Here in Nottingham, there is a restaurant called Annie'e Burger Shack, which serves American-themed burgers. During Pre-Access, my friends and I wanted to go there but it had a month-long waiting list; in Access, we still didn't go but finally, this past June, my Access friends and I went there for a reunion.
A few months later, I took one of my uncles there and then yesterday, I went to Annie's Burger Shack with my girlfriend and her mother. After two years of being unable or not going to Annie's, I've now been there three times in under five months.
Annie's is notable for being one of the best burger restaurants in Nottingham; I've yet to meet somebody who hasn't enjoyed the burgers there.
Showing posts with label United States. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United States. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Sunday, 12 November 2017
The tweeting leader
It wasn't so long ago when the American president didn't make reference to childish insults when discussing a fellow world leader:
Granted, a North Korean government department called him "old" but if the current president weren't so thin-skinned, he wouldn't have resorted to the tweet he wrote in the aforementioned article.
On the bright side, in that same tweet, he mentioned that he would like to be a "friend" of the North Korean leader. That would be a good thing, if it were to happen.
Granted, a North Korean government department called him "old" but if the current president weren't so thin-skinned, he wouldn't have resorted to the tweet he wrote in the aforementioned article.
On the bright side, in that same tweet, he mentioned that he would like to be a "friend" of the North Korean leader. That would be a good thing, if it were to happen.
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
United States 2017 elections
Yesterday, the United States held its 2017 intake of off-year elections. This included various mayoral elections, such as those in Los Angeles and New York City, but more notably featured the gubernatorial races of New Jersey and Virginia.
New Jersey's election result - a Democratic heavy victory - wasn't a surprise. The outgoing, term-limited Republican governor is deeply unpopular and New Jersey is a blue state; the Democratic candidate was expected to win unless they were to take it upon themselves to openly sabotage their own campaign.
The more interesting result was in Virginia. The Democrats took that governor's seat from the Republicans in 2013 and since 2008, the state has voted for Democrats at the presidential level. In the elections yesterday, the Democrats not only held the governor's mansion by a convincing margin but also picked up swathes of seats in the state's legislature. It's an astounding result for a state that was red not so long ago.
New Jersey's election result - a Democratic heavy victory - wasn't a surprise. The outgoing, term-limited Republican governor is deeply unpopular and New Jersey is a blue state; the Democratic candidate was expected to win unless they were to take it upon themselves to openly sabotage their own campaign.
The more interesting result was in Virginia. The Democrats took that governor's seat from the Republicans in 2013 and since 2008, the state has voted for Democrats at the presidential level. In the elections yesterday, the Democrats not only held the governor's mansion by a convincing margin but also picked up swathes of seats in the state's legislature. It's an astounding result for a state that was red not so long ago.
Monday, 9 October 2017
More vindictiveness - and environmental damage
The current administration in charge of the United States is continuing its unhealthy obsession of undoing everything the previous administration achieved:
How vindictive. And bad for the planet. The current president and his party have long talked about this mythical "war on coal", so rolling back these environmental protections is part of that as well as getting revenge on the previous administration.
We all share this one planet, despite what they think. The damage done to it affects us all.
How vindictive. And bad for the planet. The current president and his party have long talked about this mythical "war on coal", so rolling back these environmental protections is part of that as well as getting revenge on the previous administration.
We all share this one planet, despite what they think. The damage done to it affects us all.
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Puerto Rico and Hurricane Maria
Puerto Rico has been devastated by Hurricane Maria; there are multiple deaths and massive damage has been done to the island and its infrastructure. The damage alone would be difficult enough to recover from but Puerto Rico is both not an American state (it's a territory) and is deeply in debt to Wall Street; as such, recovery will be deeply painful.
So! What does the current President of the United States do? Oh, only made his usual nonconstructive remarks:
Rather than guaranteeing Puerto Rico aid, he has instead used the "could have been worse" argument with regards to the death toll, as his administration has received criticism for its sluggishness in sending aid. Granted, Puerto Rico has not received the same amount of death has other places have done but making comparisons trivializes those who have died.
Puerto Rico has a long road to recovery ahead of it. Perhaps those who hold its debt could provide it with some relief, such as by writing it off or at least putting lengthy extensions on the repayment plans. Changing the legal status of the island would help, too, but in the short term, it needs help rebuilding.
