Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its samba, bossa nova, its February carnival and soccer but what most people retain in mind is pictures of its landmark views and vistas with Rio’s key symbols in it.

Two of its most recognized symbols are that of the outstretched arms statue of Christ the Redeemer mounting the Corcovado peak, and that of the Pao de Acucar, or Sugar Loaf, the solid granite monolith of some 1300 feet surrounded by deep blue waters of the Guanabara Bay.

Many calendars and posters depict these two landmarks from various viewpoints, so which are indeed the best to visit for that classic picture postcard shot of Rio?

It says that it’s best to visit the Sugar Loaf first before climbing any other summit. The views from its top of Botafogo beach, Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema as far as Leblon beach are stunning, as is the view of the towering Corcovado peak looking toward the mountains.

Excellent views can be had by taking Rio’s yellow trolley up to the mountain to Santa Teresa neighborhood. This is indeed one of Rio’s oldest neighborhoods which grew in the 18th century when during yellow fever epidemic many Rio’s residents tried to escape the sea-level mosquito-infested downtown of Rio for the cooler air of Santa Teresa’s higher ground.

Another hilltop of note for fine views is not far from Santa Teresa. With its prominent location above the Botafogo neighborhood and studded with a Baroque landmark chapel of Nossa Senhora da Gloria do Outeiro, the hilltop offers another stunning panorama of Rio de Janeiro.

Behind the high-rises lining the Ipanema beach there is Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, a natural lake that sits surrounded by Rio’s mountaintops. Anywhere around the lake brings fine views of Rio, all worth the trip around its perimeter, and especially if one decides to venture to Rio’s Botanical Garden, Jardim Botanico, located not far from the lake’s edge below the ridge of Tijuca National Park.

But to encompass all the major symbols of Rio de Janeiro, there is only one place to find the best panoramas of Rio – it is on the high road of the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, the Tijuca National Park.

Driving up the winding road of the national park one comes across number of stunning views that should not be missed.

One of the best is the panorama from the Mesa do Imperador, the site of the royal picnic of Pedro II. Next it is the Vista Chinese, or Chinese View, hailed as having the best views of the summit of Corcovado in the foreground, with Botafogo beach on your left and Copacabana on your right and the Sugar Loaf as a backdrop.

For yet another alternative impressive panorama of Corcovado peak, Sugar Loaf and the beaches around is provided from the viewpoint of the Donna Marta Belvedere, which summit, few feet short of 1200 feet, is some 1,000 feet lower than that of Corcovado’s 2300 feet above sea level.

Yes, the many times Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps has not produced the top results in the pool lately. He even admitted to being bit out of shape himself after not making the final in 100 meters butterfly at the Fina World Cup in Stockholm. This was not so much the shock as he has not been known to be a sprinter but did come after he did not win the 200 meters individual medley final either just before that, and in fact was nowhere near the top in 100 meters freestyle nor 100 meters backstroke, a race from which he in fact got disqualified, in days preceding the first race noted.

Of course the controversy ranging on is on account of those bodysuits that he has not been wearing, though his opponents have, which will be outlawed coming January.

But on another hand, whatever the fact for him not being the winner at the moment he has been for years, it does not stop all these puritans to criticize this remarkable athlete, and have them bring up that bong once again. And not having more to feed their miserable boring lives, they’d bring up – ah, yes, that cocktail waitress from Las Vegas he has dated.

Let’s put it this way: any athlete that can spend more time in the pool training for years, all those countless hours that if added up would total more than anyone of his critics actually spends sleeping and picking his or her nose, can do whatever he wants after having piled up 14 gold medals at the Olympic Games!

In my book, given that kind of incredible determination, dedication and perseverance Michael Phelps has shown for years, and to achieve what he has achieved, he can have a smoke (whatever he wants to smoke) if he feels like it, he will always be a role model to my kids for what he has achieved! If not to your kids, then shut up and take them to Mac Donald’s, so they get more fat and keep looking for that role model to introduce them to!

Track and Field is the Queen of Sports and the 2008 Olympic Games had witnessed truly memorable results in men’s sprints. Usain Bolt’s two world records, that he had since broken, 9.69 in 100m and 19.30 in 200m, were simply unbelievable and made the Olympic track and field events stand out.

But it was not just Bolt, but the fact that six sprinters ran the hundred in Beijing under ten seconds and three sprinters did the two hundred under twenty seconds and you realize the two events were truly phenomenal.

Although the hundred was always big at any games, in my book Usain Bolt’s times at the Beijing Olympic Games was the most memorable hundred since Armin Harry of Germany ran a World Record at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. I was just a kid then but I remember that to run a hundred at ten flat at that time was as unbelievable time as it was to break the ten second barrier number of years later.

I recall the 1960 sprints at the Rome Olympics also on the women’s side because they were dominated by Wilma Rudolph, an American sprinter. It was not just that she won three gold medals and that she was the fastest woman at the time but that she achieved what she did having overcome a serious bout of polio in her early childhood that resulted in her having to wear a brace for a number of years.

