McCain taps Alaska governor for VP...

Republican John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, a stunning selection of a little-known conservative newcomer who relishes fighting the establishment.

"She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of 'Me first and country second,' " McCain declared as the pair stood together for the first time at a boisterous rally in Ohio just days before the opening of the party's national convention.

Palin, the first Republican woman on a presidential ticket, promised: "I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party, or no party at all."

In the increasingly intensive presidential campaign, McCain made his selection six days after his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, named Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, as his No. 2 on the ticket. The contrast between the two announcements was remarkable — Obama, 47, picked a 65-year-old running mate with long experience in government and a man whom he said was qualified to be president. The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama derives from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado. Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead. On his 72nd birthday, McCain chose Palin, a woman younger than two of the Arizonan's seven children and a person who until recently was the mayor of small-town Wasilla, Alaska and has been governor less than two years. He settled on her six months after first meeting the governor and following only one phone call between them last Sunday and a single face-to-face meeting Thursday, according to a timeline provided by his campaign.

The Obama campaign immediately questioned whether she would be prepared to step in and be president if necessary. President Bush complimented McCain for "an exciting decision." Palin's name had not been on the short list of people heavily reported upon by the news media in recent days, and McCain's decision was a well-kept secret until just a couple hours before Friday's rally. McCain's campaign said that Palin and a top aide met with senior McCain advisers in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday night. The next morning, the campaign said McCain formally invited Palin to join the ticket on the deck of McCain's home near Sedona, Ariz., and later Thursday the governor flew to Middletown, Ohio, with staff to await Friday's event in Dayton. Describing the process that led to her selection, Palin told reporters she'd received word that she was McCain's choice on Thursday and had met privately with him that day to discuss it.

With his pick, McCain passed over more prominent contenders like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as well as others such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whose support for abortion rights might have sparked unrest at the convention that opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn. A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, Palin became governor after ousting a state chief executive of her own party in a primary. Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image. [End of report]

It was an interesting choice indeed. I dont think anyone had expected it, I certainly didnt. Actually to be honest with you, I have never heard of her name before and from what I have heard, she herself is not really a big name in the American political scene. She's only a first-term Alaska Governor afterall. I thought he would pick someone who have been linked with the post for a long time like Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty, but he has decided to go with a relatively unknown candidate. I think that this kind of choice can either make or break your entire campaign. Now, lets look at what she is good at. Well, to start with, she is younger than Obama, who is 47, and being a woman, she may appeal to some disappointed Hillary Clinton backers. I believe most of them are upset that she wasnt picked for the VP role and even though she has said that she is endorsing Obama for the President, many of them are still reluctant to vote for Obama. Her supporters are also desperate to break the glass ceiling for women and Palin might give them that choice. Palin also opposes abortion rights and supports gun ownership, two core Republican issues. She also has no ties to George W. Bush, an advantage as McCain seeks to distance himself from the unpopular president. Now that is the general feelings of the American people about President Bush, but as far as I am concerned, he is the biggest asset for John McCain and it would be a waste if he didnt use that.

Let's take a look at the negative side that she might bring to McCain's campaign. I have said earlier that she is younger than Obama, and this mean that the question of inexperience comes into play as well. Many people on the Republican side has argued that Obama is inexperienced to be the President but I think the same argument could be said about Palin as well. She like Obama, is still considered young and therefore, they had not much experience to begin with. However, having picked Palin, it takes the whole experience issue off the table. But whether she is ready to take over the role of the President if necessary, that remains to be seen. And like I have said earlier, she is relatively not a well known figure by most American, so that could be a disadvantage for McCain. Now, I know that some of you would argue that Obama was also not well known when he began his bid for presidency, but unlike Palin, the long campaign he had with Hillary Clinton has help him a lot in making his presence felt and in helping the American people to know more about him. Palin meanwhile has to do that in a matter of a few months, the election will be in November, so she is now going to have to perform at a very high level to persuade the media and the public that she is truly ready to be a heartbeat away.

So both choice for the VP have been picked, now is where the real fight can begin. But before that of course there is the Republican National Convention which will begin next week but it might be postponed or even suspended due to the current Hurricane Gustav that is affecting Minneapolis, the state that will be hosting the Convention. I think if that happens, it would be very disappointed to hear because I am really looking forward to President Bush's speech. Dont get me wrong now, Im still supporting Obama but at the same time, Im a fan of President Bush as well though Im not supporting McCain. Im done for now. Have a great weekend.

*The report was taken from Bloomberg.com

Thai court orders protesters to leave government complex...

