Support Gun Control

HMAs

It continues to befuddle me how people go through the painful and convoluted process to buy a home (and usually a damn expensive one at that) and yet sign away any semblance of freedom by putting their name on the contract of some ridiculous "Homeowners Association". Agreeing that another group of people will tell you what kind of plants you are allowed to put in your yard, if you can fly Old Glory, when you have to turn your lights off, the precise color you are allowed to paint your house, and whether or not you are permitted to have a motorcycle, vegetable garden, or a pickup truck. WTF happened to the United States, a historically individualistic society, signing away your life to live in a commune? What happened to the 'American Dream'? The horror stories are numerous, here's the latest I'm aware of:

LINK

Only one of many. I've seen million-dollar houses in these "gated communities" where they even specified when trees will be trimmed. Do these people not realize that they could buy a couple acres of land, have a house built on it, and be free to do as they damn well please with it? I invite any who can enlighten me as to the benefit of joining a 'homeowner's association' vs. keeping your testicles to drop me a line at Soulend@gmail.com.

Why not just rent a house if you want people micromanaging you? To me, if you're dumb enough to sign on to this crap you deserve whatever idiocy follows because you agreed to be a sheep. Have fun, komrad!

Return from Makin Island

Nice video on the return of 19 Marine Raiders killed on Makin Island (now Butaritari) for burial in Arlington. The villagers took good care of them, and it is moving that how the only English the elder knew was the 'Marine Song' taught to him in 1942 as a teenager. He still remembered it, and he sang it for them when these Marines left for home in caskets over half a century later.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6f_FvZpm3g


On Memorial Day here in the United States, it is proper to think of and honor men like these, their ultimate sacrifice, and the impact they made. The real deal. It isn't just a day off and an excuse to fire up the grill. Always remember those fallen warriors who safeguarded the freedoms we enjoy today, from every service and from every walk of life.

Though a little early, I wish everyone a happy Memorial Day.

Wm. Penn Panetela - disgusting!

I've reneged on my promise to keep reviewing cigars on here. Though I have smoked some real beauties and continue to age and enjoy cigars it became boring and ostentatious to me to write about them. I even stopped keeping 'tasting notes' and simply keep the bands. A good cigar is one you like. Try whatever one strikes your fancy and see what you think.

But I just have to warn people about Wm. Penn panetelas. I don't mind cheap machine mades but these ooze thick black tobacco juice in your mouth like a pipe that hasn't been cleaned in a month. Horrible. Has nobody in that company actually tried one? It makes no difference if you smoke it fast or slow, whether it's humidified or dry, how much of it you smoke, or what the weather's like. Nasty, nasty shit. Don't buy these. The Perfectos are alright - about like a White Owl Invincible. But I won't be buying from these people again, despite their long history.

Nobody thinks

Yet more stupidity. Has anyone read a label, listened to an ad, or read a slogan and actually thought about what it said? Obviously the people that write them don't, or they figure that in a country that cares more about the foibles of people on 'American Idol' than the fact that they don't have a damn job it doesn't really matter.

Case in point. On a bag of Lay's potato chips it proclaims "Still Made With All-Natural Oil". Are there any chips that are made with unnatural or synthetic oil? I eat a lot of junk food and haven't come across one yet. Are there 'unnatural' food oils, and who uses these?

On a can of Del Monte fruit: "Same Nutrients as Fresh!" Why the hell wouldn't it have the 'same nutrients as fresh'? It's goddamn fruit.

I saw a semi the other day and the slogan of the trucking company was: 'We Do It Right the First Time'. Let's think about this for a second. The truck goes to point A and the people load goods onto the truck to take to point B. The truck drives to point B and the people there offload the goods. It seems to me that this is a job you either do or you don't do - there is no doing it "right". There is no scale of quality in taking stuff from one place to another. If you go to the wrong place then you haven't done the job...there's no "right" or "wrong" about it. If they do it "right", how in the heck do you do it "wrong"? Drive in reverse while smoking crack the whole way?

I heard a radio ad for some program which purports to be a method for curing alcoholism at home. That's interesting in itself. But what I really found intriguing is that they said "If this isn't the most effective at-home program to stop drinking you've tried we'll refund your money!" I wondered if there are any other ones to compare it with, yes, but I got to thinking...how would you get your money back anyway?

You would have to pay for and do their entire lengthy program and have it fail. Then you would have to pay for and do the entire program from a competitor and have it work. Then you would have to go back to the people from the first program and show that you followed both to the letter, you are no longer a drunk, and that it was the second program that did it so you can get your money back in the unlikely event that that company even exists any more. Gimme a break.

