Angry Jed

Canada's Tar Sands A Sticky Situation

2009-11-24T08:12:00.003-05:00

Tar sands? Seriously? Didn't the Nazi's tried to get oil this way at the end of WWII? Don't you have to put much more energy in than you get out in the end? Ahh, what do the fat cats care? Go ahead dig it up, pollute the shit out of the local rivers - WE NEED OIL Damn IT! I wonder if the 'haves' would still be saying stuff like that if oil sands were in their back yard.

In the meantime, there is a shitload of natural gas that we fail to utilize to its fullest extent. Hell, we are finding more natural gas all the time - why don't we use that?

Clean Coal Is Dirty Business

2009-11-20T08:52:00.004-05:00

You hear alot about clean coal, especially during election time. But what the hell is clean coal? I will tell you - it's a myth. There is no such thing as clean coal, just like there is no healthy cigarette. And for me it is not about the 'save the Earth' bullshit, it is about the humans. Like I've said before, the Earth does not give a shit, the planet is fine, but we are screwed! This stuff is toxic and with all the hoopla over the health care debate and rising costs, think about what these smokestack are really pumping into your lungs.

Asthma is an epidemic in the US, Autism is rampant and don't get me started on certain types of cancer. And it is obvious when you notice these trends peak near coal plants, including in my own backyard, that coal is a killer.

But it is ohh so cheap and there is soooo much of it...too bad for us that cheap and plentiful are two tenets that keeps capitalism going.

Is Goldman Sachs Giving Back After Taking So Much?

2009-11-19T08:52:00.003-05:00

So after Golman Sachs has made headlines the last few years for all the wrong reasons, it seems that the investment giant will attempt to give back. As they should! I was waiting to see if any of these robber barons were going to give something back after taking billions in bailout money.

So now they say sorry for the financial mess, and now that they have paid the money back thanks to our screwy stock market, they are going to throw us a bone. So if you have a small business, get in line because the investment firm is ready to dole out about $200 million to help the little guy. Well....we shall see...

Well, I just came back from their website, looks like most of us don't make the cut with these bullshit criteria:

Selection criteria for owners of small- and medium-sized businesses will be based on criteria of comparable successful programs and tailored to the specific community in which the 10,000 Small Businesses program operates. Broad characteristics of business owners targeted include, but are not limited to:

• Business revenues between $150,000 and $4M in most recent fiscal year
• At least four full-time employees
• Business operations for at least two years
• Business model that could scale to create more jobs
• Predominantly in underserved markets

Are they serious? If your business makes $4 Million I think you are doing alot better than someone trying to run a child daycare, lawnservice, or even a struggling freelance writer. Sorry to get hopes up, but it sounds like the fat cats at Goldman Sachs consider our small businesses, too small to bother with.

Credit Cards Still Have You In Their Back Pockets

2009-11-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

So you think the Credit Card companies are changing their tune after Congress passed the CARD Act? Think again! The CARD Act may help a little bit, but in the end Credit Card companies will be up to many of the same old shenanigans. Watch this video and wonder how we let billion-dollar corporations charge us rates that go beyond the traditional definition of usery:

So, did Congress forget to fix these issues, or did they just ignore them? Funny how I have not heard much about the Credit Card/Bank lobby on this one but you and I both know that games were played behind the scenes.

It is nearly as transparent as the Health Insurance lobby lining the pockets of the Republicans. Except there is no Joe Liberman in this story for the 'ah ha' moment. (for those not keeping score - Liberman went against his own words and sided with the Insurance lobby in the Health Care debate recently. He represents Connecticut, the Insurance capital of the US - Ahh Ha!)

Faceless Lady On Today Show Ruins My Breakfast!

2009-11-16T08:22:00.002-05:00

Ok, I understand that the lady that lost her face to a chimpanzee attack is a very powerful human interest story. What I don't understand, and what has got my stomach in knots this morning is that NBC's Today Show feels the need to an interview with her while most of us are eating breakfast. It is a very disturbing image and while I truly do feel for her plight (yes, I actually do have feelings) this kind of this would be better as a special held maybe at primetime. It's not an image you can shake easily and they have been playing clips ALL MORNING LONG.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The story is compelling but it certaily is not 'Must See TV', especially around the breakfast table.

