HSBC's offer for bank

November 25, 2003

Dear Sir,

We would like to clarify a reference in today's to a figure of $11 which the article ? entitled "Smith: Original offer by HSBC was $11 lower" ? incorrectly states is the difference between the final total offer of $45 by HSBC for each share of Bank of Bermuda and the price initially offered by HSBC at the beginning of negotiations.

Actually, the figure of $11 refers to the difference between the final agreed upon price of $45 and the share price of $34 at which the Bank stock was trading on NASDAQ at the time the negotiations were initiated.

Dog owners held hostage

November 19, 2003

Dear Sir,

It is with regret that I write this letter to the editor, I have often thought to do it but nothing has angered me as much as the situation with the ban of dogs.

It is my belief that our dog wardens and Government vet are holding Bermuda dog owners hostage. It appears that the list of breeds that are banned change on a regular basis, new ones have been added and I am sure that more are to come.

What is the basis of the list? Is the Minister actually aware of what is on the list and why?

I firmly believe that the "temporary" ban (which it was called before the election) was put in effect as a band-aid effect. A situation had arisen and instead of dealing with the problem it was decided to ban the breeding and importation of these breeds.

The dog clubs have been asked to put together their ideas on resolving this problem. Are the reports from these various clubs going to be put in a drawer? Is anyone going to pay attention? Does anyone care about out concerns?

We all know that responsible owners should not be targeted here ? it is the irresponsible dog owners that should be made to pay. It is easier to ban these dogs instead of dealing with the problem!

If you want a certain breed of dog then there should be certain requirements for that type of dog; i.e. your yard should be fenced in a manner approved by a board; the kennel should be a certain size. If you want to breed your dog you must be an approved breeder and all approved breeder must meet the criteria that should be in place.

Many things need to be changed but NOT banning breeds ? ban the irresponsible owners!

Dogs owners please be aware of what is going on because your breed could be next!

Speak now before it is too late.

Things need to change

November 14, 2003

Dear Sir,

We do not need yet another gun amnesty, everyone on the Island is well aware that it is against the law to be in possession of any type of lethal weapon, and anyone caught should be sentenced to the maximum punishment, and I don't mean a prison sentence, suspended.

On a similar subject, how many persons does it take to beat up a lone individual? ? two?, four?, ten? ? or more? Where do these "brave" persons come from? They must be the same sort who knock down old ladies and rob them. These thugs should be rounded up, given some basic military training and sent to some of these countries like Iraq, Afghanistan or any number of places where they will find some release for their bad behaviour.

How many times do you hear the people of Bermuda say, "Enough is enough", or "This has to stop", or "When is it going to end", yet year after year the abuse on the roads goes on, crime is running out of control and there seems to be a bad attitudes everywhere. If you do something on the road that someone does not like you get a mouthful of foul language or a finger stuck in the air. Even walking down the street you are likely to be faced with some verbal abuse if you happen to look at someone the wrong way. If things don't turn around soon this country will go so far down hill, it will never recover. You might hear "Bermuda is Another World" but not in the way it was originally intended.

On another note, the Bank of Bermuda shares are at a standstill at $38.50 on the BSX, yet on the NASDAQ it is $45 plus. Why is this? Or are they trying to make it look like a "sweet deal" when the time comes to sell at $45?

Poor choice of words

November 21, 2003

Dear Sir,

I can't believe Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves in his heart believes that it is acceptable to kick and beat dogs; however, his thoughtless comment in court the other day seems to suggest otherwise. I sincerely hope he has the forthrightness to publicly admit to his poor choice of words and to advise that it is indeed against the law to inflict any pain on an animal.

Foreign ownership

November 11, 2003

Dear Sir,

Re: Sell out of Bank of Bermuda.

I have sat back and thought about foreign ownership of the Bank of Bermuda.

Do we not control completely franchises?

Do we not control work permits?

Do we not control the ownership of land by foreigners?

Do we not control the ownership of cars?

Do we not control the development of land?

Do we not control the importation of vegetables?

Why? All in the public interest. Control in our fate.

Did we not put in place the 60/40 control of capital for good reason? That Bermuda could not be gobbled up overnight.

If HSBC wants the foreign business of the bank, then let them buy it as a separate 'line of business'. Separate out that huge Bermudian mortgage portfolio, ironically used to be called Bermuda Home and local banking. The reasons to sell I hear are all passing ones, better products for us ? "low interest rate environment" etc. What will happen to our mortgage when interests rates go up? The man in the street without stock portfolios will suffer.

Send it to the courts

November 18, 2003

Dear Sir,

I would not have been so kind with words as Larry Dennis has in his description of the delinquent companies with pension and payroll tax in arrears. He states that the employers not only betray their employees' trust but also cheat them of their pensions. I would suggest they are stealing from their employees. The employees hand over funds through deductions and the employer puts it straight into their own pockets. If you asked your employer to deposit your weekly pay and they decided to spend it instead, you would take them to court for theft. This is no different. This should be a Police and/or court issue not a Government matter although the Government systems in place seem inadequate or are poorly managed. Employees should have a right to see that the deducted amounts have been paid to the respective agencies. After all it is their money ? not the employers to spend how they see fit.

It's time to go home

November 18, 2003

Dear Sir,

Yes its me again.

I know I said in my last letter I would not reply to any more letters that responded to mine but I could not hold this one back. Thanks once again.

To the disgruntled expat from Hamilton Parish.

Number one, you should learn to read what is written in the paper.

Number two, where I work we have not one expat and my boss does not ever intend on hiring any. She only hires Bermudians.

Number three, I have nothing against expats working here but one day the buck has to stop at some point. Bermuda is not as large as the USA or England, etc.

Number four, I have friends that are expats and out of the six good friends five of them agree that enough is enough.

Number five, expats and some Bermudians roll in late or sometimes not at all, especially on a Monday morning after being at a bar all night or half the night drinking and in the morning having a hangover and this has come from my expat friends.

Number six, your paragraph referring to foreigners having gatherings... if you read the letter I have nothing against gatherings. As Tony the Tiger says, 'that's great'. I only use it as an example to see how many or certain cultures are here.

If you read the letter and did not get the understanding it makes me wonder how qualified are you to work here. Can a Bermudian do your job? And if you are a truly disgruntled expat, you need to become a former expat and return home. I'm already home. As I said in the previous letter you may help keep the wheels turning in Bermuda but one day the wheels will have no wheels to turn because there is no room.

Lacking common sense

November 17, 2003

Dear Sir,

It is interesting to see that Government is proposing a wind speed limit for the Causeway.

Whilst we all feel sorrow for those folks who lost their lives during Hurricane Fabian, it is very unfortunate that the widow of one of the victims has slammed the initiative as coming "a few years too late".

No one could have foreseen such a disaster. However, it was interesting to see another lady on the TV news saying she did not cross the Causeway because she felt it was too dangerous and that she attempted to persuade the Police vehicle not to cross.

Regrettably, one has to take responsibility for one's actions, and in this case it ended in a loss of life. It is always easy to blame Government or someone else, when something goes wrong.

Government should not have to legislate for common sense, but sometimes it is a necessity.