This morning, anyone caring to tune in could be subjected to Sarah Palin and Oprah Winfrey at the same time. Sarah is hawking her new book because it will make her a ton of money. Oprah is hawking anything she thinks will support her flagging viewership - and right now that something is probably Sarah Palin.

You can’t turn to any medium right now and not get Sarah and Oprah, Oprah and Sarah. Sara in short shorts on the cover of Newsweek. There’s presidential material. Oprah, thank goodness, not in shorts. Don’t kid yourself. Sarah is not presidential material, nor is she interested in being president of anything. She’d probably quit in mid term. She is interested in a couple of million bucks that will come from the sale of this book. Why will the book sell? Ya got me.

But it will. In a time when Pulitzer Prize-winning writers are unemployed and long-respected publication go toes up, this gunk will sell so Sarah Palin and her co-writer(s) pd their bank accounts. Perhaps it’s just another indication that the demand for quality writing is giving way to junk content. Perhaps just salacious curiosity. Ms. Palin, like her never-quite-made-it son-in-law, trashes lots of people in her book. Readers like seeing people trashed.

As for Oprah - she’s just getting really scary. She books anyone who is controversial, difficult to look at, tragic, or slimy. Then she either grills them or hugs them, depending on what her handlers tell her will make for a better audience reaction.

I used to like Oprah for her sort of rogue, er, maverick, positioning. Now, she’s just stale. Sarah? I’m embarrassed for her each time she opens her mouth. I can do without both of them - and I did, choosing reruns of Jerry Seinfeld over Oprah’s show this morning. What was it Letterman said? Something about the Mayan prediction of the end of the world in 2012 being linked to any possibility that Sarah could be president. Whew. Could you tolerate the simpering and giggling for four years? What a thought. Bring on the Mayans.

The United States National Women’s Hall of Fame is a delightful place to get virtually lost for an afternoon. I tripped over this site today as I was browsing the Web and I couldn’t tear myself away. You don’t have to leave your comfy chair, or go out in the rain. Just click on the alphabetical links and read about women who have impacted our lives.

• I read about how Lucille Ball was not only a comedian, but a true entrepreneur and the first woman head of a major studio.
• I learned that Mary McLeod Bethune was an African-American teacher who, with only $1.50, began a school to help educate other young African-American women. Maybe she wasn’t as flamboyant as Oprah, but she did her part.
• Leontine Kelly was the first female Methodist bishop. Awesome power for us.
• Ida Tarbell’s expose of the Standard Oil Trust in the 1904 publication, The History of the Standard Oil Company prompted the federal government to prosecute and break up Standard Oil for anti-trust violations. She became an icon of journalism.

The articles are very short - teasers, really, with nuggets of susinct information in them. They are often linked to larger pieces, and can inspire you to browse. Learn about women. Read a few of these to the children you care about, girls or boys.

You might become inspired to write a brief or two in your social media spaces about the women who have inspured your life.

Women keep each other afloat (Photo by Oddsock)

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Doing some housekeeping today, I dove way back into the contents of Women Day By Day and found some articles our newer readers may have overlooked. Here, then, are some of the best web articles for women from Women Day By Day.

Sexy Stories for a Hot Summer Beach Read

Women in need find recovery and independence

Low Cost Activity Books for Young Children and Moms

Pro-Life Thinking: Understanding the Basics

Pro-Choice: The Basic Issues

Aging Tissue Can Be a Risk Factor for Breast Cancer

Lose Weight or Lose Yourself - Truths About Dieting

Resources for Military Women, Women Veterans and Families

Women-Fix Your Own PC? Windows Ailing? Tips from Computer Guru

Our site for writers and freelancers

Take a look at some of these and then dip into our archives. Tell me what you think - add your comments or contact me about doing a guest blog! I want to engage with you.

Please take some time amid the picnics, boating, partying and fun this weekend to have a moment of silence in which you honor our veterans and service women and men this Memorial Day.

I honor my father, R. Buczek, U. S. Navy Corpsman WWII, Pearl Harbor

I honor my mother, M. Braun, U.S. Marines WWII, Pearl Harbor

I honor my brother R.J. B. U. S. navy Viet Nam

I honor my brother W.D. B., U.S. Army, Germany

I honor my husband, D.W.P., U.S. Army, Viet Nam

I honor my son A.D.K., U.S Army, Operation Iraqii Freedom

I honor my daughter, E.M.K., U.S. Navy

I honor my son, M.A.K., U.S. Federal Government

I honor my niece, K.B., U.S. Air Force, in training

We are fortunate enough to have lost none of our family to these wars and services, but that doesn’t mean we have escaped unscathed. I offer my gratitude, pride and respect to all of mine, and to all the others who have chosen to serve.

