[Solved] If you are thinking of moving to the Virgin Islands, read this.

Hi stjohnjulie

Sorry for not getting back sooner, the fight that I talk about in "The Real Estate Commission is a Stain on the Virgin Island" is consuming a lot of my writing time.

I am aware of your questions and plan on answering them as well as adding my treatise on education at the end of my posts about education; I only have a couple left to go.

Teaching in STX27

The last class I taught for UVI CELL was probably the weirdest. The Department of Human Services decided to have a computer class conducted for SNAP recipients. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is that program that used to be called Food Stamps. I suppose teaching computer skills to folks who can’t afford food is a good idea; maybe they’ll get a job or a better paying job and won’t need the SNAP benefits.

Angel was in charge on STX but the woman who ran UVI CELL on STT was her boss. That woman sent a two hundred page file to Angel that I was supposed to teach to the students. Angel printed the file and gave it to me to go over in my spare time. I was shocked – WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP! I couldn’t even read the whole thing. I started off reading, then went to skimming, then flipped through a dozen pages at a time just looking for anything that might have the least amount of value. There was nothing. Angel’s boss must have found this file on a Microsoft web site. After two hundred pages, the students would have learned how to turn on a computer, move some icons around, look in folders, but do nothing with anything in a folder. They would accomplish NOTHING. I’m not saying everything was trivial. I’m a retired software engineer and there was stuff in this file that explained how to do things that I had never heard of. However, I don’t really care if I hold down two keys and right and left click the mouse at the same time that something will happen that I could just as well do using two additional seconds and pressing individual keys. I’m not going to waste my time memorizing these stupid tricks and I was sure my SNAP folks would get absolutely nothing out of my class.

I asked Angel what I should do. She agreed the two hundred page printout was garbage but she also told me she couldn’t disobey her boss. But then she started talking in a strange voice and sort of said that what she didn’t know about she wouldn’t be able to do anything about. She was really stressed. I told her I’d take care of things.

At the first class I asked the students if they all knew how to use a computer. They did, so I tossed the two hundred page printout. I decided to have the class either learn or just practice Microsoft Office over the ten week course. I had them write a resume using Word. Then I had them envision their own restaurant and create a menu in Word, create advertising using PowerPoint, and even generate an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of their bookkeeping. I showed the whole class how to begin each project then I worked with them individually to help them along. There was one guy who was kind of a square peg in a round hole. He was one of those people who you can’t guess their age because they look so used up. When it was time to do resumes, he told me that the only job he ever had was selling drugs and he had been doing it for over twenty years. I told him to put “self-employed” on his resume. Even though he was keeping up with the class, he vanished before the course was over.

Everything else went fine. The students thanked me at the end of the course. And Angel even created and signed a certificate that listed what they had learned. They all included their new certificate on their brand new resumes. It was apparent to me that Angel was getting burned out. She never called me again. Sometime later, I learned that she had left STX for Florida.

Teaching in STX28

In my stories about my first teaching job at Complex, I commented that I was aware of a lack of a work ethic in my students. During my next year at Manor School I came across a 200 page soft-covered book entitled, “NAEP 1992 Mathematics State Report for the Virgin Island.” NAEP stands for National Assessment of Educational Progress. The US Department of Education contracts for tests to be given nationwide so that reports can be generated showing all sorts of demographics and proficiency levels. You can check out various state and regional data yourself at –

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/

I believe the USVI had students tested on a trial basis back in 1992 but not since. I was fascinated by this book because of the type of test given and the VI’s results. The test given was a standardized test obviously. BUT IT WASN’T MULTIPLE CHOICE. I had never seen a standardized test where the test takers had to solve mathematical problems and THEN WERE GRADED ACCORDING TO THEIR WORK. And if work is graded, what is likely to show up other than a work ethic?

Back when I was a student in elementary school, I remember taking a standardized test. There was a girl in my class who could best be summed up by the word, “special”; good kid, just not very bright. I was working away, when I looked up for a moment and saw her just filling in the little bubbles on the answer sheet like it was a coloring book. I was shocked, she wasn’t using the question book, just filling in bubbles randomly. Remember, I grew up with the dad who said, “Work is good.” I was deeply troubled but went back to work. In later years as both a student and then a teacher, I got very used to seeing kids just randomly filling in bubbles.

The book gives examples of the actual questions asked, the scoring guide, and then results for the VI kids and an average of all the other kids in the US. The following question was given to eight grade students and is called the Marcy Dot Pattern (See if you can do it before reading the answer. As a math teacher, I did it in my head in a couple of seconds) –

This question requires you to show your work and explain your reasoning. You may use drawings, words, and numbers in your explanation. Your answer should be clear enough so that another person could read it and understand your thinking. It is important that you show all your work.

A pattern of dots is shown below (I used +’s because Word thinks dots are part of a list). At each step, more dots are added to the pattern. The number of dots added at each step is more than the number added in the previous step. The pattern continues indefinitely.

