Dojo Info – Official Taxes Are Killing Us Day Version

1. Politicians push for new iTunes sales taxes
   “If you drive a car-car I’ll tax the street.
   If you try to sit-sit I’ll tax your seat.
   If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat.
   If you take a walk I’ll tax your feet.”
2. Def Leppard Debuting New Single In Guitar Hero (ie Videogames Killed The Radio Star)
   Now why can’t these be for Rock Band?!?
3. Video: Nintendo’s download service soon to debut in U.S.
   More Wii goodness!
4. Obama thinks having a baby is a punishment
   Wow. I think his boldness will get Obama into a lot of trouble.
5. The Kanzius Machine: A Cancer Cure?
   “What if we told you that a guy with no background in science or medicine-not even a college degree-has come up with what may be one of the most promising breakthroughs in cancer research in years?” If America is to remain relevant in the global economy, our #1 export will need to be innovation. Guys like this need more freedom to work.

The Newest Addition to Our Family: Gigi

I had been hoping for a bunch of high-quality photos to choose from when I made my first post about our new niece Gigi, but with pressure from my brother, a post with the standard hospital photo is better than nothing, right?

We love Gigi and we are glad she’s here with us!

What Sport Does Your City Love?

If you’re from Lexington, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Wildcats, then you already know the kind of town you live in. Everyone else? Here’s the rankings for city’s high on college basketball. [via KSR]

1. Lexington (65.7%)
2. Raleigh-Durham (61.8%)
3. Louisville (60.8%)
4. Tucson, Ariz. (58.5%)
5. Columbus, Ohio (56.5)
6. Cincinnati (55%)
7. Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri (53.6%)
8. Eugene-Springfield, Ore. (52.9%)
9. Syracuse, N.Y. (52.9%)
10. Columbia, S.C. (52.4%)
11. Memphis (51.4%)
12. Madison, Wisc. (48.8%)
13. Charlotte, N.C. (48.1%)
14. Indianapolis, Ind. (48%)
15. Little Rock, Ark. (47.6%)
16. Greensboro, N.C. (47.5%)
17. Dayton, Ohio (47.5)
18. Spokane, Wash. (47.3)
19. Kansas City (47.1%)
20. Grand Rapids, Mich. (46.5%)

Dojo Info 4/13/08

1. Rock Band Tour Hits The Road
   “Kicking off in Denver, CO April 8 and rockin’ through May 21, fans that attend the Seether and Flyleaf tour will be given the chance to play against the band members on Rock Band.” Ha! I guess that’s a “Rock Band” tour but not really. Just some promoters trying to capitalize on the games success. Ah well… the video game incursion into MSM continues.
2. Seven Things About Obama I Never Knew Before
   Ha! Good stuff. [via Kadnine]
3. “God Particle” Expected to Be Found Soon
   This stuff is miles over my head but I know one thing, God will not be found out. Well, except to those who believe.
4. Rock Band DLC Revealed for Next Week
   “Call Me” by Blondie (master), “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (master) and “Message in Bottle” by the Police (master). Not bad, not bad.
5. Eric Clapton, In the Presence of the Lord
   “Bad choices were my specialty,” he said.
   I hear you. So often we have to hit rock bottom before we remember to look up.

Anti-Straight Sues, Courts (Unbelievably) Moves Against Personal Choice

This stuff is no unjust, I can hardly believe that more people aren’t outraged. Tell me what you think.

In New Mexico, religious rights can disappear in a flash, and no one has learned that painful lesson better than Elane Photography. The company, a Christian husband-and-wife team named Huguenin, has become the latest victims of religious intolerance at the hands of the state of New Mexico for refusing to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony. When a lesbian couple tried to hire the owners for their “wedding,” Elaine and her husband declined, saying that the ceremony violated their moral beliefs. To get even, the women filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Division, alleging that the couple discriminated against them.

They asked the commission to issue an injunction that would ban the company from ever rejecting a contract based on a client’s sexual preferences. Yesterday, the commission charged Elane Photography with “sexual orientation discrimination” and ordered the couple to pay $6,637.94 in attorneys’ fees to the lesbians who filed the suit.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), who represented the photographers, called the ruling “a stunning disregard” of the First Amendment. Together with the couple, ADF has vowed to appeal. As a private company, Elane Photography has the freedom to establish its own criteria on issues of conduct and conscience. Clearly, the commission is so consumed with advancing the homosexual agenda that it is willing to trample the couple’s constitutional rights in the process.

