Speaker to discuss the Jews of Zimbabwe

You are invited to hear Modreck Zvakavapano Maeresera and Tudor Parfitt, as they lecture on "The Lamba Jews of Zimbabwe" at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Jewish Museum of Florida, 301 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. You will want to attend this event; Maeresera is a leader in the Lemba Jewish community in Zimbaabwe. He coordinates a program of Jewish cyber-learning, studying...

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Hugh Grant is a Dad Again

Hugh Grant confirmed Saturday that he is a dad again.PICS: Celebs and Their Cute KidsThe 52-year-old British actor tweeted, "In answer to some journos. Am thrilled my daughter now has a brother. Adore them both to an uncool degree. They have a fab mum."Hugh and actress Tinglan Hong welcomed a daughter named Tabitha in 2011. No word yet on what Tabitha's little brother is named.Related: Hugh Grant...

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Consumer confidence treaded water in Jan.

Consumer confidence didn’t fall in January, but it remains low, according to the Discover US Spending Monitor.The survey found that only 31 percent of respondents thought the economy improved in January, which was almost the same as the December number. And just 15 percent of those polled thought the economy was good or excellent, the same number as the...

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NBA’s best player (LeBron James) isn’t best-paid

HOUSTON -- When LeBron James walks onto the court for Houston’s NBA All-Star Game Sunday, he’ll do so as the undisputed king of his sport.Named the league’s most valuable player three times in the past four years, James is once again dominating the NBA and most likely headed for his fourth MVP award — two fewer than Michael Jordan — with presumably a long career still ahead.But...

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State’s flawed contracting process comes under fire

TALLAHASSEE -- In the last two years, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater has agreed to let the state lose $48 million. That’s the amount of taxpayer money Atwater spent to settle dozens of bad contracts and grants that he said could have been avoided had the state done a better job cutting the deals. “We could have built two elementary schools with that money,’’...

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'Escape from Planet Earth' Interview

Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, William Shatner, Sofía Vergara and George Lopez are among the all-star voice cast creating laughs in the fast-paced, animated comedy-adventure Escape from Planet Earth, and they tell ET's Brooke Anderson that it's the perfect film for the whole family.Pics: 13 Must-See Movies of 2013 In theaters now, the out-of-this-world 3D comedy is told from the alien point of view, following...

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Walmart sweats Feb.

Walmart Stores had the worst sales start to a month in seven years as payroll-tax increases hit shoppers already battling a slow economy, according to internal e-mails obtained by Bloomberg. “In case you haven’t seen a sales report these days, February MTD sales are a total disaster,” Jerry Murray, Walmart’s vice president of finance and logistics, said...

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Credit reports still not error-free

Lucky you if you’re one of the many consumers who recognize an error in your credit file and are able to successfully dispute it, get it removed and receive the credit rating you deserve.But woe to those who find errors and still have trouble getting corrections from any of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion.That’s the conclusion of a long-awaited...

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Miami-Dade packed for weekend of events

Lured by sailboats and megayachts, urban street art and Romero Britto — and, of course, the lack of snow — thousands of visitors are expected to pour into Miami-Dade this holiday weekend.The activities started Thursday morning with the opening day of the 72nd annual Progressive Miami International Boat Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Yacht & Brokerage...

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Simon Baker Gets Star on Walk of Fame

Today was a very special Valentine's Day for Simon Baker, as he received the 2, 490th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.PICS: Candid Celeb Sightings "It's about inspiration -- not for me, but for anyone else," said Baker when asked what the honor meant to him. "Nine out of ten people might walk across that star and not know who my name is, but someone might come along and it might inspire them."As...

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Time Inc. magazine deal may fetch a bit less

Keith J. Kelly MEDIA INK Time Warner’s talks to spin off most of the Time Inc. titles into a new publicly traded company controlled by Meredith Corp. were quietly started last fall, sources said. Now that they are out in the open, insiders expect the pace of negotiations to pick up with a final deal hammered out within 30 days....

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American Airlines, US Airways announce merger

After a nearly yearlong courtship, the union became official Thursday: American Airlines and US Airways have formally announced plans to merge.An early morning announcement by the airlines confirmed reports widely circulated after boards of both companies approved the merger late Wednesday.The move brings stability to one of Miami-Dade County’s largest private employers more...

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Jewish liturgical music festival continues through Sunday

The Fifth International Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music is being celebrated in Miami through Sunday. It will feature new works from composers from throughout the United States, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom. The music reflects a diverse range of musical styles and traditions.The six-day festival is presented by Shalshelet: The Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical...

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Artists You Should Know: Emeli Sande

British recording artist and songwriter Emeli Sandé is already making waves in the UK and hopes to become the latest in a growing list of British musicians that have taken over the world in recent times. Her debut album Our Version of Events is the UK's biggest selling album of 2012 and with her lyrically rich songs powered by an incredible voice, I have no doubt she is the next Global superstar....

