Now women with with busy schedules and limited time can bypass the wait for their morning coffee and go straight to the head of the line.

Gomobo.com makes it happen through cell phone technology that allows a customer to text the restaurant ahead of time and complete an order and payment in one text message. When they get there, the order is ready and waiting.

Monica Schaffer, of Diversified Media Design, promotes Gomobo.com, the company that makes this happen. Not surprisingly, she uses the technology herself.

“It is such a time saver,” Schaffer said. “One push and send and it’s gone. And I can walk to Dunkin’ Donuts and pick it up. It’s a no-brainer.”

Go here to read the story on ABC News.

It is generally admitted that women have to try harder to succeed in the modern world of business. Although much has changed over the years, women still have some way to go before they achieve complete equality in the workplace.

Donna L. Brooks and Lynn M. Brooks have written a book entitled Seven Secrets of Successful Women that gives some ideas of how we might move on up that corporate ladder. What I particularly like about it is that it is for all women, not just the stars of business. Amazon’s review has this to say:

This book is not written just for superstars, but for every woman who wants a satisfying career, balance in her life, recognition and reward for her contributions, and some assurance that she can survive in today’s unsettled corporate or professional environment. It’s a guide for aspiring women at any level-from entry level right on up to CEO.

Seven Secrets of Successful Women answers the most critical questions for today’s working woman:

* Is there really a distinct success profile? Yes.
* Do women have to adopt the traditional male model of leadership? No.
* Has the profile of successful women changed in recent years? Yes, more so than ever.

Does one have to be a superstar and driven in order to be successful? Emphatically no. Anyone can apply the skills and strategies outlined in this book.

Seven Secrets of Successful Women at Amazon

Over at Fox News, Lis Wiehl has written an important and thought-provoking piece on “appearance discrimination” and the double standard that still operates when it comes to men and women of a certain age.

Lis points out that men don’t worry about aging or sporting a few grey hairs and some extra pounds, even in the television industry. Women in a high-profile job, such as news anchor, are judged on everything including appearance. But studies (such as that done by New York University researchers Dalton Conley and Rebecca Glauber regarding the effects of body weight on economic outcomes) seem to indicate that, for women, appearance is linked to income in all sorts of careers.

Following the recent installation of Katie Couric as anchor of the nightly news at CBS, much of the furor involved publicity photos that were altered to make her appear thinner.

And her detractors are still deciding if this cheery blond is tough enough (read: man enough) to take the helm of a serious news program. Sharks have been snapping at everything from the color of her hair to the length of her skirt.

Wiehl points out that critics have been kinder to Meredith Viera, whom NBC has chosen to replace Couric on the “Today” show, but possibly because she is replacing another woman and not a man.

Our current laws must go a step further and protect women from discrimination as most of us eventually gain a few pounds and add a few gray hairs — and all of us age. As for Katie, I think she’ll do just fine — not because she got a new hairdo or “lost” twenty pounds, but because she’s a newswoman with character and content. And ask yourself, would we even be having this discussion if Meredith were “Murray” and Katie were “Ken?”

A Big Fat Double Standard - Lis Wiehl

AARP has announced its list of the top 50 employers for workers over 50 for 2006. This is the sixth year that AARP has compiled this list.

AARP says that any employer with at least 50 employees was welcome to apply for a place on the list. Companies were reviewed in seven categories:

* Benefits
* Recruiting practices
* Workplace culture
* Continued opportunities
* Opportunities for retirees
* Organization statistics
* Innovative practices

The top best companies for workers over 50 as rated by AARP:

1 Mercy Health System WI
2 Lee Memorial Health System FL
3 Bon Secours Richmond Health System VA
4 Leesburg Regional Medical Center and The Villages Regional Hospital FL
5 Yale-New Haven Hospital CT
6 Volkswagen of America, Inc. MI
7 Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA
8 Oakwood Healthcare System, Inc. MI
9 First Horizon National Corporation TN
10 Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. NJ

To see the full list visit the AARP website.