Just a few years after the U.S. finally began its long-promised withdrawal of troops from Iraq, there is already a fresh conflict brewing and pressure to get involved in the country once again. Over the past few weeks, the terrorist organization ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been gaining international notoriety as it stages violent attacks across the country, in an attempt to overthrow the government instated by the U.S.

Remember the walkout of students from their Principles of Economics class at Harvard a couple of years ago in solidarity with the “Occupy” movement? They thought that the economics they were being taught was doctrinaire, failed to provide a balanced perspective on the real existing economy and did not show sufficient empathy for the 45 million people living in poverty.

With the US victory over Ghana today, American eyes are turning towards Brazil as the US potential for a win increases. But unlike many countries around the world, football (soccer) does not have the cult following in the US that it does across the rest of the globe. While there are many football fanatics throughout the states, here’s some tips to keep in mind for the rest of us.

By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief Melissa McCarthy, Hollywood’s newest A-list funny girl, has become more and more vocal about the clothing line she launched with dress maker and collaborator Daniella Pearl. Voicing her disappointment in the fashion industry, she reveals...

When Gillian Robespierre, Anna Bean and Karen Maine first wrote the short film “The Obvious Child” in 2009, they didn’t intend to break cinematic ground or start a revolution. They just had a story they wanted to tell and a funny way of telling it. Fast-forward five years to the release of the feature-length film and that story has the potential to change the way mainstream media approaches unplanned pregnancies and the women who deal with them.

by Nick Marini, social media manager As much as I love a good new movie release, I still favor revisiting older classics. Movies that have stood the test of time, proved their worth after multiple viewings - ones worth owning. I figured it was time for a retro review - time to take a look back and talk about an impactful, relevant movie of the past. 20 years ago, the year 1994 happened. What a year it was for movies, something of a watershed for beckoning in the modern age of visual storytelling, fresh off the special-effects wonder “Jurassic Park.” We saw smash hits like “Forrest Gump,” got an emotional epic in “The Shawshank Redemption,” saw an indie achievement in “Bullets Over Broadway,” welcomed white knuckles and sweaty palms with “Speed,” forged childhood memories with “The Lion King,” got stupid with “Dumb and Dumber,” got magical for “Angels In the Outfield” and got plain silly with “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” (Big year for Jim Carey, huh?) However, most importantly, we got the Palm d’Or winner from Quentin Tarantino, “Pulp Fiction.”

By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief The Miss USA pageant wrapped up on Sunday in Baton Rouge after crowing Nia Sanchez, Miss Nevada, as the 63rd winner. She will go on to represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant later this year. Runner-ups were Miss Louisiana...

by Nick Marini The Black Keys help keep rock in the mainstream - as the most popular North American rock band currently making music, they put blues rock, yes blues rock, on many radio stations, in a great number of television commercials and stuck in the heads of music listeners everywhere.

I am a Sikh. My faith – which stems from India – is acknowledged as one of the world’s major religions (there are 23.8 million Sikhs and only 13.4 million Jews). We stand out because baptized, male Sikhs wear turbans, beards and uncut hair as a sign of their faith. If you see a man on the street with a turban and beard anywhere in the USA, it’s almost certain that he is a Sikh.

By Caitlin Walsh, managing editor  Nick Droege always knew that the ultimate goal was to make his app available for free, and at last, it finally is. The co-owner of the safety app SafeTrek was happy to announce that now, safety is free at your very fingertips, thanks to...

Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, world-renown medicinal chemist known for creating a wide variety of psychoactive drugs and introducing MDMA (commonly referred to as ecstasy) as a psychopharmaceutical aid, died yesterday after struggling with liver cancer and various other health complications for several years, according to the Erowid Character Vault. Shulgin's research was controversial due to his experimentation on himself and his (consenting) friends and family with the MDMA analogs that he synthesized.

By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief Proponents of the Mass. bottle bill, responsible for a five cent tax on the purchase of certain plastic beverage containers, are looking to extend the law in the next few weeks. For over 20 years environmental advocates have tilted at this...