Thank you, but no thanks.

Copyright © 2017 Cleveland Press.com

The word “no” is not the most popular word in the dictionary. But last week it seemed to be the only word we heard most of the time.
First, Wall St., didn’t like that another 44,000 jobs were shed and the Dow Jones reacted accordingly even though some analysts still expect the economy to rebound with consumers beginning to open their wallets before next winter.
But before consumers can spend they need a job. So right now word from corporate America is still no, the economy has not yet recovered.
Then former vice president Al Gore’s camp said he would not run in 2004 despite talk coming from out of the Democratic Party that he was the best candidate from the current bunch who want to challenge President George W. Bush for the White House.
Gore now appears refreshed and content with his new life after three years in private life following eight years as President Clinton’s right hand man and does not want to go through another rugged presidential campaign, which was eventually decided by the Supreme Court weeks after the votes had been cast and Florida became the focus of the world.
President Bush at his press conference last week said he believed in the sanctity of marriage, a strong indication that he was not in favor of same-sex marriages. Another no.
Serena Williams, the most exciting woman tennis player since Steffi Graf, had to withdraw from the U.S. Open, which begins in New York later this month, because of an injury.
Williams had surgery on her left knee and is expected to miss up to eight weeks and will not allow her to defend he U.S. Open crown.
Suddenly a women’s grand slam event without Serena and her older sister, Venus, in the final. Are we ready for this?
And 2002 men’s champion Pete Sampras has already announced he will not play this year making marketing just a little more harder because it will be the first time since 1971 when Australians Ken Rosewall and Margaret Court did not return to defend their titles.
Venus will now be the be the one to beat for the women’s title. She has lost to Serena five times in a row in grand slam tournaments.
For the statistically minded, Venus has not won a major since the 2001 U.S. Open and Serena has won five of the past six grand slams.
With no Serena the door has been left open for Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Lindsay Davenport to possibly challenge Venus.
And another no from the across the nation by millions of film fans who turned their back on the much-hyped movie Gigli with Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
Over the weekend Gigli ran up an estimated $3.8 million at the box office after the Lopez-Affleck on-screen combination had been described as sizzling, but the critics and fans gave them the cold shoulder.
Finally, former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson says he has no more money and has declared himself bankrupt. According to reports, he has blown an estimated $300 million on a lavish lifestyle.
Stay tuned for some good news soon, hopefully.