Correct predictions are as random as human behavior itself — which isn’t surprising, considering that predicting human behavior (more precisely, particular results following from human behavior) is exactly what economists attempt to do. There is, however, one hugely important, completely definite, very practical lesson that we can learn from economics.

"Peace is hard, but we know that it is possible. So, together, let us be resolved to see that it is defined by our hopes and not by our fears. Together, let us make peace, but a peace, most importantly, that will last." - Barack Obama, September 21, 2011 at the United Nations

announcement that the United States is going to move toward more normalized relations with Cuba. The reactions to the policy shift have varied as speculation continues over what all it will mean for the U.S.

Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree, Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes -- Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to the attic. The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt, And the children got ready for school.

This article was originally published on BenSwann.com on Dec. 25 2014 and has been edited for publication on IVN.

I arrived in England yesterday from my home in the States and the jet-lag had the better of me this morning by 4:45 am.

Dad, whom I have traveled across the Atlantic to spend Christmas with, is still in bed as I write this, and I am sitting alone on his couch in a silent house.

This year did not give voters much in terms of transcending partisanship at the Congressional level. However, breakthroughs of candidates and politicians who have publicly challenged the fiction that politics is a choice between Republican or Democratic ideas should not go unnoticed.

Included in this list are politicians whose actions cannot be defined as simply left or right. Instead they represent a diverse set of principles and ideas that span the political spectrum.

Here are the most independent politicians of 2014:

IVN is built on the idea that anyone who is willing to participate in the news, under the simple etiquette, should be able to speak for themselves. As a result, IVN's content reaches millions of readers every month, over 100,000 readers follow our news on Facebook, and IVN continues to be the fastest-growing news source for independent-minded voters.

As expected of every election season, political gaffes were bound to happen. Gaffes have been associated with campaign exhaustion, an unsuccessful attempt at humor, or a lack of emotional discipline. Aside from acting as fodder for jokes or fuel for opponents, flubs made by political leaders and candidates alike can create a personal insight that their political image would not allow.

With an average approval rating of just 14 percent in 2014, it isn't hard to find fault in what Congress has -- or hasn't -- done in the last year. In true holiday spirit, however, let's take a break from complaining about the 113th Congress to reflect on some of the positive things that have come out of Congress in 2014.

The media is a common discussion topic on this website, as it should be. Dissatisfaction with both the political system and the media landscape is entirely related.

Followers of IVN want “independent” politicians and media. But that word "independent" is ostentatious and vague, which makes it perfect for political ad campaigns for any party, anywhere (“Want independence from Western pigs? Vote Ba’ath!”) and used car dealerships during the 4th of July (“Celebrate your independence by signing this lease…”).