Author Archives: John Wallenfeldt

Oktoberfest Links – Wired How-To Wiki

Granted, I don’t have the cash to make it to Germany this year – and probably not in the near future either. That said, I enjoyed the bounty of Oktoberfest articles on the How-To Wiki this past week.

First off, an article on Oktoberfest etiquette. There are also other articles on how to navigate and handle yourself in Munich so look them up if you are going. Also one on how to do it on the cheap.

This includes how to dress and speak some relevant phrases in German. Here’s a general food lexicon for you too.

For those staying here in the States (or anywhere else for that matter), there are some festivals around the nation, a few listed here. The list seems to keep growing so keep checking because there are plenty not on here that I’m aware of.

Here in Vegas we have the Hofbrauhaus, which we are hoping to get to next weekend. If you’re in town, think about making a visit there.

Back to the wiki, there are also very important food and drink articles, such as how to tap a keg.

Other articles involve making beer brats and sauerkraut and, just for kicks, pretzels.

Good stuff! Prost!

Think Progress » Right-Wing Conference Tells Activists To Get Their Guns Ready For ‘Bloody Battle’ With Obama The Nazi

More racist traitors preparing to start another civil war.

Seriously, can’t we have the Secret Service pound on these cretins a bit?

You lost an election, fools. With your backward philosophy I hope it keeps happening until you finally learn to shut up and stay irrelevant. The world is increasingly turning non-white, and no one believes your bullshit about “good” corporations after Enron, WorldCom, Halliburton, KBR, AIG, and all the banks and insurance companies screwing people over day after day after day after day.

Dylan Loewe: Where’s the Change? It’s Everywhere

Yep. Progressives can be damnfool idiots.

I read the blogs where people piss and moan that Obama isn’t doing enough. Get bent. You bastards are just as bad as the Rethugs you think are your enemies. Both camps can go walk off a pier for all I care.

Here is an article that argues against such stupid hysteria. I love it.

I get it. People want it all. Right now. Now damnit! But they don’t. No one teaches patience anymore. Or compromise. Or intelligence apparently.

As best as I can see, Obama’s plan is to affect the greatest change to the greatest amount of citizens. You may not like that stem cell research bans and equal pay benefits and the just-so-damned-close grasp of health care reform has happened before lifting the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell ban, but tell me how many people get affected by the latter versus any of the former examples.

Now, tell me how many Americans of ANY political stripe could gain from science advances in health, better pay for women and health care reform?

Obama isn’t trying to win elections (I mean, he only has one left to ever worry about again at best) but to build a legacy other Democrats can build on. Our best shot before this was centrist Clinton, and Obama is only slightly more to the left than Bill. You want actual progressive action? Earn it.

Give independents and moderates a better standard of living, a better safety net, a better nation. Sure, some will stay racist, and angry, and bigoted and fearful towards things they don’t understand, but some will join along for the ride, just to see what other improvements this country might make for them, and hopefully with them. Everyone loves a winner, right?

For my progressive friends, will YOU enjoy everything? No. You’ll harp about Gitmo still being open next March or DADT still on the books until probably the middle of next year. You’ll feel betrayed.

But things WILL be better. Not for everyone, not for those who wanted change right away. But things ARE better as many have said. And things will GET better and those things that harm a percentage of us will be addressed unless you let the things that divide us stop the things that continue to harm the whole of us get fixed.

Have I enjoyed and supported everything Obama has done? No. I’ve cursed at my TV a couple times myself. But I got over it. I see there’s a plan in play. This is politics, being waged against adversaries schooled in racism, packed with wannabe Tim McVeighs. You don’t want to pander to their traitors, but you also don’t want to make too many sudden moves around the assholes either.

Is it fair? No. But when has it ever come closer to this before?

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea | PBS

Seriously, I’ve been waiting awhile to watch this and just 15 minutes in it does not fail to disappoint. Catch Ken Burn’s National Park series.

Catch Mr. Burns on Rachel Maddow’s show last week:

Part 1:

Part 2:

I love that it takes a liberal to explain our nation best. From the Civil War to Baseball to the Settling of the West to World War II to this, Burns documents our nation like no one else. I sincerely hope this his vision of America is what prevails in the future.

Otherwise, our children and their children will see this nation as nothing more than a corporate sponsorship to force a white majority power over the population, stripping hard earned rights as they go. They’ll see our natural beauty as something to rape and sully in the interests of destroying the Earth to force some narrow-minded Armageddon that only crazy bastards like them would benefit from.

I know this nation is better than that. We advance and prosper by giving people the power. “A more perfect union”, remember? We are morally superior by being careful stewards of the land, not “drill, baby, drill” chanting psychopaths.

Either way, I’m going to enjoy the show and encourage you to catch it and do so yourself.

Free care by Dr. Oz draws 2,000 to Reliant | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle

In line with the RAM program distributing Third World health care to Americans, TV Dr. Mehmet Oz offered free care to Texas citizens. Two thousand showed up.

Texas apparently has the highest amount of uninsured residents in this country. I bet absolutely NO Texas Republican votes for the President’s health care reform. I hope the bastards who voted those pricks in get good insurance anyway.

BBC NEWS | Africa | SA pigeon ‘faster than broadband’

I’m spoiled. I know it. We basically have a T1 at home that only gets shared with a couple offices. So life is good.

However, traveling around the country for the past few years, I’ve seem how painfully slow internet access is in some places. And out in the Caribbean? Forget it.

So I found this story about a pigeon with a flash drive traveling faster than a “broadband” packet hilarious. And kind of sad too.

Information is the only way a lot of places are going to have to make a better life. And this planet is woefully unprepared to deliver.