The Virtual Union

Washington, D.C. – In our modern interconnected world there are many threats to global stability. Rogue states such as North Korea and Iran are one major threat but are really just the most prominent. Because of the interconnectivity of all aspects of modern societies, isolated incidents, such as the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, can spread economic and social turmoil throughout the world. Terrorism, loan defaults, natural disasters, and web outages are no longer isolated issues; they reverberate throughout the world and can lift up or break down everything we have built. Scrape TV

London, U.K. – There are environmental disasters and then there are environmental disasters. Many incidents of environmental damage are small and isolated but some – such as the Chernobyl meltdown or the Bhopal leak – that bring nightmares and the spectre of what damage our actions and inactions can cause. Such a situation appears to be the case in Gulf of Mexico where British Petroleum has failed yet again in its effort to stem the flow of oil pouring into the ocean. With the economic impacts already being felt many are concerned that this could very well be one of the worst disasters in history. Scrape TV

Miami, FL – Perfection is something many people seek but very few ever achieve. Excellence is certainly a different story, but perfection for many remains the goal. There are few places where that is more the case than in sport. Athletes by their very design strive to be better and better which inevitably pushes them to seek perfection. Of course very few achieve even small moments that can accurately be called ‘perfect’ but every now and then the stars align and everything just works. Scrape TV

Peshawar, Pakistan – War has always had a dirty face. The nature of conflict ensures that the horror and drama of war will always be its most obvious and outward face. There are, however, other stories to be told in war, stories that are rarely disseminated through films and books, the story of the people who don’t want to fight. Though occasionally the protagonist of such tales will expound objections to the conflict, often those elements are to further the story rather than tell the tale. As always, real life is far more complicated than we see in the movies. Scrape TV

Cupertino, CA – Suicide has for a long time been one of the most traumatizing ways for a person to die. Some have pointed to religious conservatism, which across the board outlaws the act, as influencing the hearts and minds of the populace. Suicide though goes much deeper than that, it speaks to our very natures as living creatures. It is after all not just our primary motivation to survive, our lives are dedicated towards surviving as long as possible. We take vitamins, we exercise, and we visit the doctor in an effort to live longer and longer. We even have children to extend our lives beyond our corporeal existence. So when one chooses to end their life, it goes against everything we know as living beings. Scrape TV

Cupertino, CA – There are two companies that have done more than any others to add computing to the mainstream. One a hardware company, one a software company, Apple and Microsoft have been joined at the hip since they were both founded in the late 1970’s. With similar backgrounds and similar objectives, the two companies, divergently, brought computing to the mainstream and forever changed the world we live in today. Of course the two haven’t necessarily always gotten along. Truth be told they have rarely been friendly, possessed of a kind of corporate sibling rivalry. Scrape TV

Provo, Utah – Rarely does the life of a child star go easily. Of course the same could be said for regular people as well, after all stars aren’t the only ones whose lives don’t go exactly as planned. Celebrities though remain celebrities throughout their lives and their successes and failures are played out in the public for everyone to see. There have been some notable success stories from people such as Jodie Foster and Jackie Earle Haley but there have also been train wrecks and tragedies, tales that tell the trauma all too well. Scrape TV

Los Angeles, CA – There was a time when the casting couch was the path to success for starlets. Even talented actresses with loads of charisma were occasionally subjected to the whims of predacious producers and directors looking to get a little extra on the side. In recent years however the casting couch has been reserved for never-will-be’s rather than up-and-comers who might actually have a shot at stardom. For those people it is the sex tape which has become the calling card for Hollywood success. Scrape TV

Falkville, AL -For most people the years spent in High School are one of two things; the best time of their lives or a time best left forgotten. Regardless of the quality of the experience, High School is something that no one can ever forget. First loves, best friends, and your first real step into adulthood, those years are cherished and cursed by most, but for everyone they are very much unforgettable. Scrape TV

Seattle, WA - Arguably there is no drug in the history of humanity that grabs as much attention as marijuana. Weed, reefer, herb, green, ganja, chronic and all other sorts of names describe the drug, but few have ever articulated the related obsession with that innocuous seeming plant. Advocates on both sides of the argument have, for decades now, been at each other’s throats over the legalization of marijuana with no one side ever winning a decisive victory. With varying degrees of tolerance throughout the world, the debate over weed has become more and more complicated in recent years and even become a potent political debate. Scrape TV