Optimum Nutrition Product Reviews

Public release date: 13-Sep-2010


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Contact: Hilary Hurd Anyaso

h-anyaso@northwestern.edu

847-491-4887

Northwestern University

Male maturity shaped by early nutrition

Differences between the sexes affected by environment during first six months of life

EVANSTON, Ill. --- It seems the old nature versus nurture debate can't be won. But a new Northwestern University study of men in the Philippines makes a strong case for nurture's role in male to female differences -- suggesting that rapid weight gain in the first six months of life predicts earlier puberty for boys.

Males who experienced rapid growth as babies -- an indication that they were not nutritionally stressed -- also were taller, had more muscle and were stronger, and had higher testosterone levels as young adults. They had sex for the first time at a younger age and were more likely to report having had sex in the past month, resulting in more lifetime sex partners.

The researchers think that testosterone may hold the key to understanding these long-term effects.

"Most people are unaware that male infants in the first six months of life produce testosterone at approximately the same level as an adult male," said Christopher W. Kuzawa, associate professor of anthropology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and author of the study. "We looked at weight gain during this particular window of early life development, because testosterone is very high at this age and helps shape the differences between males and females."

The study provides more evidence that genes alone do not shape our fate.

"The environment has a very strong hand in how we turn out," Kuzawa said. "And this study extends that idea to the realm of sex differences and male biology."

The study found men, on average, tend to be taller and more muscular than females, and the magnitude of that difference appears to be the result of nutrition within the first six months of an infant male's life, according to the study.

"There is a perennial question about how important heredity is versus the environment as shapers of who we turn out to be," said Kuzawa. "In the last 20 years, a lot has been learned about a process called developmental plasticity -- how the body responds early in life to things like nutrition and stress. Early experiences can have a permanent effect on how the body develops, and this effect can linger into adulthood. There is a lot of evidence that this can influence risk of diseases like heart attack, diabetes and hypertension -- really important diseases."

Kuzawa and his collaborators applied the same framework in this study and found evidence that male characteristics -- such as height, muscle mass and testosterone levels as opposed to disease characteristics -- also relate back to early life developmental plasticity.

"Another way to look at it is that the differences between the sexes are not hard wired, but are responsive to the environment, and in particular to nutrition," Kuzawa said.

Testosterone has long been known to increase muscle mass and puts a person on a higher growth trajectory to be taller. The Northwestern study suggests that the age of puberty also is influenced by events in the first six months of life.

The study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Wenner Gren Foundation, was conducted among a group of 770 Filipino males aged 20 to 22 who have been followed their entire lives. Since 1983 a team of researchers in the United States and the Philippines (including Kuzawa for about the last 10 years) has been working to understand how early life nutrition influences adult health, such as risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

"Rapid Weight Gain After Birth Predicts Life History and Reproductive Strategy in Filipino Males" was published Sept. 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study's co-authors are Thomas W. McDade, associate professor of anthropology, Northwestern University, Linda S. Adair, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Nanette Lee, University of San Carlos of the Office of Population Studies in Cebu City, Philippines.

First Lady Michelle Obama is reportedly wrestling with at least 100 House Democrats who would rather not pass a re-authorization of the nation's school meals program if it means taking money from food stamp recipients.

The Senate approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which would increase spending on child nutrition programs by $4.5 billion -- including a 6-cent-per-meal boost to the rate the federal government reimburses school lunch -- but said the only way to fund it without adding to the deficit was to remove $2.2 billion from the food stamp (now known as SNAP) program. Re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act must now be approved by the House before authorization for the legislation currently in place expires.

The Senate's funding method is a bit like picking the pocket of one panhandler to put it in the hand of another. Yet the mainstream media has hailed these measly 6 cents as the first increase in the subsidized lunch reimbursement rate in three decades -- a false notion.

Apparently, no one in the press has actually bothered to read the rules governing the school meals program. If they had, they'd know that the disputed 6 cents are barely more than what the National School Lunch Program receives automatically each year by way of cost of living increases. This year, in fact, the reimbursement rate has already gone up 4 cents -- from $2.68 per lunch to $2.72 -- thanks to an adjustment in the Consumer Price Index.

