Choice of food is a co-operative process involving both our knowledge of nutrition and the desires and satisfactions of our palate. The first is of prime importance and has long term benefits; the second is based upon the intensity of a few seconds when we relish the flavour of our food. We must teach ourselves by training the palate to enjoy the nutritious food that we know will guarantee our future well being.

In selecting food, we are generally guided by our common sense, as well as any knowledge we may possess about a particular food which is claimed to be ‘good for us’.

The ancient Ayurvedic tradition of Tridosha teaches of a threefold system used in determining the quality of things in nature. The lowest grade comes into the category of Tamasic. The medium grade is known as Rajasic and the finest quality, or the purest, is Sattwic. Once the nature of each of the three grades is understood, it is then advised that our diet should consist of a small amount of the first, a moderate amount of the second and that the purest or most natural foods should dominate.

There is an important principle to which we should steadfastly adhere: we each should eat intelligently by not only being aware of the source of a food, but by making a conscious decision to offer that ingredient to our body. Individual choice is an extremely important freedom. No one would wish to be told what they put into their mouth. So we must be willing to govern what we eat and to maximize our palate’s positive responses in enjoyment of our choices of food.

In the final essence nutrition must be studied intelligently in theory, as with any science, but its application will depend upon individual purpose, and a sense of responsibility in supplying nature’s requirements of suitable nutritional building blocks that will help in maintaining the miraculous mechanism of the human body and brain.

A traditional diet of healthy fresh foods of finest quality is natural to the Yogi and is becoming an increasingly popular choice by many who are being tutored by science to follow the guidelines of nature’s laws.

Sally Janssen is one of the best known Yoga teachers in Australia, and is a former President of the International Yoga Teachers Association. She runs an informational website that deals with the very spirit of traditional Yoga. To benefit from her extensive knowledge be sure to visit her site at http://www.classical-yoga.com

In this article, you will discover:

• What Is Bromelain?
• How Can Bromelain Help To Cure Back Pain?
• How Much Bromelain Do You Need To Take To Help Cure Back Pain?

What Is Bromelain?

Bromlain is a digestive enzyme which helps to digest protein.

Bromlain is derived from pineapples. It is used as a digestive aid and is also good at thinning blood and mucus.

Bromelain is an anti-inflammatory, which means apart from helping with back pain, it is also used to help:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Muscle injuries
• Swelling
• Wounds
• Minor Operations
• Arthritis

Due to bromelain’s beneficial health properties, it is often used to help with the symptoms of the following health conditions:

• Angina
• Asthma
• Post-surgical healing
• Prostatitis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Sinusitis
• Sprains and Strains
• Tendonitis
• Urinary Tract Infection
• Wound Healing

How Can Bromelain Help To Cure Back Pain?

Bromelain can help to reduce the symptoms of pain, swelling and inflammation associated with back problems due to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Trials have shown that bromelain can reduce pain and swelling, and quicken the healing time in people with a variety of back conditions.

How Much Bromelain Do You Need To Take To Help Cure Back Pain?

To help cure back pain problems, try taking up to 500 mg three times a day.

As with all supplements, please consult your doctor before taking bromelain as some people can be allergic to it.

Bromelain is generally thought of as safe but in very large amounts it can cause increased heart rate.

Care needs to be taken if you are taking bromelain with blood thinning drugs.

So, to sum up…

Bromelain has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and could help to reduce the symptoms of pain, swelling and inflammation associated with back problems.

Although, bromelain’s anti-inflammatory is strong, I feel you can not go as far as calling it a cure for back pain.

Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh

How To Beat Back Pain Naturally Free E-book

Website: NewBeingNutrition.com

Even in these times when designer phones are the hot selling cakes, Nokia with a deep conviction, launches a rather conservative looking phone - Nokia 6230i. The handset is heavily influenced by classic Nokia design in terms of shape, colour and design, and thus there are no overstatements attached to the designing of the phone. Yet, Nokia 6230i poses a neat impression, with its compact size and upgraded features.

