Socialist tax-and-spender Barack Obama wanted to cut $17 billion worth of important, life-saving government programs, but some congressmembers are finally standing up to him.

So you've probably been hearing that the recession has eased a bit, and there are signs the U.S. economy is finally turning the corner. Fewer people are losing their jobs! The stock market had its best April in years! People are spending money again! We have absolutely no idea if this is true or it's all part of some plot by Ben Bernanke to use the power of positive thinking to improve the economic outlook—and if that's the case, we're really screwed—but here's a sign that our darkest days are behind us: Someone actually spent $6 million buying the first-ever Hermès-designed helicopter (or "l'Hélicoptère par Hermès," as they like to refer to it). Okay, so the buyer is in Abu Dhabi and "signature Hermès orange accents" and "natural-grained Hermès calf leather upholstery" never really goes out of style there, but still! We're totally taking this as a positive sign regardless. [Luxist]

Baudrillard, R.I.P., yada, yada. This Gulf War may or may not be taking place, but the kids there still need some entertainment. Unfortunately, high-profile acts aren't as keen to maybe get their faux-hawks beheaded as were the USO stars of the the Bob Hope era. What's a Fallujah venue-booker for the Defense Department's "Armed Forces Entertainment" (AFE) to do? According to the Journal Weekend Edition's John Jugensen, take advantage of the scruffy ambitions of all those unknown bands on the AOL and Pod players: