2011 may be rapidly winding down to a close, but the everlasting amount of news and memorable moments sure haven't. My week was pretty boring (My most exciting moment? Getting pulled over by the cops for stupidly forgetting to turn on my headlights. Yeah.), but that's not the case for many. Without further ado, here is what I voted for the best of week 49:
Video of the Week: Rick Perry's "Strong" Ad
In less than five days, this terrible (and desperate) ad has spawned a wonderful collection of .gifs with Perry saying the most unpopular things, a parody video from the Second City Network, a debate as to whether it was spawned off the "Old Fashioned Guy" sketch from "The State," and much more.
Blockbuster Deal of the Week: First Baseman Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Sure, picking up the three-time MVP winner, two-time World Series champion, and the greatest hitter of our generation seems great at the moment. This, along with C.J. Wilson's signing, immediately puts the Angels in the hunt for the AL crown, increases TV revenue exponentially, and rejuvenates the fanbase. But let's see if the 10 year/$254 million deal looks when the man turn 35, or 40, or 42 (the age when his contract expires), or if the team never wins a title. Either way, this experiment for LA's second city should be very interesting to watch play out.
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Two People, Including Cop, Killed In Shootings At Virginia Tech
You know your school hasn't had a good past five years when "only two people were killed this time" is somehow considered a good thing.
-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Story of the Week: "Mythbusters" Folks Accidentally Hit California Home With Canonball
If the challenge was to prove the myth that canons blow stuff up, then I think this at least earned it a "plausible."
Debate of the Week: The Michigan vs. Wisconsin Mitten Argument
There hasn't been a debate this heated since the time Indiana and Louisiana argued which one looked more like a boot.
Jail Sentence of the Week: Rod Blagojevich Sent to 14 Years in Prison
How convenient. One year for every letter of his name.
Rejection of the Week: Actor Alec Baldwin
who got kicked out of an American Airlines flight by a few stewardesses while playing Words with Friends with a couple of other people, apparently a violation of federal safety procedures. I wonder who ended up winning that game in the end...
This Week on OCCUPY: There's not many fresh things to report from TIME Magazine's #1 U.S. news story of the year outside of your usual cases of protests and police evacuation. The city of Boston has now officially been added to the list of major cities no longer being 'occupied,' as 46 final protesters were arrested by over 100 policeman on the city's Dewey Square. Hours later, dozens gathered outside of District 4 headquarters support their colleagues who have been arrested.
With more and more "Occupy Wall Street" related protests being shut down by cities all over the world, and with the winter weather continuing to get colder, supporters of the cause have begun looking for new alternatives to protests. One method, called "Occupy Our Homes," involves members going to homes about to be foreclosed, and even implementing homeless families in them as a method of providing them shelter over these upcoming cold and bitter weeks. The method of protests first began on Tuesday and has since spread into twenty five different cities across the country, with support also being added from neighbors of these foreclosed homes who have suffered because of these deteriorating homes and even some members of local New York city council members.
Outside of "Occupy Our Homes," there has been a movement led by New York congressman Jerrold Nadler of having the U.S. Justice Department to investigate reports of police misconduct in lower Manhattan during the "Occupy Wall Street" protests in Zuchotti Park from September to November. In response to this story, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has gone on the defensive, denying any police wrongdoing and even ridiculing the Congressman for his suggestion. From the New York Times:
"If he would spend more time getting us homeland security money, maybe he'd making the streets safer," the major said.
"If he could get us more federal moneys," the mayor added, "maybe we could make our schools better and we wouldn't have some of the things that people are protesting against."
Mr. Bloomberg's comments, which he made during an appearance in Brooklyn, drew a swift and acerbic response from Representative Nadler, who was described as having been taken aback by the strikingly personal tone of the mayor's attack. "It is precisely my job as the ranking member of the House's Judiciary's Constitution Subcommittee, to ensure that the constitutional rights of all Americans are respected," Mr. Nadler said. "And it is precisely the job of the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure that the alleged violations of those rights are investigated, and that federal civil rights laws are vigorously enforced."
Aw, snap! Political smackdown! But all in all, that's pretty much the only thing to say about the past week in protests. I'm thinking of wrapping up this segment. Will I go through with? Stop by next week to find out.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Person of the Week: NBA Commissioner David Stern
for blocking the proposed mega-trade between the New Orleans Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets on Thursday in one of the most brain scratching decision by any league in recent memory. Had the trade been allowed by Stern, the move would have sent All-Star point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first round pick to the Hornets, and Paul Gasol to the Rockets. Instead, Stern denied the trade because some small-market team owners (specifically, Dan Gilbert, the petty owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers) were worried that this would weaken the league's competitive balance and make a five-team league with the other 25 "a team of Washington Generals."
This decision baffles me in numerous ways, as I'm sure it probably bothers you, too. For one thing, that trade was completely defensible and in no way similar to other one-sided trades of the past (like the famous Pau Gasol trade in 2008). Almost every team in that trade got something good out of it: the Lakers got Paul, the Hornets got a helluva compensation for someone who will doubt pursue other teams in the 2012 offseason (and arguably came out of it better than Los Angeles), and Rockets gets a quality power forward in Gasol and freeing up space to potentially get someone like Nene on their roster. Second, the complaints by those small-market owners are nothing more than something fueled by both jealousy and contempt at much more superior teams. As Tommy Craggs points out: "You are the Washington Generals. You have always been the Washington Generals, and until the NBA goes commie and starts arming the peasantry and redistributing the land- a la the NFL- you will go on being the Washington Generals."
The New Orleans Hornets resubmitted the trade to the commissioner's office earlier today. It should be interesting to see what Stern does this time after two days of backlash by the media and NBA fans.
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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