Nokia 6230i is Nokia’s first handset sporting a 1.3 Megapixels camera and high resolution screen. The resolution has now increased to 1280 x 1024 pixels. The camera is extremely good and delivers good results even in poor or favourable light conditions. There are options for editing and customizing photos, and if you desire you may also create a photo album and share it with others. Nokia 6230i also have features for video capture.

Nokia 6230i has a Mp3 player and FM radio, for music. In terms of audio quality the Nokia 6230i is however not really as effective as models like Sony Ericsson K750i. Also, Nokia 6230i does not have an integrated 3.5mm jack for connecting headsets.

For connectivity Nokia 6230i offer Tri-band GSM network. There’s also support for EDGE and GPRS Class 10, HSCSD, and a range of applications such as an XHTML/WAP 2.0 browser, support for Java MIDP 2.0, a Java-based e-mail client, voice commands, etc. The Nokia 6230i also offers USB support through its proprietary Pop-port. But to avail this facility the users need to invest in quite expensive data cable. So far reception and voice quality goes, Nokia 6230i offers an excellent service. It offers a talk time of 5 hours, with approximately 12 days of standby.

All in all, Nokia 6230i is a pretty decent mobile phone. It may not be a designing excellence ( as is the current trend), but it surely comes with lots of befitting features for the contemporary lifestyle.

Nokia 6230i

Adam Caitlin is webmaster of http://www.mobilerainbow.co.uk

Here today, I am going to share about how Business has evolved.

In summary, what you will read today will be on how trade began from the time people start to exchange, to buying and selling. Brick-and-Mortar Business will be the next phase which business will go though and finally, Internet Business.

As you all know, business began a long time ago. It all began with the simplest form of buying and selling - Trade.

Trade mainly involves 2 or more people and the exchange of something for something. It can be in a form of service, product or money.

However, we don’t normally call that “Business”, as it is much too small an activity to consider one yet.

When the word “Money” was not born into this World, people had been trading for a long time, exchanging between goods of no fixed value.

Goods can be highly valued; it can be low as well, depending on the buyer and seller.

Even a pen in those days was regarded as highly valuable.

After some time, people became smarter and thought of establishing a system, a way to determine the value of every single material or item tradable.

Hence, “Money” was born. It serves as a standard of value for measuring the relative worth of different goods and services.

However, in those days, there was no such thing as coins or dollar notes. Shells were used as a form of money. And the used of shells slowly spread from people to people, country to country, by under the rule of governors and their countless ambitions to expand and conquer lands.

Over time, after many wars and peaceful agreements, after being governed by different rulers and kings, the form of money kept changing over time.

Due to the discovery made by mankind, precious metals and resources were found - gold and silver. We do not exactly know what makes them so special, but only the reasons behind it prove their existence, till today.

After thousands of years, there was a revolution, a change to standardize everything in the world. Trade had grown so large that, it was impossible and far too complicated to measure anything accurately without the help or establishment of a common system.

Hence, “Currency” began. It was then, soon after, that coins and dollar notes were produced, for the sake of convenience and the availability and quality of one resource - Silver.

Sometimes, even weight can be an issue. Gold was believed to be too heavy to be carried around. Even if it was created very small, it would have been very easy for people to lose it.

Today, we live a life where almost everything is standardized. Trades have evolved into a stage called Business. Business can be anything ranging from natural resources to jewelery, plants to food and many other things.

Trades now are so big, that they are needed to be tracked and recorded of every single deal being made, be it buying or selling.

It has grown so complicated that it usually requires time to understand the nature of each and every business.

Shops are a very common thing that we now see in our daily life. These shops are in a form of business. A shop may evolve into a huge company, offering services to many people.

This is what I call the Brick-and-Mortar Age.

In the Year 2007, we have emerged into an era that most of us would never had thought or dreamt of. We now live in the Information/Internet Age, where everything is done within seconds or minutes.

Businessmen are seeking opportunities elsewhere and taking advantage of the internet to operate their business.

