The North American Free Trade Agreement among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is nearly a decade old, long enough for its record to be examined by those who see it as a harbinger of what the much larger Free Trade Area of the Americas might bring. Predictably there is wide…
There are two things to keep in mind about this “free” trade debate, at least in Miami. On one hand, the trade agreement (if it is approved) will have far-reaching yet only vaguely understood effects on economic, political, and social sectors in every part of the Western Hemisphere — including…
It’s been a hectic couple of months for business reporters. First Cancun in September and now Miami in November. Covering the WTO meeting in Mexico was arduous. Between the dangerous mob of protesters and the general disorganization of the event itself, newspaper reporters, especially those forced to file daily stories,…
Chilean novelist Alberto Fuguet leaped to the forefront of contemporary Latin American literature as an editor of McOndo, a 1996 anthology of short stories from a new generation of South American writers, all under the age of 35. He has been vilified by traditionalists and compared to rapper Eminem, in…
10. You can visit your country’s money in our Brickell Avenue banks. 9. You already own a condo here, your kids are enrolled in our private schools, and your wife shops at Bal Harbour. 8. Tickets to Sabado Gigante. 7. In exchange for free lunch at the Little Havana Activities…
Dayci Gillespie New World Symphony musician It’s a free-trade agreement between a group of countries in which products are made abroad and then sold here. I think it’s bad for American workers because it allows companies to build cheaper products in other countries in order to maximize profits. But that…
The arrival of the FTAA ministerial meetings brings not only a rush of official representatives, but a rush of activists, radicals, and protesters from all corners of the country as well as all around the hemisphere. Buses, vans, and charter planes will debark onto Miami soil starting this weekend, the…
The Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement, a proposal to eliminate trade barriers throughout the entire Western Hemisphere, will be the subject of negotiation, debate, and protest in Miami over the next week as demonstrators, briefcase-bearing bureaucrats, and lots of cops descend on downtown. Law enforcement, in fact, has…
If, as Joan Didion once wrote, “we tell ourselves stories in order to survive,” what does this say about Miamians?
The rules were simple. An array of Miami’s leading literati were asked to compile a list of their favorite writing this city has inspired — either from its homegrown talent or from intrigued out-of-towners. As the results came in, there was the expected acclaim for deserving trailblazers like Reinaldo Arenas…
Efforts to build a new stadium for the Florida Marlins are moving ahead with the speed of a Josh Beckett fastball. Details of the financial arrangements may not be in place for several months, and a site has not been selected, though Miami Commissioner Johnny Winton says a plan is…
The U.S. war on drugs is like a merry-go-round. There’s a lot to look at: newspaper accounts of crackdowns on traffickers from Russia, Colombia, and Israel; local news coverage of stings at nightclubs or happenstance arrests of roadside smugglers during Cops. And there are plenty of people climbing aboard: hundreds…
It is not comforting to watch our elected officials squirm in fear, and make no mistake — the Miami City Commission is scared right now. Johnny Winton, Art Teele, Joe Sanchez, and the others are twisting in their seats, worried that the city won’t be able to control the throngs…
Leo Casino and David Cohn believe that Martin Siskind and a minister’s daughter stole a church in the heart of Overtown and sold it for a quarter of a million dollars. They think Miami Commissioner Art Teele was in on the scheme. The church in question, though, is actually a…
A fluffy white, full-feathered Triton cockatoo spreads its wings inside a Plexiglas cage. It’s a magnificent bird, known for its keen intelligence and its advanced ability to talk. And it’s for sale here in Parrot Jungle’s gift shop. Anyone can have it for $1875. Yes, that’s pricey, but apparently not…
North Bay Village Commissioner Bob Dugger must dream of a day when he won’t be hounded by criminal investigators, state regulators, the Internal Revenue Service, irate business clients, and his own police department. Not only is the State Attorney’s Office investigating Dugger for possible violations of public-corruption laws, but his…
Mini Malfi looks disgruntled, sitting on the edge of a low Japanese-style coffee table in the living room of a ranch house in Miami Springs. The squat beakless penguin, about half as tall as the original bowling pin-sized Malfi, stares straight ahead. With white Xs for eyes and a red,…
Loft, the Latin-flavored glossy magazine that features a bubblicious babe on its cover each month and is distributed at restaurants, nightclubs, and bars in Miami, is two years old this month. And it feels two. It’s soft to the touch and easy to look at: the cover model squirming around…
A lot of people are whining about World Series tickets. Saying Ticketmaster screwed them, that viperish brokers are charging too much money, that none of it is fair. They’re right. It’s an ugly business. But I’m going to give you an almost sure-fire method to see the Marlins play the…
As of press time, the World Series is tied at 1-1. No matter what happens, it’s clear the Marlins have had their best year since they won the 1997 World Series. Fans know this phenomenal achievement can mean only one thing: It’s time for Marlins management to trade away the…
Last year about this time we published a special report on the City of Miami, which had recently earned the dubious distinction of being named America’s poorest big city. The award was bestowed by the U.S. Census Bureau, which calculated that a greater percentage of Miami’s residents were living in…
If the City of Miami were a recovering alcoholic instead of a midsize metropolis just emerging from decades of hard partying on the public dole, 2002 would mark the end of the first stage of the slow crawl toward sobriety — denial. For the first time in memory, city officials,…
