The Iraq Deception

Sounds like a new Robert Ludlum book, doesn't it? Well, this isn't fiction.

The former Undersecretary of Defense for the Bush Administration, Douglas Feith, recently made his way to The Daily Show in an attempt to set the record straight on why we invaded Iraq in the first place.

Jon Stewart does an admirable job of skewering him and then placing him squarely on the grill. Great interview, Comedy Central is lucky to have Stewart.

*Edit*
I tried posting the videos directly on here, but Comedy Central is stingy and won't allow it. Here is the link to the videos on THEIR page.

Picture-Perfect Wednesday

Be kinder than necessary, because everyone is fighting a battle.
- S. E. M.

Recession?

It's no news that economists, analysts, and news media have been trumpeting the ebbing American economy for months now. With the ever-crumbling mortgage market and skyrocketing oil prices putting a hurt on wallets, it only seems logical that many are labeling American economic woes a RECESSION.

But are we really in a widespread recession? This Times reporter says no (at least not yet).

The crux of his argument rests upon the definition of recession. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, "a recession is a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income and wholesale-retail trade."

So how does this apply to the American economy? Employment numbers are indeed falling, but not quite as much as predicted. According to Bloomberg:

Payrolls shrank by 75,000 workers after decreasing by 80,000 in March, according to the median estimate of 82 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before the Labor Department's report. The jobless rate rose to a three-year high of 5.2 percent, the survey also showed.

While this is troubling, it isn't quite the catastrophe that many were predicting in December.

According to the Times article, what is protecting the American economy from spiraling down the toilet is the fact that most of our troubles are isolated in the housing/mortgage and energy sectors. The strict definition of a recession would require all facets of the economy to be affected and this simply isn't the case (again, not yet).

And the author of the article does not predict a recession either. In short this is due to three reasons:

1. Based on past evidence (Latin American defaults in '84, the market crash of '87, and the devaluation of Mexican and Russian dollars in '95), severe financial crises do not necessarily indicate a recession is eminent.
   
2. The $600-2000 stimulus checks coming to each American household will provide a much-needed kick in the ass for consumer markets.
   
3. Falling house prices and rock bottom interest rates will reinvigorate the stagnant housing market that will help pull itself out of its funk.
   

Will these predictions come to pass? Who knows. But I like this bit of optimism in an otherwise bleak outlook on American economic futures.

Introducing the Sunday Comic!

I'm finally implementing a new feature of "Heavy for the Vintage" that I've been thinking about for some time.

It's Sunday Comics! Each Sunday I'll post a short video, picture, or website that is guaranteed to make you crack a grin.

And coming out of the box is this short video of a menacing LARPer (Live-Action Role Player)!



"I'm out of mana!" Who knew roman candles had magical properties!

Neocon 101

Here is a GREAT video in which Republican candidate Ron Paul (R-TX) gives a brief overview of the neoconservative movement (of which he is not a proponent of).

The neoconservatives are a class of policy-pushers that currently inhabit the upper echelons of D.C. politics (see GWB post 9/11, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Bill Kristol).

In short, neoconservatives push for big government, an expansive American empire, military muscling of foreign powers, infringement on civil liberties and deception of the people, and a controlling elite that manages the media, policies, and surveillance directed at the general populace.

The neocons are able to justify trampling on the Constitution in order to push their agenda. This is in defiance of the American people and the founding fathers. I don't know about you, but I would like a say in what goes on in Washington. Make your vote count...

OMG WTF

So Republican candidate John McCain announced today that if he is elected president, don't expect troops to exit Iraq until 2013!

While this is a step in the right direction (i.e. Republicans have been very gunshy about stating a timetable for Iraq), it is still noteworthy that McCain expects the Iraqi occupation to extend beyond even his possible term as president.

Keep in mind that the military invasion of Iraq began on March 30, 2003. That means McCain is projecting a war lasting at least a decade. On what basis, I ask?

Yes, we are indeed knee deep in the Iraqi sand trap. We have destroyed Iraqi families and infrastructure in an attempt to root out some bad seeds of dissent. The sum total of violent deaths for this war has exceeded 1,000,000 lives (both Iraqi and coalition).

As a closing note, let's do a comparison:

Iraq War: 2003 - ? (at least 6 years)
American Revolution: 1775 - 1783 (8 years)
American Civil War: 1861 - 1865 (4 years)
World War I: 1914 - 1918 (4 years)
World War II: 1939 - 1945 (6 years)
Korean War: 1950 - 1953 (3 years)
Vietnam War: 1962 - 1973 (11 years) Winner! (for now)
Persian Gulf War: 1991 (1 year)

An exciting day in video games...

Alright, I know this falls outside the realm of what is normally published on this blog, but I'm too excited to pass it up.

Two exciting new articles about one of my favorite hobbies: video games.

1) Apparently Activision isn't wasting any time on new developments. The new issue of Game Informer is trumpeting a preview of the new Guitar Hero 4. Following suit with Harmonix (publisher of Rock Band), this new outing will include drums and vocals. And they just published images of the new drumset!

This drumset ups the ante on Rock Band by adding an extra pad to the set and reorganizing the layout to include three drum pads, two cymbals, and a footpedal! Check out the Kotaku page for more info!

2) Also, Capcom is trickling out info and screenshots on Resident Evil 5 (sequel to the best game of 2005, Resident Evil 4).

Apparently the newest addition will be set in Africa, tracing the origins of the zombifying-virus to the cradle of humanity. Check out this page for more screenshots and this page for a video interview with the lead developer (hint, lighting will play a HUGE role in this game).