Michael Zelenko

  • ‘Colombia’s Deadliest City’ Is Fighting Back Against Gang Extortion

    Buenaventura, Colombia’s busiest port, is dominated by drug violence. But citizens have now had enough of paying out protection money.

  • What Happens When a Colombian City Ruled by Extortion Finally Says No?

    As Colombia’s busiest port, Buenaventura does business with harbors around the world. Because of its strategic location, the port is also a primary artery for cocaine leaving the country. As Colombian paramilitaries have reinvented themselves into...

  • Welcome to the Bananapocalypse

    We know you love your big, juicy Cavendish bananas—the average American consumes about 28 pounds of them every year. But recently, a deadly, incurable blight called Panama disease has been liquidating crops worldwide, so say goodbye to your favorite...

  • The Prawn Goodbye

    The average American consumes almost four pounds of shrimp a year—three times as much as they did 30 years ago and far more than any other seafood product. Now, a mysterious plague is wiping these little critters out, and there's very little we...

  • The Prawn Goodbye - A Mysterious Plague Is Wiping Out Shrimp Around the World

    The average American consumes almost four pounds of shrimp a year—three times as much as they did 30 years ago and far more than any other seafood product. Now, a mysterious plague is wiping these little critters out, and there's very little we can do...

  • If the Drug War Is Failing, Where'd All the Cocaine Go?

    In the US, 40 percent fewer people used cocaine in 2012 than they did in 2006. Less high school seniors say they've used coke in the last 12 months than any time since the 70s, and there's been a 58% drop in the drug's seizure at the southwest border...