>2) The inflation rate. Quoted over the last several years as being between 1.5-2.5 per cent annually, yet costs of virtually everything rise from visit-to-visit to the supermarket.

Even when it doesn't, you can have inflation while statistics show there isn't. It's simply the rise in the costs which it doesn't count, or which didn't exist the previous year. Various fees may rise, or just come into existence, and statistics generally tend to overlook them.

>The press regularly reports on price increases in utilities or large-ticket items or heavily used products, but they never relate the alleged lack of inflation and the price increases. Something is obviously stopping them from doing so.

Like, spreading the news could hurt them too?

>3) Why would any average listener understand a "hold" to mean "sell"????

Believe it or not, we had the same problem with all sorts of newspeak as early as mid-seventies. Actually it was older, but that's the time when it has gained public attention. The conclusion of the then debate was "the reason they are speaking so is 1) they lie, 2) only a full head produces a full sentence".

>4) REAL foreign news.

If there wasn't the BBC news on PBS, I would have to check satellites every now and then to check if the rest of the world is still there. The other day, the only reason events in Israel got equal footage to the forthcoming playoff in college basketball league was that a group of young people from Israel were coming here, some exchange or so. And half of the footage was has covered their arrival - so whatever is happening around Israel actually was equally important as the coaches' statements. That's Fox, and they're no better or worse than the others.

>At least I can hope.

And make waves. That's all that's left.