The Jury is Still Out On Science

First things first, The Dan and Jordan Show Podcast is up and running!! Right now we only have a sort of best of/recap show in the archive, but soon enough we will put up a more recent post! Please check it out! (Link on the bar on the right)



And if you will please indulge my shameless self-promotion, a friend and I are starting a new band. We are going to call ourselves The Picaros, and so far we are awesome...if I do say so myself. Anyway back to the regular post!


The other day a group of friends and I went out and saw An Inconvenient Truth, that film documenting Al Gore’s famous slideshow and I have to say it was very good. Now as a person interested in such matters previously (as were the company I went with), it was a good example of preaching to the choir. I had a few reserves about going to see the film mostly because of the well, boredom factor, but it was actually quite entertaining and kept my interest well.
Like I said, I am not a stranger to the ideas proposed in the film, in fact I have seen the slideshow before a couple of years ago, and the main thing I cannot get over is WHY IS AL GORE NOT THE PRESIDENT! I mean he is such a smart and charismatic guy that I think he would have matured nicely into the office and done some really great things for the country. This is a point that the film makes as well, there are many (welcome) jabs at the administration through out the film…I think Mr. Gore may be a tad bitter…Lest we forget the whole Grizzly Adams beard phase…
Another point that I can’t seem to get over is how this science, which is regarded as accurate in at least 9/10 (and that is only to be conservative, it is more likely that all 10 academic journals would agree) academic works is still so widely disputed. The main cause of this dispute I believe is laid out in the title, People in America do not want to accept that we may have to change the way we live on a day-to-day basis. Sure people may think that they are doing what is right for the world by buying slightly more fuel efficient SUVs and recycling billions of soda cans, but what is needed is a complete overhaul of American culture. We live a cult of waste, we have more-and thus waste more. I am not saying that I am not a consumer like everyone else, but I am willing to change. Citizens of the United States need to learn how to be citizens of the entire world, the effects of this damage will start to infiltrate our day to day lives in ways far more inconvenient than riding a bicycle.

Yeah, Okay I'm a Dork...

Well it is finally here, that special time of year when multiple tropical weddings are abruptly canceled due to various extreme weather conditions, children frolic in parks and video arcades, and college girls flash their breasts for any prying camera and offerings of t-shirts or a drink pass. It is typically this time of year that I decide to purge the contents of my wallet and buy all sorts of crap that I think that I need. In an effort to jump back on the “Blog-train” (wow that is really lame) I have decided to review my summer purchases, so with your indulgance the reviews are as follows:

Review system- *= bad *****= good

Xbox 360- *****
This system is absolutely amazing and I am completely addicted. The whole interface is very cool and intuitive and with the Xbox live thing my brother and I can still play videogames almost every night, even though we no longer live in the same town (and soon state). If you own an Xbox 360, do your self a favor and play the Hexic HD game that comes with it, one of the best games out there right now ( Geometry Wars is very over rated play HHD instead!)

Call Of Duty II- ****
I really enjoy WWII games, but after playing games like Brothers in Arms, anything else just seems too simplistic and shooting gallery like. While I did enjoy this game all the way through, I was hoping for a little more strategy in the combat.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion- **** ½
While typically not my type of game, it was hard to resist the excitement my brother had while playing this game. He beat the game rather quickly and leveled up to huge stats, while I am busy just looking around in all of the Faux Medieval land. This game looks amazing, but suffers from one crippling flaw in my mind… frequent load times!!! Must it load every time I open a freakin’ door? I understand that a computer can only door so much and blah blah, but this pulls me out of the game a bit. Over all the game is a hit however and I do find myself spending way too many hours tanning by the soft hue of my television.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter- ****
Besides the fact that this game hits a tad close to home, (set in the “near future” where a war with Mexican insurgents is brewing) it is wicked fun. The graphics are truly beautiful and the combat is very fun. The Enemy A.I Is also very smart and “Hit the deck” when my squad opens fire on them. This adds to the general feeling of realism that the Tom Clancy (tool) games tend to generate. The Multiplayer is very fun, especially the team based matches. Really the only downside to this game comes not from the game, but from the ass holes online who simply stand near the spawn points and pick you off after you die, ending in a boring circle of non-playing. Good game though.

