2009 Birthday Message from Marine Commandant General Conway:

2009 Commandant Birthday Message:

R 051329Z OCT 09
UNCLASSIFIED//
ALMAR 033/09
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC DMCS//
SUBJ/UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY MESSAGE – 10 NOVEMBER 2009//GENTEXT/REMARKS/

1. UNITED STATES MARINES REPRESENT THE BEST YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN OUR NATION HAS TO OFFER. TO BE A MARINE IS TO BE A MEMBER OF AMERICA’S WARRIOR CLASS – TO BE ONE OF THE FEW WHO STEPS FORWARD WITH THE COURAGE AND CONVICTION TO FACE WHATEVER DANGERS AWAIT. OUR NATION EXPECTS HER MARINES TO BE READY WHEN THE NATION CALLS; TO LEAVE FAMILY AND THE COMFORTS OF HOME BEHIND; TO MARCH INTO BATTLE AND THRIVE UNDER AUSTERITY; AND TO COME HOME UNDER A VICTORY PENNANT.

2. FROM AL ANBAR IN THE WEST OF IRAQ, TO HELMAND PROVINCE IN THE SOUTH OF AFGHANISTAN, OUR CORPS OF MARINES CAN ALWAYS EXPECT TO BE FOUND WHERE THE FIGHT IS TOUGHEST. SUCH IS OUR HISTORY. TODAY, AS WE WRITE THE FINAL CHAPTER ON OUR VICTORY IN IRAQ, WE WILL INCREASINGLY TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY IN AFGHANISTAN AND ADD NEW PAGES TO OUR LEGACY IN PLACES CALLED DELARAM, NOW ZAD, AND GARMSIR. ONE DAY, WE WILL RETURN TO OUR NAVAL HERITAGE AND PATROL THE HIGH SEAS WITH OUR NAVY BROTHERS. SUCH IS OUR FUTURE.

3. AS WE CELEBRATE OUR CORPS’ 234TH BIRTHDAY, WE FIRST PAUSE TO REFLECT AND PAY TRIBUTE TO THOSE MARINES WHO HAVE GIVEN THE LAST FULL MEASURE IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM. WE EXTEND OUR DEEPEST GRATITUDE TO OUR MARINE CORPS FAMILIES – THE UNSUNG HEROES WHO ENDURE HARDSHIP AND SACRIFICE SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GO FORWARD AND ACCOMPLISH ANY MISSION. WE EXTEND OUR APPRECIATION TO OUR COUNTRYMEN WHO HAVE ANSWERED OUR EVERY NEED. AND WE CELEBRATE THE MAGNIFICENT MEN AND WOMEN WHO WILLINGLY AND SELFLESSLY CONTINUE TO GO INTO HARM’S WAY TO PROTECT THIS GREAT NATION.

4. TO ALL WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE, TO THOSE WHO WEAR THE UNIFORM TODAY, AND TO THE FAMILIES THAT GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO FORGE AHEAD – I WISH YOU ALL A HEARTFELT HAPPY 234TH BIRTHDAY!

5. SEMPER FIDELIS! JAMES T. CONWAY, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS

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Thanks to everyone for participating and joining in on the fun. It’s always good to give away cigars. And for my past winners, I’m sure they’ll tell you it’s always great to get cigars.

Agent 86, you’re going to have to break your secrecy protocol to give me a location to send these sticks.

Check back in, y’all, we’ll eventually get something going around here.

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The herf was organized by a couple members (Jason and Tony) of some popular cigar forums and was announced through those forums and on facebook.  I, myself, was a last minute attendee otherwise I would have made an announcement for others to join in on the fun… and fun it was!!  Of course, whenever you get a bunch of cigar lovers together it just tends to be fun.  There were some great cigars smoked, plenty of beer imbibed, and great camaraderie among friends, new and old.  Personally, I got to meet up with some guys I’ve known for years but had never met in person; and, I got to see some old friends that I hadn’t seen in awhile.

The weekend started early Friday afternoon with a pre-herf taking place at James’ house and lasting well into the night.  Saturday saw some great burgers at Dutch’s, some good beer at the Rahr & Sons brewery, and then the main event at Paddy Reds Irish Pub.  Of course, never willing to let a bar-closing stop us, some of us returned to James’ house for a little after-herf continuance of smoking and drinks.  Unfortunately, that’s where the herf ended for me, but not for many of the guys.  Sunday saw some post-herf activities, again at James’ house for drinks, smokes, and football.

Also, during the herf there was an auction of some fantastic cigars donated by attendees.  Overall, the herf raised more than $2400 for a local Ft. Worth charity: the North Texas Veterans Assistance Association.  I’d say that’s one helluva showing!!

So, since in the case of herfs, it didn’t happen unless there are pics…  Here are the pics.

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Only one entry per person, only for the 50 US States.  Must be 18 and older and all that other stuff that goes along with it.  Winner will be selected Friday, Oct 16th, 2009 around 6:00pm CST.

