VFTF1

Well - watching Ranka sing in episode 3... I suddenly thought to myself: She's Basara and Mylene's daughter! But that would mean Basara and Mylene were killed by the Vajra :( :( I think the instinct is there because we still love and miss our old favorite characters so even though it would be really dumb to have a series about intergalactic space exploration coincidentially revolve around the children and grand children of all the original characters... we yearn for the connection nevertheless So here's the super silly geneology: FOR ALTO: Kaifun slept with Minmey and brought Alto's dad into the world, who subsequently fathered Alto at a fairly late age (look at the guy - he's old ) FOR RANKA: Hikaru slep with Minmey and brought Bassara into the world. Bassara slept with Mylene and brought Ranka into the world Naturally - there is one flaw and one tragedy in this line of reasoning: The flaw is that it gets to the silly point where Minmey somehow becomes this baby-factory Although I guess having two kids is not actually that hard to imagine... The tragedy is that it seems to presume that Misa never had any kids As for Sheryl - she's clearly the love child of Mao and Shin. Through Mao, she inhereted Sara's singing talents. Hmm...this is silly - but cooky and fun..so let me continue... Mr Harley - or whatever the menacing guy's name is - actually reminds me of Dr. Hasoford - so he's therefore CLEARLY Dr. Hasoford's younger brother - a lot younger - now old and shrivelled and therefore looking like Hasoford the elder. Cathy Glass has a bit of Misa Hayese in her - a small bit but a bit - particularly in the looks department. Here's the scoop on her: Admiral Hayese, following the death of Misa's mom, could not bring himself to remarry, but did have an ongoing affair with a certain girl by the last name of Glass. This girl was killed during the Boldoza fleet attack, along with most of the planet's population - but not before giving birth of a boy who miraculously survived and was brought up in a jungle by wolves and then found alive after the war by a roaming party of Zentran pilgrims. The boy eventually grew up on one of the many colony worlds that was launched into space. There he met a beautiful woman - this woman was named Hayese - and was the daughter of Hikaru and Misa. Hayese junior and Glass Jr were in love and wanted to get married, but then it turned out after some tests that Hayese Jr.'s mother was the daughter of Glass Jr.'s father - which makes them...lemme see....if my dad was also the dad of my girlfriend's mom....my dad has me, my dad has my girlfriend's mom - she has my girlfriend...hmm...so I have the same dad as...my girlfriend's...granddad? Well - anyways - they're related and so it kind of looks icky to ge married but they can't help it and they have a child and this child - Glass Jr. the II grows up to be president and has a daughter named...Cathy. Naturally - Darth Vader is really EVERYBODY'S father VFTF1

