Reuse and recycle
Recently, recycled Beacon newspapers got put to a special use. Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in the United Kingdom were visiting the territory to work with the National Parks Trust. At the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens in Road Town, they used the old newspapers for drying plant specimens. Beaconites know that some of the plants at the gardens are extremely rare, and they were proud that their used newspapers could find a second life.
For the love of science
Last week, a Beaconite found herself covering a sort of event she hadn’t attended since she herself was in primary school: a science fair. Walking down the aisles filled with a variety of projects, listening to students explain their hard work, she was filled with a sense of nostalgia. One thing she was surprised to see — though happily so — was the inclusion of art projects, such as paintings, sculptures and models. This was something she never saw in her own science fair as a child in the United States. While she was there, she learned that the territory’s science fair had only resumed last year after a decade-long hiatus. So for many students, it was their first time participating or attending such an event. For the rest, it was their second time. As she watched primary and secondary school students present their projects to their peers, teachers, parents and others, she could not help but wonder why the event had stopped in the first place. She is heartened to hear that the fair will continue annually in the future. She commends all the students who submitted a project.
Berry nice to meet you
Behind the heating lamps of the territory’s many bakeshops, keen-eyed residents will notice the cursive handwriting on circular stickers adorning jams made from local berries and other treats. These little plastic to-go containers are hand-filled with stewed gooseberry and tamarind, which go great with steak, porkchops, roti and many other meals. A Beaconite likes his gooseberry with bacon, eggs and toast in the morning. Over the weekend, he noticed that same handwriting atop stacks and stacks of plastic containers at a booth in Paraquita Bay for this year’s agricultural festival. When he asked the lady under the tent if she was the same woman who made the berry stew for a bakeshop he often frequents, she had a curious reaction. A small gasp escaped her lips as her hands went immediately into her hair. The reporter wondered if he’d figured out something he wasn’t supposed to know. After he asked again, she explained that she had been supplying the shop for more than a decade, and it was the first time anyone had ever noticed. The reporter doesn’t fancy himself incredibly keen-eyed, so he was surprised to hear her say that. But went along with it, quietly cursing his lack of foresight to not bring cash for this purpose.