91% Of American Adults Own A Cell Phone, Majority Of Them Own A Smartphone

Cellphones have achieved near complete market penetration, and the smartphone is leading the way.

How Apple Avoids Paying Taxes

The US Senate wants to know why Apple and other big technology companies are paying so little into the US Treasury.

Only Obama Can Go To Morehouse

President Obama delivered another powerful speech on race.

China And The Future Of World Oil Markets

The world oil markets aren’t too far away from being hit by the shock of massively increased demand from China. Somehow, we’ll have to adapt.

Paywalls and Collusion

The days of free news on the Internet may be coming to an end.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Technicolor Choom Room Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

OTB Caption Contest

Time for the Thursday OTB Caption ContestTM

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Nairobi Holiday Trio Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Institutions Matter: Just Look at the Congress

Representative democracy is a process of delegation of power to agents who act on behalf of citizens. The process of delegation matters.

Global Trends 2030

The National Intelligence Council has released its quadrennial strategic forecast, Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds.

America’s Dysfunctional Election System

Fareed Zakaria declares “America’s election process an international embarrassment.” He’s right.

China Is Every American Politician’s Favorite Scapegoat

American politicians are using China as a scapegoat for America’s problems.

Iran v. the US: Who is the Rational Actor on the Nuclear Question?

Because some things are worth reinforcing.

Romney’s Critique of Obama’s Foreign Policy Record Is Incredibly Weak

The Romney campaign’s critique of the President’s foreign policy record is weak, and based on bad history.

Obama Administration Abandons Freedom Of Speech In Wake Of Embassy Riots

Capitulating to a mob is never a good idea.

U.S. Carbon Emissions Down Thanks Largely To Natural Gas

Carbon emissions in the U.S. have declined just as use of natural gas in electricity production has increased. That’s no coincidence.

Obama, Romney, And The Phony Focus On Offshoring

The Obama campaign’s focus on Mitt Romney’s alleged involvement in moving companies overseas is entirely phony.

Was The Revolution A Mistake?

Were the Colonists wrong to toss aside the British Empire so casually?

Gas Prices Are Falling, But That’s Not Necessarily Good News

Gas prices are falling nationwide but that’s mostly because the economy kind of stinks.

Taking Power Away From Doctors Makes Medical Care More Efficient

In, “Squeezing out the doctor,” The Economist looks at the future of medicine and sees a declining role for physicians.

How Economic Doldrums Are Impacting The Election

A spate of bad economic news foretells a shift in the campaign for President.

A Comparative Note on Amendment Processes

We, as Americans, tend to have a limited knowledge of the institutional variation that exists across democratic systems around the world.

Are Today’s College Students Dumber and Lazier?

The Wall Street Journal publishes a screed aimed at those about to graduate college.

China Will Continue Buying Iranian Oil

There’s a big hole in the latest sanctions against Iran.

Hate Crimes And The Rutgers SpyCam Case

Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation toward Tyler Clementi. It’s not at all clear that he should have been.

Two Asias

“Asian” has an entirely different connotation in the UK than it does in the US.

World’s Top Universities

Seven of the top ten and fifteen of the top twenty universities on the planet are American.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Mongo Like Ghandi Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Moon Base Newt

Wait until you hear about Newt Gingrich’s new out of this world idea.

Obama’s Second Term Would Be Neither Groundbreaking Nor A Calamity

The truth about a Second Obama Term is that it likely wouldn’t be all that remarkable.

$4.00 Per Gallon Gas By Spring? Bye Bye Economic Recovery?

Higher gas prices in the spring could have an impact on the economy, and the election.

Does America Spend More Than Next 10 Nations Combined on Defense?

A Washington Post fact check calls this “true but false.”

Rick Santorum’s Disturbing Foreign Policy Vision

Rick Santorum’s foreign policy positions are troubling in many respects.

Mikhail Gorbachev: The World Would Be Better If The USSR Was Still Around

Not surprisingly, the last man to lead the Soviet Union believes we’d be better off if it still existed.

Whitewashing Evil

The capacity of some people to look the other way in the face of evil is astounding.

Huntsman, Gingrich, And The Not-Really Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Yesterday’s encounter between Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich was less than it could have been.