September 17, 2004

Dear Sir,

I refer to a letter September 16, 2004 from 'Beacon' and would like to add one more crosswalk to the list of 'accidents waiting to happen'. Each time I travel west on Berry Hill Road towards Hamilton and approach the crosswalk from the hospital to the parking lot on the other side of the road I am truly amazed that an accident has not yet occurred on this crossing.

The crosswalk runs from the top of the steps leading from the lower parking lot and pedestrians about to step out onto the crosswalk are almost totally obscured from the view of motorists travelling west by a low wall and a utility pole. If a small child were to step onto this crosswalk they would not be seen by west travelling motorists until it was too late. Did any planning at all go into the siting of this pedestrian crossing?

MOTORIST

Paget

The UBP was never this bad

September 9, 2004

Dear Sir,

I feel very sorry for members of the PLP as they have to read every day the tragic and humiliating news. The very people they have put in to the Government, whom they thought would be best for Bermuda and were supposed to be good, honest people have let them down and caused so many people wrong.

They should be put out before they ruin Bermuda, we have our tax money spent on things that could have waited. Housing was promised six years ago, mega school and fast ferries were only an ego trip. Stop them before its gets impossible to fix. UBP was never this bad, so say something to your MPs and take the blinders off. They have proven to be liars and dictators.

OLD BERMUDIAN

Devonshire

Porn law is hypocritical

September 18, 2004

Dear Sir,

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw your headline: "Porn seizures up dramatically". No wonder it takes so long to get through the customs line. Customs officers are scouring our luggage hunting for something they can go away and salivate over in their back room. What an utterly absurd waste of time and money! I know the government enjoys wasting our money as long as there is something in it for them and their cronies but for this? Give me a break.

Show me a customs officer who knows the difference between erotica and pornography and I'll show you a man overqualified for his job. What on earth does this island think it is ? an oasis of unsullied purity in a desert of filth? Why are we prevented by a clutch of hypocritical prudes from bringing home what we can freely buy in a shop or see in a theatre or hotel in New York, Toronto, London or anywhere else in the western world. What on earth do these people think they are saving us from?

What qualifies the Broadcasting Commission to judge what I may or may not see in Bermuda when I can see it unrestricted by such stupid prudery anywhere abroad? Do its members know the difference between erotica and pornography? If they do, which I doubt, they should publish clear, unambiguous rules to define exactly what they do mean by pornography so we can take the necessary measures to avoid being harassed by the Customs. If they don't know the difference and no one else in the world does they should see to it that, whatever the vague, undefined law says, it is repealed.

WHERE'S FREEDOM?

City of Hamilton

Clarification on coming out

September 18, 2004

Dear Sir,

Sharla Bean's peculiar article entitled "Bermuda Gay 'coming out' carries a social cost," published on September 13, 2004, did not sit well with me. As an openly and reasonably well-adjusted gay man,, I would like to comment on the wonky misperception that one "decides to become homosexual". I am well aware that sexual abuse occurs in our society and that abuse of any sort frequently leads to a variety of disorders in adult behaviour.

However, it is ridiculous for anyone to suggest that sexual orientation is determined by the gender of the individual with whom one first engages in sexual activity ? abusive or otherwise. It would be equally absurd to state that heterosexuals become heterosexual simply because their first sexual encounters involved partners of the opposite sex.

'John' claims that his sexual abuse by a male was the strongest factor in his "decision for becoming homosexual." With all respect, I think John is mistaken. It appears to me that John is either not gay at all but acting it out as an ill-judged form of revenge for his abuse, or, more likely, he is (and always was) gay yet, in his struggle for self acceptance, is using his history of abuse as an acceptable "excuse" for softening the blow to his family and friends.

I hope it may be useful to John, his (questionable) counsellors, and other readers of Ms Bean's article if I point out that one must be careful to distinguish very clearly between issues of abuse and issues of sexual orientation, just as a doctor distinguishes between a broken arm and a broken foot. They are entirely separate entities, whether the suffering individual is heterosexual or homosexual, and thus require separate attention. They should not be lumped together for the sake of affecting a handy cop-out.

