_______________ BEAUTY AND THE GEEKS BY JANELLE BROWN (03/11/99)
	Janelle Brown's article focuses on CEOs and high-ranking female technology officers, but the sexist attitudes she describes permeate the entire industry. Far too often during my 10-year career in the software industry, I've seen technical women judged solely by their looks. Though not universal, it is very common. (Then again, emphasizing a woman's appearance over her accomplishments is hardly confined to Silicon Valley and the rest of the high-tech world!) Technical women who are both lovely and intelligent have to work hard to convince others of their abilities. Women who aren't traditionally feminine face obstacles, too: Though their technical competence isn't challenged as much, they are often viewed with suspicion for not fitting the usual female stereotypes. ("Why doesn't she wear makeup? Is she a lesbian?") Usually, it's easiest to just become "one of the guys." It seems that some men can't deal with an intelligent woman unless they mentally remove her gender. I don't think this is going to change until our culture drops its obsession with appearances and men get used to the idea that women are here to stay in technology. But I don't hold out much hope for that happening any time soon. -- Nancy Ott Pittsburgh Women who scale the lofty peaks of business success are undoubtedly treated unfairly as "Beauty and the Geeks" documents. Hard as this may be on the current crop of Silicon executives, however, it is the price pioneers pay for paving the way that will make it easier for those who follow. We must tip our hats as we sympathize, and try to correct the abuses these talented, powerful women endure on their climb to the top. That said, most of the memorable articles about male CEOs have large sections on their hobbies, their yachts, especially their cars -- this one drives a yellow Ferrari, that one a Porsche and so on. Who and whether Bill Gates would marry loomed large for a long time in coverage of Microsoft's geeky CEO. Now the news explores his charitable giving, its motives and effects. The last time I was interviewed for TV and photographed for brochures, I had to wear makeup (I am a man). If the image consultants thought my nails were too long, I am sure someone would have trimmed them. Women have natural affinity for enhancing and using the power they derive from their physical presence and beauty. Both men and women seem very interested in its manifestation and aspects, though perhaps for somewhat different reasons. The world would be diminished if in our efforts to shatter glass ceilings and achieve parity we demolished this wonderful grace note in our experience of life as human beings. We must truly begin to live and enhance the differences, not deny them. I am much more interested in the aphroditic aura surrounding my species sisters who have achieved great power and business success than I am the similar qualities of one of my hairier, testosterone-driven brothers. Perhaps that makes me somewhat sexist, though I hope not a pig. -- Craig Sones Cornell Co-Owner, Cornell & Petricelli Redondo Beach, Calif.
_______________ MEDIA CIRCUS: KIDDIE-PORN TRAFFICKER -- OR CRUSADING _______________UNDERCOVER REPORTER? BY SUSAN LEHMAN (03/11/99)
	If Larry Matthews scored an ounce of blow to experience an illegal drug sale or slept with a child to better understand the pedophile, there would be no discussion of his guilt. But since he is a "journalist" (an unaffiliated one), Matthews apologists defend his dissemination of child porn to ingratiate himself with other chicken hawks. Sorry, he went over the line. If I wanted to explore child pornography to better understand it, and then reached out to pedophiles by sending them graphic sexual images of young children -- I'd be in prison blues before I could wipe my hard drive clean. Journalists can't claim First Amendment protection for dubious and unwritten stories, particularly when undocumented research for phantom reportage requires breaking the law. It would never wash for anyone else. -- Jeffrey Abelson New York
	N E X T+P A G E+| Enough of Monica and her damn story!