Archive for January, 2012

The Great Online Migration

Posted on January 19th, 2012

We are currently witnessing two of the largest migrations in human history. In China, 120 million people have moved from the countryside to urban areas, drawn by economic opportunity. Where these Chinese used to spend their time outside engaged in agricultural work, or socializing with extended family in a small village, they now spend their days indoors in factories, typically living dormitory-style with thousands of other workers. Each year, that’s almost a trillion hours of human experience that have shifted from the pace of rural life to the rush of urban industrialization. Photo Randy Olson On the other side of the world, 184 million Americans are leading the next big migration. They’re spending an average of 13 hours a week online – or a…

The Alarming Vulnerability of the Haitian Women

Posted on January 12th, 2012

Plagued by frustration and insufficient security, Haiti’s Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps are now the breeding ground for rape and sexual violence against women, young girls, and even infants. Gender-based violence was already a problem in Haiti. However, according to KOFAVIV (which stands for Commission of Women Victims for Victims in Creole), a grassroots organization established by and for rape survivors from the poorest areas of Port-au-Prince, there has been an alarming increase of sexual violence and forced prostitution in the camps since the January 12, 2010 earthquake. Photo Ben Horton With the help of an interpreter, I spoke to Josie Philistin, 38, a director at KOFAVIV and a survivor of three sexual assaults. She and others in the organization work to raise awareness,…

We Are Back

Posted on January 4th, 2012

It is difficult to put into words my elation in getting to write this piece about our new, revamped publication. What started as a vague idea over sushi in Washington, DC in 2010 has somehow evolved into what you see today. I was a person of many hats in the beginning, and my poor assistant, Kimi Recor, was run so ragged by my many requests that she started reading murder mysteries for inspiration on how to disappear me. We made it through and started experimenting with new editorial ideas this year. Our groundbreaking piece about Haiti in which we teamed up with Tomnod to show you Ben Horton’s travels through the country overlaid on Google earth became our beacon. We brought on some new…