Our Founding Fathers disseminated and developed their views about government through a vibrant culture of pamphleteering, which preceded and helped precipitate the fight for independence. The most famous of these is Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense. Today a parallel can be drawn to the use of the Internet, blogs, websites, and social media to disseminate information about news and politics. What would our world be like without the Internet, and why are bills like SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA so controversial?

The following, very cool, animated infographic explains:

The Governor and the Legislature are locked in a last minute struggle over the California pension reform talks.  Its been made more complicated by an unrelated Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the State from requiring Charter Cities to use prevailing wage on municipal projects.

Traditionally, Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with parades, hotdogs, flags, and fireworks. This year, however, we've noticed some not-so-traditional celebrations planned for around the country and across our borders. Take a look at some of these non-conventional ways of celebrating below:

The Huffington Post reports the death of a folksy American TV icon:

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http://youtu.be/ww_Y10sVboU

The Makani Airborne Wind Turbine is a tethered wing that generates power by flying in large circles where the wind is stronger and more consistent. It eliminates 90% of the material used in conventional wind turbines, and can access winds both at higher altitudes and above deep waters offshore — resources that are currently untapped. Our goal is the utility-scale deployment of airborne turbines in offshore wind farms.

GlaxoSmithKline LLC pleads guilty this week to a $3 billion fine for illegally promoting unapproved drugs as well as failing to disclose the drugs safety precautions.

We are more excited than ever about the website development at IVN.us, and we appreciate the thousands of readers who come to IVN everyday and have been patient as our small but talented team works out the kinks and adds new features to the growing network.