A Wee Dram of Heaven on Earth

I’ve finally found a place to post from, aside from the Powerplant Mall, that is assuredly the most civilized location in town. Located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati, Kipling’s is listed as one of Whisky magazine’s “Great Bars of the World.”

Aside from an assortment of well over 200 single malt whiskies and 40 fine wines, it is a small piece of heaven for cigar smokers as well. With an impressive assortment of premium Cuban, Dominican and Honduran cigars and lovely assistants to perfectly light your cigar for you, it is a favorite retreat for many local businessmen and world travelers.

Kipling’s opened 10 years ago this coming November—I remember the day well—and it is the brainchild of a group of cigar and Scotch whisky aficionados who wanted a more refined location to enjoy themselves. The organization of the place was left to Ma’am Barbara—Mrs. Barbara Cumagan—a Scotswoman of extraordinary knowledge, skill and culture who trained the staff and set the standards of behavior for both the staff and the customers. The staff adheres to the standards as, generally, do the customers.

Imagine, if you will, sitting on a green leather couch in a room with dark hardwood floors, tastefully appointed decorations and quiet music to set the mood for both thinking, writing and business negotiations. Throw in an attentive staff that won’t allow you to light your own cigar and who respectfully remain just out of earshot unless invited closer and you’ve imagined Kipling’s.

It is from Kipling’s that I will do most of my posting during the coming weeks except, of course, for the couple of weeks that we will be in Australia.

More to come.

Ondoy - We survived the tragedy...

What follows is a running account of our experiences during the Tropical Storm/Typhoon (I've heard it referred to as both) named Ondoy in the Philippines. To all those who reached out trying to contact us during the time we were cut-off from normal communications, your concern is greatly appreciated.

Now, here is the story...

It’s Saturday, September 24th about 3:00 AM and it’s been raining since early Friday. The rain is not that unusual as this is Southeast Asia, but this is a driving rain that indicates a heavy storm is coming. I spent the evening at Kipling’s visiting with Barbara C. and it was still raining when I went out to get my car. The roads leading to Cainta didn’t have any standing water, however, and that’s a good sign. I hope the storm passes quickly.

It’s now 4:00 PM and the rain hasn’t let up. I’m supposed to meet with Jim D. at his house later today for cigars and conversation but it looks like I’ll have to pass. I am worried about being away from Lil’ Miss Wonderful when it is stormy like this. Unfortunately, I don’t have a local number for Jim but he has mine and I’m sure he’ll either figure out that the storm has kept me from being at his house or he’ll call.

It’s 5:00 PM and the electricity just went out. Hopefully it will come back on soon but the storm’s intensity has steadily increased. Lil' Miss Wonderful is taking a nap and the room will stay cool so there’s no problem. The phone is still working so we’re not cut-off from the outside world and that’s a good thing. I will sleep early tonight and take my baby girl to the Powerplant Mall in Makati in the afternoon tomorrow so I can go online and post this in either Facebook or my blog.

Sunday, 2:00 PM. I made an attempt to drive out of the village today and could only get half-way to the front gate. The road in front of the house is wet but without standing water; however half a block away the water covers the roadway. As I drove towards the front gate the water kept getting deeper and when it got to the top of the wheel rim I turned around and returned to the house. Any deeper and I was afraid that the car would stall and/or the interior would flood.

It’s about 5:00 PM and as I finished a good cigar just an hour ago—never underestimate the curative power of a good cigar when things aren’t exactly perfect—the power came back on. We have fans, A/C in the bedroom, news on TV and are relatively dry with no flooding in the house. Life is good and blessings are plentiful. It is distressing to see the news as it indicates serious flooding and some deaths. I am thankful we are safe. Cut-off from the world outside the village but safe.

Today, Monday, is the 3rd day of being marooned due to the tropical storm that hit Manila square on. We were able to get a water delivery this morning so we have fresh, potable water to drink. Best of all, the rain has stopped and the water has been very slowly receding since yesterday.

Yesterday the two maids, Elena and Cecille, braved to walk out for provisions. They reported that it was good that I stopped and turned around with the car when I did because the water was waist high before they could get out of the village and the car would surely have been stuck in the flood water.

