Four-part series on the economic & political context of Green New Deal policies
With local details and global significance, we examine the people and places around Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district most affected by climate proposals.
Politicians, Funders, and Campaign Finance
In advance of the 2016 elections, I wrote for Al Jazeera America about a clever ballot initiative in California that sought to force state legislators to walk into their chamber in Sacramento donning the logos of their top 10 donors.
Snowden Revelations Timeline
Al Jazeera’s in-depth look back at over a year of leaks by the ex-NSA contractor who fled from Hawaii to Hong Kong to Russia after releasing loads of documents on surveillance in the U.S. and around the world. The information is compiled from the news outlets that first reported the data.
Specials
In-Depth Coverage Sections Some of my work at Al Jazeera (AJAM & AJE) involved Special Topic and Spotlight coverage pages that aggregated news, features, op-eds, TV programs, video clips, data interactives, and background explainers. Here are a few archival ones I built using in-house CMS tools: Al Jazeera America Government Shutdown Congressional deadlock as government budget battle continues […]
Iran Interactives
A series of Al Jazeera English interactive features from 2012 explored four key themes in the growing regional tension between Iran and allies of the U.S. Mapping Iran’s Nuclear Sites looked at what was known about key installations; Iran and Israel: Comparing military machines analyzed the hardware numbers of the two main adversaries; Map: US […]
Doha Morning
July 29 July 9
Haiti: 4 Months After the Quake
Haiti suffered a tremendous calamity in January 2010. During a week of reporting around Port-au-Prince, Mohammad Al-Kassim and I documented tent cities, peacekeepers, nightclubs, and Haitian mass transit. We wrote about the first big opposition rally since the quake and about the Haitian idea of destiny. Also, listen to my Haiti radio appearance on the […]
Hoardhouse
2009 multimedia masters project by Ben Piven, Jackie Kasuya, and Karn Dhingra at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. We explore the lives of hoarders, clean-up professionals, psychologists, and social workers. Visit Hoardhouse.com to learn more about compulsive clutter in NYC.
Publications
These are among the online and print publications that ran my work prior to joining Al Jazeera. I have reported local news stories for the NY Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly, Baltimore Sun, and AFP. My international news stories have appeared on Worldfocus, HuffingtonPost, Haaretz, and Chosun.
Flash
Most of my Flash experience was in 2009 at Columbia University School of Journalism with four issues of NYC Interactive — ranging from Transformation to Odd Job$. Click through to my multimedia packages — The Art of Subvertising, Shifting Faiths, NYC’s Elite Social Clubs, and Naked Sushi — each done along with a partner from […]
Top 10s
Here are a few Top 10 lists that I’ve generated. Thoughts?Most attractive people: 1. Venezuela2. Italy3. Thailand4. Lebanon5. Israel6. Brazil7. Czech Republic8. India9. Ethiopia10. Sweden Best Indian States: 1. Kerala2. Rajasthan3. Jammu & Kashmir4. Tamil Nadu5. Maharashtra6. Himachal Pradesh7. Goa8. Uttaranchal9. Mizoram10. Pondicherry Favorite Indian Gods & Quasi-Deities 1. Ganesh2. Buddha3. Nandi4. Shiva5. Durga6. Gangamma7. […]
Twisted Sister!
Below I have posted some pictures from my trip to New Orleans with a few explanations. During a 3-week stint with the American Red Cross, I experienced the fragility of human civilization. The massive amount of destruction, coupled with the bizarre mix of forces already present at the mouth of the Mississippi, ensured that my […]
Typical scene of destruction. Merciless flood waters toppled homes, destroying many that were not covered by flood insurance.
New Orleans is under a state of emergency. Louisiana Army National Guard patrols through the devastated and depopulated Lower Ninth Ward encountered relatively no danger relative to their comrades’ patrols through the chaotic streets of the Sunni Triangle. Local gangs and other enemies of American imperial law and order will most likely never return to […]
The aftermath of the hurricane was incredibly racialized. White political pundits often lambasted black looters for seeking to obtain items necessary for survival. FEMA was incredibly slow to respond to the disaster, and huge numbers of people suffered for days in horrid conditions. Indubitably, certain individuals looted luxury goods from stores and homes, but most […]
Even residents of multi-million dollar homes on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi keep stores of ammo. The 2nd Amendment exists so we can all be equal as citizen-soldiers?
Does our legal system entitle hurricane victims just compensation for the failure of local and federal government officials to protect their homes and lives?
Religious allegory on the side of a church in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, one of the most crime-ridden and desolate places in the United States prior to Hurricane Katrina. The area is currently an uninhabitable wasteland, having been inundated by waters surging in through busted levees at more than 150 mph on […]
