PJL: June 2014 (Part 1)

Features and Essays

An elephant seal pup lies in an enclosure at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County, Calif. on May 9, 2014.

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

Lynsey Addario: Crisis in South Sudan (New York Times) Food crisis worsens in South Sudan as civil war is displacing millions

Pierre Terdjman: Central African Republic (Paris Match L’Instant)

Glenna Gordon: The Nigerian Schoolgirls (New York Times Lens blog) Gordon photographed the personal possessions of the kidnapped schoolgirls

Adriane Ohanesian: The hunt for al-Shabab (Al Jazeera) African Union troops continue their struggle to push al-Shabab out of Somalia

Giulio Di Sturco: Dark Gold (LightBox) Di Sturco visited Madagascar to document the cocoa battle between the farmers who produce the beans, the gangs who steal them and the police who aim to stop the violence

Edgar Martins: The European Space Agency (Vice) Martins spent the past two years exploring the facilities of the European Space Agency

Antoine Bruy

Antoine Bruy: Scrublands (The New Yorker’s Photo Booth) Documenting people with self-sufficient life styles

Jon Lowenstein: Victims of Modern-Day Slavery (CNN Photo blog) Lowenstein’s latest project shows those who have been victimized by human trafficking in the United States

Brandon Thibodeaux: Mississippi Delta (New York Times Lens blog) A road trip that started with heartache and a search for authentic blues led a photographer to the heart of the Mississippi Delta and its families

Isadora Kosofsky: Vinny and David: Life and Incarceration of a Family (LightBox) Kosofsky followed one family for over two years, documenting the impact the vast and complicated juvenile justice system has on individuals and their families

Sara Naomi Lewkowicz: Portrait of a Young Man with Down Syndrome (Al Jazeera America)

Anthony Suau: Organic Rising (PROOF) Stills related to Suau’s film on food production

Matt Black: Harvest of Shadows (MSNBC) Black chronicles the lives of workers in the fields of California’s Central Valley, the nation’s top food producing state. Immigrant rights advocates and labor unions are lobbying for reform to try to bring these workers out of the shadows where they’ll be able to find work without the threat of deportation

Naomi Harris: Dog Bless America (The New Yorker’s Photo Booth) Harris uses Instagram as a visual diary, documenting a road trip around America with her rescued dog Maggie

Peter van Agtmael: Years after deadly attacks, 9/11 museum opens (MSNBC) Scenes from the opening day

Luke Sharrett: Sacrifices Set in Adorned Stone (New York Times Lens blog) Arlington National Cemetary gravestones

Ashley Gilbertson: Bedrooms of the Fallen (LightBox) Honoring the casualties of war | Philip Gourevitch’s foreword to the book on New Yorker website

Nothing says "modern family" quite like having a television network pay for your marriage license as it promotes a fictional wedding of its own. ABC is covering the costs of all City Hall weddings in New York City on Monday to plug the two-part finale of Modern Family, which will feature Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) tying the knot. The actors took to Good Morning America to announce details of the event, which you can track online with the hashtag #ModernWedding. As far as publicity stunts go, it is an obvious one, but rarely do stunts generate such warm fuzzy feelings. [protected-iframe id="eefe50ffea1f3212563f445740f565e7-1359921-63983260" info="http://abcnews.go.com/video/embed?id=23678983" width="640" height="360" style="border:none;"] [ABC]

Ross McDonnell

Ross McDonnell: Vigilantes (Wired Raw File) A series documenting Mexico’s Auto Defensa—bands of vigilantes who protect communities against the violence of the cartels. In some communities, they have all but replaced the ineffective policing of federal forces

Leandro Viana: Bolivia in São Paulo (burn magazine) Everyday, thousands of Bolivians arrive in the city of São Paulo

Rodrigo Abd: Gold Miners in Peru Face Eviction Under New Law (Wall Street Journal) Peru’s government declared all informal mining illegal in April and began a crackdown

Alessandro Gandolfi: Shanghai’s Rolls Royce generation (Parallelo Zero) China

Chiara Goia: Mongolia’s Beautiful, Brutal Winter Cold (Wired Raw File)

Kathryn Cook: Memory of Trees (Wired Raw File) Story of the Armenian genocide through a visceral and broadly visual survey of the people and places that were, and still are, affected by the tragic events of a century ago

