You're obviously just jealous of the wonderfully brilliant country the UK has become...

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

Sarko is showing more and more that he is yesterday's man.

I'm troubled though by the narrative here - is he actually now been hired to moonlight as spokesman for the UK chamber of commerce or office of economic development? Because he should know there is a country just to the south of the UK, there's a tunnel right to it, with one of the best investment climates in the world, a very well educated populace and better food. I'd think he'd know about it because last I checked, being its President is his day job.

I think one possible good line of attack on him would be like was done to Messier, who was mercilessly made fun of for his love of all things anglo-saxon.

A little more national pride Mr President, for god's sake!

"C'est un scandale !"

Real income growth for the almost poor (second tenth from the bottom) and the almost rich (second tenth from the top).

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

Hmph.  I was looking forward to a good discussion of my favorite TV show...  

"This is nothing compared to how Putin rigged Eurovision."

Neither of the top models made much of an impressio at Windsor and thereabouts. The one looked washed up, the other contrived. I can't decide which was which. Although even I can't deny that the queen's jewels were stunning. You know, like worth enough to feed half the world for quite a time. Mr. Sarkozy (with the accent at the beginning) is kind of a cliche likker of anglo-saxon boots. It sure is embarrassing how he goes everywhere and belittles France by praising his host to high heaven. Even the hosts probably ask themselves, 'What's bugging that man? We're not really that hot.' Of course the French president had the bad luck to miss the high season of Bush and Blair. Too bad for him, lucky for France.

We're seeing how that works right now in the United States, as all the failing banks, failing brokerages, and assorted failing credit bubblers get bailed out on the backs of taxpayers who earned an income by working, bought things only when they could afford things, and saved the balance of their money.

With a headline like "top model" and a diary about Sarkozy, I was thinking you'd gone all tabloid and blogging about Carla Bruni nude picture being auctioned at Christie's. You could have even used the same closing about Bruni being a "top model" that "Proof positive that myths are stronger than reality..." Oh well. :)

Cartoon for Jerome

Nice collection of graphs, but I want to add to the graph about the Public spending, that one should add at least a significant part of the private health care spending in the USA as 'public spending' for most intentions, even if it is private, because as well in the other countries people would spend a part of their income on health care if it would not be public.
Taking into account, that health care spending as a part of the GDP has increased in the last years in most countries, this would likely even lead to a stronger increase of public spending in the US making the strength of the US post 'New Economy' recreation even less compelling.
And of course in the employment picture employment-share of work-age population might be more useful. Why should a country with a shrinking population make as much new jobs like a country with a growing population?

Lich King/Caribou Barbie 08
Pain brings Katharsis

If you're making comparisons involving the UK, you'll want to find another graph for obesity. Most of the figures - but notably not those for the UK are self-reported. You can't compare numbers culled from rigorous (meta)studies to self-reported numbers. Apples and oranges (or, rather, a matter of the size of the error bars being so much different between the different data points that it is downright misleading to not provide them).

Other than that, it's an excellent fact-sheet that I've bookmarked for easy reference.

- Jake

Ceterum censeo Chicago esse delendam