To readers of this blog, Brooklyn is best known as a shabby wannabe borough where vagrants roast dead animals in the parks and residents dream longingly of life in glamorous Queens.But the Brooklyn library system is setting an example not just for New York but for the whole United States: faced with cuts to its […]

From Governing, insight into the future of American state politics: Facing the prospect of a statewide financial crisis arising from Central Falls’ bankruptcy case, the Rhode Island Legislature took steps to assure municipal bond investors that their interests will not be impaired by pensioner’s claims. The new law enables the city’s receiver to subordinate the […]

EU politicians face their most difficult decision since the Treaty of Rome established what became the European Union back in the 1950s: do they let the euro break up into one or more smaller currency areas or do they turn the eurozone into a “fiscal union” with national budgets and policies subject to eurozone approval.If […]

People are criticizing President Obama for going to Martha’s Vineyard for a vacation in August. We here at Via Meadia think our old family stomping ground of Pawley’s Island would have been the better choice, but we hope the President and his family have a great time.Down time isn’t just goofing off time.  It’s when a […]

Stalin must be spinning in his grave.Caviar sandwiches. McDonald’s delivery. Vodka. Toga parties. Gladiator costumes. All in a Russian jail.The Telegraph reports: The inmates are seen horsing around with cardboard swords, appear to be drinking alcohol, and are shown enjoying a banquet of fruit, vegetables and salads. The party had a Roman gladiator theme and the […]

When the German Army retreated from Warsaw in World War Two, it was the beginning of the end.  But the German press announcement did not mention the retreat from the city; it announced that the German Army had “successfully shortened its lines” thirty miles west of the city.This is what we get in the New […]

Conflicting accounts of the Abbottabad raid have emerged in the past few days. A riveting account by Nick Schmidle in last week’s New Yorker follows the same story as the one given by American officials to the media after the raid. In this account, C.I.A. analysts believed that they had pinpointed bin Laden’s courier, a […]

Today’s trade figures are the worst of all possible worlds.  The US trade deficit widened to $53.1 billion in June — much higher than forecast.  That’s bad enough news when world markets are still reeling from the credit downgrade.  But there’s more.  Imports actually shrank in June — a sign that the US domestic economy […]

As a massive government linked bureaucracy with offices in every county in America, the US postal system is possibly the most prominent symbol of the Blue Social Model in the country. Tuesday’s announcement that thousands of post offices will be closing to reduce costs is a major step towards the rollback of that model, a […]

This isn’t going to help quiet the angry mobs in New Delhi: senior Indian army officials have been accused of misappropriating prime real estate built for soldiers wounded in the line of duty for themselves and their families.The Indian Comptroller and Auditor General office’s willingness to publish such a report and the ability of protestors […]