2007 was an extraordinary year. Many famous people died, there were firsts in American history and major shifts in power in the US Government. Lead paint recalls, the struggling home market and more. Every year before the beginning of the new year we spend time reflecting on ourselves and the world around us. Therefore I will review and offer my 10 cents.

I will review the top stories, the world of sports, the top music, the top movies, Deaths and the biggest jerks of the year. I will also review some of the Dime for your Thoughts this year.

Top Stories

These are the top 25 stories of the year picked by Dime for Your Thoughts.

The Democrats take over Congress: The 110th congress was the first Congress since 1994 to be controlled by the Democratic party. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first female speaker of the House of representatives. Pelosi was also the first Speaker of the House from California. Keith Ellison (D-MN) became the first Muslim ever elected to congress. Hank Johnson (D-GA), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) became the first Buddhists to be elected to a federal office. The Democratic party made huge strides in Governorships as well claiming OH, another long time Republican State. The current poll has the approval rating of congress at 25%

My 10 cents on this one: It would appear that the American people were disgusted with leadership of Bush and took it out on the only ones they could, the people up for office. Since these were all local elections it's hard to make that call, but in Ohio anyone with any kind of connection to Taft was like they had the plague. There was so much corruption in the Taft administration that there was almost an automatic bid for the Democratic party. Even if Jack the Ripper would have ran he would have won and he might have been better than the administration that was elected. People voted the Democrats into congress, but they sure aren't happy with them. They have a mere 25% approval rate 10 points lower than the president. Ouch!

The Imus Fiasco: In the spring of 2007 Imus a long time "shock jock" was fired for comments made about the Rutgers Women's Basketball team. On a show he called them "nappy-headed hos" Implying the Rutgers team was a bunch of hos from the hood, making fun of New Jersey. Those comments created a stir of emotions from the black community and getting the Rev. Al Sharpton involved. Eventually Imus was fired and the show was canceled. Imus issued an apology, though many saw it as half-hearted. Nearly 8 months after Imus was fired he is back on the air along with two black comedians.

My 10 cents on this one: Imus is a shock jock. Just as there is a right to free speech those who do not wish to hear his comments need not listen to him, they have the right not to tune in. These same comments are made by rappers, comedians and people in the general public everyday. Although the comments were in bad taste he is a shock jock, and that's why people listen to him. I'm not a fan of his, or any other shock jock, but as long as there is a market for them people will listen. Though I found his comments distasteful, I have heard much the same from rap artists comedians. So why did they just all of the sudden go after Imus? I don't think he meant it personally. This whole situation was blown way out of proportion. Anyone in the public spotlight is subject to being made fun of, he was joking, it wasn't a personal attack. move on!

The Virginia Tech shootings: Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people in a violent rampage. A manifesto was mailed to NBC in between the shootings. It showed a video and violent pictures of Seung-Hui holding a gun. He purchased two guns legally and there was arguments that he should not have been able to purchase the weapons because of his mental health problems. Below in the famous deaths section is a list of all 32 that were murdered that day

My 10 cents on this one: This was a very sad day in history and one of the most violent shootings to date. I don't think there are any words to describe this massacre.

The Mall Shootings in Nebraska: In the heart of the busy Christmas shopping season a gunman opened fire at a mall in Nebraska killing eight people before turning the gun on himself.

My 10 cents on this one: Another tragic suicide rampage; we seem to have at least one every year such as Columbine and earlier the Virginia Tech shooting. There was yet another school shooting in Cleveland this year, once again the gunman went after bullies. It's a sad day when people choose to solve their problems with a gun.

Wild Fires: This year there were two major wild fires, both started by Humans. The fires in California were started by a child playing with fire and the fires in Greece were started by people that wanted land for development. There was also speculation that political extremists may have set the flames. In California thousands of homes were destroyed and the death toll was 14. In Greece the damages were much worse claiming 51 lives and destroying entire towns and villages. At one time nearly 50% of the country was on fire. Fire crews were bought in from other European countries, Canada and The United States. There were also major fires in Idaho and throughout the western United States.

My 10 cents on this one: It's sickening that people burned ancient lands to line their pockets, but it goes to show you the ruthlessness of human nature. As for the California fires it's sad to see the devastation that one kid playing with matches can do. Both these areas have suffered from extreme dryness like is happening in the southeast United States right now.

Do you love Poetry? Then check out the Poets Stage with award winning poet and author Timothy J. House as well as others.

www.thepoetsstage.com

Harry Potter Mania: In July the last book in the series of the boy wizard came out creating more Harry Potter mania. Peninsula, OH had another Harry Potter festival and in Manhattan people lined up at book stores dressed as their favorite characters. On the release date the book sold a record 8.3 million copies in the US alone. This is the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series, though it is rumored that JK Rowling is now working on a mystery novel; it appears she is far from retirement.

My 10 cents on this one: Here's a lady who didn't have a dime (no pun intended) just a few years ago. Proof that you're never down and out.

The China recalls: This year we saw record recalls from Chinese manufactured products from Toys, Animal food, to toothpaste and more. New questions arose about just how safe are these products that we buy that are manufactured in China. The American public complained they have no choice but to buy products manufactured there since they dominate store shelves.

My 10 cents on this one: This is the by-product of cooperate greed! Congrats to all the CEOs, how about we recall you! Maybe throwing away factory jobs in this country wasn't such a good idea after all.

Bridge disaster in Minnesota: On August 1st the bridge on I 35W across the Mississippi river in Minneapolis collapsed. The incident had cars plunging into the River, rescue efforts would continue for several days after the collapse. 13 people were killed and an estimated 100 more were injured. After the accident other state's DOTs scrambled to start inspecting bridges to make sure they were structurally sound.

My 10 cents on this one: There were obvious problems with this bridge that were ignored. Most of the evidence says that this bridge just wore out, it had a lot of problems and ignoring problems doesn't make them go away they just get worse. The highway system is very important part of this countries everyday life, so shouldn't it be one of this countries top priorities?

Gore is awarded Nobel Peace Prize: Al Gore couldn't win the presidency in 2000 but did manage to pick up an oscar, an Emmy and a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Gore has championed environmental causes for a long time. He was given the award for raising awareness to global warming, something that scientists have been so far unable to do. Gore also broke into the entertainment world and won an Oscar and an Emmy with the documentary"An Inconvenient Truth".

