Harry Potter art for all 7 books

A Disney artist who goes by the name Tealin, has drawn images from all 7 Harry Potter books. Some are pretty great, check them out!

The Catholic iPad List

With the release of Apple’s iPad, I wanted to update you with a list of Catholic applications. I have reviewed all of these apps to give you an idea of their worth. So far, none of them have full complete scriptures, all contain the Protestant version with only 66 books.

• Scripture Alone Book - free – 21 Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura
• Logos Bible Software – free – Lots of protestant resources, no Catholic ones.
• BibleHD - free – The most popular bible app comes to iPad.
• Touch Bible – free – Let’s you take notes
• ESV Bible HD – free – Tweet scriptures from the app.
• Holiwrit - $3.99 – Just the bible, nothing else. I’d skip this & save 4 bucks.
• 3 Minute Retreat – $0.99 – An app to help with your “quiet time” with God.
• Church Organ - $0.99 - Play a church organ!

My Conversation with Joe Scarborough

Glenn Beck’s 912 special aired today on Fox News. I missed it because I’m not a particular fan of Glenn Beck, plus it’s Saturday and I’m watching college football. However, I have my twitter open and a message from MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough caught my eye:

“Beck just quoted the Bible about ‘fighting against darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places.’” (link)

“God help us all from someone using the Bible to attack political opponents.” (link)

“I’m curious. What “spiritual wickedness” is Obama guilty of according to Beck??” (link)

Something about this really bothered me. And it’s not because I care all that much about Beck. Because as I said, I really don’t. I don’t have anything against him, he’s just a little too emotional for me.

However, Glenn Beck is a conservative who has been driving those on the Left nuts the past few weeks. Beck is primarily responsible for getting the Left Wing Truther Van Jones removed from the White House. He also had a hand in getting Acorn fired from working with the US Census. He inspires millions and millions of Americans who watch him every day (His show on Fox News, just hit 3.3 million viewers) to fight back against the radical agenda of the Obama administration. His book “Common Sense” was #1 for weeks and weeks and weeks. It’s still ranked #10 over all on amazon.com and is #1 in a handful of categories.

So when I saw Joe Scarborough, the only conservative voice on MSNBC go after fellow conservative, I had to say something:

“Could @JoeNBC be a little more self righteous? RT @JoeNBC: God help us all from someone using the Bible to attack political opponents.” (link)

Admittedly, self righteous is probably the wrong way to describe what Scarborough did. He did get a little holier then thou from his, “God help us all from…” But I probably should have said something else considering I missed when he was referring to. I assume he was watching Beck’s 912 special, while I was enjoying the Michigan State Spartans game.

Joe Scarborough responded to me saying:

“@ElectJeff I’m being the one being self-righteous? I’m not the tool using sacred scriptures to attack political opponents. Judge not…” (link)

To which I said:

“@JoeNBC Pope JP2 said Matthew 7:1 is most misunderstood verse in Bible, Jesus was specifically taking about hypocrites not all judgements.” (link)

“@JoeNBC .. How else would Paul say later in Galatians 4:16, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (link)

“@JoeNBC – And as nutty as @GlennBeck is, he’s getting attacked enough by the Left, do you really need to pile on and call him a ‘tool’?” (link)

Scarborough made a good response with:

“@ElectJeff Read Jesus’ words in the Gospels. Almost all judgments are aimed at religious leaders. He tells us to forgive each other 70×7.” (link)

And while I agree that Jesus did aim most of his ‘judgments” against religious leaders of His time. However, today when we have Liberals, and Democrats who support abortion on demand (for example), should we really just hold our tongues and not say anything to them regarding what scripture says about the sacredness of life?  And while you should never attack anyone with the Bible, it is appropriate to use scripture when it’s on topic and to the point.

I wrote back to Scarborough saying:

“Let’s agree to disagree @JoeNBC I’m sorry for calling you self righteous. I’m just frustrated w/ fellow conservatives jumping on Beck.” (link)

Joe said:

“@ElectJeff We’re all frustrated. I just want us to lead with intellectual arguments instead of personal attacks. The facts are on our side!” (link)

I didn’t bother pointing out how he had just personally attacked Beck by calling him a “tool” a few minutes ago. I agreed:

“Couldn’t agree more. RT @JoeNBC: @ElectJeff We’re all frustrated. I just want us to lead with intellectual arguments instead of pers. attks” (link)

Joe Scarborough, a former congressman is a good guy. I watch his show when I get a chance and listen to his radio show almost every day. He has the approach that conservatives can make their case by playing more to the center. But sometimes it seems like he tries to pat the Democrats on the back just for the sake of doing so.That’s dangerous because the democrats will punch you in the face while you do it.

