Building beer blocks
Heineken is among the most popular beers in the Virgin Islands. The green bottles typically aren’t recycled, ending up in the incinerator, piling up in various locations, or maybe even becoming beach glass in years to come. But why not put them to a better use? In 1963, one man tried to do just that. After visiting Curacao, Alfred “Freddy” Heineken noted two things, according to the New York City blog laughingsquid.com: the lack of building materials for the island’s poorer residents and the excess of bottles littering the nation’s beaches. So he invented the WOBO — The World Bottle — to solve the problem. The WOBO was a Heineken beer bottle that doubled as a stackable, interlocking brick made for building small homes. Think glass LEGO. It took roughly 1,000 empty bottles to build a 10-by-10-foot shack (if you could still stand up and see straight after preparing your building materials). Most of the bottles have since been destroyed, becoming a very rare collectors item over the years. But a Beaconite thinks Freddy was on to something, and hopes his idea will be resurrected in the future.
Same property, new name
A long-established Tortola hospitality business has a new name to go along with its restructuring plans. Long Bay Beach Resort, which is transitioning from being a resort with over 100 units operated year-round to a seasonal 42-room hotel, will be known as the Long Bay Beach Club when it reopens on Oct. 25, according to the newspaper Travel Weekly.
Hooked
Some call it the ring game, the hook and ring, or Bimini. Whatever it’s called, one Beaconite had never played the ring game before she came to the territory and found it at several beach bars and outdoor social spaces like Bomba’s Shack and the Soggy Dollar. She’s since learned that it’s popular throughout the Caribbean and in other places, but it has retained a very island feel for the reporter. So, when the reporter’s sister bought her first home recently, the Beaconite decided it would be a good idea to export a bit of island flavour to Southern California. The reporter visited a local hardware store and picked up a metal hook and ring and plenty of twine so that her sister can set up a backyard amusement fit for adults and children alike during barbecues and other outdoor gatherings. The Beaconite plans to get some practice in before her next visit to her sister’s.
Bush
Over the weekend, a Beaconite who lives along the Ridge Road and frequently hikes up the hill was pleased to see workers cutting the overgrown bush along the sides of the road. The work was much needed. Still, she wishes that someone would also take the time to clean the grass afterwards. The dirty road is an eyesore.
Stray dog
The Ridge Road resident has noticed a stray dog in her Long Trench neighbourhood for more than three days. The brown island dog not only looks malnourished and lonely, but threatens to scare people who come close. If someone’s pet has escaped in the area, she hopes they come get it soon.
Baton
The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Baton was unveiled on Aug. 16. The handcrafted baton is made of titanium, wood and granite and will travel more than 100,000 miles, visiting all 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth, including its first stop in Rwanda. It will arrive in the Virgin Islands from Anguilla on April 2, 2014 and depart for Jamaica on April 5. The baton will display a personal message from the Queen calling the athletes of the Commonwealth to Glasgow for the start of the Games next June. Its journey will officially start on Oct. 9 at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace, where the Queen will place her message inside it.
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