I am a writer and media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Follow me on Twitter @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from April, 2013
To Cut or Not To Cut College Subsidies in the Bahamas?
Education, democracy and societal priorities are being called into question as Bahamian bloggers address the government's recent decision to reduce the subsidy it provides to the College of The Bahamas.
Haiti: “Better Prisons, Fewer Prisoners”
Haiti does not need more prisons, it needs better prisons and fewer prisoners. Haiti Chery provides some interesting statistics which support his view.
Public Trust Wiped Away; Jamaicans at Risk from Tainted Toilet Paper
The poop has been hitting the proverbial fan in Jamaica recently over the sale of substandard toilet paper that has allegedly caused a slew of rashes and vaginal infections.
Barbados: The Economy & Crime
This is not the Bimshire I moved to six years ago…there was no gun culture. The problem is still one we could control if we had leadership who put resources into fixing the problem rather than denying its existence. Notes From A Small Rock sees trouble in paradise.
A ‘Good Food Revolution’ in Trinidad & Tobago
Saying no to bad food will benefit the economy and the happiness index of the country. aka_lol explains.
Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Digital Expo, V2.0
This was an event for people in the private and public sector tasked with making sense of fast moving changes in the digital realm. BitDepth reports on the second Caribbean Digital Expo conference.
Guyana: Smelly City
A canal in the capital smells so rancid “it can kill a nation”. Guyana-Gyal smelled it and lived to tell the tale.
Haiti: CARICOM Should Speak Up
Appalled by the “legal immunity” that the United Nations appears to have in the country's cholera epidemic, Kevin Edmonds says that it's high time Caribbean leaders speak up for Haiti.
Bahamas: Limericks for Thatcher
She has to be admired for her ability to transform her country…as a middle-class woman in the conservative party. But I remember apartheid, and…how she almost destroyed the British university system, and…made Britain unwelcoming. Blogworld writes limericks in commemoration of the Iron Lady.
Jamaica: Folklorist Olive Lewin Dies
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp notes the passing of Jamaican folklorist and author, Dr. Olive Lewin.
Haiti: Too Fragile to Shoulder the Blame
Can I get an A-MEN? When it comes to an analysis of the country's aid management failures, kiskeácity admits she couldn't have said it better than Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck.
Bermuda: Is Thatcherism the Living Dead?
The politics and economics of neoliberalism have been shown to…have failed. And yet neoliberalism continues, zombie-like. A living-dead socio-economic system. In one of the few Caribbean blog posts acknowledging the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Catch-a-fire sympathizes with her loved ones, but maintains that Thatcher's politics were...
Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Cuba Getaway Offends Diaspora Bloggers
You might not think that political bloggers would be particularly interested in the whereabouts of celebrities, but the minute Beyoncé and Jay-Z, touched down in Cuba, an anniversary getaway became the business of the Cuban diaspora in the United States.
Jamaica: Twitter 101
2012 was the year a handful of name-brand Jamaican journalists decided it was time to start using Twitter. That was pretty late in the day already. The majority however are still holding back… Active Voice explains why they shouldn't.
Jamaica: Blog Action, Jamdown Style!
Jamaica's version of Blog Action Day (the topic is Jamaican police abuses and brutality) will take place on May 23, to coincide with the anniversary of the country's state of emergency in 2010.
Jamaica: Tribute to Ebert
A poetic tribute to Roger Ebert from Jamaican disapora blogger Geoffrey Philp.
Jamaica: Rehabilitation History
Active Voice says that a new film about an innovative rehabilitation programme that uses music as a tool, fails to acknowledge Jamaica's “rich history” in “cutting edge” prison rehabilitation methods, thereby missing an opportunity to “to provide some of the fascinating background to a restorative justice initiative that needs to...
Jamaica: Could Buju Go Free?
If…this new evidence results in a mistrial I hope Mr. Banton will consider lifestyle changes and…focus more on…bringing Jamaica and the world the music we love. Iriegal is following the news that reggae star Buju Banton, currently serving a 10 year prison sentence in the U.S. for trying to set...
