The economy of the 16 countries that use the euro grew by a better-than-expected 1 percent during the second quarter as growth engine Germany expanded at its fastest pace since reunification two decades ago.

Thursday's quarter-on-quarter figures show the eurozone grew at its fastest rate in nearly four years -- and faster than the U.S. during the same quarter.

That defied expectations from just a couple of months ago, when Europe was threatened by a severe government debt crisis. The U.S. grew by 0.6 percent during the April to June period compared to the previous quarter.

The eurozone beat market forecasts for a 0.7 percent rise and topped the muted 0.2 percent growth from the first quarter.

Germany, Europe's biggest economy, led the way as its economy grew by a very strong 2.2 percent in the second quarter compared to the quarter before as exporters reaped the benefits of a recovery in global demand.

But, wait for it...

Still, many economists think the second quarter will be as good as it gets for the eurozone this year.

Europe is still doomed.™

It seems a bit strange to me that the media carefully warn about and label any content that involves sex, violence or strong language -- but there's no similar labelling system for, say, sloppy journalism and other questionable content.

I figured it was time to fix that, so I made some stickers. I've been putting them on copies of the free papers that I find on the London Underground. You might want to as well.

Debate over the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed into law by President Obama on July 21, has focused on the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that will bring notable improvements for U.S. consumers. But the more obscure derivatives section of the law contains reforms that will help stabilize global food and energy prices-changes that will especially benefit the poorest communities around the world.

Fight Malaria, want to
Must Weaponize, tech company says
Must Watch The Enemy
Must Film In Action with laser lit water vapor to study flows
Must show off being able to laser-zap, nay, smoke de bastads

Animal lovers, don't watch.

Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.

Frank Delaney ~ Ireland

Staff at Audit Commission made redundant by email without warning.....its getting brutal out there

... and damn inconvenient when this is under way...

Wind power

A special constable was jailed for 16 months today after admitting fraudulently claiming nearly £80,000 in benefits.

Gina Conopo started claiming income support and housing and council tax benefit legitimately in 1999 when she and husband Simon separated, Northampton Crown Court heard.

But when they got back together, the mother-of-two failed to notify authorities and carried on claiming the amounts.

The court heard for a period of just over seven years, Conopo, of Grasscroft, Long Buckby, Northants, fraudulently claimed £46,321.27 in income support and £33,267.48 in council and housing tax benefit.

From early 1940 to 1953, Dr. Lauretta Bender, a highly respected child neuropsychiatrist practicing at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, experimented extensively with electroshock therapy on children who had been diagnosed with "autistic schizophrenia." In all, it has been reported that Bender administered electroconvulsive therapy to at least 100 children ranging in age from three years old to 12 years, with some reports indicating the total may be twice that number. One source reports that, inclusive of Bender's work, electroconvulsive treatment was used on more than 500 children at Bellevue Hospital from 1942 to 1956, and then at Creedmoor State Hospital Children's Service from 1956 to 1969. Bender was a confident and dogmatic woman, who bristled at criticism, oftentimes refused to acknowledge reality even when it stood starkly before her.

Read more...

Last year the British Library introduced a bag search at its main entrance. Readers had to form a queue and file through four searchers, two on each side, who unzipped rucksacks, felt into side pockets, lifted out items and peered beneath them. The search was justified by `ongoing security concerns', but the bag searchers never searched the bag properly, they just rifled, and at the end they zipped it up and said `that's fine, thanks', and you were free to enter the building.

I always thought: what's fine? A handgun could have been easily smuggled within the folds of my swimming kit. The search seemed not to be in earnest, but instead was a search for the sake of a search, for the sake of unzipping, handling, intruding. The private individual - just any old person walking in off the street - is deemed risky, and the search an act of purification. Through opening our bags, surrendering our personal space, we are declared `fine'.