DO YOURSELF A FAVOR LOOK AT THIS CLIP AND THEN GO OUT AND PLAY

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Simply the Most Beautiful Actress of All Time

August 4, 1962 Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home. An apparent suicide, but was it? We may never know if it was murder or suicide. If it was suicide was it on purpose or accident? Another question we will never get an answer to. The purpose of this post is not to answer these questions or debate them. The purpose is to honor an I believe was the most beautiful woman that Hollywood ever produced. Over 50 years have passed since that day in August and Marilyn is still an American Icon. The American Film Institute ranks her as the 6^th greatest actress of all time and her movie “Some Like It Hot” is listed as the funniest movie of all time. She defined an era and she is still the standard that all actresses’ are measured against and frankly fail. She was smart (yes very smart) she was funny, a good dramatic actress as well. Let’s not forget her unmatched beauty. She defined what sexy is and still does today.

She also suffered from mental illness and she never got the proper treatment for her. Her story is a sad one, she was used and abused by the system and in the end she was alone. I just completed a great book about her called “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe” by J Randy Taraborrelli and it was great and I highly recommend it.

So what I am asking is that everyone on Tuesday to take a minute and raise a glass to a wonderful woman who is truly an American Icon.

Good bye Norma Jean.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Almost everyday someone asks me “what is your favorite cigar” or “are Cubans really the best” so I thought I would talk about cigars today. Cigars are on of my life’s greatest pleasures. I could go on for hours why cigars are so wonderful, but that is a discussion for another day. A while back I wrote about the 45 minute vacation and you should read it if you want some insight as to why cigars are so awesome. However today I am going to discuss cigars. To pick one cigar, as your favorite is very difficult, it’s like trying to pick one Sinatra song. It really can’t be done. So here are some guidelines as to purchasing the right cigar for the right time. I am going to start out with very broad definitions and try and put the lingo into laymen’s terms:

TYPE: There are basically two types of cigars:

1 – The Maduro – The Maduro cigar is a bold full body cigar, they are usually dark and very strong. If you are not an experienced cigar smoker I would not recommend a Maduro. I will smoke them on occasion, but not very often

2 – The Natural – A Natural can be light to medium body, they are usual lighter than a Maduro. I prefer Natural cigars.

SIZE: The flavor of a cigar is as much determined by the size, as it is the darkness of the tobacco used. You can have a cigar made with the same tobacco and the size will give you a variety of strength and flavor. The Ring Gauge is the thickness of the cigar. When you see ring size it means the circumference of the cigar measured in centimeters. For example a 50-ring gauge is 50cm circumference. A simple rule the thicker the cigar the stronger the cigar. The same holds true for length the longer the stronger. There are names for the sizes of cigars as follows:

1 – Corona – Typically 4” to 5” long with a ring gauge of about 42: A corona will take about 25 to 35 minutes to smoke. It’s a perfect cigar to smoke when you don’t have a long time to smoke or if you are smoking right before a meal. My two favorite corona’s are:

a: Montecristo #4 – Monty #4 is one of the best smokes you will ever have period. It is from Cuba so you need to be careful that you are getting the real thing.

b: Epoca “Breva” – Epoca is Nat Sherman’s original brand reborn. It’s a great cigar they are a blend of Nicaraguan (Cuba’s biggest rival) and Dominican grown seed tobaccos.

2 – Rubusto – Typically 4” to 5” long with a ring gauge of about 50 or 52 – rubusto’s are stronger than a corona, but take about the same time to smoke. I do not smoke rubusto’s so I am not comfortable recommending a Rubusto because I don’t smoke them.

3 – Toro – Typically 6” long with a ring gauge of about 50 or 54 – The Toro is one of my favorite cigars to smoke. It is about a 45 minute to an hour smoke. My favorite is the Padron Anniversary 1964 Natural (“Imperial”). It may be one of the best smokes.

4 – Torpedo – Typically 5 ½’ to 6” long with a ring gauge of 52 – My favorite size to smoke is the Torpedo. The Torpedo has a tapered end and when it is cut it should be cut on an angle, which will release more flavor as you smoke. I don’t know why this works but it does. My favorite Torpedo’s are (shown in order of preference):

a: Padron Anniversary 1964 Natural Torpedo. Other than two specialty cigars this is my favorite cigar. In my view it is a perfect smoke. By the way the two specialty smokes are Padron 1026 Serie 80 Anniversary Natural Perfecto and Padron Family Reserve Natural Torpedo. I am sure you notice a trend here. Yes In MY OPINION (I will discuss opinions later) Padron are the best and they are from Nicaragua,

b: Vegas Robina Unicos from Cuba, which is just a wonderful cigar. It is the favorite smoke of The Great Maury Cartine.

c: The Montecristo #2, most people will claim this is the greatest cigar you can buy. Cuba’s finest! In my view there is not a big difference with any of these cigars. They are special and should be shared with someone who is special

5 – Churchill – Typically 7” long with a ring gauge of 50 – 60. Like Rubusto’s I do not like Churchill’s they are too big, take too long to smoke and give me a headache. Therefore you are on your own selecting one of these monsters.

