How low are the standards for becoming a licensed Professional Engineer in the U.S Virgin Islands?
 
 ·       Any bona fide resident “Native Son” of the Virgin Islands who has the curriculum required and worked for two years does not need to prove their competency to safeguard the welfare of the public by passing the Fundamental of Engineering Exam and the Principals and Practice Exam (P.E) to obtain a license as a Professional Engineer. 
 
·       Any applicant who has not earned an engineering degree but has 12 years of experience can become a licensed Professional Engineer in the U.S Virgin Islands.
 
·       Any applicant who has been employed by the Government of the Virgin Islands as an architect, engineer, or land surveyor and writes to the Board for a license shall be issued a license as an architect, Professional Engineer, or surveyor without passing an examination to prove their competence.
 
·       How much worse do you think it gets when we talk about the qualifications for becoming a “Draftsman” in the U.S Virgin Islands. By the way, no other place in the world would honor a “Draftsman” license. No other place in the world allows any draftsman to seal plans for any structure to validate that its components have been designed in accordance with the requirements of the applicable building codes; Why is a Draftsman license not recognized anywhere else in the world? Because the Draftsman in the U.S Virgin Islands has not passed the necessary exams (FE and PE) recognized by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). http://www.ncees.org/
 
·       Any engineer that has not passed all the necessary exams recognized by the (NCEES) cannot obtain reciprocity of their U.S Virgin Islands P.E  license in any other state. Thus the “Native Son” engineer can only maintain job security as a Professional Engineer in the U.S Virgin Islands; while never proving their competence of engineering concepts or fundamentals by passing the required exams, but earning a high salary.

See the whole post here…

 The Caribbean is such an established cruise destination that it still snags more cruise travelers than any other region in the world. It’s incredibly popular and is always a good choice for winter sun-seekers because—at least for North Americans—it’s relatively close. It can also offer bargain prices.

One of the growing challenges the Caribbean has faced over the past few years is a sense of fatigue. Once you’ve sailed the Western Caribbean from, say, Galveston, New Orleans, or Tampa, you’ve pretty much been there and done that. The same goes for those who have cruised Eastern Caribbean routes from Florida’s ports (not to mention those on the East Coast, such as Charleston, Norfolk, Baltimore, and New York). On these cruises, passengers visit the same ports time and again—places like San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Ship congestion and lackluster onshore experiences on certain islands aren’t exactly drawing travelers back to the region.

To combat this malaise, industry execs are always looking to add trendy and fresh locales that will entice passengers to return to Caribbean cruises. They’ve created new ports—such as Carnival’s outpost on Grand Turk, the ever-present private Bahamian islands and the carved-from-the-jungle Costa Maya—seemingly out of thin air. They’ve also plumbed the depths of the Southern Caribbean to find new destinations, just waiting for ships to arrive.

Until sanctions are lifted and Cuba opens its doors to American cruise ships, don’t expect too many surprises on Caribbean itineraries. But, whether you’re looking for up-and-coming, not-yet-on-the-radar destinations, or are just hoping to avoid the has-beens, read our analysis of what’s hot and what’s not in the Caribbean for the upcoming cruise season.

Hot Spots

St. Croix

Why: St. Croix, one of the three major U.S. Virgin Islands, fell off the cruise traveler’s map after the 2001/2002 season, when numerous unresolved issues with petty crime persuaded cruise lines to go elsewhere. So, some five years later, Disney’s announcement that it would feature new Caribbean routes in 2009—including St. Croix—raised a few eyebrows. Suddenly, numerous ships have St. Croix on 2009/2010 itineraries—Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, Holland America’s Maasdam, Celebrity’s Millennium, and Azamara Journey. It also doesn’t hurt that the local government has invested $18 million to beautify the port city of Frederiksted, which has been transformed from seedy to charming. Additionally, the island, like its U.S.V.I. brethren, is clustered among other popular isles and is, therefore, an incredibly convenient port of call.

What’s there: St. Croix offers an experience much different from the overcrowded shopping mecca of St. Thomas. With much more room to move around (St. Croix encompasses 84 square miles and is more than twice the size of St. Thomas), St. Croix provides an astounding variety of activities and features two urban centers—Frederiksted on the west coast and historic Christiansted to the north. Promoted as the U.S. territory’s historical destination because of the Danish architecture it houses, St. Croix is home to the remnants of numerous plantations, great houses, and windmills. Buck Island Reef National Monument is the premier natural attraction on an island rife with prime snorkeling and diving sites.

Have you seen this website?

 www.stcroixlandmarks.org

Check out their event calendar…

Yesterday the B.V.I. experienced another small earthquake yet according to the USGS, these small quakes happen pretty often (scrool down the list and you’ll see the VI Region has lots of entries).

Did you know the 27th Legislature has officially adjourned???  A bit early for Christmas break, but hey, they need this time to ___?___, which is much more important than creating laws for the V.I.

And lastly, development and social decline in the BVI are examined by Benito Wheatley of the Institute of Caribbean Studies.