Driver has integrity

The following was sent to The Public Transportation Board and copied to The Royal Gazette.

June 13, 2003

Dear Sir,

It is with pleasure that I write this letter on behalf of Ms Jackson, your Bus Operator.

On June 12, 2003 I travelled on the 5.15 p.m. bus to St. George's. When I boarded the bus I had three packages in my hand.

When I left the bus and arrived at home, I noticed I only had two and assumed the Department would be closed so I did not make an attempt to contact the lost and found section.

Today, I called the Palmetto location to report the incident and was told to contact the St. George's Depot. I informed them that Ms Jackson was the operator and they told me to call this evening as the person who cleans the buses would not be reporting to work until 5 p.m.

I had all intentions to contact the St. George's Depot this evening.

At 12.30 p.m. Ms Jackson went out of her way to deliver my package to me at my place of work to ensure that I received it. I was elated and hugged and thanked her going out of her way.

I would like to commend Ms Jackson for her integrity and prompt receipt of my package for it is people like her that make this country of ours a better place to live in.

Please convey my sentiments to Ms Jackson and ensure a copy of my letter is placed on her file.

JANET DESHIELD

St. George's

Keep away from Cuba

June 9, 2003

Dear Sir,

Renee Webb thinking re Cuba, is so seriously flawed that one wonders whether she is of this planet.

Ideology aside, you don't knick marbles with the enemy, an enemy whose abuses of human rights is legendary and horrendous, an enemy that tortures and executes, to make a point.

Would Ms Webb sell her second hand lawn mower to a man who tortured and shot her grandmother?

This example hopefully is far fetched, but we must all be our brothers keeper and guard with great vigilance, our integrity, which hopefully all right thinking people in Bermuda and all over the world cherish.

For Renee Webb to be so far removed from reality is frightening indeed, considering her portfolio.

It is of no consequence that others trade with Cuba, we cannot dictate integrity to others and as is always the way, the people of a country inherit the policy of the Government and often find they feel powerless, but we the people can be powerful, we must stand up as small as our voice might be and declare our disagreement and fight for what is right.

Could it be that, the almighty dollar is at fault? It should not matter whether we are giving or selling - Bermuda should not be dealing with a country that so blatantly ignores human rights.

DIANA WILLIAMS

Pembroke

Who's side is God on?

June 11, 2003

Dear Sir,

I have always been awful at political predictions, but I have always been interested in the predictions of others and their rationale. A church going PLP supporter had this to say: “When the PLP won, a lot of church going PLP supporters were elated because of the number of “overt” Church going “Bible-believing” Christians that were in the Cabinet. But it soon became very evident that they kept their Christianity and their Politics in very separate compartments - except Arthur Hodgson who drew a lot of criticism from PLP supporters and his colleagues because he was always quoting from the Bible or making Biblical references. In fact his vision and that of the PLP hierarchy were so divergent that he could not be tolerated and as his influence was so non-existent he seems to have decided not to even run!

The UBP have never been noted for their Church going religiosity but they have Wayne Furbert and they have not only been able to tolerate him but they have given him a significant role and his influence has been very evident! the person who shared this analysis with me has no doubt about the outcome and whom the Lord will bless with Victory!

However, since my own skills at political prophesy are as lacking as my political predictions I shall have to wait and see! But I could not resist adding this analysis, for all of those Church going Christian PLP supporters, to all of the others which will emerge in the next few weeks!

EVA N. HODGSON

Bailey's Bay

Let's see more of Kristin

June 10, 2003

Dear Sir,

Please allow me to take this opportunity to thank Kristin White for brightening my Monday. That was one of the funniest, well written articles I have read in a long time. I would like to wish her well in her future endeavours and I hope to see her name in print more frequently (hint, hint powers-that-be).

This is exactly the sort of things I for one would like to see more of. For a short time you had a very amusing strip by Mike Hind which seems to have disappeared. Once again thank you very much Ms White you gave me and everyone I read it to, told it about and e-mailed it to, a very good laugh.

KALI WINCHELL

Paget

Thanks for the memories

June 9, 2003

Dear Sir,

I was talking with a friend on the telephone tonight and he asked me if I'd read Gavin Shorto's opinion piece in today's Royal Gazette. I hadn't.

“What's it about?”

“Have a read, you'll remember something funny.”

So, I sat back and read Gavin Shorto on Pauline Kael. Not really an opinion so much as a delightful trip back in time, after throwing open a few shutters that had been closed for decades.

My friend on the telephone was right. I read the article, which starts with the effects the landmark film ‘Bonnie and Clyde' had on reviewers and the general public and movie-making. I was soon laughing as the picture of myself and the friend on the telephone as we came out of the Rosebank Theatre in, I think, 1967 or 1968, after seeing the evening showing of ‘Bonnie and Clyde', came into focus. As we pushed through the crowd in front of the Rosebank Theatre, heading for our mopeds, we ran into my grandparents, Billy and Elsie Lancaster, and two of their close friends. My friend and I were quite enthusiastic about ‘Bonnie and Clyde'; it fit in surprisingly well with the mod culture and the 60s. In fact, it helped define the 60s.

“What did you think of the film?” we chirped together. “Oh,” said my grandfather, in his Oop North Lancashire accent, “we are very disappointed. We thought it was to be a Scottish musical.” My friend and I dined out on that for a few years!

On the subject of a brief sentence creating a movie memory, I'm reminded of the only words that I remember my father speaking when commenting on a film. The film was not ‘The Thing', mentioned in Mr. Shorto's column, but something of a clone: It was called ‘The Blob'. Now, I do not know if I saw it in the 1950s, but it did run on television some time in the early 1970s. Might it have been on Wilf Davidson's ‘Saturday Night at the Movies'? Another friend and I arrived at my father's home late in the evening and found him glued to his television set.

“What's this?” we asked. “Late movie.”

“So what's it about?” And then my father made movie commentary history. “You see that man there?” and he pointed at the screen. “Yup!” “Well, he's just been blobbed.” That friend and I have fallen about laughing many times over the years. If I say: “Remember my father on science fiction?” My friend howls and yells: “He's just been blobbed!”

I rather hope that Gazette readers are following Gavin Shorto as he takes us here and there and triggers memories. Mr. Shorto is also doing something of a service to literary wannabes such as myself.

After his recent column on Federico Garcia Lorca, I have finally managed to take myself down to the Library and get out a biography of the Spanish playwright-poet. What a discovery! I'm partial to the writers of the first half of the 20th Century, and here's one I just hadn't got to. Just when I thought the pile of books was going to run out, here's great work waiting to thrill me. Indeed, I'm thinking of asking a Spanish-speaking friend to read me, out loud, some of Lorca's poetry, just to “hear the words the way the great man thought and wrote them”.

It's brilliant! Thank you, Mr. Shorto!

Thank you, Royal Gazette, for running these outstanding essays.

ROSS ELDRIDGE

Devonshire

Seeing double

June 19, 2003

Dear Sir,

I see that Jennifer Smith and the Colonel have jetted off to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, so she can receive an honorary doctorate. After her last honorary doctorate, a memo was sent to Civil Servants insisting that she be addressed as “The Hon. Jennifer Smith, D. Hum., J.P., M.P.” Will there now be a memo requiring all of us to call her “The Hon. Jennifer M. Smith D. Hum D. Hum, J.P., M.P.”?

If only so much time and expense was devoted to issues that really count.

SAMURAI

Paget

True Bermudian spirit

June 19, 2003

Dear Sir,

Further to the article in your Wednesday edition ‘Stabbing Victim Returns for Holiday of a Lifetime', I wish to recognise the contributions of so many whose assistance assured Scott and Chris Jable wonderful memories from their recent trip:

Greg Hartley, for calling me at home and not accepting ‘no' for an answer and saying the Jables had to join him for a helmet dive. Scott now speaks of meeting Franklin, the “pet” moray eel.

Peter Frith for seeking the Fairmont Southampton's complimentary four nights accommodation.

Karen Stroeder at the Little Venice Group (MEF) for arranging the Jables' complimentary dinner at two of their finest restaurants and for the first class assistance in catering a dinner for the Jables to meet the “champions” of our initiative.

Jay Correia for serving Swizzles and giving the Jables some Swagger.

“The Fabulous Philip Barnett” (Scott's words) who made sure a special booth was available for a complimentary dinner at the Barracuda Grill, as well as lunch at the Pickled Onion.

Jim Butterfield who gave the Jables an evening tour by boat on their way to dinner.

Wayne Dill for keeping account of the funds.

Charlotte Andrews, for her tour of the Bermuda Maritime Museum which left Scott in awe and saying “the Commissioner's House is a must see!”

Kyber at Dolphin Quest who swam with Scott.

Laura Fasulo, for providing assistance with Cole, their son.

And, the reunion of the “heroes” group of Anjula Bean, Elizabeth Thomas and Thomas Trott who assisted Scott last October after his attack.

I also wish to thank those individuals who made monetary contributions. Their support along with the companies mentioned in Wednesday's article and the employees of Marsh Management Services helped “take away the Jables' nightmare of a trip in October and left them instead with wonderful memories”.

While your article was overly flattering towards me, my role as the facilitator to show the Jables true Bermudian hospitality was made easy by all involved. If there was a most touching display of kindness towards the Jables, then it would have to be the actions of Olney Bean. Olney not only arranged to have her husband Lee taxi the Jables to and from all of their destinations, she also called them upon their arrival to thank them for returning to Bermuda and later demanded to meet them personally on the day of their departure. And, oh, not to mention that her fresh home made oatmeal cookies may have made a lasting impression.

My thanks to each of you.

CLATON PRICE

City of Hamilton