In both political and military battles there are casualties. During this election season, one of the most notable casualties is free trade. The bipartisan piling on –slamming NAFTA, TPP, WTO and single nations (mainly China, Mexico, and Japan) — is without precedent. As for proponents of free trade, their silence is deafening—fearful of retaliation by […]
That the presidential campaign is shamefully and frightfully nasty, no one can deny. While both candidates have been accused of playing fast and loose with the truth, it is Donald Trump who emerges as the clear winner in the Electoral College of Mendacity. His incessant regurgitation of falsehoods, delivered passionately and convincingly, are accepted as […]
Depending upon whom you speak with in the business community, “brain drain” is either a serious problem in South Florida or a fiction that people bandy about. In any given month, corporate executives with whom I interact will proclaim: “FIU is turning out some great MBA students. We intend to hire a lot more from […]
The toxic display of rude behavior and character assassination that has become a hallmark of this presidential primary season is matched only by the disturbing manifest ignorance by some of the candidates about economic issues. We have heard, ad nauseam, epithets such as: “We don’t make things anymore…We keep sending our jobs overseas…China and Mexico […]
To devalue or not to devalue? That is the question. During the last decade, Latin American central banks have effectively steered the rudder of monetary policy, avoiding major devaluations of their currencies–with the exceptions of Argentina and Venezuela. Recognizably, there have been incremental devaluations in the region as a country may devalue its currency to […]
Silicon Valley is a juggernaut. It is in the same category as some of the world’s great civilizations that changed the course of human history, including Athens, Rome, London, and New York, by being the center for the most aggressive, intelligent, and entrepreneurial people in the universe. It is the Goliath of new-business development. In […]
There has been a significant increase in childhood obesity over the last decade. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately more than one third of children and adolescents are overweight and obese. The growing rate of obesity in children demonstrates the poor eating habits that are being promoted and the decrease in […]
According to the Miami Herald (10/9/15, page 10A), Gov. Rick Scott and economist Amy Baker of the state Legislature disagree about the strategy to create jobs in Florida. Scott wants to offer financial incentives to recruit larger, out-of-state companies to Florida. Baker wants to focus on Florida’s small businesses based on the assumption that small […]
In the aftermath of the barbarity inflicted by Islamic terrorists in France, five Syrians heading to the United States with fake Greek passports were arrested in Honduras. When queried, one of them stated they were “students.” At that point, it became alarmingly clear that Latin America could well serve as a launch pad for Islamic […]
Our planet is a hungry one. By the year 2050, the world will need to produce enough food to feed more than 2 billion additional people, compared to the current 7.2 billion. To meet future food demand, agricultural production will need to increase by 50-70%, according to different estimates. Within the Western Hemisphere, agriculture is […]
