Getting Around Rio On Day Two

Day two in the Olympic city provided an eye-opening look at new-to-me corners of Rio.

After sleeping in a bit and taste-testing fresh juices from the hotel kitchen (first time for honeydew, strawberry and fresh lychee breakfast juice blends), I made my way up the road to Ipanema's main Metro station, the southern-most subway stop in town. 

Before entering the Metro to begin wrestling with their ticketing machines, a small City of Rio tent caught my eye -- was that a microscope on view?

It was! Turns out the city deployed not only 80,000 security personnel (more noticeable today), but a mosquito-bourne illness awareness campaign -- including microscope slides through which to see, I don't know, mosquito larvae or other insect parts -- is underway to help people prevent all sorts of fun health issues. 

Though I speak no Portuguese and the municipal health volunteers had no English skills, we did manage to clear up one thing: It's winter in Rio and mosquitoes are not common when it's windy and in the 70s -- weather-wise, this town is like Miami Beach at Christmas (gorgeous, mild temps).

Rio's subway map is straightforward and easy to navigate, but the distances and travel times were longer than anticipated. I wish the same was true of the Metro ticket options, which offer the lesser of two evils: 1) use exact change only after enduring a line 20-passengers deep, or 2) endure a similar line to purchase a single ticket. 

This is to say that today provided a big reality check for getting to my volunteer shifts or ticketed events next month. I think it may take 2-3 hours just to get to Opening Ceremonies (let alone the jam-packed after-midnight ride home)!

Today's first stop was Rio Media Center, also known as the "unaccredited media" alternative to the official Rio 2016 Main Press Center or International Broadcast Center. Like its predecessors in Torino, Beijing, Vancouver, London and Sochi, the RMC should prove to be a helpful option for the Olympic Movement's handful of bloggers like me, as well as reporters from non-rights TV stations or other outlets who missed the accreditation deadlines (applications due two years ago). 

Inside the RMC I found three notable items:

-- Coca-Cola's display of an official Rio 2016 Olympic Torch, which is a real beauty (first time to one of the pearly-white torches in person)

-- Schedules for upcoming tours across the state of Rio de Janeiro, including some tempting day trips and excursions or even a hang-gliding experience

-- Outdoor backyard relaxation station provided by Havianas, which claims to be "Brazil's most famous brand." 

In the Havianas display area, I learned the company started making beach sandals during the 1960s. Based on a common Japanese shoe design, Brazil's used rubber soles as a new base for their footwear, initially selling pairs out of mobile VW vans from beach to beach. Tens of millions of flip-flops later, Havianas now offers rubber galoshes and eyewear to complete one's beach ensemble.   

Also key to the RMC: a media credential (well, the unofficial kind). Just like Dean Martin famously sang, at the Olympics "you're nobody till somebody credentials you" and it was a relief to pick up my first of three Rio creds. 

Bonus: RMC issued a Metro card valid for 20 free subway rides (whew, no more lines for fares). 

Before heading out to the day's second destination, it was fun to scope out lunch from one of the RMC's local food trucks. My selection: Curry wurst from a mother-daughter duo of Brazilian-born Germans who were not shy to share their life story with a Fox Sports anchor from Mexico and myself while we waited. 

"My grandmother was one German and she came to Brazil but she married one Italian and then we all became one German-Brazilian-Italians but I think of myself as one Brazilian who can cook," said our new chef friend, who had the best laugh of anyone met in Rio so far. 

That fraulein grills one fine curry wurst, about the most authentic I've tasted since a 2009 holiday in Munich. Wunderbar!

Their foot truck likeness of Homer Simpson morphed into a frankfurter cracks me up!

Walking from the RMC back to the Metro I stumbled upon the Rio 2016 Olympic headquarters and took a peek inside. The low-rise modern office building had the street address 2016 and featured a cool ceiling art display of hundreds of sports balls -- ranging from basketballs and footballs to volleyballs and baseballs -- suspended over the lobby. 

An hour later by subway then electric train, it was time to enter the Rio 2016 Accreditation and Uniform Distribution Center housed at Cidade do Samba or "Samba City." Walking into the warehouse district revealed numerous garages -- more like airplane hangars -- in which Rio's world-famous Carnivale floats are created and stored for the big event. 

