Cheers to Lakshmi, an Indian girl born with four legs and four arms, who survived a 24-hour operation to remove her excess limbs.
Jeers to Christian protesters opposing “The Golden Compass,” a movie adapted from atheist Philip Pullman’s novel trilogy, “His Dark Materials.” Protestors believe the movie is a ploy to promote atheism to children.
Cheers to authorities jailing teacher Kelsey Peterson on charges of crossing state lines with the intention of having sex with a minor. Peterson fled to Mexico with a 13-year-old student. The student is an illegal Mexican immigrant and may not be able to return to the United States.
Jeers to the Writers Guild of America announcing it will go on strike. Production of late night talk shows and sitcoms will come to a halt, while reality TV will be on the rise. However, the strike is not expected to have an immediate impact on movie production since most studios have stockpiles of scripts to last until early 2008.
Cheers to the “Do Not Track” list, which allows Internet users protection from vendors who plant background programs on computers without permission.
Jeers to the Department of Veterans Affairs for removing the recitation of “The Meaning of Each Fold of an Honor Guard Funeral Flag” from burial ceremonies at national cemeteries. A complaint was filed over the recitation accompanying the 11th fold, which mentions “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Cheers to “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling for publishing her first non-Harry Potter novel. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is a collection of fairytales and is mentioned in her final Harry Potter book. Only seven copies were made; one will be auctioned off to raise money for a children’s charity, and the others have been given away as gifts.
Jeers to the recent shootings in Milwaukee. A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student was shot in the leg when he was heading towards his home on Murray Avenue last Monday, and last Tuesday two officers were shot during a drug investigation on Milwaukee’s South Side.
Cheers to the Discovery space shuttle and crew who returned to Earth after a 15-day mission to save a solar wing of an international space station. It was one of the most difficult and dangerous repairs ever attempted while in orbit.
Jeers to students talking on cell phones in computer labs and quiet study areas.
Cheers to charitable giving in Milwaukee rising 8.1 percent in 2006, nearly doubling the national average.
Jeers to Hillary Clinton’s statement last week approving the plan to allow illegal immigrants in New York to acquire driver’s licenses.
Cheers to the expulsion of five high school students in Belleville, Mich., after photos of them with guns, drugs and piles of cash appeared on Myspace.

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