The Scene: October 15, 2008

Today marks two very diferent, but equally important days.

First, today, October 15, 2008 is Blog Action Day. For those who haven't heard of it (full disclosure: I've only learned of it recently myself), Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day.

Last year's topic was the environment. This year's topic is Poverty. There are 11,108 sites participating in the event, with an estimated reach of 12 million + people. That, to me, is too amazing not to share. Congrats to the team at Blog Action Day, and I hope that Belle-Noir Mag can be one of the sites to participate in next year's topic!

Check out their 88 Ways To Do Something About Poverty Right Now and then, DO Something!

Secondly, today is also Love Your Body Day! Created by the National Organization of Women (NOW) as a grassroots movement to protest the negative body images being pushed by Hollywood, Love Your Body Day has grown to be a complete self-love movement. The Hollywood chapter of NOW recently had their annual Love Your Body Day event, hosted by plus model & entrepreneur Chenese Lewis and actress Kim Coles. Today, NOW released its 2009 Love Your Body Day Calendar which features unique art from the Love Your Body Campaign, health facts for women and ideas for action. The Poster Contest for 2009 is now open! Deadline to enter is December 31, 2008! Check out this year's winners here, and check out the entry by the Category 3 High School winner, Shanti Rittgers of Tolland, Connecticut, above.

For our fellow bloggers, are any of you participating in either of these events? Leave us a comment with a link to your post & we will update this post as the day goes on!