Room101, the alternative luxury lifestyle brand for those who demand quality with an edge, is proud to announce their new line of Room101 Cigars (www.room101cigars.com). Originally founded in 2003 by Matt Booth, Room101 will introduce the premium cigar into their already successful line of silver jewelry, clothing, and accessories. The Room101 Cigar collection will be a blend of attitude, culture, celebrity, and some of the world’s finest tobaccos.

The cigar, specially blended and created by Camacho Cigars, is a medium bodied cigar, comprised of tobaccos from both Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper is a Semilla 101 that was exclusively grown for this cigar. The Room101 cigar is available in six formats, all representing different area codes, including the 213 (44×5.5), 305 (50×5), 323 (50×6), 404 (54×52×6), 702 (48×54×48×6), and 808(60×6).

“We are very excited to launch this line of cigars with Room101,” said Dylan Austin, marketing director of Camacho Cigars. “This project has been a year in the making and it really great to see it come to fruition.”

Following the launch of the cigar, Matt Booth and the Room101 Cigar team will embark on a 90 day “Room 101/Camacho Conspiracy Tour” making stops at 45 retailers across the country. Room101 Cigars will also support the Wounded Warrior Project charity and urge people to donate to their cause.

“The Room101 cigar is the first of its kind in many ways,” said Matt Booth, owner and designer of Room101. “I am honored to be working with the Camacho family on this project. No other combination could have possibly done this concept justice.”

About Room101

Founded in 2003 by Matt Booth, Room101 is the premier luxury lifestyle brand, based in Hollywood, CA. What started as a designer’s dream to create unique pieces of jewelry, has grown into an all-encompassing design studio, producing luxury items for all facets of life. Room101 is unmatched in the quality of both design and final products and has quickly become a stand out in the industry.

About Camacho Cigars

Founded in 1961 by Simon Camacho, Camacho Cigars was acquired by the Eiroa family in 1995. Now part of the Oettinger Davidoff Group, Camacho Cigars is one of the key players in the international cigar market. The flagship Camacho brand, made at Rancho Jamastran in Danli, Honduras, is comprised of 9 premium and ultra-premium line extensions: (Super-Premium: Diploma, 10th Anniversary Corojo, Liberty Series, Triple Maduro, Select)(Premium: Corojo, Coyolar, Havana, SLR). Camacho Cigars also has 7 core brands, including Baccarat The Game, America’s #1 selling premium cigar.

Today, our guest rater is my good friend, NY Times Best Selling author and media personality, the incomparable Larry Winget. Larry is a bold personality who happens to love even bolder cigars. I knew he liked the classic Camacho profile, but had never tried the Triple Maduro. So, a UPS box from Jersey to Arizona was sent, and the Pitbull of Personal Development was ready for action.

Now the wrapper, binder, and filler on this cigar is all made from Honduran maduro tobacco leaf, making it the world’s first true triple maduro cigar. According to Camacho, it is the result of almost a full year’s work maduro varieties. The biggest challenge was to get these thick leaves to burn and taste right together.

Now, Larry is an accomplished cigar smoker and has a good palate for rating a cigar. I knew it would be interesting to hear his comments, so without further adieu, Mr. Larry Winget.

Larry Winget is the author of several consecutive Wall Street Journal and New York times Beslling books, the most recent being, People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It. I highly recommend a trip to his website where you’ll find more great stuff than you can possibly handle.

CLICK RIGHT HERE> www.larrywinget.com

I drove past a Smart Car on the weekend and couldn’t believe this ballsy little half pint was zipping along Route 80 with the big boys of the interstate. In fact, I threw a paper clip at it, trying to knock it over, but the little bastid just laughed and kept on going. Then I tossed a handful of loose change and half a half eaten sandwich at it, but it held it’s ground. I then opened my door and farted and as you can imagine, it did give the driver a good scare.

