Reversing Climate Change One Smallholder Farm at a Time

March 14, 2023

If the world's smallholder farms used sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, they could bring us 53% of the way to meeting the United Nations’ net-zero carbon goals.

A hillside slashed and burned, degrading the soil, destroying wildlife habitats and releasing carbon stores into the atmosphere. Adam Cohn CC 1.0

This past February, I worked alongside Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) and their field trainers in Penonome, Panama. SHI is a non-profit organization that opened its doors in 1997 and operates predominantly in Central America, addressing slash-and-burn agriculture, rural poverty, and their connection to climate change.

The Link Between Slash and Burn Agriculture and Rural Poverty

Slash-and-burn agriculture is practiced by 500 million farmers globally. In fact, 20%-30% of deforestation is estimated to be caused by it, directly resulting from a lack of educational opportunities and resources. Similarly, 3.1 billion people worldwide live in poverty, many starving on land ready and available to be farmed. Looking at these issues as one, we’re faced with poverty in rural places and environmental degradation being unavoidably and intrinsically linked.

A smallholder farmer raises fish and livestock or cultivates crops in a limited capacity. In the developing world, a smallholder farm is typically family-owned, and most cultivate less than 5 acres of land. If all 6 million smallholder farmers had the knowledge and training to implement regenerative and sustainable techniques, they wouldn’t have to worry where their next meal was coming from or if their land was healthy enough to be passed from generation to generation. Farmers would no longer have to walk miles to find ground healthy enough to plant for a single season, forced to move further to the following plot the following season. They would have enough food to sustain their families and communities during, for example, a global pandemic—and sell their organic produce at the market for a living wage. Their food would double as medicines, healing bodies from the inside out and healing the soil at once.

What if being able to farm this way simultaneously drew 6 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere into nutrient-rich soil—the equivalent of shutting down every coal mine? Then, imagine it only costs ~$5,000 for a smallholder farmer to experience and create this transformation.

Many farmers are left with some of the most difficult to cultivate land. They take advantage of the mountainous terrain with terracing. Raeann Mason

Even in the dry offseason, a skilled farmer tends to crops growing on a lush, terraced hillside. Raeann Mason.

Sustainable Harvest International

This is where Sustainable Harvest International comes in. It began as Florence Reed’s dream to mobilize her knowledge, and the knowledge of others, to heal our planet and its people and reverse the effects of climate change through agriculture. As of today, more than 3,200 farmers have been through the SHI program, planting over 4M trees, regenerating over 26K acres of previously degraded land, and building more than 2K clean wood-conserving stoves. And they’re only just getting started. SHI is working tirelessly to scale its programming; by 2030, its goals are to

transform 1 million farms
plant 1 billion trees
sequester 18 million tons of CO2
regenerate 8 million acres of land
achieve food security for 5 million people

I learned quickly that SHI isn’t interested in promises of “going net zero” or slowing the rate at which the atmosphere is warming through offsets. Instead, they work directly with smallholder farmers to prevent more destruction and undo the damage already done in their lives, their land, and the planet’s climate; their work goes beyond sustainability— it’s regenerative.

Sustainable Harvest International’s Field Trainers demonstrate how to use the wind to separate rice husks. Raeann Mason.

A farmer explains how his terraces are braced with grass to prevent runoff. Raeann Mason

How It Works

With Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), farmers commit to learning new methods and receive hands-on tactical training and education. Each program phase lasts around one year, taking 4-5 years and ~$5,000 to complete. SHl hires local field trainers with sustainable and regenerative agroforestry training, local history and insight, and agricultural experience.

A farmer shares the pictures she drew of her farm in the present day compared to what she hopes her farm will look like by the end of the program. Image courtesy of Sustainable Harvest International.

The Phases

During phase one, farmers and field trainers dream together, planning and plotting how much of their land they’re willing to commit to learning new techniques, discussing long-term goals and drawing a picture of what they hope their degraded land will look like by the end of the program. I was so moved by the hope these colored-pencil drawings provide, and when the program is over, they stand as a testament to the process—how much work it took and how effective it was.

Phase two is about learning new practices, focusing on health and nutrition for the body and the soil. Many of the people I met were subsistence farmers, which means they were growing food to meet their immediate needs to survive; no working farm=no food. When we talk about making changes in our life for the sake of our planet—riding a bike to work, ditching single-use plastics—most of us aren’t faced with the fear that if it doesn’t work out, our ability to survive, for our families to survive, is at risk. This is why when I say these smallholder farmers are the closest people I’ve met to real-life superheroes, I’m not exaggerating. They’re willing to put it all on the line to make a change, not just for themselves but for you and me. Despite years of slash-and-burn tradition and generations of methods passed down, they’re choosing to take the risk on something unknown. They’re choosing to heal our planet. Witnessing this posture of vulnerability, I was forced to grapple with the level of my own (un)willingness to sacrifice and risk-take for the sake of humanity and our shared planet.

A farmer cuts the stalk of a plantain tree for composting. Raeann Mason

Farmers in Panama learn to make “ensalada de vegetales,” in English, “vegetable salad,” which is nutrient-dense compost. Raeann Mason.

I was also struck by SHI’s commitment to maintaining and supporting farmer autonomy, allowing them to choose the type of crops to grow throughout the program. All the farms I visited had a different layout, each an oasis of its own right, with different visions and hopes to meet the families’ needs. Farmers are trained to understand the adverse effects monocropping has on biodiversity and are eager to grow crops ranging from cacao trees, pigeon pea shrubs, herbs and spices, peppers, cucumbers, rice, coffee, yucca, yams, plantains and so much more. One farm, in particular, was set in the trees, a forest of life-giving foods hidden in plain sight, masked by the assumption that farms don’t look like rainforests.

Chocolate growing, hidden in plain sight. Raeann Mason

Phase three shifts gears from subsistence farming and scales to commercial education and training, which centers on environmental stewardship. Here again, I saw how SHI goes above and beyond the work of typical non-profits. Farmers find themselves with an abundance to sell, and the focus on land restoration and conservation begins to turn the heads of neighboring farmers. The farm starts to take care of itself, money earned allows farmers to thrive, and regenerative practices keep the soil nutrient dense for every growing season. Many farmers will choose a select few crops to grow commercially beyond what they grow for themselves. I saw lots of coffee being produced for this, but instead of a flat field of endless rows of coffee under manufactured shade, the crop was planted alongside plantain trees and corn, scattered about the farms and tucked within treelines; everything felt native.

Phase four is all about business development and micro-finance. The farms I worked on in phase four allowed me to listen and learn in the place of laborious volunteer work. Farmers have been relishing the benefits of adopting regenerative practices during this phase. Their history with the land, the tactical support and guidance of SHI’s field trainers, and the confidence from seeing the literal fruit of their labor meant as a volunteer, there was little I could bring to the table aside from profound respect. There’s an indescribable excitement on farms in this phase, or perhaps it’s being able to sense the weight of living in survival mode lifted.

An SHI stove featured in a farmer’s kitchen set up next to the typical stove, which is the pile of rocks in the lower right corner. Raeann Mason

Demetrio dries coffee beans in the sun. Raeann Mason

In phase five, farmers reach that inevitable state of being a community leader and graduate from the program. Graduation is more of a celebration than a formal affair because by now, the farmers and SHI field trainers are like family—bonding through fear, hope, sweat, body aches and success, freedom and trust hard earned. Some farmers go on to work for SHI as field trainers, and others are hired as consultants within their own communities because their farms can be sustained with much greater ease, while others become the experts in their communities which neighbors look to for advice.

Volunteers take a break from leveling a rice paddy. Kate Herndon.

While most of my time with SHI was spent getting my hands dirty on projects like terracing and planting rice paddies, there was one farm I visited that graduated from the program a decade ago. It was time to size SHI up against the truest test: time. Too often, I see organizations with good intentions come in like a storm, ask people to radically change their methods, and dash once the program is over. But a decade later, Demetrio, the field trainers, and even the founder of SHI, Florence Reed, greeted each other as old friends on a farm resembling a lush oasis or eco-wildlife resort. Demetrio has become so successful with his farm that he’s now hired as a consultant in surrounding communities. He’s a true testament to the effectiveness of the SHI program—friends, community members, and SHI field trainers consider him a bit of a legend because he has been able to grow strawberries on his farm in the mountains of Penonome—something considered impossible for that region. He also attested that during the last government-led health audit, his family walked away with a clean bill of health while neighboring farmers practicing monocropping and slash-and-burn techniques were hit with an onslaught of diagnoses and medications to manage due to a lack of nutrition; an issue SHI trained farmers don’t have to face to the same degree.

Farmers are trained to take advantage of their hilly plots of land by growing tilapia-fertilized and terraced rice paddies. Raeann Mason.

In fact, SHI offers more than tactical agricultural training. Aside from their commitments to climate action and ending and preventing poverty and hunger, SHI is committed to clean water access and sanitation. Many homes utilize unsafe, life-threatening cooking stoves. SHI has worked to increase the life expectancy of women by implementing a safer cooking stove that ultimately requires fewer resources. They also build composting latrines that provide cleaner, eco-friendly, and agriculturally beneficial alternatives to burying human waste. One farm learned to harvest clean, fresh spring water from the mountain top. Another family shared that what they learned about microfinance allowed them to spearhead a community funding program, training other farmers to manage their commercial endeavors and providing grants to help them get started.

An inevitable ripple effect is occurring in Central America, one that you can only understand by listening and learning. It’s always a humbling experience when someone signs up to volunteer, gets their hands dirty, does back-breaking work, and then has the luxury to leave that work behind. But in a more nuanced way, I understand it’s not volunteer work that is planting the seeds of healing, that it’s these smallholder farmers who are genuinely risking it all, making the lifestyle changes and healing the planet by their own hands. So what can we do to support them?

To Get Involved:

There are several ways to support the efforts of SHI. You can start by sharing this article in your network to help spread awareness. Most importantly, there are several ways to donate, including signing up for their Legacy or Sustainer giving programs. You can even see the impact of your donation and travel to a program site in Central America. They offer career opportunities and internships; you could join their mailing list here. Remember, it only costs $1,000 per year, for only 4-5 years, to completely transform a farmer's life and improve the health of our planet.

8 of the World’s Most Stunning Train Journeys

March 10, 2023

From Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express to Australia’s Ghan, here is a list of the most picturesque landscapes by train.

7 Sustainable Ways To Travel Green

March 10, 2023

If you are reading CATALYST you probably have a passion for travel. Here are some ways to make your journeys as sustainable as possible.

White bus on the road. Oleksandr Pidvalnyi. CC BY 2.0.