Thailand on Wednesday ordered thousands of protesters to leave the main government complex and issued arrest warrants for their leaders, ratcheting up the pressure to end the two-day stand-off. But as riot police stood by, the demonstrators vowed to stay inside the Government House compound until Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej bows to their demands to step down. Thailand's Civil Court granted a government request for a ruling ordering five protest leaders and their spokesperson to end the siege, deputy national police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong said on Wednesday.

But members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) swiftly said they would not comply. The Criminal Court earlier issued arrest warrants for nine members of PAD, but police have yet to act on the warrants and are standing by at Government House. Surapol said authorities had not decided when to move in and arrest the nine PAD members. Up to 35,000 demonstrators stormed a state-run television station on Tuesday, besieging at least three ministries and finally invading the grounds of Government House, stepping up a campaign to bring down Samak's administration. Despite government pleas, the threat of arrest, and even the onset of a tropical rain storm, protest leaders refused to budge. Hundreds of protesters briefly formed a human shield around the PAD's most vocal leaders - media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul and retired general Chamlong Srimuang - who sat on the ground in t-shirts reading "Fight for the king."

Small scuffles broke out between police and protesters early Wednesday, but for most of the day the police deployed to the compound, some armed with batons and shields, kept away from the demonstrators. One police officer who refused to be named said 2,000 police were deployed outside Government House, while 500 were inside. Police earlier estimated that 14,000 protesters had flooded the compound. The PAD movement, which has been protesting since May, says Samak is a proxy running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is barred from holding office. Samak, who won elections last December and formed his coalition government in February, has said he will not resign. The premier, who was working on Wednesday from army headquarters, said on Tuesday that his approach would be "soft and gentle."

PAD protests in early 2006 helped lead to the putsch that unseated Thaksin, and the entry to government of his ally Samak infuriated the old power elites in the military and palace. Since taking office, Samak has faced his own series of setbacks. Court decisions forced three top government officials to resign, while the ongoing PAD protests have helped push the stock market down nearly 18 percent since May. [End of report]

I just dont understand what is it that the Thai people want. Firstly, they wanted to get rid of Thaksin. They got what they wanted and then they had the opportunity to choose for a new leader and they decided to choose Samak. Instead of being happy, they are asking for him to step down after taking charge for only a few months or so. I find the allegations that Samak is just a proxy running the country on behalf of former Prime Minister Thaksin completely baseless. Yes, he has admit that he is pretty close to Thaksin but that doesnt mean that he has any connection with him in how the country should be run. I believe that everything that Samak has done for the country were done by his own decision and Thaksin doesn't has any say in any of it so it is completely unreasonable to say that Samak is just running the country for Thaksin. He was elected by the Thai people, not Thaksin and it was a done in a way that is fair to every parties involved. The people voted for Samak because they believe that he and his party will do a good job, not because of his close relationship with Thaksin.

It is good to see that Samak is not bowing down to the pressure because there is no reason to even suggest that he should do that. I think that the Thai people are taking their anger on Thaksin against Samak since Thaksin is still away from the country. I dont think that is the right thing to do. You dont have to hate Samak or anyone else just because they have a close relationship with Thaksin. Since Samak took over, I dont think he has done anything wrong. I believe all of this are plots by opponents of Thaksin to overthrow the government so that they can control the power for themselves. Samak is an easy target for them to attack because of his close relationship with Thaksin and they are using him as the scapegoat for all the country's problems. All of the protests against the government are just a waste of time because I dont think they know what they are really doing. It is also good to hear that most of the Bangkok residents said that they did not agree with the Government House siege. Now whether they support the government or not, that is a different question all together.

Nevertheless, despite all the challenges that Samak is facing, I believe he is strong enough to ride the tide. I know that he is a very strong individual and is very persistant. He is the kind of person that will not change his mind or his decision once he set his mind on it. It is good for a leader to listen to its people sometime, but not this time though. He should just get on with his job and forget what others has to say about him. As long as he is doing a good job, there is no need for him to resign.

*The report was taken from AFP.

Anwar wins Malaysian parliament seat...

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a landslide victory in a special election for a parliament seat Tuesday, strengthening his campaign to topple the government and become the next prime minister despite sodomy charges against him. The official count showed Anwar defeated the governing coalition's candidate for a seat from a semi-rural district in the northern industrial state of Penang.

"This is the people's victory," Anwar, 61, said in a victory speech to thousands of supporters.

"Permatang Pauh has given a clear signal to the leadership of this country. We demand change. We want freedom. We don't want to live with corruption and oppression," he said.

