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POPSGamers Make Better Surgeons Yet another study, by Fordham University, measured the effect of learning a new video game on problem-solving skills in middle school aged children. It found that "playing video games can improve cognitive and perceptual skills." "Certain types of video games can have beneficial effects improving gamers' dexterity as well as their ability to problem solve - attributes that have proven useful not only to students but to surgeons," the researchers found. There are actually "games" where you perform virtual operations, BTW.
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POPSLet Them Eat Rice: Washington's Unedifying Ethanol Food Fight And what about the impact of the Chinese livestock and meat complex, alluded to by Senator Grassley? According to China expert, Darrell Ray, Director of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, "China has not been importing corn to grow her livestock industry. China continues to export more corn that she imports. With regard to grains, China has been taking care of China as if it were a planet on to its own, completely independent of what is happening elsewhere. . . .To attribute today's international grain prices to China essentially assumes that beginning two years ago the market decided there may be a need for China to become a net importer of some corn in the future, say 2012, and so bid-up the price of corn by double." As this "let them eat rice" soundbite made clear, the debate over the food versus fuel issue is about as undignified as a full out real food fight at a summer camp cafeteria.
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POPSLarwyn's Links: Why Oh Why Did We Kick Hillary to the Curb? 
Larwyn is in the process of moving, but I was able to connect with Larwyn's link: http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/8/10/22149/9588 John Edwards' New Age Friends First, there's Newsweek reporter Jonathan Darman's new article about his relationship and many meetings with Rielle Hunter. She's very new age -- astrology, auras, energy fields, etc. He was covering Edwards in Iowa in 2006 when he met Rielle and they stayed in touch and met several times. Very strange story. Then, there's the real mystery man in all this: Bob McGovern. He's the guy who separately drove both Rielle and Edwards to the Beverly Hilton for their meet-up. Edwards told Nightline that McGovern was the one who called him that afternoon and asked for the meeting. Edwards also told Nightline that he only agreed to the meeting if McGovern would be there too. Edwards' never said how he knew Bob McGovern. So who is Bob McGovern? Apparently, a new age healer from Santa Barbara.
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POPSMcCain Lies About Obama's P:osition on Taxes Obama wants to give most low and middle income families and wage earners a tax cut up to $1,000. I wonder why McCain's ad failed to mention it? It's a lie by omission. Clearly, John McCain is a man with few scruples.
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POPSAmerican Lynching: Roll Call of Victims of Vigilante Mobs Dan Davis, 1912 Leo Frank, 1915 Jesse Washington, 1916 The Porvenir Massacre, 1918 Kirven, Texas 1922 Rosewood, Florida 1923 Marion Indiana, 1930 Henry Argo, 1930 Cleo Wright, 1942 Emmett Till, 1955 Mack Charles Parker, 1959
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POPSUnderage Strip Performance deemed 'artistic' Another example of a society adrift. A 17 yr old girl strips in a BAR serving alcohol and judge finds nothing 'illegal' about this? After reading this story I have to sit here and wonder what the heck happened to common sense and decency and to think there are actually people who do not see the harm this type of behavior has on our society. This one certainly belongs in the Cuckoo's nest.
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POPS"The Next Tip Is To Be Absolutely Ruthless,"Says Director of Camp Obama "Listening, listening, listening. Listening is the No. 1 tool," she says. They hold a mock Iowa caucus in which campers learn to try to lure other candidates' supporters to Obama during re-alignment periods. Building alliances Just about all the candidates' campaigns do some version of this volunteer training but others don't have the candidates' own backgrounds to draw on in mapping out the training regimen. Alinsky had been dead for a decade when Obama came to organize in Chicago in the '80s, but his disciples were here ready to train him as Woodards is ready to train the volunteers.
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POPSThe Best States For Business Forbes Annual Listing In Forbes' annual ranking of the Best States for Business, Virginia finished first for the third straight year. But Georgia is the real story, moving from 15th to fifth place. Georgia finished in the top 10 in four of the six categories we examined (economic climate, growth prospects, labor supply and regulatory environment). Just two other states, Virginia and third-ranked Washington, managed this feat. Our rankings measure states on six main areas of importance: business costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life. Business costs are weighted the most, but low costs were not enough to keep Louisiana and West Virginia from being the bottom two in our ranking. We look at a total of 32 data points to compile rankings of the six main categories.
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POPSNo Swing State Coverage of McCain's 'Race Card' Claim I think what's going on here is that these swing state papers are on the front lines -- they see the letters to the editor that aren't printed and they know that there's just a buttload of racism on the right. As a result, they see Obama's statements as pretty accurate and self-evident. McCain's claims must seem to them to be a little insane.
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POPSSustainability and Conservation Post about the "100 Mile Diet". I haven't read the book, but I do believe that we should eat local foods whenever possible. Not only does it save on fuels used in shipping - it tastes better, had more nourishment because it is fresher, and keeps us living in sync with the seasons.
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POPSHis Biggest Hurdle "I've gone through a particular kind of hell," he says, thinking back, shaking his head. "But my story is proof that after the darkness there is a dawn, that there is redemption from our darkest moments."
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POPSCat parasite in humans makes them like cat urine
Parasite "Brainwashes" Rats Into Craving Cat Urine, Study FindsBen Harder for National Geographic News April 3, 2007 The parasite Toxoplasma gondii uses a remarkable trick to spread from rodents to cats: It alters the brains of infected rats and mice so that they become attracted to—rather than repelled by—the scent of their predators. A new study reveals that rodents infected with the parasitic protozoa are drawn to the smell of cat urine, apparently having lost their otherwise natural aversion to the scent. The parasite can only sexually reproduce in the feline gut, so it's advantageous for it to get from a rodent into a cat—if necessary, by helping the latter eat the former. In rodents, "brain circuits for many behaviors overlap with the brain circuits responsible for fear," said Ajai Vyas of Stanford University, who led the new study. "One would thus assume that if something messes up fear of cat pee, it will also mess up a variety of related behaviors." Bu
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