There Appears To Be A New Law In The UK Regarding Loose Tobacco Sales.

[olkofri]

And that clause is just above the signature line on an application so that you agree to their right to terminate your position with or without notifying you for any reason they deem necessary. Not to mention that with possession of your Social Security number they set up a "dead peasant" life insurance clause that they can collect money upon your death regardless if said death occurs while employed by them.

Ours is the age of the scoundrel, indeed.

 

[sablebrush52]

My overlord and master - er, I mean my dear and beloved employer from which all things good and righteous flow in a most excellent rain of benevolent grace - just announced all employees will be subject to an automatic nicotine use surcharge unless we agree to abstinence and regular blood tests.

So it just got more expensive by $30 per month and dear leader can kiss my ass.

These fuckers are frog boilers extraordinaire.

Meh, I’m gonna go smoke a pipe of Dunhill Ready Rubbed now and wish a raging incurable case of genital warts on a certain capitalist prig.

Yeah, but how do you really feel about it.

 

[Guppy]

That slope is coated with the purest grade of teflon-silicone-Tufoil in the Universe.

Dear employee. Please check all boxes which apply:

--- Alcohol?
--- Trans fats?
--- Sugar?
--- BMI index over 25?
--- Skiing?
--- Motocross?
--- Skateboarding?
--- Rock climbing?
--- Scuba diving?
--- Gymnastics?
--- Sit more than eight hours per day without 75 minute of vigorous exercise?
--- Auto racing?
--- Passenger in, or pilot of, private aircraft?

etc. etc. etc.

We had a health plan just like that for a few years. Don’t smoke (verified with blood test) you get a “discount”. Cholesterol, blood sugar normal, get a “discount”. Weight within normal limits, another “discount”. They were incentives to be healthy as the savings were significant. The funny part was, the blood test required you to prick your finger at home and mail in a sample. No telling how many folks gamed the system. Eventually the system went away and we all got to pay the full price anyway.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I just read my post again and think I have sussed it. It was Trading Standards that made the ruling which suggests to me that his weighing scales might be on the way out. I recall Johnnie's scales from previous visits and they were rather ancient looking.

Trading Standards are employed by local councils and can drop in unannounced to any premises using scales for selling produce to check the accuracy of said scales.

So perhaps some scales start to falter over a given weight?

Regards,

Jay.?

 

[BROBS]

Important shit to worry about over there.

do they weigh every bag of crisps at the grocery? Lol

 

[craig61a]

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Important shit to worry about over there.

do they weigh every bag of crisps at the grocery? Lol

At least you called them crisps and not chips?.

 

[3rdguy]

I wouldn’t pop my clogs over this one.

 

[Rattray]

Maybe they have an availability problem due to the great increase of online orders since this virus thing disrupted everything? I have looked up My Smoking Shop UK, GQ Tobaccos, James Barber, The Black swan Shoppe and C Gars Ltd and I could add 500g without any issue on various loose brands.

 

[lawdawg]

Social control by whom? It's an insurance company not the government - their interest is in making money, not reshaping society. They are underwriting a risk and they want to understand what that risk is so that it can be priced accordingly. I can't speak for private health insurance of the type referenced because that is not something we really have here in Canada, but I do recall what I was put through when I obtained life insurance, and there was a thorough medical exam and many of the activities you cite (and much more) were a part of that life insurance underwriting application process. This is just the way insurance works.

I think we probably all understand, broadly speaking, how underwriting and risk analysis are factored in. The availability of healthcare to the public is certainly a matter of public concern, and when insurance companies play such a big role in that process, their methods should rightfully be scrutinized by lawmakers. The extent to which these companies should be permitted to demand so much personal information is a fair question for lawmakers and for voters.

I, for one, don't want to live in a situation where people say things like "oh no, I can't have one of those grilled steaks today. I already met my red meat quota for the week and one more steak will surely drive up my rates" or "I already consumed my limit of alcoholic beverages for the week, so unfortunately I will not be able to sample a small dram of that fine scotch" etc.

Of course the insurance companies are just looking at the bottom line and making money for their shareholders, rather than social engineering on purpose, but the outcome (and all of the associated concerns) are the same in either case.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Social control by whom? It's an insurance company not the government - their interest is in making money, not reshaping society. They are underwriting a risk and they want to understand what that risk is so that it can be priced accordingly. I can't speak for private health insurance of the type referenced because that is not something we really have here in Canada, but I do recall what I was put through when I obtained life insurance, and there was a thorough medical exam and many of the activities you cite (and much more) were a part of that life insurance underwriting application process. This is just the way insurance works.

My father was a life insurance agent, started his career in the 1930’s. The sorts of questions mentioned were part of the underwriting process even then AFAIK. His company would issue a “rated” policy at up to 50% over the standard rate for “normal” health/ activity risks. If the underwriters evaluated a prospective client at a higher risk than that, Dad had a list of “substandard” companies and their agents that he would advise the prospect to contact.