Traveling around the globe alone or with a few friends can do wonders for your inner peace. It’s self-care at its finest. Seeing new places, meeting interesting people, and experiencing a novel culture can give you a broader perspective on life. And let’s not forget all the memories you’ll fondly look back on years from now.

However, despite all the positive effects of travel, one thing that might not cross your mind is how everything we do while globetrotting deeply affects the environment.

As travelers, we often forget that we have a responsibility to travel with care, not only for ourselves and the people around us but also for the places we visit.

Remember, we humans are the ones depleting Earth’s natural resources. So whenever you’re going somewhere, do your best to practice sustainable travel.

Here are some ways to travel green:

1. Choose Off-The-Beaten-Path Locations

Woman walking on a path in the forest. Erik Mclean. CC BY 2.0.

Right now, one of the biggest threats that the travel industry faces is over-tourism. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, about 80% of travelers visit the same five to ten locations in each country.

Popular cities may have up to 70% population growth during peak season, placing strain on the environment and infrastructure.

As much as possible, opt to avoid adding to this over-tourism phenomenon. Get creative when determining where to go next. This way, you won’t have to deal with crowds, and you’ll get to enjoy more genuine and lasting experiences than you could get in the overdone tourist traps.

2. Public Transportation Is Earth’s Best Friend (And Yours, Too)

Silhouette of a person riding a bike on top of the mountains. Jahangeer Bm. CC BY 2.0.

Sometimes the fastest way to your destination isn’t always the better option. Instead of speeding through a checklist or an itinerary, why not slow down a little bit? Allocate more time to your journey to discover more than you could ever ask for.

Slowing down can be beneficial for the environment, and it will allow you to soak in every sensation and experience. Travel by train so you can visit towns and cities you would normally miss if you took a direct route.

For shorter distances or if you’re just going to explore cities, take a walk or cycle to your destination. These two activities won't consume energy and are also pollution-free. They’re also a great way to stay healthy while traveling.

3. Don’t Use Single Use & Cleanup Wherever You Go

Woman drinking from a tumbler. PNW Production. CC BY 2.0.

The image of plastic bottles littering beaches, parks, and waterways has grown alarmingly common in many tourist places. The plastic waste we humans produce poses a serious health risk for all living things, particularly marine life.

Avoid using plastic bags as much as possible. Try to refill and bring your travel-size containers whenever possible.

Carry a refillable water bottle with you at all times to avoid purchasing single-use plastic water bottles. Don’t forget to pack an extra cloth bag in case you need to buy something.

Additionally, if you’re visiting the beach (or any other natural area), pick up some of the trash that you see. Beach cleaning is a great way to meet new people while traveling. You can also look for local clean-up events to meet locals while preserving the environment.

4. Support The Local Economy

Person buying fruit from a local vendor. Erik Scheel. CC BY 2.0.

Always buy products from businesses that support sustainability. A great place to start is with cafes and restaurants that use locally sourced ingredients and avoid single-use plastics. You'll often find that these kinds of restaurants donate a certain amount of their earnings to a deserving cause.

Avoid going to multinational chain restaurants for meals or shopping at supermarkets. Instead, support local entrepreneurs and small businesses to boost the local economy. By doing this, you're keeping people employed and reducing the need for transportation across far distances.

You can also purchase handmade souvenirs and crafts created by indigenous artisans to help preserve the location’s authentic cultural heritage.

Another way to help boost the local economy is to select a local guide. You can reduce the harm that your trip would otherwise cause by selecting a tour operator who cares about preserving the environment and the local people.

Lastly, you can stay in neighborhood guest houses rather than big resorts and hotels. Not only are they typically the more environmentally friendly option, but they’re also more affordable.

5. Pay Attention To The Local Resources You Use

Man brushing his teeth. Tima Miroshnichenko. CC BY 2.0.

Consider taking shorter showers rather than longer ones and shutting off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth to reduce the amount of water you use while traveling. Fill your refillable and reusable travel containers with eco-friendly biodegradable soap and shampoo, especially when camping.

Don’t forget that necessities like hospital beds and emergency services are also local resources. So before hiking or taking a road trip, always check weather conditions and terrain to avoid getting lost or injured and the subsequent rescue mission, which can consume valuable public resources and tax dollars.

6. Respect The Natural Places You’ll Visit

Man taking in the view on top of a mountain. Jaime Reimer. CC BY 2.0.

Keep in mind that well-marked hiking trails are there for a reason, mainly to protect the surrounding area and the local flora from harm. So don't litter. As for wildlife, distance yourself from them as much as possible and never feed or touch them. This is for the protection of both you and the animals.

If you’re going on a beach or diving trip, use reef-safe sunscreen without oxybenzone and octinoxate and avoid stepping on coral.

7. Share Your Sustainable Travel Knowledge With Others

Women conversing near a bonfire. Oleksandr Pidvalnyi. CC BY 2.0.

Inform your friends, family, and fellow travelers about sustainable travel options, and remind them that even small changes can have a big impact.

Travel helps us better understand the world by exposing us to various cultures and customs that are different from our own.

Humans have a natural need to explore. That’s why tourism will always be a massive industry. We can highlight the positive aspects of tourism and lessen its drawbacks if we can come together and share strategies to make travel more ethical, respectful, and sustainable.

Travel Mindfully For Yourself & For The Environment

As regular travelers, we must find a balance between lowering our carbon footprint and helping places that depend on tourism.

We can all contribute to the preservation of our beautiful planet by making a commitment to travel more thoughtfully and go to locations where delicate ecosystems are protected and local communities are helped.

8 Ways to Get Started with Activism

March 1, 2023

A guide to making social changes through small steps.

Many of us care deeply about social causes and would like to get involved in activism, but struggle to take the first step. Maybe we fear the time commitment and have other pressing responsibilities with work, family or friends. Or maybe it’s just intimidating. Here are eight ways to get started as a part-time activist. They are all relatively easy and a great way to, as Gandhi said, “be the change you want to see in the world.”

1. Commit Yourself to Learning

The simplest and most overlooked step to becoming an activist is learning. Through consuming media that promotes or educates on social causes, you can discover a cause you’re passionate about, find an activist group whose mission speaks to you, and learn about the people, animals, countries, social groups, and environment that you want to advocate for. Read nonfiction books, research online media such as journals, websites and podcasts, or even just explore social media accounts by searching through hashtags. This is the first step.

2. Donate

Realistically, economic activism is the bread and butter that allows activist groups to create change, so donating to a cause you’ve researched can make all the difference. More funding and economic investment usually means more social impact, although the relationship is not always linear. Funding keeps activists paid, operations smooth, and costs of office space covered and can also add credibility to a nonprofit's cause.

3. Volunteer

If you can’t make a monetary investment to social activist groups, make a physical investment. Many hands make light work, and volunteering is a perfect outlet that doesn’t require a large time commitment or an official position. Much like donations, the more volunteers an organization has, the greater its potential impact. Volunteering also has the unique benefit of uniting people that are passionate about the same cause, and so can create a strong sense of community around an issue.

4. Vote

Some consider voting a civic responsibility. D.H. Parks. CC BY-NC 2.0

Political theorists may argue civic responsibility, but for many activist groups voting is also a way to express satisfaction or dissent for policies that affect their missions. Voting can mean giving a voice to the causes of social activist groups. Activists vote even if they are not convinced of the power of their individual voices, because social activism derives power from a collective voice. Even a small number of votes can be the difference between starkly different policies.

5. Writing Letters of Dissent

Expressing disagreement with the policy of a company, the politics of a government official, or legislation in general, helps put public opinion in the forefront. Writing on behalf of a particular activist group or a general social action mission can better express the anguish or anger felt toward a particular policy. A letter can contribute to a general dissent toward a policy which could, then, lead to revisions in legislation and corporate actions that threaten the activists’ goals.

6. Political Activism

Find a political candidate, whether local or national, whose mission and policies align with your own beliefs and advocate for their voice with your own. Helping a political candidate share their message might involve volunteering for a voter drive, canvassing for the candidate in your neighborhood to support their campaign or increase grassroots fundraising, or conducting phone calls to personalize the policies of the candidate to their constituents. Through political activism you can promote a candidate whose policies will truly make a difference in your life, your community and beyond.

7. Passive Activism: Petitions and Social Media

Passive activism often means supporting a cause through signing online petitions or using social media to like, post or repost, hashtag, or comment on a post that advocates for social change. While critics deride this form of advocacy as the easiest and, consequently, laziest form of activism, passive activism can build exposure and boost viewership for nonprofits, activists, and candidates. And it's how many more “active” activists get their start.

8. Protests

Amnesty International’s Refugee Day Rally against Britain’s asylum policy. Lewishamdreamer. CC BY-NC 2.0

Before any part-time activist can protest, they need to find a protest relevant to their desired cause and in a not-too-distant location. You can find local protests through the social media platforms of your city’s local government and more specific organizations. The Twitter and Facebook pages of activists and nonprofits in particular can serve as the social media catalysts for protest. Finding a protest also means checking up on the websites of your favorite activist groups under an “Events” tab, where such groups typically post protest dates and locations for protests. Some local governments even have protest calendars on their websites.

Nonprofits and Activist Organizations to Donate to or Volunteer for:

Climate Change

Sustainable Harvest International: Addresses climate, biodiversity, forest and soil restoration and human health in relation to the environment
Environmental Defense Fund: Addresses climate, energy, ecosystem, ocean, and health issues in relation to the environment
Sunrise Movement: Youth political action organization whose mission is to stop climate change and create jobs
Extinction Rebellion: Global pro-environment movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on climate change and environmental protection

Human Rights

International Rescue Committee: Uses donations to fund global humanitarian aid
Amnesty International: UK-based global movement to end abuses of human rights
World Central Kitchen: Provides meals on the frontlines of humanitarian, climate, and community crises

Racial Justice

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): Promotes civil rights and advocates for Black voices to end race-based discrimination
Black Lives Matter: A global organization dedicated to ending violence against Black people and racial injustice, and promoting the prosperity of Black communities

Women’s Issues

The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network: Anti-sexual violence organization that provides victim services, raises awareness about sexual violence and works to achieve justice for survivors
Malala Fund: International nonprofit that fights for girls’ education by investing in education activists and holding global leaders accountable

Global Health

Doctors Without Borders: Mostly donation-based medical humanitarian project dedicated to caring globally for communities in danger
Partners in Health: International nonprofit that partners with local governments to bring medical care to poor areas

LGBTQ+ Rights

The Trevor Project: Provides and utilizes crisis services, peer support, LGBTQ activism, research, and public education efforts to end suicide for LGBTQ youth.
Ali Forney Center: Offers services like job readiness training, support, and shelter for homeless LGBTQ in New York to protect them from the dangers of homelessness

Veteran

Wounded Warrior Project: Provides programs and services to injured veterans, including mental health care, rehabilitative care and career counseling

Su is a first year student at Columbia University majoring in creative writing. Her love for the power of words and her connection to her Turkish roots spills into her satire, flash fiction, and journalistic pieces among other genres. Su hopes to continue writing fearless journalism, untold stories, and prose inspired by her surroundings.