The Smart Car is what gives the Al Gore’s of the world a perpetual woody. It is the green geekazoid’s chariot of triumph. At 8 feet long, five feet wide and five feet high, this hideous looking glorified golf cart is all the rage for the crowd that harasses whaling vessels while sucking down tofu smoothies during lunch break. At 1,500 pounds it gets around 70 miles to a gallon and is all the rage in Europe. But of course those tight little cobblestone streets are made for such a ride, not the American super highways.

The guy who invented Swatch Watches was bored one day and came up with the idea for this diminutive doo-hickey. Sure, it’s fuel efficient and good for the ozone, but it’s without question, one big rolling can of chick repellent. I love old muscle cars like Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Challengers, Chargers, Dusters, etc. I love the look, the feel, and the power. And chicks dig a dude in a 454, plain and simple. They don’t dig 50 horsepower. The ladies go gaga over eight-cylinder super-charged beasts. They don’t get all hot and bothered by three-cylinder wimps. I sincerely ask you – how the hell are you gonna get laid in that toaster with wheels? First off, no self-respecting hottie would be caught dead dating a dud in that oversized Partridge Family lunchbox. And secondly, there just ain’t enough room to bump and grind by the dashboard light. I want a lady who’s turned on by muscle and might, not fiscal and environmental responsibility. Why not go all out and put a bumper sticker on the back that says, “I have a small dick, too.”

Save the Earth? How about saving your self worth? Any real red-blooded American male is not going to be seen behind the wheel of one of those teenie-weenie, Euro machine-ees. And guess what? These little punk-ass vehicles ain’t cheap, either. There’s three models and the base starts at around $12,000 with the high-end model topping out at around seventeen grand! Are these people kidding? You could probably juice up a riding lawn mower and save yourself fifteen thousand. At least attach a couple of rotating blades under the damned thing so you can earn a few extra bucks cutting lawns in your neighborhood. Jezuz H Christmas, man.

Now, supposedly the crash ratings are pretty good on these uglified autos, but how’d you like to drive between a couple of Mac Trucks in that rolling bucket of doom? Something tells me nailing a squirrel at 30 miles an hour would F that mini gas can up something awful. I wonder in the winter if you can pop the wheels off and snap sled runners on.

I simply cannot endorse these ass-wipe automobiles. I’m a man who loves ice hockey, beer can chicken, full-bodied cigars, full-bodied females, and I believe you can put bacon on anything and it will taste better. Why just a few months back I tore a god damned beaver damn apart with my bare hands, for crissakes.

There is no way in hell I will compromise my role as a manly creature by getting behind the wheel of one of those gaudy little go-carts. And if you think this is the way road travel should go, then check your man-card at the door of life, you Mary-ass wuss. I’d download photos of Rosie Odonnell at the Denny’s breakfast bar before I’m seen in one of these death boxes.

NFW. No way, no how, uh-huh. It just ain’t smart.

- ZMAN

July 14, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Altadis U.S.A. announced today that Theo Folz, the company’s President and CEO, will be retiring on September 30, 2009. He joined the company twenty-five years ago and has been in the industry 46 years.

With such legendary company brands as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Dutch Masters, Phillies and Backwoods to name just a few, Folz has lead Altadis U.S.A. to a premier position in the cigar business with unprecedented sales and earnings levels. Highly respected and regarded through out the entire tobacco industry, he is known as an icon.

Folz has made a huge contribution in making Altadis U.S.A.’s cigar business the force that it is today. He has been a dominant figure in the history of the U.S. and indeed the worldwide cigar industry. Theo and his wife, Connie, look forward to global travel, fine food and wine and enjoying their sport fishing boat. Folz says, “It has been an honor to be a part of such a vibrant and historic industry.”

He will be succeeded as President and CEO on October 1, 2009 by Gary Ellis, currently CFO, who has been with the company for over twenty years.

There are some things that scare the absolute living Shineola out of us guys, but like true masochists, we just can’t seem to get enough of it. Some love vomit inducing roller coasters while others enjoy tying thin pieces of cord to their ankles, hurling themselves from five story high railroad bridges. But for the past twenty-one years, millions have tuned to cable’s Discovery Channel to get ravaged and brutalized by the man-eating kings of the deep during the infamous and highly rated Shark Week!

