CONSPIRACY THEORY: Sociology Professor Pepper Schwartz says that everything in our culture conspires to make women feel physically and sexually inadequate. Quoted in the Toronto Sun, she said, 鈥淛ust watch TV for four straight hours and see just how much is wrong with you. Or open up a magazine 鈥� or go to a movie. There are continuous messages about how women are too fat, too short, have hair that鈥檚 too dull, or lips that aren鈥檛 full enough, and on and on and on.鈥� But, she adds, women need not swallow what they鈥檙e told. 鈥淟ook at Queen Latifa,鈥� she told the Sun. 鈥淪he is scrumptious to a lot of men and she鈥檚 no size 2. 鈥�
BOEING鈥橲 FUTURE: Will Boeing proceed with the 7E7? That was the question the New York Times put to Business Professor Charles Hill, who said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a foregone conclusion, with Stonecipher in the CEO鈥檚 seat.鈥� Still, he added, Boeing has to do something. 鈥淭he Sonic Cruiser was a bust. The superjumbo was a bust, and the 777 is aging. There is a gap and they need to fill it.鈥�
MARITAL CONFLICT: When Time magazine did a cover story about relationships, they turned to John Gottman, emeritus professor of psychology, who commented on conflict in a mar-riage: 鈥淚n relationships that were working, even during conflict, there was a rich climate of positive things, such as love, affection, interest in one another, humor and support,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ouples in unstable unions had slightly more negative factors than positive.鈥�
CHORE WARS: The 鈥渃hore wars鈥� between spouses were featured in a story in the Jacksonville (Florida) Times-Union. Asked to comment, Sociology Professor Julie Brines said, 鈥淚n couples where the male partner is already in gender jeopardy because he is not the breadwinner, it is risky for him to do housework. It raises questions about his masculinity.鈥�
Newsmakers is a periodic column reporting on coverage of the 91探花 by national press services.