Nicholas Laughlin

untitled (14.06 00:33) So many islandsFrom my hotel in Oyster Pond, on the east coast of Dutch Sint Maarten, to Cove Bay, on the south coast of Anguilla, it was a little over ten miles, as the seagull flies.Last Sunday, with my official obligations at the St. Martin Book Fair completed, and the weather perfect for the beach, I decided I'd nip over one island to the north to have lunch with a friend and a swim. The drive... ]\" id=\"f_26528071\">untitled
untitled (05.06 17:43) The box of teaOn 4 June, 1989, the Chinese government sent tanks into Tiananmen Square to clear out the pro-democracy protesters--many of them university students--who for seven weeks had occupied this iconic ground in the middle of Beijing. No one knows how many protesters were arrested, beaten, or killed during what some now call the Tiananmen Square massacre, and many acts of courage and defian... ]\" id=\"f_25883147\">untitled
untitled (31.05 05:40) OverheardAt the Calabash Literary Festival, Treasure Beach, Jamaica; 22 May, 2009:My last lover was a Maroon. Or so he said.... ]\" id=\"f_25608847\">untitled
untitled (12.05 04:44) Herd instincts(Written for the very belated February 2009 Caribbean Review of Books.)... ]\" id=\"f_25220477\">untitled
untitled (30.03 21:38) Paradise™(Written for the forthcoming e-catalogue of Christopher Cozier’s Available at All Leading Stores, published for the 2009 Trienal Poli/Gráfica de San Juan.)... ]\" id=\"f_23073228\">untitled
untitled (29.03 20:43) Everybody wore painted toenails thenI had read and heard so many malicious accounts of Mrs. Jagan that I was prejudiced in her favour. Although she has suffered much from visiting writers, she received me kindly in her small air-conditioned office. She sat behind a large desk, neatly ordered, on which were photographs of her husband and children. Her bag was on the floor. I thought her far more ..... ]\" id=\"f_23073229\">untitled
untitled (16.03 19:51) Phagwah faces... ]\" id=\"f_22270595\">untitled
untitled (15.03 17:00) A week in the life: 8 to 14 March, 2009Read: The first half of Marlon James's new novel, The Book of Night Women; lots of random stuff onlineWrote: emailsListened: to Horace Andy and Bob Marley; and a bit of Ella FitzgeraldSwam: at Doctor's Cave Beach in Montego BayHiked: up an old donkey trail from Top Jack into the southern foothills of the Blue MountainsFlew: back home from Jamaica. My brother ... ]\" id=\"f_22179131\">untitled
untitled (27.01 21:27) John Updike, 1932-2009I ate my sandwich, brewed a cup of tea, returned to my desk, and loaded up the New York Times. The first thing I saw was a photo of John Updike, with his typical air of worldly amusement. I started to smile, thinking there'd be an article or interview I could read before snugging back down to work. Then I read the headline and spilled my tea. Updike is dead.I'm shocked by how... ]\" id=\"f_20278101\">untitled
untitled (02.01 15:47) Happy new yearSo as a new year's present to the nation the Express has fired B.C. Pires, that newspaper's best writer. His final column there appears today.Sentence for sentence, paragraph for paragraph, insight for insight, B.C. is one of the finest writers at work not just in Trinidad and Tobago but in the Caribbean. He is fiercely intelligent, profoundly sane, a masterful craftsman of prose, an... ]\" id=\"f_17913465\">untitled

Janine Mendes Franco

Blogging for a Cause (12.05 20:50) If you’re going to blog, why not blog for a good cause? That’s exactly the thinking behind this initiative and why I’m writing this post about the wonderful and important work that Global Voices Advocacy does. An offshoot of the amazing Global Voices Online, which basically is the go-to aggregator for blogs all over the world that may not otherwise be heard, the site Advocacy arm focuses much-ne... ]\" id=\"f_25220476\">Blogging for a Cause
Stupid is as stupid does (13.01 16:27) Are we seriously, unabashedly and mind-numbingly this stupid? First we are told that the “old” Piarco airport (you know, the one that was abandoned in favour of the new multi-million dollar “barn” design) would be refurbished for the sole purpose of processing the arriving dignitaries for the Fifth Summit of the Americas - a gala affair for which there was also talk of leasing 200 BMWs for use ... ]\" id=\"f_18647925\">Stupid is as stupid does
Call for Rising Voices Proposals (24.12 00:06) Global Voices has two key arms that are doing magnificent work. Rising Voices, which handles citizen media outreach, is now accepting project proposals for microgrant funding of up to US $5,000 for worthwhile media outreach projects. The idea is to fund projects that teach citizen media techniques to communities that need to be heard, but do not have the tools at their disposal to learn about ... ]\" id=\"f_17385265\">Call for Rising Voices Proposals
Donate to Global Voices (22.12 21:08) In a world riddled by division and intolerance, there is an ever-evolving, shining example of how we can actually live. Global Voices. Started as a simple blog in 2005, GV is now a global family of more than 150 active volunteer authors and translators and more than 20 part-time regional and language editors. GV stories can now be read in a whopping 21 different languages and the organisation a... ]\" id=\"f_17385267\">Donate to Global Voices
Limited Thinking (30.10 19:54) So I’m line waiting to pay my phone bill when two elderly, middle-class gentlemen join the queue and begin to chat. Fellow #1: So how are you? You good? Fellow #2: Good, man. #1: You keeping healthy? Exercising? #2: I getting plenty exercise dealing with the illiterates in this country. (Proceeds to refer to specific government agencies that are not providing him with his preferred level of se... ]\" id=\"f_14691654\">Limited Thinking
That US Presidential Race (30.10 12:51) So we all know that politics is a game. But bear with me for a moment and let’s compare politics with sports. You’re a swimmer. Or a track and field sprinter. You’re in the home stretch. The finish line is so close you can almost touch it. What do you do? A smart athlete - a well-trained one - would keep his eyes on the prize and concentrate on running his own race. But what is McCain doin... ]\" id=\"f_14691655\">That US Presidential Race
When Television was Television (30.10 00:10) The local television industry has lost one of its founding fathers. God speed, Uncle John. It was a pleasure to have known you. John Trevor Barsotti: October 24 1937 - October 24 2008. ... ]\" id=\"f_14620355\">When Television was Television
Flashback (24.10 19:12) The air is different this morning. It’s not the still, humid, slightly oppressive atmosphere we’ve become accustomed to during this long, intense rainy season. Which is not to say that the wet season hasn’t brought its usual abundant blessings. The hills are emerald green, lush with possibility. Wet season is the harbinger of hope that leaves you awestruck by the simplest of miracles - a ripe ... ]\" id=\"f_14496049\">Flashback
Are the Republicans Serious? (29.09 20:31) A snippet from Katie Couric’s recent interview with Sarah Palin: Couric: You recently said three times that you would never, quote, “second guess” Israel if that country decided to attack Iran. Why not? Palin: We shouldn’t second guess Israel’s security efforts because we cannot ever afford to send a message that we would allow a second Holocaust, for one. Israel has got to have the opp... ]\" id=\"f_13663526\">Are the Republicans Serious?
Interesting (29.05 15:37) Came across this post today by Bahamian blogger Larry Smith. In examining the escalating crime rate and the higher incidence of violence among the country’s youth, he writes: As former Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce chief Chris Lowe says: “Our laws have worked well in the past, but seem not to work today. The laws have not changed, nor have the rules governing the police and courts. So what ha... ]\" id=\"f_9096055\">Interesting

Jonathan Ali

untitled (15.02 17:35) But with all those other things to be anxious or angry about, all the ills and inequalities of our society, is it really worth getting upset about losing the Boissiere House? I think it is. Because this is a line in the sand, a test of how mercenary and philistine we really have become. Contemporary Trinidad seems hell-bent on destroying everything we have that is beautiful and authentic,... ]\" id=\"f_6600994\">untitled
untitled (15.02 17:35) But with all those other things to be anxious or angry about, all the ills and inequalities of our society, is it really worth getting upset about losing the Boissiere House? I think it is. Because this is a line in the sand, a test of how mercenary and philistine we really have become. Contemporary Trinidad seems hell-bent on destroying everything we have that is beautiful and authentic,... ]\" id=\"f_9414903\">untitled
untitled (13.02 21:41) And yet it moves.... ]\" id=\"f_6600995\">untitled
untitled (13.02 21:41) And yet it moves.... ]\" id=\"f_9414904\">untitled
untitled (17.01 17:53) She said, You're pretty good with words But words won't save your life And they didn't So he died -- The Hold Steady, Stuck Between Stations... ]\" id=\"f_6104398\">untitled
untitled (17.01 17:53) She said, You're pretty good with words But words won't save your life And they didn't So he died -- The Hold Steady, Stuck Between Stations... ]\" id=\"f_9414905\">untitled
untitled (25.10 20:51) And the prize for best T&T newspaper website goes to... The Newsday. I've just been having a tootle (yes, I said tootle) around the Express, Guardian and Newday sites. In terms of navigability and aesthetics, Newsday comes out tops. The Jamette of St. Vincent Street (and the guardian of our democracy) comes in second. Express gets the wooden spoon. (Really, Express, is that a website or an HTML..... ]\" id=\"f_4531943\">untitled
untitled (25.10 20:51) And the prize for best T&T newspaper website goes to... The Newsday. I've just been having a tootle (yes, I said tootle) around the Express, Guardian and Newday sites. In terms of navigability and aesthetics, Newsday comes out tops. The Jamette of St. Vincent Street (and the guardian of our democracy) comes in second. Express gets the wooden spoon. (Really, Express, is that a website or an HTML..... ]\" id=\"f_9414907\">untitled
untitled (25.10 19:32) Two letter writers take up the same theme in today's Newsday. With the election bearing down on us, they both demand the same thing: a national debate between the leaders of the three main political parties. It would be, as one of the writers points out, the first time such a thing occurred in T&T's political history. The three party leaders--yes, the UNC-A has two leaders, but we all know which.... ]\" id=\"f_4531944\">untitled
untitled (25.10 19:32) Two letter writers take up the same theme in today's Newsday. With the election bearing down on us, they both demand the same thing: a national debate between the leaders of the three main political parties. It would be, as one of the writers points out, the first time such a thing occurred in T&T's political history. The three party leaders--yes, the UNC-A has two leaders, but we all know which.... ]\" id=\"f_9414908\">untitled

