Essentials: Your First (and Best) Cigar Setup

In our Essentials series, we like to feature things that may seem difficult at first but are fun, rewarding, or both once you get into them. Today, we’re going to take a look at what you need to get started with cigar smoking. Recently, I took a trip to Havana, Cuba and spent some time in one of the La Casa del Habano stores on the island. These are locations that are owned by the Cuban state tobacco company and the only place on the island that you can be assured that you’re buying a genuine Cuban cigar - there are a lot of fakes available, even in Havana. Cuba is known for making some of the best cigars in the world, but there’s a... Read More

(Editor's Note: We are continuing our BC Finance series with an article about investing. One of the things most of us could work on is becoming better with our finances. Always consult a professional before making any investments.) The universal mantra for armchair equity investors is: “Buy low, sell high.” This notion refers to the idea that you should purchase all of your stocks at the lowest possible price. The low, at the very moment of your purchase, will then begin to rise. You accumulate gains “on paper” until the magic moment when you have accumulated enough wisdom to determine the high. The high meaning the instant when... Read More

When I was younger, I would always see my dad stroking his beard while reading a book. I didn't understand this. But, since he's my dad - I went ahead and began stroking my pathetic, hairless chin anyway. One day he caught me stroking my chin and asked "Caitlin, why are you doing that?" And I so nonchalantly replied: "Because Dad, it's not fair that you can grow a beard and I can't!" As this evidence proves, from a young age I have coveted beards from afar. Always longing to grow one, always being too feminine to do so. So it should be no surprise that the men I've dated and/or am attracted too are sporting the largest of the... Read More

Every now and then we throw up a 'new' classic throwback video from the internet archives. Check out the story behind Jason McElwain's inspirational basketball shot. In 2006, Jim Johnson was the basketball coach for Greece Athena High School and he decided to add Jason to the roster a game against Spencerport High School. Jason was born with autism and had served as the basketball team's manager, but the coach wanted to make sure he could get Jason his own jersey and a seat on the bench for the last home game of the season. The coach thought he might be able to let Jason play for a little while if Grace Athena had a lead towards the end... Read More

I first decided that I wanted to take golf really seriously when I was a junior in college. The previous year, I had played more of a contact sport, but a season ending injury got me thinking that perhaps I should value a sport with longevity to a greater degree. I had been like most people: playing golf with friends for a good time, taking mulligans or improving my ball's position in the rough, taking "gimmes" within the length of the putter. This all led me to believe that I was more than ready to play competitive golf where every stroke counts. WRONG. I believed I had been around a high-80s golfer at the time, which was good enough to be on the team... Read More

It has been a rare sight throughout history to see the President of the United States sporting facial hair. As most of us have witnessed, it's now always a clean shaven face that wins the race. Around the 1960's, beards became extremely popular among the hippie counterculture involving drugs and uncleanliness which made them grow even more unfashionable in the political world. What also effected the outlook on facial hair was Fidel Castro and radicals during the 1960's wearing them which added the stigma of "American hating" to beards. It has even been blamed for some candidates losing elections. But times they are a changin'! And... Read More

For years I never really drank coffee, and when I did I made sure it was loaded up with cream and sugar. Caffeine doesn’t do much for me, and all the coffee I had tried tasted terrible by itself, so I didn’t see much point. This all changed after I finally went to a good local coffee shop and ordered a cappuccino. It was incredible, even without sugar— that taste you imagine when you smell coffee brewing. Not burnt and bitter, but roasty and rich. It turns out there’s a big difference between bad coffee and good coffee. Imagine if the only toast you’d ever had was stale and burnt: you’d think it was terrible, and you could only eat... Read More