Tony Bennett in his studio. (Mark Seliger, courtesy )May 20, 2012|By Doreen Hemlock, Sun SentinelIt's a novel way to lure Latin American tourists: Team up with singer Tony Bennett on his new duets album with Latin American stars and host them to record some songs and videos in Broward County.The Greater Fort Lauderdale tourism bureau this month scored the 85-year-old crooner for recording sessions in Davie withArgentina's Vicentico,Brazil's Maria Gadu and other Latin stars for an album due out this fall and aimed at the growing Latin American market of more than 500 million people.The bureau is partnering with the Sony record label to promote the album. Greater Fort Lauderdale will be highlighted in press conferences, will offer contests and travel giveaways, and will be ... Continue reading →

The appointment of Venezuelan-born Rafael Reif as president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) last week raises an interesting question: why are so many Latin Americans excelling in the world’s best universities, but not in Latin America?Reif, who will be the first MIT president not to be a native English speaker, graduated as an engineer from Venezuela’s Universidad de Carabobo in 1973, and moved to the United States to get a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University in California.The son of Eastern European immigrants who moved to Ecuador and Colombia before settling in Venezuela, Reif has spearheaded MIT’s work in micro and nanotechnology, and holds 15 patents. In his acceptance speech on May 16, he admitted that when he arrived in this country ... Continue reading →

Change at the hardware store Shell Lumber & Hardware in Miami no longer takes or gives pennies for change. Instead, the store rounds in the customer's favor. Miami Herald staff At Shell Lumber, pennies recently proved more trouble than their worth. “No More Pennies!” reads a sign at the front door of the Coconut Grove hardware store, a red slash through an oversized one-cent piece. “For cash sales, we round in your favor.” Annoyed at the task of accounting for the roughly 1,200 pennies needed each day for the store’s 10 registers, Shell last month eliminated pennies from transactions all together. While customers using credit cards still pay the full amount, Shell clerks lower sales amounts by up to four cents on cash transactions so ... Continue reading →

By Jeff Franks and Marc Frank HAVANA | Fri May 18, 2012 2:37pm EDT HAVANA (Reuters) - Spanish oil giant Repsol said Friday that the first of three planned wells in Cuban waters was unsuccessful, a blow to Cuba's hopes for energy independence. "I can confirm that the Repsol well in Cuba has been reported to be unsuccessful and that we are proceeding to plug and abandon the well," a Repsol spokesman told Reuters.Repsol operated the well in a consortium with Norway's Statoil (STL.OL) and a unit of India's ONGC (ONGC.NS), drilling 4,500 meters into the sea bed of the Gulf of Mexico.The disappointing result was a blow to the communist island's hopes of weaning itself from Venezuelan oil, but not a fatal one because ... Continue reading →

Courtesy of Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Summer is almost here, and hotels in southeast and southwest Florida are rolling out the deals. In Miami Beach, the boutique Sagamore Hotel, known for its modern art, is offering a “License to Wheel” package for guests with valid Florida driver’s licenses. Rates start at $220 a night and include passes for two bicycle rentals, good for 30 hours of bicycle use per guest. The deal is valid through Sept. 30. Blackout dates may apply. Use rate code S1. Visit sagamorehotel.com or call 877-242-6673. In Fort Lauderdale, the beachfront Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is offering a “Suntastic Summer” package with rooms starting at $279 per night, including a $50 daily resort credit, through Sept. 30. ... Continue reading →