Sunday, March 30, 2008

New England Win MLS Season Opener vs Houston.

Major League Soccer (USA)
Houston Dynamo at New England Revolution
Saturday, March 29, 2008
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA)

Revolution 3, Houston Dynamo 0

Scoring Summary

NE - Steve Ralston (unassisted) 15
NE - Adam Cristman (unassisted) 32
NE -– Sainey Nyassi (unassisted) 93+

New England Revolution: Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Chris Albright, Mauricio Castro, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Sainey Nyassi, Steve Ralston © (Gary Flood 63), Adam Cristman, Kenny Mansally (Kheli Dube 81)
Substitutes Not Used: Sam Brill, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Amaechi Igwe

Houston Dynamo: Pat Onstad, Wade Barrett, Bobby Boswell, Brian Mullan (Patrick Ianni 63), Eddie Robinson, Corey Ashe, Dwayne De Rosario, Stuart Holden, Richard Mulrooney, Brian Ching (Geoff Cameron 86), Chris Wondolowski (Franco Caraccio 67)
Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Brown, Erik Ustruck, Craig Waibel

Steve Ralston, Adam Cristman and Sainey Nyassi all scored unassisted goals to lead the New England Revolution past the Houston Dynamo, 3-0, in the 2008 MLS season opener for both teams on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.

The victory served as a measure of revenge for the Revs (1-0-0, 3 pts.), who had lost in the last two MLS Cups to the Dynamo (0-1-0, 0 pts.).

The proceedings started ominously for the home side, as the Revs’ most potent goalscoring threat, Taylor Twellman, was replaced by Cristman in the starting lineup just 15 minutes prior to kickoff after experiencing soreness in his right knee during warm-ups.

The loss of Twellman ultimately didn’t slow the Revs attack, however, as they nearly opened the scoring in just the third minute. Newly-signed Mauricio Castro latched on to a cross from Nyassi at the far post, only to see his close-range shot denied by Onstad.

Article

I figure, since I followed Celtic on my BLOG over the winter, I can follow the side from MLS I support on here over the summer! The Revs started the season off in style, and exacted a bit of revenge on the team that beat them for the MLS Cup the last two years. Hopefully the rest of the season goes just as well.

TomC

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Celtic Loses to Rangers, Dealt Season Jeopardizing Blow.


Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow


RANGERS…1
(Thomson 44)

CELTIC…0

RANGERS (4-5-1) McGregor; Broadfoot, Weir, Cuellar, Whittaker; Davis (Naismith 79), Dailly, Thomson (Adam 77), Ferguson, McCulloch; Darcheville (Novo 67)
Subs not used: Alexander, Boyd, Furman, McMillan

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Brown, Hartley (Robson 80); McGeady; Samaras, Vennegoor of Hesselink (McDonald 78)
Subs not used: M.Brown, Wilson, Sno, Donati, O’Dea

Celtic FC slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat against title rivals Rangers in the second Glasgow derby of the season.

The Hoops dominated the first period but were left stunned when Kevin Thomson put Rangers ahead minutes before half-time.

While Celtic had the bulk of the pressure after the break, there were few chances in an ultra-competitive second half as Rangers clinched the victory.

Celtic now trail their city rivals by six points, with the Ibrox side also having one game in hand. The sides meet again at Celtic Park next month.

Manager Gordon Strachan made two changes to the starting XI that beat Gretna 3-0 last weekend. Paul Hartley came in for Barry Robson, while Georgios Samaras replaced Scott McDonald up front as Celtic opted for an attacking 4-4-2 set-up.

With these two great rivals locked in a battle for the SPL title, there was a real sense of anticipation around Ibrox for the first Glasgow derby in over five months – and the first of three games between the two sides before the end of the season.

As expected, it was a no-holds barred opening to the match, with fierce tackles flying in all over the pitch and both sides fully committed for every ball.

Article.


Well, it isn't looking good for the Bhoys this season after todays crushing defeat, but we must keep the faith. Time to focus on the task at hand, Motherwell FC on Saturday, April 5th.

HAIL! HAIL!


TomC

Hoyo de Monterrey Hoyo de TradiciĆ³n Toro

Country of Origin: Honduras
Length: 6"
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan

Info: For over 100 years, Hoyo de Monterrey has been a favorite in palaces in Europe and political backrooms in Washington, at poolside in Hollywood and backside Broadway. But it is more than the cigar of princes and presidents or movie stars and impressarios. Hoyo de Monterrey is the cigar for anyone who appreciates real cigar flavor. The hallmark of Hoyo de Monterrey is its very sweet and aromatic tobacco blends, which have been favored by generations of smokers.

