Andy Murray's big chance for success

Summary

Andy Murray, the British number one tennis player, is through to the final 32 with relative ease. Murray will play Tommy Robredo in the next round, an opponent he should be able to beat. The biggest surprise was the defeat of Roger Federer, who is now out of the tournament and therefore not able to defend his title and Rafael Nadal’s defeat in the first round. Murray won his first and second set 6-3 to an opponent who has beaten him in the 2008 Olympics. In the third set Murray lost his first match point at 5-4 but finally took the third set, and with it the match, 7-5.

My opinion

Andy Murray has been the only serious British challenger for the English Grand Slam tournament in a very long time, the British people feel like he is destined to be the first ever British Wimbledon winner. If there ever was a big chance, this is it. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are out of the tournament and also Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been eliminated. Now, Andy Murray is the favourite to win this year’s Wimbledon after he won the 2012 Olympic tennis tournament in Wimbledon. The only one who can stop him now I think is Novak Djokovic, the current number one.

Bibliography

Newbery, P. (2013, June 26). Andy Murray beats Yen-Hsun Lu at Wimbledon 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from BBC Sport: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/23066798

 

 

All your money to the queen!

Summary

The amount of money spent on the monarch has risen over the last year, an amazing rise of £900,000. The total of government spending on the monarch is now £33.3m, the official expenditure excludes the money spend on guards and armed service during ceremonies. Although there has been a rise in spending, the tax payers are paying less each year for their monarch. Over the last 5 years the amount of money that tax payers give to the monarch has been reduced by 24%. Most of the money going to the monarch comes from the Crown Estate. One of the main reasons for the rise is the maintenance on royal palaces.

My opinion

I think the monarchy is a big part of the British culture and it should remain like this. This article had some positives but also a few negatives, I think £33.3m is a lot of money spend on a ceremonial figure. This money could be spend in many better ways by the British government. One positive point I can take away from this is the drop is percentage of tax money that goes to the monarch, in my opinion tax money should be used for the good of the British economy or healthcare but not for a monarch.

 

Bibliography

Hunt, P. (2013, June 27). Spending on monarchy up by £900,000 to £33.3m. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23082296

 

Women’s football is big

 

Summary

Football hasn’t been a sport just for men for a long time, but the women’s football is becoming a big sport in Northern-Ireland. There are already 50 teams in Northern-Ireland where in 1977 it were just 18 teams. This fact does not look like a big difference but with the increased amount of players comes a big increase in the level of football they play. In England the sport was already quite big but Northern-Ireland will have their first team in the Champions League next year, a great achievement. The sport is attracting more sponsors every day.

 

My opinion

It is a good thing that women’s football is getting bigger and it is true that the level of football is getting better but the women still have a long way to go. At the moment only a few countries are playing at an acceptable level: The USA, Germany, Sweden and England. The sport is getting bigger worldwide and in the Netherlands the biggest clubs have women teams. The sport is moving in the right direction but will remain in the shadow of men’s football. The thing people should not do is, as I just did, compare it to men’s football. The male variant of football will always be bigger and comparing men to women in football will only bring women’s football down.

Bibliography

Jackson, L. (2013, June 11). Starring role for women's football in Northern Ireland. Retrieved June 17, 2013, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22845966

Syria the main topic on G8 summit

 

 

Summary

The G8 summit in Northern-Ireland will have one main point of discussion: the war in Syria. For months there has been a civil war in Syria and now the G8 meeting will discuss what the best solution is. The biggest problem is that the American and the British support the rebels but the Russians support the current government. Obama announced that he wants to arm the Syrian rebels because the troops supporting Al-Assad are using chemical warfare. David Cameron is not sure arming the rebels is the right solution but he is certain that the regime of President Assad should end.

My opinion

If there ever was a reason to invade a country, this is it. Over 400.000 people died because of this civil war and there seems to be no end to it, it is time the biggest powers in the world unites and solves this problem. America wants to arm the rebels and Russia wants to arm the other side, if this happens it will just destroy the whole country and there will be no one left. This war will not be solved with words or by supporting one side, it will be won by stopping this war with force and when that is done it is time for elections, but the UN should have stepped in months ago.

Bibliography

Candle, B. (2013, June 17). G8 Northern Ireland summit: Syria set to top agenda. Retrieved June 17, 2013, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22930266

 



Matilda On Broadway

Summary

The British musical Matilda, based on the book of Roald Dahl,  has arrived on Broadway for its first performance abroad. The story is about a very smart little girls who prevails despite her abusive parents and a very strict headmaster. The musical has been a major success in Britain and has won many awards but can it survive Broadway and become as big as Les Miserables? The story targets both adults as children, the story is about imagination and it has the ability to inspire anyone. The book Matilda is a book that every child grew up with.

My opinion

Although I am certainly no musical fan, the story of Matilda is something special. I think everybody has read the book and can remember the hate they felt against both the parents and the headmaster. Some are worried that the musical is not American enough for Broadway but I strongly dispute that argument; Broadway has the most diverse types of musical, of course there will be some who do not like the musical but that goes for every musical. I have no doubt that the musical Matilda will be a success on Broadway and perhaps in the rest of the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIj-gVVszXo

Comic Relief: Being funny for charity

Summary

It has become an annual charity event, Comic Relief, a whole evening of comedy for a charity organization that does work not only in Britain but in the whole world. Many celebrities take part in this event such as Ricky Gervais, Rowan Atkinson and popular boy band One Direction. Founder of comic relief Richard Curtis said: “we thought it would be a one of.” But 25 years later is has become an annual tradition. It is not only comedy that is used on this night, a group of celebrities went to Africa and tackle the longest river in Africa, the Zambezi.

 

My opinion

I think it is a great tradition, it is good television for a good cause. Celebrities are role models for a lot of people and by doing this it will engage people and thus bringing in more money for the charity. The charity, named as the TV show deals with a lot of different problems, domestic and global. Many charities only focus on one big issue but Comic Relief uses all their money to help and tackle as many problems as they possibly can. I think it is a great initiative and it is a pity that it is only in Britain, other countries should adopt this annual charity event.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnk7ZK4eyhc

NHS doesn’t care for the obese

Summary

A report by the Royal College of Physicians says NHS services for people who are overweight are often inadequate. Across the NHS the problem of obesity is tackled insufficient, the problem of obesity has grown over the last decade and with the inadequate service of the National Health Service the problem seems to get even worse. In 2012 25% of adults in Britain is obese and it is expected that within 40 years the number will rise to 50%. Annually 5 billion pound is spend on obesity. Because of the rising number of obese people the number of people with heart problems or diabetes will rise with it.

My opinion

In my opinion the problem with obesity is not with the NHS but with the obese people themselves, there are of course exceptions but over the whole obese people just lack exercise and the correct diet. On the topic of the NHS’s actions to deal with the problem my opinion is that there is enough money going in but it does not reflect the quality that the NHS delivers. The money should be spend more effectively to get the quality of service to an adequate level all over the country. Obesity is a major problem worldwide and people do not realize that obesity causes other diseases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQqeYoY32xA