[London, October 18. Image via Getty]

Britain's Elizabeth Tweddle (R) lines up in front of the judges with the women's floor event finalists in the apparatus finals during the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2009 at the 02 Arena, in east London, on October 18, 2009. Tweddle won the gold medal. AFP PHOTO / Adrian Dennis (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

[Copenhagen, September 30. Image via The Official White House Photostream]

First Lady Michelle Obama greets gymnast Nadia Comaneci, her husband gymnast Bart Connor, left, Paralympic athlete Linda Mastandrea, center-right , and other former Olympians before the Chicago 2016 Dinner in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. From left in the background; athletes Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bob Berland, David Robinson, Dr. Edwin Moses and Mike Conley. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, or promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

• Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin has big plans for the 2012 games. "Just because I accomplished the biggest thing in gymnastics doesn't mean you have to call it quits. I still have the desire and motivation to accomplish bigger things. I know I have that opportunity to accomplish something that's never been done before. It's pretty amazing," she told the New York Times. And whether or not Liukin manages to grab another gold, we will certainly be seeing more gymnastics on television, thanks to a deal recently struck between USA Gymnastics and NBC. • Thanks to the ACLU, peace activist Sally Ferrell will now be allowed to teach students at the Wilkes Country high school in North Carolina about peaceful alternatives to joining the military. For years, Ferrell had been barred from the school by a board that called her activities "unpatriotic." • Inexplicably, men want to wear swimsuits that look like Bruno's lederhosen. "I sold 20,000 of them in just eight weeks," says an Austrian inventor. • It took much longer than usual for Chinese officials to check the IDs of a group of women returning from South Korea — because they'd gone there for plastic surgery, and didn't look like their passport photos anymore. • A survey says the average woman spends 16 months of her life crying. • To help you make your quota: Euna Lee says her daughter "is still a bit nervous about mommy going to work again. She told me today 'Mommy, when I ask you to leave (she meant 'come home'), please come home to me.' She told Doorie (one of my cats) 'Doorie, if you don't listen, mommy will go to the airport.' " • A Planned Parenthood in Spokane, Washington is accused of requiring unnecessary office visits, thereby charging Medicaid an extra $630,000. • The average age of first-time motherhood is rising around the world, to 25 in the US and 29 in Japan and Switzerland. • A Canadian woman who stabbed her husband to death was acquitted of manslaughter because of his "inescapable" abuse. • Dr. Sami David believes that IVF is being overused by lazy doctors. He suggests that part of this is due to sexism and ageism: "Once again, 40 percent of infertility is male factored. So why is the woman being pumped up with the drugs to correct the male factor?... bottom line is you should be seeing the man, sending him to a specialist. And frankly, that's the sexism." •

Take that! This show should have a sequel called Black Belt In Ballet. [Warming Glow]

[Kaohsiung, July 21. Image via Getty]

Portugese gymnast Ana Oliveira competes in the tumbling women's qualification competition at the World Games in Kaohsiung on July 21, 2009. The World Games drew more than 4,700 athletes from across the globe to compete in 31 sports not included in the Olympics. AFP PHOTO/Sam YEH (Photo credit should read SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images)

But the suspicion is not entirely groundless, the AP notes. "Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992." In addition, Time linked to blogger Stryde Hax, who found evidence on the Chinese search engine Baidu that official cached documents listing He's birth date as 01-01-1994 had been deleted.

Below is a clip from this morning's Today show in which Meredith Vieira discusses the hubbub with journalist Alan Abrahamson, who thinks that the Chinese are far too sophisticated and well-versed in gymnastics rules to make the elemental mistake of leaving He's "real age" on a publicly accessible website:

Despite Abrahamson's point about the Chinese sophistication in gymnastics circles, honestly? I think these girls probably are underage, but that the Chinese government will never, ever admit that they forged new documents for He and Yang to allow them to compete. If they bothered to lie in the first place, they're not going to admit the truth, even if the IOC does accuse them of foul play. How can they prove it anyway? Cut these girls open and look for tree rings? As the AP points out, China has falsified documents before, and "Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games." I think we might just have to echo Nastia Liukin's attitude about the entire thing. She said earlier this week about He, "She's an excellent athlete no matter how old she is."

Gymnasts' Parents 'Indignant' Over Age Questions [AP]
Olympic Controversy Update [Time]
Hack The Olympics![Stryde Hax]

[Image via Getty.]

BEIJING - AUGUST 21: Evgeniya Kanaeva of Russia competes in the Individual All-Around Qualification round held at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium during Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)  Getty

Read more coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.

(Click on any image to begin gallery view)

Gymnastics: Shawn Johnson, Beam Gold [NBC Olympics]

BEIJING - AUGUST 19: Shawn Johnson of the Untied States competes in the Women's Beam Final at the National Indoor Stadium on Day 11 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 19, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

"The third tiebreak  hang onto your hats, for your brains are about to explode was the average of the three lowest of the four counting judges' deductions. This is where Liukin lost," SI reports. Famed coach Bela Karolyi discussing Liukin and the uneven bars on the Today show below, plus the results (spoiler alert!) of the balance beam competition.

Karolyi, obviously, is biased, but his thickly accented outrage on behalf of Liukin in the Today clip above is pretty endearing. And he's not the only one to take issue with the decision, as Sports Illustrated columnist E.M. Swift called the gymnastics judging in Beijing "wildly erratic at best" and says that the scoring system needs an "overhaul."

Nastia, though visibly disappointed, handled the situation with characteristic class. Even when reporters asked her about He Kexin's disputed age (in May she was identified in a Chinese newspaper as being 13, SI says), Nastia responded, "She's an excellent athlete no matter how old she is."

