Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from June, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago: Smelter Not Welcome
“The State wants the people of Trinidad to believe that only a handful of residents of La Brea do not want the smelter. This is not true”: Attillah Springer and Rights Action Group T&T republish a press statement regarding the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter in La Brea.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Spy Games
Cuban bloggers are abuzz about the case involving accused spies Kendall Myers and his wife Gwendolyn.
Bahamas: No More Impunity
Womanish Words vociferously calls for “no more impunity in the Bahamas for those who commit violent crimes against children and women.”
Guyana: Passport to Efficiency
Guyanese blogger Imran Khan was pleasantly surprised by his most recent experience at the passport office: “Whoever is responsible for the upgrade…particularly the attitude and professionalism of the officers, needs to be issued with the highest commendations.”
Trinidad & Tobago: RIP “Shel Shok”
Trinidadian bloggers say farewell to late music producer Sheldon ‘$hel $hok’ Benjamin.
Bahamas: War vs. Domestic Violence
“Bahamian women and children are fighting for their lives in a terrible ongoing war that mainstream culture calls domestic violence,” reports Womanish Words.
Cayman Islands: Native Tongue
Islas Bellas says “there has been a little bit of a debate going on and around about speaking English while in Cayman.”
Haiti: Fr. Jean-Juste Laid to Rest
“People were there from the USA, Canada, and all over the Caribbean – people of different religions and cultures”: Haitian blogger Wadner Pierre attends the funeral of Father Gerard Jean-Juste.
Cuba: Flamenco!
Havana Times blogs about flamenco dancing in Cuba.
Guyana: Respecting Your Elders
“Children and young adults have lost, for the most part, the sense of respect for their elders”: Guyanese blogger Imran Khan explains.
Barbados: Lamming Turns 82
Repeating Islands wishes West Indian writer George Lamming a happy 82nd birthday.
Trinidad & Tobago: Cutlass
As the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister “sharpens his political cutlass”, Attillah Springer suggests that citizens are being led like lambs to the slaughter.
Dominican Republic: First Flu Death
Repeating Islands notes that the DR has reported its first death from the H1N1 virus.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime
This Beach Called Life takes a look at crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica: The Best of Caribbean Theatre
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts the results of his poll on the Top Ten Caribbean Theatre Classics.
Trinidad & Tobago: Safe Social Networking
Keith in Trinidad says that staying safe on social networking sites really comes down to having “a modicum of common sense”, but links to an article that offers security tips – just in case.
Jamaica: Valuing Treasures
Jamaica's Snailwriter notices that construction on the Treasure Beach canal has stopped: “Of course, it ‘stopped’ after the National Works Agency…had finished what they intended to do in this Phase One, had packed up their bulldozers and headed off to seek other funding to complete the destruction.”
Cuba: Thanks, but no thanks
Generation Y considers the lifting of the long-standing OAS ban on Cuba to be “like another hand offered, a new door opened, only to face the Cuban government’s unwillingness to accept it.”
Barbados: Multiculturalism
“Ultimately, both the concern that multiculturalism damages a political landscape and the concern that multiculturalism leads to volatile social conditions boil down to the question of integration”: Zak Rose, guest blogging at Bajan Dream Diary, examines whether immigration fears in Barbados are a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Jamaica: One Love
“For the four days that I was in Treasure Beach for Calabash 09, I saw two Jamaicas”: Litblogger Geoffrey Philp explains that he would “like to return to a place that doesn’t have 1,611 murders in one year. I don’t want two Jamaicas. I’d just like a Jamaica of One...
Cuba, USA: OAS Says “Yes”
After 47 years, the Organization of American States has lifted its ban on Cuba's admission from the group, with most member states restoring ties with the island nation. The United States, which still maintains a trade embargo against Cuba, was the notable exception. But the opinions of other hemispheric leaders won out. Cuba is free to be part of the OAS - despite its leadership's statements suggesting that it has no interest in returning. A few bloggers are making their feelings known...
