I am a writer and media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Follow me on Twitter @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from June, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago: Memory Lane
Diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch remembers the simple pleasures of growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, saying: “Times have changed.”
Puerto Rico: For Shame!
Litter mars one of Gil the Jenius‘ favorite Puerto Rican beaches, causing him to comment: “Every piece of garbage–every one of the thousands of pieces of garbage–indicts Us with its clear message of unconcern, of consumerism, of brainlessness, of herd mentality, of disdain, short-sightedness and sheer incompetence.”
Haiti, U.S.A.: Danticat Cops Guillén Prize
Repeating Islands reports that Haitian-born author Edwidge Danticat has won the 2009 Caribbean Philosophical Association’s Nicolás Guillén Prize.
Jamaica: Hangings to Resume
Upon hearing news that the Jamaican government intends to resume hangings, Iriegal is both sad and fearful that the decision is the right one.
Guyana: Man in the Mirror
Guyana-Gyal thinks there just might be a little bit of Michael Jackson in all of us: “We might colour that bit a different shade, call it another name, but there it is…only difference is, between he and most o’ we, is that he coulda transcend the pain and sorrow of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Taking Issue
Trinidadian diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch takes issue with a government anti-crime advertisement.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Connecting the Dots
Call it coincidence, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks that in light of news that Cuban human rights activists Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” and his wife were once again arrested, “it might be best to connect the dots”, particularly “in the wake of the NED ceremony, at which Antúnez...
Cuba: Fear of Change?
“Like the seemingly never ending US blockade that attacks Cuba’s economy from without, from the inside a corrosion process is gradually eating away at the relatively young 50-year revolution”: From Havana, Circles Robinson says that “there is a conservative political class of managers at most workplaces and government offices who...
Jamaica: Bloggers on Jackson
Michael Jackson's death has Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp ruminating on the meaning of life, while Annie Paul says: “the mainstream media has limited credibility for me now [post Jackson's death] particularly in the wake of the Iraq War which they triumphantly and confidently led us into.”
Caribbean, USA: Tributes to the “King of Pop”
Despite the controversy which plagued him for the latter part of his eccentric life, the sudden and unexpected death of American-born entertainer Michael Jackson, dubbed "The King of Pop", has touched millions of people around the world - and the Caribbean is no exception. Regional bloggers pay their respects...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Obama & “Antúnez”
Cuban human rights activist Jorge Luis García “Antúnez” said that President Obama's words of support make a big difference for those fighting for Cuban liberty, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense is still of the opinion that “Obama should of, and could of, done more to honor the Democracy Award nominees.”
Dominica: Campaign Financing
Chris at Dominica Weekly thinks that “the issue of campaign financing is as important as voters identification and cleaning of the voters list before the next general election is held.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Blogging about Crime
Jumbie's Watch blogs about Trinidad and Tobago's approach to crime, while KnowProSE.com writes a note to the country's media on their coverage of the crime situation and The Manicou Report thinks that “the way things are going now, things will get a lot worse before they get better.”
Jamaica, Barbados: Updates on H1N1
Yardflex.com says 19 Jamaicans have been infected with the H1N1 virus, while Barbados Underground cautions that Swine Flu can't be blamed for everything.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Missed Opportunity
Havana Times reports that U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement in which he said he hoped that all Cuban political prisoners would be released, but Uncommon Sense thinks that Cuban activists deserved better: “A busy schedule or confusion about the dates, is not enough of an excuse for President...
Trinidad & Tobago: Police Station Murder
Trinidadian bloggers speak out about the country's latest killing – the shooting death of a woman while on the compound of a police station: This Beach Called Life: “No doubt the studying of the latest crime plan…will be fast tracked to give the nation another illusion of care”; Jumbie's Watch:...
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Facebook Fiasco
Trinidadian blogger KnowProSE.com discovers that a “Jamaican politican could lose his post because of Facebook”.
Cuba: Unanswered Questions
“I am waiting for a clarification about why he hasn’t accepted Obama’s proposal for U.S. telecommunications companies to provide Internet to the Cuban people. I demand, like many around me, a convincing argument for why we are not going to join the OAS…”: Generation Y says that “the list of...
Bermuda, Cayman Islands: Look Who's Blogging
Bermudian Vexed Bermoothes is surprised to learn that “the Governor of the Cayman Islands has a blog.”
Bahamas: Rally Call
Womanish Words says that “the city of Nassau…looks as bad as we feel”, adding: “We have to rally. We have to restore Nassau so that we can restore ourselves.”
Dominica, Venezuela: The Motherland?
Following Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to the island, Dominica Weekly says: “Many Dominicans have focused narrowly on the lavish developmental aid of Chavez than focusing on the fundamental issue at hand: do we support Chavez’s ideology and his vision of the motherhood of Latin American and the Caribbean.”