My 10 cents on this one: I will agree that we need to make a bigger effort to conserve energy as our infrastructure can only withstand so much. We pollute too much and use too much oil, dependence on foreign oil and the Chinese Economy sucking down every natural resource they can get their hands on has caused the high gas prices we see. We need to focus more on alternative fuels such as solar, wind, and hydropower. The funny thing is that some of the "new environmentally safe practices" are causing more harm then good. Don't worry Al it's not all bad, I doubt your nemesis George W. Bush will ever win the Nobel peace prize!

Tony Blair steps down as British PM: Tony Blair left the British parliament on June 27, 2007 ending 10 years of power as the British Prime Minister. Blair was chastised for his support of the Bush administration and the Iraq war. He was dubbed as Bush's pawn though he had a very successful term as Prime Minister.

My 10 cents on this one: Though many people disagree with me on this; I think that Blair was a great leader. Sure Iraq turned into a mess, but if you take that away and look at his accomplishments such as peace in Northern Ireland

The Pakistan crisis: On November 3, 2007 President Musharraf issued a state of emergency. Pakistan has seen two former Prime Ministers come back protesting Musharraf and to run against him in the 2008 elections. Benazir Bhutto returned from a self imposed exile in October. The state of emergency was put in place before the 2008 elections, while critics said it was to keep his grip on power the PM has denied that claim. The state of emergency has since been lifted and Musharraf has stepped down as head of the military. He now rules as a civilian leader.

On December 27 Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a political rally. Bhutto was running as the opposition to Musharraf. Bhutto was know as a friend to the United States and wanted to rid Pakistan of the extremists. Rioting has continued and there are questions on whether the government provided enough security. The assassination has been linked to Osama Bin Laden. It has long been rumored that Bin Laden has been hiding near the Pakistani boarder

My 10 cents on this one: Pakistan has been a major ally in the fight on terror and continues to be a key interest for the United States. Recent reports suggest though there has been a rise in al-Qaeda even with efforts to stop it. There is little doubt that extremists were responsible for murdering Bhutto. We will need to watch this region closely.

The collapse of the housing market: The housing market came upon hard times in 2007. There was a huge number of foreclosures and those trying to sell can't find buyers. Loans written with adjustable rates have grown larger and out of the price range of some home owners causing them to default on their loans. Because of this, property values have lost from 6 % to 7% of their value and threaten to get even worse. Housing starts are down as well. The Home improvement industry has also felt the pinch from the slumping market. The Government was forced to step in and bail out the mortgage companys this past October after the practice of giving high risk loans finally blew up. Cities such as Cleveland and Detroit were hit the hardest ranking the highest in home forecloses this year. There were only two markets in the US that saw rises in home value.

My 10 cents on this one: There is no magic pill to fix this and it will get worse before it gets better. With the cost of materials quadrupling in the last 10 years this is one big factor. It costs 4 times as much to build a home as it did 10 years ago. This should have no effect on existing homes, but I think that the high cost of energy has hit those trying to buy a home as well. It takes a tremendous expense to move and people just flat out don't have the money. Not only is gasoline sky high, but so is natural gas and electric. Higher food prices have also been a big factor. The housing market has left a hit on consumer spending as well, since homes are now worth much less than the home equity loans are lower and people don't have as much money from their homes.

The Drought: The southeast US was just shy of setting a record for the driest season ever recorded due to several storms at the end of the year. A large portion of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee are under an exceptional drought according to the USDA. Reservoirs are drying up, and crops were lost. Many towns have declared an emergency and have ordered a reduction in water usage. They even had to ban the use of candles for Christmas celebration due to high risk of fire. North Carolina is 13 inches below normal; similar shortages can be seen in Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina. Alabama is worse seeing a deficiency of 15 inches. This drought has continued for 16 months.

My 10 cents on this one: The drought has driven up the cost of food and with no end in site. Many cities in the south have started programs to try to regain some water via condensation. Water bans have been put in place throughout many areas. This region is dependant on a large amount of rain from tropical storms and summer thunderstorms, which never happened this year. Most of the storms went through the Caribbean to Mexico and Central America.

Car Bombs in London and Scotland: The day after Gordon Brown took office as the British Prime Minister there were two car bombs placed for an attack. Neither bomb went off. The first bomb was located near a nightclub in Haymarket, the second bomb was located and towed away for a parking violation. The staff noticed a strong smell of gasoline and upon further inspection they found a bomb. The perpetrators were later caught as they attacked the Glasgow airport in what was the first ever attack of Scottish soil. Police arrested eight people in connection with the attempts including the two that attacked the airport, the driver died from severe burns and the other an Iraqi doctor was charged with the incident. It was originally thought the attacks were in response to Gordon Brown who is from Scotland, but later this theory was dismissed.

My 10 cents on this one: It's fortunate that more people weren't killed, though it's scary that a doctor would get involved in a terrorist attack.

The Bald Eagle is removed from the Endangered list: The bald Eagle was endangered for 30+ years, but this year it was removed from the list. The birds are still protected under the Golden Eagle Protection Act.

My 10 cents on this one: This proud majestic bird has made a comeback and is thriving.

Windows Vista Hits the marketplace: After years of hype and delays in January of 2007 along came Windows Vista formally know as Longhorn. The system has received a very negative response with users complaining about poor performance, compatibility issues, and many have returned to Windows XP.

My 10 cents on this one: I purchased a Vista PC this year and have had the same problems as many others. Don't upgrade, and if you are buying a new computer do yourself a big favor and get it with XP. You can officially add the Dime for Your Thoughts review to one of the millions of bad reviews microsoft has had. Kudos to Apple though they made a great commercial out of the situation.

Google turned 10: Time flies when you are having fun and taking over the World Wide Web. The popular crawler web search site turned 10 this year. Google has become the leader in searches by a long shot. People like the simplicity and the accuracy. Google is obsessed with making their searches more accurate. Web site owners are always trying to increase their PR, which is a rating created by Google of the importance of the site. Google has now more than just a name but an actual part of the English language. The term "googled" means I looked something up on Google. Google has come a long way since it's conception in 1997 to much more than just a search engine, Google has created Google Earth, Google Maps, GMail (which was the first mega mailbox at 1 gig when it started), Blogger, and now owns YouTube.

My 10 cents on this one: I'd be lost without it. I'm one of those web site owners obsessed about it. Since Google has become a big source of traffic to my web sites. As a web master and a writer Google has pretty much become a part of my everyday life. I was disgusted like many others when he requested to visit ground zero.

