Tag Archives: olympics

Did the Olympics Inspire You?

While the Olympic games may be behind us now (at least until the Summer Games in 2012), the Olympic spirit may stick with you long after the Closing Ceremonies. And you don’t have to be an Olympic-level athlete to let the Games inspire you to better health! Olympic Inspiration Number One: introduction to new sports. It seems like they add new sports to the Games each year — one I’d never seen or heard of before this year was ski cross. But it sure looked like fun: four athletes side-by-side on a course that includes turns, jumps, and fast-paced passes. … Continue reading →

10 Things You Should Know about Apolo Anton Ohno

Unless your computer, radio, and television have been turned off for the past two weeks, you have probably heard at least a little about Apolo Anton Ohno. Without a doubt, he has been one of the most celebrated Olympians in Vancouver this year. In case you don’t know a lot about this record breaking speed skater, here are 10 things you should know about Apolo: 10. Apolo’s father Yuki got him involved in sports at the age of 6 to keep him busy after school. As a tween, Apolo preferred swimming over speed skating and won the Washington state championship … Continue reading →

Actor Andrew Koenig Missing and Apolo Mystery Explained

The eyes of the world are focused on Vancouver as the winter Olympics are currently going on there, but some are looking towards Vancouver for another reason. Andrew Koenig, who had a reoccurring role in “Growing Pains, was in West Vancouver in early February visiting friends. The 41 year old actor missed his flight back to Calif. on Feb. 16 and was last seen by friends on Feb. 14. Koenig is the son of “Star Trek” star Walter “Chekov” Koenig. The Vancouver police issued a statement that said Koenig “had recently been despondent and his family and friends are concerned … Continue reading →

To Fur or Not to Fur – Johnny Weir

The wearing of animal fur by celebrities is almost always going to cause a stir. PETA members have thrown paint and blood on those wearing fur to show their disgust, but that still hasn’t stopped some celebrities from choosing fashion over compassion, for animals that is. Flamboyant figure skater Johnny Weir was called out last month by PETA and Friends of Animals for wearing a costume with a fur trim at the U.S. Nationals. Weir said he received threats, something he wasn’t used to. “I’m not a huge politician that gets these threats all the time. I mean I’m a … Continue reading →

Swimmer Nick D’Arcy Given a Suspended Sentence for Assault

I missed this story when it was originally published, but 21 year old Australian swimmer Nick D’Arcy just received a suspended sentence for an assault charge. D’Arcy was involved in a brawl on March 31, 2008 with former swimmer Simon Cowley, who had won three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. That night, D’Arcy was celebrating his place on the Australian Olympic swimming team at a Sydney nightclub. Cowley is said to have slapped the inebriated D’Arcy then a brawl broke out. Cowley may have started it, but he got the worst of it – he ended up with a … Continue reading →

Will Changing Attitudes Toward Disabilities Affect the Future of International Adoption in China?

My last blog featured another profile of an elite athlete who was adopted—Jessica Tatiana Long, who was adopted from a Russian orphanage at 13 months of age, and had her legs amputated below the knee when she was 18 months old. She competed last week in The Paralympic Games in Beijing. These Games have brought changes to China, in both infrastructure and attitudes toward the disabled. Last May I wrote a blog about Chinese people applying to adopt earthquake orphans. This also represented a big change. Traditional beliefs in many parts of China included the importance of a pure bloodline, … Continue reading →

So You Think the Olympics Ended in August? Think Again!

Why would I be writing about another Olympic role model with adoption ties a month after the Olympic Games ended? Well, in reality the Games ended just this past week. From September 6-13, the Paralympic Games took place in Beijing. The world’s second-largest sporting event–elite competitions for athletes with physical or visual disabilities–draws the best disabled athletes from all over the world. The “para” in Paralympics is for “parallel”, on a par with, rather than paraplegic as some people assume. The Paralympic Games are held in the same year and at the same location as the Olympic Games. Cities and … Continue reading →

A Ton of People Watching TV

TV executives are on top of the world right now, thrilled that you spent at least part of the last few weeks tuning into major sporting and political events. Records were shattered last month when more than two out of three people worldwide watched the Beijing Olympics on TV. According to new numbers just released by Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion viewers worldwide tuned into at least some of the 17 days of Olympic TV coverage last month. The audience was one-fifth larger than the 3.9 billion who watched the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, according to the folks at … Continue reading →

How Do You Pronounce It?

Is it “Bay-jing,” “Bay-zhing” or “Bay-zheeng”? The 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China are rapidly coming to a close and I have yet to view a day of coverage where broadcasters are on the same page when it comes to pronouncing the host city’s name. Have you noticed this too? Brian Williams spent more than a week anchoring NBC’s “Nightly News” from a place he calls “Bay-jing.” The veteran news anchor makes a concerted effort to place the emphasis on the second syllable and he sounds as though he knows what he is doing. However, lead primetime Olympic anchor … Continue reading →

Hot and Spicy Singapore Rice Noodles with Shrimp

In keeping in the Olympic spirit I have been sharing recipes for some popular Chinese dishes. The local Chinese restaurant in my (very small) town came up with the clever idea of passing out recipes to patrons who dine at their eatery during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Last week my friends took me out for Chinese food to celebrate my birthday and we left the restaurant with a folder full of recipes. Some of them were for familiar dishes and others were for ones that we had never sampled until that night, such as the one below. According to … Continue reading →