Inquest did its job

January 21, 2004

Dear Sir,

I was disturbed to read Matthew Taylor?s article on lawyer Elizabeth Christopher?s comments on the recent inquest into the death of Gladys Smith. To suggest that ?policies were needed? or that some sort of warning device for water getting hot should be available throughout the Hospital is pure nonsense.

It sounds to me like the smoke and mirrors device of a defence lawyer trying to shift responsibility for the tragic event away from where it lies ? the two people immediately responsible for her care. In my opinion no amount of ?new policies? or warning devices can ever replace the normal sense of responsibility needed when caring for those who cannot fend for themselves. That Gladys Smith?s family are angry and may be considering litigation is no surprise.

Who wouldn?t be? And to read that the orderly involved has been transferred to the ICU makes me pray that neither I nor anyone I love has a heart attack in the near future. I fear that the Hospital?s actions following the tragedy were guided and I think misguided by their legal advisers. I would guess that the advice was to admit no fault and take no action that could be construed as an admission of negligence.

The Inquest, for all Ms Christopher?s and your criticisms, clearly showed how Mrs. Smith died, so the negligence of her ?care? givers is there for all to see. I believe that the following steps would have been the proper ones to take for Gladys Smith?s family, the Hospital?s reputation and most importantly of all, to try to prevent anything like it happening again:

An immediate enquiry. This should only take a few hours at most. Bring back off duty staff if necessary. Suspend the orderly immediately, followed by dismissal when the facts are confirmed.

Suspend the nurse involved immediately, followed by dismissal when the facts are confirmed. Deal with the unions involved later, but they can only agree with action taken, if they are honourable. Ask the family for an interview at their earliest convenience, at the Hospital or their home, whichever they prefer. Be absolutely honest about what happened to Mrs. Smith and be genuine in your regret. Explain what action you have already taken to prevent any recurrence.

You can be sure that these actions will reduce the chances of such events happening again, will instil the confidence of the public that the Hospital will act responsibly in such a situation and allow the family to believe that they are being treated in an honest and straightforward way.

Hold all cell calls

January 22, 2004

Dear Sir,

Which would the good driver use: A hand-held cell phone or a hands-free set up? Answer: Neither. A 2003 study by Great Britain?s Transport Research Laboratory found talking on either makes a driver about as attentive as one who is at the legal limit of alcohol consumption.

Cell phones are just a much larger problem ? leaving the driver inattentive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 25 percent of the police-reported accidents in the US have been because of cell phones, digging for a CD, or picking up food while driving. Solution: Hold all calls until you get home.

Don?t blame women

January 24, 2005

Dear Sir,

In response to Vox Orientalis (Letters to the Editor, January 24, 2005) I would like to note that being a single parent is not necessarily a negative thing for families. In fact, many single parents have raised fine families. It is not necessary for both parents to be present and often it is not desirable. It is common knowledge that women do not get pregnant by themselves and therefore cannot be held solely responsible for their pregnancy.

Men are equally responsible for child birth rates. If the community is committed to reducing child birth rates accountability must be shared. If sex education is common and contraception readily available men must learn to use it. Or perhaps it is time for men stop being so susceptible to women ?spreading their legs?? Or, perhaps drop the nice line of BS? Or perhaps both? It is certainly time to stop blaming single parents and especially women for the ills of society, whatever one might deem them to be.

The Regiment: It works

January 20, 2004

Dear Sir,

Mr. Phillip Wells? points on the Bermuda Regiment are well taken. The Regiment has no obvious point at all. I can appreciate his point about the unfairness of its compulsory nature and other aspects of it annoy me too. I remember being a reporter and almost being called up. (I wasn?t called up and made a lousy reporter.)

I crossed the newsroom to (one-time Regiment colonel) Gavin Shorto?s editor desk at the Mid-Ocean to find out what the point of the Regiment was. He couldn?t give me any cogent reasons for the Regiment?s existence. His last shot was that the Regiment provided security in a time of riot. ?What if I?m with the other side?? I said. That stopped him.

It?s whole focus seems strange. Why is it a land-based force? Shouldn?t it be like Sea Cadets which seems to me, makes much more sense? We have to send recruits to a place where there is land to do land training, because we don?t have a lot of land. Why don?t we train them at the sea? Wouldn?t that be less expensive and be more appropriate? If it is a national service, why aren?t women called up? If it is national service wouldn?t it be fair if everybody, of a particular age, served? There are many other issues I have heard from people. You, reader, probably have your own.

Unfortunately for we sceptics, there is one aspect of the Regiment that seems to trump the lot. The Regiment actually works. The Bermuda Governmental structure is not very good at getting things done whoever is in power. There are two notable exceptions: it?s good at generating revenue for itself and also the odd little project of the Bermuda Regiment runs pretty smoothly. Contrary to what Mr. Wells implies, it does seem to improve people. The process of going through it turns sceptics into believers.

Calmly and deliberately, without the dazed look of the brain washed, they claim they had a good time. Young men in Bermuda seem to go a little batty sitting on this little rock. They have a lot of energy and this is a very small place. Bermudian men retain a certain level of battiness for the rest of their lives. They need ballast and the Regiment, in its batty way, seems to give a lad the sand he will need.

It?s not like any other army in the world. Admit it reader, the week when they all have to go in is very amusing. The media loves it. There?s always some slightly serious controversy over it, that turns out to be funny. The whole thing goes off without any real problem. Two weeks later they?re all done and they come home saying: ?Well I learned something; I?m just not sure what yet. Let me think about it.?

Then they get to leave their tiny motherland and do some adventuring in Jamaica. Does Bermudian education serve us this well, dollar for dollar? In my opinion, no. There is a lot of Government that we could do without in Bermuda, but it might be a good idea to let the Regiment get on with whatever it is, it does. Also it?s damn useful in a hurricane.

