BY: BEN SCHUYLER AND DANIEL VOLLAND We were roommates when we decided to set out across the American West this summer for our project, When the Road is Home, never dreaming of all the places we would explore or the…
Expression & Culture
The spiritual teachings of a part-time hotdog vendor and full-time wizard
BY: AIDAN MACNAB Photos © Eric Zdancewicz & Aidan Macnab / The Plaid Zebra “Before you talk to me,” he says. “Forget everything you know.” I’m not sure how to do that. An empty mind is conducive to awareness of…
I travelled an entire year on $1000 to find out what hitchhikers and train hoppers really think
BY: MIKE QUAIN Like many millennials, I grew up believing I could do anything I wanted. I suppose all children grow up believing they could do anything they want, but I think millennials are special in the way that the…
This map of free food around the globe will help you harvest your local landscape
BY: CAROLINE ROLF There used to be a crabapple tree growing in the back yard of my family home. Every year when the apples would fall to the frosted grass below, squirrels would come running for this bountiful feast. What…
VICE is stepping up their game in the maple-syrup heartland of counterculture
BY: EDITORS There comes a time when you need to hang up your leather jacket and Converse lest you become that middle-aged youth-parasite crashing college freshman house parties. And while some publications have lamented the death of VICE’s brand of…
Incredible female photographer approaches men who catcall her and takes their portrait
Photography: HANNAH PRICE Writing: CONNOR BRIAN Moving from the white picket fences of suburban Colorado to the constant flow of verbal harassment on the streets of Philadelphia was no easy transition, but instead of keeping her head down and briskly…
Employers can now predict the future of your health by tracking your most private information
BY: CAROLINE ROLF We are surrounded by its unstoppable force and the impending possibility that technology will dictate everything humans do. Yes, technological advancements have solved many of our problems, but they have also raised concerns about our privacy and…
The CIA once ran a string of LSD brothels to unlock the secret to mind control
BY: M. TOMOSKI Illustration by: Ryan Garcia / The Plaid Zebra In 1975, law enforcement agents, scientists and prostitutes gathered in Washington to talk drugs. They were brought to the Capitol to testify about a CIA project known as MK-ULTRA,…
The Maori Love Song is the most beautiful thing you’ll hear today
BY: CAROLINE ROLF “Pokarekare Ana”, or The Maori Love Song, is a traditional New Zealand love song thought to be the country’s unofficial national anthem. The song is written in Maori, but has since been translated to English. The Maori…
These untold stories will give you a glimpse into the secret and crazy world of the service industry
BY: EMILY PLEASANCE It was quarter to 10 on a Wednesday night when I found myself sitting alone in a booth at the back of a Golden Griddle. The lights were dimmed to a comforting glow and the only other…
5 countries you should visit to escape Valentine’s Day dreadfulness
BY: CAROLINE ROLF You rubbed your bleary eyes as you awoke this morning, hung over from last night and in desperate need of brunch. You made the mistake of venturing to a brunch spot today and it became painfully obvious…
An ancient volcanic island hid this insect for 80 years while the world thought it was extinct
BY: TREVOR HEWITT The SS Makambo was damaged when it ran aground at Lord Howe Island in 1918. While it was being repaired, some black rats on the ship escaped onto the island. This was devastating to the local food…
Turns out, there’s a scientific explanation for why we can’t resist cuteness
BY: CAROLINE ROLF In the 1940s, an Austrian biologist by the name of Konrad Lorenz developed a formula that would make the human heart melt. Not literally, of course, but the formula known as Kindchenschema (or “baby schema”) is a…
These stunning split images show the contrast and connection between land and sea
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Split images—or over-unders—are a popular type of photograph that depicts both an underwater element and an above water element. This unique type of image showcases the connection between the two different worlds. Some of the shots fit…
Eric Garner’s daughter talking about Bernie Sanders will leave you breathless (video)
BY: EDITORS Bernie’s 50-year track record in activism for civil rights and marginalized peoples spans a fantastic breadth of issues. From being arrested in 1962 for protesting public-school segregation in Chicago, to condemning both Iraq wars and voting against marginalizing…
This is why pixels on a screen will never exceed the eternality of a printed book
BY: CAROLINE ROLF I love books – printed books. I have been visiting my local library since I was old enough to read. I love how they smell and the rough texture of the dated pages. I make notes in…
Grandma Graffiti Gangs are tearing up the streets of Portugal (Photos)
BY: EDITORS Forget hard candy or plastic covered furniture, these grandmas are far from your typical Bingo Bitches. LATA 65 is an urban art project that takes senior citizens to the back alleys of Lisbon, Portugal and puts spray paint…
Take a peek inside Titanic II – the replica ship setting sail in 2018
BY: JESSICA BEUKER It’s been over a century since the RMS Titanic began its voyage to New York – a voyage that ended suddenly and tragically when the “unsinkable” ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank…
This adventurous chef has turned dining into an interactive experience
When I think about fine dining beyond the elegance of silver spoons and the accuracy of flavour, I start to wonder about the integrity of the ritual, and how after our many millennia of celebrating food, most of us are…
George Saunders explains how storytelling at its best is a stand in for day-to-day life
BY: ADRIAN SMITH I’ve always lacked inventiveness in my short stories despite faithfully creating characters and narratives that mirror major events and expectations in my life. After explaining that to a friend who also writes, he recommended a video with…