Sharks are devastatingly frightening predators that will make a meal of your torso in seconds, yet we adore these wretched beasts. We love watching some psycho with a camera floating in an underwater cage while a twenty-foot great white attempts to make a pre-dinner snack out of the crazed photographer. Why sharks are so popular, I’m not sure, but back in 1973, that little film entitled Jaws put a fear in people like nothing else before. I was 13 at the time and I don’t think I took a shower for the next two weeks after that flick, because I was so afraid to go near the water. I remember being light on friends during that little time period for some reason as well.

Discovery Channel debuts it’s 22st season of Shark Week and the network is ready for their annual ratings boost. Last year opening night drew 42 million viewers and it is always one of Discovery’s most anticipated events of the year. “It’s a summertime ritual,” claims Discovery president, John Ford. “People are endlessly fascinated by sharks. There’s a lot of variety, they’re fascinating creatures, and also they scare us.”

“The relationship between sharks and humans is a rich topic,” Ford continues. “There’s always something new to find out about sharks – why they attack, what they eat, and how to avoid an attack.”

I’m sure they’d love a paunchy Polak to snack on, so I really would like to stay clear of their whereabouts. Plus, I’m completely full of roast beef, ribs, burgers and snacks, so any damned shark who nails me is basically getting the Royale Polish Buffet! But I really think how to avoid an attack is pretty simple: Stay the f@#k out of waters where they inhabit! Even a stupid bastid whose family originated just west of Warsaw can figure that one out. Jeez.

Here’s the official lineup for you Hammerheads, straight from Discovery’s website…

www.sharkweek.com

The week kicks off with a two hour hair-raising special about the true story behind Jaws. During the week, Survivorman, Les Stroud, takes viewers on a quest around to the world to find the hottest of shark hotspots. Also, specialists, historians and personal accounts reveal the complexities of shark behavior and bring to light the Great White, the oceans most mysterious and dangerous shark of all! Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Blood In the Water – 2 hour premiere!
Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

The true story behind the bloody shark attacks of 1916 that inspired the movie “Jaws.” A 9 foot long shark cruises just off the New Jersey beaches. For centuries its ancestors have done exactly the same. But today there’s unusual company. Swimming in the sea has recently become popular amongst a species the shark has never encountered in his world before: human beings. For the shark it’s a novel feeding opportunity. For the humans it’s the beginning of a new relationship between themselves and the ocean, terrifying and fascinating in equal measure. It’s the first multiple shark attack in American history, and the reason we fear sharks to this day.
Check out a sneak peek of Blood In The Water.

Deadly Waters
Monday, August 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Survivorman’s Les Stroud is back for more nail biting – shark chomping action, and this time, he’s taking on the deadliest waters around the world. His quest is simple – which water is the deadliest? Starting from historical data from the Florida Museum Of Natural History’s famed “Shark Attack Files”, Les will begin his journey to test the waters in the world’s sharkiest “hotspots”. Les will work with a team of experts to compound the “count-down” format as he circumnavigates the globe to initiate a series of intense immersive experiments in an effort to determine why the waters are among the deadliest on Earth!

Day of the Shark 2
Monday, August 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PTSee what happens in this harrowing hour, when a great white breaks through a 300-pound aluminum shark cage and traps the divers inside. Another shark tackles a former Navy Seal in shallow waters off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida. And a bull shark invades a spear-fishing trip in the Bahamas. When you’re a visitor in the vast and complex ocean, any day could be the “Day of the Shark.”

Sharkbite Summer
Tuesday, August 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The bite-by-bite account of America’s notorious “Summer of the Shark” in 2001. Were the Ocean’s apex predators really taking back America’s shores? Sharkbite Summer revisits the attack sites and — using news archive, interviews with victims, witnesses, surgeons, family members and shark experts — builds an exact picture of the bloody summer of 2001.
Check out a sneak peek of Sharkbite Summer.