Hoyo de Tradicion pays homage to Hoyo's traditional taste in a new iteration created with a unique blend of tobaccos from around the world. Its wrapper, a Viso Rosado leaf from Honduras' famed Jamastran Valley, has been combined with a Habano Connecticut binder and a blend of sweet Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Dominican filler tobaccos to create a special aroma and refined sweetness that ushers in a new tradition of smoking pleasure.

Whether you consider it a new tradition or the continuation of an old one, Hoyo de Tradicion represents uniqueness in taste and style that transcends time.

Appearance: Though a bit rustic looking, this was overall a rather nice looking stick. Medium brown, and evenly colored, there were no prominent veins or discolorations. The wrapper was smooth and visibly and tactilely oily, generally looking like a good cigar to smoke.

Pre-Light: A quick pre light sniff revealed notes of a distinctly nutty nature. Clip was easy and the pre light draw consisted of more light nutty notes and some earthiness.

Burn/Draw: The cigar lit easily. The burn line on this cigar, while never perfect, never wandered far enough to be a real issue, and corrected itself most of the time. One or two minor touch ups were needed, but nothing major. The draw on this cigar was free and easy producing cool billows of rich round smoke. The ash was pretty uniform in color and rather light grey.

Flavor: I would like to start off by mentioning this is a decidedly medium strength, medium bodied cigar. Those out their looking for only ass kickers might want to move along. That said it is a flavorful, if a bit simple, and well balanced cigar. It really doesn't develop a whole lot throughout the duration of the stick, but the flavors it does have seem to suit it. There is an undertone of earthiness, and a beautiful nuttiness I seem to find in the non Cuban Hoyos that I like was here as well. The third thing that was most prominent was some woodiness. There was a little peppery spiciness and the very beginning and end of the cigar but mostly the flavors described above. Overall this seems like a very reasonably priced and decently flavorful everyday style smoke. It succeeded in making my mouth water. I suggest giving one a try.

TomC

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

CAO Brazilia Box Press

5 1/2" X 55

This is a really interesting case of a stogie marketing, in my opinion. I have reviewed a Brazilia before, but this one looks like it should be a little different. There is a special band on this vitola specifically drawing attention to its box pressed nature. On the bright side it seems reasonably priced.

I am going to make this short. This cigar pretty much tasted like any other Brazilia I have had. Exactly the same profile. The problem is, the burn was crap. The cigar ran, and tunneled and cause all kinds of problems. From discussion with friends of mine, I am not only person that thinks this. I like the Brazilia profile, but the burn drove me to distraction. If you want a Brazilia roughly this size, buy a Gol!.

TomC

Baseball With Breakfast = ITS OPENING DAY!

So I was one of those sick people who was watching the Boston-Oakland game at six in the morning today. It was a very good game to start the season, too bad it was impossible for most to see. Matsuzaka threw way too many pitches in the first three innings, but only gave up two runs, and Manny Ramirez had two doubles and four RBI as the Sox beat the A's 6-5 in Ten innings. Hideki Okajima (he formerly of Tokyo's Yomiuri Giants, whose home games are played in the Tokyo Dome) got the win, which was cool for him, and Papelbon got the save.

Overall, while I understand and agree with a lot of the concerns people have with starting the baseball season abroad, it looks like interest in the league is quite high, and the atmosphere was great. Now if we could only get NPB teams to play exhibitions here.


Most of all, HOORAY! BASEBALL IS HERE!!


TomC

Monday, March 24, 2008

Celtic Beat Hapless Gretna



Scottish Premier League
Sunday, March 23, 2008

Almondvale Stadium, Livingston


GRETNA… 0


CELTIC… 3

(McDonald 42, Vennegoor of Hesselink 70, Samaras 88)

GRETNA (4-4-2) Fleming; Naughton, Hall, Meynell, Skelton; McGill (Griffiths 82), Osman, Murray, Baldacchino; Wilkinson (Makinwa 73), Deverdics (Barr 66).
Subs: Krysiak, Hogg, Shultz-Eklund, Taylor.

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Brown (Hartley 73), Robson (Sno 81), Nakamura; McDonald (Samaras 63), Vennegoor of Hesselink.
Subs: Brown, Riordan, O’Dea, Killen.

Celtic FC returned to winning ways on Easter Sunday, with strikes from Scott McDonald, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Georgios Samaras earning a 3-0 win over Gretna.

With the players fighting to keep up the pace in the SPL title race and next week’s meeting with leaders Rangers looming large on the horizon, nothing less than a win would do against the league’s bottom club.

And after McDonald settled the nerves just before half time, Vennegoor of Hesselink and Samaras wrapped up the points with their late finishes.

