Unsurprisingly, most of the news of the week remained focused on Osama bin Laden’s death. More details arose about the successful Navy SEAL mission, called “Operation Geronimo,” that took down the terrorist mastermind at his secret compound in Pakistan. For instance, Pres. Obama’s approval rating jumped 9 points (which is a lot) after bin Laden’s death. Also, a bomb-sniffing dog was apparently a key part of the take-down Osama team. The pentagon is tight-lipped about the identity of said-dog…wouldn’t want the fame to go to his head? The White House also decided not to release pictures of the deceased terrorist, raising suspicions in many-a-conspiracy-theorists’ mind. Al-Qaeda , though, did confirm his death.

National test results released this week revealed that (shocker) American students lack civic knowledge. Only 24% of seniors scored “proficient” in civic knowledge. I’m not sure how I would have done on the test, but I do know the purpose of The Bill of Rights, which fewer than half of eighth graders could repeat. Another stat: three-quarters of high school seniors did not know any of the powers granted to Congress in the Constitution. Sandra Day O’Connor, a pretty bomb female US Supreme Court Justice, responded to the results, saying that “we have neglected civic education for the past several decades, and the results are predictably dismal.”

In an even more disturbing study released this week, almost half of Detroit’s adult residents were found to be ‘functionally illiterate.’ To be more exact, 47% of the city can’t perform regular tasks of ordinary life, like reading nutrition labels or road signs or filling out forms. To make matters even worse, the city provides little resources to help citizens learn these necessary skills. I’m curious, if anyone is from the area, is this a problem you’re aware of?

Picture of the Week:

Flooding along the Mississippi River has caused thousands to evacuate the city of Memphis, and waters are expected to continue to rise to a record-breaking peak on Wednesday.

Osama bin Laden is dead. But I’m sure you already knew that. Navy SEALs descended on his compound in Pakistan yesterday, killing him and two others. Apparently, one of bin Laden’s wives was used as a shield during the gunfight. U.S. officials received a tip concerning his whereabouts all the way back in August and have been planning the mission since then. After the White House broke the news, thousands of citizens rushed the White House (the first reportedly being local college students- we do know how to party) and Ground Zero.

The state of Hawaii released President Obama’s birth certificate, hoping to silence the so-called ‘birthers.’ Presidential wannabe Donald Trump reignited the rumors that our President (yep, the same one who just took down Osama bin Laden) was not actually born in the U.S.  On Wednesday, along with a copy of the doc, Obama made an announcement: “I just want to make a larger point,” he said. “We’ve got some enormous challenges out there,” and “sideshows and carnival barkers” (achem, Mr. Trump) can’t distract us from them. Hopefully, this will end the doubts once and for all, but it’s not likely- there are already conspiracy theories surrounding Osama bin Laden’s death.

Tornadoes tore across the South Wednesday, causing devastation and a death toll over 300.  The AP is reporting it as the worst outbreak of tornadoes since 1932. States from Virginia to Mississippi were hit bad- the governor of Alabama said the damage in his state alone was comparable to that of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama visited Tuscaloosa on Wednesday (busy guy) and remarked that he had “never seen devastation like this.” Whole towns and even counties have been flattened. If you’d like to help, FEMA put together a list of charities that are aiding the relief effort.

Last Monday, around 500 criminals escaped from an Afghan prison. The mass exodus was orchestrated by the Taliban, who carried out some intense planning: the tunnel was 1,000 feet long and digging took at least 5 months. Obviously, even though the U.S. just took down one of the most dangerous and notorious terrorists, there is till a lot to worry about.  Afghan officials say the U.S. soldiers stationed near the prison should take at least some of the blame.

Photo of the Week:

This little bridesmaid was unhappy about all the noise spectators were making at the Royal Wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton, but the happy couple didn’t seem to mind

So, last night was crazy, right? Here I am, sitting on my couch enjoying a bag of Pop Chips (yes, an entire bag. So much for portion control) watching NeNe Leakes flip her sh*t on Celebrity Apprentice when suddenly the news breaks in.

Osama Bin Laden has been killed, they tell me. Obama is going to address the nation shortly, I’m informed. Twitter was on fire. My Facebook Newsfeed was blowing up with pro-American reactions and “America, F**K Yeah!” lyrics. The text messages were pouring in.

And so it went from a typical Sunday night to the kind of moment we will all remember forever. Much like the tragedy of 9/11, the minute details of the moment I found out that Osama Bin Laden had finally been found and killed will forever be etched into my brain. I’ll always remember where I was and what I was doing when the news broke (as pathetic as I was at that moment).

So I want to know: what were you doing when you found out? And how did you find out? Was it the news? Online? Was it this very post? (If so, you really should start watching more news broadcasts!) Share below.

Then pour one out for the Navy SEALs. Yeah boy!

What is with Robert Pattinson’s hair?

Dining halls go gourmet.

All in one (literally) makeup set. Sign me up!

College seniors deal with poor job market.

8 worst things about Thanksgiving.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are back to sharing the crack pipe together.

Colleges are closing due to crappy economy.

Foreskin is good for your skin?

Have you Facebooked Osama Bin Laden yet?

First Spice Girls, then NKOTB and BSB…now an N’Sync reunion?!

Want it. Need it. Norma Kamali at Wal-Mart?!

The event is going to be moderated by NBC’s Tom Brokaw, but instead of Tommy asking the questions, the debate will have a town hall format.

Which means the people get to ask the questions.

So, people of Nashville who will be sitting pretty in the town hall-y debate, if you are reading this, we have a few questions we’d like to ask the candidates. Real questions that require real answers instead of that fluff Gwen Ifill came up with (and Sarah Palin dodged) during the VP “debate.”

1. Honestly, do you think President Bush was qualified to run this country? If not, how does that make you feel now? How badly would you hate yourself if you lost?

2. Inquiring minds want to know: Peanut Butter Crunch or Crunch Berries?

3. If you could only change one thing during your term as President (and money was not an issue), what would it be?

4. When SNL makes fun of you, does it hurt?

5. Barack, do you really eat 4-6 eggs a day, or are you a p*ssy who only eats the whites?

6. Tell us, McCain, what have you learned from living through the Civil War, WW1, WW2, Vietnam and the current Iraq sitch?

7. Would you rather have George Bush walk in on you having sex, or walk in on he and Laura doin’ the naughty dance?

8. What would you do to Osama Bin Laden if you had him in your office right now (and no one was watching)?

9. Would you eat PB slices?

10. Do you really like holding babies/shaking people’s hands/hugging creepy strangers, or is it all an act?

11. You both claim to want to fix the current Global Warming problem, yet you both tool around this country on airplanes/in giant buses. How can you justify that?

12. Is there any money left in either of your budgets to help Amy Winehouse?