Iranian President speaks to UN General Council: Iranian president Mahmound Ahmadinejad speaks to the UN General counsel and denies that Iran is involved in production of Nuclear weapons claiming it's only purpose is for energy production. The UN security counsel has demanded that Iran stop enrichment of uranium. American's were angered when Ahmadinjad asks to visit the site of the fallen twin towers.

My 10 cents on this one: Everything this guy says is BS! Why would anyone in their right mind believe that Iran isn't developing weapons.

Darfur: In September the UN approved a peacekeeping force of 26,000 to aid in stopping the genocide in the violent region of west Sudan. Arab militants and the government have been committing acts of violence and genocide against the majority black population. The conflict has been going on since 2003. Many have fled their destroyed villages and are now refugees. The African Union was already in place with 7,000 troops but with little effect.

My 10 cents on this one: I'm not sure why it took so long to get the force together. There are some speculating that even with the UN peacekeepers it still won't be enough. It is sickening to see what has been done to these people, not only that but the slow response by the West to get involved.

Immigration Bill: The widely unpopular immigration bill was stalled in the senate. The bill offered amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants that are in the country now. Sen. Ted Kennedy D-Mass said " this bill will live to see another day". President Bush made a last ditch effort calling senators to try and get the bill to pass; he was unsuccessful. The bill offered millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States Citizenship. The bill would require them to pay back some of the taxes.

My 10 cents on this one: Ridiculous! I am very happy this one failed, if you want to live in another country, go through the proper channels. These "millions" of people have been here enjoying the use of services without paying any taxes. Now we just tell them "Oh you can stay" What is to stop anybody from just coming in and applying for amnesty. Besides that they have been breaking the law for a number of years, so what is to stop them from breaking others.

Jessie Davis Disappearance: Last June a pregnant woman disappeared in Canton, OH. She was later found dead and her boyfriend Bobby Cutts Jr. a Canton Police officer was charged with double murder for the mother and her unborn child. Myisha Ferrell, a high school friend of Cutts was also arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. She is also accused of helping Cutts dispose of the body, hiding evidence and lying to investigates. The state is seeking the death penalty for Bobby Cutts Jr.

My 10 cents on this one: It looks like prosecutors have a solid case, everything you read up on this guy tells you more of what a total scumbag he is. Nice to know we have people like that on the force, fathered two children while cheating on his wife and is now accused of killing her.

Putin Lays claim to the North Pole: Russian scientists have estimated that there is more than double the amount of oil in the north pole as there is in all of Saudi Arabia. Russian geologists have claimed that the North Pole is connected to Siberia, and Putin has said it therefore belongs to Russia. The Russian geologists have said that the Lomonosov Ridge connects the continent to the north pole, however the plate goes all the way to Canada. Currently the treaty in place states that all countries that boarder the North Pole have a 200 mile limit off the shore for exploration and economic development. The countries are Canada, Russia, Denmark (by ownership of Greenland), Finland, Norway and The United States (Alaska). Canada was outraged at Putin's claims. Environmentalists are outraged also and complain that the North Pole is the last untouched region on Earth; it should be left alone. Putin plans to plea to the UN general counsel to acquire the territory.

My 10 cents on this one: I thought this was a joke when I first heard this. This is absolutely ludicrous! If you go by Putin's moronic logic than Canada can also make the same claim, since it is also connected to the same plate. Heck Canada should own Russia and all of Eurasia too! Putin plans to plea to the UN to annex the North Pole, he will get laughed out of the building.

Michael Vick and the Dogfighting scandal: The star Atlanta Falcons quarterback was charged and sentenced for running a enterprise of pit bull fighting rings. He hosted dogfights at his home in Virginia from 2001- 2007. He later pled guilty in a plea agreement. He made a statement apologizing to his fans, teammates and the NFL.

My 10 cents on this one: At least he owned up to it in the end. Still really sick stuff.

The Jena six: In Jena LA there were six black students that were charged with aggravated assault after beating up a white student. The fight started because three white students hung a noose from an oak tree on Jena high school property. The three white students were suspended and protestors thought they should have been charged with a hate crime. Six Black students brutalized one of the white students that hung the noose, nearly killing him. Originally the six were charged with attempted murder, but later the charges were reduced to aggravated assault. Thousands of protestors went to the tiny town to protest and call for the release of the six teenagers. The town was overwhelmed and could not accommodate all the protestors.

My 10 cents on this one: The old saying two wrongs don't make a right comes to mind. The white students should have been expelled. Does that give the right for six guys to gang up on one? Al Sharpton wants everyone to think that this was just a fight, but how does he justify six on one? If it would have been a one on one thing than I'm sure it would have been considered that, but they had six on one. I'm not sure that the original charge of attempted murder was wrong. If the School would have expelled the white students that hung the noose then I don't think it would have escalated like it did.

The Iraq War: A lot of news came out of Iraq this year, but how has it gone as a whole? As a whole those for and against agree that things are getting better though in a recent poll 68% still disapprove of the war. In September General Petraeus released his report on the war. For most of the summer the Bush administration kept saying to wait for the report, whenever ask about Iraq. Some sources even said that the White House was going to write the report, no proof of that was ever made. Petraeus reported though US forces encountered tough resistance, violence was down. This was due to the fact that the Iraqi forces and it's citizens are tired of the violence and are making an increased effort to end it. Also credited was the US troop surge. Iraqis have begun to get involved in fighting the extremists. The US plans decrease troops starting next year. Even with increased progress 2007 was the bloodiest year of the war as 901 soldiers died in 2007. December however was the second lowest amount of deaths next to February 2004. Deaths have been decreasing from August to the end of the year after a surge of deaths in the summer months.

my 10 cents on this one: I believe things are improving though there is still a long road ahead the only way things will continue to get better is if the Iraqis make the effort. They are the ones that need to step up and say enough is enough.

Deaths

Raymond Barre, 83. Prime Minister of France 1976-1981

Rod Beck, 38. A pitcher that pitched for several teams including the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox And San Diego Padres. He was known as one of the premier closers in the league. Rod Beck will be on the 2008 ballot for the Baseball hall of fame.

Chris Benoit 40. Pro-wrestler that murdered his wife Nancy and son Daniel then killed himself. Many have speculated that this incident was caused by "Roid Rage" a condition of extreme rage caused by taking Steroids

Nancy Benoit 43. Pro-wrestler that was killed by her husband.

