You say ‘football’…
As the World Cup rages on, a Beaconite from the United States frequently has been reminded by people from around the world that the tournament is a contest of “football” and not “soccer.”
People seem frustrated with him for using the latter word: They say he’s an American trying to force his terminology on the most popular sport in the world. However, the Beaconite was fascinated to read an article published by the University of Michigan that found the term “soccer” was actually coined in England in the late 19th Century. It seems as if the English used the two words interchangeably for much of the 20th Century, and it wasn’t until about 30 or 40 years ago that “football” became the dominant term everywhere but in the US. Moreover, the article argues that the elimination of “soccer” in England occurred because the game and term were becoming increasingly popular in the US, and the word was viewed as too colloquial for “high-brow newspapers such as The Times of London.” The Beaconite was fascinated to learn that the word was not popularised because Americans are imperialists who wanted to invent a new name for a largely foreign sport, and that it was in fact the rest of the world that forsook the term. He will continue to say “soccer” with pride.
An app for that
A Beaconite who frequently writes about entrepreneurship and the development of government programmes to support it is pleased to see a new effort at the University of the West Indies. The newly launched Caribbean Mobile Innovation Programme aims to create up to 100 start-up businesses related to app development and technology. The programme will offer training and mentorship and will be extended to six centres across the region, which haven’t yet been identified. The Beaconite hopes at least one of the centres will be set up near this territory so that Virgin Islands-based entrepreneurs can benefit.
Playing with the pros
On Monday, a Beaconite got the opportunity to play dominoes with some of the territory’s most experienced players: senior citizens who were enjoying a picnic at the Valerie O. Thomas Community Centre in Sea Cows Bay. After taking a few photos of the event, the reporter decided to try her luck. Though she has played dominoes before, she was reminded of how awful she is at the game. After nearly ten consecutive losses, however, she finally claimed a win. The next time she plays with the seniors, she hopes to win at least twice.
Caribou chase
Like most workers in the daily office environment, a Beaconite receives dozens of e-mails daily: press releases; messages from sources, readers and co-workers; and lots of news items from the mailing lists he’s subscribed to. But he particularly looks forward to one e-mail: a daily photo from the Twitter account of the United States Department of the Interior. The agency manages the US federal government’s vast public land holdings, and each day officials post a nature photo, usually from a national park or wildlife refuge. Monday’s photo depicted a herd of caribou running from a grizzly bear in Alaska’s Denali National Park. Other photos have featured the Golden Gate Bridge, snow-covered fields dotted with deer tracks, and a sunrise over the Washington Monument. The Beaconite, who is originally from the US, loves living in the Virgin Islands, but the daily photo is a nice reminder of how much there is to see in his home country. He wonders if the BVI Tourist Board currently offers a similar service. If not, with so much beautiful environment around the VI, it should consider doing so.
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