Most Americans undoubtedly agree that the federal government cannot continue on its current spending and borrowing binge without wreaking economic havoc. But how must the binge be brought under control? One idea that has just gotten traction in the state of North Dakota is for the states to call for a constitutional convention for the purpose of proposing a National Debt Relief Amendment (NDRA) to the U.S. Constitution. On April 7, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 4007 by a vote of 68 to 24, completing legislative action on the resolution and making their state the first in the nation to call for a constitutional convention to propose the NDRA.

On Wednesday, November 2, Viktor Bout (left), the former Soviet military intelligence officer and international arms dealer on trial for attempting to sell weapons to communist FARC terrorists, was found guilty in the Federal District Court in lower Manhattan.

The verdict and possible life sentence, expected to be announced in February 2012, brings an end to the three-week-long trial that may perhaps go down as the of the most important case in years, highlighting the link between Moscow and international terrorism under the covert guise of spreading communism.

On Wednesday, the trial of former Soviet military officer and arms dealer Viktor Bout, 45, opened in the U.S. district court in Manhattan with a strong assertions from Assistant Attorney Brendan McGuire.

Viktor Bout, 44, the infamous Russian international arms dealer dubbed the “merchant of death,” with ties to Marxist and Islamist terrorist groups, made his first pre-trial federal court appearance on Friday, Jan. 21, in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.

Viktor Bout, 44, a former Soviet/Russian military officer and current black market arms dealer with ties to Russian military intelligence — the GRU, was apprehended by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Thai law enforcement officials in March 2008. Following two years of deliberations in Thai courts and much to the protest of the Russian government, Bout was extradited last November to the United States to face trial at the Southern District Court of New York, which is set to commence with a hearing on Friday, January 21.

In the near future, in this galaxy not so far, far away … 640 light-years from Earth, in the Orion constellation, a star named Betelgeuse is on the verge of exploding and when it does it will produce a supernova that will give the appearance of there being two suns in the sky. The astronomical phenomenon is expected to produce 24 hour day light for as long as a couple of weeks, sometime in 2011 , 2012, or in the next million years.

When the year 2012 is mentioned, one usually assumes the worst. Dave Reneke, an Australian astronomy lecturer and columnist, may have just given reason to vindicate some fears — but not as bad as the movie 2012 would have one suspect.

With Valentine’s Day just around and corner, finding that right gift that says “I love you” is not always so easy. For those looking to break with the traditional flowers and chocolate routine in favor of something a little savvier and more high-tech, Apple might just have the right gift — the new highly anticipated iPad 2.

Earlier this month, Communist alternatives to the websites Twitter and Wikipedia were launched by China and Cuba, respectively. Both regimes are known for their suppression of free-speech and regulation of the Internet.

In what now reads like an ongoing Cold War spy novel, a new chapter unfolded last week when on July 13, U.S. officials admitted to having arrested and deported a 12th suspect of the Russian espionage network.