Almondvale Stadium provided the venue for this afternoon’s game, with Gretna embarking on a nomadic existence as they attempt to keep their heads above water.

With their recent financial crisis in mind, the ‘home’ side’s priority today was perhaps not the game in hand, but rather the number of supporters they could draw to West Lothian as they desperately scrape for funding.

As it transpired, Livingston’s ground was not even half full and was largely made up of Celtic supporters. Whether this disappointing turn out of 3151 will be enough to avert extinction remains to be seen, but having lost momentum in recent weeks in their no-score draw with Dundee United and defeat to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup, Celtic could afford no room for sentiment.



The Bhoys needed this win going into the possibly season deciding tie versus Rangers this coming weekend. And as a side not, even in their loss, I hope Gretna finds the funds to continue.

'Mon The Hoops!

TomC

The Kids Take On A Drew Estates Medusa.

Every now and then, the Kids will take on a Dog Rocket, to save you the pain of having to do it yourself. This is one of those times:







TomC

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Dream Exhibition: Boston Red Sox Versus Hanshin Tigers!



I had a very interesting experience, being able to watch the Red Sox play against the NPB team I follow, in the Tokyo Dome. the stats are in the box score above, so I won't dwell on the actual game that much (it didn't really count after all, David Ortiz and J.D. Drew homered early, and the pitching held on late to win 6-5). What I found interesting was the cultural mash up of it all. there was the chanting and drum banging and music making, as well as the announcers, of Japanese Baseball, combined with the playing "Sweet Caroline", "I'm Shipping Up To Boston", and "Dirty Water", which is distinctly Red Sox. It was a very interesting mashup of cultures I hope to see more of. Perhaps a road trip to Fenway for Hanshin?

TomC

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Tatuaje Havana VI Exclusivo: Zona Del Este, Verocu No. 2

Origin: Nicaragua
Length: 5 1/2"
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance:
This is one sturdy looking stick. Firm to the touch and very evenly packed. Thsis cigar was draped in a glistening rich mahogany wrapper. Oily and glowing, this was one of the better looking cigars of this size and shape I have seen.

Pre-Light: Before clipping I took a smell of the actual cigar. It smelled as rich as it looked, with an earthiness to it, and some smoky woodiness. The clip was easy with my trusty Credo Synchro. The Draw seemed a bit firm, but not enough to be a problem.


Burn/Draw: Toasting and lightning this cigar was easy, and nothing out of the ordinary. This cigar burned very, very slowly and surprisingly evenly considering the oiliness of the wrapper, which sometimes causes problems for me. The burn line meandered a bit but never strayed too far and always corrected itself eventually. The draw was initially on the tight side, not really troublesome but a bit more work than I generally like, and because of that there was a little less smoke than I usually like as well. That said it was never a problem, and the smoke that was produced was cool and very flavorful. The second half of the cigar opened up nicely and exploded in myriad flavors. The ash was light, and mottled, and very firm. It held as long as I wanted it to.

Flavors: I have to start off by saying that this cigar was unlike any other Tatuaje cigar I have had previously. That said, by no means is this incriminating to the cigar. As I mentioned before this cigar started with a slightly tight draw, but it was by no means low on flavor. It started off with very dry notes, leather and a twinge of peaty earthiness, but the part I most enjoyed, was this cigars woodiness. It was a very fragrant woodiness that I have detected in other cigars but not very often. It was like a fragrant autumn campfire, and I spent time languishing in the smell, letting the smoke pass slowly by my nose in an effort to enjoy it more. After about the halfway point the draw on the cigar really opened up and the flavors became more complex. The woody note was still there, but fell to the background and and combined with the peat and some spice that grew stronger toward the finish.

Overall like I said, this is not like any other Tatuaje cigar I have ever had. That said it was an amazing experience, and shows that one can use special edition cigars to help widen the breadth of flavor a line can show. Needless to say I say run out and try one (if you can find it) today. RECOMMENDED!

TomC

Celtic Knocked Out Of Scottish Cup. . .



Scottish Cup – Quarter Final Replay
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC…0

ABERDEEN…1
(Mackie 68)

CELTIC (4-4-2)
Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell (Riordan 83), McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Donati, Brown, McGeady; Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald (Samaras 73)
Subs not used: M.Brown, O’Dea, Sno

ABERDEEN (4-4-2) Soutar; Maybury, Diamond (Mair 64), Considine, Foster; Nicholson, Severin, Touzani (Aluko 46), McNamara (Walker 79); Miller, Mackie
Subs not used: Langfield, Lovell

Celtic FC lost their grip on the Scottish Cup after Aberdeen striker Darren Mackie scored the only goal of the game to give the Dons a dramatic 1-0 replay victory.