A Grassroots Youth Movement Is Changing the Political Narrative in Peru

February 28, 2023

Recent political instability in Peru has resulted in violent uprisings led by the nation’s youth, who are fed up with longstanding corruption.

Protesters Take the Streets in Lima, Peru CC BY-SA 4.0

Over the past few months Peru’s political system, and especially its President Dina Boluarte, have come under the scrutiny of protestors demanding fair and just elections. A country that ranks 101 out of 180 on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Peru is categorized as one of the nations with the most public sector corruption. Facing regional criticism with polarization, impeachment threats, and violent manifestations across the country, Peru’s current turmoil is opening a path towards a new Peruvian identity for young citizens who wish to set their nation on a different course. Seeking democracy and transparency, a group of Peruvian students are increasing awareness of structural changes that they feel must take place in their country.

Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was arrested in January 2023 after an attempted coup from above, resulting in the ascension of the then Vice President Dina Boluarte to head of state. Many citizens, however, especially those outside of the capital Lima, felt that this was an attack on their freedom because there was no democratic input in the transition. Throughout the pandemic Peru suffered an economic downturn that reduced access to basic services, especially for health care and education. Triggered by the political unrest, civilians have since taken to the street in violent anti-government protests, demanding that their nation allow transparent elections and eliminate elite privilege.

Demonstrations at Plaza Manco Capac following the Ayacucho massacre CC BY-SA 4.0

Peru’s youth have been key to these protests, taking a stand and raising their voices to demand what they view as a better future free of corruption with access to quality basic services. Creating their own slogan, #TheyMessedWithTheWrongGeneration, Peru’s younger population warns authorities that they will not rest, and plan on continuing the fight for an end to systematic dishonesty and fraud. Considered a grassroots movement, the non-partisan group is gaining momentum as even some among the older generations feel that the current government no longer represents them and that their country deserves better. One activist in the movement, a 33-year-old publicist named Diego Cruz, gave the following statement to reporters at a march, “It’s not just one generation marching here, it’s everyone, because we feel outraged that [congress] is carving up the country.”

The youth movement also demands university reform, adherents arguing that access to college is not possible for everyone, especially those that live in rural communities far from the cities. Politicians and traditional political analysts mistook the youth’s dissatisfaction of the old ways for political apathy, a supposition which has now proven woefully false. Members hope that their movement can pave the way to a better, more transparent Peru. It remains to be seen whether they will achieve this.

Having obtained a MA in International Policy, Kimberly seeks to bridge the gap between global development and government legislation. Growing up between the United States and Spain, she believes that travel is the best way to discover yourself and understand the world. Her goal is to promote a deeper awareness of the effects of climate change in society and politics.

5 Ways AI Will Revolutionize Travel

February 14, 2023

AI is changing the way travelers make decisions through personalized features ranging from customer service to travel planners.

AI is changing global travel. Mike MacKenzie. CC BY 2.0.

Imagine 10 years from now, you feel like setting out on a journey. With a few taps on your device you scroll through a customized list of the best travel destinations tailored to your interests, budget, and preferences. After picking a destination you press a button that automatically reserves all the hotels, restaurants, and tickets to the tourist spots along the way. A smart application secures the best flight deal, leaving you to simply pack your bags and prepare for a personalized and extraordinary travel experience.

New digital technologies have greatly impacted the travel industry in recent years, from online platforms for homestays and transportation to travel suggestions. With the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT in various aspects of travel, traveling will grow less stressful, more convenient, and more personal. As the world of travel resuscitates from a hiatus caused by the pandemic, the future of AI-powered travel will open the door to boundless possibilities. Here are five ways AI could revolutionize the travel experience.

Personalized Travel Planner

Designing a highly personalized travel plan with multiple features powered by AI is a growing trend for travelers around the globe. Yearning for a more authentic cultural experience beyond standard hotels, crowded tourist areas, and the overpriced local specialty, one-third of international travelers nowadays are interested in using digital assistants for travel research and booking. These individuals are also actively searching for information on hotels, flights, and destination activities online. Apps such as Booking, Expedia, and Hopper are reaping growing profits through their users by providing a one-stop shop for flights, car rentals, cruises, and other services

With AI algorithms able to analyze vast amounts of data and make predictions about travelers’ requirements, a personalized travel planner could provide recommendations for flights, accommodations, and activities based on a traveler’s specific needs. These platforms will allow users to input their information and leverage machine learning to generate a customized itinerary. Users have the ability to make edits and manage aspects of their trip as needed.

Organize Review

Online reviews play a crucial role in travel decision-making, particularly as an increasing number of travelers opt for an “impulse trip”. Enticing reviews with vivid descriptions of an “ideal adventure” can be a persuasive factor for potential customers. However, the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT in crafting reviews can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, fake reviews produced by AI undermine the authenticity and credibility of the user-generated aspect of travel as a market product. On the other hand, AI can also provide a solution to this problem. Companies like Magpie use AI tools to perform sentiment analysis, which allows them to identify emerging trends and adjust their search ranking algorithms accordingly.

Booking Assistant

You might be familiar with chatbot pop-ups on travel websites, where you can start a conversation with an AI assistant about the details of your journey. Booking flights and accommodations can be a challenging and time-consuming task as travelers sift through various flight fares and hotel prices in search of the best deal.

An AI-powered booking assistant can simplify this process by constantly monitoring and predicting fluctuating prices in the travel industry and finding the most cost-effective options. Travel and hospitality consulting firms, such as Altexsoft, have developed self-learning algorithms capable of forecasting future prices based on seasonal trends, demand growth, and special promotions.

To improve the accessibility and convenience of their real-time prediction for users, popular social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber integrated chatbots that assist users throughout the booking process, offering a smooth and efficient experience. The deployment of chatbots on these widely used communication channels enables travel companies to reach a wider audience and provide more accessible support to customers.

Virtual Traveling

Bringing the world home might not be a distant dream with virtual reality (VR) technology. VR simulates an environment or three-dimensional space that users can interact with. With the personalizing features of AI, it is possible to create physically and emotionally immersive travel that is unique to each user without leaving the doorstep. After AI recommends the site according to your needs, companies like First Airlines can give you the options for immersive virtual reality travel “trips” to destinations like Hawaii, Rome, and Paris. You can enjoy first-class airline service with four-course meals and VR tours of the destination’s main sights. By using an interactive virtual experience that can accurately reproduce a real-world setting, tourists can gain a comprehensive understanding of a location before they visit it.

Enhanced Customer Service

AI chatbots have the potential to revolutionize customer service for travelers. These chatbots can provide real-time information and personalized assistance, such as helping travelers find their gate or answering a traveler’s questions about their destination. For example, according to Rajesh Naidu, senior vice president and chief architect at Expedia Group, their platform has generated 29 million virtual conversations, saving over 8 million hours of agent time. Some hotels, such as the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, already employ multi-lingual robots for check-in and checkout processing. AI-powered instant translation services can help travelers negotiate last-minute changes with accommodation hosts and rental car providers who may speak different languages. Furthermore, each interaction with AI improves the quality of future communications.

Artificial Intelligence is poised to transform the travel industry by providing a customized travel experience. Utilizing its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, make accurate predictions, and facilitate smart communication, AI-powered travel promises to be both more enjoyable and less stressful. As technology continues to advance rapidly, the future of travel looks brighter and brighter.

OPINION: Why “Symbolic” European Monarchies Should Be Abolished

February 14, 2023

How European Monarchies help to cloak their country’s colonial past.

Queen Elizabeth 1957, Library and Archives Canada, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The problem with symbolic monarchies is not the monarchs themselves. The late Queen Elizabeth was known for her steadfastness and dedication to her job. Eighty-five percent of people in Britain believe she was good for the country, and 87% think that she will be regarded as one of Britain’s greatest Monarchs. While not nearly as popular, a September 2022 poll suggests King Felipe VI of Spain is viewed positively by 56% of Spainiards.

Symbolic monarchies, whether ruled by someone good or bad, should be abolished because of the old imperialist powers they represent. Queen Elizabeth’s family ruled over an imperialist and colonialist Britain that denied freedom and self-government to millions of people around the world. In 1947, the same year Britain reluctantly granted India independence, the then Princess Elizabeth gave a speech on her 21st Birthday where, in reference to World War II, she claimed that “the British Empire has saved the world.” In 1948, a year later, the British governor of what is present-day Malaysia used brutal counterinsurgency tactics to fight communist national liberation uprisings. In 1952 in Kenya, to fight the anti-colonial Mau Mau insurgency, Britain created detention camps in which its agents tortured tens of thousands of people.

The British Empire 1921, Vadac., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1953, Elizabeth became the Head of the new British Commonwealth, a neo-colonialist rebranding of the old Empire. Over the next 50 years, she would reign over the destabilizing and messy decolonization of Yemen, Cyprus, Apartheid South Africa, Jamaica, Hong Kong, and more. These poorly planned and often hasty withdrawals have left traumas of their own.

These atrocities are not directly the fault of Queen Elizabeth. She was Britain’s symbolic leader, not its head of government. She was also not blameless. Even if she did not outwardly condone them, many of Britain’s worst atrocities were committed in her name. While Britain was decolonizing, Queen Elizabeth spent years touring the “nations of the Commonwealth,” putting a smiling face on Britain’s remaining colonial Empire and glorifying its imperialism.

It is not just Britain. The Bourbons, the current Spanish ruling family, has been on the throne since the 1700s. They have overseen the murder of thousands of Indigenous peoples, and the violent decolonizations of Latin America, the Philippines, Spanish holdings in Africa, and more. This is not to say Spain's current King, Felipe VI, who was crowned in 2014, is responsible for his ancestors’ actions. However, to have the descendants of such bloody tyrants still on the throne is an direct affront to the nations their ancestors colonized, who must still bear the fallout of European imperialism.

Armada Galleas, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Royal families are stubborn remnants of an imperial past, granting titles and privileges so ingrained in society that they are codified into law.

In a modern democratic nation, there is no place for monarchs or royal families. The Age of Empires is over. It's beyond time to let their monarchies die with them.

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: What This Means for Regional Development

February 14, 2023

In the early hours of February 6th, Turkey and Syria were struck by a destructive earthquake that will have lasting implications for living standards.

