Janine Mendes-Franco · July, 2011

Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from July, 2011

Bahamas: Taking Precautions vs. Dengue

  29 July 2011

Womanish Words is shaken by her son's diagnosis of Dengue Fever, saying: “These are serious times. We all must take proper precautions. And we need to amp up the national response to the outbreak of Dengue Fever in Nassau. This thing is no joke.”

Cuba: MSM Paying Attention

  29 July 2011

Pedazos de La Isla takes heart in the fact that “various English-language news sources have been brave enough to publish the truth about the Caribbean island”, saying: “In Cuba, there is much to report, whether it is through blogs, digital magazines, newspapers, television, radio, etc. On a daily basis, dissidents...

Haiti: Revered Flag Maker Dies

  29 July 2011

Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of “Silva Joseph, a highly regarded Vodou flag maker…in the tradition of BelAir’s famous flag artists, such as Tibout, Joseph Fortine and Luc Daniel Cedor.”

Cuba: Internet Restrictions

  29 July 2011

Uncommon Sense says that despite the arrival of “an underwater cable reached Cuba from Venezuela” designed to improve Internet access to the island, ” the regime has intensified its control of the Internet, restricting government employees’ access to Facebook and on networks that provide ‘illegal’ e-mail accounts.”

Puerto Rico: Libraries and Reading

  28 July 2011

Gil the Jenius puts forward a theory about why “there are no decent libraries on the island”, adding that with the current levels of Internet penetration, “We don't have any excuses anymore.”

Cuba: Call for Justice in Death of Teen

  28 July 2011

Laritza's Laws posts an update about the shooting death of a teen by a retired police officer: “Relatives and neighbors of the victim suspect the police are looking for excuses not to prosecute him, and they are demanding justice for the death of Angel Izquierdo Medina, that it not go...

Cuba: Differences of Opinion are Healthy

  28 July 2011

“‘The People's Path‘ is…a vision statement of what the movement for a free Cuba should be striving for,” writes Uncommon Sense, who, along with Babalu, thinks that despite Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet's lack of support, “the debate that the document, and Biscet's disapproval have sparked, are nothing but healthy for...

Jamaica: Public Outbursts from Diasporan Women

  27 July 2011

“How can we not say to ourselves – was any enterprise ever so doomed to failure? Was anything ever so sad?”: An eye-opening post from Under the Saltine Flag about the underlying issues that could possibly have sparked public tirades by two Jamaican women.

Jamaica: An Anime Nation to be Reckoned With

  27 July 2011

Jamaipanese says that this year's Anime Nation was “bigger and better” than its inaugural event, calling it “an epic event for fans of anime, cosplay, video games and Japan as patrons came from all over Jamaica to enjoy the event many of them wearing costumes or “cosplaying” as their favourite...

Bermuda: Waiting in Vain for PATI

  27 July 2011

According to Vexed Bermoothes, “there is no sign of ‘freedom of information act’ preparation in any part of Government”, despite the fact that a year has passed since the Public Access to Information Act was passed in the Bermuda Legislature.

Jamaica: Unimpressed with Minaj

  27 July 2011

Active Voice publishes a guest post about singer Nicki Minaj's performance at Jamaica's recent Reggae Sumfest: “Minaj messed up when she displayed such flagrant disrespect to Jamaica by announcing that she was warned about profanity but went ahead merrily, regardless.”

Trinidad & Tobago: A Poem for Amy

  26 July 2011

“I’ve never met Amy Winehouse. I’m not a musician. I’m not British or anything even remotely connected to her. I only discovered her music about three years ago and, honestly, there were people who were more ardent fans”: Still, Lisa Allen-Agostini was inspired to write a poem for the late...

Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating Emancipation

  26 July 2011

“Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to commemorate the abolition of slavery with a national observance, and since that time several other countries (mostly in the Caribbean) have followed suit”: TriniGourmet.com has the lowdown on this year's Emancipation Day celebrations.

Jamaica: OCD Ghosts?

  26 July 2011

Could it be that “the world of the supernatural [is] ordered not by the rules of metaphysics, but the rules of mathematics”? Under the Saltire Flag considers the possibility by examining a common thread in Caribbean folklore.