School visit
A Beaconite was pleased to be invited to Cedar International School this week to speak to a class about satire. Before his visit, a teacher sent him several satirical pieces written by students, which were very well done.
During the visit, they discussed satire in literature (authors Kurt Vonnegot and Jonathan Swift, for example), on television (The Simpsons and The Daily Show), and in music (the rappers Ludakris and PSY). The Beaconite, who often writes a satirical column in this newspaper, was extremely pleased that the students are learning about such an interesting genre. He thanks them for inviting him and wishes them luck in all their endeavours.
Reportero de deportes
A Beaconite usually writes about government and business issues, with the occasional crime story thrown in. But he also enjoys variety and writing about topics that don’t often get media attention. So when the Beacon’s delivery driver told him about a softball tournament created to commemorate the anniversary of the Dominican Republic’s independence from Haiti, the Beaconite gladly accepted the chance to go and cover the story. Aside from the welcome opportunity to practise his Spanish, the reporter got to enjoy the celebrations with members of the local DR community, who welcomed him and treated him to some good homemade food. The Beaconite also appreciated the chance to put a photo of a co-worker in the paper.
Mistaken identity
A Beaconite thinks her exercise regime must be paying off. While shopping at a local shoe store, she was approached by a woman who mistook her for one of the athletes at the recently concluded Education Week Sports Day. The reporter corrected the woman’s error, but she didn’t mind being mistaken for an athletic teenager.
Happy St. Paddy’s Day
A Beaconite from the United States enjoys the custom of “pretend Irishness” each year on March 17 with all the fixings: green Budweiser, painted shamrocks, a little taste of Jameson, and a big plate of corned beef and cabbage. Although he enjoys such silly traditions for what they are, he does realise they may lack authenticity — especially when it comes to the main dish, which the Beaconite happily ate on Sunday night. An article on Salon.com this week confirmed his suspicions.
“My Irish family never ate corned beef,” the post reads. “My grandmother was always perplexed that Americans associate corned beef with being Irish.”
Corned beef was actually made popular in New York City bars in the early 20th Century when certain establishments offered a “free lunch” to Irish construction workers who bought beer and shots of whiskey, according to the article. That’s how the dish became known as “Irish” food.
The Beaconite, a New Yorker, found comfort in this explanation.
Grander scale
A Beaconite happened to be high up on the Ridge Road as a cruise ship was pulling out of Road Harbour Sunday, and she observed that the Azura — a Grand Class ship — looks even bigger when viewed from that distance than it does from Waterfront Drive. So she decided to look up some exact figures. The ship is 951 feet and five inches long, with 19 passenger-accessible decks. It towers more than 193 feet above the waterline, dwarfing the yachts, ferries and other vessels visible in the harbour. Azura has a weight to match: 115,055 tons. With a capacity of 3,096 passengers and 1,226 crew, the ship can carry more people than are employed by the territory’s largest employer, the government. (That figure was estimated last year to be just under 3,000.)
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