Need to buy cigars for Wednesday’s poker game at Dave’s house? Are you looking for a new hobby and have decided that you want to start smoking cigars? Well, you can buy or smoke any cigars you want – of course, except for Cuban cigars if you live in the US – but there a number of things you should know before you buy a cigar. This is especially for people who are new at smoking cigars.

For Starters: If you are new to cigars, it is a good idea to start with smaller cigar sizes such as a Corona or a Petit Corona. You need to develop a taste for them before you take on one of the larger ones such as a Churchill. Cigar flavors are varied such as claro (mild), colorado (moderate), maduro and oscuro (very rich). A beginner should start with a milder flavor such as a claro (or a colorado at the very most) because the maduro or oscuro are usually too strong for a novice. One way to tell the flavor of a cigar is to look at the wrapper. Lighter flavors have lighter wrappers and vice versa.

Make Sure They are Fresh: Inspect cigars properly before buying them. Look at the color of all the cigars in the box; they should all be the same and if some of them are discolored, it a sign that they may not be fresh. Pinch the cigars between your fingers, they should be tender. If they are hard then it is another sign that they are not fresh.

Try Some Before You Buy the Whole Box: Do not rush into buying an entire box of cigars because you like the way they look or smell, or because you like the box they come in. It is a good idea to buy at least three (3) of them at first to know how they really taste. The region where a cigar is made affects its taste. For example, cigars made in Nicaragua differ greatly from those made in Honduras.

Learn Cigar Smoking Etiquette: There are many things that a newbie to smoking cigars might do that shows him or her as just that. These include actions like holding a cigar between the index and middle fingers when dragging or asking for a light from someone (like you do for cigarettes). Both of these actions are negatives according to the prescripts of smoking cigars. Cigar etiquette also includes rules like smoking slowly and not chewing on the cigar. There are a lot more than have been mentioned here.

Buy a Humidor: For cigars to be truly enjoyed, they have to stay fresh and should not be allowed to dry. For this reason they must be stored at a certain temperature and humidity. This you can achieve using a humidor. Humidors come in different sizes and can be as large as a room (used by cigar stores) but what you need is a personal or travel humidor which are boxes that can contain anywhere from 10 to more than 100 cigars. They are equipped with hygrometers for monitoring the humidity levels. Travel humidors are portable while personal humidors are usually kept at home such as in a study. If you cannot obtain that, then a simple airtight bag with a piece of wet foam inside it can serve.

Use the Right Lighter and Cutter: Always try to light your cigars with a wooden match. Do not use wax matches or Zippo lighters to light a cigar. They give a chemical taste to the cigar that negatively affects the smoking experience. Whatever you use, allow it to burn for a while before you bring it close to the tip of the cigar especially if it is a lighter. As for cutters, it is best to use a double-blade guillotine cutter because it gives the cleanest cut. Always keep the cutter sharp.

The Size of the Cigar Matters: When it comes to cigars, size does matter. Longer cigars are just that and therefore, take longer to finish which means you get to enjoy your smoke for a considerable while. Wider and longer cigars usually have cool smoke as it takes longer for the smoke to reach your mouth. And of course, it looks manlier when you smoke a large cigar.

Beware of Fake Cuban Cigars: We have all heard about those magical and life-changing cigars from Cuba: Cohibas, Montecristos, H. Upmanns, and the rest of the lot. First of all, remember that they are illegal in the United States and if you are caught in possession of them that could mean a substantial fine. However, if you do feel that you must experience that true smoke then you must be aware that most of the Cuban cigars you will be offered will be imitations. True Cuban cigars will not come cheap because it does take a lot of risk to get them into the US and well, for all their fame they ought to be expensive.

Cigars Can Also Adversely Affect Your Health: Most people consider that since cigar smoke is not to be inhaled it carries less risk of cancer. Whilst it is true that smoking cigars makes it less likely that you may develop lung cancer when compared to cigarette smokers, you are more likely to have lung cancer than non-smokers. Cigars predispose the smoker to lip, mouth and throat cancers just like cigarettes do. They are also as addictive as cigarettes because in truth, they contain even more nicotine.

Wyoming Territorial Prison at Laramie State Park in Laramie was built in 1872. In the north wing there were just 42 cells, 14 cells on each of the three levels. The cells were small with arched ceilings and iron gate doors. When there was overcrowding two inmates had to share a cell. Inmates here were convicted of offenses ranging from stealing to manslaughter. Since no capitol offenders were sent here at this prison there were no executions.

In 1884 there were only 10 inmates at this prison so plans were made to expand the place so that Federal Authorities would not close it down. By 1889 the prison had doubled in size. There were more cells, a new dining room had been added as well as a chapel/activity room and another wing, the south wing. In the south wing on the 2nd floor 12 women inmates were housed; two cells were set up as their living quarters and a third cell as their bathroom. The first floor of the south wing held 42 cells, on three tiers. Not having enough guards there was a great number of escape attempts.

When the Wyoming Territorial Prison became over-crowded again plans were made for a larger prison in Rawlins. In 1903 when the new prison opened the Territorial Prison was converted to become the Agricultural Experiment Station. It remained so for 60 years and then in 1989 the farm land and the prison itself were bought and restored to become a state park and museum. One can take a walking self tour of the prison.

During the years it was the Wyoming Territorial Prison disciple was strict. Prisoners had to wash at least twice a week, do their own laundry, make their own clothes, cook, keep things neat and clean and learn a useful skill to be able to use once they were released. As a young man Butch Cassidy spent some time here for stealing. Rehabilitation of course didn’t work for him and he returned to a life of crime. Violence here was at a minimum so there were only two isolation cells. In 1893 one inmate was killed during an escape attempt. There were doctors on contract to take care of sick inmates. Terminally ill patients were pardoned and sent home to be with their families and to die there. Only one man died in prison from a heart attack – Julius Greenwelch.

