Stuff to read: #2

Down with school

Pink Floyd sang, "We don't need no education." Ivan Illich said, "We don't need no school." Here we look at one argument against school.

Inside Hitler's brain

Never read Adolf's book "My Struggle"? No need coz here we give you the craziest bits from a truly crazy book.

I won't stop smoking

A British popstar cuts through the crap about passive smoking and explains why he won't stop smoking.

From Art to pop

Art used to be such a powerful force in society. Why is it now so irrelevant? Can pop take its place?

Thanks for bombing me (?)

Did the Iraqis really want to be bombed? Here, Raed - the blogger from Baghdad - sets the record straight and speaks out against the madness.

The real Father Christmas

Where was Santa Claus born? Why does he always wear red and white? Find out in our short biography of the merry man of Christmas.

Sex and the older woman

The story of a 15 year old boy falling in love with a 26 year old woman. A happy story until the police arrive. Should the woman have been sent to prison?

Alien ancestors?

Are we descended from aliens? Are whales more intelligent than us? Check out what the prophets of the New Age tell us.

Want to become a teacher?

Some tips for those who might be considering a career in teaching. Are you cut out for the job? Have you got what it takes?

Crazy Christians

Ever heard of Christian fundamentalism? Find out about the crazy end of Christianity and why US airlines won't let both the pilot and the copilot of a flight be fundamentalist Christians.

A girl's life in Iraq

One girl's experience of life after the war in Iraq.

The truth about adverts

Adverts are everywhere. How does all this advertising affect us, and is it all so innocent? Is there more to adverts than meets the eye?

How modern are we?

Some say the modern world is a thing of the past - it's over and done with. But what was the modern world? And are we still modern, or have we gone beyond that?

He will clone himself

We report the views of one man who insists he doesn't want regular kids, only clones. Find out why it just might be better to be a clone.

The joy of laziness

Why do people try to make us feel guilty if we don't spring out of bed at sunrise and start working? Here we try to soothe the conscience of work-shy late risers.

Happy shopper

How super are supermarkets? They are universally popular with shoppers, but why are so many other people unhappy with what supermarkets are up to?

Spanking kids

The debate about corporal punishment. Should naughty kids be given a good spanking?

YES, spank 'em: the subtle arguments for.

NO, all u need is love: the arguments against.

A sick democracy

A country like Britain that thinks it has the right to impose democracy abroad ought to have a pretty healthy democracy at home. But how healthy is the British democracy? We think it's time for a check-up.