When the power came back we were able to start getting news reports and found that we were at the edge of some of the worst hit flooding in Metro Manila. That was the good news. The bad news was that to get to this village you have to pass through the area where some of the worst flooding hit. With sufficient potable water, rice and electricity we are comfortable and will wait until the water recedes sufficiently to drive into the business center of Makati.

My wife called from the airport when she arrived from Hong Kong at 2:00 AM this morning—the flight was delayed as she was supposed to be back at 11:00 PM last evening. Luckily she was in Hong Kong when the storm hit and was spared the discomfort. When we talked I urged her to spend the night with a friend in Makati and wait until later this morning to try to come home. If she can make it into the village then we’ll know we can get out of the village. Then I’ll be able to post this in the blog from Kipling’s—that small piece of cigar and whisky heaven in this otherwise weather-beaten world.

One of the bits of news trumpeted in the local media was assistance from the U.S. Marine Corps. A platoon or so of men, some rubber boats and a couple of helicopters were treated like manna from heaven. It did make me proud that despite all our faults for which President Obama sees fit to apologize to the world, America immediately opened its’ heart and did what it could to help with what it had on hand. It also makes me proud to know that the people here feel that if the Marines are here then all will be right in the end.

I’ve been through severe tropical storms and typhoons here in Asia before. It’s never a picnic and in the aftermath the rhetoric is always the same: Television channels run almost competing fund drives for those who have suffered the losses; the central government scores local government entities for failing to keep the drainage system clean of trash; and, the poorest of the people endure. It has never changed despite promises of successive politicians to correct the problem. My bet is that it won’t change in my lifetime.

One thing we’ve heard is that the central government decided to release water from the dam that is the water supply for Metro Manila out of fear that the amount of incoming water would cause it to burst if they didn’t. Unfortunately, they failed to notify the public that they were going to do so and no one was prepared for the sudden unexpected rise in the water level. A local TV channel reported 78 dead. I wonder, who made the decision to release the water and failed to think about announcing it? There will be an investigation, of course, and the usual suspects will be pilloried in the press but, unfortunately, that won’t change anything.

It’s now 2:30 PM and my wife has called to advise that her attempt to get here in a 4-wheel drive vehicle failed. The driver tried all three possible routes into this village but there was no possible way to get through. Besides the height of the water, stalled vehicles litter and block the roads where the flooding was worst. My sister-in-law received a call a short while ago from a friend who advised that his family is trying to rent a truck to take relatives out of the village so that they can catch a planned flight to Dubai. If that truck can get into the village we will share the cost—sure to be dear considering the circumstances—and make for higher ground in Makati. But I told my wife that we were safe here and that I would not move our daughter unless there was no danger. She agreed.

She also told me that she had talked to a close friend of mine—now a senior police official but a Captain when we met in 1991—who advised her that as long as we were safe and relatively dry we should stay put. The rescue efforts of those in much greater need were taking all the available resources of the Philippine National Police. He promised to keep touch with here in case things got worse. And I know he will as Rachel Camille is his goddaughter and that is something taken very seriously here in the Philippines. Besides, he is a good and true friend and brother.

My wife is concerned and stressing because another storm is predicted to follow soon although it is not expected to be serious; and, also because she found out that two people she knew died in the flooding on Saturday. She was quite upset as she knew them well from her time at Photokina Marketing Corporation. Tony Chua, the Team Manager of the professional basketball team that the company owns and his assistant were both well known to both of us. They were together in a car when it got caught in the flooding and the engine died. They exited the vehicle and were holding onto a tree for support against the rushing waters when something blown by the wind hit Tony in the head and causing him to let go of the tree and fall into the water. His assistant tried to catch him and was lost, too. The driver of the car wisely kept his hold on the tree and survived.

Watching the local professional basketball was always a favorite pastime for me and I will miss Tony as will the players and coaches who worked with him. He was always a friendly man with a ready smile. As I told my wife, we may be uncomfortable but we are whole. The families of those who have been lost in the flooding should come first.

My wife called about 9:00 PM and told me that we needed to pack as a friend had arranged for us to be evacuated. The concern is that if we don’t get out now one of the storms predicted for later in the week will make the flooding even worse.
After a flurry of packing and re-packing to prioritize what we will carry we have settled down to await the evacuation/rescue team.

