Most Recent Posts

The news that the leaders of Venezuela and Nicaragua say they're willing to give asylum to "NSA leaker" Edward Snowden raises an obvious question:

If Russian authorties give him permission to leave, can he get to either country from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where he's been lingering in legal limbo for nearly two weeks?

ABC News points out that:

"The only 'safe' commercial flight across the Atlantic — one that would avoid U.S. extradition treaties — is to Cuba. Cuba has an extradition treaty from 1904, but the Castro government could chose to ignore it. From Havana, Snowden could connect to Caracas, Venezuela, or Managua, Nicaragua."

But less welcome guests have sprung; frequent rain has helped the Dead Man's Fingers fungus grow.

It's your right to send complaints to your government officials. The trick is, after you send those letters, someone has to read them. That's where political analyst, blogger, and author Keli Goff got her start. Now, she serves as a political correspondent for The Root, and makes frequent appearances on MSNBC, CNN, and NPR. Goff has also written a few books, including the critically acclaimed Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence.

More From This Episode

Ask Me Another

Special Pundits Unit

The overwhelming and endless stream of electronic alerts and messages on our computers, phones and tablets is driving demand for a new kind of summer camp for adults. "Technology-free" camps that force their campers to surrender their gadgets, wallets and that nagging "fear of missing out" — FOMO — are booking up fast.

In June, Digital Detox held its first session of Camp Grounded, a three-day break from electronic devices in the Redwoods of Northern California. At a price tag of $350, the event sold out.

"You read articles about being present and being in the moment, and you kind of nod your head and you agree. But I don't think you know what that means until you put everything away and you're OK with where you are," says Anastasia Savvina, who attended the June camp.

Tech-free getaway options like this are growing. Hotels like the Lake Placid Lodge in New York and Hotel Monaco Chicago are offering digital detox or "black-out" services. The Check-In to Check-Out package at the Lake Placid Lodge invites guests to leave their electronic devices at the front desk and to immerse themselves in "the serenity of the Adirondacks."

Digital Detox co-founder Levi Felix attributes the high demand for tech-free retreats to a growing awareness of the pervasiveness of technology in our everyday lives. "People are feeling like something's not right here," he says.

Enlarge image i