Well - as to the economics of the Zendradi... This is again bordering on racism because economics as a science is constant independent of what species you apply it to. It's like physics - you don't say that the laws of physics change when dealing with Zendradi - so why should economic laws change when dealing with them? The idea that different rules of economics applies to different species would mean that there is no such thing as science - there is "human science" and "zendradi science" (aka science is different depending on what race you are). There are still scare reasources, and everything we know about how supply and demand functions still holds. I don't see this as a problem. If you have an entire species of giants who are acting beings - they need to economize time and scare resources just like the rest of us and are beholden to the same laws of supply and demand as the rest of us. If these giants create demand for consumer goods tailored to their needs - the market will respond by providing consumer goods tailored to their need. The idea that one giant pair of underwear could have been sewn into 100 little pares of underwear for "needy" humans is just bogus. This is because there is no way to know - beyond the price mechanism - how to allocate resources. Supply and demand reflected in ever changing prices (because supply and demand are every changing variables) tell people how much of what to produce and how much of what it makes sense to buy. The implication is that if we made it illegal for the Zendradi to be giants because they "consume too many resources" - then there would be more stuff to go around. This is just not true. There would actually be less stuff to go around because resources would be diverted to getting around the ban. A black market in Zendradi enclaves would pop up. Zendradis who don't want to Miclonize would organize, try to seceed, break away or gain autonomy. They would go into hiding, build their own society. And the servicing of simple Zendradi needs - like giant underwear - would be hanlded by mobsters. The cost of underwear for Zendradi would multiply because suddenly it's not just the labor/production/transport etc that are factored into the price - but the risk of getting caught by the cops, bribes for politicians and police chiefs, guns to arm thugs driving around with illegal Zenradi underwear and the general costs of periodic gang wars as rival mobs duke it out for access to the political/police class - who have the monopoly on the legal use of force. Think of the analogy with alcohol beign made illegal in the US during probition. You could say - gee - if everybody stopped drinking then we'd have more resources to dedicate to making baby food for little babies. But in reality, a ban would only push a market underground as it did under prohibition (and does in the drug war now) - and drive up the costs of the good. So instead of "saving" resources for other "worthy" needs - such a policy would actually divert even MORE resources to the thing you think of as "unworthy" - and hurt the things you think of as "worthy." The point here then - and it is obviously visible in Macross Frontier - is that just because you have big giant people living amongst you - doesn't mean that different economics applies to them. On this note - I guess I agree with Kaifun when he yelled at Ichijo Hikaru that the Zendradi have a right to use the Micloning devices whenever they want (although in fairness- Hikaru did promise that the UN would permit access to the device for anyone wanting it). As to whether Zendradi have their own currency - maybe - but I actually doubt that the prices would be that drastically different. After all - most Zendradi would have TWO wardrobes - one for miclones and the other for when they're normal sized. Klan Klan obviously has two wardrobes. The fact that this is common means that - just like in the real, human world - people have come up with ways to service the needs of the Zendradi cheaply and efficiently - and it is a process that continues. or so me thinks VFTF1

I don't get it Sheryl is winning this poll instead of Ranka, Minmey won the "SECOND best singer" instead of Bassara (and no, Bassara didn't even come in second, aka third!)... Boo hoo I'm in the minority - as usual! What a curse VFTF1

I will just reiterate how much I love the Zendradi quarter and how endearing the Zendradi are... Actually - when I think about it - I have always believed that Kawamori uses the Zendradi as an archetype for human nature writ large. They seem to be made a bit gulable to prove a point about us. In SDF M, as Misa said, they lived only for war and - as Kakizake inadvertantly intelligently observed - these kind of people would only "wanna die." But on the other hand, it was this extreme...Spartan (for lack of a better word) upbringing that made them so open to music and deculture. After all - look how the humans reacted to Sara Nome and her songs in Macross Zero. Humans "believe only what their eyes tell them" and are always talking about "useful! useful! useful!" - this is why they do not hear the songs of the universe and their hearts are so closed to culture. The longer the Zendradi remained on Earth - Kamjin is the main example here - the more they too became cynical towards culture and suddenly viewed it as mere entertainment or something that could even be combined with more malign forms. But, on the Frontier vessels, the Zendradi seem authentically the archetype of a utopian society. They enjoy great freedom, they seem to be happy whether they are farmers, Quid pilots, poor musicians singing at the mall - all of it is preferable to being a bio-genetically engineered weapon of warfare. Speaking of which - perhaps SOMEBODY figured that the flaw in their initial bio-genetic weapons was that the weapons had far too big a ...braaain..... although apparently even the smallest of brains are sensitive...(don't want to spoil so remaining vague here:) ) Anyways - point is - in Macross Frontier the Zendradi seem to be illustrative of what the perfect human society would look like ...and their perfection is contrasted with human imperfections... I like that - I like how the Zendradi retain a kind of naivete which allows them to be better than those who are knowledgable (but not wise) -- Also - the farmers reminded me of that one episode in Macross 7 with...what was his name?....Billy? Bobby? The farmer boy who was a Basara fan but lived on Sun-Flower Island and had to take care of his farm? VFTF1

The only reason I read this thread at this point is for the big black lines They are just soo cool!!! VFTF1