America's Observance Madness

Just today, I was looking to see if I might have a paid holiday in June, so I Googled 'June Holidays' and what the hell do I get? This:

http://www.brownielocks.com/june.html

Effing 'Fish are Friends, not Food Week' (what the hell were these people smoking?), 'Upsy Daisy Day', 'Do-Dah' day, and wouldn't you know it - June is goddamn 'Pharmacists Declare War on Alcoholism' Month. Apparently it's unacceptable that people are dependent on alcohol when in the name of all that is right and decent they should be hooked on anti-depressants.

Christ, every day of the calendar commemorates some stupid shit or another in the US. Can't we just have one damn day that is a regular old day? One where you drag your tired old ass into work and then go home and eat dinner? Who in the blue funk celebrates 'World Infertility Month' or 'Find a Mate Week' anyway? Barren spinsters?

For God's sake people. Stop being idiots.

SCHIP tax..what garbage!

OK, I realize most people don't smoke so they don't care. These people should be asking themselves what things that they enjoy that the tax-man is coming for next. And I fully realize that smoking is bad for you and might even be considered stupid. Last time I checked though, it wasn't the government's place to take care of me by beating the hell out of me for enjoying a legal and voluntary activity.

This is wrong on many levels, not just because I personally enjoy a cigar now and again. This is not a minor tax increase...it is a draconian increase of dramatic proportrion. Over TWO THOUSAND PERCENT on loose tobacco, for example. And for what purpose?

To pay for children's health care for parents that can't afford health insurance. So, in effect, by one's enjoyment of a perfectly legal activity you are paying through the nose for someone else's health care - even if you may not have health insurance yourself. It's Communist bullshit.

They paint it as a way to 'discourage smoking'. Yet if everyone quit like they purport to want, who would fork over the money to take care of these kids? It's illogical. They simply pick on smokers because they are easy to demonize.

How many jobs are being lost, and at what cost to the community by this crap?

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...eir_custo.html

There are a lot of mom n' pop cigar shops, and what of companies like Bugler who offer loose tobacco which don't enjoy huge sales to begin with? It's forcing people out of work for a nanny-state government to enforce a tax-and-spend agenda..against a segment nobody has any sympathy for.

I'm all about smoking-related illnesses and diseases not being covered under Medicaid or any publically-funded program, so you can save that argument.

You may not care now. Wait til they come after your beer and your cheeseburgers.

Obama, despite his lies, cares nothing for the working American. Where's my mortgage bailout? Oh, nevermind, I actually was smart enough to not sign my name to a crap variable interest rate loan so I get nothing. How about a check? Nope, because I actually work and pay taxes I get nothing. Help for my children's health care? Whoops, I made the mistake of actually paying for it myself and working. I should just become a goddamn parasite so I can reap some benefits from our Socialist BS government. Only the greedy, the irresponsible, and the lazy get help.

He was actually considering raising Tri-Care co-pays for veterans and billing veterans' insurance companies for service related injuries. A guy is ordered to Iraq by our government and now would have to pay for part of his treatment because his legs got blown off. I can't believe this idiot was voted into office. He's far more than demonstrably incompetent, he's evil.

And here is a man that gives to the English Prime Minister- in exchange for a unique historical item - a bunch of DVDs that don't even work in England. To the freaking Queen? A godddamn iPod! This is the type of moron we want representing our country?

Mark my words, let's see how many people are hip to the "hope" and "change" in a couple of years. This doesn't stop with the wicked smokers...somebody has to pay for these exhorbitant spending plans. And guess what? It will be YOU.

Gran Torino

I don't go out to the movies much anymore. What was once an affordable family pasttime has turned pretty expensive and people are often loud and rude in the theater. Much easier to just get the DVD and watch it in the comfort of your own home. If the movie sucks, well at least you haven't lost much - a couple of bucks.

So it's really refreshing to find a film that's worth every penny and more to see on the big screen; a film whose story lingers with you for days afterward. Such is the film 'Gran Torino', masterfully directed and starred in by Clint Eastwood.

Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is an old retired autoworker and Korean War veteran, who has watched his neighborhood change around him. The homes once occupied by dozens of working-class families are now home to Hmong people. To Walt; a hard, difficult, and racist man to say the least they are just 'gooks' and 'zipperheads'. Walt has nothing left, the movie opens with his wife's funeral. His children are all grown and have no time for him. He views his grandchildren - shallow and piercing-laden with distaste. He is still haunted by the war and has withdrawn, viewing the changed world around him with a barely tolerant scorn.

Meanwhile a drama is unfolding in the neighborhood; a young Hmong boy named Thao (played by Bee Vang, who has never before been on film) is being pressured and bullied to join a gang. Thao, who has no male role model in his life and is a shy, timid kid lives next door to Walt. For his initiation he is to steal Walt's prize possession, a beautiful '72 Gran Torino Sport. He fails miserably at this attempt, Walt scares him off.

