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"Well, there&amp;#x27;s certainly been no shortage of news this week, eh? (If you need a refresher: Obamacare has been upheld, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes split, and Adele announced her pregnancy--oh, my!) But if you&amp;#x27;re not all news-ed out --and I know you&amp;#x27;re not, or you wouldn&amp;#x27;t be on The Conversation!--I&amp;#x27;ve got a few more tidbits for you to mull over this Sunday. Up this week: the first state without an abortion clinic (maybe), women landing high-powered jobs at Facebook and on the Obama campaign, beauty queens gone political, and more. Here She Comes, Miss (Elected) America The face of politics isn&amp;#x27;t only changing... it&amp;#x27;s getting beautified, as former Miss America hopefuls step off the pageant stage into the political arena. Slate&amp;#x27;s Hilary Levey Friedman reports that political beauty queens aren&amp;#x27;t unheard of--Sarah Palin was the 1984 runner-up Miss Alaska, after all --but the pageant isn&amp;#x27;t exactly known for its political leanings, either. (In the words of Laura Kaeppeler, A.K.A. Miss America 2012, Miss America shouldn&amp;#x27;t be allowed to declare her political affiliation because &amp;quot;Miss America represents everyone.&amp;quot;) I know I&amp;#x27;ve already asked you ladies how you feel about wearing your political opinions on your sleeve, but now I&amp;#x27;m curious: Should all public figures be allowed to express their political opinions? If so, when? Mississippi Could Soon Be the First State Without an Abortion Clinic Mississippi&amp;#x27;s only abortion clinic may be on its last leg, according to Jezebel&amp;#x27;s Katie J.M. Baker. This spring, the state&amp;#x27;s governor passed a law that raised the bar way high for abortion providers. Purportedly, the law aims to help patients receive safe healthcare, but the bottom line for many women is that Jackson Women&amp;#x27;s Health Organization might not be able to stand the blow. Good move? Bad move? Let&amp;amp;#8217;s discuss in the comments. Powerful Men Talk More, Powerful Women Don&amp;#x27;t Because It Damages Their Likeability, Power, and Effectiveness A Yale faculty member found that women on top are less talkative than their male counterparts -- and, in fact, the women and men surveyed both prefer it that way. Although, obviously, the study neglected to consider this blog, where you girls are most excellently chatty and unafraid to voice your opinions, I&amp;#x27;m definitely stopped thinking: Do you ever hesitate to speak up at work? Do you think your gender is at fault? Saudi Women Allowed in Olympics for the First Time The good news: Saudi women are officially allowed to compete in the Olympics! The bad news: no one qualified (the most likely contender, equestrienne extraordinaire Dalma Malthas, missed a qualifying deadline because her horse was injured). That&amp;#x27;s a bummer, yes, but a step in the right direction overall. New European Campaign Inadvertently Glorifies Gender Stereotypes Well, I think we can all safely agree that the world is always in need of more lady scientists. So why does this European Commission campaign--which encourages exactly that -- have BUST magazine up in arms? Well, it&amp;#x27;s a little, uh, pink (and if I remember my AP Bio days correctly, even stylish girls are forbidden from wearing open-toed stilettos to the lab). What do you think--is this video inspiring to girls, forgivably well-meaning, or just plain patronizing? And how do you feel about it compared to Science Fair, a sci-tastic album featuring female voices only (available this Tuesday)? Jen Psaki Lands Big Gig on Obama Campaign Do any of you have political aspirations? Here&amp;#x27;s a woman to look up to. Let&amp;#x27;s get some corks popping: Jen Psaki was just named the Obama campaign&amp;#x27;s top traveling communications advisor. Politico gives a great rundown on what her new job will entail, as well as the path she took to get there--she rocketed to her fancy position pretty quickly. Pay attention, &amp;#x27;cause she&amp;#x27;s a name to know... Facebook Names COO Sheryl Sandberg to Board of Directors &amp;amp;#133;And, hey, while we&amp;#x27;re at it, why don&amp;#x27;t you all hit &amp;quot;Like&amp;quot; for Sheryl Sandberg, the first woman to grace Facebook&amp;#x27;s board of directors! (But make sure to keep that glass of bubbly far, far away from your keyboard!) The New Case for Women on Corporate Boards: New Perspectives, Increased Profits Going beyond &amp;quot;Because we deserve to be there, duh,&amp;quot; here&amp;#x27;s Forbes&amp;#x27;s Kate Taylor with a well thought-out argument for placing more women on corporate boards. Also, check out the woman who&amp;#x27;s already putting that thought into action--she&amp;#x27;s asking US business schools to create lists of board-ready alumnae. Which of these stories make the cut for your brunch convo? Tell me in the comments! More news from The Conversation: *Women Aren&amp;#x27;t Running for Office As Much as Men--but These Latinas Did, and They Won (Learn From Them!) *We Have a Crush on Girls Who Code&amp;amp;#8212;and So Does Twitter! *Meet the Women of the Newsweek/Daily Beast Digital Power Index Photo: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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