Thanks, DMV
A Beaconite who visited the Department of Motor Vehicles last week was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of the operations there. An employee sat at a desk next to the front door, greeting customers and answering their questions. The Beaconite remembers the former DMV location in Road Town, which had no such system. This time, he completed the process of registering his jeep in less than an hour. However, he continues to wonder about the DMV’s new location: The employees assessing vehicles outside have to endure flies and trash smoke from the dump across the road.
Public officers
The Beacon got a call from the Virgin Islands Civil Service Association after its Feb. 2 story on the public service’s reaction to budget cuts. A VICSA spokeswoman told the Beacon that members of the civil service prefer to be called public officers, not public servants. Reporters hope none of the public officers were offended, as the Beacon was simply following the standard used in regional and global media.
Mole-whacking
A Beaconite writing about cocaine trafficking in Virgin Island waters last week began his special report with a lede about the arcade game Whac-A-Mole. The reporter, who grew up in the United States, was afraid that VI residents wouldn’t be familiar with the arcade game, which was invented by Aaron Fechter in 1976. The game involves participants using a foam mallet to strike plastic “moles” that pop up at increasing speeds. Players are awarded points according to how fast they can whack the moles. The Florida-based amusement games company Bob’s Space Racers bought the prototype to the game from Mr. Fechter in 1976, according to Mr. Fechter’s website. The game’s licensing rights were worth $1.4 billion in 2004, according to the website amusementbusiness.com. According to Mr. Fechter’s personal website, he considers the decision 45 years ago not to trademark Whac-A-Mole to be among his “biggest flops.” The Beaconite feels a bit bad for the inventor’s loss, but he thanks him for the help with the lede.
Tiny reptiles
The Virgin Gorda gecko can breathe a sigh of relief. It’s still likely the smallest known reptile in the world, even though a chameleon recently discovered in Madagascar may be nearly as small, according to wired.com. Researchers have identified four new chameleon species that are just over an inch from snout to tail, living in the remote rainforests of northern Madagascar. The smallest of the four species — Brookesia micra — lives only on a small island called Nosy Hara, according to the wired.com. “The extreme miniaturisation of these dwarf reptiles might be accompanied by numerous specialisations of the body plan, and this constitutes a promising field for future research,” herpetologist Frank Glaw, the lead author of the study, said in a press release. “But most urgent is to focus conservation efforts on these and other microendemic species in Madagascar which are heavily threatened by deforestation.” The same might be said for the Virgin Islands’ own tiny geckos.
Giving thanks
On Sunday Morning, one Beaconite was up very early in the morning to prepare for a service that was planned as part of Farmer’s Week celebrations. There, she joined farmers as they gave thanks for the land and other things that many people take for granted. The preacher urged participants to take care of the land and treat it with more reverence. The Beaconite thought this was very good advice, considering the environmental problems facing the territory.