Cartographic Interlude: A Really Weird Map of the Mississippi

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Pilgrims: Lake Itasca, Minnesota (Photo: Tim Murphy).Pilgrims: Headwaters of the Mississippi, Lake Itasca, Minnesota (Photo: Tim Murphy).We’re nowhere near the MississippiĀ River right now. But NPR’s Robert Krulwich has dug up this absolutely bonkers map, from the 1940s, which captures the migration of the river through all its jumps and cut-offs and channels. Basically, what you’ll see is that the Mississippi bears a striking resemblance to the Flying Spaghetti Monster—and more seriously, that the entire map of the central United States is a relatively recent (and fragile) phenomenon.

New Madrid,Ā Missouri, for instance, is across the river from the old New Madrid,Ā Missouri, and, were it not for the Army Corps of Engineers, wouldn’t be across the river from anything, because there’s a natural cutoff further downstream; HuckĀ Finn’s JacksonĀ Island is probably gone; in Louisiana, the OldĀ River control system is the only thing keeping the Atchafalaya from capturing most of the Mississippi’s water and relocating the mouth of the big river west toĀ MorganĀ City.

Anyways, check it out.

 Tim Murphy)The Mighty Mississippi, in lake form, at Bemidji,Ā Minnesota (Photo: Tim Murphy).

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

ā€œGreat journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.ā€

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as ā€œcash cowsā€ published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

ā€œThis could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,ā€ according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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