Resort World Miami: Malaysian Company's Plans for Casino Gambling Scaled Back

Malaysian company, Genting Group, had big ideas for Miami.  Buying up the Miami Herald's 13.9 acre bayfront property, it had hoped to capitalize on the Florida Legislature's approval of destination-style gambling.  Genting rolled out big plans for what it is calling Resort World Miami, originally a 10 million square foot project, incorporating the world's largest casino, 5,200 hotel rooms, more than 50 restaurants and bars and a retail shopping mall.

But when the gambling bills died in Tallahassee six weeks ago, Genting had to rethink its entire strategy.  The company announced yesterday that even with casino gambling gone, it was moving ahead with plans for a much scaled down Resort World Miami.  Miami architectural firm, Arquitectonica, is being tasked with the job of redesigning the mixed use plans. The current Miami Herald site would become the location of a five-star luxury hotel, luxury condominiums, waterfront restaurants, limited retail and an 800-foot promenade along Biscayne Bay.

No renderings of the new project are yet available, but it's said that this more modest proposal is a far cry from the original $3.8 billion project which drew protests from community leaders objecting to its scale in regards to the surrounding Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts neighborhood and the potential traffic problems.

Jeremy Lin: After Defeat in Miami, New Biography and Volvo Deal Proves there is No Stopping the Linsanity

Jeremy Shu-How Lin didn't receive any athletic scholarships out of high school.  Nor was he drafted into the NBA following graduation from Harvard University in 2010.  Later that year, the Golden State Warriors did offer him a partially guaranteed contract, but Lin seldom played and was waived the following preseason by both the Warriors and the Houston Rockets.

Lin was a free agent sleeping on his brother's couch when he was picked up by the Knicks for the 2011-12 season.  Again he played only sparingly, that is until February 4 when he was promoted to the starting lineup by point guard Baron Davis' injury and suddenly led his team on a winning streak, beginning with their win against the New Jersey Nets.  In subsequent games, Lin averaged 21.4 points and 9.2 assists.  This winning streak has come to be known as Linsanity.

Lin's sudden rise to fame created quite a stir in the media, some of it surprisingly racially tinged.  Lin is the first American of Chinese descent to play in the NBA.  The closest thing the NBA has seen prior to Lin was Yao Ming, a former NBA All-Star and Chinese national who retired last summer.  On February 16, ESPN's MMA Live host Max Bretos used the words "a chink in the armor" when referring to Lin.  Two days later, ESPN editor Anthony Frederico used the same phrase as a headline for a web column after Lin committed 9 turnovers in a Knicks loss against New Orleans.  Bretos received a 30-day suspension from the network and Frederico was fired.  Both issued an apology to Lin, who accepted, saying that he didn't think the remarks were intentional.

On February 23, Linsanity was brought to our doorsteps here in Miami when the Knicks took on the Miami Heat.  Lin, however, struggled against the Heat's LeBron James and the Knicks were toppled 102-88.  Experts are calling the game quite possibly the worst of Lin's remarkable run.  But the setback seems to have done little to quell the excitement over the player, who is popular worldwide.  His jersey is the top selling jersey in the NBA with shipments going to places like Taiwan, where Lin's parents are from, and Hong Kong.  The Asian American community is especially proud of of their Ivy League graduate and are taking more of an interest in basketball games.  Worldwide, the Taiwanese media reportedly refers to Lin as hero or "hao."

Capitalizing on Lin's popularity, Christian media and publishing company Zondervan recently announced their plans to release a biography on the NBA sensation.  The book is titled Linspired and focuses on Lin's unwavering faith before and after his success and popularity.  Lin is also now in talks with Chinese automaker, Volvo, over signing up to endorse the brand overseas.  Volvo believes that tapping into Lin's growing popularity in Asia and China could help boost the brand, which is not as well known as other luxury brands like Audi or Buick.

Looks like Linsanity is here to stay. 

Epic Hotel's Zuma Restaurant Brings Contemporary Japanese Cuisine to Downtown Miami

Downtown Miami welcomes a gastronomical delight in Zuma, located on the first floor in the new Epic Hotel. This "international sensation," as described by Zagat, is the first U.S. location for the London-originated restauant, which features modern Japanese cuisine. Other locations include Hong Kong, Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok and Beirut. 

Already creating a buzz, the Miami New Times named Zuma the Best New Restaurant in 2011, Zagat named it one of Miami's 10 Best Restaurants and Open Table named it one of the Top 10 Hottest New Restaurants.  Zuma is also receiving rave reviews from customers on Google, Yelp, Open Table, Trip Advisor and Urban Spoon and has already been frequented by A-List celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Lenny Kravitz and Alex Rodriguez.

Zagat advises that you book way ahead in order to experience this "modern izakaya-inspired Japanese fare."

Even the restaurant's stylish contemporary decor is noteworthy.  The Miami New Times described Zuma's decor as a "Tokyo-inspired room, with soaring ceilings and a sleek merging of natural textures — granite, rice paper, Indonesian wood."

The Epic hotel (part of the Kimpton Hotels collection) is located at 270 Biscayne Blvd Way in downtown Miami on the bank of the Miami River where it meets Biscayne Bay.

UM's Center for Latin American Studies Announces the “Asia and Latin America in the 21st Century" Series

Miami is set to become a major hub for trading Asian goods with Latin America and the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) is preparing for this eventuality with its series, “Asia and Latin America in the 21st Century.”  The series will assemble leading academic and policy experts to discuss major aspects of the relationship between the two hemispheres.

Miami's Asia Summit 2012, organized in partnership with the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, will be held on April 17 at Jungle Island.  The event will address the dynamics of the relationship among the United States, Latin America, and Asia. The summit will feature internationally renowned experts, leading policymakers, business professionals, and influential media analysts who will discuss the new role of Asia in the hemisphere. The event is open to the public, but registration is required through the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce at http://www.miamichamber.com/.

An all-day workshop, Asia and Latin America: Setting the Agenda, will take place on April 18 at UM’s Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center.  This event will serve as a discussion of the issues that will face the two regions in the coming decade and will culminate in the launch of the Asia-Latin America Working Group.  Asia and Latin America: Setting the Agenda is free and open to the public.  Click here to register.

The 33rd Annual Hatsume Fair at Morikami Park Returns on March 17 and 18

The 33rd Annual Hatsume Fair is back at Morikami, a unique museum and Japanese Garden located in Delray Beach.  Celebrating the first bud of Spring, Hatsume transforms Morikami Park into a Japanese Spring Festival with a cosplay contest, anime dealers, taiko drumming by Fushu Daiko and Ronin Daiko, martial artist demonstrations, avenues of artisan and craft booths, bonsai and plant sales, garden talks, Asian and American food vendors, modern Japanese dance and much more. 

The festival will be held this Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18, from 11 am to 6 pm.  No more tickets are available online.  Purchase tickets at the gate for $12 adults and $6 kids.  Entry is free for museum members or for children under 3.

Learn more about the Hatsume Fair here.