"The war has uprooted 4.7 million people from their homes. So where are they?" With the election of Obama and the economic crisis, the topic of Iraq has fallen by the wayside. As hard as things may be right now, Iraqis have been going through far worse for years now. If you're curious about what they have to say, hear them tell it in their own words. Iraqi Refugee Stories. [more inside]
posted by wander on Mar 23, 2009 - 16 comments

I Love My Life The Way It Is. A collection-in-progress of unscratched scratch-off lottery tickets, the project is the brainchild of Ali Alvarez, who hopes to collect at least 8000 tickets, enough to fill a 12x12 room from floor to ceiling. Alvarez is soliciting donations of unscratched tickets from volunteers around the world, and has posted pictures of some of the ones received so far. The idea of an unscratched lottery ticket makes some people "a little crazy," but Alvarez hopes the collection will cause people to explore the ideas of "getting your hopes high, dreaming, escaping, and then usually being let down." Via.
posted by amyms on Jun 14, 2008 - 75 comments

The Zen of Dumpster Diving: The strangely moving tale of one frustrated man, and how he reinvented his life with trash. You can also listen to author Dirk Jamison read an abbreviated version of this story.
posted by ryanshepard on Dec 26, 2001 - 15 comments

In the wake of the 11th, I've heard from people I haven't spoken to in months or even years. Are you reconnecting with old friends? It's easier than you think.
posted by tranquileye on Sep 27, 2001 - 6 comments

Singer Steve Earle, who knows something about jail himself, became friends with a death-row inmate in Texas and walked the last mile with him. Earle wrote this piece for Tikkun; the link is to Utne Reader Online reprint of it.
posted by jhiggy on Jan 10, 2001 - 6 comments