The International Olympic Committee announced the five cities who are finalists to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Olympics has become such a bloated affair. It’s time to change the format. The concentration of events in one city and country causes immense handwringing and stress over construction deadlines and huge security problems. The effect can be a shockwave to local inhabitants who can be completely forgotten by local organizers in their push to bring dazzling Olympic recognition to their city.

Think back to New Year’s eve at the millenium, 1999 became 2000. The event was celebrated in a cycle of local pageants from Apia (Samoa) to Nukualofa (Tonga). I remember sitting on the couch watching Kiri Te Kanawa sing Maori songs in the Official Dawn Ceremony, I watched the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball fall and finally, at midnight, I wandered next door and watched the Hollywood sign light up as I stood on a terrace with my neighbors and friends. I was ecstatic, I felt like a true global citizen attending every one of those incredible ceremonies.

I think the Olympics should go global. Break the event into small parts and hold events throughout the world during the same timespan. Small countries would then be able to compete as hosts; they could afford to build an arena for one event. The Olympics would reach much farther around the world and competitors would experience something outside the usual collections of world capitals that make up the usual closed cycle of Olympic host cities.

Practice Report: worked out at the gym for 1 1/2 hours.
Solutions Analysis:
1. if I go down only halfway when I lunge and twist, I don’t feel any knee pain.
2. arm raises: I need to use my abdominal muscles to lift my arms and keep the arms straight throughout the exercise.