There is only 1 reason for this - Most people in the World are now easily connected through the Power of Internet.

And as for now, this is where and how Business has evolve and grown. It is faster, convenient, accurate and safer.

However, there are many ways to do business. Not all ways are proven to bring Success, especially in our Time and Age.

We shall be looking at those ways, and their benefits and comparisons to one another. We will be looking at one of the hottest topic of all time - Home-based Internet Business.

Next Article - Part 2: What is Home-based Internet Business?

Nigel Han is an Expert in Helping People to Earn Additional Income by Setting Up Part Time Internet Business. Nigel Han is supported by a team who had recently earned more then $10,000 within 24 Hours. For further recommendations, please visit my website at http://www.nigelhan.successuniversity.com And my blog at http://www.nigelhan.com

As you may already know, affiliate marketing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make money from your own home based business.

The product is already created so there is no need for research and development. As the affiliate you have only to deal with the marketing end. Usually the merchant will even provide sales material for you.

This is great for fast profits, but what about the long term?

Think about this for a minute. The affiliate does all the work on getting interested prospects to the product sales page through their affiliate link. Hopefully the prospect buys and the affiliate gains the commission.

But what happens after that?

The affiliate must then repeat the process all over again to bring more prospects into their sales pipeline. All for a one off sale and commission.

This can turn into a costly proposition depending on the cost of getting the leads to the sales page and the conversion ratio of said sales page.

With that in mind, what can an affiliate do to increase their return on leads and qualified prospects?

Two things.

First, as an affiliate marketer in any niche you must set up your own lead capture page and build your own list of targeted prospects.

This can be done simply by using an autoresponder to capture names and email addresses that is set up with seven to ten follow up messages extolling the benefits of the product you are promoting.

Follow up is extremely important because studies have shown that most sales come after the seventh contact with the prospect.

Give away a free report or a review of the product as an enticement for the prospect to leave their information.

This way you can send endorsements of other related products as well if they don’t like the original product.

Second, find membership sites or services to promote in your particular niche.

This is a truly spectacular way to maximize your advertising by gaining recurring income instead of a one-time sale.

Think about what is happening right now with cell phones. You can purchase a phone with all the bells and whistles - camera, Internet ready, text messaging - the works for very cheap. Heck, you can even find some going in a two for one deal.

So what is the catch?

You have to sign up for two years of service.

That is where they make their cash. The recurring income model.

That is what you, as an affiliate marketer, should be looking to promote.

It has been said that it is as easy to make $100 a day, as it is to make $5 a day. That is especially true when you already have money rolling in from previous sales.

By promoting services with a recurring monthly charge, you will set yourself up with a nice residual income.

Michael J. Harris is an author and Netreprenuer who loves to write articles on many different subjects and uses these as traffic generators. He can teach you how to use this tactic too! Discover the “$100 A Day System” and put an extra $35,000 a year in your pocket. http://www.onlinewealthsolutions.com/presents/residualincome

A Paradox of Choice - The Need To Evaluate

If you already take nutritional supplements or are considering starting then you’re no doubt well aware of the seemingly endless array of products and choices in the market.

Supplement consumers face a paradox of choice and they know only too well that the quality, safety and efficacy of the thousands of various brands out there are far from equal!

Physicians Management Journal backs this up by reporting that one in three dollars spent on nutritional supplements is WASTED!

Because nutritional supplements in the US are currently regulated under ‘food GMP’ (and these do not address the unique aspects of supplement manufacturing) the market has become flooded with supplements lacking product integrity and making fanciful performance claims.

Supermarket shelves and on-line stores are filled with supplements put together by marketers or other unqualified people trying to cash in on the popularity of the latest ‘in-vogue’ nutrients and on consumers lack of nutritional science knowledge.

The majority of people putting together supplements for sale have little idea of the complex bio-chemistry involved when ingredients are combined or which metabolic pathways they follow when assimilated into the body.

