As the Elian Gonzalez media juggernaut began approaching warp speed over the past few weeks, some in Miami’s Cuban-American community expressed displeasure with the portrait of them being painted by the press. The muffled grumbling became explicit on April 7 during Ted Koppel’s Nightline “town meeting,” beamed to the nation…
A Life in Jeopardy! Ever dreamed of being on the brainy game show? Think you could sweep the board? Yeah, Ted B. Kissell did too. By Ted B. Kissell And Now We Pause for this Message from Those Who Still Have a LifeTed B. Kissell’s “A Life in Jeopardy!” (April…
The immortality predictions of Elian-crazed santeros aside, eventually Fidel Castro will pass on, and with him (notwithstanding the ascendancy of a Putin-style strongman) Cuban society as we presently know it. The precise form of this postrevolutionary landscape certainly is open for debate, but as a host of powerful South Floridian…
The U.S. State Department routinely advises Americans living abroad to keep their passports handy. Given the events of last week, it won’t be long before the agency includes Miami-Dade County in that advisory. In fact I’ve begun grabbing my passport whenever I leave the house. It must be obvious to…
Heads Up!Normally I love Jim DeFede’s column, but he really missed the boat in suggesting we drop a loaded cargo container on Elian Gonzalez (“A Modest Proposal for Elian Gonzalez,” March 30). The real question is how to off the munchkin while doing the most damage to the Great Bearded…
For a telling sociological observation on last week’s Miami Beach gathering of nearly 5000 dance-music professionals at the Winter Music Conference (WMC), one didn’t need to dig deep. At the registration area inside the Radisson Deauville hotel, only a handful of people waited at the credit-card payment booth. Meanwhile to…
The ruling last week by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore left little doubt that Elian Gonzalez will be returned to his father in Cuba, and that this saga is now entering its final phase. Attorneys for the child’s Miami relatives have filed their desperate, last-minute appeal, but they…
A Portable Feast In the world of the lunchero, the food is hot, the drinks are cold, and the turf wars are downright dangerous By Victor Cruz Straight and Out of LineIn reference to Armando Dominguez’s comment from Victor Cruz’s article “A Portable Feast” (March 23), obviously he’s not intelligent…
The decision last week by the nation’s largest gun manufacturer, Smith & Wesson, to produce safer, less child-friendly handguns came about because one mayor had the courage to step forward and challenge the gun industry. That man’s name is Marc Morial, the mayor of New Orleans. It was Morial who…
Parks advocates last week suffered a setback in their struggle to save Bicentennial Park from the evil clutches of millionaire Marlins owner John Henry. Independent consultants hired by the City of Miami presented their findings March 13 at a meeting of a committee considering options for a downtown baseball stadium…
On the Block In an act of audacious short-sightedness, Miami is offering its finest bayfront property to the highest bidder By Jose Luis Jiménez Miami: Civic Slut New Times has done a great public service by publishing Jose Luis Jiménez’s article “On the Block” (March 16), which accurately portrays the…
Never Too Small to Break the Rules Andrea Loring got tired of seeing private high schools recruit star basketball players. But she had no idea busting them would bring her such grief. By Robert Andrew Powell Never Too Small to GrouseRobert Andrew Powell’s article “Never Too Small to Break the…
Out with the Cuban Mafia!The letter from reader Rob Boyte was headlined, “You Wouldn’t Understand, It’s an Anglo Thing” (March 2). I want to say yes, we do understand. And it is not only an Anglo thing. Many Cuban Americans like me are also fed up with the “Cuban thing.”…
Forget literary allusions to magical realism, psychoanalyses of Fidel Castro, or policy studies assembled from the comforts of a plush Coral Gables office. If you really want to understand the arts world in Cuba, simply consult the lyrics of The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s theme song: “It’s just a jump…
Castro Clutches Free Weekly to Bosom, Shouts, ” Mi Amor!”Fidel Castro loves Miami New Times! First an article by Jacob Bernstein (“Fine Young Cannibals,” February 10) that seems like an unbiased account of the Elian case but is full of opinions about why the kid should be returned to Cuba…
I should admit at the outset that I, like most estranged Catholics, have nun issues. Still visible on my knuckles, though only faintly, are the scars left by Sister Rene, who used to whack me with a wooden ruler whenever I acted up during my days at St. Patrick’s Elementary…
Goon Over Miami Part 2 Clubland king Chris Paciello ain’t exactly a Mafia don. But it sure seemed he was headed that way. By Tristram Korten Chris Paciello, Presumed GuiltyI hope you don’t think you’re doing anybody any favors by publishing Tristram Korten’s second article on Chris Paciello (“Goon Over…
A taste of the Bronx hits Miami on Thursday, February 24, when Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band perform at the FIU Miami Film Festival’s jazz series at the Sheraton Biscayne Bay. The “Fort Apache” moniker is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the notorious 1981 film Fort Apache, the Bronx,…
The list of people exploiting Elian Gonzalez for personal gain is both long and distinguished. We have presidential candidates pandering for votes, politicians climbing all over one another for quality face time on television, lawyers and publicists claiming to work pro bono on a case they know is garnering their…
Screwing up the Center Years behind schedule and way over budget, the performing arts center is another Miami miracle By Jose Luis Jiménez One Performing Arts Center on Sourdough, Hold the ApplauseThe only benefit I got from Jose Luis Jiménez’s “Screwing Up the Center” (February 10) was learning that the…
The FIU Miami Film Festival unfolds this week at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts amid a novel dose of controversy. The subject of contention? Surprise, surprise — Cuban-exile politics. In a nutshell: Kids in Exile, a local filmmaking trio composed of Joe Cardona, Mario de Varona, and Michelle…
Last week the Florida Marlins organization rented a conference room at the Biscayne Bay Marriott Hotel and played host to an exclusive group of guests. As usual with such weekday functions (this one began February 3 at 1:00 p.m.), scheduling conflicts prevented some people from attending, but if everyone the…