Garry Betty, 49. CEO of Earthlink

Benazir Bhutto, 54. Prime Minister of Pakistan 1988-90, 1993-96. She was assassinated at a political rally. Bhutto was running in the 2008 election. Bhutto was the first woman leader in Pakistani history and the first woman leader in the Muslim world.

Oliver Brown, 100. The lead attorney on the landmark case Brown vs. board of education 1954. The landmark ruling made it illegal to have separate schools for Black and White students

Robert Buck, 93. Early legendary aviator

James Callahan, 76. Actor, best known as the grandfather on Charles in Charge also was a character actor on several different shows from the 60s to the 90s.

Liz Claiborne, 78. A fashion designer that started the Liz Claiborne line.

Chuck Comiskey, 81. Grandson of the Chicago White Sox founder Charles Comiskey

Alice Coltrane, 69. Jazz Musician and wife of the late John Coltrane

Mike Coolbaugh, 35. First base coach of the AAA Tulsa Drillers, killed by a line drive while he was standing his position as a first base coach

Robert Craig, 69. Evil Knievel. A daredevil motorcyclist popular in the 60's and 70's

Alberta Davis, 125. Was listed as the oldest person alive

Kevin Davis, 32. A Blue Angles pilot killed in a crash at a South Carolina air show April 21, 2007

Vincent DeDomenico, 92. Inventor of the popular food Rice-a-Roni

Denny Dougherty, 66. Singer with the Mamas and Papas

Jerry Falwell, 73. TV evangelist and political activist. He created the first mega church and started a bible college.

John Ferguson Sr.,68. NHL great LW for the Montreal Canadians and father of Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr.

Bill Fleming, 80. Longtime ABC Sports broadcaster

George W. George, 87. Famous film producer.

Merv Griffin, 82. Created several game shows and made game shows big business.

Ruth Graham, 87. Wife of TV evangelist Billy Graham

Rex Humbard, 88. A television evangelist

Richard Jewell, 44. Was falsely accused of the Olympic park bombing in 1996.

Lady Bird Johnson, 94. First lady of the United States 1963-69

Joe Kennedy, 28. Was a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland As and Colorado Rockies

Kiichi Miyazawa, 87. Former Prime Minister of Japan 1991-93

Pierre Messmer, 91. Former Prime Minister of France 1972-74

Don Metz, 91. Former NHL great for the Toronto Maple Leafs, He carried the Maple Leafs on his back with a hat trick in Game 5 of the 1942 Stanley Cup he also scored the winning goal in Game six. The Leafs came back from 0-3 to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3.

Janlavyn Narantsatsralt, 50. Former Prime Minister of Mongolia 1998–99

Barry Nelson-89 First actor to play the character James Bond

George Osmond- 90 Singer member of the Osmond family

Luciano Pavarotti, 71. Opera superstar, considered one of the greatest tenors ever.

Tom Poston, 85. Actor that starred on Newhart a popular 80's TV sitcom

Ivica Racan, 63. Croatian Prime Minister 2000-2003

Earl Riebel, 76. NHL great, forward for the Detroit Redwings and Lady Byng trophy winner.

Douglas T. Ross, 77. Created the computer programming language APT

John Scott, 83. The 9th Duke of Buccleuch

Joel Siegel, 63. Longtime "Good Morning America" movie critic.

Chandra Shekhar, 80. Indian prime minister 1990-91

Anna Nicole Smith, 39. Actress, Model, and former Playboy centerfold

Gene Snyder, 79. Longtime Representative from Kentucky (1963–1965, 1967–1987)

Iwao Takamoto, 81. Animator who created Scooby-Doo.

Zola Taylor, 69. Singer from The Platters

Sean Taylor, 24. NFL player for the Washington Redskins and 2006 Pro Bowler

Gaston Thorn, 78. Prime Minister of Luxemburg 1974-1979

Paul Tibbets, 92. The pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima

Ike Turner, 76. Musician popular in the 70s and ex-husband of Tina Turner. He was also a producer

Werner von Trapp, 91. Member of singing family made famous by "The Sound of Music."

Bill Walsh, 75. Former coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He won 3 Super Bowls and went 102-63-1

Bill Willis, 86. Former NFL great was the first African American player in professional football. Willis was a dominate running back in the 40s and 50s and is a member of the Pro football hall of fame.

Darrent Williams, 24. NFL player cornerback with the Denver Broncos, was killed in a drive-by shooting in downtown Denver

Dick Wilson, 91. Actor who played the character Mr. Whipple in over 500 Charmin toilet paper commercials. The commercials ran from 1964 to 1985. In those commercials he said the Iconic phrase "Ladies, please don't squeeze the Charmin".

Bill Wirtz, 77. Owner of the NHL team Chicago Blackhawks

Jane Wyman, 90. 1st wife of Ronald Reagan and academy award-winning actress

Boris Yeltsin, 71. Russian president from 1991-99. Yeltsin was the first president of the Russian Federation after the fall of communism

The 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech Massacre: Ross Alameddine • Jamie Bishop • Brian Bluhm • Ryan Clark • Austin Cloyd • Jocelyne Couture-Nowak • Kevin Granata • Matt Gwaltney • Caitlin Hammaren • Jeremy Herbstritt • Rachael Hill • Emily Hilscher • Matthew La Porte • Jarrett Lane • Henry Lee • Liviu Librescu • G.V. Loganathan • Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan • Lauren McCain • Daniel O'Neil • Juan Ramon Ortiz • Minal Panchal • Daniel Perez Cueva • Erin Peterson • Michael Pohle • Julia Pryde • Mary Read • Reema Samaha • Waleed Shaalan • Leslie G. Sherman • Maxine Turner • Nicole Regina White

Hot Gadgets

What were the best goodies of the year?

The iPhone was a big step in cell phone technology. Sure there was PDA phones, but the iPhone was suppose to be a huge improvement. The iPhone had clear web browsing capabilities as well as a MP3 player and PDA. It plays videos and you can display pictures too. The unique part of this phone is the touch screen, which makes it easier to navigate around web pages and other functions of the phone.The system came out for a price of $599. It now retails for $399. The phone is only available on the AT&T network.

my 10 cents on this one: Too bad it's only available on AT&T. The problem with this phone is the cost of repair including the replacement of the battery. I'll take a Blackberry.

Nintendo Wii: The coolest new game console, which allows you to mimic real motion, like for instance a batter swinging at pitches or a bowler bowling. This has been "the gift" if you were so lucky to get your hands on it for Christmas this year. The Wii retails for around $379.99. Nintendo sold 6 million consoles in the first 3.5 months.

my 10 cents on this one: I never had the chance to get my hands on this one but I have only heard good things about it.

