Stories about Caribbean from March, 2011
Jamaica: The Sea & Radioactivity
“The news out of Japan gets grimmer by the day”: Labrish Jamaica is concerned.
Haiti: Monsanto's Agenda
Haiti Grassroots Watch takes “a closer look” at Monsanto's seed distribution in the wake of last year's devastating earthquake.
Trinidad & Tobago: Education – Leaving Kids at Sea
“All children now go to secondary school. But it remains an unfortunate truth that the majority of those innocents who sat SEA Tuesday will not have the secondary schooling they deserve”: Lisa Allen-Agostini blogs about the state of education.
Jamaica: Enquiry No Laughing Matter
As the Manatt Dudus Enquiry is extended for the third time, GWAP comments: “A Commission that should have cost Jamaican tax payers JMD $37 million has now skyrocket[ed] to JMD $78 million!”, while Pray, Laugh, Grow thinks the whole debacle is anything but funny.
Haiti: Not Like Japan
Toussaint on Haiti has been avoiding news of the Japan earthquake for fear of “triggering sad memories”, noting that stories of recovery there “really b[ring] home…the dysfunction that exists in Haiti.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival is Over
Trinidad Carnival Diary offers tips on how to “fill the void between now and another Carnival…”
St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago: Bocas Shortlist
“A Nobel laureate, a MacArthur ‘genius’ fellow, and a first-time author are finalists for the 2011 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature”: Caribbean Book Blog has the details.
Trinidad & Tobago: Soca Stereotype?
Outlish looks at the impact of Chutney Soca music “on people's perception of Indo-Trinidadians.”
Barbados: Going on Facebook
“I just didn’t like the idea of credit cards. They seemed to be a device for misleading people into a pattern of life they probably wouldn’t have entered, but for the convenience”: B.C. Pires argues it's the “same thing with FaceBook.”
Jamaica: Passing the Buck
“To date, the Enquiry has been fascinating and compelling TV”: Jamaica and the World reports on the latest developments in the Manatt Dudus Enquiry, which “involved politicians placing the blame on public servants/civil service employees.”
Bermuda: Development vs. Conservation
“Can we please stop pretending that that the Tucker’s Point SDO is about saving tourism? It’s about developing real estate”: Vexed Bermoothes says that “there has been a drought of information to justify abandoning the various conservation protections on the land.”
Bahamas: Untimely Justice
“We can construct a state of the art airport, dredge our harbour, and expand our seaports. We can tax and spend like there is no tomorrow. But yet, we cannot deliver and administer an effective justice system!”: Weblog Bahamas‘ Jerome Pinder blogs about “a travesty of Justice.”
Bahamas: BTC Privatized
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe says that the government's privatization of the public phone company “deserves a hip, hip, hooray!”
Barbados, Jamaica: Improper Search?
Barbados Free Press is livid about an incident in which a Jamaican traveler was subjected to a cavity search and then deported, saying: “Even if [the visitor] was suspected and then deported for good reason such as gang affiliation or crimes committed in Jamaica, she deserves to be treated with...
Bermuda: Government Admits Error
politics.bm is fascinated by the fact that “the PLP realizes that the PLP's policies have been bad for Bermuda” and wonders about the resulting challenges and opportunities.
Haiti: Awaiting Results
As election results continue to be tabulated in Haiti, The Latin Americanist suggests that “the real victors are the Haitian electorate who supposedly turned out in large numbers to some voting centers.” Toussaint on Haiti also weighs in.
Jamaica: Loving Japan
Jamaipanese explains why “the disaster in Japan has helped…show why [he] love[s] Japan.”
Guyana: Choosing Happiness
“Every day, I does try to fill the bucket and pour it over me”: Guyana-Gyal says that happiness is a choice.
Haiti: Developing Aid
“The agenda of development aid should not be set by people so far removed from the uncertainty of life that has dominated human existence for the majority of time”: Throwing Down the Water wants to get everyone speaking the same language.
Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica: Position on Gender Equity
Globewriter on the UN Joint Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: “The English Caribbean (including T&T which continues to betray its alleged commitment to human rights) was notably absent except for Dominica. I can only surmise that the normally homophobic Dominica either had a coup or someone pushed the...
Aruba, Curacao: Eloquent Arguments
The lawyer as orator? Karel's Legal Blog discusses “a sensitive subject.”
About our Caribbean coverage
Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
