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[CigarBanter]

Yankees win...  Theeeeeee Yankees win!!!  But we're here to talk cigars.  What deals have you found on the various Internet sites today?

[A Friend of Charlie]

Sorry about that last post but I just got back from the game and I just had to.  Have a great Saturday.

[gmrfish]

Nice!

[gmrfish]

Howdy fellers.  I know I haven't been on any site very much at all.....just lots of stuff going on.  Vacation from school is nice, but warden is working her ass off as new practice manager and don't see too much of each other anymore.  Her old dog is on the way out and wakes us 2-3 times every night for something.  So solid sleep doesn't exist for either of us.  When she does come home it's dinner, going somewhere or quality time......all in the process of adoption meetings and paperwork and forms (my GOD!).  So we have been busy, and time this summer has been precious with us and fam.  Staying up late tonight so she can get solid sleep after a late night at work and early work day this morning Sat.  So that means bad movies and more whiskey and cigars for me!  Hope all is well for everyone!

[gmrfish]

Yankees win...  Theeeeeee Yankees win!!!  But we're here to talk cigars.  What deals have you found on the various Internet sites today?

Just some Fallen Angels on the JAM.  Only have had the robusto,  and only have spent a hundr3d or two since cigarfest.  So it was justified.  Afraid to try some of CF sticks, many I've had needed much rest or had no hope.  A few gems though.  A few a joke, don't know why they offer a booth for them.

[LSUFAN]

Good morning guys.

[LSUFAN]

First cigar of the week for me, a big change from the 3 or 4 a day I had been smoking but it's been a great week so I thought I needed to celebrate a little.

[LSUFAN]

In accordance with his statement of resignation the previous evening, Richard M. Nixon officially ends his term as the 37th president of the United States at noon. Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their journey home to San Clemente, California. Richard Nixon was the first U.S. president to resign from office.

Minutes later, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."

Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration's wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption. In September 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.

[LSUFAN]

On August 9, 2000, tire manufacturer Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announces that it is recalling 6.5 million of its model ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires; the move comes two days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration linked hundreds of accidents and at least 46 deaths to problems with the tread on the tires.

Founded by the Ohio-born Harvey S. Firestone, Firestone Tire & Rubber Company began manufacturing automobile tires in 1904 and put the first pneumatic (inflatable) tires on Ford Motor Company's iconic Model T in 1908. Firestone's sale of thousands of tires to Ford made it the top tire manufacturer in America, and Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford were close friends as well as business associates. Eight decades later, the company's financial struggles led to its acquisition in 1988 by the Bridgestone Corporation of Japan, the world's largest tire and rubber manufacturer. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., based in Nashville, Tennessee, is Bridgestone's U.S. subsidiary. 

In May 2000, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a letter to both Ford and Firestone requesting information about the high incidence of tire failure on the popular Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle (SUV). Subsequent investigation by Ford revealed that the tread on the 15-inch ATX and ATX II models and Wilderness AT tires tended to peel off, resulting in very high failure rates. When the tires failed, the vehicles would roll over, sometimes killing their occupants. After extensive conversations with the NHTSA and Ford, Bridgestone/Firestone announced the recall of 6.5 million tires that August 9.

The recall began in Southern and Western states, as the problems seemed to be linked to hot weather. (A study published in May 2001 by The St. Petersburg Times found that at least 41 people died in Firestone-related accidents in Florida alone since 1997, more than reported by the NHTSA.) It would then move to other regions and would be complete by the following year. In addition to the recall, Bridgestone/Firestone also faced 50 lawsuits and a federal investigation relating to the problem, as questions lingered about how much both Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone knew about the problems, and for how long, before they acted. Bridgestone/Firestone, along with some observers, believed the problem was not just the tires but the design of the Explorer itself, which made it prone to tipping over. Ford fought back, saying it would replace all Wilderness AT tires at its own expense, including those not covered by the recall (a total of 13 million tires). Firestone responded by severing its relationship with Ford, ending an association that dated back almost 100 years.

[LSUFAN]

Arthur Walker, a retired U.S. Navy officer, is found guilty of espionage for passing top-secret documents to his brother, who then passed them to Soviet agents. Walker was part of one of the most significant Cold War spy rings in the United States.

The arrest of Arthur Walker on May 29, 1985, came just one day after the arrest of his brother, John, and John's son, Michael. All three were charged with conducting espionage for the Soviet Union. John Walker, also a Navy veteran, was the ringleader, and government officials charged that he had been involved in spying for the Soviets since 1968. He recruited his son, who was serving in the U.S. Navy, a short time later. Arthur Walker was drawn into the scheme in 1980 when, at his brother's suggestion, he took a job with VSE, a Virginia defense contractor. Over the next two years, the government charged, Arthur Walker provided John with a number of highly classified documents dealing with the construction of naval vessels. For his services, Arthur Walker received about $12,000. A nasty divorce between John Walker and his wife eventually brought the spy ring to light when his wife, angry after their separation, went to the FBI to inform on her husband. It was revealed at their trials that the motivation of all the Walker men was the repayment of large debts they had accrued.

Arthur Walker was found guilty of seven counts of espionage on August 9, 1985. He was sentenced to life in prison and fined $250,000. John and Michael Walker later pled guilty to espionage charges, with John receiving two life sentences and Michael receiving 25 years in prison. A fourth conspirator, Jerry Whitworth, a friend of John Walker's, was convicted in 1986 on 12 counts of espionage and sentenced to 365 years in prison. With the arrests and convictions, the U.S. government claimed that it had broken one of the most destructive spy rings in the United States in the history of the Cold War.

