stockmarket crash and the internet

Four score and forty years ago today our progenitors brought forth a terrific country wide money crash and later others began to conceive The Internet. The internet has finally opened the news and publishing of it to the common man.

October 29 – a ‘red-letter-day’ in Internet history!

The Stock Market Crash made us all aware that we are all common men and all equally prone to tragedy. We recall the great losses as many had gambled their life savings and lost it all.

The Great Crash, 80 years later

Now we are engaged in a great political war, testing whether that conservative idea of limited government, or any other so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
We are met on a great internet and ideological battle-field of that war. The freedoms we have were provided by those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

It was on this day in 1969 that a part of the first-ever message traveled between two computers that were connected through the ARPANET, the computer network that later took shape as the Internet!

Looking for a cigar that would pay tribute to the great Gettysburg Battle, The Great Stock market Crash, and the start of the internet - was quite a challenge. The cigar I have chosen is the Avo 80th Anniversary LE Belicoso.
The cigar (which is made by Davidoff) comes in a magnificent leather box with 3 shelves and itself is quite remarkable! The cigar is double banded and comes with a beautiful Ecuadoran Sungrown wrapper. Dominican binder and filler complete it and add significantly to the flavor profile. It is an elegant 6x52 Belicoso but not in the traditional belicoso torpedo sense. It has a flatter, shorter, and more linear taper.

I found my cigar to be easy to light and a wonderful burst of woody creamy smoke. There was a leather and mild peppery which soon took over after the light. The draw was very good. I would say that this is the type of cigar that is dense enough, but had an easy draw - thereby greatly enhancing the smoking experience. The different flavors were appreciated even though they tended to be mild. There was a bit of a nutty flavor as well.


"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Armadillo Armada of Armaggeddon

I hear them scurrying around at night with their claws digging in the ground. They are the most unsightly creature. The armor and the shell add to their mystique. The myriad of nocturnal creatures also inspire ones imagination in the moonlight, but armadillos look like beings from another world. They apparently get to be quite powerful in space and it seems that they can even "escape the moon" - did they start out there? So far with the tunnel crater and the possible water crater - maybe there are armadillos on the moon. It took 20 years to find the "extinct" armadillo - how long would it take to find them on the moon?

I don't know anybody who owns a pet armadillo, but I don't know of anyone who has ever been attacked by them, either.

Flying Armadillo has the power to escape the moon
NewScientist (Online)
16 September 2009

'Extinct' armadillo comes out of its shell
NewScientist
10 August 1991
Magazine issue 1781

Needing a nighttime smoke while watching for armadillos, I had to pick between several options. Since one could only taste and not see the wrapper - the wrapper beauty became less important. With the humidity higher in the evenings, cigars seem to last longer and the risk of that lingering ammonia taste seems to be more of an issue. A thick wrapped and medium density toro cigar seems to be the type stogie of choice for that occasion. Lengthy aging is a must as well as extensive fermentation (x3 is best) prior to constructing the cigars. The Omar Ortiz Original is a Nicaraguan puro made by Altadis. It was a pleasant smoke, with a good wrapper and a sturdy construction. The earthy barnyard odor was noted on pre-lite. With the smoking there was a woody and leathery sweetness, yet it was not overwhelming. As it came bandless it has an Edge look to it. No "shell" on this cigar, but tasty none-the-less. It aged well. The smoke was abundant and pleasant.

Via Keepers of the flame blog "Omar Ortez is a native Nicaraguan tobacco man who in the past has worked with Philip Wynne in the production of Felipe Gregorio and Felipe II cigars. Ortez established Agroindustrial Nicaraguaense de Tabaco in 1995, and is also the blender of the Exile brand cigar made in the NATSA factory. He oversees a “vertically integrated” production facility (like Padron) where he controls every aspect of the process — from seed to smoke."

May the Armadillo hoards remain peaceful, and the cigar nightwatchman enjoy their smoke.

plume the magic crystal? - puff the magic moon?

After a long and difficult drought in Lindenau, with the loss of so many hack-berry trees and even one pecan tree, the rains have come. The smell of the barnyard has once again filled the air. Its hard to miss, except on the windiest days. The fallen trees have succumbed to the molds and the insects and have begun to rot. The demise of life still seems to remind us of Adam's curse, with it's decay and thorns. Cigars need humidity to avoid drying out and losing the oily sweetness that the finest purvey. In the humidity is the risk of mold and decay - as opposed to fermentation and the aging and melding of flavor. Spanish ceder helps to preserve and prevent the molds from taking over in the humid environment. Spanish cedar is aromatic like American cedar, but it is not actually related in type. Aging is accelerated by the heat and slowed by cooler environs. One can age a fine cigar in cellophane (which tends to yellow like ivory) or out of cellophane. There is some disagreement on this issue. Aging can occur in either and there is more blending of cigars if the cellophane is removed. With aging comes the plume or crystalline tobacco oils on the surface of the cigar wrapper. They are pleasantly tasty, but often I have wiped them off a bit to verify that the matter was plume and not mold.

One of the questions one must consider in aging cigars is "What can be done to accelerate aging without the consequential rise of tobacco beetles and mold?" - and "How long will it take?" There is some aging that has taken place even before the box arrives to ones humidor. It is a very pleasant thing to open a box of cigars and see plume covered stogies. NASA also seems to appreciate the impact of seeing plume. I wonder how many stogies they had to smoke and for how long they had to age them? I wonder how many people they had to moon before they saw the impact?

NASA finally sees plume from moon impact
LCROSS camera captures image of ‘faint’ plume with debris, vapor
via MSNBC.com

Looking for a cigar I found an old batch of cigars still in yellowed cellophane. The cigars were the small 4x48 Astral (i.e. the moon) Perfecto (rocketship) no.1 maduro's. Even in the cello, they had abundant plume. They are Honduran made with and oily Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. They were small and plume covered, like they had just hit a large mud puddle on the moon. The wrapper was classic CBLM and was thick and veiny. The taste was creamy, woody, and sweet with abundant billowing smoke - for such a small vitola. The burn was good, although it was a short smoke, with a short finish.

golfing for leisure or "I like Mike"

Golf is such a boring game to watch on TV, as opposed to action sports. It seems to be fun and addicting to those who play regularly. We don't have a golf range in Lindenau, but a former renter used the house on the hill as the tee for his driving range - successfully. We do have a Rifle Club, and occasionally the air is punctuated by the sounds of hunter's weapons. The area would make a good golf course due to the topography, but it wouldn't be supported by the locals, or even the nearby town. There is one good thing about golf. It is a time of leisure and therefore time for a fine stogie. The leisurely life style and the game - as well as fine conversation are all very compatible with enjoying the taste of a fine cigar.
There are those that have frowned on the cigar luxury, and even go so far as to even suggest banning smoking in our homes and vehicles. They have banned them outside in public...

From USA Today By Reid Cherner & Tom Weir October 07, 2009
Michael Jordan finds out sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar

The cigar to protest this event is made by none other than Nick Perdomo - the Perdomo Reserve Golf double eagle tubo. It is Nicaraguan beauty with a nice medium Connecticut brown smooth wrapper that was just the right thickness - not too thick or too thin. It was nice size for 18 holes - 7x54. The taste was sweet and slightly spicy, with a mild taste of cedar on the draw and the finish. The finish was medium to long. It and the others that I have smoked from this line have burned and smoked well - impressing even the non-golfer. I think I would have to be like Michael J and take a practice round...

La Lechuza - which road?

As we approach Halloween - I am provoked by the interesting names given to my daily path. From Old Cheapside Road on the way down Lover's Lane and to The Devil's Backbone - hanging over the road and dwarfing it from both sides - were some large pecan trees- at the river bottom (the low lying area around the Guadalupe River). Some thick ivy vines hung from the trees. It must have been a harrowing site "La Lechuza" or Witch birds hanging over the road on the way to Hell's Gate Bridge. I have never been a fan of the "holiday" or the things that are celebrated. I am more comfortable with "The Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and "The Bridge Over The River Kwai". The Lechuza were supposed to be able to talk.

