Living in Twilight City - This is a really excellent article by Megan McArdle in this month's Atlantic about the convergence of social and economic problems in Europe.  Generous public benefits are straining the budgets in the Eurozone at the very time the fertility rate is plummeting and there aren't enough workers to support the system.  Growth would help but the Eurozone economy is barely expanding and some countries are so deep in debt that austerity is the new normal.