Hatay, Turkey, 9 February 2023. CC BY 2.0

In the early morning of February 6, southeastern Turkey was hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, running all the way through most parts of Syria. About 9 hours later another 7.5 quake rocked the Turkey-Syria border, with over 200 aftershocks recorded. The seismic phenomena have left over 33,000 dead, a number that is expected to rise, buildings turned to rubble, and a region on the brink of developmental disaster. Survivors have been left homeless in the streets in sub-freezing temperatures with no access to food or water, struggling to find their loved ones amid the remains.

Sitting on the Anatolian plate between two major faults - the North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault - Turkey is vulnerable to strike-slip seismic activity. The main earthquake that occurred on Tuesday morning had its epicenter in the city of Nurdaği, located in the Gaziantep province, which is home to many Syrian refugees who have escaped that country’s Civil War. A developing nation, Turkey struggles to implement legitimate housing laws that keep buildings up to safety standards. The nation’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has reported that poorly enforced regulations played a role in making earthquakes so damaging, as buildings quickly collapsed due to their already vulnerable state. In Syria 11 years of conflict have made it nearly impossible to enforce building standards, and most cities already host vulnerable living conditions, the war leaving buildings and areas unstable and unprepared for seismic activity.

What are the long-term implications of such natural disasters on this region of the world? Sitting on such an active fault line, with Syria to the south on the Arabia Plate Tectonic, Turkey and its neighbor could experience more quakes. Buildings which have not collapsed from this earthquake are at risk if there is any more seismic activity. At the moment Turkey and Syria both face a deep humanitarian crisis, and will soon have to come up with the money to rebuild. Turkey, already facing a turbulent economic situation, must now spend billions of dollars in a rebuilding project, combined with upcoming elections on May 14. The nation’s economic growth for 2023 could now be up to 2 percentage points less, leaving the nation behind in its development goals.

President Erdoğan has continued to threaten Syria’s Assad regime on political matters, which include his habitual threats to attack Kurdish groups in the northern part of Assad’s domain. However, both nations have agreed to offer each other diplomatic assistance and aid after this disaster, and accept international help for the wellbeing of their citizens. This type of earthquake diplomacy is also paving the way for other states with bilateral tensions, such as the United States and Russia, to collaborate with one another and assist Turkey and Syria for the sake of supporting human life and future development in the region.

TO GET INVOLVED:

UNICEF is accepting donations and financial contributions to help on-the-ground volunteers get aid to children and families affected in both Turkey and Syria. For more information on getting involved, click here.

Save the Children is accepting donations to help surviving children receive food and shelter. To get involved, click here.

CDP has opened a Recovery Fund to help in the reconstruction of buildings in Turkey and Syria, as well as provide aid and resources for survivors. To donate, click here.

7 Reasons Why Kenya Should Be On Your Ecotourism Travel List

February 13, 2023

As eco-consciousness grows among travelers, Kenya welcomes them as a beacon of sustainability and natural wonder.

Life is Getting Harder For LGBTQ+ in China

February 13, 2023

China has had its reservations about the LGBTQ+ community in its recent history, but under Xi Jinping’s rule only traditional heterosexual values are accepted.

Shanghai Gay Pride 2009. Kris Krug. CC BY-SA 2.0

The LGBTQ+ community has never had it easy in China — from constant surveillance and intimidation to censorship and even police detention, the community has been met with constant repression.

There was a period in the early 2000s, however, when it seemed as if things might have been changing. Gay clubs were flourishing, and there was a feeling of acceptance that came along with increased social services. Those days are gone, and the reality has become quite different under the rule of President Xi Jinping as China slowly becomes a more conservative country.

But it hasn’t always been like this. While many believe heterosexual traditions have been a hallmark of Chinese culture throughout history, this was not the case before the 19th century: centuries ago homosexuality wasn’t just accepted, but celebrated. One text entitled, “Passions of the Cut Sleeve” depicted an emperor and a servant sharing a bed. The emperor wanted to get out of bed, and to avoid disturbing the servant’s sleep, the emperor cut the sleeve the servant was resting on. While this act could be interpreted differently, the standard interpretation is that it was done out of love.

This work was celebrated by scholars and is proof that the intolerance of homosexuality has never been a traditional aspect of Chinese culture. But when Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong rose to power later on in the 20th century, there was a sudden shift in attitude.

LGBTQ Flag. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - PNNL. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

He encouraged China to embrace modernity. That meant exposing the country to Western culture, which also included exposure to Western concepts of sexuality and, therefore, Western homophobia. Mao imported the notion that homosexuality was an illness and that same-sex attraction was a mental disorder that needed to be cured. Up until 1997, men caught engaging in homosexual acts could be persecuted with charges of “hooliganism,” a crime that that offended against public order.

Today being gay is not illegal in China, but that doesn’t mean the negative stigma around homosexuality has changed. When Xi Jinping became president in 2012, the old Western-inspired values on what a family should look like have come to dominate society once again, to the point where the pressure to remain in the closet became almost unbearable.

There are many people in the Chinese LGBTQ+ community who refuse to fake their “straightness” and have therefore left their homeland. This is known as “sexual migration” and mostly occurs due to both external and internal pressures.

Internet platforms have also stepped in to enforce the party line. The popular TV show “Friends” had a plotline involving main character Ross’ lesbian ex-wife which has been censored in China, along with any other mentions of the LGBTQ+ community and sex. The gay-dating service app Grindr has also been removed from China’s Apple app store.

China is growing more suspicious and even hostile to homosexuality, labeling it as a “Western influence.” Being bisexual, gay, or trans is ironically seen as a Western import and is increasingly not accepted. Homosexuality may have been decriminalized in 1997, but is still very much confined to the shadows.

Michelle is a senior at Boston University, majoring in journalism and minoring in philosophy. Her parents are first-generation immigrants from China, so her love for different cultures and traveling came naturally at a young age. After graduation, she hopes to continue sharing important messages through her work

Battling Air Pollution in Mongolia

February 11, 2023

Ulaanbaatar’s coal addiction is fueling a public health crisis

Smog impedes mountain view. Mongolia, 2010.. Einar Fredrikse.CC BY-SA 2.0.

Many associate Mongolia with a picturesque scene of snow-white sheep roaming the prairies and a chilly, crisp wind sweeping over Bogd Khairkhan Mountain. In sharp contrast to these images, the level of air pollution is 27 times more than the healthy level that the World Health Organization(WHO) recommends, with 687 micrograms or particulate matter per cubic meter invading the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky. Ganjargal Dembrel, a doctor from the northern part of Ulaanbaatar who responded to a house call, said he no longer “knows what a healthy lung sounds like,” with none to be found in his neighborhood, according to his interview with National Geographic.“Everybody has bronchitis or some other problem, especially during winter, ” he said. As Dembrel suggests, the severity of Mongolia’s air pollution is threatening the public health of the country in a way known as “slow violence.” Coined by Rob Nixon, a professor in the Department of Humanities and the Environment at Princeton University, the phrase refers to the adverse impact of climate change, deforestation, acidifying oceans, and other hazardous environmental crises on underprivileged or minority communities. According to Nixon, “slow violence” is largely invisible in the short term, but is detrimental over years, decades, and even centuries, solidifying environmental injustice in the worst-hit regions. The current situation in Mongolia is the case in point.

The primary cause of Mongolia's air pollution is its reliance on coal and other fossil fuels. Households in Mongolia depend on burning coals to remain warm during the winter season, which is the third coldest winter in the world: the temperature can fall as low as -40°F. F.

During the sub-freezing winter, research found that the residential district in Ulaanbaatar, known as the “ger”, burns around 600,000 tons of raw coal for heating purposes. The coal consumed by ger areas accounts for 80% of the current air pollution in the city. In addition, the geographic features of Ulaanbaatar accumulate the devastation of air pollution. High mountains surrounding Ulaanbaatar’s urban areas, which have lower wind speeds, block air pollutants from dissipation.

Home to 3.3 million people, Mongolia faces substantial challenges posed by the aftermath of its climate crisis. The fine particulate matter in the air of Ulaanbaatar contributed to 28.8% of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and lung disease. Among the impacted population, the children are the most vulnerable. The second leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 in Mongolia is pneumonia, a lung infection. In the highly polluted area of Ulaanbaatar, children have 40% lower lung function than their peers living in rural areas.

Studies have also found that pollution imposes a high risk to reproductive health. In January, the month of peak pollution, the amount of successfully delivered infants relative to conceptions in Mongolia was reduced by 3.2-fold. The alarming infliction of climate disasters hits the next generation of Mongolians hardest.

To reduce air pollution, governments, organizations, and individuals in Mongolia and around the world are taking action. The Mongolian government passed the “Law on Air Quality” in 2012, implementing policies such as subsidizing household electricity. It also bans raw coal starting in May 2019, replacing it with refined coal. Though not without pushback from weak municipal execution and economic depression, the overall situation is improving. Winter of 2019 saw a dramatic decrease of particulate matter by 2.5 falling 42% compared to the previous year. It remains to be seen whether these measures and others will be able to fully tackle Ulaanbaatar's pollution problem.

Non-profit international organizations such as Geres and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also partner with the government to mitigate the pollution. UNICEF is working with nongovernmental organizations on programs including training health workers’ skills and knowledge, increasing families’ access to affordable medication, and raising public awareness of the effect of pollution. Geres, a development NGO working in Europe, Africa, and Asia, coordinates projects such as the energy renovation of fragile housing in Ulaanbaatar that aims to eradicate the primary cause of air pollution.

The future holds promise for Mongolia as long as all parties involved take responsibility and work together to protect the environment and public health. Tackling air pollution is a shared responsibility for the government, international organizations, and individuals, and will require immense effort to transition to a more sustainable urbanization model for the traditionally nomadic nation.

To Get Involved:

The UNICEF Mongolia country office works in close partnership with the Government of Mongolia, NGOs, and local communities to protect child rights in Mongolia from access to resources to educate about the environment and air pollution. Find out more about UNICEF here.

Geres is working on multiple projects that contribute to sustainable, energy-efficient development in Ulaanbaatar and other major cities in Mongolia. Learn more about their program and how you can take action here.

Nomads of Mongolia

PODCAST: Delivering Clean Water Filters to Nomadic Peoples in Mongolia

The Gris-gris Wrestlers of Senegal

February 9, 2023

Wrestling — la lutte in French, or lamb in native Wolof — is by far the most popular sport in Senegal, even more beloved than football.

The entire population, from toddlers to grandmothers, follows the big wrestling matches either in the stadium, on the television, or on the street. Senegalese wrestling differs from that practised more commonly in western and Asian countries — mostly because of the traditional rituals practised by competitors. In western countries, these mystic rituals are often colloquially called voodoo, but the Senegalese call it gris-gris.

