Postcard from Ramallah

To Palestinians, the massive Israeli separation barrier is an eyesore and an insult. To graffiti artists, it's the world's biggest canvas. Painting the wall, one letter at a time

Beijing

In Beijing Burbs, Chinese Soccer Gets Its Game On

Soccer has been slow to catch on in China, but a few grassroots amateur leagues around Beijing are beginning to give Chinese fans hope

My $4,500 Lemon: Taking the Feds Up on Cash For Clunkers

Being too rich for foreclosure, but too poor for derivatives, I had begun to think the government would never craft a bailout for me. However, Uncle Sam has selected me to stimulate the economy by buying a new car. This program will pay me to do it

The Montana Town That Wanted to Be Gitmo

With its costly new prison standing empty, a Montana community hopes to lure inmates from the world's most infamous detention center. The town that would be Gitmo

London

An Anxious London Flocks to Psychics

The U.K. capital's anxious professionals are flocking to psychics and astrologers. As recession bites, a boom in the occult is on the cards

Postcard from Detroit

As carmakers founder and the jobless rate skyrockets, Michigan's movie industry is the state's lone, surprising bright spot. The Motor City gets ready for its closeup

Da'an

More and More, Rural China Is Going to the Polls

China has been experimenting with various forms of direct elections at the village level for decades. In the last ten years, the polls have reached almost every one of China's over 600,000 villages

New Delhi

Richard Gere's Scandalous Smooch

The Hollywood star may have thought he was indulging in Bollywood antics when he swept Shilpa Shetty off her feet, but Hindu nationalists saw it as a political opportunity

Postcard from Medellín

As Colombia gains ground in the battle against insurgents, its focus turns to rehabilitating former child soldiers. A guerrilla war's youngest fighters come in from the cold

Barcelona

Spain's Costumed Debt Collectors: Final Notice?

In Spain, costumed debt collectors embarrass borrowers into paying back the money they owe. But new proposed legislation could put an end to the tradition of debt collection by humiliation

Postcard from Rangoon

A visit to Burma reveals a people's hope for the future amid life under tyranny. Out of the darkness, a sliver of light

Bogota

Down the Amazon in Search of Ayahuasca

New Age tourists flock to Latin America to imbibe a substance they hope will help them explore their psyches and spirituality. But ayahuasca is no recreational drug, and the trip can be rough on the mind and body