Once one crosses Hell's Gate, they must chose between Cheapside Road and the road to Lindenau (FM 953). If they chose Cheapside Road, then they must again chose to stay on it or exit to Bellevue Cemetary Road. All these choices, and the only good one is the road to Lindenau. The small german farming community in the hills. It must have been frightening driving through those trees on a dark moonlit night with the witchbirds hanging from the trees over the slow moving Model T or old ranch truck. It is still really quiet, even now - except for the occasional punctuation of the air by the coyote's cackle or the wolf's howl. The sounds at night can be menacing. It seems like any other choice is cheap or deadly. One often sees deer and other varmints on and along the road.

The Chupacabra has been seen and filmed in Dewitt County. The goat blood sucking creature made national headlines recently. The You tube sheriff's video is quite something. I could imagine these critters crawling around The Devil's Backbone!

In addition to the story of the strangled 10 yo girl in 1973 (see previous posts) - I was amazed to hear another story of a man (Ray Garcia?) who dove off Hell's Gate Bridge in 1980 and hit a log under the water. He was subsequently paralyzed from the neck down, but somehow survived.

The truth has much more weight than freaky death stories, but one could imagine that the stories would have swayed the minds of those years ago. Now it seems that even the Wiccan Religion is making a comeback. It is amazing - the peace we can have when we no longer live in fear and are no longer enchanted, but rather repulsed by gangrenous evil. Freedom, victory, love, growth, forgiveness, grace, mercy, healing, and hope - not to mention faith - are much greater concepts to live and fashion our lives around. We don't face Hell's Gate, but we do face eternity - that's a pleasant thought for some (will be on Lover's Lane at a great Supper), but a very scary nightmare for others...as they cross Hell's Gate.
We will be in the ever after...

Looking for a cigar to compliment the season, I found an American owned wonder. The Lonewolf Sungrown toro. The Lone Wolf Cigar Company was founded in 1996 by cigar lovers Chuck Norris and James Belushi and now owned by David Weiss. The name is interesting and the owners are particularily conservative - specifically - Chuck. Mine came in cellophane in a slide lid box and had a particularly earthy brown color to the wrapper (which was Indonesian - a Sumatra?). The binder and filler are Dominican. The cigar lit and burned well, especially with a brisk cool northern wind. It was a tad bit spongy, but not uncomfortably so. The taste started off woody and earthy and graduated to a spicy wooden sweetness with medium finish. I could really taste the Dominican filler. It was a nice compliment of earthy yet sweet spiciness, which has suited the autumn taste buds.

May we always chose the better path...

Diplomacy

In Lindenau we do not have an embassy or any diplomatic representation, but in life we could all use a little more of it in our conversation. Some mornings it is so quiet one could hear an echo of words whispered in the hills. Learning the soft answer, like the quiet mornings, is an art. The diffusing of hostility and harshness is a pleasant result. In the quiet one can hear the birds and the cows lowing, as well as the sound of horses breathing.

Pleasant conversation and friendships are a joy that cannot be overvalued. Camaraderie around a meal or a fine stogie with good friends - to relax and share and listen. As Ed Cunningham has said "Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer". I was reminded by a friend that we are all frail, human, and on the same boat together. We all face aging, death, tragedy, sorrow, failure, and pain - as well as laughter, life, joy, birth, and success - among other things. There is nothing quite like sharing things together and reminding each other. Cigars are a terrific gathering point for times of joy, pain, and everyday life. There are celebration cigars, working cigars, and everyday cigars. To "Be still and know..." still remains our calling, as does a the need to have a regular escape from hectic life.

My cigar of choice for this fall leisure is the Camacho Diploma robusto. It is a very dark Honduran 5 1/2x50 puro "Authentic" corojo with a nice sheen and attractive wrapper. The cigar is exquisite with a nicely engraved regular band and a matching foot band - which were both hard to remove and the head band tore as it was removed. The taste had been strong and spicy to me in the past, but I found that this particular cigar had aged to a mellow almond creamy sweetness with floral notes. The peppery/spicy flavor had almost all mellowed, although I did taste it again at the last 1/3. It was a firm cigar with a nice draw and ample smoke. The finish was long, and retained the flavor and a rose like floral taste and a mint note was appreciated. The cigar is Honduran grown in the Jamastran Valley and made from the top-most leaves of the Corojo plant, known as the fifth priming, these leaves are the last ones picked giving them a deeper and richer taste.

With all the recent failed Olympic diplomacy, reminds me that we could use some Honduran diplomacy.