Odd choice by BEC

October 5, 2009

Dear Sir,

It is no wonder that there have been different conclusions in the Employment Survey and in the CURE surveys when compared to the Employers Council study, "The Shift". "The Shift" was a "study" conducted by Larry Burchall, who, by his own admittance, only has a Cambridge School Certificate. The Employment Survey, was conducted by a statistician at the Bermuda Department of Statistics who has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Masters of Business Education. The CURE survey was conducted by Cordell Riley who is a former employee at the Department of Statistics and who has a Master's Degree in Tourism Marketing and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Survey Sampling, among other academic qualifications.

Certainly the powers-that-be at the Employers Council would not accept Mr. Burchall performing the simplest surgical procedure on them or their children, because he lacks the scientific knowledge and training, Yet, they had no problem commissioning him to conduct a scientific survey on Bermuda's employment trends. I find this odd for two reasons. Firstly, Mr. Burchall obtained his Cambridge School Certificate through his studies at the Berkeley Institute, and secondly, the BEC members are some of the first to say that Bermudians are not educated and qualified to enter certain sectors of the economy. It's also interesting that Mr. Burchall gleans all of his information from the Department of Statistics and then rewrites what the experts have written.

Surely I am not the only person who finds it strange that the Employers' Council would take Mr. Burchall's study as gospel.

LAVERNE FURBERT

Hamilton Parish

Chalk it up to experience

October 3, 2009

Dear Sir,

Can someone from the Public Transportation Department please do something about the dreadful state of our bus stops? Unfortunately, from the moment the gaudy new covers were stuck on all the bus stops, they started to deteriorate as they became torn and scratched. They are now peeling off after a hot summer, and it is obvious that the material is totally unsuitable for our climate. Maybe it sounded like a good idea at the time to make them reflective, but let's put it down to a bad experience and move on. Just select attractive shades of pink and blue paint and have the men paint them like they did before.

GOT THE BLUES OVER PINK AND BLUES

Smith's Parish

Inquire into the truth

September 30, 2009

Dear Sir,

Look at how much suffering we created; for what? A bigger house, a bigger bank account, more fame, more power, more prestige, for example becoming the President or the Prime Minister? One day death will take all that away. Only that which cannot be taken away by death is real. Everything else is unreal. It is made of the same stuff that the mind is made of, dreams. Your mind contains memories of the past and the future, desires, jealousies, power, the mind is nothing but dreams.

Then what has to be done? Think of something higher — something that is beyond desires, something that cannot be destroyed, something that will destroy sorrow. If you search the ultimate, each moment of your life will become more and more peaceful, calm, quiet. If you search for the truth, or God, or whatever you want to call it, you are in search for the deepest in life, and the highest in life, and you are not after spurious things. Your very search will bring a new quality to your being. You will feel together, and you will feel a new joy in your heart, not coming from the outside. The real joy never comes from the outside. It is the spurious that comes from death that can take away only that which has come from the outside, never on the inside. The inside is eternal.

The cause of misery is always ignorance, and nothing else. Jesus says truth liberates. Truth liberates — not the truth from the scriptures, but the truth that you come across through your own experiences. There is no need to have many goals, one is enough. Inquire into the truth of your life. Only one search is enough, to deliver you from all your miseries, sufferings, hells. Inquire into the truth of your being, anger, greed, list — go into each and by going into each, you will discover yourself -you have truly come into the "Kingdom of God".

BERNELL WILLIAMS

City of Hamilton

What would be gained?

October 6, 2009

Dear Sir,

I read the story in today's edition (October 6) and come to the same conclusion but by a different route. If the Premier were to call an election now the result is almost, but not entirely, a foregone conclusion – an increased majority for the PLP. In the political arena, that has to be tempting. After all, supporters will say, and as your journalist rightly pointed out, Sir John Swan did it back in 1985, so it is now time to pay the "favour" back. But I believe that the UBP is currently in self-destruct mode precisely because of that uncharitable act. What would be the point of taking advantage of a man when he is down?

