Questions and answers A Beaconite was glad to see in last week’s House of Assembly session, coming on the heels of the eighth and ninth sittings the week prior, opposition …
July 1, 2020
July 1, 2020
COMMENTARY — VI urged to tackle discrimination
The Black Lives Matter movement is prompting the Virgin Islands to look at both racial injustice abroad and discrimination at home as global protests continue around the world against police …
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July 1, 2020
COMMENTARY — VI urged to prepare for 5G
We might view contemptuously United States President Donald Trump’s attempts to revive the US coal industry against global moves towards cleaner energy, but he gave an enormous boost to the …
June 24, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 25, 2020)
Black lives matter A Beaconite is a first-generation Asian American in a family of immigrants. Her elders came to the United States in the 1980s, worked hard and settled down. …
June 24, 2020
COMMENTARY — As ‘second wave’ of Covid looms, call made for widespread testing
The current international news related to the pandemic points to the scary fact of a second wave of the infection. Are we prepared? Sometime before Easter, a friend (who happens …
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June 24, 2020
COMMENTARY — Long-time letter writer returns
Hi there. Are you wondering where I have been? Right here with you, under lockdown. When the flights stopped and the Beacon could not distribute its print edition for a …
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June 17, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 11, 2020)
Scooter ban It’s no secret that irresponsible and noisy scooter riders have long been a nuisance and danger in the Virgin Islands. Last week, a new curfew order enacted a …
June 17, 2020
COMMENTARY — Region urged to ‘ditch the superpowers’
It is time for the Caribbean and various other regions of the world to ditch the superpowers as leading lights of global security and prosperity. The Covid-19 pandemic, trade wars, …
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June 17, 2020
COMMENTARY – Need seen for telecom taskforce
In 1983, Tom Crowe reported enthusiastically to the Virgin Islands government on the prospects for computerisation reducing the territory’s dependence on tourism (see my May 28 commentary titled “‘Commuting home’ …
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June 10, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 4, 2020)
Paperless, please House of Assembly Speaker Julian Willock mentioned earlier this year that one of the HOA’s goals is to go paperless. As the world is working out innovative ways …
June 10, 2020
COMMENTARY — Racism and prejudice denounced
Racism and ethnic prejudice are best battled when humanity recognises that both are inherent in the flawed human personality Just after Barack Obama was elected the first coloured president of …
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June 10, 2020
COMMENTARY — Call made for regional tourism protocol
Since late April there have been virtually no tourist arrivals in the Caribbean. In recent days, however, several countries have announced plans to reopen to international travel, albeit in a …
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June 3, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (June 4, 2020)
Double threat Hurricane season, a first-time experience for one Beaconite, is just around the corner. She has received helpful tips from friends, including the importance of knowing evacuation routes and …
June 3, 2020
COMMENTARY — VI warned against celebrating too soon
I overheard a conversation recently in which the persons involved were lamenting, “Covid not playing with us, and we playing with it.” I reflected on the essence of the discussion …
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June 3, 2020
COMMENTARY — Covid-19 compared to hurricanes
The Virgin Islands’ economic recovery from Covid-19 will be very different from its economic bounce-back after hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the public must prepare for a challenging economic period …
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June 3, 2020
COMMENTARY — ‘Commuting home’ considered
In May 1986, shortly after being appointed head of the Virgin Islands Library Services Department, I presented a paper to a regional conference on St. Croix, foreseeing a bright future …
May 27, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 21, 2020)
The press conference On Tuesday of last week, a Beaconite attended the first coronavirus press conference in more than six weeks. Though he appreciated the government’s attempt to answer questions …
May 20, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 14, 2020)
Follow the rules When the announcement that beaches would open again came last week, a Beaconite let out a shriek of excitement. There was no way anything was stopping her …
May 20, 2020
COMMENTARY — Roadmap offered for tourism return
The time will come, and hopefully soon, when tourists will be allowed to return to the Virgin Islands. Tourism is a part of the economy that is just too big …
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May 20, 2020
COMMENTARY — Residents urged to handle sanitisers, wipes with care
I recently read the subtitles on a video as a bright young girl led viewers round her refugee camp. She took us to a communal standpipe, filled a small jerrycan …
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May 13, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 7, 2020)
Diving plans The waters of the Virgin Islands grow clearer with each passing day as ocean beds have been undisturbed by swimmers and boats. A Beaconite was happy to learn …
May 13, 2020
COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for reopening tourism
With the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, and the quarantine and lockdown that have come with it, the Virgin Islands economy has taken some serious blows, and none harder than the one …
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May 13, 2020
COMMENTARY — Call made to ‘revive our pride’
The shocking way in which a few greedy people took advantage of the efforts of the government and voluntary services to feed the hungry during the recent lockdown reminds us …
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May 6, 2020
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK (May 7, 2020)
A new, new regular A Beaconite misses her life from a few months ago. She remembers swimming at Josiahs Bay, describing to her friends how she felt the happiest she …
May 6, 2020
COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for regional tourism recovery
The challenge that is now facing almost every Caribbean nation is how best to recover the tourism economy, without which future economic growth and sustainable tax revenues will be all …
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