These unusual rituals are usually performed with the presentation and veneration of traditional amulets, the use of magic potions, and hypnotic drumming, songs and dance — all as an integral part of the wrestling match. The wrestler above is presenting his magic amulets to the crowd before a fight in the Adrien Senghor arena. Meanwhile, below you see a wrestler training before a final fight in the Iba Mar Diop stadium, located in the Medina district in Dakar. To prepare, he dances alone in a trance-like state to ear-deafening hypnotic drums and repetitive beats.

During the last ten years, the traditional sport of La Lutte Sénégalaise has become a million dollar spectacle, mostly because of big telecom sponsors, TV stations, and new media channels. This has led to the most successful wrestlers becoming media-stars and billionaires, giving young men in this African country a very different perspective. For wrestlers who succeed there is not only social recognition, along with high value prizes into the hundreds of thousands of US dollars for the highest profile fights, but also the chance of well-paid jobs in the security industry or as a trainer in a wrestling school.

THE BIG FIGHT

While in Dakar, I attended a huge fight between two superstars of Senegalese wrestling — Balla Gaye 2 and Emeu Sene — along with more than 20,000 other fans at the sold out soccer stadium called Demba Diop, on April 5, 2015. With over 200 million CFA (around USD $300,000) at stake, this was a serious match. In the weeks beforehand, large billboards and posters appeared all over the city, advertising the event. Below you see fans and street vendors gathering outside the stadium before it began.

At the start of the competition, Adam Ngom, a well-known drummer, fired up the audience to welcome the champion wrestler Balla Gaye 2. An important mystical element, the deafening sound of the drums is never absent from a fight, not even at small wrestling matches in local villages.

One of many mystical rituals performed by the wrestlers, releasing pigeons is believed to bring the wrestler luck. Balla Gaye 2, whose real name is Sakko, became a superstar in Senegal after he dethroned the reigning champion Yekini in 2012, who had remained unbeaten for fifteen years.

Similar to wrestling styles in other countries, a Senegalese fighter will try to grab their opponent by legs, and unbalance him. Nowadays a wrestling match that also involves boxing is the king’s discipline of the Senegalese sport, but the more traditional forms of wrestling are still performed without boxing in many of the villages. Below you see wrestler BB Bismi Ndoye defeating his opponent Maraka Dji, during another fight in the Demba Diop stadium on April 5, 2015. Some fights will last no longer than 90 seconds and only very rarely do they go on longer than fifteen minutes.

RITUAL & RHYTHM

Senegal’s climate is too hot for wrestling during the day, so competitions always take place in the evening, often lasting until well after midnight.

Attending these late night competitions, the atmosphere and mood often evoked is that of an ancient gladiatorial fight, with plenty of wild drumming and singing. Below you see the contrasting enthusiasm and frustration of rival supporters in the Iba Mar Diop stadium — every well-known wrestler has his own loyal supporters who spur him on during a fight.

Senegalese wrestling matches always take place on sand and many wrestling stars will head out to train on the public beaches of Dakar, which also provides a welcome source of entertainment for the locals.

Witchcraft and magic play a very important role in Senegalese wrestlers’ preparations. Below you see Kherou Ngor, a young lightweight wrestling champion, washing himself with milk on the shore of Ngor in Dakar. Kherou performs this traditional ritual as he believes that he will gain strength and support from a ghost who lives among the stones on the shore.

At least three times a week, Kherou will also train on the long stairway in front of the “monument of the African Renaissance”, one of the biggest bronze statues in the world. Ultimately, the North Korean aesthetic and the statue’s insane building cost prevented the former Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade from being re-elected.

Before a fight, it is also common for a marabout — a religious leader and teacher — to conduct rituals, believed to give the wrestler supernatural powers. Marabouts also make and sell amulets, called Gris-gris, and magic potions to the wrestlers, which they then take to the matches in bottles. Traditional shamans also play a part in the preparations. Every wrestler has an assistant who takes care of his Gris-gris amulets and prepares him for each fight. Below you see one of those assistants sacrificing milk at a cham, a special place of worship for the ancestors of the wrestler’s family.

Another important ritual wrestlers often celebrate before a fight is the inhalation of holy smoke. Each wrestler uses a special cloth to waft the smoke, which he will then wear on his abdomen during the fight.

EVOLUTION OF A SPORT

Wrestling has a centuries-long traditional history as part of popular culture and tradition in Senegal and I met photographer Freekis Ndoye from Dakar, who shared his historical pictures of wrestlers from the 1950s. The first celebrated wrestler in the region of Senegambia was called Boukar Djilak Faye and he lived during the 14th century in the kingdom of Sine.

Almost every village in rural Senegal organizes regular wrestling tournaments, often to accompany a communal celebration or party. Below, in the small village of Soune, you see women and children gathering to watch the men fight in a wrestling match, as a young wrestler pours a magic potion over himself, prepared by a shaman to lend him supernatural forces.

Before each fight, the wrestlers must wrap a special cloth around their abdomens, which they can use to grab hold of each other during the fight.

Below you see a wrestler from the small village of Djilass, during a ritual river washing before a regional fight competition. The captial city of Dakar attracts many wrestlers who are successful in rural areas, as it is only at the bigger competitions a fighter can win significant prize money.

Today, especially at the bigger matches in Dakar, many of the traditional costumes once worn by wrestlers during the dances and gris-gris ceremonies that are held before a fight, have been exchanged for high-tech sports gear emblazoned with the bold logos of modern telecommunication brands. Here you see a group of young wrestlers performing a dance at the Demba Diop stadium in Dakar.

With the influence of big sponsors, wrestling has become a very trendy sport and is no longer seen as a sport only for old men. Even young girls like 23-year-old Aissa, who is a waitress at the “Black and White” bar on the beach of Ngor, read the Sunu Lamb newspaper — a daily publication dedicated exclusively to Senegalese wrestling matches.

The faces of top wrestlers are also becoming a popular subject for t-shirts and the superstars of wrestlers gather many adoring young followers.

THE NEXT GENERATION

Tens of thousands of young men in Senegal now dream of making wresting their future career, in the hope of becoming rich and famous. Every evening, as the heat of the sun begins to lessen, you will find the next generation of wrestlers training hard on the beach of Ngor in Dakar.

Most of the young hopefuls have very little money to their names, so they must be resourceful with their training — only the top wrestlers can afford to train at the city’s dedicated wrestling gymnasiums.

The young men with the most talent will go on to train at one of the famous wrestling schools run by ex-fighters like Balla Gaye, who opened the first official wrestling school in Senegal. Many successful wrestlers have graduated from his school, including the superstar Balla Gaye 2.

Now retired from competition, below you see another famous wrestler, Lac de Guiers, posing in front of the Mar Diop stadium. It was in this very arena that his fight against the wrestler Commando made wrestling history. With a series of targeted, hard punches, Lac de Guiers defeated the much taller favourite and sent him tumbling out cold to the ground.

These days, Lac de Guiers owns a wrestling school and lives peacefully with his family, a sheep, a few pigeons, and his parrot. Here you see him relaxing and watching an important weekend match with his family on TV, just like a hundred thousand other Senegalese people on a Saturday afternoon.

Named in honour of his mentor and trainer, below you see the wrestler Lac de Guiers 2, pictured after a training session on the bonnet of his car, which he was able to buy using some of the prize money he has won. A rising star, on April 12, 2015, he followed in his predecessor’s footsteps and defeated the strong favorite, Papa Sow, in a sensational fight at Demba Diop stadium.

For now, the future of this traditional sport looks set to be filled with ever higher profile competitions and tantilising promise for Senegal’s next generation of aspiring young wrestlers.

En route to Antarctica: The Unpredictable Drake Passage

February 9, 2023

Recently declared an “unforgettable” journey on Tiktok, the infamous Drake Passage is a necessity for travel lovers seeking Antarctic Adventure.

The rough conditions of the Drake Passage. Aah-Yeah. CC BY 2.0

The turbulent journey to Antarctica has rarely gotten as much attention as it did in December 2022 on TikTok. Multiple users shared their vlogs and experiences as they crossed miles to reach the icy continent. But it's less the continent itself that went viral than boat rides through the Drake Passage, a narrow strait between Antarctica and Argentina that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Depending on the weather, travelers passing will either experience the “Drake Lake,” a mild and almost peaceful journey, or the turbulent and rough “Drake Shake,”, which features waves that are often 20 to 25 feet tall.

According to a TikTok creator who experienced the dreaded “Drake Shake,” it took around two days for their ship to travel through the waterway and that for most of it, the boat was unsteady — to the point that passengers were “holding on to dear life” while eating breakfast at the buffet.

Folded ice in Antarctica. Trey Ratcliff. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The body of water is named after the famous English explorer Sir Francis Drake, one of whose ships passed near the location and discovered the connection between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean in 1578. For wooden ships in the past the Drake Passage proved a difficult challenge, but with modern ship construction and technology the journey is now much easier, but still features its notorious bumps along the way.

One of the biggest issues for travelers undergoing the “Drake Shake” is the scourge of sea sickness. With the boat constantly tilting and rocking, getting nauseous is common. But a tip to overcome this is to know your limits — don’t be afraid to consult with an onboard doctor or take medications. Stay hydrated, don’t skip meals, and avoid alcohol. There is no shame in taking a rest.

Bringing good shoes may also make the journey smoother. These should hold snugly to your feet and help you get a good grip. One passenger who traveled across the Drake Passage said good footwear is crucial to preventing falls or slips. Some guests were visibly struggling in slippers and sandals.

But overall, when five adventurers were asked about their experience, the common consensus was that it was all worth it. Many have said it’s a journey to remember because while there may have been a few bumps on the road, the “ultimate reward is Antarctica.”

9 Hottest Cuisines from Around the World

February 1, 2023

Discover the 9 spiciest cuisines from around the world, from Jamaican jerk chicken to Brazilian bean cake

Homemade Hotpot. Jonathan Lin. CC BY 2.0.

Flavorful and diverse, food can bring a range of sensory pleasure through the tastes of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory. But, spicy, a sensation rather than a flavor, is a unique combination of scorching pain and alluring charm. While it can leave a strong impression on diners, it can also burn the tongue and leave one reaching for a glass of iced milk.

Whether you love it or hate it, people around the world enjoy spicy food for various reasons, including the stimulation of appetite in tropical regions and triggering the release of pleasant endorphins through heat mimicry. If you're looking for a tantalizing culinary adventure, check out this list of the 10 spiciest cuisines from around the world.

1. Jerk chicken, Jamaica

Jerk chicken at The Jamaican Grill. Hajime Nakano. CC BY 2.0.

