Change Cup Match

August 9, 2005

Dear Sir,

For 52 years I have been a follower of Somerset, win or lose. This the first time St. George?s has behaved so bad and it made me disgusted. The club is responsible for their players and should be fined $50,000 as a penalty, then the captain should be fined $10,000 and refrain from playing for ten years. The umpire should not be allowed to umpire any major games again. Call 2005 game void and the cup given to Sports Minister Dale Butler to hold. Not sour grapes but fair play.

MARGARET

Devonshire

An exercise in frustration

August 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

I have not seen many episodes of ?The Simpsons? on television, and I?m sure it features many story-lines. The only thing I recall clearly was the motto on young Bart Simpson?s t-shirt that read ?An Underachiever and Proud of It?? which created a very small uproar for a week until the next episode. Of course, underachievers are everywhere and most of us don?t give a hoot. However, I?m about to give a hoot. Those people who know me appreciate the interest I have in forming evening school classes (or discussion groups) through Government?s ?Community Education & Development Programme? which come under Community Affairs. About a year ago I had a good deal of success with a creative writing group, meeting up at CedarBridge high school on a Thursday night. The CE&DP invited me to continue leading a writing group in upcoming semesters, and thought a book club on a Tuesday evening could generate interest in those members of the general public who might have two hours a week to dedicate to getting into some unusual, but classic, literature. And, by the way, to make some friends.

Over and over again, CE&DP employees have used outdated and incorrect outlines of my courses in their brochures. I have been on the telephone, I have bussed out to Warwick (where they occupy the old post office building), and I have had staffers there read back to me the information I?d requested they use. The next brochure is the same as the ones before it, despite my corrections. And so it goes: very few applications, and why expect anything else. The outlines would scare anyone off. They even spell my name incorrectly. Certainly, it is unlikely that we?ll read four books in eight weeks, and do mainly crossword puzzles and learn exactly how to do certain writing tasks perfectly.

Look in your current CE&DP brochure for CedarBridge (I hope you have not trashed these) and on Tuesday replace the ?Book Club? notes with something like this: ?An eight-week course for brave readers. We will read and discuss D.H. Lawrence?s ?The Rainbow? and then move on to Mark Twain?s ?The Innocents Abroad?. Two books that are rather different in storylines, but not unalike in style. A lot of adjectives and adverbs. And is that a good thing?? On Thursday, again at CedarBridge, ?Creative Writing? might be more appealing as: ?A group therapy for people interested in writing for amusement, good health and/or profit. We hope to build your courage and get you reading your work aloud to the group. Original work to be gifted to family and friends (Christmas is coming) is another possibility. Confidence gained, submitting work to appropriate publishers might follow.?

Then contact the CE&DP folks and sign up. You have until Friday, September 9, to get into the Fall Term classes. Underachievers? It seems to me that we put up with a lot of second-rate behaviour and traits for no other reason than they are ?home grown? or ?Bermudian? and therefore inviolable. There is no more to be learned from any Mother Country, all must be reinvented. Then you get ?Fresh TV? which embarrasses me, and you get on our local TV stations newscast graphics that have nothing to do with the copy being read aloud. Look at the Bookmart?s advertisement on ?Oprah?? and you?ll find ?Reid street [sic]? and ?No books where [sic] harmed ...? I suppose somebody paid good money for these things. Come to classes, we?ll discuss all this. I have much to learn.

ROSS ELDRIDGE

St. George?s

A modest suggestion

August 20, 2005

Dear Sir,

Minister DeVent says he doesn?t know where the ?new style Bermuda cottages? are to be placed... How about putting one in the vacant lot next to Magistrates? Court? After all, it will only be there temporarily, right? ?Pure igrance?, this is an example of putting the cart before the horse init?

MORE FOR U?LOT 2 REMEMBER

St. George?s

Storms are brewing

August 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

Since Belco is not the same place it once was before the explosion, what would happen if the Island were to get hit by a deadly tropical storm or worse, a hurricane? September is just next month which means we?re not out of the way of danger just yet.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Pembroke

Only time will tell

August 21, 2005

Dear Sir,

I was delighted to hear the news on radio that Gibbs Hill Lighthouse will once again shine brightly next week after costing $300,000 in repairs over the past two years. (Hurricane Fabian?s anniversary is September 5.)

Interestingly, the total cost of constructing the lighthouse in 1846 was probably around $25,000. Despite the time and effort spent on these repairs I?m a little apprehensive of the reconfiguration from the old system of floating on mercury.

Imagine a large cruise ship floating on the ocean. The only thing that is moving are the props that push it along, i.e. there is no friction except waves and wind.

The lighthouse operated in a similar fashion by floating on mercury and occasionally touching on bearings to keep it balanced. Now that the mercury has been removed, several tons of equipment will be revolving on metal. I sincerely hope it works, however only time will tell.

On another matter, West Enders that have witnessed the massive construction of a new wall to create a sidewalk near the old Rising Sun in Southampton are shocked that the project required tons of concrete, untold amounts of rebar, building blocks and perhaps the eventual facing with Bermuda stone.

While the land owner undoubtedly gave a few feet of his property for the improvement and we all agree Bermuda needs more side walks, why build a wall of this magnitude? I recall it being a Bermuda stone wall that had been there for perhaps a hundred years.

And finally, I wonder how many people think the efforts of that construction crew would have been much more appreciated at Church Bay. I understand that someone has put a drift-wood ladder for access to the beach. Good grief Charlie Brown, who is in charge?

W.A. (TOPPY COWEN