Serena Williams Wins Wimbledon 2010

BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Oil Spill In The Gulf of Mexico

BP, a British based global energy company which is the third largest energy company and the fourth largest company in the world is responsible for this tragedy. With concerns for human life lost and the effects this spill will have on our wildlife, Americans scramble to find a way to contain the oil spewing into the Gulf waters caused by the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and subsequent fire.

It is now 72 days and counting since the explosion and with no end in sight we are looking at the worst oil spill in US history. One might be wondering how the BP oil spill of today is different from the Exxon Valdez oil spill tragedy back in March 1989. To shed a little light on that issue, the oil involved in the Exxon Valdez incident was primarily held inside a tanker. Once the hole in the tanker was plugged, the oil stopped spilling into the ocean. However, BP has a more complex problem. Their rig is tapped into an underwater oil well and will continue pumping oil into the ocean indefinitely until the leak is plugged.

There is no denying that this situation is a catastrophe not just to the fisherman who earns their living fishing in the deep blue sea but all the wildlife lost due to the BP oil spill as well. What is it going to take to clean up the mess man has made to our ecosystem? How many more hours, days, weeks, or even months will oil continue to reek havoc on our shores. What is going to happen to the wildlife that depends on our ocean for survival? I wonder how long it will take before America realizes that the planet earth can only endure so much abuse before her natural resources are gone from us forever.

Unfortunately, the oil disaster in the Gulf is both politics and economics. I think politics come into play when it comes to the blame game that seems to be running rampant amongst all parties involved. It is hard for me to believe that a country like the United States cannot find a way to clean up an oil spill. I would think that they would have demanded to see emergency procedures from companies applying for a license to drill in our ocean. I think economics come into play because a lot of people lost their jobs behind this and many more job losses are still to come. No one wants to take responsibility for his/her part played in this disaster. I say forget about the politics and the economic aspects of this situation and just STOP THE BLEEDING AND GET THIS MESS CLEANED UP AND NOW!

Venus Williams Upset at Wimbledon

Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2010

If your knowledge of professional tennis is limited to knowing very little, I would say you still know a lot about the two famous American sisters Venus and Serena Williams. They have dominated the tennis circuit for well over a decade and their trophy shelf keeps getting more crowded with each match they play.

Today would prove to be one of the biggest upsets in the tennis world for Venus. Her opponent was none other than twenty two year old Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. According to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Rankings, Pironkova ranks in at a mere 82nd seed. However, that did not stop her from dominating her tennis match against Venus who was believed to be by far the superior player of the two.

Pironkova played the best tennis match of her career with 12 winners and only 6 unforced errors. She walked off the tennis court after defeating Venus in a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Pironkova celebrated an historical moment in her career by becoming the first Bulgarian woman to ever advance and play in a Grand Slam semi-final which will take place on Thursday.

When Venus stepped on the tennis courts this morning, she was favored with the odds of winning 150:1. Instead, she suffered her worst lost ever since playing her first Wimbledon game as a teenager.  By her own admission, Venus failed to maintain her form and made a lot of unforced errors. She struggled to keep the ball in play and found herself on the defensive end of the match which dwarfed her offensive efforts.

Although her lost to Pironkova marks the end of her dreams of adding another winners trophy to her already vast collection of souvenirs, make no mistake about it, Venus Williams is a first class tennis pro who is just waiting for her next opportunity to exercise her vast talents on the tennis court.

Abby Sunderland – Adventurous or Stupidity

Abby Sunderland Lost At Sea

Have you heard the news about 16 year old Abby Sunderland from California who set sail in January to set the world record for being the youngest sailor to ever sail alone and unassisted around the world. If you have not, then you definitely have not caught even a glimpse of the news this week.

Well, just to update those of you who are new to this story, Abby set off her emergency-beacon locating devices from the southern Indian Ocean early Thursday morning after her sail boat sustained extensive damage due to dangerous weather conditions. She was found by a search-and-rescue crew who verified that she was all right.

There is a lot of debate over whether or not Abby parents should have allowed their young daughter to make such an endeavor. My first reaction is absolutely not! However, after reading the thoughts and ideas of others, it all comes down to what ones family structure is like.

When it comes to parenting, society has become experts at dictating what is and is not acceptable. Opinions are based on individual beliefs instead of a keen evaluation of ones lifestyle and training. I am the first to admit that I could never encourage my 16 year old daughter to undertake such an endeavor. However, a daughter of mine would not be the descendant of a long line of sailors. Some might not be aware of the fact that Zac Sunderland, her brother, has also circumnavigated the globe in 2009 being the first person under 18 to make it.

In her defense, Abby is an expert sailor with extensive training prior to setting sail in January. I wonder what society would say had she been successful at becoming the youngest person to sail around the world.

America prides itself on being the best at everything it set out to do. Surely, Abby would have been held a hero for putting the United States in the Guinness Book of Records. The debate over the parenting skills of Abby has cast a shadow over the fact that this young American set out to do something not many her age would dare to consider doing.

If the issue of whether or not it was right or wrong of her parents to allow her to embark on such an endeavor can be set aside for a day, I believe society would embrace Abby Sunderland and encourage more youths to think outside the box of what society deems as acceptable. After all, it is the adventurous spirits of the likes of Zac and Abby that founded this country in the first place.