Though the uneven bars were a disappointment for the American team, there is good news for all on the balance beam: Plucky Shawn Johnson finally won her first gold medal of the games, sticking her tricks on the balance beam "as if her feet had glue on them," according to the New York Times. Nastia won yet another silver with a solid performance. Check out Liukin's uneven bars performance here and we will link to Johnson's performance as soon as video is available.

Questionable Scoring, Tiebreaker Cost Liukin Individual Gold Medal [SI]
Johnson Wins Elusive Gold On Balance Beam [NYT]
Gymnastics: Event Finals, Uneven Bars [NBC Olympics]

• We're not gonna lie, there was some gawking at Olympic bods 'round these parts.
• But there was also grinning at gymnasts, thrilling wins from Michael Phelps, controversies over the Chinese and Golden Girls all around.
• Jennifer Love Hewitt wants you to kiss her ass. But only if it's skinny!
• Speaking of ass masters, don't miss our interview with Margaret Cho.
• Moddles got lost in teh soopermarket, kan no longer shop hapully.
• We, however, can shop happily for Mad Men-inspired 60s duds.

• We love the moddle in September's Glamour, Sabina Karlsson. Get a load of them freckles, folks!
• We let you explore our (ice) boxes.
• It's the weekend, guys! So poop wherever your heart desires, and follow Liz Smith's lead: gin and Snickers for all!

Earlier: US Women Win Gold, Silver In Gymnastics All-Around

[Image via AP.]

U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin performs on the uneven bars during the womens' gymnastics individual all-around finals at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)  AP

Read more coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Which is not to say that Shawn's performance wasn't also nearly impeccable. The two girls were genuinely pleased for the other's success, and watching them embrace at the end of Johnson's floor routine (she was the last competitor) could make even the most staunch Olympic cynic tear up a little bit. “I gave my heart and soul to the competition today, but Nastia, she deserves that gold today," Johnson said.

Aw. It's a particularly satisfying win for Liukin, who broke her foot 2 years ago and battled back long and hard from the injury, ultimately silencing critics who called the teenager washed up. “I just went out there and gave it all I had," Liukin told the New York Times. That is far more gracious than what I would have said to my detractors, which is, "Suck it hater monkeys! I won gold!"

For Liukin and Johnson, 1-2 Finish Helps Americans Reclaim the Spotlight [NYT]
Liukin Brings Home The Gold Her Father Nearly Had [SI]
US Gymnasts Land A 1-2 Punch [Time]
Gold In All-Around Adds Luster To Liukin Family Legacy [NYT]
Gymnastics: Nastia Liukin, Women's AA Final [NBC Olympics]

Several Chinese news articles dated before the Olympics list birthdates for He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin that would make them younger than the team now says they are  younger than the official Olympic age limit of 16. But a lot of the public reaction to these girls has been based on how they look. A commenter on the US News & World Report website, for instance, writes, "Some looked like they hadn't grown in all of their permanent teeth."

As someone who looked 14 until she was 20, I'll be the first to tell you that you can't tell how old someone is by looking. And there's something especially creepy about Americans infantilizing Asian girls. It's almost as though their very underage-ness is exciting.

Except to their competitors. "On average 30 pounds heavier and 3.5 inches taller than the doll-sized Chinese gymnasts," O'Rourke writes, "they had the sheen of aging starlets, imbuing the scene with a peculiar Sunset Boulevard feel." She continues with this disturbing analysis:

It was as if, worried that the Chinese might have an unfair advantage, the Americans suddenly became aware of their growing bodies, of the potential for harm, of how easy it is to make a mistake, of how fast time flies and the body stiffens, even for those who can flip through the air and perform ever more complicated release skills on the uneven bars.

Leaving aside for a moment the question of whether Alicia Sacramone really felt like Norma Desmond on the balance beam, the fact remains that younger gymnasts do have an advantage. The sport "rewards lightness and a low center of gravity," writes O'Rourke, "and the prepubescent tend, quite simply, to be more fearless." Some, including American coach and model of tact and restraint Bela Karolyi, think this means the Olympic Committee should simply remove the age limit. If a 14-year-old gymnast is as good as or better than a 21-year-old, he argues, why shouldn't she get to compete?

His argument has a certain logic  if you're 15 in 2008, for instance, you'll have to wait until 2012 to compete. That would make you 19 and, according to O'Rourke's reasoning, SOL for the gold. And if the Olympics this post to showcase the best athletes, should it really matter if the best athletes in a certain sport happen to be 14?

I posed this question to my dad recently, and despite his lack of specialized gymnastics knowledge or Olympic affiliation, he said something worth repeating: "I just don't want to watch children compete." To him it seems a little like child labor for a young girl to represent her country in grueling, internationally televised events. I tend to agree, especially since putting 14-year-olds on the world stage invariably results in half-disgusted, half-titillated cooing  "ooh, look how young she looks"  rather than a focus on their athletic prowess.

Then again, with the exception of Dara Torres, Oksana Chusovitina, and a few equestrians, most Olympic sports are the province of the very young. Is it naïve to expect gymnastics to be any different? Would you rather see only girls with their drivers' licenses navigate the balance beam, or the best of the best, regardless of age?

The Silver Lining [Slate]
The Chinese Gymnasts: Age Questions Remain [Time]
Public Opinion: Does The Chinese Women's Gymnastics Team Have Underage Members? [U.S. News & World Report]
Bela Karolyi Incensed About Underage Rules [NBC]