Great White Appetite
Wednesday, August 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The Great White is one of the most of the most feared predators on earth as well as one of it’s most efficient hunters. The Great White Shark patrols the shores of more than fifty percent of the world’s inhabited coastlines, and yet, besides the fact that they’ve killed hundreds of people, we know almost nothing about them. Its incredible appetite is more of a mystery than anything else about the shark. Remarkably, scientists don’t have any accurate data on the Great White’s population, mating, traveling or even what drives their feeding behavior. Observe first hand the experiments that let us uncover the Great Whites unique eating habits. We will travel the globe, stopping at three major Great White feeding grounds – Seal Island, South Africa; Adelaide, Australia and Guadalupe Island, Mexico and administer incredibly visual experiments in an effort to answer this and many other fascinating questions!

Shark After Dark
Thursday, August 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Sharks are most aggressive and most active in the dark, but the fact is, we know very little else about the nocturnal nature of these creatures. Now, armed with the latest in infrared thermography cameras and night vision technology, a team of divers travels around the world, and descends into the sharks dangerous after-dark hunting grounds. Their goal is to learn more about how Great Whites, Six-Gills, and Tiger Sharks behave after the sun goes down.

That’s right, stogiphiles and brothers of the leaf -  for two days – September 18 and 19 2009, the Midwest Cigar Summit, one of the finest cigar get-togethers on God’s great earth, makes its triumphant return to the land Bulls, Bears, Cubs, Sox, and Hawks.

In just a few short years, the event has grown from a small gathering of friends, to a full blown cigar smoking happy-fest! This year the festivities will takes place at Jimmy’s Bar, who’s famous beer garden is the perfect venue for a gathering of this size which could reach four to five-hundred lovers of the leaf.

Event organizer and grand poobah, Lucas Woith is genuinely excited about this year’s smoke-a-thon. “Every year just gets better and better with the Summit, and this one will be the finest, by far,” says Luke. “Great vendors, incredible cigars, and all the wonderful people who come make this the greatest time of the year for me.”

Cigar Rights of America will be on hand at the Summit to tell you about their group, which is the only of it’s kind in the country.   You’ll be able to sign up to be a member, and help the fight against oppressive smoking bans and tobacco taxes.

Find out more about the Summit, how you can attend, directions and lodging, contact:

info@midwestcigarsummit.com

2009 Midwest Cigar Summit
Jimmy’s Bar
2801 W. Peoria, Illinois
Friday, September 18    from 5 to 10 pm
Saturday, September 19, from Noon – 10pm.

http://www.midwestcigarsummit.com

Larry Winget, billed as the World’s Only Irritational Speaker is one of the hottest and most demanded voices in North America. His is latest book, You’re Broke Because You Want to Be is a NY Times Best Seller and his PBS Special will be airing nationally very shortly.

Larry’s appearances over the past few weeks on FOX and Larry King have struck a huge cord with audiences during this ridiculous and devastating financial crisis. I had dinner and shared some great cigars with Larry in Manhattan last week and he told me that Planet Zman needed contributing writers. So, without further adieu, I officially unleash the Pitbull of Personal Development, himself…

For those of you who watch Fox News or Fox Business, you have seen me on both of those stations for the past few weeks talking about the bailout. For those of you who don’t watch those stations and haven’t seen me, let me catch you up.

1. This is a bailout. Period. This is NOT a rescue plan. If it looks like crap and smells like crap, I don’t have to taste it to know it’s crap. And this crap is a bailout. Don’t be fooled by the cutesy names that make it more palatable. It is not a rescue or a stimulus package. This is a bailout of Wall Street. We are bailing them out because of greed and stupidity.

2. I am against it. I know the ramifications and I know what they SAY will happen if we don’t. I don’t buy it. Lots of economists don’t buy it either. When you reward bad behavior you set a bad example and in this case, you set a precedent where any time an industry gets in trouble, they will consider it their right to go to the government (that’s you and me) to bail them out. I am also against it because any behavior, when rewarded will be repeated. I am also against it because any lesson, not learned will be repeated. This lesson is not being learned because the consequences are not being imposed. You take your licks now or you take them later. I would rather see us take them now. Add to that the fact that we don’t know if it will work or not. For $700 Billion we should know whether it is going to work or not. We don’t have a CLUE.

