Rep. Charles Rangel and Rep. Glenn 'GT' Thompson

Memorial Day is a unique and special holiday for many reasons. However, unlike others, the American flag is lowered to half-staff until noon, when it is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

Fern Siegel

Deputy Editor, MediaPost

The beauty of The Weir, an intimate, haunting drama, expertly staged at the Irish Repertory Theatre, delves deep into the ties that bind, both emotional and supernatural. This revival is funny and heartbreaking. Don't miss it.

Lincoln Mitchell

Harriman Institute, Columbia University

The Obama administration, through incompetency, pettiness, venality or something else, has unwittingly badly damaged the IRS. Some on the right may celebrate this, but a tax agency that cannot enforce regulations or laws is a major problem in a modern state.

Wilborn Hampton

Author, theater critic

Ghosts, both alive and dead, haunt the rural Irish pub that is the setting for Conor McPherson's captivating and lyrical play The Weir, now in a first-rate revival at the Irish Repertory Theatre as part of its 25th anniversary season.

Keli Goff

Author and Special Correspondent, TheRoot.com

Much like Matthew Shepard's death in 1998, the recent violence in New York will hopefully inspire some people who have been on the fence, and believe that LGBT rights is not their problem, to understand that regardless of your skin color, or sexual orientation, the fight for equal rights matters to all of us.

JD Schramm

Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business

No conversation, no matter how meaningful and powerful, can bring back the millions we've already lost to suicide. The loved ones of these victims also have a thirst for conversation and our efforts to engage with them may very well prevent the next loss to suicide if we can all continue to break the silence and share our journeys.

Lea Lane

Author, Travel Tales I Couldn't Put in the Guidebooks

Sometimes, especially when a person seems to have a satisfying life, we dismiss suicidal signals that would otherwise alert us. I know this first-hand.

Michael Giltz

Freelance writer

What better way for the Irish Repertory Theatre to celebrate its 25th anniversary season than this pitch-perfect revival of Conor McPherson's brilliant play The Weir?

Laura Cococcia

Editor, 'The Journal of Cultural Conversation'

When is the last time you painted, wrote a poem, played the piano? For too many of us, the answer is, "I don't remember." But why don't we engage in the creative activities we enjoyed so much as kids?

Laila Biali

Jazz Pianist, Vocalist, and Songwriter

When artists are typecast as dreamy, head-in-the-clouds free spirits, someone is missing the mark. The work requires clarity of vision, iron-like determination, and laser-beam focus from its creator. Perhaps this is why arranging music can be such an oasis for me. The hardest part has mostly been done.

Mike Hogan

Executive Arts and Entertainment Editor, The Huffington Post Media Group

I'm curious to see how this all looks in 3D, and I'm curious to know what a paying audience will think. But for now, at least, the dark rumors that World War Z would be dead-on-arrival appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Sally Lee

Executive Director, Teachers Unite

As a Native New Yorker, black daughter of an interracial marriage, and a... uh ...member(?) of an interracial marriage, I like to think I will raise my sons to feel as comfortable with diversity as my husband and I do.

Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Writer, Holy Kitchens Films

American Ballet Theatre soloist Isabella Boylston defines space around her by moving through it. As she moves, whether on stage or in rehearsal, everything seems to shift and realign itself around her.

Howard Barbanel

Writer, editor, GOP political consultant, winemaker

Met fans have gotten to a point where they'd be thrilled just to have a .500 season, let alone a post season. Yet management allows the Mets to get worse and worse and to fans it appears they don't seem to care.

My Social List

Featuring shows from hip hop hot-shots and hardcore heroes alike, all the powers-that-be ask in return is that you get out there and make a pilgrimage.

Julio Pabon

Candidate for City Council South Bronx, NY • Founder, LatinoSports.com

Some still think that this is the same old South Bronx -- a community that has been the dumping ground of every city and state agency and the breeding ground for some of the most corrupt elected officials and service workers.

Leah Bhabha

Writer

Summer in New York: Steamy nights, al fresco lunches and iced beverages.