The holders dominated the entire match but were made to pay for missed chances as Jimmy Calderwood’s side grabbed a shock winner in the second half.

Aberdeen will now go on to meet Queen of the South in the semi-final, while Celtic are left to concentrate on the challenge of trying to retain the SPL title.

Article.


Their performance was dreadful. They just couldnt finish. 'Nuff said.

TomC

Barack Obama: A More Perfect Union

I thought this speech was important enough to share. Make of it what you will.



Philadelphia, PA | March 18, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery


"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

"People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American - and yes, conservative - notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright's sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."

"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

TomC

Monday, March 17, 2008

Of Course There Is A Humurous Side To Things. . .

To Reprise:



This bit never gets old!


TomC

St. Patrick's Day






What did I have?", said the fine old woman
"What did I have?", this proud old woman did say
"I had four green fields, each one was a jewel
But strangers came and tried to take them from me
I had fine, strong sons, they fought to save my jewels
They fought and died and that was my grief", said she

"Long time ago", said the fine old woman
"Long time ago", this proud old woman did say
"There was war and death, plundering and pillage
My children starved by mountain, valley and sea
And their wailing cries, they shook the very heavens
My four green fields ran red with their blood", said she

"What have I now?", said the fine old woman
"What have I now?", this proud old woman did say
"I have four green fields, one of them's in bondage
In strangers hands that tried to take it from me
But my sons have sons, as brave as were their fathers
My fourth green field will bloom once again", said she.




Happy St, Patricks Day!

TomC

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Celtic Play Well But Stumble Into 0-0 Draw. . .



Scottish Premier League
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC… 0

DUNDEE UNITED… 0


CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Brown, Sno (Robson 62), McGeady; McDonald, Samaras (Vennegoor of Hesselink 62).
Subs: M Brown, O’Dea, Hartley, Donati, Riordan.

DUNDEE UNITED (4-5-1) Zaluska; Kovacevic, Wilkie, Kenneth, Grainger; O’Brien, Robertson (Flood 75), Buaben, Kerr, Conway (Daly 84); De Vries (Hunt 77).
Subs: McLean, Dillon, Dods, Swanson.

It was a disappointing return to league business for Celtic after the recent demands of the UEFA Champions League and Scottish Cup as Gordon Strachan's side dropped two points in a goal-less draw with Dundee United.

Despite carving out the better chances and having the bulk of possession, the players could not break down a resilient United side.

The game initially started well for Celtic who got out the blocks quickly and largely dominated proceedings in the first half hour of the match.

Playing entertaining football, the team carved out a couple of early chances, with Shunsuke Nakamura the first man to clip the United post with just three minutes on the clock.

This was followed by good chances for Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras and as Celtic kept possession, the on-form Aiden McGeady and full-back Andreas Hinkel were influential on either flank.

Then, in the 31st minute, McDonald was the next man to hit the post, showing great strength to hold off Garry Kenneth as he was put through by a Scott Brown pass.

But as the half wore on, Celtic allowed their opponents into the match and United duly created the chance of the half.

Article.

Not a good result, but we have to keep the faith!

Hail! Hail!

TomC

Montecristo Edmundo

Size: 5 1/3" (135 mm)
Gauge:52

Weight: 15.00 grams

Vitola: Edmundo
Country of Origin: Cuba
Tobacco
Procedence: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Rio)

Factory: H. Upmann


Appearance
: This is one nice looking Cuban puro. A bit toothy but very well constructed, evenly packed and a joy to behold. There was a tiny chip on the foot of the cigar but but that was no issue because by the end of lighting the blemish was gone.

Pre-Light: The clip was easy and the pre light draw was free and easy. Much like the other Montcristos I have had, the pre light notes were of that trademark habano earthiness and some great peppery spiciness.


Burn/Draw: The large ring gauge of this cigar did concern me a bit. I have been trending toward smaller cigars as of late and hoped that the cigar would not be uncomfortable to smoke, or have burn problems. In general, it did not. The burn was a little funky (but I seem to get that in all Montecristo cigars) but it really never got horrible, so I could tolerate it. The draw on the other hand was great, and yielded volumes of beautiful blue grey, flavorful smoke. the ash, while mottled, was very firm and held on forever.