This man Julius Greenwelch would never realize his dream of becoming successful in the cigar business. In the 1890s he was a cigar maker from Provo, Utah who traveled around Wyoming selling fine cigars. He found a market for his cigars in Evanston, Laramie, Cheyenne and Sheridan. Before and even after he got married he would visit a bordello in Evanston, Wyoming before returning to Provo. In 1897 he arrived at his favorite bordello to find his wife, Jennie working there. It may have been perhaps to earn some spending money or perhaps to get even with her husband for his infidelity. Whatever the case may be when Julius arrived at the bordello and saw Jennie there he shot her on the spot. This earned him a 2nd degree murder conviction and a life-time stay at the Wyoming Territorial Prison. He began his sentence on September 29th, 1897 in the north wing, in a third tier cell. He was allowed to set up a cigar making operation to bring in some money for the prison funds. A couple of years later he died of a heart attack.

In 1989 during major renovation and restoration work some of the cells were removed to make room for doorways and historical exhibits. One of those cells that was removed was Julius Greenwelch’s cell. This may have “awakened” the man’s spirit and so the entity of Julius continued with his work. Throughout the north wing whiffs of cigar smoke may be smelled. While restoration was going on workmen would find their hammers, drills and saws missing then turning up in strange places. Julius has appeared in the doorway where his cell used to be in front of small groups of tourists or staff.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is located on Central Avenue in Cheyenne. The main part of the church was built in 1868. Then in 1886 people decided they wanted their church to look impressive sort of like the great British churches with large bell towers. So a foundation for the bell tower was sunk 15 ft. deep to be able to support the 60 ft. massive structure that would be built. However the building of the tower came to a stop for a long time because the masons working on the tower disappeared.

Then the building began anew and finally the tower was finished in 1927 with a room added just below the 11 carillon bells weighing 20 tons. In the special room a chandelier hangs from the ceiling and the room can only be reached by climbing an 85 ft. spiral stairway which begins in the church basement.

What happened in 1886? Two Swedish immigrant masons had been hired to do the job. The tower was only partially built when the two men disappeared. The church’s rector, Father Rafter stopped by one morning to inquire if any more material were needed. He noticed that only one mason was there and that mason appeared to be n
a spirit

Rams-Redskins: How St. Louis Will Win In Week 3
Close, but no cigar, has been the pattern for the Rams in the first two weeks. The Rams need to learn to turn opportunities into points.  Until they do, the frustrating outcomes will continue. On the bright side, the NFC West currently consists of two 1-1 teams, and two 0-2 teams.  If the Rams can find a way to win a couple of games in the next few weeks, when the schedule is somewhat favorable …

Read more on Bleacher Report

Crafty carver: Artisan works within tradition
Borrowing a definition he heard somewhere, Dennis Regan says the difference between whittling and woodcarving is the number of knives used.“With whittling you use one knife,” Regan says. “Woodcarving is whittling with more than one knife.”Regan does a little of both, plus adds in some math and geometry, to create some unique wooden creations that fall under the category of “tramp art.”

Read more on Abilene Reporter-News

Put members before corporates: McGuire
Collingwood president calls on AFL to prioritise club members – rather than corporates – for the replay.

Read more on Brisbane Times

Recently I made a mistake that may cost a great deal of traffic
to my new web site.

Let me explain…

I studied so many books about Internet marketing over the last
couple of years that I decided to start a new web site, and
share my knowladge and experience with other fellow Internet
marketers.

Since I read lots of information about search engine
optimization (SEO), I intended to optimize all of my web pages
for search engines from the beginning on, expecting Google to be
my number one source of traffic in the near future.

I did an extensive keyword research using WordTraker, made a
blueprint for my product and article pages, and the time has
come to choose a great domain name for my new project.

I went to GoDaddy, the famous domain name registar, tried this
and that, and finally came up with a beautiful domain name
related to Internet marketing – netmarketingstrategies.com

You probably know that Internet marketing is a very competitive
niche, so I was glad that this domain name was still available.
I registered it immediately.

My site was up and running in 48 hours. Now I needed some fresh
web content, and to get indexed by major search engines as soon
as possible.

So, I spent a week or two writing search engine optimized
content for my new online business.

I usually don’t submit my new web sites to search engines for
indexing. I prefer when my sites are found on other web sites
and get spidered automatically.

One of the easiest ways to have a link to a web site from other
sites is by writing and distributing high quality articles. So,
I wrote an article about two-tier affiliate programs and
submited it to major article directories.

Within a couple of days I searched for my article title in
Google and noticed that it did great. Publishers liked my
article and they were publishing it on their web sites and
newsletters.

I expected my home page to get indexed very fast.

Time went.

Each week I searched Google to see if my site has already got
indexed. It didn’t.

I decided to see if my domain has been spidered by other major
search engines. Yes, both Yahoo and MSN got it. So, what went
wrong? Why Google won’t index my home page?

Here’s what I think went wrong: my further investigation showed
that the domain name had already been used by another webmaster
and had been expired half a year ago when I registered it. It
seems that the previous domain name owner was using unfair
search engine optimization strategies and his web site was
banned by Google.

I sent a request to Google explaining the situation and asking
to lift the ban from my web site. I am not sure if they will
listen and help me.

I am ready to register a new domain name in a few weeks time if
I still cannot get my site indexed by Google.

So, don’t make the same mistake I did… If you intend to
optimize your new web site in order to receive traffic from
Google and other search engines, make sure to check out if a
domain name you’ve selected for your online business is not
banned by Google before registering it.