The month of December was defined by two distinct events. One left all of us scratching our heads in wonder while the other divided the community and sparked a national debate on the thorny issue of race relations in Bermuda.

The month kicked off in dramatic fashion when Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, in a heated exchange with UBP MP Dr. Grant Gibbons in the House of Assembly used the phrase "racist dog" and spoke of 'crossing the aisle' to continue a row with the opposition MP.

It all started when Dr. Brown attempted to defend the PLP's fundraising efforts and the fundraising efforts of his wife Wanda Brown via the Tourism Helps Everybody Foundation (T.H.E).

Dr. Gibbons later described the Premier's parliamentary speech as a 'vitriolic and racial attack' and accused Dr. Brown of debasing the office of the Premier.

Dr. Gibbons also said he would not back down from questioning the Premier about the activities of the T.H.E. foundation.

The Premier's speech outraged some members of the public while others defended Dr. Brown's highly charged comments. Days later Opposition United Bermuda Party leader Wayne Furbert predicted that Bermuda was in for one of the dirtiest elections when the country next goes to the polls.

Weeks later the public's attention was focused on the West End when rumors spread that a tidal wave was heading for Somerset.

This led to mass panic and families began to flee their homes, shops closed and police officers directed traffic east while urging Somerset residents to head for higher ground.

Panic was so widespread that the island's telecommunications system crashed and officers at the Bermuda Maritime Operations center fielded calls from scared and anxious residents for at least 90 minutes.

It all turned out that the panic was for naught and was the result of a major breakdown in communications within the Bermuda Police Service.

The Government has launched an investigation into the incident, which raised questions about the state of the Island's National Disaster Preparedness plans.

Yesterday, Public Safety Minister Sen. David Burch said he believed "standing operating procedures" had not been followed as the incident unfolded.

His statement said:"I have reviewed the initial report of the events of Saturday, December 9, 2006. Notwithstanding the contents of this report, I am of the view that there was a systematic failure of systems and a lack of adherence to existing policies and protocols."