· April, 2009

Stories about Ideas from April, 2009

Trinidad & Tobago: Solo Signature

  23 April 2009

Trinidadian blogger B.C. Pires says the real reason that the signing ceremony for the recently-concluded Summit of the Americas was important “was to justify the scandalous costs of the Chinese-built Great House…a pity our Big Cheese signed alone; makes that whole firetrucking International Important Monkeys In Jackets Liming Spot seem...

Kuwait: The Fanatics of this World

Kwtia, from Kuwait, lashes out at fanatics in this post: “Fear, paranoia and sexual obsessions are unfortunately the calling cards of these fanatics who want the world in little tiny simplistic boxes that are too small and too weak to hold in the crazily gorgeous multiplicity of possibilities offered up...

Dominica: Tsunami Risk?

  22 April 2009

Steve's Dominica and Dominica Weekly blog about a report which suggests that “Dominica is set to trigger a tsunami which may kill 30,000 in Guadeloupe.” Steve adds: “I don't know which is worse: the armchair scientist painting a Hollywood-style scenario, or the reporter dramatically renaming our mountain ‘Devil's Peak’ to...

Bahamas: Check Your Contents

  22 April 2009

On the subject of Bahamian cultural heritage, Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith says: “The real issue here is one of judgment. We already spend huge amounts of taxpayer dollars on packaging the Bahamas overseas, while very little thought or money is invested in the product we are selling.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Summit Thoughts

  22 April 2009

From Trinidad and Tobago, The Undisputed Truth claims that “even Fidel Castro thinks the Summit was too expensive”, while Barbados-based B.C. Pires is experiencing the “post-Summit blues”.

Cuba: The Outside World

  22 April 2009

“The Summit of the Americas ended yesterday and it doesn’t appear that an urgent meeting of parliament…is being convened to discuss the proposals made by Obama”, writes Cuba's Generation Y, adding: “I can’t help asking myself, then, if all this ‘olive branch’ and the willingness to touch on broad themes,...

Barbados: Maloney Inquest Verdict

  22 April 2009

Barbados Free Press blogs about the upcoming inquest verdict on the death of I’Akobi Maloney, saying: “No matter what the findings of the coroner, the big losers in this inquest are every officer of the Royal Barbados Police Force.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Return on Investment?

  21 April 2009

“Trinidadians always buy into this idea that hosting something will get us lots of free press. Thing is: no-one really cares all that much who hosts the summit. Perhaps you get a few extra googles…but the idea that these things pay for themselves is delusional”: Club Soda and Salt is...

Guyana: Doing His Part

  21 April 2009

Guyanese blogger Imran Khan is doing his part “to help save electricity, thereby saving fuel, thereby saving the environment.”

Americas: 5th Summit Reactions

  20 April 2009

The much-hyped Fifth Summit of the Americas is now over, culminating with the Hemispheric leaders' adoption of the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain - albeit with one signatory - the Prime Minister of host country Trinidad and Tobago, who purportedly signed on behalf of all participating leaders. This signaled to many a clear lack of unanimity on the final declaration, hardly surprising given the differing agendas of the 34 participating nations. Bloggers were quick to post their impressions of the three-day engagement.

Bahamas: The Economics of Culture

  20 April 2009

“It is not foreign investment that economists and development agencies are suggesting is the engine of economic development in the 21st century; it’s culture”: Nicolette Bethel thinks that the Bahamian government's apparent postponement of the Caribbean Festival of Arts is “a terrible idea”.

Haiti: Election or Selection?

  20 April 2009

Repeating Islands reports that Haiti's Senate elections this past weekend were “marred today by sporadic violence, forcing authorities to cancel polling in parts of the country”. Pwoje Espwa notes: “Fanmi Lavalas (ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide's political party) will not be in the race due to not being able to satisfy...

Jamaica: Perspective on Pirates

  20 April 2009

Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul happened to be reading a manuscript about pirates at a time when “the pirates of Somalia were rousing international consternation by capturing a US ship and holding its crew hostage” – and she shares an alternative perspective on this age-old profession.

Japan: The SHADO Collective

  19 April 2009

Photoreporter Noriyuki Aida (会田法行) presents the SHA-DO Collective (写道・写真家集団). The group comprising Aida-san and other four photographers based in Tokyo — the Japanese Yasuhiro Ogawa, the Greek Androniki Christodoulou, the Spanish David Coll Blanco and the German Eric Rechsteiner — intends to provide “five specific photographic approaches focusing mainly on...

Haiti: Mounting Tensions

  17 April 2009

The Haitian Blogger identifies what he calls “the Forces aligned against Haiti's political, agricultural and economical sovereignty”, while My Life, an Open Book… is concerned about the mounting tension on the island in anticipation of this weekend's elections.