Better safe…

A Beaconite has to confess that she was concerned about one of the common reactions she saw on social media to the relatively uneventful passing of Hurricane Gonzalo this week: disappointment.

The reporter understands that storm preparation can be a lot of work, particularly for those along the immediate coast and in the territory’s many marinas and boatyards, but she doesn’t think that those who prepared and then saw no ill effects from the storm should think of their efforts as wasted. The reporter herself takes to heart the old saying “better safe than sorry.” She thinks of such incident-free storms and near misses as good practice: If the worst should happen, she’ll know she did everything possible to stay safe, fed and healthy. The Beaconite hopes that residents will continue to be well prepared for emergencies, and not become complacent.

Sewage report

In the course of writing long articles such as this week’s special report on the territory’s struggle to create a public sewer system (see page one), a Beaconite often finds himself with more information than he knows what to do with. For example, after reaching out to helpful librarians at Amherst College in Massachusetts, the Beaconite found a copy of a 1994 study that details the health of Cane Garden Bay’s beaches and reefs. That study, published four years before the CGB sewage treatment plant was commissioned, found some signs of environmental degradation potentially caused by untreated sewage and other pollutants. In subsequent years, other researchers have extensively studied CGB’s environment, but the 1994 study, when taken with a similar research paper produced ten years earlier, offers a detailed picture of how things changed in the area over a decade. The Beaconite wants to offer a special thanks to one of the researchers, Steve Mabee, who managed to track down a copy of the hard-to-find study and e-mail it to the newspaper. The Beaconite also thinks that several private sector and government officials who agreed to be interviewed for the article deserve special thanks. These people include Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool, MCW Permanent Secretary Anthony McMaster, Water and Sewerage Department Director Perline Scatliffe-Leonard, Carvin Malone of the engineering firm Caribbean Basin Enterprises, and several others who would prefer to remain anonymous.

Raise your flag

A Beaconite has noticed that more and more students in the Virgin Islands are participating in morning routines at their schools that she thinks will help build national pride. This week she saw a group of students at the Eslyn Henley Richiez Learning Centre dutifully raise flags on their campus. Nearby, the students at Althea Scatliffe Primary School could be heard singing the national anthem, “God Save the Queen,” and the territorial song, “Oh Beautiful Virgin Islands.” Their younger neighbours at the Enid Scatliffe Pre-primary School could be heard singing the songs as well. The reporter thinks these activities are great for young students, who she hopes will be encouraged to take an interest in the territory’s history, government and culture.

Arachnophobia

On particularly hot days, a Beaconite works up a sweat walking back and forth from his office to the courts, so he often changes into more comfortable attire when he returns in the afternoon. Last week, while changing in the office bathroom, he noticed a visitor: a tarantula. Being from Cleveland, Ohio, he had never seen a tarantula outside a zoo, and therefore he didn’t have the courage to capture the hairy arachnid himself. Luckily, a braver co-worker scooped up the spider in a cup and allowed the Beaconite to take a picture of it before he released it outside — but not before he pretended to throw it at him. The Beaconite was relieved to learn that tarantulas aren’t harmful to humans, and he thinks he’ll be less timid if he sees one again.

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