Malalai Joya, born April 25, 1978, is an Afghan politician who has been called "the bravest woman in Afghanistan."
As an elected member of the Wolesi Jirga from Farah province, she has publicly denounced the presence of what she considers warlords and war criminals in the parliament.
By the time the Lord made woman, he was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"
The Lord answered: "Have you seen my spec sheet on her....? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart - and she will do everything with only two hands."
Guest blog post by Maggie McNeill, sex work advocate.
Susan notes: Guest blogger McNeill (otherwise known as The Honest Courtesan), and I disagree on many subjects. However, we are united in the belief that there is no shame in freely choosing to express one’s sexuality in the manner one wishes, and that includes getting paid for it, if that is one’s choice....
It's almost three years since I made my second of two business visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (I was living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the time).
Lian Gogali was born in a tiny village in rural Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
She made herself a serious student and managed to leave the island and eventually complete her Master's Degree. During civil conflict in Poso, Lian came to live in the internally displaced camps with women and children.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report 2011, four of the top five nations that have taken significant steps toward achieving gender parity are Nordic. They are: Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden; Ireland rounds out the quintet.
The report was based on five years of data from 135 countries; it measured gender gap ratios in the following major categories:
Malalai Joya, born 
By the time the Lord made woman, he was into his sixth day of working overtime.
Guest blog post by Maggie McNeill, sex work advocate.
It's almost three years since I made my second of two business visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (I was living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the time).
By filmmaker Sue Useem.
Guest blog post by business owner Dianne Dixon.