Later, the gang attempts to drag Thao from his own porch. A fight ensues and spills over into Walt's yard. Walt comes out with his trusty M1 rifle and warns away the gang members setting into action a chain of events which is by turns gripping, tragic, and remarkable.

This is not an action flick. From the trailer shown on TV one can easily get the impression that it's like Death Wish, regular joe vs. the criminals. But there's far more to it, the action sequences are to further and facilitate the story, not the story itself. And the story is nothing less than magic.

Walt becomes a hero in the Hmong neighborhood, a status he doesn't want in the slightest. With the help of Thao's sister Sue (a very likeable character played by Ahney Her) Walt gets to know something of his Hmong neighbors and he slowly and gradually softens. Sue sees that Walt could be a role model for Thao, which will give him some self-esteem and perhaps keep him away from the gang. The interaction between Walt, Thao and Sue is great to watch, and damned funny at times. The transformation of Walt and Thao is engaging.

But the gang is never far off, and a showdown is inevitable. But it won't be the showdown you expect...

Although it seems a simple plot there really is too much going on in the film to type here. Eastwood has once again surprised me. Just as I thought this was more or less an action movie, when Million Dollar Baby came out I was like 'Pffft...a boxing movie'. But that film was incredible too, not really a 'boxing' story so much as a human story.

You can see an extended trailer and read more about the film and cast at http://www.thegrantorino.com/

I can't imagine anyone seeing this film and coming away disappointed.

Rocky Patel 'The Edge' Lite

The milder brother of Rocky's powerful 'The Edge', this review is based on the 6" Torpedo, with a 52 ring gauge. This stick is handmade in Honduras, with a smooth and small-veined Ecuador-grown Connecticut wrapper and aged Nicaraguan and Honduran Ligero filler.

Though I've seen these described as 'medium', mine was quite mild in strength. The flavor was exceptional..well-balanced, creamy and very slightly earthy. Consistent taste from start to finish, with a great nose. The old lady didn't even mind me smoking it in the house. No burn issues whatsoever, construction was excellent.

I would definately recommend these.

Thompson Empresario Robusto

I received these as part of a humidor combo, they are a mild to medium house brand from Thompson cigar measuring 5" X 50 using a Connecticut wrapper and long filler, handmade in the Dominican Republic.

I found these surprisingly mild for a Robusto. There was virtually no resting smoke....you would swear it had gone out, though the draw was excellent. The wrapper was very nice..very smooth, small-veined, and construction was exceptional. However, there is a bitter aftertaste or bite to these. I think they were rushed to market, and that a nice long sit in a humidor might do them wonders. So, that's what I'm doing. I may probably edit this post later if the flavor improves over time. I do think these guys have unrealized potential.

I would not recommend these straight out of the bundle, there are many better cigars which are machine-made. * gasp *

Iguana 'Papa' Candela cigar review

Many of the cigars I've recently received are going to rest awhile before I review them. However, I'm a huge fan of candelas. Their 'grassy', fresh taste reminds me of the Gyokuro green tea of which I am so fond. So, as I have quite a few of these, off we go.

These are cigars handmade in the Dominican Republic. The wrapper of this one is of course candela (also referred to as 'double claro') - very green as the particular curing process fixes the chlorophyll within the leaves. Like many candelas the wrapper is very delicate and should be treated with care - storing such cigars in a jar resting on their caps will lead to damage, and if dropped will often destroy the cigar. It is very difficult for torcedors to deal with this wrapper, the curing process makes it very difficult to work with as it is thin and breaks easily. The filler is long - Dominican Olor and Piloto Cubano.

Very nice. The cigar burns very well and has an excellent draw..producing large amounts of smoke but yet is still very mild and pleasant. No relight has been neccesary. This is a very substantial cigar, very large. As candelas are appropriate for a morning or daytime smoke, I think I would prefer a smaller size (which are available as well). I usually have little time during the day to smoke such a large vitola. You can easily smoke these for an hour or more. This size would be great for a lazy day at the beach, fishing, or hanging out at the cabin.

If the flavor ever changes over the course of the stick, I cannot detect it. To me it is smooth from start to finish, sometimes 'milky' notes are present. I'm a big fan of candela cigars, and one could not do much better than to pick up some Iguanas if you would like to try these. Candelas have a long history, at one time they accounted for much of the market is the USA. Iguanas are the epitome of the type in my opinion, you don't get greener or 'more candela' than these. In short, these did not disappoint whatsoever.

Iguanas can be purchased from the Thompson Cigar Company at a very reasonable price...$22.50 USD for 10 of the large 'Papa' size (7" X 50).