
Olympic golden boy
Michael Phelps has just acquired a crave worthy pad, paying $1.69 million for a 4,080-square-foot condo overlooking Baltimore's revitalized Harborfront,
according to the Maryland Leader. The pad features amenities sure to win over any young Olympian, such as a rooftop terrace with fireplace, a private screening room, a state-of-the-art gym, a clubhouse with pool tables, and a Jacuzzi. He also recently purchased the Meadowbrook Swim Club and Northwest Ice Rink in Baltimore, which he and his coach plan to turn into an elite Olympic training center, and on the car front, he has been looking at "some Aston Martins and some Maseratis."

Come November, many people worldwide will hang wreaths on their front doors, celebrating the holiday season. But, who says
wreaths should be reserved Christmas? One
San Francisco city dweller decided to celebrate this year's Olympic games by making and hanging their very own set of Olympic rings .

Bring British means that I no longer need to concern myself with the winning aspect of the olympics. Instead I can take the Miu Miu luxe sportswear approach and focus on what the athletes are wearing! With a mere few hours to go until the opening ceremony here we take a look back at retro olympic fashions.

The dog days of Summer are upon us, and August is an exciting month this year. Not only is it a time for Summer vacations, but both the Beijing Olympics and
Slow Food Nation are happening. Here's my list of everything you need to survive (and celebrate!) August in the most fabulous foodie style.

Iraq has been
banned from participating in the Beijing Olympics because the government replaced the country's Olympic committee originally elected in 2004. The Olympic Charter states that all nations must have committees free from political influence. Now, Iraq's seven qualifying athletes — two rowers, two sprinters, an archer, a weightlifter, and a judo competitor — cannot fulfill their Olympic dreams because of their government's quarrel with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The Olympic Games have been going on since 776 BC! That's a whoooole lot of time for trivia. Did you know that when you put together the names of
this year's five Olympic mascots — Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni — they say "Welcome to Beijing?"

Traffic restrictions started in Beijing over the weekend in a frantic effort to try and
improve the city's air quality before the start of the Games. By only allowing vehicles with odd-numbered license plates into the city on alternating days with evens, officials hope the halving of traffic will take 60 percent of the city's 3.3 million cars off the roads and reduce emissions by two-thirds.
Though the atmospheric throat-clearing is all about
getting gussied up for company, locals are loving the effect.

Spring and Summer are busy seasons in the wide world of sports, and the Olympics are just around the corner. Exciting competitions like Wimbledon and the US Open, not to mention the ongoing baseball season, definitely make for good entertainment.
The athletes are fun to watch and inspiring, too, so I was wondering .

The
2008 Summer Olympics don't begin for another 21 days, but anticipation and intrigue are already heating up. What to do if you can't make it to the Games in person?
BBC Sport has
created an interactive map of Beijing that lets you in on all the excitement by allowing you to peruse the 37 Olympic venues and local landmarks (like the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square).