Zombies!

Zombies are pretty hot right now. Movies, games and comics are all being produced about their crazy, undead antics. However, the best thing about zombies is that they're real, and actually fill an important role in the unofficial power structures of Haiti. In this brilliant article, Mischa Berlinski follows the story of a hunt for one such zombie:

About a month after I arrived in Jérémie, a rumor swept through town that a deadly zombie was on the loose. This zombie, it was said, could kill by touch alone. The story had enough authority that schools closed. The head of the local secret society responsible for the management of the zombie population was asked to investigate. Later that week, Monsieur Roswald Val, having conducted a presumably thorough inquiry, made an announcement on Radio Lambi: There was nothing to fear; all his zombies were accounted for.

It's like another world.