obviousadams

Behike Dalia. Principe Dalia. CGR/ MGR Dalia.

Everything can be cut. A great point is made above about cuts not equating to efficiency. As a matter of fact, I bet cuts result in inefficiency. It's to gov't ultimate benefit to cut things that hurt and waste money on useless things in order to justify it's increased appetite. The only solutions I've heard that I can see helping are Term limits perhaps combined with longer stretches between re-election. Term limits so congress has to live under it's own laws and longer terms so they can think longer term than 2 or 4 years. Maybe 5 year terms for everyone and 2 terms max. Public refocusing on cutting legislation rather than passing it. More laws are eventually bad for all of us. Simplification of the tax code- cutting taxes, eliminating all deductions, simplifying rates and, if rates are have to be progressive, then any future tax increases must apply to all rates equally. Think about the public debate we would have if congress wanted to increase taxes on everyone by say 1%- they better have a good reason or that vote wouldn't look too hot come re-election time. PM me for details on contributing to my PAC- LOL.

Yup, not anti capitalist by any stretch but I think the slavery thing has some truth to it. As pre- revolutionary America grew one of the largest bottlenecks was labor. Initially labor was provided by prisoners (often shipped over form England) who worked off their sentences but it was hard to keep them after their sentence was served because land was cheap and plentiful. The other issue was if they escaped they were hard to identify. Enter african slaves who could be owned as property and were easy to identify by the color of their skin. The expansion of the early economy sort of was built on the backs of slaves, but it was also liberated by the industrial revolution that put women to work and evolved into gender equality, labor laws and eventually a system that allowed the descendents of slaves to become like the 15 largest economy in the world (the US african american economy is like 15th in the world in purchasing power). Some aspects of our history are unsavory, but the outcome was positive for all of us. So while there is some truth there and it's good to be clear on facts rather than fairy tales, it's also silly to bash capitalism while comfortably nestled in the bosom capitalism has crafted for you. I'd charge any of those folks who believe capitalism is evil to put their money where their mouth is and only invest in companies that don't make any money .

Just a few things. The demise of the US is, most likely, greatly exaggerated. There are good reasons to be worried about printing money, income disparity, evisceration of traditional manufacturing, immigrants and welfare, political expediency, the naval gazing nature of citizens etc, but I think a lot of these worries may be short sighted. We are in the midst of a large social and economic revolution and the synergy of those changes is yet to be understood. Income disparity typically increases in the early stages of these types of revolution and eventually stabilizes. The children of poor immigrants are likely going to assimilate and become productive adults. Former manufacturing workers will have to find new work. As a government, paying off debts in the future is cheaper than paying them off in the present. While this all may be a house of cards teetering on the edge of collapse, there is also a larger view that puts a lot of individual cogs in perspective. The biggest problem I see is that everyone assumes someone is steering the ship. While I'm typically a pretty big proponent of the invisible hand I am also suspicious of power. When large organizations, be it corporations, unions, poltical parties, churches (historically anyway), begin using their weight to rent seek or bribe their way into favored positions I begin to worry. I know to some degree this has always been the case but I think the eye of "eternal vigilance" has been hijacked by more selfish pursuits in recent history. The best and most recent example is the real estate boom. Banks, investors, politicians, consumers and the system itself were all to blame. Everyone was doing what met their most immediate needs and it all came crashing down. Worst of all, due to concentrations of power, the people who suffered the worst were the consumers who, while not without guilt, were left to suffer either with underwater mortgages/ government refis, a signficant loss of investments and a huge potential tax bill. Anyway, this whole story is off topic but it is illustrative of what can happen when no one is paying attention to the larger picture. The reason to be bullish on the American economy are plentiful but the most powerful of which lies in spirit. The spirit of entrepreneurship, of individualism and of income mobility is ingrained not only in the psyche of the individual, but in the fabric of our political, educational and legal system. People in the US have an individual spirit that is almost bred into us. We are brought up knowing we can do whatever our minds can conceive. We have educational systems that promote innovation. We have a legal system that protects intellectual property. We have a large consumer economy that is open to and greatly rewards new ideas. Of course many of us are lazy too but the system is in place for ideas to flourish. While China may have an easy time canniblizing current innovation, fostering a spirit that actually innovates is a far more difficult thing to do and it's where ongoing economic power resides. The world of driverless cars, 3d printing, artifical intelligence, white collar automation and energy innovation is coming and no one really knows what it looks like. Because of our systems, spirit and resiliency, the US is in a very compelling position going forward. Of course, as Jeff Lebowski would say, this is all just like my opinion man.

Go Wild.

Sorry for the delay, I haven't been on in a few days. The notes section works but it would be better to have separate fields and the ability to total the data. I like to know source, price paid per stick, total value of the box (what's left) and what I paid for the whole box. I also like to calculate how many total sticks I have as well as the total value of my stash (maybe the total value could be optional in order to spare a few heart attacks ). The original price paid for the box is redundant but it's a nice quick reference I use to evaluate deals and for valuing aged boxes. I love the idea of compiling all of this data into useful stats. Keep up the good work.

