By Annalee Newitz
December 18, 2009 – http://io9.com
Critics have called alien epic Avatar a version of Dances With Wolves because it’s about a white guy going native and becoming a great leader. But Avatar is just the latest scifi rehash of an old white guilt fantasy. Spoilers…
Continue reading When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like “Avatar”?
United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark
President Barack Obama — December 18, 2009
President Barack Obama spoke on the last day of climate talks at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The President called on all major economies to put forward decisive national actions that will reduce their emissions and turn the corner on climate change.
Continue reading Obama Pledges Action With Or Without Climate Deal
By Lee Salter
December 14th 2009 – Venezuelanalysis.com
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
Researchers at the University of the West of England, UK, have exposed ongoing and systematic bias in the BBC’s news reporting on Venezuela. Dr Lee Salter and Dr Dave Weltman analysed ten years of BBC reports on Venezuela since the first election of Hugo Chavez to the presidency in an ongoing research project, and their findings so far show that the BBC’s reporting falls short of its legal commitment to impartiality, truth and accuracy.
Continue reading A Decade of Propaganda? The BBC’s Reporting of Venezuela.
Chavez Slams Rich Nations at Copenhagen, Calls for Systemic Change to Save Planet
By Kiraz Janicke
December 16, 2009 – Venezuelanalysis.com
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
During his speech to the 15th United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slammed the “lack of political will” of the most powerful nations to take serious action to avert climate change, and called for systemic change to save the planet.
Continue reading Chavez Slams Rich Nations at Copenhagen
By William Blum
December 10, 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
All the crying from the left about how Obama “the peace candidate” has now become “a war president” … Whatever are they talking about? Here’s what I wrote in this report in August 2008, during the election campaign:
Continue reading The Peace Candidate Myth: Yeswecanistan
By Ras Tyehimba
December 09, 2009
Trinidad and Tobago recently hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2009 under the theme “partnering for a more equitable and sustainable future”. Fifty-three leaders of countries, formerly direct colonies, gathered in Port of Spain, under the symbolic leadership of Queen Elizabeth II. The general responses to the Summit have been quite unsatisfactory, especially in terms of the lack of critical perspectives and understanding of the operations of the Commonwealth organisation and our own government’s participation in this. The shallow mainstream media reporting and discouragement of perspectives and activities that may “embarrass the government” has meant that people of the so-called Commonwealth, in countries across the world, have been locked into the agendas of Imperial countries. By looking at the Commonwealth of Nations from a historical perspective, there can be greater awareness of how various hierarchies and systems of control have evolved from the period of direct colonialism to the present.
Continue reading CHOGM’s Shameful Legacy
By Stephen Chan
December 03, 2009 – guardian.co.uk
A Commonwealth summit in Trinidad and Tobago was careful to shield delegates from the plight of nearby slum residents
Sea Lots is a slum that lies only a kilometre from the luxury hotels where the presidential and prime ministerial delegations from 53 Commonwealth countries, including the Queen, gathered last weekend in Trinidad and Tobago. Two huge cruise ships were tethered alongside it to provide overflow accommodation for the great and good. Many of them were confined to windowless cabins.
Continue reading In the shadow of Commonwealth excess
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
PoS CHOGM ends
COMMONWEALTH leaders yesterday paid glowing tribute to Trinidad and Tobago for hosting one of the most successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) in the 60-year history of the organisation. The leaders paid their tributes as they delivered their closing statements in the presence of local and international journalists during the final executive meeting of the CHOGM in the Port-of-Spain ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Centre.
Continue reading PoS CHOGM ends
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
PoS climate deal sealed
HISTORY was made in Port-of-Spain yesterday as Commonwealth leaders reached a groundbreaking agreement on climate change on day two of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). This was revealed at a news conference held at the International Financial Centre in Port-of-Spain by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Denmark Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
Continue reading PoS climate deal sealed
By Amilcar Sanatan – UWI Student
November 29, 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
The Commonwealth is a voluntary intergovernmental organisation that covers fifty-three independent states. The collection of nations that belong to the organisation and the two billion people they represent justify its existence. The Commonwealth organisation has established itself throughout the former colonies of the British Empire and the world.
Continue reading Ahead Has No Crown