diff --git a/src/actions/index.js b/src/actions/index.js
index 99f65e0..590f56d 100644
--- a/src/actions/index.js
+++ b/src/actions/index.js
@@ -16,6 +16,16 @@ const NARRATIVE_URL = urlFromEnv('NARRATIVE_EXT');
 const SITES_URL = urlFromEnv('SITES_EXT');
 const eventUrlMap = (event) => `${process.env.SERVER_ROOT}${process.env.EVENT_DESC_ROOT}/${(event.id) ? event.id : event}`;
 
+
+const DEBUG_GER = 'DEBUG_GER'
+function _debugger(value) {
+  console.log(value)
+  return {
+    type: DEBUG_GER,
+    value
+  }
+}
+
 /*
 * Create an error notification object
 * Types: ['error', 'warning', 'good', 'neural']
@@ -64,7 +74,7 @@ export function fetchDomain () {
         .catch(handleError('sites'))
     }
 
-    let tagsPromise
+    let tagsPromise = Promise.resolve([])
     if (process.env.features.USE_TAGS) {
       tagsPromise = fetch(TAG_URL)
         .then(response => response.json())
@@ -118,7 +128,6 @@ export function updateDomain(domain) {
 
 export function fetchSelected(selected) {
   if (!selected || !selected.length || selected.length === 0) {
-    console.log('hitting base')
     return updateSelected([])
   }
   return dispatch => {
@@ -127,6 +136,23 @@ export function fetchSelected(selected) {
       dispatch(fetchSourceError('No source extension specified.'))
     } else {
       dispatch(toggleFetchingSources())
+
+      fetch(SOURCES_URL)
+        .then(response => {
+          if (!response.ok) {
+            throw new Error('No sources are available at the URL specified in the config specified.')
+          } else {
+            return response.json()
+          }
+        })
+        .then(sources => {
+          dispatch(_debugger(sources))
+        })
+        .catch(err => {
+          dispatch(fetchSourceError(err.message))
+          dispatch(toggleFetchingSources())
+        })
+
     }
 
   }
diff --git a/src/components/Card.jsx b/src/components/Card.jsx
index 0184063..520b7b9 100644
--- a/src/components/Card.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Card.jsx
@@ -89,8 +89,12 @@ class Card extends React.Component {
   renderSource() {
     return (
       <CardSource
+        isLoading={this.props.isLoading}
         language={this.props.language}
-        source={this.props.event.source}
+        source={{
+          ...this.props.source,
+          error: this.props.sourceError
+        }}
       />
     )
   }
@@ -122,42 +126,31 @@ class Card extends React.Component {
     }
   }
 
-  renderLoadingCard() {
-    return (
-      <li className='event-card'>
-        <div className="card-bottomhalf">
-          <Spinner />
-        </div>
-      </li>
-    );
-  }
-
   renderHeader() {
     return (
       <div className="card-collapsed">
-        <div className="card-row">
+        <div className="card-column">
           {this.renderTimestamp()}
           {this.renderLocation()}
         </div>
-        {this.renderCategory()}
+        {/* {this.renderCategory()} */}
+        <br/>
         {this.renderSummary()}
       </div>
     );
   }
 
   renderContent() {
-    if (!this.state.isHighlighted) {
-      return (
-        <div className="card-bottomhalf folded"></div>
-      );
-    } else {
+    if (this.state.isHighlighted) {
       return (
         <div className="card-bottomhalf">
           {this.renderTags()}
           {this.renderSource()}
           {this.renderNarrative()}
         </div>
-      );
+      )
+    } else {
+      return <div classname="card-bottomhalf"></div>
     }
   }
 
