The New York Times says it's official, Senator Hillary Clinton has accepted an offer from President-elect Barack Obama to become the nation's next Secretary of State. "Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation."

I was so excited the other day when I heard that Japan had signed its first professional female baseball player. Eri Yoshida signed with Kobe 9 Cruise. Kobe 9 Cruise is part of the new Japanese Baseball League.Wait, it gets better. Eri is a pitcher. Eri is a pitcher with a mean knuckleball. Most Major League Baseball pitchers haven't mastered the knuckleball. Wait, it gets even better.  Eri Yoshida is still in high school. She is sixteen years old.

Beauty benchmarks seem to be measured in what size pants you fit into and what designer hand bag you have draped over your rail-thin arm. This is the biggest bunch of crap I have ever heard. In my life.

America's new first family is multicultural and diverse, so I'm holding out hope that a Barack Obama cabinet will be a diverse one, too, but not just on ethnicity. I want to see plenty of lipstick and mascara around the first cabinet meeting held by President Obama, too. When lots of names of men started getting floated as cabinet possibilities in the days immediately after the election, my heart sank and I started to feel a little anxious. Where were all the women's names? In 2008, surely there could more than a few token mentions.

I'm just now unpacking only to repack for business trip two of five over the next month. Last week, I wrote a post about whether or not business travel is worth it if it's 'just a hobby'. The latter is a phrase I dislike immensely because sometimes hobbies can lead to a more fruitful path. Regardless, this week it's about how to make business travel a little more frugal which is hilarious since I'm packing to go to a resort. On an island. For an actual conference. I'm assuming that all pity for me was lost roughly three sentences ago.

Danny (not his real name, and you'll understand why in a minute) is a husband and father who wanted to do something special for his wife this Christmas.  They were both fed up with the materialistic emptiness the holidays often brought: "typical American Christmas—gizmos, gadgets, whatnots, and an oversized helping of turkey," as he calls it.

Instead of buying fancy new dresses for the holiday party circuit, recessionistas (and savvy fashionistas) are opting for beautiful vintage dresses. Not only are these gorgeous vintage finds great for your pocketbook, the quality is often better than that of modern--and often disposable--ready to wear clothes. Plus, re-using vintage clothes is good for the environment--and you'll never face dress-duplication issues when you're out at a party.

How many compliments did you pay today? This week? This month?Giving compliments is something I do naturally and sincerely. And when I think about it, I have no idea where I picked up the habit. I just know that it's such an easy way to spread a little joy and let people know what rocks about them in a given moment, be it something about their physical appearance or something they've accomplished. Even those who have difficulty accepting compliments feel better for having gotten one, I'd guess.

When I was in elementary school, in my family we were expected to get straight As on our report cards. My mother kept a bag of small toys on a high shelf in her closet. When report cards came home, my brother and I would present out cards; all As meant we'd receive a small toy from the stash.

Reportedly Oprah is considering retiring from her daily talk show when her current contract ends in 2011. Maybe she worries that there is nothing new left to talk about or that she is on auto-pilot rehashing lessons already learned. If today's show is any indication, sadly I wonder if Oprah has already mentally checked out.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only a week away? At this time of year, magazines and traditional food sites pull out all the stops with delicious-looking foods. That can be fine if you have a crowd who can (and will) eat anything, but when you're trying to make a Thanksgiving dinner to accommodate a special diet, food blogs can be a great place to look. I'm here to help you find amazing vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, allergy-friendly, low-glycemic, low-carb, and low-fat Thanksgiving recipes.

BlogHer is proud to be one of the finalists for a Game Changers Award at the WeMedia Conference this February in Miami, FL. And in an act of shameless pluggery, we're asking for your rating and comments here.