September 13, 2003

Dear Mr. Joaquin,

The past week has truly been the "worst of times" and the "best of times" for our community. Your organisation features strongly in the latter characterisation of "best of times" for our school and for that we are extremely grateful.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Fabian, as we prepared for the start of 2003-2004 school year, Dellwood Middle School was so heartened to receive your company's offer of assistance with our clean up efforts. You and your colleagues descended upon us with such enthusiasm and commitment to help, that our spirits were lifted immediately and we were encouraged in our efforts to ready our school for the arrival of our students next week.

It is this kind of commitment and support from community partners such as you and your colleagues, that reminds us, as educators, that others in the community understand the importance of our responsibility to Bermuda's young people and are willing to do what it takes to share in that responsibility.

The staff and students of Dellwood Middle School would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the staff of Ernst & Young who gave of their time, energy and resources to assist us in readying our school for the students. It is our hope that our partnership will continue to thrive as we work together to support the development of Bermuda's young people.

September 15, 2003

Dear Sir,

Thank you for the privilege of commenting on recent events.

Today is the first time I have been able to use my office since Fabian struck on September 5.

Your front page picture in today's reminded me that my home is without power. Pine Tree Avenue is adjacent to Williamsville Place and share common poles. Williamsville was repaired, and on Pine Tree Ave., all we can see is one line broken and a crossbar out of kilter, transformers and poles all appear normal. The repairman on a cherry picker could not repair our line because they have to follow instructions (same area same pole).

I cannot give management full marks as major trunks should have been underground a long time ago. The three utilities, Belco, Telco and Cable using a common carrier principle should have long ago cooperated and had all major lines underground. Places with much less wealth than Bermuda have done it and it is not obvious why we cannot do it.

It is abundantly clear that prevention is much better and cheaper than cure, and I suspect that the loss of power would be much less if all major lines underground. Even if the price was $50 million in the long run it would be cheaper than the loss of current for many places which can stretch up to three-four weeks. It would be cheaper than risking the lives of these brave BELCO, Telco and Cable workers in horrendous conditions. You cannot put a dollar value on their lives...

You cannot put a dollar value on the pain and suffering of countless people who rely on the medical staff of the Arches for help. The Arches is the largest, nonhospital medical facility in Bermuda, with specialist's in every major medical and surgical speciality all in one site. These include eye, orthopaedic, general, chest, ear nose and throat, gynaecologic, obstetric, and dental surgeons, as well as medical and paediatric specialist's, transplant and dialysis attendants, as well as other services. In a major catastrophe with injuries from fire, wind or lightning, all these specialist's would be required.

For the Arches to be without power for a ten days or longer would not be in anyone's interest. Our lines are underground, while Belco's lines are above ground, and therein lies the problem.

As a layman, I am sure the public and government would be willing to help creatively financing the cost of total underground utilities, whether by special levy or whatever.

My apologies to anyone who was put at risk, inconvenienced or who suffered.

My sincere thanks and appreciation to the linesmen, technicians, and all public and private workers who did a sterling job in righting this massive maelstrom.

September 18, 2003

Dear Sir,

The Directors of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, 11 in all, representing diverse cross-sections of Bermuda, wholeheartedly support Mr. Ted Gauntlett's general recommendation for a redeveloped system for Bermuda's young people.

We wish to share the assumptions that shaped our large-scale development and education programmes. The extra-curricular and curricular programmes will provide not only character/team building normally associated with ocean sail training, but academic and technical integration with Government schools.

Extra-curricular teams of 30 young people will reflect Bermuda by race, gender and public/private school attendance. As a bonus, the development tool will be a purpose-built 88-foot Bermudian schooner (ca 1830) that will be a living icon of what is a Bermudian.

1. Bermuda is a tiny Atlantic seamount of 20 square miles, but 200 square miles if you make use of the water;

2. Bermuda is now an urban environment with attendant pathology;

3. Bermuda's values are rapidly being lost to popular, global values;

4. Bermuda's economy has changed to specialist white collar with blue/grey collar support;

5. Bermuda's traditional youth development is generally struggling - at home, in school and in sport programmes;

6. there is no longer the introduction in high school to formal technical and vocational training - and a more balanced education is most important;

7. there is propagation of racial segregation due to flight from public educational system (now 90 percent black students);

8. Bermuda has 4,800 young people between 14-20 years;

9. more attend private school here and abroad than public;

10. eight hundred are neither in school nor working full-time;

We have approached this situation with a quote of Einstein in mind - "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

We believe that we must work together as a community to provide our youth with the best opportunities and life skills, for the good of Bermuda. A well organised Youth Corps would be a big step in the right direction.

For more information, please consult our website at www.bermudasloop.org, or better still, call one of the BSF Directors, one of whom you are bound to know: Ken Bartram, Keith Battersbee, Brian Billings, Warren Brown Sr., Alan Burland, Nicky Dill, Jay Kempe, Alan Paris, Ralph Richardson, Dwayne Trott, Anthoni Lightbourne, Joel Schaefer.

September 22, 2003

Dear Sir,

I am assisting Colin Pomeroy, author of "The Bermuda Railway, Gone - But Not Forgotten" in the writing of a book on the buses of Bermuda. This book is for publication in early 2004.

On feature, which we would like to put into the book, are memories of Bermudians of their recollection of travel on the buses particularly in the early days of bus transportation on Bermuda. This can be either as a worker or a passenger!

We have already completed much research in the UK and at the Bermuda Government Archives, Hamilton relating to the forthcoming book.

I shall be visiting the island with Colin on Tuesday October 21, 2003 for 10 days staying at my sister in laws - Mandy Simas in Devonshire, and during that time we would like to meet and talk to anyone who has memories of the buses.

Anyone having any memories or photographs can contact Mandy on 236-6104 or e-mail myself at to arrange a meeting.

September 15, 2003

Dear Sir,

Everyone remembers 9-11 (and) those poor people who perished and went to heaven. God didn't judge them because of their race. He welcome them all with his loving embrace. He didn't turn them away because they weren't qualified, instead he shared their pain; I'm sure he must have cried.

So when you look at a person what do you see? Do you look at skin colour or ability? Denying some one on colour is like taking a plane, and shoving it into them and seeing their pain, watching them fall like the twin towers. Racism is evil and it always cowers.

Prejudice folds it arms and starts to get tense, hides its eyes and builds a fence. Prejudice is something that's gives you 11 to eight, bused on colour, bused on hate.

Racism is evil it never accepts who you are. It strips away your dignity and always leaves a scar. Prejudice won't accept anything cerebral, its only a condition its nothing terrible. Racism is a glass ceiling that says you'll only be security stripping away your dreams and all your purity. It hides behind others, it stays in cliques... denying opportunity is how it gets it kicks.

The Lord doesn't care if your black or white, he knows the results of racism was 9/11. We are all the same people, boy or man, our purpose in life is to follow God's plan. I've put up with the insults and the abuse/remember. What's racism about? It's about 11 September. But now through experience indifference is ignored. I managed to do that because I pray to the Lord.