El Presidente

2001 Alien Ant Farm. Smooth Criminal. One of my favourites from the period

Hard to forget.....no matter how much you want to. 2000 Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

FOH Weekend Playlist 2000 - 2010 Let's formulate a weekend playlist for Music released 2000-2010 Some call it a tough period for music but some of us are just getting old What were the songs that define this period for you? What were the songs that immediately jump to mind? Songs that define 2000-2010. Let's put a playlist together and I will play it Australia day!

With Australia Day MondayJanuary 26th...it is the Australia Day Long Weekend in Australia! Prep and chore day today Saturday as I pot around garden, house. Will visit mum and dad for a coffee. Reminder to buy a french vanilla slice at the bakery for dad. Will swing around the fish market for some green prawns, scallops and squid. I have promised Di a seafood mango salad for dinner. Big day tomorrow as we have our Oz Day celebrations at PJ's house starting early afternoon. It is going to be a cracking party! Pool, boat, BBQ, cigars, wine, cocktails repeat...except the boat bit. Monday we have the Parallel Burns Vid where our FOH tasting panel puts the MOFOH Robusto Trinity up against the Hoyo Epicure 2. It will be fun! What's up for the weekend?

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/23/trump-administration-weighs-naval-blockade-to-halt-cuban-oil-imports-00744708 Trump administration weighs naval blockade to halt Cuban oil imports “Energy is the chokehold to kill” the Cuban regime, said a person familiar with the discussions. A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Jan. 9, 2026. | Ramon Espinosa/AP By Ben Lefebvre and Eric Bazail-Eimil01/23/2026 02:12 PM ESTUpdated: 01/23/2026 02:31 PM EST The Trump administration is weighing new tactics to drive regime change in Cuba, including imposing a total blockade on oil imports to the Caribbean country, three people familiar with the plan said Thursday. That escalation has been sought by some critics of the Cuban government in the administration and backed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to two of the three people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive discussions. No decision has been made on whether to approve that move, but it could be among the suite of possible actions presented to President Donald Trump to force the end of Cuba’s communist government, these people added. Preventing shipments of crude oil to the island would be a step-up from Trump’s statement last week that the U.S. would halt Cuba’s imports of oil from Venezuela, which had been its main crude supplier. But there are ongoing debates within the administration about whether it is even necessary to go that far, according to all three people. The loss of Venezuelan oil shipments — and the resale of some of those cargoes that Havana used to obtain foreign currency — has already throttled Cuba’s laggard economy. A total blockade of oil imports into Cuba could then spark a humanitarian crisis, a possibility that has led some in the administration to push back against it. The discussions, however, show the extent to which people inside the Trump administration are considering deposing leaders in Latin America they view as adversaries. “Energy is the chokehold to kill the regime,” said one person familiar with the plan who was granted anonymity to describe the private discussions. Deposing the country’s communist government – in power since the Cuban revolution in 1959 – is “100 percent a 2026 event” in the administration’s eyes, this person added. The effort would be justified under the 1994 LIBERTAD Act, better known as the Helms-Burton Act, this person added. That law codifies the U.S. embargo on Cuban trade and financial transa

https://tobaccoreporter.com/2026/01/23/selected-tobacco-opens-spains-first-premium-cigar-factory-in-50-years/ Selected Tobacco Opens Spain’s First Premium Cigar Factory in 50 Years Selected Tobacco opened a new 3,000-square-meter (30,000-square-foot) premium cigar factory in Madrid, marking the return of premium cigar production to Spain for the first time in more than 50 years. The five-story facility signals a rare revival of Spain’s historic role in global tobacco manufacturing, reintroduced through a modern, vertically integrated model focused on long-term aging, craftsmanship, and controlled production. Founded by Nelson Alfonso, and known for cigar brands Atabey, Byron, Alfonso, and Bandolero, Selected Tobacco said Madrid was the sole location considered for the project, reflecting Alfonso’s personal connection to Spain and a deliberate effort to rebuild the country’s presence in premium cigar making through contemporary infrastructure rather than nostalgia. The facility is designed to guide tobacco and visitors through the entire production lifecycle. Raw tobacco enters on the ground floor for sorting, fermentation, and aging, while upper levels house design studios, rolling galleries for master torcedores, and a central space capable of hosting industry and consumer events. A key feature is what the company describes as the world’s largest multi-cedar-lined humidor, consisting of 24 individual aging rooms, supporting Selected Tobacco’s proprietary aging protocols. Additional areas are dedicated to fermentation and leaf aging, including rooms equipped with French oak wine barrels used to rest wrapper and filler tobaccos. A hydroponic grow room supports seed development and agricultural experimentation, reinforcing a seed-to-cigar philosophy. The top floor includes a private smoking lounge and terrace overlooking Madrid, emphasizing hospitality alongside production.