Granted, school kitchens are broke and have been for a long time. According to the School Nutrition Association, schools that rely on the federal reimbursements to pay their expenses lose 35 cents on average with every lunch they serve, which helps explain why they feed kids sweetener-stuffed snacks instead of real food in order to comply with the USDA's calorie requirements.

The 6 cent increase would be laughable if it weren't so tragic. But more important in this stalled legislation is a provision that would, for the first time, give the USDA authority to regulate all foods sold in schools, possibly meaning an end -- finally -- to so-called "competitive foods," such as sugary drinks and candy in school vending machines and ice cream bars and fruit rollups in the deli line. That would go a long way toward addressing the obesity epidemic that Michelle Obama has pledged to end.

So I say, Keep your 6 cents. Let the nation's lunch ladies do what they've been doing for years that Congress can't -- live with what they've got. Congress can then continue doing what it does best -- spending money we don't have on wars we don't need. Somehow, the kids will survive.

 

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Optimum Nutrition Reviews

Gaining weight can be relatively easy providing you eat the right foods, stick to your regime and don't throw in the towel if you want it to work!

Although women complain about gaining weight constantly, actually putting on weight is more difficult than it sounds for men.

The reason for this is that a woman's weight fluctuates naturally throughout different periods in the month. Hormones are the cause of this and the variations in hormone levels cause the variation in weight.

Once a male has reached the age where he is not likely to grow any more, his weight will stabilize and the only effects that will alter that weight are prolonged exposure to a particular activity.

Here are a few tips that will help you to get started but you must remember that all changes are as a result of prolonged exposure, whether good or bad. So if you were looking for an overnight solution then unfortunately there isn't one.

Food

So a fairly obvious initial topic, however; you don't just go eating anything and everything to gain weight. It is important to eat foods that are high in protein and carbohydrates, eating sugary foods will not help you to gain weight. They simply give you a temporary energy boost which is not the desired outcome. Here is a list of foods that will not only help you to gain weight; they also release energy slowly to give you enough gumption to get through your training session.

Pasta

Meat

Rice

Potatoes

Plenty of water

Protein shakes (more below)

Bread

Bananas contain potassium which is also a valuable resource for training

Fish

Eggs & Dairy products

Beans, lentils and split peas etc

Nuts and seeds

Oatmeal

Packaged cereals

It is vitally important that you check the content in all of the food you eat. Whilst this list gives a general idea of what food should contain it will depend on where you buy your food and how it is produced.

Eating high energy bars will help but remember that they should never substitute your eating plan because they won't help you to gain weight whatsoever.

You need to eat multiple times daily. The average body builder will eat six to eight times per day, with two of those meals as a light snack. The rest of the meals contain pasta, rice and meat as a general staple diet.

Pasta, chicken and rice will be a great foundation for you to build on as they provide so many nutrients necessary to your activities.

Protein Shakes

Some of these work, some of them don't. My advice would be to check the ingredients on the tub and buy the product with the highest protein amount in. You can also buy tasteless powder protein to sprinkle on your food which helps you to gain weight without doing anything extra!

The milkshakes come in a variety of flavors but the most popular ones are chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. So they are the flavors that are likely to be in stock wherever you buy them from.

You can buy these shakes from health shops such as Holland & Barratt and I've even seen them in Asda, for you American readers that's Walmart.

If the salesman in the shop is commission based he may try to sell you the biggest box of the best known brand. Don't let him push you around! The most publicized product isn't always the best and when you're first starting out you need the best products.

In the UK a huge box costs around sixty pounds and that usually lasts about three weeks if you have three shakes per day.

They are expensive but are definitely worth it if you're in it for the long haul.

Supplements

There are tons of supplements out there for the newbie weight gainer all you have to do is figure out which ones are just Aspirin repackaged and which ones will actually work for you.

The best one for training is Creatine as it increases athletic performance and provides more motivation for you when you are training. It does have a tendency to make you somewhat argumentative though so it's probably best to take it right before training and leave it alone after that.

Exercise

Seen as you're now eating enough to feed a small army you really could do with getting down to some exercise, so as to avoid that weight descending onto your abdomen resulting in a rather festive look.

The important thing to remember here is to not over stretch yourself. No one is expecting you to look like Arnold Swarzenegger in a week so don't push yourself too hard.