Well anyway next post will be different, I just wanted to start typing again.
Thanks for reading!
-Jordan

Titles Are Hard To Come Up With

I hate to throw out the term neo-McCarthyism, mostly because of the hackneyed use of the term “neo,” but unfortunately your friend Jordan here has a somewhat limited vocabulary and I must stoop to use such a tired superlative. I bring up the idea of neo- McCarthyism because of the increasing vilification of liberals in politics and media (despite what FOX news would have you believe). I offer a small example of this vilification here, and while it may seem out of right field ( I know baseball analogies are lame, but…yeah okay I’m sorry) the following example illustrates very clearly the increasing distain from the right wing towards us liberals. It goes like this; there is this place in Washington D.C called the House of Representatives and in this house there are congressman, and aiding these congressman there are staffers and the staffers have this little softball league that has been around for something like thirty years. Just your typical office softball league organized to blow off a little steam and get out from the belly of the beast every now and then. Staffers from both sides of the isle group into teams and enjoy some friendly competition, the only true example of bipartisanship inside the beltway, until now. a group of Republican staffers have decided to form their own league away from the Democratic staffers and the organizer of the league (a Democrat) who they claim is running a “running a socialist year-end playoff system. ” The Republicans are upset because every team has an equal opportunity of making it into the playoffs, thus making the game an obvious way for the pinko staffers to push their communist agenda, obviously. It is becoming increasingly clear that “liberal” is the new “Red,” people are becoming increasing nervous about outing themselves as liberal in the professional and political environment.
Thanks for reading,
-Jordan

The President Who Cried War

Wednesday morning my alarm sounds and I am pulled from my happy state of rest, I hear the familiar voices of the NPR morning show, but am too sleepy to listen. I violently scramble for the off switch and negotiate my terms of getting up. Slowly the covers are ripped from my body and the brisk morning air hits my flesh. Shivering slightly I force my feet to touch the ground and I push myself off the bed. I walk towards the main window of my apartment and draw back the blinds. I look out on my view of the beltway and scoff and the poor slobs who make the journey on that unforgiving stretch of road everyday. I make my way into the kitchen to start the coffee. After starting the pot on the stove, I head over to the couch and flip on the T.V. This is where my day heads downhill.
The first thing I see on T.V is an advertisement for the Girls Gone Wild tape, I cringe and turn the channel. At the hour I am watching there is little but infomercials and news, so I flip to the latter. As soon as I land on CNN I am bombarded with some shocking news; apparently nuking Iran is a possibility for the next couple of weeks/months. Wait a second, I thought we were at war with Iraq, they are different by a whole letter. I thought to myself, perhaps Mr. Bush just got them confused, I mean they are in roughly the same area and have the same religion (over all), but then it all became quite clear. With Bush’s polling numbers at an all time low, the administration must stoop to its ace in the hole; fear mongering. Why? you might ask, because it works. According to the Washington Post people favor Democrats on every issue except terrorism, this goes to show how the GOP manipulates the way America thinks.
There is another theory out there, but this one requires that you don your aluminum hats and retire to your nearest fortified bunker. It has been said that perhaps the reason the administration is considering nuclear bombardment is to completely cover up the fact that Iran does not have nuclear (weapon) capabilities. To clarify the point I am saying that the U.S will in a sense plant nuclear fall out, making it impossible to detect if Iran had any atomic weapons. Like I said this is a bit of a stretch, but perhaps not too far considering the lies we were told about Iraq’s WMD’s.
Anyway it is time for me to get back to figuring out how they staged the moon landing (oh they did and you know it) and got away with the JFK assignation (I have evidence just ask me(. I just want to leave you with a parting thought; whether you adhere to wild conspiracy theories or not, the President is desperate for higher poll numbers. And with the midterms approaching he will most likely fall back on the administration’s policy of preemptive action, Thus pandering to the general public’s paranoid fear sensibilities. So I will bid you adieu as the great Edward Murrow used to sign off: Goodnight and Good Luck (we are going to need it).

Thank you for reading.
-Jordan

Okay so I'll update...

Alright, so I suppose it is time to finally update this webpage thing. There are a million excuses why I never write in this thing. The most prevalent reason being that I am still unsure as to the format of my blog. I have trouble believing that people are interested in my everyday life (seeing as how I am not in the least bit interested in yours) or my personal thoughts. Some people however recount their lives in interesting ways, with vibrant narration of even the most mundane events (http://frisbee187.blogspot.com). Unfortunately I am not one of those people, whenever I sit down and try to recount my day I realize that not much happened, at least of any interest. I prefer to write about things that I am interested in, such as politics and history, but I fear that nobody will read such a dry page. So it this basic uncertainty that makes me loose any confidence I have as a writer. Any input on the format of this blog would be helpful.
Anybody following the news lately knows the latest juicy bit of political gossip. Actually I hesitate calling it gossip as much as a NATIONAL SECURITY crisis! Remember back to the crisp days of winter, snow was on the ground, stockings were hung every so carefully on the mantle, FOX news was waging war on Secular America and the hot topic issue was the CIA leak scandal. As you may recall Lewis “scooter” Libby was in the hot seat for leaking the name of a agent whose position was subsequently compromised, and the media was probing for the source of the leak. The White House was asking for anybody inside the administration to come forward with information about the origin of the leak, saying in a lofty, threatening tone that the White House does not like accept such leaks. Well the identification of this mysterious silhouette has been fingered; President Bush.
Now to avoid a legal battle the White House has made sure to mention that the information leaked was “De-Classified” by the President before it was passed along. Of course it was, the President would never do something deceitful… (please note sarcasm). Lately I have taking great pleasure (almost perverse) in watching Bush squirm while taking even softball questions, he knows that he has put him self in a very Nixonionian quagmire. This whole ordeal really puts into context the smug since of invincibility the Republicans seem to have lately, the hammer (Delay pun most definitely intended) is soon to drop.
Thanks for reading!
-Jordan