Anwar's re-entry into parliament would formally complete the political rehabilitation of a man who was fired as deputy prime minister in 1998 and jailed for six years after he was convicted of corruption and sodomizing his family driver. Anwar is now facing trial on new charges that he sodomized a male aide in June. He calls the latest sodomy charge "most sickening" and a politically motivated attack. Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years in jail in Malaysia and no date has been set for the trial. Anwar's previous sodomy conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2004. He has always maintained that he was framed by his boss, then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, because of a power struggle. He says the latest charge is also a conspiracy by Mahathir's successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to prevent him from becoming prime minister. Abdullah denies it.

Thousands of Anwar supporters had gathered outside the counting center awaiting the results, watched by large contingents of riot police. The Election Commission said final results gave Anwar 31,195 votes while his rival, Arif Shah Omar Shah, got 15,524 of the 47,258 votes cast. A third candidate got 92 votes. Turnout was impressive at 81 percent. The single seat that Anwar won will not change the balance of power. But he has vowed to persuade enough lawmakers from the governing National Front to defect so he can bring down the government by September 16. Domestic Trade Minister Shahrir Samad, a member of the ruling party's policy-making council, denied Anwar's victory was a major blow to the government. A telephone poll conducted of 544 voters by the independent Merdeka Center think-tank from Friday to Sunday found 59 percent of the Permatang Pauh voters believed the sodomy allegation was politically motivated.

Anwar was expected to win most votes of the minority Chinese and Indians. The Malay voters, who form 69 percent of the constituency's electorate, were split between Anwar and the government candidate. The election was also a gauge of public anger against Abdullah's administration, which the opposition has painted as corrupt, inefficient and uncaring toward minorities. The opposition promises to scrap Malaysia's decades-old system of preferences for ethnic Malays. The government says that would jeopardize the country's unity. [End of report]

It is a great result, there was nothing surprising about it as far as I am concern because there was no doubt in my mind that he would win the election right from the start. I believe that Anwar Ibrahim is a very popular guy in Permatang Pauh. When Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah was still in control of the state, I think she did a great job and had gain a lot of support, so it is not surprising to find out that they have decided to give their support to Anwar as well. Im sure they have made the right decision. I think Anwar is a great guy and a great leader and he will do just as well. This win is very important to him because it is the first step for him if he wish to succeed in his plan to topple the government and become the next Prime Minister. It is just a small step but it is the beginning. The ruling coalition BN might sound like they are not surprise to lose the election and they might be saying things to downplay the effect that it might have on them but Im sure they are very disappointed and they know that the result is a huge blow for them especially now when the public views and support for them are really low.

You could already see the effect that it is having on them actually. It has triggered new calls from within the ruling party for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. I dont think that will happen, but the longer he stays on, I think there will even be more pressure on him to step down. The celebrations for Anwar though might be shortlived because as we all know, he still have the sodomy charge to deal with next month. Im not sure what will happen to his political career if he is found guilty. Nevertheless, Im not too worried about it because I know that he is innocent and the sodomy charge is just a big lie. There have been no evidence whatsoever to prove that he is guilty of those charges and until that happen, I will continue to support him. It is a great victory for him and for those who wants to see change in the country. It has been a very long time coming for him. I think he fully deserve the victory after everything that he has gone through.

I heard that he will be sworn in as MP on Thursday so that is going to be another historic day to watch as well. The people of Permatang Pauh has spoken and they have made the right decision. As an Anwar supporter, I share his joy of winning the election as well and things can only get better from here on especially when he is onboard. MERDEKA!

*The report was taken from Associated Press.

My edition of 'Groom My Room'...

So last weekend, me and my mom decided to paint my room in preparation for Hari Raya which is coming in 2 months time. It took us the entire weekend to finish up the painting. I didnt know that my room was so big. Anyway, I would just like to share with you the entire painting process. The first step is to of course cover all the things up as you can see above. If you can see closely, the colour of the wall was light purple at the beginning and my first step is to paint the entire room white before I could move on (see below).

As you can see, everything is in white now and then its on to the third and final step. To paint some part of the walls in black and the final outcome is great!

As you can see, the walls looks great now with the black and white stripes. It has always been my dream to paint my room with that design because it represent my love for my favourite football club, Newcastle United. Alright, Im done with sharing with you my process of grooming my room. I feel much closer to my home now. My real home is in Newcastle if you are wondering. It was quite a long and pain staking process but it was worth it. Thanks for reading folks. Feel free to come to my home during Hari Raya later yeah.