So to the right was a queue for my "official" volunteer badge and to the left there were a half-dozen giant float components such as an oversized ant, a huge pink elephant, a crouching Iguazu native with a drawn bow and arrow, and far across the plaza an enormous eagle with talons spread in a manner reminiscent of "The Colbert Report" opening credits. 

Getting the Rio 2016 accreditation was a snap. Getting fitted for my volunteer uniform was a process, though a fun one. Let's just say Rio Olympic Yellow is not my favorite color, but I will proudly don the apparel when my first shift at Carioca 3 press row takes place on August 6.

Riding the electric train back to downtown Rio, which bustles like the blocks around Times Square in New York, the line shut down due to "technical issues" but it was OK as the one-mile walk afforded me time to see the wharf-side warehouses soon to house Coca-Cola, Nissan and other sponsor pavilions for Rio's main "live site" during the Games. 

I also gazed upon the most magnificent Santiago Calatrava building since ... ever: The newly opened Museu de Amanha is simply breathtaking. It may also be the largest Calatrava structure since the Spanish architect's Athens Olympic Stadium. The museum was closed for the evening, and I can hardly wait to get inside and explore. 

Dinner tonight was low-key in an Ipanema neighborhood Mexican restaurant. I'm anxious to visit the Olympic Store and Rio 2016 Ticketing Center tomorrow to pick up the last of my pre-Games purchases. 

So, through the chronological format of this post, I sort of buried the lede in that this evening at my hotel a big group of Team Australia Olympic officials -- yes, the ones with all the headaches at the Olympic Village (including a small fire in their building today) -- checked in for the week. Who knew the Aussies wanted to "Feel The Bern" at Brazil's Hotel Vermont? 

Looking forward to day three and beyond. 

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver except the Metro station image via Rio 2016 and Rio Media Center.

Joyous Return To Rio

It's been nine years since my initial visit to Rio de Janeiro.

Reflecting on my first day back in Brazil's coastal metropolis, I sure hope summer 2016 will be only the second of many joyous returns to Rio.

The morning began on Delta Air Lines flight DL21 somewhere over the Amazon rain forest. Early rays of the dawn showcased the earth's curve and jungle-wrapped reservoirs 35,000 feet below our aircraft.

By our 8:30 a.m. landing, I was a little tired and anxious but overwhelmed with relief -- so happy to finally be in the Olympic City.

The five-ringed journey to Rio in some ways began in 2009. I was one of the stunned Chicago 2016 Olympic bid volunteers in Daley Plaza when the Windy City lost the first-round of voting, and had a lot invested in a Chicago win.

At the time, I did not think conversion to "Rio fan" status was possible.

But by 2010 and especially at Brazil House during the 2012 London Olympics -- where a showcase of Rio's plan was on view -- I could not help getting excited.

The deep pile of event tickets on my hotel desk proves I may have gotten too excited (yes, definitely over-spent on tickets).

As our plane pulled up to the gate, there was a subtle difference from the arrival at Beijing or London -- perhaps for austerity reasons, given Brazil's troubled national economy of recent months -- there were no "welcome to Rio" Olympic signs affixed to the terminal. And on what seemed to be a half-mile walk from the plane to the customs and baggage claim hall, only one floor-to-ceiling advertisement for Olympic sponsor Samsung came into view. No big deal, just one of those things.

Limited edition pins; only 300 made.

I was biting my nails as my carry-on bag full of pins (40 pounds of them) got special attention in the "nothing to declare" screening area. But with a smile and brief explanation of Olympic pin collecting history, not to mention luck the guard had seen enough with my top-most box of trading materials, I was free to go, breathing easy my 300 blogger pins made it through (whew!).

Exiting customs into the main airport lobby, there was a sea of Brazilian media staked out to photograph and interview arriving athletes.

It was only later in the day I learned Usain Bolt and the Jamaica Olympic Team touched down about an hour after my flight.

Since my rolling suitcase is a Team Canada-branded bag from Beijing 2008, one curious reporter from Fox Sports started a Periscope interview, asking me about my Olympic plans and my take on Rio's preparations -- quite a welcome back to Brazil!

Swiss House under construction in Rio

The taxi ride through the city went right by the Mare favela neighborhood, graffiti, and school recently featured on Vox. Closer to our destination, the Hotel Vermont in Ipanema -- where we were "Feeling The Bern" and enjoying the Democratic National Convention via CNN International by evening -- our route took us by the incomplete Swiss House under construction.

