NewsTrust - Olympics - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Independent)

Olympic Ritual and Religion, Hosted by a Religion-less State

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Religion Dispatches - By Lou Ruprecht - Aug. 11 (Opinion) - One of the little remarked aspects of the Modern Olympic Games is its explicit status as a religious revival. The founder, or "renovateur," of the Modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, could not have been clearer about the religious valence of his revival. Not long after he first proposed the renewal of the ancient Greek games in modern international guise, he began referring to them as the religio athletae, though he was never able to say in any simple way who the god worshiped at the altar of his revival was supposed to be.

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Beyond Beijing: China's Toughest Competition

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Nation - By Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, Kate Merkel-Hess - Aug. 09 (Opinion) - The most important reason to look beyond Beijing is simple: the Chinese regime realized from the start that domestically, the games cannot achieve what it wants them to achieve if they are seen as a just the capital's affair.

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China: Interview with photo-journalist Tom Carter

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Play the Game for Open Journalism - By Michael Herborn - Jul. 29 (Interview) - American Tom Carter has spent the past two years on the road in China, visiting all 33 provinces and autonomous regions along the way, one of the few foreigners to have ever done so.

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Six Questions for Arvind Ganesan on the Beijing Olympics, the Media and Human Rights

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Harper's - By Ken Silverstein - Jul. 14 (Interview) - Arvind Ganesan has been at Human Rights Watch as the Director of the Business and Human Rights Program and is involved in research, advocacy, and policy development. His program has issued groundbreaking reports on Enron, Wal-Mart, corruption in Angola, where American oil companies have major investments, and Western companies censoring the Internet in China.

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Raining on the Wrong Parade

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Informed Comment: Global Affairs - By Philip J. Cunningham - Apr. 10 (Opinion) - Holier-than-thou human rightists who clearly find it easier to pick on China rather than tend to more egregious violations in their own backyard contribute to the enmity. Unthinking nationalists, rag-tag hooligans and agit-prop activists who are looking to spoil China's shared moment of glory by disrupting the Olympics, whether it be in the name of asserting Western values, Darfur, Dharmasala or just for the hell of it, may find the wrath of the Chinese people, once riled up, unruly and liable to spiral out of control.

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