Halo 3: Halo 3 isn't a gadget but a game on PC and X-Box 360. The game is first person shooter in a sci-fi story of the future. The main character is the Master Chief, a human in a super combat suit. The suit is equip with shields and armour. The Humans are battling an alliance of alien races known as the Covenant. Halo 3 was the last game in the trilogy and has been hyped for a few years. Halo 3 sold 170 million copies in the first 24 hours breaking the record set by Halo 2. The Halo trilogy has been one of the most successful games ever. Though there have been no movies yet, Halo has been compared to the following of Star Wars. No Halo movies yet but they have an animated series titled "Red Vs. Blue" by Rooster Tooth productions. They have episodes on their website and produce a DVD at the end of the season.

my 10 cents on this one: I have to say Halo is my all time favorite along with Pac-Man and whoa I'm showing my age so I'll leave it at that. I am a big fan of Sci-fi so it's no surprise that I like this game.

Car of the Year: For the first time in 10 years GM makes it back on the Motor Trend magazine Car of the Year list with the Cadillac CTS. An impressive vehicle with plenty of horsepower along with mp3 player pop-up nav screens and plenty of other luxuries. The CTS was also on the top 10 cars of 2008 by Car and Driver magazine. GM scored big on the Car and Driver list with 3 total. The Chevrolet Corvette and Malibu also made the list.

my 10 cents on this one: Technically this is the 2008 car of the year it's good to see GM make it back even after the strike and the fact it has taken a beating in the marketplace in recent years. The 2007 car of the year was the Toyota Camry

Sports top Headlines

This years champions:

Football: Super Bowl- The Indianapolis Colts (NFL), The Grey Cup- Saskatchewan Rough Riders (CFL), NCAA Champs- Florida Gators(NCAA), Arena Bowl Champs-Chicago Rush (AFL)

Hockey: The Stanley Cup- Anaheim Ducks (NHL), World Junior Champs- Canada (INT), NCAA Finals- Michigan State (NCAA)

Basketball: NBA Championship- San Antonio Spurs (NBA), NCAA Finals- Florida Gators (NCAA)

Baseball: The World Series- Boston Red Sox (MLB), NCAA Finals- Oregon State (NCAA)

Golf: The Masters- Zach Johnson (USA), US Open- Angel Cabrera (Argentina), British Open- Padraig Harrington (Ireland), PGA Championship- Tiger Woods (USA)

Tennis Mens: Australian Open- Roger Federer (Switzerland), French Open- Rafael Nadal (Spain), Wimbeldon- Roger Federer (Switzerland), US Open- Roger Federer (Switzerland)

Tennis Womans: Australian Open- Serena Williams (USA), French Open- Justine Henin (Belgium), Wimbeldon- Venus Williams (USA), US Open- Justine Henin (Belgium)

Soccer: MLS champ- New England Revolution

Probably the biggest news this year involved cheating either by steroids or the infamous Billichick spying. Plenty of other things to talk about like Brett Favre passing Dan Marino's record and a first for an expansion NHL team.

Brett Favre passes Dan Marino's record: Brett Favre passed him for most completed passes in his career. Favre also passed Dan Marino for career touchdown passes and career passing attempts. He now holds 5 NFL records including: Career passing yards, career passing attempts, career completions, career touchdown passes and career wins as a starting QB. Favre also holds 5 Green Bay Packers records.

My 10 cents on this one: Congrats to Brett Farve.

Bonds surpasses Hank Aaron's record: Amid a large amount of controversy of alleged steroid use, Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record of Home Runs. Fans held up signs with an asterisk next to the record and MLB commissioner Bud Selig stood up and put his hands in his pockets as others were applauding. Later in the year Bonds was indicted on perjury charges, he pled not guilty. Bonds has played 21 seasons all with San Francisco and Pittsburgh

My 10 cents on this one: There are two ways of looking at this, if everyone was using steroids as some say than Bonds didn't have an advantage. Cheating is cheating though. I like the comment from the Character Lenny Brisco from a Law & Order episode "and to think the Babe did it on only hot dogs and beer"

500 HR club inductees: Two players made the 500 Home Runs club this year. Frank Thomas of the Toronto Blue Jays and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.

My 10 cents on this one: Congrats to both, especially the Big Hurt, it's great to see him in a Blue Jays uniform.

2007 No Hitters: There were three No Hitters this year 1. Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox over the Texas Rangers 6-0 on April 18. 2. Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 on June 12. 3. Clay Buchholz of the Boston Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles 10-0 on September 1.

My 10 cents on this one: Congrats to all these pitchers

Anaheim Ducks win their first Stanley Cup: The Ducks entered the NHL as an expansion franchise in 1993 and won their first ever title in 2007. The Ducks finished the regular season 48-20-14 with 114 points and first in the Pacific division; they defeated the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and Detroit Red Wings before defeating the Ottawa Senators in the finals.

My 10 cents on this one: I was more excited that the Senators lost, but congrats to the Ducks.

Coach of the Patriots caught cheating: Bill Belichick was caught spying on the New York Jets defensive signals in the opening game of the 2007 season. There has been wide spread speculation that he has done this before and continues to do it. He has now been dubbed as Bill Belicheat. Belichick was fined $500,000 and the team was ordered to forfeit a first round draft pick (since they made the playoffs).

My 10 cents on this one: Belicheat is a good name for him, though he should have received a year suspension at the least and the Patriots should have been made to forfeit that game with the Jets. If it were me Belicheat would have been kicked out of football for good! As long as he is coach there will be an asterisk next to each win.

New England Patriots go unbeaten: The New England Patriots finished the 2007 season with a record of 16-0. They are the first team to do it in 35 years since the Miami Dolphins in 1972

My 10 cents on this one: There should be an asterisk because Bill Belicheat cheated in game one of the season. That game should have been forfeited, or at least it should be replayed. The Patriots had an unfair advantage with knowledge of the other teams strategy. In reality they are not undefeated and are not it the same class as the 72 Dolphins.

Marion Jones stripped of medals: Marion Jones an American runner admitted to using steroids, after this she was stripped of her 3 Gold medals and 2 bronze medals from the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia. Her 7th place finish in the 2004 Olympics in Athens was also stripped. She denied taking steroids till being charged with lying to federal investigators. She pled guilty and could face up to 18 months in jail. The IOC has stated they don't want Jones as part of the Olympics in any capacity.

