Internet

Cogent points are made in this worthwhile piece by Kym of Championing Ourselves. If you're like me, you'll find yourself nodding your head in agreement through most of it. Not only a lament, the piece outlines what could be the ideal female action series and even gives directions on who should star (Rhona Mitra heads the short list, to which I would add Jessica Biel and perhaps a few others).

I heard someone was selling a Sarah Palin superhero action figure; this sounded like a cool idea to me (not because I've picked a side in the presidential race, either). I should have known better—shoddy is one word that comes to mind; moreover, schoolgirl Sarah Palin has to be the silliest "action" figure I've ever seen.

In March 2004, 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell, USA, was deployed to Iraq. Not long after that, on April 13, she was leading a supply convoy through Baghdad when the Humvee she was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb. Melissa lost her left leg in that blast, the first female US soldier to lose a limb in Iraq.

But the bomb didn't damage her spirit, if anything it was made stronger. Since losing her leg, Melissa has taught herself again how to ski, become a prosthetist so she can help other wounded veterans, completed several marathons and triathlons, and set US Paralympic swimming records. Today, she is in Beijing getting ready to compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games. Melissa is the consummate female warrior-athlete.



TakePride—an organization supporting the troops through art, style, and story—has launched a T-shirt called Stronger in honor of Melissa. The shirt features an image of Melissa swimming and text that tells her inspiring story. A minimum of $5 from each sale of a Stronger shirt will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.





Stronger is available only at www.TakePride.com.

You can keep up with Melissa's adventures in Beijing by following her blog. We wish her the best.