So the need to evaluate supplements is clear. Consumers need a reliable way to evaluate and compare supplements in order to find products that are safe, effective and which offer the best value for money. More on this below.

Different Categories of Supplements - Evaluate Them All

Cheap and ‘middle of the road’ multi vitamin supplements are currently the most popular category choice for the majority of supplement users.

Consumers however need to consider the limited health benefits offered by these types of supplements and that most do not offer good value for money. They contain large amounts of cheap vitamins and minerals and excessive amounts of non-active ingredients (excipients).

While these types of supplements help to ‘top-up’ deficient levels of essential micro-nutrients, they are in reality missing, or deficient in, expensive, key ingredients such as high potency phytonutrients, standardized herbal extracts and male and female ’support’ nutrients, which are needed to optimize wellness throughout the body.

At the top end of the market is a small category of the best vitamin supplements based on synergistic and nutritionally complete formulas. They have been formulated by highly qualified bio-scientists using the latest research in bio-cellular chemistry and nutritional science.

These broad spectrum multi ingredient supplements target all organs and systems in the body, including the brain, and offer the strongest of health benefits. They do far more than just ‘top-up’ nutrient deficiencies but rather take a holistic approach to wellness by treating the body as a whole.

The consumption of this category of supplement is trending up worldwide. This is being driven by the aging baby boomer’s generation who use them as a form of preventative health-care to achieve their aim of “staying young and beautiful” as well as allying their fear of chronic illness, particularly cancer.

Now here is a key point:

The markets’ best science-based supplements are not all equal. There are always varying degrees of efficacy and value for money.

This is primarily due to factors such as organizational structure, shareholder pressure and the marketing model(s) and distribution method(s) of supplement companies. These factors impact on the type and number of ingredients that manufacturers can afford to include in their products as well as the potencies and dose amounts - all of which are key variables when comparing supplements.

Consumers should always keep in mind that almost all supplements are manufactured to a price!

So regardless of which price category a supplement falls in it should be evaluated and then compared to its competitors. This applies even more for the up market multiples because value for money varies more-so.

Criteria for Evaluating Nutritional Supplements

A supplement can be broken apart and evaluated by examining it through 6 criteria:

1. The Formula
2. Ingredient Quality
3. Bio-availability
4. Synergy
5. Manufacturing Standards and Protocols
6. Value for money

By understanding the basics of each, supplements users can get a feel for the science behind supplements and target in on the fine details that manufacturers often love to keep hidden. This then allows consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.

The full 6 criteria can be used with multi ingredient products while less complex or single ingredient supplements can be evaluated using only 4 or 5.

I will discuss how to use each criteria in upcoming articles.

Brett Seagrott is a health researcher who previously worked for a manufacturer in the nutritional supplement industry and is the author of http://www.nutritional-supplement-truths.com In his site Brett reveals a number of industry secrets that supplement manufacturers don’t want consumers to know. He has evaluated leading, well known nutritional supplements and presents in-depth head to head comparisons and reviews of these supplements so that you can see which one emerges as the best in the market.

For a successful home-based business, it is crucial to have a good marketing strategy to let the world know about it. A good marketing plan has the potential to transform your business and take it to the next level. To begin with, your business should have that X factor that can distinguish your business from the rest. The next step is to develop a unique selling proposition statement, commonly called USP. A USP conveys in short who you are and the motive of your business. Many use a USP as an advertising tagline for promoting their business.

Once you have developed a good USP, you need to shift your focus to the target-market. Identifying your target market is vital to advertise your home-based business effectively. Various factors such as geographical location, gender, buying habits and educational status of the target audience should be taken into account for designing an effective marketing strategy. Your target audience will greatly determine the medium and style of advertising. In order to advertise about your company and your products or services, you need to have well-designed business cards, letterheads and envelopes. You may also consider hiring the services of a skilled graphic designer, who can design a logo for your business. From the letterhead to your web homepage, you can use it everywhere to market your company. Soon, people will identify your company with that logo, thus making you a well-known brand.

