Fight witness' duty

March 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

I read with disbelief, Sam Strangeways' article entitled "Bus terminal fight witness is surprised Police have not issued an appeal", in today's Royal Gazette (March 2, 2008).

To quote your reporter's words... "A man has told how he stepped in to stop a fight between two schoolgirls at Hamilton Bus Terminal, and expressed his surprise that the Police have not appealed for any eyewitnesses."

It goes on to explain that this man, Mr. Andre Outerbridge, broke up the alleged fight and took (one of the girls) into City Cafe and bought her a bottle of water and told her to cool down. When he pulled the girl off, another gentleman had picked up the other girl.

He than goes on to say: "What amazes me is that the Police haven't asked for any eyewitnesses. That should be the first thing they do in an incident like that."

I find it incredible that Mr. Outerbridge has not offered his version of events at Hamilton Police station and has been waiting for an appeal.

STEVE MOFFAT

City of Hamilton

Only half the answer

February 26, 2009.

Dear Sir,

I agree with the assertion of Rolfe Commissiong, JP, consultant to the Premier of Bermuda, that "for a large number of white Bermudians, the only 'honey', again to use his metaphor, which would be acceptable with respect to race relations, would be not to talk about it at all".

Of course this is only half the answer, because for a large number of black Bermudians it would also be very acceptable if we stopped talking about race relations and started to work together on issues such as education and crime.

I. BACON

Warwick

Tag Day difference

March 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

The Resident Family Council (Continuing Care Programme) wishes to express our sincere thanks to all who helped make our first Tag Day a success. The collaborative effects of our volunteers, family members and residents enabled us to achieve some of our goals.

We are very grateful to business establishments for making their premises available for us to tag.

We are very grateful from the support of the general public for our Tag Day.

We raised $5,000 and as a result this will help to go towards purchase of a new bus, and will replace several of the air conditioning units in the residents' rooms.

Founded in 2001, The Resident Family Council, a registered charity. was formed to foster effective communications between the patients, their families and hospital staff at Continuing Care of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and to assist in fund-raising to facilitate the well being of the patients (residents).

AMMERJEAN RAYNOR

Chairperson

The Resident Family Council

A too small sample

March 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

As a social scientist, I am always intrigued by headlines that monitor human behaviour.

So the headline on Page 9 of February 26's Royal Gazette, "Two out of three Island residents are overweight", did not escape me. It reminded me of a statistical adage: "Three out of four doctors recommended product A over B, but the ad never tells you which four doctors were spoken to."

Returning to the headline in question, if indeed "two out of three (adult) residents were overweight", this would truly be remarkable and certainly justify the heightened health promotions of late. But is this statement accurate? The article goes on to say that the Live Healthy Bermuda Foundation screened 112 residents, from which this overweight statistic was derived. No information was provided about how the 112 were selected. And even if they were selected according to standard statistical procedures, the large margin of error (plus or minus 9.3 percent to be exact) would cast sufficient doubt on the conclusion about the number of overweight residents.

If the 112 were self-selected, volunteered, or signed up for a particular programme, the conclusion would be entirely spurious. And while two-thirds of residents, or even more for that matter, may well be overweight, it is not an inference that could have been made from the 112.

CORDELL W. RILEY

Pembroke

A loquat detente

March 1, 2009

Dear Sir,

With the wonders of the modern Internet I have been reading The Royal Gazette virtually daily. As a child my father was an airman at Kindley AFB. We lived on Duke of Kent Street in St. George's.

Although we went to school on the base, most of our friends were from the neighbourhood, both base kids and local kids, both white and black. One of my fondest memories was of our neighbour whose side yard had several loquat trees, when the fruit ripened all the kids in the neighbourhood would flock to those trees. We would spend a couple afternoons in the trees eating loquat fruit, laughing and playing in the yard together.

In 1992, my wife and I visited Bermuda with some friends we talked into joining us there. It was a great visit, and I could still find my way around St. George. In fact Mervin, who was our guide of sorts and cabbie, was surprised by some of the things I showed him in St. George's that he had not known were there, even though he was a life-long Bermudian. Hello Mervin, we hope all is well. We hope to return in the future as well.

With all the challenges that the economy and politics bring, maybe now would be a good time for the leaders of the political parties to get together for an afternoon, find some loquat trees laden heavy with fruit and spend the afternoon together laughing and sharing Bermuda's fruit.

STEVEN BUTLER

(A displaced onion)

Fayetteville, Arkansas

P.s. At Drake Field Air Museum (the airport here in Fayetteville, not the regional airport) they have a display honoring Capt. Kindley who was from this area. Capt. Kindley is whom Kindley AFB, Bermuda was named for. Maybe there is a way your tourism board could strengthen that tie by enhancing the display with more information about Bermuda, past and present. I would be happy to help facilitate that if there is an interest on that end.

Be the change

March 3, 2009

Dear Sir,

"You can only change racism through Leadership." What an incredible statement. Truer words could not be spoken. I was pleasantly surprised to open the paper today (March 2) and see a full page story on Lord Hastings and his positive messages. As a young Bermudian, I could not agree more that it is in our hands to change the world. I am so tired of feeling weighed down daily over matters that I will always respect and wish I could change, but what we can cherish and change is a bright and gleaming future ahead for this island.

Yes, it is true that the older generation were more wasteful, bitter, and angry. However, there were fighters within the white, black and Portuguese community, all of whom are Bermudian, and stood up for the equality we all enjoy today. I grew up in a household where my sibling came home at ten years old and asked: "Mom, someone called me white today. When I look in the mirror I think I look beige!" I grew up saying good morning to everyone, and getting up on the bus for women and seniors, because if I didn't, surely by the time I got home my family would have heard about it (keep in mind I am only in my early 20s) but this is my Bermuda.

Yes, Bermuda does have many skeletons in her closet, and yes, there were some very dark times but all of us have had family members who have endured that. Portuguese grandparents still tell stories of how they were brought over on a boat, lined up and chosen to work on the farms. Guess what, my grandfather and grandmother couldn't sit together in the movie theatre.

Many of us have had leaders who have evoked racial change within the generations of their own families making sure that people like me did not grow up to judge other people by the colour of their skin. We are all Bermudians and we must cherish each other and our island. In 2009 my reality is this: I see great people, good people, and people that have had some tough times in their lives.

We are such a small community, we are all intertwined. There are interracial couples wherever you go, and gorgeous children running around. It is our coming together not our separation that makes us a stronger, better and beautiful society. Our cultural values are being lost in the hustle of trying to get the "next new thing" when what is really valuable are things that are not material.

I thank God every day that I am Bermudian, and I hope whoever reads this does too. I grew up in a single household on the brink of poverty. If it hadn't been for my grandparents who pulled us up and provided a roof over our head. I fight daily with the poison that is polluting our community through a sense of entitlement and segregation. Leaders claim that they want to see a united Bermuda, yet the examples they set and the things that they say are making our community deathly ill.

Many of our freedom fighters would be shocked and horrified to see the Bermuda that they fought so hard to get. But there is still hope! Fortunately, old manifestations of hate disappear completely and we the new generation will replace it with new ideals and make a positive difference!

For those of you who still carry racism in your hearts: Stop being scared! Accept whatever has happened to you in the past and try to move forward! Stop Being Angry! Be the change you want to see in the world! If you want the world to be a fair and honourable place, Make it that way!

Don't just go spewing hatred ... that is lazy and ignorant ... and guess what? ... no one born after the 1970s is buying it.

CHANGE!

Southampton