By Elizabeth Cohn

US Troops Leave Iraq

This past week, the last combat troops stationed in Iraq crossed over the border into Kuwait, symbolizing the end of the Iraq war. After President Obama’s announcement earlier, the United States military began planning their final mission in Iraq, safely removing all US forces from the country. The mission went off without any casualties or attacks, making the final number of deaths for the US armed forces in Iraq 4,487 men and women. Now, the soldiers turn to a new mission, trying to get home to their families and friends before the holidays.

World’s Third Smallest Baby Going Home

Premature babies are a challenge to any seasoned medical professional in the field today. However, very few doctors have been faced with a baby born 16 weeks early. Melinda Star Guido of California is officially the world’s third smallest baby to be born and survive to date. At the time of her birth, she weighed barely half a pound and was small enough to fit into the palm of an adult’s hand. She has currently just passed her mother’s original due date and her parents are looking forward to bringing their miracle baby home.

Philippines Storm Kills 652

The island nation of the Philippines has been suffering this past week from a tragic tropical storm causing floods and landslides that claimed the lives of 652 people. Tropical Storm Washi is responsible for the deaths and destruction in the Philippines and even though the official death count stands at 652, there are thousands of people still missing or unaccounted for, leading officials to believe that the death toll is very likely to rise in the next few days. The island of Mindanao was the worst hit by the storm and the local government’s lack of action caused many of the deaths due to rising flood waters and landslides.

Sherlock Holmes is a Hit at the Box Office

After the first Sherlock Holmes movie premiered in 2009, many fans have been wondering when and if the next installment would follow. Now, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have continued the saga with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. However, due to the opening time frame (the weekend before Christmas), the movie only grossed about $40 million this past weekend, rather than the $62.3 million the first Sherlock Holmes movie received in its opening weekend (Christmas weekend 2009). However, the movie topped the box office this past weekend and will continue to gross more money as the holiday season continues.

Barry Bond’s “Punishment”

Barry Bonds, famous home-run king for the San Francisco Giants, received his sentence this past week for lying under oath about steroid use. His sentence consisted of 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, and a $4,000 fine. This punishment, or what many people are saying, lack of punishment comes after nearly eight years and thousands of dollars spent prosecuting the Hall of Fame baseball player. Many people are outraged, not with the lack of punishment, but with the fact that the US government spent so much time and money on this case at all.