For adding more substance and credibility to your home-based business, you need to have your own website. Your website needs to be catchy and user friendly, so that more number of online members visit your website. You can hire a competent team of web developers and writers, who can design a website that fits the nature of your business.

A good website and virtual presence alone is not enough to market your business. An offline marketing campaign is equally important for a booming business. A very inexpensive but effective way of marketing is through posters and circulars. Besides, it is very simple to design your own marketing materials on the computer. Post them at prime locations so that maximum people notice them. You can post them at places where such services or products are in demand. For instance, if you sell something that has to do with old people, then posting them near a nursing home just because it will be noticed will not be of much help. This form of marketing is a great way of reaching out to an untapped market to promote your business. However, before posting marketing material in a business premises, make sure that you have the permission to do so. You can also circulate brochures to advertise your home-based business, however they are more expensive.

Radio and Television commercials are also a great way of reaching out to millions of people within no time. For TV commercials, apart from a good script, you will also require a producer to shoot your commercial. Most business owners use billboards to market their products or services. For this purpose, you will require a good graphic artist. You will be required to buy media placement for these forms of advertising. You can hire the services of a small advertising agency in your area that will take care of all your advertising needs at competitive rates.

Working From Home Since 1994

http://www.sweetmoneypublications.com

Why Self-Employment?

Self-employment is an attractive proposition for people who believe that they can successfully be their own bosses. Skills-in-demand, strong sense of self-confidence, self-discipline, good time management skills and good contacts are all essential for a self-employed person to be successful.

Self-employment does not mean greater rewards for less sacrifice. It does not mean shorter working hours. It by no way guarantees success. It requires the need for the person to take complete responsibility for his/her own success or failure. It is also important to remember that no matter how good the product and demand for the same and no matter how committed and disciplined the self-employed person the business could still fail due to extraneous circumstances like competition that introduces a better or cheaper product.

Ideal Candidates for Self-Employment

Not all persons are born to be self-employed or not all persons can be successfully self-employed. It is a decision to be taken with care or else the self-employed person could fail miserably. The following are some of the traits that a self-employed person should have:

–Ambition & Drive: This is the most important trait. The self-employed person has to have something within that drives him/her to continuously strive for success.
–Self Confidence: The person should have confidence in his/her product and the ability to sell the same. Presentation skills are essential for convincing a person to spend their time and money on your product/service, rather than on one offered by competition.
–Business Acumen: This is an essential intangible that could make or break a business venture. It involves negotiating skills, knowing whether to bargain or not, the ability to envision business opportunities, even when they are not obvious.
–Money Management Skills: The success or failure of a business depends on the earning capacity of the business. The person should know how to economize efficiently, so as not to compromise the quality of the product, which areas to cut back expenses and which areas to spend more on and thorough and current knowledge of the money market.
–A good product or service: There should be sufficient current demand for the product/service, with scope for expansion of the same.
–Market Knowledge: The self-employed person should know where his prospective customers are, so that an efficient distribution mechanism can be set up. No matter how good a product, it is completely useless if it does not reach the consumption point. Market knowledge also includes knowledge of the competitor’s products, their technology, their natural market and price. In other words, the self-employed person needs to know what he is competing with.
–The person should have sufficient capital and resources to handle current production, as well as a little expansion or else the person should have sources from where he can borrow the capital. He should be able to take a lot of mental pressure. He should not have too many personal commitments, either in terms of money or time, so that he is able to concentrate on the business.

Choosing the Right Business for Self-Employment
It is essential to choose the right line of business so that all your efforts will be able to bear fruit. Consider the following factors when choosing to run your own business:

–Do I have a natural affinity/talent for this business and will I enjoy doing it?
–Is my natural market located in the vicinity of my production-site? This is essential for two reasons. Firstly, finished products or services can be easily delivered, thereby cutting distribution costs. Having the natural market close by, allows the self-employed person to be in close contact to accurately assess the needs of the prospective customer and to establish a relationship with the prospective customer.
–Do I have the skills sets and infrastructure to deliver a good product that is better than the competition?

