News-Record.com

I'd actually be a little surprised if this counted as a victory for France (and the EU). Sales of Boeings smaller 787 are pouring in. Air India bought 27 of the aircraft yesterday and I remember reading headlines of another big sale for Boeing in the last few weeks. It'll be interesting to see how the competition between Airbus and Boeing plays out.

I agree with you. A Boeing official in the story notes the lethargic market for "super jumbo" jets. But the French have so little to boast about, aside from their wine and proximity to Italy, that I had to give SOME credit.

You're 4 times as likely to be murdered in the US than France.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_cap&int=-1

You're more likely to die of cancer in the U.S.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_dea_fro_can&int=20&id=OECD

The U.S. spends more per capita on health, yet has lower life expectancy and millions of citizens uninsured.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_hea_car_fun_tot_per_cap&int=20&id=OECD

The U.S. has a significantly higher abortion rate.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_abo_cap&int=20&id=OECD

The US generates more trash per person.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/env_mun_was_gen&int=20&id=OECD

The US is more wasteful.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/env_mun_was_gen&int=20&id=OECD

The percentage of people living in poverty in France is much lower.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_pop_bel_pov_lin&int=-1&id=OECD

The French use half as much energy per capita as we do.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/ene_usa_per_per&int=20&id=OECD

Their high school seniors are better at math.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/edu_mat_app_gra_12&int=20&id=OECD

Yup, there's nothing we could learn from them.

And in France, you're 10 times more likely to surrender.

This is interesting. The N&R has been making a lot of effort to push the paper into a new realm with this blogging experiment. As a local paper of record, or "News & Record," is the point of the news-reporter blogger to provide more fact-based jumping-off points for discussion, as Ms. Dominello seems to be doing, or is it to add to the news with one's own anti-French, anti-this, anti-that opinions?

There are two posts above that are predominantly fact-based analysis, and neither of them come from the N&R staffer. Both posts offer interesting touchpoints for community discussion:
1. What does global competition mean for key industries partially dominated by American firms?
2. What political/cultural differences lead to varied social outcomes in the U.S. and other countries?

Does the N&R staffer take these up? No, the N&R reporter's primary contribution to this blog thread is three separate postings bashing the people of another country in a blog about transportation issues.

If the N&R wants its blogs to be full of drudge report/moveon.org windbaggery, then by all means, full speed ahead with such commentary.

If the goal is to spur more salient community dialogue, perhaps the goal of N&R staff should be to act more as moderators and less as one-liner pundits. The former always have more credibility.

Ouch. I'll grant you this: I try to be much more light-hearted in this blog that I'd otherwise be in print. I think that's one of the advantages to blogs... I can put a humorous spin on current events. Otherwise, you can go to CNN for all your national hard news needs.

And you're right... I try one-liners to generate dialogue. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. But I won't stop trying.

For the record: I think the Airbus A380 will be a flop for any U.S. airline that wants to invest in the Hummer of the skies. Look at the business model that works best right now for the American airline industry - it's that of the low-cost carriers that offer nonstop flight between destinations that may not serve as hubs for major companies. Southwest does just fine with your standard 737.

I give Airbus credit for their achievement. That's a beast of a plane they hope to fly. But as I said in my first reply -- you know, BEFORE the one-liner -- there just ain't a market here in the United States for the super jumbo jets.