Housing hiatus A Beaconite found it somewhat shocking when government announced retroactively this month that the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme was no longer accepting applicants as of November because …
January 20, 2021
January 20, 2021
COMMENTARY — Full Caribbean tourism recovery seen as a possibility after 2021
Last year was a disaster for Caribbean tourism. Estimates suggest that visitor arrivals to the region fell by 75 percent in the last three quarters of 2020, causing overall Caribbean …
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January 20, 2021
COMMENTARY — Questions raised about exotic-dancer warning
We are continuously being told by our leaders that qualified Virgin Islanders and belongers must come first in any employment stakes. Last week, the premier rants on for three hours …
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January 13, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Jan. 7, 2021)
Gateway glitches For the first time in two years, a Beaconite has family visiting her from overseas, and she has been using the BVI Gateway application and learning about the …
January 13, 2021
COMMENTARY — Writer fears a debt crisis
Massive global debt is a serious concern for banking and finance. One would have thought that after the banking crash of 2008, banks would have learned the bitter lessons of …
January 13, 2021
COMMENTARY — A tale of Foxy’s ‘first real phone’
Foxy’s Tamarind Bar on Jost Van Dyke was in the news because his famous Old Year’s Night party was cancelled. They just had dinner and dancing for a few. That …
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January 6, 2021
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (December 17, 2020)
19 calls A Beaconite has already complained on this page about the government’s “Customer Care Service Centre,” which in May replaced the former system of switchboard operators who were …
January 6, 2021
COMMENTARY — Post-election, Venezuela’s future considered
It is hard to know what the future holds for Venezuela, its opposition leader Juan Guaidó, or the present United States-led policy that emphasises sanctions and isolation. Last week, as …
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January 6, 2021
COMMENTARY — Need seen for ‘big government’
The 2008 financial crisis showed the Milton Friedman economic model of a laissez faire, production-oriented, trickledown, austere and financially driven economy to be a paper tiger. The idea that the …
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December 16, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (DEC. 10, 2020)
Holiday schedule With somewhat less-than-heavy hearts, Beaconites are reminding readers and advertisers that this edition is the last Beacon of 2020. Advertising and editorial deadlines will be as usual for …
December 16, 2020
COMMENTARY — Need seen for ‘big government’
The 2008 financial crisis showed the Milton Friedman economic model of a laissez faire, production-oriented, trickledown, austere and financially driven economy to be a paper tiger. The idea that the …
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December 16, 2020
COMMENTARY — Post-election, Venezuela’s future considered
It is hard to know what the future holds for Venezuela, its opposition leader Juan Guaidó, or the present United States-led policy that emphasises sanctions and isolation. Last week, as …
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December 9, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (December 3, 2020)
Follow the money A Beaconite is no stranger to covering budget meetings, including those of student clubs, port districts, and capital cities. But last month was her first introduction to …
December 9, 2020
COMMENTARY — US viewed with alarm, but change expected soon
Today, people all over the world view the United States with alarm. Non-Americans are at a loss to explain the downward trajectory of the supposed most powerful country on earth. …
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December 9, 2020
COMMENTARY — Writer says democracy alone is ‘not enough’ in Caribbean
This was the year when much of the Caribbean went to the polls. General elections were held in Anguilla, Belize, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, …
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December 2, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 26, 2020)
Library launch Saturday was a very special day for one Beaconite, as it marked the official launch of the Turtle Dove Library. Several moments from the grand opening will stick …
December 2, 2020
COMMENTARY — Logistical challenges predicted to follow Covid-19 vaccine
In the past few days, Pfizer BioNTech, a German-United States company, and the US company Moderna have separately announced that the Covid-19 vaccines they have been developing have proved 95 …
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December 2, 2020
COMMENTARY — Post-Covid economy considered
Capitalism and individualism, with the stress on the market economy, will not be able to deal with the new world of climate change, environmental degradation, and rising power polarities that …
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November 25, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (November 19, 2020)
Censorship fail Since there are no news outlets based in any of the sister islands, a Beaconie jumps on opportunities to report there whenever she can. When she saw a …
November 25, 2020
COMMENTARY — Caribbean expected to feel the effects of US election
It is easy to share the excitement felt across the Caribbean at United States President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the polls. However, a calmer voice within suggests that while the …
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November 25, 2020
COMMENTARY — Race seen as defining factor in US history
The core culture that defines the United States is not its military, technological and economic power. Race and segregation are the defining factors in the US’s 250 years of history …
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November 18, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (Nov. 12, 2020)
Shut out of HOA While covering the Speech from the Throne last week, a Beaconite was politely but firmly asked to leave the House of Assembly session before it even …
November 18, 2020
COMMENTARY — Call made for ‘new economics’
With the onset of the worst pandemic in modern times in terms of global reach, the time has arrived for a new economics: a new model of economy driven by …
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November 10, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (November 5, 2020)
Reopening response After a Beaconite reported on the latest announcements concerning the protocols for reopening the Virgin Islands’ borders to tourists, the newsroom put together a non-scientific online poll to …
November 10, 2020
COMMENTARY — Brexit blamed for UK ills
This writer, to the consternation of his army of critics, never believed Brexit was a good idea. He understood that in a world where regions were integrating and where the …