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is one of the keys to global sea level rise. Running up against the Amundsen Sea, the WAIS contains an estimated 527,808 cu. miles (2.2 million cu. km) of ice, around 10% of Antarctica's total land ice volume. That's enough ice to raise global sea level by more than 15 ft. (4.6 m) were it all to melt, collapse and flow into the ocean, which in turn would swamp coastal cities as far inland as Washington, D.C. And according to new research, that's exactly what's beginning to happen. Researchers from the University of California-Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have found that the group of glaciers on the WAIS directly draining into the Amundsen Sea are rapidly melting, as warming ocean water eats away at the bace of the ice shelf. That's making the ice around the WAIS increasingly unstable—and the researchers could find no clear geographical obstacle that would slow down the retreat of the glaciers. And that's just what's happening now. Another new study in the journal Science by researchers at the University of Washington found that the Thwaites Glacier in particular—one of those fast-moving WAIS glaciers that flows into the Amundsen—seems to already be in the early stages of collapse. The full collapse of Thwaites won't happen in our lifetimes—which is a good thing, since that part of the WAIS alone has enough water to locked away to raise global sea level by 2 ft (0.61 m) if it were all to melt. But the University of Washington researchers estimate it could happen in 200 to 500 years—and that the collapse of Thwaites could lead to the rapid loss of the entire WAIS, like removing the keystone from a bridge.

Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME

Yuri Kozyrev: Syrians Return to Devastation in Homs (LightBox) Kozyrev traveled to Syria for TIME to document locals returning to the almost completely-leveled city of Homs. The return came after a ceasefire between the government and rebel forces who held the city for almost two years

Pierre Marsaut: For refugees, no home sweet home (Washington Post) Syrian refugees in Bulgaria along with migrants from other countries

Elin Nordegren, ex-wife of golfer Tiger Woods, spoke at her own college graduation on Saturday after nine years of study at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. During that time, Nordegren gave birth to two sons, now aged 5 and 6, and dealt with the revelations of her ex-husband's multiple infidelities—a period she referred to in her speech as "the wild storm of my personal life." Nordegren spoke with People in 2010 right before her divorce from Woods, saying that it would be her first and last interview regarding the matter, but her reference to it during the speech still elicited laughs. The former model graduated with a GPA of 3.96 and was honored with the Hamilton Holt Outstanding Senior Award. Watch her speech in the video above.

Jošt Franko/VII Mentor Program

Jošt Franko: Syrian children seek refuge in Lebanon (MSNBC) No nation has accepted a larger number of refugees during the three-year-old Syrian conflict than neighboring Lebanon, where the influx of one million Syrians – 500,000 of whom are children—has overwhelmed the country’s infrastructure

Christopher Morris: Marine Le Pen (Paris Match L’Instant) French National Front leader Le Pen on the campaign trail

Alexander Chekmenev: Ukrainians share their stories ahead of elections (MSNBC) Chekmenev spent months over the winter photographing Ukrainian protesters. This spring, he revisited some of them to talk about their hopes for the future

Laia Abril: Asexuals Tell Their Stories (CNN Photo blog) Abril had long been shooting projects about gender and sexuality when she stumbled onto a concept she’d never heard of before: asexuality – people who feel no sexual attraction to others

Articles

Gary Becker transformed his field as few scholars ever do. There are many who advance understanding in their chosen field or propose significant new theories or do important empirical testing. There are almost none who redefine the subject matter. Before Becker, economics was about topics like business cycles, inflation, trade, monopoly and investment. Today it is also about racial discrimination, schooling, fertility, marriage and divorce, addiction, charity, political influence--the stuff of human life. If, as some assert, economics is an imperial social science, Gary Becker was its emperor. It was Becker's great insight that the ways of thinking that have proved immensely powerful in understanding markets can also illuminate the way we live much more broadly. When politicians talk about investing in education, they are channeling Becker's theory of human capital. When NGO advocates talk about the importance of girls' schooling in developing countries for addressing population pressures, they are channeling Becker's theories of fertility. When prosecutorial advocates of stiff sentencing argue its benefits for deterrence, they are channeling Becker on the economics of crime. When public-health advocates call for taxation of tobacco to discourage teenagers from starting to smoke, they are channeling Becker's theory of rational addiction. And the list goes on. Becker lived a model scholarly life. He was open to anyone and to any idea, whether it confirmed or refuted his previous research. His refusal over a long career to sink to ad hominem argument despite plenty of provocation should be an inspiration to his fellow economists. It was not popular acclaim nor policy impact nor celebrity that he sought, although in the end he reaped all these rewards. Gary Becker sought the truth, and our progress toward it will be slower without him. Summers is the former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council

