PR fail

A Beaconite was greatly amused reading this week about a spat between a prominent offshore financial publication and the Cayman Islands court system, In a nutshell, the Cayman court system announced a new policy of restricting the photocopying of court documents. Cayman officials sure picked the wrong time to make that move, though, doing so days before a major conference in Miami hosted by OffshoreAlert, which copies Cayman court records and makes them available for its online conference. So as the first speaker in a conference of hundreds of bigwig financial services folks, OffshoreAlert owner David Marchant had about as good of a bully pulpit as one could ask for to verbally eviscerate Cayman’s sequestration of public records. Mr. Marchant’s browbeating apparently worked, as Cayman reversed its policy on Monday. The whole episode has the Beaconite heartened at journalism’s ability to hold public officials’ feet to the fire — and uphold government transparency in the process.

First timer

On Saturday, a Beaconite attended the St. Thomas Carnival Parade for the first time. Not only was she thoroughly entertained by the variety in costumes and entries, she was impressed to see that the event started on time and there was hardly any lag between the troupes. She couldn’t help thinking that the Virgin Islands Festivals and Fairs Committee could learn a lesson or two from their United States VI counterparts.

Poison kits

Like many other community members, a Beaconite was sickened to hear about the recent string of animal poisonings. However, she was pleased to learn that the police are investigating the matter, and she hopes the culprits will soon be found. In the meantime, she encourages everyone who is concerned about the issue to purchase a poison treatment kit from a veterinarian. The kits start at about $40 and are reportedly easy to use. Even people who don’t own a pet might want to keep one handy to help out others. She also suggests that pet owners obtain an emergency contact number from their vet, in case their animal is harmed outside of normal business hours. Parents of young children should also educate themselves about how to treat poison ingestion. If criminals keep throwing poison around the territory, it is only a matter of time before a child eats some, and the consequences could be deadly.

Statelessness

A Beaconite has seen several people lash out online about the UNICEF report which claimed the Virgin Islands has some significant gaps in human rights when it comes to expatriate children. The Beaconite noted that many of the people denouncing the supposed “unreliability” of the report were embodying the very over-protectionist theme UNICEF seemed to be addressing. While the Beaconite understands the value of protectionism and preservation, especially with regard to such a small population, it should never come at the expense of human rights and statelessness. Some Facebook users argued that it is parents’ responsibility to give birth in a place that wouldn’t necessitate statelessness for their child, but this Beaconite thinks there’s more to the story. Yes, that may be the responsible move on behalf of a parent. But newborns emerge into the world with no say over the previous decisions of their parents, and they should not be punished with potential statelessness because of them. 

Made up

On Tuesday, a Beaconite interviewed Adrianna Soverall, a makeup artist who said she rarely leaves home without a full face of makeup. As pretty as most makeup applications look, the reporter may have to settle for having her own makeup done once every month or so. But she gives credit to women who dutifully and artistically paint their face in favour of beauty. Get some basic makeup tips from Ms. Soverall’s interview in the Weekend and Culture section.

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