Heed the warnings
Despite warnings from her co-workers, government officials and her social network feed,
one Beaconite did not adequately prepare for this weekend’s tropical storm. The reporter had only one small torch and hardly any water, and since her apartment is entirely run on electric power, she couldn’t heat up her dinner Sunday evening. Luckily, a dark apartment was the worst of her worries, but the reporter has no desire to repeat the experience. She has since purchased a lantern, batteries and some bottles of water, so she’s sure to be ready the next time a storm knocks out her power for a day or two.
Charging up
A Beaconite visiting Magistrates’ Court on Monday was disappointed to find the court closed after Tropical Storm Irene, but was amused to find that he was not the only court regular without electricity at home: Most of the court’s lawyers immediately went to the court’s power outlets to charge their phones.
More leaks
A Beaconite isn’t quite sure what to make of the latest development in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal in the United Kingdom. The allegations that the voicemails of a child murder victim, members of the royal family, celebrities and others were illegally accessed by NotW reporters led to several arrests and resignations and caused Rupert Murdoch to shut down the tabloid. Now things have gotten weirder. Last week, a UK police internal investigations unit arrested a 51-year-old Scotland Yard detective on suspicion of leaking details about the NotW hacking case to the Guardian newspaper, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A police spokeswoman called the allegations “hugely disappointing” and the Guardian declined to comment, citing a policy not to comment on its sources. As a reporter, the Beaconite is unsure what to think. He’s torn between outrage at the allegations of criminal activity by some reporters and a fear that legitimate uses of press leaks, which are necessary in some special cases to produce good journalism, will be curtailed by the events. The most recent arrest is odd — especially in this case, because Guardian reporters helped break the NotW story after a police investigation allegedly missed the scale of the phone hacking at the paper.
BVITB: Vote for Miss BVI
Sheroma Hodge, the former new Miss BVI, left Saturday for the Miss Universe Pageant in Sao Paolo, Brazil. During the Sept. 12 event, she will be competing with beauty queens from around the world, and the BVI Tourist Board is asking the territory to help her out by casting votes for her online. For the first time in its history, the pageant is incorporating a global fan vote that will automatically advance a contestant to the semifinals. Fans who are 16 or older and who reside in represented countries will be permitted to vote online at www.missuniverse.com or www.NBC.com through 6 p.m. on Sept. 11. At the website, users are permitted to rank the contestants on a scale of one through 10. The voting results will be announced during the Miss Universe live broadcast on Sept. 12 and will be posted on www.missuniverse.com after the show, according to the BVITB.
The wrong kind of bubbly
While returning home from the Anything that Floats but a Boat Race on Sunday, a Beaconite noticed a white, bubbly liquid flowing out of a pipe in the side of a building near the Road Town Roundabout. The Beaconite could not identify the liquid, which appeared to be coming out of a drainage pipe that may have been connected to the building’s roof. The substance, which mixed with a puddle of water on the road, had a foul, chemical-like odour, causing the Beaconite to wonder if it were dangerous. After snapping a few photographs, she hurried on her way. She hopes the building’s owner will tackle the problem soon, and dispose of the substance in a safe manner.