Monday, October 15, 2012

Roosevelt's Message to Obama : The New Yorker

Roosevelt's Message to Obama : The New Yorker: "Remember, too, that the first essential of doing a job well is to want to see the job done. Make no mistake about this: The Republican leadership today is not against the way we have done the job. The Republican leadership is against the job’s being done."

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Paula Gordon: Feint Praise

Paula Gordon: Feint Praise: "As the Treasurer of Australia, Wayne Swan, succinctly stated: "Let's be blunt and acknowledge the biggest threat to the world's biggest economy are the cranks and crazies that have taken over the Republican Party.""

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Bob Cesca: Republicans Have Made It Harder to Vote, Easier to Buy Guns

Bob Cesca: Republicans Have Made It Harder to Vote, Easier to Buy Guns: " we've seen over the last two years are Republican lawmakers who have passed multiple forms of legislation that force Americans to get an additional license from the government in order to vote -- on top of the pre-existing voter registration process. These new laws in effect add a second layer of government approval and regulation in order to vote. In Mississippi, for instance, the Voter ID law, which has yet to be approved by the federal government under the Voting Rights Act, requires that a birth certificate be presented in order to attain an ID. But Mississippi law also requires a photo ID in order to be issued a birth certificate copy."

'via Blog this'

Thursday, July 12, 2012

...."like the birdies sing, cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap".

  First the cheapest. At 26 cents each (by the hundred) Good Times Cigarillo's are sharp but provide a lot of smoke for their size 4.2x27. 


  Second in line are the Magellan Dominican Coronas 5x42 (ring gauges vary from 32 to 44) at $35 for 50 or $59 for 100. 
  I went down to my local Tabac Shop (Red Light, on 2nd St in Macon, GA) and gave one to Chase, the Manager, just to see if my opinion of these held water. What I told him was "Magellan's are not good cigars but not bad cigars, they are 55 cent cigars and that's all you can say about them". After he finished smoking one all he could say was "Uh, so this is 55 cents then?" It's the perfect cigar for mindless puffing.


Then there are the La Aurora Principes. I had smoked these years ago in SF and didn't like them. I stuffed them away in a file cabinet and forgot about them. Now SF is usually 65 degrees and foggy where I lived so the whole area was a giant humidor. Years later I found them again and damn if they weren't pretty good! The new packaging has them wrapped up in foil and they were ready to smoke, no resting needed. They're 5x38 with a pre-clipped end so you don't lose anything. They have a pretty decent flavor (as they are made from all the sweepings from all the other La Aurora products they aught to have flavor). At 66 cents apiece, $34.95 for a box of 55 (& right now, Aug.2012, they're on sale at CI for $29 a box) they are a good everyday cheapo.   
  

Sunday, July 8, 2012

EVEN ROLLS-ROYCE TURNS OUT A LEMON EVERY SO OFTEN

  I grew up smelling Cuban cigar smoke from all the Encyclopedia salesmen my adopted father knew. Years later when I was in Canada I encountered that same aroma again and knew instantly what I was smelling. 
  The taste of a Cuban cigar, likewise. No other cigar tastes like a Cuban. They haven't tracked down the reason but I would hazard a guess that it is much like the reason one cannot make SF Sourdough bread outside the City & County of San Francisco (the bacteria "Bacillus Sanfranciscanalis" doesn't grow anywhere else). 
 
  This does not mean that all Cubans are the best. It just means that they are Cuban. Case in point; the Cuaba figurado a friend gave me. Now this guy isn't the friend I usually speak of so it is possible that the Cuaba was a 'fake' but it did have a tinge of Cuban about it and he had good bonifides. It was the most tasteless Cuban cigar I've ever had. It tasted like balsa-wood. This was shortly after the Cuaba Line had been introduced and, hopefully, they have improved since. I only smoked one but one was enough. 
  Another Cuban cigar that did not pass muster was the Vegas Robiano, Churchill. Now the taste of this cigar was great but out of the box I got of 25, 24 were plugged so hard they might have as well been wooden sticks. The one that would draw was so stiff that it gave the muscle of my diaphragm a charlie-horse. Made all the worse because the taste I did manage to get was fantastic and Cigar Aficionado had just rated them at something like a 98 0r 99!  
  Truly heartbreaking and I never had a chance to get my mitts on any more.   
  

