The best quote of the night from the Democratic debate last night:

We should be as careful getting out (of Iraq) as we were careless getting in.
Senator Barack Obama.

Other thoughts:

Senator Clinton shouldn't go negative. Women are already perceived as being bitches. When they go negative, they are perceived as being superbitches.

Senator Obama is running for the presidency, the others are running for the nomination. He is statesmanlike.

If you would like to see my notes from the Republican debate last night, you can read them here.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Smart, funny, compassionate, articulate, involved......

This is such a GREAT speech.

Thank you Isabel Allende.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am without TV over the holidays. I catch the news once a day on NPR. This morning I woke to hear the sad news of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. I wondered if the difference she had made was worth her loss. I worried about her children who will be raised without a mother. I thought about it all day. And then I got a note from a young woman in my book club. I was glad to be able to share the disappointment and sadness at this great and tragic loss. This is what she wrote to me:

I am sure you the have heard of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto by now. To be honest I never thought her death would affect me this much. Growing up, I always admired her courage and audacity (I always wanted to be like her). She raised her voice and came to power in an country where a women's duty was to raise kids and obey her husband. It is sad to see a brave women like her gone.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I found a quote of yours from October 2006, which is still particularly pertinent today:

“I think it’s time Democrats stop being on the defensive and start taking to task the Republicans. The Democrats need to have the cajones to deal with the big issues. We have to be more militant about our expectations of politicians or our elected officials will continue their merry way.” She added, “They seem anaesthetized.”

I know you are looking down and shaking your head. Are there some strings you can pull for us up there? "No," I hear you say, "You have to grow your own cajones (or very big ovaries) and tell everyone, whether they want to hear it or not, this shit has got to stop!"

By the way, if you were as big a fan as I (and many others) was of Ann Richards, I think you will really appreciate the eulogy that her friend Liz Smith gave at Ann's funeral. Check it out here. I think it's such a great tribute to a wonderful friendship.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congratulations to Paula Radcliffe, winner of the New York Marathon, just nine months after giving birth to a daughter and recovering from a stress fracture of her sacrum. One more time, it shows the huge amounts of determination women possess.

Check out my personal feeling of connection to Paula, whom I credit 100% for my finishing my first ever triathlon a couple of months ago. This from an earlier post:

I am worried about the triathlon. I went out to do my last training today. I felt awful. I was breathless and dragging. I only did half of the workout I planned and decided I have tried my best to compete and I just won't be able to do it. There, I felt relieved. I will tell everyone I tried hard, but between the allergic reaction and the disintegrating discs in my back, I just couldn't fight through it. And then, a voice in my ear that is playing my Nike iPod connection - "This is Paula Radcliffe, congratulations, you just completed your fastest mile ever." Good grief, back to square one. I guess I am going to compete.

Thanks Paula...

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A recently released Congressional Buget Office (CBO) report estimates that the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could total $2.4 trillion through the next decade, or nearly $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country,
The CBO assumes that 75,000 troops will remain in both countries through 2017. As of Sept. 30, the two wars have cost $604 billion, the CBO says. That is higher than the costs of the Korea and Vietnam conflicts, when adjusted for inflation, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

In the months before the March 2003 Iraq invasion, the Bush administration estimated the Iraq war would cost no more than $50 billion.

Completely out of control is what comes to my mind.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to USA Today, a recent study by the U.S. Department of Education (Mini-Digest of Education Statistics 2006) found enrollment in graduate school conisists of 1,309,000 women and 877,000 men.

As reported earlier on Sacwomen.com, 60% of grad students are women.

Ladies, it's just a matter of time before the glass ceiling will be shattered and the guys will have to pick up the pieces after women take over corporate America, because the guys are dumbing it down big time!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Patricia Sellers on women in the boardroom - "Diversity is the buzzword du jour, but when it comes to corporate boards, there is more talk than action. Women make up only one out of six company directors. Does this affect corporate performance?" Fortune Magazine, "Women on Boards (Not!), October 15, 2007.

According to Sellers, 45 out of the S&P 500 companies have all-male boards. Who are the guilty companies? It turns out some big names appear to be exclusively "Men's Rooms" - Apple, Bear Stearns, Commerce Bancorp, Countrywide Financial, Juniper Networks, LSI Logic, National Semiconductor, News Corporation, Nvidia, Sempr Energy, Symantec and Zimmer Holdings, to name a few.

And most compelling, a recent study by Researchers at Catalyst found that "companies with at least three women directors performed significantly better than average in terms of return on equity (16.7% better), return on sales (16.8%), and return on invested capital (10%)."

Shareholders should wake up and shake up the corporate board rooms. We need to flush the "Men's Room" phenomenon and vote in more women.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Or more particulary, should Oprah be backing a candidate for U.S. President? I applaud her finding a candidate she feels passionate about and speaking out about her reasons for backing that candidate.

