The Euro crisis has thrown into sharp relief the dangers inherent in pooling sovereign authority with other nations for economic advantage.  Imagine the loss of control over our own destiny had the United States taken the NAFTA treaty all the way to formally combining our financial future with that of Mexico and Canada by merging the U.S. and Canadian dollars and the Mexican peso into, say, the 'Northa'.

Stored energy is the ability to take generated electricity and store in a form where it can be used later, on-demand, as needed. This is especially important for renewable energy. Wind and solar plants need to be able to store power for use when the wind has stopped blowing or when the sun isn't out. The variability of renewable energy production is one of its biggest challenges now. The ability to store that power is essential for renewable energy to become a reality, with grid-scale storage everywhere.

Either the Republican candidates demonstrate that they understand the challenges facing middle-class families, or this presidential race will be over before it has even begun.
Columnist Reihan Salam argues that GOP candidates are profoundly out of touch with what voters want.  (via thedailyfeed)

The Tweets, Tics And Turns Of Twitter Politics

npr:

Is public political discourse any different in the new age of social media? Survey says: Yes.

With the gradually dwindling field of Republican presidential candidates setting its sights on ousting President Barack Obama, electoral energy in the next election  may not be as intense among Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents, according to the latest Gallup figures.

STUDY: Voters Fleeing Both Major Parties

‎”Politicians are so fearful of corporations that they no longer need to worry about pleasing the populous as much as they need satisfy the wants and desires of “too big to fail” companies.”

Full IVN Article 

Politicians are so fearful of corporations that they no longer need to worry about pleasing the populous as much as they need satisfy the wants and desires of “too big to fail” companies.  And the ability of corporate PR departments to cover the greed and corrupt cronyism that mark the relationship between big business and big politicians provides cover as well to the greedy