So! What does the current President of the United States do? Oh, only made his usual nonconstructive remarks:
Rather than guaranteeing Puerto Rico aid, he has instead used the "could have been worse" argument with regards to the death toll, as his administration has received criticism for its sluggishness in sending aid. Granted, Puerto Rico has not received the same amount of death has other places have done but making comparisons trivializes those who have died.
Puerto Rico has a long road to recovery ahead of it. Perhaps those who hold its debt could provide it with some relief, such as by writing it off or at least putting lengthy extensions on the repayment plans. Changing the legal status of the island would help, too, but in the short term, it needs help rebuilding.
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Bernie and Hillary supporters
The presidential primaries that the Democrats in the United States held last year ended well over a year ago. Yet, despite this, hardcore and/or bitter supporters of both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders still insist on arguing about the final result of the election.
"Bernie would have won, Hillary cheated!" the hardcore Bernie supporters yell
"Bernie shouldn't have run, he made Hillary lose!" the Hillary supporters shout back.
This continued back and forth, while being spouted by a minority on either side, achieves nothing. Continuing to divide the Democratic Party as they are doing will only serve to give the current president another term in office in 2020. That must not be allowed to happen. Re-living the 2016 Democratic primaries over and over again is destructive.
"Bernie would have won, Hillary cheated!" the hardcore Bernie supporters yell
"Bernie shouldn't have run, he made Hillary lose!" the Hillary supporters shout back.
This continued back and forth, while being spouted by a minority on either side, achieves nothing. Continuing to divide the Democratic Party as they are doing will only serve to give the current president another term in office in 2020. That must not be allowed to happen. Re-living the 2016 Democratic primaries over and over again is destructive.
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Mexican aid
Mexico has withdrawn its offer of help to the United States for the latter country's recovery from the ongoing hurricanes and storms:
Why has Mexico done this? The largest reason is because a massive earthquake has hit that country and it needs to focus on sorting out damage within its own borders. The other reason is because the current President of the United States not only failed to accept aid from Mexico but also failed to send condolences to them for when the earthquake hit.
Why has Mexico done this? The largest reason is because a massive earthquake has hit that country and it needs to focus on sorting out damage within its own borders. The other reason is because the current President of the United States not only failed to accept aid from Mexico but also failed to send condolences to them for when the earthquake hit.
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Transgenders in the military
He's at it again, now going after trans-people who serve in the United States military:
Oh, what can I say - those of us who were paying attention knew that the current president isn't pro-LGBT and it's doubtful that many of his supporters would have backed him for his pro-LGBT stances. The excuse for barring transgender people - that they cost too much - is utter nonsense; scaling back involvement in conflicts abroad would reduce the military budget far more than kicking out transgender people.
If any of the people cheering this ban were to find themselves in the position of needing help from a member of the military, they'd still take the help even if said member were transgender.
Oh, what can I say - those of us who were paying attention knew that the current president isn't pro-LGBT and it's doubtful that many of his supporters would have backed him for his pro-LGBT stances. The excuse for barring transgender people - that they cost too much - is utter nonsense; scaling back involvement in conflicts abroad would reduce the military budget far more than kicking out transgender people.
If any of the people cheering this ban were to find themselves in the position of needing help from a member of the military, they'd still take the help even if said member were transgender.
Sunday, 9 July 2017
"Star Trek Generations" - a Jack in the Box commercial
I was recently made aware of the existence of this:
Star Trek Generations is my favourite Star Trek film and Jack in the Box was one of the few fast food places we visited on several occasions while in the US, besides Wendy's and a couple of others. I wasn't expecting to see a ST:Generations/JitB mix as seen here!
Star Trek Generations is my favourite Star Trek film and Jack in the Box was one of the few fast food places we visited on several occasions while in the US, besides Wendy's and a couple of others. I wasn't expecting to see a ST:Generations/JitB mix as seen here!
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
US Independence Day 2017
In the past, I've written a small post on this day to commemorate the United States' Independence Day. To be honest, this year it's hard to celebrate the day seriously when the current president and those around him are in the process of restricting freedoms for the everyday person, enriching their corporatist friends and generally making a mockery of the United States itself in the eyes of the world.
Worse yet, supporters of this current administration still don't care about any of this provided that it hurts other people and not them. For them, it's about vindictively undoing everything that President Obama achieved and getting revenge on the people who elected him. The slogan to "Make America Great Again" has always been nothing more than a rallying cry said revenge - it's a shame the president's supporters don't see that or don't care to see it.
Still, Happy Independence Day. May the values that truly make America great make a speedy return to the White House.
Worse yet, supporters of this current administration still don't care about any of this provided that it hurts other people and not them. For them, it's about vindictively undoing everything that President Obama achieved and getting revenge on the people who elected him. The slogan to "Make America Great Again" has always been nothing more than a rallying cry said revenge - it's a shame the president's supporters don't see that or don't care to see it.
Still, Happy Independence Day. May the values that truly make America great make a speedy return to the White House.
Wednesday, 28 June 2017
Global opinion of the United States, June 2017
Unsurprisingly, the world as a whole has zero confidence in the current President of the United States compared to his predecessor and positive world opinion of America has been shattered by him, his behavior and his policies:
The question is, though, do his supporters even care that the goodwill the US generated towards itself under President Obama has evaporated? Probably not.
The question is, though, do his supporters even care that the goodwill the US generated towards itself under President Obama has evaporated? Probably not.
Friday, 16 June 2017
What decade is he living in?
So, the current President of the United States has now begun work to dismantle President Obama's work in making Cuba a friend:
One of his quotes when announcing this rollback was, ""We will not be silenced in the face of communist oppression any longer". Er...what communist oppression has ever silenced the United States? This reckless, illogical action is nothing more than this president continuing to undo the legacy of his predecessor. There is little to suggest why the United States moving towards its former position on Cuba would be a benefit to anyone.
The current president is talking about communism and Cuba as though they are pressing threats. If this were the 1960s, perhaps he'd be right, but it's 2017 and he's talking nonsense.
One of his quotes when announcing this rollback was, ""We will not be silenced in the face of communist oppression any longer". Er...what communist oppression has ever silenced the United States? This reckless, illogical action is nothing more than this president continuing to undo the legacy of his predecessor. There is little to suggest why the United States moving towards its former position on Cuba would be a benefit to anyone.
The current president is talking about communism and Cuba as though they are pressing threats. If this were the 1960s, perhaps he'd be right, but it's 2017 and he's talking nonsense.
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Paris climate agreement redux
So, it happened:
The US President announced that America would indeed be withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. His official reason is that it protects American jobs and workers and prevents the country from becoming a laughingstock but his election made it a laughingstock.
The world - and even Americans in general - does not really care about the protection of coal mining jobs in Kentucky and West Virginia nor about the profits of the president's corporate cronies, which is the real reason he's carried out his "promise" to withdraw. That, and because he wants to undo everything President Obama achieved.
This childish and vindictive administration really needs to be reigned in and removed; unfortunately, while his party controls Congress and lives in its own reality, that's not likely for now. His supporters are still no better, thinking that the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is a victory against "global elites" (it isn't).
The US President announced that America would indeed be withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. His official reason is that it protects American jobs and workers and prevents the country from becoming a laughingstock but his election made it a laughingstock.
The world - and even Americans in general - does not really care about the protection of coal mining jobs in Kentucky and West Virginia nor about the profits of the president's corporate cronies, which is the real reason he's carried out his "promise" to withdraw. That, and because he wants to undo everything President Obama achieved.
This childish and vindictive administration really needs to be reigned in and removed; unfortunately, while his party controls Congress and lives in its own reality, that's not likely for now. His supporters are still no better, thinking that the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is a victory against "global elites" (it isn't).
Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Paris climate agreement
So while the current President of the United States seems set to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement, which is about reducing the world's greenhouse gas emissions and overall pollution, China and the European Union will be issuing a joint statement to stress the importance of the deal:
If the United States were to withdraw, it would only serve to further undermine its credibility, more so coming off the back of the president's disastrous meeting with NATO. Then again, the goal of this president seems to be to undo everything the former president did and to permanently trash the United States' reputation.
If the United States were to withdraw, it would only serve to further undermine its credibility, more so coming off the back of the president's disastrous meeting with NATO. Then again, the goal of this president seems to be to undo everything the former president did and to permanently trash the United States' reputation.
Saturday, 20 May 2017
Hassan Rouhani: Re-elected
Four years ago, Hassan Rouhani won the first round of the Iranian presidential election of that year; as he secured more than 50% of the vote, he won the election outright and no run-off was required. As Iranian presidents have four-year terms, 2017 has been Rouhani's re-election; thankfully, he won:
Not only did Rouhani win re-election but he did so with an increased mandate, with both a larger amount of votes and an increased vote percentage. This is excellent news, as it means that Iranian moderates continue to control the presidency while all the hardline candidates were defeated. It is especially important for people like Rouhani to remain in charge of Iran; given who is currently President of the United States, it would be - unproductive, to say the least - for a loudmouthed and reckless hardliner to lead Iran at this time (or any time, for that matter, but least of all now).