Start slowly and only lift an amount that feels comfortable, remember to get your positioning and lift correct so you don't pull a muscle or injure your back.

Your feet should be facing forward, your back should be straight and your head should be looking forward. This is assuming you are lifting whilst stood, if not I will discuss weight benches in a moment. You need to learn early on that the weight should not be lifted with the arms but with the legs.

You inevitably have more power and strength in your legs so it is important to use that strength to your advantage. Lifting with only the arms will cause strains, tears and injuries which could result in an untimely end to your ambition.

You would do well to get yourself a set of supportive gloves so that you don't sprain your wrists and a good set of training shoes with adequate grip so you don't slip.

You will also need to wear relatively tight clothing to prevent getting caught up and tangled because the last thing you want is to fall with a set of fairly heavy dumbbells in your hands!

I don't particularly like the belts that a lot of body builders use but if they prevent hernias then they're probably a useful thing to have hanging around when you start to increase your weight.

Your position whilst lying on a weight bench should be fairly straight. You can bend your legs to balance yourself but your arms should not twist or turn because they may buckle under the pressure.

Starting out on a weight bench is probably the best idea because it's harder to get your position wrong than it is to d it right. Without professional guidance you could easily injure yourself whilst lifting from a standing position.

You also need to keep up with cardio respiratory exercise to maintain your heart's health. It will be under a lot more strain since you've begun to push your body to its limits. It is important to respect the workload that the heart has to contend with and as such I recommend that you keep it healthy or you might annoy it.

Think of your heart as your wife. You wouldn't take the clean washing out of the machine and throw it over the flower beds if you know what's good for you so don't create more work for your heart.

After all, if you annoy it one too many times it may just divorce you and stop doing your washing altogether, never a good result in my book.

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Yankees What Happened To Our Don?

Joe Torre is undoubtedly one of the most successful managers in sports history. Starting as a manager for the Yankees in 1996, Torre went on to manage the team for 12 straight years, bringing them to the playoffs in each year. Also add in four championships.

At the end of the 2007 season, Joe Girardi took over as the Yankees manager, and Torre went on to manage the Dodgers. Three years later, he has announced that he will be stepping down as manager of the Dodgers in 2011, and will hand over the job to Don Mattingly.

Here are the top five lowest points of Joe Torre's illustrious career.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The Dodgers need pitching, hitting, a great closer, a first baseman who can hit for power and the same at third, and probably a new center fielder and what do they end up with? 

A new manager who has never managed before.

I love Don Mattingly as a player. With that steady career batting average of .307, nine gold gloves, an MVP Award and some batting titles - but can he transpose his personal winning attitude and baseball acumen to his team?

It is kind of scary if you are a Dodger fan.  Just this week he said he had no idea why the Dodgers were hitting so poorly. This from the Dodgers hitting coach.

In his one stint as manager a month or so ago when Torre was tossed from the game, he made a really stupid mistake when he went to the mound twice in the same trip.  Donnie Baseball either forgot or didn't know the rule.  Either way, I am glad he's gotten that one out of the way.

Listen, Mattingly may have learned a lot while working at the feet of one of the great managers of our time but it appears like a shot in the dark.  I know Joe Torre and you are no Joe Torre.

The Dodgers are a mess as everyone knows what with the owners' divorce proceedings which led to a slashed budget which led to no buying power in the off-season which led to a weakened squad that included a 5th starter with zero big league experience which led to no true back-ups for the weary and the wounded which led to an almost last place finish. 

They need a miracle worker not a newbie manager who will be learning on the job.

I wish him well and hope he can pull this one out as easily as he could snare an errant throw in the dirt.

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School: Back to school shopping ripoffs?

When people see all the back to school sales and advertisements, they think of students. But for the multitudes of teachers, those sales have other significant meanings. For teachers, back to school can mean putting the kids back in daycare, returning home from that extensive trip, finishing s major home project, or leaving that summer job. Yet, I know from years of experience as a teacher that back to school also means stocking up on necessary school items. Although back to school probably doesn’t mean purchasing a dozen pairs of jeans and cool t-shirts, the shopping is an important end of summer ritual. Still, it may not be easy to know that items to stock up on. Having gone through the ritual many times myself, and having snooped around the desks of many of my colleagues, I can recommend some central purchases to help teachers maneuver the back to school frenzy and make the beginning of the year just a little bit easier.

