I am a writer and media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Follow me on Twitter @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from September, 2010
Trinidad & Tobago: The Big Question
Continuing his examination of the terms of the CLICO bailout, Afra Raymond asks the $57,000 question: “‘If the CL Financial group is insolvent, then how are we paying for all this?’”
Cuba: “En Practica”
In the wake of massive public sector layoffs, how exactly are the rules for proposed self-employment going to work? Generation Y says: “Like a repertoire of destitution and dependency, this enumeration of private work seems more in tune with a feudal village than a 21st century country”, while El Yuma...
Jamaica: Tropical Storm Nicole
“Well, the trials and tribulations of Buju Banton have abruptly been ejected from the Jamaican imagination by a raging storm which brazenly breezed its way across the island when no one was looking”: Tropical Storm Nicole takes Active Voice by surprise.
Grenada: Blog Action Day
Blah Bloh Blog is ready for this year's Blog Action Day, saying: “The theme this year is WATER. Access to clean water is not just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue. An animal welfare issue. A sustainability issue.”
Guyana: Women's Plight
Local news headlines tell the sad story of a young woman driven to suicide, allegedly because of a domestic dispute; The Guyana Groove concludes that “these are most certainly desperate times for women.”
Guyana: Little Bit of Everything
Guyanese diaspora blogger The Bohemian State says that her mix of ethnicity always left her torn, but “because of all these different MEs, I can understand all the different YOUs.”
Haiti, Dominican Republic: The Presence of DR Troops
Wadner Pierre says that “the decision of the Dominican government to send troops in Haiti proved the participation of the Dominican government in destabilizing Haiti peace”.
Bahamas: Migratory Birds
The Bahamas is celebrating International Migratory Bird Month; Repeating Islands re-posts the details.
Trinidad & Tobago: Accepting Difference
Globewriter, on learning of the suicide of a gay teen as a result of bullying, says: “I have heard from some here in the Caribbean that homophobia is part of the culture…If it is part of Caribbean culture to tell a significant part of its population that it is morally...
Jamaica: Tweetup #2
Stunner blogs about “the biggest tweetup in the history of Jamaica!”
Bermuda: “Mockumentary”?
Of “the corporate-style movie…that has appeared on the Internet polishing the Premier’s image as a popular leader”, Vexed Bermoothes says it is akin to “what BP might undertake to restore its image after the debilitating Gulf oil spill.”
Bahamas: Straw Saga
Jerome Pinder at Weblog Bahamas says that the straw vendors who have been charged in the United States for the purchase and export of knock off luxury goods “have become the symbol of a lawless society.”
Trinidad & Tobago: MATT's Role
“I know in a democracy it is only right for everyone to have their say. Even in criticising you, MATT. But when the criticism becomes mere target practice, it’s time for us to grow up and look at MATT not as the enemy but as a vessel for all of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Film on the Amerindians
Repeating Islands blogs about “one of the documentaries being screened at the 2010 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival…Tracy Assing’s new film The Amerindians.”
Jamaica: Back to Court for Banton
Jamaican bloggers - nay, regional bloggers - have been following dancehall music icon Buju Banton's drug possession court case with great interest. Yesterday, news broke that the jury was evenly divided on what his fate should be. The judge has since declared a mistrial, which means that the singer will head back to court later this year.
Haiti: Storm Stories
Bloggers write about their experiences with Haiti's recent storm, here and here.
Haiti: Slow Going
“Nine months after the devastating earthquake, many are criticizing the slow pace of relief for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Haiti”: The Haitian Blogger reports.
Trinidad & Tobago: Sweetheart Deal
“For those of us who did not invest with CLICO, the mere idea of our taxpayers’ funds being used to rescue those who placed high-return deposits is deeply offensive. Both the CL Financial chiefs and the depositors who took the chance at investing at those incredible rates of return are...
Trinidad & Tobago: Parang Time
Simply Trini Cooking blogs about Parang – “one of Trinidad and Tobago's folk music that seems in a remarkable way to stay true to its original form” – here and here.
Guyana: Leadership Style
“Envisage a country vibrant in idea exchanges and energetic businesses unafraid of political repercussions”: The Guyana Groove says that her homeland “could be a fully vibrant and thriving nation, but the authoritarian leadership has instead created a stifling and oppressive environment…”
Haiti: Disease Trends
The Haitian Blogger says of the launch of a National Surveillance system for illnesses following the January 12 earthquake: “Given that the U.S. participants were affiliated with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief…it is significant that AIDs did not make the survey and was not one of the...