Proud China brings curtain down on epic Games...

The Beijing Olympics ended with a blaze of deafening fireworks on Sunday, bringing down the curtain on a Games that dazzled the world with sporting brilliance and showcased the might of modern day China. The sporting extravaganza failed to quell criticism of China’s human rights record, although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave the organizers the thumbs-up and said the Games would leave a positive legacy for future generations.

The IOC said 43 world records and 132 Olympic records were broken in China, which spent $43 billion on the event—three times more than the budget for the 2012 Games in London. Reflecting China’s new-found confidence, the nation’s athletes took their gold medal tally on the final day to 51 after winning their first two Olympic boxing titles, the most any country has bagged since the Soviet Union in Seoul in 1988. The United States finished with 36 golds, level with their table-topping haul in 2004, but way behind the host nation. China’s Communist leadership no doubt breathed a collective sigh of relief as the giant Olympic torch was extinguished. The run-up to the Games had cast a harsh light on China, bringing unrest in its Tibetan region to a global audience and showing that its rulers would not brook internal dissent. But over the past two weeks, Beijing has wowed the visiting world with its superlative venues, army of smiling volunteers, glitch-free transport and seamless organization. Fears about pollution evaporated as blue skies finally broke through the haze. Criticism of China’s human rights record took a backseat as two athletes redefined sporting excellence.

Michael Phelps swam into the record books by winning an astonishing eight gold medals in the translucent Water Cube. On the track, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt captivated the crowds with three sprint gold medals, all secured in world record times. But critics said enough jarring notes had sounded to spoil the symphony, with China refusing any protests during the Games, and sentencing two elderly women to a year of re-education for pushing for the right to demonstrate. Rogge told reporters on Sunday the IOC could not force change on a state “or solve all the ills of the world,” but that the Games had promoted a heightened awareness of the environment in China and left an array of venues to nurture future champions. The United States took a tougher line, pressing for the immediate release of eight Americans detained for staging protests in favor of Tibetan independence during the Games. The British have made clear they will not even try to emulate the Beijing epic and showed on Sunday a youthful, exuberant image of London life, complete with a double decker bus bearing rock icon Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and David Beckham, the world’s most famous soccer player. Delighted after their best Olympic performance in a century that left Britain fourth in the medals table, Britain also celebrated the handover of the Olympic flag on Sunday with a street party outside the gold-tipped gates of Buckingham Palace.

The London cameo was dwarfed by the grandiose set pieces put on by China to wrap up its show, with hundreds of performers climbing a huge tower and acrobats in illuminated outfits soaring into the night sky, set alight by the fireworks. Ordinary Chinese glowed with national pride at their achievement in staging the Games and at their athletes’ prowess, coming in their thousands to gawp at the paranoiac venues. [End of report]

Finally, the Games is over. Im not particularly a big fan of the Olympic, so I wasnt that excited when it began. Nevertheless, I would like to think that everyone, even myself enjoyed the entire competition. I think it would be an overstatement to say that it is the best Olympic Game, but it is probably one of the best Games ever there is no doubt about that. There was a lot of criticism surrounding China before the event started such as the pollution and the human rights issue, but Im glad that all those things did not have a huge effect on the Games and I think that goes to show what a great job that the Chinese government has done. They have invested a lot of money into the preparation of the Games, making sure that everything will go smoothly and I think all their hard work has paid off. It was still unfortunate to hear about the sentencing of the two elderly women to a year of re-education for pushing for the right to demonstrate. I hope the Chinese government will drop those charges. Anyway back to the Games, I believe it has been a very successful one. I mean, just take a look at the number of new world and Olympic records that were made during the Games, it is pretty mind blowing.

Of course all of that wouldnt have been possible without the athletes themselves and there are two of them in particular that have been the real star of the Games. Im talking about none other than Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. Both of them were phenomenal in the competitions that they took part respectively and they are just one of the reason why this year's Olympics has been great to watch. Im not a fan of either one, so their victories doesnt mean much to me but on a personal note, I had something to cheer for too and that was because of our women table tennis team having managed to win the Silver medal in the competition they took part in. Im sure you are feeling happy for them as well unless of course you dont take pride in their achievement because they are not born in Singapore. I have spoken on a great length regarding the issue in one of my previous post if you are interested to read, so I wont be commenting much on that. We also had Tao Li who managed to set not one, but two new Asian records if Im not wrong in the women's butterfly event, even though she didnt win any medal. It just shows that our athletes are improving everytime you see them and that can only mean good for our future in sports.

