In this Politico Magazine article, Nick Hanauer shares his perspective on the current unsustainable US economic situation and his (very viable) solution for it. He says without his solution there will be a revolution and those with the pitchforks will be gunning for the plutocrats. How would you describe the state of America's middle class? What does the current state mean for the survival of small/mid-size businesses? Photo credit: Robbie McClaran/Redux Pictures

Mr. Ma's (the founder of China's Alibaba) story is a textbook example to the benefits and strategic prowess involved in being an industry disruptor. Change requires thoughts and actions that are different than the status quo. From the article, "...Alibaba is China’s largest online retailer, with merchandise volumes that lag only Walmart, worldwide. The e-commerce giant is also moving forward with plans for a stock sale that is expected to rival Facebook’s $16 billion offering two years ago. If successful, the deal would help vault Alibaba and Mr. Ma, who owns 8.9 percent of the company, to the highest ranks of technology industry titans." Get the full story here.

Remember the old saying, "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail"? This interesting article about making sure you have a backup plan uses the U.S. Navy SEALs as a great example of how to strategically think about contingencies.

A new product developed in France and debuting at next month's International CES is called Sense Mother. It joins a list of new motion sensing and wi-fi-based tracking products appearing on the market. Is a consumer market that has become accustomed to posting their every move ready for a product that also tracks it for you and reports on it 24/7? Find out more about Mother here.

PR and marketing gurus learned the benefits of using Twitter for advertising products, goods, and services (both directly and via users - usually celebrities - with large followings) from the very beginning. Now it seems the mainstream has caught on. 

 In this article, Award-winning tech writer Ed Bott (@edbott) has left Gmail and switched to Outlook citing his distaste for Google's practice of scanning users' emails to create targeted ads. What's your email app of choice and why? What would make you leave your current app for a new/different one?

No matter your politics, the Affordable Healthcare Act is a reality. This animated video offers a clear and simple explanation of exactly how it works.

This very interesting article on Inc.com starts with, "To become a fearless leader, you need to examine and overcome whatever is holding you back." To paraphrase FDR, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Is fear a construct that lives completely in our minds and through our perception or is it real? How does this apply to leadership and how we run our businesses?

Now that the total number of U.S.-based airline companies is going down from five to four, how will the change affect your travel habits? Leave a comment.