I spent the afternoon strolling around the Ipanema neighborhood, eventually spotting a group of USA House volunteers donning badges -- everyone in the group was Brazilian, so my guess is that they had wrapped up a training session.

At dinner in a neighborhood steakhouse, another group of Team USA workers sat near me and they confirmed the venue for U.S. hospitality "is still a work in progress but will be ready soon."

The day's only frustration: My domestic mobile provider, Sprint, did not give me complete instructions to activate my phone in Rio (I have a 30-step list of actions to take, but the most critical -- the first step -- was left off their list). But I am optimistic tomorrow will yield a solution at the Rio Media Center or a nearby mobile phone shop. Fingers crossed.

My only regret of the day was being ill-prepared to trade pins with the handful of Rio 2016 volunteers who are highly visible in their bright yellow shirts.

But the best part of the day was meeting people who, in spite of my language barrier, were extremely friendly and accommodating.

I also ran into former U.S.O.C. communications director Bob Condron, a fellow member of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH, a client), who was at the airport to meet his wife.

Condron helped me learn about the U.S. Olympic Committee internship program WAY back in 1989, and it was so cool to share brief stories of our journeys since Oklahoma City to Rio.

Can hardly wait to learn which other old friends, and new ones, will cross paths in the Olympic city.

Funniest conversation was at at an Ipanema pharmacy (think Walgreen's of Brazil); as I hunted for Dr. Scholl's shoe inserts a friendly store employee asked to help, and our only means of communication was via hand-drawn illustrations of shoes.

We shared a good laugh about it, and my feet felt like dancing on the walk back from dinner.

It's going to be an amazing Olympics.

Images via the Rio 2016 homepage via Rio2016.org, Brazil post office archive, with other photos by Nicholas Wolaver

Rio Olympic Posters Debut

Olympic poster fans finally have some new images to covet.

Four-and-a-half years after London unveiled its official images, today in Brazil, the Rio 2016 organizing committee showcased its 13 fresh poster designs for the Games of the XXXIst Olympiad.

According to a press release, 12 of the works are by artists native to the host nation, with one poster showcasing the design of a Colombian national. 

Most of the images feature vivid colors, while one design resembles a black and white astronomical map of galaxies, with the Olympic rings pointing out "you are here" at the Milky Way star cluster.

Rio landmarks, such as the iconic beachfront sidewalks or the city's topographical profile, appear in multiple designs. 

The most original 2016 image may be the assortment of abstract flesh-toned shapes grouped on a blue-green field and encircled by "laurel leaves." 

Another standout may be the graphic representation of several Games-time fields of play, such as a basketball court, rugby pitch or a corner of an Olympic track -- for this observer, the architectural image translated closest to "2016" iconography (as though inspired by a venue infographic). 

All of the Rio posters are vertical. 

As with the finalists for 2012, I personally loved a couple of images and did not care for others. The images blending the ocean and land rose to the top for me. The child with kite and favela skyline is beautiful with a touch of something akin to works by Banksy. 

One image featuring a stylized blue and white sunrise seemed at once to be a potential bridge poster for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Two designs featuring Olympic torches are cool, while one took me back to the more psychedelic works from the 1968 Mexico City or 1972 Munich poster collections. 

But the assortment for Rio has something for everyone.  A gallery for all 13 posters may be viewed on the Rio 2016 Facebook post. 

For collectors heading to Brazil, the originals and prints will be on exhibition at the showstopping Santiago Calatrava masterpiece Museum of Tomorrow in Praca Maua until July 22, then at Deodoro Olympic Park through the Games. 

Prints will be available for sale in two sizes (28cm x 42cm at R$30, or 60cm x 90cm for R$50) in the museum shop and official Rio 2016 Olympic stores, according to the press release.

Images via Rio 2016

Saying Goodbye to a Guinness World Record Client

Jane Little/ASO

On a weekend that started on a musical high -- attending a Jane's Addiction concert at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Centennial Olympic Park -- Sunday brought sad news of the passing of a Guinness World Record candidate named Jane Little.

I enjoyed the pleasure of meeting Little through an ongoing client project for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It was an honor and privilege to share her story with media.

Last summer the ASO asked me to help with some press release writing, and when news of Little reaching her 71st consecutive Atlanta season crossed my desk, the wheels got to turning -- could she set a Guinness World Record?

