New friends
A Beaconite was taking photos while walking alongside a large group
of schoolchildren this week when one small student extended his hand towards her. Not wanting to disappoint the boy, the reporter took his hand and continued walking as she took photos with her other hand. The boy’s other hand, meanwhile, was holding his mother’s. The mother didn’t seem surprised to see the reporter, however. She just smiled and joked: “I never know who he’ll bring home.”
Homesteaders?
A reporter listening to elected representatives speaking on the radio about the difficulty of finding workers for the hospitality industry in Anegada heard legislators make an interesting comparison: Anegada is a bit like Alaska, and the government could offer an “incentive” programme to help ease the labour shortage on that island. In order to encourage people in the United States to develop land in Alaska in the 1970s and 1980s, the US government offered free or inexpensive land to citizens who fulfilled certain requirements and agreed to build or farm the land.
Anegadian president?
Readers who follow American presidential politics may be familiar with the names Obama, Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul. But a man with roots from Anegada could soon join that list. Carlyle G. Varlack, the son of Anegada residents Gustavus and Lynda Varlack, is forming an exploratory committee “with a view to becoming an independent candidate for the presidency of the United States of America,” Carlyle Varlack wrote in an e-mail to the Beacon. Mr. Varlack, a California-based attorney, hopes to focus his campaign on issues facing black Americans, which include high levels of unemployment, violence and incarceration, among other issues, he wrote in the e-mail. While presidential polling data does not currently track Mr. Varlack’s chances of being successfully elected, a Beaconite hopes that the candidacy will allow him to raise awareness about those important issues.
Romney, Romney
In other United States election news, The New Yorker magazine recently published a short article speculating on whether Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is related to the late Cyril Romney, a former chief minister of the Virgin Islands. The author spoke to several sources, including Anastasia Harman, a family historian at Ancestry.com, who said it is “definitely possible” that the two Romneys could be cousins. “‘You have two Romney families, one with documented English roots and one with possible English roots,’” Ms. Harman told The New Yorker. The article ultimately doesn’t draw any definite conclusions, but it ends by pointing out that there are “Republican caucuses in overseas territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands.” And indeed, Mr. Romney won the USVI’s Republican caucus on March 10.
Photo contest
Beaconites want to thank all the participants in its recent beach photo contest on Facebook. The 186 entries ran the gamut in style and composition, and Beaconites were very pleased with the results. The winning photos can be viewed in the Weekend & Culture section. Beaconites are planning to continue hosting photo contests in the future, and they are always open to suggestions for topics. The previous contest themes were chickens and boats.
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