Love it. A great addition to an already great site. Maybe I'm alone but I also keep pricing and source information in my spreadsheet. Not sure if there is a good reason to exclude this information but it's key for me.

I have a bunch of different lighters but prefer the Maxi Jet. I just picked up a Defi Extreme but it's still in transit.

H. upman No 2 reserva and the Connie LCDH are all that really stick out. Not really interested in large gauge cigars unless the reviews are off the charts.

I still buy CD's unless it's like 100 Christmas songs for 99 cents kind of thing. I rip everything to Apple Lossless and bin them. I also upload everything to Google music so I don't have to store lossy files.... these online music services make life so easy.

Lots of good posts here. 2 thoughts: 1. You have to change hearts and minds first. That happens with a lifting of the embargo and exposure to the US tourism. It could take a long time but this is the seed of unrest and change. 2. At least temporarily there would be a huge demand for CC and I think quality would have to plummet. I imagine the demand for pre- post- embargo cigars would be pretty high. Stock up now folks .

1. I wouldn't turn the screen on during calls you could end up presssing buttons with your cheek. 2. Swype is the best, can't live without it.

I'm no expert but the low carb argument for obesity is intriguing. I read Gary Taubes but I don't know enough to argue either way. I started eating this diet about a year ago (for the most part) and I feel pretty great most of the time and the weight comes off pretty fast. What if our bodies are completely screwed up by the number of carbs that are pushed on us as healthy alternatives? I know when I have a high carb day, especially when I eat suger, I have an energy hang over for a day or two. That's a real eye opener for me.

I still have a couple hundred NC cigars that I smoke from time to time- various Tats and L'atelier, Herrera Estelli, Illusione, some Fuente and a handful of Padrons. About 95% what I regularly smoke is habanos, however. I enjoy the change of pace but sometimes I realize an old favorite just isn't for me anymore. Recently I've come to that conclusion with Padron 26, 64 and FR. It's not the flavors so much as the wind tunnel effect that drives me nuts. I am down to about 10 and I'm not sure I will ever buy Padron again. This is almost blasphemy to me as they were my favorite cigars for long time but it seems CC have ruined them for me.

I had my first one ROTT (PSP2) and I enjoyed it. In general, I feel all cigars need a month or so to settle down, dry out and acclimate to a proper environment, and Habanos may benefit even more as they tend to be shipped particularly wet. I wouldn't agonize too much though as it's not llke the Monte 4 is a $20 cigar or anything, just be aware that what could be harsh or lacking in flavor now might be much better in 30,60 or 90 days. Regardless, it will be a learning experience to note the difference. As far as longer term aging it depends on the stick, but most seem to get better with age. I don't think you need to be a super taster to notice, but YMMV.

I generally prefer something between 40 and 50. Box pressing and pyramids allow me to go a little bigger I guess. It's not that I won't smoke bigger cigars, but I prefer not to and don't do it all that regularly. I don't mind smoking pantelas and lanceros but I always fear a plug which makes me shy away.

I have a couple of Xikars and would happily buy them again.

It's rare to get beyond 2 inches for me. It happens once in a while when I perfectly smoke the perfect cigar, but rarely. Years ago, before I grasped the concept of slowing down, i'd rarely get beyond the half way mark. I have that mastered but I am still pretty sensitive to cigar char and don't often push it.

Late to the party but I agree- Stihl. MS260 or whatever they replaced it with is a great saw that will last forever.

After years of building my own machines I kind of like Apples closed system and uniformity. If they added swype and widgets I might even get an iphone.

They are both great, they are just a little different. IOS is easier, more fluid and is a perfect fit if you have other Apple devices. It's fit and finish is second to none. IOS apps are better but not by much until you get to ipad apps where Apple is still quite a bit ahead. The downside is that IOS is getting kind of long in the tooth and Apple is a closed eco system. It's less of a hassle and nothing ever changes, but that also means it's also not very customizable. Android isn't as neat and clean but for that sacrifice you get choice. Screen size, various features, build quality, battery life, expandable memory, price etc. Android OS is a native multi-tasker and has more features than IOS- widgets for example and real multitasking. The removable battery and expandable storage on most Android devices is a really great feature. Some Android phones don't have it, but none of the Apple phones do. I like them both. Iphone would make my life a little easier because I have so many Apple devices (Apple TV, Macbooks and ipads), but swype, multi-tasking, widgets, expandalbe memory and the removable battery make Android the winner for me and I am a pretty big fan of Apple.

Funny.

L'atelier and Herrera Estelli are very good too.

Tat Brown- absolutely. Padron 64 and FR might be worth a try. The 26 is great but might be a bit much.

I'm not a golf, soccer or boxing fan so In my lifetime Jordan has to be the greatest.