The year 2007 has been filled with many things from celebrity breakups to horrific catastrophes. The ways in which people achieved, dishonored and heartedly embarrassed themselves need to be documented. The ups and downs of this year are some for the ages. So, I present to you 2007: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Let's begin with the good. The first thing is the Chicago Bears making the Super Bowl. Blowing past the doubters and haters, the beloved Bears made it to the Super Bowl, but did not have enough left in the tank to take it all.

Now we move on to the entertainment field. "American Gangster" proved to be one of the best epic dramas in decades. "The Wire" kept us glued to our television screens and "The Boondocks" gave us a cartoon to laugh at and think about.

Student activism increased around the country with the controversy about the Jena 6 and thought-provoking discussions. This activism tops the good charts for 2007.

The bad comes from the uninteresting and corporate-bought primary campaigns from the Democrats and Republicans. The bickering and just blatant lies make me nauseated.

Oh great, Clinton vs. Giuliani—it makes me want to move to the Virgin Islands and give up on America.

A really bad thing about 2007 is the alcohol abuse on college campuses, especially Marquette. Is it even possible for people to have a good time without becoming obnoxiously drunk? Next person to say "Hey bro, let's get the keg," should be deported to Siberia. I have a feeling that many students are going to need the brain cells they are destroying every weekend.

Another thing that is bad that I have to mention is faux intellectuals with their Ugg boots, skinny jeans and cuffing behavior—please just stop it, people. Your ego-driven repetition about the great work you do and insincere long-winded political ramblings about situations you have no experience in gives the campus a bad name and tops my bad list for 2007.

Now on to everybody's favorite part of the column, the ugly.

Let's begin with the news media's celebrity obsession. Paris Hilton and Britney Spears have been headlining news reports on CNN. That's right, CNN. How morally bankrupt of a society are we that we focus on the lives of a talentless socialite and a washed up, overweight, meth-addicted former pop star? The land of the free is looking more like the land of the morons.

Speaking of morons, what about the ugliness of Don Imus? The worst part was not even his sexist and borderline racist comments; it was the people who defended him. Those who said he was being "shocking" and "edgy" were only using terms that I have always considered to be code for offensive without wanting to face any consequences.

The most ugly part of this year has to be the excessive gun violence. The death of Washington Redskins football player Sean Taylor and the countless deaths of everyday people in the city of Milwaukee make this issue important. Something needs to be done. No, the solution is not that citizens should be armed gun nuts. Violence will top my ugly list every year.

The year 2007 brought us highs and lows, but if you are reading this column you have survived. I hope the year 2008 brings us more good and less bad and ugly. I will be stepping my game up in 2008 with exciting columns and hopefully we all can enjoy good times at Marquette. Happy holidays and let's step our game up in 2008.