My 10 cents on this one: The shame is that the person that really deserved to win the gold never got the chance to stand up on the podium as the gold medallist.

Federer wins 3 Gland Slams: Roger Federer had a tremendous year finishing 81-4 and winning three gland slam titles. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the French Open for the second year in a row. He was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for 2007 and the third year in a row. Federer has become part of the elite group of Male Tennis champions, though he has never won the French Open. He has won the last 5 Wimbledon titles, the last 4 US Open Titles and the last 2 Australian Opens (3 of the last 4).

My 10 cents on this one: 2007 was indeed a great year for Federer who may just win all four in 2008, he's come close the last two years. He is only two wins away from tying the seemingly unbreakable record by Pete Sampras of 7 Wimbledon titles.

The Mitchell report: The former senator and former Maine attorney general released a report and names of MLB players using steroids in the Mitchell report. The report had 89 players on the list. The Mitchell Report claims that these 89 players have all used performance enhancing drugs though at least one player has already been released by MLB. The report has been noted as shoddy investigating and used uncorroborated testimony. Brian Roberts was accused on hearsay only and Mitchell justified them with this quote made on Fox News Sunday " It is not hearsay. The law is very clear that an admission against interest is not hearsay. It's an exception to the rule that prohibits hearsay evidence. The word has been much bandied about and much misused in the last few days. The fact is the same thing that you're now saying about Brian Roberts was, of course, said about the statements about Andy Pettitte and about many others. Let's wait and see what happens, Chris. We think that the statements made in the report are truthful. We did the very best we could to verify everything that we could and to get just truthful statements. And so we'll see what happens." The statement he made was about Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, Mitchell's only evedance is hearsay testimony

My 10 cents on this one: Two words corroborating evidence. Come on senator repeat after me. Apparently he has no idea what that is because with Roger Clemens his only evidence is the word of a trainer that has been named in the report several times getting players steroids. They have only the word of this ONE person, so isn't it possible he lied, he is a drug dealer after all. Another player was named because one player told the committee that another player had admitted to him he was using steroids. Uhhh hearsay! It isn't worth a nickel. I am absolutely shocked that a man of experience (a former senate majority leader, and attorney general of Maine) would put out a ridiculous report like this. Mitchell claims it isn't hearsay? You can sugar coat it however you want but it's BS, and he knows it. The players now have to be given the benefit of the doubt since the Mitchell report has more holes that a slice of Swiss Cheese.

Loyd Carr retires: The longtime University of Michigan coach coached his final game on the first day of 2008. Carr has been the head coach of the Wolverines for 13 years and was an assistant coach before that. As head coach he won 5 Big Ten titles, one national title and a total of 6 bowl games including his final game, the Capitol One bowl on January 1 2008. Michigan beat Florida 41-35.

My 10 cents on this one: Congrats on a great career, enjoy retirement.

The Dominators: With the talk of Boston teams sweeping through the championships in multiple sports, here's a look at some cities that were dominate getting into the Playoffs.

Boston. Boston may be making a move in 2008, but they already had a big impact in 2007. The Red Sox won the World Series and the New England Revolution won the MLS championship. The New England Patriots made the NFL playoffs, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

This year the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and are favored to win the Super Bowl, the Celtics are leading the Eastern Conference in the NBA and the Bruins of the NHL are just outside of the playoffs at 9th place in the Eastern Conference. The Red Sox and Revolution will both be defending titles this year and will surely be in the thick of things. Boston fans are claiming there will be a sweep and Boston will rule the sports scene in 2008. Only time will tell.

New York. New York had the most, but in fairness they have more sports teams than any other city. The Jets, and the Giants both made the NFL playoffs, both the Rangers and Islanders made the playoffs and the Yankees made the playoffs. The Red Bulls of MSL also made the playoffs. The Knicks of the NBA and Mets of MLB were the only 2 New York teams that didn't make the playoffs in 2007 though no New York teams won a championship, only the Rangers made it out of the first round.

Both teams from across the river in New Jersey also made the playoffs. The New Jersey Nets of the NBA and New Jersey Devils of the NHL. Both teams lost in the second round.

Cleveland. The Indians and Cavs both went deep into the playoffs, while the Browns had a tremendous season going 10-6 in the 2007-2008 season. Ohio State lost in the National Championship in 2007 and has returned in 2008.

Anaheim. Anaheim had a big year with both it's pro sports teams in the playoffs. The Ducks won the Stanley Cup and the Angels of MLB won the AL west though lost in the first round.

Dallas. Dallas had 4 out of 5 pro teams go to the playoffs. The Mavericks were a dominating 67-15 but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Golden State. The Stars of the NHL, the Cowboys and FC Dallas of the MLS also exited in the first round of their perspective playoff games. The Rangers of MLB were the only team from the Dallas area not to make the post season.

Detroit. Detroit had both the Pistons and Red Wings make it to the conference finals. The Tigers just missed the playoffs, but went to the World Series in 2006.

Chicago. Chicago had 4 of it's teams make the playoffs in 2007. The Chicago Bears won the NFC title, but lost in the Super Bowl. The Chicago Fire of the MLS, the Cubs and the Bulls all made the post season in 2007.

The Best and worst

The Good Guy awards

Bill Willis: Bill Willis was a running back for the Cleveland Browns during the 40's and 50's. He passed away this year at his home in Columbus, OH. Mr. Willis was know by his peers to be one of the most genuine and kind people. Other Hall of famers said when they needed an inspirational speech Mr. Willis was the go to man.

Jeff Ruby: He's the guy that threw O.J. out of his steakhouse after the Kentucky Derby. Ruby told Inside edition that the site of Simpson getting this type of welcome in his restaurant turned his stomach. Thank You Mr. Ruby for standing up for principal.

Bono: from the Rock group U2 whose Red campaign has brought a lot of financial support to poverty and AIDS stricken Africa. Bono has been able to bridge gaps with world leaders where others have failed in bringing assistance to African nations.

Bill and Melinda Gates: Forgetting that his latest OS is a major piece of crap, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has done a wonderful job supplying computers to schools around the world. Bill Gates said he would step down from Microsoft to spend full time work with his charity.

LaDainian Tomlinson: Most of us know him as a grilling running back from the San Diego Chargers, but he does a lot of charity work off the field. He visits Children in the hospital, he buys ticket for kids that can't afford to go to a NFL game and gives away scholarship money.

The soldiers: It takes a special person to do what they do, and face the dangers that they face. It is often a thankless job, Dime for Your Thoughts knows different however, The soldiers are the top citizens of this country and certainly worthy of a good guy award.

