Byline Portal
Magazines Archives

Same-Sex Marriage Brings Healing to Me—and My Tribe

05.21.2012

by Madeline Ostrander, Yes!, USA - Heather Purser set out to win gay marriage rights within the Suquamish Tribe and found herself on a personal journey toward self-acceptance.

Sweden Takes Gender Neutrality Seriously

05.21.2012

by Emma Teitel, Maclean's, Canada - From a new genderless pronoun to a toy store ad of a boy pushing a pink pram.

Comedian Beppe Grillo Shakes Up Italian Politics

05.17.2012

by Fiona Ehlers, Der Spiegel, Germany - All across crisis-hit Europe, voters are disillusioned with mainstream politicians and are turning to populist and radical parties. In Italy, the new rising force is comedian Beppe Grillo's grassroots Five Star Movement. But can the charismatic agitator supply real solutions to the country's problems?

Sand County, the Sequel

05.14.2012

by Sandra Steingraber, Orion, USA - Last January, my hometown newspaper brought word that the LaSalle County board has approved strip mining for frack sand along the boundary of Starved Rock State Park, which is a marvel of sandstone outcroppings and gorges. The county board was swayed by the promise of thirty-nine jobs, which start at eighteen dollars an hour. So, absent further intervention, the beloved landscape of my childhood may be carted off and shoved into the fractured landscape of my children’s childhood.

How Right-Wing Extremists and Islamists Are the Same

05.11.2012

by Barbara Hans and Julia Jüttner, Der Spiegel, Germany - Last weekend, Salafist Muslims and anti-Islam right-wingers faced off in Bonn, and 29 police officers were injured as a result. The two groups appear to be diametrically opposed, but a deeper look reveals they have a great deal in common. The totalitarian worldview has many manifestations.

Map: The State of Marriage Equality in America

05.11.2012

by Samantha Oltman, Mother Jones, USA - Where in the United States do gay people have the right to get hitched?

ETHIOPIA: Tragedy We Can Prevent

05.08.2012

by Hudda Ibrahim, World Pulse, USA - As a young child who lost her mother and as a young woman who sees the systems and circumstances that endanger women’s lives, I believe improving women’s social condition is a high priority. The Ethiopian government needs to establish clinics, train medical professionals, and provide access to education, clean water, and sanitary living conditions.

Greeks Cast Ballots against Austerity

05.07.2012

by Julia Amalia Heyer, Der Spiegel, Germany - Frustrated Greek voters on Sunday punished the country's two biggest parties. The vote represents a protest against draconian austerity and the massive influence the EU and IMF are having on the country. Even if fringe parties profited from this anger, though, no one in Greece really wants to abandon the euro.

The Aggressive Tactics of the Greek Right Wing

05.04.2012

by Xenia Kounalaki, Der Spiegel, Germany - Greek far-right parties could end up with as much as 20 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections. The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has intensified the xenophobic atmosphere in the country. Those who confront them are threatened with violence.

May Day and the Revolution of Everyday Life

05.04.2012

by Marina Sitrin, Yes!, USA - We are now again a part of the rest of the globe, where May Day is a day to celebrate our power—people's power, that of workers, precarious and unionized, immigrants and migrants, radicals of all sorts, from the anarchist to the democratic socialist.

Good Parks Start with Good Fences

05.04.2012

by Cassady Walters, JO, Jordan - The Sharhabil Bin Hassneh eco-park was an ecological mess when Friends of the Earth Middle East began work on it in 2004. Now it’s a template for proper restoration of the Kingdom’s misused land.

Leave Work at 5:30

05.03.2012

by Andie Fox, Daily Life, Australia - It is possible for a mother to disguise her family priorities sufficiently to climb the ladder to that height? And importantly, it is possible to run a company worth $100 billion while still leaving in time for dinner?

Long Journeys to Parenthood

05.01.2012

by Smita Mitra, Outlook India, India - Couples from countries across the world—chiefly Islamic countries and Africa—are seeking babies in Indian clinics.

The Perils of Being LGBT in Italy

04.27.2012

by Michelle Tarnopolsky, Maclean's, Canada - “The problem is the Vatican addresses not only the faithful but all citizens, and especially politicians. They want what they consider sinful to be illegal. So, unlike other nations, there is no law that recognizes gay couples, lesbian couples, no law against homophobia.”

A Place of Rage: Two Black Feminist Documentaries

04.27.2012

by Lola Okolosie, The F-Word, UK - Both documentaries prompt us to continue the difficult work of interrogating how racism, class, gender and sexuality interweave with one another to oppress many.

Machismo Is the Problem, Not the Solution

04.25.2012

by Kavita Krishnan, Tehelka, India - A number of campaigns against sexual harassment endorse the stereotypes they set out to debunk.

Ann Romney, Working Woman?

