make any difference. According to the prestigious British medical journal Lancet, circumcising men infected with HIV does not reduce the transmission risk to female partners. Maria Wawer of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues in Uganda conducted a clinical trial to examine whether circumcision had any affect on sexual partners. Men were randomly selected to undergo circumcision of the foreskin. The researchers ended the trial early because it was statistically unlikely that further accumulation of HIV transmission events would show a substantial benefit of circumcision on women's HIV risk.

Joan: The World Health Organization is reviewing anti-retroviral recommendations for pregnant and breastfeeding women with HIV. Specifically, it is reviewing its 2006 guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs by HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women because of new evidence that prolonged use can cut the risk of mother-to-child transmission, Reuters reports. Current guidelines recommend that these women receive a short-course antiretroviral regimen. However, a new study released at an international AIDS conference on Wednesday shows that a stronger regimen over a prolonged period significantly lowers the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

The study examined 824 pregnant women in Burkina Faso, Kenya and South Africa who received either the standard antiretroviral regimen or a combination of three antiretrovirals. The combination regimen was administered during the last trimester and for a maximum of six months during breast-feeding, according to study leader Tim Farley of WHO's Department of Reproductive Health. Farley said women who received the combination regimen during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding had a 42% lower risk of transmitting HIV to their infants than women given the standard course. Farley added, "The results of this study show an almost twofold reduction in the risk of HIV transmission during the breastfeeding period and also [that] there is no short-term toxicity" to the women or their infants. He said that participants will be monitored for any long-term health effects. WHO is expected to release the updated recommendations by the end of the year.

Judy Helgager, Women Matter's feminist movie critic evaluates three movies for us this week. Welcome Judy. (about 5-7 minutes). Thank you, Judy

If we have time: Joan, What are women doing these days.