Going the distance
A Beaconite covering the Dive BVI 5k running race
on Saturday was impressed with one of the runners. He wasn’t particularly fast, but he was wearing flip-flops. When the Beaconite noticed him at the beginning of the race, he didn’t think he would go the distance. He was wrong. The runner finished in the middle of the pack. During an interview, though, he questioned his decision to wear flip-flops, and said he plans to invest in a proper pair of shoes for any upcoming races.
Casting call
Iconic Casting, the same company that has cast for reality television shows like Flavor of Love, is now casting for a programme that Virgin Islands residents might be able to relate to a little better: Below Deck. According to the company’s website, the show will air on Bravo and “will star the attractive, dynamic individuals who work onboard, live at sea and serve the mega-rich owners their foie gras.” The company is seeking a crew of six “yachties” to set sail in September and October. Elsewhere on the site, the company is also seeking “elite travellers” to be guests on a “luxury super yacht” for three-day trips at “a significant discount.”
Plumbing problems
A Beaconite was impressed to see a magistrate apparently willing to do a bit of multitasking around the court this week. After closing early Monday due to a lack of water, the Magistrates’ Court and its offices opened the next day, but apparently problems persisted. While the prosecution was reading allegations to the magistrate, a staff member approached and spoke quietly in the magistrate’s ear. After a moment, the magistrate rose and informed the room that she would recess the court for five minutes. “I go now to play plumber,” she joked. Soon men in Water and Sewerage Department uniforms were led into the offices adjacent to the courtroom, and before long the magistrate was back on the bench listening to the rest of the allegations in the case.
Cancer warning
One Beaconite’s research into a story on this week’s prostate cancer screening at the BVI Red Cross hit painfully close to home. The reporter was told that too often men do not get medical checkups because they feel fine, but that where cancer is concerned, feeling fine is not a clean bill of health. She witnessed this firsthand this winter, when her father was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November, felt well enough to work into early December, and passed away just after Christmas. The reporter can’t help but think that an earlier diagnosis would have meant more time with her father, and she wants to encourage all the 40-and-over men in the territory to attend the free screening.
Good manners
While walking down Waterfront Drive Monday, a Beaconite noticed an elderly woman struggling to get in a bus. Fortunately, help came from a young lady, who helped the woman by opening the bus door and standing by until she was safely on her way. The Beaconite was glad to see that young people still care about the elderly. She hopes this tradition will continue in the territory.
We the people
A Beaconite attending a lecture on the history of the Virgin Islands Constitution recently heard a suggestion she agrees with: A high priority should be placed on VI students learning civics. The reporter was reminded of her own civic education in the United States, which involved learning the preamble to the US Constitution (which she memorised, thanks to a catchy tune), the bill of rights, and the names of all the presidents. At the time, she was pretty sure the memorisation exercises were pointless, but as an adult the Beaconite feels she owes her commitment to democracy at least in part to those early lessons.