Stories about Caribbean from July, 2008
Jamaica, India: Signs of the Times
The recent bombings in India trigger Jamaican blogger Annie Paul‘s memory about “one piece of graffiti by a Muslim group that had struck me with the simple force and stridency of its message.” In examining the many murals around Kingston, she wonders if “the signs are on the walls.”
Barbados, Anguilla: Integrity Legislation
“One of the major complaints against the new David Thompson administration in Barbados has been that, although it won power mainly by promising to do something about the entrenched corruption in the previous Owen Arthur administration, it had appeared to have forgotten the issue”: Corruption-free Anguilla reports that new integrity...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Lawyer Executed
As a young lawyer is shot and killed on the way to his office in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Abeni says: “I am…worried that freedom as we know it is coming to an end. I fear that increasingly we will live behind bars in our homes and be forced...
Trinidad & Tobago: Question Time
“So as to avoid heartache, stress, stalking or late night non-returning of flaky text messages,” Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer has compiled a must-read questionnaire for potential dates.
Jamaica: Fountain Head
Less traffic or preserving an historic fountain? Montego Bay Day By Day can't decide.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Track & Field
Raw Politics…Jamaica Style! writes a detailed post about the Track and Field component of the upcoming Olympic Games.
Jamaica, Haiti: Political Analysis
In examining the state of Jamaican politics, My View of JamDown from Up So notices some similarities to Haiti.
Haiti: Political Persecution
HaitiAnalysis.com reports that The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has denounced “the political persecution that Yvon Neptune, a former Prime Minister of Haiti, has endured at the hands of the Haitian government for the past four years.”
Jamaica: Crime Plan
As the Prime Minister announces new measures to deal with crime, Jamaica and the World wonders “if they will make any difference at all…”
Guyana: Disturbing Legislation
Living Guyana draws attention to “a worrying piece of legislation that was sneaked into Parliament” that would give great power to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Barbados: Honest Politicians?
“There is a need for present day politicians to reclaim the trust of the people”: Barbados Underground wonders whether “it might be ‘moral character’ we need – in politics – even more than Integrity Legislation.”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Obama the Hero?
“As the days, weeks, and months have gone by, it has become increasingly clear that Barack Hussein Obama…has been stepping into this role of the ‘selfless superhero'”: Jamaican Geoffrey Philp says time will tell if the Democratic US Presidential candidate can fulfill the “mythical role” that has been hoisted upon...
Barbados, Cuba, U.S.A.: The Times Rejects Mc Cain
Caribbean blogs are irate over The New York Times‘ rejection of John Mc Cain's rebuttal to Barack Obama's recent editorial on Iraq: Babalu Blog: “Who the hell gave them the power to think they speak on behalf of my best interests?” Barbados Free Press: “As much as we support Obama,...
Bahamas: Cultural Pride
“If you’re in doubt about Bahamians’ lack of pride in our culture, you shoulda been there”: Nicolette Bethel was as Ronnie Butler's farewell concert and writes an homage to the “entertainment maestro”.
Bahamas: Condom Culture
“The Bahamas has been negatively impacted by the scourge of the HIV/AIDS virus and other STDs via unprotected sex, with a growing number of teenagers being among the infected”: Adrian Gibson at WeblogBahamas makes a case for having condoms available in schools.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Getting Connected
“I remember learning not to try to hold on to people after moving to the U.S. After all, the chances were good that I would never see them again. In Jamaica, the opposite is true”: Francis Wade blogs about the feeling of connectivity he enjoys in Jamaica.
Guyana: Dangerous Times
As news breaks about a reported shootout between Guyana's law enforcement and two of the country's most wanted criminals, Living Guyana examines the impact of such dangerous times on the national psyche: “These criminals may act as enablers for a guilt complex, common to many, that demands we work hard,...
Trinidad & Tobago: Practice Makes Perfect
“Life is a practice rushing at you, overwhelming you, tumbling you to your core. Who is throwing you your lifeline?” Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, Attillah Springer asks some searching questions.
Haiti: Woman PM?
kiskeácity reports that the woman to be nominated for the post of Haitian Prime Minister is battling “a vicious campaign of innuendo and allegations about her sexual orientation”, but her supporters are hopeful: “The final word is now in the hands of the Senate which will vote on the nomination...
Trinidad & Tobago: Line Up
Trinidadian Andre Bagoo notices that he spends much of his life in a line: “This is the fate of a society dominated by industrial forces, forces that literally turn us into little cogs in a process that sees us as no more than just subjects; subjects who must be made...
Jamaica: Glass Casket
Francis Wade has the strange experience of driving behind a hearse that was transporting “the dearly departed” in a glass casket: “Perhaps this is something that every Jamaican who lives abroad should aspire to return home to accomplish… a fashionable and public exit.”