Pot has been boiling for 90 years plus. by my math. Hell of a frog.

 

[Briarville]

Hey George, our other thread on Dunhill stems is closed so I wanted to respond to you so I will do so here., Yes I was absent from this thread. I was up in Durango Colorado this weekend getting a little R and R. So sorry for the late reply. George wanted to know if he has met me. I am not sure. I was working the Briarville booth at the last Chicago show with Ric Farrah. We generated $1500 for wounded warriors that weekend as all proceeds we took in went to them. Very proud of that accomplishment and I am hoping the Chicago show invites us back to do the same next year. I have been with Ric for about 4 years doing a majority of the repair work and last year decided to move out here to New Mexico. Ric was ready to retire so I took over Briarville and Ric now just helps out with online marketing projects. Last year I did over 2000 repairs, this year I am on line to do 2500. I stay rather busy. I have stellar reviews and I am always getting responses that everyone love the work and service I provide. I have had 3 pipes come back last year (out of the 2000 I repaired) that customer was not completely satisfied. I pay for return shipping back, I make sure the job is done to customer satisfaction and return the pipe promptly. Of those 3 that I had to redo all 3 were very happy with the finished product. I am not perfect by any means, but I do try to provide a service that I am proud of. I would be happy to have you mail me a pipe George and I will service it for free so you can see the quaility of my work if that what it takes. I will be at the next Chicago show, so we can formally meet then. And no, I did not read the rules completely, my bad, so I will not be posting any more advertising on this site. I will stick to helpful info only. I am new to these forums, and never was a big forum guy, but I know it is a necessity for this business.
A little about me as some of you have been wondering. I was a pharmacist for Kmart for over 20 years, and when Kmart went under I retired. I owned 3 cigar and pipe shops for 10 years and 5 years ago, sold them to go into pipe repair full time instead of just a hobby. Moved out here to New Mexico a year ago from Florida and took Briarville with me. With my extensive chemistry background I have been developing pipe products like stem oxidation remover solution that actually works!, a vulcanite stem oil that is all natural and superior to other products, and also a pipe cleaning solution. I try to keep my prices reasonable to help the average person and from time to time I do take on projects that are demanding and must meet the needs of the private collector. If I offended anyone with my unsolicited advertising I do apologize and will mind my manners in the future. Any further questions for me feel free to ask, I try to be an open book. I love to flyfish and that is where I am most weekends so my responses may be tardy around weekend time. Thanks for listening.
Rich Messineo

 

[georged]

Hey George, our other thread on Dunhill stems is closed so I wanted to respond to you so I will do so here., Yes I was absent from this thread. I was up in Durango Colorado this weekend getting a little R and R. So sorry for the late reply. George wanted to know if he has met me. I am not sure. I was working the Briarville booth at the last Chicago show with Ric Farrah. We generated $1500 for wounded warriors that weekend as all proceeds we took in went to them. Very proud of that accomplishment and I am hoping the Chicago show invites us back to do the same next year. I have been with Ric for about 4 years doing a majority of the repair work and last year decided to move out here to New Mexico. Ric was ready to retire so I took over Briarville and Ric now just helps out with online marketing projects. Last year I did over 2000 repairs, this year I am on line to do 2500. I stay rather busy. I have stellar reviews and I am always getting responses that everyone love the work and service I provide. I have had 3 pipes come back last year (out of the 2000 I repaired) that customer was not completely satisfied. I pay for return shipping back, I make sure the job is done to customer satisfaction and return the pipe promptly. Of those 3 that I had to redo all 3 were very happy with the finished product. I am not perfect by any means, but I do try to provide a service that I am proud of. I would be happy to have you mail me a pipe George and I will service it for free so you can see the quaility of my work if that what it takes. I will be at the next Chicago show, so we can formally meet then. And no, I did not read the rules completely, my bad, so I will not be posting any more advertising on this site. I will stick to helpful info only. I am new to these forums, and never was a big forum guy, but I know it is a necessity for this business.
A little about me as some of you have been wondering. I was a pharmacist for Kmart for over 20 years, and when Kmart went under I retired. I owned 3 cigar and pipe shops for 10 years and 5 years ago, sold them to go into pipe repair full time instead of just a hobby. Moved out here to New Mexico a year ago from Florida and took Briarville with me. With my extensive chemistry background I have been developing pipe products like stem oxidation remover solution that actually works!, a vulcanite stem oil that is all natural and superior to other products, and also a pipe cleaning solution. I try to keep my prices reasonable to help the average person and from time to time I do take on projects that are demanding and must meet the needs of the private collector. If I offended anyone with my unsolicited advertising I do apologize and will mind my manners in the future. Any further questions for me feel free to ask, I try to be an open book. I love to flyfish and that is where I am most weekends so my responses may be tardy around weekend time. Thanks for listening.
Rich Messineo

All well and good.

