Razon


		AFGHAN CORNERS by Jared Moossy Afghan Corners is a depiction of daily life in a country struggling to rebuild itself. It's where two places meet or it's the occupied spaces that sometimes demand more attention. It's but a blink in time but a life of stories. The country's slowly changing faÁade masks the years of anticipation of a standard of living that yet still has not been achieved. Unemployment is ever greater as refugees repatriate into society and find a growing capital with very little opportunity and saturated with uncertainty.

		Dandora Dump by Sarah Elliott Dandora Dump, located in Kenya's capital of Nairobi covers over 30 acres and is one of Africa's largest dumps. Poor waste management in Kenya and lack of recycling leads to uncontrolled dumping of medical waste and pharmaceuticals such as syringes and other used hospital supplies. Pesticides, lead paint, electronics and plastics are also disposed of in Dandora Dump, containing poisonous chemicals. Kenyans living around Dandora sift through the unrecycled mountains of garbage, gleaning from it plastics, glass, food and anything else they can sell to make an income; this is their livelihood. The population in Dandora, who are not necessarily working in the dump are still affected by pollutants, through soil, water and the smoke of burning solid waste.

		Drug Highway by Jared Moossy From dins in Kabul to farms in Nangahar, the Drug Highway of Afghanastan.

		Guerra Mexicana by Brian L Frank This photographic essay documents the culture of violence arising from the drug war in Mexico. The story was photographed mostly in the notorious barrios of Tepito and Nezahualcoytl in Mexico City. I also visited Ciudad Juarez where I was able, with the help of local journalists, to document at least a fraction of the rampant violence that has turned the border town into a war zone.

		IN GOD WE TRUST (In Progress) by Justin Maxon Decades ago Chester, Pa., was once a predominately white community with a thriving economy built around ship manufacturing. Following that industry's collapse, and after years of white flight, the town of around 37,000 faces many issues, including rising poverty and unemployment, extreme levels of pollution, along with a high murder rate. Despite these challenges, there is a revitalization movement led by the religious community. Faith is a major stabilizing force in the area and keeps the community from unraveling. This is the start of a project that explores both sides of Chester, from the crises to the spirit that is strong in the face of these issues.

		LEGACY OF HORROR by Justin Mott Severely disabled and abandoned at birth, 124 children live at the Ba Vi Orphanage and Elderly home near Hanoi, Vietnam. They are all labeled 3rd generation victims of Agent Orange (a defoliant used by the US military during the Vietnam War). The center lacks proper funding resulting in under-staffing and primitive living conditions. Most of the children live a life without recreation, education, or physical therapy and spend the majority of their day left sitting in wooden chairs or lying in mass beds. The majority of the children will live their entire lives at the center. Anyone interested in donating money to the orphanage please visit www.hscv.org.

		Mars by Jared Moossy In mythology Mars was the warrior god, the son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, and the lover of Venus. He was the most prominent of the military gods that were worshipped by the Roman legions. He was the great Olympian god of war, battle lust, civil order and manly courage. In Greek art he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms, or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear. Because of his lack of distinctive attributes he is often difficult to identify. In Farah Province, Afghanistan US Marines battles a Taliban insurgency in a terrain that looks like planet mars, a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, but contains all the weight and attributes used to describe ancient roman and Greek Mythology.

		MUI AND PHA by Justin Maxon Mui, and her son Pha, have lived homeless on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, for over five years. They sleep on straw mats on the ground and scavenge through garbage for their food. Even though they face many daily challenges, they find happiness in their affection for each other.

		Renewed Fighting - DRC by Sarah Elliott A document of the renewed fighting in North Kivu, The Democratic Republic of the Congo from October and November of 2008. Although a peace deal was signed between the government and multiple rebel groups at the end of January, CNDP rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda refused to disarm while Rwandan Hutu rebels still operated in the area. On October 30th, 2008, NkundaÌs troops came within kilometers of taking Goma, forcing thousands of displaced Congolese civilians to flee the intense fighting. Nkunda called a ceasefire and withdrew his troops, but fighting continued in the surrounding area. On January 22nd, General Laurent Nkunda was arrested in neighboring Rwanda for war crimes consisting of numerous killings, rapes and torture. Some five million people are estimated to have died as a result of almost 15 years of conflict in DR Congo, following the Rwandan genocide.

		STREETS IS RAW by Justin Maxon Life is havoc for those caught in the cycle of drug abuse and poverty in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, or better known on the street as the TL. People in the TL either live on the street or at best in cramped 8x10ft Single Room Occupancy hotel rooms (SRO). Either way, drugs and mental illness are rampant, while disease, death, and incarceration are constant threats.

		Swine Flu by Brian L Frank Mexico City, the largest city in the Western Hemisphere with more than 20 million inhabitants, was brought to a spooky standstill for nearly two weeks by a microscopic virus, the A/H1N1, and families were cooped up at home in fear. This project explores what it felt like on the streets during those weeks of uncertainty and virtual quarantine, with businesses shuttered and empty streets reminiscent of a doomsday scenario. The project also explores the medical response to the first death from swine flu, which occurred in Oaxaca, Mexico, a rural area about 6 hours from the city, and the hero doctors who recognized the problem and mobilized rapid response teams to the country side, which saved many lives.

		The Food Chain by Justin Mott Images in this series are part of The New York Times series titled "The Food Chain." The series examines the growing demands on, and changes in, the world's production of food. These images are singles I took on assignment for this series in 2008. The three assignments cover palm oil shortages in Malaysia, inflated fertilizer prices in Vietnam effects on crops, and the effects of drought on Australia's livestock and rice production.