Shrimp Peeling Slave Industry

Have you ever wondered how the grocery store can sell so many pounds of peeled shrimp for so little? It's easy when the production of that shrimp involves employees who aren't paid and held against their will. Click here to read about the AP investigation into slave labor in the Seafood industry of Thailand. 

Don't Get Shot

This interactive map will show you where shootings have occurred in the United States over the past year. Want to know how much gun violence is in your neighborhood? Click here to check out the map and article. 

Importing Labor

H-2 Visas allow guest workers to come to the United States and filled jobs not being filled by American Workers. Click here to read about the program and why those positions are so hard to fill.

The History of the Future of Food

Looking back at technological innovations in agriculture that didn't happen. Click here to hear a story from NPR. 

Culturally Correct Emoji's

Are there emoji's to represent your culture? Check out this brief article about Nordic emoji's and the stories behind them by clicking here.

Climate Change and Chocolate

Cocoa can only grow in a specific climate. Click here to hear a story from NPR about how climate change is impacting the chocolate industry. 

How To Build An Island

The South China Sea has been disputed territory for quite some time. China is trying to end that dispute by building islands there. Check out an awesome time lapse, great aerial photographs and an article all about it from the NY Times by clicking here.  

Where Children Sleep

Photographer Magnus Wennmen has been documenting the youngest lives impacted by the war in Syria. Click here to see where Syrian refugees are sleeping and read his commentary. 

Happy Fifteen

NPR has collected over 20 stories about what it means to be a fifteen year old girl in the world today. From soccer fields in Brazil to farmland in Lebanon. They interviewed students, child brides and refugees. Click here to see the list of short stories. 

Think you already know everything about fifteen year old girls? Then click here and scroll down to take a quiz. 

How the Land Shaped Language

This quick read from Smithsonian explains how languages evolved to lean towards vowel sounds in densely wooded areas.

The Displaced

Half of the 60 million displaced people in the world are children. The New York times has a new interactive virtual reality story about them that you can access by clicking here. 

The State of Slavery Today

The first part in a series by the CSM, this article explains how human trafficking networks operate today. 

Questions of Citizenship

In nearly thirty countries around the world, citizenship can only be passed down through the father. This means that when he goes missing, migrates or is lost in conflict, the children are left in limbo. According to the UN there are hundreds of thousands of children who do not have documentation in the country they were born in because of these outdated laws. Read more here. 

History of Hip Hop Mapped

Polygraph has mapped and animated the history of Hip Hop. Look and listen by clicking here!

Misleading Maps?

Palestinians and Israelis continue to fight over territory. Just attempting to explain the history of the conflict has one news station caught in the debate. Click here to view the map and read about the potentially misleading map. 

The Math Behind the Migration

This brief article clearly illustrates the number of refugees coming out of Syria. Click here to read more.

Rich Images From the Developing World

A photography contest captures beautiful images of daily life in the developing world. Click here to view more. 

Asylum in America

What is the difference between refugees and asylum seekers? How many of each does the United States take in? How does that compare historically or to other countries? Read here to find out. 

Light Rail Fail

Public Transit is an important part of infrastructure in most major cities. What makes it more efficient and practical in some places than others? Why does light rail work better in "legacy" cities than sun belt cities? Read here to find out.

How to stop an epidemic

This week was the first without any new cases of ebola. Read here about Dr. Jalloh and his team. Their hard work and innovations in the treatment process changed the course of the ebola epidemic. 

Propaganda Powerhouse

In one month Islamic State produced well over 1,100 pieces of propaganda. These videos, social media posts and pamphlets are used to help them keep a grip on the areas they now control. Read all about their purpose, content and impact here. 

Oil & Ice

Shell Oil has decided to shut down its controversial oil operations in Alaska. Stating there is not enough oil to make further exploration profitable, they are closing up shop. Read about the controversial topic here. 

Tragedy in Saudi Arabia

King Salman is reviewing how Hajj is organized after hundreds of people were killed and hundreds more injured in a stampede. For millions of Muslims, Hajj is an important pilgrimage to Mecca. As the number of attendants grows, so does the risk of complications. Click here to read more.

Development and Migration

Peru is experiencing a massive movement of its people. These internal migrants have been dubbed invaders, bringing with them development and deforestation. Read the whole article from AlJazeera by clicking here. 

Taking a vow to save girls

In Pakistan almost a quarter of marriages happen illegally, with young girls who are well below the age of consent.  Many people are pushing for that to change including a growing number of men. They understand that for their county to progress there must be equal rights for girls and women. Read all about the movement here. 

