Will South Korea’s $13 billion Olympic investment pay off?

Will Pyeongchang be able to avoid a post-Olympics day of reckoning? [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 26 February 2018 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note Now that the Winter Olympics have ended, what will happen to South Korea’s Pyeongchang region? Will it become the Asian winter sports hub that the country’s Olympic organizers envisioned? Or will projects like the high-speed rail linking Seoul to Pyeongchang end up as expensive Olympic boondoggles? Penn State urban designer Jim Sipes worked as a consultant for the Atlanta and London Games. He knows from firsthand experience that when it comes to the Olympics, [lofty visions don’t always mesh with reality](. President Donald Trump has suggested arming teachers to prevent school shootings. In fact, researchers recently found that the decision to carry a gun creates so many mental and legal worries that [it leads some gun owners to simply leave their guns at home](. While putting guns in the hands of teachers, the scholars argue, “may reduce the risk of being powerless during an attack, it also introduces substantial and overlooked risks to the carrier and others.” Many words have been used to describe the growing political divide in America. But Colorado State’s Michael Carolan – guided by the writer’s dictum, “Show, don’t tell” – [presents those divisions in a novel way](: word clouds that go beyond “red-blue” and “urban-rural” and allow groups on either side of the divide to describe themselves. Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Top stories Will structures like the Gangneung Ice Arena be worth the investment once the games wrap up? AP Photo/Felipe Dana [Will Pyeongchang be able to avoid a post-Olympics day of reckoning?]( James Sipes, Pennsylvania State University South Korea's lofty vision of transforming the region into a winter sports hub may be pipe dream. Research shows that carrying a gun for self-defense comes with a host of risks. Shutterstock.com [Why Trump's idea to arm teachers may miss the mark]( Aimee Huff, Oregon State University; Michelle Barnhart, Oregon State University While President Donald Trump suggests arming teachers would be a good way to stop school shootings, research shows that carrying firearms comes with a host of troublesome risks. In a divided United States, how can we describe who is on each side? from www.shutterstock.com [Understanding the US political divide, one word cloud at a time]( Michael Carolan, Colorado State University There's a new way to reveal America's political divide. One researcher finds the differences between groups that are normally crudely described as 'right-left' can be better explained by word clouds. Economy + Business - [How the firearms industry influences US gun culture, in 6 charts]( Michael Siegel, Boston University Gunmakers should be at the center of any discussion of the root causes of violence, and a closer look at firearms sales reveals some interesting trends. - [The NRA's journey from marksmanship to political brinkmanship]( Robert Spitzer, State University of New York College at Cortland The group, founded in 1871, didn’t try to smother virtually all gun control efforts until the mid-1970s. Health + Medicine - [Mental illness and gun laws: What you may not know about the complexities]( Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University When mass shootings occur, some people insist the focus should be on mental illness, not gun control. A psychiatrist explains how that view misses the mark. - [Loneliness is bad for your health]( Jed Magen, Michigan State University Social isolation is linked to higher blood pressure, lower cognitive abilities and even increased chances of premature death. Politics + Society - [Washington has meddled in elections before]( William M. LeoGrande, American University Decades ago, the CIA created a secret department dedicated to spreading anti-communist propaganda around the globe. A scholar explains how it is comparable to Russian meddling through social media. Environment + Energy - [Plague bacteria may be hiding in common soil or water microbes, waiting to emerge]( David Markman, Colorado State University Where do plague bacteria go between outbreaks? New research demonstrates that they can survive and replicate inside amoebae that are widely present in soil and water worldwide. Education - [Here's how we can make going to college smoother for students who've been in foster care]( John R. Seita, Michigan State University A professor of social work who grew up in foster care shines light on programs meant to help former foster youth make it through college. Trending on site - [What might explain the unhappiness epidemic?]( Jean Twenge, San Diego State University Changes in how we're spending our free time is a likely culprit. - [Operation Gunnerside: The Norwegian attack on heavy water that deprived the Nazis of the atomic bomb]( Timothy J. Jorgensen, Georgetown University Feb. 28 marks the 75th anniversary of Operation Gunnerside. A stealthy group of skiing commandos took out a crucial Nazi facility and stopped Hitler from getting the atomic bomb. - [Parents need to start talking to their tweens about the risks of porn]( Gail Dines, Wheelock College While parents are growing more concerned about their children's easy access to porn, they often don't realize just how 'hardcore' and violent it has become and how early their kids are seeing it. Today’s quote [In the majority of cases when a patient is involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit, it is not because the person is a risk to others. Rather, it is more often the case that the person is at risk of harming himself.]( [Mental illness and gun laws: What you may not know about the complexities]( Arash Javanbakht Wayne State University [Arash Javanbakht] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. 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