(1^st Step)

+ +

(2^nd Step)

+ + +

+ + +

(3^rd Step)

+ + + +

+ + + +

+ + + +

Marcy has to determine the number of dots in the 20^th step, but she doesn’t want to draw all 20 pictures and then count the dots.

Explain or show how she could do this and give the answer that Marcy should get for the number of dots.

This is the scoring guide that the test correctors were using –

No response.

Incorrect.   The work is completely incorrect, irrelevant, or I don’t know.

Minimal.   An attempt to generate or to draw all 20 pictures in the pattern (with a clear understanding of the pattern).

Partial.   A partial (incomplete) correct explanation.

Satisfactory.   Correct explanation of pattern but does not include or omits the correct number of dots (420).

Extended.   Correct answer.

There is a long explanation telling the test correctors what to look for; essentially the students need to say that there is a pattern that starts with 1x2, then 2x3, then 3x4. On the 20^th step Marcy will have 20x21 which is 420.

Here are the grades for the VI and the average of the rest of the US listed by percent in each category.

     No response       Incorrect        Minimal        Partial      Satisfactory     Extended

VI         48                    49                3                0                 0                   0

US        16                    64                9                6                 1                   4

Looking at the scores for Minimal or better, I’m like, “Yah, whatever, VI kids aren’t as smart as the kids in the upper 48.” But I see a universe of difference in the lowest two scores. Ask yourself, “What is the difference between having no clue but filling the page with an attempt or leaving the page blank?” THE ANSWER IS A WORK ETHIC! And three times as many Virgin Island kids left the page blank as the rest of the United States.

Rather than just being qualified, I now could see the lack of a work ethic quantified. But why so little work ethic? I got a job teaching NCCER Welding at Tang How Brothers Inc.

https://www.tanghow.com/category/virgin-island-construction-services/training-school/

The program was paid for by the Department of Labor. I would have about a dozen students in a class. I’m not sure whether these guys wanted to be in this class or were told to; enthusiasm was never overly high. Class was four hours a day, 8 to noon, for several months. The course started off with mostly book learning and less practical but eventually it became all practical.

I had a bunch of guys who were being taught a valuable skill. A job that can pay way better than most, so why didn’t they act that way? Brandon was the only student of mine that I was aware of who eventually got a job as a welder at the refinery. He always used to show up early for class. I would get there at about 7:30, to set things up. Brandon would show up shortly after that. The rest of the class would saunter in according to Cruzan Time. Brandon just wanted to chat with me about the world that was bigger than St. Croix.

One day at around quarter to nine, when the class was still empty except for the two of us, in a very irritated voice, I complained to him, “I don’t understand why these guys are so stupid and lazy.” He responded by saying something that I memorized but didn’t respond to. I didn’t respond because my brain was screaming that what he had just said defied everything that made sense to me. He said, “Dave… these guys… think it’s cool… to be stupid and lazy.”

I want to include a photo in a post. I posted a photo on facebook and got the URL. If I paste the URL in a WORD doc, I can click on it and open the photo. So, I know it works. Does anyone know how to post an image? The directions say

Can I post images?

Yes, the photo must be stored on a website, we do not store photos. Place the URL for the photo itself between the image tags [img] and [/img] within your message; or use the small “insert image” icon in the message tool bar. When you post your message the image should appear. Images should not be included in signatures and should be a normal size. Very large photos can distort our page layout and will be removed. Use the preview link before posting to insure your photo appears correctly in the message box.

I tried [img] and [/img] then img and /img; neither worked. I don't see an "insert image' button and is there a "preview link" button?

I'm new here.

   Currently in Central Europe working at US military installations supporting military troops and their families.

    I'm ready to leave for someplace sunny. Yesterday it was 65F and raining all day. I always say if the temperature is above freezing, it's a heat wave.

   While I'm looking for a small long-term rental place, what I have not found is, what are the average electrical power and water usage rates. Knowing what the charges are per unit, I can use my current usage here to gauge what my utility costs would be

   What I also did not find is the average cost of living.  I used to live in Sardenga in the Med, and have experience with an island economy ... you have to adjust your needs to what is immediately available. I just need to have an idea of costs so I can determine what I will have leftover

   I have noted on Google Maps, I can visually enter the stores and see they carry a large quantity of American products. Are prices competitive with state-side pricing, or more expensive? What would be a rule of thumb to estimate price differentials?

   I know St Thomas has what appears to be a full-service hospital. I wasn't aware there were issues on St Croix. There is a VA outpatient clinic so I can check with the VA how to get medical service

   I have noted St Thomas as having serious issues with power outages, yet rarely have heard St Croix has the same issue

   This but a feeler to get an idea of local island issues that never get off the islands

   Thanks in advance for any pointers and assistance

@san-diego-mike Start a new thread with your post.  You can just copy/paste it into a new post to get it off of this topic to get more answers to your questions.