Oh on another topic: This is GREEN WEEK for NBC, so make sure you follow suit: Don't change a thing, shut off two lights and go and buy thousands of dollars of carbon credits so you can be comfortable being wrapped in your own smugness.

Airport Scuffle Shows Mike Tyson Has Still Got It

2009-11-13T08:10:00.004-05:00

I gained a new level of respect for Mike Tyson after his hilarious role in The Hangover last summer. And his recent punching out of a paparazzo shows that he wasn't really acting in that movie - he was just being Mike Tyson. So once again Iron Mike is carted away by police.

And now the Irony: Mike Tyson punched out a photographer in the airport, he gets arrested and driven away in a cruiser. As he drives away, dozens if not hundreds of cameras go clicking away...

Ahh Mike, why do I feel your post-boxing career will be just as entertaining?

Cologne's Carnival Brings Back Fond Memories

2009-11-12T07:27:00.002-05:00

After seeing this, I really didn't want to write a post complaining about something wrong with the world. This video of the city of Cologne takes me back to my drunken teenage traveling days. This is carnival time in Europe and in Cologne(Koln)it is called Fasching. As a 19-year old I stepped out one morning from the main train station, next to the Cologne Cathedral and found myself surrounded by drinking, food, costumes, games and one hell of a parade.

I've never seen a parade where they hand out full sized Milka chocolate bars. Later, when I had my fill of chocolate and wurst, a friend took me to a local bar where they drink Kolsch, a light colored beer served in tall thin glasses. What a great time, not a memory I think of often but certainly a fond one...

MIT Will Make Your Car "Wicked Smart"

2009-11-11T07:46:00.003-05:00

Soon, if the nerds at MIT have something to do with it, your car will have the equivalent of an R2 unit, mounted in the dashboard, In fact I predict that within the first year of production, someone will come up with a Star Wars package so you could have R2-D2 giving you advice.

I am really hoping that they find a way to make it be able to have autopilot, just think how that would reduce drinking and driving. Now drunks could stumble into the front seat, the robot detects your blood/alcohol level and then proceeds to turn on autopilot - which is preset to only drive you HOME!

Is This The Droid Your Are Looking For?

2009-11-05T07:53:00.002-05:00

So, is the hype surrounding the Motorola Droid just that? Or does the Droid really give the Apple iPhone a run for its money. Well, in my opinion anything that says it's an 'iPhone killer' cannot be. Motorola and Verizon would not have to yell so loudly if it really did: the phone would speak for itself.

But don't listen to me, watch the video and find out what the so-called experts say:

I'll stick with my Blackberry thank you very much.

About Saudi Arabia's Chop-Chop Square

2009-11-04T09:10:00.002-05:00

Here is a Dutch perspective on the West's hypocrisy when it comes to human rights and countries where we get our oil. A country that still beheads people on a regular basis, Saudi Arabia, will become a member of the UN Human Rights Committee in 2012. Meanwhile a female, Muslim journalist narrowly avoided a punishment of 60 lashes.

So one of our most 'valuable allies' in the region is allowed to rule their country like private property, jail, torture and behead people at their whims and yet we, the US and NATO have the balls to call out other nations, like Saddam's Iraq for doing similar things.

You wonder why the Muslim world calls us the Great Satan?

(yes, I know I've said this before)

Farmer Joel Getting Back To Basics

2009-10-19T09:17:00.003-04:00

Finally someone supporting traditional raising of food that does not drive an Escalade or a Holier-than-thou. This guy is a farmer and what he says makes sense - especially when he explains why this kind of food does cost more. I generally don't buy organic due to price and also the fact that I don't know what exactly "organic" in this sense means. It is also something Farmer Joel talks about - the government owns the term Organic.

People who really care about this stuff don't make a big fuss about it. They don't espouse their beliefs to whoever is around them at Whole Foods or the local Farmer's Market. They just buy the food they like and shut up. That's why I like shopping in Europe: I can either go to the supermarket or I have the option of shopping old school by going from shop to shop, paying a little more but getting much better quality.

