Our guest columnist is Murray Evans of the Huffington Post.

Nine-year-old Lauren Hummingbird wants a cell phone for Christmas – and not just any old phone, but an iPhone. Such a request normally would be met with skepticism by her father, Cherokee Nation employee Jamie Hummingbird.

He could dismiss the obvious reasons a kid might want an iPhone, except for this – he’s a proud Cherokee and buying his daughter the phone just might help keep the tribe’s language alive.

Nearly two centuries after a blacksmith named Sequoyah converted Cherokee into its own unique written form, the tribe has worked with Apple to develop Cherokee language software for the iPhone, iPod and – soon – the iPad. Computers used by students – including Lauren – at the tribe’s language immersion school already allow them to type using Cherokee characters.

After Stinquer Redmanlaw brought this to our attention Friday, we looked into the “international keyboards” offered on our iPad. Yup. There it is.

Apple Teams Up To Use iPhone To Save Cherokee Language [HuffPo, 10/23/2010]

Cherokee Artist Roy Boney Jr. Reflects on Steve Jobs [Indian Country Today, via RML]

Title: “This Is Herman Cain!: My Journey to the White House”

Author: Herman Cain!

Rank: 10

Blurb: “If you care about the future of America, you have heard of the down-to-earth political newcomer running for president, the straight-talking man of the people with blunt assessments of what America needs. Originally overlooked by mainstream politicos and media, Herman Cain[!] is truly a candidate from ‘outside the Beltway,’ but no longer one who is being ignored. BUT WHO IS HE?”

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On this Columbus Day weekend, The Management would like to take a moment to celebrate American Exceptionalism.

Ohio: “Beards, Hair Cut Off In Amish-On-Amish Attacks: Members of a group of families disavowed by mainstream Amish have cut the beards off men and the hair off a half-dozen or more men and women, Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said. He said the cutting apparently was meant to be degrading.” [AP]

Florida: “On Monday, Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, filed HB 4063 to repeal the law. He says he doesn’t condone the dwarf tossing but he thinks the prohibition takes away freedoms and is against the American way… A representative of the Little People of America said the group hasn’t had time to study the bill but he raised concerns about the safety of people with dwarfism being thrown.” [Florida Current]

New Mexico: “A grocery store worker accused of handing out a semen-tainted yogurt sample at an Albuquerque market pleaded guilty Thursday. Under terms of his plea agreement, Anthony Garcia admitted he tainted a sample of the yogurt he was handing out at Sunflower Market in January. He also admitted putting some of his semen on a plastic spoon that he placed with the yogurt.” [AP, via JNOV]

My girlfriend took this photo this morning:

Enough whispers! Let’s finally put this on the folding table:

Dr. Robert Jeffress, a Dallas pastor and leader of the Southern Baptist Convention introduced Rick Perry before a nearly full crowd at the Values Voter Summit in Washington Friday.

He also gave Perry his formal endorsement. After Perry’s speech, Jeffress expounded to reporters about his belief (and the formal position of the SBC) that Mormonism is “a cult.”

Whoops! Call out the fire brigade!

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