Giant Container to Collect Leaking Gulf Oil

An article in the May 5th edition of the New York Times explains how oil companies are going to recollect the oil that is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, may soon be delivered by a 98-ton steel box that is four stories tall. This structure is called a containment dome, and was just built over the past week by a crew of more than two dozen welders. They will place the dome where the oil is spewing out of the ground and it will collect the oil. Then from the dome, the oil will go to a drill ship. Then we can use the oil for whatever it is we need. This is a extremely complicated process even though it sounds simple.

It is a good thing all this oil will not go to waste. With gas prices already starting to shoot up, maybe this dome can help stop the price increase. Additionally, getting the oil out of the Gulf of Mexico is good for the environment and the animals who live there. All the engineers who developed this structure on short notice deserve recognition. Hopefully the dome works well, and we start to see a reduction is gas and oil prices soon.

Madison Square Garden to Slow for Construction

In the May 5th edition of the New York Times, Richard Sandomir, wrote an article regarding renovations to the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Over the next three summers MSG will be getting a make-over. The renovation will cost $775 million to $850 million, which is being paid without any government aid. Each summer, the garden will make some improvements until the project is complete in 2013. Some of the new amenities at MSG will include twenty event level suites, upper level seating that is closer to the action, and a massive scoreboard. The renovations are expected to generate the equivalent of 1,300 full-time jobs during construction.

These renovations sound like they are going to be quite luxurious. The interior of Madison Square Garden will be revamped but I hope they do not change the interior too much because MSG has a great atmosphere and is very easy to navigate. I believe the designers will be able to keep the current feel MSG has, but update it with more recent technology. As it currently stands, MSG is one of the best places to see a live sporting event or concert, but after these changes are complete, I believe it will become even better.

Bloomberg Budget Would Cut Number of Teachers

David W. Chen and Javier C. Hernandez wrote an article in the New York Times, explaining a new budget proposed my Michael Bloomberg. The Mayor of New York City is preparing a new budget proposal to fight off 5 billion dollars in debt. In this proposal, 6700 New York City teachers would lose their jobs. In addition, 5000 other jobs would be lost spread across many different agencies. This new proposal is not good for the workers in NYC, especially those who teach.

This is horrible for New York if this proposal is passed. Teachers are the foundation of our future and they should not lose their jobs. The classes in public schools in New York will become much larger, which hinders children ability to learn. Fortunately, one occupation area that will not have cuts is in public safety. With recent attack plots against New York, the city cannot afford to lose anymore cops. However, the potential of losing 6700 teaching jobs across New York City would be devastating as well.

Average Movie Ticket Price Jumps 8%

In the May 5th edition of the LA Times an article was written about the rising prices of movie tickets. Last year, on average a movie ticket was $7.35. So far this year the average movie ticket is $7.95. This is an 8% increase over the course of just one year. The National Association of Theatre Owners claim that the increase is due to the amount of movies being shown in the 3d. Movies shown in 3d are on average three dollars more expensive. The attendance numbers for this year only increased by 0.5% and the rise in tickets prices may have played a role in the steadying of ticket sales.

With our economy currently in a recession, movie ticket prices should not be increasing at such a fast rate. Even though more and more movies are in 3d the ticket prices should not increase so drastically. Since the number of movies being released in 3d is growing, the prices should start to go down because the novelty of 3d movies should start wearing off. I believe if movie prices were less, more people would be encouraged to go and see a movie. The attendance numbers would grow and movie producers would make greater profits.

Rutgers Hires Rice As New Basketball Coach

An article written by Jerry Carino in the May 4th edition of the Asbury Park Press reports that Rutgers University has hired a new head basketball coach. The man who will be taking over the team is named Mike Rice. He coached basketball at Robert Morris college for three years and made two NCAA tournaments. Rice is 41 years old and is looking to bring Rutgers back into the picture for a tournament bid. Rutgers University is coming off a poor season and a coaching change seemed inevitable.

