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Get ready to rewind to a week where headlines, heartbreaks, and heroics took center stage! From the tense streets of Iraq to the Olympic glory in Athens.

🎥 A Captive’s Tale: On August 19, the world held its breath as Al-Jazeera aired a chilling video of American filmmaker Micah Garen, held captive by Iraqi insurgents. Documenting the looting of archaeological sites, Garen found himself in the clutches of militants demanding the U.S. pull out of Najaf—or else. For 10 harrowing days, his loved ones worked tirelessly behind the scenes, eventually securing his release. Micah, ever the storyteller, even penned a love note to his partner on a cigarette wrapper—now that’s a script Hollywood couldn’t write.

🏅 Thorpe’s Triumph: Over in Athens, the Olympic pool was on fire! Aussie sensation Ian Thorpe clinched gold in the “Race of the Century,” leaving legends like Phelps and van den Hoogenband in his wake. Meanwhile, the Aussie women’s relay team was unstoppable, bagging gold and setting records. But it wasn’t all golden—Greek sprinters Kenteris and Thanou stirred up scandal, dodging a drug test and staging a motorcycle crash. The fallout? A two-year ban and a national disgrace.

📈 Google Goes Public: On August 19, Google took its first steps as a publicly traded company, offering shares in a unique Dutch auction. The tech giant’s stock surged, raising $1.67 billion, and setting the stage for a new era in Silicon Valley. Not too shabby for a company that started in a garage, huh?

🎵 Chart-Toppers: On the airwaves, Christina Milian was turning up the heat with “Dip It Low,” while the UK couldn’t get enough of 3 of a Kind’s infectious “Babycakes.” Down under, Cosima De Vito’s emotional ballad “When the War Is Over” was all the rage, proving that even an Aussie Idol runner-up can conquer the charts.

🎬 Box Office Battles: At the movies, it was a showdown of epic proportions with “Alien vs. Predator” reigning supreme in the U.S.

💤 Pillow Talk: And for those who prefer cuddles to conflicts, the U.S. welcomed the bizarre yet oddly comforting Boyfriend Arm Pillow—a half-body pillow designed to simulate snuggling with a partner. Whether you’re single or just need an extra arm to hold onto, this pillow had you covered… literally.

So hit play and let’s journey back to a week where every headline told a story, every medal had a price, and every pillow had… an arm.

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