So, who wants some cigars “just because?”

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So, with as little time as I’ve had to smoke lately, once I received it, I put it on my key chain.  I think that’s one of the greatest things about the Cigar Spike.  It’s not so sharp that you’re going to poke yourself if it’s in your pockets (at least I haven’t had it happen to me after carrying it around for two months) and it’s quite unobtrusive.  It’s not dangling off like some key chain punch cutters do.

Anyway, I was able to put this to use a couple of times and here’s my feedback.  It’s good, not great, and, in my opinion it’s not something that can be used with every cigar.  Wait, what?  Yeah…

First, call me simple, but there was a little learning curve.  They say to “gently push spike into cigar end” but “gently” is a very subjective term.  I’m a man!  My gentle wasn’t gentle enough and unfortunately I ended up ruining the ends of a couple cigars trying to spike it.  No worries though, because I was able to cut them into smokeable cigars.  Anyway, once I got the right touch, it was no problem.

So, surprisingly, the draw was quite good with the Cigar Spike.  Being a wedge shape, you can push it in further to get larger holes.  I really had no complaints in that area, but here’s where my biggest problem lies.  Cigars have tar in them.  Depending on the blend and the size, the level of tar differs.  Now, large ring gauge full-bodied cigars usually have more tar than smaller ring gauge mild cigars.  Now, if you’ve never experienced the build-up of tar on your cigar and getting it on your tongue, I don’t suggest going out just to try it.  Take my word for it.

I found that with my larger ring gauge cigars there was more tar build-up than I normally experience.  Actually, with some of my standard smokes I’ve never experienced tar before.  Using the Cigar Spike, unfortunately, I had tar on my lips more than once.

So, depending on the cigar your smoking, a standard cut is going to serve you better than the Cigar Spike.  On others, the Cigar Spike will work just fine, but you’ll have to judge what you’re smoking.  The good thing is that it can serve as an emergency tool… for just a couple bucks you don’t have to worry about not having your cutter with you in that one instant that you forgot it on your counter.

So, there you have it!  Hopefully it won’t be another month before I make it back.

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Well, let’s see, being as it’s been forever since I’ve posted a cigar review; being that I was not able to make it to the IPCPR trade show that’s going on right now; and, being that I had a pretty good weekend with my daughters, I figured why not have a cigar tonight and write down my thoughts for my readers.  Oh yeah, and NFL preseason kicks off tonight!!  As if that’s not reason enough.

Anyway, I pulled out the recently released NUb Maduro for tonight’s smoke.  I’ve enjoyed all of the previous releases, which you can read here.  But, being a huge maduro fan, I really was looking forward to this cigar’s debut.  Here we go.

Appearance: This thing’s got a pretty dark wrapper even for a maduro, but they’re not painted dark like some other manufacturers do.  The wrap is tight and well done, and looking at the foot, the bunch looked good.  The band is the same as the other nubs, just a brown to represent the maduro.

Taste: This thing started strong; a little too strong out the gate, but it mellowed pretty quickly.  From there, it was just good tobacco taste.  It’s not a complex cigar and trying to pull flavors out of this isn’t a priority tonight.  Let it suffice that if you like maduros, you’ll like this.

Aroma: The unlit cigar was just good wholesome maduro tobacco smell, but I wouldn’t go waving this smoke, once lit,  in your face too much trying to get a good whiff.

Construction: Well, what’s to be said about these things.  They’re always great in this area.  The draw was fantastic.  The burn was a little off, but who cares?  You’d think that for such a short, thick cigar you’d see more construction problems, but these are always well-made.

Overall Impression: I’ve been impressed with NUbs ever since they came out.  This one doesn’t disappoint.  As far as maduros go, it isn’t the best, but it isn’t the worst either.  For a little over $5 and still at least a good hour of smoke, you can’t really ask for more.

Cigar Rating:

Related posts:

1. Cigar Review: Panacea Black Torpedo Maduro
2. Cigar Review: Los Blancos Maduro Robusto
3. Cigar Review: Don Ramon Maduro Churchill

I’m not sure where the local citizenry was or where the local cigar shops were to fight this proposal.  Maybe no one knew about it, but someone should have.  We Texans dropped the ball on this one…big time.  The word needs to get out, because while it’s just Galveston, TX now, if it’s not already your town, it could be next on the chopping block.  I’m going to go have a glass of wine and fondly remember the Texas that was proud to stand up for individual rights; it seems to be a memory.

Let’s contact the city council and let them know how disgusted we are:

District 1 – Tarris Woods: tarriswoods@cityofgalveston.org
District 2 – Linda Colbert: lindacolbert@cityofgalveston.org
District 3 – Elizabeth Beeton: elizabethbeeton@cityofgalveston.org
District 4 – Susan Fennewald: susanfennewald@cityofgalveston.org
District 5 – Danny Weber: (409) 744-7025
District 6 – Karen Mahoney: karenmahoney@cityofgalveston.org

Or you can email everyone at once by clicking here: EMAIL EVERYONE!!