Well, it has been 4 years in the making. The Beijing Olympics certainly have been great to watch and it wont be forgotten anytime soon I think. The good thing about the ending is that I can finally watch my favourite TV programme on Channel 5 again and we dont have to watch the Jackie Chan's VISA card advertisement anymore in the cinema. Its not that I hate him but Im bored watching the same stuff over and over again. Thank You Beijing for being a great host city. You have certainly not disappoint the world. I shall see you all again in 2012 for the London Games, which Im sure will be just as great or even better. But before that, we will have the Olympic Youth Games in 2010 right here in Singapore so do watch out for that too. Till then, take care.

*The report was taken from Reuters.

It's Official: Obama picks Biden for veep....

Sen. Barack Obama has picked Delaware Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, two Democratic sources tell CNN. News of Biden's selection came after word that three Democrats who had been considered contenders, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, had been ruled out. The two Democratic sources who told CNN that Obama had chosen Biden spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Obama campaign says it plans to announce his vice presidential running mate in a text message Saturday morning. Obama was then expected to appear with his vice-presidential choice at an afternoon rally in Springfield, Illinois. Biden was long considered a likely choice for vice president, but the buzz surrounding him intensified after he returned earlier this week from a two-day trip to the Republic of Georgia after Russian troops invaded. Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, brings years of experience that could help counter GOP arguments that an Obama administration would be inexperienced on foreign policy. Sen. John McCain's campaign quickly reacted to word that Biden would be Obama's running mate with a dig at Obama's foreign policy credentials.

"There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden," McCain campaign spokesman Ben Porritt said in a written statement.

"Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing -- that Barack Obama is not ready to be president."

Biden abandoned his own White House run after a poor showing in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses. He also ran for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination but dropped out after charges of plagiarism in a stump speech. The 65-year-old was first elected to the Senate in 1972. Shortly afterwards, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. He considered resigning, but decided to continue with his political career. Biden is currently serving out his sixth term, making him Delaware's longest-serving senator. Biden is married and has three children. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and got a law degree from Syracuse. In 1988, Biden suffered an aneurysm and nearly died but has recovered fully.

Obama worked to keep his choice secret, although he addressed the issue broadly during the day in an interview. Biden will make his first big speech as the vice-presidential candidate on Wednesday, August 27 -- the third night of the Democratic convention. [End of report]

*This is the latest update: U.S. Senator Joe Biden has been selected to be Obama's running mate, according to Obama's official Web site and a text message sent to supporters early Saturday.

So the cat is finally out of the bag. Joe Biden is Obama's choice as his vice presidential running mate, so much for the announcement being made first on text message as Obama had plan. As an Obama supporter, I dont find the choice very surprising, in fact I think it is a very good choice. Out of all the candidates that were being considered for the VP role, I only knew about both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden because as you know, both of them were also running to be the Democratic Presidential nominee sometime ago. The most obvious choice for Obama to choose was of course Hillary Clinton for obvious reasons, but I'm glad that Obama didnt pick her straightaway just because she did well during the Primary season. Both Hillary and Biden has their strong and weak points of course. Hillary would be a good pick because she would bring her supporters who had voted for her and boost Obama's chances of winning the election later. Obama is finding it difficult to gain the support from the group of people that had voted for her. If he had choose her instead, I think some people would think that Obama was being pressurized to do so and that he would be over reliant on her in his bid to be the next President which would make him look weaker in my opinion.

As for Biden, he would be a good pick because he has a lot of experience in foreign policy, which would be a great help to Obama who is considered to be a new guy on the block and also lacking of foreign policy experience. Obama has said in the past that he wanted a VP that is going to be able to challenge his thinking and not simply be a yes person, and I think Joe Biden will fit that bill perfectly. Biden voted to authorize the war in Iraq, but long ago became one of the Senate's surest critics of the conflict. I think he would complement well on what Obama is lacking. The only bad thing that I can think of about the choice is probably that he didnt do too well during the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Nevertheless, I strongly believe he is a good pick for Obama and they will be a good team. The ironic thing about all this is that Biden himself has said that he would not accept the vice president role if he was offered and as you can read from the report, he has also said in the past that Barack Obama is not ready to be the President. It is a definitely a big change of heart for Biden. I dont know what Obama has said to him to accept the vice president role, but whatever it is, it worked.

