Cigar Aficionados Let Down by Cuban Smoking Ban

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cigar aficionados who see Cuba as the Mecca of smoking are dumbfounded by a Cuban smoking ban they say has let down the cause for smokers' rights worldwide.

The Floridita, writer Ernest Hemingway's favorite bar for daiquiris, prohibited smoking for the first time since it opened in 1817. But management gave up after a week because sales to its tourist clientele had plummeted, an employee said.



 

full story: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=9&u=/nm/20050224/od_nm/cuba_smoke_dc

Some Thoughts on Whiskey

For your consideration: some thoughts on whiskey and the therapeutic powers thereof.
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"If you mean the demon drink that poisons the mind, pollutes the body, desecrates family life, and inflames sinners, then I'm against it. But if you mean the elixir of Christmas cheer, the shield against winter chill, the taxable potion that puts needed funds into public coffers to comfort little crippled children, then I'm for it. This is my position, and I will not compromise!"
A Congressman's attitude on whiskey

"Give an Irishman lager for a month, and he's a dead man. An Irishman is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him."
Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

"Anybody who hates dogs and loves whiskey can't be all bad."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
P. J. O'Rourke (1947 - )

“Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's a heavy mist before my eyes.”
Jimmy Stewart, The Philadelphia Story

Fear and Loathing No More

Gonzo journalist, Hunter S Thompson

Critical Cloud notes with sadness the passing of Hunter S. Thompson, the "gonzo journalist" probably best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Tosca won't ever be the same.

full story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/21/MNGHUBERJ31.DTL

and a commentary: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/22/MNGIJBF3LJ1.DTL


 

Burning the Leaf at Amber (14th & Church)

Amber, a small neighborhood-trying-to-be-hip bar on 14th just west of Church, is the unlikely location of yet another smoke-friendly watering hole in SF. Quiet at 9 PM on Saturday, by 10 the place was hopping. Populated with a lot of folks who required ID checks, this gin joint serves up cheap beer and drinks. A pint of Lagunitas IPA sets you back a mere $4 and most of the mixed drinks are around $7. That would explain the "kiddie" aged crowd there. Having said that, the drinks are good, the crowd is OK looking (I guess the supermodels didn't come out on a rainy night), and best of all, you can smoke to your heart's content. Your blogmeister was the only human imbibing on a cigar but about a third of the crowd were cigarette smokers. If you want quiet conversation, forget this place, if you wanna drink and smoke to excess, come on down!

Where There's Smoke, You're Fired

SF Chronicle columnist reports on one employer's invasion of privacy. Yes, if you smoke at home during your own time, you can't work for this company!

full story: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/17/EDGH1BA4PC1.DTL

Cigar smoking grandma's of Cuba

Cigars aren't just for the glamorous...these Cuban ladies sure seem to be enjoying themselves.


 

the Nanny State

SF Gate's Cinnamon Stillwell lambasts the SF Board of Supervisors over their micromanagement of ordinary folks lives:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/02/08/cstillwell.DTL

Cuba Bans Smoking???

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba, which evokes images of cigar-chomping revolutionaries, banned smoking in public places on Monday, an uphill struggle in a country synonymous with fine tobacco where more than half of adults smoke.

full story at: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050207/hl_nm/cuba_smoking_dc_1

Cigar-smoking Girls Gotta Have Fun

This post-party group of women was recently spotted at the Occidental Cigar Bar (San Francisco) enjoying the pleasures of the "leaf".

Critical Cloud

In response to the sad actions of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors regarding tobacco smoking, I've created this blog to document and disseminate information on the rights of tobacco smokers in the City by the Bay. Stay tuned for more!