April 2006 Archives
April 7, 2006
I just got done reading "Crashing the Gate," the book on the Democratic Party by the guys behind dailykos.com and mydd.com. At around 200 pages it was a quick read and the writing was very engaging. Before I say anything else, just let me say, if you're a frustrated Democrat, the book is highly worth a read.
They central question of the book is "Why do the Democrats keep losing?" They do a very good job of answering that. Some of their answers you know. Some of their answers will surprise you.
They also do a decent job of answering the natural follow question: "What can Democrats do to start winning?" If I had to find any fault with the book, I would say that the book is light on things the average reader can do to fix the situation. I mean, I can't build a think tank in my back yard, nor am i in a position to stop hiring loser consultants.
However, there is an implicit directive in the book that the average Democratic voter can follow: at general election time, be partisan. If the candidate has a D after his or her name, he or she will do more for your holistic needs, even if they disagree with you on a singular important issue.
Now, primaries are a different issue all together. So I take this time to remind you, to vote for Pennacchio for the Democratic candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania in the upcoming primary election. Not because Casey is Pro-Life, (I am too) but because he doesn't believe in reasonable gun control, thinks Pro-Life only means "anti-abortion," supports the president's war in Iraq, and likes Bush's pro corporate welfare loving judicial nominees. That is... just to name a few singular issues.
April 7, 2006 Posted by Terrence Ryan at 9:24 PM
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Philly,
Politics,
It's been awhile, but it's time for another cigar review. This time I'll be doing a first for me. Reviewing a cigar I got in exchange for advertizing. I received it from Ryan Brown at buymycigars.com in exchange for some advertising.
For my first review back, I figured I'd go with a cigar I'd never had before, namely the Domincan Cohiba. Now, I can't be certain I've actually had the Cuban version, and since the two aren't really connected by anything other than name, I figured I wouldn't bother comparing the two.
Construction:Despite shipping and waiting in my house for a few days, this cigar was very well preserved. The skin was properly oily, and didn't show any signs of drying. The cigar burned like a dream, and the ash was bright white. The draw was a little tough on it, but it is a small thin cigar, so it is to be expected. It also had that coo thing where you don't feel like you've taken a big puff, but there's a ton of smoke. So all in all, very well constructed.
Taste: The taste was not bad, although it wasn't my favorite. It was hard to pin down, but if I was to give it a pretentious label, I would have to say "woody." Certainly not bad, but I wouldn't turn it into an ice cream flavor or anything.
Stats: This cigar measures 4 inches by a ring gauge of 42. It's made of Dominican filler, surrounded in a Cameroon wrapper. The filler is from Indonesia. I received it for free, however buymycigar.com's price for the them is $6.72. However you can get them at Holt's for $4 a pop.
Overall: I can't recommend buying these cigars at either price. They're just not a good value. Sure they're well constructed, and you might like the taste, but there are plenty of cheaper cigars that fit that bill. Which I guess means that you're paying for the name. But since Cuban Cohiba's are a post embargo brand, there's no connection to that name to be had here. I say don't bother with them.
April 7, 2006 Posted by Terrence Ryan at 9:00 PM
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Cigar Reviews,
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