Burning Down the Mouse.

THE WEB HISSES WHITE HOT IN LATIN AMERICA. AS this month's cover story indicates, some spots are hotter than others, but it's burning fast and furious everywhere. Fanning the flames are money, ambition, greed and even some altruism.

Before jumping into the LATIN TRADE tips for getting rich quick on the Internet (see page 48), read our attempts to preach caution. With its financial results every quarter, portal StarMedia publishes a list of reasons why the Latin American success story could quickly turn into a pumpkin.

In our exclusive interview with one of the world's leading Internet executives, hard-nosed Lycos CEO Robert Davis adds sobering arguments for being a plain, old employee as opposed to "trying to grab your own brass ring."

After all is said and done, though, most executives will still choose to stoke the hot dot-com blaze. The big companies are moving into the broader portal business, but the action is smoking in electronic commerce for everything from books and CDs to office supplies and seeds. So, go ahead, burn down the mouse--just don't forget you, too, can get toasted.

Mike Zellner

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P.S. LATIN TRADE Associate Editor Michael Fabey checked into a hospital in Costa Rica with a prescription for profits. The tale on page 65 tells volumes about tomorrow's healthcare industry in the region.