Tuesday, October 20, 2009 MEXICO CITY: Hundreds of clowns from across Latin America gathered in Mexico City on Monday for the 14th International Clown Convention. The convention brought together clowns, from Mexico, Central America and the United States, for four days of workshops, classes, competitions and performances. Many of the clowns are professionals who make their living entertaining. One clown said he thought the job was an excellent career choice. "It's a very respectable job, a great job that can touch everybody from the very young one to the old," he said. Clown Tomas Morales said that they hoped to start a clown school and were planning to raise money to get the project started.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
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