March-April 2005
Contents
The Interrogation Room
An Israeli interrogator and a Palestinian prisoner open up about their experiences
by Michael Bond, from New Scientist
How to Write a Sex Scene
“Never, ever use the words penis or vagina.”
by Steve Almond, from Small Spiral Notebook
A Shirt Full of Bees
Getting stung woke one man up to the sensuous world
by Bill McKibben, from Yoga International
The Future of God
God Alert
Karen Armstrong warns the world of a looming religious storm
by Michael Valpy, from Shambhala Sun
Apocalypse, Inc.
Doomsday thinking comes “in from the fringe” and takes up residence in the Oval Office
by Jeremiah Creedon
Heaven Can’t Wait
Jesus was a radical, and it’s time to start saying so
by David Schimke
Feminism’s Fourth Wave
A new activist movement is gathering women from across faiths
by Pythia Peay
The Problem with Faith
Do religious moderates have it all wrong?
by Sam Harris, from The End of Faith
Scanning the Monk
Is it possible that the religion of tomorrow lies in our brains?
by Marc Ian Barasch, from Field Notes on the Compassionate Life
The Weight of the World
What happens to the soul when the body gets fat?
by Sophie Lees, from Alberta Views
The Permanent War
To thrive, American political and economic life depends on war
by Michael Fitzgerald, from The Humanist
View
Pulling Back the Veil
The Iranian women’s press stirs controversy and encourages reform
by Jehangir S. Pocha
Brain Games
Will the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health invade your space?
by Anne Geske
Auditioning for Office
Progressives want artists to take the political stage
by Martin Brown
Polyrhythmic Patents
When it comes to intellectual property rights, Brazil puts people before profits
by Leif Utne
Making Change
The debate continues over socially responsible investing
by Terry Fiedler
Asexual Healing
Love may make the world go around, though sex, for some, has nothing to do with it
by Laine Bergeson
Emancipated Anime
Girls just wanna read (and create) manga
by Melissa Maerz
Focus: Redefining Beauty
Awakening to beauty
An Irish poet examines the nature of beauty
by John O’Donohue, from Kosmos
Apparently, Looks Might Kill
Why are American consumers forced to choose between beauty and health?
by Anjula Razdan
The Homemade Spa
Turn kitchen ingredients into natural skin care products
by Ellia Bisker, from Readymade
Bathing Beauties
A teenage girl and her friends discuss body image
by Anna Schnur-Fishman, from Lilith
Gleanings
A Pen by the Phone
It was all my father ever wanted
by Debra Ann Davis, from Redwood Coast Review
Stealing Glances
What are we afraid we’ll see if we lookinto a stranger’s eyes?
by Sheila Heti, from Spacing
Encyclopedia Neurotica
Navigating the modern world of neuroses just got easier
by Jon Winokur, from Encyclopedia Neurotica
Would You Steal from This Man?
An angry artist writes a letter to an unknown thief
by Guillermo Gómez-Peña, from LiP