I believe this is a good move for Rutgers. The scarlet knights needed a new coach after this season. Although this coaching change will not make national headlines, they are bringing a young coach to develop the basketball program. Rice proved at the small school Robert Morris, that he can coach a team to success. If he can get Robert Morris college to a national tournament, I believe he could do even better with the resources of a school such as Rutgers. Hopefully things work out and Rice can be a successful coach and stick around the Rutgers organization for quite a few years.

Killer Whale Seizes Vicitm

On February 24th a killer whale named Tilikum killed a Sea World whale trainer. The whale grabbed Dawn Brancheau, a longtime employee at Sea World, by her pony-tail and dragged her under the water. The whale kept her in his grasp for up to thirty minutes. Tilikum is a thirty year old killer whale and has a history of violence against trainers. The employees at Sea World and were instructed to not be in the water with Tilikum. Evidently, they should have taken more precautions when working with this particular whale.

This is no rarity that a wild animal who is held in captivity attacks a person. This brings up the question, should large animals be kept in captivity and be trained to perform in shows? Tilikum is not the only example of animals who perform in shows attack their trainer. In addition to killer whales, tigers or other large jungle cats have attacked people on stage while performing in magic shows or circuses. Animals attacking their trainers seems to be a growing problem. I believe these animals should not be forced to perform in front of crowds but instead should be slowly released back into the wild once they have gained the ability to survive in the wild.

5 Men Sentenced in Australian Terrorist Plot

In the February 15th edition of the New York Times an article named “5 Men Sentenced in Australian Terrorist Plot” written by Mark McDonald, gives information about terrorists and their sentencing. Back in 2005, five men ages 25 to 44 were arrested on the conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. They had dangerous chemicals, firearms, and ammunition which they planned on using against the Australian government. Additionally, police found bomb making guides and writings that endorsed mass murder. All five men were facing a maximum jail sentence of life prison but instead they received 23 to 38 years. The trial lasted for nearly a year before the jury made their decision.

In my opinion, they should have been given the maximum sentence of life in prison. These men planned on taking many innocent lives away. When they get released from jail they may just continue their quest to kill the innocent. These men are terrorists and should not have another chance to restart their life outside of prison. Another thing that seems strange to me is the fact that it took five years from when they were arrested to be sentenced. If the trial took one year what was going on for the four years after they had been arrested? I don’t know what the delay was but at least for now and a long time in the future these terrorists are putting nobody in danger.

Horrors of being a Vikings Fan

Kevin Seifert, an accomplished journalist who writes about the Minnesota Vikings in local Minnesota newspapers, wrote a blog on ESPN.com about arguable referee calls in NFC champion game. The blog entry is titled, “Dirty Laundry: Pereira Analyzes Calls” and was written today at 10:14 AM. In the article Mike Pereira, the Vice President of Officiating, admits a penalty should have been called against the Saints on a key play in the third quarter that left Brett Favre hobbled for the rest of the game. More officiating errors were expressed in the article that could have gone the Vikings way. Many Vikings fans blame the officials for causing them to lose the most important game in recent franchise history, but others believe the Vikings had many chances to win the game outright and overcome these blatant miscues.

The Vikings outplayed the super bowl bound New Orleans Saints and deserved to win the game. Although some sloppy calls by the referees didn’t make it easier on the Vikings they should have won the game anyways. The Vikings had five turnovers, three fumbles and two interceptions. This way more than any team trying to get to the super bowl should make. These errors are much more unforgivable than a couple of miscalls by the refs. The Vikings did everything they needed to do to win the game but blew it because they can’t hold on to the ball. I don’t blame this game on the referees, I blame it on the five turnovers and shoddy coaching that led the Vikings down the wrong path. The Vikings fan inside of me has to ponder these mistakes all offseason and wonder what could have been if they had better ball control, but any Vikings fan knows how they will find any way to lose a big game therefore, this loss cannot be blamed on the referees.