I’m in the Rush Limbaugh camp that believes there is virtually zero reasons to try and reach out to the democrats… because they never ever return the favor.  For eight years, all President Bush did was try to reach out to the democrats and it got him no where!  President Obama has hinted here and there that he wants to reach out to Republicans in his last address to congress. I hope he is telling the truth, time will be his judge.

You can watch Joe every morning on MSNBC from 6am to 9am. And on the radio on WABC from 9am to 11am. Follow him on twitter also.

How to explain religion to Hollywood generation

This is making it’s rounds on the internet, so I thought I’d share.

“Think of it like a movie. The Torah is the first one, and the New Testament is the sequel. Then the Qu’ran comes out, and it retcons the last one like it never happened. There’s still Jesus, but he’s not the main character anymore, and the messiah hasn’t shown up, yet.

Jews like the first movie but ignored the sequels, Christians think you need to watch the first two, but the third movie doesn’t count.  Muslims think the third one was the best, and Mormons liked the second one so much they started writing fan fiction that doesn’t fit with any of the series canon.”

Matt Maher – I’m Alive Again – Lyrics and Video

Lyrics to Matt Maher’s “Alive Again”

I woke up in darkness
surrounded by silence
oh where, where have I gone?
I woke to reality
losing its grip on me
oh where, where have I gone?

Cause I can see the light,
before I see the sunrise

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

Late have I loved you,
you waited for me,
I searched for you…
what took me so long?

I was looking outside
as if love would ever want to hide
I’m finding I was wrong

Cause I can feel the wind
before it hits my skin

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!
I’m alive again!

Cause I want you!
Yes, I want you,
I need you
And I’ll do what ever I have to
Just to get through
cause I love you
Yeah, I love you!

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

- Written by Matt Maher

The Catholic iPhone List

Here is a list of the popular iPhone applications designed for Catholic’s and other Christians. I have not tested these, nor am I getting paid for their inclusion in the list. Enjoy!

• iPieta – Douay Rheims & Vulgate Bibles, Baltimore Catechisms 1, 2, & 3, Prayers, Mass, and a lot more  – $2.99
• Douay Rheims – The bible – $1.99
• Catholic by Wim Tanudjaja – List of Catholic prayers – $0.99
• iMissal – Catholic Mass Radings, Liturgical Calendar – $4.99
• Catholic Calendar – A Catholic Calendar – Free
• Mass Times – Catholic Church Finder – $0.99
• Catholic Days – Holy Days – Free
• Totally Catholic Trivia – Really fun trivia game – $1.99
• Our Daily Bread – Daily Verses from NIV, NAB, KJV – $0.99
• Holy Rosary – Rosary app from EBSolutions – $0.99
• Holy Rosary Deluxe Version – Rosary app from EBSolutions -  $3.99
• iBreviary – Breviary prayers – $0.99
• Catholic Celebrations – Find which feast days – $0.99
• iRosary – The Rosary – $0.99
• iConfess – Prepare for confession – $0.99
• Divine Office – Audio Daily Prayers – $14.99
• Catholic Bible Dictionary – Scott Hahn’s book – $54.99
• Prayer List – Keep track of yours prayers and more – $1.99
• Popes – List of all of the Bishops of Rome from Peter to Benedict XVI – $1.99
• Recordatio – All papal encyclicals of the last 50 years! – $0.99
• iFaith – Official app from the Archdiocese of New Orleans – Free
• Way of the Cross - Stations of the Cross – $0.99
• iPrayer Journal - Prayer tool for twitter – $0.99
• Bible Verses Deluxe – Daily verses – Free
• Christian Rock Music – $1.99

These are fun games and useful applcations I have on my iPhone.

• Bounce On – Game
• Chopper – Game
• Flip It - Create a flip book
• At Bat – Baseball on your iPhone! (free version)

More to come later!

iPhone Application: MLB’s At Bat 2009

I bought the new iPhone app, MLB At Bat 2009. And I am incredibly impressed! I can listen to any live game feed for the visitor or the home team. The Tigers are playing the Twinkies tonight, so I’ve been listening to the Twinkies broadcasters (since I detest Jim Price doing play by play). It’s priced fair at $9.99 for the season. The features are just amazing:

• Home and Away Team Audio of every MLB game
• Live video of select games
• Scores for every active game
• Full Box Score of each game
• Pitch, by pitch live game play display
• Outfield Positions
• Inning by inning summary
• Video of top plays as the game is happening
• Standings
• MLB Videos
• Access to MLB’s Beat the Streak

I can’t recommend this enough! It’s every baseball fan’s dream come true! Here are some pictures from today’s game.

