Author Archives: John Wallenfeldt

For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’ – NYTimes.com

I don’t get this.

Apparently, the concept of kids hugging as a greeting is some kind of new thing?

i guess the Times is finally coming out of it’s shell. Hell, all my close friends have been doing this for years. It was a Brotherhood staple that we helped spread wherever we went. It became more important as the years have gone on and we have moved farther and farther apart and see each other less and less often. If anything, I still give hugs to folks who are caught off guard because I forget they didn’t grow up the same way I did. But most of them catch on eventually.

And even that aside, most cultures celebrate greeting and departing in such a way. I can’t imagine going to Mexico to visit the family without hugs; much less seeing the neighbors.

Like the whole “pity the rich” thing they had going on, some of the Times reporters are really, really detached from reality. And you wonder why some newspapers are dying?

Sonia Sotomayor: 10 Things You Should Know

Just a quick list of highlights about our potential next Supreme Court Justice.

I find it funny how the Rethug Brigade is already branding her as a “judicial activist”. Look, put the damn term away. The ONLY activist judges we have had in this nation in recent years are Bill Rehnquist, Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence “Pubic” Thomas when they circumvented the will of the people and picked Bush. In the case of Rehnquist and O’Connor, they apparently did it just to retire under a GOP administration. Assholes.

If you are Mike Huckabee, every Latina is named Maria, as he calls Sonia Sotomayor. Classy, and probably indicative of how the GOP is going to play this along racist lines of argument. Maybe I can link him to the murder of that little girl by her Sunday School teacher in California. Huckabee, Huckaby, same difference. Murderer!

In a similar vein, Nathan Deal, Rethug Representative from Georgia, wants to make it harder to be born an American citizen. Yep, nothing like killing freedom to ensure democracy.

Sotomayor Choice Puts GOP In A Bind : NPR

That didn’t take long.

I figured the GOP would need time to get their racist panties all in a bunch given that there are a few ways they could screw this up.

Bob Cesca relays the following quotes and sources:

Charles Krauthammer feeds the fear machine by saying the nomination letting “concern for certain ethnicities override justice.”

Glenn Beck sick contribution is: “They’re just like, ‘Hey, Hispanic chick lady! You’re empathetic. You’re in!'”

GDAB contributor Elvis Dingeldein hits back with some reality and objectivity.

And just so we’re clear on the race thing, here is Rethug hero Stephen Baldwin on Obama and his “jive talking”. No, I’m not kidding.

FT.com / UK – Microsoft primes search engine in pursuit of Google

From the Pointless Task desk, Microsoft thinks it can reinvent their search wheel.

First off: why bother? Live was, is, and probably always will be crap. I’d have better luck searching for useful results with a scrying bowl. And I’m no sorceror.

Second, most of the damn planet is trained to use Google. Accept that. Move on.

Third. I take it all back. This should be funny as hell to watch Microsoft spend billions to fall on it’s face again. And again.

I mean, they are losing the ad war to Apple when the Mac is an overpriced piece of eye candy with proprietary hardware. How do you not beat that in the marketplace of ideas? Even with buggy software. They’ve lost the geek crowd almost entirely to Linux. Seriously, give out some free OSes, open it up, and let the hobby crowd fix your errors for you. THEN sell it to Grandma in a prepackaged box at Beast Buy. Come on!

Microsoft: too big to fall, but not so big that their screwups can be covered up.

Hubble’s final servicing mission – The Big Picture – Boston.com

These are amazing pics taken from the recent shuttle mission that finally made it home on Sunday.

Whatever happened to the American imagination? We should be colonizing the local planets, not quibbling over whether or nation should be partaking in barbaric torture rituals. We’ve fallen far from Camelot folks. Someone needs to take our Luddite Talibangelical Quislings aside and beat them silly for sullying our nation’s good name.