JOLLYJO

With the start of 2008, Yahoo posted its Top Ten Comebacks of 2007, which I must admit were sorely lacking. For some reason, Yahoo felt that the following five stories were great comebacks worthy of making their Top Ten list:

• That the Dixie Chicks won five awards in spite of their anti-American comments;
  

• That Home Depot’s CEO, Robert Darnell, is now going to try his luck with Chrysler;

• That fallen American Idol, Jennifer Hudson, won an acting job over Idol winner;
  

• That Jenna Bush has stopped partying and is now acting her age; and

• That big black sunglasses are back in style.

Sure, I know everyone has been waiting with baited breath for those big black sunglasses to make a comeback, but really, does anyone even consider the other four to be worthy of making it to the Top 10? They may be interesting stories, but it’s hard to believe that Yahoo couldn’t come up with five better comeback stories for the year 2007. There were, however, five in the Top Ten list that I do consider notable comeback stories:

1 - That victims of Katrina are rebuilding. It’s been over two years since Katrina hit, and many people, mostly in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, have not returned. Although Habitat for Humanity and stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are busy building low-cost homes, reconstruction and recovery is a slow struggle. Thousands are still waiting for promised insurance money and government funds to help them repair their damaged homes. The French Quarter is back in action, and many businesses and schools have reopened, but sections of Louisiana are still far from being what they used to be, and they may never be again.

2 - That the American Bald Eagle is no longer endangered. At one time, the American Bald Eagle numbered as few as 420 “nesting pairs” in the continental United States — a result of poaching and habitat loss, but also because of the pesticide DDT getting into the waterways. With a steady diet of DDT-contaminated fish, the shells of the eagle’s eggs were so thin that most broke before hatching. In 1967, the American Bald Eagle was put on the Endangered Species List. Forty years later, in June 2007, their number had increased to over 6,000, and the American Bald Eagle was removed from the Endangered Species List. However, they are still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

3 - That Senator Tim Johnson has returned to office. Democratic Senator Tim Johnson suffered an intracerebral bleed on December 13, 2006, caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation (AVM). After his surgery and subsequent rehabilitation, Senator Johnson worked from his home and finally returned to his Senate office on September 5, 2007. He is up for re-election in 2008, but if he has to relinquish his Senate seat before that time, his replacement would be named by South Dakota’s GOP Governor Mike Rounds. A Republican appointee would create a 50-50 tie, allowing the GOP to retain Senate control.

4 - That Buffalo Bills, Kevin Everett, is walking again. Kevin Everett, #85 backup tight end for the Buffalo Bills, sustained spinal injuries — a fracture dislocation between the third and fourth cervical vertabra — in the season-opening loss to the Denver Broncos. Even though his spinal cord was intact, his doctors told him he had a 5-10% chance of walking. Amazingly, after an operation and four months of rehabilitation, Everett regained movement in all his extremities and was able to walk on his own when he returned to Ralph Wilson Stadium on December 23^rd to watch Buffalo’s home finale against the New York Giants.

5 - That tennis star, Serena Williams, made a comeback. Serena Williams, former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player, won eight Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal in women’s doubles. She incurred an injury to her left knee in 2000 that required surgery in 2003. Plagued by the injury into 2004, she had to withdraw from the Australian Open and Summer Olympics. She made it to the 2005 U.S. Open, but was defeated by her sister, Venus. Unseeded and ranked No. 81, Serena went on to win the 2007 Australian Open and finished the 2007 season ranked No. 7.

We are big on comebacks here at Jollyjo and look forward to Yahoo's top stories for 2008...Top Ten though, not Top Five! 

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This post guest-blogged by Sharon Lea Hill.