BY: KESTREL In the age of mass media, ideas are stripped to their bare bones and forced to dance for the global marketing puppet show. Brand managers and market analysts, the new navigators of the twenty-first century, map currents of…
Growing Up Gay In A Military Family
BY: CHRISTINE CELIS “Law enforcement and the military are both boys’ clubs,” said Carlos*, 22, as he sat down in front of me. “No matter where you go, those two fields are always full of manly men. Of course, there…
Romance Tourism: Kenya is Now a Love Fantasy Land for Middle-Aged Women
European travellers deserted Kenya’s beaches long ago, but, in recent years, you may encounter a new, increasingly familiar sight: mature white women surrounded by muscular Kenyan men. During a work trip to Mombasa, Kenya, Danish photographer Sofie Amalie Klougart accidentally…
Why do Artists Have to be Poor and Fucked Up? A Portrait of Author Andrew Kaufman
BY: AYA TSINTZIRAS Andrew Kaufman writes in a notebook, seated at a tiny circular table in a courtyard. The tiles below him are stone, and the building above him is beige stucco. It’s a mere façade, though, standing above a…
Redefining Home On Native Land: Inside British Columbia’s Fight For Aboriginal Territory
BY: KELSEY ROLFE No British Columbia premier has ever met with the Tsilhqot’in Nation on their home turf. Nor had one ever sat down with aboriginal titleholders as equals. Christy Clark, B.C.’s current premier, was the first to do both…
This Band Practices Weekly But Has Never Met In Person: Second Life’s Avatar Orchestra
BY: DANIEL KORN You make your way to the concert hall and take your seat. The performance space is a grassy field in the middle of a mountainous enclosure, surrounded on all sides by a baby blue sky filled with…
Comedian Chris Turner: Your Parents Might Be Disappointed, But You’ll Get The Last Laugh
BY: PILGRIM Don’t be discouraged by the look of disappointment you’ll receive from your parents when you tell them you’ve figured out what you want to do with your life; stand-up comedy is an optimal career choice for a twenty-something.…
This Photographer Captures The First Surfers To Ride Sub-Zero Arctic Swells
BY: ROB HOFFMAN Chris Burkard’s photography is a call to action for the traveler who refuses to see the world from the inside of a five-star resort, or overtop the latest edition of “Lonely Planet”. His catalogue of surfing, adventure,…
NoFap: The Twenty-First Century Abstinence Movement
BY: KARMUN KHOO The Ancient Egyptians believed that the world is a product of masturbation—an act committed by the god Atum. Early Indians wrote in the Kama Sutra that men should “churn [their] instrument with a lion’s pounce.” And if…
I moved to a remote cabin in Alaska. It was the best decision I’ve ever made
BY: HANNAH WRIGHT Some people shudder at the thought of living in the woods. For me, it was a gateway to another realm. In a society that bleeds technology, instant gratification, and convenience, many of us are left craving challenge…
Industrial Agriculture Is The Worlds Largest Polluter: Urban Agriculture Over Globalized Growing
BY: Leah Hansen In any conversation about the state of the world today, the word “globalization” makes an appearance. Our world is more interconnected and closer than ever, and they say, we’re more aware of global issues now than ever…
Welcome To Trashland: José Ferreira Captures Two Women Eating a Decomposing Dog
BY: JOSÉ FERREIRA Just a few metres from the airport in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital city, is the Huléne dump. Here, several hundred people frantically search through mounds of garbage for forgotten treasures, for something of utility, or for something they…
Grown Men Dressing As Living Dolls. Creepy Or Courageous?
BY: KATY WILLIS Picture a living doll. Do you see girls piling on makeup, dying their hair blonde, and trying to look like Barbie? The serial killer-possessed Chucky? The Lolita doll fetish that’s widespread among YouTube makeup tutorial instructors? Living…
Taking the Car out of the American Dream: Why Carless Living is Liberating
By: Jessica Burde I walked about two miles yesterday: half a mile to my counsellor’s office, half a mile back; a half-mile to and from the grocery store; and another half-mile between home and work. There are lots of places…
A Japanese Scientist Started A Revolution Of Robots That Look Freakishly Human
BY: KATY WILLIS On first glance, Otonaroid and Kodomoroid look like humans. As they read the news, they sound like humans. Touch their silicone skin and they even feel human. But, of course, they’re not humans. Otonaroid and Kodomoroid are…
“The Mountain That Eats Man”: The Child Miners of Bolivia
BY: JONAS WRESCH The sun begins to rise and a silver light begins to illuminate the terracotta rooftops of the city of Potosi, Bolivia. It is 5 a.m. Thousands of men, women and children make their way up narrow roads…
No Place Like Om: A Skeptic’s Guide to Yoga
BY: AYA TSINTZIRAS Everyone around me looks completely Zen as they lie on their backs and settle into the final pose of the yoga class: Savasana, or resting pose. It’s a Saturday morning in April, and what is supposed to…
Public Schools Are Failing Our Children—Through the Eyes of a Homeschooler.
BY: JESSICA BURDE According to a study by the U.S. Department of Education and National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read and 21% of American adults read below a 5th grade level. The reality is…
Telekinesis Is Here And Now. The Paralyzed Can Walk Again.
BY: KATY WILLIS Telekinesis was once a term reserved for the realm of science fiction. Today, it’s possible, and it’s becoming widely available. While there are some limitations—you can’t simply float a house, or even a pencil, with the power…
The Life of a Street Magician – Performers of Dundas Square
BY: LILITH Matthew Stewart hasn’t been around as long as some of the other performers—he only started performing in Dundas Square in April. His act also isn’t as flashy or eye-catching at first, but the 20-year-old magician, who commutes in…