Once again Europe is trailing the United States, Japan and South Korea when it comes to boosting innovation and meeting EU targets of devoting 3% of GDP to research and development. More »

The United States remained the primary backer of biotech crop technology in 2011, but adoption spread internationally as the total global planted area of genetically modified seeds grew 8% from a year ago, a new report says. More »

Drug warriors often contend that drug use would skyrocket if we were to legalize or decriminalize drugs in the United States. Fortunately, we have a real-world example of the actual effects of ending the violent, expensive War on Drugs and replacing it with a system of treatment for problem users and addicts. Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. One decade after this unprecedented exp...

In the free and fluid exchange of opinions and ideas is there some basis of measurement that makes one man's more valuable than another's? Heading to CPAC this week I am looking forward to speaking with, and listening to, some of the best minds in the conservative movement. As the United States heads into the heart of the 2012 election cycle with a somewhat flawed Republican candidate (r...

An especially interesting comparison is between the United States and the United Kingdom, which implemented a package of austerity measures in 2010. That’s interesting, don’t you think? For I’m rather wondering, just where is that austerity. As far as I know the budget deficit is still about 10% of GDP isn’t it? The lab experiment

This morning the question was asked about whether Obamanomics has led the United States into a liquidity trap created by having the lowest possible interest rates and a non-growing economy? That question was clearly answered by examining the treasury yield curve and the economic forecasts out of the CBO. Now in his own words below President Obama tells you why, given the truth of the first stateme...

The answers are not really and I sure hope not! Another question? Is the United States in a liquidity trap that's loosely defined as enormous amounts of cash injected into the system by the Fed to lower interest rates while not having the desired effect of stimulating economic growth? 2012 GDP forecast (Congressional Budget Office): 2.0% reduced from a forecast of 2.7%. 2012 unemployment rate...

This is one of the more ridiculous incidents of security theatre that I have read. I know it is preaching to the converted to post such a link to Samizdata, and the increasingly farcical nature of the United States government surprises no one who reads here, but the post deserves to be spread far and wide. Reading Mike Masnick's account of how the knuckleheads providing "security" at the US C...

Today's Washington Post provides a superb example of why the majority of the dinosaur media is not to be trusted when it comes to reporting about Islamists or about jihad activity, particularly in the United States. Yonathan Melaku, an ex-marine reservist and a naturalized citizen from Ethiopia pled guilty today in a plea bargain to three counts, including shooting at the Pentagon on Oct. 19,...

British Prime Minister David Cameron called the drive to finish the Doha round of world trade talks a failure and insisted the European Union should instead negotiate free trade deals with the United States and Africa.  More »