We will remember.

CSI, or one of those shows, talked about rape kits last week. Their premise was that thousands, even tens of thousands of rape evidence kits languish on dusty shelves throughout the U.S. Those kits have never been processed. I was astonished, and deeply upset.

Kits unprocessed means women who have been assaulted at the most traumatic level are waiting for justice. And justice sits immobilized. If the kit isn’t processed, chances are the perpetrator has been released. No trail took place.

The victim is trying to move on, but has no closure. She went through an incredibly tragic trauma and will have to go through it all over again if the authorities ever get down to processing the evidence of a crime committed against her. Look, put yourself in the position of these victims. How devalued would you feel?

But that’s just a TV show. Right? Not. I found a real story in exactly the same vein written by Courtney E. Martin. Martin is a columnist on youth and political culture at The American Prospect Online and a blogger at Feministing. She authored Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters and is part of the Progressive Women

It isn’t tough for me to say I admire Michelle Obama - even before she was first lady I thought the woman’s obvious class, intelligence and power were admirable. I’m delighted by Michelle Obama’s personality and capable elan. Ms. Obama is an awesome mother - a role model. We’re fortunate to have her in Washington and projecting our image around the world.

Someone challeneged me the other day saying, didn’t I think she and her huband Barrack fall short of the American royalty image portrayed by the Kennedys and Camelot (!)? And don’t I agree that Michelle can’t hold a candle to Princess Diana’s class and gentility?

For the love of God, or whatever higher power, no — I categorically do not think Michelle Obama falls short. What I see is she isn’t full of herself, or more concerned about appearances than about the real issues facing women and families here. Or anywhere.

She is gracious and caring. You can see it from a mile away. She doesn’t sleep around (or at the very least, not in front of the world…). Her husband isn’t a philanderer. Their family isn’t connected to organizaed crime or to questionable money. they haven’t dropped nayone off a bridge yet. Nor do they show the world distain for each other or for their marriage.

I am so weary of whiners who can’t see the postivies in anything…

There’s a good read in Forbes, called to my attention by the Women’s Media Center. The article is Power Woman: First Lady Politics. Have a read and pay attention to some of the details if you feel like America has any reason to be concerned about our First Lady.

What is your opinion of Michelle Obama? How do you think she’s representing us as a nation of people, families and parents? Does she help empower women?

My Twitter friend, Cathrine from Canada, has had a tough time this year. Bush economics did her no good. A change in the administration didn’t help much either, as lots of boomers are finding. Perhaps Obama will pull the fat out of the fire, but it may be too late for boomers.

Like so many, Cathrine lost her job. She felt she had no options. When you go to file for unemployment and you realize your 50-something birthday looms evilly around the corner, you feel — fear. My husband went through the same thing.

Cathrine will tell you how dark it got for her. She considered solutions that wouldn’t have solved a single thing. She found solutions that brought her out of the dark and into the light and gave her enormous hope. A new path. Read about it on Cathrine’s blog.

Cathrine says she found faith, and her own strong spirit. She gives credit for those findings to a number of things. But, me, I see something obvious that brought Cathrine up and out. Inspiration from others. Reference the photos above.

At 84 years-old, a lot of people lie down and pull an afghan over their knees. One of the ladies pictured above didn’t. She raced Dragon Boats, whatever that is, and was winning championships at 84. You can find her in the picture, world’s oldest Dragon Boat racer, 3rd in 2nd Row .

The photo was sent to Cathrine by another Twitter friend - known as ColorMeRed -whose Twitter profile is vibrant with lush, red lips, exuberance and outreaching energy. The 84 year-old Dragon Ball champ is ColorMeRed’s mom. No surprise there - the energy is hereditary.

You can find new spirit in Cathrine, nurtutred by determined women. When we reach out for help when we’re troubled, and other women take our hands, magic can happen. Cathrine reached out - a friend sent this photograph to her and told the story of an 84 year old athlete.

There followed a determination, a power and a strength that didn’t get into Cathrine by accident. It got there by connections to strong women. Networking. Empowering. My grandmother gave me similar gifts. I haven’t, in some ways, had such a stellar year myself.

On the other hand - I am still getting work from a lot of publications; Dan is working and his surgery was successful. I am near my grandkids and they are all healthy. My two PTSD’d kids are slowly, slowly growing less fearful, more successful.

The gifts we women give each other when we give ourselves the gift of fortitude travel the length of generations. We may never see it. We may never know it happened. But it’s magic. And our daughters reap the benefits.

Be well, and prosper.

Cathrine Twitters as @CathrineFeehely
I Twitter as @mkpelland
Red Twitters as @ColorMeRed
What do you think? Have you had a great experience nurtured by other women? Tell us.