There aren’t many times where you get to talk to a real genuine person who cares not only his work but the people who he works with and is involved with on a daily basis. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal is definitely one of those people. I met Ron back in July when he was touring withLita and at that time we talked bout doing an interview. Not only did Ron stick to his word, he couldn’t be more accommodating to do it. We talked about how he got involved with Axland GN’R to his involvement with raising awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. Didn’t Axl sing “We got your disease?” Well, we have your disease right here live in the flesh, an interview with “Bumblefoot!”

Gus: One of the big CD’s that came out late last year was ‘Chinese Democracy.’ It was a huge buzz surrounding the release of the CD. Why did it take the band so long to tour in support of the record?

Ron: There were other possible or potential tours or itineraries in the works that just didn’t happen for whatever reason. This one did though. Why? (laughs) I don’t try to know anything. My philosophy as time goes on is swinging more towards ‘ignorance is bliss.’ The less I know the happier I am. I don’t want to know a damn thing except tell me when to get on stage and play.

Gus: Guns N’ Roses are scheduled to perform in Japan in December. I’m sure your looking forward to it. What can the fans expect when you guys do perform live?

Ron: I can’t give anything away as we are trying to keep it a surprise until we do it. We will be playing a lot of old stuff, newer stuff, a lot of bombs n’ pyro (laughs.) I’m dodging the question – you know, the stuff you see at a big rock show.

Gus: You just wrapped up doing rehearsals and you have a new guitar partner in DJ Ashba. How did your rehearsals go with DJ?

Ron: It went great! He is a damn good guy to be in a band with. He gives a lot of himself and adds a lot of himself to every aspect of it. He gets involved artistically. He’s a damn good guy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him and playing with him. And working through the insanity of getting the stuff down with him. Now, I’m just really looking forward to getting on stage with him.

Gus: So he is fitting in quite well and fitting in nicely with everybody?

Ron: He’s good to go!

Gus: That’s good to hear. How did you originally get involved with one of the biggest marquee name bands in the world?

Ron: It was about 5 years ago. I got an email from Joe Satriani to tell me he recommended me for the gig (Guns N’ Roses) so if someone did reach out that I knew it wasn’t a joke or something. Very soon after, one of the guys from the band emailed me and we started talking. I started talking to guys working on the album about recording and then spoke to management. Eventually we hit the road and started touring and in between legs of the tour started recording tracks for the album, putting my 2 cents into it. That was it, and here we are.

Gus: Looking back since the release of Chinese Democracy, are you happy with the finished product or would there be something you would change?

Ron: On my behalf, I’m as happy as I possibly can be. Which goes like, I’m happy for a week, and then I start hearing all the things I would like to change. That’s the way I am with all my own albums too. Anything I’m involved with I’m like that. The honeymoon period lasts for about a week, then the little things start to haunt ya (laughs.) It’s always like that but I’ve gotten better at rolling with it and now it doesn’t drive me as crazy. You’ve got to treat it like a moment and that moment was captured, and then move on to the next moment.

Read entire interview here.

Source: BACKSTAGEAXXESS.com

This coming Thursday come into De La Concha, New York’s first certified retail tobacconist and get some great deals on La Aroma de Cuba and San Cristobal Cigars. Click on link for full details.  http://alturl.com/2mnb.

Ron Melendi, CRT

General Manger- De La Concha

 Mereu ocupat cu filmarile, in special acum, cu cele pentru Harry Potter care sunt atat de intense, l-au facut pe tanarul Daniel Radcliff sa raceasca destul de tare.

Actorul de 20 de ani este atat de ocupat pentru terminarea filmarilor ultimului volum al francizei Harry Potter, si anume Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, care va fi impartit in 2.

Povestea ii urmareste pe Daniel, impreuna cu Emma Watson (Hermione) si Rupert Grint (Ron) mereu pusi pe fuga, filmarile fiind destul de dure, in conditii nefavorabile, soldandu-se cu gripe pentru majoritatea actorilor.

Controversial Los Angeles Laker star Ron Artest is caught up in an investigation of welfare fraud against his sister Latoya Holmes-Ivey.

Police and housing authorities raided the home Latoya Holmes-Ivey and her three children rent at 336 E. Burgess Ave. Wednesday morning.

Holmes-Ivey is suspected of receiving federal housing assistance, as well as other social services, while receiving financial assistance from her millionaire basketball/rapper brother, and not reporting it.

That is welfare fraud, and is a criminal offense.

A tip came from a former CPA that handled Ron Artest financial affairs a Tennessee-based accounting firm called TriStar Sports and Entertainment.

According to court documents, the ex-employee sent an e-mail to the Housing and Urban Development Office in Indianapolis claiming that TriStar, under the direction of Artest, was using one of his bank accounts to pay all of Holmes-Ivey’s bills.

