A social scientist explores the unsung heroics of flatulence as a reflection of our own humanity. — Introduction The fart, the malodorous marvel, the symphony of the sphincter — a phenomenon shrouded in equal parts shame and hilarity. This natural and oh-so-human process has long been the butt of countless jokes, puns, and awkward moments. …

No Soul to Eat. — Henry Chinaski was not a man of faith, nor did he have a penchant for the supernatural. He was the sort of man who’d rather spend his time at the racetrack or nursing a cheap beer in a dingy bar. …

Dive into the depths of capitalist deception as we dismantle an infamous myth while taking a jab at the capitalist-loving internet trolls who perpetuate this lie. — Ah, the internet, that vast, virtual cesspool of self-proclaimed experts and know-it-alls, spewing forth their half-baked opinions like a broken sewer pipe in a flood. I’m here to set the record straight and burst the bubble of those smug, capitalist-loving keyboard warriors who think they’ve got the world figured out.

The real-life story of how I was stalked by a foreign spy. — I never expected that, of all the people in the world, I would be the one to find myself in what looked like the prologue of a Cold-War era spy thriller. But, last week, it happened. Reality imitated fiction. First of all, a disclaimer: for my personal safety’s sake, I…

A discussion about the perils of moral absolutism, propaganda, and philosophy. And also Star Wars, lots of it. — One of the biggest problems with most Hollywood movies is that they present morality in absolutes. For example — in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker goes from good guy to maniacal homicidal dark lord in around 20 minutes. …

The invasion of Ukraine has strengthened NATO’s role in Europe. But its future should be exempt from either Russian or American influence. — The occupation of Ukraine and the threat from Russia leave Europe with a new problem. And now the Western left is similarly divided while facing a new dilemma. What solution should be defended when both the contenders seem to be backed by different sides of similar imperialistic agendas?

In the land of the free, the liberty to own firearms is seemingly more important than the liberty to live. — The nearly total absence of mass shootings in European countries teaches us that limiting the sales of firearms is effective in preventing tragedies like the recent one in Uvalde. But such a solution is never implemented in the U.S. …

Besides dehumanizing working conditions, Amazon delivery drivers are now dancing at the request of customers — a sign of the precarious fragility of their position. — In the U.S., there is a new fad: Amazon customers are putting requests on their doors for delivery drivers to dance, so they can film it via surveillance cameras to post the footage on TikTok. Some accede, for fear of complaints and bad reviews. At first glance, it appears that…

The United Nations called for the release of Scottish Sikh Jagtar Johal after concluding there is no valid evidence to support his imprisonment in India — yet the UK Government refuses to act. — It was November 2017. When British marketeer Jagtar Singh Johal traveled to Punjab, India, to attend his marriage, nothing could foresee the trip would mark the beginning of his real-life Kafkaesque nightmare, under which he would be detained, tortured, and imprisoned for the following five years without a trial and…