Comment roundup

For the archives:

Laban Tall on the vanishing WPC.

“Ritter” on headline fun:

‘Rapid US economic growth persists

“The Department of Commerce said that gross domestic product (GDP) increased by an annual rate of 4.1% in the three months to the end of September.”

Roy notes – ‘Funny choice of word … “persist”, descriptive of something unpleasant like war or athletes foot? To be obstinately repetitious, insistent, or tenacious.’

Fast US growth outstrips estimate

“US economic growth accelerated to an annual rate of 4.3% in the three months from July to September, according to revised Commerce Department figures.”

Those stoopid Americans! How come they can’t run an economy as bad as us Europeans eh?

From December’s BBC News Online:

French output has surprise tumble

European R&D falls behind rivals

Deficit widens as growth slows

and finally, rejoice at the news that the German economy is ‘to grow quicker’:

German economy ‘to grow quicker’

“Growth also is set to improve in 2005, hitting a higher-than-expected 0.9%.”

0.9% !!! That’s how you run an economy!’

“Ritter” also notes a strange sort of pre-placement-publicity masquerading as news.

“Michael Gill” notes that the Times sees fit to identify a criminal as an asylum-seeker, whereas the BBC doesn’t (and that the two mugshots that the piece originally included have been removed).

“Rob White” notes the BBC’s defence of the ridiculous Allies on Trial.

“TomL” helps find repeats of that hardworking slave picture from the BBC image library – here, here, here, here, here, here, and here (I am up to page 11 of 37 but the picture seems to have cropped up in about 2003 or so).

Rob wonders whether this is lifted from a Motorola press release (perhaps readers could help search?) – it certainly seems to be a plug for the phone anyway – or is it just very clever product placement by Motorola?

“Michael Gill” notes that “a man is shot dead” by UK police, and I note by the Israelis too, but a man is only “apparently” shot dead by Islamist terrorists.

“Richy” links to Nick Cohen on Today – “A sub-Michael Moore clown was doing a turn the gist of which was that George W. Bush was the stooge of the Haliburton Corporation.”

“Ritter” notes editorial assistance provided to the struggling BBC (£2.8 billion according to the sidebar) – “Thanks to the Centre for European Reform, the Institute of Directors, Oxfam, Unicef and WWF for sharing their views.” (I dare say any sense from the IOD was outweighed by the other “progressive” groups).

Via “Rob Read”, I am in two minds about this article.

It is no doubt true that more pollution is produced by unregulated Chinese factories than highly regulated US ones, and that therefore, in a strict sine qua non causation sense, US importing of Chinese consumer goods increases pollution. However, the same applies to any developed nation, including the EU [member states – didn’t intend to imply the EU is a nation – ed]. On that basis (ie selective reporting/finding an expert to agree with your predetermined position) this is biased. Note the scare quotes about the US saving carbon emissions, and Dr Shui does not seem to like carbon trading.