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RIO DE JANEIRO -- With the Olympics just a few weeks away, Brazil faces a litany of problems: an economy in freefall, the Zika virus and a political crisis with an impeached president. Wholesale Jerseys . But for those brave -- or foolhardy -- enough to make the trip, Rio de Janeiro is a city rich with potential rewards. Broadcasters have already deemed the citys backdrop for the Summer Games the most telegenic ever. But no matter how good this teeming seaside metropolis -- where the urban jungle and the literal jungle meet -- looks on TV, footage simply cant compare with the experience of actually being here.Heres a Q&A on tips for visiting Rio, from staying safe to samba parties:---Q: Is Rio safe?A: With an estimated 85,000 police and soldiers patrolling the streets during the games -- twice the security contingent in London in 2012 -- Olympic and local officials have insisted Rio will be the safest city on earth during the Aug. 5-21 games. Still, violent crime is a fact of life in this city, starkly divided between haves and have nots, so its best to keep a low profile.For Cariocas, as Rios 6 million residents are called, low-key dressing is de rigueur for both safety and practicality. Havaianas, the Brazilian flip-flop brand, are Rios uncontested footwear of choice. And the citys golden-sand beaches make board shorts and T-shirts, or hot pants and tank tops, a uniform for rich and poor alike. (While Rios Southern Hemisphere winters tend to be mild, thermometers can dip in August into what Cariocas consider the bone-chilling depths of the mid-60s, so pack a sweater or light jacket.)Watches and jewelry not clearly made from plastic are best avoided, as is using cellphones in public or conspicuously carrying camera equipment. Electronics are extremely expensive in Brazil, and a smartphone can cost several months worth of salary for locals, so its best to keep them under wraps.If you do get mugged, dont react or fight. Hand over your possessions calmly and without hesitation. Its only money and/or stuff. And no matter how much of a pain the ensuing nightmare of card cancellations proves, its not worth getting injured.---Q: Do people speak English?A: In a word, no. Outside Olympic venues and high-end hotels and restaurants, most Cariocas only speak Portuguese, though they might know a few words of English or Spanish. On the other hand, most people are eager to help foreigners and will resort even to pantomime to get their point across.---Q: Whats for dinner?A: If you go to one of the myriad churrascaria (shoe-hass-car-EE-ya) all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbeque joints, the answer is meat, meat and more meat. Roving waters brandishing spits stacked with cuts of prime beef, lamb chops, pork sausages and even wizened black chicken hearts will insist on refilling your plate till you verge on bursting.For vegetarians or those recovering from a meat overdose, options are limited. Best bets include corner juice bars offering a cornucopia of freshly squeezed tropical fruit juices, as well as acai (ah-sa-EE) -- a deep purple Amazonian palm berry thats frozen, blended and served slushy.---Q: Is there public transportation?A: The citys metro line is being extended to serve the beachfront Leblon neighborhood and reach the far-western Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, where Olympic Park is located. But the project is behind schedule and may not be finished in time for the games. Buses are confusing, packed, dangerous and generally best avoided. Cabs are plentiful and decently reliable -- just make sure your cabby turns headlights on after dark. (Many wont.)---Q: Besides sports, what is there to do in Rio during the games?A: Plenty. And the good news is, the best things in Rio are free.Rio was hard hit by the recession, with the economy shrinking last year by 4 percent, sending unemployment and inflation soaring. The nosedive of the local currency, the real, has made Rio much cheaper for visitors spending dollars or euros. But the cost of hotels and restaurants can still be shocking. Savvy travelers can staunch the bloodletting by taking advantage of the citys many free attractions:-Sugarloaf Mountain: The sheer granite outcropping that presides over the waters of the Guanabara Bay will no doubt prove a breathtaking backdrop for the Olympic sailing races. But rather than just ogling the iconic rock, why not hike it? A guide is necessary to scale the Sugarloaf itself, but its stumpier twin, the Morro da Urca, is doable without help. A mud path winds through tropical vegetation to a summit with peerless views over the citys dense patchwork of towers, hillside favela slums and mist-enshrouded rainforest.-Sunset at Arpoador: Take in the suns spectacular nightly performance as it sinks into the Atlantic from atop the Arpoador rock formation in between Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches. The crowd there raucously applauds the glittering show, night after night.-Pedra do Sal: Experience a roda de samba, or live samba music, at the birthplace of Brazils most famous musical genre. Monday nights bring hordes of aficionados to this former slave market in the Gamboa region of historic downtown for an open-air dance party.-Centro: Rios beaches tend to steal the thunder, but the Centro downtown region, where the city got its start 451 years ago, is a treasure trove of colonial-era churches and historic monuments. Perhaps the most stunning among them is the Mosteiro Sao Bento, a Baroque church and working monastery where monks perform Gregorian chants during Sunday Mass. Get there early to snag a seat. Also in Centro is the Portuguese Royal Reading Room, a 19th century gem of soaring jacaranda hardwood bookshelves and stained glass windows, tucked into the newly rehabilitated Praca Tirdentes. Wholesale Jerseys China . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinaauthentic.net/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. DeLisha Milton-Jones is stubbornly optimistic, which is a pretty necessary quality for someone to be a professional athlete for two decades.Milton-Jones hoped for one more opportunity this year in the WNBA -- reached out to teams and stayed in shape -- ready to go if she got the call. She felt she could still be a positive veteran influence for young players. Her optimism extended all the way until mid-September as the regular season came to a close.It was like, OK, this is it, its over, said Milton-Jones, who officially announced her retirement recently at age 42. Its sad it had to end that way. Its hard to watch the playoffs, especially a team like Atlanta which was down a veteran post player.But I had to come to terms with it. I have to know theres a lesson in this for me. I have to move on to phase two of my life, take all the experiences Ive had, and use them for someone elses good.She will do that right away as an assistant coach for Ryan Weisenberg at Pepperdine. The Waves players likely cant even grasp just how much experience Milton-Jones has: how many games she has played, practices she has taken part in, countries she has competed in. The 1997 Wade Trophy winner for Florida, Milton-Jones started playing professionally before some of todays college freshmen were even born.Milton-Jones, who began in the ABL, appeared in more games than anyone in WNBA history, with 499 in the regular season -- averaging 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals -- and 50 playoff games, where her numbers were even a little better (11.5, 6.1, 1.5).She won two WNBA titles with Los Angeles. For USA Basketball, she won two Olympic gold medals, plus two golds and a bronze from the world championship. Her overseas career also was very decorated, as she played for teams in Russia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, Turkey and Korea.As the WNBA gets set to start the playoff semifinals, Milton-Jones has an interesting perspective. For one, she was on the last Sparks team to make the WNBA Finals, in 2003. For another, her Los Angeles teams are the last to win back-to-back WNBA championships.Why has that, in particular, been so tough to do?Its very hard, because you have to do everything you did the year before, times two, she said. Whos really dedicated to go through that? To have the entire group committed to that journey, thats the first thing.But also players and other teams get better. And if you dont come back and prove as an individual that you can still add your piece to the puzzle, thats going to make it hard. The dynamic of a team changes from one year to the next, even if its a lot of the same players. Those are the rigors of the journey you have to make.Especially considering the league is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, it seemed like the right time for the Sparks to honor Milton-Jones this season, which was sure to be her last even if she had gotten a call to play. She spent 11 of her 17 WNBA seasons with the Sparks, playing 344 games in the regular season and 48 in the playoffs for Los Angeles.But a Sparks spokeswoman said that executive vice president/general manager Penny TToler wanted the organization focused on the current team and the playoffs and would not have a ceremony this year for Milton-Jones. NFL Jerseys Supply. Seattle (Lauren Jackson), New York (Swin Cash), Phoenix (Penny Taylor) and Indiana (Tamika Catchings) all made the playoffs this season, yet still took time to honor their retiring players.It seems a shame the Sparks couldnt arrange even a halftime acknowledgement at Fridays playoff game at Staples Center to let fans express their appreciation to Milton-Jones, especially since she and husband, Roland Jones, live in Los Angeles.Milton-Jones admitted it was a disappointment that didnt happen. But she also knows its time to move on to the next chapter of her life, while also maintaining her love for the WNBA.Milton-Jones echoed the sentiments of other retiring players in regard to how important it is for former players to stay involved with the league in some capacity -- particularly in mentorship roles, passing on the history of the WNBA and womens basketball in general.I hope the current and future players take pride in this product and not take it for granted, she said. Take care of the league, because its special. A lot of people fought hard for it, not just for themselves but future generations.Milton-Jones hopes to add her name to the list of former WNBA players whove become successful college coaches. But she is also from the era long before social media and the ubiquity of cell phones and knows todays players grow up in a different world.Ive been in the situation where Ive been the oldest player in the locker room for many years, Milton-Jones said. I learned years ago the best way to relate to younger people is to relate on their level.Theyre not going to understand my mentality all the time, because they havent had the experiences Ive had. Look eye to eye with them, listen to what theyre saying, break down the barriers. I want them to see me as someone who understands them and can have a conversation with them.Milton-Jones said because young players in club basketball can go to whichever coach at that level makes them happiest, they sometimes have difficulty adjusting to the college atmosphere.I think kids are more sensitive to how theyre talked to, how you look at them, how you make them feel, said Milton-Jones, who adds that shed love to pick Geno Auriemmas brain on the topic. I think the old-school style is someone giving us that stern look and knowing, If I dont straighten up, my butts going to be on the line running.I think there has to be a balance with that old-school type of coaching and finding a way to do it with a little of the sting taken out of it. You have to use psychology more.So this is a new challenge for Milton-Jones, and one shes ready to tackle. Leaving her playing career was brutally hard; theres no sugarcoating that. But when she talks to youngsters about working hard and cherishing every minute on the court, theyll know it comes from someone who excelled a long, long time at both. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '