International trade has never been about dry old statistics or arcane rules too esoteric to grasp (or care about). Yes, some trade experts have become lost in the minutiae, but free trade has always been a grand exercise in exchanging wealth, culture and ideas. There are many lessons to learn and stories to tell in exploring trade's impact on our world.  This section explores some of these stories--from the ancient tales of intrigue and struggle, to contemporary stories of peace and security through trade. The Rum Series Rum: The Spirit of the Caribbean Rum is everywhere in the Caribbean. How did this spirit, once seen as the drink of choice for slaves, pirates and other "vagabonds who scoured the new world", become synonymous with Caribbean culture and so significant to its economy? The Story of Rum: Bacardi & the Revolution No one has done more to transform the image of Rum from its pirate origins to a sophisticated Caribbean spirit than Don Facundo Bacardi Massó. But the story of Rum cannot be separated from the story of Cuba . . . or of the Caribbean. The Columbus Series How the (Trade) Winds Blow: My Life With Christopher Columbus "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue ..." the story goes. That voyage changed the course of global economic history--and the trajectory of my life. None of it would have been possible without the wind. What Christopher Columbus Taught Me About Discovery "Columbus discovered America in 1492. But I discovered a good friend when I discovered you," so begins the farewell quote some now long-forgotten girl wrote in my sixth grade graduation yearbook. I soon learned Columbus' journey of discovery had much to teach me about life and death. The Caribbean Book of the Dead In Haiti, the shadowy line between the living and the dead is both soft and permeable, and the two often communicate with each other through dreams. History and the dead have much to teach us about the way to live our lives.
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