2009 Inauguration Special!

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BlogHer '09 update:
* Techies, share your genius - send in your Geek Lab idea
* Want to lead a session? Send in an idea for a Room of Your Own
* Official call for volunteers (you get a free pass in exchange)
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January 19, 2009

Hi everyone,

For the first time since Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday celebration was legislated into a national day of service in 1994, I didn't spend the day in front of my computer. Instead, I took to the beaches of San Francisco with a friend and our kids, swathed in plastic gloves, determined to pluck every last cigarette butt off the beach.

We learned a few things. Starting with the fact that plastic gloves make your hands sweaty. We learned that Christmas tree tinsel wraps its evil, synthetic tendrils around everything from dead kelp to used plastic forks stuck in the sand. And that kids will compete over anything -- "HA! I Look at MY old ketchup packet!" Then we learned even protectors of the planet will snipe at each other when they don't eat lunch on time.

The biggest lesson of the day, however, was how much my friend and I wanted to show up and take positive action at a time when -- thanks to the imploding economy and Middle East -- the world feels so badly out of control. And we are just two women among millions: Across the BlogHersphere, I read women every day who are stepping up to claim responsibility for how we live our lives and lead our communities. And I mean at a granular level -- I cannot count the number of women I've read who are cleaning out all their closets and filing cabinets, and taking stock of everything from shoes to car insurance to food labels. What do we have? What do we need? What do we want?

According to a recent report by the allen & gerritsen (a&g) audience intelligence department, what women want is to take responsibility:

"A&g surveyed moms to understand just how the economy is affecting their purchase behaviors and economic outlook. The study reveals that most moms believe that cultural trends that demonstrate a belief that Americans deserve to regularly indulge, contributed to the financial crisis we are in. But, says the report, the pendulum has begun to swing the other way, with moms taking the lead. In this countercultural trend, moms see themselves as shunning greed and are putting family needs before their own."

My observation, which the a&g report confirms? Greed is out, leadership is in -- only I'm finding that a woman certainly doesn't have to be a mother to feel this way. Online, women say we are starting at home, with the very same wallets we use to control 51 percent of the nation's privately held wealth and 83 percent of household spending. With our money and time increasingly in demand, women say, hey, we are still shopping -- but we're carefully examining what we buy, why we buy it and from whom, whether we have children under 18 at home or not.

After all, the buck has to stop somewhere. It's time it started with us.

Which is why, even though BlogHer didn't invest in a holiday party, we did decide to continue to invest in broad, multipartisan coverage of news and politics BlogHer.com, including sending Erin Kotecki Vest to Washington D.C. to cover the inauguration of President Barack Obama. She's certainly not alone in our line-up -- we're discussing everything about the new administration, from outgoing President Bush's last days in office to Gaza to Ms. Magazine's cover of Obama as Superman to whether our families will forgive us if we get laid off to what Michelle Obama is wearing. (No, do not expect us to resist the First Lady's fashions!).

Here's our guide to what's hot:

INAUGURATION '09
Now that she's in D.C., Erin's busy:
* Emily's List Luncheon, featuring Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary-designate Janet Napolitano, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Labor-designate Hilda Solis, Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Governor-elect Bev Perdue of North Carolina. Whew!
* Military Families

Tune-in tomorrow for Erin's blog of President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony and more...Meanwhile, Mamalogues has blogged What Recession? The Most Expensive Inauguration In Our Country's History. And BlogHer Cliopatra -- who didn't vote for either Messrs. Obama or John McCain -- says she hopes Americans learn the new president is the man for the job.

PRESIDENT BUSH
In keeping with BlogHer's non-partisan stance, two contributing editors posted very different pieces eulogizing the presidency of George W. Bush this week. Bush Says Goodbye, Media Loses Target No. 1, blogged Mamalogues. PunditMom delivered a different message to the soon-to-be-ex-president: President Bush Farewell Tour: Don't Let the Screen Door Hit You on the Way Out.

GOD
In What would your Inaugural Invocation say?, Mata H asks, "What would you most want people (including the president) to be thinking about at the beginning of this presidency? What tone would you want to set? What spiritual message would you want people to take with them from this day?" In her other posts, BlogHer's contributing editor for Religion & Spirituality also weighs in on Bishop Gene Robinson to offer Invocation at inaugural event. His gay identity has people talking.

FEMINISM & GENDER
Let the Celebration Begin! blogged Emily's List founder Ellen Malcolm on BlogHer.com. Detailing the participation of women voters in Election 2008 and the number of women in national elected office, Malcolm wrote: "But make no mistake; this is no time to rest on our laurels. For every woman in Congress, there are still more than five men. We are nowhere near a representative democracy that rightfully includes the full participation of half the population. Though we take a few days to celebrate the victories of President-elect Obama and our women in office, our work is far from over." Linda Tarr-Whelan of the American Forum is equally concerned about the new president's cabinet: To Achieve Change President-Elect Obama Needs to Bet on Women?

Could these concerns inspire the allergic reactions by some women who blogged Ms. Magazine's decision to depict President-elect Obama as Superman on the cover? I wrote about the debate in Kryptonite? Ms. Magazine's Inaugural Issue and so did Legally Heidi. The discussion unfolds....

GOWNS
Michelle Obama's Chic for Less promises Trisha Okubo - and delivers the links! Meanwhile, Elisa DeCarlo takes us tongue-in-cheek behind the scenes in Dateline Washington DC: Inaugural Scrambling!. And just because it's fun, I do recommend 25 Things You Might Not Know About Michelle Obama by BlogHer Enticingenigma.

POLICY
Like I said above, the buck stops with us women -- and you all have kept your eyes on the proverbial prize, as you can see from these posts about policy -- economic and social:
* R. Marlow: The Economy and its Financial Problems
* Bianca Regan: I Can Finally Talk With Most of My Friends

We'd love to know what you think of this newsletter -- and any of the posts we mention above. I invite you to comment here. Have a terrific week!

Best,
Lisa

for Elisa, Jory and Lisa
BlogHer Co-founders