ector is delighted that so many of the Island's bus drivers are getting behind the push to bolster tourism to the Island by being polite, friendly and helpful to passengers. But he has to single out one lady for particular praise after an episode on the number 11 to St. George's one evening last week. The female driver spotted a male customer carrying a bottle onto the bus and barked out such a strongly worded rebuke about what would happen if he spilt any of its contents that the entire vehicle was left shaken and silenced and the man himself was able only to issue a stumbling and subdued apology.

As the bus pulled out of Hamilton, passengers bowed their heads, seemingly alarmed at the consequences of stepping out of line. The driver, perhaps aware that she had been a little vocal in her disapproval, dimmed the lights and pressed play on her stereo. The soothing tones of singing You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman) filled the air. The stern ma'am at the front of the bus started to softly croon along and seconds later, several passengers quietly joined in. As Aretha's voice faded out, another chimed in: belting out It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World. After that display, Hector isn't so sure that the Godfather of Soul has it right.

Hector has no doubts that the portable defibrillator units showcased at the Red Cross earlier this week are essential life-saving tools. Getting more of them in public places across the Island can only prove beneficial. But he raised an eyebrow when he heard all about their successful use in the glitzy casinos of Las Vegas.

Casinos can be stressful places, said defibrillator expert , especially when the wrong card lands on the blackjack table or the roulette ball hits red instead of black. All the big betting joints on the all-singing, all-dancing Nevada strip have the medical devices handily placed.

And with CCTV cameras everywhere aiming to catch cheats, the odds are pretty short on gamblers suffering a cardiac arrest failing to get rapid help when the stakes are high.

So once the patient has been given the electric shock and his heartbeat is back to normal you would expect them to lay down their cards, cash in their chips and generally take things easy for a while. Maybe catch a show starring a magician and a white tiger.

"Some just carry on gambling," revealed Steve, in a revelation that temporarily stopped Hector's heart and had him looking nervously for the nearest defibrillator.

You may recall Hector was a little put out when Bermuda's own Hollywood starlet seemed to slight her adopted home when she told In Style magazine readers a few weeks ago that: "America was much better than anywhere else in the world." However at least her other half rates Bermuda higher than his wife's native Wales. He told the BBC that the couple have no plans to set up home there. He said: "We love our Welsh family and love the Welsh but it's always nice to keep a healthy distance." Hector knows the feeling. He has made it his life's mission to keep a healthy distance from Wales.

Hector understands there was an interesting session of geographical wrangling at the recent sentencing of fraudster . His lawyer managed to persuade the American judge who sentenced him that it would be easier for his family to visit him in prison if he was serving his time in sunny Florida.

When it was pointed out by the perplexed prosecutor that he would be far nearer to Bermuda if he were behind bars in say, New York or even North Carolina, the defence tried a different tack. Florida would be so much more convenient for friends from Louisiana, he said ? in another successful appeal to the judge. Hector thinks Isaac should at least be forced to pay back the $1.9 million he stole before he starts picking and choosing holiday locations for his friends and family.