Unconventional commentary on politics, society, media, economics, and everything that matters. http://www.vnvo.com/ Sat, 8 Jul 2006 05:00:00 GMT Copyright © 2004-2008, Christopher J. Falvey and THE VN/VO. All Rights Reserved. someone@vnvo.com someone@vnvo.com http://www.vnvo.com/ http://www.vnvo.com/images/rss_logo_main.gif After having my humble home re-designed for television, I realized the deeper meaning of a new trend in television: where the theme of voyeurism has been replaced by that of personal re-birth. As society's concept of success itself has become democratized, "achievement" has become deserved, and opulence can seemingly be found with little risk. Or can it? The unseen downside of this cultural movement may be quite perilous. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sat, 8 Jul 2006 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/designed_for_tv_americas_new_cultural_welfare_state_p1.asp My recent trip to a Bill Maher show illustrates what this phenomenon of partisan comedy really means in the grand scope of politics, and how its helped change the political landscape. What I found was that the crux of our politics is moving from separate ideas to package-deal inclusion. What does this mean for the future of political thought? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 14 May 2006 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/selling_inclusion_partisan_comedy_decline_personal_politics_p1.asp The war on terror, as it is presently constituted, will fail. Not because of a lack of military might or strategy, but rather because we're forgetting the one great weapon that has won all previous wars we've been involved in: our culture. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/war_on_terror_war_culture_p1.asp We hear a lot about the connection between terrorism and the black market. But what really causes this? The issue at hand is a value chasm: where illogical thinking and irrational consumerism has caused us to value certain items far beyond reasonable, and thus a black market is created. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sat, 21 Jan 2006 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/value_chasm_fake_prada_handbags_terrorism_p1.asp With the expansion of the importance of political documentaries on our culture, and conflict has arisen: the dichotomy between the sensational (and often treacherous) vision of the world as seen through this new media, and the realities of the mundane world of factual cause-and-effect. To the masses, life keeps getting worse and something must be done about it. Reality- though mundane- actually shows us something different. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sat, 24 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/fraction_a_vision_political_documentaries_vs_mundane_reality_p1.asp The argument over new security technologies in America seem to always center around the proverbial "Big Brother Police State." However, this is not the paramount issue. The real issue is how our overly complicated and often "liquid" set of laws interacts with this new need for much more precise and flawless law enforcement technologies. And that is where a lot of our anti-terrorism efforts will break down. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 20 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/liquid_laws_americas_security_technology_quandary_p1.asp Is the Plame/Libby/Rove controversy really news? Like Lewinsky and Watergate before it, we find the media- and its viewers- clamoring for scandal in an attempt at instant judgment of right or wrong on government policy. However complex events such as wars, economic decisions, and the like often take years for the results to be seen. Thus, the media often moves to replace such judgment with the simpler judgment on more benign issues like white lies and political manipulation. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 13 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/clamoring_for_scandal_selling_america_short_p1.asp The Chicago Bulls explore DNA screening for future health risks of one of their players, and some day such testing may be used for every job- minimum wage on up. Scary? The debate exposes some cultural faults of our society- where the issues of civil liberty may be the reverse of the final results. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Wed, 2 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/dna_screening_fear_equality_in_job_market_p1.asp The evolution of the baseball playoffs- where now even losing teams now have a shot at winning- tells us a lot of about our culture. From the upbringing of our children, through our skewed vision of success as adults, we're a culture that is increasingly permissive of "averageness." How will this fare in a world where competing cultures are forced to be much more crude in their determination of winners and losers? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 17 Oct 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/baseball_playoffs_peril_an_average_culture_p1.asp In the national debate on the war in Iraq, there has been surprisingly little debate on, well, the war coming from the anti-war crowd. Not only is this not helping their own cause, it is also rather dangerous- as the lack of a real debate on the real issues implicitly assures conformity to the Administration's side of such issues. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 19 Sep 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/anti_war_movement_a_cause_without_an_issue_p1.asp Taking a look at the disaster in New Orleans relative to the potential aftermath of the proverbial terrorist attack on our soil, what we find is frightening: a nation completely unprepared to handle a widespread, planned catastrophe. However, part of the problem is because we have the wrong idea as to what "preparedness" really means. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Tue, 13 Sep 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/new_orleans_disaster_a_test_cultures_failed_p1.asp The UN recently released an atlas "revealing the global devastation of man." Upon a closer look, what is included in the book does not help prove man's destruction- as media reviews have gleaned. However, what is not included in the book does illustrate where the modern environmentalist contention logically falls short. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 5 Sep 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/atlas_misled_un_book_exposes_flaws_environmentalist_argument_p1.asp As the pundits take turns deifying and then roasting Karl Rove for his supposed involvement in the Valerie Plame leak, there is a much more important (albeit less sexy) issue at play here: Why was a supposedly "secret" CIA agent ever that close- even though personal relationships- to the ever ugly game of partisan politics? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 8 Aug 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/rove_plame_its_not_about_a_leak_p1.asp Americans could learn a little something from Britons in the wake of their recent terrorist attacks. Shirking rampant flag waving and tacky memorials, a little healthy indifference and stoicism may actually go a long way in the real psychological fight against terrorism. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 25 Jul 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/learning_from_british_stoic_reaction_p1.asp Do we really have a healthcare crisis in America? Everyone from the poorest citizens to multi-national companies seem to agree that we do, and that the only question is who should pay for it. The real question, however, is not how to pay down the healthcare crisis, but why Americans are so fixated on being sick. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 10 Jul 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/our_desire_be_sick_healthcare_paradox_p1.asp For the Democratic Party, Howard Dean's raging lunacy is not the problem.. Howard Dean's raging lunacy being a problem is the problem. Democrats should take a page from the GOP playbook: learn how to use your lunatics well. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 20 Jun 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/lunacy_without_a_plan_todays_democratic_party_p1.asp The debate on the meaning of reality television seems to be stuck on the "individual," often heralded (or chastised) for bringing "fame" to the less idealized persona. However, the critics have got the actual revolution wrong. What it has really done is made famous, and bastardized somewhat, the "situation." This is a dramatic difference from nearly every other pop culture phenomenon, where the "individual" is the center of what we consider fame. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Wed, 25 May 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/paradox_reality_television_fame_p1.asp What this mechanized contraption has inadvertently taught me about everything culture has ever really wanted from proverbial Gadgets Of The Future, and what these gadgets truly represent to us. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Thu, 12 May 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/my_robotic_vacuums_cult_mysterious_intelligence_p1.asp The saga of runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks is more than a hoax, it's the perfect representation of how the misdirection of priorities in the media is as dangerous as the misrepresentation of facts. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 2 May 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/theyre_snatching_up_our_pretty_white_women_film_at_eleven_p1.asp We humor ourselves with the masses flocking to see a vision of The Virgin Mary in a salt stain under a Chicago expressway, but is this affair also a reflection on the state of religion in America? If so, what does that foretell about America's future position on the ever-changing world stage? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 24 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/our_lady_salt_stain_patron_saint_future_america_p1.asp If rock n' roll gods had a penchant for the thesaurus, part one of (we hope) one. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 18 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/rock_n_roll_thesaurusized_p1.asp Environmentalists are crying for faster adoption of alternatives to oil-consuming products and eco-friendly corporate practices- but, as always, through a flawed process that ignores their own responsibilities within a free market system. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 10 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/environmentalisms_perilous_ignorance_free_market_p1.asp Or: How to win every argument dealing with the physical, mental or moral health of Americans. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sat, 2 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/life_expectancy_endgame_p1.asp Is it really the division between the haves and have-nots that is the problem, or is it merely the faulty characteristics in which we decide the haves and have-nots? Maybe classism is actually a good thing when applied correctly. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 20 Mar 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/whats_wrong_with_a_little_classism_p1.asp The resurgence of religion into America's common discussion could be considered anything from humorous to dangerous. In actuality- and most importantly- the interjection of religion into political discourse is an ignorance of what religion truly is, and what role it is meant to play. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 13 Mar 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/americas_religious_political_contradiction_p1.asp In an effort to supposedly protect children from the theoretical horrors of American culture, we're turning ourselves into children- our laws now becoming our collective parent. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 27 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/childification_america_p1.asp A second-term right-wing administration once again is taking on obscenity, and once again the argument becomes whether or not harm is caused by certain images and words. But is it really the role of government, in a free society, to even consider such questions? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 20 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/obscenity_censorship_revival_mob_rules_p1.asp Baseball's steroid controversy will not only tarnish the reputations of a few players, but quite possibly the sport's previously immortal place in American culture. The following is a case for eradicating all statistical milestones of the past 10 years, else risking the future meaninglessness of The American Pastime. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 13 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/steroids_statistics_affront_american_dream_p1.asp If we don't trust our own economy with our Social Security nest egg, we have much bigger problems than simple retirement surpluses and debts. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 6 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/social_security_trust_p1.asp Conservatives aren't winning because more Americans believe in their worldview. Its because their worldview is based in right versus wrong. There's no reason the Left can't- and shouldn't- follow the same approach. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 30 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/right_wrong_why_left_lost_p1.asp Why "The Blogosphere" is failing at truly revolutionizing mass media. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 16 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/revolution_will_not_be_blogged_p1.asp The US Government's involvement in aid for tsunami victims is being done for all the wrong reasons. And it continues a perilous precedent. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 9 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/tsunami_relief_tax_dollars_dont_mix_p1.asp Is a simple understanding of economics and math really that much to ask for? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Mon, 3 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/its_math_stupid_p1.asp Its become fashionable to have the a mass media conspiracy against one's brand of politics. Unfortunately, media bias is more subtle- and more dangerous- than that. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 26 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/damned_liberal_media_p1.asp Tort reform is not about frivolous lawsuits. It's not about the costs of medical malpractice insurance. A sincere reformation of the legal system is indeed necessary, but we're missing the point in which to start. someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 19 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/whats_missing_from_tort_reform_arguments_reform_p1.asp Iraq is a mess. It's supposed to be. It's a war. But, what then are we fighting for, and what determines success? someone@vnvo.com (Christopher J. Falvey) Sun, 12 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.vnvo.com/stories/iraq_good_questions_lost_partisan_answers_p1.asp