 The man requested to remain anonymous, saying that he could not, in good conscience, fail to report such an ethics infraction.

Ron Artest may want to check the wording in that non-disclosure form that I am certain the former accountant signed, as the accounting firm’s reputation has got to be destroyed by this leak. Confidentiality between their clients is key to their business.

If the former CPA did sign a non-disclosure form, then his disclosure of this information, even if it is to be found true, will be admissible in court, and will be the reason that all charges will be dropped.

 Housing authorities said that if the allegations are true, Holmes-Ivey would have used at least $34,000 in taxpayer money she was not entitled to. According to court documents, the ex-employee sent an e-mail to the Housing and Urban Development Office in Indianapolis claiming that TriStar, under the direction of Artest, was using one of his bank accounts to pay all of Holmes-Ivey’s bills.

 The man requested to remain anonymous, saying that he could not, in good conscience, fail to report such an ethics infraction.

 Housing authorities said that if the allegations are true, Holmes-Ivey would have used at least $34,000 in taxpayer money she was not entitled to.

Note that the investigation and any future charges will be against Holmes-Ivey and NOT Ron Artest. It is the responsibility of the benefactor of Federal aide to report any income or gifts to the Welfare department so they can determine if the individual is actually in need at that time.

The neighbors of Holmes-Ivey said they were skeptical of her, because she used to brag about who her brother was.

“I never understood why she was on assistance because of that, when she told me he was her brother,” said Marcia Taylor. “The people who do need the assistance don’t get it, when the people who don’t need it get a lot of time.”

None of the parties involved were available for any further comments on this matter.

Follow the story here, as well as this trusted source, The Indychannel.com…

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/21726762/detail.html

Really, taking something from someone and giving it to another cannot be a right. We need different ideas other than government-run healthcare. Free markets must reign.

Aunque todavía nos queda bastante para ver las nuevas aventuras de Harry Potter en la gran pantalla, con este poster promocional que han lanzado de la séptima película nos dan los argumentos necesarios para seguir ansiando que llegue ya el día escogido.

Con tres simples frases nos resumen lo que podría contemplar como el argumento principal de la película “One way, one fate, one hero” (Un camino, un destino, un héroe). Y es que los que hayáis leído los libros sabéis por dónde van los derroteros, pero quedaros sobre todo con “UN HEROE”… ¿qué sucederá al final?

Avisar a todos que el último libro de la saga llamado “Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte” finalmente se ha dividido en lo que serán dos adaptaciones al cine. Se ha hecho de esta manera para evitar la eliminación de aspectos importantes de la trama por lo que tendremos “Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte, Parte I” para el día 19 de noviembre de 2010 y “Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte, Parte II” para el 15 de julio de 2011. Algo que aunque suena a seguir estirando el tirón que tiene Harry Potter en el cine, viene muy bien ya que del último libro no pueden saltarse nada de importancia, ya que podrían cargarse el final.

Como sinopsis general (spoilers) a Harry se le impone la tarea de encontrar y destruir todos los horrocruxes para acabar con Lord Voldemort. Emprenderá un viaje, junto con Ron y Hermione, por toda Inglaterra para hallar los objetos que contienen fragmentos del alma del Señor Tenebroso. Pero las cosas se empezaran a complicar ya que cada minuto que pasa éste se hace más y más poderoso.

El argumento se ve emocionante pero solo espero que no hagan tan malos resúmenes como en las dos últimas películas donde la trama principal quedo a un lado por los “amoríos” de los jóvenes protagonistas. ¿Quién tiene ganas de verla? Yo sí.

This is a very important step back toward economic liberty.  More than half of the congress has co-sponsored the bill (including 80 democrats – so truly bi-partisan) and it asks for one simple thing.  Transparency.  After all, it’s our money, and our government… shouldn’t we have a right to know where all of the money the fed prints out of thin air goes?  This clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUreWxKGOkY) seems to indicate not even they know where it goes!

Update – the hypocrisy – government promises transparency… but does not take opportunities to deliver on that promise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tRQHsXujpo

More information on auditing the Fed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx-UYvtSqeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAQIJWUJVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpbW64vRrMc

Update – Freedom Watch – Judge Andrew Napolitano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAQIJWUJVU – the Fed’s response (besides hiring the Enron lobbyist)

Congressional report admits economic collapse was government’s fault:

http://americaswatchtower.com/2009/07/09/congressional-report-blames-the-governement-for-the-mortgage-crisis/

You can’t fairly blame the free market anymore – after all we have not had a true free market in this country for decades.  You can try to blame lack of regulators, but some of the big organizations that they say need regulation had literally hundreds of regulators already… and the answer can’t possibly be to give the federal reserve the power to regulate the banks.  Did you know the federal reserve is a private organization?  It’s a bank… for the banks.  Giving it the power to regulate – isn’t that like allowing banks to regulate themselves?  Actually reading the plan, one learns that many of the ‘regulations’ become optional anyway (so it’s a big bank regulating (in many ways) itself… but only if it wants to).  You can read the entire plan here: http://thehill.com/images/stories/news/2009/june/white%20paper.pdf – and a critique of it here: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=20147

If I’m wrong about any of this I’d love to hear about it so I can continue the learning process.  If you agree, contact your government here – https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and tell them to support HR 1207 and government transparency.  Also, feel free naturally to forward this to others if you want.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!  I wish the best to you.

