Did you miss us?
The Humanosphere podcast is back, now that I’m back in Seattle.
Earlier this month, I went to Haiti to work on a documentary film about UN peacekeepers who are supposed to protect, rather than sexually exploit, the population. I took the above photo in 2011, after publishing stories about the abuses.
So this week, Tom and I talk a little bit about the film, but we move on to discuss what Haiti is like now, more than three years after a huge earthquake devastated its biggest city. The cholera epidemic continues. (Don’t miss Al Jazeera’s new documentary, where they chase UN officials, trying in vain to get answers about its liability for introducing the disease.)
More than half of all American households donated millions of dollars to aid groups after the earthquake. Do we care about the results? They’re disappointing, for reasons over which we have a lot of control.
What have been the success stories since the quake? Why has Haiti fared worse than Dominican Republic, on the other side of the island? How are the families who lost their homes doing? What about economic growth? And what can foreigners do help in a genuine way? I’ve covered Haiti for a few years and try to offer some insights.
But before all that, we go over the headlines, starting with a quick debate over the conflict in Syria. Then Tom analyzes the global implications of Washington’s pot legalization. And we’re both excited about Al Jazeera’s new bureau in Seattle, part of its brand new American cable news channel.
Tune in below. Subscribe and rate the Humanosphere podcast on iTunes. Find past podcasts here.