Classroom
Ever year, teachers ask students to keep journals or take notes in one notebook. For some students this means getting off on the wrong foot because of not purchasing the notebook. Many stores such as Target, K-Mart, Walgreens, and Rite Aid advertise back to school sales on notebooks for as little as 10 for a $1. You can purchase folders and filler paper for the same or less money. Keeping lots of these items stocked in your classroom can save on frustration later on. I know one teacher who keeps items with the school bookkeeper and sends students to the bookkeeper to purchase missing items. Whatever your style, it is a good idea to take a proactive approach and purchase notebooks, folders, and filler paper during the back to school sales. It can save you money and aggravation.

Besides purchasing notebooks, many teachers recommend hitting back to school sales for pencils, pens, and school planners. One of my friends checks the store flyers in each Sunday paper so that he can shop whenever they offer a tremendous back to school sale. If you’re not one to flyer shop, I recommend your local Dollar Store. By filling out a form at some local Dollar Stores, you receive a card for another 10% off of educational purchases. I usually pick up at least a dozen planners at the dollar store. When a student has trouble keeping track of homework in the first week or two, I try to give him or her a short encouraging talk and a planner. It gets us off on a better track, and directs the student towards an important skill. Not all my planners are used, but by giving some class time for students to fill in their homework, I’m increasing the odds that they will use them. The Dollar Store also sells stickers and other motivational items at a good price. Remember that just because it is a dollar doesn’t mean it is a good deal. Check around. During one back to school sale, I found 200 rewards stickers at Target for only a little more than 20 would cost at the Dollar Store.

Finally, I recommend visiting your local library to learn about book sales. In my city, the library system has its own store where they sell discontinued books for as little as a dime. I always visit this outlet a few times a summer to stock up on my classroom library. Summer yard sales, used book stores, and teacher discount cards for chain retail stores are also a good way to stock up. Try locally owned book store proprietors too. By talking directly to a comic book store owner, my friend got a great deal on an enormous box of comic books for his reluctant readers.

The wardrobe
I highly recommend two essential back to school wardrobe items for any teachers.

The first back to school must-have is a solid pair of shoes. Teachers stand on their feet for most of the day and need the support. I talked to a physical therapist who told me that one of the first pieces of advice she gives patients is to invest in a pair of comfortable work shoes. For men or women, I recommend Dansko and Dr. Marten brand shoes. Both companies make shoes with comfortable soles yet are stylish enough for work. I used to buy cheaper pairs of shoes and found that, in this area, the investment is definitely worth it.

The second back to school investment is a suit jacket with pockets. I use the word “suit” lightly. The jacket can even be a button-up sweater or vest and it does not need to be formal. In fact, the zanier the better, but good, deep pockets are essential for teaching. In my pockets, I store hall passes, board markers, and pens. This year I bought a purple jacket. Last year I wore black. I know some elementary teachers who, instead of a jacket, bought aprons with pockets and then decorated them with themes from their classroom. Whether a jacket, sweater, or apron, remember, when you’re out doing your back to school shopping, that pockets save time and help you stay organized by keeping every day items right at your finger tips.

Depending on the subject and grade you teach, I’m sure there are additional items you may need. These are just those essentials, like a can of beans in the pantry, that I recommend for any returning professional. If you’re reluctant to hit the back to school sales, at least invest in a comfy pair of quality shoes.





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Buy what you need for the first day of school but don’t buy too much for the rest of the year. Some items, such as pencils and pens, might be useful to stock up on if there is a great sale. But since many stores overstock on items, you may actually be able to find some bargains by scanning for sales after the back to school rush is over.

Did you know

Amateur and Olympic sports showcase the most passionate desires of athletes around the world. These athletic endeavors involve hard work, dedication, and perseverance. American amateur and Olympic athletes truly embody the concept of the American Dream. Although it may be hard to believe, these athletes have had to overcome difficult challenges in the past in order to compete in their beloved sport. As the problems of American amateur athletics escalated in the mid 1970's, Gerald Ford issued the President's Commission on Olympic Sports. The report analyzed the atmosphere surrounding amateur sports in America, and searched for a potential solution. This report resulted in the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978 which created cataclysmic change in American amateur sports over the last three decades.