The reason there is no gas shortage is because - thank goodness -the government is NOT rationing out gas cards. Shortages happen when government starts to ration goods - always. This is because without government rationing, the market will provide the amount that people will buy at the going price. Government rationing pretends that the going price is "arbitrary" and that they know what is really "necessary," and then they proceed to set supply by their calculations of what is "necessary" rather than what is "arbitrarily" in demand. But in the real world, all economic valuations are "arbitrary" - and they are reflected in the fact that prices are constantly changing (even if by very miniscule amounts). Changes in the valuation of goods (for a variety of reaons) are reflected in the price mechanism on the market - and changing prices communicate to consumers and producers (to all market participants) what is happening in reality and people determine how to economize their scarce resources based on this fact. These real market prices do not "go away" when government starts to ration goods (like gas). They remain - but rather than appearing on price tags or billboards they go underground - a "black market" develops. Meanwhile - if the government is mandating rationing - then it does so usually by creating a price cieling - saying that prices cannot go higher than X. But if in reality, the market price is higher then X, then the quantity of the good available for purchase will be lower than the quantity available at the market price. This results in shortages because in order to have the full quantity that the market demands, that quantity can only be provided at the market price (which government makes illegal) - ergo - whamo - you have a shortage. This is why there are no gas lines in America but there ARE HUGE GAS SHORTAGES in ...IRAQ! The American-run government has been imposing price controls and rationing gas ever since the invasion - and of course Iraqis, because of this, have to wait in long lines for expensive gas...even though the stuff i pumped in their very backyard During the 1970s - the Nixon administration began to implement price and wage controls - and that is why you have the gas shortages back then and you don't have them now. High prices don't cause shortages. Controlled prices imposed by government do. As for the value of the USD/price of oil conundrum - maybe think of it this way: The price of oil IN USD goes up 60% The value of the USD goes DOWN 10% viz other currencies. This means that the price of oil in other currencies has gone up only 50%. The real relation of the dollar to other curencies isn't as straight forward - because you have to ask what the value of the US Dollar has gone down by 10% against? The value of the US Dollar to the Polish currency (which I use on a daily basis) has fallen 50% (!!) - it used to cost 4 point something Polish Zloties to get a dollar - now it costs 2 point something. Now - if you say that the price of oil in US Dollars has gone up 60% - I say that the value of the US Dollar to the currency I use has gone DOWN 50%. That means that for ME - the price of oil has gone up by...10% For people in America the price of oil has gone up by 70% (60% increase in oil price + 10% decrease in USD purchasing power). This is why it does ultimately come back to the value of the US Dollar and not to gas prices just haphazardly "going up." VFTF1 VFTF1

That - in my opinion - is a racist sentiment. The Zendradi were grown to be that size; it is their natural state. If we accept that they are sentient beings, then they have the same natural rights to life and freedom that humans do. Humans cannot force them to become Myclones just because it might be more utilitarian to do so. By that logic, maybe humans should therefore shrink themselves proportionally to the size of small mice? Also - think about how much more "economical" it is when you have people the size of the Zendradi around - people who, by their very constitution - can even survive in outer-space for a short time. These guys do the same job as 100 human beings. The can build a dam in less time, they can build buildings in less time - they save time and resources and stream-line work. The presence of one Zendradi worker relieves one hundred human beings of back breaking toil - and the Zendradi worker probably doesn't even feel the same physical exhaustion that one hundred humans would feel. So not only is the argument immoral because it presumes that some sort of economic calculus renders the Zendradi harmful to the good of humanity, but is is even wrong on it's own merits - because the Zendradi presence is actually economically beneficial to mankind by drastically reducing the cost of labor and freeing up those resources to be used elswhere or - to be consumed on liesure time. VFTF1

