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Purpose – The purpose of this research is to present a brief overview of some proposals for portal quality models. In addition, a comparative study is carried out to determine the similarities and differences of these models. Design/methodology/approach – In order to compare the different portal quality models, their main characteristics were analysed as well as the different dimensions proposed in each model. Findings – As a result, several similarities and differences have been established among the portal quality models. For example, the dimensions present in all the models are navigation, representation, personalization and intrinsic data quality. This means that, as expected, it was found that researchers pay special attention to visual aspects. Practical implications – The comparison attempts to determine which aspects are important for the quality of a web portal, and also to clarify which proposal is the most broadly relevant. The paper also identifies, where necessary, what features must be added in order to ensure that all aspects related to web portal quality are considered. Originality/value – This work tries to identify a portal quality model that can be used to gauge portal quality levels. The model could also be used where there is a low quality level for a particular dimension, giving some guidelines for improving the weaker aspects.

Within the past few years, responsible educators, librarians, parents, counselors, social workers, therapists, and religious groups of all sexual persuasions and lifestyles have recognized the need for readily available reading material for lesbian and gay youth. Unfortunately, this material is often buried, because it is embedded in larger works. To meet this need, I have compiled and annotated 100 of the best works for young homosexuals, bisexuals, and heterosexuals. I have also included a few of the best works currently available on heterosexuality as a much needed source of knowledge for all young adults whether they are gay or straight, whether they remain childless or eventually become parents.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the unaddressed phenomenon of photographic colonialism using service learning to illustrate the way in which photos and visual imagery are allowed to go unchallenged within educational media and qualitative research.

This essay draws on Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s seminal essay to ask: “Can the subaltern be seen?” By so doing, it explores the manner in which photography produced from a Eurocentric gaze re-presents and speaks for the subaltern, particularly within the context of qualitative research and educational photos displayed in the colonizer’s image.

The colonizing impact of photographic methods also permits for the washing away of cultural, historical, and political responsibility for the plight faced by the subaltern.

This paper, moreover, seeks to challenge and disrupt the ways in which we accept, ignore, deny, and standby when photos of the subaltern are used to perpetuate the coloniality of power (Quijano, 2000), despite post-colonial claims.

The interest for hosting the Olympic Games is now at its historical peak. Heads of states, culture elites, top athletes and professional marketers are engaged in selling their cities to the deciding International Olympic Committee. This host selection process has recently been in the focus of public interest due to the bribery allegations against the winner of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Salt Lake City.

The rise of Black Lives Matter (BLM), as an intentionally intersectional movement, challenges us to consider the ways in which BLM is reimagining the lines of Black activism and the Black Liberation Movement. BLM may be considered the “next wave” of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM), guiding how and with whom the movement will progress. We use a content analysis of public statements and interviews of the founding members from October 2014 to October 2016 to discuss the ways in which the founders of BLM frame the group’s actions. We bring together the critical feminist concept of intersectionality with framing theory to show how the founders of BLM have strategically framed the movement as one that honors past Black Liberation struggles, but transforms traditional framing of those struggles to include all Black lives inclusive of differences based on gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, or criminal status.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between Olympic stadiums and the urban environment. This relationship is considered as key to understanding the cultural significance of these exceptional event‐based buildings. It helps to explain present challenges faced by their conservation and raises the issue of considering likely heritage values at the design stage of stadiums.

The analysis is based on a periodization of the relationship between Olympic stadiums and the urban environment. This periodization proposes a six stage typology, starting from the stadium of Olympia at the Hellenistic period. It combines an analysis of the stadium architecture itself and the integration of Olympic facilities within their urban setting and the city at large.

The article highlights that Olympic stadiums have progressively been isolated from the city environment they are located in. This isolation can both be observed at the scale of the building, through the progressive adoption of arena‐shaped envelopes, and at the scale of the city through the clustering of Olympic facilities in campus‐like sites. Although it can be explained by functional and city‐marketing requirements, it is argued that this isolation will hamper an adaptive reuse of these facilities once the Olympic event is over. It is further suggested that the conservation of Olympic stadiums should be considered at the design stage of these buildings, considering their potential outstanding socio‐cultural values.

This research is based on the analysis of Olympic stadiums solely. It may have been completed and refined by a comparison with other stadiums, especially those dedicated to football competitions. It means that the research results are closely related to a very specific type of stadium, which is designed for a once in lifetime a time event, repeated throughout the world every four years.

The main originality of the work consists in the combination of a building‐ and a settlement‐oriented typology within the periodization. It has been further considered that considering the stadium of Olympia at the Hellenistic period within the typology would help to better describe a general movement from opened‐ to closed‐stadium environments that definitively finds its roots in the Greek Antiquity.

The purpose of this paper is to review Olympic mascots in the electronic and traditional communications environments.

Olympic mascots from 2006 to 2012 are analyzed using a descriptive semiotic analysis technique.

Results found that none of the 2006-2012 mascots clearly represented the two most recognizable icons of the Olympic movement, the Olympic Rings and the Olympic Flame. The association of the London 2012 mascots with the Olympic Games are found to be limited.

This research sets the stage for a number of future studies to further assess the management issues, social benefits, and potential missteps regarding mascots at the Olympic Games and other mega-events.

The practitioner of today working for a mega-event like the Olympic Games needs to be aware of the potential benefits and inherent risks of developing and implementing a mascot.

This research is the first to look specifically at Olympic mascots in the electronic age and contrast their use to traditional communications.