Please allow me to clarify further that sexual orientation is never a problem in itself. Problems arise only when threatening family and gradually broader social environments drive the understandably terrified individual to live a life that few heterosexuals can even begin to comprehend. There is no such thing as "deciding to be gay". To be more precise, the difficult decision to which I think John really alludes is whether or not to reveal something that, ironically, may result in experiencing further physical or psychological abuse.

To the extent that John has taken these extremely difficult and brave steps, I offer him my sincerest encouragement and best wishes. Lastly, Ms Bean's article is degrading to those of us who came to terms with our sexual orientation and later, indeed, did make the only conscious decision any of us will ever have in order to improve our lives ? the decision to confront an abusive society.

PETER CARPENTER

Pembroke

PLP keeping us amused

September 15, 2004

Dear Sir,

This is probably the shortest letter that I have ever written to your newspaper, but I have to comment on the statement made today's paper by Minister (Ewart) Brown to the BFTA and that comment was: "The money that Government provides towards sponsorship is taxpayers' money and therefore we are accountable and anywhere we send that money the accountability process must follow."

When I read that statement, I had to laugh because that was one of the funniest thing I have ever read! We've got Government telling the BTFA that they have to be accountable? Looks like we now have the old preacher syndrome here ? "Do as I say and not as I do!" Wonders never cease! One thing about the PLP, they certainly keep us amused!

PAT FERGUSON

Warwick

No sympathy for insurers

September 19, 2004

Dear Sir,

Reading your esteemed daily recently I was again impressed by the extent to which exorbitant and even obscene markups and profits have become the established culture of the merchant and financial communities in Bermuda. Insurance is intended to be a vehicle to cushion the impacts of losses to those who pay premiums locally, whom I might add have to deal with a market in which the suppliers operate an ironclad cartel and do not compete with each other on the basis of price.

One could reasonably presume that on both sides the swings are accompanied by roundabouts. How unseemly and ungracious was the CEO of BF&M to complain publicly about having to pay above average losses related to two premature births? What next? Insurers will expect and demand that there be no losses at all. I really feel no sympathy for Mr. Titterton that his profits have gone down from $10 million to $8 million.

CODFISH

Paget

A warning to parents

September 14, 2004

Dear Sir,

I was happy to see that Clearwater Beach now has new playground equipment after being damaged by Hurricane Fabian. Last weekend I took my two children to play on this equipment. I am writing because I am concerned about two of the pieces of equipment at this playground. There are two cuplike items, one red and one yellow, which spin around once a person sits in it.

My six-year old son sat in the yellow cup which started spinning slowly, much to his delight as I sat about 20 feet away on the grass watching him. I looked at my son again after some seconds and I realised that the cup was spinning much faster and my son's face was no longer looking happy ? in fact he looked as though he was about to lose consciousness.

Since he was not tall enough to stop the spinning himself by putting his feet on the ground, he had spun enough to become extremely dizzy and disoriented and he could not get out of the cup. I ran to him and stopped the spinning then made him sit in the cup until he felt able to stand on his own. A half-hour later, a similar occurrence happened with a younger girl who had to cry out to her playmate to get her out.

As playgrounds are frequented by many small children under the age of eight, I believe that these two spinning cups are unsafe and should be removed. Small children are not able to touch the ground and stop the spinning action and if not closely supervised, may find themselves in a very dangerous position. I have no doubts that my son will never sit in that cup again, but I would like to be sure that no other child has a similarly bad experience.

D.J. BASDEN

St. David's

A letter of thanks

September 14, 2004

Dear Sir,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank a number of very kind people. Last Thursday, I was driving to Dockyard in my grey Suzuki Vitara. On the hill before Barnes' corner, a back tyre blew and I lost control of the car. Somehow I missed a lorry and a lady on a scooter, before the car spun into a ploughed field. For a few agonising seconds it appeared it would roll over, but it came to rest the right way up.

It was a miracle that everyone in the traffic around me and I survived unscathed: not a dent anywhere! The second miracle was how quickly people came to my aid. While, at the time I asked for names, I hope I will be forgiven, as I was a little shook up and they went in one ear and out the other. To the gentleman who pulled my car from the field and those, including a lady who directed the traffic and the gentleman who changed my wheel, my heartfelt thanks. This event could have had a very different outcome, to say the least! All your kindness and generosity of spirit, made it an uplifting moment which I wished to share with everyone.

LIBBY DURRANT

Devonshire