Perhaps what is most infuriating about this decision is that the Huguenins’ Christian beliefs aren’t the only thing opposed to same-sex “marriage”–so is New Mexico’s law. Neither civil unions nor homosexual “marriage” is recognized by the state.

The Huguenins have the right to refuse to photograph any number of things they regard as moral issues, whether it’s a photo shoot at Planned Parenthood, a poster for the Ku Klux Klan, or a keepsake album for participants in a baby seal hunt. The Constitution may offend the politically correct crowd, but it is quite clear that Americans should not be forced to promote a private message that violates their conscience.

Cats ‘D’ Is Wicked Good

Saw today on KSR that some Wildcats are making names for themselves in the NBA with their defense.

Point Guard 1st Team?

First team: Rajon Rondo, Boston (5.94)
A second-teamer last year, Rondo deservedly moves up to the first team this year. He’s as quick as any guard in the league, and his long arms make him an absolute pest to opposing point guards. Plus, he has the size to handle bigger guards in switches.

Last season, he had the best per-minute numbers at the position, and this season, he was second, so the numbers back up what the visuals tell me.

Small Forward 1st Team?

First team: Tayshaun Prince, Detroit (6.83)
For Prince, defense comes down to a simple premise — he can play further off his man than anyone else in the league because his arms are so long he can still challenge the shot. As a result, it’s very tough to get past him, yet it’s very tough to get a clean look from the perimeter against him.

He also is great at picking up guards on switches and, since Ben Wallace left, he has been more vital to Detroit’s defensive success.

What about Chuck Hayes? 3rd Team isn’t too shabby for a 6′ 6″ power forward.

Third team: Chuck Hayes, Houston (7.46)
A second-teamer a year ago, Hayes, at 6-6, is undersized for his position, but pound for pound, he’s one of the league’s strongest players. He knows how to use every ounce to push opponents out of prime post position.

His defensive stats have been ginormous all three seasons he’s been in the league, so even though he lost his job to Luis Scola, he still gets a top-three selection here.

That’s a pretty strong showing for the Kentucky Wildcats… way to go Cats!

It’s Just Funny, That’s All

I really can’t take credit for this post, I just thought the caption was hilarious. Nicely done Evan.

Dojo Info 4/7/08

1. Pat Riley Named to Hall of Fame
   One of Rupps Runts, Riley will always be revered here in Kentucky.
2. Despite stomach issues, Memphis’ Rose will play in title game vs. Kansas
   I read this to my boys. They thought it hilarious. Of course, my competitive son said, “I bet I eat more Gummy Bears than Rose!”
3. Woman Stuffs Snake Down Pants
   Oh no she didn’t?!?
4. Olympic torch relay protests force flame on board bus in French capital
   Poor France. How can one country contain so many wackos?
5. Sex and Financial Risk Linked in Brain
   I’m wondering who these people are that fork out the cash for these ridiculous studies?

MLK’s Spirit Is What He Would Want Us to Remember

Today I read this from FRC:

Forty years ago, an assassin gunned down a spirited visionary whose days were spent crusading against the very violence and bigotry that ultimately took his life. Taken in the prime of his years and the height of his influence, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King would never live to see his dream of racial harmony realized.

In the four decades since Rev. King’s death, the gulf between black and white remains the most intense divide in America-largely because we have sought unity primarily through networking, public policy, or lobbying techniques. Few seem to understand that the solution is the same as it was 40 years ago. We must recognize what Rev. King did-that racism is not just a social problem in America; it is at root a spiritual problem.

If we are to change the social climate of our nation, a cause to which Rev. King gave his very life, we must unite around a biblical worldview that can include all races and generations. That challenge is made more difficult in this new era, when simply to speak from a pulpit and to call for righteousness in the land strikes some secularists as a threat to our core liberties.

As Reverend King said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” It is time for America to see the church as an unbiased representative of Christ. As a nation, we must rally behind clear-thinking, visionary leaders who will work for a nation that is both colorblind and infused with character. Martin Luther King understood the unique place churches have in our society. If we are to honor his memory, we must defend and rebuild the place of faith communities in bridging the racial gap.

If you fully understand what Martin Luther King, Jr. was all about, you’d understand that merely peace in this lifetime isn’t enough.

In the words of a Switchfoot song: “We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?”