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Buy hard

Jennifer Gould Keil GIMME SHELTER Bruce Willis is back on movie screens with “A Good Day to Die Hard” and he’s back on the Upper West Side, too.Willis, who once lived on Central Park West with then-wife Demi Moore, is in contract to buy a co-op at the famed El Dorado building at 300 Central Park West for $8 million. The three-bedroom,...

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Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace coming to Dadeland as part of expansion wing

When Dadeland Mall opens its new expansion wing later this year, diners will be able to enjoy the first Bobby Flay Burger Palace in Florida and nearly a half dozen new dining options.The highlight of the new two-story expansion is the outdoor terrace offering diners a view of the bustling Kendall Drive. This area aims to turn the mall into more of an entertainment destination,...

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Michigan woman dies during Keys diving excursion

A Michigan woman died Tuesday while diving off Key Largo, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.Donna Hartson, 64, of Sterling Heights was aboard the commercial dive vessel Silent World 4 with her husband, Leroy, and six other divers, Deputy Becky Herrin said. They were diving to the Benwood, a wreck off Key Largo, between 2 and 3 p.m.According to the vessel’s captain,...

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Brill sold to tune of $185M

Lois Weiss BETWEEN THE BRICKS Eric Hadar has signed a contract to buy the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway for $185 million.The sellers are Ofer Yardeni and Joel Seiden’s Stonehenge Partners, along with Invesco of Texas.Hadar and Abraham Merchant and Richard Cohn of Merchants Property Group, signed a contract to buy the building...

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South Florida group commits to investing in U.S. Century Bank

U.S. Century Bank has signed off on its deal to recapitalize with cash from a high-profile group of local investors, allowing the Doral bank to remain independent.The investment team, led by brothers Jimmy and Kenny Tate of Tate Capital, Sergio Rok of Rok Enterprises and Jorge Perez of Related Group, has expertise in buying distressed assets and promises to fortify U.S. Century...

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Lauderhill police identify women killed in weekend crash

Lauderhill police on Monday released the names of two women killed in a weekend crash.The driver was identified as Marie Pierre, 56, and her passenger was Valerie Duncan, 52. Both were taken to Broward General Medical Center where they were pronounced dead. Police say the accident occurred at Oakland Park Boulevard and Northwest 56th Avenue when Pierre,...

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Bachelor Recap Sean's Sister Provides Perspective on Tierra

Apparently there is one girl whose words have weight enough to sway The Bachelor from his affections for Tierra, and that's his sister Shay.One week prior to the all-important hometown dates, Sean flies his sister to St. Croix to help him work out his feelings for the remaining six. Harking back to her sage, sisterly advice before he embarked on his Bachelor adventure, Shay tells Sean not to "end...

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Bus strike: ayor Mike wins

Michael Benjamin This afternoon, it will be checkmate for the school-bus strikers. The strike essentially ends — thanks to the Bloomberg gambit.The mayor played it perfectly, and willingly sacrificed pieces to achieve his endgame.At midday today, the Office of Pupil Transportation will open the bid packages for the K-12 school-bus routes....

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Green cards for sale at a South Beach hotel: Competition is on for EB5 investment visas

If David Hart gets his way, South Beach’s 42-room Astor Hotel will be on a hiring spree this year as it adds concierge service, a roof-top pool, an all-night diner, spa and private-car service available 24 hours a day. New hires will be crucial to Hart’s business plan, since foreign investors have agreed to pay about $50,000 for each job created by the Art Deco boutique....

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Carnival cruise ship in Gulf of Mexico to be towed after engine fire

A Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico with 3,000 passengers onboard will be towed to port after an engine fire Sunday morning left it drifting, a cruise line official said,The fire occurs in the engine room of the Carnival Triumph, which is owned by the Miami-based company.The fire left the ship with no propulsion, the cruise line says, CNN is reporting. ...

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2013 Grammy Awards Recap

Mumford & Sons, Gotye & Kimbra, Kelly Clarkson, Zac Brown Band and Fun. were just a few of the big winners at the 55th annual Grammy Awards telecast, hosted by LL Cool J and broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Read on for the recap...For the Complete List of Winners CLICK HERE.The WinnersAlbum of the Year went to Babel by Mumford & Sons; Record of the Year went to Gotye...

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Wheels coming off

Betsy McCaughey The central parts of ObamaCare don’t roll out until 2014, but the wheels are already falling off this clunker. The latest news from four federal agencies is that 1) insurance will be a lot less affordable than Americans were led to expect, 2) fewer people than promised will get insurance and 3) millions of people who...

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Green cards for sale at a South Beach hotel: Competition is on for EB5 investment visas

If David Hart gets his way, South Beach’s 42-room Astor Hotel will be on a hiring spree this year as it adds concierge service, a roof-top pool, an all-night diner, spa and private-car service available 24 hours a day. New hires will be crucial to Hart’s business plan, since foreign investors have agreed to pay about $50,000 for each job created by the Art Deco boutique....

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