The Whistler Museum and Archives Society is holding its fifth annual TV auction March 21 through 28. The auction will take place on Whistler Cable 6, between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. for the week of March 21-28. Viewers can call 932-2019 to bid on items donated by local businesses. A live auction will be held on March 28 between 7 and 9 p.m. The Whistler Public Library will be selling off used books March 21 and 22. Prices range from 25 cents to $2 for the literature. Keep in mind you can’t judge a book by its cover, or its price. All proceeds will go toward the purchase of new books for the library. The sale will be held in the trailer next to the Museum and Archives and Library buildings, at 4329 Main Street. For more information call 932-5564. A forum to discuss "Sex and Women in the New Millennium" will explore increasing awareness of the risks of HIV in women. The Whistler forum is Tuesday, March 31, 8 p.m., upstairs in the Whistler Health Care Centre. The Pemberton forum is Thursday, April 2, 7 p.m. at the Pemberton Health Centre. Each year a greater number of women in Canada are being diagnosed with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In B.C., of positive tests in 1996, 31 per cent were women. Ninety per cent of these women are of childbearing age (15-44). The problem is women don't think they are in trouble. "In fact, the woman is far more at risk to contract HIV than the man because of the makeup of their reproductive organs," says a notice from Coast Garibaldi Community Health Services Society. "Small tears in the vagina, presence of a sexually transmitted disease and age (younger women are more vulnerable) can also increase the odds to get HIV," the notice says. Because preventive strategies have been focused on male condom use, women often lack power in sexual relationships, especially negotiating skills to protect themselves. And studies have found that the older the women, the less likely she is to use a condom during sex with a new partner. These issues will be explored at the forum, but it doesn't have to end there. If employers of women are interested in having the forum brought to a staff meeting, please call your local health unit: Whistler (932-3202) or Pemberton (894-6367).