Drew Lane calls in to the WRIF

You can download the MP3, which is about an hour long. It picks up a half hour before the Drew calls in and you can hear how painfully awful Mike is leading the show.

Drew seemed to fit right back in, but it was still a little awkward, which I’m sure will go away after a few shows are under their belt. I’m not sure if Mike is serious or not (aftter a relisten it does sound like he is joking), but he seems to think the show will be called the “Mike and Drew Show” -  I really doubt this since the WRIF website itself is referring to “Drew and Mike.”

And while it’s true “Mike in the Morning” remained number 1 after Drew left, it was at a  lower number. They used to pull 10-12 shares and without Drew they pulled 5 shares at number 1.  Look for those numbers to shoot back up under Drew’s leadership on the Drew and Mike Show.

Listen to the phone call here:

And download the MP3′s full hour version here.

Drew Lane on the WRIF tomorrow

If you miss it, don’t worry… we’ll have the audio after he calls in. Check back in tomorrow or listen tomorrow morning!

Drew and Mike are back on the WRIF!

That’s right, back in Detroit on WRIF 101.1 FM on July 13, 2009! Drew Lane was offered a chance to host is own show in the afternoon or go back to mornings with Mike, and he chose the latter.

Jamie Samuelsen will not stay on the show. He may stick around for a few weeks, but look for the old Drew and Mike show to kick back in gear after the transition. No word on what Jamie will do, but look for him to stay with the WRIF or Greater Media in a different role.

Drew was offered his own show at almost every major Detroit station, and turned them all down. He was offered a seven figure deal to replace Jay and Bill at WKRK, but rejected it.

I have no idea how much WRIF is paying Drew, but with the absence of Arthur Penhallow a huge chunk of money was freed up that will probably be heading Drew’s way.

Keep checking the “Drew and Mike Archive” on the right for full episodes and clips of the old Drew and Mike show, plus the new one come July 13th!

Four amazing videos describing some of the President’s problems

Obama’s $17 Billion Budget Cuts In Context

While the president’s $100 million dollar cuts weren’t even a drop in a bucket, the $17 billion in cuts at least means something. But it’s a far cry from the “net spending cuts” we were promised.

Obama Budget Cuts Visualization

How much is the $100 million dollars in budget cuts compared to the federal budget as a whole? This video imagines the budget as $100 in pennies to provide the answer.

The National Debt Road Trip

How do the Obama deficits compare with past presidents? And how did the national debt get so big anyway. This video tries to answer those questions by looking at the debt as a road trip and seeing how fast different administrations have been traveling.

The Obama Stimulus: Predictions vs. Reality

When pushing the stimulus package, President Obama claimed that the stimulus would save 3 million jobs. How have his predictions turned out so far? This video compares those predictions with how the jobs numbers have actually turned out

If you want to read more on the budget, mathematics and political visualizations, follow 10,000 pennies on Twitter: @PoliticalMath and WordPress at politicalmath.wordpress

Most Compelling Characters In Film

My good friend Heather has done a great job putting together the ultimate list of 100 most compelling characters in the history of film. She did an amazing job and I wanted to share it with you. Be sure to click the links because she does a great job explaining her picks! At the bottom, you can see my top 25 list as well. – Jeff

100-81: Part 1

100) Shrek
99) The Crow
98) The Drunken Master
97) Wall-E
96) John Malkovich
95) Morpheus
94) Penny Lane
93) Billy Madison
92) Wolverine
91) Blade
90) Brodie Bruce
89) Doc Holiday
88) Dr. Evil
87) Mary Poppins
86) Han Solo
85) Anne Of Green Gables
84) Mr. Pink
83) Annie Hall
82) Achilles
81) Forrest Gump

80-61: Part 2

80) Ray “Bones” Barboni
79) The Genie
78) R2D2
77) Turkish
76) Leonidas
75) Garth Algar
74) Freddy Krueger
73) The Bride
72) Al Czervik
71) Dorothy Gale
70) Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont
69) Buzz Lightyear
68) The Velociraptors and T-Rex
67) Veruca Salt
66) Rocky
65) Vida Boheme
64) Voldemort
63) T-1000
62) Denton Van Zan
61) Gandalf