News: Frontline "The War On Christmas™"

Happy Holidays! An ambiguous phrase used to express warm and joyous feelings toward another person during the dreary winter months, but to those at Fox News it is as close to blaspheme as shouting profanities directly at God herself. Fox Anchor Person John Gibson is spearheading a counter attack to take back Christmas (Read: 1940’s put the “Christ” back in Christmas) in the name of all good Christians around the world (except France). In his book, The War On Christmas: How The Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than You Thought, he rails against groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the ACLU for taking away the sacred Christian holiday and pushing their liberal agenda. During an interview with cohort Bill O’ Reilly the two discussed the travesty that is the phrase “Happy Holidays.” After O’ Reilly went through a list of stores that he most certainly will be boycotting because of their lack of the word “Christ,” he mentioned that this whole situation is “part of the secular, progressive agenda.” A comment to which Gibson agreed with immediately, O’ Reilly continued, “if you get religion out, then you can pass secular, progressive programs like legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, [G]ay marriage, because objection to those things is religious based, usually” (mediamatters.org). There it is, the real truth behind “The War On Christmas,™” Familiar language to those accustomed to Republican talking points, it is the same old “slippery Slope” argument that has been exhausted by every anti-rights movement since the ratification, but I am not blaming those damn Anti-Federalists.

The “War On Christmas™” has been raging for a few years now, and the pundits in the “Fox Hole” are fighting hard until death, or until another white girl goes missing, That is what I call looking out for the folks. What I find most appalling about this war on Christmas is the reference to the founders, and their love of Christmas. It was not even until the 19th century that Americans started to embrace Christmas as a family holiday. Prior to then it was celebrated as a raucous drinking holiday much like Marti Gras or Earth Day. And in fact in the early 17th century, Christmas was outlawed because of the religious reform in England. Early settlers in America had also outlawed the celebration of Christmas, it was not until after the revolution when British customs became out of style was the law lifted (to be fair settlers did celebrate in Jamestown, Christmas was outlawed in Boston and surrounding northern states). The United States Government frequently held congressional sessions on Christmas and did not declare it a national holiday until 1870, a good ninety-four years after the official formation of the United States. So I guess the founders did not care so much about Christmas. But facts, the folks don’t care about facts.

I have to say I, like most liberals love Christmas. It is a wonderful time of year to spend with your family and friends, but I don’t feel the need to push my holiday and my traditions on others who may not celebrate in the same way. Why not just wish people a happy holiday? People should not simply assume people’s religious preferences so wishing them a pleasant season is a safe way to cover every base.
-Jordan
Happy Holidays!

Chemical Imbalance?

I am not entirely sure what it was about this one particular class that I had, but it really had a profound impact on me. It was a Political Science class taught by one of my favorite professors and I was really excited to take it. Now I have a certain leftist ideology that dictates most every one of my thoughts and opinions, and one of my favorite pastimes is lively debate. My professor, also a flaming liberal, and I share many views and in fact have gotten together to discuss them on more than one occasion. I really enjoyed this professor’s company because it was nice to have a person to talk to and learn from, and he fancies himself a comedian so obviously the laughs never stop
(note: sarcasm). But even the students were good company, usually I keep my head down and try not to make eye contact with the “element” there, but this was a sharp crowd filled with interesting and insightful thoughts on today’s current events. And to fit with my love of debate, there was many a verbal spare with my republican counterparts in the room. Unfortunately most of the debate was me arguing reason, and them spouting enough right wing talking points to make even Sean Hannity call order to the forum. Oh but it was fun, and I proved to my professor that I knew my stuff and gained his respect and friendship. I looked forward to the days when I had this class and waited anxiously in my car for half past the hour when I would head in to talk with my classmates about Tom Delay of Carl Rove. When I went into class on the day of the final I was suddenly hit with a very mournful feeling, it wasn’t because I forgot to study for the exam; it was because I was really going to miss this class and the professor. After acing the exam (wild assumption: watch us liberals we’re full of them) I got back in my car, stated the ignition, backed out and headed out of the parking lot and toward the highway. While driving along I felt stage, like I had just been hit with horrible news. I could not listen to music or talk radio, I opted to just sit silently and think. Before long I had burst into tears. When I got home I surveyed my surrounding and realized I was not content there at all, these people I live with would never understand why I look like I’ve been crying. So I slid back into the car and went to the only pace I could think of, the record store. I spent way to long browsing the selections of classic albums and must haves, and started to feel the eyes of the manager shooing me with his thoughts, so I bought a magazine and left. When I got in the car I decided to listen to some music, I popped in Year of Meteors by Laura Veirs and once again I cried. That class really meant something to me.

-Jordan