Sport & People: Bobsleigh & Steven Holcomb

Bobsleigh or bobsled, I dare to say is a sport rarely heard of in Asia, but it is an thrilling competition in the Winter Olympics. I bet there are many things to learn from this sport on another freezing cold day in Hong Kong.

On text, it is pretty difficult to describe what the sport is, according to Wikipedia,

"Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. The timed runs are combined to calculate the final score."

So, there is no one better than Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion Bobsledder Steven Holcomb to teach us about his beloved sport,

And how does it look like from Steve's perspective?

Truly exciting isn't it? It may look easy but the training and the danger that one has to go through is anything but simple. Once loses control and fatal accidents are almost guaranteed.

Those of us who live in Asia won't be able to enjoy the fun of this sport unless you visit the countries up North (and be professionally trained), but watching experts like Steve in front of the monitor is still very cool and most importantly safe, unless your friend pranks you with some edited horror videos just as you get into the mood of watching.

Success really doesn't come easy, especially for Steve, and he tells you why.

Keratoconus, from Wikipedia, "is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve."

Image from Wikipedia

Even though Steve suffered from Keratoconus, he fully recovered and he did win the gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics 4-man bobsled for The United States! Congratulations to you Steve, (Hope you don't mind the late words) and thanks for following us!!!

Types of Bobsleigh races:

1. Four Man, 
2. Two Man, 
3. Two Woman

Do "Like" this entry and the English Playground, and catch more Steve on YouTube!!!


Vocabulary:
banked -- (adj) from bank (n)[C] sloping raised land, especially along the sides of a river
gravity -- (n) the force which attracts objects towards one another, especially the force that makes things fall to the ground
beloved -- (adj) slightly formal loved very much
fatal -- (adj) A fatal illness or accident, etc. causes death
prank -- (vb) from prank (n) [C] a trick that is intended to be funny but not to cause harm or damage
keratoconus -- (n) [U] a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve."



Resources:
People: Welcome Steven Holcomb To Our Playground!!!
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/01/people-welcome-steven-holcomb-to-our.html

Bobsled @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobsled

Steven Holcomb @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_holcomb

Steven Holcomb @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTZ53gpo2wU

Go Pro Bobsledding with driver Steven Holcomb @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPb637T7UEQ

Scary Maze Game® Reaction[Monitor Punch] @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeDd61n0Kqs

2010 Winter Olympics: Steve Holcomb - Bobsled @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzzWUdbQzxU

Keratoconus @ U.S. National Library of Medicine - The World's Largest Medical Library
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002008/

Keratoconus @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratoconus

List of Olympic medalists in bobsleigh @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_medalists_in_bobsleigh#Four_man

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bank_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gravity_1?q=gravity+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/beloved_1?q=beloved+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fatal?q=fatal+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/prank?q=prank+

People: Welcome Steven Holcomb To Our Playground!!!

Must have been the last entry that I wrote which draws the attention from Steven Holcomb, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion Bobsledder and probably our first Star English Player, into subscribing to The English Playground's Twitter page.

Image from Locky's English Playground

Since we have already started the topic on skeleton sleigh and we are in the ice field, I'm going to dedicate the next entry to his favourite sport for our English Players to learn a bit more.

Once again, Welcome Steven!!!! Thanks for subscribing!!

Do "Like" this entry and our English Playground!!


Resources:
Listening & TV: Skeleton VS Mini-Cooper @ TopGear @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2012/01/listening-tv-bobsleigh-vs-mini-cooper.html

Listening & TV: Skeleton VS Mini-Cooper @ TopGear

Image from kentfilmoffice.co.uk

Nothing to do in the holidays? Too cold to go out for fun? Want something informative yet fun and even exciting to watch? Here it is!!!! From TopGear Season 17 Episode 1!!!

After watching the show, you should have learnt the following words:

The Marauder
Image from ridelust

moan its passing, Johannesburg,  dashboard, nip off, torque, astonishing, get carried away.

Jeremy with BMW 1M
Image from  richardsf1

hatchback, subsequently, capture the magic of the original, 

3...2...1... Mini cooper Lancer VS Amy Williams
Image from richardsf1

Stomping ground, gold medalist, skeleton bob(sleigh), scraping the ice, 

Jeremy E-Type Jaguar
Image from entertainmentalley

Jaguar Growler
Image from 0-60mag

convertible E-Type, humiliated, understated tribute


Enjoy the excitement!!!!!

Do "Like" this entry and the English Playground!!

