Valuable lesson learned

January 10, 2010

Dear Sir,

I am writing in support of the Letter to the Editor by A Concerned Student in Saturday's Royal Gazette. I am also a graduate of Saltus and had the real world experience of taking a practice GCSE exam for physics and failing it. My teacher gave me the option of dropping out or taking the real exam. I chose not to do that, but rather, I sat myself down, studied hard and came back to receive a B on the real exam. I appreciated the opportunity to learn a valuable lesson in life, by "failing" and being allowed to try, try again to achieve success. The idea of preventing students from getting a little dose of reality before having to face the real exam is appalling. Rather, it seems to be a clear case of artificially influencing the exam results to make the school's results look good. As was written in the previous letter: "The purpose of a school is to prepare a person for the next stage in life." If that's so, what lesson will they learn if they are prevented from learning and gaining some real world experience?

VERY CONCERNED SALTUS ALUMNUS

Toronto, Ontario

The voice of reason

January 13, 2010

Dear Sir,

Dale Butler is fast emerging as the voice of reason in today's Bermuda. We all know that amid the current political confusion and wanton behaviour we can use some voices of reason. Yet Rolfe Commissiong says that Dale Butler cannot make it to the leadership of the PLP because he supports the gay rights change to the constitution which many senior members of the PLP find objectionable on religious grounds. If that is true, surely the gay members of the PLP, especially those in high office, have no choice but to resign. Their self- respect and their conscience cannot allow them to remain active contributors to a political party which supports discrimination against them.

WATCHING

Paget

Victim of night farming

January 9, 2010

Dear Sir,

To the night farmer who stole my oranges – sampling one or two might have gone unnoticed but pillaging all the ripe fruit has caught my attention. Not sure why one would need 30-plus oranges at once, seems a bit excessive to me; but perhaps you have bigger problems. Since you have demonstrated over indulging tendencies may I suggest eating them all at once, which shall result in a fit punishment for the crime. Perhaps next time you can come around and help fertilise, prune and spray the trees instead of just taking the fruits of my labour.

ANOTHER CRIME VICTIM

Devonshire

A telling comment

January 9, 2010

Dear Sir,

I just wanted to point out a quote featured on the "Perspectives" page of a recent edition of Newsweek magazine. The quote was from the Manhattan D.A. Robert Morgenthau, who recently retired after 35 years, who spoke of his difficulties in getting along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Quote: "He doesn't want anybody around who doesn't kiss his ring, or other parts of his body." There are so many quips one could make ... but alas, all I can do is sigh ...

SISTA

Pembroke