Okay, so I've been busy...This'll be in relative date order rather than importance as usual so that I can keep track easier (if you didn't understand that, that's fine; I do).
5*4 Points:
1. Labor Day- Never really understood what the meaning of Labor Day was, except that we're supposed to get a day off. Better hit up Wikipedia; seems like a thing that I should know about.
2. Tour of Missouri- Despite cycling being under a cheating cloud, apparently quite a few thousand (six figures I hear) turned up all across Missouri to watch this race, which featured some big names, like Levi Leipheimer, and the Discovery Team. It's sad that this is the last year of Discovery, but Lance Armstrong gave them quite a legacy, didn't he?
3. Larry Craig renegs on resigning- Don't understand his decision; there's major backlash against him, especially in his party, but if he thinks he's "innocent", then oh well. The Republicans aren't going to take back Congress with his help anyway.
4. Steve Fossett Missing- Happened earlier this month and still hasn't been found. And apparently nothing has been found that could've went wrong. I remember how attached to the TV I was when he was making his treks around the world in his balloon...hopefully something will happen with this story.
5. Fred Thompson declares candidacy- Automatically he leaps into the top fourth of the field in the Republican party, but do people really think he has a chance, when he's more well known for Law & Order than for being a senator?
6. Michigan and Notre Dame- Two of the most storied football programs losing really bad games in the first week. Michigan has somewhat recovered, but Notre Dame's probably toast. What happened to Charlie Weis learning from the best? Does he need to resort to cheating as well, or shouldn't he have done that previously?
7. Hurricane Felix- Second category 5 hurricane in a season is a record, says the 9/5/07 edition of USA Today. Hurricane seasons are weird every year, supposedly, and they will continue to be that way, especially with global warming. Why do experts keep saying "This year is weird"?
8. Luciano Pavarotti Dies- But what a legacy he's had; perhaps the best opera singer in the world, if not ever. Sadly, we all probably saw this coming a while back, but still something we hoped would be delayed for a while longer.
9. New TV Season- Everybody's talking about the influx of "geek" shows, with Chuck, The Big Bang Theory, Reaper, Aliens in America, and others. And they all seem alright, or watchable at least. Maybe being nerdy is the trend now, or maybe, with this being TV, they like to show the non-mainstream.
10. USA Today turns 25- Without the hotel aspect dominated, it probably wouldn't have, or even today, survived. But a functional newspaper for those on the go especially, and congratulations are in order.
11. Petraeus Briefing- General David Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, has argued that troop pullback in Iraq may not be a good idea, obviously chafing Democrats in Congress. He also said that security in Iraq was improving, while also saying that religious militia groups have too much power for security to be turned over to local governments. If you think about it, perhaps this makes sense, but still a little contradicting, no?
12. 9/11 now six years ago- Seems like we have all forgotten the lessons 9/11 was supposed to teach us. Patriotism, peace, freedom, and of course life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have seemingly all gone out the window. Please don't make it take another terrorist attack for us to be reminded again (Congress...).
13. Bill Belichick caught for cheating- As harped on before, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined, as were the Patriots themselves, for videotaping the New York Jets' signals. However, Goodell has levied a fine that is not harsh at all ($500,000 against Belichick and $250,000 against the team, as well as a first round draft pick IF they make the playoffs), taking a hit against his tough-guy stance against all things wrong. The Patriots can survive that; give them something more lasting.
14. Vanessa Hudgens nude photos- Was she underage, was she overage, were they for Drake Bell, were they for Zac Efron, were they for his enjoyment, were they to make him come to her instead of Ashley Tisdale...glad to know we're following this more than, say, national security?
15. Bush to pull back troops in Iraq- But not because it's been the right thing to do, but because he says the missions have been successful. Someone's drinking Kool-Aid.
16. Sopranos wins best drama- Fitting way to go out for one of the most popular dramas of all time. The panel loves creativity (obviously being involved with performing arts), perhaps they enjoyed the ending, as opposed to the rest of us...
17. O. J. Simpson arrested for armed robbery- Oh, O. J., O. J., O. J., O. J., ... when will you know that crime doesn't pay? You've just got arrested, and now you'll contest it, but is this thing worth a replay?
18. Federal Reserve cuts key interest rate- Trying to boost the economy, especially housing and financial markets. Apparently this will drop the prime lending rate banks have, and the cost of a home-equity line, which bodes well for us consumers, right? (This was all pulled out of USA Today from 9/19/07...better hit up Wikipedia again).
19. Jena Six- Sure, racial tension still exists, but weren't we supposed to have moved past such horrible incidents as this one decades ago? Hanging nooses on a tree was bad, retaliating was just as bad. Charging all six for attempted murder among other things with minimal chance for bail (one has been freed on bail, apparently from an anonymous donor)? A little much, isn't it?
20. Dan Rather sues CBS- CBS ditched him very ungraciously, which shows how much business honors loyalty and hard work. But a $70 million lawsuit? Oh dear.
My 20 points will come later (perhaps tomorrow, perhaps this week, perhaps 25 or greater next week or later...I'm rhyming a lot today), so as to not hit y'all with a huge submission today.