Jerk seasoning is a mixture of spices such as onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, dried parsley, ground clove, and cumin that bring a taste of the Caribbean to any diner. However, it is scotch bonnet peppers that bring the heat to this Jamaican dish. On the Scoville heat unit scale, which measures the number of times an active component of peppers needs to be diluted by sugar water to achieve a neutral taste, scotch bonnet peppers are nearly 100 times hotter than jalapeno peppers. Jerk chicken, a popular dish that can be made with either bone-in or deboned chicken breast, is typically marinated or dry-rubbed with this spicy seasoning. In Jamaica, where the dish originated, people place charcoals in a fire pit with pimento wood on top, then put the seasoned chicken on the wood. The slow cook that lasts for hours allows the chicken to absorb the fragrant oil and smoke from the pimento wood, rendering its piquant taste.

2. Sik Sik Wat/Doro wat, Ethiopia

Demera Ethiopian at Chicago French Market. Kurman Communications, Inc. CC BY 2.0.

Doro Wat or Sik Sik Wat of Ethiopia is a classic slow-cooked Ethiopian stew simmering in dried red chilies, paprika, cayenne, and fenugreek. Berberé, a paprika-based mixture, and Niter Kibbeh, a fragrant, herb-infused clarified butter, are the two main seasonings that give the stew its rich flavor. Boiled gently in the caramelized onions, the tender chicken or beef is often combined with a tangy piece of injera, which is Ethiopian bread made from fermented teff flour. Before the stew is fully cooked, peeled, hard-boiled eggs are added to absorb the zesty spices and furnish the bright, mouthwatering red of the dish. It is also a staple of Ethiopian holiday celebrations like Christmas and Easter, particularly popular during the 43-day fast before Christmas. Many Ethiopians prefer to have this spice-filled meat stew as their first choice after abstaining from meat.

3. Bean cake, Brazil

Popular in Brazil, bean cake is a street food dish made of deep-fried, peeled black-eyed peas beans filled with spicy pastes including cashews, shrimp, and palm oil. These patties offer a crispy exterior and a soft, pillowy interior. Its filling opens to a range of enticing ingredients, from traditional vatapa with palm nut sauce and spices to modern versions with cheese and salsa. The street food, which originates from Bahia state, has roots in West Africa. Historically sold by Afro-Brazilian women (Baianas) on the streets who dress in traditional costumes, bean cake is not only a delicious treat with its vibrant flavors and texture, but also holds cultural significance. The slave descendant woman used to sell Bainas for a living and earn their freedom in the 19th century, Whether enjoyed as a snack or a full meal, it is usually served with a tomato salad and homemade hot pepper sauces.

4. Potatoes Huancayo style, Peru

Peruvian Potatoes Huancayo style Sauce. AgainErick.CC BY-SA 3.0.

A traditional Peruvian dish known as “Potatoes Huancayo style Sauce,” Papa a la huancaína is made of rustic and flavorful potatoes covered in cheese, milk, and a variety of spices. The unique flavor of Aji Amarillo, a Peruvian chili pepper that is an inseparable part of the local cuisine, is the highlight of this deceptively simple salad dish. Without the harshness and heat of a typical pepper, Aji Amarillo is fruity and subtle, making it a perfect option for a hot summer day. The origin story of Papa a la huancaína also set this dish apart. According to local legend, the dish originated in the late 1800s in the central Andes Mountains city of Huancayo, where a woman vendor sold it to railroad workers. Its bold flavors, robust spices, and creamy texture quickly gained popularity and became a much-anticipated lunchtime treat for the workers. Today, Papa a la huancaína is on the menu of most restaurants serving traditional Peruvian cuisine.

5. Kimchi Jjigae, Korea

Tuna kimchi jjigae. Chloe Lim.CC BY 2.0.

Kimchi Jjigae is a traditional Korean dish renowned for its bold and spicy flavor. Made from fermented Napa cabbage and a mix of spices, including garlic, fish paste, chili paste, and rice paste, the preparation process can take days or even months. Combining Kimchi Jjigae with other ingredients such as tofu, pork belly, and scallions creates a satisfying meal. Kimchi Jjigae is also versatile and can be adapted to suit personal tastes and preferences. For example, some Koreans prefer to add beef, tuna, clams, or mussels to the dish, while others enjoy it simply served over a bowl of rice. Regardless of the additional ingredients, this dish is well-known for its comforting spiciness and ability to refresh the palate. The ease of preparation, combined with its transformative taste, makes Kimchi Jjigae a favorite for many.

6. Tom Yum, Thailand

Vegetable Tom Yum Soup. Alpha. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Tangy, spicy, and savory, Tom Yum is a popular and aromatic Thai soup that is made from a mix of fresh lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal (a type of ginger), chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, and mushrooms. “Tom”refers to a boiling process, “Yam” is a spicy and sour salad, and "Kung" means shrimp. While you will likely find the refreshing soup cooked in every neighborhood, the history behind the dish largely remains unknown. Though there was no clear documentation of the origin of the soup, it is likely that the abundance of fresh shrimp in the Chao Phraya River in Thailand is believed to give rise to the sour, spicy soup. Over time, the three essential ingredients, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal also evolved, while keeping its iconic flavor intact. For many Asians, Tom Yum is also a go-to remedy for colds and coughs, as the fresh herbs help soothe the body and warm the stomach.

7. Vindaloo, India

Vindaloo with other dishes. Bing. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Vindaloo, hailing from Goa in western India, is known for its fiery heat and mouthwatering sourness. This Indian delicacy is crafted with a base of meat such as pork or chicken, which is seasoned with a blend of spices like chili peppers, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and vinegar. This mixture is then slow-cooked to create a luscious, delicious stew. The dish is typically served with rice or Indian bread, such as naan or roti, and is often accompanied by a variety of side dishes, including chutneys, pickles, and raita.

8. Bun Bo Hue, Vietnam

Good strong beef broth and a clear chicken broth in Bun Bo Hue. Pho Hoang.CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Vietnam noodle soup of Bun Bo Hue boasts distinct and rich flavors from its thin round noodles, a blend of beef and pork, and a hearty, savory broth. To create the broth, cook beef bones or shank with lemongrass, then season with fermented shrimp sauce and sugar. Spicy chili oil is added later during the cooking process, giving the dish its signature reddish-brown hue. A meal full of flavors and textural contrasts, Bun Bo Hue has various flavors depending on its geographical origins and climate. The most authentic Bun Bo Hue usually appears in street food stalls in the city of Hue, along with traditional Hue salt coffee shops.

9. Hotpot, China

Hotpot readily comes to mind when discussing the world's spiciest dishes, but is so much more than a scary, peppery soup. At its core, a hotpot is a simmering pot of robust broth that diners use to cook a variety of meats, vegetables, and noodles to their desired level of doneness. It is a classic representation of communal food culture in China, usually occupying the center of the table at a family gathering or new year's feast. A hot pot meal features a range of ingredients including beef, lamb, pork, seafood, sliced vegetables and greens, and quick-cooking noodles. The iconic Chongqing hotpot stands out for its blistering Sichuan pepper, and the region itself is known for incorporating spicy elements into most of its dishes, from soup to stir fry.

8 of the World’s Hardest Travel Destinations to Reach

February 1, 2023

What makes difficult access worth it?

Exploring Australia’s Largest Islands

February 1, 2023

Immerse yourself in the natural environments of Tasmania, Melville Island and Kangaroo Island.

Known for its vibrant coral reefs and unique flora and fauna that attract thousands of visitors a year, Australia is an exciting destination for nature lovers and adventurers. In 2022, Australia received more than 1 million visitors despite its strict COVID-19 policies. The country is often referred to as an island continent because ocean water surrounds every state. In the past years, Australia has been pummeled by intense wildfires that affected nearly all parts of the country, and its islands were no exception. The three largest islands of Australia, Tasmania, Melville Island, and Kangaroo Island, offer a plethora of outdoor opportunities and nature unique to the Australian coast. In terms of size, Tasmania is by far the largest at 68,401 square miles, followed by Melville Island which is 5,786 square miles, and lastly Kangaroo Island with 4,405 square miles.

Tasmania

Tasmania, although the largest island by far, can be crossed in two and a half hours if you start from Hobart and go to Launceston, the other point of the island. It has had an increasing population in recent years, with government statistics reporting a total population of 571,517 people in 2022, and is home to Freycinet National Park. Located on the east coast of the island, its biggest attraction is a curved stretch of sand that is filled with shockingly blue water, known as Wineglass Bay. To avoid large crowds at the park, tourists can escape on one of the many hiking adventures this unique land offers, leading to Mount Amos which is the top of a peak that features stunning views. The trek offers a stunning view of Wineglass Bay, but is a 3 hour return and quite challenging due to the rocky terrain. The best part of this hike? You may make some friends along the way, namely the wallabies, a species of kangaroo-like mammal native to Tasmania, among few other places in Australia, that roam around this area, offering great photographic opportunities.

Melville Island

Located in the eastern Timor Sea, its population is comprised mostly of native Indigenous people, and its biggest settlement is known as Milikapiti with a population of 559 people. Melville Island is known as Yermalner in the Tiwi language, native to this island and the Tiwi Islands that it is a part of. One of the top activities to do at this location is fishing, which operates from March to mid-December. There are two specific locations on the island that are prime for fishing opportunities, and offer lodging for overnight stays and visits. Snake Bay, which is the main fishing lodge, is located in a more remote area of the island but is considered one of the best areas to catch a diverse array of fish, and has comfortable lodging and amenities if you wish to stay there. The second location is considered to be extremely remote, known as Johnson River Barramundi Camp, but worth a stay for the beautiful nature you can experience there. For more information on rules and maps about fishing in Melville, visit this government guide.

Kangaroo Island

Often called nature’s playground, Australia’s third-largest island, known as Kangaroo Island, offers visitors an escape from the hustle, stress, and tasks of daily life on the mainland, and immerses them in all the best nature has to offer. It is quite easy to drive across one end of the island to the other, taking only about 2 hours or less. “Australia’s zoo without a fence” features three main towns surrounded by plenty of wilderness and animals that inhabit this territory. One of the islands most popular sites is the Remarkable Rocks, which is a cluster of large rocks that you can climb and see the beautiful view of huge cliffs and clear blue swells of waves. If you are seeking turquoise water that you can swim in, go to Vivonne Bay which offers a secluded spot away from typical tourist sites, offering pure white sand, incredible marine life, and many photographic opportunities. To connect with the wildlife, adventure off on a wilderness tour where you can see and interact with koalas and kangaroos and . Kangaroo Island is the perfect spot to visit if you seek adventure within a natural environment.