Flavors: This cigar was very similar to the Montecristo No. 2, but kicked up a notch. I figure this has to do with the larger cut of this cigar compared to pyramid shape of the No. 2. The first half of the cigar had notes pepper, damp organic earth, and french roast coffee on the middle of the tongue, contrasted with an interesting tangy note around the edges. This contrast is probably what I would consider the defining aspect of the cigar, what makes it different for the No. 2. Over the last half of the cigar first became sweeter and the smoke took on a real creamy feeling, then became more spicy during the last quarter, first with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, then finally more powerful like the pepper that started the stogie off. Overall this is a great cigar, and while I think I prefer the N0.2, this one is quite worth having around. RECOMMENDED.

TomC

Saturday, March 8, 2008

The Kids Take On A Padron Anniversay 1964 Maduro

After that crap cigar, my friends take solace in a tasty vitola:










Great work yet again guys!

TomC

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Rocky Patel Edge Sumatra Toro

6" X 52, Sumatra

Construction: This was one solid stick. Firmly, but evenly packed, this cigar did not seem to have a soft soot of inconsistency. The wrapper itself was dark and rich looking, and glistened with a beautiful, oily sheen. On the whole this cigar looks like it will be mighty tasty!

Pre-Light: The clip was easy, and the pre light draw, considering the firm nature of the stick, was incredibly forgiving. The stick it self smelled sweet and tangy, and the pre light draw was rich and earthy and sweet.

Burn/Draw: The burn was just great on this cigar. Lit and forget, the draw line was straight and the few times it did wander at all, it self corrected with ease relatively soon after. This cigar, while a smidge ungainly in my mouth, also had a very good draw. This allowed for loads of cool, flavorful smoke, and a luxuriant experience in this aspect. The ash was firm and mottled whit and held as long as I wanted it to.

Flavors: This was a wonderfully rich and earthy cigar. It starts off with a burst of rich, dark sweetness, like black strap molasses., About a third of the way through the earthiness of the start remains while the sweetness fades away to a rich tanginess. There is also a note that i have heard some call citric that creeps in. I feel it tastes more vegetal (like a hint of broccoli or asparagus). Now some might think this would be off putting (and it may be because my cigar was young), but I actually found it to be pleasantly intriguing. Over the last third the cigar got a bit more peppery and spicy, but the dominant not was still that lovely rich tang. I have heard this cigar described as a mind blower, but I disagree, finding it to be more medium in both strength and body.

Overall, and especially after discovering that this comes from a very reasonal price point, I would have to say I would definitely see people enjoying this cigar on a regular basis. I know I would. RECOMMENDED.

TomC

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Despite Valiant Effort, Bhoys Bow Out Of Champions League. . .



UEFA Champions League
First knock-out round, second leg
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Nou Camp, Barcelona

BARCELONA… 1
(Xavi 3)

CELTIC… 0

(Final aggregate score: Barca 4 Celtic 2)

BARCELONA (4-3-3) Valdes; Zambrotta, Puyol, Thuram, Sylvinho; Xavi (Gudjohnsen 82), Yaya Toure (Edmilson 68), Deco; Messi (Henry 38), Eto’o, Ronaldinho.
Subs: Pinto, Iniesta, Abidal, Bojan Krkic.

CELTIC (4-5-1) Boruc; Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; S Brown, Donati (Sno 46), Hartley (McDonald 78), McGeady; Nakamura; Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 55).
Subs: M Brown, Pressley, Robson, O’Dea.

Celtic’S UEFA Champions League campaign ended in defeat in the Nou Camp, with Barcelona adding one, without reply, to the 3-2 aggregate scoreline that they had clocked up at Celtic Park a fortnight ago.

Given the quality that was shown in that opening victory by the Catalans, some feared the worst in the return leg in Spain.

But while there was no shame in this 1-0 defeat, the game, as has so often been the case away from home in this competition, was over in a matter of minutes, with Xavi Hernandez scoring with just three minutes on the clock.

Gordon Strachan tried a different approach in this encounter, reverting to a 4-5-1 formation with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink returning to the side as lone striker after his recent injury and Shunsuke Nakamura taking up an advanced role as the link between defence and attack.

The idea was perhaps to shield the Celtic back four while occupying Barca’s own back line and their inspirational holding midfielder, Yaya Toure, but the team had little time to settle into the new formation when a loose pass from Massimo Donati immediately had them scrambling to recover.


Having been given possession, Barca then showed their outstanding ability, with Xavi rolling the ball out to Ronaldinho on the edge of the box and the Brazilian flicking it into the path of the unmarked, onrushing Sylvinho.

The left-back then lifted a pass across the six yard box from the byline which found the run of Xavi, who extended a leg and poked the ball past the stranded Artur Boruc.

Article.

Well, while it was a nice run in the Champion's League, it is now back tothe real matter at hand, winning the League!

'Mon The Hoops!

TomC