Newsbiscuit.com is reporting in this posting that a recent British statistical survey has shown that  for the first time in the history of these studies, the usage of Crack Pipes is not outpacing the usage of Tobacco Pipes!

The end of the civilized world is near! Of course the survey resorts to rash generalizations about the type of person who smokes a tobacco pipe:

Old fashioned pipes are still popular with certain types of older bearded men; model railway enthusiasts, canal barge restorers and the like, but curiously these tend to be among the least likely people to head into the inner cities to score crack cocaine off their dealer.

We've actually been finding at the Barn that more and more younger, college age men (and women) are not succumbing to the lure of the glass pipe but are coming in and learning the finer points of Briar and Meerschaum!

Ann Widdecombe, a Minister of Parliment, has used this to decry something that we've been passionate about all along. This is just another example of political correctness run amuk: government is too busy cracking down LEGAL smoking of tobacco products like pipes and cigars when they should be working harder to address issues revolving around the sale, acquisition and use of crack and other illegal drugs. Finally a politician that "gets it!"

This article in Arizona State University's Web Devil (the online version of their campus newspaper) is carrying an article that extols the virtues of eschewing cigars and cigarettes for puffing on a pipe.

Aside from a few mistakes (it is Ford & Haig, the tobacconist not  Ford and Hagel) it is a fairly balanced piece. While not a particularly imaginative piece, at least it isn't the usual PC or hyper-liberal propaganda you find in many school publications.

Pity the couldn't picked a more dashing character than the goober they used to illustrate the story. The "school" blazer, bow tie and beard makes him look quite pretentious while most of the young smokers we see coming into the Barn these days...

Ever since we launched the MeerschaumPipes.com website a few weeks ago, we've been receiving a great deal of email from people about the meerschaum pipes that they have received, mostly by inheritance. The following inquiry prodded my admittedly sorry memory to realize that I never posted about our visit to Sevket during our trip to Eskisehir last spring.

From: Gary P.
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 12:54 PM
To: mjg@tobacco-barn.com
Subject: Question from MeerschaumPipes.com Website
I acquired a nice little Sevket pipe and I gather that is the name of the carver, and is he contemporary ? What can you tell me about this make of pipe ?

Yes, Sevket Gezer is one of the master carvers and is certainly a contemporary carver. You'll find more information about him on his page at the PipeTrader Wiki. Of course, if you have information about a carver, or you are a carver yourself, please feel free to create a new entry on the Wiki. This is a great way to get/give some love (and search engine juice) to your favorite carver.

At left is a picture of him from our last trip to Turkey. He was kind enough to allow us to visit him in his home in Eskisehir...

He is holding a pipe we had commissioned him to make on behalf of a customer of ours to give as a gift. It was a beautiful floral saxophone pipe with the dental insignia on the front and "excellence in dentistry" carved in Latin around the lip of the bowl.

Truly an exceptional gentleman and and even more talented carver!