Today on Word of Mouth, we're taking a break from winter weather to travel the world with bobsleds, The Beatles, local attractions from around the globe, and yoga. We begin with a New Hampshire native who had a hand in the design of the bronze medal winning US Olympic bobsled. Then, we visit the four lads from Liverpool for their fiftieth anniversary of arriving in the US. After that, destination anywhere to hear about the best local places in more than 300 places around the world. Finally: competitive yoga on the seacoast. Yes, it's a real thing. Grab your carry-on, and don't forget your headphones. Word of Mouth is taking you on a trip!
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US Olympic Bobsled Design
- Michael Scully, a New Hampshire native, is the creative director atBMW Designworks USA. He had an integral part in the US Olympic bobsled design. Virginia spoke to him just before he left for Sochi to see how how his rig rides.
- For a fun ride with the Jamaican bobsled Team, check out their Bobsled Song, which synchs perfectly with the twists and turns of the Olympic bobsled track. "It's bobsled time!"
Where The Locals Go
- National Geographic’s travel team has compiled a list of suggestions in a new book, Where the Locals Go: More than 300 Places Around the World to Eat, Play, Shop, Celebrate, and Relax. Keith Bellows joins us. He is editor-in-chief and senior vice president of National Geographic Traveler Magazine and travel media.
And we stay on the travel beat with a story from the mountains of Africa. We’ll hear about a woman who travels from Oklahoma to Rwanda to visit the site where Diane Fossey studied gorillas in their natural habitat, although this woman is not quite as savvy as her predecessor.
Grammar of The Beatles
- Mignon Fogarty, creator of Grammar Girl and founder and managing director of Quick and Dirty Tips, joined Virginia to talk about the grammar of the band that first arrived in the US fifty years ago this month: The Beatles.
Competitive Yoga
- Competitive yoga sounds like an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp and virtual reality. But it is a real thing, and it is intensely competitive. So how does one train to be competitive in a practice that is typically meant to encourage relaxation? Reporter Emily Corwin brings us the story of a seacoast yogi heading to the national championships.