Not only did Rouhani win re-election but he did so with an increased mandate, with both a larger amount of votes and an increased vote percentage. This is excellent news, as it means that Iranian moderates continue to control the presidency while all the hardline candidates were defeated. It is especially important for people like Rouhani to remain in charge of Iran; given who is currently President of the United States, it would be - unproductive, to say the least - for a loudmouthed and reckless hardliner to lead Iran at this time (or any time, for that matter, but least of all now).
Friday, 14 April 2017
Enough of a chance
So, let's look at three BBC headlines in my newsfeed, all related to the SCROTUS:
1. China is worried about a war between North Korea and the United States, which it says could break out at "at any moment".
2. The United States is currently defending its use of a massive bomb on Afghanistan; this weapon is dubbed the "mother of all bombs".
3. The White House will no longer be publicly disclosing visitor logs.
How many more "chances" does this president need before his supporters (besides the alt-right, who apparently turned against him after he bombed Syria) wake up and realize that they've made a horrendous decision by electing this awful man to President of the United States, as well as then start the process of persuading Congress to remove him from office? "Give him a chance" - how many "chances" are enough?
1. China is worried about a war between North Korea and the United States, which it says could break out at "at any moment".
2. The United States is currently defending its use of a massive bomb on Afghanistan; this weapon is dubbed the "mother of all bombs".
3. The White House will no longer be publicly disclosing visitor logs.
How many more "chances" does this president need before his supporters (besides the alt-right, who apparently turned against him after he bombed Syria) wake up and realize that they've made a horrendous decision by electing this awful man to President of the United States, as well as then start the process of persuading Congress to remove him from office? "Give him a chance" - how many "chances" are enough?
Friday, 7 April 2017
Another mess in the Middle East
After campaigning against Hillary Clinton and whining that she would bomb more Middle Eastern countries, the current President of the United States has...bombed a Middle Eastern country - Syria. By his standards, he is now the warmonger he accused of her being. Bear in mind that just a few days ago, his administration was saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was no longer a priority to "force him out of power" and now they're warmongering.
Perhaps the only change in perspective that was faster was the alt-right's support of the president:
Turns out, a lot of them actually are against US military intervention in other countries. As such, alt-rights have turned against the president, calling him a warmonger and a "neo-con shill". Given that he has broken all other promises he made, it's interesting they chose this one to finally turn against him.
Perhaps the only change in perspective that was faster was the alt-right's support of the president:
Turns out, a lot of them actually are against US military intervention in other countries. As such, alt-rights have turned against the president, calling him a warmonger and a "neo-con shill". Given that he has broken all other promises he made, it's interesting they chose this one to finally turn against him.
Thursday, 30 March 2017
"Hey, Soul Sister" - Train
A popular song from my family's final months in the United States:
It's "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train and comes from Save Me, San Francisco, the band's fifth studio album. This song played a lot on US radio from its release in August 2009 until my family left in June 2010. As a result, "Hey, Soul Sister" is a song I associate with us moving out of the United States.
I last wrote an article involving Train here.
It's "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train and comes from Save Me, San Francisco, the band's fifth studio album. This song played a lot on US radio from its release in August 2009 until my family left in June 2010. As a result, "Hey, Soul Sister" is a song I associate with us moving out of the United States.
I last wrote an article involving Train here.
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Article 50 activated
It's official: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has activated Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and the 2-year countdown to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union has begun. I'm still very much against leaving and for the following reasons:
1. The referendum was an advisory and non-legally binding poll; despite this and the narrow margin of victory (52% Leave to 48% Remain), it is being used an an excuse undertake a "hard Brexit" and some Leave supporters want to use it to pull the UK out of non-EU European organisations, such as the European Court of Human Rights.
2. The Leave campaign lied on key promises. For example, when it said the £350 million the UK sends to the EU each week could be spent on the National Health Service instead, this promise was redacted merely a few hours after Leave had won the vote.
3. Thanks to Nigel Farage, the former and now-disgraced leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, the referendum last year became a vote on immigration rather than a genuine debate about the EU. Instead of discussing pros of the EU (redevelopment projects, education funds, equality laws) versus cons (too much power to corporations, more elections needed for the EU government), Farage poisoned the well with his anti-immigrant rhetoric and stirred up the far-right (which, down the line, helped cause the election result in the United States late last year).
