Hip Young Things

There has been a lot of focus on men’s tennis recently. With the Rafael Nadal/Roger Federer constant battle for world number one, the ladies have been pushed aside a little bit. It was however, not always this way. Tennis is one of the few sports where the women’s side is paid equal amount of attention to as the men. Here’s a look at how the ladies are shaping up for Wimbledon 2009.

The winner of this year’s French Open on the ladies side was Svetlana Kuznetsova. She is ranked the number seven player in the world.  She beat the winner from last year Dinara Safina of Russia. Kuznetsova is also out of Russia, which made for an interesting match. Due to her win Kuznetsova now sits ranked at number five in the world on the WTA tennis polls. Safina has retained her number one ranking.

The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena are two of three American women even ranked in the top 100 of the poll. Serena currently sits at number two in the world, with her sister Venus right behind her at number three.

Venus Williams was knocked out of the French Open in the third round by Agnes Szavay. Serena lost in the quarter finals of the French Open to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Wimbledon will be an interesting place this year for the ladies. Both Williams sisters have prospered there in previous years. The sisters have played each other for the Championship before. This always makes for an interesting time.

Yes, Wimbledon this year seems to be a battle of the Williams sisters versus the rest of the world. Perhaps Kuznetsova will have the good fortune of momentum coming off her French Open win, or Dinara Safina will remind everyone why she is number one.

The only promise that can be kept is that it will all be some fierce competition!

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 stipulates that Fifteen Billion gallons of conventional biofuels such as crops of corn, sugar cane and wheat, be produced in 2015 under the Renewable Fuel Standards . The 15 billion gallons will have 20% less life cycle emissions than that of gasoline according to the EPA. At the time the Bill was written, the conventional biofuel was corn ethanol. While I was staying at a Goa luxury hotel, I read that a newly proposed ruling recently released, shocked many by declaring that currently corn ethanol was only 16 percent better.

Only 16% better? That’s not much of an alternative. Much of the low estimate results came from an indirect land use statistics base. This does account for previous uncultivated land being brought into production of the produced biofuels (displaced food). This appears to be a good development since the effects have the potential to have a huge impact and have a giant 2-by-4 whack the heads of an ailing biofuel industry. If the Act is strictly enforced it will mean all current corn ethanol production will not satisfy the current 10.5 billion gallon ethanol requirements. The National Biofuel Board released a statement shows how this might just play out. “There are things that could be done to make corn-based ethanol more sustainable”.

So basically, the ethanol industry will need to clean up its act. This can and will be accomplished by using a more sustainable land management; switching to a cleaner fuel, including natural gas) for the distillation process. So, right now, all I can do at this point is wait and watch how the ethanol industry will handle this new ruling. Will they clean up their act? Or will they become more and more dependent on the government for assistance. I put my money on the latter and hope that we all win.

Nelson Mandela is a significant figure in South Africa, and also throughout the world. He is honored and respected by many, and has won numerous awards, which demonstrate this. Mandela was born in July of 1918 in Transkei, South Africa. He was born into a cadet branch of the Tembu dynasty. His great grandfather had been the king of the Tembu people. From his birth it seemed as though Mandela was destined for great things, though it is unlikely anyone could have predicted the tremendous impact he would have on South Africa. His achievements did not come easy, and his life entailed a great deal of struggle and repression. Tourists staying in the best hotels South Africa will no doubt have heard of this great man and encounter some reminder of his work.

Mandela studied at the Fort Hare University where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree. While he was there he became friends with Oliver Tambo, with whom he would remain close for the rest of his life. When he left Fort Hare, Mandela studied law with the University of London External Program. He became the leader of the ANC’s armed wing in 1961, which he also co-founded. It was during this time that he began extreme anti-apartheid measures and coordinated sabotage campaigns against the military. He believed that the many years of oppression and violence from the apartheid regimes proved that non-violent measures would be ineffective.

In 1962 Mandela was arrested and imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort. It is widely believed that the United States Central Intelligence Agency assisted in his finding and arrest. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Other charges were presented and ultimately Mandela received a life sentence. He spent the next 27 years in prison, the first 18 being spent on Robben Island. In 1985 he was offered a conditional release if he would give up his arms activities. Nothing came of this until 1990 when the ban on anti-apartheid organizations was lifted, and Mandela was finally freed. He was elected President of South Africa and aided the country’s transition into a multi-racial democracy. In 1993 he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

It all started with MTV’s reality show about rich High School Students called Laguna Beach. The focused mostly on the teen trials of relationships in a California beach town, and for one reason or another everyone on any world maps could just not get enough of it.

During Laguna Beach, Kristin Cavallari was its star. But when former show mate and reality rival Lauren Conrad decided to take her show up the map of California to LA, she was given her own show. Alas, The Hills was born and after five seasons Conrad has decided to leave the cakey-st job in the entire world.

So Hills fans across the entire map of the world were left wondering what would happen to their Monday night guilty pleasure. Although, admittedly, Conrad has been fading into the background in the show, being replaced by the bizarre relationship of Heidi and Spencer.

Ironically enough, it has been announced that now Cavallari will be taking over the “lead role” in The Hills. The season five finale will introduce Kristin as the new focus of The Hills.

It should be a good move for the reality franchise, showing that it can be adaptable to whoever is the most interesting person to follow. Cavallari was always the focus of the previous show but fell to the wayside after Conrad was given her own series.

She was always the leader of the drama on Laguna Beach, so Kristin should inject a little main character drama that Lauren Conrad never really did. She just doesn’t really seem like a real dramatic person.

Here’s hoping that Cavallari will bring the show to a new level with her addition. At least to the level of guiltiest pleasure on Monday night, next to Gossip Girl, of course.

Only a 20 minute plane ride from Honolulu, Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and is a truly magical paradise.  Even though it is a small island, Kauai offers a tremendous opportunity to explore a wide variety of landscapes.  Enjoy Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the north shore, the National Tropical Botanical Garden on the south shore, Captain Cook’s Monument on the west side, and Nounou Mountain on the Coconut Coast.  Enjoy some of the most challenging golf courses, take a few hours to ride horseback on one of the many scenic trails, go fresh or saltwater fishing, or explore the island on a hiking trail with your map and guidebook in hand.  Windsurfing, scuba diving, and camping are other wonderful activities that you can enjoy on this exceptional Hawaii vacation.  With the many parks and beaches, you will find yourself basking, swimming, and lazing the day away while you have a quintessential Hawaii experience on one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific.  There are many festivals and events on the island, including live music and other fun activities.  Check in with the Kauai calendar of events at the tourist center or online to find out what is going on while you are there and then, enjoy!