GETTER FOOOURRRRR!!!!!! I love this guy!!! VFTF1

Not true I posted a stinging critique of Ozma for that very reason in the "favorite MF character" thread today I was also quick to criticize Ozma for punching Alto As for Sheryl "hating" - I have been very critical of Sheryl from the start - but I sure hope I don't come across as if I hated her. I just like Ranka better. And it has nothing to do with Sheryl being successful and confident - it has more to do with Ranka being cute, fun loving and singing songs that I prefer to the stuff Sheryl sings. Also, I like Ranka's hair, and I would love for my girlfriend to work in a chinese restaurant. It would be fun. Sheryl does indeed have many fine qualities - I don't hate her (don't hate Ozma either, who also has many fine qualities). And just so I dish out criticism equally: I will now criticize Ranka: The ONE major time when I was down on Ranka took place in episode 5. She says that since Ozma lied to her, then she can also "be selfish" and not talk to him, despite Ozma worrying about her. That was really low of Ranka- and it was painful to see and hear her say such a terrible thing. Ozma kept his piloting a secret because he didn't want Ranka worried; and Ozma flies to protect Ranka - he wants to keep Ranka safe. In that sense, whatever her flaws, Ozma is a very good man and friend to Ranka and she's just being a snotty little girly-brat for saying such a mean mean thing about Ozma. But I still love her anyways VFTF1

I have a VF-OA w/ghost in box. The ghost is in perfect condition. The VF-OA has a cracked in half foot and a broken off arm. Up for sale VFTF1

But quoting Minmey as in "As Lynn Minmei once said" or quoting Minmey as in saying something that Minmey happened to say? Didn't notice VFTF1

Wait - so the tide was somehow NOT in her favor before? Judging by the Love Girl poll - Sheryl has been on top the whole time... As for me - the question of favorite character is quite different from "favorite girl" And it's not so clean cut to me who my favorite "character" is... I'm leaning towards Alto Princess, because there seems to be some beautiful history to him, and I get the sense that while he loves to fly, he doesn't necessarily know what he's gotten himself into with joining SMS... I'm curious about his past, I like his unconventional looks ... Oh - speaking of his unconventional looks - hate to raise the "homage alarm" - but can HAIR be an homage? Alto's hair, in my view, is an homage to...Kaifun Yeah - it's not the same style - Kaifun was a flower power ruffian with his hair, while Alto's is more controlled - but it's still blue and long, which makes it an homage to Kaifun Also, the girls seem to swoon over Alto just like they did over Kaifun. Finally - Kaifun definitely had the face of his mother - his eyes were more manly than Alto's though; and his kung-fu fighting skills and booming anti-war rhetoric made it clear he was a man - but some similarities are there - in physical appearance at least.... I'm really interested in learning more about Alto's relationship to his father. I also really like Ozma - now that I've seen how commited he is to taking care of Ranka. I don't think I could live with Ranka and remain just her big Brother But Ozma is something else - a stellar guy - I was a bit peeved with him towards the beginning - belting Alto and all - but now I see he's got a big heart...although he sure is dumb - still - can't talk to Ranka, can't understand Ranka... he's like Micheal but with a short temper - or at least a lot of bluster. And when he yells at Ranka - I don't feel that he gets much respect. When Roy yelled at Hikaru - he had a way of doing it that showed real love and care. But Ozma just yells - he's really unpleasant... Ok - so maybe I haven't warmed to him THAT much after all Ranka is a great character - but I'm biased towards her by virtue of being madly in love with her - so really - she can't be my "favorite character" - because that would just be silly... Sheryl as a character is like an orange...or an onion...we'll see - in any case you have to peel off layers - but we'll have to wait to see what comes out underneath... Nanase and Luca are cool. I like how loyal they are to their friends - they've got this uncorrupted youthful loyalty in them - they trust their friends 100% and that is admirable and really great. I agree with the comment about the Pork Cook - but that's only because I like Chinese food...and I'm already hungry just by talking about it... although really I prefer Japanese! Must...have...Katsudon! Now! Cathy Glass is just utterly boring. She fits perfectly with - what's Gundam Boy's name?...Leon...yeah... the two most cardboard characters in the whole series - but there are actually people like that...so...tough... Hm...favorite character...favorite character.... I like the giant Zendradi Cows VFTF1

