Two top-notch Chinese car companies are recalling 23,000 vehicles from Australia due to the presence of asbestos in the engines and exhaust gaskets—this, after explicitly stating that the cars would not contain the cancer-causing chemical.As Michael Dunne reports in the WSJ, this this may be an example of a “quality fade”: Prospective buyers initially receive impressive samples of goods, […]

Although American energy reserves have been rising steadily over the past few years and appear likely to continue to do so, American imports from Saudi Arabia have increased by 20 percent over the past year.In January, under pressure from the environmental lobby, the Obama administration blocked a permit for the planned Keystone oil pipeline (after […]

While WRM is away in India, we’ve been inviting a number of guest bloggers to add their two cents to the Via Meadia converstation. One of these guest bloggers is Chris Mead, WRM’s brother and Senior Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. He has been dominating the media while his brother is away. A […]

We’ve repeatedly noted that the humanitarian intervention in Libya has had perverse consequences far beyond Libya’s borders—most pronouncedly in Mali. Mali’s unraveling in turn has dire consequences for its neighbors. A map is worth a thousand words:Niger is caught in a pincer between the Islamist Tuareg rebels to its north and west and the savage Boko […]

The AP reports that Algeria’s Lakhdar Brahimi will be replacing Kofi Annan as the UN’s peace envoy to Syria. Brahimi, who helped negotiate the end of Lebanon’s civil war, had been hesitant but finally accepted the post. He was said to be awaiting some kind of signal of support from the Security Council, which has […]

Via Meadia hasn’t been commenting on the trial of the Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot, which was detained after staging an unauthorized concert at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.On the one hand, we didn’t think the young women were doing the anti-Putin liberals any favors by antagonizing the Russian Orthodox Church, and by extension […]

The Economist “speculated” last week about the kinds of contingency plans Angela Merkel might have on her desk for the breakup of the Euro. Obviously, if such plans existed, they ought to be kept secret so as to not panic the markets. Right?The Finnish foreign minister disagrees: “We have to face openly the possibility of a […]

Earlier this week, Japan arrested Chinese activists on the disputed Senkaku Islands, adding to rising tensions across the China seas. Today Japan has decided to deport the them, reports Reuters.This incident will fade from public memory with time, but the nationalism that incited it is here to stay. A story in the The Wall Street Journal highlights Japan’s rising […]

The Wall Street Journal reports that a number of universities, wary of the public perception that the degrees they offer may not be worth the student loan burden, have taken to hiring highly-paid “CMOs” (Chief Marketing Officers) to build their brands and coordinate their admissions offices’ sales pitch. Although many in academia disdain corporate marketing […]

The Energy Department has just released a report that ought to leave the greens asking: How did we get this so wrong? As the AP reports, the study shows that US carbon emissions have just hit their lowest level in 20 years. How was this reduction achieved? Natural gas: In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide […]