As every news story about the world’s fascination with the 2008 US election race has reminded us, US politics have an effect that reaches far beyond that country’s borders. That’s something, however, of which we in the Caribbean region—where remittances from the US-based diaspora form a significant percentage of several territories’ GDP and skyrocketing crime [...]
In The Diaspora : Stabroek News Nikipedia questions the relevance of Carifesta in its current form: ". . . what might have seemed a radical effort to shape and understand our cultural identity in 1972 has become, thirty-six years later, a vehicle for perpetuating bureaucratic control of the arts, and a no longer relevant notion [...]
In this long overdue show, which was recorded way back in June, I interview Lisa Allen-Agostini, co-editor, with Jeanne Mason, of Trinidad Noir, the latest in the Noir series published by Akashic Books.
As promised, here’s an update on Trinidadian photographer Jeffrey Chock’s condition. As luck would have it, Jeffrey left two messages today on the Friends of Jeffrey Chock Facebook group page, so this info is from the horse’s mouth: “Thanks to all of you for caring enough to ask after my health after looking at the [...]
Bolt Breaks World Record and Wins Gold Again – Readers' Comments – The New York Times "To everybody who disapproves of Bolt's "showboating": when we in the Caribbean want to show the world how strong we are, we don't mobilise armies. We sing (Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, the Mighty Sparrow, Rihanna), we write poems (Derek [...]
I learned a few days ago that Trinidadian photographer Jeffrey Chock has fallen seriously ill on a trip to Canada, and is in urgent need of surgery. The estimated cost of that surgery, from what I have heard, is around TT$300,000 (US$48,000). The information I have about Jeffrey’s medical condition is third-hand, so I hesitate [...]
Pictured above is the South African visa as it looked in 1998 (top), and as it looks today, ten years later (bottom). To acquire one back in ’98, I had to route my flight through New York and pay a visit to the South African consulate on E 38th Street. To get one for [...]
A Tropical Mockingbird (mimus gilvus), underfeathers ruffled by the wind, just before this morning’s rainstorm.
Rakoto's rants: the malagasy dwarf hippo.: Number of Facebook users in the non-western world Lova charts the popularity of Facebook in the global south. Trinidad and Tobago, perhaps not surprisingly, comes in third in the "Central America" region. (tags: facebook socialnetworking)
