A sick day in America

THE STORY: A gunman opened fire in a Wisconsin Sikh temple, resulting in at least seven deaths, including the shooter.

THE WHAT: Right before a Sunday morning religious service in an Oak Creek, WI Sikh temple, a man walked in and began to fire. Sikhism is a faith founded in South Asia, and its followers are often confused as Muslim or Hindu. After shooting at the worshipers, the gunman had a confrontation with police that ended with his death and the shooting of a police officer.

THE WHY (DO I NEED TO SKIMM?): Officials are calling the shooting an act of domestic terrorism, purportedly because of tattoos on the gunman and biographical details. This tragedy comes on the heels of the shooting massacre in Aurora, CO and the recent news that the man accused of shooting former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and 18 others is set to plead guilty. What’s the common thread? Guns. Whether or not you believe guns kill people or people kill people, this topic is sure to be heavily debated as the election heats up.

REPEAT AFTER ME…

What to say when your co-workers talk politics… Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) seems to have forgotten that he is no longer in the boxing ring (seriously, he was an amateur boxer). Reid has been throwing hard punches at fellow Mormon Mitt Romney, alleging, without proof, that sources told him the candidate hadn’t paid taxes for ten years. Romney responded at a news conference that Reid better “put up or shut up,” asking “Harry, who are your sources?” The Mormon community hasn’t seen this much action since Bill tried to add a fourth wife on “Big Love.”

What to say in a meeting… Knight Capital Group, the one whose computer played the Russian roulette version of “Supermarket Sweep” by losing hundreds of millions of dollars in just 30 minutes, looks like it might be salvaged yet. Reports say investors are close to infusing $400 million in capital through convertible preferred securities. English, please? Investors will have the right to buy shares of Knight at $1.50 – flash sale! – and will then sell the securities to groups of buyers. Although this plan will massively dilute Knight, the trading firm will still be able to open for business, which is really the key bottom line.

What to say while making vacation plans… Now that Egypt finally has a recognized leader again, I was considering it for a September getaway, but now I think I’ll stay home. Masked gunmen killed 16 Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint at the Sinai border crossing. The shooters then headed to Israel, where one vehicle exploded and an Israeli aircraft struck the other. Egyptian television said the perpetrators were Islamist militants. Israel said the attack was a part of a plan to abduct an Israeli soldier.

What to say to HR… The July jobs report was a bit of a mixed picture with 163,000 new jobs added, while the unemployment rate rose ever so slightly to 8.3%. President Obama focused on the better than expected growth, while candidate Mitt Romney pointed out that rising unemployment is never good. Which economic camp do you fall in and will this affect my job in any way, shape, or form?

What to say on a date… The excitement is building for football preseason. Have you been paying attention at all to the training camps? It’s such a tragedy about Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Andy Reid’s oldest son, Garrett, who was found dead at the team’s training camp on Sunday. He was only 29 and had a history of drug use but seemed to be moving past that. No cause of death has been listed but there’s no evidence that this is linked to his past activities.

What to when you’re late… Sorry, I was up late watching the Mars rover Curiosity try to find signs of life. It’s hard for me to find signs of life in myself on Monday morning.

What to say to your mom… Kris Jenner may have built a multi-million dollar family enterprise, but I cannot thank you enough for not following in her footsteps on this one.

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Who’s more fit than you…

Usain Bolt (Team Jamaica) proved once again that he is the fastest man in the world, beating his own record and winning the 100-meter final in a ridiculous 9.63 seconds. Nothing can stop Usain, not even a rowdy fan.

Andy Murray (Team GBR) crushed Roger Federer, who had just beat Andy and made him cry at Wimbledon, and officially became the most popular man in Great Britain (sorry Wills).

McKayla Maroney (Team USA) was the favorite to win the gold medal on the vault, but had to settle for silver, after a fall. We think it’s fair to say she looked disappointed.

Serena Williams (Team USA) had anything but a lazy weekend. She won gold in women’s tennis and then teamed up with sister Venus to win gold in doubles. And then she broke it down.

Sanya Richards-Ross (Team USA) is now our favorite comeback kid. After a tough run in Beijing, track star Richards-Ross got her first gold in the women’s 400 meters. Not bad to bring home to her two-time Super Bowl winner husband, Aaron Ross. We are scared for the talent their offspring will have.