The rums of Ron del Barrilito are distinctive in the world of Puerto Rican rums.  The small family owned business of Edmundo B. Fernandez has been producing these unique spirits for over 100 years. Their rum comes in two forms. The Two Star and the Three Star.  For a bit more background please see my account of a tour of the facility here on my blog under the category of Distillery Tours.

Two Star and Three Star

A color comparison of the Two Star and the Three Star

First up is the Two Star.

A beautiful medium yellow gold color leads into light but very distinctive aromas of nuts, molasses and wood with a light peppery alcohol bite.

The aromas carry well onto the tongue with a medium body and a nice warm, dryish finish.

When placed up against others in it’s class this gold rum stands out for it’s unique and relatively complex aromas and flavors. It stands up very well as a mixer and the great grandson of the founder likes it on the rocks with a twist of lemon zest for a long session of dominoes! Who am I to argue?

The back label states aged for a minimum of three years.

Bottled at 86 proof.

88 Points.

Below is pictured one very popular way to enjoy Ron del Barrilito Two Star in Puerto Rico. Fresh coconut water, a few ice cubes, a few ounces of rum and a twist of lemon zest make for a special Island drink.

Coco Barrilito

Let’s look at the Three Star now.

The deep old gold color looks wonderful in the glass.

This really is the bigger, older brother to the Ron del Barrilito Two Star. The aromas are much more pronounced and complex. Nuts and molasses are intertwined with fresh mushroom and black truffle notes. The charred barrels leave a nice mark with a smokey tinge. There is something almost organic to the aroma also. Like the smell of wet earth after a fresh rain. Wonderful!

As promised by the aromas the flavors really pop on the tongue. The medium full body has a touch of sweetness to it but the 86 proof balances it out and gives a really good grip on the palate. The finish is warm, long and sustained with a touch of rancio lingering.

Overall a splendid effort in the Anejo style of rum. Those who like Whiskey/Whisky or Armagnac may take a liking to this spirit, and those who appreciate unique high quality rum will want to have a bottle of this in their collection.

The back label states a blend of rums aged six to ten years.

Bottled at 86 Proof.

93 Points.

One can enjoy this rum neat or with an ice cube or a splash of water. It also does well in a cocktail such as a Rum Old fashioned. As a diversion I like to make a simple cocktail of it with fresh passion fruit juice, an  equal part of rum, a dash of orange bitters, a few ice cubes and a twist of lime zest.

A benefit to living in the Caribbean. Fresh Passion Fruit ready for juicing.

Barrilito's Passion

There are any number of good reasons to live in Puerto Rico. I count Ron del Barrilito’s rums as two good reasons!

Joe Biden: donated $369 last year to charity, and Barack Obama donated 1 % of his salary.

These stats were taken from Glenn Beck’s revision and addition to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

As an open audit of the Federal Reserve is drawing closer, the cards hit the table like bricks. Barney Frank showed his hand (trying to kill the audit the fed bill) – and got run over. If this passes, Frank is now going to be neck up in credibility issues, and maybe asked to resign his chair of the financial services committe for say, Ron Paul?

And then Zerohedge speculates whethere Chris Dodd about to try and throw Ben Bernanke under the bus, to save his own meager a$$ from getting voted out of congress next year? He probably hasn’t been completely ignorant to what is going on in the US, and in Connecticut. Peter Schiff is revving up, and regardless of if he wins – I think we will see whoever wins the Republican nomination use Schiff’ian arguments in debates with Dodd. Thus, too much support of the current economic policies may be looking very frightening to Mr. Dodd.

Could Ron Paul have brought fear back into Washington, the fear of the constituents? If so, it will indeed be his finest hour.

Looks like the “insiders” in the movement to audit the FED showed their hand – and it wasn’t pocket aces. Their meager attempt to water away the bill to audit the fed looks like it will fail, the bill is about to be amended to pack a seriously powerful punch into the Federal Reserve systems. I fully expect them to find horrible things – the question is how horrible. One has to wonder – is there any gold left in Fort Knox? Has GATA been on to what must be the biggest fraud in the history of mankind, namely the stealthy sell of the US gold reserve to surpress the price of gold, and keep fiat currencies afloat since 1971?

