June 2009

Club Info & Events

Details of the May Meeting
Not too much to report from the May meeting just a couple of hours spent in good company. We were happy to see the return on Greg and Rich. Hopefully we'll see more of them in the future.

A couple of road trips were mentioned for the upcoming months. Eric has been talking about putting together a trip to the Gillette Castle in Connecticut. And we've received an invite to visit the crew from Habana Premium Pipe Shoppe in Albany on June 6th. Both trips received a fair amount of interest.

StogieFresh.com Now Delving into Pipes
Last year in our "Websites Worth a Look" section I directed people to listen to the Stogie Fresh 5 Podcast, the No.1 Cigar Resource on the Net.. Since many pipe smokers also smoke cigars or may be thinking about adding an occasional cigar into their rotation, I thought it was a great way to begin or enhance your cigar smoking experience. I've been listening to this podcast weekly for a couple of years now and am happy to report that Doc Stogie Fresh has decided to take up pipe smoking as well and when Doc puts his mind to something he usually does a pretty thorough job. For starters he's added a new Pipes Journal section and when I said the Doc was thorough I wasn't kidding. He's already posted quite a few very interesting articles written by some well know names in the pipe community like Ben Rappaport, Bill Unger and Russ Oulette. He's also added a section to the Pipe Journal called "Ask the Pipe Doc" where you can send in your pipe questions to the Pipe Doc who is Marty Pulvers, another name you might recognize. If your question is selected the Doc will send you a cigar and a pouch of tobacco, courtesy of Stogie Fresh.
So whether you've been smoking a pipe for twenty years, two months or have just purchased your first corn cob, I highly recommend that you check out Doc's Pipe Journal. I guarantee that when you're finished reading what the Doc has to offer you'll definitely be back for more.

Another Look at the LePipe.it Website & Newsletter
Another site I posted a while back in the "Website's Worth a Look" section was the LePipe.it website (Internet Explorer recommended) and in particular, their newsletter. It comes out weekly, and is delivered to your inbox. It's short and sweet and usually has some pretty good pipe deals associated with their Pipe of the Week offer. They have also been highlighting a different pipe club from around the world in their Pipe Club Corner. SHPC was featured around November of 08. But the reason I writing about this again is for the feature they just recently started called The Future of Pipe Smoking. They are two weeks into in and are putting out additional short excerpts of it each week. I was interested to see where they are going with this and thought you might be also. Here is a link to the archive of articles. You can find part I & II here along with a number of other interesting articles. For a list of pipe clubs they've already highlighted click here. When you're through reviewing these pages be sure to check out their pipes and accessories then visit the About Us page and sign up for the newsletter. I promise it will be a welcome intrusion in your email box.

Sherlock Holmes Crime Scene Drawings by Larry Gosser
Click the image for more details......

Kahn's Korner

I sit here contemplating our hobby nearly everyday. I smoke and think about the relaxation it brings us. Then I think about those who want to take it all away from us.

To my mind it started with seatbelts. "Seatbelts save lives." Yes they do, and I wear mine rather religiously. But I don't need the damn government sitting in the car with me, to tell me to buckle up. But the state decided it wanted to go along for the ride. Now, it seems like we can't get them out of the passenger seat.

Remember when smoking on campus was a given? My very first class at UMass was in Psych101. I got an A in that class, and it had nothing to do with studying. It just so happened that the prof and I smoked the same Borkum Riff. Since I wasn't going to be a psych major (or minor) he made me a deal.. Show up for class with Borkum and the A is yours. Now the move is to forbid smoking on the entire campus. The Indiana State University is already anticipating problems with the new plan:

Then there are the workplace bans:

Madison (WQOW) - A statewide smoking ban is expected to become law this week.
Governor Doyle says he'll sign the bill on Monday. He has three different signing ceremonies scheduled in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. The new law will prohibit smoking in almost all workplaces across the state, but won't take effect until July of 2010. Once that happens, anyone caught smoking in a workplace could face a fine of up to $250.

States are now trying to ban smoking in apartment buildings on the grounds that second hand smoke reaches through the ceilings of these buildings. In 2007, USA Today reported:

By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY
Lawmakers in two California cities are discussing unprecedented legislation this month that would widen a growing voluntary movement by landlords and resident associations to ban smoking inside apartments and condos.

Unbelievably, it's even happening in North Carolina. Tobacco capital of the world.

On May 20, 2009.... Hey just read this from the Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A bill giving the Food and Drug Administration power to regulate tobacco products won approval from a key U.S. Senate panel Wednesday, clearing the way for a full Senate vote.

Think of all the flavoring added to tobacco. Now think of them...gone.

Now they're getting into fat people... OOOPs sorry, Calorically challenged people. What was once viewed as a sign of success is now another excuse for governmental butt-in-ski-ship.

I'm viewed by our membership as very middle of the road.... OK, I tend drive on the shoulder. But even to the most liberal of you out there, aren't you getting a little tired of being told what to do? Of being treated like misbehaving children by those people who are supposed to work for you? Doesn't it tick you off just a little?