Latest posts by Nicholas Laughlin from September, 2009
Bermuda: national identity
“Who are we?” asks Tales from the Triangle's Tip. News of an upcoming visit to Bermuda by Queen Elizabeth II raises questions about national identity in the British Overseas Territory. “After 400 years, we are still defined by a queen, a crown.”
Bermuda: too wobbly for business?
Vexed Bermoothes investigates why a major insurance company is moving its headquarters from Bermuda to Ireland. “So what’s bothering the international executives?… Work permit issues. Wobbly political environment. Uncertain future tax status.”
Cuba: underground punk
Octavo Cerco posts video and photos from a concert by a Cuban underground punk band. “It looks like this year Porno Para Ricardo has broken its record of concerts given, that happens when the authorities assume you do not exist publicly.”
Jamaica: utilities hardship
Stunner's Afflictions notes the coincidence that the same day Jamaica's power company raised its rates, the Bank of Jamaica introduced the new JA$5,000 bill, the country's highest denomination banknote. “Now we can cover more bills with less notes. That's the only good way of looking at it.”
Trinidad and Tobago: against anti-gay violence
gspottt reacts to news that a member of Trinidad's GLBT community has been killed.”The murder comes … in the middle of an ongoing spate of internet dating-initiated violence and blackmail of community members…. It’s beyond time to take stronger community action to prevent and address such violence.”
Trinidad and Tobago: film partners
The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival blog offers notes from a panel discussion of “the future of co-productions in the Caribbean”, with contributions from filmmakers and other creative professionals.
Cuba: activist arrested and released
Uncommon Sense reports the arrest and subsequent release of Cuban activist and journalist Belinda Salas Tapanes in Havana. “Salas is president of the Federation of Latin American Women (FLAMUR), one of the more effective opposition groups in Cuba.”
British Virgin Islands: conservation victory
Repeating Islands reports on a legal victory for environmentalists in the British Virgin Islands, who oppose the construction of a hotel and golf course in a protected area.
Barbados, Guyana: forest outpost?
Living in Barbados examines an audacious 16-year-old proposal to establish a Barbadian outpost in the interior of Guyana, thus addressing the problems of overpopulation in one country and underdevelopment in the other.
Bahamas: window to the past
Bahama Pundit takes a look at a 186-year-old document of life in the Bahamas: the diary of an American doctor who lived in Nassau in the early 19th century. “Townsend witnessed the declining days of the decadent plantation society that the Loyalists had tried to build in the Bahamas following...
Cuba: gift packages
The Cuban Triangle analyses the US Commerce Department's new regulations on sending gift packages to Cuba. “These regulations are another good, humane move…. It recognizes that Americans in general might have something positive to contribute.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: “good hair”
“If you are black, female from a post-colonial space you will have had this discussion at some point in your life.” Empath considers the ever-knotty question of what it means for black women to have “good hair”. “My locks … constitute a very important part of my identity and I...
Trinidad and Tobago: a fine balance
Jumbie's Watch shares a joke about the “balance” between Trinidad's many assets and advantages and the failings of its political leadership.
Trinidad and Tobago: GLBT religious service
gspottt reports on a recent Anglican religious service in Trinidad “targeted to GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] people and their loved ones on the theme of peace, human rights and inclusion…. The sermon challenged GLBT people to not see our struggle as so unique … and to recognize that...
Barbados: Bolt vs. Gay
Doan Mind Me shares his conflicted thoughts on the news that US sprinter Tyson Gay has equalled Jamaican Usain Bolt's 100-metre Olympic record. “Is it that when I see a Jamaican/Caribbean man running them times then I believe that he's clean cause I more easily empathize with him than with...
Trinidad and Tobago: tranquil temple
Now Is Wow Too posts a tranquil, meditative video filmed near the famous Temple in the Sea in central Trinidad. “In the background, water laps, a bird sings in the tree and a woman sings in the Temple.”
Haiti, USA: MacArthur award for Danticat
Repeating Islands reports that Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat has won a prestigious “genius award” from the MacArthur Foundation.
Suriname: R.I.P. Henk Tjon
Celebrated Surinamese playwright and theatre director Henk Tjon died in Paramaribo on 18 September, 2009. The Bahamas-based Ringplay Productions blog remembers “his passion and his eloquence on the subject of the role of the arts in Caribbean society.”
Bermuda: decriminalising cannabis?
21 Square joins the debate over decriminalising cannabis in Bermuda. “Our present stance on cannabis has created a black market intent on fulfilling demand that is consuming our island and causing our crime rates to soar…. we maintain a punishment scheme for users which outweighs the actual crime.”
Jamaica: honouring Usain Bolt
Active Voice reflects on how the Jamaican government has honoured star athlete Usain Bolt, and shares information about a new documentary film called Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?
Anguilla: abandoned hotel?
Corruption-free Anguilla stumbles upon an abandoned hotel construction site, and asks questions about development policy and the possibility of government involvement. “The buildings just sit there, enigmatic, clueless.”