There are more sizes than described above, but this is a good start.

OCCASION: Whether you are on the golf course, celebrating with a friend or just relaxing in your backyard you need to smoke the right cigar for the right occasion.

1 – The Celebration Smoke – It doesn’t matter what you are celebrating could be the birth of a child, graduation, or just spending time with a Pally. Here is when you bring out your best smokes. Friday I shared a Monte #2 with my Pally Don. While anytime I spend with Don is special and we never take it for granted the fact that we were sharing this marvelous cigar just made that time better.

2 – the time alone cigar – time alone is a precious commodity and it should be enjoyed with a cigar. You should choose any cigar you want it’s your time spending how you like it.

3 – The Golf Smoke – You are on a golf course, which is an awesome thing, which should be treasured, however if you leave a $35 cigar half smoked on your golf cart and drive away and lose it you will be pissed. I am not saying smoke a crap cigar, life is too short for that. However there are some less expensive cigars to smoke on the golf course. Here is a list of a few:

a: Avo Classic

b: Arturo Fuente -858’s

c: Flor de Las Antillas

The most important thing about cigars is to enjoy them. Every person has there own personal taste. Your personal taste is the most important so smoke what you like and enjoy and if people tell you what you enjoy is not good tell them to F*&^ Off.

Lastly, people who may or not have your taste so they really don’t mean all that much and they should be used as a guide not as the bible do Cigar Ratings. The most important thing is to smoke and enjoy.

Last weekend we celebrated Memorial Day weekend (the unofficial start of summer) and after this long cold winter we are relieved.   Before I start with my Babbling I just want to thank all those who served in our Military for their service.

Last week the weather got quite warm and I thought it was funny how people were complaining about the heat. Funny they were the same people complaining about the cold. Oh well some people just like complaining.

For me Memorial Day means I can break out my summer suits! In particular my seersuckers, summer hats, and yes my two-toned shoes. I didn’t waste any time to wear mine, Tuesday in fact, the first business day of the summer. As the week went on I started noticing some trends that I really don’t like so I thought I would share them with you:

1. Suits (or sports jackets with loosened ties). I know it’s hot, but really you can’t keep the tie tight? I was on several rooftops these week, (1) because of the weather and (2) my firm was hosting its annual conference. Several people complained to me and told me to loosen my tie and asked them why and the said “the Heat its too hot to wear a tie.” Really the only thing a loose tie does is make you look like a slob it doesn’t cool you off. It you tie is making you hot you probably have a shirt on that don’t fit you, so buy a bigger shirt.
2. This brings me to my other pet peeve, a suit or sports jacket with no tie and a collared shirt. What is the purpose of this, it looks sloppy unless you button the top button (then you might as well wear a tie). This has been a new trend over the past several years and frankly I hate it. Tony Bennett was asked why he always wears a suit and tie. His answer “TO BE DIFFERENT”.   So what should you do? Simple if you don’t want to wear a tie then wear a mock silk tee shirt. The mock tee is simple neat and you will be noticed for being a little different. The cost less than a dress shirt and if you are not wearing a tie is looks a lot better and it is acceptable business casual attire. In addition it is a lot cooler in the heat of summer.
3. Short Slacks, this one I will never get. Slacks (not pants, pants are for kids and slacks are for men) should have a break above the shoe. Either a half break or full break. THEY SHOULD NOT STOP AN INCH OR TWO ABOVE THE SHOE! Pee Wee Herman is not someone you should dress like.   I know what you are going to say “If I don’t wear them like this you can’t see my socks”. Well socks are supposed to be seen and that gets me to number 4.
4. Stupid colorful socks! Where did this come from I will never know and yes I hate it. Colorful socks have their place and that place is when you wear a seersucker suit or a real light summer suit. They should not be worn everyday and I cannot wait until they are out of style. In a post several months ago I mentioned how I went to a Hugo Boss store and they had more styles of socks then ties. This is just stupid. I know I know it’s the style and to that I say three things (1) Parachute Pants, (2) Bell Bottoms, (3) giant shoulder pads.
5. Lastly another trend I don’t like is brown or tan shoes with a blue suit. To me it just looks silly. Wear black shoes with Blue it looks better.

As I have stated many times these are my opinions. So you can ask yourself “what the hell do I know” Well if any of you have been out with me will know that everyday I have several strangers approach me to compliment the way I dress and tell me they like my style. So maybe you don’t agree with me and think I am an ass. Maybe that true, but I challenge you to following:

Dress the way you want for one month and see how many times strangers approach you and compliment you on the way you look then dress the way I say to on this Blog for a month. I will bet anyone out there that my way will get you more compliments. Sorry guys it’s not the cost of the clothes it’s the way you style them.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  If I have offended anyone by saying Christmas, well TOO BAD!  ITS CHRISTMAS SO GROW UP!

