regarding the November 11th Cenotaph Ceremony in remembrance of those millions of men and women who fought in the First and Second World Wars.

Bermuda was in the favourable position of having three countries defending its shores, even to the extent of having a military presence here. Its people have never heard the whine of a bomb not the whistle of a shell, have never become refugees or been herded into slave factories.

As descendants, it is easy to take for granted freedom as we know it. It is easy to forget all that and make much of domestic affairs. This is the day we offer honour and remembrance to those who enabled us to remain free, offering a two-minute silence.

MARGARET C. GRANT Bogged down in the past November 6, 1999 Dear Sir, I can't believe my eyes.

Premier Smith is proposing under The Public Holidays Amendment Act that we change our Cup Match holiday to an Emancipation Day holiday.

Enough is enough. This is, in my opinion, yet another blatant attempt by politicians to keep us bogged down in the past and to perpetuate a racial divide between Bermudians to further their own goals and methods of control and manipulation.

Our two day Cup Match holiday evolved out of two separate celebrations: Emancipation and Somers Day. In unifying these two days in the 1950's and creating Cup Match as we now know it, we as a country established one of the most racially unifying traditions that exists in Bermuda today.

Cup Match is about cricket! Team efforts! One end of the Island against the other. No racial divide here. Just a purely Bermudian celebration.

What do you propose instead? A black celebration of emancipation on one day (harking back to 1834) with a re-enactment of slavery and a symbolic cutting of the chains? What about a white celebration of Somers Day on the other (harking back to 1609), remembering the day when whites landed on these shores? Madam Premier, why are you focusing on a singularly negative issue that is a dark and terrible part of all of our pasts! The past being the operative word here. When are you politicians going to take a stand and be real leaders into the future for your Bermudian people instead of constantly bogging us down with the past? What about all your talk about a progressive new Bermuda! When are you going to start promoting the reality that we are one people - black or white. We are all Bermudians. Certainly we are one people in the eyes of God; who are we to argue?? For the sake of unity, progressive and positive thinking and the coming together of all of the people of our beautiful and unique country, why not, if you feel so strongly about a name change, call it Bermudians' Cup Match Holiday! Adding that simple descriptive, Bermudians, says it all as it should be said.

Get out of the past and haul your respective derrieres into the future for all of our peoples' sake.

If politicians persist in dragging us backwards in our thinking that is where we as a people will remain. Trust me, we are far more intelligent than that and deserve far more from our leaders.

Let's look to and celebrate the harmony we have today and do all possible to come up with positive ideas to expand, promote and encourage its' practise and existence for all eternity! One Island, one people. Leave our Cup Match holiday alone! I am angry and ask that all Bermudians lend their voice to this negative and destructive recommendation to change one of our most Bermudian traditions.

Demand that it remain our Cup Match, not that it be used as the politicians of Bermuda's next folly! I am sick of issues being constantly presented as black or white, with all of the negative connections such labelling denotes. I am sick of the public and political flogging of a tragedy that was perpetrated by sick human beings over hundreds of years ago! Please, for our sake and our childrens' sake, and for the sake of all of our futures, let's move on! Your actions in constantly forcing black and white "issues'' down our throats are irresponsible and self-serving. Yes, I am sure it wins you votes from members of our black community who swallow the bait, but where are the results? Is your separatist politicking creating jobs, providing equal educational opportunities, providing housing for those in need (and trust me, there are many?) These are the really important "issues'' and yet I don't see any great results in these vital areas.

I do however give you credit for constantly banging on about the great black and white divide! All you are doing is encouraging divisiveness in our community which is the most negative thing you could possibly do for our people.

Don't you get it! All we Bermudians want is for you to lead us by example; push for a Bermuda for Bermudians, one country, one people, equal opportunities and leadership into the future.

I, for one, will continue to celebrate Cup Match and all that it stands for both in the eyes of my fellow Bermudians and our valuable tourists (not to mention the revenues that this wonderful community holiday generations for all of us!) A BERMUDIAN Smith's Parish Un-fare treatment October 31, 1999 Dear Sir, On Saturday, we had a tee time at Port Royal, leaving from the Reefs Hotel.

A cab driver had packed our golf clubs and promised to wait for us while we had a quick breafast. No more than ten to 12 minutes later, our appetites sated, we returned outside, only to find our golf bags unceremoniously deposited on the ground, and our taxi and its rude driver nowhere to be found.

A family emergency that forced him to leave without notice? More likely, a better fare that fuelled his breach of trust. In the broader scope of things, not a big deal, of course.

But it is the aggregate of all small matters of trust that adds up to a culture. Fortunately, this behaviour, while notable, is not the norm. And in spite of this rude slight, we remain grateful for our times in your beautiful country and for its mainly genuine and courteous people.

KEVIN F. KING The Reefs French fried in the press November 8, 1999 Dear Sir, This letter is in response to your article, "Sacre Bleu!...'', in your November 5 edition of The Royal Gazette .

For several years, the Alliance Francaise des Bermudes has awarded the best first-year French students at secondary and middle school levels a prize to recognise their efforts to excel in studying the wonderful French language.

We wish to encourage them towards further French study. This year, as in past years, we invited a Royal Gazette photographer to take a photograph of these outstanding students. We had a press release prepared to give to the photographer, with the names of the outstanding students and their schools as normally a reporter is not present.

This year, both a reporter and a photographer attended the ceremony. Also invited to the Chamber of Commerce on November 4 were the award-winning students, their parents, French teachers, Alliance Francaise council members and the Honourable Ms Renee Webb.

The very next day -- at the top of the third page of your newspaper -- your reporter chose to highlight the fact that the Honourable Renee Webb did not show up.

That same day I called the reporter to inform him of my disappointment with the article as it did not even mention the names or show the photograph of the students who had received the prizes.

I was given an excuse that it would not have been appropriate which I fail to understand. He then assured me that the photograph and students names would be placed in the newspaper. Subsequently that evening the reporter contacted me.

Again I stated my disappointment and requested that he place the children's photograph and names in the newspaper, which after all was supposed to be the focus of the whole event.

I was assured that this would be placed in the Saturday, November 6, edition.

I anxiously waited for Saturday's newspaper, as I am sure the parents and students did. However to my chagrin, there was no article about the students.

Now I thought surely that in Monday edition there would be a photograph with the children's names. Mais non! Unfortunately, I find The Royal Gazette sensationally driven in their one-sided reporting of this event -- which was supposed to highlight the achievement of the students in the presence of their parents, teachers, Alliance Francaise council members and the Minister.

Mr. Editor, I would greatly appreciate if you would correct this error and place an equally prominent article showing the photograph of the students with their names on the top third page of your newspaper as soon as possible.

Also if you choose to scold yourself for keeping the parents and students waiting, please do not make that the focus of your article! I would like to take the opportunity to invite old Alliance Francaise members whose memberships have lapsed and any of the public who would like to become a member to call 291-4758 and we will return your call.

Bienvenue a tous! Venez parler francaise avec nous! We have a slate of great events taking place.

NICKY GURRET Vice President Alliance Francaise des Bermudes