Global Voices Online » Montserrat

Montserrat: Soufriere Activity

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:57:30 +0000

Repeating Islands has an update on the activity of Montserrat's Soufriere volcano.

Montserrat: Soufriere Lives

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:38:06 +0000

Repeating Islands blogs about recent volcanic activity on the island of Montserrat.

Montserrat, Dominica: Habitat Hope

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:56:23 +0000

Repeating Islands links to a report which suggests there is hope for Dominica and Montserrat's mountain chickens “after the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus throughout its habitat…”

Barbados, Montserrat: Mountain Chickens

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:39:44 +0000

Blogging from Barbados, Gallimaufry is concerned about the fate of the Montserrat mountain chicken.

Caribbean: WI Cricket Website

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:10:38 +0000

West Indies Cricket Blog thinks that “the official website of the West Indies Cricket Board…is now a waste of space on the world wide web. An embarrassment and a disgrace…”

Caribbean: Region Scores Big in Stanford 20/20 Cricket

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:15:19 +0000

A section of the crowd at the “Stanford 20/20 for 20 Super Series” - Photo courtesy Stanford 20/20 for use by media. Photography credit: Mediaimran - visit his flickr photostream.

U.S. billionaire Allen Stanford is trying to remake the face of cricket in hopes of turning it into the number one spectator sport in the world, perhaps one day even surpassing the popularity of football and baseball in his home country.

To this end, he has opened a cricket-themed restaurant (The Sticky Wicket) in Antigua, made a point of honouring West Indian cricket greats via The Sticky Wicket Hall of Fame and built the Stanford Cricket Ground - the location for his latest “big idea” - a 20/20 contest in which the winning team walks away with US$20 million (that's US$1 million per man) and the loser gets…well, nothing.

The “Stanford Superstars” celebrate the taking of another English wicket - Photo courtesy Stanford 20/20 for use by media. Photography credit: Mediaimran - visit his flickr photostream.

It all happened this past weekend. The Stanford Superstars roundly embarrassed the England team, winning the match by an astounding ten wickets and becoming overnight millionaires in the process. West Indian bloggers put in their two cents' worth…

From Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life says:

Whether people agree or not, 20/20 is the future of Cricket. I say this because in the real world of sports money talks louder than the traditionalist. 20/20 Cricket promoted by billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, has taken the gentleman’s game of cricket to a new commercial level very few sports enjoy. 20/20 may hardly resemble traditional test cricket and the limited 50 over game but it is intensely entertaining and may just be what the Americans will order if it is on the menu.

The 20 million dollar men - Photo courtesy Stanford 20/20 for use by media. Photography credit: Mediaimran - visit his flickr photostream.

Caribbean Beat Blog was thrilled at the victory and thought it went a long way to firing up regional cricket fans who have had more than their fair share of disappointment over the last few years:

A few minutes ago, the West Indies' Stanford Superstars seized a US$20 million victory in the Stanford 20/20 Super Series from tournament favourites England – without losing a wicket!

And it was a thrashing.

The future of the nascent Stanford 20/20 form of cricket, often maligned for being an American abbreviation of the game and for several peculiarities and controversies over the last week, seems to be secure. According to its creator, Sir Allen Stanford, ‘Caribbean cricket is back! This programme is working!'

And whether playing for regional pride or the US$1 million-a-player purse, the team gave often-disappointed West Indies fans plenty to celebrate, and much to feel hopeful about.

Abeni, who was “not actively following the game” from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was “still very happy the team won”:

Given their performances as the West Indies team, I didn't really give them much of a chance but they sure rose to the occasion. My only wish is that the young men use it wisely. Too often we hear of persons who have made millions becoming destitute all because of poor financial decisions. So fellas, enjoy your windfall but live smart.

Champagne Celebration - Photo courtesy Stanford 20/20 for use by media. Photography credit: Mediaimran - visit his flickr photostream.

In the words of Caribbean Beat:

Congrats to our million dollar men!

Jamaica, Montserrat, Trinidad & Tobago: Markham Passes On

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:42:21 +0000

Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp acknowledges the passing of E.A. (Archie) Markham, “a Caribbean literary giant”, while Nicholas Laughlin at Antilles says: “I deeply regret never having the chance to meet him, to match the wry, generous voice of his poems, fiction, and correspondence to the wryly generous man.”

St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Windies Beat South Africa

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:18:59 +0000

“This victory is so huge given the history of South African tours”: Abeni is thrilled that the West Indies cricket team have finally won a test match.

Trinidad & Tobago: More of the Same

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:41:16 +0000

“Does anyone actually know of any (other) company where this sort of thing happens and the persons responsible are not seriously reprimanded?” asks West Indies Cricket Blog, on hearing news of the West Indies Cricket Board's latest bungle.

Montserrat: Festival is 45!

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:31:32 +0000

Caribbean Beat Blog reports that despite the Soufriere Hills volcano eruption that began in 1995, the remaining inhabitants of the island are still celebrating their annual Montserrat Festival in style!

Caribbean: West Indies Cricket Board Elections

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:37:55 +0000

“You might think that the position is so blighted that no one wants it, or you may think it just odd that only one name apiece was tossed into the circle for the posts of president and vice-president of the West Indies Cricket Board.” Vaneisa Baksh at CaribbeanCricket.com weighs in on the WICB's upcoming elections.

Caribbean: Contemporary Art Exhibition

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:26:34 +0000

“Brooklyn sometimes feels like it is part of the Caribbean,” writes Caribbean Beat Blog, reporting on an upcoming exhibition of contemporary Caribbean art at the Brooklyn Museum.

Guadeloupe, Montserrat: Soufriere Hills Volcano Eruption

Alice Backer — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:48:34 +0000

Guadeloupe Attitude writes (Fr): “Mrs. Deborah Jones, Governor of the British island of Montserrat, ordered yesterday the evacuation of the volcano's North West zone. About 50 households are involved. La Soufriere Hills began erupting about a week ago. Monday, smoke columns over 7 kilometers high seeped out of it and the volcano spat out numerous volcanic rocks, an imminent danger to neighbors. We … in Guadeloupe hold our Montserrat brothers affectionately in our thoughts.”

Caribbean Women's Forum

Alice Backer — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 05:22:22 +0000

Collectif Haiti de Provence points to a Radio Kiskeya news article stating (Fr): “The 2d Caribbean Women's Forum ended the evening of November 10th in Fort-de-France, Martinique with the participation of a Haitian delegation led by Feminine Condition Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue … Delegations from various Caribbean countries (Guadeloupe, Dominica, Saint-Lucia, Haiti, Jamaica, Antigua, Martinique) had a two-day exchange around the theme ‘Women and Decision-making'.”

Caribbean: Exporting Carnival

Georgia Popplewell — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:36:51 +0000

“. . . it's interesting how these festivals have echoed, in a small way, the evolution of their original model in Trinidad, as a vehicle of solidarity, an assertion of identity, a gesture of defiance in a hostile environment,” says Jeremy Taylor, writing about the Carnivals “exported” by the Caribbean to the likes of London and New York.