My Friends,

 I hear what you're saying about Women In Business as a web site category. I know it's rotten that "the oldest profession" is getting better publicity than we are. But Why???? And what can we do about it?

 First we should look at what NOT to do:

 * Get all hysterical (the men love that and it gives them an excuse to continue the old stereotypical thought patterns. It's easier to reinforce old beliefs than to establish new ones.

 * Attack the successful entrepreneurs, most of whom are promoted by men who profit from women's innocence, loneliness, poverty, fear, anger, helplessness, frustration, weakness, hunger, and whatever else might be the prime operative in their individual temporary desperation. Those entrepreneurs are very good at selling women's bodies, and destroying their souls. And who gets the bulk of the money -- certainly not the women!

 * Rant, rage, call names and scream "injustice". Men (even the decent ones) go deaf and blind when we do that. All they want to do is get away from the hysteria, and they won't hear a word that's said.

 * Demand that the politicians do something about it, pass more laws on top of the ones they already have which aren't working. Think about it. When laws are passed against something it makes it all the more glamorous and desirable -- look at Prohibition. When people couldn't get liquor they consumed about ten times as much -- and people who never went out of their way to get a drink fortified themselves because they knew they might not be able to get it if and when they happened to want one.

 So what can we do that will work?

First of all, we should definitely discipline ourselves to stay calm and logical. People listen better when you're calm and logical. It's even more effective when you manage to retain and activate your sense of humor.

How about separate but equal? In Amsterdam prostitutes are not permitted to roam the streets. They are sequestered in the "red light district' and even there not on the streets. They can actually "advertise their wares" behind glass -- so windows may showcase a very scantily clad entrepreneur.

This separate category might be welcomed by a fella looking for titillation. Those guys must be really annoyed to have to wade through all our dull, mundane, business pages. What if they could go directly to their special sites of choice -- say something like "Lewd & Lascivious Lovelies" or "Sensuous Sensations". This would save them a lot of time and us a lot of embarrassment.

 Then of course there's the all-purpose generic weapon -- money. How can we convince the people who are showcasing the undesirable sites as "Women In Business" that they're going to lose money by doing that. It has some very interesting possibilities. We women, as you all know, control most of the spending in this country (the world???) We are the single greatest unrecognized, unheralded power in the world. Napoleon once said of China, "It is a sleeping giant. Let he who wakes her tremble." That can be said of W*O*M*E*N! Remember the Helen Reddy song, "I am woman, hear me roar!" Our so-called weakness is a chimera, an artificial state induced by eons of brainwashing and societal conditioning. We do not have to become bitches to exercise our power. True power is always gentle. 

The next suggestion I have is to employ the French Wives' Technique. When they discover that their husband is playing around they go to the mirror, take a good hard look and proceed to determine what they're doing wrong and take measures to fix it. They get a facial, a new hairdo, maybe a new hair color, a new dress, and they get all gussied up and proceed to seduce their husband all over again.

What can we do to make ourselves seen as a major force on the Net? A host of women are creating wonderful sites dedicated to the support and promotion of women in business. I'll be very interested to see what we can REALLY do if we brainstorm and think tank and burn the midnight oil and make the most impactful statements possible on our web sites.

 It's a new year, it's a new day, it's a new life and we are truly in charge of our own lives. Numerous courses and workshops offer us the opportunity to take charge of our own lives -- but they can't do it for us. Power begins and ends within the human consciousness. We truly are what we think we are.... and each action we take and each thought we think either reinforces or erodes that power. We al have the option to become the primary creative force in our own lives. Are we defined by others? Are we changed, diminished or corrupted by the mistaken conceptions of shallow people? Integrity is the integral connective tissue of our being. We must find ourselves .....and that is a concept deserving Old English Capital letters triple underlined ....the SELF.....who we really are.......and celebrate that intrinsic power and beauty throughout eternity. And if an idiot cannot recognize who we are, that's HIS problem!

 Charge!!! Mary Blake