Pacific Standard March-April 2013 Cover

Terrifying Dots.

the-pieta

This graphic, based on World Bank statistics, is supposed to illustrate a global trend toward fewer children and longer life spans between 1960 and 2010. Which it does. What it also demonstrates, however, is the impact of some of humanity's most dramatic failures. When you follow the link, you'll see a chart. Each circle on the chart represents a country, with the size of the circle representing the size of the population. When you press "play," the mass of dots and circles -- the world's population, in aggregate -- moves together toward the lower right of the graph -- representing ... Read More