The Lunar New Year Migration in China

February 1, 2023

Everything You Need To Know About China’s Annual Spring Festival Travel Rush

"Guangzhou Railway Station". Junyu Wang.CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

What is the biggest annual human migration on earth?

Take a guess.

The pious Arbaeen and Hajj? The back-and-forth travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas?

The correct answer is a term you might not be familiar with, “Chunyun.” Taking place in China around the time of the Chinese New Year, its literal meaning is “the transportation during Spring Festival.”

Occupying the same level of importance as Christmas eve in Western culture, the holiday celebration for Chinese New Year usually begins in the middle of January and lasts for about two weeks. The traffic for returning home, however, can continue for as long as 40 days. During this time, most people, especially migrant workers who are away from home, pack up their luggage, dress in red which symbolizes good luck, and hurry to the train station.

A homecoming trip might seem like an individual choice, but considering a country with a population of 1.412 billion, the reunion became the biggest human event on an annual basis. In 2019, for example, the traveling volume reached approximately 415 million during the Spring Festival, which is more than the total number of people in the United States.

However, this only accounts for the tourist population, who went on vacation. The total number of the mass exodus can be close to 3 billion people. For them, the primary means of travel is through rail due to its affordability. In the year 2017, for example, China saw 356 million travel by rail, 58 million by plane, and 43 million by sea during the time of “Chunyun”.

Shenzhen North Railway Station Concourse 2016 Chunyun. Baycrest. CC BY-SA 2.5.

What prompted the migration is simple: New Year is always a time for family gatherings and celebrations, a tradition that is similar across geographical and cultural boundaries. Yet, the scale of its migration greatly surpasses that of Thanksgiving week in the United States, which is about 50 million.

In this sense, Chunyun is a long-standing public ritual that ties every aspect of the country together. The concept of Chunyun first appeared in the year of 1980, a time of massive modernization and cultural revival. Moving out from the shadow of an overplanned economy during the era of the Culture Revolution, people saw booming job opportunities that often concentrated on the coastal region such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which have better access to overseas markets. The number of migrants from rural areas increased from roughly 30 million in 1989 to more than 140 million in 2008. Many of them became the key contributors to the moving of millions of migrants during the Spring Holiday season.

The meaning of such a massive exodus is manifold. For many migrant workers, this might be the only chance to see their families in the span of a year, which brings joy, relief, and hope. They squeeze their personal belongings into the striped leather bag, making their way through the often jammed train station while expecting a great feast back home.

For the transportation system, it is time to test the operation of its ticket system and the stability of its intercity network. With millions starting to click on the purchase button at the same time, the demand often exceeds supply, and system crashes are not uncommon. This might leave disappointed passengers standing in the frigid winters, waiting for the next train home to arrive.

For the administrator, it means grappling with thieves and pickpockets in the overcrowded railroad station, as well as the black market of ticket scalpers during the busiest hour. Ticket prices also rise during the end of the year, and so does the crime rate.

For years, the public transportation system and local authorities in China implemented multiple measurement changes to facilitate the mobility of the homecoming population. In 2019, The length of the usable railway in China will reach 139,000 kilometers, and high-speed rail is about 35,000 kilometers. Technology, such as self-service counters, smart navigation systems, and real-time updates of traveling volume notices available on multiple map apps, quickens the process of traveling.

Volunteer helping with navigation in Guangzhou Railway Station. Junyu Wang.CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Chunyun had been rather silent for the past two years due to Covid-related restrictions. Authorities discouraged unnecessary travel; requirements including vaccination status, travel history, and contact with confirmed cases have thwarted population mobility; and people, fearful of being infected, were often forced to stay where they were.

However, with the loosening of restrictions in 2022, the world’s largest human migration is, once again, on its way. On January 14, a total of 42.27 million people in China were already traveling by rail, road, sea, and air across the country, which is a 57% increase from last year. More than 450 million people are expected to travel, and take trips in the coming 40 days. Train stations are bustling with migrant workers again.

Though there was worry about surges in Covid cases, most people are optimistic about going back to the normal state of travel. Tommy Xie, head of Greater China research at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, said, “The congestion level in cities such as Beijing and Chengdu, which were first hit by the Covid outbreak, have recovered fully.”

As trains and planes, loaded with tens of thousands of travelers, go full steam around China, they also carry along countless stories to tell throughout the passing year, and hopes for a prosperous year ahead.

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BOOK REVIEW: Pachinko, A Korean Family Epic

February 1, 2023

Author Min Jin Lee follows a Korean family through years of hardship, interweaving true history to create an emotional and fascinating novel.

Pachinko, a bestselling book by Min Jin Lee, follows a Korean family through three generations and several countries. The 479-page saga begins with the teenage girl Sunja, who must leave behind her family in Korea to move to Japan. Sunja has gotten pregnant outside of marriage, and is presented with the option of marrying and moving to japan with a man who is not the father of her child. While this decision is heartbreaking for Sunja, as she must abandon everything she’s ever known, her other options are worse. Upon Sunja’s arrival in Japan, the novel focuses heavily on Sunja’s experience as a Korean woman living in Japan.

Additionally, the absent but wealthy and influential father of Sunja’s child looms large in the background of the story throughout the novel. The story transitions from Sunja’s experiences to those of her children and grandchildren while always staying focused on the major themes of familial relationships and Korean identity. By the novel’s end, Sunja is an older woman, and the reader will have followed her life as well as her children’s and grandchildren’s.

The incredible thing about Pachinko is how beautifully developed the characters are. It is a book that will bring you to tears multiple times as you genuinely feel like you know the members of this family. At the same time, it emphasizes crucial historical events through fiction—major, global historical events which affected millions—which are unfortunately rarely taught in American schools. Fiction can be an extremely effective mode for portraying the human experience compassionately, and Pachinko is undoubtedly an excellent example of that. Pachinko is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read and one that I would definitely recommend. It is an entirely immersive experience: a book nearly impossible to put down, as you feel like you are traveling with this family across space and time, through tragedies and exultations.

The TV adaptation of Pachinko premiered on Apple TV+ in March of 2022 and is available to stream there. The first season had eight episodes, and the show has already been renewed for a second season. While the novel unfolds in chronological order, the first season of the TV show shifts from Sunja’s perspective as a young woman to her grandson’s narrative as a young man, leaving the viewer wondering what has transpired in the many years between—questions that will undoubtedly be answered as the show progresses. Despite the differing structures, the show’s first season stays mainly true to the plot and events in the novel. The differences between the novel and the show make them both worth the read and watch, respectively, without the show straying too far from the author’s vision.

As noted, the true strength of Pachinko as a story is its characters. Throughout the book each character continues to surprise you while also staying true to the personalities that have been built. Min Jin Lee manages to keep the reader engaged and invested through three generations; while there are too many characters to count, they are all people the reader will care about. By building a narrative around a family—spanning about 70 years—the reader will truly feel a part of the story. It is immersive and emotionally compelling, never failing to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming simultaneously. The many threads created throughout come together in the end in a way that makes sense, and despite the enormity of the story, it never feels like the author has taken on too much. The book is complex and extraordinary, yet it still feels plausible and honest.

The Great Barrier Reef is Disappearing—Here’s Why That’s Important

January 24, 2023

With the pressing issues of climate change, The Great Barrier Reef is at risk of vanishing completely, but there are still ways to help.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia. @eutrophication&hypoxia. CC BY 2.0

Sprawling at a breathtaking 344,400 square kilometers off the Queensland coast in Australia is the world-famous Great Barrier Reef—known to be the largest coral reef system on the planet and home to thousands of different marine species. It’s a widely-visited tourist attraction and is often named one of the seven natural wonders of the world for its sparkling azure water and decorated rainbow of corals.

But with the recent climate crisis, things are changing, and the Reef is now at great risk. Within the past 30 years, it has lost half its coral cover and global warming has produced a horrific case of coral bleaching—a process where the water warms and corals expel the algae living in their tissues, turning the coral completely white. Without this algae, the coral isn’t able to get the nutrients it needs and will starve to death if water temperatures don’t return to normal.

Why are coral reefs so important to the world? First of all, the biodiversity living in these waters isn’t found anywhere else. It takes up just 1% of the ocean floor but 25% of all marine life calls the Great Barrier Reef their home. It also provides Australia with billions of dollars in economic value with the tourists it attracts. Not to mention, reefs are a great resource to use for medical treatments. Right now, the plants and animals found within are being used to develop potential cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

The Reef is home to countless marine species. Paul Toogood. www.Castaways.com.au. CC BY 2.0

We’re at a critical tipping point. If damage to the reef progresses as it is now, the Great Barrier Reef could be completely gone by 2050. With half a billion people depending on reefs for food and work, this would have staggering effects, and all of this relies on preventing climate change.

As discussed in the COP26 United Nations conference in 2021—the UN Climate Change Conference that brought together 120 world leaders—the Australian government and the entire world must work to limit warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, in order to keep coral reefs alive. At the current rate, temperatures are increasing at 2.4 degrees Celsius, and 99% of all coral reefs may be gone in the near future.

TO GET INVOLVED

However, the reef is not beyond saving. Visiting the tourist attraction may actually benefit the ecosystem since all visitors are required to pay an Environmental Management Charge, which goes toward the conservation of the reef. Learn more about the nonprofit organizations that raise money to conserve coral diversity, such as GBR Legacy, and maybe even consider donating.

The numerous and easiest ways to help save the Great Barrier Reef come from afar, starting with the changes that people can make in their everyday lives. With climate change comes rising temperatures on the land and in the oceans, which leads to increased carbon dioxide along with ocean acidification and coral bleaching. To remedy this, reducing plastic usage like bringing a reusable cup or installing solar panels to power our homes are both eco-friendly and may save money in the long run.

14 Social Action Quotes to Motivate Your Activism

January 23, 2023

These are rough times to be an activist. With bigotry, nationalism, inequality, nihilism, and apathy on the rise, it's hard not to become fatalistic or disillusioned. But this is not the first dark time in history, and we are not the first activists to feel as if we're on the back foot. The great dissidents, resisters, freedom fighters, and iconoclasts of the past all faced dark times, and many of them left behind tips, suggestions, and guides for holding up a light against the enveloping dark.

Below are 14 quotes from great thinkers, writers, activists, and dissidents that will help inspire you through these dark times, and will get you thinking about what being an activist — and a human — really means.

"To do good, you actually have to do something." — Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard is perhaps best known today as the founder of the company Patagonia. Chouinard, who was a rock climber and an alpinist in his early years, has long been a supporter of environmentalist causes, and he has made an effort in his life to reconcile running a sound, profitable business, while also functioning sustainably. For 2016’s Black Friday Patagonia pledged every cent it earned on the notorious shopping day to grassroots environmentalist groups. As a result, the store earned $10 million dollars — nearly five times what they expected to make. Chouinard has since donated the entire company to a trust, which will siphon all profits to environmental causes.

