British actor, comedian and director Mel Smith, set to portray Sir Winston Churchill at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, has raised two fingers firmly against Scotland’s ban of smoking onstage in dramatic performances.

As reported last month, Scotland’s draconian anti-smoking legislation makes it the only nation in the Western world where creativity and art must take a back-seat to political correctness and junk science. Sir Winston Churchill, so associated with cigar smoking that a size and shape of cigar was named after him, cannot be portrayed onstage in Scotland with a cigar in his hand.

Personally, I’d like to know which way Smith’s hand was facing at the time he made that gesture, and whether he was signalling victory or the Vicky.

I’m betting on the latter.

More from Anna Millar in Scotland after the jump.

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Look!

Up on the screen!

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a XIKAR cigar cutter!

That was the reaction from Kurt Van Keppel, founder and president of XIKAR, the industry’s leading manufacturer of cigar and gentlemen’s accessories.

While in a Kansas City theater taking in the country’s hottest new film, “Superman Returns,” Van Keppel was pleasantly surprised to see his company’s Xi1 Titanium cigar cutter featured in three different scenes. Even his young daughter took notice saying, “Daddy, there’s your cutter!”

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You may have never heard of the city of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, before reading this story.

You may never hear about Fitchburg again.

But for now, for today, you need to know that in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, there is a local government that is sensible, believes in restraint, and does not pass legislation based on trends…and bad science.

Every once in a while, it is good to win one.

More from Emily Winter at The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin, below the fold.

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In talking about the Tatuaje Tainos as one of the Top Ten Made-in-the-USA cigars for 2006, I mentioned that they were hard to find and expensive — and well worth the price.

Well, I have some good news on the price.

Shortly after the review and recommendation appeared, I got word that one of the retailers I mentioned was discounting their price on Tatuaje Tainos to the lowest I’ve ever seen them offered. Another online retailer, not mentioned in the original article (and of good reputation as well), is offering the cigars at the same price. This new price point gives you a chance to get a truly premium cigar at a price that is a bargain.

Both sources have Tainos available for delivery as of this writing.

Check out the new information below.

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CAO International makes some of the finest premium cigars in the world. Seven of their cigar lines have all been rated 90 (“Outstanding”) or above by Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider. Two of their cigars were awarded perfect “10″ scores by the European trade publication Cigar Buyer Magazine in Autumn of 2005 issue. It is not an exaggeration to say that CAO cigars are modern works of art.

Now, while enjoying those cigars, connoisseurs will have a place to rest them that is an innovative work of modern art in itself.

CAO Cubist cigar ashtray nspired by the avant-garde art movement to debut next month

The choice of a Cubist motiff for their design could not be more appropriate.

Why?

Because Cubism owes its existence in large measure to a puff of cigar smoke. The rest of the story follows below the fold.

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Recreation and Park Department officials in San Francisco are wondering if anyone is going to be able to see the park’s trees in the forest of signs they’ve been forced to put up.

So many restrictive laws and regulations have been passed in the California city, ironically noted for its free spirit in the counterculture heyday of the 1960’s, that they failed to add more than 1,000 “No Smoking” signs to the burden already marring the view of nature in hundreds of locations throughout the parks.

I wonder what would happen if some San Francisco residents brought suit against the County for visual pollution of the parks? What about all the energy wasted to make all of those signs, transport them, and put them up?

Heck, the signs might even be cutting down on available sunlight getting to the trees and plants, doing them serious injury. Or perhaps they are destroying the habit of some priceless insect or bird, and hurrying yet another species along the road to extinction.

More on the San Francisco outdoor smoking ban that is even being ignored by parts of San Francisco’s govenment as excessive is below the fold.

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