[LSUFAN]

On this day in 2010, JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater quits his job in dramatic style by sliding down his plane’s emergency-escape chute while the aircraft is stopped near the terminal gate at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Slater, who claimed his actions were prompted by the behavior of a rude passenger, quickly became a media sensation and national folk hero.

At the time of the incident, the 38-year-old Slater was a steward on Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh to New York City. He contended that when the flight landed a passenger became abusive toward him during an argument over luggage. Although other passengers on the flight later disputed Slater’s account of the passenger’s behavior, what happened next was clear: The flight attendant got on the plane’s public address system, cursed at the passenger and said, “I’ve been in this business for twenty years. And that’s it. I’ve had it. I’m done.” Afterward, he took two beers from the beverage cart, deployed the emergency exit and started down the slide.  Realizing he’d left his bags on the aircraft, he scrambled back up the slide to retrieve them before fleeing down the chute again. After leaving the airport terminal, he drove to his home in Queens, New York.

Slater, the son of a pilot and a flight attendant, was soon taken into police custody. After posting $2,500 bail, he walked out of jail the next night an instant celebrity and even a folk hero to stressed-out, overworked Americans. Experiencing his 15 minutes of fame, Slater appeared on national talk shows, was honored with Facebook fan pages and received offers to do reality TV programs and endorse a variety of products.

In October 2010, Slater, facing charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal trespassing, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of attempted criminal mischief and was spared jail time. As part of the deal, he agreed to undergo regular mental health and substance abuse counseling sessions for a year. Additionally, he was required to pay JetBlue $10,000 in restitution to replace the emergency chute. The Queens district attorney, Richard Brown, said of the famous flight attendant: “My own view of the situation was that Mr. Slater was humiliated by what he perceived as degrading working conditions, and he had a level of rage at that time that was exacerbated perhaps by alcohol consumption and maybe by other contributing stress factors.” Brown also said that he felt Slater “recognized the seriousness of his actions.”

[LSUFAN]

On this day in 1988, Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky is traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley in return for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas and first-round draft picks in the 1989, 1991 and 1993 drafts. At age 27, Gretzky was already widely considered the greatest player in hockey history and was the owner of 43 National Hockey League scoring records.

Gretzky had won eight Hart trophies, the NHL’s MVP award, in his nine seasons with the Oilers, in addition to seven straight Art Ross trophies (1981-1987) as the league’s leading scorer. The previous season, the Oilers had brought home their fourth Stanley Cup championship during Gretzky’s tenure. Nothing short of a sports phenomenon, he was considered a national treasure in his native Canada and was beloved by the citizens of Edmonton.

Fan reaction to the trade ran the gamut from shocked and saddened to angry. After the announcement, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington defended the move by explaining that Gretzky had asked to be traded to Los Angeles, where hockey was still struggling for a foothold in the marketplace alongside the more popular basketball, baseball and football. Gretzky himself explained the decision this way: "I felt I was still young enough and capable enough to help a new franchise win a Stanley Cup." After saying the trade was made "for the benefit of Wayne Gretzky, my new wife and our expected child in the new year," the hockey star then walked away from the microphone, overcome with emotion at leaving the city where he had established himself as a Canadian hero.

About three weeks before the trade was announced, Gretzky had married American actress Janet Jones, and many fans believed she was the reason behind the decision. Los Angeles certainly seemed an appropriate destination for the young couple: In addition to being the capital of the film industry, it was also the second-largest city in the United States, a perfect place for "The Great One" to increase his visibility and value as a pitchman and help boost the popularity of hockey in the lucrative U.S. market. Of course, this logic did not stop Edmonton residents from protesting the trade by hanging Gretzky in effigy.

[LSUFAN]

On this day in 1945, a second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan's unconditional surrender.

The devastation wrought at Hiroshima was not sufficient to convince the Japanese War Council to accept the Potsdam Conference's demand for unconditional surrender. The United States had already planned to drop their second atom bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," on August 11 in the event of such recalcitrance, but bad weather expected for that day pushed the date up to August 9th. So at 1:56 a.m., a specially adapted B-29 bomber, called "Bock's Car," after its usual commander, Frederick Bock, took off from Tinian Island under the command of Maj. Charles W. Sweeney. Nagasaki was a shipbuilding center, the very industry intended for destruction. The bomb was dropped at 11:02 a.m., 1,650 feet above the city. The explosion unleashed the equivalent force of 22,000 tons of TNT. The hills that surrounded the city did a better job of containing the destructive force, but the number killed is estimated at anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 (exact figures are impossible, the blast having obliterated bodies and disintegrated records).

General Leslie R. Groves, the man responsible for organizing the Manhattan Project, which solved the problem of producing and delivering the nuclear explosion, estimated that another atom bomb would be ready to use against Japan by August 17 or 18—but it was not necessary. Even though the War Council still remained divided ("It is far too early to say that the war is lost," opined the Minister of War), Emperor Hirohito, by request of two War Council members eager to end the war, met with the Council and declared that "continuing the war can only result in the annihilation of the Japanese people..." The Emperor of Japan gave his permission for unconditional surrender.

[LSUFAN]

First Marine Division launches Operation Cochise in the Que Son valley. Meanwhile, the First Cavalry Division continued with Operation Pershing, a major clearing operation in the Binh Dinh province designed to improve the security situation in support of the ongoing pacification effort.

[LuvTooGolf]

First cigar of the week for me, a big change from the 3 or 4 a day I had been smoking but it's been a great week so I thought I needed to celebrate a little.

Morning, Chip. What are we celebrating?