4. Similar to #1, the 48% who voted Remain are having their views ignored completely, as are the Brexiters who voted against the EU for reasons that had nothing to do with the far-right. The latter didn't vote for Brexit for a far-right, non-EU UK to emerge.
5. The Leave campaign never had a plan in place in the event Leave won. Flying by the seat of the pants is hardly a sound policy when extracting a country from 40+ years of integration in an international orgnaisation.
But hey, what do I know? My side lost and the current consensus in Western democracies seems to be that if your side loses, you have to "get over it" and cease all debate (unless, of course, the losing side is the alt-right/far-right, who seem to be allowed to continue their protests even if their policies are soundly rejected).
1. The referendum was an advisory and non-legally binding poll; despite this and the narrow margin of victory (52% Leave to 48% Remain), it is being used an an excuse undertake a "hard Brexit" and some Leave supporters want to use it to pull the UK out of non-EU European organisations, such as the European Court of Human Rights.
2. The Leave campaign lied on key promises. For example, when it said the £350 million the UK sends to the EU each week could be spent on the National Health Service instead, this promise was redacted merely a few hours after Leave had won the vote.
3. Thanks to Nigel Farage, the former and now-disgraced leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, the referendum last year became a vote on immigration rather than a genuine debate about the EU. Instead of discussing pros of the EU (redevelopment projects, education funds, equality laws) versus cons (too much power to corporations, more elections needed for the EU government), Farage poisoned the well with his anti-immigrant rhetoric and stirred up the far-right (which, down the line, helped cause the election result in the United States late last year).
4. Similar to #1, the 48% who voted Remain are having their views ignored completely, as are the Brexiters who voted against the EU for reasons that had nothing to do with the far-right. The latter didn't vote for Brexit for a far-right, non-EU UK to emerge.
5. The Leave campaign never had a plan in place in the event Leave won. Flying by the seat of the pants is hardly a sound policy when extracting a country from 40+ years of integration in an international orgnaisation.
But hey, what do I know? My side lost and the current consensus in Western democracies seems to be that if your side loses, you have to "get over it" and cease all debate (unless, of course, the losing side is the alt-right/far-right, who seem to be allowed to continue their protests even if their policies are soundly rejected).
Friday, 10 March 2017
Oh, knock it off
More absurdity:
As well as the poll spouting some nonsense that the approval ratings of the current President of the United States are somehow in good shape despite clearly being unsuitable for the position, the poll also notes 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's approval rating.
My question is this: Why is Hillary Clinton being treated as though she's still running for president? Supporters of the current president demand that everyone who opposed him "move on" from the election yet they enjoy attacking Clinton at any given opportunity and using her as a deflection for the atrocious policies of the president. This poll that tracks her approval rating makes no sense: She's not running for president; she's a private citizen again. Senator John McCain and former Governor Mitt Romney - President Barack Obama's two Republican opponents - never had this after they lost. Once they were defeated, no one cared about them.
Oh, never mind - I know the reason why Clinton is receiving this negative treatment...it's because she's a woman. She's a woman who ran against the patriarchal system and as a result, she received frequent reminders of her defeat and supposed unpopularity. Misogynists will try to deny this but since McCain and Romney weren't given any similar post-election humiliation...yeah, it's misogyny at fault here.
As well as the poll spouting some nonsense that the approval ratings of the current President of the United States are somehow in good shape despite clearly being unsuitable for the position, the poll also notes 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's approval rating.
My question is this: Why is Hillary Clinton being treated as though she's still running for president? Supporters of the current president demand that everyone who opposed him "move on" from the election yet they enjoy attacking Clinton at any given opportunity and using her as a deflection for the atrocious policies of the president. This poll that tracks her approval rating makes no sense: She's not running for president; she's a private citizen again. Senator John McCain and former Governor Mitt Romney - President Barack Obama's two Republican opponents - never had this after they lost. Once they were defeated, no one cared about them.
Oh, never mind - I know the reason why Clinton is receiving this negative treatment...it's because she's a woman. She's a woman who ran against the patriarchal system and as a result, she received frequent reminders of her defeat and supposed unpopularity. Misogynists will try to deny this but since McCain and Romney weren't given any similar post-election humiliation...yeah, it's misogyny at fault here.
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