It's Tuesday the 29th and at about 1:30 AM this morning a team of 5 Philippine National Police officers arrived to evacuate us. After speaking with them to determine what they had for transportation we loaded approximately half of our bags into the car and headed for the front gate where the 14’ LoadStar rigid inflatable boat was waiting. The water had receded somewhat from previous attempt on Sunday but not as much as we would have liked but the need to get to the boat was greater than any worry about the car.

Lil’ Miss Wonderful was exactly that. Awakened from a deep sleep and hurriedly dressed, she smiled broadly when I asked her if she’d like to go for a boat ride and then kept up an excited, steady chatter all the way to the boat. We had to wade through about 6 inches of sewage-laden water from the car to the boat—the front gate of the village is on higher ground than other parts of the village—so I put her on my shoulders to keep her high and dry. When we got to the boat I passed her to Cecille and helped get the luggage that we had into the boat. Once the boat was loaded our rescuers pushed it into deeper water and turned it around. One took hold of the rope in front and started walking through the waist deep water to where they had left their truck. It took us the better part of an hour to get to the truck, off-load the boat and get moving. The water was still deep but within a mile we were on merely wet road and by 3:00 AM were sitting in our friend’s condo high above Makati.

He immediately poured me a shot of 50-year old Mordach scotch whisky to welcome me to his home and we discussed the events leading to the rescue including the over 100 people who died in the flooding. It was a sobering discussion. We cannot compare our own relatively small discomforts to the losses of so many others.

The sun is now high in the sky and my son from Idaho called to check on our safety after having gotten my wife’s number from my other son in Virginia (who, I should add had already been in contact with my wife). A light breakfast and a pot of coffee under my belt with the sound of my daughter’s chatter in my ears and I can say again, “Life is good!”

The bad news is that in the haste to evacuate I left my other pair of shoes in one of the bags that is still in the house. That means my only pair of shoes here are wet from wading in the floodwaters yesterday; but if that’s my only problem on this day then I am truly blessed.

There are websites already set-up for donations that will go to the people most hurt by this calamity. If you can find it in your heart, please look for one on the internet and contribute what you can.

Thanks go out to all those who sent messages via Facebook and email asking how we were. Thanks to your prayers and concerns we are fine. God bless you all.

'Diversity czar' takes heat over remarks - Washington Times

'Diversity czar' takes heat over remarks - Washington Times

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There are way too many Czars and this is one example of how allowing this president, or any president, to appoint unvetted ideologues to sensitive positions is just plain wrong. There should be no one appointed by a president, except for his personal White House staff, that doesn't go through the vetting process established by the Constitution.

Furthermore, we need to get rid of the idea of a Czar in the American form of government. It's a foreign title that should appeal to no American who has the country's best interests at heart.

I'll Be Traveling

Thoughts from the Bish will be quiet for the next couple of days while I travel from Virginia to the other side of the world. Posting will continue as soon as I find a stable internet connection near where I'll be staying in the Far East.

Until then, keep up the good fight against those who would harm our nation from without and within, take a moment each day to remember those young men and women in uniform who stand ready to protect our way of life at the risk of their own and be safe.

May God bless you all.

Boehner: 'Tea Party' Protests a Legitimate 'Political Rebellion' - Political News - FOXNews.com

Boehner: 'Tea Party' Protests a Legitimate 'Political Rebellion' - Political News - FOXNews.com

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It appears that Congressman Boehner “gets it.” Now if the rest of Congress and the Administration would just “get it” we might be able to put things on the right track.

Unfortunately, the ideologues on the left are not going to ever understand that their ideas are just plain wrong. They only hear what they want to hear and until we are able to send them packing and replace them with people who will listen to the citizenry, we will have many political battles to fight.

We must maintain a high level of intensity as we advocate our conservative principles. If we don’t, the leftist liberal progressives will just ignore us as they continue their push to remake America into a socialist paradise.

Keep up the battle, my friends. We can and must win it.

Obama Says Financial Regulations Must Be Strengthened Globally

President Obama is now moving towards placing the United States under the control of an as yet unknown—and probably not yet created—international regulatory body.

Why is it that liberals do not feel that they can trust our own citizens to regulate our own businesses and banks? What is the appeal of “international organizations” to the liberal progressive? Sean Connery’s accent?

I find it unsettling that with the problems facing the United States and the ongoing heated debate over health care/insurance that the President is looking toward using external bodies to control the economy. Our problem is not from having too little government control, but too much. The free market, not additional regulation, is the answer.

