Paul Ryan, Olympic Closing Ceremonies, the Spice Girls, and More! [Current Events Cheat Sheet]

By Garnet Henderson

It’s ok, you don’t have to admit that you spent the entire week crying and watching the Olympics. We rounded up the top news stories for you, and they’re all right here.

At Home

Mitt Romney selected Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate in the presidential election. Ryan is the most conservative Republican member of Congress to be chosen for the vice presidential nomination since 1900.

Brigadier General Tammy S. Smith became the first openly gay general in the U.S. Army.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned home to Arizona 19 months after she and 18 others were shot at a political event.

The World

President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt ousted his defense minister, the army chief of staff, and several other powerful generals of the Egyptian army. He apparently made the move in order to regain some of the power the military had seized since the country’s revolution.

Two strong earthquakes in Iran killed at least 250 people. Another 1,800 were injured.

The United States will has agreed to help clean up Agent Orange in Vietnam. The U.S. military dumped this toxic chemical all over the country during the Vietnam war, to kill trees and plants that blocked air visibility.

Sporty

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games came to a close in London, with a closing ceremony just as quirky as the opening ceremony. Team USA came out on top in the medal count, with a total of 104 medals – 46 gold, 29 silver, and 20 bronze.

Hot on the Web

To celebrate the 2012 Olympics, and because we want to keep relishing this childhood flashback, here it is: the Spice Girls reunion from the closing ceremonies!

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.