Mapping Maycomb

To Kill a Mockingbird is required reading for many students. Where does it actually take place? What would Maycomb look like on a map? Read here to find out. 

In Soviet Russia.....

During the Cold War, cartographers in the USSR worked hard from behind the iron curtain to map the outside world. Their maps frequently had an amazing amount of detail, describing building materials and dimensions from halfway around the globe. At the same time they created purposefully distorted maps of the USSR to confuse their counterparts. Read all about these Soviet maps in this article by Wired magazine. 

What's in a picture?

Social media is more frequently being used as an agent of change. Getty Images and Instagram are working together to back photographers who bring attention to underrepresented communities.Click here to see more pictures and read the stories behind them.

Waiting for a train

Hundreds, if not thousands of Syrian refugees are trying to travel through eastern Europe. They are not being welcomed with open arms. Click here to read about the conditions along their journey.

What's in a name?

How did the tallest peak in the United States change? Well, it didn't, but it did receive a name change. President Obama is taking Mt. Mckinley back to its native roots with the name Denali. Read all about it here.  

Time Warp

North Korea has decided to create their own time zone. They will now be half an hour ahead of China and half an hour behind South Korea. How could this impact their relationship with those two countries?How might this impact their desire to trade with other countries? Read all about it by clicking here to view the New York Times article. 

Plundered Peru

How important of a resource is gold? How can government regulations impact economic growth and the environmental impact of mining? What can we learn from the situation in Peru? The picture below is what is left of the rainforest. Read about it at NPR by clicking here. 

Stranded

Last month hundreds of migrants perished in the Mediterranean Sea. Now hundreds of refugees are in a boat off the coast of Malaysia that has been abandoned by the captain and crew. What factors pushed these migrants to leave Myanmar and where will they end up? Read here to find out more.

  

Shaking up the Seismic Map

When you think of earthquakes in the United States, you probably associate them with California. Surprisingly, Michigan recently had a 4.2 magnitude quake. How is that possible? It turns out there are deep hidden faults all across the continent. 

After the quake

We often forget how physical geography can impact our lives until disaster strikes. This article from the Washington Post includes before and after images of Nepal and the destruction caused by recent quakes. 

Happy Earth Day!

Want to know how you can celebrate and save our beautiful planet? Check out these ideas from the Earth Day Network.  

Between Big Business and Charity

What is Social Entrepreneurship? A business that creates sustainable change for the world we live in. Read all about it int this story from NPR.

Our Water, Our Table

  Just how much water does California need? Well, they produce a majority of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States. Use the graphics in this article from the LA Times to figure it out.

California Dreaming

   Years of hopes and dreams have proven futile for Californians living through ongoing drought conditions. Now the government is making mandatory changes to reduce consumption and conserve what little they have. Watch a brief video and read more about it at the BBC. 

Trashmandu

Infrastructure plays an important part in development. When we think about infrastructure we imagine paved roads, open ports, and stable power sources. What about sanitation issues like plumbing and garbage collection. Find out how the lack of trash collection has impacted Kathmandu by reading about it on NPR. 

Surviving the Terror

The impacts of terrorist groups like Boko Haram are far reaching and long lasting. In the city of Yola, Nigeria there are now more than 400,000 internally displaced people. The majority of them are women and girls who have lost their husbands, fathers, homes and neighborhoods to the extremist group. In a place where, "culture is generous and dedicated to family," Yola is attempting to feed and educate these refugees. Read about their efforts in this article by the BBC. 

#Somalia

How can technology help us to see the world around us today? Try following people from around the world on Instagram, twitter or facebook. Check out this video by the BBC about a woman in Somalia who is using social media to show people what life is like there today and challenge stereotypes.

What the World Needs Now

There are still villages, communities and countries around the world where development is desperately needed. Exactly what types of innovation could improve lives there? Check out this list, produced by The Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies.

Mapping Industry

 NPR has mapped the most popular jobs for each state, going back several decades. You can compare states and see how dominant industries change over time. Read below the map for details about what spurs these changes. Click here to see the map in motion.

Democracy Day

 The BBC is celebrating Democracy Day with several in depth articles about democracy around the world. There are also videos and photographs from around the world. Their page is well worth exploring to learn where and how democracy impacts different countries. 

When Religious Law is the Law

In Saudi Arabia religious leaders are also government leaders. Their decisions can have a major impact on citizens everyday lives. A recent ruling or fatwa regarding veils has created controversy in the traditionally conservative country. How can laws impact the culture of a place? How have globalization and social media impacted the culture of Saudi Arabia? Read this article from NPR, to learn more.