Somewhat bafflingly, California Governor Jerry Brown’s continued his unwavering support for beleaguered High Speed Rail (HSR) plans in his State of the State speech last week. The HSR line would link Los Angeles and San Francisco with trains going 200 mph. The HSR line was initially budgeted at $33 billion with current estimates now at almost $100 billion.

As the next presidential primary contest approaches one week from today, Florida’s former governor and younger brother of President George W. Bush has a word of wisdom for the remaining four Republican presidential candidates. Without singling out anyone for harsh criticism or even endorsing a nominee ahead of the state’s critical contest, Jeb Bush says that the the Republicans should adjust their campaign tone if they want to win Independents.

Votizen in Forbes Op-Ed on Technology and Politics

votizen:

A great, thought-provoking op-ed by E.D. Kain in Forbes today, discussing the future of technology, social media, and politics.

After a hectic weekend in South Carolina, the candidates start their campaigning in Florida with another Presidential Debate tonight, hosted by NBC. For a recap of the South Carolina Primary results:

Has Kazakhstan, the oil- and uranium-rich former Soviet bloc nation that borders both the Caspian and Aral Seas, emerged from the shadows of satiric infamy to become one of the great growth engines of the world? Does this ninth-largest nation on the planet have what it takes to move into first-world status and exceed the United States in terms of economic expansion?

The Department of Energy (DOE) says California has the potential to generate enough power for 14 million homes if its wave and tidal power were fully developed. Even if it was only half of that, it would be a substantial new source of clean renewable energy, all produced a few miles off the California coast.

On January 17, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) approved the final versions of its Congressional and legislative maps, which have now been sent to the Department of Justice for pre-clearance to ensure that they do not run afoul of the Voting Rights Act.

This week several major websites and services opted to go dark in response to an upcoming vote on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA).

On December 30, 2011 the Supreme Court of the State of Montana effectively flipped the Supreme Court of the United States and their Citizens United decision the bird. In Western Tradition Partnership v.