To all those that went out of their way to help others and make a difference in the community this year.

The top 20 Jerks of the Year

Jerk isn't strong enough of a word, but Dime for Your Thoughts wants to keep it clean! You are allowed to enter your own word in place of jerk. Don't say I never gave you anything. Here are the top 20.

20. Paris Hilton. Party girl that felt she didn't need a licence to drive drunk and crash into everything. Hilton was all over the news when see received a jail sentence. She was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation for repeated violation of driving under suspension. Paris seemed to think she was better than everyone else, she could drive if she felt like it. You have plenty of money Paris hire a chaffer!

19. Duane Chapman. AKA Dog the Bounty Hunter, the guy felt it was okay to violate another countries laws, then made an ass of himself with racists comments. Dog got out of a potential prison sentence in Mexico. Bounty Hunting is illegal in Mexico, but hey they're a third world country who cares right! Things didn't turn out to be all roses though, Dog's son upset about his dad's attitude about his girlfriend who is black taped his racial comments and released them to the press. A&E was prompt to stop showing Dog the Bounty Hunter.

18. Lindsey Lohan. Another party girl that got out of felony drug charges. Lohan was on house arrest and skipped to chase after the mother of her former assistant that had quit earlier that day, when police pulled her over they found drugs in her pants and she once again was over the limit. Lohan was on house arrest for drunken driving and hit and run from an incident in May. After all this she got one whole day in jail.

17. Marion Jones. The US athlete that used steroids and had to give back her medals. Marion Jones disgraced her country and took away a victorious moment that belonged to someone else.

16. Michael Vick. Michael Vick was convicted in a dogfighting ring. Many of the animals had to be destroyed because of the shape they were in due to the fighting. It is a pretty sick thing what he did forcing animals to fight an kill each other. I will give him this, he did own up to and excepted his punishment. Vick is currently serving a 23 month sentence.

15. Senator Mitchell- Every baseball fan knows all about the Mitchell report. The report is filled with shoddy investigating along with uncorroborated testimony, and hearsay testimony. What a hack! They needed to find someone else other than this dumbass to do the investigation.

14. Bill Belichick. Better known as Belicheat. Maybe he's not so bad, I mean you need somebody to hate in sports right? who better than that jerk. Every win by the New England Patriots this year is suspect. Why this jerk wasn't thrown out of football is beyond me, but my guess is that some more good ol politics is involved. Belicheat was caught spying on the New York Jets (and probably a lot of other teams) in week one of the NFL season this year.

13. Barry Bonds. Watch one of his press conferences, you will want to take his bat and hit him with it. There's a million reasons to give Barry a dishonorable mention, pick one, you can't be wrong. Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron's record, but with the suspicion of steroid use, there is a huge black cloud of doubt over his record. Then there is his wonderful bubbly personality.

12. Michael Nifong. The disbarred prosecutor that was over the Duke Lacrosse trial. He was fired and disbarred for his misconduct in the trial. As much as the guy deserves to be on the Jerk of the year list, there needs to be kudos for those that stepped in and stopped this injustice. Nifong thought that he was catering to voters by moving forward with this case and falsely accusing those players. What kind of justice comes from lies, he did more harm than good. It's good to know this guy is out of public service.

11. Michael Moore. Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko" came out in 2007. The movie was a documentary of the troubled US healthcare system. Moore fudged the numbers in some of his statistics, when called on this Moore complained that CNN and other critics were out to get him, even though they had the real numbers. Moore fudged the numbers for his own agenda. Moore, in an interview with CNN said they were catering to the drug companies and that DR. Gupta CNN's health reporter fudged his numbers. Well Mike sorry, but I believe Dr. Gupta since he has a lot of credibility and you basically have none. All of your crackpot documentaries are filled with misinformation and are nothing more than propaganda. He accused everybody else of doing what he was doing, fudging numbers to serve an agenda. What a jerk! BTW My agenda is to inform the people so they don't waste time and money watching your sorry excuse for a movie!

10. O.J. Simpson. O.J. was back in the spotlight this year for a couple of reasons first for going after some dealers that had his memorabilia and second for his run in at a Cincinnati steak house. O.J. was arrested in Las Vegas after breaking into a hotel room. Simpson has been charged with two counts of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and coercion. Simpson claimed that he was working with the FBI on a sting. If you say so O.J. He will never change! I hope he doesn't get off this time.

O.J. was removed from a prestigious steak house after the Kentucky Derby. Simpson said he would sue because the owner was being racist. No, he didn't want a scumbag like you O.J. in his restaurant. Can't say as I blame him, in fact he made the good guys list for standing up to you O.J. Jeff Ruby the owner of the restaurant said it turned his stomach, the reception O.J. was getting in his restaurant.

9. The Jena three: Meaning the three white kids that hung a noose from the oak tree. In addition the school board that didn't expel these kids. The teens said that it was a prank and that they meant no harm by this. Really! If that's true than you are at least guilty of being a major friggin moron! What did you expect, I believe they knew exactly what they were doing. Not that that justified what the six others did, but had they never hung the noose than none of this would have happened. I can't display their names because they are under 18.

8. Bobby Cutts Jr. A cheater, deadbeat cop and alleged murderer. The kind of guy you love to hate. Bobby Cutts Jr. was the scumbag cop that is accused of killing his mistress and mother of his two children. Those who remember the story of Jessie Davis this past spring, know all about Bobby and his lies. He fathered two children with Jessie Davis while cheating on his wife. It's nice to know that this guy was a member of the Canton Police force.

7. Hillary Clinton. 20 years of the Leadership of Bush's and Clinton's is way more than enough. She claims to stand for strengthening the middle class, widening health care, balancing the budget etc. Her record in the senate isn't anything to get excited about. Hillary is the worst candidate for the Democratic party in a field of really bad ones.

6. The Bush Administration. Yet another year of lies and failed leadership from this administration. The Bush Administration keeps telling us that the economy is strong. Huh? The housing market is terrible, consumer confidence is down, car sales are still down! What part of all that is good? Security has not improved and many are counting the days till Bush and Cheney will be out of office. Though the effects of his legacy will be with us for years to come. I now support gun control for idiots like Cheney, funny thing is if the average person would have been that irresponsible with a weapon they would have seen jail time. Somehow it was the guy that was shot's fault he was shot. Let's not forget his immigration policy. Let's let people that were in the country illegally stay and give them citizenship! In a last slap in the face to the soldiers fighting the war, Bush's defense bill pocket veto decreases the raises for the troops by a .5%. Maybe .5 of a percent isn't that big a deal but if I were in Iraq risking my life than this is nothing but disrespect. I'm not even worth an extra .5 %? 2008 will mark the final year of the Bush era, which can't end soon enough. This administration has been a disgrace to the country and the human race.

