Can't Afford the Inauguration? Get There for Free, Thanks to Steve Case!

Remember Steve Case? Yeah, he founded that thing called AOL! It was really awesome and popular, until it wasn't anymore, and now Google is the AOL of the future. Anyway, Case hasn't gone away, and is actually using his AOL fortune for nice things, like helping you meet Barack Obama. Okay, maybe not meet Barack Obama, but get real close to within a few thousand feet of him at his presidential inauguration.

The Case Foundation's Change Begins with Me contest gives one lucky winner two tickets to the Inaugural Ceremony and the Hawaii State Society Inaugural Ball, as well as three nights in a DC hotel, up to $1500 airfare for you and a guest to DC, and a Flip video camera.

For a chance to win, simply visit the Change Begins with Me page and explain just how change begins with you. The winner will be chosen at random, so your doesn't even have to be good—but at least make an effort, and read the rules to avoid disqualifying yourself with, say, profanity. Of course, your answer is limited to 250 characters, which is a lot more than a tweet but a lot less than you might need to explain big changes. But it's still worth a try, right? Entries are due by 3pm EST on January 12 (that's Monday).