Growing middle class feeds spirits business in Latin America

Diageo executive Randy Millian is proud of the fact that eight out of every 12 times someone pours a standard or premium whiskey in the Latin American and Caribbean region, they’re drinking one of his company’s brands.That kind of dominance is why the spirits giant is bullish on its future in Latin America, which recently has been the fastest growing region for Diageo worldwide....

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New House speaker faces post-election challenges

TALLAHASSEE -- Few state institutions bear a more distinct imprint of recent Republican hegemony than the Florida House of Representatives.It launched the political career of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who served as its speaker four years ago. Its members have passed some of the most conservative bills in the nation. And since 2006, it has nurtured the career of Will Weatherford...

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Cisco to buy cloud-networking start-up Meraki for $1.2 billion

(Reuters) – Networking equipment company Cisco Systems Inc said it will buy privately held cloud networking company Meraki for $ 1.2 billion in cash as part of its cloud and networking strategy.Cisco said the acquisition of Meraki, which was founded in 2006 by members of MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science, is expected to close in the second quarter...

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Justin Bieber Wins Big at American Music Awardss

Justin Bieber gave an emotional thank you to his mom, Pattie Mallette, who stood on stage with the pop star as he accepted Artist of the Year, his third award of the evening, at the culmination of the 40th annual American Music Awards Sunday in Los Angeles. The Biebs, who brought his mother along as his date for the show, took home the first and the last award of the night, (Favorite Pop/Rock...

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Israeli strikes bring bloodshed in Gaza; President Obama pushes for ceasefire

REUTERSSmoke and explosion are seen after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City Monday.GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An Israeli missile ripped through a two-story home in a residential area of Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 11 civilians, including four young children and an 81-year-old woman, in the single deadliest attack of Israel's offensive against Islamic...

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South Florida guide to corporate gift giving

Holiday gifts to clients and colleagues can help you strengthen both business relationships and your brand. While flashing your logo at holiday time seemed insensitive back when droves of people didn’t have jobs, manufacturers — several based in South Florida — have responded with more creative ways to include branding on some very usable products that people can actually...

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Interfaith Thanksgiving service planned for Wednesday night

Members of various faiths in Coral Gables will come together at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a spirit of unity for the annual Thanksgiving Eve Interfaith Worship Service hosted by Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Blvd., across the street from the Biltmore Hotel.The Rev. Dr. Laurinda Hafner, senior pastor of the church said, "We invite everyone - no...

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Buzzmakers: Lindsay Lohan Comes Clean & Janeane Marries

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. Janeane Garofalo: I Didn't Know I was Married!Sometimes what happens in Vegas actually does stay in Vegas -- at least for two decades. Funny girl Janeane Garofalo is claiming she's been married for 20 years, and didn't even know it!The Reality Bites actress told the New York Post that she and Big Bang Theory producer Rob Cohen decided to wed at a Las Vegas...

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TV guy in the ‘cast’

He made it through 27 days of “Survivor” in the jungles of Africa, but a Manhattan marathoner barely made it out of his brother’s wedding alive.Charlie Herschel, 33, an Ironman racer who was the 10th of 18 contestants booted from “Survivor: Gabon” back in 2008, claims unwelcome buffoonery by one of his brother’s groomsmen left him seriously injured.Herschel...

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Panama Canal’s $5 billion makeover could be boon for South Florida

PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Huge yellow dump trucks resemble Tonka toys in a sand pile as they haul tons of rust-colored dirt and basalt rock from a 56-foot gash in the earth that will become a new access channel in the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal.The trucks keep rumbling up muddy terraced slopes as a quick-moving storm blurs the horizon. The rain chases away workers...

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