Nerds and Shut-ins Gather For Rubik's Cube Battle

2009-10-12T09:48:00.002-04:00

Well maybe I'm just jealous, but look at how fast these geeks can finish a cube. It makes me think, why now? Is the Rubik's cube popular with today's kids? I think I finished a Rubik's cube once or twice in my life, and one time I cheated by peeling the colored stickers off. Although it was not my favorite, I guess it goes to show that a great toy never dies. Remember all the cheap Rubik's clones of the 1980's?

Amsterdam Coffeeshops: Rokerij

2009-10-06T11:29:00.001-04:00

Even with recent government crackdowns on cannabis coffeeshops, there are still dozens, even perhaps hundreds of places to burn while in Amsterdam. However, where do you go, which one do you make ‘your place’ and which ones are the coolest to chill in as you contemplate swirling smoke? Well these days it seems that the coffeeshop scene in Amsterdam is being taken over by brand names: Barneys, Bulldog, De Dampkring, Greenhouse, and the subject of this story: the Rokerij chain of coffeeshops.

The brand name shops are certainly a mixed blessing, but what commercialism has brought besides tacky T-shirts and souvenirs is consistency in the product, better service and some incredible places to smoke. When I’m in Amsterdam, I always frequent the Rokerij shops for quality weed and some of the trippiest places to smoke in the city.

The Rokerij started off as a single coffeeshop off of the Leidseplein in 1996 and has since then added three more. All of them are a little bit different in shape and size, but all offer the same quality Rokerij menu. No matter which of the four you frequent, you may find yourself spending hours in the dimly-lit spaces watching the world go by.

Shop number one is still the largest, and provides a dark and mysterious place to chill, away from the hustle of the Leidseplein. This shop has a Hindu/Buddhist/Nepali theme, sort of like a Silk-Road caravan stop meets the bar scene from Star Wars. Trippy lights, exotic motifs and all sorts of places for you to people watch. The original Rokerij is the only shop that is allowed to serve beer.

If you are located closer to Centraal Station, Rokerij shop number two is located close by, right on Singel canal. This coffeeshop has a different feel, self-described on their website as “Picasso goes to Africa” as you sit on small stools among Moroccan-style tables. This is a great place for a wake-n-bake as the morning sun shines right inside the glassed-in porch.

Rokerij shop number three is the most recent addition, joining in 2005. This is a fun and lively shop adorned with Hindu and Buddhist statues, blue glazed tiles and throw pillows to sit on. Shop number three is located in the Jordaan close to the Prinsengracht canal and not too far from the Anne Frank House.

Shop number four was the third Rokerij shop, opened in 1999 and is located near the Muntplein. This shop has a medieval church theme, complete with gothic arches and rosette window painted behind the bar. Although it is pretty small inside, it makes for a great nighttime smoke, before or after visiting the nearby Rembrandtsplein. Hope you don’t have vertigo, to get to the bud counter is a pretty steep decent into what they call the “bowels of hell” – if you have been in Holland before you will understand.

What I like most is that there are several to choose from, depending upon your mood, or location. The products they sell may not be the absolute best in town, but their prices and potency of their weed and hash are competitive and consistent.
In the end, sometimes you just want to have a bit of an exotic feel to your smoking, a bit of mystery. Well, whatever one you choose, the Rokerij coffeeshops provide what many of us visitors to Amsterdam coffeeshops are seeking.

What Happens In Macau, Stays In Macau

2009-09-29T08:46:00.004-04:00

Looks like US casino operators are hedging their bets by putting money down in Macau. The Chinese gambling center is no secret to the international jet-set, but the buffet baffoons wearing sock with sandals in 'sin-city' probably never heard of it. With Vegas slowly coming back to where it was, Macau is flying high right now, catering to what must be a higher class of gamer. Which just goes to show you that recessions do not touch the rich.

Vegas is down because it caters to the convention and blue-collar slob crowd these days - the first two groups that would cancel at the drop of a hat. Macau, Monte Carlo? They still know where the real money is - with the Whales. These high-rollers are not swayed by foot-long hotdogs or the world's biggest margarita...

European Milk Party

2009-09-21T08:52:00.005-04:00

Although I am all for the plight of farmers - since all but the largest agri-businesses get screwed. However I saw plenty of poor people sitting at train stations and in the streets last time I was in Europe. And so I wonder if the farmers thought of that as they dump all this milk - which could have helped some starving people.

Would it be any less of a protest if they handed the milk out for free to those who needed it? Never believe that there are food shortages - we make enough food for everyone, it is the business end of things that make people go hungry. The haves (like me) have more than enough in our supermarkets and the have-nots struggle while others profit. Once again humanity cutting off its nose, to spite its face...

Rec Fishing The New Big Game Hunt Of Africa

2009-09-09T06:57:00.002-04:00

On the surface this seems like a good idea: game fish tourism is a good way for local people to retain a hold on their local resources and keep the money in the community. However, as the film shows already western money is starting to come down and soon enough they will push down the local charter captains and make the place into Cabo San Lucas.

I also wonder how long will these water remain 'pristine'. What they are not showing is right off this coast huge factory trawlers from Europe and Asia are sucking the grounds dry with ships that never leave. These small African countries cannot and do not enforce their fishing territory - which is the reason for canned tuna still being cheap. Next time you are in the fish market and you wonder how Mahi-Mahi can be so cheap, look on the label and notice where it was caught...

North Korea Shows America's Hypocrisy

2009-09-04T09:12:00.002-04:00

Just think, Iraq didn't even need WMD's to get invaded. We just had to THINK they were stockpiling them. Oil-less North Korea flaunts the fact that they are weaponizing uranium and what have we done? And still the yahoo's out there are holding signs at town meetings calling Obama the next Hitler. How many countries has he invaded? Last I checked Bush invaded 2, but stopped at the one country that could actually fight back...

You see America? Do you see the hypocrisy inherent in our foreign policy? This is why much of the world no longer trusts us. You can't even really pin it on one particular president either: Right or Left they have all followed the pattern. However it is the legacy of the Bush administration that this double standard is not blatantly obvious. We invaded two 3rd world countries under his watch in the supposed name of safety: one has oil, the other has poppies, and bin Laden is still on the loose. Meanwhile North Korea has taken the opportunity to live up to the hype by making nukes and testing missiles, it has a crazy dictator that is destabilizing the region - but why do we act like pussies in this situation?

Easy answer: a tough fight with a worthy opponent, with huge casualty rates is apparently not worth it because there is no profit to gain: No oil, no heroin.

So tell me again all you flag-wavers out there how America fights for freedom?

Mao Pandas Own The Means Of Production!

2009-08-24T08:44:00.002-04:00

Watch this video and explain to me how China can still claim that they are communist. This is 'feel-good' capitalism story if I ever heard one. And you know what, I have to say good for them - while plenty of China's educated youth are stuggling with low employment, this is a gimmick that just may work.

I just wonder what the Chairman would say about those cuddly Pandas in the military uniforms...

Yet Another World's Biggest Food Product

2009-08-17T10:04:00.004-04:00

I consider myself a foodie, among other things, and so I am never that impressed with these world's biggest (insert food here). This time it's a big friggin' cupcake, remind me why should I be impressed? Does it really take that much skill to throw some frosting on a big pile of cake? Why don't we ever hear how these world's biggest foods taste?

I would be much more impressed with the World's Most Delicious title, but then again that would be impossible - You can't get enough people to agree on something like that without paying them.

But the fact that the public is still impressed with 'big' food just shows how far we have come...

"Wow...thaaat's a biiig...cupcake!"

Dumbasses!

Gaza Fishermen Feel Sting Of Israeli Bulletts

2009-08-14T07:28:00.003-04:00

Fishermen feed the world, facing the greatest dangers with the least help. And now we are hearing the stories of the fishermen of Gaza, who are blockaded within a three-mile zone by the Israeli navy. Their meager catches are barely enough to feed their crews, let alone their families. Profit? Not in these inshore waters.

About twelve miles out there are fish, but as they approach mile three, here come the bullets from the warships. These are not terrorists, members of hamas or hizbollah, they are simple fishermen and they are treated just like the rest of the regular Palestinian people: like they are inhuman.

