Author: Brendan Barry
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French Special Forces Seize Kidal
On Tuesday French special forces captured the airport in Kidal, Mali. (Although the use of the term airport is a bit generous.) In an unanticipated move—the Malian army was not informed before the operation commenced—the French retook the last major urban centre that had been under Islamist control. This may well end the first phase…
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Whence Chicago’s Guns Came
Chicago has crime problems. Specifically homicides and gun-related crimes. This is despite the fact that Chicago has some of the strictest gun regulations in the country. But over the last decade, the Chicago Police Department has collected nearly 50,000 guns (excluding buybacks and turn-ins) of which nearly half originated from outside the state. The map…
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Where in the World is the Secretary of State?
On Friday Hillary Clinton steps down as Secretary of State to (likely) be replaced by John Kerry whose confirmation votes will (likely) be later this week. One of the big roles for the Secretary of State is to travel abroad and represent the United States. If secretaries go where the US needs to be represented,…
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French Victories in Mali
France registered several major victories over the Islamist rebels in Mali this past weekend. Most importantly, French and French-led forces have all but retaken the key cities of Gao and Timbuktu. That leaves only the major city of Kidal still in Islamist hands along with a scattering of smaller towns and villages. As my infographic…
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The Sky Is Falling…No…Wait…It’s Just a Dream(liner)
Boeing has been having some problems with its new aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner from cracked windshields to oil leaks to perhaps most problematic battery problems. Over the course of the last week, the New York Times has published a series of small graphics to complement stories about the problems and the investigations. The first graphic…
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War in Mali
Malian and French forces in Mali have begun to slowly retake cities and towns in the conflict zone and are slowly pushing into northern Mali, which has been held by the Islamists for nearly a year. My infographic for today looks at recent troop movements and the growing arsenal of French weapon platforms involved in…
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Year in Review
I’ve been meaning to put this up for a little while, but since returning from holiday a few other stories popped up. The New York Times published what you could call its year in review article. It links to some of the best work done by the group in 2012, a year that included an…
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When the Levee Isn’t Going to Break
Hint, when the river is at record low levels. But record low levels of water in the Mississippi also makes it difficult for ships to use the river as the critical transport corridor it is. So the Army Corps of Engineers has been working to keep the river open for ships. In this infographic the…
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The War in Mali Continues
This morning’s graphic returns to Mali. The Malian and French forces are busy engaging the rebels at Konna and Diabaly while the rebels may be attempting to capture Banamba, only 90 miles from the capital Bamako. I also look a little bit more at the Tuaregs and then the basic timeline. That shows how much…