I am puzzled by the logic of the recent ad campaign which compares Bermuda to the Hamptons. Why would the ad in the New York times insult New Yorkers, the very people we are trying to lure here? The statement, "Everyone in Bermuda is courteous and friendly. Everyone in the Hamptons is from New York'', simply boggles the mind. I understand that a good natured comparison could be a humorous and effective method to attract tourists, but for goodness sake, do not insult the very people you are trying to attract.

This is poor judgment in the extreme, from both the advertising agency and the Department of Tourism. Rather than scrap the campaign altogether, perhaps the Department of Tourism could rewrite existing ads and ensure that future ones tread more lightly on their target markets.

RICHARD COX City of Hamilton P.S. As a frequent visitor to the Hamptons, I have found the people in the service industry and the ones just breathing the air to be very courteous and friendly, unfortunately more so than many of their Bermudian counterparts.

Police are a cut above June 14, 1999 Dear Sir, Please afford me the opportunity to address a number of issues which are of paramount importance to the populace of Bermuda; Bermudian, expatriate or otherwise.

For many months now I have read with utter dismay many articles in this and other columns relating to the management or mismanagement of the Bermuda Police Service. Many of the comments made or the great majority are erroneous and downright unsubstantiated. Not only are many of the authors prevaricators, but what is even more alarming are the comments that have come from the mouths of some of our representatives of Government.

The one that stands out foremost in my mind is that which came from the lips of Union Leader and Hamilton Parish representative, Derrick Burgess.

Unfortunately, and great emphasis is being placed on that word, I am a Bermudian, a unionised worker, a PLPite, and more importantly, one of Mr.

Burgess' constituents. However, I am also a Christian individual who was very upset when Mr. Burgess likened the former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Colin Coxall to the best thing that happened to the Service since Jesus.

Mr. Editor, I must ask, as many people have, what manner of a man or mouse would stoop so low as to relate a mortal man and a dictatorial individual to him who died on the Cross to set the captive free? That is you, Mr. Burgess and others just like me. Since the PLP assumed the mantle of power back on the November 9, 1999, congregations across these islands have been earnestly praying for the Government. I would humbly request that we all pray more fervently. Mr. Burgess surely needs to acknowledge his Lord and Saviour.

The PLP, like the UBP, may rule this Country for a long time but I urge Mr.

Burgess never again to tamper with the name of him who reigns from Everlasting to Everlasting. I would not suggest that you likened Mr. Coxall to the best thing since sliced bread or even white rice but such analogies would have been more appropriate. Enough is enough.

Another matter that I must comment upon is Government's utter disdain for the members of our Police Service. Why are they being subjected to this shabby treatment? I have a few friends within the organisation and I can state without any reservation that they are hard working, committed, astute, loyal, motivated and trustworthy men and women. What's more, the majority are sons and daughters of our soil who help propel the said PLP to its present position. It is more than common knowledge that the Service is very inexperienced where the rubber meets the road, (I am told that that's one of the present Commissioner's catch phrases), and understaffed. Can someone please enlighten me then, as to why Government is blatantly refusing to honour the conditions of the Mowbray Report? Surely if there is one uniformed service that should be greatly appeased, it is the Bermuda Police Service. You may ask the question why am I putting the boys and girls in blue in a category above the other uniform services, which are fully Bermudianised? Well to tell the truth, its clearly because they are a cut above the rest. For example, the Police had an opportunity to rain on Government's first Bermuda Day Parade. As many will recall that was the week immediately following the historic illness or blue flu as it was labelled by the Press.

However, these men and women rose above the disrespect that was shown to them and smartly arrived on duty to protect the Government's image along with life and property.

A couple weeks later, the Prison Officers were engaged in illegal industrial action whereby they refused to transport prisoners to and from the courts.

Without hesitation, our Government in general and the Labour Minister in particular, set the wheels in motion to address the grievances. So interested were they that Ms Cox postponed an important overseas conference and hurriedly made promises to the Prison Officers' Association to have their differences reconciled at the earliest opportunity.

In the interim period, Police officers were mobilised and deployed to perform the Prison Officers' functions. This they willingly did without objection. I am told that had the Fire Service been the ones refusing to perform their duties, that the Police could have been called upon to fill the void.

Fortunately, the Police are so regulated that they cannot engage themselves in such forms of industrial action.

Now, Mr. Editor, is there any other reason for me to expound on why the Police are in a separate bracket from the other uniform services? I don't think so. I had occasion to ask a few friends why is it that the Prison Officers' concerns were addressed in under two weeks and the Police have been working without a pay contract for almost two years now, but are still rendering a high level of service to this community? Can our Police be victims of a vindictive Government? God forbid but it is time someone set the record straight. God bless Bermuda and the Police Service. To be continued.

GENUINE OBSERVER City of Hamilton Times table doesn't work June 17, 1999 Dear Sir, I read with interest your June 16 article on the new Law programme which Bermuda College is organising in conjunction with my own institution, the University of Kent Law School. As your article indicated, we are confident that this will be a first-class programme of value to Bermudian students.

I would, however, like to take this opportunity to correct the misleading impression that the article created as to Kent Law School's stature in the UK through its reference to the University of Kent's standing in The Times Annual Overall University League Table.

Firstly, in The Times Tables relating to law specifically, Kent Law School has always enjoyed a much higher ranking.

More importantly, however, the methodology employed by The Times in compiling the various tables is deeply flawed and is, we believe, now under review.

Indeed, the CVCP in the UK, a Committee composed of University Vice-Chancellors, is now pursuing this matter with the newspaper. All Bermudians thinking of coming to the UK for higher education should be aware, therefore, that these tables are (to say the least) often highly misleading and need to be treated with great caution.

The tables ranking individual departments, for example, are compiled using a very small range of criteria. No account is taken, for instance, of vital factors such as the ratio of staff to students, or of the money spent on library, computing and other teaching resources per student.

Indeed, not all departments (or universities) are judged on the same criteria! For example, while some law departments are assessed in part by reference to the quality of the published work of their staff -- a key measure of a department's standing and reputation -- others (amazingly) are not. The bizarre result is that in the Law League Table, one of the law schools given a very high ranking did not submit any of its staff's published work in the most recent national research assessment exercise -- an exercise regarded internationally as the key measure of a department's academic standing. Yet it is ranked above a number of leading law schools, including not only Kent but also among many others, Bristol, Edinburgh and Liverpool. Not surprisingly, The times Law League Table makes very strange reading to most UK legal academics. Many highly regarded departments fare badly; many weaker Departments fly high.

In fact, in the most recent (1996) official evaluation of the quality of the research produced by the law departments, the Kent Law School received a four out of five rating; only a dozen or so UK Law Schools fared better. In recent years, two members of the Kent Law School have won highly prestigious prizes for their published work. Indeed, one of these, John Wightman, winner of the Socio-Legal Studies Association book prize, will be the main lecturer on one of the courses taught at Bermuda College. Both in terms of teaching quality and of the quality of its student intake, Kent Law School is very much a top 20 UK law school.

I make these points firstly, to assure Bermudians that in teaming up with Kent Law School, the College is linking with an institution of excellence with a very good national and international reputation, and that law students joining the new programme will receive a first-class legal education. And, secondly, to warn them, more generally, that if they consult the Times Tables for guidance, they need to do so in the spirit of caveat emptor.

PADDY IRELAND Canterbury, Kent, UK