Will she sway voters? I think she definitely will. She has a big reach and a very, very loyal following who respect her choices.

Will she have a bigger effect that other 'stars' have had in the past? I think she definitely will. As stated above, she has lots of pull.

Is it fair? I heard that on one of the evening political shows tonight? Fair? It's definitely fairer than dirty tricks and swiftboating and all of those other awful things that go on to win elections.

Of course, it would be better still if Oprah stepped up and took an active role in the new administration. Can you see Oprah as Secretary of State? I would relish every second. She would do a fabulous job. She has great instincts, a great inner moral compass, a great ability to know and provide the right 'product' to her demographic, and big smarts. Yes, definitely, Secretary of State Winfrey. No, I like Secretary of State Oprah...has a certain ring to it!

Let's hear from you. What do you think? Can you think of another 'star' that would have as much sway for the rest of the candidates? I think that Rush backing a candidate would probably have as much sway within his demographic as Oprah does within hers. Although I think hers might cross political parties, but not genders, unlike Rush who is definitely an icon to those on the right, both men and women.

Wow, the never-ending 2008 campaign got interesting for a second.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen.com

Update: 9/10 - Oprah hosted her fundraising event for Obama this past weekend raising an estimated $3M for his campaign fund. I liked this quote from a blog that Varsha Rao wrote about the event:

Later Pam Weiss, a Silicon Valley mother of three and first-time fundraiser attendee noted, "She's so real, she captured the audience." Noting the large turnout of women and Oprah's inspiring endorsement, Ms. Weiss noted, "the women at this event and others like it could become a powerful force in building a word-of-mouth campaign for Barack Obama.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Forbes has released its latest list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. Topping the list is German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Yes, the woman that our president thought deserved a back rub! Second is Wu Yi, the Vice Premier of China followed by Ho Ching, Chief Executive of Singapore's state owned investment company, Temasek. She is also the wife of Singapore's Prime Minister. Condaleeza Rice is in fourth position, followed by Indra Nooyi, head of PepsiCo and Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress.

Surprises this year - the domination of Asian women. For example, as noted above, 4 of the top 6 are Asian. And 29 of the top 100 are in politics. Maybe this is how women will wield equal power - through the ballot box.

Check out the list.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who'll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings. To me it's the latter, so I sign up. Margaret Atwood.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Too often, women underestimate the influence they possess and the wonderful outcomes it can effect. If you know more than a few people, there is usually an introduction that you can make that often proves to be very helpful to both parties. And imagine how good you will feel when you realize you were the start of something big!

Here's but one example:

A few weeks ago, I volunteered at a women's conference. I attended a session showcasing a remarkable young woman whose startup is just finishing a website that will allow women all around the world to have a voice. She mesmerized me. Her description of what she wanted to accomplish was so well thought out and so clear that everyone in the room was spellbound.

I left the room knowing that I had to do something to increase this project's chances of success. I made an effort to meet with her the next day to try to figure out where she needed the most help. She was gracious and encouraging. She said it was fundraising. I knew that my networks in Sacramento and Dallas were not likely to give the level of investment needed. But I was pretty sure I could figure out how to get her introduced into a national organization with members that would get what she was doing, hear the passion in her voice and react accordingly, which could give more credibility to her project. This would help her raise funds from those who had them to invest.

I contacted someone I knew is well-regarded by the organization and asked for help. I got a note back to say my idea was interesting and she would give it some thought.. I took it as a positive, but not a promise to act in an expeditious way.

I waited a week or two more and when I had no further response, I moved to Plan B. I sent an email to the head of the organization, mentioned the person I know who is well-regarded by his organization, dropped a couple of credentials of my own that would give me credence with the organization, and then introduced the woman and her startup that I was trying to promote.

Success. I got a note back almost right away saying they had made an attempt to partner with the woman and her startup and had gotten no response but were still interested in moving forward. I send a note to the young women. It triggers her memory that she has dropped the ball. She sends a note to the head of the organization and a super relationship begins. They are both gracious enough to send me thanks for putting them together. The national organization actually asked me what I wanted out of the relationship (he is thinking finder's fee, proceeds from an upcoming conference where I have suggested she speak, etc). Get used to people misinterpreting your intentions - most people can't believe you do this because you enjoy introducing people and seeing how the combined relationship maximizes each of their lives. I emailed him back that I was expecting nothing - I just truly believed it would be a win-win relationship for both of them and most importantly for the women of the world.

I can't tell you the satisfaction making important connections for others gives me. You can't put the proceeds in the bank, but believe me the results are bankable in your own internal self-worth bank.

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)