Apache lighthouse

September 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

I know that St. David's is the Native American capital of Bermuda, but is that any excuse for the Apache finish to the recently repainted lighthouse?

Yours on the warpath,

ANDREW R. DOBLE

Hamilton Parish

Wound clinic praise

August 19, 2008

Dear Sir,

I have just come back from a visit to The Hyperbaric and Wound Department at the KEMH, having bashed my leg once again!

I find myself in the enviable and enjoyable position to be able to praise the care and attention I received. I am so profoundly moved by the gentleman at reception, John Pitt, to the nurse Holly Gillam that I just had to sit down and write this letter in praise and publication. I was treated, comforted, and reassured with the highest degree of expertise and professionalism that I have experienced anywhere in the world.

This Department is run by Dr. Schultz, and I wish to congratulate him on his standard of excellence.

DIANA WILLIAMS

Pembroke

Lost Bermuda

September 12, 2008

Dear Sir,

I recently returned to Bermuda after 17 years of absence.

Flying in over the Island I sadly looked at all the white rooftops and wondered "what in hell have they done to the green space?" Tears came to my eyes as I tried not to think of all the beautiful trees that were hacked down to make room for house upon house upon house. Trying to sell a home that is a few feet from their neighbour on both sides does not increase its value.

So many things have changed in Bermuda, not many positive. I wonder why anyone would want to visit this place. To see the non-existent cruise ships coming into Hamilton? To see no entertainment in the local hotels? To see high-rises one after the other on Front Street? To learn of the selling out the Bank of Bermuda to foreigners for 40 pieces of silver? This was part of Bermuda's heritage! Shame on you! To see rows and rows of bikes and cars parked on Front Street? To learn of the closing down of historic businesses that contributed handsomely to the economy along Front Street? After you have cut down all the trees to make way for parking lots, houses and high rises — what will be next? I will tell you — gas masks so you can breathe because that much destruction to the environment will take its toll.

For an Island that dislikes expats why do you continually encourage foreign companies to come on board? An attitude change is needed. Like your wonderful TV personality who has decided to leave the gossip mongers and bullying know-nothings, I too was submitted to "expat rage".

I took it with a grain of salt and always said I consider the source and move on. In spite of the Island's lack of morals (oh shut up — put 10,000 Bermudians in a hall and ask all that have never cheated on their spouse or partner to stand up — I can tell you there may be one or two who have the nerve to continue lying and stand up) This isn't something to be proud of. For an Island that has more churches per capita than any other place in the free world, this is a disgrace.

You have destroyed the once beautiful, peaceful and graceful old lady who was known as Bermuda and turned her into a money grubbing "you know what!"

Goodbye, my beautiful Bermuda – I will never return.

MAGGIE

Canada

Standards Minister?

September 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

I was watching TV last night, and VSB was airing an interview with the Health Minister. I listened to him talk for about thirty seconds and asked if he knows what he is talking about. He was saying that there is a "Global Standard" for laws governing the number of dental hygienists a dentist can employ. He said that the rest of the world limits to three the number of dental hygienists a dentist may hire, and that this is a global standard. Where did he get that idea? I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this "Global Standard" did not sound right to me.

So I got my map of the world, and asked myself if there is a "global standard" for anything in life, and the only thing I could come up with is that, globally, all politicians lie, and all governments tax people (maybe the fact that everyone dies is also a standard). But a global standard for anything to do with dental hygienists is not half likely. Most sixth graders could probably tell you that it is unlikely that there are many dental hygienists in China, India or on the African continent. By tenth grade, most could probably guess that there would be no laws at all restricting the hiring of hygienists in those areas (which have over three billion people, and would definitely need to be included in any standard that could be called global) and that Russia probably does not have any laws governing the hiring of hygienists either.

We could probably add most of Eastern Europe, the Asian Republics, the Arab world, Iran (not part of the Arab world), and South and Central America. Include with this bunch the entire European Union. In Canada there appear to be no limits, with Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia definitely having no restrictions.

Then we finally look at the US, and find that the number of dental hygienists a dentist can hire has no standard at all either. I have just done some research, and where the US is concerned, the most populous state in the US, California, has no restriction. New York state is the same, and there are others I have not had the time to research. So the minister is claiming that there is a Global standard, but that Global standard doesn't include Europe, China, The African Continent, India, South America, Russia, the Middle East, Scandinavia, Canada, California and New York, along with other US states?

In other words, the entire globe, with the exception of a few US states, is not part of this global standard. If the Minister of Health would like to publish his data on global standards, to justify his statement, I will gladly write an apology to him, but I believe he simply does not know what he is talking about, and he is legislating from a position of ignorance.

DIOGENES II

Devonshire

Baby mortality report

September 12, 2008

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to today's article entitled "Health Minister defensive on infant mortality and immunisation facts". I am relieved that the Minister came out with a press release, but somewhat disappointed by the newspaper and the reporter's failure, it would seem, to contact a medical professional directly.

Sophia Cannonier is quoted not once but twice about her assertion that the infant mortality rate (IMR) should be zero, and that we shouldn't be happy with an IMR of 3.6. An infant mortality rate of zero is in real terms impossible, because the infant mortality is defined as "the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year, per 1000 live births in the same year." It seems that Mrs. Cannonier is aiming for a "birth" mortality rate of zero, which is an admirable goal but also not likely attainable. As much as home births may be the ideal for many women, certainly even she would admit that some (many?) women will need to labour and deliver in the hospital due to possible or anticipated medical complications for either the woman or her unborn child, including premature birth.

An infant mortality rate of 3.6 could include the death of an infant from meningitis at six months of age; that has nothing to do with mode or place of delivery. Ironically, however, it could certainly be related to an infant not being immunised! So while she is critical of Bermuda's very low IMR, she is also showing a film that claims there is no evidence whatsoever for the efficacy of vaccinations! If we stopped immunising babies, our infant mortality rate would sky-rocket.

Incidentally, an IMR of 3.6 puts us towards the top of the list of countries with very low infant mortality (only eight countries are doing better). At 3.6, Bermuda is doing better than countries like Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand the UK and many more. Incidentally, Switzerland doesn't consider an infant with a birth weight under 1,000 grams "viable" (which is inaccurate), hence their IMR would be falsely low given that deaths of premature infants under that weight are not included in their statistics.

I don't think I am the only paediatrician on the island livid about the press exposure given to Mrs. Cannonier. It does not appear to be balanced journalism to me.

DR. BENTE LUNDH

Paediatrician

Paget