Edit: Read this excellent post about this same topic here!!

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Congrats Dan.  Thanks for playing and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Cigamate.

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Mario Grigorov is “best known for conceiving and creating the 1998 classical crossover hit, Aria, with composer Paul Schwartz.”   Now, to describe this album in one word: Sexy.  Sultry.  Sizzling.  Stirring.  You pick the one you like.  From the beginning, you’re sucked into this album and transported to the tropical beaches of Cuba or the streets of Havana.

The first song Cuban Soil, Cuban Sun is reported to have been named after the finest ingredients of a Cuban cigar.  It’s a medium tempo stroll with your lover along the streets of Havana at dusk.  Its rhythm grabs you and you know why Latin lovers have the reputations they do. I See includes the vocal talents of Melissa Newman, and this is where the “sultry” comes into play.  Her voice is teasing, but clear enough its meaning.  You can’t help but think of her singing these words in your ear in the dark corner of a quiet Cuban cantina.

Ice Hotel puts you on the dance floor, and if you can’t sway your hips with this song, then you need to learn.  Your lady will love you for it.   Every Little Movement keeps you on the floor, but now you’re moving.  Ms. Newman lends her talent again and seduces your vanity.  You can imagine her words being spoken by your love and lose yourself in them.  Every man’s woman should feel this way about him.  The title track Paris To Cuba makes me think of one of those romantic resort huts out on a secluded Cuban beach with my woman drinking mojitos in the candlelight.

I won’t continue to bore you with my inept writing skills as a music critic, but if you like Latin music of the romantic variety, then you need to try this album.  Buy a bottle of wine, get some candles, bring dinner home for your wife, put this on and dance the night away in your living room.  You’ll thank me.

Here’s a little preview:

Before She Walked Away

You check check out clips of the other songs at the official Paris To Cuba website.  They’ve also got facebook and MySpace.

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First, the Cigamate is not an ashtray.  And, even though it took me a little bit to figure it out, it’s not intended to be.  Instead it’s a “portable cigar and cigarette disposable unit.”  And, yes, there’s a difference.  Once I realized the distinction, I was better able to evaluate the Cigamate for what its intended use is: a place to put cigars and cigarettes AFTER you’re finished with them.

So, let’s talk about that first.  I run into cigarette receptacles that are similar to the Cigamate quite often.  There’s one at the pool where I take my kids.  It’s always frustrating because I can never get my finished cigar in there.  Their holes are too small and they definitely don’t leave enough room for the 2-3 inches a normal person leaves on a cigar when finished smoking it.  Cigamate has eliminated that problem by making the hole larger and the neck of the product wider to specifically accommodate cigar smokers.  Wonderful!

extended

collapsed

Not only that, but they’ve added some other features as well.  First, it’s collapsible and portable as you can see in the images.  So, you can own one of these for your backyard or patio, take it with you to the beach (though I’d clean it out before traveling with it), etc.  It’s even got convenient little handles on it to pick it up and move it.  The top is wider so that you can fit a drink on it and it has two grooves in it to hold your and your friend’s cigar on it when you need to put it down for a moment.  Fantastic!

Now, is there room for improvement?  Sure.  Like I said, it’s not an ashtray, so depending on where you’re smoking, like say your back patio, you may or may not need an ashtray.  I don’t flick ashes on my patio floor, so I still need an ashtray.  I’m thinking that the hole could be a little wider to allow for the user to maybe just flick the ash into the receptacle without much problem.  As it is, it’s a little awkward to try and do that.  If you’re standing out in the grass, or in another area where it’s okay to ash on the ground, then this is all you need.

If you’re an outdoors kind of person who likes to take family trips to the beach, have friends over for BBQ, or just have kids running around the backyard and you don’t want them near a cigar you’ve finished that’s still burning out, then this is a recommended buy.  These would be great in company smoking areas, outside the local cigar shops, or anywhere someone might need to put a cigar or cigarette out before walking into a store.  It’d keep the cigarette butts off the ground, that’s for sure.

These retail directly from the Cigamate site at $39.99.  I actually think it’s quite worth it; especially if you’d be able to make use of its portability.  Cigar retailers can also contact them for wholesale info.  They come in two colors: adobe beige and cigar brown.  The one in the images is beige.

I don’t think this is a must-have for everyone, but I definitely think that for people whose needs this product does fit, it’s the best I’ve seen.  Those other ‘cigarette only’ models just don’t meet the needs of us cigar smokers.

CIGAMATE GIVEAWAY:  Cigamate is kind enough to offer up one of these for a giveaway to one lucky Cigar Command reader!!  All you have to do is leave a comment here in this post about your thoughts on the Cigamate before 11:59 CST Friday, July 24th and you’ll be entered in the random drawing.

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