Dojo Info 4/6/08

1. Zillow Launches Mortgage Marketplace
   Zillow is a sweet Web site. Though it won’t hold your hand through a real estate purchase, it can give you some good info if your Realtor isn’t up to snuff.
2. Cell Boosters Coming for the Home
   Yeah but what about all those harmful waves bouncing around your house non-stop?
3. iPhone Popularity Spurs Blackberry Sales
   Not me. I just bought a BlackBerry 8800 and so far I’m jazzed!
4. Experts Now Recommend Hands-Only CPR
   This changes everything!
5. Next Week’s Rock Band Tracks Require Many, Many Friends
   Guts of the post: “Rock Rebellion” by Bang Camaro, “Shake” by Count Zero and “Super Sprode” by Freezepop.

NCAA Tourney Not Evil After All

Going into tonight’s games, I thought it likely that both UNC and UCLA would advance to the finals despite my most fervent wishes otherwise. Now, what you see below fills me with such delight, the likes of which you may never know.

My special thanks go out to all the players, coaches and even fans of Memphis and Kansas for their big wins. Now, if only Memphis can beat Kansas, I will have dodged the largest bullet known to man.

Vietnam Man Runs ‘Abortion Orphanage’

Meet my new hero. His name is Tong. He gives love and care to those that were unloved and had no one to care for them.

Dojo Info 4/4/08

1. Study gives insight into iPhone users
   “A third of iPhone users carry a second phone.” Huh? Why?!?
2. Rock Band to Exclusively Feature Guitar Peripheral Modeled After Iconic Fender Stratocaster
   Fender is no dummy.
3. A $75 Rock Band accessory? We review the Omega Pedal
   IMO, this is just the beginning. Someone will put together a quality Tier 2 drum kit bundle that will sell in the $500 range.
4. Crocheted Rock Band Drum Covers are Diplomatic and Sensible
   Diplomatic, sensible and UGLY!
5. Intel Unveils New Classmate PCs
   Now that’s a price point mainstream parents will consider.

Human Hearts Have Memory, Character

If I told you that your heart can remember things, you’d be like, “Uh… Paladin is freaking out.” That’s what I thought too. That’s what most people think.

But it’s healthy for us to remember there is so much we arrogant humans don’t yet know. We make think we understand, only to find out in the future that we were way off.

Science is now learning more about how the brain and heart communicate with one another. Not just the brain to the heart, but the reverse as well. Astounding!

Visit the Institute of HeartMath for more information about these new breakthroughs.

Hearts Remember

As amazing as that might be, wait until you hear this. The human heart also holds memories! Listen to this example from Nexus Magazine.

The donor was a 34-year-old police officer shot attempting to arrest a drug dealer. The recipient was a 56-year-old college professor diagnosed with atherosclerosis and ischaemic heart disease.

The donor’s wife reported:
“When I met Ben [the recipient] and Casey [Ben's wife], I almost collapsed. First, it was a remarkable feeling seeing the man with my husband’s heart in his chest. I think I could almost see Carl [the donor] in Ben’s eyes. When I asked how Ben felt, I think I was really trying to ask Carl how he was. I wouldn’t say that to them, but I wish I could have touched Ben’s chest and talked to my husband’s heart.

“What really bothers me, though, is when Casey said offhandedly that the only real side-effect of Ben’s surgery was flashes of light in his face. That’s exactly how Carl died. The bastard shot him right in the face. The last thing he must have seen is a terrible flash. They never caught the guy, but they think they know who it is. I’ve seen the drawing of his face. The guy has long hair, deep eyes, a beard, and this real calm look. He looks sort of like some of the pictures of Jesus.”

The recipient reported:
“If you promise you won’t tell anyone my name, I’ll tell you what I’ve not told any of my doctors. Only my wife knows. I only knew that my donor was a 34-year-old very healthy guy. A few weeks after I got my heart, I began to have dreams. I would see a flash of light right in my face and my face gets real, real hot. It actually burns. Just before that time, I would get a glimpse of Jesus. I’ve had these dreams and now daydreams ever since: Jesus and then a flash. That’s the only thing I can say is something different, other than feeling really good for the first time in my life.”

The recipient’s wife reported:
“I’m very, very glad you asked him about his transplant. He is more bothered than he’ll tell you about these flashes. He says he sees Jesus and then a blind flash. He told the doctors about the flashes but not Jesus. They said it’s probably a side effect of the medications, but God we wish they would stop.”

Unbelievable? That’s what I used to think about the idea of cell phones.

I first learned about this from Steven Baldwin’s book, The Unusual Subject, which I highly recommend. Before reading the book, I thought Steven a goof-ball, Hollywood elitist. Now I think he’s a goof-ball who’s sold out for Jesus. Needless to say, my respect for him has grown exponentially.