3. I am aware people are suffering. I hear from folks every day who are making their payments, working two jobs and doing their best and are still in trouble. They are not the idiots I talk about all the time. They are good folks, working hard and still not able to get ahead. These people will not be helped by this bailout. Don’t buy it, this is for Wall Street, not Main Street.

4. When the government says that something will cost a dollar, it will cost three. One for the program. One for government waste to implement the program. One for someone to make money off the program. Also, any government program takes twice as long to implement as promised and does half as much good as promised.

5. Fear. Bush came on TV and told people that their kids weren’t going to be able to go to college and that your company wouldn’t make payroll and that you wouldn’t be able to buy a new car. That is fear mongering and I don’t like it. On top of all that, when George Bush comes on television and says “trust me, we need to do this” I am skeptical. You should be too. He has lied to us before and that lie cost us thousands of lives and about ten billion dollars per month. Add to this fear the stupid economists who are saying that you will go to your ATM and won’t be able to get money out – total BS. FEAR FEAR FEAR. Trying to create a panic among all of us regular folks so we will support it. So far, the people aren’t buying it and are communicating that to their elected officials. GOOD. I hope WE win.

6. Credit is going to be hard to get. Is that a bad thing? Credit was too easy to get for way too long. That is a major part of this whole mess. AND, I don’t think people are worried so much about future credit as much as they are about having cash to pay the credit they already have. Who cares if your 401K takes a hit if you lose your house?

7. I find this whole thing offensive. SUDDENLY the government is aware we have a crisis. On July 18, Bush said the “fundamentals of our economy are sound.” On August 20, McCain said “the fundamentals of our economy are STRONG.” And NOW we are in crisis and the administration want us to immediately come to their rescue! I have been working for a couple of years with regular folks who have known for a good long while that the economy is NOT sound and that Americans are in a financial crisis. You knew the economy sucked. I knew it sucked. Why didn’t the government? In July, Bush said that he had HEARD of $4 a gallon gasoline but wasn’t aware of it. He wasn’t aware of it but you and I were paying it. That is another reason I wasn’t in any rush to support a blank check from a guy who said he had the solution to a problem only weeks before didn’t believe we had.

Listen, I could go on and on about this but I won’t. And I refuse to make this about politics. I am just reporting the FACTS here. Again, calling a spade a spade. Watch the clips of me on the shows in my Video Vault. Instead of ranting about the bailout any longer, let me tell you what you should do.

Don’t make long term decisions based on short term fears. In other words, don’t panic. Good decisions are rarely made when people are emotional or in panic mode.

Understand that investments carry a risk. If you didn’t know that, then you never should have been investing in the first place.

Investments are long term. Hang on. What goes up MUST go down. What goes down, eventually goes back up again.

Cut back on your lifestyle. If you can survive without it right now, then don’t spend money on it.

Stay away from debt. And if you are in debt, get out as quickly as you can.

Sell off the crap you don’t need.

Cash is KING. Accumulate as much as you can. Put it someplace where you can get your hands on it quickly.

If you have money, now is a good time to invest. Things are cheap right now and they will go back up. Some stocks are a good buy. Real estate is a good buy. But ONLY invest if you understand the risk involved and if you can afford it.

Folks, this is a tough time for our country. People are having a hard time making ends meet. It isn’t going to get any easier for a while – maybe a good long while. Be smart!

CLICK HERE>www.larrywinget.com

This is the Zman telling you that Larry’s webiste is loaded with valuable and essential “must-have” info. Click where it says FREE STUFF and you’ll receive FREE audio downloads of this Best Selling Author explaining each of his 18 Guiding Principals for Success, Happiness, & Prosperity. You’ll also so receive Larry’s Ten Rules for Business Success. In these short clips Winget gets straight to the point with concise, targeted information that WILL help you achieve more success both in your personal and professional life.