60-41: Part 3

60) Captain Quint
59) Wilma “Deanie” Lommis
58) Vito Corleone
57) Red
56) Inigo Montoya
55) Axel Foley
54) Jason Bourne
53) Catwoman
52) The Wicked Witch Of The West
51) Frank TJ Mackey
50) Blanche DuBois
49) Katsumoto
48) Sofia
47) The Joker (Jack Nicholson)
46) Travis Bickle
45) Gordon Gekko
44) Martin Riggs
43) Derek Vinyard
42) Catherine Tramell
41) Maximus

40-21: Part 4

40) Drop Dead Fred
39) Jeffrey Goines
38) The “Dude” or Jeff Lebowski
37) Sara Goldfarb
36) Michael Corleone
35) Beetlejuice
34) Captain Kirk
33) Col. Nathan Jessup
32) Rose Sayer
31) Butch Cassidy
30) Edward Scissorhands
29) The Joker (Heath Ledger)
28) Riddick
27) James Bond
26) Captain Jack Sparrow
25) Chili Palmer
24) Yoda
23) Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector
22) Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson
21) Lestat de Lioncourt

20-1: Part 5

20) Ferris Bueller
19) Dory
18) Scarlett O’Hara
17) Jareth: The Goblin King
16) Sarah Connor
15) Alex DeLarge
14) Norman Bates
13) Lestor Burnham
12) Stanley Kowalsk
11) Annie Wilkes
10) Gollum/Smeagal
9) Dr. Ian Malcolm
8 ) Tommy DeVito
7) Darth Vader
6) Jules Winnfield
5) Dr. Gonzo/ Oscar Z. Acosta
4) Patrick Bateman
3) Indiana Jones
2) Ellen Ripley
1) Tyler Durden

Here is my top 30 characters in film (I’d love to read yours in the comments).

30) Special Agent Fox Mulder – The X-Files
29) Paul Giamatti – John Adams
28) Michael Clayton – Michael Clayton
27) Dorothy Gale – The Wizard of Oz
26) Andre Linoge – Storm of the Century
25) Woody – Toy Story
24) The Monster – Cloverfield
23) Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump
22) Clark Kent – Superman
21) Gordie Lachance – Stand By Me
20) Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins
19) Indiana Jones – Indiana Jones
18) Capt. John H. Miller – Saving Private Ryan
17) Dr. Emmett Brown – Back to the Future
16) Ron Burgundy – Anchorman
15) Llewelyn Moss – No Country for Old Men
14) Glenn Holland – Mr. Hollands Opus
13) Josh Baskin – Big
12) William Wallace – Braveheart
11) Dr. Malcolm Crowe – the Sixth Sense
10) Marge Gunderson – Fargo
9) Leonard – Memento
8 ) John Keating – Dead Poets Socity
7) Dr. Ian Malcolm – Jurassic Park
6) Andy Dufresne- The Shawshank Redemption
5) Lestor Burnham – American Beauty
4) Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction
3) Death - Meet Joe Black
2) Michael Corleone – Godfather II
1) Ellis Boyd Redding – The Shawshank Redemption

Here are some honorable mentions, that were really good, but couldn’t crack the top 30.

• Qui-Gon Jinn – Star Wars: Episode 1
• Robert Neville – I am Legend
• Batman – Batman Begins and the Dark Knight
• Juno – Juno MacGuff
• Jason Nesmith – Galaxy Quest

Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez: BFF

Obama defends Bush-era secrets

The Politico is reporting:

“President Obama’s administration is moving aggressively to protect what the government insists are “state secrets” from a Bush-era wiretapping program.

Justice Department lawyers filed an emergency motion Friday with a federal appeals court in an effort to block a lower court’s order that the government must show lawyers for the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation a copy of a document indicating that the group’s communications were being intercepted. The document has been the subject of a running legal battle since the papers were accidentally sent to attorneys for the group in 2004 and subsequently retrieved. [Full Story]

Hope and Change?

iPod – Music and your Apps

My biggest complaint about the iPod Touch was not being able to listen to my music or podcasts while playing games or apps. For example – I’d be listening to Adam Carolla or Dan Carlin and I’d then start up a game like “Bounce On,”and it would kill my audio.

Well, there is a real simple solution to this problem. Once you open the game or application that just killed your audio, double click the home button and press “play.” Your audio will start back up and the game volume will become lower.