A quick look at the history of Amateur sports in America shows the prominence of two major organizations; the AAU and the NCAA. The AAU resembles a club sport system which is utilized in most countries around the world. In the club sport system, athletes typically join a local club sports team. This system is independent of school related sports and usually takes place after school and on weekends. The United States is the pretty much the only country that has had a school related sports system as successful as the NCAA. The NCAA is something that is very unique to America and it meshes both academics and athletics. These two organizations were both developing into very strong organizations in the mid 1900's, but neither had total control over amateur athletic sports in America. That is where the problem began.

A heated battle between the AAU and the NCAA started to flare up in the 1960's and 1970's. Both organizations wanted to be the official liaison for governing amateur sports in America. In some sports, the AAU was better positioned, while the NCAA held the edge in other sports. The two organizations battled back and forth for control and the athletes were the ones that suffered most. The NCAA would restrict AAU competitors from their national championship competition and the AAU would turn around and do the same (Moore 60). This behavior was not in the nature of amateur sport and certainly did not cultivate the truest form of competition. This became such a big problem that Gerald Ford proposed the President's Commission on Olympic Sports in 1975 (Moore 61). The two year investigation intensely examined rights of athletes and the roles that the NCAA and AAU were currently playing. After the completion of the investigation, the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978was enacted.

The Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978 laid out the rules and regulations that shaped amateur sports in the United States from that year forward. In this act, the United States government chartered a monopoly to the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) to head all Olympic and international sport relations. Additionally, the act instituted that each sport showcased in the Olympic Games shall have a governing body that is registered as a 501 c (3) nonprofit institution (Amateur & Olympic Sports Act). This is a fine example of the government assigning responsibility to the nonprofit sector which Stephen Goldsmith and William D. Eggers refer to as “governing by network.”

The United States Olympic Committee is a nonprofit institution whose mission is, "To support Olympic and Paralympic athletes in achieving sustained competitive excellence and preserve the Olympic ideals, and thereby inspire all Americans" (US Olympic Team). The USOC acts as a headquarters for all American amateur and Olympic sports. They are the designated organization that is to deal with the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti Doping Agency, and all other world sport organizations. The hope was to have one nonprofit organization that would be in charge of all international amateur sport relations, rather than two fighting with their own desires.

As mentioned earlier, each Olympic sport has a national governing body. These nonprofit institutions have roles that are spelled out for them in the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. Each national governing body is responsible for establishing national goals for the sport and serves as the coordinating body for that sport in the United States. This includes conducting competitions, selecting and fielding teams to represent the United States in international competition; and providing coaching and training for the athletes of their sport. Additionally, these national governing bodies aim to develop an interest in their sport in the United States and encourage participation by women in their sport (Amateur & Olympic Sports Act). Both national governing bodies and the USOC are 501 c (3) nonprofit institutions that focus on the betterment of amateur sports in America. Additionally, these organizations are designed to showcase America's amateur athletes and provide inspiration to all Americans. Therefore, monetary gifts to these organizations are tax deductible.

This leads to a discussion of the legal and regulatory constraints in amateur sports in the United States. The Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978 outlined the guidelines to be followed in the United States in regards to amateur sports. It established the USOC as the head governing body of amateur sports, and created national governing bodies to govern each individual sport (Amateur & Olympic Sports Act). Each institution in this system answers or reports to someone and must comply with other organizations. This structure allows for checks and balances within the amateur sports world. No one single organization has the complete total control over what is said and done in a sport. Everyone gets their say, but they must comply with some rules and regulations from other agencies along the way.

The USOC is required to file a report to the United States government every four years detailing their accomplishments, expenditures, and data concerning the steps take to encourage women and disabled athletes (Amateur & Olympic Sports Act). Additionally, this report is to be made available to the public. The USOC must also comply with the International Olympic Committee, and the World Anti Doping Agency. National governing bodies have freedom to operate on their own, but they are closely watched by the USOC. These national governing bodies must also comply with world governing agencies of their sport. The actions of national governing bodies are also closely kept in line by the eye of the public. There is a section of the Olympic & Amateur Sports Act that states that national governing bodies of sport can be replaced by other agencies if they do not perform in a satisfactory manner. Finally, all amateur and Olympic sport agencies must comply with the guidelines and regulations that were outlined in the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978.

