Still, it took a while to get used to the cost of a cup of designer joe, and these days, we might be rethinking our coffee choices. Well, before you despair of being able to afford a decent morning jolt, take a moment to be grateful you don’t live in any of these places which, according to Forbes magazine (based on cost-of-living surveys by consulting firm Mercer) are home to the world’s most expensive cups of coffee.

If you live in any of these places, our sympathies. Send up a signal, we’ll send beans.

Here’s the list, followed by the average price per cup in U.S. dollars:

– Tokyo: $5.04

– Berlin: $5.15

– Beijing: $6.28

– Athens: $6.62

– Paris: $6.77

– Moscow: $10.19

In the United States, the cuppa tops out at $3.75, in New York City. Seems like a bargain.

Swimming is one of the most popular events every four years. American Michael Phelps was the most watched man in 2004, setting four Olympic records in Athens, and he was just getting warmed up for his record-breaking eight gold medals in the 2008 Games in Beijing.

Clearly, swimming records are made to be broken, and the 2008 Olympics pretty much rewrote the book.

Here are the current Olympic record holders in major races, post Beijing:

50 meter freestyle: Cesar Cielo, Brazil (21.30 in 2008)

100 meter freestyle: Eamon Sullivan, Australia (47.05 in 2008)

200 meter freestyle: Michael Phelps, USA (1:42.96 in 2008)

400 meter freestyle: Ian Thorpe, Australia (3:40.59 in 2000)

1,500 meter freestyle: Grant Hackett, Australia (14.38.92 in 2008)

100 meter backstroke: Aaron Peirsol, USA (52.54 in 2008)

200 meter backstroke: Ryan Lochte, USA (1:53.94in 2008)

100 meter breaststroke: Kosuke Kitajima, Japan (58.91 in 2008)

200 meter breaststroke: Kosuke Kitajima, Japan (2:07.64 in 2008)

100 meter butterfly: Michael Phelps, USA (50.58 in 2008)

200 meter butterfly: Michael Phelps, USA (1:52.03 in 2008)

200 meter Individual Medley: Michael Phelps, USA (1:54.23 in 2008)

400 meter Individual Medley: Michael Phelps, USA (4:03.86 in 2008)

4×100 meter Freestyle Relay: USA, Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak (3:08.24 in 2008)

4×200 meter Freestyle Relay: USA, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens, Peter Vanderkaay (6:58.56 in 2008)

4×100 meter Medley Relay: USA, Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak (3:29.34 in 2008)

Source: Beijing 2008.

Bolt followed that feat by winning the 200 meters in 19.30 seconds, becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 gold medals at an Olympics.

There have been 19 men claiming the title “world’s fastest” in Olympic competitions for the last 96 years. The New York Times has that list, and lots of other world records for Olympic sporting events as well.

Those men are:

9.69 seconds, Usain Bolt, August 2008

9.72, Usain Bolt, May 2008

9.74, Asafa Powell of Jamaica, September, 2007

9.77, Asafe Powell, June 2005

9.79, Maurice Green of the U.S., June 1999

9.84, Donovan Bailey of Canada, July 1996

9.85, Leroy Burrell of the U.S., July 1994

9.86, Carl Lewis of the U.S., August 1991

9.9, Leroy Burrell, June 1991

9.92, Carl Lewis, September 1988

9.93, Calvin Smith of the U.S., July 1883

9.95, Jim Hines of the U.S., October, 1968

9.9, Jim Hines, June 1968

10.0, Armin Hary of Germany, June 1960

10.10, Willie Williams of the U.S., August 1956

10.20, Jesse Owens of the U.S., June 1936

10.30, Percy Williams of Canada, August 1930

10.40, Charles Paddock of the U.S., April 1921

In Beijing, the book essentially was thrown away.

Going into the Games, two Olympic records (Janet Evans in the 400 meter freestyle and Heike Friedrich in the 200 meter freestyle) had stood since 1988. They’re gone, along with most of the rest of the old standards, leaving 2008 as the benchmark for Olympic performances to come. Only Inge de Brujn’s 100 meter butterfly record of 56.61, set in Sydney in 2000, survived the onslaught.