Gee, I wonder where these Jewish leaders got the idea of making your enemy seem like insects to your public?

Considering the genetic makeup of these populations (ie: they are genetically similar), don't these actions make the state of seem Israel anti-Semitic?

And The Lord Sayeth: "Thou Shalt Dig HERE!"

2009-08-13T07:32:00.005-04:00

Pardon me if I'm not rooting for Zion Oil to find the holy oil under the Holy Land. That is really not going to help the situation at all. Like Israel is not rich already, now they will be self-sufficient with oil and no need for their Billion-dollar allowance from he US (where are no tax people for that one?).

If Israel gets oil, do you think they will listen to US policy? They hardly do that now and they are considered our closest ally. With self-sufficiency I see nothing stopping them from bulldozing the Palestinians into the Jordan. And then they will finally have what they really need: water - nobody ever talks about the water issue.

Hilliary Clinton: The Bitch is Back!

2009-08-11T07:22:00.003-04:00

Wow, that must be some sort of 'jet lag'. It's either that or the true face of Hilliary Clinton reared its ugly head. Now I got nothing against her, in fact this episode of 'bitch on wheels' just solidifies my belief that she is perfect for the job. I just feel bad for Bubba - that's what HE gets to go home to....

And people wonder why he got a BJ from Monica - I don't think Hilliary is into that sort of thing, even with history making budget surpluses.

Opium Addiction A Reality In Taliban-Free Afghanistan

2009-08-10T07:40:00.002-04:00

Readers will already know how I feel about the drug situation in Afghanistan. And although getting rid of the Taliban is a noble effort, it does shed light into the double standard the west has for the 'place where armies come to die'.

There is no denying that opium production and use is dramatically lower in Taliban held territories, they reached all-time lows when the fanatical sect ruled the whole country. Considering they won't even let women doctors out of the house, I am not a Taliban supporter. But to think that the Western forces are there to eradicate the opium poppies, you have drank the government Kool-aid.

The US government, be it Bush or Obama has plied the same old rhetoric that the Taliban held off production to raise the price of heroin on the open market. Bullshit - heroin was still very cheap here in the US when the Taliban were burning the poppy fields and the reason the drug is so compelling and hard to beat is the cheapness of it. Even the lowest scumbag can usually afford a fix.

So would you have seen the family in this picture if the Taliban still ruled their area? No, they would be put to death - which is horrible, but instead they become poster-children for the West and its loosing struggle called the war on drugs. None of this activity or the trillions spent on the war will change the fact that the world loves drugs.

Britain: Oops! We Didn't Know It Was Trash...

2009-08-06T18:00:00.003-04:00

So Brazil thinks its too good for Britain's trash huh? Well, good for the Brazilian government to send back the garbage, mislabeled recycle able plastic to the former ruler of the world.

It highlights a larger problem in that the developed countries still treat the 2nd and 3rd world as colonies to exploit and pollute. Did you ever wonder how they recycle all those old computers? Well let's just say it ain't exactly 'green'. And while the Environmental nuts keep a firm grip on our restricted fishing grounds, we as Americans have no problem buying cheap fish at the market that has been factory-trawled off the coast of Africa or South America. Once again a case of NIMBY.

Oh on a completely different topic: How about those cranks yelling at the town meetings? Remind anyone of the tactics of the early Bolsheviks?
Your thoughts...

Mom Kills, Partially Eats, Infant

2009-07-28T06:49:00.003-04:00

Gross, just crazy and gross. And I love when after all this gruesome stuff come to light 'friends' say she had a history of mental illness. It's not like there is a shortage of people in the world and with the fact that we constantly go against nature's Darwinist tendencies - we are passing down plenty of bad genes. Why do we let these people reproduce?

Back in the hunter-gatherer days people of this mindset were banished or killed, they didn't get to multiply and spread their bad wiring. Gee do you think our view of all life being precious may have something to do with rampant autism, food allergies, and crazy mental illness?

You combine these poorly-built people with our mass consumerist/shock and awe culture and you got people acting on their crazy thoughts. "The devil made me do it" - well if you are going to use a medieval answer we should give her a medieval punishment: burn her at the stake!