There are thirty-nine national governing bodies of sport in the United States. Thirty-one of these national governing bodies govern Summer Olympic sports while eight govern Winter Olympic sports (US Olympic Team). While these national governing bodies are independent nonprofit institutions, they must also report to the USOC. In turn, the USOC provides financial support to both the national governing bodies and individual athletes. During 2004, the year of the Summer Olympics in Athens, the USOC gave $50 million to national governing bodies in the form of member support. This member support includes financial assistance to athletes, and grants to national governing bodies for support and oversight. Also in 2004, the USOC dispersed $4 million to send United States competitors and coaches to international competitions. Finally, $23 million was spent on Olympic training centers in the form of room and board for athletes, training facilities, coaching, and sports medicine (United States Olympic Committee).

While the USOC makes an ample effort to aid and provide oversight to the national governing bodies and the athletes that compete for them, these national governing bodies are still independent organizations. Some national governing bodies are extremely organized business like organizations while others appear unorganized, lack revenue streams, and do not have enough money to support their operations year round. This is clearly evident when one looks at the budgets of each national governing body. Some national governing bodies get a small 4.5% of their annual funding from the USOC. Yet, others are heavily dependent on the USOC, receiving over 70% of their annual budget from these grants (Borzilleri).

A quick look at two national governing bodies will reveal how much difference there can actually be between national governing bodies of sport. The USATF (United States Track & Field) is an Indianapolis based nonprofit that is the governing body of Track & Field and long distance running. They are one of the more successful national governing bodies of sport in the United States. The USATF has doubled its revenue since 1997 and become much more involved in the community (USA Track & Field). One of the main reasons the USATF is so successful is because they have very little expenses in training and developing their athletes. The NCAA acts as a feeder system and four year training school for most of the USATF athletes. Additionally, most USATF athletes train at colleges, or local tracks. Since the USATF does not have to focus on training their athletes, they can focus on other business ventures. Because of their organized business like structure, they are able to focus on finding sponsors and partners, serving their 100,000 members, and creating additional revenue streams (Greer). This allows the USATF to focus additional revenue streams and become less dependent on the USOC grants.

The USBSF (United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation) is the governing body of bobsledding, and skeleton. Typically, Winter Olympic sports have a much more difficult time with supporting their sport. The following in the United States is low and Winter Olympic sports are often much more expensive than Summer Olympic sports. That is certainly the case in this instance. The USBSF is a national governing body does not have many partnerships, sponsors, or revenue streams. However, the sport is very expensive. For instance, the bobsled track at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino cost $83 million to construct (Clarey). In addition to high facility and equipment costs, the USBSF has a high cost of developing athletes. In order to conduct proper training, the USBSF pays for housing, meals, and travel expenses of its athletes while at the training center. Because the cost is so great, the USBSF typically only conducts training five to seven months out of the year (Kummer). The USBSF is a prime example of a national governing body that does not have many sponsors, and is heavily reliant on funding from the USOC.

A major concern for the smaller and less developed national governing bodies has been the influence that the USOC has over their operations. In the past year, the USOC has undergone studies on each national governing body in terms of their management structure, operational efficiency, and potential to generate revenue. Based on those reports, the USOC board made decisions to withhold or cut funding from certain governing bodies (Borzilleri). The USBSF was one of the national governing bodies that received a cut in their annual budget. In order to deal with this budge cut, the USBSF had to cut three weeks out of their funded athlete training schedule (Sprague). Needless to say, these smaller national governing bodies that do not generate much revenue may be under the greatest scrutiny and have the most pressure of any type of amateur sports organization.

There are a lot of major challenges set before the amateur and Olympic sports agencies in America. One of the biggest challenges is defining what the role of each organization is in relation to the bigger whole. One of the first questions needed to be answered is; “Should the USOC simply be a fundraiser that supports these national governing bodies of sport, or should the USOC be the head agency for dealing with amateur sports that has many different smaller departments?” Finding answer to this question will allow for a healthier development of amateur sports in America in the future.

A second situation that needs to be addressed is the treatment of sports and national governing bodies that do not generate much revenue. Some of these sports may be able to be turned into revenue generating organizations with management changes. However, some of these sports are likely to have very little financial success. Does America want to keep funding these sports even though they may be costly and bring in very little revenue? Deciding how to treat these sports and their national governing bodies will be a challenge for the USOC and amateur sports in America.

