Author Archive

From THE VN/VO: A lot has been said about the Muslim outrage over Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and why not? It’s a great storyline. It has an us-versus-them quality. It has a “free speech” element, which always fires people up. It even involves a righteous boycott of the Danish dairy industry, collateral damage... »

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. View full story: The Value... »

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... »

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... »

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... »

From THE VN/VO: It is always a little strange- and even scary- when the worlds of high-tech science and professional basketball meet. Such a thing happened this month with Eddy Curry of the Chicago Bulls. It became clear last season that Curry suffered from a heart condition- which, one can imagine, is an... »

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 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 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. View full... »

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”... »

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... »

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. View full story: Learning from the British Stoic Reaction »

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... »

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. View full story: Lunacy Without a Plan: Today’s Democratic Party »

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... »

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. View full story: My Robotic Vacuum’s Cult of Mysterious Intelligence »

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. View full story: They’re snatching up our pretty, white women! Film at eleven. »

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? View full... »

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. View full story: Environmentalism’s perilous ignorance of the free market »

Or: How to win every argument dealing with the physical, mental or moral health of Americans. View full story: The Life Expectancy Endgame »