The Virtual Union

London, U.K. – The phenomenon that Susan Boyle became after a startling performance on ‘Britain’s got Talent’ was a once in a lifetime event. The mousy Scottish spinster startled the world with a voice that few expected. In an age of instant celebrity the explosion of success the modest church volunteer has enjoyed has almost seemed out of place with her peers who spend more time grooming their hair then their abilities. All that ended on Friday night as Boyle fell to second place in the final voting for the show. Scrape TV

Boston, MA – As technology advances inevitably laws have to keep pace. Perhaps no invention in history has spawned the number of changes than the automobile. From safety requirements in the construction of vehicles to speed limits on roadways, the direct and ancillary laws that have been created to keep drivers and pedestrians safe dwarf the provisions created for any other technology. Even now with automobiles more than a century old new laws are still being created to govern the behaviour of people behind the wheel and law makers are looking for even more. Scrape TV

Los Angeles, CA – For the last 17 years Jay Leno has been a mainstay of late night television. His foray into the late night game, taking over for the legendary Johnny Carson and usurping David Letterman, was borne with uncertainty. His awkward and sometime goofy demeanour, his milquetoast jokes, and the constant comparisons to rival Letterman put him in an awkward position from the beginning. Despite those obstacles Leno managed to eventually float to the top of the late night game, besting Letterman routinely and establishing his place in television history. Scrape TV

New York, NY – The history of Black Sabbath is one of the most storied and important in the history of popular music. Formed in the rough inner cities of Birmingham England in the late 1960’s, the band quickly rose to prominence across the global music scene. Their combination of screaming vocals, exhaustive guitar tracks, and booming rhythm section set them apart from all of their peers and helped to create and entire genre of music almost by itself. In the four decades since Sabbath’s formation there is nary a band that has felt their influence. Scrape TV

Baghdad, Iraq – Of all the traumas the world has endured since the 9/11 few have the same kind of raw power and level of shame associated with them as the abuses at Abu Gharib prison. The photos and videos provoked more spin than any other event in the Iraq or Afghan wars and became a lightning rod for critics of the conflicts and of the Bush administration as a whole. Now as new photos begin to surface a new administration is learning the harsh lessons that prison can deliver. Scrape TV

Huntsville, AL – The heavens have been a place dreamed about by cultures throughout the history of humanity. From the beginnings of human consciousness we have dreamed of the stars, trying to understand and attribute meaning to those twinkling points of light in the sky. Through the thousands of years of human evolution dreams of the heavens was all we were able to attain but in 1957 mankind touched the heavens for the first times and made what had once seemed impossible very much within our grasp. Scrape TV

Ogbo, Nigeria – Soccer (or Football) is the most widely played sport in the world. The favourite sport of virtually every nation on the planet, ‘The Beautiful Game’ has remained beloved and resonant from its early days over 160 years ago through to the present day. The sport though has not been without its ugly spots with recurring incidents of ‘Hooliganism’ turning the focus from the sport to the fans, a event that has become so common that in some places it has overtaken the sport itself. Scrape TV

Bogota, Colombia – The history of cocaine is a long and complicated one. In its earliest days Native Americans chewed cocoa leaves. Upon the arrival of Europeans, the leaves were taxed and controlled which eventually led to scientific study. Once the active ingredient of the plants was discovered it was quickly turned into an additive to everything from soft drinks to medicine. The success of the drug eventually led to its prohibition and an inevitable increase in popularity, but now as the industry plunges some are concerned that the drug may face extinction. Scrape TV

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Crime, it is said, is the definer of civilization. The system of jurisprudence that mankind has created is above all what marks us as more evolved than other species. Our ability to control our base desires and punish those who decide to eschew that is something other animal species have not been able to accomplish. Crime is the test of that system and with each conviction we affirm what makes us distinct and what makes us human. Scrape TV

Tehran, Iran – Though he never revealed the true meaning behind the lyrics of one of their most iconic songs, Joe Strummer and The Clash struck the perfect chord with the hit ‘Rock the Casbah’. Originally released on their 1982 album ‘Combat Rock’, ‘Casbah’ became a hit across the world when released as a single, helped along by itsnow legendary music video. The mishmash of Middle East politics and catchy beat solidified the band as one of the most important in music. Scrape TV