Ill at ease?

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

I had nothing better to do this evening than to ponder the following:

Do we use the term 'HSBC' when fostering palatable ideas and 'The Bank of Bermuda' to convey less savoury ones?

During their respective November 3 interview, both Messrs. Butterfield and Gardner seemed very ill at ease in their task of promoting the new (second, Easterly) Monolith - or was it just my imagination?

STILL WONDERING

Smith's Parish

Playing by the rules

November 9, 2005

Dear Sir,

I wonder whether Mr. P's new Government propaganda television station will fall under the same political broadcasting rules as the local commercial stations. They are required during an election period to give the full right of reply to the Opposition. I won't hold my breath.

LC

Warwick

Close the road

October 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

I would like to know why Alexandra Road that was closed for years at one end was opened some time ago? No one living near it and now is affected by the amount of cycles using it. They had no idea how many cycles would use it. They go so fast, just like jets at the Airport and many go on down the road to Forth Hill at the same speed. It is only for the Lord that some people have not been knocked down and killed. It should have a turn still or more and only walkers use it. Why was safety first not used? It will be too late if something is not done at once. Those that opened it please close it and do use your brains.

BRAINS

Devonshire

Coming to our aid

November 2, 2005

Dear Sir,

This should end the Independence issue.

What happens to Bermudians when ties with a global power are severed and become targets of kidnap for profit factions or hostage situations? Is anyone on this Island willing to put the fate of their loved ones in the hands of the boneheads running this Island (into the ground)? Who will come to their aid, Lt. Col. Cornrow, "beam me up" Scotty? Ha .. .it makes me cringe to think of the types waiting for England's comforting blanket of security to be stripped away from our affluent multi-racial society.

MORALITY FIRST

Devonshire

Wonderful performance

November 4, 2005

Dear Sir,

I am a Bermudian who now lives abroad, but have been here in Bermuda on a visit for a short while.

One of the reasons for my current visit has been to ensure that I was able to see the October, 2005 production of "Cabaret" staged by the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bermuda.

I would like to add my very positive comments about this cultural event which was excellent. The cast, production crew, orchestra and all the myriad of people who so willingly give of their time and talents are to be warmly congratulated.

Thank you G&S you are going from strength to strength. Please keep up the good work

PHILIP COPELAND

Costa Rica

Traffic threats

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

There are many Driving Instruction Schools in Bermuda and as in all endeavours, there are some instructors who are better than others.

There are three practices that I notice while driving our roads that I believe are not discussed enough during the instruction phase.

Every day I come upon someone who is entering the major carriageway from a minor, and proceeds while looking steadily to their left when the initial traffic threat will be coming from their right.

Persons who stop their vehicles at night and leave the headlights on make it almost impossible for approaching motorists to see beyond the plane of those headlights. Someone could be standing in the road just back of those lights and motorists approaching would not see them until it was too late to avoid an accident.

I was taught many moons ago that when there was an obstruction on your side of the road then you waited until there was no conflicting traffic approaching and then and only then you would cross over the dividing line to pass the obstruction. Not so today, as it seems that the cars being driven by these drivers do not have brake pedals, because the drivers never stop for anything but just cross over to the other side, forcing oncoming traffic to brake sharply to avoid meeting head on. What makes it worse is that these drivers look at you with the attitude that you are at fault for not letting them have the right of way.

BILL NEARON

Pembroke

Buck stops at the top

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

What on earth is the matter with this country that has so much going for it? Mistakes, inaccuracies, lies, half truths, corruption, subterfuge, political spin, broken promises, gross over-spending and late completion of projects and so on and so on.

Then we, finally, have an apology from most of the members of BIC ? why not all of them? And what an apology ? blaming the whole referendum issue on "endless re-drafts and edits what had led to what it admitted was a misleading and inaccurate statement". So whose ultimate responsibility is it to ensure that the document is not flawed? The Chairman, of course, and in this case someone who should know better ? I hope he feels as foolish as many feel him to be.

Unfortunately, BIC is now disbanded and the accountability of the Chairman and committee members is presumably at an end so that blame can be placed on anyone or anything with impunity. Even more unfortunately this type of "passing off" seems to have drifted through the mists surrounding the Hill to "P" who is now blaming his Ministers for lack of performance. Surely the buck stops at the top and the Boss offers his head to the Executioner, not his underlings. One has to wonder who will wield the knife and rid us of this bauble and what "P's" response will be ? "et tu, Brute"?

A. GOODFELLOW

Paget

A wonderful event

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

After not being able to attend the Edinburgh Tattoo in 2003, I was totally elated to hear we were having one of our own and what an enjoyable event. Now, I really do not mind not being able to get to Edinburgh. But I do have the CD offered on their website.

I've since heard people talking about the rain on that last (Saturday) night. Rain? What rain? When you're having that much fun, rain pales to insignificance. I'm sure we all can recall other times in our lives when that was the case. The performers and organisers should be thoroughly be proud of themselves. And now, after mentioning "performers", where on earth was (steel pan player) Robert Symons? I can safely say that it had to be an awfully powerful reason for him not to have been included.

I can also safely vouch for his integrity, and therefore can't expect the official reason (for his exclusion) to be worth much.

C.K. SIMONS

Sandys

Off-stage antics

October 30, 2005

Dear Sir,

I would have written sooner, but I went away for a week immediately following this experience, so this is my earliest opportunity to congratulate the Gilbert and Sullivan Society for yet another superb show. 'Cabaret' was absolutely first class.

Unfortunately, however, the first part of the performance on Friday, October 22 was marred by numerous comings and goings in and out of the auditorium by certain people in the audience. For many of us, particularly those seated from Rows I to S on the side nearest to the door, this proved very distracting and annoying.

I've never before seen so many adults leaving to use the facilities during the first half hour of a performance, who presumably hadn't left enough time before curtain up "to go", after drinking at the bar! It was what you would expect to see at a children's matinee performance at a pantomime!

However, the 'piece de resistance' was when a couple arrived just after 8:20 p.m. and demanded, in an audible voice, to be seated immediately. Anyone who is familiar with theatre would know firstly, that they were lucky to be admitted to be auditorium at all, due to their tardiness, and secondly that one waits for a suitable opportunity, say at a scene change, to be seated, so as not to cause too much of a disturbance for all concerned.

There then ensued such a continued display of rude behaviour by the husband, including storming out of the theatre along, leaving his wife standing, then some minutes later, barging back in to fetch her, by which time she had been seated. (Their seats were at the end of a row by the wall.) He went out again when he couldn't see her, and a few minutes later came back in demanding angrily that his wife be fetched, because they were going home!

The house manager again politely told him that he would have to wait until a suitable moment, and so out he went again! Finally, someone from the box office came into the hall and fetched his wife, yet again disturbing a number of people.

At the interval, quite a few people in the audience, including myself, enquired as to what had been going on, and who this person was, who thought he could be so disrespectful in this way. We learned that he had complained bitterly to the box office personnel about not being seated straight away, and became very angry when his wife wasn't fetched immediately. Since they were not able to find out from the house manager until the interval what had been going on, they were sucked into this fiasco, because of the man's menacing attitude, and felt obliged to retrieve the wife!

This whole episode was very unpleasant, along with the inconsiderate people who had to leave the hall for other reasons, making it very unfair for those members of the audience who were disturbed so many times.

In conclusion, all I can say is that this very ill-mannered man and his unfortunate wife missed a fabulous show, and that I feel very sorry for his wife, and his employees, who have to deal with such a personality.

DISGUSTED IN PAGET