The lizard and the nail A Beaconite was first amused, then dismayed, last week when two restaurant patrons claimed to have found objects in their food that shouldn’t have been …
October 17, 2019
October 17, 2019
COMMENTARY — Gov’t called out over closed libraries
During my first visit to the United Kingdom since 2012, my first priority was to claim my senior citizen’s benefits, like entitlement to free travel on public transport. However, I …
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October 17, 2019
Commentary — UK seen as ‘Balkanised’ amid Brexit woes
Brexit has entered an expected phase. The United Kingdom is becoming Balkanised. The Brexit civil war has generated divisions in the UK that cannot be bridged unless the two sides …
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October 14, 2019
EDITORIAL: Sentencing guidelines are huge, but more reforms should follow
Kudos to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court for introducing its first set of sentencing guidelines. The new system should help ensure that justice is administered fairly and consistently in the …
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October 9, 2019
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Oct. 3, 2019)
Air anxiety A Beaconite, who suffers from major anxiety in the air, refused to travel by plane for a large portion of her teen years. Until last month, she had …
October 9, 2019
COMMENTARY — As US sanctions Cubans, Russia seen to build Caribbean presence
Sometime next month, Russia Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is expected to travel to Cuba. His visit is likely to cement the two nations’ future bilateral relations. It comes after months …
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October 9, 2019
COMMENTARY — VI warned of ‘climate change precipice’
Unregulated capitalism and United States isolationism are destroying mankind. One family owning more wealth than hundreds of millions of people is no longer environmentally or socially sustainable in a world …
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October 7, 2019
EDITORIAL: EE closure is one more sign libraries are being neglected
The unexplained closure of the East End public library last month is yet another unfortunate example of successive governments’ longstanding neglect of the territory’s library system. The Virgin Islands now …
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September 30, 2019
EDITORIAL: 30 years later, addressing system is a milestone
Turn right at the yellow house, drive up a steep hill, bear left after the cow field, and turn right immediately past the second mango tree. Most anyone who has …
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September 26, 2019
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Sept. 26, 2019)
Facing Jackass Ghut Following a press conference last week celebrating the launch of the territory’s new addressing system — which is still in its pilot phase — a Beaconite digitally …
September 26, 2019
COMMENTARY — China’s growing influence seen in Caribbean
A few days ago, the Solomon Islands, Taiwan’s largest ally in the Pacific, recognised China. Beijing’s success in encouraging the island grouping to do so is the latest indication of …
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September 26, 2019
COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for storm prep
In the age of global warming, building resilience and defence against climate change and natural disasters have to be at the core of Caribbean social and economic development. Lifestyle change …
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September 24, 2019
EDITORIAL: End of shift system is welcome, but work needed in schools
Finally. Two years after Hurricane Irma, public high schoolers are no longer attending class on a part-time basis under a shift system. This welcome news comes with the long-delayed reopening …
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September 18, 2019
Reporter’s Notebook (September 12, 2019)
Books galore After stopping by the BVI Red Cross headquarters last week for an interview, a Beaconite seized on an opportunity to do something he has been meaning to since …
September 18, 2019
Commentary — More big storms seen as imminent
Belief that the Virgin Islands may escape another devastating hurricane such as Irma, Maria or Dorian is simple delusion and dangerous complacency. As the United Kingdom convulses in a major …
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September 18, 2019
Commentary — Cruise tourism gets a hard look
Cruise tourism has become a big business, with the Caribbean now accounting for more than 35 percent of all such vacations globally. This year more ships will sail in or …
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September 17, 2019
EDITORIAL: Dorian a tragic warning as global climate warms
Hurricane Dorian’s tragic destruction in the Bahamas was yet another dire warning to the entire Caribbean. Scientists expect climate change to bring more frequent and more intense storms to the …
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September 11, 2019
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (September 5, 2019)
Helping the Bahamas It’s strange to be out on a sea as smooth as glass, cruising on a boat toward the back of Ginger Island, when more than 900 …
September 11, 2019
POEM — Listening
What could I have known of the easeful ways of sliding through this world? A dew drop descending the petal’s sloping splendour; this same moon that rose over great …
September 11, 2019
COMMENTARY — Brexit battle called ‘civil war’
Brexit could very well be the swan song of the United Kingdom, with England going its way to become the world’s largest financial offshore destination and Scotland and Northern Ireland …
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September 9, 2019
EDITORIAL: Recovery has come far, but all is not well
In the two years since Hurricane Irma devastated the Virgin Islands, the territory has made astonishing progress that should make residents proud. Nevertheless, all is not well with the longer-term …
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September 5, 2019
EDITORIAL: Roads must be repaired properly
In the weeks before the February general election, the former government quickly resurfaced roads across Tortola. Already, those repairs are falling apart. This is extremely disheartening at a time when …
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September 4, 2019
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Aug. 29, 2019)
Tripping A Beaconite and her friend recently returned from a weekend in St. Maarten and St. Martin, a joint Dutch and French territory 30 minutes away from the Virgin Islands …
September 4, 2019
COMMENTARY — Climate change seen as dire threat in region
In recent weeks, new evidence has been published suggesting that scientists are now 99 percent certain that human activity is causing global warming. As if to validate this, temperatures in …
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September 4, 2019
Commentary — Warning sounded about debt
Debt is a super-tool of modern economics, transferring wealth from the 90 percent to the one percent. Now, most consumers own debt. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration …