In
addition, sometime in early December a link to a special section will appear here that
will serve as what we hope to be the definitive Holiday
Buyer's Guide (It is here now and can be accessed
by clicking on the flashing link above. A new window will open which you
can close at any time when you are finished exploring the many creative gifts available
for the smoking enthusiast) for the smoking enthusiast on your gift list.
There are literally hundreds of unusual and practical gift items in
the world of RYO and it is our intent to bring them to your attention. For instance, did
you know that many people still smoke cigarette tobacco in pipes? And not just any pipes.
Certain pipes are far better suited to the smoking and inhaling of tobacco smoke. Usually
a wide, fat, shallow bowl works best with a relatively short wide stem. We have found just
such pipes (see photos above and at left) and have tested them and believe us when we tell
you that for the short smoke, you know, when you don't have time or the desire for a whole
cigarette, these little guys work great. Our thanks to the H.J. Bailey Company and Carey's
Smoke Shop for the samples. You can click on the photos to visit these fine folks. Other useful items such as cigarette holders and filters for them, unusual lighters, papers, cigarette making kits, ashtrays, and too many other things to mention here will all be part of the Buyer's Guide along with prices and the locations where you can find them. Should be handy for those who wait until almost the last minute (like me) to find that perfect gift or simply can't find anything unique enough for the tobacco enthusiast on your list. And finally in this issue check out our Editorial "The Best Things in Life . . ." in which we take a look at those pesky non-profit organizations, the 501c(3)'s, that seem to permeate the anti-smoking forces. We got some really interesting information on them. Also of interest in the field of anti-smoking/risk assessment research is a paper provided by the CATO Institute. The Institute is a well respected group that serves a governmental watchdog role that is both important and impressive. This particular "white paper" concerns the Shelby Amendment. This legislation, passed in October of 1998 (over the objections of a lot of anti-smoking and medical related lobbying groups as well as certain members of the US Congress who are in the pockets of such groups) mandates public oversight and disclosure of all research data (not just the often non-scientific and whimsical conclusions) that ultimately leads to legislation. In other words, all of the highly questionable research that has led to the current risk assessment status of tobacco usage can now be made public. The paper is very interesting and can be found by click the following link: A new window will open which you can close when done. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-366es.html We also wanted to share with you some of this season's photos of our tobacco growing experiments. The three photos below represent periods from sowing (planting not including germinating time of a couple of weeks) of 8 weeks 10 weeks and 12 weeks. The last picture (with the cool flowers, which have a wonderful and heady Night Blooming Jasmine scent), shows the plants after at least 50 leaves were harvested over the period. Four different plants are represented in this bunch. Three very similar (Montecalme Yellow, Chilean, and a Orinco variety from the Amazon) have very thick wide leaves. The Jasmine tobacco plant (the left hand side of the plant bunch) produced thinner smaller leaves but as mentioned above had great flowers. After drying (curing) and a little roasting, the resulting tobacco (with the help of a very small amount of flavorings) was really pretty good, with a much more woodsy, nutty taste and aroma than professionally produced tobacco. I didn't like the taste of this first-attempt tobacco as well as the varieties produced by the best professional growers and processors, but with practice, a more studied selection of seed varieties, improvement in harvesting timetables, and much more attention given to the curing and flavoring process, I am completely confident that within five years (actually five growing seasons which could be accelerated down to only a couple of years by growing year-round in a greenhouse), I could produce tobacco that is every bit as mild and tasty as my current favorites. The plants are really easy to grow but be warned that deer and snails love them. As you can imagine, fifty (50) of these plants (growable in about 100 square feet of soil) could easily supply you with most or all of the tobacco you would need yearly. To read our intentions, the details of the experiment, and the specifics of the various processes mentioned, click here. A new window will open which you can close when done. So sit back and enjoy the final issue of RYO Magazine for the year 2000 and by all means keep the e-mail and letters coming. And if you have or know of a product that you think we should take a look at, please let us know. Go to our contact page or email us by clicking here. Check out the links below and keep abreast what is happening in the tobacco wars. It directly effects you and your right to smoke and other endangered freedoms more and more every day. - the ed. 1. http://www.smokersalliance.org
- The National Smokers Alliance Also, most of the news services (CNN, Fox, ABC, MSNBC, etc.), have extensive archives of smoking related articles both pro and con. They are great resources for both sides of the issue. Their websites are easily found in search engines or by URL (i.e. cnn.com). Without a doubt, what should be the handbook for the smoker's rights enthusiast, Don Oakley's "Slow Burn" - an incredibly well researched, powerful history of the facts and fallacies (mostly) of the anti-smoking movement from its organized inception in the early 60's to present - is available at Amazon.com (click the book graphic at right to purchase it immediately online from Amazon.com (highly recommended). This book is filled with detailed accounts of the step-by-step conspiracy that has created the anti-tobacco environment we all suffer today as well as many portents of the dangers of attorney driven campaigns to change the ways our basic rights are defined. It's all about money and it will make you angry . . . AND. . . you will be amazed at how much wool has been pulled over the eyes of the American sheep population. Below are some
additional links to sites with some in-depth information on the colorful 1. Jim Shaw's Burnt
Offerings
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EDITOR'S NOTE: These reviews are solely for the convenience of people of legal age who already smoke, are trying to cut down on smoking, wish to spend less money on their smoking, want to roll their own cigarettes from high quality tobacco, and, in general, wish to have a far more satisfying, and economical smoking experience when compared with smoking pre-manufactured cigarettes. We, in no way, encourage people to smoke. Further, we prescribe to a sane, more logical approach to smoking that involves common sense as to quantity coupled with a strong desire to manage the habit until it becomes an occasional, freely chosen, diversion, that can be fully enjoyed with minimal health risks. Finally, we strongly encourage those who do smoke to take it outdoors, or to appropriate environments where tobacco can be enjoyed away from those who do not smoke, most especially children. We do not sell tobacco or related products from this site; We distribute information about our perceptions of the quality of what is available and where it can be obtained. If you are under 18, it is illegal to buy tobacco and you should immediately exit this site. If you do not smoke, it would seem illogical to start. |
© 1999 RYO Magazine
A Publication of
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RYO Magazine
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