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C O V E R
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46 Yes, Virginia, There is a Second Act
Virginia Madsen hit it big in the 1980s, sizzling on the big screen in movies like Dune and Electric Dreams - only to leave stardom largely behind in the 1990s to dedicate herself to the rigors of single motherhood. Along came director Alexander Payne last year, with what’s proven to be the comeback role of a lifetime: the sensuous and sensitive wine lover Maya in the sleeper hit film, Sideways, for which she earned a long-awaited Academy Award nomination. Now back in shape (boy, is she ever), and working on a slew of new, high-profile films with the likes of Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, and Robert Altman, Virginia is on the fast track back to the A-list.
By Joan Tarshis
Photos by Christopher Ameruoso
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F E A T U R E S
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40 Our Smokin’ Capital
Washington, D.C. is a town with politics and power coursing through its veins - and, not surprisingly, a lot of cigar smoking going on as well. Our nation’s historically rich capital city holds not only monuments and well-known seats of government power, but cigar smokers’ havens both historic (W. Curtis Draper tobacconist, the bar at the Willard Hotel) and modern (Signature Cigars, Butler’s Jazz and Cigar Bar). And true to form for this political town, the battle over a D.C. smoking ban has taken on the fervor of a new American Revolution.
By Mark Bernardo
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52 The Puro Proliferation
Cuba is renowned for using only Cuban tobacco in their legendary cigars, and when many of Havana’s finest cigar masters relocated to Central America and the Caribbean, some brought with them the notion that - no matter where you’re growing it - a great cigar can be made with all homegrown tobacco. With sterling examples like the Fuente Fuente Opus X, Padron Anniversary, Camacho Corojo, Perdomo Edicion de Silvio, and La Aurora 100 Años, it appears that they were right - and that the puro is here to stay.
By Bob Ashley
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58 Home is Where the Hunt Is
Going on an African safari is the ultimate dream for aspiring Great White Hunters; however, the massive costs, political instability, diseases, dangerous predators, and lack of comforts and amenities in the Dark Continent’s richest jungles combine to keep many from realizing that dream. Good news is, you can hunt exotic game right here in the States, at well-stocked wildlife reserves like the YORanch in Texas Hill Country - where our adventure-seeking author gathered a posse of fellow travelers to live out his childhood "Daktari" fantasy.
Story and photos by Jeff Bolton
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