January 5, 2007

Dear Sir,

This is to the driver of a white sedan who drove onto Fairylands/Mill Shares road this morning at a high rate of speed, please note these roads are narrow and winding, we don't need to have a fatal accident because you are not disciplined and obey the safe driving rules and speed limits.

I will be watching for you again, watch out.

Dear Sir,

It is not JUST about the longtails ?

As former Premier Alex Scott has recently, and so rightly, stated, "Sustainable Development No Development." In fact- sustainable development embraces change ? that is, responsible change, change for the benefit of the entire community, change that has been well thought through.

So, let's think this through and ask some questions.

How is the Southlands development going to benefit the average Bermudian?

How does this plan complement other tourism developments also in the planning pipeline?

How does this development fit into overall tourism strategy?

What is the future of tourism in Bermuda? Is there a tourism strategy?

Who is going to get the economic returns from this development? Foreign Investors? A select group of Bermudians? The Government? The Bermudian Public?

How many foreign workers are going to be needed to build and run this new development?

How are these foreign workers going to impact upon the public infrastructure?

Are Bermudians willing to accept these impacts and minimise them accordingly?

Are more foreign workers going to exacerbate the tensions that already exist between Bermudians and non- Bermudians?

If this land is developed- and the land currently zoned woodland reserve is used- is there going to be public compensation? Land put aside elsewhere?

Is public access to the Beaches included in the plan? Or are Bermudians going to be prohibited from using more land that collectively belongs to all of us?

How will this development add to the strain on an already over-extended construction industry- and affect prices island wide?

This is Private Land- much of which is already zoned tourism. As such, to some extent the public have limited say in what can or cannot be built. Therefore, I first urge the developers to consider these questions. (However, given the nature of private development it is difficult to imagine objective questioning.) Second, I urge Government to consider and answer these questions, because in this case they have a say. Because the development encroaches on woodland reserve a special development order is needed for development to proceed. Government can either facilitate development- or not. We, the public must hold Government accountable.

Therefore, I encourage Government to answer the questions above through a quality economic impact assessment and environmental impact assessment.

I understand that Bermuda needs to improve its tourism product. That too is sustainable development. But the need to improve Bermuda's tourism product through the Southlands development must be looked at in the context of the answers to the questions above. Only with all the information on the table can a responsible decision, or, a well thought through change be made. This is sustainable development.

To clarify, I am not saying No Development. Answer all the questions ? convince me this development is part of a plan and in the best interest of all Bermuda's residents ? and I will be the first to say ? bulldoze away.

December 4, 2006

Dear Sir,

Never have I felt so compelled to write to the residents of a place I have visited.

My husband and I arrived to your beautiful country last Thursday, November 16, 2006, all the way from Hamlet, North Carolina. Such a beautiful site as our plane landed. The water as well as the surroundings were breathtaking!

As we boarded the "BeeLine " Bus, we purchased before arrival, we were amazed at the beautiful surroundings on our trip over the Fairmont Southampton. The flowers blooming in November were a special treat for me, as well as the homes all painted in different colours, with the lime green being my favourite and the yellows catching my husband's eye. I could write all day about the wonderful town of Hamilton and the fact you have stores in your town and you do not have to go to a big mall away from town, as in the states: and the residents never appeared to be in a rush or hurried.

Everyone was so friendly and seemed to be so happy and content with their lives, whether they were clerks in stores, taxi drivers or the sweet lady where we rented our scooter, one could not ask to be treated any nicer. Not to mention the treatment we received at the Fairmont Southampton. The staff went above and beyond to compensate our needs and were even more so after I ended up in the hotel's wheelchair.

On our second day there, Friday, November 17, 2006, I had an accident and really messed up my ankle, which I have since discovered is broken. Two of your lifelong residents, which were following behind us, stopped and offered their assistance. I failed to get their names, as I was a bit upset, but they both work in your local hospital. She worked in critical care (of something to that effect) and he was a security guard. They were on their way home from work, but did not hesitate to put me in her car (even though I insisted I was okay) and drive me to our hotel at Southampton as my husband followed on the scooter.

If someone reading this letter can help me and let me know their names as well as an address to contact or give them our address to contact us, them I would be most grateful. I do not feel I thanked them enough as I was in much pain.

Our taxi driver "Eddie" said everyone reads this newspaper and I thank him for giving us the information concerning contacting the newspaper.

I promise we will be back, but next time I will be taking a taxi or bus over to do my shopping, for I do not want to miss any of your beautiful country!

January 5, 2007

Dear Sir,

Last week I went to the Bank of Butterfield, Reid Street Branch and saw hundreds of people lined up to do their banking; I went down to TCD and saw tens of people milling around aimlessly, waiting for whatever; and then I read about the thousands who raced into Immigration to get their passports stamped or their names on the Register of Bermudians. We are a truly amazing community.

I am no different then the average person. My banking needs are no more than an average person and I don't have any contacts that an average person has. My vehicle ownership is just the same as an average person. I do have a computer, an ATM card and I do read the newspaper BUT there are not many people in Bermuda who don't read the paper and most can either access their own computer or get some help doing so and almost anyone can have an ATM card.

1)TCD has an electronic registration which is so simple that even my 56 year old, cyber challenged brain didn't require my children's assistance. The ONLY reason one might have to physically go to TCD is the actual vehicle inspection ? and even that can be done in Somerset or St George's. Every single other aspect of registration or licensing can be done on-line.

2)I have not stood in a line at the Bank in 5 years. Everything the average person needs to do can be done on-line, at an ATM machine or with a phone in order at any Bank branch. Maybe there are SOME things that require attendance but virtually all the every day stuff can be done on-line, at an ATM or by phone in...and then the lines will be so short, it won't matter! I suggest that all Banks both publicise their non-stand in line services and/or charge a fee for using a teller.

3)As soon as I saw the Register of Bermudians implemented ? which I saw years ago prominently headlined in my entire family simply got registered. These people who are stampeding into Immigration have no one to blame but themselves and, more importantly, probably really don't even need to get the stamp that urgently.

I loved horse and carriages, savings passbooks and rotary telephones ... but let's get real. Civilisation has moved on and, mostly, in these cases, for the better..

December 20, 2006

Dear Sir,

My wife and I have been visitors to beautiful Bermuda for 20 years, enjoying your gracious hospitality, good manners and sense of humour.

I feel compelled to recount a strange experience that happened to us on Tuesday 19 December in Hamilton.

Around 12.30 p.m. in Gibbons store in Reid Street along with six local residents we were stuck in one of their elevators. What ensued could well have become a Monty Python sketch had the potential consequences not been so serious.

Calls for assistance on the elevator's intercom resulted in a request for our location, which none of us could make the person on the other end understand. Several attempts later we realised that the emergency system connects to Otis Elevator in the USA.

During the course of the next 20 minutes we had several shouts from outside asking "is there someone stuck in the lift ?".

Our requests for assistance were not bringing anyone in management anywhere near us. Eventually an engineer arrived on the elevator roof to immediately berate us for easing a couple of polystyrene panels in order to get some air into the now stifling atmosphere ... not the best reaction to our plight!

Our eventual release was secured but in the total absence of any explanation or apology from Gibbons' management. I must say I am surprised at Gibbons' lack of safety precautions and consideration for its customers.

This experience will not deter us from visiting Bermuda again, but will certainly make us wary of using elevators here.

Yours sincerely,

MR B WOOD

Temporarily Resident in Devonshire