It might be useful for you to share a few key takeaways or actionable advice from your journey, so readers can benefit from your lessons even before they dive into your blog. Also, your background as an engineer gives you a unique, problem-solving approach, which could inspire more productive discussions on the forum.

I took a month off hoping someone would explain how to post an image. No luck. However, some newbie named San Diego Mike chimes in to demonstrate the sort of person that I refer to as a “One and done”. He is not “doing his homework”, he is asking everyone else to do it for him. Questions like his have been asked numerous times. Did he read those responses? I doubt it. And rather than re-asking the same old questions and getting responses from the same ten people who typically respond in their typical way, he should try this. Go to Google, type, “US Virgin Islands grocery stores.” Then start hitting links of actual grocery stores, not some list compiled by some website. Try, “Pueblo Supermarkets – Grocery, Liquor.” San Diego Mike needs to see A REAL CIRCULAR. The “SPECIALS” tab will get you there. Download both of them. This is doing homework, not wasting people’s time, and getting REAL ANSWERS and not someone’s opinion. NOT HARD. Just for the heck of it, I clicked back and forth between the two, STT and STX. They’re almost identical. It’s amusing to see which items are different, All Purpose Flour, I wonder why.  

Thanks stjohnjulie for telling him to start his own thread, not surprisingly, he didn’t.

Next, MR. MODERATOR delete “sbrewingcompany”, we are all able to see that it’s just a bot. The responses are AI generated babble. If you’re not sure look at the thread about solar systems. THIS THREAD IS FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS NOT PLANETS!

  Ca. Dreamers

(@ca-dreamers)

Posts: 448

Honorable Member

Topic starter

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Anyone else on STX having issues with enphase solar system and or pro-solar? 

Posted : May 13, 2024 8:17 am

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  sbrewingcompany

(@sbrewingcompany)

Posts: 7

Active Member

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Our solar system isn't a headache; it's a fascinating cosmic neighborhood! From the scorching Sun to icy Pluto, each planet offers unique wonders. Understanding it enriches our perspective on Earth's place in the universe. Explore through books, documentaries, or planetariums. The more you learn, the more awe-inspiring it becomes!

Posted : July 12, 2024 9:17 am

And if you’re still in doubt, Google “sbrewingcompany”; same name, same logo. They’re just trying to endear themselves to folks who live in places with breweries like Diageo.

CORPORATE OFFICE:

S Brewing Company

No. 32/1 Kadubeesanahalli
Marathalli Outer Ring Road
Bellandur Post
Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

About us

SBC is a part of Jyothirmai Group which was established in the year of 2006 with hands on experience with several breweries, distilleries & in process industries. SBC Team carries more than 20 plus years of expertise in Brewery and Process industry with well-known brands like United Breweries, Carlsberg, SAB Miller, AB Inbev, Diageo, SNJ Breweries, Mount Everest Brewery, Nepal Brewery and many more…

We have done several critical R & D Projects such as Wort simmer & Strip system, CIP system for CO2 Line for AB Inbev. Multi-pump skid system for schneider electric, Hydro pneumatic system for water Storage and Distribution system for SNJ, Yeast Propagation system for Malt spirit Plant for Diageo, CO2 & Filtration Skid, Process vessels etc. The Final outcome of above skill set has helped S Brewing Company to excel in Brewery, Microbrewery, Distillery, Dairy and Bio-Tech Sectors. S Brewing Company is a one stop solution for Process requirements to our valuable customers….!

In response to newbie Dell Feson, MR. MODERATOR, you need to get rid of another BOT. Dell Feson posts a pleasant but stupid request on my thread at 7:01 am on August 22^nd. Dell Feson then posts a very odd response at 7:33 am on the same date to a three year old thread, telling some guy who erroneously asked a question about moving to Vancouver, not the VI, that he should form an LLC in Indiana;  JUST PURE AI GARBAGE.

And if you’re really not sure, do some more Googling. Dell Feson joined “vectorworks.net” on August 21^st , a website where professional roofers get and give advice. Those questions and advice are written by HUMANS. They speak like ordinary guys. On August 22^nd, Dell Feson posted

“The Bearing Height and Bearing Inset parameters are crucial. Bearing Height sets the height at which the roof sits relative to the top of the walls, while Bearing Inset determines how far in from the wall edge the roof starts. Setting the Bearing Inset to 0" can sometimes lead to alignment issues, so adjusting this parameter might help.

If the Roof Style settings aren’t giving you the control you need, manual adjustments might be necessary. You’ve already been adjusting the roof position manually, which can be a good workaround. However, it's important to check if any settings might be overriding these adjustments.”

It would seem that vimovingcenter is being invaded.

i was really enjoying your stories.  i hope you continue. im saddened by the education system here just based on your observations and experiences.