A lion roared in the distance as the sun set over the plains near Kenya’s Nairobi National Park. Hearing the noise, Nickson Parmisa, assistant chief of the local Maasai population, turned on his solar-charged battery, causing his metal and plywood house to be bathed in a blue light. As his wife cooked potato stew using […]
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“I don’t want to beat it,” Peter Berg says. “I want to seduce it.” It’s March 2011, and the ’60s radical-turned-ecological visionary is dying. A tumor has paralyzed one of his vocal chords, leaving his voice scratchy and distorted, sounding, in his words, like a gravel truck unloading. “I want to seduce it into leaving,” […]
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Three Maasai men sit near the back of an open-air restaurant and nightclub outside Bisil, Kenya, a small town about 100 kilometers south of Nairobi. A pile of small leafy sticks rests on the table in front of them. “This thing brings people together,” said Simon Suyiaka, 25, gesturing toward the twigs. “You have all […]
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Want to see a public school system in its death throes? Look no further than Philadelphia. There, the school district is facing end times, with teachers, parents and students staring into the abyss created by a state intent on destroying public education. In 2013, Philadelphia Public Schools were barely able to open their doors, thanks […]
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The blood was sweet, and thicker than I expected. A skin had already formed on the liquid seconds after it squirted from the cow’s neck. I downed the full cup in one gulp so I wouldn’t hold up the line of Maasai men waiting for their own mug of morning blood. It was the morning […]
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South Kensington is a neighborhood on the edge. Surrounded by gentrification on three sides, the decaying industrial corridor struggles to build a bridge between the past and the future. We dug into what’s at stake in a three-part series for Hidden City Philadelphia: Weighing Directions as South Kensington Evolves: Should the neighborhood strive to preserve its […]
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Murder in Benin
Update: On Saturday, February 25, a court in Benin acquitted four men on charges of murder and conspiracy in Kate Puzey’s death. After eight years in prison awaiting trial, Constant Bio Jacques, Joseph Uguwu, Aurélien Bio Jacques et Abdou Gafari Amoussa were granted their freedom. Many people involved in the case lobbied for the release of […]
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VICE Magazine
My stories for Munchies, the VICE Magazine food channel, explore the world of food and drink in Africa, South America, Europe and across the United States. Some highlights: How to Eat Like Count Dracula in Transylvania: Dracula’s supper of choice is not usually available even to humans with an adventurous palate, but you can try the next […]
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Philadelphia Weekly
I provided award-winning features and commentary for Philadelphia Weekly, where I covered City Hall, neighborhood news and social issues. Some highlights: Natural Born Healer: Wellington Christian is a humble laborer by day, but by night he cooks up potions in his basement to cure asthma, diabetes and even cancer. Doubt if you want, but customers all […]
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Aaron Kase 