In the tiny Spanish farming community of Anguiano villagers are asking their patron saint for protection. Their method...donning stilts and hurling themselves down steep stone streets. It's a dangerous and very old tradition. And it's more popular than ever. The World's Gerry Hadden reports.

Transcript with photos

For our Geo Quiz today, we're looking for the largest -- and northernmost -- island in the Indonesian archipelago. The answer is Sumatra. Anna Sussman reports that the rush for environmentally-friendly fuel is having a devastating impact on the island's endangered orangutans.

Australian rock band AC/DC is back on the world's music charts with a new album, Black Ice. Katy Clark speaks with reporter Alexis Petridis of London's Guardian newspaper, about the strange correlation between the band's musical releases and bad economic times.

AC/DC video: Rock'n'Roll Train

Mariah Haroon is a 27-year-old Muslim and a Pakistani-American. Haroon was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. She moved to Santa Monica, California with her husband in August, 2001 - one month before September 11th.Seven years later Haroon is an American citizen and voting for the first time. But Haroon says both candidates have policies about her home country that are making her choice very difficult.

How should the next U.S. president deal with a country often at odds with U.S. policy in the Middle East? FRONTLINE/World correspondent Kate Seelye reports from Damascus.

My name is Mariah Haroon. I became an American citizen in September 2006 and I will be voting for the first time this November.

As a permanent resident for 6 years I have been looking forward to this opportunity to vote and let my opinion matter. I moved to the U.S. on August 11 2001...exactly a month before 9/11. I didn't really get a chance to see 'the America before September 11th' for too long. But the calm that I experienced for a month before the storm was a testament to how things were pre-9/11.

I got engaged to my husband who is also a Pakistani American, in January 2001 , and moved to the U.S. seven months later from Karachi, Pakistan. I remember how much easier it was for my husband to sponsor me as a fiancé compared to what people had to go through later. I have personal friends who couldn't get their fiancés and even spouses to come to America just because their loved one's name matched a terrorist's name on the exit control list. So needless to say I felt relieved that I was here before this mayhem started. However, I missed my own country, my family and my friends terribly. Not only did I have to adjust to my new surroundings but also to a completely new world after 9/11. Friends were kicked off airplanes and held at airports for days unable to contact their loved ones. Relatives were yelled racial slurs for being Muslims. It was truly discouraging, heartbreaking and it made me feel worse about leaving Pakistan and coming to America to start a new life.

But here is why I now feel attached to this country and its political system why I want to vote: A few months after I got here I started to look for stuff that would make me feel more comfortable and well-adjusted here. I started going to school and work. I was around people who have lived all their lives here. As I started working closely with them I felt mutual trust and respect. I did not find them to associate the word 'terrorism' with 'all Muslims”. When current affairs and politics came up during lunchtime conversations, I did not feel uneasy. Instead I was able to clear any misunderstandings about Islam and the Muslim world without people disregarding my opinion. That is when I realized that the people of this country could be quite tolerant and understanding. As long as they are not lied to and confused by their leadership.

I grew more and more eager to vote and participate in changing such leadership.Seven years later, here I am. Finally able to vote as a citizen. But as a first time voter, I am confused. I have two candidates to choose from. Do I vote for Barack Obama who promises a change but is already talking about attacking Pakistan 'if the government is unwilling to help America find Bin Laden' on its soil. Or do I vote for John McCain whose present party leader is responsible for two major wars, the one in Iraq for absolutely no reason at all , and a financial deficit of trillion dollars.

'You have to think as an American, not as a Pakistani. Your children will grow up here, it's their future you are voting for', said a Pakistani American friend of mine over dinner at a local burger place.

And it is true. My vote will affect the world in which my four-month-old will grow up. I don't want to vote for war, ignorance and financial chaos. The choice seems clear for a moment...maybe I should vote for Obama. But then I think about my brothers who live in Karachi, Pakistan. I think about my grandfather and my aunts and uncles and cousin and freinds..and my life there. I am who I am because of Pakistan. I was educated there and grew up to be a confident and secure adult because of the love and care from the people around me. I cannot forget about that when I am deciding whom to vote for.

If only Senator Obama could understand my point, he will make this choice so much easier for me. If only, instead of talking about 'going into Pakistan to get Osama Bin Laden', he changes his policy to 'seeking permission and cooperation from the government of Pakistan', I will not think twice before voting for him.

I am absolutely certain that the Pakistani government will be willing to help, as they have been doing so for the past seven years. But there is absolutely no way this country can take on another war. The new president should consider that we went into Iraq to find the nuclear weapons. Here we are, five years later with no nuclear weapons, a broken down economy and a tarnished image in the eyes of the whole world.

The World's Marco Werman interviews Tissa Hami, a female Muslim-American comedian about how the candidates have turned “Muslim” and “Arab” into dirty words this election.

PRI's The World: Marco Werman interviews Tissa Hami, Muslim-American comedian. from Clark Boyd on Vimeo.

Brazilian law allows candidates to register under any name they choose -- as long as it's not offensive. In the past, "Lula," the nickname of the popular president, was taken by scores of politicians. This year, inspiration is coming from a politician a continent away: Barack Obama.

At least eight candidates across Brazil have chosen to identify themselves with the U.S. presidential hopeful. There is the "Brazilian Obama," and the "Obama of the Savannah." Outside of Rio, in the region known as the Baixada, or "Lowlands," there is Claudio Henrique, also known as the "Obama of the Baixada."

Andres Cediel, associate producer for FRONTLINE/World reports.

After the controversy sparked by Pakistan President Zardari's meeting with Gov. Sarah Palin in New York recently, Pakistan's female politicians reflect on their own political power.FRONTLINE/World correspondent Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy reports from Karachi.

Today on The World: Pakistan joins the list of countries struggling to cope with financial crisis; Also, foreign workers consider leaving the U.S. in these uncertain economic times; and musician Aidan O'Rourke demonstrates different fiddling styles from Scotland.