Inspired by attending a November 2014 Guinness World Record-setting event with another client, the International Association of Amusement Parks And Attractions (a record for "most participants launching a hand-held model glider" was set during IAAPA Attractions Expo 2014), with the ASO we submitted the necessary paperwork to establish Little's candidacy for "longest career in a symphony orchestra."

Though the application remains in review pending confirmation later this month, we've been spreading the good cheer of Little's remarkable achievement since February.

Little performed with the ASO from Feb. 4, 1945, to yesterday, May 15, 2016 -- about 71 years and two months. Unfortunately, she collapsed during Sunday's afternoon performance. Though emergency responders and a medically-trained chorus member briefly revived Little, she died later at Grady Memorial Hospital.

I met Jane on stage following her Feb. 4 performance. Her double bass is the orchestra's largest instrument, and it was remarkable to see Little playing and later carrying her the bass several inches taller than her 4'11" stature. I could hardly believe Little turned 87 only two days earlier!

Officially, Little was assistant principal bass emeritus in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She started her musical career at ASO during WWII following two years of high school bass study. In the decades since, she played under all four of the ASO's directors: Henry Sopkin, Robert Shaw, Yoel Levi and Robert Spano, according to the press release my ASO contacts and I wrote earlier this year.

She also performed with guest conductors Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, James Levine and many others.

Most impressive to me was Little's work with "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" composer/conductor John Williams -- both performed "Summon The Heroes" (Williams' 1996 Olympic composition) with the ASO during the Atlanta Olympic opening and closing ceremony. You can catch a glimpse of Williams and Little in the stadium via this video:

"Performing with John Williams is one of my favorite experiences with ASO," said Little when we met at her locker backstage.

She added the Olympic symphony practiced extensively and performed in both a dress rehearsal on July 18, 1996, and at the main event the following evening for a crowd of more than 80,000 at what is now Turner Field.

Little played using a rare bass built by Carlo Giuseppi Testore in 1705, one of the few elements of the ASO older than Jane. In 1953, she met and married fellow ASO musician Warren Little, a 6'4" flute player who carried her bass during 49 years until his death in 2002.

Signed Sheet Music on view
at Atlanta History Center

Also remarkable about Little was her perseverance over illness. In addition to battling a form of cancer, she returned to the ASO early this year after suffering a fall and cracked vertebrae in autumn 2015.

During the media interviews booked for Little locally and nationally, she was fond of stating her retirement plans included taking up bass guitar and starting a jazz group she named "The Grannies." A Washington Post reporter wrote and extensive story and later tribute, and The Violin Channel published a first person report Jane verbalized for me to type and submit on her behalf -- she was a great storyteller. She died doing something she loved dearly.

Listening to WABE's tribute and early 2016 interview made me smile as it is clear Jane was one lively woman!

I will miss listening to Little at future ASO performances, and certainly will cherish working with this Guinness World Record holder among my favorite public relations client projects. She was a positive inspiration for many, and she set a very high bar for future generations of musicians.

ASO performance photos by Nicholas Wolaver. Atlanta Olympic opening ceremony photos via Eileen Langsley. Photo below via Washington Post/Dustin Thomas Chambers

Photo via Dustin Thomas Chambers/Washington Post

Rio de Janeiro's One Year To Go

It hardly seems possible the Rio de Janiero Olympic Opening Ceremony will take place in just one year.

The night in Brazil on August 5, 2016, should be extraordinary.

Rio was not my first choice when the IOC named next year's hosts. Playing the 'what if' game is a losing proposition, but anyone who supported the Chicago Olympic bid likely can't help themselves from imagining the possibilities of the last six years every once in awhile. I thought I'd be married and working at AON Center while commuting from Milwaukee or other Chicago suburbs. But for the most part, my current situation pleases me, and optimism reigns for great things on the horizon.

Rio 2016 will present a magnificent party, and this writer can barely stand to wait to see things unfold during the next 365 days. My fingers and toes are crossed for a 'cake' volunteer assignment; my top three choices on the Brazil application: Olympic Village, Main Press Center and/or Torch Relay media duties.

I'm told my video interview got me through to the next stages, and it will be exciting to learn the potential assignment later in 2015.

It's been 10 years since my first visit to Rio, and it's fun to dream of new friendships and experiences to be realized. The challenge of finding temporary Olympic housing seems easier than London, and definitely easier than for Athens or Sochi.

