Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from April, 2007
US Virgin Islands: Heavy Rains
St. John has been experiencing some nasty weather – Frank Barnako posts an update, along with a photo of “exactly what many folks on island are worried about – tremendous runoff from the land and construction sites, filing in the bays, and choking the coral.”
Bermuda: Measuring Tourism
“I'm sure tourism numbers are up. And I'm glad that we seem to be making some gains. But…the question is ‘by how much?'”. Politics.bm has some suggestions for measuring tourist arrivals in Bermuda.
Trinidad & Tobago: R.I.P. Boscoe Holder
Both Caribbean Beat Blog and Thebookmann acknowledge the passing of Trinidadian artist Boscoe Holder.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Cyber Crimes
Abeni is impressed by the swift action of the St. Vincent Police Force in dealing with cyber-culprits who have allegedly been doctoring photos of young Vincentian girls and sending pornographic material out over the Internet.
Guyana: Life in the Fast Lane
Guyana-Gyal likens herself to “a drunk man lolling on grass parapet” after a fast-paced weekend gets the better of her.
Jamaica: Caribbean Film wins Outstanding Feature
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp takes note of Caribbean filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon's A Winter Tale, which was honoured as Outstanding Canadian Feature at the 7th annual ReelWorld Film Festival.
Bahamas: Mapping Perspectives
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel, linking to a blog called Strange Maps, muses on the fact that “mapping is an exercise not only in making sense out of the world, but in dominating the world. A map, like a book, is not a fact; it is an interpretation of a fact, a...
Aruba, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago: Happy Earth Day
Arubagirl, Trinidadian blogger Elspeth at Now is Wow and Lynn Sweeting from the Bahamas all recognize Earth Day.
Trinidad & Tobago: Naipaul's Reading
Posting from Trinidad, where Sir Vidia Naipaul is making several appearances in honour of his 75th birthday year, Caribbean Free Radio reports from one of the author's readings: “Naipaul’s reading style isn’t particularly good, in the classic sense, but his stilted, slightly quaint delivery is oddly effective, and easy on...
Barbados: Domestic Violence
“The ‘couple’ who everyone knows were at it again a few nights ago. Screaming, yelling, throwing. Kids crying, doors slamming.” Barbados Free Press wonders if anything can really be done about the issue of domestic violence.
Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago: More Thoughts on VT
Posting from Trinidad, Thebookmann is concerned that the media has played into the VT gunman's “sick little cold, dead hands” by broadcasting footage of the killer “unleashing his hateful rage to a camera. The airing of such imagery is a grave mistake…something that I have seen for too long in...
Cuba: Cousins Make Dozens
“I think it’s a given that if you’re Cuban, you’ve got a cousin (or twelve) somewhere,” writes Babalu Blog. “Along those same lines, there is no way you can mention ‘Ropa Vieja’ without someone inevitably bringing up its first cousin, ‘Vaca Frita’. See? We even do it with food!” Posted...
Trinidad & Tobago: Lara is Out!
Following his team's victory over Bangladesh yesterday, beleaguered West Indies Cricket Captain Brian Lara has announced his retirement from the sport. Caribbean Beat Blog was shocked at the news, but West Indies Cricket Blog “felt a pang of sadness when the inevitable happened. We all knew this day was coming...
Barbados: Cricket Legends Give Back
Cricket Legends of Barbados, an organisation which boasts famous names like Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Everton Weekes and Wes Hall, is lending its support to former team-mates who have fallen on hard times. My Barbados Blog links to the full story on BBC Sport.
Trinidad & Tobago: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Trinidadian blogger Elspeth at Now is Wow responds to a comment on a post she had written about American rapper Akon's appalling behaviour on stage with a female fan, in the context of Elton John's upcoming performance at the Tobago Jazz Festival: “Yes, women should respect themselves and not cheaply...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: VT Tragedy Hits Home
Writing from Jamaica, The Life and Times of Michmac is saddened by the tragedy at Virgina Tech, yet relieved that “somebody up there is looking out for me”. And TNTLime.com reprints an article from Newsday, which interviews a Trinidadian who is a student at VT: ““It is hard to take...
Guyana: Do The Chicken!
The Jolly Spectator reports that the enthusiastic, fun-loving attitude of Irish cricket supporters (not to mention their team's unique dance moves) have made the Irish the darlings of the Caribbean: “Said Irish Captain Trent Johnston of Guyana, Barbados, and Jamaica, ‘I think the locals have warmed to us.’ Why? Perhaps...
Dominica: Looking for Wide Sargasso Sea
Bronte Blog reprints an article by Ellen Vanstone about Dominican author Jean Rhys and her acclaimed novel, Wide Sargasso Sea.
Trinidad & Tobago: Anamunthodo Freed
Anita Anamunthodo, mother of four-year-old Amy who was raped and beaten to death in Trinidad last year, was yesterday freed on six charges of willful neglect and child abandonment. Francomenz notices parallels between what happened in that case and journalist BC Pires’ diagnosis of a general West Indian malaise.
Cuba: Vitral Closed Due to Lack of Resources
Further to media speculation that the Catholic magazine Vitral was closed because of pressure from the Cuban government, Uncommon Sense links to a Catholic News Agency statement that attributes the closure to a lack of resources.
Barbados: The Meaning of Being Caribbean
Barbadian blogger Gallimaufry links to BBCCaribbean.com as West Indians the world over answer the question, “What does it mean to be Caribbean?”
