Features and articles about real life.
The wrestling ring is a place where stereotypes are turned on their head and left locked in a half-nelson. A macho sport in South America’s most impoverished and conservative country has become an expression of female empowerment. Carmen Rosa, with pigtails and gold front teeth, is the undisputed champion. The role of indigenous people is […]
Continue ReadingOn Saturday morning October 15, 1910 Walter Wellman and his five-man crew set off on their daring attempt to cross the Atlantic in the airship ‘America’… They were tired yet content to be on their way at last after weeks of waiting in Atlantic City. Europe was their destination, especially Ireland or England. “I don’t […]
Continue ReadingGet ready for it, pet owners are now encouraging their canines to paint, and then proudly displaying the “muttsterpieces” in well attended art shows. Sammy, Major and Kayne are not your typical artists. They’re not starving; in fact, their paintings have sold for as much as $1,700. They don’t go around bragging about their success. […]
Continue ReadingCan online porn and vegan strip clubs save the rainforest? The erotic industry believes there’s a market for idealists who want to hug more than just trees. Four years ago, Tommy Ellingsen and Leona Johannson decided to do something for the environment. Like many other eco-activists, the young Norwegian couple opted to set up a […]
Continue ReadingAn increasing number of women are practicing medication-free birth control as part of a countrywide return to a back-to-basics lifestyle. Amanda Zamani of Asheville, N.C., never really liked hormonal birth control and its effects on her body. She had a hard time remembering to take the Pill at the same time every day, and she […]
Continue ReadingNever before have there been so many things to be afraid of, a situation that has kept researchers busy compiling catalogues to keep up with the new fears. They range from the tragic (philophobia, fear of love) to the bizarre (consecotaleophobia, fear of chopsticks). Basically, if you can name it, someone is phobic about it. […]
Continue ReadingA new wave of slang collectors are trying to keep up with language as it evolves. As an Oregon high schooler might say: dankidy! A few months ago David Turnbull, 37, of Portland, Ore., used the term “California car pool” in an online exchange with a colleague, who didn’t know what he meant. Turnbull had […]
Continue ReadingIn most states, drivers must prove they’re legally in the country to get a license. But tightening requirements make it impossible for even some legal immigrants to get behind the wheel. Carolina Ortiz moved from Buenos Aires to Austin, Texas, in October of 2007, and she could hardly wait to explore the city, meet new […]
Continue ReadingResearchers at the Williams Institute at UCLA found a large income gap between same-sex couples and married heterosexuals – even more pronounced among non-white gays and lesbians, who make up 20% of same-sex parents. In the summer of 2004 Della Nagle and Ruth Pinkham dropped their kids off at summer camp, hopped on a flight […]
Continue ReadingHundreds of evangelical Christians who believe in polygamy have set up Web sites to help couples find a few extra wives. Albert Morrison is a religious man. He prays, he reads the Bible and says he has a deep connection with Jesus. It is this devotion that helps explain why Albert and his wife, Sarah, […]
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