04.25.2012

by Katha Pollitt, The Nation, USA - The difference between a stay-home mother and a welfare mother is money and a wedding ring. Unlike any other kind of labor I can think of, domestic labor is productive or not, depending on who performs it. For a college-educated married woman, it is the most valuable thing she could possibly do, totally off the scale of human endeavor.

Why Women Are a Foreign Policy Issue

04.24.2012

by Melanne Verveer, Foreign Policy in Focus, USA - The most pressing global problems simply won't be solved without the participation of women. Seriously, guys.

Indignado Generation Finds Happiness Abroad

04.23.2012

by Aleksandra Lipczak, Polityka, Poland - Thousands of young people, often educated, are leaving Portugal and Spain. Europe doesn’t need them while Africa and South America receive them with open arms.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Catholic ‘Liberal’ Hails Return of Anti-Semitic Group

04.20.2012

by Anthea Butler, Religious Dispatches, USA - Put another way, conservative anti-Semites are more valued and welcomed in the Catholic Church than women religious who engage the world through their faith.

Anonymous Applications Help Immigrants and Women

04.20.2012

by Renuka Rayasam, Der Spiegel, Germany - Job seekers in Germany still list their birthday, gender and family status, even attaching a picture to their applications. But newly released results of a project to make German job applications anonymous show that with personal information left out, women and minorities are more likely to get a job interview.

Immigrants Flee Families to Find Themselves

04.13.2012

by Antje Windmann, Der Spiegel, Germany - Hundreds of young female immigrants are hiding from their families in Germany after fleeing oppression, physical violence and even death threats. Charities and social workers help the women get new identities and build independent lives for themselves, but the risk of revenge from honor-obsessed relatives remains.

It Gets Better: Mormon Edition

04.12.2012

by Joanna Brooks, Religion Dispatches, USA - Please watch. Please share. And welcome to the Mormon twenty-first century.

Women Excluded from Germany's Opinion Pages

04.09.2012

by Barbara Hans, Der Spiegel, Germany - German newspapers are full of clever commentaries, artful rhetoric and ideas. But an evaluation of national papers shows that editorials are almost always written by men. As the business gender quota debate rages on in the country, the female half of the population is being denied an influential platform.

Dutch Village Offers Dignified Care for Dementia Sufferers

03.30.2012

by Barbara Hans, Der Spiegel, Germany - A village in the Netherlands inhabited entirely by elderly people with dementia offers a new answer to how society can deal with its aging population. It's a world without yesterday or tomorrow where residents have far more freedom than they would be allowed in convalescent homes.

From Berlusconi Papi Girl to Working Mom Heroine

03.29.2012

by Michelle Tarnopolsky, Macleans, Canada - Italian MP Licia Ronzulli, was heralded by mommy bloggers before, and after her ties to Berlusconi were revealed.

Trayvon Martin and American Exceptionalism

03.26.2012

by Anthea Butler, Religion Dispatches, USA - Is a black person’s life worth anything in America? Not as long as America remains “Exceptional.”

No Country for Rape Victims

03.20.2012

by Nishita Jha, Tehelka, India - "I look at women who choose to testify against rapists with wonder all the time, simply because we all know that once they admit to having been raped, they will be violated repeatedly by the police, the lawyers and the media.”

Awakening, Counter-Awakening, and the End of Church

03.19.2012

by Candace Chellew-Hodge, Religion Dispatches, USA - The United States is currently in the throes of a spiritual awakening, says Diana Butler Bass. In her new book, Christianity After Religion, the author argues that we are at a crossroads in history—we can choose to move forward into new emerging spiritualities, or we can heed the siren sound of the traditionalists calling us back to a romanticized, rigid, past.

How to Survive as a Journalist in Somalia?

03.15.2012

by Eszter Farkas, European Journalism Centre, Netherlands - It takes immense courage and drive to be a journalist in Somalia, a country in the Horn of Africa. Reporters Without Borders in 2011 listed its capital city Mogadishu among the ten most dangerous places for journalists in the world.

German Village Becomes Model for Renewable Energy

03.13.2012

by Renuka Rayasam, Der Spiegel, Germany - The tiny village of Feldheim, some 60 kilometers southwest of Berlin, was catapulted by chance to the forefront of the renewable energy movement. Now visitors from around the world are flocking to this otherwise unremarkable rural community to see if they can replicate its success.

Try the Greek Yoke on, Herr Hansen

03.05.2012

by Marie Amrhein, Cicero, Germany - What would the life of an average German official be like if the Federal Republic were forced to follow the same draconian austerity measures it is currently imposing on Greece?

Fracking Bans that Can Stand

03.02.2012

by Maura Stephens, Yes!, USA - In New York, judges are standing up for communities' rights to say no to corporate drilling.

Placement Service a Boon for People with Asperger's

02.29.2012

by Kerstin Kullmann, Der Spiegel, Germany - Many people with Asperger's syndrome have difficulties in the job market and workplace, but they also have special abilities that many employers crave. A Danish company has found a way to bring the two together and is exporting its successful job-placement concept to other countries.