Constructive criticism

January 18, 2004

Dear Sir,

I wonder why corporations and the citizens of Bermuda cannot pay their taxes (payroll tax, social insurance, land tax) at an ATM machine. Presently these payments must be made at the tax collection office. This is a major inconvenience to all, requiring taking time off from work to make the payment, trying to find a parking space and waiting in line at the cashier?s office.

I?m sure the Ministry of Finance would point out that such payments must be accompanied by tax returns. Correct. These could easily be folded in thirds and inserted, along with a check in a letter envelope which could easily be deposited in an ATM machine. Then the Ministry would argue that there would be no means to return a validated deposit slip. Big deal!

A cancelled check, property notated as to what the payment was for would be adequate proof that the payments were made. ATM records would clearly show the date the deposit was made. A side benefit, although perhaps not significant, would be a lessening of traffic congestion in the City of Hamilton, especially on key payment dates ? as with payroll tax and social insurance.

This is such a simple and sensible idea that I can?t believe Government and the Banks haven?t already implemented such a convenience to all concerned. I look forward to the Minister?s replay to this suggestion, as I?m sure do all Bermudians. Another area of concern is street parking in the City of Hamilton. I believe the present system of displaying dated and time-scratched tickets is stupid. These require all vehicles to be moved hourly, usually to another space which doesn?t exist. Also a major disruption to businesses and retail outlets in the city.

Wouldn?t it make more sense to handle it like the bus service does. Let?s say there is 1,000 available street parking spots within the city. Print monthly parking cards (similar to the cards now available for bus service). After 1,000 were sold for every month sales would cease. The tickets could be priced based on demand. Meter maid jobs would be very much simplified.

An additional benefit would be that there would always be some empty street parking places because not all of the ticket holders would be in Hamilton at the same time. This would provide, at times, available parking for delivery vehicles (or those risking to get a parking ticket). Perhaps driving down Reid Street during the week need not be like a bumper car ride.

Further regarding parking in Hamilton. There has been some discussion to replace one of the few city parking lots with a new hotel. I am sure this is the brainchild of someone who would gain financially from such a plan. The city cannot afford to further reduce available parking and the last thing Bermuda needs is another hotel. They have been closing in droves for the last ten years and those who remain open are seldom full.

As you drive into Hamilton on Front Street the first thing that catches everyone?s eyes, Bermudians and tourists, is that ugly blue plywood wall surrounding a fairly large unused piece of property. It has been that way, I believe, for more than five years. All of that time that property could have been converted to another parking lot in Hamilton. The owner of the property would get rent from the city and the city could charge for parking as in other city parking lots.

Perhaps simple ideas like these have not been implemented because our politicians spend so much time patting themselves on the back for doing a crummy job that they have little time left to make changes that would be truly constructive.

The battle of the Idols

January 20, 2004

Dear Sir,

Without a doubt, American Idol once again beats out Bermuda Idol. Why is this so? Here?s why:

1. American Idol gets shown on FOX (yes, Bermuda has a FreshTV which doesn?t get used much).

2. The show lasts for two hours (a lot better than having that person come on radio to sing per day).

3. There are four judges who vote for you (we?ll probably never get anyone like Paula Abdul here to represent as a judge but I?m pretty sure there?s a Randy, Simon and guest judge here - how about Gita Blakeney or Shine Hayward or even Twanee Butterfield?)

4. People did get chanted live on television (it?s like people here can?t seem to say to anybody half the things Randy would probably say or even Simon and yes, he is mean, but considering there were a lot of winners last night, he?s not that bad).

5. Producing a winner so fast sucks. It really does. (Why can?t you guys ever use that time: two hours every Wednesday and show hundreds of people who want to be the next Bermuda Idol? What, you?re scared to try something somebody else is already doing? Talk about how to diss Bermudians.

6. You say Bermudians can do a lot of things yet, regarding how sloppy the first Bermuda Idol was, they can?t (and I thought there was no such word as can?t).

Slow progress

January 19, 2004

Dear Sir,

What a wonderful picture of the old bus station at Washington Street north by Meredith Andrews. Quite overwhelmed by what they have managed to achieve in only six months! At their rate the pyramids would still be work in progress!

Bigger and better?

January 21, 2005

Dear Sir,

Washington Mall is always closed after 5 p.m. (something American malls never are, which is basically why they?re so hot). So why double the size of this place? Changing the building won?t change the people who work there. They won?t suddenly say: ?Oh, I?ll be open until 11 p.m. tonight.? They?re 9 to 5 p.m. people, working in the wrong place (a mall is supposed to be a place that remains open for the majority of the day not, close up when other businesses finish up at 5 p.m.).

You need to improve on your business hours (set a schedule that will allow you to stay open like Sears, K-Mart and Macys). The longer you?re open, the likelihood you?ll produce more sales.

?Spectacular show?

January 19, 2005

Dear Sir,

Thank you for allowing me to use this medium to address all the participants and spectators of the Christmas Boat Parade. To our friends ? the participants, we thank you for a spectacular show. Your patience and understanding during the postponements (not once, but twice) was wonderful. The effort and work that went into creating this year?s show was incredible.

On behalf of the organising committee and, in fact, all of Bermuda ? we salute you. To the viewing public ? thank you for making the parade such a resounding success. Without your support, the boats would not be there. You have made this event the largest single spectator event of the year.

Lastly, to our sponsors ? all of whom have been with us since the beginning, we appreciate your support. It most definitely could not happen without out. To all ? a wonderful new year and we?ll see you around our beautiful harbour next Christmas.