Interesting times.

Oficialmente, este célebre cóctel nació en cuba de la variante de una primera receta chilena, creada por un terrateniente llamado Bennett y basada en una mezcla de ginebra y zumo de lima o limón.

Cuba es la patria del ingrediente principal: el ron Bacardi, producido por una antigua destilería presente en la isla desde 1862.

Para prepara éste cóctel, prepararemos la coctelera, llena de hielo. Una vez la tengamos llena, vamos a llenar ésta con los ingredientes. 6/10 Ron Bacardi Blanco, 3/10 de zumo de lima o de limón (lima preferidamente) y 1/10 de Granadina. Una vez lo tengamos todo a dentro, simplemente batiremos en la coctelera durante 10 segundos aproximadamente.

Una vez terminado, serviremos el cóctel refrescante a la copa de cóctel y ya lo tenemos preparado para ser servido.

And I can’t believe the dude pulled off the prank on people like Ron Paul, Bono, and Sting.

There is an old Chinese saying which may have been attributed to Confucius and it goes like this,”有朋自遠方來,不亦樂乎.“  Translation:  There are few things more delightful in life than friends visiting from far away places.  Yesterday was such a day–blessed by mild weather, and having riders, both from here locally and as far away as Houston and Louisiana, with whom to share a ride, some local culture, and a nice meal together.  It was just fantastic!–Lorenzo

(L~R) Lindsay, Bruce, Ron, Linda, Jim, Bell, Ed, Brian, Butch, and Larry

Bruce rode up on his new 09 Honda VTX 1300R

Sporting a new look well-suited to his new bike, Bruce also broght his lovely wife Linda

Butch in a "Code: Orange" reflective hoodie

Mike came to visit with us...

...On his new Jeep Grand Cherokee

Lindsay and Ron moments before departure

Just after we got on FM365, Brian (from Houston) joined us for a ride to the Louisiana-side of Sabine Lake

Bruce and Brian, next to his Aprilia Scarabeo 500ie

Code name: Thundercats

Loaded with every gadget known to contemporary men

Very clever Signalfly Wireless Helmet LED brakelight and 3M SOLAS reflective tape

Group takes lake-side snapshot...

And, another (thanks, Linda, for the nice pic)...

Next to the soon-to-be-completed (TX to LA) causeway bridge

Caught up with Ed and riders from Louisiana at the museum--my first time here so the obligatory run up to the 2nd floor to see this...

Replica of Janis Joplin's psychedelic painted '65 Porsche 356 Cabriolet

There is also a bronze sculpture of Janis by local artist Douglas Clark

Of course, not to forget the Robert Rauschenberg exhibit and many other wonderful displays of the rich gulf coast history and culture

Ron had suggested earlier the newly-opened GEO Burrito in Nederland for lunch

...And I ordered three delicious tacos (carnitas, pollo and carne asada), why, are you having problems seeing the tacos?

Parting shot (thanks again, Linda) and a fitting end to a wonderful day...

But of course, the day just wouldn't be complete for Brian, who scooted from Houston to Louisiana, then crossed over both the Veterans Bridge and the Rainbow Bridge, the tallest bridge in Texas!

I rode with Brian to Winnie, then on the way home, feeling so happy, I made some doughnuts to celebrate the day (not really; but I wished that I could)!

*For more photos from our ride today, including the visit to to Port Arthur’s must-see Museum of the Gulf Coast, please go here and comment whenever you feel like it.  Thanks!

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) –

Dow Jones Index edges up 0.25%, while the Nasdaq Index trades 0.35% up, and the S&P Index trades 0.22% higher.

On the macroeconomic front, U.S. Trade gap has narrowed 3.6% in August, to $30.71 billion from $31.85 billion the month before, downwardly revised from the $31.96 billion initially es …

<!–TITOL:

U.S markets, edge up after a negative opening ; Dollar slightly strongerFITITOL–>

Dow Jones Index edges up 0.25%, while the Nasdaq Index trades 0.35% up, and the S&P Index trades 0.22% higher.

On the macroeconomic front, U.S. Trade gap has narrowed 3.6% in August, to $30.71 billion from $31.85 billion the month before, downwardly revised from the $31.96 billion initially estimated.



Dollar, slightly higher against majors



GBP/USD attempt to pick up from 1.5935 during European session has been capped at 1.6000, and the pair declined to intra-day low levels around 1.5905 at the moment of writing.

USD/JPY upside reaction from 88.15 low on Thursday has extended above 89.40 and the pair reaches session high at 89.55 at the time of writing.

EUR/USD remains trading in a range from 1.4710 t00 1.4770 after its retreat from 1.4820 on Thursday.

Source: U.S markets, edge up after a negative opening ; Dollar slightly stronger

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