[WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 18: Local residents Sandy Milia (L) and her 2-year-old grandson Henry (2nd L) are greeted by a National Zoo staff member dressed as a panda as they wait for the zoo to reopen at 10am on October 18, 2013 in Washington, DC. The Smithsonians National Zoo reopened to visitors after the […]

It’s been a magnificent start to the Met’s season as spectacular singing has electrified audiences and made the old hall ring. I’ve been to two performances in the last week; Norma last Monday and Eugene Onegin last night. At both the audiences rose for rare standing ovations.Norma has one of the most demanding roles in the […]

Canada’s top energy minister is confident that his country can hold its own in the world’s liquified natural gas (LNG) market. There’s plenty of demand for LNG these days, especially in Asia, where Japan is struggling to meet its energy needs after shutting down its nuclear reactors after the Fukushima disaster, where South Korea is […]

Something different is happening in Japan. The military is sexy again. Amid a tense atmosphere of territorial conflict with most of its neighbors, and at a time when seemingly every Asian country is beefing up its armed forces, Japan’s military is enjoying a noticeable increase in popularity.Take, for example, “Mr. and Ms. JMSDF.” It’s an online […]

According to a new survey by BFM TV, a French station, nearly one in two French voters (46%) think Marine Le Pen is the best opposition candidate to take on the ruling Socialist party. That’s a lot of support for a far right politician who once compared Muslim blocking French streets during prayer times to […]

It appears that a K Street of sorts is being paved in Brussels as American law firms and lobbyists have discovered that there’s real money to be made by influencing the EU’s decision-making process. The NYT story tells this as a classically boring progressive morality tale: evil special interests groups infiltrate noble government bureaucracy. The firms are taking advantage of […]

Saudi Arabia, frustrated with how things have been going in Middle East, is showing its displeasure by foregoing its seat on the UN Security Council. The FT: Announcing the decision on Friday, Riyadh said the global body had failed to protect the Syrian people or to resolve the Palestinian issue.“It is unfortunate that all the international efforts […]

Regular readers of VM know that our blogs, from conception to completion, are framed by the interests and convictions of WRM. They also know that we keep a few researchers and writers locked in the basement to make sure WRM’s line gets out daily.Yet somehow, contributor Andrew Lewis was able to escape long enough to concern himself with […]

Airbnb—the popular service that allows people to rent out their apartments or houses to guests in need of cheap lodging—has recently been fighting battles throughout the country with cities that want a slice of the pie. In particular, city officials want those renting out their spaces through Airbnb to pay the hotel tax on the […]

They are called the Sepah, and some say their influence is getting out of control. Iran’s central government is under pressure from domestic critics and international backers to rein in the influence of the Sepah—the 120,000-strong Revolutionary Guard corps sworn to protect Iran’s theological regime—to make it clear that the country is not run by military men. […]