Where Is the ‘Inevitable’ Bedouin Intifada Israel Guaranteed?

02.28.2012

by Mya Guarnieri, +972, Israel - In 2004, Israeli officials were up in arms about an impending Bedouin Intifada. But the Bedouin didn’t rebel and now, despite plans to expel tens of thousands of them from their homes in the West Bank and the Negev, things remain relatively quiet. Why?

The Art of Waiting

02.25.2012

by Belle Boggs, Orion, USA - Yearning for conception in a world of fecundity.

Greece Lurches to Left Amid Radical Austerity

02.21.2012

by Julia Amalia Heyer, Der Spiegel, Germany - A radical austerity drive has triggered the biggest political upheaval in Athens since the end of the military dictatorship in 1974. So far, it is leftist parties who have benefitted the most from the debt crisis. The deeply divided left, however, would likely be unable to form a stable coalition.

Reform Hero Takes on Corruption in Thessaloniki

02.15.2012

by Julia Amalia Heyer, Der Spiegel, Germany - European Union officials have nothing but praise for the mayor of the Greek city of Thessaloniki. Yiannis Boutaris has been pushing ahead with far-reaching reforms to undo the abuses of his predecessors and has already slashed the city's spending by 30 percent. He's even asking the Germans for advice.

2012: The Year of the Cooperative

02.14.2012

by Jessica Reeder, Yes!, USA - The United Nations has named 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives, and indeed, co-ops seem poised to become a dominant business model around the world.

Fighting for Gender Equality in Iraq

02.09.2012

by Rebecca Burns, In These Times, USA - As President Obama hailed the “extraordinary achievement” of U.S. troops withdrawing from Iraq in December, continuing protests against government repression and abysmal basic services undermined the narrative of a successful democratic transition. Yanar Mohammed, president of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), has for months helped many Iraqis express their anger.

Film Explores World of Female Neo-Nazis

02.08.2012

by Kristen Allen, Der Spiegel, Germany - An award-winning new German film takes an unexpected look at the problem of far-right extremism, following the fictional story of a young woman lost in a world of violence and hatred. The film, which has parallels to a recent neo-Nazi case in Germany, also serves as a wake-up call for some -- women are more prevalent in the radical scene than many believe.

One Town's War on Gay Teens

02.07.2012

by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, Rolling Stone, USA - In Michele Bachmann's home district, evangelicals have created an extreme anti-gay climate. After a rash of suicides, the kids are fighting back.

The Controversial Release of Suicide Mosquitoes

02.03.2012

by Rafaela von Bredow, Der Spiegel, Germany - A British biotech lab has released huge numbers of genetically modified mosquitoes in an effort to combat dengue fever. But locals, some say, were not adequately informed of the experiment -- and now a debate has erupted over the potential dangers to humans.

Fortune-Tellers and Psychics Pervade Italian Media

01.29.2012

by Mariella Radaelli, European Journalism Centre, Netherlands - Why are spiritual programmes flourishing on local private television channels? The reason seems to be that small channels have established a large amount of contractual agreements with psychics, in order to secure a solid base of paid sponsorship to help them survive.

The Way It Was

01.24.2012

by Eleanor Cooney, Mother Jones, USA - Like some ugly old wall-to-wall carpeting they've been yearning to get rid of, they finally, finally loosened a little corner of Roe. Now they can start to rip the whole thing up, roll it back completely, and toss it in the Dumpster.

Iran Sanctions Good for Business in Tiny Omani Port

01.24.2012

by Juliane von Mittelstaedt, Der Spiegel, Germany - The West's sanctions against Iran have made it harder for people there to get their hands on various luxury goods. But, for the inhabitants of a tiny Omani port just across the Strait of Hormuz, the sanctions have been a goldmine.

Catholic Priests, Celibacy, and the Marriage Loophole

01.22.2012

by Sara Ritchey, Religion Dispatches, USA - The growth in number of married Catholic priests in the U.S. stems from the increasing animosity of conservative Episcopalians who disagree primarily with the Anglican Communion’s ordination and promotion to the episcopacy of women and self-identifying, partnered gay people.

The Growing Influence of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel

01.17.2012

by Juliane von Mittelstaedt, Der Spiegel, Germany - Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Their efforts to impose a strictly conservative worldview have led to growing tensions with the country's secular society. A resolution to the conflict is vital for Israel's future.

Burma Halts War with Karen Rebels…for Now

01.12.2012

by Mac McClelland, Mother Jones, USA - The ramifications of this ongoing battle have been huge: More than 500,000 internally displaced people living without villages, infrastructure, or any kind of security whatsoever. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring countries or been resettled by the UN as far away as the United States. Countless civilians have been raped and murdered at the hands of the Burmese army.

Pakistan: Stirring in Some Chaos

01.12.2012

by Mariana Baabar, Outlook, India - Pakistan in turmoil: discontent on the streets, political ferment, and ‘Memogate’.