Blunt Trauma
Marijuana, the new blood diamonds
The New Republic, July 18, 2012

The Rock-Mining Children of Sierra Leone Have Not Found Peace
Though the war has ended, Charles Taylor has been sentenced, and mineral companies are thriving, Sierra Leon's poor are little better off.
The Atlantic, May 31, 2012

How to stop the bleeding
A year after Chris died, I was still shocked by how little I knew about being in combat zones. It was time to learn
Salon, May 29, 2012

London NGO quits the Kimberley Process over thriving blood-diamonds trade
Global Witness, which helped set up the watchdog network, says the program is toothless and has failed to halt the trade in conflict diamonds by Zimbabwe and other scofflaw countries.
The Daily Beast, Dec. 7, 2011

Chris Hondros, RIP: How my best friend died in a combat zone
A week before he was killed, Chris and I were in Libya together. He had asked me to join him. Of course I went.
Salon.com, April 23, 2011

With NATO Silent, Libyan Rebels Rely on Civilian Radar to Track Air Strikes
In a sign of just how little NATO and the rebels coordinate their war against Qaddafi, Libyan fighters must rely on a single air traffic control tower to know what the Western powers are doing.
The Atlantic, April 27, 2011

Where are all the marijuana millionaires?
Scrambling to comply with ever-changing regulations, Colorado's medical marijuana retailers are finding that the industry isn't the shortcut to riches they'd hoped.
CNNMoney.com, March 29, 2011

Naomi Campbell's pique finally has a purpose
The supermodel is adept at drawing attention to herself — but if it can focus attention on blood diamond atrocities, it's welcome.
The Guardian UK, Aug. 6, 2010

Sierra Leone and its diamonds: Digging in the downturn
Diamonds are a luxury— but not to some of the world's poorest who mine them.
The Economist, May 28, 2009.

A rock in a hard place
The dwindling fortunes of the diamond industry place the consumer in an unusual position — in charge.
Wall Street Journal Magazine, Sept. 12, 2009

Will the King of Pot go up in smoke?
As medical marijuana booms, a notorious dope smuggler makes a bid for legitimacy. But the game just ain't the same.
Salon.com, March 8, 2010

Blood Diamonds Are Back
Why the U.N.-sanctioned system that's supposed to ensure that gemstones aren't mined at gunpoint is backfiring.
Foreign Policy, Dec. 24, 2009

Du sang sur les diamants de Naomi (The blood on Naomi’s diamonds)
After accepting the “gift” of dictator Charles Tayor, the supermodel claimed to have given them to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Paris Match, Aug. 13, 2010

Private Hammond's Nightmare
Although the events that caused Brad Hammond's PTSD happend five years ago, he's doomed to relive it each night in his dreams.
Paris Match, Dec. 9, 2009

That giant, roaring gas torch next door
A look at life in the glare of a nature-gas flare in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta.
Christian Science Monitor, May 1, 2001


Perilous path to freedom
Refugees die while awaiting evacuation from the Parrot's Beak in northeastern Sierra Leone.
Christian Science Monitor, July 19, 2001

Islands of hope emerge in a sea of chaos
Transposing the contradictions of daily life in Freetown, Sierra Leone, as peace begins to take hold.
San Francisco Chronicle, July 22, 2001

Blood diamonds
Illicit diamonds make fabulous profits for terrorists and corporations alike.
Amnesty Magazine, 2002

West Africa, Vol 5 (contributing author, chapters on Nigeria and Sierra Leone). Travel tip highlights:
"Only stay at the Tati Hotel if you've just broken both knees and are incapable of crawling to a taxi to take you elsewhere."
"If you can fight your way through the prostitutes to the bar, you'll have earned yourself a drink."

Select local reportage

Bicycles, books and beer
How a man with no plan built a community around literature and social activism.
High Country News, Sept. 14, 2009

Party Crashers
How the Tea Party changed Colorado politics — for good or bad — in the 2010 election.
Yellow Scene Magazine, November 2010

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
A movie review and interviews with those behind the Academy-Award winning documentary The Cove.
Yellow Scene Magazine, March 2010

Street Smart
Can the world's most famous tiny car — the Lilliputian Smart fortwo — handle the roads in Colorado?
Yellow Scene Magazine, April 2009

Click here for the Tim Masters archive from the Fort Collins Weekly and Fort Collins Now.

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