Customer service
A Beaconite would like to thank the hard-working public officers at government’s Customer Service Care Centre, who must be tired of hearing his voice but never show it. As a journalist, he sometimes calls them several times a day seeking information or assistance reaching public agencies. They are unfailingly polite, helpful and knowledgeable. And if they aren’t able to help immediately, they sometimes offer to track down certain information and call him back — and then they follow through. He is very impressed with their diligence, and he hopes that their enthusiasm will spread throughout the entire public service.
Shutter Island
A journalist by profession, a handyman by hobby, a Beaconite spent the hours preceding Hurricane Tammy shuttering and locking the windows at the Beacon office. There isn’t much a clever mind can’t mend with a hammer and some zip ties, though the reporter found his limit when attempting to re-secure the final shutter right outside his desk. Ten or so feet off the ground and half of his body stuck out the window, he realised there was no hook to attach the half-shutter to the building’s eyelet. A hammer can do many things, but it can’t drill a hole for a zip tie. With the final window in Beacon headquarters improperly secured, the Beaconite decided to cut his losses and try finagling himself back through the window, as he was wedged very tightly between his desk and the wall. There was a brief moment when he thought perhaps getting both arms and all his torso through the window might keep him from crawling back in, but he persevered and had only a dirty shirt to show for his struggle.
Duct tape
While one Beaconite was securing the Beacon office for Hurricane Tammy, another was doing his best to secure the windows in his own apartment to prevent them from leaking. Unlike his colleague, however, he is decidedly not a handyman by hobby. Perhaps this is why he found himself using duct tape and trash bags. The end result was not pretty. Since Tammy never arrived, he has no idea if the scheme worked, but he is considering leaving it up throughout the end of November in hopes of finding out. Of course, he is fully aware that he will need to take more serious measures if a major hurricane forms, and he is not advocating that anyone else try to secure any building with tape and plastic bags. Having survived Hurricane Irma, he knows better.
New face
A Beaconite would like to welcome a new addition to the Beacon family. Ishi the cat recently moved into her family home and quickly made himself at home. He succeeds the much beloved Chubby Cheeks, who passed away earlier this year. At just 6 months old, Ishi has proven to be a formidable friend to the 7-year-old Explorer. He has a tail that is almost as big as his body, black paws and one black claw, extremely soft fur, and really pretty eyes (of course, the reporter is slightly biased). Ishi is also armed with a big personality for a cat his age. He’s noisy and needs a lot of attention. He loves to be around people, whether that’s just watching what humans are doing or attacking their feet while they try to sleep.