Here are the new Olympic records, the times the next wave of swimmers will be gunning for in London in 2012:

50 meter freestyle: Britta Steffen, Germany (24.06 in 2008)

100 meter freestyle: Britta Steffen, Germany (53.12 in 2008)

200 meter freestyle: Federica Pellegrini, Italy (1:54.82 in 2008)

400 meter freestyle: Federica Pellegrini , USA (4:02.19 in 2008)

800 meter freestyle: Rebecca Adlington, GBR (8:14.10 in 2008)

100 meter backstroke: Natalie Coughlin, USA (58.96 in 2008)

200 meter backstroke: Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe (2:05.24 in 2008)

100 meter breaststroke: Leisel Jones, Australia (1:05.17 in 2008)

200 meter breaststroke: Rebecca Soni, USA (2:20.22 in 2008)

100 meter butterfly: Inge de Bruijn, Netherlands (56.61 in 2000)

200 meter butterfly: Liu Zige, China (2:04.18 in 2008)

200 meter Individual Medley: Stephanie Rice, Australia (2:08.45 in 2008)

400 meter Individual Medley: Stephanie Rice, Australia (4:29.45 in 2008)

4×100 Freestyle Relay: Netherlands, Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhuis (3:33.76 in 2008)

4×200 meter Freestyle Relay: Australia, Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer, Linda MacKenzie (7:44.31 in 2008)

4×100 meter Medley Relay: Australia, Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Jess Schipper, Libby Lenton (3:52.69 in 2008)

Source: Beijing2008.

Records are made to be broken, as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt proved once again in sweeping the 100 and 200 meters races in Beijing, setting Olympic and world records in both events and becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win both in a single Olympics.

Here are the current Olympic records in major track events through Aug. 20, 2008:

100 meters: Usain Bolt, Jamaica (9.69 in 2008)

200 meters: Usain Bolt, Jamaica (19.30 in 2008)

400 meters: Michael Johnson, USA (43.49 in 1996)

800 meters: Vebjorn Rodal, Norway (1:42.58 in 1996)

1,500 meters: Noah Ngeny, Kenya (3:32.07 in 2000)

5,000 meters: Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia (12:57.82 in 2008)

10,000 meters: Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia (27:01.17 in 2008)

Marathon: Carlos Lopes, Portugal (2:09.21 in 1984)

110 meter hurdles: Xiang Liu, China (12.91 in 2004)

400 meter hurdles: Kevin Young, USA (46.78 in 1992)

3,000 meter Steeplechase: Julius Kariuki, Kenya (8:05.51 in 1988)

4×100 meter relay: Jamaica, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, Usain Bolt, Michael Frater (37.10 in 2008)

4×400 meter relay: USA, LaShawn Merritt, David Neville, Angelo Taylor, Jeremy Wariner (2:55.39 in 2008)

Source: Olympic.org

Going in to the 2008 Olympics, Phelps was one of the most recognizable athletes competing for the United States. He managed to grab an amazing eight medals (6 gold, 2 bronze) in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and rewrote the record books many times, putting himself in the national spotlight.

Here’s a list of his Olympic medals-to-date from Beijing and Athens:

Beijing, 2008:

• 400 m Medley Relay Gold (World Record)
• 100 m Butterfly Gold (Olympic Record)
• 200 m Individual Medley Gold (World Record)
• 4×200 m Freestyle Relay Gold (World Record)
• 200 m Butterfly Gold (World Record)
• 200 m Freestyle Gold (World Record)
• 4×100 m Freestyle Relay Gold (World Record)
• 400 m Individual Medley Gold (World Record)

Athens, 2004:

• 100 m Butterfly Gold (Olympic Record)
• 200 m Butterfly Gold (Olympic Record)
• 200 m Individual Medley Gold (Olympic Record)
• 400 m Individual Medley Gold (World Record)
• 4 x 100 m Medley Relay Gold
• 4 x 200 m Freestyle Relay Gold (American Record)
• 4 x 100 m Freestyle Relay Bronze
• 200 m Freestyle Bronze (American Record)

Source: USA Swimming

Individual medals are the main focus of the Olympics, and few have ever won more than two or three medals. This list is devoted to those who have truly been outstanding and awe-inspiring in obtaining more Summer Games medals than anyone else.

