Costly comment
When working on stories that involve complex legal issues, Beaconites sometimes consult attorneys to make sure their reporting is accurate.
That was the case last week when a Beaconite was working on a story about the impending firearms legislation that will soon increase the penalties for possessing guns and other prohibited weapons. The Beaconite called an attorney in an attempt to confirm whether people will be able to obtain licences for paintball guns, Tasers, and other weapons that were added to a list of “prohibited weapons.” But he was told that he would have to pay $800 to receive an answer to his inquiry. The Beaconite understands that time is very valuable to the territory’s lawyers, and he understands that they are sometimes unavailable for comment. However, he feels that this particular lawyer’s $800 demand for the answer was somewhat off-putting, especially since the question had to do with a public-interest question that will affect many people in the Virgin Islands. A simple “no comment” would have sufficed. Thankfully, there are many other attorneys who are willing to take their time to answer pressing questions about legal matters affecting the public. In fact, a different attorney answered the reporter’s question without charging a dime.
Tropical diseases
The much-publicised Ebola outbreak that affected several West African countries last year and caused worldwide concern has largely subsided. But medical officials in the Virgin Islands will be on the lookout for several other diseases, some of them deadly. VI health workers are now required to alert government if they treat patients with symptoms of Lassa fever, Marburg virus and West Nile virus, according to a notice Gazetted on April 2. A Beaconite hopes that this preventive measure will never have to be used in practice and thinks that health practitioners should be applauded for the work that they do.
Bike safety
While crossing Waterfront Drive this weekend, a Beaconite was almost run over by a scooter. The driver manoeuvred recklessly between vehicles in traffic and clearly was not paying attention to pedestrians and other road users. The reporter also noted that he was not wearing a helmet. The Beaconites wishes that drivers would be more responsible, and she notes that police might want to crack down on such recklessness in the capital city.
Name in lights
A Virgin Islands artist got a welcome boost this week. Businessman Sir Richard Branson mentioned Aragorn Dick-Read’s flaming fireball sculptures on his blog as part of a post about fireside storytelling. He also included a photo of one of Mr. Dick-Read’s sculptures that was commissioned for Necker Island. As of press time, the post had been shared 1,600 times and Tweeted 523 times.
Free business idea
Co-working is what happens when a group of people come into the same space to do work. Creating co-working spaces is a business idea that is gaining popularity in the United States and elsewhere, as freelancers, entrepreneurs, travellers and others who need little more than a laptop, a power supply and a decent Internet connection to do their work realise that sometimes it can be nice to do that work in the presence of others. The idea has been successful in places like Phoenix, Seattle, New York, and Cambodia, and the reporter, having met many VI residents who are essentially one-person small businesses, thinks the idea could work here too. She doesn’t happen to have any convenient storefront-type property of her own to devote to the VI’s first co-working space, but she figures some Beacon readers might.
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