The triumphant stories about how Twitter was going to save Iran may have died down a little, but the resistance in Iran is growing and swelling. Protest on the Shia festival day of Ashura, December 27, resulted in the most violent crackdown since June and the death of opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi's nephew. Joining us to discuss the ongoing turmoil in Iran is Hamid Dabashi, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He has written 20 books including Islamic Liberation Theology: Resisting the Empire and Post-Orientalism: Knowledge and Power in Time of Terror and hosts an online TV show called The Week In Green. One year ago, at the tail end of the George W. Bush administration, Israel began a 22-day assault on Gaza. This year over 1300 people from more than 43 countries are marching to the Israeli border in a call for Israel to lift the siege on Gaza. We bring you video thanks to Cultures of Resistance. Christmas Eve, 2009 was also the 30th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  It was also the 3000th day of the U.S. occupation of the country. Matthew Hoh and Congressman Eric Massa are joined in this video by Soviet journalists and analysts discussing the lesson learned too late by their country: occupying Afghanistan breeds more, stronger, resistance. Thanks to Brave New Films for the clip. On a lighter note, we take a look at where journalism and comedy intersect.  Jamie Kilstein and Allison Kilkenny are co-hosts of Citizen Radio, a cheerfully foulmouthed political-comedy radio program. Allison is also a blogger/journalist, and Jamie is also a stand-up comic. As the mainstream media continues its race to the bottom, obsessing over Tiger Woods and missing the real story, they tell us what comedy has to teach the media. Finally, the film It's a Wonderful Life is a holiday tradition. But in this video from Eugene Jarecki and the Huffington Post, it becomes more than that--it becomes an inspiration for change. Small community banks keep money flowing to small businesses and individuals, while large banks took government bailouts and continue to pay CEOs and lobbyists ridiculous salaries to maintain the status quo. Angry about the bailouts? Take a cue from It's a Wonderful Life and move your money into a community bank. You can find one here.