Women:

18 - LATYNINA, Larisa (URS), gymnastics 1956-1964
12 – TORRES, Dara (USA), aquatics 1984-1992, 2000-2008
12 – THOMPSON, Jenny (USA), aquatics 1992-2004
12 – FISCHER-SCHMIDT, Birgit (GDR-GER), canoe/kayak 1980-2004
11 – COUGHLIN, Natalie (USA) aquatics, 2004-2008
11 – CASLAVSKA, Vera (TCH) gymnastics, 1960-1964
10 – VAN ALMSICK, Franziska, (GER), aquatics, 1992-2004
10 – KELETI, Agnes (HUN), gymnastics 1956-1960
10 – ASTAKHOVA, Polina (URS), gymnastics 1956-1964

Men:

16 – PHELPS, Michael (USA), aquatics 2004-2008
15 – ANDRIANOV, Nikolay (URS), gymnastics, 1972-1980
13 – SHAKHLIN, Boris (URS), gymnastics, 1956-1964
13 – MANGIAROTTI, Edoardo (ITA), fencing, 1936-1960
13 – ONO, Takashi (JPN), gymnastics, 1952-1964
12 – KATO, Sawao (JPN), gymnastics, 1968-1976
12 – NURMI, Paavo (FIN), athletics, 1920-1928
12 – NEMOV, Alexei (RUS), gymnastics, 1996-2000

Source: olympic.org

Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.) – age 26, goal keeper

Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.) – age 31, midfield

Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.) – age 22, defense

Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.) – age 24, defense

Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.) – age 28, defense

Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.) – age 26, midfield

Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.) – age 30, midfield

Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii) – age 25, forward

Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.) – age 26, midfield

Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) – age 31, defense

Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio) – age 30, defense

Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.) – age 23, midfield

Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.) – age 33, defense

Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest, Calif.) – age 21, forward

Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.) – age 27, goal keeper

Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.) – age 25, midfield

Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.) – age 28, midfield

Lauren Cheney (Indianapolis) – age 20, forward 

For more information on the U.S. Womens Olympic Soccer Team, visit their website, or the U.S. Soccer website. If you want to see all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games, start your search on this official U.S. Olympics Page. If you want to know more about football (as it’s called elsewhere in the world) in the Olympics, you can find it on the Beijing Olympic website.

At the games four years ago, the U.S. softball team had a 9-0 record. The team’s head coach is Mike Candrea, head coach of the University of Arizona. Softball only became an Olympic sport in 1996 and has been dropped from the Olympic program for 2012.

Keep an eye out for Jennie Finch, (pictured) one of the team’s three pitchers. She is, according to NBC’s Olympics Web site, the “most popular softball player in the world.” The best pitcher in the game is considered to be Cat Osterman of Texas, and the strongest hitter is Crystl Bustos, the third baseman.

Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) – Position: LHP; B/T – L/L

Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) – Position: OF; B/T – L/L

Crystl Bustos (Canyon County, Calif.) – Position: IF; B/T – R/R

Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) – Position: IF; B/T – R/R

Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) – Position: RHP; B/T – R/R

Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz.) – Position: UT; B/T – R/R

Vicky Galindo (Union City, Calif.) – Position: IF; B/T – L/R

Lovieanne Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.) – Position: 2B; B/T – R/R

Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) – Position: OF; B/T – L/R

Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) – Position: UT; B/T – R/R

Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) – Position: OF; B/T – L/R

Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) – Position: OF; B/T – L/R

Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) – Position: C; B/T – R/R

Cat Osterman (Houston) – Position: LHP; B/T – L/L

Natsha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) – Position: SS; B/T – L/

For more information on the U.S. Olympic Softball Team, visit their website. If you want to see all the U.S. Olympic qualifiers in every sport for the Beijing games starting in August, start your search on this official U.S. Olympics page.

The more patient fan, however, can benefit by letting the Games come to him. As the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing drew near, hoteliers in China were in a bit of a panic, wondering when the big crowds were going to scoop up all those pricey accomodations.

For those still in the market, agoda.com had some last-minute suggestions for the best combination of quality and price. Even if you aren’t going for the Olympics, here are a few places to consider the next time you’re in town:

Radegast Hotel CDB Beijing

Nikko New Century Hotel

Furamaxpress Hotel Yansha Beijing

Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel

Beijing Zaoyuanju Hotel

Days Inn Forbidden City Hotel

GreenTree Inn Beijing Fangzhuang Hotel

Harmony Hotel

GreenTree Inn Beijing Zhaogongkou Hotel

Beijing Sentury Apartment Hotel

To check out these, and other possible bargains, visit agoda.com.