Saturday, November 28, 2009 WASHINGTON: U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama received the official White House Christmas tree on Friday.Mrs. Obama emerged from the White House to inspect the tree with daughters Sasha and Malia, after it was delivered on a horse-drawn carriage.The first lady could be overheard commenting that the more than 5.5- meter tree was the biggest Christmas tree the family has ever had.The tree comes from a West Virginia Christmas tree-farming couple, Eric and Gloria Sundback, who won a contest run by the National Christmas Tree Association to earn the honor.After presenting the tree to Mrs. Obama and having tea with her inside the White House, they described the experience as "wonderful" and "a thrill."The National Christmas Tree Association says this is the 4th time the Sundbacks have won and presented a tree to a U.S. first lady. The group says its members have presented the official tree for display in the White House Blue Room since 1966.
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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