A DISCLAIMER

And now for a disclaimer for all of you who may be relaxing from a hard day at the US Custom Service or other governmental agencies tasked with keeping law abiding US Citizens from buying or possessing products from Cuba.
 "Everything I have posted here is a lie. It is all fictitious and I have never even seen a Cuban cigar in my life! 
  There! Now you can go on back to your nap and not have to worry about slapping me in jail. Thanks, Marc Lewis 

FROM THE EL LAGUITO FACTORY

When El Laguito opened it was staffed only by women. Now I don't know if this was at the request of the women Torcedores who had gotten tired of Latin machismo or if they were exiled there by the same machismo but the result is the best cigar factory in Cuba (hence in the world). I was lucky that my friend had a lot of relatives there and I was always able to get many different styles of their products. In other words; the whole Cohiba Line as well as Trinidad's.  
  Cohiba's all seem to share the same blend. The Esplendido, for example, tastes roughly the same as the Siglo III's. I've also smoked many El Laguito No. 1's and Robusto's and find that the size controls the way the smoke is delivered but the blend remains, basically, the same. 
The only one of El Laguito's products that tasted different, to me at least, was the Trinidad. It was much the same but milder and more subtle. If I could have controlled myself (which I never can) and aged them a bit I have no doubt that a great deal more subtlety would have appeared. The Trinidad's also came in a box of 21, instead of the usual box of 25. I got these the year they went on the open market (before that they were only given out as State gifts by Fidel Castro himself). 
  If you go to the upper right hand corner of one of my Cuban cigar band pictures  (see Po' Boys Cigar Blog) you'll see a band of gold with black printing that says Trinidad. This is the original label. The later labels have a triple "T" logo (as seen below).








  Of them all I will have to say that the Esplendido was my favorite but only because it was the biggest (to me, bigger is always better). 
  The Esplendido is a Churchill (julieta 2) 47x7.0 The Laguito No.1 is a Lancero (gran panetela) 38x7.9/16, The Robusto  is a 50x4.7/8 and the Trinidad was a long, thin panetela whose dimensions I no longer know but as I remember them they were as long as the No. 1 but a bit thinner (maybe a 36 ring gage).  




    

Saturday, July 7, 2012

TO FAN THE FLAMES OF DISCONTENT (In the Heart of Georgia).

 While we're on the subject of cigars, just stop and think about how labour intensive the whole processes of cigar making is.
 From the first plantings and cultivation, though it is indeed "stoop labour", it is also highly skilled "stoop labour". 
 In fact the entire labour force from top to bottom must be highly skilled and highly knowledgeable or the end product wouldn't be worth smoking.
 But is this not also true of nearly every other industrial en devour? In fact the only non-skilled worker in most places turns out to be the 'Boss'. 
 Everyone "knows" that commie's turn out inferior products, right? If there's no "profit'" in it for them they're not going to try very hard, right? 
 So how come Cuban cigars are so damn well made? How come their doctors are so good? And for that matter, why don't we hear about mass doctor defections, seeing as the Cuban Govt. sends so many of it's medical personnel abroad?
 Funny but all the Doc's seem to come back home to Cuba after their foreign stints are done (and anywhere outside of Cuba they can make a hell of a lot more money than they can at home). 
  So think on it while you're smoking a 'second best' Dominican. And when you are done, go to http://www.iww.org and as the bible says in John 8:32 "The truth will set you free".        

CIGAR ECONOMICS (and a bad review).

 Now, after that, one might ask, "How then do you afford even your "cheap" cigars? The answer is that as I became poorer, I dropped one costly habit after another till I was out of "bad" habits but for one. That one being Cigars. 
 The way I see it, if I give every "bad" habit up, I might as well get myself thrown into a Federal Pen. and have done with it. 
 For those of you who smoke cigarettes think about how you do not think about it. Really. I'm serious. If you smoke a pack and a half a day at aprox. $4 per. that's $6 a day or $180 a month. But you don't think like that. You just 'need' a cig. and buy another pack.
 On the other hand, because Cigars are indeed a habit but not an addiction, I buy a months worth of Cigars all at one go, depending on what my finances can tolerate (or what I am willing to forego). 
 Sometimes I get screwed. Like last months order, where I got both Padilla Fumas and a Padilla 5-Pack, only to discover that I simply do not like the way Padilla makes Cigars. 
 Lets start with the Fumas. Yes they were cheap but even cheap cigars shouldn't be made "sandwich style" (meaning folded over like a book) so they burn down only one side (besides tasting gritty and sharp).
 Then the Padilla 5-Star Pack. The Obsidian belicoso maduro wasn't too bad (and I don't like maduros) but had a bitter finish.
 The Churchill Miami had an irregular burn a 'heavy' high nicotine taste from the middle on.
 The Toro had to be re-lit 4 times, burned irregularly, and was bitter.
 TheChurchill 1932 had a bitter finish and I had finally decided I just did not like the way Padilla blended their cigars.
 The Solomon was the only high point of the entire affair, mostly because it burned ok and gave out a lot of smoke. It was slightly reminiscent of a Cuban H.Upman. Though they aren't my favorite Cuban brand. This Padilla was actually quite good.
 Any road, I went through the month on my 100 machine made $.26 ea. cigarillos and my 50 tasteless $.70 coronas (a revue later). 
 This month though is looking up, as I have just scored one hell of a deal on some La Aurora Preferidios Perfecto #2's & a few La Aurora 1495 Robustos. These have always been far too expensive to even consider so now I'll be able to find out how much is hype or be happily surprised, with out having to go on bread and water for a week or two.       