The Rome games are well rooted in my mind also on account of Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia. Few people ever took close notice of that country at the time but Bikila not only won the 1960 Olympic marathon in a world record time, he also did it running barefooted. Great documentaries have been made of his legendary run which undeniably had sown the seeds of Ethiopia having since become the cradle of many world’s best long distance runners.

Speaking of the long distance events at the Olympics, the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and the marathon, one must recall the dominance of Emil Zatopek. Nicknamed “the Czech locomotive,” Emil Zatopek, at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, was the first runner to win all three events at one Olympic Games, something that has not been done since.
But the sprinters seemed to have always stolen the show at the games, including Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, so I wonder what will 2012 games in London bring in sprints and how about the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio? Can the Jamaican continue to dominate this far into the future?

Rio de Janeiro boasts one of the most impressive natural configurations of any city its size in the world. The landmarks of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado and the Sugar Loaf mountain are the focal points of a memorable skyline, yet they would not be half as alluring would it not be for the backdrop of Tijuca National Park and above all the Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches completing the stunning frame of reference.

Most of the Olympic events will take place at three key areas. Barra da Tijuca, the American style western suburb of Rio, will hold the swimming, water polo and the diving competition at the Aquatic Center. Barra will contain also the site of the Olympic Village itself. The Joao Havelange Stadium, north-west of the downtown, will stage the track and flied events. And the most famous soccer stadium of Brazil, the Maracana, one of the largest stadiums in the world, will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games. Along with the Deodoro Park, the third cluster of Olympic sites, where the modern pentathlon, white water events and mountain bike events will take place, is as Maracana in the northern zone of Rio.

Although the major competition venues are located in the above three neighborhoods, the legendary south coast beach areas will be included in the staging grounds of the Olympic events as well. Copacabana beach will host the Olympic volleyball, as it should. Copacabana waterfront and Flamengo Park will also be the site of triathlon and road cycling.

Rio de Janiero tried to bid for the games three times before but always failed, in 1936, 2004 and last in 2008 when it hoped to hold the games of 2012 eventually awarded to London, it is not new to hosting prominent sporting events, notably Soccer World Cup, Formula One races and Pan American Games. Having persevered and finally won will no doubt repay the effort. The Olympic Games 2016 in Rio promise to be a grand occasion not to miss indeed.

Too much of a good thing is bad and the same goes for the friendly bacteria or yeast residing in our intestines. These Candida albicans is the generally the main cause of intestinal candida.

Yeast is a normal part of our intestinal flora; however it is kept in check by the other organisms present in the gut. Women more than men are generally afflicted with intestinal candida and most of them will at least face this problem once in their life time. The reason for this is simple. Candida albicans is a natural inhabitant in the vaginal area of women and quite a peace loving organism most of the time. However, some times due to certain triggers, these organisms may multiply and can cause problems in the vagina and the intestines as well.

These triggers include problems like diabetes mellitus, antibiotics and using birth control pills or other kinds of contraceptives. Vaginal irritation, itching in the vulva, a thick curdy discharge or a discharge which has a breadish smell are some of the classic symptoms of a candida infection.

Though there are a lot of over the counter medications for this problem, nature has some of the best cures. One of the most well known cures is applying unsweetened yogurt to the vagina or eating a lot of yogurt. The lactobacillus bacteria present in yogurt can kill and inhabit the vaginal growth. Garlic is also a well known way to tackle this problem. You can crush some garlic cloves and apply them to the vagina. A natural disinfectant, boric acid powder can also be used by inserting it into the vaginal in gel caps for about four nights.

These home cures can help in getting rid of intestinal candida at the onset. However, if Candidiasis is left unchecked then it can grow out of proportions and can cause a myriad of problems. Hence, a candida infection, however small should never be taken lightly and along with these cures a lot of other holistic treatment measures need to be followed. Most of these holistic methods also include a change in lifestyle and eating habits.

Diet is an important part of the candida treatment. It is common known fact that certain foods can help in enhancing the growth of the yeast which causes intestinal candida and there are some other foods which actually inhabit the growth. Hence, it is important to avoid those foods which can worsen the infection.

There are three classes of foods which are to be avoided if you want to get rid of your candida infection naturally:

Sugar: Avoid sugar in all shapes, forms and sizes. This means you need to avoid anything which is naturally or artificially sweet including sweet fruits, chocolates, dried fruit and all kinds of sweet additives.
Yeast: Whether it is the yeast containing spreads like Marmite, vegemite and promote or foods containing bakers yeast like breads or pastries, all these yeast containing products are to be completely kept away from.
Refined carbohydrates: These include the typical fast foods like pastas, cookies, potatoes and breads.

On the other hand you need to get generous with garlic, olive oil, fish and whole grain foods to inhabit the growth of yeast and prevent the reoccurrence of intestinal candida.