The social commentary of Andrzej Mleczko: At most a few percent are working. The rest, consultants.
From PC World: 10 Ways Microsoft’s Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores
Microsoft announced plans to open retail stores, hoping to boost visibility of many of its products and its brand. The move seems to be an effort to mimic the success that Apple has had with its retail stores. The news is just too tempting not to have some fun with. So here are some yet-to-be-officially-revealed details about the Microsoft stores.
1) Instead of Apple’s sheer walls of glass, Microsoft’s stores will have brushed steel walls dotted with holes — reminiscent of Windows security.
2) The store will have six different entrances: Starter, Basic, Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. While all six doors will lead into the same store, the Ultimate door requires a fee of $100 for no apparent reason.
3) Instead of a “Genius Bar” (as Apple provides) Microsoft will offer an Excuse Bar. It will be staffed by Microsofties trained in the art of evading questions, directing you to complicated and obscure fixes, and explaining it’s a problem with the hardware — not a software bug.
4) The Windows Genuine Advantage team will run storefront security, assuming everybody is a thief until they can prove otherwise.
5) Store hours are undetermined. At any given time the store mysteriously shuts down instantaneously for no apparent reason. (No word yet on what happens to customers inside)…
One person left the following comment on this tongue-in-cheek post:
You have to feel sorry for Apple fanboys that this is how they waste their lives away proving to the entire world how jealous they are of Microsoft. You could have just bought a real PC to begin with and then you would have a life.
As the person in my home responsible for fixing stuff, this is exactly the reason we ditched Microsoft products. I had no life. I was constantly fixing, installing updates, downloading anti-virus and firewall software that slowed the machines to a crawl. Wasted days and wasted nights. I wanted to have a life, a real life, so we switched to Mac — bought three of them. Plugged them in — and they worked, right out of the box, painless. We now have a life. The two left-over boxes? They are running Linux – Ubuntu. Again, no worries. Ahhh, life…
…with a tinge of reality from the pen of Andrzej Mleczko.
The first frame: The signs say Bread Work. The man to the left says: “Where is ‘and’ damn it.”
The second frame: ‘and’ shows up. The signs read Bread and Work. ‘and’ says: “Here I am honorable Chairman.”
There’s a lot of subtlety here as well. What do you see?
We’ve had a lot of nasty weather in New York’s Capital Region. I was watching the TV the other day, following the school and business closings, when I came across a parish that listed the following:
St. What-was-his-name’s. — There will be no reconciliation.
Seems like a rather harsh place. And here we thought the early Church was tough on penitents…
From Brad Abare who sent out the following tweet while traveling to see family for Christmas:
Made it to Atlanta and dashed like reindeer to connecting flight… only to be delayed again. So glad Jesus won’t be coming back on a plane.
From the Pittston Sunday Dispatch: Potato pancakes and soup on menu at Holy Mother of Sorrows Church
It was just what the doctor ordered, as the saying goes. The perfect foods to fill one’s belly on a cold, wintry day: hot soup and potato pancakes.
That’s what was on the menu at Holy Mother of Sorrows Polish National Catholic Church, Dupont, on Friday, Dec. 5, all topped off with an assortment of homemade desserts.
The annual fundraiser —“ a bargain at $6.00 per person —“ also featured a Chinese auction.
Lottie Hoban and Stella Kotula served as co-chairs for the event with Arnold Borc serving as ticket chairman.
You will notice the interesting crossover between Polish and Jewish foods – i.e., the potato pancakes or latkes. The event featured clam chowder – very New England, and a Chinese auction. Hmmm – who said the PNCC was “Polish only?” 😉 
From Fox News (I know…): U.S. Army Says Blogging Site ‘Twitter’ Could Become Terrorist Tool. The emphasis is mine.
The U.S. Army is flagging the popular blogging service Twitter as a potential terrorist tool, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported Sunday.
A recently released report by the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion contains a chapter entitled “Potential for Terrorist Use of Twitter,” which expresses concern over the increasing use of Twitter by political and religious groups, the AFP reported.
“Twitter has also become a social activism tool for socialists, human rights groups, communists, vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others to communicate with each other and to send messages to broader audiences,” according to the report.
“Twitter is already used by some members to post and/or support extremist ideologies and perspectives,” the Army report said.
The blogging service and social networking site has previously sent out messages known as “tweets” faster than news organizations during such major news events as the July Los Angeles earthquake and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.
“Terrorists could theoretically use Twitter social networking in the U.S. as an operation tool,” the Army report said.
Let’s analyze this. Twitter is a communication tool. Like any tool, it can be used by anyone. It’s sort of like water. Think about that. What if the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion had said something like this:
A recently released report by the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion contains a chapter entitled “Potential for Terrorist Use of Water,” which expresses concern over the increasing use of water by political and religious groups.
“Water has also become a tool for socialists, human rights groups, communists, vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others,” according to the report.
“Water is already used by some members “to further extremist ideologies and perspectives,” the Army report said.
Water has previously been used in blessings and baptisms – which are a form of indoctrination. It has also been used for drinking and washing during such major news events as the July Los Angeles earthquake and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.
“Terrorists could theoretically use water as an operation tool,” the Army report said.
I think that a report (which we as taxpayers funded) highlighting things that are self evident can only have one purpose – to scare people. Do you see that dark skinned man with the fez Twittering there in the corner – I wonder what he’s up to…
What’s really disturbing is that the report makes a direct connection between religious groups and terrorism. Further, it bunches together all sorts of groups that might challenge conventional, government approved ideologies. It is an attempt to instill fear in anyone who might challenge the status-quo, who might be labeled as having extremist ideologies and perspectives (a hugely undefined category – the government can make it out to be whatever it chooses).
By definition we, as Christians, hold extremist views. The Gospel is not about the status-quo. It challenges us personally and as a society, and in its totality it demands justice. We cannot close our eyes to the sins of the world and act apart from the world. We must meet every sin, personal and societal, with a demand for repentance and reform.
I wonder — if someone is in a religious community that is vegetarian and supports human rights — will they be the first to be interred?
Maybe, just to be funny, we should all vote for one of those nondescript parties at the bottom of the ballot. Would that officially label us as extremists? In New York our choices include the Socialist Workers Party and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
the PNCC will be huge!
Like it or not, we’ve all been to church at least once before for the free stuff. For me, it was free Chick-fil-a that started my journey of faith. So what freebie would be most likely to get you going to a church?
Holding the number one spot, ever since free fish and bread (and later, blood and body) in the first century, it’s free food. Everyone loves free food, so your church ought to be dishing it out…