Friday, July 6, 2012

J.P.MORGAN RIDES AGAIN (in Georgia)

I get $16 whole dollars in Food Stamps a month (my local grocer calls it the "Ham of the Month Club"). 
This month I received this notice from the State about how the day I get paid will change from the 12th to the 19th of the month. 
This did not bother me. 
The Web Address at the bottom of the page bothered me. 
It was not enough that they have "outsourced" the SNAP (Food Stamp) program but that they have turned it over to an institution that has been greatly responsible for putting hard working Georgians on to the "Dole" and is now making money off this misery by administrating the States Food Stamp Funds!


I ask you, why a State, Tax Funded, Program should have a Web Address like:


                                         www.ebtaccount.JPMORGAN.com                                            

ALL AD's SHOULD BE THIS HONEST

This kind of advertising makes me glad I buy stuff from these people, so obviously it works.  

BOLIVAR GIGANTES, HABANA

Now after my favorite "cheap" cigar I'll discuss my favorite Cuban.


  This would be the Bolivar Gigante (maybe). Maybe? Well it's like this; here I am in SF where Cuban Cigars are illegal and I run into a guy whose whole family is still in Cuba making cigars at Partagas (and sending them back to him in the States, somehow). Oh, they're real enough but sometimes my friend gets Habana "seconds" pawned off on him from the relatives now and again (who get a couple of boxes a month gratis but sometimes they just get to keep their mistakes).       Which brings me to how I wound up with a box of 25 Bolivar Gigantes  7 x 47 that were the size of Ramon Allones Gigantes 7. 5/8 x 49 !  Both are made at Partagas   ( FPG, Francisco Perez German) where most of my friend's family worked. Definitely Bolivar's but Allones' size (the Bolivar labels on the box were, for that matter, just a little small for the boxes size). 
  Any road, of all the Cubans I've ever smoked I liked this one the best! I only got one box and have pined away ever since for more. 
  A big, full, flavorful smoke that last a good hour and a half (even with me 'hot-boxing' it, as usual). My all time favorite, hands down.  

MY PICK FOR THE BEST TWO BUCK CIGAR

The Calle Ocho Presidente. 8x52 (bundle of 20) $42.99



  This monster is made by Oliva (apparently only for Cigars International) and has a great deal going for it. 
  Well made, (no runs), long smoke, tasty, a goodly amount of smoke, and a damn cheap price. Unlike the Flor de Oliva this one does not need to rest a month or so in the humidor to tame it. It's ready right from the git go. All Nicaraguan tobacco with a Sumatra wrapper.  
  Downside; not a lot. It does get 'sharp' in the last inch (yes I always smoke them to the nub!) and they contain a lot of nicotine (not as much as a La Gloria but enough to make you woozy by the last quarter if you puff 'em down as hard as I do). 
  Definitely try them! 

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Po' Boy's Cigar Blog

"Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar". Mark Twain


Now I've decided that, along with politics, I'd add my opinions on various cigars that I've smoked. Once upon a time, in Old San Francisco, I smoked hundreds (no shit, hundreds) of Cuban cigars.  Alas now I've fallen on hard times and have to scrape along on 'cheapies'. Never the Less, I'll in devour to persevere and rate the cigars I can afford as best I can. Now Twain did humor, social criticism, and politics but he didn't (as far as I know) rate his cigars. So, not being his equal in these other areas I'll tackle cigar rating, knowing that ole' Sam Clemens would approve.   

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Robert Reich: Patriotism July 4, 2012

Robert Reich: Patriotism July 4, 2012: "When arguing against paying their fair share of taxes, some wealthy Americans claim "it's my money." They forget it's their nation, too. And unless they pay their fair share of taxes, Americans can't meet the basic needs of our people. True patriotism means paying for America.

So when you hear people talk about patriotism, be warned. They may mean securing the nation's borders, not securing our society. Within those borders, each of us is on our own. These people don't want a government that actively works for all our citizens.

