Janine Mendes-Franco · October, 2011

Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from October, 2011

Bahamas: Women's Right to Safety

  10 October 2011

“Crime in the Bahamas denies women and their children the right to safety, which is a human right,” says Womanish Words, adding: “The new Nobel laureates I hope will remind Bahamian women of this human right to safety , and inspire us to courage enough to speak out when this...

Trinidad & Tobago: Striving to be Better

  10 October 2011

“It’s when you know your weaknesses and work on them that you become truly remarkable. And that’s what I want for T&T”: Outlish blogs about the things Trinbagonians won't (but probably should) do.

Jamaica: Hiding “Behind Blackness”

  10 October 2011

Under the Saltire Flag shares an interesting perspective on the recent riots in London: “I have no problem accepting that in many areas Britain is blindly racist and must be called out on it. It can be frustraiting to realize that in many instances Jamaica is just as blindly racist...

Curacao: Comedy or Mockery?

  7 October 2011

TRIUNFO DI SABLIKA calls a comedy show that is in town for five performances “Afro-Curacaoan mockery disguised as comedy”, saying: “The moment we stop legitimizing everything that destroys our self image or stagnates it from growing will be the moment we win. The moment we smile.”

Curacao: Inadequate Narrative on Slavery

  7 October 2011

A Netherlands-based Curacaoan blogger shares his impression of the debate on the television series “De Slavernij” (The Slavery): “It seems…that the production team (I’m excluding the historians and experts for now) has put little to no thought in how to structure the complex narratives surrounding the subject of slavery.”

Bermuda: Economic Impact of Term Limits

  7 October 2011

“One day it's [term limits] about long term residency. The next about not letting expats steal jobs from Bermudians. Just pick one already will you”: Politics.bm says that the government is “doubling down on term limits with an election coming. This is very dangerous for Bermuda.”

Caribbean: Remembering the Genius of Steve Jobs

  6 October 2011

Steve Jobs' death has left a gaping hole in the world of technology. Caribbean bloggers took the opportunity to say “thank you” and talk about the role that Jobs - and the company he helped revolutionize - played in their lives.

Puerto Rico: Internet Leadership

  6 October 2011

Dondequiera says that “there is no way that Puerto Rico will ever have a chance of building an Internet startup community if we don't enjoy the same freedoms and access that are granted to other leaders on the Internet”, adding: “This isn't about status, it's about opportunity.”

Cuba: Fonseca Told to Get Lawyer

  6 October 2011

Uncommon Sense finds it interesting that jailed dissidents Sara Fonseca and her husband Julio Leon have been advised to obtain legal counsel, calling it “a suggestion that indicates the regime plans to formally prosecute the couple because of their anti-communist activism.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Proper Procurement Procedure

  6 October 2011

Afra Raymond blogs about the importance of proper procurement practices regarding “the development of Invader’s Bay, a 70-acre parcel of State-owned reclaimed land”, saying: “The publication of the [Request For Proposal]…give the impression that a proper procurement process is underway at Invader’s Bay. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Cuba, Jamaica: “Them is Russians Too”

  5 October 2011

“The totalitarian regime in Cuba seeks to rewrite its past to give the appearance of being relevant and ‘with it'”: Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter uses an upcoming homage concert to Bob Marley to prove his point, saying: “The best way Cubans can honor Bob Marley is to get...

Jamaica: A Proud Black History

  5 October 2011

It's Black History Month in the UK and Kei Miller turns on its head “those tired statements of black pride – how, for instance, we are the sons and daughters of kings and queens”, saying: “It seems so banal…it betrays such a lack of imagination. Me… I’d rather imagine other...

Curacao: Remembering Our Heroes

  4 October 2011

TRIUNFO DI SABLIKA remembers the day in 1795 when “Tula and the rest of our liberation warriors [were] executed after they revolted against the Dutch slavery system”, saying: “One of the main reasons you forget about the killings of our freedom fighting warriors easily is because we have a cultural...