Midterms examinations are next week for all the 1Ls and the best advice I can offer is to tell you all not to stress out.  One small test is not worth causing the development of a stress pimple.  Honestly, midterms count for but a small percentage of your final grade in whatever course in which the exam is administered and are intended merely to provide you with a sample of a law school examination so that you don't feel like a deer-in-headlights when finals time rolls around.  Of course, you should study and try your hardest because your performance on the midterm will enable you to assess your grasp of the material in that course, and since Miley Cyrus deleted her twitter account, you really have nothing else to do anyway.  Plus, once that single exam is over, you get a few days off!  Please take time to relax and do something fun - you have earned a break.  Luckily, a few interesting things have happened recently, and you can catch up on these and all of the other world events you have missed since August while the rest of us sit in classes next week.

First, much to my dismay, Washington, D.C. lost its bid to host the 2014 Gay Games IX.  Miami, Boston, and Cleveland were the other three finalist cities selected by the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) almost a year ago, and Miami had missed the bid submission deadline, leaving only Boston and Cleveland as D.C.'s competition for host city.  In a statement from Cologne, Germany, the host city for the 2010 games, the FGG announced that Cleveland, Ohio had been chosen for the location of the 2014 competition.  The FGG Co-Presidents stated that, Cleveland "understood the mission of the Gay Games and our principles of 'Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best'TM."  But I heard from a very reputable source (HOT 99.5) that the real reason Cleveland won is because its mayor, Frank G. Jackson, cross-dressed to show his support to the Federation and Mayor Fenty failed to demonstrate the same effort.  That's dedication.  The Gay Games is a quadrennial sports and cultural festival founded in 1982 by Olympic decathlete Dr. Tom Waddell.  The games draw as many as 12,000 participants each year, which is more than the Olympics.  Oh, and Chicago lost its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to Rio de Janeiro.  Although Obama was the first U.S. President to make an Olympic bid in person, the appeal of bringing the Olympic games to South America for the first time ultimately won over the International Olympic Committee.

Also, NASA set out to bomb the moon Friday morning, October 9, 2009.  So if the moon is still there by the time you read this article, they failed.  Really though, the NASA aircraft was to hit two bulls-eye targets on the moon with the hope that the impact would cause the debris to reach sunlight permitting the NASA scientists to run the requisite tests.  Those responsible for the mission are convinced that water exists in the moon's craters and will perform data analyses on the debris kicked up by the explosion to determine whether water was present.  So much more interesting than studying for CivPro, right?

Lastly, and most importantly, the New York Yankees won the AL East with over 100 wins this season.  The best team in the history of baseball will now play the Minnesota Twins, who defeated the Detroit Tigers in the 12th inning of Game 163 to win the AL Central.  By the time this article is printed, the Yankees will have beaten the Minnesota Twins with minimal effort and fortunately for all the 1Ls, you can watch the games without classes getting in the way for a few days!

Moral of the story: there are so many things outside of law school to distract you from the stress and tension of your first year.  It is perfectly acceptable, and probably beneficial for your mental health, to take some time off from being a law student - especially during fall break.  Good luck on your exams!