Yet true patriotism isn't mainly about excluding outsiders seen as our common adversaries. It's about coming together for the common good."

'via Blog this'

Friday, May 4, 2012

Bob Cesca: Republicans Can't Handle the Truth About Bin Laden

Bob Cesca: Republicans Can't Handle the Truth About Bin Laden: "The Republicans only ever used 9/11, bin Laden and terrorism to scare people into voting for them. This is fearmongering. It's the flagrant exploitation of both a tragedy and the threat of an on-the-loose maniac to trick voters into supporting Republican policies for no other reason than to ameliorate their irrational fear."

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail | Politics News | Rolling Stone

Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail | Politics News | Rolling Stone: "Bank of America: Too Crooked to FailThe bank has defrauded everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed. So why does the government keep bailing it out?"

'via Blog this'

Friday, March 16, 2012

Robert Reich: If You Took the Greed Out of Wall Street, All You'd Have Left Is Pavement: Why Greg Smith's Critique Is Way Too Narrow

Robert Reich: If You Took the Greed Out of Wall Street, All You'd Have Left Is Pavement: Why Greg Smith's Critique Is Way Too Narrow: "If Mr. Smith believes such disregard of investors is unique to Goldman, he doesn't know the rest of Wall Street. In the late 1920s, National City Bank, which eventually would become Citigroup, repackaged bad Latin American debt as new securities which it then sold to investors no less gullible than Goldman Sachs's. After the Great Crash of 1929, National City's top executives helped themselves to the bank's remaining assets as interest-free loans while their investors and depositors were left with pieces of paper worth a tiny fraction of what they paid for them.

The problem isn't excessive greed. If you took the greed out of Wall Street all you'd have left is pavement. The problem is endemic abuse of power and trust. When bubbles are forming, all but the most sophisticated investors can be easily duped into thinking they'll get rich by putting their money into the hands of brand-named investment bankers."

'via Blog this'

Robert Reich: The Widening Wealth Divide, and Why We Need a Surtax on the Super Wealthy

Robert Reich: The Widening Wealth Divide, and Why We Need a Surtax on the Super Wealthy: "Let Santorum and Romney duke it out for who will cut taxes on the wealthy the most and shred the public services everyone else depends on.

The rest of us ought to be having a serious discussion about a wealth tax. Because if you really want to know what's happening to the American economy you need to look at household wealth -- not just incomes.

The Fed just reported that household wealth increased from October through December. That's the first gain in three quarters.

Good news? Take closer look. The entire gain came from increases in stock prices. Those increases in stock values more than made up for continued losses in home values.

But the vast majority of Americans don't have their wealth in the stock market. Over 90 percent of the nation's financial assets -- including stocks and pension-fund holdings -- are owned by the richest 10 percent of Americans. The top 1 percent owns 38 percent."

'via Blog this'

Robert Reich: The Difference Between Private and Public Morality

Robert Reich: The Difference Between Private and Public Morality: "Gingrich, and even Romney are barnstorming across the land condemning gay marriage, abortion, out-of-wedlock births, access to contraception, and the wall separating church and state.

But America's problem isn't a breakdown in private morality. It's a breakdown in public morality. What Americans do in their bedrooms is their own business. What corporate executives and Wall Street financiers do in boardrooms and executive suites affects all of us."

'via Blog this'

Robert Reich: Why Republicans Aren't Mentioning the Real Cause of Rising Prices at the Gas Pump

Robert Reich: Why Republicans Aren't Mentioning the Real Cause of Rising Prices at the Gas Pump: "Gas prices continue to rise, which is finally giving Republicans an issue. Mitt Romney is demanding the President open up more domestic drilling; the super PAC behind Rick Santorum just released a new ad in Louisiana blasting the President on gas prices; and the GOP is attacking the White House on the Keystone XL Pipeline.

But the rise in gas prices has almost nothing to do with energy policy. It has everything to do with America's continuing failure to adequately regulate Wall Street. But don't hold your breath waiting for Republicans to tell the truth."

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Grim Truth At Toll Group

Grim Truth At Toll Group: "Male co-workers demand she be reinstated immediately; Toll Group’s termination of union-supportive worker reeks of retaliation, discrimination and illegal surveillance LOS ANGELES – An $8.8 billion Australian transportation corporation has escalated its attack on its Latino-American workers by firing a mother of three for stopping to use a McDonald’s restroom during her delivery route."

