Latest posts by Nicholas Laughlin from December, 2011
Jamaica: why they lost the election
Active Voice analyses yesterday's general election in Jamaica, explaining how Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Jamaica Labour Party — who looked, a month ago, set to be returned to...
Trinidad and Tobago: a lesson about strength
When Passion.Fruit sets out to rescue a trapped pigeon, a random encounter with a passing grandmother teaches her a lesson about strength, patience, and wisdom. “She cooed and comforted —...
Jamaica: a new prime minister
As Girl with a Purpose reports, the governing Jamaica Labour Party was defeated in yesterday's general election, and People's National Party head Portia Simpson-Miller is Jamaica's new prime minister —...
Barbados: too many cars
Barbados Underground asks: how can the island solve its perennial traffic problem? “Barbados is 166 square miles and at some point commonsense will have to take root. The number of...
Guyana: crime and insecurity
“Travel around coastland Guyana and you will see it too,” writes Imran Khan: “burglar bars, grillwork, heavily armed company security forces, reinforced doors, guard huts, watchmen, security lights, CCTV cameras.”...
Bermuda: rethinking ties with Britain?
The British government is reviewing its relationship with its overseas territories, writes Catch a Fire, and inviting Bermudans to share their perspectives. “I think we need a new Constitutional Convention...
Cuba: on writer Achy Obejas
Montague Kobbe profiles Achy Obejas, a Cuban-American writer who “constantly challenging her readers to (re)think their positions in relation to the most basic principles that govern our attitudes towards each...
Jamaica: missing children
Where are the more than 500 children reported missing in Jamaica this year, asks Petchary — and why are more people not paying attention to “a serious issue which, at...
Jamaica: politician too loud?
Yvette J. Rowe contemplates a Jamaican election campaign advertisement that portrays opposition leader Portia Simpson-Miller as “too loud”: “These ads about attitude and posture are scoring dubious points rather than...
Barbados: leptospirosis outbreak
A government press conference addressing a leptospirosis outbreak prompts Barbados Free Press to ask some questions: “Why must every new leptospirosis outbreak be a surprise? Why are Barbados governments incapable...
Barbados: old-time Christmas
Barbados Underground indulges in some seasonal nostalgia and describes a traditional Christmas “the Bajan way”: “Our young ones are missing that special warmth that we made as children.”
Cuba: talking to Orlando Luis Pardo
Along the Malecón posts a three-part video interview with Cuban writer, photographer, and blogger Orlando Luis Pardo of the blog Boring Home Utopics.
Bermuda: a blog break?
Is Bermuda’s blogosphere “taking a general break from blogging”? “Many of the newer blogs that set up in the last year or two seem to have generally been abandoned,” writes...
Jamaica: support for LGBT rights?
In a televised election debate, Jamaica's opposition leader Portia Simpson-Miller expressed cautious support for LGBT rights and for repealing the country's buggery laws. Ross Sheil gives a summary of the...
Jamaica: out of context
In the run-up to a general election in Jamaica, is a political advertisement misrepresenting opposition leader Portia Simpson-Miller by taking her comments out of context? Active Voice asks: “is it...
Bermuda: military mess?
The United States maintained a military base in Bermuda for 50 years, finally departing in 1995. Who should clean up the pollution that got left behind, asks Catch a Fire?...
Guyana: politics and egg-pelting
Guyana-Gyal gives a wry account of a recent political protest in Guyana, involving an egg-pelting incident. “No-bady, noooobady can do politics like Turd Whirl people. We should call it Frolitics.”
Jamaica: election language
With a general election swiftly approaching in Jamaica, OwenSoft shares an online tool for comparing the frequency of words and phrases in the official election manifestos of the country's main...
Jamaica: debating Caribbean art publishing
The ARC magazine blog reports on a recent panel on art publishing in the Caribbean, hosted by the National Gallery of Jamaica, with video clips of the discussion.
Cuba: thinking about the film festival
Havana Times asks whether the Havana Film Festival has strayed from its original ideals — “Much has happened since its inception in 1978, since which time its revolutionary and emancipatory...
Cuba: succession fears
The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and the succession of his son prompts Generation Y to think about the Cuban government's own succession plans. “The dauphin over there...
