Reading the news from Libya everyday has it sounding like a basket case. Fighting in Qaddafi’s hometown of Sirte has taken center stage in the reporting, probably because that’s where all the reporters are. But here from Daniel Serwer of Reuters is a “boring” story about how well things are working in Tripoli and how generally optimistic its citizens are.

“In the weeks since, the new, unpaid local administration has achieved a great deal. It sent technicians hundreds of kilometers to the south with support from local tribesmen to reactivate the wells that pump water into Qaddafi’s “Great Man-made River,” which supplies Tripoli and other population centers. The national government is making the usual social welfare payments. Flour and oil subsidies have been maintained, so bread is cheap and available. Only partial withdrawal of salaries from banks is permitted, but Libyans are confident about the country’s economic future, based on its oil and gas resources.”