Monday, December 14, 2009 WASHINGTON: Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Samuelson died Sunday at the age of 94, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said.Samuelson became the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1970, and is credited with creating the mathematical analysis on which modern economics is based."Paul Samuelson transformed everything he touched: the theoretical foundations of his field, the way economics was taught around the world, the ethos and stature of his department, the investment practices of MIT, and the lives of his colleagues and students," said MIT President Susan Hockfield.Samuelson's best-selling economics text, "Economics: An Introductory Analysis," has been translated into 40 languages and has sold nearly four million copies over a span of 60 years, MIT said.He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Risha Samuelson, six children from his first marriage and a stepdaughter, as well as 15 grandchildren.
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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