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POPSHA!!!!! Indiana Secretary of State, proponent of rigid ID laws, is challenged at the polls.
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POPSMy stroke of Insight "How many brain scientists have been able to study the brain from the inside out? I've gotten as much out of this experience of losing my left mind as I have in my entire academic career." Jill Bolte Taylor (TED talk video at source)
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POPSOrigin of State Names GEORGIA. Named after King George II of England, who charted the colony in 1732. HAWAII. An English adaptation of the native word owhyhee, which means "homeland." IDAHO. Possibly taken from the Kiowa Apache word for the Comanche Indians. ILLINOIS. The French bastardization of the Algonquin word illini, which means "men." INDIANA. Named by English-speaking settlers because the territory was full of Indians. IOWA. The Sioux word for "beautiful land," or "one who puts to sleep." KANSAS. Taken from the Sioux word for "south wind people," their name for anyone who lived south of Sioux territory. KENTUCKY. Possibly derived from the Indian word kan-tuk-kee, meaning "dark and bloody ground." Or kan-tuc-kec, "land of green reeds", or ken-take, meaning "meadowland." LOUISIANA. Named after French King Louis XIV. MAINE. The Old French word for "province." MARYLAND. Named after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of English King George I.
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POPSTake a Bow, America It can be easy in such a moment of triumph to lose sight of the agony wrought by the unrelieved evil of racism and to forget how crucial a role anti-black racism played in shaping American life since the first slaves were dumped ashore 400 years ago. Blacks have been holding fast to the promise of America for all that time. Not without anger. Not without rage. But with a fidelity that in the darkest moments — those moments when the flow of blood seemed like it would never stop, when enslaved families were wrenched apart, when entire communities were put to the torch, when the breeze put the stiffened bodies of lynched victims in motion, when even small children were murdered and Dr. King was taken from us — even in those dire moments, African-Americans held fast to the promise of America with a fidelity that defied logic.
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POPSDog saves master with heimlich maneuver It was given the dog of the year award at the dog and cat of the year awards given by the ASPCA. A cat was awarded a prize for waking someone up in a fire and there were awards given to people, but I'm sure not even many people would have the sense to do the Heimlich maneuver, and cats aren't heavy enough. Both of the award winners were saved after being left abandoned as a puppy and a kitten.
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POPSNewt protein makes legs grow back They've found the protein that causes immature cells, similar to stem cells, to multiply, and grow to reform the missing limbs in newts. It is hoped understanding of this process may lead to it's application as a regrowth factor in mammals.
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POPSSearching in space and minds: New research suggests underlying link Some people might be more inclined to one search mode or the other, having a lesser ability to focus on a given task or difficulty letting go of an idea. An extreme form of the exploratory cognitive style would be someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. An extreme form of the exploitive cognitive style would be someone with obsessive compulsive disorder.
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POPSIN man denied ‘No Gods’ license plates though state offers ‘In God We Trust’ plates
As I understand it, the separation of church and state sprang from the concept that the state cannot impose its belief on the individual. The federal government has been doing exactly this since 1864 when the first coin was stamped with “In God We Trust”. In 1956 it became the national motto (http://candst.tripod.com/motto.htm), and it is supported by nearly 90% of Americans, which led the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the motto because, according to them, it has "lost through rote repetition any significant religious content”. Several years ago, the appearance of "In God We Trust" on our money was challenged in the federal courts. The challenge was rejected by the lower federal courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case. Since this message appears on U.S. currency, several states flags and seals, and license plates, many people falsely believe that the U.S. is, and was founded as, a Christian nation. I doubt you will convince them otherwise.
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POPSIowa Wedding Announcement "Nonetheless, we appreciate the interest… …Same-sex marriage is legal in Iowa, where the couple lives and plans to marry. Since one of the young men is originally from Elkhart and his family still lives here, we did the same thing we’d do for any other local family with a child getting married — we published the couple’s engagement announcement. We fulfilled our role as a paper of record. We documented an engagement, something we do hundreds of times each year. Protesters asked why we would publish a story about something illegal in Indiana. Basically, it’s because an informed citizenry, a citizenry capable of thinking for itself, needs uncensored news from a variety of sources. That includes states and nations where the law does not conform to Indiana’s." Of all the things to get one's panties tied up in a bunch about, this beats the cake. Can't people worry about the economy or something really important?
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