What a few months these have been for Iran. A presidential election between a hard-line conservative incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and an old school leader of the ‘79 revolution, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, has opened up deep wounds within the power structure of Iran. 

But what we saw in the streets back in June was just a culmination of the tensions that have been brewing amongst the power brokers that rule Iran. Citizens from all walks of life participated in the massive, week-long protests (some estimate up to 3 million gathered at one point). Although sparked by the alleged theft (some say coup) of the presidential election by Ahmadinejad, the frustration has been building for decades. What might have resulted in a change in Iran’s rule has instead brought what many believe to be a reaffirmation of the unyielding grip of the current ruling party.

July 20, 1969 marked a historic day for all of mankind as astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the moon. Who could ever forget his immortal words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 40 years later, mankind, it would seem, has stopped reaching for such heights and lofty goals. In many ways, we have become a world of diminished expectations and smaller dreams.

The inevitable television switch from analog signals to fully digital broadcast has come and gone. So how is everyone dealing with the change? Believe it or not, despite a four-month delay and countless public announcements, the Nielsen Company reported 2.8 million homes were completely unprepared for the transition on Friday, June 12, 2009. That figure does not include the 9.5 million households that were partially prepared (upgrading some, but not all televisions in the house.) Joel Kelsey (a Consumers Union policy analyst) commented by saying, “We are in much better shape because of the delay.”

They are calling it the most important change in television since the switch to color. The television stations that provide us with our favorite programming have been ordered by Congress to shut down all analog signals—signals that have been broadcasting since 1941—and begin broadcasting all television stations using only an advanced digital signal.

Does everyone have a friend like I do, where he answers “no” to things that you are in the middle of asking him? Maybe he doesn’t enjoy hanging out with me, maybe he’s being funny, or maybe he just doesn’t like doing anything.

FBI, NYPD, and Homeland Security officials recently caught four men who were intent on bombing two Jewish synagogues in the Bronx and shooting down military jets with missiles.

There has started to develop in this country a new paradigm regarding racial dynamics and relations. The concept of the so-called “white” race has been denigrated to signify some sort of archaic aristocracy, typified by the “old white guy,” i.e. John McCain. Whiteness is a relic of the old establishment, and the “other” races are now rising to gain equal, if not prominent, stature in the governing and control of this nation. The election of a dark-skinned president with Afro-Islamic roots, Barack Obama, is meant to be seen as the exclamation point on the now fully progressive New America. But this supposed current model of a post-racial society is very much an illusion. This can be illustrated by a discussion of what are known as “hate crimes,” as specifically demonstrated in the murder this past November of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue, NY.

Is it torture?

Hell yes — it’s torture. Are they kidding me? How can people have the gall to attempt to defend this? If it tastes, smells, and sounds like torture, it’s torture. This is not the sign of an evolved nation or civilization. How much of our nation will we destroy in order to save it?

The Constitution of the United States grants rights to its citizens to rise up and take back the powers of its government should it be taken over and become corrupted.
 

We recently covered Ginny Hilfiger’s Spring Fling Fashion Show debuting her new Spring/Summer ’09 line in NYC. And after seeing what the elegantly chic designer had to offer, we just had to get the story behind all the beautiful clothes. Plus, we told you we’d get the inside scoop, and we wouldn’t break a promise ...