Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from July, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago: In Pictures
A few “random shots” of Trinidad and Tobago, courtesy This Beach Called Life.
Barbados: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
“Our culture and attitudes must change from that of ‘guvment take care of it’ to ‘This street is mine and I must take care of my property’.”: Barbados Free Press says that there's no excuse for not recycling.
Barbados: Breath, Art, Memory
As Barbadian blogger Ingrid Persaud struggles with an art commission about memory “in the context of a larger exhibition about the international preservation of documentary memory”, she says: “Memories are things we have a place in our history for. Trauma is the stuff that has not yet found its place....
Bermuda: Celebrity Tours
As Bermuda introduces “celebrity tours”, 21 Square says: “For those who believe that…tourism can be rejuvenated via exclusivity and prestige, this is horrifying…the absolute opposite direction for Bermuda tourism that we should be taking.”
Cuba: Biscet's Birthday
Uncommon Sense marks the 48th birthday of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a political prisoner “who by his example provides the moral leadership needed for that struggle [for freedom] to eventually prevail.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Cricket Again
“Am I the only one who finds it amusing that WIPA has asked the Caribbean Govts to intervene in the cricket dispute?”: From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni blogs about “this cricket thing”.
Puerto Rico, Bahamas: Education Issues
Puerto Rico's Gil the Jenius and Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe take issue with the education systems in their respective countries.
Barbados, Jamaica: Rock & A Hard Place
Today, the Jamaican government will announce whether it is taking the International Monetary Fund up on its offer of financial aid – guest blogging at Bajan Dream Diary, Leesha Delatie-Budair says: “Basically, we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Stifling Democracy
In response to a move by the Trinidad and Tobago government to have the Director of Public Prosecutions consider laying charges against a group of citizens who protested outside the Prime Minister's residence, This Beach Called Life says: “When people say you and your Government don’t care, Mr. Prime Minister,...
Jamaica: Jacksons to Perform
Girl With a Purpose and Repeating Islands report that Jamaica's Reggae Sumfest is being pegged as a “salute to Michael Jackson” this year – and the Jackson brothers are scheduled to perform.
Aruba, Suriname: Journey of Discovery
“It was so incredibly beautiful. The big trees rising from the gorges. The river flowing seemingly endless past the jungle…”: Arubagirl visits Suriname and posts some photos from her trip.
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Plantation Governance
“My thesis is that Caribbean governments today are run exactly like the plantations of old, the only difference being that there are fewer white people cracking whips; the overseers have taken over the Great House”: Barbados-based Trinidadian blogger B.C. Pires builds on the late Lloyd Best's Theory of Plantation Economy.
Cuba: Independent Journalists
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks that “whether by coincidence or coordination, a crackdown on Cuba's independent journalists seems to be underway, based on various recent reports.”
Trinidad & Tobago: We Have A Problem
In anticipation of the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, Trinidad-based blogger This Beach Called Life thinks that Port of Spain has a problem.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, U.S.A.: On Sotomayor
Cuban diaspora blogger 26th Parallel urges people to consider Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court based on merit, while The Voice of the Taino People Online reminds the media that “there is no more a Puerto Rican race than there is an American one.”
Jamaica: Emmy Nomination
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp reports that “LIVEHOPELOVE.COM, a website about living with AIDS in Jamaica, has been nominated in the United States for a prestigious Emmy award.”
Puerto Rico: Playing the Princess?
“When things get tough, the Dream is what unites, what keeps an individual and a group moving forward”: Gil the Jenius is concerned that the Puerto Rican dream is to be rescued and throws out a challenge: “Show Me We aren't the princess. Go ahead, try to show Me Our...
Dominica: Investing in Women
Dominica Weekly says that the island's “muted” celebration of World Population Day was an opportunity lost “to start to create meaningful change in the lives of our women”, but adds: “It’s never be too late to create a positive movement…”
Bermuda: Thoughts on Capital Punishment
“Due to the recent (and not so recent) spate of violent deaths, there has been much talk about the lenience of our laws pertaining to murder and manslaughter”: Bermuda Jewel advocates the reintroduction of capital punishment.
Jamaica: Returning Home
Francis Wade agrees that “the country you leave is not the country you return to”, advocating instead that returning Jamaicans come home “with a flexible, open mind that is willing to enter into an entirely new experience.”
Jamaica: Time for Arbitration?
From Jamaica, Girl With a Purpose thinks that the conflict between the West Indies Players Association and the West Indies Cricket Board “needs to go to arbitration…the West Indian public needs to know the truth behind this current impasse.”
