GDP frenzy

Comment on Raymond Zhou's column "Don't get carried away with GDP" (China Daily, August 4)

I'm sure you know this joke:

One economist wanted to buy a new pair of shoes. He measured his feet, made a note, and went to the shoe store. There he found that he lost the note, and went back to find it. "But why didn't you simply fit a pair?" a friend asked. "Because I would rather trust my measurements than my feet," the professor replied.

Statistics, GDPs and CPIs are notoriously flawed. Even in Europe, where figures are deemed "most reliable". The best measure is your own wallet.

Huaqiao

On China Daily website

National affairs, too

Comment on "World Expo preparation going on smoothly" (China Daily, August 6)

This article is so detailed that it encourages us to care about the expo. And I think that hosting the exposition is not only Shanghai city's job, but also the entire country's work. I wish it the utmost success.

Lilan

On China Daily website

Gender imbalance

Comment on Zou Hanru's column "HK ladies, it's raining men on the mainland" (China Daily, August 3)

Gender imbalance is becoming a common phenomenon in Hong Kong as well as other societies such as Singapore and South Korea, where the earning power and education level of women is rising, so they tend to be more assertive and more picky in choosing their male counterparts.

As a result, many men in Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea have to find their companions in other countries like Vietnam and Thailand.

Men on the Chinese mainland are luckier than we are because there are still many women with traditional virtues for them to pick.

Mikey

On China Daily website

Information sellers

Comment on "Law on personal info 'next year'" (China Daily, August 6)

Nowadays some insurance corporations get personal information in an abnormal way. They always annoy you by cell phone.

If they can't get their target, they will sell personal information to another company.

Who can protect us? Who can punish them?

Free

On China Daily website

Family planning

Comment on "China bans stiff family planning slogans" (China Daily website, August 5)

The family planning slogan change indicates the policy shows more harmony and humanity.

In some parts of China the family planning units and organizations used to keep bad impressions although family planning policy has both contribute to our country and the world.

However, only relying on the policy can't deeply change the desire and idea of a Chinese family especially in rural region who want to have more than one child.

Tulip

On China Daily website

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send mail to Letters to the Editor, China Daily, 15 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029 China. Send faxes to (86-10) 6491-8377. Send e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 08/07/2007 page11)