May 16, 2005

Dear Sir,

A father ignores plea of mother to submit letter to the Dept of Immigration so their child may obtain Bermuda Status.

Five or six years ago the law in Bermuda changed regarding the right of a child born out of wedlock to have Bermuda Status. However the law required that the parent that has Bermuda Status must submit an affidavit indicating he/she has thorough knowledge of the child. This father gave this child his name and signed an affidavit at the child' s birth indicating such. He has always had a relationship with this child. When the father married another, he began to doubt the child was of his bloodline, so he secretly had blood test done on the child without the mother's consent. When the mother requested the results of the test the father also ignored this request. The results of the test are also required to complete the application for status. To make matters worst the mother was informed that the father plans to adopt his stepchild, which he has only known for a few years. However the child he has given birth to he refused to provide Bermuda Status. Even in a court hearing when the magistrate asked him why he would not give his child status. The father indicated, "He did not know the child".

This statement is hurtful. The court even informed the father "that the lack of Bermuda status would cause problems for his child in the future".

Still he ignores the mother's request. The mother even had her lawyer make the request to his lawyer without success. The mother has called the father via phone and left messages regarding this request and other concerns pertaining to the child and he refuses to return call at all or within a reasonable period of time. What is a mother to do? This mother is fed up.

When the mother inquired of the Dept. of Immigration. A supervisor informed the mother the best and fastest way to get this child status was for the child's stepfather to adopt the child to acquire Bermuda Status.

For the mother and the child this not a suitable option, for the child loves her biological father dearly and with honour gladly bear his name.

I do believe the father loves his daughter but is angry with the mother thus he refuses to comply with the mother's request. This is so unfair.

This letter is written to bring this terrible injustice to light. THIS LAW MUST BE AMEMDED/CHANGED. When this child reaches eighteen years of age and POSSIBLY the child's Bermuda Status is not acquired, the child will not freely be allowed to stay on this island and received the benefit the child is rightly and justly entitled to. Can somebody please help regarding this matter?

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"

May 30, 2005

Dear Sir,

So I see that we can't build a shelter for horses on Ordnance Island due to the objections from 'Seaport Security'! No doubt sightings of Osama bin Pitcher from St. David's have spread fear throughout the Government and thoughts of an attack on the White Horse have made these precautions necessary?

One more for the books: I keep seeing this Government van driving around ? at all hours of the day, night and weekends, I might add ? and the sign on the side says they are from 'Vector Control'. They never seem to stop and do anything, but I can't figure out what 'vector control' means. Any ideas?

MR. ED

Southampton

May 26, 2005

Dear Sir,

So basically, when is the ban on cell phone driving going to come into effect in Bermuda?

'NUFF SAID

Pembroke

Don't let racism triumph

June 4, 2005

Dear Sir,

I arrived in Bermuda in January, 1958 at the age of five, the dependent of an American serviceman stationed at NOB. During the 12 years my family lived in Bermuda, I attended Sandys Grammar School for six years before going to the higher grades at Kindley Field and we lived off base (as an aside, the last house we lived in belonged to the James family and I believe the location is now a park on Hog Bay Level).

The education I received has stood me well over time, among its gifts are a love of the English language, literature and history. I read faithfully on-line and I am disturbed because it seems that the Bermuda I lived in is not the Bermuda that exists today. I read of a divided country, fighting over race; yet, I learned from Bermudians not to be prejudiced ? to look each human in the face and see them for the person they are, a practice I continue to this day and have taught my children. The dear friends my family tearfully left behind in Bermuda, Annette Fubler White and her husband Kinny, and Annette's sisters, Diane, June, Evette, (if I forgot one of you, it has been so very long), the late Mrs. Sukie Butterfield and her large wonderful family, Mrs. Eileen Perinchief, and my first crush the late Ritchie Lambert, are both black and white Bermudians. I am honoured to say that these people took my family to their hearts; one of my 3 sisters born in Bermuda bears Annette's name.

