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Sen. John McCain speaks at the 2008 Republican National Convention With both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions taking place in the coming weeks, it begs the question, is it much ado about nothing? From an independent perspective, the partisan presidential conventions can seem like a gigantic echo chamber. In fact, evidence shows majority of independents will not tune in to the events and will not pay attention to the campaign messages, because in general, they ignore those thi

(UPI: Bill Greenblatt) Not only are the political and media class pushing Todd Akin out, but a deadline for a decision looms. According to Roll Call: "Missouri state law allows a nominated candidate to withdraw his or her bid for office by 5 p.m. on the 11th Tuesday before the election which, as it turns out, is tomorrow. If Akin drops his bid before tomorrow's deadline, the state's GOP central committee would pick his replacement." I'm sure I'm the only (other?) person in the world who thin

Is it  a good idea to put floating and underground nuclear power plants in ocean water that is already heating up, when these plants need large amounts of water for cooling? Even non-nuclear inland power plants are affected by drought and lack of usable water. During a recent heat waves, a power plant in Illinois had to shut down because it was overheating due to its cooling water intake pipe being blocked with dead fish killed by low water levels. They were delicious, by the way. And then th

As the fastest growing social network ever, Pinterest has positioned itself nicely to become the next "big thing" in political campaigning, with candidates finally recognizing the easy-to-use nature of the platform and the number of politicians on Pinterest on the rise. While the platform is stereotypically known for it's abundance of wedding themed boards, it is evolving into a platform ample for sharing personal and political images. Paul Booth, assistant professor of new media and technology

Credit: naoha.org Initial foreclosure filings were 6 percent higher last month than in July 2011, according to RealtyTrac. Year-over-year, initial foreclosure notice filings to distressed homeowners has increased for three months in a row. Experts expect a continued uptick in defaults as the nation's largest banks enjoy more freedom from litigation following a nationwide settlement over industry-wide loan fraud. Even as foreclosure proceedings increase, home repossessions are on the decline, s

While the War on Women and Chick-fil-A might be getting all the juicy headlines lately, there's another issue quietly smoldering in the background noise of this election season. It's buried under all the campaign rhetoric and doom-and-gloom forecasts about the economy.Our public libraries are not just threatened this election season. They're fighting for their lives -- and with them, the livelihoods and well-being of hard-hit communities all over the country. Library districts in California, Il

Credit: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Plutonium is the nuclear nightmare of nuclear power. A by-product of conventional power-station reactors, it is the key ingredient in nuclear weapons. And even when not made into bombs, it is a million-year radioactive waste legacy that is already costing the world billions of dollars a year to contain. And yet, some scientists say, we have the technology to burn plutonium in a new generation of "fast" reactors. That could dispose of the waste problem, reducin

(Photo: fitsnews.com) According to various reports, Rand Paul is going to speak at this month's Republican National Convention. The news somewhat answers a question bandied in the media: what role will Ron or Rand Paul play at the convention? It is likely that this is just the pay-off for Rand Paul's June endorsement of Mitt Romney. Although a prime-time speaking slot at a major party convention isn't what it used to be, like Illinois state senator Barack Obama in 2004, this may be the younge

Angus King, former independent governor of Maine in 1994 and 1998 is running for senate as an independent in November. King has gotten a lot of media atention so far, what other independent governors are we overlooking? Illinois Maine Minnesota Oregon Rhode Island and Texas have all had formally elected independent governors. In 1974, Illinois elected its first two governors, Shadrach Bond and Edward Coles, both independents. Besides Angus King, Maine elected independent James B Longley in 19

Credit: occupyboston.org Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig knows about the money that flows through the election cycle. Just this Tuesday, Lessig testified before Congress at a hearing regarding the Citizens United decision. The hearing examined the effects of the decision and possible responses, like the Disclose Act and Fair Elections Now Act. What's important is that Lessig authored a 17 page testimony backed by daunting statistics in campaign finance. Professor Lessig is careful not st