The overall effect of the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978 has been very good for amateur sports in America. The power struggle between the NCAA and the AAU has been subdued and amateur sports organizations have proven to be more successful when working together. The system that is currently used is much more efficient and has been very productive in its existence over the past three decades. The United States has continued to win more and more medals than ever at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. In the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, the United States won 109 total medals, which was 39 more medals than China; the country with the second most medals. In the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, the United States won more medals than they ever have at a Winter Olympics with 25 medals. This was second behind Germany, who had 29 medals (US Olympic Team).

As defined by the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the role of the USOC, and the national governing bodies is to promote amateur athletics, increase awareness of amateur athletics, and in turn inspire all Americans. It seems that this new system of governing amateur Olympic sports in America has done just what it was intended to do. The system is not perfect, and will continue to be molded and shaped with time as new needs develop. As the role of each institution begins to become more clear in the future, the United States will see even greater progress in the development of their amateur sports programs. The constant refining and tweaking of this process is what will allow the United States to continue to develop medal winners at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

Top Yahoo New Stories

Technology can be a blessing or a curse, a learning tool or a complete absurdity - and sometimes several of these at once. Here are a few choice tech news stories from this week that illustrate the wonder and blunder of it all, focusing on the thing that makes us all human - the opposable thumb.

Thumb Therapy for Crackberry Addicts: Corporate warriors can get a bit overzealous about banging out messages on their Blackberrys or other gizmos with teeny-tiny keyboards. And it's taking a toll on their hands.

The Hyatt hotel chain has seen hand and arm aches so often that it has introduced a special hand massage at most of its North American spas. The 30-minute massage costs about $30 and includes heat treatment, a "Blackberry Balm," and a focus on relieving and counteracting the tension on certain muscles in the hands and wrists.

Is Blackberry Thumb destined to be the "erectile dysfunction" of the oughts (or '00s, or whatever clunky name they've decided to call this decade)? Will there be some new medication introduced to cure this thumb disorder, destined to be hawked in those nod-nod, wink-wink soft-focus TV commercials? "It lasts 36 hours... so you can text whenever the mood is right!"  Of course, we'll have the obligatory warning, "If you have an erect thumb lasting more than four hours, call your physician, or strap that sucker to your hand with duct tape before you break it off."

Text Me Blue: Here's a happier story about texting than the one above. Performance pioneers Blue Man Group are using text messaging to help audience members participate in their latest show, the touring rock show they call "How to Be a Megastar." The show pokes fun at giant stadium-sized rock-star extravaganzas, and includes the group leading the audience through time-honored rock poses as the fist pump and the head bob.

Audience members can sign up to receive and reply to text messages at various points in the show, which enables them to interact with the show's overall story line. This all creates some kind of game-type experience that gives participants more insight into the show.

Sounds pretty high tech for a bunch of guys who started out banging PVC pipe on paint-covered 55-gallon drums. Wonder if the blue men will don mullet wigs and offer attendees shots of Jagermeister in honor of the arena-rock theme? Awesome, dude!

Fastest Thumbs in the West... er, East: A 16-year-old student from Singapore has set a new world record for the shortest time needed to type a 160-character text message on a mobile phone. Ang Chuang Yang typed a specific SMS (short message service) message in less than 42 seconds. Specifically, it took him 41.52 seconds, which bested the previous record of 42.22 seconds set by American Ben Cook earlier this year. All this info comes from Singapore Telecommunications, which organized the competition. Hmmm, was there a home-country advantage at work here? Or is quick-draw texting just another essential aspect of productivity at which less-developed nations are beating the pants off the Americans? (Actually, that may be an unfortunate choice of words... wasn't Singapore the country that wanted to whack a young American with a cane a few years back for chewing gum or some such nonsense?)

Just so you know, SMS messaging competitions around the world use the same text provided by the Guinness people– "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human." Not terribly practical for everyday business, but I guess the idea is to get you to use the entire alphabet.

And for all you Crackberry addicts out there (see top item in this article), here's the winner's secret to fast texting–use a mobile phone with large keys on the dial pad. Jeez, I could have told you that...

Is it right to love?

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