I am disappointed that Bermuda has taken its cue from the United States and let the perception of racism divide the country. The Bermudians I remember with love looked at me and me, just as I looked at them and saw them. We are planning to return to Bermuda in 2009 for the anniversary celebrations, but will it be the same friendly colour-blind place I remember or is the picture I get from reading the Gazette reality? Have the people I remember changed so very much that they won't see anymore but only the colour of my skin?

June 6, 2005

Dear Sir

On your web site, you are running a poll with the following question "Do you support a three strikes law for drugs trafficking? " The result is a whopping 71 percent in favour. That is good political fodder for any politician to pick up. It would be a great shame if they did.

I wonder if any of your pro three-strikes voters understand what such a law entails. California has it. They have one of the largest prison populations (per capita) in the world because of it.

Without this law Bermuda is almost as bad. With it we will be the most imprisoned population on earth I am guessing. And the law in California has not brought down crime by any significant degree. LA is still far more lawless than NY that is one of the safer large cities in the world. NY does not have the law.

Bermuda's crime problem has been growing for decades. Adopting policies from other countries that don't work (a tradition of ours) will not solve our own problem. We are going to have to come up with our own solutions.

JOHN ZUILL

Pembroke

June 6, 2005

Dear Sir,

I recently touched ground in Bermuda after having been away from the Island for five years.

Due to the way of transportation I choose, a bicycle, my view is quiet different from someone who smashes by on a flashy bike or one of these pretty cars.

What I see from my seat is trash everywhere, on sidewalks, streets, beaches all the way from St. George's to Hamilton, Dockyard to Southampton, St. David' and all the other areas that exist. What's the problem? The cars and bikes are all shiny!

Maybe I should thank all the "trashers" instead of complaining for making my return less difficult, since streets in Europe are looking worse sometimes. I guess it's just a human thing.

Pretty sad.

CHRISTINA

St. George's

June 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

In regard to Charles Richardson, a former prisoner expected to be called to the Bermuda Bar (, June 2); I say good for you, Mr. Richardson. And for all those people who might think such a move to be wrong, I have one question to ask. If you ran an Aquarium and were given a shark needing a home, where would you place the said shark? In the shark tank of course. QED.

ME

City of Hamilton

June 5, 2005

Dear Sir,

The suggestion by former premier Sir John Swan that much needed housing in this country should be erected in the North Hamilton area where TCD is presently located is an excellent one. I also believe that property developer Mr. Rodney Smith got it right when he suggested that such accommodation should be built along the lines of the 'Atlantis' in order to accommodate a substantial number of occupants.

I would like to add a 'twist' to this scenario. Why not invite our partners in the international company division of the Chamber of Commerce to invest in such a project? They could be granted a fifty-year leasehold of the land and given permission to build apartments for their workers. They could also be provided with incentives similar to those that the developers at Tuckers Point received. This I believe would help to free up much needed housing in the country as a whole. It would also force down the ridiculously high rents that many landlords are currently charging because the foreign workers and their companies who can afford to pay them would be removed from the equation. It would also relieve government of the burden of building a substantial number of housing units.

Another benefit, which I think my friend Mr. Khalid Wasi would appreciate, is that a considerable number of people with disposal income would then reside in the North Hamilton area and provide much needed impetus to the neglected businesses of that area. The 'powers that be' would ensure the whole area becomes safer and cleaner allowing Court Street to finally become what it was always meant to be the leading entertainment district of the city as well as increasing property values in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Finally ninety-nine percent of the people living in these apartments would obviously work in town and be within walking distance of work. This would help to alleviate the increasing traffic congestion presently experienced on our roads as citizens make their way into and out of the City. It would also provide government with greater justification for restricting the majority of our foreign workers to owning motorcycles, which would help decrease the number of cars on our roads consequently making travel about the island far safer.

