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It is impossible not to be affected at some level when watching, even just the highlights, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The endorphin-pumping procession enrolled multiple music cultures, spectacular and theatrical light shows, and played to Paris’s sardonic historical relations and geographical strengths while generating a ‘spectacle’ that would be hard to match or forget (even if we wanted to). This truly was a city that gave itself up and delivered a spicy ‘full-court press’ for the Olympic imagination. However, closer to home, in the wake of the emerging controversies with the development cycle for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics and the cancellation of the 2026 Summer Commonwealth Games by the Victorian government due to projected cost overruns, we feel that more conversation should be occurring around what the Olympic model should be into the future. We offer four propositions or thinking points that are not necessarily new, but collectively suggest, a re-visioning in light of the realities of the poly crisis that looms. The propositions circle around a shift towards a fixed site for the Games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging discourse catalyzed by the opening up of generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) applications for everyday usage often presents Gen-AI as radically and disruptively new. I revisit two moments in early conversations in computational history to offer a historicization of Chat GPT: the making of digital narratives through computational methods of storing, sorting and sequencing semantic units and the production of digital narratives through computational architecture of computability and stacks. I offer a framework of critical turns that unpack Gen-AI as a new form of digital narrative practice that challenges the future of meaning and function of narratives in everyday lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1970s' reform and opening-up, China's economy has achieved remarkable success, maintaining an average annual GDP growth of 9.7% from 1978 to 2006. In 2007, China achieved a GDP of 3.38 trillion USD, surpassing Germany to become the world's third-largest economy, and by the second quarter of 2010, it had become the second-largest economy globally. These developments have attracted international investors' attention to Chinese equities. However, China's poor reputation for corporate governance may deter investors, despite their positive outlook on China's economy. Corporate managers in China are known to engage in income smoothing, taking actions to dampen fluctuations in their firms' publicly reported net income. In 2004, the OECD proposed that a strong disclosure regime promoting real transparency can help attract capital and maintain confidence in the capital market, with income smoothing being a key concern for both institutional and individual investors. This study investigates how auditor industry specialization (AIS) affects income smoothing behavior in Chinese listed companies. Using a sample of 27,208 firm-year observations from 2006 to 2018 collected from the Taiwan Economic Journal Database, the results indicate that AIS is negatively related to managers' income smoothing behavior, underscoring the importance of industry expertise in mitigating such practices. Additionally, an independent t-test highlights the difference between Big Four and non-Big Four auditors in influencing client companies' income smoothing behaviors. The study further demonstrates the significant moderating effect of Big Four auditors on the relationship between accounting firms with top industry expertise and client companies' income smoothing, reflecting the unique characteristics of the Chinese market. This study verifies the suppressive effect of AIS on firms' income smoothing and indirectly suggests that governments (or the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants, CICPA) should regularly disclose accounting firms/auditors with industry expertise publicly. This regime can help global investors make informed investment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hypermarket is a combined supermarket and department store that carries a large range of products. Since the opening of the first hypermarket in the US in the early 1930s, this concept has spread globally. Nowhere is this trend more visible than in India, now the world's most populous country with a middle class that will expectedly grow to 800 million in 2030. This paper coins the theory of hypermarketization to explain why and how the hypermarket as a globalized form signifies the full integration of liberalization, retail and middle-class consumer culture in emerging markets. The argument that hypermarketization marks the point when successful economies in the Global South mature and then qualify as emerging markets is based on empirical material from fieldwork on vegetarianism and meat in hypermarkets and among middle-class groups in South India, namely participant observation and interviewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of the aquatic plant industry in China in 2023, highlighting various lotus festivals and events that took place in different cities. Despite travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese colleagues made significant contributions to the field. These events showcased different cultivars of ornamental lotus and waterlilies, and included exhibitions, symposiums, and cultural activities. The article emphasizes the success of these events and their importance in promoting the aquatic plant field in China. [Extracted from the article]

With the development and advancement of new technology and the increasing penetration of digital media, traditional media outlets such as TV, radio, and newspapers are not the only platforms for sports audiences to watch major events such as the Olympic Games. In this study, we explored how Chinese Olympic audiences embraced different media platforms to consume the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Through a survey of 383 Chinese participants, results revealed that social media, TV, and digital media were the most popular platforms on which to watch the 2020 Olympic Games. There were generational differences in media behaviors, motivations, and preferences between Generations X, Y, and Z. In addition, findings revealed that traditionally popular sports in China, such as badminton and table tennis, were still the most popular across different generations. Theoretical and practical implications for Chinese viewers are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author examines the archetype of the uroboros as it appears in the opening ceremony of a bush doof music festival. Within this rite, a womb-like state is created for