archives: Conversation Starter

MatadorU travel writing grad and boat captain Mike Collins has a few words for BP's CEO.   More »

The BP oil spill has devastated a region and hypothetically cost us all ice cream sandwiches.   More »

Methinks not, but I'm willing to hear other opinions.   More »

Good, bad, or both? Discuss amongst yourselves.   More »

BP plays the Katrina card.   More »

Passive activism = slacktivism. Is that a contradiction?   More »

They say "Yes"; PETA says "No."   More »

Airline employee Reannon Muth says "when pigs fly" isn't just an idiom.   More »

Bryan Fox helps Habitat for Humanity with their accounting.   More »

Is the gun-toting, ATV-riding, geographically challenged Palin really the best ambassador for wild Alaska? TLC says "You betcha."  More »

An Oscar win and a trainer death at SeaWorld raise questions about the way we treat marine mammals.  More »

National Geographic's new show, Garbage Moguls, features dumpster divers turning discarded items from trash into trendy.  More »

Is a beauty pageant at a prison in Juarez a move forward or backwards?  More »

Blogging is dangerous in many parts of the world. Alexander Sehmer ranks the worst countries to be a blogger.   More »

If you can get past the illustrator calling North Korea the world's craziest country, there's some pretty interesting information in this graphic.   More »

The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, No. 08-205 is a serious threat to American democracy.   More »

The Olympic Games have rarely been without controversy, but it can be difficult to focus on social justice issues raised by the Games when pride and p  More »

Jonny Finity observed the recent Twitstorm about the environmental impact of cruise ships and decided to do his own research.   More »

We can shake our heads, feel sad, and move on. Or we can decide that we'll live our own lives differently.   More »

Go ahead. Take a guess.   More »

Tom Hodgkinson thinks so, but I wonder how many people agree.   More »

That's the take-away question in the latest "twitstorm."  More »

Your editor feels apathetic about municipal elections and asks for your advice.   More »

Some say yes, calling foreign aid a form of neo-colonialism that does not alleviate poverty, but in fact perpetuates it.   More »

What next? Sex with a praying mantis?   More »

Is being "PC" passe?   More »

And bring some marshmallows.   More »

What do you think of the "freegan" movement?  More »

Photo: aussiegall If we each think we’ve got a monopoly on the “right” way to create change, how will we ever work together? A coup  More »

Connection with others begins when you give a part of yourself to them.  More »

Alberto, Mexico finds an unusual solution for its migration and economic problems.   More »

Is becoming socially conscious as simple as laughing at a good joke?   More »

Bolivia faces a tough decision.   More »

Kids' treatment during visit to a Philadelphia pool suggests that, no, the US is NOT in a post-racial phase.   More »