More than a two years after its initial presence on the global media stage, Egypt's revolution continues to echo and resonate around the world. Though mostly the physical uprising made its way into headlines and social media, there were also many artists whose contemporary intellectual and sociopolitical work continued to fuel and ignite change behind the scenes. Walls of Freedom is a project dedicated to exploring the broader context of the revolution and showcasing the work of 50 photographers 30 artists and 20 authors in a full color 240 page hardcover book format. Supporters wishing to snag their own copy of revolutionary history can help fund the project by logging on to their Indiegogo page and donating to the cause.

The popular bicycle sharing system used in cities in Europe, Asia, and North and South America that rents bikes to individuals on a short term basis has arrived to the New York City boroughs of Manhattan & Brooklyn. Citi Bike is a privately owned public bicycle sharing system that began 24/7 operation on Memorial Day with 6,000 bikes in over 300 different docking stations. It's the largest system of its kind in the United States.

The launch of the Citi Bike program is not without incident though as the program is currently only available to annual members and many of them have yet to receive access to the program. Also, On May 20th a long row of bike racks in front of a building on W 13th street blocked emergency workers from caring for a 92-year-old man in need of medical assistance. There have also been disputes with residents about the locations of some docking stations and allegations against the company that runs the bike sharing program (Alta Bike Share) about fair wages. There's even criticism about the fact that Citi’s name is prominently featured on the bikes. Citi Bike looks like a healthy alternative mode of transportation in some places, but for now it's unfortunately only accessible to a select group of New Yorkers (in Manhattan and Brooklyn). Time will tell whether the program will be a success and how quickly it can expand. Frankly, we think it should be judged on whether it served public or corporate interests, but what do we know?

Share your thoughts with us in our comments section.

Major League Soccer recently announced a partnership between Manchester City FC and the New York Yankees to bring the league its 20th franchise, New York City FC. Manchester City FC will own the majority of the team while The Yankees own the rest. The team will start playing in 2015 and will be the first MLS team to play within the 5 boroughs. A 20,000+ seat stadium currently being planned for construction in Queens’ Flushing Meadows Park with a tentative plan to play in Yankee Stadium while the project is completed. Mayor Bloomberg has already thrown his support behind the plan saying that Flushing Meadows Park is “the best place for it for everybody.”

New York City FC and its stadium plans aren't without their opposition however as the Mets would have to agree to let the team use its parking facilities. Then there's also the local resident opposition to the plans on top of that. The idea of building a privately owned stadium on public parkland is controversial especially with no concrete plans on how to replace the lost space for the neighborhood. While the recent victories of the new Yankee Stadium (The Bronx) and the Barclay’s Center (Brooklyn) have shown that major influence from major franchises can indeed prevail over concerned citizens it'll definitely be curious to see how this new front will pan out.

A-list celebrities, journalists and top government officials graced Washington D.C. for this year's White House Correspondent's Dinner. The glamorous evening took place this past Saturday and brought out everyone from Newt Gingrich and Conan O'Brien, to John Legend and Steven Spielberg. American President Barack Obama was on fire with jokes and political commentary that rivaled only a few of the comedic attendees. What an interesting display of government and Hollywood.

With the New York Knicks in this year's NBA Playoffs a large portion of the Big Apple (all of them sports fans) is ecstatic about the opportunity. You see, it's been a long time since the nation's most abundant metropolis has staked its claim in basketball fame past the first round of action. Of course, folks can point out tons of reasons behind the lackluster performance of psst years--injuries, distractions, lack of moral support, politics even! Here's what New York City-based writer and new República recruit, F. Garcia has to say about some mayoral-affiliated reasons for New York's recent basketball run: 

Words by: F. Garcia

In his 3 terms as mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg’s inescapable presence has impacted a whole lot of us New Yorkers. Whether it be for the ban on trans fats, the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the ban on sugary drinks, or his unapologetic support of the NYPD’s Stop & Frisk policy Bloomberg, he's has proved to be quite a divisive figure. The truth is that Bloomberg’s time in City Hall has affected us in more ways than we could have possibly imagined. In 9 months time when the next mayor is sworn into office there will be many fokls glad to see him go. The fans of the New York Knicks being chief among them. The fact is that the Knicks have been by the worst professional sports team in New York City (statistically) while Bloomberg's been in office.