Ghassan Najjar—Reuters

Creative Destruction in Homs: The New Order of Ruins (No Caption Needed)

Italian Photojournalist Andy Rocchelli, Translator, Killed In Ukraine (NPPA)

The women who take cameras into battle (Guardian) They’ve been tied up in Benghazi or shot at by Somalian smugglers. But three of the world’s top female documentary photographers – Alixandra Fazzina, Kitra Cahana and Lynsey Addario – have seen first-hand that women endure less violence on the frontline and can get closer to the action

War photographers are unique, driven and talented – without them the world would be blind (Guardian)

In its never-ending pursuit of the stranded commuter, taxi startup Uber will offer private jets from Paris to Cannes during that peak commute time for the 1%, the Cannes Film Festival. Users will be able to hail a jet on the app from May 12 to May 18. The service, offered in partnership with Goodwill Airlines, will allow travelers to hail a black car to Paris' Bourget airport, followed by a private jet to Nice, followed by another black car to Cannes, all in a few easy swipes on the smartphone. The ride will cost $8,930, which can be split between three jetsetters, and if the price tag seems a bit high for a scrappy independent film maker, Uber will knock another $34 off of the airfare with the promo code "AirUber."

Nina Berman—NOOR

Object Lessons (Columbia magazine) Photographer Nina Berman discusses the evolving state of photojournalism — and shares evidence from her latest project

The Case for Digital by Simon Bainbridge (Aperture)

Photography is the art of our time by Jonathan Jones (Guardian) The old masters painted the drama of life and death. Today photography captures the human condition – better than any other artistic medium of our age

Peter van Agtmael’s thoughts on covering war (New York Times Lens blog) Van Agtmael’s new book is a personal look at America’s recent wars, as well as his own struggles to experience and explain conflict

Well this is weird. Police found an abandoned wooden coffin filled with 43 weapons — ranging from ball-and-chains to nunchucks — by the side of the road in Florida late last week. Weapon arsenals can be so hard to keep track of these days! Here are the 43 bizarre weapons that a sad Floridian is currently missing, according to a local Fox affiliate: Black crossbow Black ball and chain Set of nun chucks Metal pair of forceps Ball with metal spikes Double-sided axe with handle Baseball bat with numerous screws attached Small black sheath Scissors, silver in color Wooden handle with attached metal hook Wooden handle with attached metal knife Plastic tube with black handles Wide black metal hook Black folding knife 2 black arm weights Broken yellow dart Silver baseball bat Small wooden handle with attached knife Black metal crowbar Silver antenna Black metal hooks Black sword sheathe Silver metal chain Black handle with attached long knife Wooden handle with attached rusted knife blade Black stick with attached chain Single metal hook 2 wooden metal hatchets Silver boat anchor Black fire poker Black metal crowbar Pair of blacksmith pliers Silver metal sword blade with missing hand grip Wooden blocking stick Metal hammer Double sickle handle Single handle sickle Large pair of black metal tongs 2 wooden axe handles Wooden sword Non-weapons included: Black hoodie Small red square punching bag Black leather pouch Just go to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office to claim your goods!

Mohamed Abdiwahab —AFP/Getty Images

Photographer Mohamed Abdiwahab’s grim record of Somalia’s violence (Al Jazeera America) Since 2011, the 27-year-old Mogadishu-based freelance photographer has transmitted 825 images to Agence France-Presse, the world’s oldest news-wire agency. More often than not, they capture an unpalatable brutality

George Steinmetz’s Eye From the Sky (PROOF) What is it like strapping yourself into the equivalent of a leaf blower, getting a running start, then taking off into the air with a camera in your hand?

