The Great George Carlin - About Cigar Smokers

This video contains adult language.

I'll miss the purposely rebellious and left-field, left-wing humor of this comedy genius. He had an inherent skill to push all the buttons of the politically correct amongst us, and in that I think lies one of his greater contributions through comedy. His illustrated perceptions of people, institutions, governments and the like were so surgically abrasive that they could do no less than make me laugh and think, then laugh some more.

The video included above is his typical, hilarious button-pushing of those of us who enjoy the cigar. You've got to be smiling at yourself after watching this one.

I remember as a kid having to conceal from my parents the fact my buddies and I were listening to Carlin. And heaven-forbid that any of us used one of the "Seven Dirty Words" that helped make him even more revered! Here's a link to a good YouTube video of Carlin performing that bit - MORE ADULT LANGUAGE.

I was reading some summaries of his more famous moments, and came across this 1997 AP interview of Carlin where he talks about editing his own obituary.

George Carlin 1937-2008

$4m Cigar Theft

This one's out of Australia. 83,000 cigars stolen from a warehouse over this past weekend. The thieves apparently were able to disarm the alarm system, and the preliminary investigation penned the incident as having happened sometime between Friday at 4pm, when everybody went home, and Monday at 8am when employees came back to work and discovered the 'slight' inventory shortage.

The owner, Tobbacconist Charles Vella, said the alarm system was not deactivated from inside the premisies and speculated the crime was one of organization rather than opportunity. A further indication of this was the fact that all 83K of the sticks were Toscani brand, and Vella was the only importer of the popular smokes in all of Australia.

Another interesting little twist, sure to be a helpful investigative lead for the police, was that 2 other brands were stolen along with the bulk of Toscani cigars; Police have said other brands stolen include Flor De Filipinas and Il Barone, which are not currently for sale in Australia.

So all you have to do to solve the case is find the guy on the street selling these 2 brands at can't-beat prices. It's not like he can hop the border fence into another country and offload 'em!

Chewgars - For the Descriminating Dog

My dogs are stressed. They've just been through a geographic move that uprooted them from their home of the last 9 years. What more could a master do to settle the nerves of his faithful best friends than to treat them to a high-end Chewgar? I mean really, they should expect nothing less!

While Chewgars are not considered in the same light as precious contraband smuggled from Cuba, nor do they emit the same enticing aroma as a fine Havana-born product, they do provide similar calming effects.

The drool from my Shepard and Lab was non-stop when the above pictured Chewgar Box (16 pc) was unwrapped, and the flavorful aroma of beef, chicken and chocolate flavored cowhide filled the air.

This unique product (about $40) can be found at Bars, Cigars & Brew, where they have a lot of good stuff for humans, too. I like their site; it has interesting shopping for your bar and pub needs, home and garden, coffee products, cigars and accessories, etc. As "Purveyors of fine living", they have some fun stuff to check out.

Golf Bag Heater Holder

It's hard to concentrate on your swing with your favorite freshly ignited heater clenched between your jaws, isn't it? Or the practice many more of us follow is to leave our cigar on the cart bumper or in the beverage holder. Walkers are oftentimes seen laying their stogie on the freshly cut, fertilizer-laden grass as they ready their club.

The Heater Holder, made by S.W. Burke, Co. is a solution for both riders and walkers. The golf bag accessory attaches neatly to one of the rain hood snaps at the top of your bag and has a 'safety chain' that clips onto your towel-holder loop or any other hanging loop on your bag. The genius to this approach is that the Heater Holder is right at the top of your bag, so you'll see it (remember it!) each time you remove and replace your club throughout the game. No more troubles leaving the cigar behind as it bounces off the cart bumper or out of the beverage holder, and for the walkers, no more leaving that lit beauty behind or even having to chance the infusion of fertilizer chemicals into the flavor of your smoking experience.

As an aside, I'm not sure what the intent of the 'safety chain' is. Perhaps style more than anything - kind of like the guy with the chain on his rear pocket wallet. But I do know that if I've got a cigar that requires safety equipment, I'm probably not out on the course with it.

In all seriousness, the chain is another great feature, in that the Heater Holder will still be attached to your bag if the snap becomes disengaged during your travels about the course.

This little addition to your golf bag can do nothing but improve your chances of enjoying a great round and a great smoke. Plus it's a very stylish addition to your game and you'll never have to worry about where to lay your cigar down. It's available at heaterholder.com in stainless steel, gold and sterling silver, ranging from about $25 to $225, depending on which metal you find most precious.

Found Primates while Perusing

You're right, the title is a bit weird. That's alright, though, because you're still reading and you might wonder how primates have anything to do with cigars or any other tobacco related product or activity. It's a stretch, but it's based on a signature phrase a friend of mine and I agree on wholeheartedly: "Monkeys Add Humor."

Crazy Monkey Hookah Freak Modern Tobacco is the title that caught my eye. I was perusing various sources of tobacco accessories, and POW, the title of the link hit me and I just had to see; this backs my premise that weird titles can peak your interest, and that when monkeys are involved, you just can't lose.

The link goes to hookahhub.com, which is a store that sells anything and everything Hookah. This also translates into just about anything and everything Tobacco, as well. Crazy Monkey, as it turns out, is a popular blend of shisha used in Hookah smoking. The site claims smoking a rip of Crazy Monkey will give you an irresistible urge to do the monkey dance...

So back to the cigar nexus. While reading through several areas of the hookahub site, I learned that Hookah Bars are becoming, or have become, almost as popular as our Cigar Bars. The crowds at these establishments are usually younger men and women, with numerous eastern and middle eastern influences, and are appealing to newer audiences here in the U.S. After seeing pictures of some of the Hookah Bars (people sitting yoga style on the floor with a Hookah vase at the center of their circle, or crowded cozily into a corner booth to share a Hookah pipe) it made me think of younger days when those images would have been associated with smoking something that certainly would not have been sold publicly.

Is this why Hookah smoking has not yet permeated the golf course? Or maybe it's because doing the monkey dance on the course could effect your handicap.