Over at Ms. Modern I wrote about how efficacy positively impacts body image.

Factions in the DR Congo: http://notfrisco2.com/leones/?p=4373

Round up, mostly about Sotomayor: http://notfrisco2.com/leones/?p=4371

And yesterday, I read and reviewed Girls on the Stand about the judicial bypass laws for minors seeking abortions (sadly a timely topic given Dr. Tiller’s murder).

Words have consequences – on Operation Rescue’s role in the murder of Dr. Tiller.

Forgiveness from a Feminist Perspective: Norlock argues that despite what many philosophers have ignored in the relationship between gender and forgiveness, the act of forgiving is very much a gendered act. Women are overwhelmingly expected to forgive—not necessarily because they are more wronged, though that argument could certainly be made—and often, forgiveness is associated with a particular type of femininity.

Subversive Art Star: An Interview with Jerilea Zempel: Artist Jerilea Zempel turns brutal machines of war into “warm and fuzzy” sculptures through her subversive crochet projects. She achieved brief Internet stardom via The Colbert Report when Stephen Colbert called her “a dangerous returning American”—aka an artist who crochets covers for SUVs and tanks—after she was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, who discovered her artist notebook replete with line drawings of SUVs and crocheting plans.

Dunya and Desie:Desie’s world focuses around boys and her best friend Dunya, while Dunya’s life revolves around her parent’s expectations of her. Dunya being Danish Muslim, her parents expect her to adhere to family traditions, one of which includes an arranged marriage.

Ladies…Firsts, Nancy Drew-loving Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is joined this month by two other recent notable First…Ladies.

Nollywood Actress Says ‘No’ To Nude Hollywood Role, Nigeria’s booming film industry, Nollywood, ranks second highest in global film production (nestled between India’s Bollywood and America’s Hollywood), and its actors are now being sought by the higher paying US studios. This new development brings with it the need for complex conversations about gender, sexuality, culture, and the lure of money.

“How Well do you know Women??” I took the quiz to find out., Although this quiz claims to be “For Men Only!!” it has made me curious. How well DO I know women?

Pièce de Résistance: Lila GhobadyIranian filmmaker Lila Ghobady speaks about resistance and Iranian underground cinema.

She Said No To The Test, how a Laotian American teen protested No Child Left Behind and won.