The desire for an alternative lifestyle comes from people who are disillusioned with a standard of living others can only aspire to

Reading "Free" by Katharine Hibbert, a book where Ms Hibbert describes living without money for a year -- squatting for a home and eating food discarded by grocers -- I was struck by how Ms Hibbert was not poor but came from a comfortable middle class life.

She was living an adventure and playing at being on the street. In effect, she was a poser.

Real street people don't like finding food in dumpsters -- that's just their reality.

Next week there will be protests across my city, Toronto, over the G8/G20. Some protesters will be real radicals -- I suspect others with be mere play actors.