Being successfully self-employed gives one a tremendous high, yet it is not a decision to be taken lightly, as it could be the immediate and unceremonious downfall of the same person.

Working From Home Since 1994

http://www.sweetmoneypublications.com

‘Money makes the world go round’. Money is a sign of success and buys respect and opens doors. It is purchasing power for all that ‘we believe’ we need to make us happy. Money, Money, Money - it is a universally spoken language and we spend most of our lives chasing it. As Voltaire said, “When it’s a question of money, everybody is of the same religion”.

However, money comes at a cost. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Money often costs too much”. It could be at the cost of our health, family life and even our scruples. We have all met people who seem to be ready to sell their souls for money.
The process of making money may either be legal or illegal. Legal money is honestly earned, by the sweat of one’s brow. It will allow you to sleep well at night and be at peace with yourself. Illegal money will cause you sleepless nights and stress.

It is therefore preferable to always use legal ways to make money, whether by working at home or in an office. Nobody can take your legal money away from you, unless you allow it.
According to economists, in the United States there are two reliable legal ways of making money. An employer makes money by making optimum use of the physical and mental skills of his workers. Employees make money in the form of salary.

There is a third legal way to make money. It is gaining increasing popularity and involves starting a ‘Home Based Business’ or to work from home for an employer. Before starting a Home Based Business or taking up a job at home, it is essential to ensure that you have received all the necessary permissions and sanctions and that your business concept is legal. For those working for others from home, it is essential to ensure that your employer is compliant with all legalities connected with employing home-based people to act on their behalf.

A person never knows when the heavy hand of the law can swoop down and take away all he has toiled for. It is the responsibility of every entrepreneur, no matter how big or small the scale of operation to be completely legally compliant. Ignorance of laws is not an acceptable excuse.

The Internet has caused a revolution in the home-based business segment. Given below are some ideas of how you can legally earn money from home.
On Line Businesses: This could vary from simple data entry jobs to more complex jobs like web design or blog creation. Some jobs are easy to land and to execute and do not call for any fancy equipment or domain knowledge. More specialized jobs call for more expensive equipment and domain knowledge and experience.

Today blogging is a big thing in the field of online business. Blogging covers several online marketing options such as affiliate programs, promoting products, image ad and text displays, pay-per-click advertising and selling advertising space.
One of the best playgrounds to make money legally is the Internet. If you plan to start an online business, you need to follow certain instructions and fulfill certain terms and conditions. This, along with the posting of your identity in a post office box and keeping your name and email address safe, makes this a real, legal business for you.

Working From Home Since 1994

http://www.sweetmoneypublications.com

The Florida Gators became only the seventh team in NCAA Basketball Tournament history to repeat as national champions Monday night, pushing aside Ohio State 84-75 in a game with all of the excitement of looking at an ashtray.

After four very exciting rounds of basketball in the 62-team playoff tournament, the last two rounds put a lot of fans to sleep, including me.

The Final 4 found #1 Ohio State easing past #2 Georgetown 67-60 even though freshman phenom Greg Oden only played a half game (20 minutes) because of foul trouble early on. All Big 10 freshman guard Mike Conley Jr. stepped up with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assets and exactly 1 turnover.

Oden came back big in the second half, scoring 13 points and picking off 8 rebounds.

There is not another team in the country with two freshmen like Oden and Conley. Oden is only the top NBA draft prospect in the country, and at times he has played as advertised. No one should be comparing him to the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar yet, but he certainly will get better in college if not in the pros next year.

Georgetown’s 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 24 minutes of play and held his own against the younger, more celebrated Oden.

Hibbert, however, had little support from teammates Jeff Green, who scored 9 points on only 5 shots after averaging nearly 16 points in the tournament, and DaJuan Summers, who scored only 3 points after averaging nearly 18 points in his two prior playoff games.

It was the 22nd straight victory for the Buckeyes who would see their streak come to a screeching halt against Florida.