participants through the use of darkness, bodily stillness, and the sonic dominance of low-end frequencies. This state is symbolically associated with the archetype of the uroboros as described by Jungian psychoanalyst Erich Neumann. It is then posited that both music and human consciousness emerge from this state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islam is widely spread throughout every corner of China, with the Hui people, the largest Muslim ethnic group in China, numbering over 10 million people, serving as its main carrier. Their culture types and local features exhibit great diversity across different provinces. The ceremony of Prophet's Day or Mawlid al-Nabi in China, as one of the three fundamental festivals of the Hui people alongside Eid al-Fitur and Eid al-Qurban, appears to be more comprehensive, open, and localized. Drawing from fieldwork in three Hui communities—Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Najiaying in Yunnan province, and Hezhou in Gansu province—this paper approaches the topic from the perspective of inculturation and cultural innovation. It aims to describe the ritual processes observed in these three different Hui communities and discuss how the Hui people integrate Islam with traditional Chinese culture in their local contexts, with the intention of forming and preserving their own cultural characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While historians have frequently depicted Scottish roles in the East India trade from peripheral viewpoints, they have tended to overlook the direct contributions of merchants and manufacturers engaged in the East India trade from Scotland. This article examines the activities of Glasgow-based James Finlay & Co. in the China trade during the 1820s and early 1830s. It demonstrates that the firm already had more than a decade of experience engaging in the China trade before the complete abolition of the East India Company's monopoly in 1834. It also argues that the Glasgow firm had a strong connection with London and extended its trading network to Manchester, where the firm outsourced its production for its consignments to the East. This research also contributes to broader East India and China trade issues at that time. Firstly, Finlay's China operations by the East Indiamen suggest that the legality gave the Company's vessels an advantage even after the partial opening of the East India trade in 1814. Secondly, this article highlights the significance of the roles of agency houses in the early phase of the China trade. Thirdly, the case of James Finlay & Co. demonstrates that the opening of the China trade in 1834 was not as significant an episode as conventional scholarship made it out to be. In addition, this research argues that Kirkman Finlay and other Glasgow East India interests leveraged their connection with the Canton house, which they acquired through their trial operations, to advocate for free trade with China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

From the inception of the Parade of Nations in London in 1908 to its latest instalment in Tokyo in 2020, billions have watched different generations of men and women entering the Olympic stadium carrying their nations' flags as national heroes. As a product of modern Western civilisation, the Olympic movement mirrors the advances of an increasingly global society towards socially progressive agendas or otherwise. The twentieth century's latter half was a period of profound and necessary changes in women's rights. Gender inclusion, however, does not mean gender equality. Such an ongoing gradual process can be catalysed by more women being represented in leading roles formerly exclusively reserved for men. A multi-method longitudinal study of twenty-six summer Olympic opening ceremonies was conducted to measure the historical development of the likelihood of women being selected to be (and be represented to international audiences as) the main protagonists in the Parades of Nations. The data shows that despite the growing number of female flag bearers, since Munich 1972, women have been more likely to appear as aesthetically appealing event hostesses than the leaders of their teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Online Journal of Recreation & Sports is the property of Online Journal of Recreation & Sports and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The success of any tsetse control program depends on the knowledge of their behaviour. This study assessed the host choice and feeding behaviours of Glossina morsitans siblings whose parents were bloodfed on rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents, and squirrels. Each individual host was placed in a screen cage, which allowed flies to enter through openings on each side. The groups of flies (20 per replicate), which were colour-marked differently based on their parents' blood meal hosts, were released from the centre of large semi-field cage. The released flies were aspirated after 24 h and then sorted based on their location, feeding status, and parents' blood meal. A total of 213 flies (72.95% of those recovered) were attracted to the hosts. The numbers of flies attracted to different hosts varied significantly (χ24 = 33.685, p = 0.0001): rodents (n = 80, p = 0.006), rabbits (n = 59, p = 0.331), guinea pigs (n = 49, p = 0.057), and squirrels (n = 25, p = 0.005). The numbers of flies attracted to their parent's blood meal source varied significantly (χ212 = 56.476, p < 0.001): rabbits (n = 35, 59.32%, p < 0.001), rodents (n = 25, 31.25%, p = 0.043), and guinea pigs (n = 19, 38.78%, p = 0.45). But only 39 flies (18.31% of the total attracted) bloodfed on the hosts, including guinea pigs (n = 10, 25.64%), rodents (n = 23, 58.97%), rabbits (n = 6, 15.38%), and squirrels (n = 0, 0.0%). There was significant variation in the number of flies that fed successively across hosts (χ24 = 49.478, p < 0.001). The findings from this study confirm the presence of differential attractiveness of the hosts to flies and the so-called "Hopkins host selection principle" or "pre-imaginal conditioning". Therefore, the study attracts the need for detailed investigation on the influence of blood meal sources on tsetse fly siblings' behaviours across filial generations using small mammals or other large mammal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the relationship between Speech Act Theory and the Communicative Approach in assessing foreign languages, emphasizing the theoretical foundations and everyday applications of each approach. The study aims to present the theoretical and practical connections between these two approaches and highlight the emphasis on real-world communication in the Communicative Approach. The opening section examines Speech Act Theory as a forceful linguistic framework for analyzing the semiotic functions