Just yesterday, I was listening to the Tim McGraw song Back When (yes I listen to a little country music) and it brought back some great memories growing up as a kid. I look at my children today and I truly feel sorry for them, because they will never have the freedom and yes fun that I had growing up in the 70s. Whether it was just playing whiffle ball or ring and run. We were free, our parents let us GO OUT AND PLAY. I used to love when the milkman came and drink the fresh milk, today my kids don’t even know what the milkman is or what whole milk taste like. I am not naïve to think that everything was great when I was a kid, the cold war was raging, hostages were in IRAN and we had long gas lines. However I was hopeful and I thought I could change the world. Now I am 48 and have two children 15 and 12 and I worry about them. I am not special most parents’ worry about their children. So yesterday I thought what are my kids going to remember in thirty years from now and I hope its Saturday’s in the Fall and the time we spent together watching College Football.

I know you thought this post was going to be all mushy and sappy, but its not! I am going to talk about the best annual sport on the Planet and that is FBS College Football. Yesterday was a tough day my Fighting Irish lost a close game last night on the last play of the game. I will admit it I didn’t sleep much last night because I was upset. As I lay in bed thinking about the game and what could have been, I remembered that Max and Luke were there with me watching pacing the floor on that last drive. I remember the joy we felt when we thought the Irish scored the winning touchdown with seconds left in the game and the disappointment when we saw the flag and knew the TD wasn’t going to count. Two more plays and the game was over and the Irish lost. We all went to bed disappointed.

Every Saturday from Labor through November I watch game after game with my boys. It doesn’t matter who is playing as long as there is college ball and we are together. Football just a game, the outcome and the results really don’t mean much in the course of our lives, but the game has bonded my family together for the past 10 + years and I have a lot of great memories of the game. Here are just a few in no particular order:

• Watching Max Play in his third Offensive-Defense Football Academy Youth All American Bowl in Cowboys Stadium
• Watch Lucas run 80 yards for a touchdown when he was six
• Trip down to Tampa with Max for his 10^th birthday to watch the Buccaneers play the charges (of course the Bucs lost)
• Trip down to Baltimore with Lucas for his 10^th birthday to watch the Ravens beat the Bengals
• Trip out to South Bend with Max to watch the Fighting Irish give Michigan State their only loss of the year
• Nearly 100 Saturday’s watching college ball with my boys eating KFC and Pizza while screaming, cheering, and crying at the TV.

So here is a shout out to Football and many other sports that still can bring families together and create happy memories in the midst of this crazy world we live in.

Last weeks post was about a little unseen accessory that is wonderful, so I thought I would continue with that theme and discuss a little known accessory that nobody will ever see. THE SOCK GARTER!

One of my fashion pet peeves is when a man crosses his legs the way women do (I am not even able to do that and don’t know how men can). The crossing the legs is not the problem it’s looking at their hairy legs because their socks are around the ankles.

Men’s socks come in basically two lengths (1) Mid Calf, & (2) Over the Calf. Yes most over the calf socks will stay up all day long and that was the only type of sock that I ever wore. However as I got older the over the calf socks would start to hurt and my legs would cramp up.

So I bought some mid calf socks and while they didn’t hurt my legs they didn’t stay up. The top of the sock would get stretched out and fall to my ankles. IT DROVE ME NUTS!!!! I wasn’t sure what to do? As time went on it I became more and more self-conscious of my socks around my ankles so I started wearing over the calf again and just dealt with the discomfort.

One day back in the summer of 1992, I was at my friend’s house for the weekend in Hampton Bays and we were sitting there in the morning watching the boats go by drinking Irish Coffee and reading the paper and he asked me “Do you know where I can get sock garters?” I replied, “what the hell are sock garters and why do you need them?” He said that he couldn’t wear over the calf socks because they hurt and mid calf never stayed up! I explained I have the same problem but just dealt with the discomfort. He explained that sock garters go below the knee and hold up the sock all day without squeezing your calf.

Now I am on a mission, I need to find SOCK GARTERS! So I headed to Roosevelt Mall. I went to Clappers, Field Brothers, A&S, Macy’s and any other men’s store I could find and NOTHING. Most places never heard of them and those that did haven’t seen them in years. So off to Manhattan and Brooks Brothers, Barney’s, Saks, Bloomingdales, and yes-even Bergdorf Goodman and nothing no sock garters. The salesmen in Bergdorf’s suggested that I go to a tailor and get them made.

I gave up, and then in December 1994 (Yes I was looking everywhere for almost two years) while working at Edward Isaacs & Company I was assigned to observe an inventory in Manhattan. So I was told to report to Paul Stuart on Madison and 45^th street. So I show up at 6:30pm to start the inventory and I notice that this store is awesome. The clothes and the accessories were amazing. I thought to myself how did you not ever hear of this place.

The team started counting the clothes and around 11:00pm I walked into the section of the store with socks and I said to myself maybe this place has them? So I asked an employee if they have sock garters? My manager looked at me like I was an idiot and said what are sock garters? The Paul Stuart employee answered the Manager with “Only the best accessory that nobody knows about” then he turned to me and said they are right here.

Paul Stuart has been one of my favorite stores ever since. They still sell them, but now we have an Internet and you can get them on Amazon. I highly recommend this accessory. You will NEVER have to pull up your socks again.