The idea that politicians can be blamed for the fates of our beloved sports teams isn't necessarily a far-fetched one. Take New York's other beloved sports franchise, The Yankees. They've won 9 championships, all with Democrats in the White House. In fact, the last 5 World Series that the Yankees have lost have all occurred during Republican presidencies. How's that for politics affecting team spirit?

On November 6^th, 2001 Bloomberg was elected mayor and in the 12 NBA seasons since then the Knicks have only won 1 game in the playoffs. Sounds incredible, right? During Bloomberg’s time in office the Knicks have had 8 top-10 draft picks and not one of them played on a winning team in New York. Meanwhile 2 of the draft picks the Knicks traded away, Lamarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah, went on to become NBA All-Stars elsewhere. Up until two weeks ago every New York professional sports team except for the Knicks had won at least 1 division title during Bloomberg’s time in office.

There is renewed excitement around the Knicks this Spring as the team’s first division champion since the days of "GO NY, GO" appeared ready to make a deep run into the playoffs. While we all hope that these Knicks will do the unthinkable and win their first championship in 40 years (the time it takes to be born and become a jaded middle-aged father), at least we can all take solace in the thought that if they don’t we can just chalk it down as another reason why Bloomberg is f-ing up and folks like me can't wait until he leaves so we can finally get us an NBA Championship. Real talk.

*F. Garcia is a native New Yorker, teetotaler, vegetarian and sports fanatic. Check out more about his passion for the city, the politics and the opinions here.*

With the global economy destabilizing and collapsing all over the place some digital engineers thought it'd be wise to create a digital form of currency that didn't rely so much on the faulty politics (and printing) of governments. The result is the Bitcoin, a form of algorithm-based currency that can be mined and exchanged digitally across The Internet. Sound too Sci-Fi to be true? Well just watch the following video and judge for yourself. Perhaps the future has indeed arrived...

Designer Adam Harvey is a bit of a button-pusher, if you will. His work work isn't the kind of stuff you'll find peddled on New York City's 5th Avenue or showcased down the Milan catwalk per se. No, it's much more political than that. You see, Harvey's most recent set of attire is truly set on functionality and survival. He's designed a series of anti-drone capes meant to keep wearers safe from the heat-seeking technology that drone planes use to remotely target their victims. The anti-drone wear, as he calls it, is made up of lightweight, flexible materialized fibers that reflect heat. Interested parties can check out the inspiration behind the work and more information about its most recent London exhibition here.

In case criminals or folks looking to stay off the law's radar needed any more proof that the authorities are indeed using social media to track offenders, DNA Info New York recently reported a case involving an unidentified assailant who was eventually tracked with the using photos stored on social media. The technological implications of the case reveal that authorities now have an extended Facebook (or any other social media network with pictures)-assisted photo bank ready and available for their search needs. Though we're not sure where constitutional rights and or Internet privacy stand here, the fact of the matter is that Facial Recognition Units are very real and becoming much more common in law enforcement. Would be criminals beware!

Self-proclaimed crypto-anarchist, Cody R. Wilson, is the controversial subject of the latest Motherboard episode--it's about 3D printed guns. The 25-year-old grad student from The University of Texas is bent on pushing not only American 2nd Amendment rights, but also the limits of 3D printing technology as it pertains to high-powered weaponry. It's hard to say what motivates Wilson more, openly defying neo-liberal authority or proving his unwavering belief that DIY guns should be accessible to anyone willing to download them--literally!

Former Valve Corporation (Half-Life) creative, Leonard Menchiari, is introducing the world to his latest video game gem, Riot. Meant for iOS and Android phones, the unique chaos simulator actually lives up to its name. The premise is for the player to take sides between rioters and the authorities trying to stamp them out. Animated in 2D, full of all kinds of sprite-based visual effects and an insane engine make it no secret as to why the project's Indiegogo page has received more than double the goal amount, $30K!