"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
Polish Captain Wladek Wagner and his wife Mabel — who lived in Trellis Bay in the mid-20th Century — had discussed writing “his” and “her” versions of their life together. …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Trellis history continues with account of house build”
In my Dec. 13 commentary “Story of Trellis Bay boatyard recounted,” I probably understated the dire straits in which Polish Captain Wladek Wagner’s family found themselves following his injury amid …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — History of Trellis Bay captain continues”
An alchemist dedicated to finding how to turn base metal into gold would have been amazed at Polish Captain Wladek Wagner’s ability to turn trash into useful objects (as I …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Story of Trellis Bay boatyard recounted”
In my Nov. 2 commentary, “More Trellis Bay history shared,” I described how Polish Captain Wladek Wagner and his men started building a shipyard in Trellis Bay. First, they recovered …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Trellis Bay chronicles continue”
In my Oct. 11 commentary “Trellis Bay chronicles continue,” I described how Polish Captain Wladek Wagner met Haldane Davis while building Witches Brew at Bar Bay, East End and bought …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — More Trellis Bay history shared”
My Sept. 13 commentary related how Wladek and Mabel Wagner — who eventually lived for several years in Trellis Bay — had discovered she was pregnant and abandoned the voyage …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Trellis Bay chronicles continue”
I described in my Aug. 30 commentary, “A VI wedding and Captain Wagner,” how an amusing incident after my wedding on Tortola in 1983 led me to discover my Virgin …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Brit recalls his early married life in Virgin Islands”
In my Aug. 17 commentary “Captain with VI links remembered,” I described how Polish sailor Wladek Wagner’s epic voyage to promote the reborn Poland started in summer 1931 when he …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — A Virgin Islands wedding and Captain Wagner”
I was introduced to Poland’s tragic history in my early teens when I read about the origins of the Dulwich Picture Gallery (as I recounted in my July 20 commentary, …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Polish captain with VI links remembered”
In celebrating the inauguration of direct flights between Miami and Beef Island and the reopening of Marina Cay, let us salute the pioneering work of Captain Wladek Wagner. The Polish …
Family and friends, we should celebrate the life of the last election campaign to be fought under the 2007 Constitution. Thanks to the polling staff’s professionalism and the election supervisor …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — ‘Post-mortem’ reviews election”
By the time you read this, I will probably have exercised a senior’s privilege to vote early in the 2023 general election. But to the majority of voters who have …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Senior advises against voting ‘all the way’”
According to a BVI Finance-funded report published last November, investment mediated by BVI Business Companies generated $14 billion each year in taxes for governments worldwide. Additionally, BVI Business Companies hold …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Incorporations sector considered”
The Virgin Islands’ reputation for good governance has been under a cloud, so it is surprising that a team from Commonwealth countries has not yet been invited to observe the …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for new census soon”
Mark Twain once said that history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. In the hurricanes of 2017, we heard echoes of what Virgin Islands residents experienced 150 years …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — 2017 disasters ‘rhymed’ with 1867’s”
On Aug. 26, 1854, the United Kingdom government replaced the Virgin Islands’ House of Assembly with a Legislative Council of only nine members following the Cattle Tax Riots (as recounted …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — VI’s political history reviewed”
Members of the House of Assembly representing a district are rewarded with a salary and other benefits for participating in the lawmaking process and furthering the interests of residents in …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Fahie urged to resign D-1 seat”
The National Unity Government’s performance to date gives its well-wishers scant assurance that its members understand the challenges the Virgin Islands is confronting, let alone have a strong enough vision …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Reform plan’s viability questioned”
A playwright stated in 1716, “’Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but death and taxes.” However, participants in the 1949 Great March in the Virgin Islands couldn’t have …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — ‘Taxes and death: a cautionary tale’”
Toxic fumes from the garbage fire burning on the hillside at West End are poor rewards to the First District’s electorate for its past loyalty to the disgraced former premier. …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for radical reforms in VI”
I write in support of The BVI Beacon’s Oct. 15 editorial titled “Premier should stop bickering with the UK.” I do, however, have certain reservations, particularly your assumption that constitutional …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Writer responds to Beacon editorial”
In my recent commentaries, I have been imagining the Virgin Islands of 2030 through the eyes of a 10-year-old Guyanese girl named Maria, her older brother Zak, and their father …
In my recent commentaries, I have been imagining the Virgin Islands of 2030 through the eyes of a 10-year-old Guyanese girl named Maria, her older brother Zak, and their father …
In my recent commentaries, I have been imagining the Virgin Islands of 2030 through the eyes of a 10-year-old Guyanese girl named Maria, her older brother Zak, and their father …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Banking, policing seen through 2030 lens”
In my recent commentaries, I have been imagining the Virgin Islands of 2030 through the eyes of a 10-year-old Guyanese girl named Maria, her older brother Zak, and their father …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — 2030 view considers land, corruption”