some difficult decisions to make and no matter what it reported, someone was going to complain.

That may be because there are many powerful and influential institutions and people who see the lucrative potential of the telecommunications industry going into the next century.

The Commission though, some are already arguing, was afraid to face the powerful monopolies held by Cable & Wireless and the Bermuda Telephone Company.

The report states: "TeleBermuda (one of the applicants) has offered to provide a fibreoptic link to the CANUS cable which is being proposed for construction in 1995. The commission is of the opinion that the construction of this facility would undermine the viability of C&W and in the long term be detrimental to Bermuda's best interests.'' It appared to be expressing the fear that C&W will frown on real competition, pick up their marbles and go home. But they might end up running a better operation, as do other successful companies suddenly faced with competitors.

The Commission cited the example of the US airline industry, which was thrown into disarray when it was deregulated and is still struggling to restructure some 15 years later, when it argued for limited competition.

But it could have looked at the break-up of AT&T, the cumbersome telecommunications monolith that is now a streamlined, profitable company. US long distance calls got cheaper, too.

TeleBermuda has proposed to spend $80 million giving the Island the most up-to-date connectivity to the rest of the world. Its backers propose to make Bermuda such an attractive place to do business that many other companies would be compelled to come.

It argues that it is proposing to do exactly what both the Commission on Competitiveness and the Bermuda International Business Association have both discussed, making Bermuda the site "of an international telecommunications `hub' -- perhaps a third major industry for Bermuda?'' TeleBermuda seemed to be saying, "If we build it, they will come!'' It was almost surreal to hear a former Cabinet Minister, the very man who comissioned the study, say he was surprised by the commission's report. In Bermuda, even a former Minister has to have a real bee in his bonnet to speak out against a Government report -- unless he or she is trying to get elected.

Yet even today, TeleBermuda will complain that the Island, including the Commission, is not clear on what exactly they had proposed in their voluminous licence application.

We've been told that the huge telecommunications company that would be involved with TeleBermuda in this venture has bent over backwards to provide a grace period for Bermuda to fully understand the implications of what they are turning down, before cutting TeleBermuda off.

*** SUR Many people think work is a great place to find a mate, but most managers are still antsy about married couples in the same office. A survey sponsored by OfficeTeam, an employment agency, asked 150 managers from large companies how they felt about marital mates who also are work mates. Sixty-five percent said they oppose it. Seventeen percent said they're in favour, 17 percent said it made no difference and one percent didn't know. Andrew Denka, the executive director of OfficeTeam, said many managers shy away from hiring couples, fearing they'll bring their personal problems into the office.

*** EDC University of Florida plant researchers say they've found a faster and cheaper way to grow seedless watermelons. Dennis Gray, a UF biologist, predicts the new melons will sell as well as seedless grapes have. But, he admits, the new watermelons aren't exactly seedless -- they do have small, white, edible seeds, similar to cucumber seeds.

Seedless watermelons actually have been around for 40 years, but until now, a pound of seeds for the fruit has sold for as much as $2,000, compared to $15 to $200 for the seeded variety.