Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from January, 2011
Cuba: Old Age in Cuba
“Hands shaking with Parkinson’s offer sugary snacks at bus stops, wrinkled faces offer razor blades for only five pesos”: Generation Y says that the system the elderly helped to build “cannot provide them with a dignified old age.”
Jamaica: “Dudus” Enquiry Starts
Caribbean Camera reports on the opening of the Commission of Enquiry into events surrounding the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: New Art Mag
Antilles and Repeating Islands blog about the launch of a new magazine “focusing on works by contemporary artists practicing in the Caribbean and its diaspora.”
Barbados: Thompson Wins Late Husband's Seat
Barbadian bloggers report that David Thompson's widow has won the parliamentary seat left vacant by his death.
Haiti: Time for a Change
“I thought that after Duvalier left, things in Haiti were going to improve. What I never imagined was that the leaders who came after Duvalier were going to take Duvalier's concepts and use them to their own benefits”: Changing Perspectives republishes an interesting take on Haitian politics by Richard Morse...
Haiti: What About Aristide?
Wadner Pierre wonders how come exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has been granted a diplomatic passport to return to Haiti while the country's former democratically elected President has not been extended the same privilege.
Trinidad & Tobago: Proposed Constitutional Amendments
“Our new Government is seeking to amend our Constitution. It is not doing so to provide you with stronger guarantees of your rights as people of different sexual orientations”: gspottt explains.
Jamaica, Haiti: The “Baby Doc” Blues
Jamiacan diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp pens a poem for Haiti's reportedly “homesick dictator”.
Guyana: The Need to Go Green
“I wonder if it is true, that there is a link between Styrofoam and cancer. And if there is, then why we still using it in green land of Guyana?”: Guyana-Gyal is beginning to think that “nobody don’t give a damn.”
Haiti: About “Baby Doc”
“Préval, who will complete his mandate which runs from 2006 to 2011, has betrayed the aspirations of the Haitian people. Now he organizes the return of a dictator who should be judged for his crimes”: The Haitian Blogger translates a French blog post that opines about the return of Duvalier...
Bahamas: Fixing the Nation
“Something is wrong with us”: Weblog Bahamas‘ Edward Hutcheson says that Bahamians must make hard choices if things are to improve.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Effects of Lifting Travel Limits
“President Barack Obama's decision to loosen limits on travel and remittances from the United States to Cuba is a gift the Castro dictatorship has not earned”: Uncommon Sense links to an article which makes him surmise that “as a result, Cubans will have to wait even longer for freedom.”
Jamaica: No More Calabash
Regional bloggers continue to say their farewells to Jamaica's beloved annual Calabash International Literary Festival, which has come to an end after ten years.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Haiti: On the Return of “Baby Doc”
Empath has a question about the return of Jean-Claude Duvalier to Haiti: “How is he able to do return and not Aristide?”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Political Women
And Still I Rise blogs about women and politics.
Jamaica: So Long, Calabash
“Well, the news of the moment is that Jamaica’s beloved Calabash International Literary Festival is no more”: Active Voice and The Caribbean Review of Books bid a fond farewell.
Haiti: Duvalier Arrest Imminent?
From just before eleven o'clock this morning, Twitter has been rife with speculation that Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the banished former dictator who has been living in exile in France and who made a surprise return to his homeland on Sunday evening, may be in the process of being placed under arrest.
Haiti: Duvalier Visit Political Red Herring?
A little more than a year after a debilitating earthquake practically leveled the Haitian capital and destroyed innumerable surrounding towns, killing thousands and leaving survivors homeless (tent cities are still full, despite millions of dollars in relief aid pledged), exiled dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to his homeland. Many bloggers are still stunned at this latest political development and remain unclear as to the motive behind his visit.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Piano Man?
After all the brouhaha surrounding a missing grand piano (which has subsequently been found) at the Prime Minister's residence, the fake former PM has his say.
Trinidad & Tobago: Parliamentary Behaviour
“MEMBERS of Parliament read this carefully: Stop it. Stop it now. You are all killing Parliament…destroying one of the most crucial forums of our democracy…”: Tattoo explains.
Cuba: Where Do We Go From Here?
“In 2011, the sad thing isn’t that history is repeating itself, nor that they might recognize their mistakes after so much time in power…what is inconceivable is that they keep following the same policies that led them to failure”: Laritza's Laws wonders about Cuba's future.
