A Tiny Town Was the Soviet Union’s Uranium Hub. Now, It’s Racing to Avoid Disaster
Mailuu-Suu powered the Soviet Union's nuclear program. But climate change and its nuclear legacy are putting the town in Kyrgyzstan at risk.
Diana Kruzman
I'm a freelance reporter writing about the environment, religion and urbanism.
Underground counselors: The chaplains helping transit workers cope
While religion is declining in the U.S., the use of chaplains is growing in workplaces as employers see spiritual care as crucial to employee well-being. The New York subway system typifies this trend, using 68 volunteer chaplains to offer guidance and counseling to workers.
U.S. Southwest, Already Parched, Sees 'Virtual Water' Drain Abroad
Foreign corporations are increasingly purchasing land in the U.S.; in the Southwest, thanks to longstanding laws on water rights, these purchases often come with unlimited access to the valuable water underneath the soil. Combined with nearly year-round sunshine, this has made the area a magnet for companies looking to grow water-intensive crops and raise livestock.
‘It’ll Get Better’: Chaplains Play Essential Role for Transit Workers
Over the course of the pandemic, the M.T.A.’s nearly all-volunteer force of about 70 chaplains has mobilized to check in with workers who are sick or quarantining, offer support to families of employees who died of the virus and counsel those feeling isolated or burned out.
Why Chaplains Are in High Demand in an Increasingly Secular America
The demand for spiritual care in 2021 may seem surprising; religious belief is in decline across the U.S., and clinical therapy is becoming more widely available and increasingly destigmatized. But in secular institutions around the country—from the New York metropolitan transit system to universities, labor unions, and government bodies—chaplains have maintained a constant presence, and in some cases even expanded their ministry, focusing on the intersection of spiritual and mental health.
‘The Word of God in a Molecule’: Turning to Psychedelics During a Pandemic
Nationwide, researchers have estimated that use of psychedelics such as LSD may have tripled during the pandemic. But awareness about the potential uses of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic or spiritual purposes has been growing for years through groups like the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society.
India's Sacred Groves Are Disappearing, Taking Biodiversity and Culture With Them
Over the last 60 years, the number of sacred groves in Kerala has shrunk from more than 10,000 to less than 1,500. Now, scientists and activists are racing to preserve what’s left.
Surviving for Two - Pregnant and Homeless in L.A.
For thousands of women in Los Angeles mental illness, drug abuse and housing costs intersect with the challenges of pregnancy and raising children.
Thousands of Indians Facing Persecution Back Home Seek Refuge In California
More than 7,000 Indians sought asylum in the U.S. in 2017, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency. Many end up in California as more Indian nationals enter through the southern border with Mexico than ever before.
Mysterious Oregon cattle killings, mutilations alarm ranchers
The deaths are eerily similar to a rash of livestock killings and mutilations across the West in the 1970s, when hundreds of cows and bulls turned up dead, also of seemingly unknown causes and with their genitals and tongues missing.
Autistic Oregon boy finds treasure in friendship with garbage truck driver
Over the past three years, Dima Kerdivara and Rene Vesi have developed an unlikely friendship that Dima’s parents say has allowed their son to become more confident and open to social interaction.
Portland’s homeless campers face new obstacle: piles of boulders
The state of Oregon this year has piled up more rocks and spent more money than ever before in a stepped-up effort to deter illegal camping near Portland’s freeways — a move that has drawn support from residents living around the camps but criticism from homeless advocacy groups.
In an election with religious undertones, Kerala's Communists campaign on tolerance
As India prepares for parliamentary elections, right-wing Hindu nationalist parties have stepped up their attacks against leftist leaders in the southern state of Kerala, accusing them of promoting an atheist agenda.
A toxic breeze: South LA residents organize as concerns rise over oil site
In 2013, an oil drilling site near USC shut down after residents began experiencing health problems. Five years later, the site is trying to reopen despite protests.
L.A. college students struggle with DACA status under Trump
Since President Donald Trump announced his decision to rescind the DACA policy, recipients of the program studying in Los Angeles have faced uncertainty over work, school and safety. At the same time, colleges and universities have stepped up their efforts to help Dreamers.
In prisons, tablets open window to the outside world
Eight years after Apple introduced the iPad, tablets are reaching thousands of prisoners around the United States. In the last year alone, at least 19 states have made tablets available to inmates, saying they reduce violence while providing education and job training.