'via Blog this'

Monday, January 23, 2012

Republican Racism is an Air Raid Siren, Not a Dog Whistle | | AlterNet

Republican Racism is an Air Raid Siren, Not a Dog Whistle | | AlterNet: "On his MSNBC show Hardball, Chris Matthews called out Newt Gingrich and other Republicans for what he described as their "dog whistle" appeals to white racism during the South Carolina debate on Monday night.

He was correct in identifying the work that racism does for the Tea Party GOP and its candidates in their efforts to win over white conservative voters. "

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Richard Brodsky: Occupy Wall Street Overwhelms the Republicans: Newt Enrolls in OWS

Richard Brodsky: Occupy Wall Street Overwhelms the Republicans: Newt Enrolls in OWS: "This toothpaste won't go back into the tube. Republican voters know that their candidates became the Party of the Koch Brothers and Wall Street while the New Wave was creating itself at Zuccotti Park. No candidacy can succeed in today's America without addressing the questions of income inequality and power inequality that OWS defined and dramatized."

'via Blog this'

Why 'Doomsday' may not be too far - Hindustan Times

Why 'Doomsday' may not be too far - Hindustan Times: "The world is in a pickle," he added. "More people want to live better than they live now on a planet of finite size."

The group added it was "heartened by" a series of world protest movements, including the Arab spring, the Occupy demonstrations in the United States and protests in Russia which show people are seeking a greater say in their future."

'via Blog this'

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Sh*t Republican candidates say | Lizz Winstead | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Sh*t Republican candidates say | Lizz Winstead | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: "After Iowa, we are left with a half-dozen halfwits who want to defeat Barack Obama and become leader of the free world. These are the Top Dogs, the Pick of the Kitty Litter, the Jewels in the Clown.

So, how did these masterful hatesmen earn their coveted place in the Cream of the Crap? With their unwavering obsession with sex. All kinds of sex. Same sex, opposite sex, sex with animals.

Oh, and Muslims. But not Muslim sex. Not yet, anyway. There is so much to talk about when it comes to gay sex that they probably just haven't gotten around to it. But they will. If they know nothing about something, they always make time to spout off about it."

'via Blog this'

Saturday, January 7, 2012

(6) IWW Construction Workers Organizing Committee Letter of Solidarity to the CNT in Spain

(6) IWW Construction Workers Organizing Committee Letter of Solidarity to the CNT in Spain: "The CWOC and coworkers of the IWW are active in the struggle against the capitalists and employers, and workers in our industry and class. In that spirit, we offer our solidarity and support to our brothers and sisters of the CNT.

For a world without bosses
Construction Workers Organizing Committee
Industrial Workers of the World co-workers of the CNT-Spain"

'via Blog this'

IWW Endorses Occupy Wall Street | Industrial Workers of the World

IWW Endorses Occupy Wall Street | Industrial Workers of the World: "On behalf of our union, the General Executive Board of the Industrial Workers of the World sends our support and solidarity to the occupation of Wall Street, those determined to hold accountable our oppressors.

This occupation on Wall Street calls into question the very foundation in which the capitalist system is based, and its relentless desire to place profit over and above all else.

When 1% of the ruling class holds the wealth created by the other 99%, it is clear that the watchwords found in our union's preamble, "the working class and the employing class have nothing in common", ring true more than ever.?The IWW does not follow a business union model. We believe that the working class and the employing class have nothing in common and we don't foster illusions to the contrary."

'via Blog this'

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Irish betting house returns money to gamblers who  went with Rick Santorum in Iowa  - NY Daily News

Irish betting house returns money to gamblers who went with Rick Santorum in Iowa - NY Daily News: "Of course Bernie Murphy, (a professional sandwich board walker), became a councilman for the City of Cork, Ireland, by carrying a sandwich board sign around the town saying, "Vote for Bernie Murphy! I'm 40 to 1 on the Book. So vote for me and make some money!" On the other side he had a picture of a bottle of Murphy's Stout with his face on it. He won by a landslide."

'via Blog this'

About the IWW | Industrial Workers of the World

About the IWW | Industrial Workers of the World: "Preamble to the IWW Constitution
Official IWW Literature and Documents
Solidarity Unionism
How the IWW Differs from Business Unions
The IWW Stance on Political Parties and Anarchism
The IWW's Stance on Ecology"

'via Blog this'

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Before Midnight, Occupy Wall Street Activists Retake Zuccotti Park (UPDATE)

Before Midnight, Occupy Wall Street Activists Retake Zuccotti Park (UPDATE): "They can arrest all the people they want to but if one single person remains in the Park, or in the Parks, street corners, and campuses across the Nation, continuing to keep the Message before the Public, they haven't gotten rid of us. Nor beaten us. We will not go away!"

'via Blog this'