I also believe that what is at play here is the principle of reaping what you sow. There was no need back in 1985 to finish off a wounded PLP but the temptation could not be resisted. In fact, that uncharitable act, while reaping tremendous but temporary gain, is perhaps the single reason why there is a PLP Government today. Supporters of the party were determined to right that wrong and remained focused for the next 13 years, never losing hope. After gaining power, the PLP made the constituencies as close to "one-man, one-vote of equal value" as possible. This single act in 2003, which I would deem fair by any measure, virtually ensured, as a consequence, that the UBP would never win another election if voting remained along racial lines.

After three poll attempts, I'm sure that the breakaway six came to the same conclusion. So what would an election held now gain that hasn't already been achieved? Yes I know the construct that everything is fair in love, war and politics but perhaps I'm thinking outside of the construct.

CORDELL W. RILEY

Pembroke

They just want to relax

October 7, 2009

Dear Sir,

Focus head Sandy Butterfield must read the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, 2001 American Journal of Public Health report, the 2002 study by RAND, the 2002 Canadian Senate study, and the 2006 University of Pittsburgh study that all conclude that marijuana is not a gateway drug.

Marijuana is illegal and therefore must be purchased from a drug dealer. This interaction has the potential to lead to harder drug use, especially in Bermuda, because in the last five years the dealer is more likely to sell both marijuana and harder drugs. In this way, the fact that marijuana is illegal may be a factor in the use of harder drugs, but nothing about the properties of marijuana have been shown to cause the use of other, harder drugs.

Most users of heroin and cocaine have used marijuana. However, most marijuana users never use another illegal drug. The claims that marijuana acts as a gateway to the use of other drugs serves mainly as a rhetorical tool for frightening Bermudians into believing that winning the war against heroin and cocaine requires waging a battle against the casual use of marijuana. Drug use statistics from Portugal and Holland clearly show that by legalising marijuana, consumption actually decreased compared to other countries in Europe.

The vast majority of herb smokers are hard working, home owning, child rearing, responsible Bermudians, who simply want to relax with a safer alternative to alcohol.

TALKING SENSI

Southampton

The youth need respect

October 5, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am very concerned about our youths today – their attitude, respect for others and the direction in which they are going. We the parents and citizens of Bermuda have a sense of responsibility to our youth, to guide them in the right direction for them to become respectful adults. We need to bring back our old Bermuda and regain the respect and morals into our little island again. Bermudians have lost their way when it comes to our standards of living, such as manners, correction in the home etc. Many of us know the difference between abuse and correcting your child/children. But society seems to have forgotten these things. We need to restore the sense of responsibility into our young generation. This comes back to these bus passes which Government has given them. These passes are to be presented when boarding the bus. This allows them to travel on the bus free.

Without them the bus operators have the right to charge them a fare. The generation feels that they can just walk on with no sense of responsibility because they are in uniform. If that's so, the Police, Regiment, etc., that is also free could just walk on without showing their passes. That is not so — they also have to present their pass when boarding. I am here to stress on behalf of the operators that all students must have their passes when boarding the bus and must show them. Without them they will be charged $2.00 This would make them more responsible, especially on weekends when they are in normal clothing.

I am also concerned about this "so-called dress code", that our Government is allowing young and old to walk around in. Not only is it disrespectful it does not teach these youth to become respectful citizens in our community. I especially am not accepting any persons on my bus that have their pants down below their butts. I feel if a change has to start from me than it will with small things. Thank you for listening!

VERY CONCERNED OPERATOR

It's an imperative

October 6, 2009

Dear Sir,

Wayne Scott, Donte Hunt and possibly Sean Pitcher may consider themselves less well known than Shawn Crockwell but they will equally recognise the imperative of forming a new majority party which will, with Kim Swan and other leaders, secure the necessary parliamentary governance to achieve equal opportunity, social justice and the future of Bermuda.

OWEN H. DARRELL

Pembroke