Obrigado/thank you to many readers and supporters who helped this site achieve nearly 140,000 page views to date. Please share requests and ideas for what you'd like to read about in anticipation of Rio 2016. See you next year!

Photo illustration includes image by Pedro Kirilos/LatinContent/Getty Images via this site.

One Year Until Rio ... BINGO!

August 5, 2015, marks the "one year to go" milestone for the Rio 2016 Olympic opening ceremony.

In step with -- or maybe a pace ahead of -- the standard Olympic reporting playbook, a news outlet or two already dropped their Rio preview stories as early as mid-July.

Many more will follow during the next week. In fact, as I typed this blog entry, the Associated Press distributed their one-year-out summary already picked up stateside and in Singapore.

Predictably, these one-year milestone reports skew negative. Olympic news understandably isn't "news" without a cynical tone or a steady drumbeat of "CON-TRO-VER-SY ... CON-TRO-VER-SY" and click-bait headlines stirring the pot. 

Too often the remarkable stories of athletic feats and organizational successes are brushed aside for the easier angle of perceived problems on the horizon. I concede, many pre-Games issues are real. But most of the challenges of hosting a global sports festival do not rise to the life or death threshold some news outlets would have their viewers or readers believe.

In anticipation of this year's crop of anti-Olympic rhetoric and various outlets/reporters parroting each other, some friends and I came up with a new twist on a traditional, popular game. 

We present for your reading and social media sharing pleasure ... Olympic Buzz Word Bingo.

Buzzword Bingo (a.k.a. bullsh*t bingo) shares an interesting heritage rooted in traditional bingo cards. My own introduction to the buzzword bingo concept arrived via Dilbert by Scott Adams (see sample below). 

It remains a mystery as to which, and whether, former managers knew who played this game in the halls and conference rooms of the P.R. agencies where I worked over the years. 

Reading last week's Olympic countdown story distributed by Agence France-Presse inspired our five-ringed version, and you're invited to play along and please share the bingo card at the base of this post.

Go ahead and try it out! The aforementioned AP story almost creates a blackout Olympic bingo card! 

This game is also intended to help throw stones at what I perceive to be NBC's regular Olympic roll-out of scare tactics designed to encourage viewers to keep their butts on the couch instead of on planes to the Olympic host city. 

Far too many people fell for the anti-Athens and anti-Beijing Olympic Fear Factor messaging, and they missed quite a party in both cities. 

The Olympic terror threat level reached high enough crescendos in 2008 that even The Onion spoofed Tom Brokaw, Bob Costas and John Tesh pre-Games scare tactics (or in the case of Tesh, his over-the-top gymnastics commentary).

I, for one, hope fewer people will believe the anti-Rio hype and book passage to experience and enjoy Brazil. Rio 2016 in 365 days ... it's going to be a great event!

Cartoon via Dilbert.com. Thanks also to this site for 'Blu' bird image and this site for 'press' hat image used in illustration created by N. Wolaver.

Please download and share this bingo card with your favorite Olympic reporter. Fun for all!

Rio 2016 Ready To Flick Your Bic

Feast your eyes on the 2016 Olympic torch!

With just 399 days until the Rio 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, today the organizing committee unveiled the Olympic torch design at a press event in Brasilia.

The new torch is sleek, coated with scale-like satin-finished triangles, and expands when about to be kissed by the Olympic flame.

According to media materials, the expanding sections reveal tiny curved canyons of tropical colors resembling or representing Brazil's topography, rivers and coastline, and the iconic sidewalk pavers of Copacabana Beach. National newspaper O Globo featured a video from the announcement.

The official Olympic Torch Relay website provides a 360-degree view of the design. An interactive map details a 90 to 100 day domestic relay route starting in the nation's capital and moving through every Brazilian state.

Relay sponsors will share details of the torchbearer selection process at a later date to be announced.

For this blogger, Rio's Olympic torch is classy while innovative -- this is the first Olympic torch to expand when tickled by a relay runner's grip.

For safety, just the tip will disperse the fuel within for a hot Olympic flame cheered by millions of fans on the road to Rio.

Images via Rio 2016

Tocha Olímpica Tease

It may not be the biggest Olympic Torch Relay in history, but when the 2016 flame caravan touches down in the host nation in May next year, it will be the most Brazilian.

