resort has started a temperature guarantee scheme to attract more visitors to its tennis, golfing and conference facilities.

But the guarantee is that temperatures will only reach 60 degrees daily, while the Bermuda scheme, which was in force over winter this year, guaranteed 68 degrees.

The Amelia Island Plantation, near Jacksonville, offers rooms free while in Bermuda there is a 20 percent discount in the hotels.

Maybe management at Amelia Island are not keen to give their rooms away free and have, therefore picked a lower target figure.

** One MP was overlooked in the roll call when the House of Assembly voted Friday on whether to elect the new House Speaker by secret ballot.

Dr. David Dyer, the Government nominee for Speaker, was considered such a strong favourite for the post that he was not included in the House seating plan or the voting roll that House Clerk Mr. James Smith relied upon.

Dr. Dyer, who was seated just outside the Government benches in the chamber while awaiting the outcome, had to raise his hand and call out to Mr. Smith, who thought his roll call was concluded.

He was allowed to place his "nay'' vote on whether the question of his own election should proceed by secret ballot. But the outcome was unaffected. The "ayes'' prevailed, 21-18.

*** While several MPs and Cabinet Ministers opted for morning suits when a new session of Parliament opened last Friday, Shadow Health and Social Services Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome and Shadow Environment Minister Mr. Trevor Woolridge sported African kente cloth scarfs.

The scarfs are worn during traditional swearing-in ceremonies in parts of Africa, said Mr. Bascome, who has worn the scarf to take his oath since he was first elected in 1989.

"It comes from the tradition of not forgetting my history,'' he said. To him, the scarf's significance is "the same as the traditional tails and hat have for the colonialists.'' *** Warwick West MPs the Hon. Quinton Edness (UBP) and Dr. Ewart Brown (PLP) are destined to butt heads in the next few years.

But no one expected them to do so before Parliament even opened.

When the Women's Resources Centre held a fund-raising banquet at the Sonesta Beach Hotel on Saturday, October 30, the two men were there -- Mr. Edness in his capacity as Acting Premier and Dr. Brown to introduce the guest speaker and his friend, US Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

As the guests walked up to the head table, Dr. Brown created a diplomatic stir by taking Mr. Edness's seat beside Mrs. Waters. Mr. Edness appeared somewhat taken aback.

Instead of creating an incident, he moved to the end of the table with his wife, where hotel staff quickly set two new places.

Dr. Brown, according to the Centre's plan for the night, was to sit at a table on the floor.

Mr. Edness looked awfully long-faced during the banquet. But he was not to be denied his rightful place beside the guest of honour.

When Dr. Brown rose after the main course and briefly left the room, the Minister took his seat beside Mrs. Waters and chatted away as though the switch was the most natural thing in the world. Dr. Brown later returned and smoothly took Mr. Edness's seat at the end of the table.

The Minister later said the incident was not Dr. Brown's fault. Hotel staff misinterpreted the evening's programme, which featured Dr. Brown's name, and assumed he was at the head table.

When the hotel staff realised their mistake, they made arrangements to move Mr. Edness beside Mrs. Waters, as protocol would have it, he said.

*** Comrade Molotov would probably have been less than amused.

But a Bermudian variation of his infamous cocktail provoked more sniggers than shivers last weekend.

The object had been tossed into the road during a bout of Hallowe'en hooliganism in the Happy Valley area.

An alert Royal Gazette lensman overheard two Policemen contemplating the significance of this...thing.

Should they alert the Fire Service? Said one: "Don't worry. This Molotov cocktail is one of the worst I have ever seen. It's made out of a plastic coke bottle!'' That said, he promptly used one of those famous Policeman's boots to stamp on the offending item.