Vocabulary:

moan -- (vb)[I] to make a long low sound of pain, suffering or another strong emotion
nip off -- (phrasal verb) sever or remove by pinching or snipping; "nip off the flowers"
astonishing -- (adj) very surprising
be/ get carried away -- (phrasal verb) to become so excited about something that you do not control what you say or do
hatchback -- (n) [C] a car which has an extra door at the back which can be lifted up to allow things to be put in
stomp -- (vb) [I usually + adverb or preposition] to walk with intentionally heavy steps, especially as a way of showing that you are annoyed
scrape -- (vb)  [T] to remove an unwanted covering or a top layer from something, especially using a sharp edge or something rough
convertible -- (n) [C] (also soft top) a car with a soft roof which can be folded back
understated -- (adj) not trying to attract attention or impress people
tribute -- (n) [C or U] something that you say, write or give which shows your respect and admiration for someone, especially on a formal occasion



Resources:

TopGear Season 17 Episode 1 @ StreetFire.net
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-season-17-episode-1_2278681.htm

Bobsleigh @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobsleigh

Amy Williams @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Williams

Skeleton Race @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeleton_(sport)

Top Gear S17E01 Review @ Richard’s F1
http://richardsf1.com/2011/06/27/top-gear-s17e01-review/

James May Vs British Gold Medalist - Top Gear - Series 17 Episode 1 - BBC Two @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/BzxS-3vO6Gw

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/moan_1?q=moan+
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nip+off
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/astonishing?q=astonishing+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/carry-sb-away?q=carry+away#carry-sb-away__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stomp?q=stomping+#stomp__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/scrape_1?q=scrape+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/convertible_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/understated?q=understated+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tribute_1?q=tribute+

Message: Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

The English Playground wishes all English players a highly energised and healthy Chinese New Year and be as strong as the Chinese dragon!!!

Image from cellphonesphere.com

Image from WWF

Do go to the resources below and revise the Chinese New Year vocabulary!!!!

Don't forget to "Like" this entry and the English Playground!!!

Resources:
Food: Chinese Delicacy @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/02/food-chinese-delicacy.html

Food: Festive Puddings @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/02/food-festive-puddings.html

Vocabulary: Chinese New Year Flowers and Plants @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/02/vocabulary-chinese-new-year-flowers-and.html

Animals: A Market Proposal for Saving Whales?

A minke whale is processed in Hvalfjörður, Iceland. Photo: Dagur Brynjólfsson/Flickr
Image from Wired Science

Is putting a price tag on all animals right to do? If whales have a price tag, can they be saved?

I was reading this news article titled A Market Proposal for Saving Whales the other day and was quite disturbed by the photo above, a murdered minke whale, which got me to think, why are people so cruel?


The article suggested putting a price on the right of killing whales and allow the price to float according to the market demands, similar to the carbon emission trading, thus transforming the genocide into a battle of cash. Ideally speaking, it should work, but the question is, what if the whalers buy the rights and decide to execute their rights -- to kill the whales?


A cute free minke whale should look like the one below, and not the one above. The sight of killing such a majestic warm-hearted animal is disheartening and simply a disgrace to mankind.

Minke whale. Photo: Martin Cathrae/Flickr
Image from Wired Science

But am I wrong?

Many others believe that killing anything on this planet is a right as long as it is legally right to do so, as such the law is the guide book to their actions, a definite line drawing what's right and wrong, a boundary which decides the life and death of all other living things.

Moral values? It Is an abstract subjective concept.

We humans, all 7 billions of us [1], cannot stop killing the remaining 103,000 minke whales and classified them as Least Concerned of the conservation status on the IUCN Red List [2], and there are still the sperm whales, dolphins and others.

Unlike fish, these animals have very slow reproduction rate, usually one calf in one pregnancy, and some reach sexual maturity slower than us, meaning that it takes some of them at least 13 years before they have the ability to reproduce [2], let alone the rare chances of finding the right partner in the huge oceans.

Poor whales, can we just look at how few there are and stop the killing without thinking about law?

Why can't all whale-slaughters become whale watching (tourism)?

Whale watching off the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine
Image from Wikipedia

Vocabulary:
genocide -- (n) [U] the murder of a whole group of people, especially a whole nation, race or religious group
majestic -- (adj) beautiful, powerful or causing great admiration and respect
disheartening -- (adj) to make a person lose confidence, hope and energy; to discourage
be a disgrace to sb/sth -- to be so bad or unacceptable that you make people lose respect for the group or activity you are connected to
calf -- (n)  [C] (plural calves) a young cow, or the young of various other large mammals such as elephants and whales
slaughter -- (n) [U] the killing of animals for meat
whale watching -- (n) is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat.


Resources:
A Market Proposal for Saving Whales @ Wired Science
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/whale-market/

Carbon Emission Trading @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_emission_trading

[1] World Population @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

[2] Minke Whale @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minke_whale

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/genocide?q=genocide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/majestic?q=majestic+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dishearten?q=disheartening+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/disgrace_1?q=disgrace+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/calf_1?q=calf
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/slaughter_1?q=slaughter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_watching

News & Message: Wikipedia Blackout

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Image from Wikipedia