of language, elucidating how speeches not only communicate information but also enact actions within communicative encounters. The speech act theory's illocutionary, perlocutionary, and locutionary actions are explained in depth, emphasizing that language usage is dynamic and how its context affects interpretation. Examining existing research on Speech Act Theory, the Communicative Approach, and their applications in language assessment, the paper investigated the Communicative Approach to Foreign Language Testing, which deviates from conventional paradigms for language evaluation and builds on Speech Act Theory. It was found that the Communicative Approach, which has its roots in Speech Act Theory, emphasizes the practical use of language in real-world contexts. The results shed light on the theoretical foundations of the Communicative Approach, enhancing its application in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American poetry was firstly and sporadically translated and introduced to China in the late 19th century, and an obvious increase in amount did not happen until the May Fourth Movement period. This paper presents a review of the history of the translation and study of American poetry since the May Fourth Movement, with its emphasis on the period since the opening-up of China, and believes that the 100 years' history witnesses Chinese academia's imitating and absorbing in the May Fourth Movement period, learning and growing in the late 20th century, borrowing and dialoging in the opening of the 21st century, and equally exchanging and independently innovating in the New Era. This paper reveals the scholarly tradition of China's translation and study of American poetry for its own use on the one hand, and the cultural selfconfidence and spirit of independent innovation of Chinese scholarship in the New Era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Olympics are a media behemoth. Much media coverage of the Games is straight-up sports fare delivered in the predictable rhythms of victory and defeat. However, with the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, US media outlets offered significant coverage exploring the political and human-rights concerns. This paper identifies and analyzes the predominant frames that US media outlets employed when covering the Beijing Olympics. The empirical data for this study derive from the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, the four most-circulated newspapers in the country. The timeframe includes the lead-up to the Games, the actual Olympics, and the aftermath. This systematic content analysis—which examines both hard news and opinion journalism—also engages in indexing analysis: tracking who journalists turn to for insight and comment and how this affects the discourse bandwidth and the emergence of predominant frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses China's diplomatic strategy under President Xi Jinping, emphasizing global partnerships and adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Topics include China's focus on major-country relations, cooperation with developing countries, and historical evolution of its diplomatic engagement with the developing world.

This article examines the phenomenon of Western tourists seeking self-discovery in South Asia, particularly in India, and the neocolonialist attitudes that can perpetuate. It focuses on Auroville, a sustainable community in India, questioning the role of economic resources in its success. The article also explores the historical roots of South Asia as a utopian destination and the influence of white supremacy. It concludes by advocating for racially diverse and inclusive utopias that do not rely on exoticization and exclusion. Additionally, the article discusses the racialization of Islam in the West and its impact on the perception of Bangladesh as a spiritual destination. It delves into the transactional relationship between Western brands and Bangladesh's garment industry, emphasizing the consequences of Western demands for sustainable production and the complicity of Western consumers in the poverty and pollution in Bangladesh. The text also explores the concept of eco-nationalism and its intersection with climate activism, ultimately advocating for inclusive and community-driven sustainability efforts to address the climate crisis. [Extracted from the article]

The presentations with distinctive national features in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics have worked together to render to the world a unique and splendorous visual show. Notably, every part of the performance involved in this discussion is characterized by the extensive employment of traditional Chinese cultural elements. To be specific, the performance of the body art is connected to the making of a Chinese landscape painting, which overtly gives prominence to the mediality of the human body in the creation of the traditional national cultural images such as sun, mountain, river, cloud and the like -- the very representative cultural symbols of Chinese nation. The famous Dunhuang dance in the section of the Silk Road is presented with a long green satin which is heavily vested with national cultural connotations. The pillars used as stage props are engraved with the images of loong -- a symbol of auspiciousness in Chinese culture, for the loong embodies courage. The invention of the movable-type printing significantly involves the wisdom of the Chinese people, and Tai Chi performance evokes the harmonious spirit that the Chinese nation and people greatly value. The rendering of these images through creative ways has casted the opening ceremony into a unique cultural text -- as narrated in well-designed artistic forms, it has presented the world with an extraordinary visual feast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opening ceremonies of sports mega-events are privileged for transmitting discourse about the past and constructing a national identity. Although it is difficult to determine how vital opening ceremonies are in the long term or how much they are ever remembered beyond the media coverage, these ceremonies project national images of the countries that organize them by reinforcing identities. Based on the theoretical assumptions of constructivism, this article contrasts the Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020 opening ceremonies, discussing how the creation of these narratives reflects the aspirations to build national identities linked with an idealized past. Also, this article analyses how these events illustrate how China and Japan present their identity in an international scenario. Finally, the conclusions emphasize the importance of opening ceremonies beyond the limited sports context and their profound political implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]