PRESS RELEASE LES FINES LAMES, the French brand that created Le PETIT, Le TAG and the PUNCH BRACELET, releases the first money clip double blade cigar cutter. Whether it serves as a money clip or a pocket clip, Le TAG – Clip ensures that your cutter is always where you need it. Le TAG – Clip is 8mm thin and features sharp stainless steel double blades and cuts cigars up to 100 ring gauge “Always be ready, so you never have to get ready. Le TAG – Clip carries forward the philosophy behind LES FINES LAMES’ revolution in cigar accessories. Our every day carry cigar accessories are versatile and effortless to keep with you.”, said Fabien Kerneis – Head of Digital. For the first 6 months, there’s only one way to purchase Le TAG – Clip : through participating retailers, as it will not be available on lesfineslames.com. For this operation, LES FINES LAMES shine a spotlight on the participating cigar shops, creating a “web-to-store” operation between February 9 and August 9, 2026. Le TAG – Clip is proposed in 5 differents finishes: Champ – Black – ODG – Red – Blue MSRP: $120 / 120€

So what have the "Hands of Time" done/do with the Bolivar Libertador? Have they shown ageing potential? Have you noticed significant improvement and over what time frame? What is the sweet spot for you? This is a series where we take a cigar that examine how it has evolved with a little water under the bridge. Bolivar Libertador is a 2013 LCDH 54 × 164mm (6½″) Double Robusto Release. Now I always thought it was pretty damn good with simply a little time down to acclimatise to your humidor. To me it has always smoked as a "premium" cigar and it sold damn well so we know there are plenty out there. I have smoked them fresh and all the way to just over a decades worth of age. I have found them very very good but with little difference in the smoking experience between a 5 year old example and a 10 year old example. Significant improvement between fresh and 5 years. Everything is rounded out, better balance, flavours (mezzo coffee core/leather) more defined/cleaner. Smooth and rich. What has been your experience with the Bolivar Libertador?

For those having troubles with Outlook today. Microsoft 365 Outlook down: Microsoft breaks silence on outage Here's what Microsoft is saying so far about the Jan. 22 outage. Updated at 6:15 p.m. ET on Jan. 22: Microsoft shared a new update on its recovery efforts Thursday evening. On the Microsoft 365 status page, the company wrote: "We're carefully rebalancing traffic across all affected infrastructure in the region, while monitoring the corresponding health telemetry, to ensure the environment enters into a balanced state as our remediation efforts continue. We’re proceeding as quickly as possible and this incremental approach will also help us identify whether any additional actions may be required to ensure longstanding recovery." Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, are experiencing heavy downtime today. Users have been reporting outages since the afternoon on social media and on Downdetector. "Users may be seeing degraded service functionality or be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services," an update on Microsoft's status page reads. Microsoft has now released a more detailed statement on the issue, letting users know that they are working on fixing the problem and acknowledging which services are facing outages.

What a season Coming into the last two games of the NFL season and the FOH NFL Tipping Competion is down to a two horse race 100 started and we are down to two. Does anyone give Denver a chance this weekend? Your pick for the Super Bowl winner?

USD has fallen 9% in the past 12 months against the basket of other major trading currencies. Perceived international economic/social/political risk is the highest since WWII. Central banks are buying gold aggressively as a reserve asset. Gold has proven itself to be a better (more price consistent) hedge than Crypto. I am not seeing too many downward price pressures on Gold.

Trump seeking ‘regime change’ in Cuba by end of the year: US media report The Wall Street Journal reports the White House is seeking to identify Cuban officials willing to cut a deal as part of a ‘regime change’ bid.

Under S.B. 6129, that same cigar would likely have a taxable sales price of $4.75, which would get taxed at 90 percent, increasing the excise tax paid from 65 cents under the status quo to $4.28. That same cigar would go from a shelf price of $10.15 to $13.78 before sales tax. The more expensive the cigar, the more effect the change would have. For example, a cigar with a $24 MSRP is likely sold for around $24.65 before sales tax, but that would jump to $34.80 if the bill passes. CONTINUED

A sudden algorithm shift is quietly choking cigar media, retailers, and manufacturers, and no one is explaining why. Something strange is happening in the cigar industry and most consumers don’t even realize it yet. Over the past few weeks, cigar manufacturers, retailers, podcasts, lounges, and media outlets have begun receiving unsettling notifications from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The message is blunt: your page will no longer be recommended by Facebook’s algorithm. No warning. No clear violation. No explanation. CONTINUED