"You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere." — Ursula K. LeGuin, The Dispossessed

Ursula K. LeGuin was one of this century’s great writers. She's best known for her science fiction and fantasy, which often carry themes about social justice, feminism, Taoism, and environmentalism. The Dispossessed is about a scientist named Shevek who lives on a planet inhabited by anarchists, and who comes to a nearby planet, not unlike ours, to try and foster communication with the scientists of that world. The downtrodden of the new planet, though, want him to lead a revolution — and Shevek knows that revolutions are not conducted from on high, but instead are lived.

"A step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction." — Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano

Kurt Vonnegut was one of the best writers of the counterculture era. His gentle humanism never kept him from becoming overtly political, though: Vonnegut was a tireless advocate of the dignity of all human beings and fought for the freedom of speech throughout his life. Vonnegut, an atheist humanist, (a "freethinker," as he called it), often said his favorite speech was Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. This quote, from his first book, is a valuable reminder to anyone feeling frustrated by perceived regression. Steps back are fine, as long as we learn from them.

"If you wish to understand evil, you must understand the bark, the roots, the worms of the earth… Aphid eats leaf. Ladybud eats aphid. Soil absorbs dead ladybug. Plant feeds upon soil… Is Aphid evil? Is ladybug evil? Is soil evil? Where is evil in all the wood?" — Alan Moore, Swamp Thing

Alan Moore is the greatest comics writer of all time. You probably know him for V for Vendetta and his antihero's Guy Fawkes mask, which has since become an emblem of the Anonymous and Occupy movements. In Swamp Thing, one of his lesser-known works, he takes the old, two-dimensional, B-movie character of the Swamp Thing, and turns it into a tale about the nature of good and evil. Eventually, the title character has to ask -- is there such a thing as real evil? And if so, can it ever truly be defeated? It should be a welcome parable in these divided times.

"Stand up all victims of oppression

For the tyrants fear your might

Don't cling so hard to your possessions

For you have nothing if you have no rights

Let racist ignorance be ended

For respect makes the empires fall

Freedom is merely privilege extended

Unless enjoyed by one and all."

-Billy Bragg, The Internationale

The Internationale has been the anthem of the left wing since the late 19th century and is often associated with Soviet-style communism. But in 1989, as the Soviet Union collapsed, and the left began to redefine itself, folk legend Pete Seeger approached rocker Billy Bragg and asked him to rewrite the song's antiquated lyrics. Bragg's rendition puts less emphasis on war and violent overthrow, and more emphasis on human dignity, respect, and pacifism in the face of the dehumanizing forces of hate.

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

-Neil Gaiman, Coraline

Neil Gaiman is one of the most beloved fantasy writers of our time. This quote is Gaiman's riff on a similar G.K. Chesterton quote, but it is important because it reminds us that our strength can come from the stories we tell.

"If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."

— Nelson Mandela

When anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years, he had every opportunity to lead a violent overthrow of the white supremacist government. He could have taken power and purged his enemies. But instead, he chose to advocate for reconciliation and reconstruction. He died in 2013, but he will always be remembered by history as one of those rare people who were offered great power, but declined it in the name of the greater good.

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." — Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest athletes of all time. As a boxer, his dominance in the ring has rarely been matched. But perhaps more remarkable was his willingness to stand up for his ideals, even at his own expense. Because of his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War, he was suspended from boxing for three of his most prime years. After a triumphant return in which he (again) became the Heavyweight Champion of the World, Ali retired and spent the rest of his days as an activist. He died earlier in 2016, and is remembered as one of the most iconic Americans of the 20th century.

"It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers." — Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a fantasy trilogy about an adventurous wizard who has been orphaned at an early age and is attending a wizarding school. Yes, it sounds like Harry Potter, but it's just as good, and slightly more adult. This quote, from the second book of the trilogy (and the latest released) should be tattooed on the palm of every activist who has spent time searching for answers that they never find. Life is an exploration, and activists explore some of the darkest questions humanity has ever been confronted with. It's important to step back every now and again and recognize that the search alone has value.

"There are occasions when it pays better to fight and be beaten than not to fight at all."— George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia

As a young writer, Eric Blair (better known as George Orwell) traveled to Spain to cover the civil war that sprung out of Francisco Franco's fascist attempt to overthrow the country's Republican government. He ended up putting down his pen and picking up a gun. Orwell was eventually shot in the neck by a sniper, and then, for the crime of speaking out against the Stalinists who were undermining the other freedom fighters, was driven out of Spain altogether. That Civil War was lost, and Franco would rule Spain until his death in 1975. Orwell, however, never regretted standing up against brutality and repression.

"It could be worth bearing in mind that, if you really care about a serious cause or a deep subject, you may have to be prepared to be boring about it." — Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

Christopher Hitchens was one of the late 20th century's great writers and polemicists. He spent his early life speaking out against authoritarianism in all its forms, even when people began to get a little exhausted of hearing him talk. In the 21st century, he would turn his ire towards all organized religion, and he strangely left behind socialist roots and supported the war in Iraq. His life remains hard to pin down politically -- he frequently flirted with misogyny and Islamophobia -- but his 2001 book, Letters to a Young Contrarian remains a valuable guidebook for any freethinker and iconoclast.

"I do disagree with [the Quakers] over their slogan, 'speaking truth to power.' First of all, power already knows the truth… it's a waste of time. Furthermore, it's the wrong audience. You have to speak truth to the people who will dismantle, overthrow, and constrain power. Furthermore, I don't like the phrase, 'speak truth to.' We don't know the truth. At least I don't. We should join with the kind of people who are willing to commit themselves to overthrow power and listen to them. They often know a lot more than we do." — Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky made his name first as a pioneering linguist, but became truly famous as one of the most eloquent, intelligent political dissidents of his age. The breadth of his writings is truly staggering, and he's still churning out work at age 94. The granddad of the left is always controversial but even more thoughtful.

"No people goes down until their women are weak and dishonored." — Sioux saying, from A People's History of the United States

A People's History of the United States should be required reading -- most of us got one version of American history in high school, but Howard Zinn gives us the other version. He documents the lives of the poor, the marginalized, the downtrodden, and all the people who would otherwise have been forgotten by history. In his chapter on the lives of women in early America, he quotes the Sioux puberty ritual, which was designed to elevate women and hold them in communal respect. In an age where there's a resurgence in misogyny and violence against women, it's a valuable thing to remember: women hold up half the sky.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." — William Shakespeare, Hamlet

The Bard's greatest play features one of the Bard's greatest lines -- you know, aside from "To be or not to be." This line, spoken to the learned Horatio by the hero Hamlet, is one of the greatest calls for humility in the face of the mysteries of the universe in literary history. As activists, we act on our convictions, and it can be easy to forget that our convictions -- well, they may be wrong. Humility and a willingness to learn are one of the most valuable tools an activist can have in her utility belt.

Matt is a writer and blogger who focuses on travel, culture, politics, and global citizenship. His hobbies include scotch consumption, profanity, and human rights activism. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and his Kindle. You can check out his work at the Matador Network, or over at his website.

If the world's smallholder farms used sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, they could bring us 53% of the way to meeting the United Nations’ net-zero carbon goals.

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From Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express to Australia’s Ghan, here is a list of the most picturesque landscapes by train.

If you are reading CATALYST you probably have a passion for travel. Here are some ways to make your journeys as sustainable as possible.

1. Choose Off-The-Beaten-Path Locations

2. Public Transportation Is Earth’s Best Friend (And Yours, Too)

3. Don’t Use Single Use & Cleanup Wherever You Go

4. Support The Local Economy

5. Pay Attention To The Local Resources You Use

6. Respect The Natural Places You’ll Visit

7. Share Your Sustainable Travel Knowledge With Others

Travel Mindfully For Yourself & For The Environment

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A guide to making social changes through small steps.

1. Commit Yourself to Learning

2. Donate

3. Volunteer

4. Vote

5. Writing Letters of Dissent

6. Political Activism

7. Passive Activism: Petitions and Social Media

8. Protests

Nonprofits and Activist Organizations to Donate to or Volunteer for:

Climate Change

Human Rights

Racial Justice

Women’s Issues

Global Health

LGBTQ+ Rights

Veteran

Recent political instability in Peru has resulted in violent uprisings led by the nation’s youth, who are fed up with longstanding corruption.

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How European Monarchies help to cloak their country’s colonial past.

In the early hours of February 6th, Turkey and Syria were struck by a destructive earthquake that will have lasting implications for living standards.

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As eco-consciousness grows among travelers, Kenya welcomes them as a beacon of sustainability and natural wonder.

China has had its reservations about the LGBTQ+ community in its recent history, but under Xi Jinping’s rule only traditional heterosexual values are accepted.

Ulaanbaatar’s coal addiction is fueling a public health crisis

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Wrestling — la lutte in French, or lamb in native Wolof — is by far the most popular sport in Senegal, even more beloved than football.

THE BIG FIGHT

RITUAL & RHYTHM

THE NEXT GENERATION

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Recently declared an “unforgettable” journey on Tiktok, the infamous Drake Passage is a necessity for travel lovers seeking Antarctic Adventure.

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Discover the 9 spiciest cuisines from around the world, from Jamaican jerk chicken to Brazilian bean cake

1. Jerk chicken, Jamaica

2. Sik Sik Wat/Doro wat, Ethiopia

3. Bean cake, Brazil

4. Potatoes Huancayo style, Peru

5. Kimchi Jjigae, Korea

8. Bun Bo Hue, Vietnam

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What makes difficult access worth it?

Immerse yourself in the natural environments of Tasmania, Melville Island and Kangaroo Island.

Tasmania

Melville Island

Kangaroo Island

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Author Min Jin Lee follows a Korean family through years of hardship, interweaving true history to create an emotional and fascinating novel.

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With the pressing issues of climate change, The Great Barrier Reef is at risk of vanishing completely, but there are still ways to help.

TO GET INVOLVED

"To do good, you actually have to do something." — Yvon Chouinard

"You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere." — Ursula K. LeGuin, The Dispossessed

"A step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction." — Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano

"If you wish to understand evil, you must understand the bark, the roots, the worms of the earth… Aphid eats leaf. Ladybud eats aphid. Soil absorbs dead ladybug. Plant feeds upon soil… Is Aphid evil? Is ladybug evil? Is soil evil? Where is evil in all the wood?" — Alan Moore, Swamp Thing

"Stand up all victims of oppression

For the tyrants fear your might

Don't cling so hard to your possessions