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Issue 18 — August 7, 2008

I have always loved watching the Olympics. But at some point along the way it stopped being so easy to just tune in and turn off. Judging by the sheer volume of online chatter about the Beijing Olympics, I am not alone.

So, when our staff decided to focus IssueLab's August CloseUp on the Olympics, we did so with mixed feelings. Our childlike excitement about the sheer athletic wonder of it all was coupled with a growing awareness of how nonprofits worldwide are working to resolve the pressing social issues associated with this event.

There is a convenient term used by academics and activists who study the impact of the Olympics. They call it a mega-event, a short-term, high profile event that re-prioritizes agendas around human rights, urban development, environmental change, media reform, and other social issues.

As is evidenced by this month's CloseUp the Beijing Olympics is in every sense a mega-event. We have only scratched the surface in our work to collect research on this topic, but it speaks to how the Olympics can truly impact the lives of individuals and communities in both serious and joyful ways.

Please take a minute to explore one or two titles in this collection - or even just this month's staff picks. Whether you watch or don't watch this year, the research being produced by these nonprofits provides us all with a clearer picture.

[ photos provided by mcbill and philippe leroyer ]

» The Five Rings - IssueLab's Staff Picks

Because the Olympics CloseUp covers so many diverse subtopics we decided to hand over the editorial reigns (or rings) to IssueLab's staff. For our August CloseUp each staff person picked a piece of research that offers a unique perspective on the topic of the Olympics.

Stacy
Changing Lives through Sport -- A Report Card on the Impact of Special Olympics
This report is a nice, though brief, testament to the virtues and benefits of the Special Olympics. Though it sometimes reads like a mission statement, this ends up being less troubling than you would think since the mission is admirable and, as evidence shows, effective. More than 75% of Special Olympics athletes participate for longer than 5 years, and athletes, family, and coaches report impressive social, health, skills, and personal improvement. Read Stacy's full review.

Gabi
Women in the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games: An Analysis of Participation, Leadership and Media Coverage
My pick for the Olympic CloseUp is a 2006 report from the Women's Sports Foundation. I especially appreciated this analysis of gender equity in the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Games because it doesn't just stop at counting female participants. It goes on to take a critical look at the media coverage of female athletes and interestingly at the number of women in positions of leadership at the IOC and other Olympic institutions. Read my full review.

Vanessa
Race to the Bottom: Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship
Though I am in the camp with those who are choosing to boycott the Olympics, I am glad that its placement in Beijing has directed my attention to the breadth of human rights violations that the people of China are enduring. "Race to the Bottom: Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship People in China" from Human Rights Watch interests me because it tells about human rights violations in a way that hits very close to home. Read Vanessa's full review.

Lisa
Beijing Water Crisis: 1949 - 2008 Olympics
I'm a long-time fan of the Olympics and typically watch the coverage from opening to closing ceremony. So I've been very focused on not only securing research for our Olympics Closeup, but on news about the Beijing Olympics in general. The massive preparations host cities undergo to put on the show that is The Olympics are, I find, always fascinating. For the Beijing Olympics I've been tracking the environmental angle (still can't get out of my mind recent images of thousands of people clearing algae from what will be Beijing's sailing venue) so this report was right up my alley. Read Lisa's full review.

Sarah
Where is the "Frugal Olympics"?
While there are certainly a number of opinions about the Olympics, I'm sure the one aspect of the games we can all agree on is that they are simply larger than life. The soaring stadiums, extravagant promotional events, and medals of gold certainly thrill many. But in a year of worldwide economic crises one has to wonder: who really picks up the tab, and is it worth it? Read Sarah's full review.

» Search No Further for Speed and Accuracy

There are those of you who like to take your sweet time browsing IssueLab, like a visit to an oversized bookstore on a Sunday afternoon. And then there are those of you who come to IssueLab with a clear idea of what you're looking for.

For those of you who need speed and accuracy you will be glad to know that we recently implemented a new search function on IssueLab. It is now faster, easier and more accurate than ever.

Go ahead try a keyword, any keyword ... how about just asking "why?"

» IssueLab's Summer Interns Take Gold

This summer we had the good fortune and pleasure to work with two interns who in our estimation both deserve the gold. Stacy and Celia came to us in June, plugged in, and simply cranked all summer long on building IssueLab's archive and on growing awareness about the important body of research we collect.

We greatly appreciate their hard work and creativity!

» Seeking Fall Interns to Take Up the Torch

We are currently accepting applications for IssueLab's Fall internships. We are seeking inquisitive, tech savvy problem solvers who share our concern about providing broader access to information on social issues and wish to build their skills in online research, digital archiving, and Internet marketing.

Read the full job descriptions on IssueLab and if you know someone who fits this profile please spread the word!

Social Marketing Intern
Editorial/Research Intern

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