Tonight, when you ring in 2009, your inspiration might just be right there in your Champagne flute.
As it turns out, Veuve Clicquot, one of the gold standards in the Champagne world, was developed by one amazing French woman in the mid-1800’s, Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who was widowed at twenty-seven years of age (”veuve” is “widow” in French).
Despite the fact that the Napoleonic Code defined a woman’s role as being at home, the Veuve Clicquot had the insight that widows “were the only women granted the social freedom to run …

I got leopard-print sheets for Christmas. And a leopard-print robe.
At this rate of conversion and based on the number of leopard-print items I already possess, I estimate that by 2015 everything I own will have a leopard-print pattern on it. Scary. I may already be in the realm of overkill on the leopard print front. I should consider moving on to something new. Tiger? Zebra, maybe?
I do love me some leopard-print shoes, though. I have four pairs, and I’d be reluctant to part with any of them, but if I …

Why is this acceptable?
Stanley Crouch wrote a blog piece that is posted in The Daily Beast today.
The concept in his piece titled They Saw It Coming is that two women, Bethany McLean and Meredith Whitney, warned about the financial meltdown.
He does reference back to a story that I wrote on the same topic titled Women Scorned two weeks ago that spoke to Brooksley Born and Sheila Bair, amongst others.
The subtext of Stanley’s article is this:
Two “half-fine bitches” predicted the financial crisis that has now engulfed us. If only we’d listened.
Got …

As of January 1, 2009, prostitution by women is no longer a criminal offense in Norway.  Sweden introduced a similar ban in 1999.  Norway follows Sweden with fines up to $5000 (USD)
Here’s the kicker:  Purchase of sex by males is a criminal offense. So while it is now legal for women to sell their bodies–and they won’t be arrested–male customers will be arrested, if caught.
They expect there will be no prostitutes on the streets of Oslo beginning the new year–most of whom are Eastern European.
Even more interesting, if Norwegian males purchase sex and are …

Reaching out to women is a part of educating people on women’s numbers in our congress and governorships.  I keep a stack of The New Agenda flyers in my car and when I enter a restaurant or a store I take a few with me for distribution.
Last week I walked up a boulevard in my neighborhood that is famous for its Mexican bakeries (”panaderias”) and restaurants (”taquerias“). I took our flyers written in Spanish.
At each establishment I handed a flyer to a women and their response were the same: they …

One of my former Wall Street colleagues sent me this video and I just had to share it.
Gotta love my pal Lynn Tilton. Lynn is the CEO of Partriach Partners, a $6 billion asset management firm that she started by herself 8 years ago. Even the name of her firm is a work in irony – Lynn is one of the biggest feminist you will ever meet.
A colleague of mine one quipped that on any day on Wall Street, someone was telling a story about Lynn Tilton. Lynn was and …

Where were you a year ago today?
A year ago today, I was in New Hampshire volunteering for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. I was bundled up in my warmest parka, snow boots, gloves and hat. I was canvassing from door to door knocking and handing out brochures.
A year ago today, I was a lifelong Democrat. At every election – be it a national, state or local election – the Democratic Party could count on my vote. I would blindly pull down the lever for the …

2009: A Year of Opportunity
With 2009 just around the corner, The New Agenda wants to hear from you, our members.
What would you like your organization to focus on in 2009? What should be the number one goal for us to accomplish together next year?
Please join us in this open thread.
We want to hear all your thoughts, ideas and opinions!

Fortune Magazine just came out with their 2008 list of the 50 Most Powerful Women.
Lest, we forget this is a list of women, here’s the first line of the article:
Talk about drama!
I mean, c’mon, really….if this were a list of the 50 Most Powerful Men, there certainly would be some seat changes.   Would that then constitute “drama”???
Hats off the wonderful women who have made the list this year.
As a former Wall Street woman, I note with a bit of sorrow that Sallie Krawcheck and Zoe Cruz are no longer on the …

There is an old Yiddish Proverb: touch a life, touch a thousand lives. I am one of the lives touched and forever changed by meeting a special mentor to women: Judith Hope.
Judith started her political career as a Town Supervisor in East Hampton.  In 1995, she became the Chairwoman of the New York State Democratic Party — becoming the first woman to head a major political party in New York State.  In 2001, Judith founded The Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee (ERLC):
Eleanor’s Legacy is dedicated to building a new generation of pro-choice Democratic …