The little girl who was shot point blank by the Taliban as she rode a bus home from school in Pakistan is now a sixteen-year-old Nobel Prize winner.

Independence Day invites reverence for our founders, as well as our freedoms. Somewhat under the radar is one poignant story concerning two of them: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They each signed the Declaration of Independence, were political friends turned political enemies, and both died the same year –on the same exact day, which happened to be July 4th.

The Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom was awarded to 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, whose blog for the BBC earned her a bullet in the head from the Taliban in Pakistan. I found an amazing VIDEO of her story, and how her father’s school stood strong in the Swat Valley, while living under the terror of the Taliban.

For the last two years, in 2012 and 2013, The National Defense Authorization Act has included language that puts our constitutional rights at risk. The sections in question grant extraordinary latitude to the executive, who may choose at any time to undermine the rights of American citizens.

Many Americans realize that during the Viet Nam War, music was blasted from speakers in an attempt to subdue the enemy on the field. But how many of us know that music was co-opted by the CIA’s “Enhanced Interrogation” program installed during the Bush administration?

How can we discern when people are being truthful, or false? Expert coaches and trainers of high profile clients are featured in this footage of world leaders, celebrities and other public figures, illuminating the powerful signals revealed by body language.

The best art often takes us not further from, but instead, closer to, reality. Chinese artist and activist Ai Wei Wei is a prime example. His artistic statements demonstrate a rare boldness, often pointing to the repressive underside of his society, putting him dangerously at odds with the Chinese communist state. A key element of his remarkable career has been powerful use of the internet.

A crowd was assembled around St. Paul’s Chapel on Broadway. One block west, behind the chapel, the tenth anniversary ceremony to honor the victims of 9-11 was taking place; its sound system spreading indistinct reverberations through the blocks. Only the 9-11 families and government dignitaries, including Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, were admitted to ground zero. The rest of the public milled around the perimeter of St. Paul’s to be nearby the epicenter of remembrance.

The engine of globalization is a remarkable phenomenon. Enormous talent is being unleashed across the developing nations. But in its wake, a spectacular number of people are being left behind. They have little or no access to healthcare, education or public debate on issues affecting their lives. Ever wonder how the future will look if…

Who is Vivian Maier? It just might be, that she herself didn’t really know. Maier was completely unknown until a young Chicago real estate agent, John Maloof, discovered her work in an attic space after her death at age 83. Many are saying that the treasure trove of street photography she left behind ranks her…