Volume 18 Issue 12
Bumming a Ride
Brazil's Movimento Passe Livre (MPL, aka the Free Fare Movement) is a nationwide, semiorganized army of young protesters demanding that the government create free-of-charge national public transportation.
Party On, Dubstep Dudes
Earlier this year, as rioting and revolution convulsed the rest of the world, Switzerland remained predictably stable.
Future Imperfect
I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but 2011 was a lousy, lousy year for me. It began with me getting dumped via Facebook and ended with me being so poor that I'm buying oranges with small change.
Romani Ruckus
On September 23, 19-year-old Angel Petrov was intentionally run over and killed by a minibus full of Romani while walking his dog in the village of Katunitsa, Bulgaria.
Stay Hungry and Update Your Status Frequently
It's easy to compare Anna Hazare, perhaps India's most famous activist, to Mahatma Gandhi. Like Gandhi's, Hazare's wardrobe consists of homespun cotton dhotis, spectacles, and sandals.
Flame On!
Tibetans have become so desperate for autonomy that they've taken to lighting themselves on fire. We contacted Stephanie Brigden to find out more about burning yourself alive in the name of protest.
Getting Nailed
For 50 years, people in the tiny Philippine village of Cutud have celebrated Good Friday by driving seven-inch nails through the hands and feet of a few volunteers in a gory reenactment of Jesus's crucifixion.
The Mysteries of the Teacher
The next time I hear someone complaining about how everyone is corrupt, money is evil, and our problems are unsolvable, I'll say, "Well, there's this place you can go..."
The Phantom Massacre
Since 2004, almost 5,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the southern provinces of Thailand in a series of bombings, shootings, arson attacks, and decapitations.
Holy Tax Evasion
Italian Archbishop Bagnasco declared that paying taxes is a Catholic's God-given duty. That's nice, but it's maybe a wee bit hypocritical, considering that the Catholic Church doesn't pay taxes.
Hadephobia Is the Fear of Hades
To get an idea of what hadephobes go through, I spent some time cruising online Christian forums. Almost all of them spelled hell with a capital H.
The Emanations of Shiva
The idea, as I get it, is to wake up--to end the constant delusion. By "delusion," I mean looking at something that is not real and thinking it is real. And this, according to Buddhism, is everything.