But if you’re thinking that President Obama might change his mind then you’re not thinking clearly. The longer he’s in office the clearer it is that he is far to the left of where the nation thought he’d be once he got there. Despite the polls showing that the American people definitely do not want government control of health care and despite his falling personal poll numbers, he continues to press ahead. That is the attitude of an ideologue who views the electorate with disdain rather than a statesman who is responds to the wishes of the electorate.

Is the U.N. Biased Against Israel? - Special Report w/ Bret Baier - FOXNews.com

Is the U.N. Biased Against Israel? - Special Report w/ Bret Baier - FOXNews.com

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Is the U.N. biased against Israel? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear….

The U.N. has long been co-opted from its original intent to one of being dedicated to protecting petty despots, extremists and criminals around the world. If you are around the U.N. for any length of time you are struck by the realization that the central core of its personality is an innate hate for the United States first followed by Israel second.

It’s time, long past actually, that we put the U.N. in its place for its malicious anti-American leanings. They need the United States much more than we need them.

On Personal Freedom - Cigar Rights of America

I imagine most have noticed that my picture shows me with a cigar in hand. I do enjoy my daily cigar—when I can have it, of course—because that hour is one of either thoughtful relaxation or spirited conversation. Either way, I feel enriched.

While I’ve never been one to light-up indiscriminately because I know cigar smoke is strong and I do respect other's, especially ladies’, wish to avoid it, I must admit that the attack on personal freedom that cigar smokers have had to endure in recent years is exceedingly obnoxious. While in the beginning we cigar smokers considered the clean air request of others to be, most of the time, a minor annoyance the continued expansion of the rights of non-smokers has now infringed on our own right to enjoy a personal freedom of choice.

I recommend that you take a look at the Cigar Rights of America page and especially its blog. This organization has placed itself on the frontlines of the war against the “Smoke Nazis” (I’ve always thought that was an appropriate title for the overreaching anti-smoking crowd as it tends to be one of the most fascist groups around) and works on behalf of cigar smokers specifically. In doing so it advances the cause of personal freedom.

Check them out.

Feingold Moves to Strike Material Support Law

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I suppose Mark Twain’s famous quip—a favorite of mine—would be the best way to start this blog entry. As Mr. Clemens said, “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But then, I repeat myself.”

I have never considered Senator Russ Feingold to be a pillar of intelligence but didn’t think him this dangerously stupid. His amendment, if adopted, would essentially castrate an important provision of the Patriot Act and allow terrorist organizations to legally collect money in the United States to support their non-terrorist activities. The utter imbecility of this causes my left eye to start twitching.

Unfortunately there are many like Mr. Feingold serving in Congress; individuals whose only goal is to increase the size of their campaign chest and gain more power. I cannot understand, however, how even an apparently venal individual like this could make such a troglodytic move. In authoring and offering the proposed amendment Mr. Feingold has demonstrated a total lack of understanding of how terrorist organizations operate and how evil in the world works and I would assume that his picture has been moved to the top of the “Useful Idiot” board in various terrorist headquarters around the world. If passed, Mr. Feingold’s amendment will allow terrorist organizations to collect money under various guises to be used for “humanitarian” purposes; but the actuality of the situation is that this will enable them to fund attacks on American soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen as well as innocent civilians around the world. The blood of many will be on the hands of Mr. Feingold and those who vote in favor of this amendment.

Hats off to the Investigative Project on Terrorism for their fine work in bringing Mr. Feingold’s stupidity to light. Hopefully, the citizens of his state will take their heads from the sand and sending him packing in his next election cycle.

Former U.S. anti-drug official's arrest 'a complete shock' -- latimes.com

Former U.S. anti-drug official's arrest 'a complete shock' -- latimes.com

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This story is making the rounds of retired Federal Agents this morning and all are shaking their heads. We've seen it before and no doubt will see it again.

While corruption in law enforcement exists the world over there is a great variance on how it is handled from nation to nation. In America it is reported for what it is and the miscreant is prosecuted to forever more wear a mantle of shame. In some parts of the world he or she is transferred to another post for "rehabilitation" with the only real punishment being the loss of a lucrative position.

Corruption can happen at any level and in any country. It occurs because officials, be they law enforcement or political, are human and want more than they have. The key to serving the people is to ensure that when it is found, it is exposed and prosecuted. Anything less just helps it stay alive.