Marilynn K. Yee Exploring the World, in New York (New York Times Lens blog) Yee left Los Angeles to cover New York City during the chaos of the 1970s. Now, she retires as a staff photographer for the New York Times

The Salt of the Earth review – photographer Sebastião Salgado is a magnetic subject (Guardian) A documentary portrait of the renowned Brazilian photographer by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado manages to be both illuminating and uplifting

VII Photo rises to challenges of changing photographic landscape with dynamic new agency model (British Journal of Photography) It may have had a tough few years – losing some members, shedding staff and closing its offices – but Olivier Laurent finds VII Photo ready to adapt to a fast-evolving industry

A 34-year-old single mother of two gave a heartfelt graduation speech after Rollins College recognized her as the 2014's Outstanding Graduating Senior. After nine years of night classes, the student was graduating with a psychology degree and an impressive 3.96 grade-point average. What's so special about this student? Oh nothing, she just used to be married to one Mr. Tiger Woods. Elin Nordegren, who famously divorced the disgraced golfer in 2010 after a cheating scandal, spoke passionately about the comfort education has brought in her life, calling it the one thing "no one can take away from you." She also reflected on how crucial her fellow students were to her education, especially when controversy in her personal life threatened to overwhelm her progress in school. Realizing the struggles of others at Rollins proved to be a humbling experience for Nordegren: I was inspired by your passion to reach your goals and you fueled mine. When you told me stories about your full-time day jobs, about coming home to cook dinner for your families and about making sure your children were cared for while attending classes, you inspired me. The ex-wife of the world's most famous golfer also couldn't help but take a few swings at her famous former half: When I entered my student advisor office in the fall of 2005, I was 25 years old, I had just recently moved to America, I was married without children. Today, nine years later, I’m a proud American, and I have two beautiful children… but I’m no longer married.” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niffD5G0-6I&w=560&h=315]

Capucine Bailly

In Paris, Photojournalism Hits the Streets (LightBox) French photojournalist Pierre Terdjman has decided to cut out the middle man. Frustrated to see magazines pass on his reports from Central African Republic, he’s taken to the streets – posting his images on Paris’ walls in a bid to bring the news directly to the people

Exhibitions announced for Visa pour l’Image 2014 festival (Canon Professional Network)

German Photographer Michael Schmidt Awarded $112,500 Prix Pictet (PDN Pulse) Michael Schmidt was recognized for his long-term project “Lebensmittel,” translated as “food stuff”. But the photographer, suffering from a long illness, died, aged 68, just three days after the ceremony (BBC News)

Interviews and Talks

A 34-year-old single mother of two gave a heartfelt graduation speech after Rollins College recognized her as the 2014's Outstanding Graduating Senior. After nine years of night classes, the student was graduating with a psychology degree and an impressive 3.96 grade-point average. What's so special about her? Oh nothing, she just used to be married to one Mr. Tiger Woods. Elin Nordegren, who famously divorced the disgraced golfer in 2010 after a cheating scandal, spoke passionately about the comfort education has brought in her life, calling it the one thing "no one can take away from you." She also reflected on how crucial her fellow students were to her education, especially when controversy in her personal life threatened to overwhelm her progress in school. Realizing the struggles of others at Rollins ultimately proved to be a humbling but worthwhile experience for Nordegren: I was inspired by your passion to reach your goals and you fueled mine. When you told me stories about your full-time day jobs, about coming home to cook dinner for your families and about making sure your children were cared for while attending classes, you inspired me. The ex-wife of the world's most famous golfer also couldn't help but take a few swings at her famous former half: When I entered my student advisor office in the fall of 2005, I was 25 years old, I had just recently moved to America, I was married without children. Today, nine years later, I’m a proud American, and I have two beautiful children… but I’m no longer married.” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niffD5G0-6I&w=560&h=315]

TED.com

Kitra Cahana — Stories of the homeless and hidden (TED) As a young girl, photojournalist and TED Fellow Cahana dreamed about running away from home to live freely on the road. Now as an adult and self-proclaimed vagabond, she follows modern nomads into their homes — boxcars, bus stops, parking lots, rest stop bathrooms — giving a glimpse into a culture on the margins

Robin Hammond on covering mental health in Africa (Ideas Tap) Related on World Press Photo Vimeo

Mary Ellen Mark: Man and Beast (Leica blog)

Elliott Erwitt talks to David Alan Harvey (burn magazine)

Tom Stoddart on one hundred years of Leica cameras (Guardian)

Marcus Bleasdale (United Nations of Photography)

Sam Abell (PROOF)

Elizabeth Krist, National Geographic Magazine Senior Photo Editor (Christies)

Cory Richards on Pushing Through the Struggle (PROOF)

Juan Arredondo: Documenting Colombia’s Exploited Child-Soldiers (Leica blog)

Michelle Frankfurter (PetaPixel)

Amy Wolff (A Photo Editor) Wolff is a photo editor at Photo District News

Mikko Takkunen is an associate photo editor at TIME.com. Follow him on Twitter @photojournalism.

Contact us at letters@time.com.