Today organizers at Rio 2016 announced a few, teasing details of their Olympic Torch Relay, which will begin roughly 100 days before the Opening Ceremony on 5 August.

By the numbers, the light brigade will include:

• Visits to 250 cities and towns
• Routes connecting urban and rural dots across 26 states and the Federal District
• Capital cities to be visited: 27
• Ten to 12 hours per day in transit
• Proximity to more than 180 million of Brazil's nearly 203 million residents (about 90 percent
  
  of the host nation's population may see the relay in motion)
• More than 10,000 torchbearers on foot
• Over 20,000km driven by caravan vehicles (per vehicle)
• At least 10,000 airline miles as the Olympic flame is delivered from Greece to Brazil
• Tens of thousands of torchbearer nominations anticipated (process to be announced)
  
• One amazing new torch design (to be unveiled later this year; press materials state the torch relay logo "hints" at the chosen torch design)
• Three official presenting sponsors: Coca-Cola, Nissan and Bradesco (Olympic torch relay beverages, buggies and banking, respectively).

I'm excited by the possibilities afforded by this South American Olympiad.

Will the flame get pulled up an Amazon Basin hillside atop a 300 ton "Fitzcarraldo" steamship? (Wait, no, that took place in Peru.)

Will Wonder Woman and other Amazon women take part in the exchange of torches? (Only if they do so in Greece, where  that Amazon character originated.)

How will the monumental architecture of Brasilia get its due, along with São Paulo landmarks and those at Foz do Iguaçu? (Amazing torch-inclusive photo opps await!)

Stay tuned for updates!

Relay images via Rio 2016; Brazil map photo via Twitter.com/Rio2016 @Rio2016. Fitzcarraldo photo via this blog.

Two Years to Rio 2016

Oh, happy day. Just two years until the opening ceremonies for Rio 2016. Brazil is going to host a great event.

Let the naysayers keep droning on about woes of South America's first Olympic host duties. Of course there will be bumps along the way, some small and some bigger than Sugarloaf Mountain.

But when the dust settles and everyone eases into their seats 730 nights from now, all will be forgiven and the Games will be brilliant.

As a past tourist who enjoyed Brazil, at this two-year milestone I'm personally more excited about the 2016 Olympiad than any since Athens 2004. Beijing was a wonderful experience, mind you, though at the two-years out marker, it was unclear whether I'd pursue that Games due to cost (as it turned out, a work assignment picked up the tab).

When London rolled around, I just could not get in the spirit until about four months from the opening ceremony. Of course, the 2012 Games are now my favourite, with a very high bar set for Rio. But I think comparing Great Britain's Games to Brazil's will be too apples to guaranas. And like the tiny berries from South America, the Rio Games entice with the promise of sweet, caffeine-infused highs.

Hope to see you at Rio 2016.

Rio in M

Another pre-Games milestone crept up on the calendar this week: 1,000 days to Rio!

Looks like the Brazilian team organizing the 2016 Olympic Games celebrated the countdown with special events and photo opps. The Associated Press chose to mark the occasion with an update on an ambitious sponsorship goal, while reporters provided a journalistic kick-in-the-rear to underscore the urgency of Games prep yet to come.

The pictograms turned out nice. Though the designers refer to their round outlines as "pebbles" they struck me as individual guitar picks like the ones Charlie Byrd may have used in the studio sessions for "Brazilian Byrd."

Images via Rio 2016

NBC Loves The Olympics $4.38 Billion Ways

Today in the International Olympic Committee's hometown Lausanne, Switzerland, I suspect several fishermen cast their lines from the northern banks of Lake Geneva.

But NBCUniversal landed the catch of the day -- and the next four Olympiads -- securing the 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games' U.S. broadcast rights for a staggering $4.38 billion, according to published reports.

I once paid $4.38 for a Coca-Cola beverage in Lausanne, so maybe something in the water there gets people spending money.

The Los Angeles Times ran an interesting video and print report highlighting the NBCUniversal bid and the IOC. Though I was looking forward to a potential change up from NBC's "storytelling" from the Games (as noted in previous Olympic blog post), there is some comfort knowing that Bob Costas may be at the helm at the Games for another decade.

With Fox bidding, I shuttered to think of Bill O'Reilly spewing Olympic "commentary" for even a second.

Photo via Wikipedia