Karel McIntosh

Outlish Magazine - New Magazine for Trini young adults (29.03 19:03) Late last year, I professed to be rededicating myself to this blog, after having neglected it for quite some time. Obviously, I fell short on my promise. But not without good reason. Having left my full-time job, late last year, possibilities opened up to me, or should I say… I opened myself up to (...) ... ]\" id=\"f_206013006\">Outlish Magazine - New Magazine for Trini young adults
Mista Vybe on using Social Media to take Soca to the world (16.01 19:02) Social media is made for networking, pushing your brand, and forming new connections. In the case of soca artiste, Mista Vybe, most popularly known for his hits “Ting 4 d Road”, and “Always on my Mind” with Michelle Sylvester, and 2010 song “Mad Again”, this rings true. When I posted a list of Caribbean celebrities (...) ... ]\" id=\"f_190733175\">Mista Vybe on using Social Media to take Soca to the world
Online real estate - Brandjacking on Twitter (09.11 19:56) For companies that have no current plans of using Facebook or Twitter (though I think you should be on at least one), the thought of reserving your brand’s space ahead of time isn’t at the top of your list. However, in the digital age, you’ve got to protect your online real estate. My friends often poke (...) ... ]\" id=\"f_167779957\">Online real estate - Brandjacking on Twitter
T&T Advertising Icon - Astra Da Costa (21.10 20:11) When news broke of Astra Da Costa’s passing late last week, I didn’t rush to post anything. I’d found out the same night via Facebook. But, I didn’t rush. I didn’t rush because I did not know her, so I could not write from experience, and I would not pretend to be an authority on (...) ... ]\" id=\"f_154954562\">T&T Advertising Icon - Astra Da Costa
Caribbean celebrities on Twitter (14.10 22:03) Celebrities on Twitter; it’s the new fan mail – with direct, instant, and real-time contact. For them, it’s an addiction. For us, it’s a way to get that much closer to the celebs we adore, a way to feel as if we know them just a bit better because of the 140 characters they use to express themselves or update us about upcoming projects. American celebs, as well as those in the UK and Canada, have... ]\" id=\"f_148561659\">Caribbean celebrities on Twitter
Join CPR on Facebook (11.10 01:47) It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog, and entered the email sphere of my subscribers. But that’s about to change very soon. I want to start back blogging regularly, and aim to do so by the end of the week with an entertaining and insightful piece on Twitter. I’ve also created a Facebook page for Caribbean Public Relations, and I invite you to join me there, as we discuss communications is... ]\" id=\"f_148561660\">Join CPR on Facebook
PR Newswire Strengthens Caribbean Influence through Partnership (30.07 19:53) Agreement further extends PR Newswire’s industry leading global distribution services NEW YORK, July 28 /PRNewswire/ - PR Newswire today announced a distribution agreement with CaribPR Wire that enhances PR Newswire’s exposure to the Caribbean region while providing a gateway for businesses and organizations in the Caribbean to communicate with audiences throughout the world. “PR Newswire’s pa... ]\" id=\"f_80735412\">PR Newswire Strengthens Caribbean Influence through Partnership
Inspiration… it’s like hide and seek (22.07 18:29) Inspiration. It’s something that can avoid you like the plague, just when you need it the most. Books tell us to be patient, to take our time, and to do something totally unrelated to the project at hand. That’s good advice. But do we always have the time? You know the answer to that. Yet regardless of the production schedule that we’re on… the job has to get done. That’s been my position for the ... ]\" id=\"f_53134178\">Inspiration… it’s like hide and seek
Lukaszewski heads to Barbados (15.05 23:20) Voted by The Corporate Legal Times as one of the top “28 experts to call when all hell breaks loose”, James E. Lukaszewski (ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA) is a much sought out facilitator on strategic corporate communications. On June 18, 2009, he will conduct a one-day seminar entitled, ‘Does the boss listen to you?’ in Barbados at the Savannah Hotel located at Hastings, St. Michael. Hosted by the B... ]\" id=\"f_25220478\">Lukaszewski heads to Barbados
Internships at MACO Magazines (06.05 18:43) Toute Bagai Publishing (TBP) - publisher of MACO Caribbean Living, Destinations, MACO People, and other great publications - is inviting applications for internships for the period May to August, 2009. TBP is looking for three interns. Candidates must be studying journalism and/ or publishing, and have an interest in magazine publishing specifically. The internship will require research, editori... ]\" id=\"f_24460816\">Internships at MACO Magazines

Carlos Gradaille's Photos

Nicholas Laughlin

Janine Mendes Franco

Jonathan Ali

Nicholas Laughlin's Photos

Karel McIntosh