The Atlantic has a thought-provoking piece out today, "How to Protest the Major Parties Without Throwing Away Your Vote", where the author proposes two main options for making a mark outside the two-party system:

Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden issued an embargo for his on-the-record press call, asking that reporters do not publish anything about the call until it's over. This includes Twitter, forcing journalists to wait to post live updates on the social stream. The reason? Journalists got to ask questions at the end of Biden's remarks, giving him the chance to clarify any questions before it's in print.

An email from the White House deputy press secretary Josh Earnest reads:

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made waves earlier this year by referring to Russia as the United States' "number one geopolitical foe". The Romney campaign appears once again stuck in a Cold War-era mindset, as a top foreign policy adviser for the presidential hopeful referred to Russia as the Soviet Union at a talk at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. today. The comment comes just as Gov. Romney is set to depart on an international tour with stops to England, Poland and Israel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HG4E2kEDuy4

Mark your calendars! The Commission on Presidential Debates has released the presidential debate schedule, and over the course of October, the presidential candidates will debate three times, with a vice presidential debate between the selected nominees. Each debate will be 30 minutes and moderators will be announced by the commission in August.

Benjamin Franklin's 'The Effects of War':

Recently, a new way to get your message heard on Twitter is by “Thunderclapping”. The idea that was created and headlined by the product development studio De-De utilizes Twitter as a basis for the new product.

The mayor of Boston publicly stated last week fast food chain Chick-Fil-A was unwelcome in Boston as a result of their opposition to same-sex marriage. Since then, this letter from the Mayor Menino to Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy has gained traction online after being posted to Reddit.

The Bay of Fundy between Maine and Canada, with its 50 foot tides, will now have the first commercial grid-tied tidal power in the United States. The system will generate 3 MW, enough for 1,200 homes. Tidal power uses the movement of ocean water from incoming and outgoing tides to turn underwater devices, generating power.