One interesting thing about picking Joe Biden is that it also shows that for all his self-confidence, Barack Obama is worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. Many people have said that Obama was being too passive when he was still battling it out with Hillary Clinton and that he has not been aggressive enough on McCain. With Joe Biden on his side now, he would definitely not have that problem anymore. The question in everybody's mind right now would be who would McCain pick as his running mate? Im sure Obama's decision to pick Joe Biden will have an effect on McCain's pick whoever that is. The latest news Im hearing today was that McCain has picked Mitt Romney to be his running mate according to Politico.com. This is just rumours, nobody in his campaign has officially confirm it yet. I think it would a brilliant choice if it is indeed Romney. I quite like him when he was running to be the Republican Presidential nominee, so it would be great to see him playing some role in the election later.

Whatever it is, the next few days and months would be exciting to watch. I cant wait to hear what Biden has to say. The campaign will now be able to get into full gear with the vice president selected. I cant wait for the Democratic convention which will start on Monday. It will be a great week to look forward too Im sure! Till then, enjoy your weekend.

*The report was taken from CNN.

Age of Chinese gymnasts investigated...

The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors, an IOC spokeswoman said Friday. The committee asked the International Gymnastics Federation to clarify the situation, said spokeswoman Giselle Davis. She said she wouldn't call it a formal investigation.

The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition at the Summer Olympics Games. Five members won medals in individual competitions. Yet commentators, bloggers and others have raised questions about whether about half the members of China's team were old enough to compete -- athletes must be at least 16 in the year the games take place. In women's gymnastics, younger teenage girls can have an advantage over older competitors due to their often smaller, more agile bodies and lighter frames. A top Chinese Olympic official said questions regarding the ages of the athletes have been dealt with previously. Chinese officials provided the Olympic committee with passports, showing that team members were of legal age, but numerous challenges have been made.

The latest came from a blogger known as "Stryde Hax." The blogger claims to have uncovered proof that Chinese gymnast He Kexin is only 14. In Internet searches, "Stryde Hax" allegedly uncovered Web pages showing lists complied by China's General Administration of Sport that show a 1994 date of birth for He. That would make her 14 -- too young to compete in the Olympic Games. Other bloggers have joined the search and reported similar results. The New York Times conducted its own investigation, producing similar results that seem to implicate He and two other members of the team. The Times uncovered a 2006 biography on He that lists her birthday as January 1, 1994.

The International Gymnastics Federation, however, has said that those gymnasts were eligible and that the ages on their passports were correct. Chinese gymnastics coaches defended their team Friday. [End of report]

If you ask my opinion on this issue, I would say that some of the girls are underage and I am only judging by looking at the photos of the girls. I dont know whether they are really underage or not because sometimes the size can deceive you. I have some friends who are the same age as me but are very small in size, it makes them look like 2 or 3 years younger. Nevertheless, if they are really underage, then I think something needs to be done. It is not as if the accusations is baseless because the people who are complaining have some good evidence to show that they are really underage. Therefore, I think it is really difficult for the International Olympic Committee to turn a blind eye on the complaints and not do anything about it. I dont expect the Chinese to say that they are underage if that is indeed the truth, so the IOC must do their job to ensure that they didn't cheat to win the medals. If they are found to be underage, then the Chinese should be strip off their gold medals and it should go to the team in the second place which is the U.S. I think that would be the only fair outcome if they are found to be cheating.

The game will be ending soon, but I think the investigation should continue for as long as it takes so as to be fair for all parties. Fair play is an important aspect of the Olympic movement, and the IOC is responsible for ensuring that everybody is playing by the rules. Im not sure if the Chinese government has anything to do with it because they are the ones who issued the passports and the identity card. So if the information on the passports is incorrect, then the government could have something to do with it as well but right now there is not much evidence to suggest that they are involved so it would be wrong to say they had play some role in this whole issue too. If the reports are true then I would think it will be a major blow to China. I mean to have some of your athletes cheating to win the Games and adding to the fact that they are the host country, they will be embarrass and it will have a major affect to their credibility when participating in future Olympics or other sporting competition. Just for your information, age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997.

I did some research and I found out that there have been cases of age falsification before in the Olympics particularly in gymnastics. North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania meanwhile admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts’ ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu. Coming back to the current China team, I really hope that will not be the case though because it would be sad to see those girls whom have worked so hard to win the medals, only to know that their celebrations are going to be shortlive because they are found to be underage. Nevertheless, if they are found of any wrongdoings, then they deserve to be punish. It will really defeat the entire purpose of the Olympic Games if you are cheating. Let's just hope it will be a positive outcome for the Chinese team.

*The report was taken from CNN.