@@ -171,17 +164,13 @@ class Card extends React.Component {
   }
 
   render() {
-    if (this.props.isLoading) {
-      return this.renderLoadingCard();
-    } else {
-      return (
-        <li className='event-card'>
-          {this.renderHeader()}
-          {this.renderContent()}
-          {this.renderCaret()}
-        </li>
-      );
-    }
+    return (
+      <li className='event-card'>
+        {this.renderHeader()}
+        {this.renderContent()}
+        {this.renderCaret()}
+      </li>
+    );
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/CardStack.jsx b/src/components/CardStack.jsx
index d7c5ab1..98185be 100644
--- a/src/components/CardStack.jsx
+++ b/src/components/CardStack.jsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ class CardStack extends React.Component {
         return (
           <Card
             event={event}
+            sourceError={this.props.sourceError}
             language={this.props.language}
             isLoading={this.props.isLoading}
             getNarrativeLinks={this.props.getNarrativeLinks}
@@ -89,9 +90,10 @@ class CardStack extends React.Component {
 function mapStateToProps(state) {
   return {
     selected: state.app.selected,
+    sourceError: state.app.errors.source,
     language: state.app.language,
     isCardstack: state.app.flags.isCardstack,
-    isLoading: state.app.flags.isFetchingEvents
+    isLoading: state.app.flags.isFetchingSources
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/Dashboard.jsx b/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
index 401d2a3..744b990 100644
--- a/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ class Dashboard extends React.Component {
   }
 
   getCategoryColor(category='other') {
-    return this.props.ui.style.categories[category] || this.props.style.categories['other']
+    return this.props.ui.style.categories[category] || this.props.ui.style.categories['other']
   }
 
   getNarrativeLinks(event) {
diff --git a/src/components/presentational/CardSource.js b/src/components/presentational/CardSource.js
index b234143..95fdb06 100644
--- a/src/components/presentational/CardSource.js
+++ b/src/components/presentational/CardSource.js
@@ -1,17 +1,29 @@
-import React from 'react';
+import React from 'react'
+import Spinner from './Spinner'
 
-import copy from '../../js/data/copy.json';
+import copy from '../../js/data/copy.json'
 
-const CardSource = ({ source, language }) => {
-  const source_lang = copy[language].cardstack.source;
-  if (!source) source = copy[language].cardstack.unknown_source;
+const CardSource = ({ source, language, isLoading, error }) => {
+  const source_lang = copy[language].cardstack.source
+
+  function renderSource() {
+    return source.error ? (
+      <div><small>{source.error}</small></div>
+    ) : (
+      <div><p>TODO: display source properly.</p></div>
+    )
+  }
+
+  function renderContent() {
+    return isLoading ? <Spinner/> : renderSource()
+  }
 
   return (
-    <div className="card-row card-cell source">
+    <div className="card-col card-cell source">
       <h4>{source_lang}: </h4>
-      <p><small>{source}</small></p>
+      {renderContent()}
     </div>
-  );
+  )
 }
 
-export default CardSource;
+export default CardSource
diff --git a/src/components/presentational/CardSummary.js b/src/components/presentational/CardSummary.js
index 8dd9d8d..3e0cdbf 100644
--- a/src/components/presentational/CardSummary.js
+++ b/src/components/presentational/CardSummary.js
@@ -5,13 +5,12 @@ import copy from '../../js/data/copy.json';
 const CardSummary = ({ language, description, isHighlighted }) => {
 
   const summary = copy[language].cardstack.description;
-  const descriptionText = (isHighlighted) ? description : `${description.substring(0, 40)}...`;
 
   return (
     <div className="card-row summary">
       <div className="card-cell">
         <h4>{summary}</h4>
-        <p>{descriptionText}</p>
+        <p>{description}</p>
       </div>
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/src/components/presentational/Spinner.js b/src/components/presentational/Spinner.js
index e3bad6d..062bd83 100644
--- a/src/components/presentational/Spinner.js
+++ b/src/components/presentational/Spinner.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import React from 'react';
 
