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I'm Living My Dream At The Beijing Olympics

By Citizen Correspondent Billy Nelson

Day 1: July 31, 2008 We arrived in Beijing, and after a long time going through customs and getting our luggage, we got to the Olympic Village. The first thing I needed to do was a run to shake out the 13 hours of plane. It was a little sluggish and the humidity was very high, but the run went OK, and it was nice to be in China.... Full Story »

How The Internet And Innocence Kill Culture

By Orato Editor Andrew Keen

In my mind, closed culture is defined by gatekeepers, so it's traditional culture as we understand it. Take a newspaper, for example, where you have editors and publishers within a closed ecosystem, and out of all that, you get the ultimate product: the information and the content. The upshot of that is the blogosphere, which... Full Story »

My Close Encounter With Sumo Wrestling

By Citizen Correspondent Samurai Dave

The erosion of my entrenched stereotype began with my first encounter with sumo. This encounter came from the TV broadcasts of the January tournament during my first month in Japan. At that time I was waiting for my new job to start up so I was lean on funds. My entertainment was limited to cheap beer, Doritos and whatever... Full Story »

My Descent Into The Sex Trade

By Citizen Correspondent Tara Lynn

I named myself, at various times in my life, Tara, Jacqueline, Monique, Monica, Trina, and some names I have since forgotten. I was also all these: good Catholic schoolgirl, depressed child, straight A student, dancer, erotic wrestler, singing telegram girl, stripper, prostitute, suicidal. I am now a college professor, PhD,... Full Story »

Purity Balls, Virginity And Puberty, Oh My!

By Citizen Correspondent Adrienne Matei

Created in 1997 by Colorado pastor Randy Wilson, the ceremony of the Purity Ball declares the father the sole guardian and keeper of his daughter’s virginity until the day she is married, all during an unnervingly connubial formal procedure... Full Story »

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Citizen Correspondent Samurai Dave

My Close Encounter With Sumo Wrestling

Sumo - quivering mounds of flesh set into sudden motion that is at once jarring and engaging. It’s the sport of gods, literally. However, it took me some time to appreciate sumo. Long before I made my way over to Japan, my image of sumo was not a very...Full Story»