Stories about Caribbean from January, 2010
Bermuda: “How did we get here?”
“It’s 2010 here in Bermuda. We’re facing an ongoing recession likely to last into the foreseeable future, a run away budget, job losses, glut in real estate, a downturn in construction and rising youth violence”: 21 Square asks, “How did we get here and should we have seen it coming?”
Jamaica, Haiti: Making sense of it all
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem for Haiti.
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Again
“Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. Anyone can play”: My Chutney Garden is gearing up for the national festival.
Haiti: 2 Weeks After
Tara Livesay gives an update two weeks after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Rate
Jumbie's Watch laments the worsening crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago.
Bermuda: Takeover Bid
“My opinion is that the PLP takeover of the City is not about reform; I believe it is about power and real estate development. Watch the money”: Bermuda's Vexed Bermoothes weighs in on what he calls the government's “power grab”.
Guyana, Haiti, U.S.A.: Redemption Song?
Signifyin’ Guyana responds to a compatriot's comments about aid to Haiti: “I'm inclined to believe the incentive to give to Haiti is more in search of some kind of redemption, rather than a calculated move to keep Haitians out of America…”
Haiti: Youth Step It Up for Earthquake Relief
As Haiti's government raised the confirmed earthquake death toll to 150,000 earlier this week, there is particular concern for the well-being of the country's most vulnerable - its young people. But youth within and outside of Haiti are contributing to efforts to raise aid and awareness.
Jamaica, Haiti: Using the Language
Jamaica's Active Voice says: “Trust the Brits to do the right thing. While our newswomen and men are contorting their mouths reproducing peculiar versions of the Queen's English, British broadcasters are broadcasting to Haitians in their mother tongue–Kreyol.”
Haiti: Media Responsibility
Repeating Islands posts an excerpt from Rebecca Solnit, who, “disturbed by media coverage of alleged looting in Port-au-Prince following the earthquake, posted a powerful article decrying the criminalization of victims by the media.”
Haiti: Lessons Learned
Carol and Tom in Haiti post a list of lessons learned in the aftermath of the earthquake, while Trinidadian blogger Tattoo writes about the dos and don'ts of disaster aid.
Bahamas, Haiti: Solidarity
A new website is launched by “a group of Bahamian webizens who hope to mobilize in support of a realistic and sensible immigration policy with respect to Haitians and their children.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Woman is Boss
Bloggers comment on Kamla Persad-Bissessar‘s winning of the leadership of Trinidad and Tobago's current opposition party.
Haiti: Media Operations Center launched for Haitian journalism
Réseau Citadelle announces the launch of the Media Operations Center, an initiative from Reporters without Borders and Quebecor, aimed at facilitating the field work of local and foreign journalists in Haiti as well as establishing collaboration between the media and NGOs.
Haiti: Signs of a “normal life” in Port-au-Prince
Radio Métropole Haiti provides a list [Fr] of activities belonging to a “normal life” resuming in Port-au-Prince, around banks, gas stations, supermarkets and fruit and vegetable markets – the revival of business in Haiti's capital highlights the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Haiti: Un Geste Pour Haiti Cherie
The Armenian Observer comments on the recording of a song by French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour and other French singers. The blog notes that Aznavour also recorded a song in the aftermath of the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake.
Haiti: Teens’ perspectives on the earthquake
Although the coverage of the aftermath of the 7.3 earthquake which has left Haiti's capital partly devastated, has been massive, one group of Haitian bloggers has been overlooked - teenagers. Here is a look at what young people have to say about this catastrophe, which foreshadows a new era in their lives.
Haiti: “1+1=3”
More than ten days after the 12 January earthquake in Haiti, with large-scale relief efforts underway, Haitian bloggers and Twitter users wonder what the future holds in store, and how reconstruction efforts will be managed. Others seem concerned that media reports don't always add up with what they observe on the ground.
Jordan: Give to Haiti
Naseem, author of The Black Iris, urges his readers or anyone who may stumble on his blog to give to Haiti if they haven’t done so already.
Haiti: Shelter Coming Both Too Slow and Too Fast
Talk is already turning to reconstruction in Haiti. Early reports on the damage pointed mostly to lax construction standards, but Marc Herman takes a closer look.
Trinidad & Tobago: Butter Bread
“In one of Port of Spain’s wealthiest neighbourhoods…the older, tastefully-designed homes can no longer be admired because they cannot be perceived: their garden walls are now higher than their eaves; and topped with razor wire: pass your butter bread over such a wall and it comes out the other side...