In the 1980s, Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord, had effectively declared war on the Colombian state. The bloodshed was focused in the city of Medellin. As the years went on, Medellin became the most dangerous city in the world. But today, Medellin is very different.
Apr 14
RoboUmp Hits the Big Leagues
One study from 2018 found that Major League Baseball umpires blow about 14 calls every game. That’s 34,000 bad calls every year. And it makes a difference. A blown strike call can decide a win or a loss, a championship or six months at home, wondering what could have been. And wh ... Show More
31m 39s
Apr 7
Service Request #5: Dude, Where's My Car?
A missing car reveals the confusing rules, murky fees, and private actors behind modern towing. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and emailing it to servicerequest@99pi.org. Service Request ... Show More
32m 59s
Nov 2017
Mike Wallace, “Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898-1919” (Oxford UP, 2017)
In 1898, a new metropolis emerged from the consolidation of New York City with East Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the western part of Queens County. In Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919 (Oxford University Press, 2017), Mike Wallace describes the fi ... Show More
50m 22s
Jul 2023
Changing cities in Latin America: Medellin and Prospera
How rich tourists change Medellín, which used to be Colombia's most dangerous city, and why that also brings problems for the locals -- And: In Honduras, investors are building a private enterprise city - they want to run it without the state’s jurisdiction and tax laws, but crit ... Show More
30 m
Dec 2014
The Cult of Pablo Escobar
Two decades after the death of notorious drug baron Pablo Escobar in 1993, he still looms large in the Colombian psyche. In some quarters, there is an ambivalence towards this ruthless killer, an admiration for the man who made an estimated US $20 billion and built homes for the ... Show More
26m 54s
Nov 2021
Pure Narco - Inside The Medellin Drug Cartel
Luis Navia spent 25 years working as a cocaine trafficker for the deadliest Columbian and Mexican cartels, including Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel, before his arrest in Venezuela in 2000. And now Luis Navia, with some help from journalist Jesse Fink, has written a book, “Pure N ... Show More
1h 4m