The irony here is that you quit because of excess homages...right before Episode 5 - which is the most original of all of the Macross F episodes to date No real homages let alone "copying" in that one VFTF1

I have a question: Does "all the Zendradi babes" include Ranka, who is after all - you know - half Zendradi? VFTF1

Ok - I guess we are being a bit to hard on Sheryl - but maybe this is the fault of the Macross Frontier plot line? See - the only window we have into Sheryl's lonely life and struggles of a starlet is...Sheryl...going on and on and on about it... Maybe I would be more sympathetic if I SAW how Sheryl was treated; if I knew a bit more about her background and how hard she had it and how hard she had to work and how now there's a wall between her and the "regular" folks that makes her isolated and a bit sad - The plot really doesn't show that - it just shows her kind of whining about how tough she has it... But yeah - I guess I'm STILL being too harsh on Sheryl. She made such a terrible first impression in episode one - but ok - my bad - she's a nice girl. Sure, I'd date her - I mean - who wouldn't? - but ultimately I still prefer Ranka VFTF1

Well - I just watched episode 5 and.... Sheryl slowly slowly was creeping up on me and making a good impression and seducing me ... when Ranka belted out that kick ass song !!!!!!!!!!! Ranka is the best! Not only is she sweet, caring, humble, has great hair, a cute mobile phone, a nice figure, the NYAN NYAN SONG!!... but she's also the next Basara! I mean - tha song was really moving! It was like Lyn Minmey at her best! The Zendradi probably felt a little like their ancestors must have felt on Boldoza and Breetai's fleet! So bottom line - Ranka still have my vote! More so than before VFTF1

It would be sad if you're right that Alto and Sheryl are that similar to one another.... but you do have a point. It's just that Ranka has a far humbler path. I guess I'm just a sentimental sap... Also - in my opinion - Ranka batted out a song that was the best thing I've heard since Submarine Street! I mean - seriously - her song was great! I hope they draft the guys who were giving her backup music Am I wrong to assume that there seems to be a Mylene/Basara tension developing between Sheryl/Ranka? Not an exact one (Basara was always pretty hard on Mylene, while Sheryl seems to encourage Ranka), but in the sense that we have a honed artist and a younger up-and-coming artist? Just a slight similarity - not exact.... VFTF1

Just watched episode 5. I have put my thoughts down in the color white - so just highlight them if you want to see them -I did this not to break the spoiler rule ... I LOVE this episode because it is totally focused on exploring the culture of Macross Frontier, and all of the "fighting" takes a back seat. My favorite part is the Zendradi farmers and the Zendradi shopping mall I'm also thrilled about how it seems that the Zendradi have a habit of singing - I know it happens in Earth culture as well, with people singing on subways and what not, but it just seems to be presented as a more venerable tradition in Zendradi enclaves. Now...Sheryl.... Ok - this episode really does boost her status; it humanizes her and makes her more understandable to me - BUT - she's still a concieted starlet who likes Alto for all the WRONG reasons. She shouldn't be attracted to the guy just because he treat her as if she's "not Sheryl." This is a mistake starletts/these type of 'glam' women seem to make with "normal" guys all the time - normal guys treat them like they're any other girl because they have a habit of treating all people fairly and equally - but the starlett/glam woman thinks this is some kind of special treatment "just for her." It's not - it's just Alto being Alto. Maybe that's "hard to find" - sure - but it's still not significant enough to form a lasting bond. In addition - I don't like how sexually provocative Sheryl is. She acts like she's aging fast and needs to remind herself that she's still attractive by provoking men. Ranka is attractive just by being Ranka - she makes your heart sink not because she draws attention to her sexuality on purpose, but because it reflects in her every, normal, day-to-day action, gesture, facial expression etc. This is far more attractive than Sheryl's whole act. On the whole, I feel a bit sorry for Sheryl. She's lonely. She doesn't seem to have many authentic friendships, let alone love in her life - so yes, of course a guy like Alto is a natural fit. But I wonder whether it'll last. One things for sure though - Alto seems to have been contaminated with Hikaruitus - Hikaruitus is a particularl disease that afflicts young men, making them incapable of taking any initiative with women and therefore acting miffed by women coming on to them. Ranka is jealous - and Alto should be really happy that a girl like Ranka would be jealous over him. Sheryl is NEVER going to be jealous; she's never going to really love a guy - it's just the way her life is... Ranka is all heart, on the other hand. Her singing aspirations won't destroy her wonderful loving character. She's like Basara - she will remain her self no matter what. That's my bet after seeing this episode. I mean - even the Vajra is moved by her music vftf1

