Celebrate the achievement

July 30, 2002

Dear Sir,

Having just recently arrived in Bermuda to take up my new post, naturally I look forward to each day's Royal Gazette, to learn more about current news and public affairs on this stunningly beautiful island. However, it was with great dismay that I read today's editorial critical of last week's Airport Appreciation Day ("Airport Party", July 30).

Although the editorial acknowledged, "The staff deserve credit and praise for the IATA award", I think the importance of Bermuda International Airport's achievement cannot be overemphasised and certainly deserves more recognition than a pay cheque alone can convey. Think of it, among some 700 commercial airports in the world, thousands of international travellers picked Bermuda Airport's staff as the best in the world for courtesy and helpfulness.

Also, in spite of heavy competition from many excellent airports, the same survey ranked Bermuda Airport as fourth in the world overall for leisure travellers and ninth overall by all travellers. To cap this remarkable string of awards, Bermuda Airport was ranked first overall in North America! This historic accomplishment goes far beyond the routine and mundane, and all Bermudians should rejoice that their airport is now cast in such a favourable spotlight on the world stage. Certainly, employees should be friendly and perform their duties conscientiously as a matter of course. But, human nature being what it is, astute management in any large organisation realises that there is far more to motivating employees in the pursuit of excellence than a pay cheque alone.

When employees see that their work has importance as part of a larger mission and is deeply appreciated, the desire to perform above and beyond minimum expectations is reinforced and encouraged. To expect this kind of outstanding performance and be recognised as an industry leader just doesn't happen automatically.

For these reasons, the Airport Appreciation Day (which included organised team building exercises, T-shirts promoting the airport, and label pins) was planned to coincide with our advertisements in The Royal Gazette trumpeting the airport's award (funny, the editorial didn't mention the money spent on that!). Funding for the Appreciation Day is, in fact, well within the amount appropriated for "Promotions" in the DAO's approved budget for "...public relations activity, refreshments, Airport Fun Day, give-away T-shirts...", etc.

JAMES G. HOWES

General Manager, Dept. of Airport Operations

Bermuda International Airport

And if we had come first?

July 28, 2002

Dear Sir,

It was interesting to read in Friday July 26, 2002 Royal Gazette that Dr. Brown feels that "When they (airport staff) do it right, $35,000 is nothing." And this to reward them for doing their job which resulted in the airport being named the ninth in the world. I have to wonder how much nothing would cost the Bermudian taxpayer if the airport had come first.

JUST A TAXPAYER

Smith's Parish

Palestinians deserve better

July 25, 2002

Dear Sir,

Gavin Shorto in "What is crucial to peace" of Monday, July 22, 2002, attacks Palestinian corruption and quotes approvingly a Palestinian businessman-turned-politician: "But Palestinians cannot achieve their aspirations until they reclaim the moral high ground. we have to put our own house in order first".

Yes, Yassir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are corrupt and behave undemocratically. So what? Did America achieve its right to independence through a strict code of financial practice and business ethics? Or was it after a campaign to win the "hearts and minds" of the slave population?

My guess is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of Palestinians who sincerely believe that 35 years of brutal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza by Israeli does not give Palestinians the moral high ground. On the other hand, the geographical high ground clearly belongs to Israel thanks to the settlements which have spread like a cancer across many West Bank hilltops.

Which brings me to Edward Said, the most prominent living Palestinian intellectual who has persistently opposed Arafat's corruption and incompetence and who stalks Mr. Shorto's article like Banquo's ghost. The trouble with Edward Said's views is that he opposed the Oslo talks which he accurately predicted would collapse like a house of cards since they leaned in Israel's favour from the start, designed only to flirt with the central issue of Palestinian statehood.

His analysis of the flawed Oslo Accords are spelled out in a collection of essays entitled "The End of the Peace Process" and several lengthy articles which have appeared in the London Review of Books. Moreover, Edward Said believes in a secular Palestinian state in which all religions would live side by side in peace. Yet Mr. Shorto manages to ignore the brightest candle of all and a post mortem of the contentious Camp David discussions is left to a former Israeli Prime Minister and the inveterate liar Bill Clinton.

At the other end of the anti-corruption spectrum is, of course, Hamas who provide educational and other social services in the occupied territories which have terminally eluded the bloated and self-serving Palestinian Authority. No mention of that either. Or is Mr. Shorto only interested in a campaign against corruption that serves Israel's purpose?

As the assault on Iraq draws near, I am sure Mr. Shorto will return on a crest of hysteria to bludgeon us again with more evidence of Arab inferiority to make us feel good about attacking another country. In the meantime, I urge readers to visit the articles of Gabriel Ash at the www.yellowtimes.org website to learn about Israeli superiority.

The world is far more complicated than Gavin Shorto pretends and if we are going to have a serious debate on the Middle East/terrorism etc., then the Palestinians certainly deserve a better hearing that the one they currently receive in The Royal Gazette.

VERITAS

Endless possibilities

July 30, 2002

Dear Sir,

I am writing in reference to a commercial I saw for The MarketPlace. I was disgusted to see the butcher handling raw meat with his bare hands! Not only is this unsanitary but it could lead to cross contamination of meats. What if the butcher picked up a ham next and gave it to the customer? There was blood all over the roast he just had his hands on then he is touching meat that does not need to be cooked, the possibilities of contamination and disease are endless! Not to mention what he could have been touching before he even started with the meat, he could have been touching money or poking his nose for all I know. Is it so hard to ask for a little cleanliness? What about gloves?

Not just in the meat department but the fruit department as well. Is it too much to ask for gloves to be used on readily consumable goods and even more so in the meat department?

HEALTH CONSCIOUS

Somerset

Trash bins for Rockaway

July 29, 2002

Dear Sir,

If our Minister of Transport has so much cash that the can give a party and take out a full-page advertisement in your paper, perhaps he could allocate a few dollars to buying some trash bins for the Rockaway Ferry Terminal. There are no trash bins anywhere and trash is collecting everywhere including the access road.

This morning as I walked down the concrete path to the ferry I even noticed two empty Alpo dog food cans which had been left lying about. Also perhaps he had better start thinking about installing traffic lights to eliminate the tail back of traffic trying to get on the Middle Road, particularly after the arrival of the 5.30 p.m. ferry from Hamilton

A ROCKAWAY RESIDENT

Southampton

What is happening?

August 5, 2002

Dear Sir,

Last Saturday, August 3, I was tailgated for several miles along the South Shore in Smith's Parish by a white taxi van. As I had been caught speeding on this particular stretch of road (as have many other people) I made sure that I did not exceed 34 kph. This appeared to anger the taxi behind me, who was obviously trying very hard to get me to speed up.

Nevertheless, I continued driving at the appropriate speed and half way up the hill (100 yards before St. Mark's Church) the taxi overtook me at very high speed and the woman passenger screamed and screamed at me as they went flying past. What is happening on this lovely Island to produce such violent and unnecessary behaviour towards another motorist? Who is this taxi driver to think that I have to drive at the speed HE wants me to regardless of the law? Are we becoming a totally lawless society? This is not the first time that I have been tailgated in such a manner and I am sure it won't be the last.

When I first came to Bermuda, I found the people to be so gentle and kind, but so many now are very aggressive and abusive and seem to think that no one else has any rights on our roads.

JUST ASKING

Smith's Parish