One valid criticism of this idea may be that with the obvious lowering of rents that would follow many landlords would experience difficulty paying their mortgages. In this instance government could encourage the banks to extend the mortgages of such individuals in order to make it easier for them to meet their obligations.

I implore the Government to seriously consider this proposal as it may go some way towards helping to solve the serious housing crisis we are currently facing.

Maude Fox's dance band

May 31, 2005

Dear Sir,

I first heard the name of Mrs. Maude Fox from my two older brothers Allan 'Hot' Tuzo, guitarist and Truman Tuzo, a drummer around the year 1940. She played piano along with other musicians whom she hired for ballroom dances in various places around Bermuda. She had been the pianist for silent movies at the Reid Hall West that was located in Hamilton where the Phoenix Drugstore is now located. As a musician playing the tenor saxophone I joined Mrs. Fox's dance band in late 1952 and remained with her until early 1956. She was a very capable pianist and played renditions in any dance tempo. In addition, she was quite dependable and punctual. Despite her advanced age, she wore spike heeled shoes to every performance. During my time with her band, I became acquainted with her husband, a hotelier. Her son, Albert, a bass fiddle player was a member of the more popular dance bands and her daughter Olive, a singer who at times performed with us.

Besides charity performances for the Sunshine League at the Imperial Hotel which was located on the corner of Burnaby and Church Streets for over 100 years, the band also played weekly at the Old Colony Club on Sundays. On Saturdays, the band played for the men in the Armed Forces of various nations who danced with Bermudian girls at the Armoury. Due to habitual fighting of the Canadian sailors the dances were not held when they were in port. We played at the Police dances and on Hawkins Island regularly.

On one occasion we were hired to play for a gala formal dance put on by the officers of the British Royal Navy at the Hamilton Hall also named the Number 7 Shed where the Bermuda Customs Offices are now located. Since our regular drummer was unavailable and we needed more musicians, both Allan and Truman Tuzo were among the augmentation group which together formed a 12 piece band. That was the only occasion that the three Tuzo brothers were in the same aggregation.

During the summer the band was engaged every Thursday night to play on the patio of Harrington House, a small hotel situated on Harrington Sound Road. The hotel has been replaced by a residence. The Sherwood Manor, formerly the Fairylands Hotel, was another place we worked regularly. Whenever Mr. Freddy Chapman, who had a large all white band, had an overbooking, Mrs. Fox's dance band was often the substitute especially at the Coral Beach Cottage Colony. At the time our band consisted of five members. During my tenure with Mrs. Fox's band, I played with the following: Truman Tuzo, Eggs Leader, and Ernest 'Buka" Dill, the drummers, Vernon Raynor, bass fiddle, Luie Wilson, alto saxophone and Brinkworth 'Brinkey' Tucker, tenor saxophone, trumpet and trombone.

We were the band that played every New Years Even at the Old Colony Club. On one occasion the recently elected committee of the Old Colony Club hired another band so we took on another engagement. The next morning, New Year's Day, Mrs. Fox received a call from the chairman of the old committee to book us for the following New Year's Eve because the band that that been booked failed to show causing tremendous disappointment.

Some British sailors at the Dockyard sponsored a dance and hired us to play in the building now used by the Prison Officers Club. Upon arrival we found that there was no piano. It had been loaned out and not returned. After waiting while attempts were made to return the piano, a row of piano keys came over the wall followed by other piano parts. A piano was assembled inside and the dance took place. Apparently, the sailors had gotten worried that the ladies that they had invited would start leaving to go home and so the sailors went into the warship and dismantled its piano and transported it up over the wall to the dance hall.

It appears that there are only two people living now who played in Mrs. Fox's dance band for considerable time and they are Mr. Ernest 'Buka' Dill of New York, drummer and Mr. Ross Tuzo, saxophonist.

FONDLY SUBMITTED BY MR. ROSS TUZO