The only thing that matters, though, is the end result.

So:

--- When replacing a pipe's stem (that's not a stick bit), do you grind the shank to achieve level? Yes or no

--- Do you use molded stems as replacements for pipe brands that only used rod stock? Yes or no

While such practices are standard for low and some mid-grade pipes, your out-of-the-blue comment to a months old thread gave the impression that you could have made the stem that was the subject of the thread---one that belonged to an expensive, highly collectable rarity---for $40 if only given the chance.

That sort of "tag advertising" is concerning because it isn't unusual for unsophisticated NON-collectors to come into the possession of rare, expensive pipes (inheriting them is the usual route), and choose where to send them based on price.

And once hacked is forever hacked. I've seen it many, many times.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

You Guys in the U.S are very fortunate to have all those repair shops to choose from ,whereas we here in the Whole EU area have very few existing pipe repair shops in operation. Candidly saying I would not send higher-end, especially collectible pipes to any of those, all this based on my own experience

 

[brian64]

The availability of healthcare to the public is certainly a matter of public concern, and when insurance companies play such a big role in that process, their methods should rightfully be scrutinized by lawmakers.

IMO the only legitimate purpose for insurance should be for catastrophic events. One of the primary reasons why every aspect of "healthcare" is so expensive is because insurance is used for every aspect of it.

We have insurance on our homes in case of fire, flooding, etc. If everyone used their house insurance for routine maintenance and repairs, doorknobs would cost $1000.

 

[Briarville]

All well and good.

The only thing that matters, though, is the end result.

So:

--- When replacing a pipe's stem (that's not a stick bit), do you grind the shank to achieve level? Yes or no

--- Do you use molded stems as replacements for pipe brands that only used rod stock? Yes or no

While such practices are standard for low and some mid-grade pipes, your out-of-the-blue comment to a months old thread gave the impression that you could have made the stem that was the subject of the thread---one that belonged to an expensive, highly collectable rarity---for $40 if only given the chance.

That sort of "tag advertising" is concerning because it isn't unusual for unsophisticated NON-collectors to come into the possession of rare, expensive pipes (inheriting them is the usual route), and choose where to send them based on price.

And once hacked is forever hacked. I've seen it many, many times.

Hey George to answer your questions.
1: when I use stock stems I try to never touch the shank of the pipe. I get the stem to be smooth flush without sanding the shank.
2: I give the customer the choice. Most will go with an economy stem from blank. Some want me to customize that stem to look like the original, and yes others on high end pipes I will make the stem from a blank rod as that is the only way to achieve an almost exact match. I would say 95 percent of my customers want to save money and only want an economy stem. A great deal of clients will send me their high end pipes, I will make a replacement stem similiar to the original, they will use that one to smoke, and save the original stem for resale at a later date. That way the beat up the replacement stem and keep the original in pristine shape.
I try to do what works best for the client and their pipe as best I can.

Rich

 

[georged]

Hm. You say you were a pharmacist, but I think you missed your calling as a lawyer. lol

I'm still curious about the forty dollar Dunhill replacement (with a dot!), you see.

So, let's cut to the chase and see some side-by-side photos. The original next to the copy. From several angles, and close enough to see detail.

Before crying foul, remember that that comment was your "introduction" here, by your choice, and the lack of clarity in the aftermath has also been your choice.

 

[georged]

Here is an example of the sort of photos I'm talking about.

If someone sends an expensive (perhaps irreplacable) collectable pipe to you for re-stemming, what they'll get back is everything. Words and intentions mean nothing. ("...try never to touch [the shank]..." is meaningless without knowing how often you succeed, for example).

Again, before you cry foul or get upset, keep in mind who initiated this bit of extended clarification.

btw, I assure you that doing that---upsetting you---isn't my intention. Not even slightly. The generalities, obfuscation, and deflection you've offered to this point seem to require more directness to get past, is all.

PS --- Please include in the photo sets one of the $40 Dunhill stems. thx

 

[Briarville]

Here is an example of the sort of photos I'm talking about.

If someone sends an expensive (perhaps irreplacable) collectable pipe to you for re-stemming, what they'll get back is everything. Words and intentions mean nothing. ("...try never to touch [the shank]..." is meaningless without knowing how often you succeed, for example).

Again, before you cry foul or get upset, keep in mind who initiated this bit of extended clarification.

btw, I assure you that doing that---upsetting you---isn't my intention. Not even slightly. The generalities, obfuscation, and deflection you've offered to this point seem to require more directness to get past, is all.

PS --- Please include in the photo sets one of the $40 Dunhill stems. thx





View attachment 39984View attachment 39985View attachment 39986View attachment 39987

Next dunhill stem I do, I will post pics. thanks

Rich

 

[georged]

Excellent.