5. Hugo Chavez. The Dictator er, I mean president of Venezuela. Another socialist leader that rigged the election so that he would win. Chavez seems more concerned with thumbing his nose at the US than feeding the people of his country. He is most famous for his comments to the UN "Yesterday the Devil came here" referring to US President Bush's visit to the UN General Assemble. He made the sign of the cross and stated that it smelled of sulfur. He also said that the UN was antidemocratic and didn't work. Really? Those who live in glass houses... So where is all that oil wealth going buddy? And what happened to all The Citgo Stations? Doh! This guy has no room to talk. This guy rigged the election so he would stay in power, though he claims he didn't. He made threats to anyone that voted against him.

4. Mahmound Ahmadinejad. This guy has lied repeatedly in news interviews and then coming to the UN claiming that he isn't trying to produce weapons. There is no reason to believe him. Not only that there is solid evidence that Iran and has and still supports terrorism, so letting him visit the site of the 9-11 is kind of like letting the killer of your child go and spit on their grave. Especially after the people were dancing in the streets of Tehran shouting God is good after news of the attacks was announced there. I can't believe he had the nerve to even ask to visit the 9-11 site

3. Cho Seung-Hui.The guy that killed 32 at Virginia Tech. The thing is why did you have to take 32 people out along with himself. If you're going to kill yourself don't take other people with you.

2. Osama Bin Laden. This is a guy that you will want to replace with another word other than jerk. Everybody in the sane world hates this guy. The recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto has been linked to al-Qaeda and Bin Laden. al-Qaeda has been a constant problem in Iraq and continues to threaten security in the West. Bin Laden released another tape warning Sunnis in Iraq against fighting them. The US has said that the decline in insurgent attacks has been due to the Arab Sunnis fighting al-Qaeda. Bin Laden also stated that he was going to extend the war to Israel.

And the Jerk of the Year goes to.....

1. Vladimir Putin. This jerk has said that he will be Prime Minister for life (so he can pull the strings of the new puppet president), rigged the election and bullied everyone that speaks out against him and runs his country with an iron fist. He has made so many outlandish claims this year one must wonder how many drugs he's taking.

Probably one of the most shocking acts of Putin was laying claim to the Arctic. Of course his scientists have estimated that there is more oil riches in the Arctic than Saudi Arabia. If he were to control it then he would have a huge grip on the world's economy. The US and Canada expressed outrage. Putin said that he no longer cares if he upsets the west.

Another scary action by the Jerk the Year is he is developing more nuclear weapons. This October he said at a press conference that he is upgrading their arsenal including intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines and strategic bombers. Sounds to me like Mr. Putin is trying to bring back the cold war.

If this isn't enough to make him the Jerk of the year, then let's not forget how he rigged the election so that his party would win. Don't like the opposition? Change the rules of the election, Hell change the "constitution", if you want to call it that! Use the State controlled media to harass the opposition party. Free Speech? What's that? He jailed a chess champion for speaking out about his rule with an iron fist. Look at all the things those of us in the West have. Free Media, in Russia it's radio Putin and his propaganda. Stalin would be proud. He is nothing more than a dictator and a control freak, it's a scary thing to have this guy as the ruler of the largest country in the world.

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The most annoying person: It has to go to Chad in the Alltel commercials. Every time I see that guy I want to reach through my TV screen and slap him silly. Yeah he's so cool, please! Billy Mays was a close 2nd. I think they film his commercials when he's been off the Prozac for a few days. Third place goes to the guy that says "Dude" on the Bud Light commercial, what a dork!

The most ridiculous comment of the Year: The comment by Putin laying claim the the North Pole has to be the stupidest garbage I have ever heard and the most ridiculous comment of 2007. Putin claims because Russia is connected to the North Pole then it belongs to Russia.

The idiot of the year: A Darwin award recipient. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Jays fans; catch all the news on your Toronto Blue Jays In season and off season with The Blue Jays Beat

Go Jays Go!

Here is some of the best and worst in entertainment.

Top Pop Song 2007

Popular: Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's

Dime for Your Thought's pick: Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie

Top Rock song of 2007

Popular: Paralyzer by Finger Eleven

Dime for Your Though'ts pick: Constant Motion by Dream Theatre

Album of the Year

Popular: In Rainbows by Radio Head

Dime for Your Thought's pick: Systematic Chaos by Dream Theatre

Jazz Album of the Year

Poular: Pilgrimage by Michael Brecker

Dime for Your Thought's pick: Rising Sun by Najee

Country Song of the Year

Popular: Our Song by Taylor Swift

Dime for Your thought's pick: None, not a country fan

Movie of the Year

Top grossing: Spiderman 3

Dime for Your Thought's pick: The Bourne Ultimatum with Spiderman 3 as a close 2nd.

Best TV Show

TV.com: Heros

Dime for Your Thought's pick: The Closer

Top selling Books

Top selling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Dime for Your Thought's pick: Decipher by Stel Pavlou

This Years Dime for Your Thoughts

December: The story of Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas Featured song (Santa Claus is coming to town by Monique Danielle)

November: The Canadian dollar vs. the US dollar. Featured song (Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve)

October: The 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik. No featured song, but the first broadcast from Walter Cronkite via satellite five years later

September: China, The Giant has awoken. Featured song (Tai Shan by Rush)

August: Celebrity Justice. Featured song (Hollywood by the Cranberrys)

July: Tony Blair in review. No featured song

June: The seatbelt law. No featured song, the article is no longer available

May: Meth use and it's effect on society. No featured song, the article is no longer available

April: Copper Theft. No Featured song, the article is no longer available

March: Satellite receiver hackers. No featured song, the article is no longer available

Dime for Your Thoughts was first published in August of 2005 with periodic articles, which became monthly in March of 2007.

Coming soon in February: The Caucuses, should there be one national primary for elections.

With recent discussions about the 2008 elections a recent topic has been the one state at a time primary. People say that Iowa has too much say in early primary and the system should be National rather than one or a few states at a time. I will discuss the system and offer my 10 cents.

As always we want to hear your comments: admin@bijoumedia.net

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