my VF-0S is in perfect condition; has been transformed numerous times and is A-OK. Only thing that ever happened to him is the computer panel in the cockpit snapped off because I applied too much pressure when swinging the chair down. But that got super glued back on and I just don't TF the chair any more. My VF-0A on the other hand was a nightmare. Firs the feet cracked apart. Then the arm came off But in jet mode he still look great; and the arm has been scewed back on albeit with "battle damage"... My next VF-0A seems just fine - I transformed it to Gerwalk mode and back again - and nothing is snapping crackling or popping. The YF-19 is the most durable of all of Yamato's jets - next tot he SV-51 Nora (strange as that sounds for sucha delicate bird) and the VF-1. But generally - if the ONLY thing you've bought is the Ivanov - I would suggest you purchase a VF-1 now - in 1/48 scale. I have 2 VF-1Js, 1 VF-1S, 1 VF-1A - and ALL of them are perfect - NO FLAWS. They are very durable, sturdy and great fun. Of course you must be delicate with them, as with all Macross stuff from Yamato - but they are less prone to breakage than the 0A seems to be. 0S I guess I just lucked out on... pity since the zeros really are gorgeous planes... I am personally happy I don't have this problem of what to get - got everything already - waiting on the 21 VFTF1

Well - if I had the money - I'd definitely buy more toys/models - that's a given - but given that I have X cash on hand for this stuff- I'm compelled to choose between lines. I was once just a Transformers collector- that was fairly easy - just bought everything TF related and that's it. Things realyl started getting complicated when I suddenly became a Macross, Gundam, Soul of Chogokin, Revoltech collector .. oh - and remained a TF collector. That's when questions like "20 Armada toys or two 1/48s?" started going through my head - and the answer was obvious ! So out went Armada... So in this sense - expanding into other lines helped me really try to appreciate the finer qualities of each line instead of just getting "everything" Although with Macross - you must admit that there's actually very little - volume wise - that Yamato puts out - at least compared to Gundam or Transformers. Whenever I can splurge - I do - and I have great fun doing it. VFTF1

We can also pretend that even though Sheryl OBVIOUSLY has way more votes than anyone else, and her lead will most likely be mathematically IMPOSSIBLE to overcome over the course of the voting, and ultimately in the final analysis as great as Ranka would be, Sheryl would certainly be no worse as a Girlfriend - we will STILL continue to entertain the notion that Sheryl can be beaten and some other candidate can suddenly win; particularly if we stipulate that the Moderators have the power to chose a winner independent of the results of the polling .... VFTF1

Well - to strike a pleasant note - this is the environment I decided to start a business in I guess I'm betting that the bottom is just around the corner - and even if things do get worse and stay bad for a few years...well - better to start poor and starving and work your way up to a feast than to make it easy at the start and have a train wreck a bit later Besides - if I survive a wobbly economy and break even... I'm sure I'll do well once things pick up again. (visions of this post being quoted in a history book about "The Onset of the Next Dark Ages: 2008-2098" now dashing through my mind... preface to the book: "One post on a toy fan board was telling of the mood in those times. People had become so accustomed to the economy "eventually" getting better and to long-term growth that they were willing to initiate new ventures in the face of obvious calamnity" ) :) As to toys - well - I personally don't think that I would save a lot by cutting down on toy/figure buying. The reason is simple: I don't have a car, don't intend to buy one. I have very little clothing - although what I do have is high quality/designer stuff - but it's not a lot. I have books and DVDs, and like to buy movies and books - and models/toys - but that's about it for discretionary spending. I guess what I'm getting at is that my discretionary spending is very focused - I don't buy every thing and anything that just happens to be in style/fashion. I have an MP3 player - sure - but his name is Soundwave Wouldn't have him otherwise.... I don't have computer games, am not a gamer... I bet that most people work the same way - they don't randomly go out and splurge on stuff - they focus on things that they really enjoy. And joy is a big time human need - so I certainly don't think I don't "need" the stuff Finally - I don't much mind prices going up if I'm seeing my earnings rise as well... But we'll see Ultimately we're all just helpless microcosms in a galaxy of crab-like monsters who want to kill us... wait... VFTF1