-const Spinner = ({}) => {
+const Spinner = () => {
   return (
     <div className="spinner">
-      <div className="double-bounce1"></div>
-      <div className="double-bounce2"></div>
+      <div className="double-bounce-overlay"></div>
+      <div className="double-bounce"></div>
     </div>
   )
 }
diff --git a/src/js/data/copy.json b/src/js/data/copy.json
index 5fd1890..2feca2b 100644
--- a/src/js/data/copy.json
+++ b/src/js/data/copy.json
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@
       "tags": "Tags",
       "notags": "No known tags for this event.",
       "source": "Source",
-      "unknown_source": "Unknown source. The relability of this event cannot be confirmed.",
+      "unknown_source": "The information for this source could not be retrieved.",
       "category": "Category",
       "communication": "Communication",
       "transmitter": "Transmitter",
diff --git a/src/reducers/app.js b/src/reducers/app.js
index c8f243b..7fe01be 100644
--- a/src/reducers/app.js
+++ b/src/reducers/app.js
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {
   TOGGLE_INFOPOPUP,
   TOGGLE_NOTIFICATIONS,
   FETCH_ERROR,
+  FETCH_SOURCE_ERROR,
 } from '../actions';
 
 function updateHighlighted(appState, action) {
@@ -156,6 +157,16 @@ function toggleNotifications(appState, action) {
   });
 }
 
+function fetchSourceError(appState, action) {
+  return {
+    ...appState,
+    errors: {
+      ...appState.errors,
+      source: action.msg
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 
 
 function app(appState = initial.app, action) {
@@ -186,6 +197,8 @@ function app(appState = initial.app, action) {
       return toggleInfoPopup(appState, action);
     case TOGGLE_NOTIFICATIONS:
       return toggleNotifications(appState, action);
+    case FETCH_SOURCE_ERROR:
+      return fetchSourceError(appState, action);
     default:
       return appState;
   }
diff --git a/src/scss/card.scss b/src/scss/card.scss
index 2afcb63..e95213b 100644
--- a/src/scss/card.scss
+++ b/src/scss/card.scss
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
     margin-right: 5px;
   }
 
-  .card-row {
+  .card-row, .card-col {
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: row;
     border-bottom: 1px solid $lightwhite;
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@
     }
   }
 
+  .card-col {
+    flex-direction: column;
+  }
+
   .card-cell {
     a {
       transition: color 0.2s;
diff --git a/src/scss/loading.scss b/src/scss/loading.scss
index dee8697..1fdcff6 100644
--- a/src/scss/loading.scss
+++ b/src/scss/loading.scss
@@ -41,10 +41,10 @@ https://github.com/tobiasahlin/SpinKit/blob/master/LICENSE
   height: 40px;
 
   position: relative;
-  margin: 20px auto;
+  margin: 10px auto;
 }
 
-.double-bounce1, .double-bounce2 {
+.double-bounce, .double-bounce-overlay {
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
   border-radius: 50%;
@@ -58,20 +58,21 @@ https://github.com/tobiasahlin/SpinKit/blob/master/LICENSE
   animation: sk-bounce 3.0s infinite ease-in-out;
 }
 
-.double-bounce2 {
+.double-bounce-overlay {
   -webkit-animation-delay: -1.0s;
   animation-delay: -1.0s;
+  background-color: black;
 }
 
 @-webkit-keyframes sk-bounce {
-  0%, 100% { -webkit-transform: scale(0.0) }
+  0%, 100% { -webkit-transform: scale(0.3) }
   50% { -webkit-transform: scale(1.0) }
 }
 
 @keyframes sk-bounce {
   0%, 100% {
-    transform: scale(0.0);
-    -webkit-transform: scale(0.0);
+    transform: scale(0.3);
+    -webkit-transform: scale(0.3);
   } 50% {
     transform: scale(1.0);
     -webkit-transform: scale(1.0);
diff --git a/src/store/initial.js b/src/store/initial.js
index d487022..dbe0dd7 100644
--- a/src/store/initial.js
+++ b/src/store/initial.js
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ const initial = {
   *   or by the characteristics of the client, browser, etc.
   */
   app: {
-    error: null,
+    errors: {
+      source: null,
+    },
     highlighted: null,
     selected: [],
     narrative: null,