In the second semi-final, Florida dealt UCLA another spanking, advancing 76-66, and the score was a lot closer than the game on the court. Florida knocked off UCLA in last year’s NCAA tournament 73-57 to win the national championship.

When Bruin guard and Pac 10 Player of the Year Arron Afflalo went to the bench early in the first half with foul trouble the game was over. Despite a second half rally that fell way too short, Florida had this game in the bag.

Coach Ben Howland has done a great job turning around UCLA’s program but he and the Bruins will have to wait another year to become more famous.

Never mind that UCLA entered the game at 11-1 against ranked opponents this year or that they were 17-2 against teams in this year’s NCAA tournament. Florida has done a little butt kicking of its own, going 20-1 in postseason play the last three years, and going 22-1 in March during that time.

So Florida and Ohio State headed into a national championship for the second time in a year, this time in basketball. Florida beat Ohio State by 27 points in the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) national championship football game in January. Both schools have become powerhouse programs.

Ohio State had Oden, Conley and a lot of hope and prayer. Florida had five starters each of whom was averaging in double figures yet sharing the ball, as all averaged within 2.4 shots of one another and none averaged as many as 10 shots a game. That is called balance.

The Buckeyes decided to leave Oden underneath and did not challenge Florida shooters on the perimeter, and the Gators canned enough 3-pointers to move away quickly and stay ahead.

Florida drained 10 three-pointers, shot 49% from the floor and 88% from the free throw line.

Ohio State’s big impression center Greg Oden led all scorers with 25 points and tied for the game-high with 12 rebounds, but he had little help from his teammates who would have needed a ball with eyes to catch Florida.

For the record, this was the first Final 4 in which all four finalists had 30 or more wins. It was the second Final 4 in which every team was a No. 2 seed or better. And the championship game was only the 5th pairing of no. 1 seeds.

Show a little love for Billy Donovan and his players, all of whom decided not to go pro and came back to try a repeat. They did it. It sounds so simple to say but Florida was the first team since Duke in 1992 to win back-to-back championships and only the seventh team ever to do it.

The others were Oklahoma State (1945-46), Kentucky (1948-49), San Francisco (1955-56), Cincinnati (1961-62), UCLA (1964-65 and 1967-73) and Duke (1991-92).

UCLA won 9 titles in 10 years and 7 in-a-row under coach John Wooden, arguably the greatest coach to ever walk on the hardwood. UCLA also entered its Florida game with an all-time winning percentage of .738 in the NCAA tournament and an all-time 93-33 record.

Coach Billy Donovan has some work to do if he ever expects to rival John Wooden.

After winning his second national championship, Donovan said “I think this team should go down as one of the best teams in the history of college basketball.

“Not as the most talented, and not on style points, but because they encompassed what the word ‘team’ means, ” said Donovan. “They did it the first year with no expectations, then they did it again with all the expectations.”

Buckeye coach Thad Matta did not wear out his mind agreeing with Donovan, saying “I would put them in a category of some of the best teams to win.”

Florida just ripped Ohio State a new backside.

The starting five for the Gators-Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey-is thought to be the only starting five ever to win back-to-back titles. Florida’s 68 wins over the past two seasons are tied for the 10th most in NCAA history.

2007 NCAA Tournament Results for Round 5 - The Final 4

#1 Ohio State eliminated #2 Georgetown 67-60

#1 Florida eliminated #2 UCLA 76-66

2007 NCAA Tournament Results for Round 6 - Championship Game

#1 Florida eliminated #1 Ohio State 84-75 to win its second straight title.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley is the Author of Ed Bagley’s Blog, which he Publishes Daily with Fresh, Original Articles on Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, Movie Reviews, Sports and Recreation, and Internet Marketing intended to Delight, Inform, Educate and Motivate Readers. He also operates an upscale resume writing service for executives and professionals that is part of his Blog. Visit Ed at . . .
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
and check out this main article section at . . .
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/LessonsinLifeArticles.html