If the Poll is going to change every 5 episodes - then it would be cool if some one made a chart The chart would ...er...chart the Frontier Female Popularity of the course of the episodes - we can see who goes up...who goes down... VFTF1

Yeah Mechaninac is right (IMO) - and I'm by no means making a "political" argument in the sense of saying one party or person is better and another is worse or something - and I'll try to keep it that way I agree with your reasoning, JsArclight, about how consumers - if they act rashly, must then pay the price for their rashness. But remember that what fuels the bad and rash actions of consumers and investors alike is that the government promises everyone a bail out. Fanie Mae and Freddie Mac are federally backed agencies; commercial banks are guaranteed that in the event that they run out of reserves - the Federal Reserve will bail them out. In fact, the whole banking system runs on a "fractional reserve system" - that is to say - on any given day, the bank has way less reserves on hand than it has money loaned out. If everyone suddenly decided to withdraw their money- the banking system would collapse. It didn't used to be this way on a national scale. Sure; there were bad banks and dud products and bad weather and mosquitos in the summer - but the bad banks would go bust, no one would tolerate the dud products in the long run, the sun would sooner or later come out, and bug spray was developed. Point is - deficiencies in the market would correct themselves. But then government stepped in with the federal reserve in 1912 - and notice that ever since then we've been on a roller coaster of economic boom and bust - this cycle is not natural - it is not a normal market process. The Federal Reserve creates credit out of thin air - that "money" hits the market and acts as a stimulus - and investors THINK that aggregate demand is rising and therefore invest more, produce more etc etc - only the rise in aggregate demand is only nominal - it is not real - it's just pieces of paper and digits being pumped into the system - eventually it inflates the currency; thereby devaluing it and the boom turns into a bust. But notice how this works - the guys closest to the Federal Reserve get the artificial "money" first - the big banks and whoever is connected to government (contractors etc) - they are at the top of this frenzy - and so they suffer least - and in any event - the Feds can always bail them out like with bear sterns. We're the ones at the bottom who get stuck with a fistfull of worthless dollars and high interest rates on mortgages, credit cards etc etc. So again - whenever I hear that "we" have to tighten our belts, I just don't buy it. You and me didn't cause this downturn. Our actions in no way can be blamed for the downturn. If you argue that people are "speculative" or "spend too much" - then the reason is because they think it's not too much, and it's a secure thing - why? - because ultimately government has inflated the economy artificially. It it just stopped and got out of the way - then economic downturns would be periodic, would affect only certain industries at a time rather than effecting the entire economy negatively, and above all - they would happen for "normal reason" - aka real changes in consumer preferences, better competition from someone else, fires, accidents, innovation, corruption - everything that is normal (both bad and good) - but kept in proportion. As to the thing about oil being sold in USD - not any more. Iran has been selling oil for Euro for the last year, and I am sure other OPEC/gulf states have followed suit. Also - the reason people speculate that oil is going to cost more is because of all the instability in the middle east - so it's not a bad speculation to make - and I'm sure that now it's more dangerous to get that oil - so the costs also go up. Nevertheless, the gas-price crisis is hitting the USA the hardest because of the weak dollar - not because of "high priced oil." VFTF1

But ALL women are cartoon characters VFTF1