Concert cancelled

March 31, 2009[

Dear Sir

It is with great disappointment that the Red Hot and Blues Jazz event scheduled for April 4 featuring Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women and a tribute to Roy Talbot and the Talbot Brothers will not go on due to some unfortunate structural challenges within the Physical Abuse Center organisation.

During the many months of preparing for an event of this magnitude, it is imperative to recognise the quiet, unceasing contributions of those who answered my call. Philip Butterfield, chief executive of HSBC Bank of Bermuda, The Royal Gazette organisation, Jesse Moniz for doing first class stories on both the Talbot Brothers and Saffire (and a fan herself), Greg Cody and Diane Finnegan at Chameleon Press, Jill at Dillwerx for her creative genius, David Doar's Studio FX Bermuda, Randy and the guys at "Tempo", Steven Spencer-Arscott, the board members and volunteers who spread the word, Minister Dale Butler, Del and Clement Talbot, and the inimitable Roy Talbot for generously sharing his group's legacy to aid others..

As three women who have persevered through much, Saffire's personal history, music and spirit embraces the aims of self-determination, pride, selflessness, dignity and the importance of healthy relationships. 2009 is a very special year for the group, as it will be their last tour after 25 years – nine albums – two films, and many awards. Their roster of shows around the world for the rest of the year are sold out. They send their best, and we at the Azimuth Group thank them for giving Bermuda a coveted slot in their pinnacle year.

In closing, we are pleased to have committed and expended the capital and other resources to produce this event in the interest of ultimately helping families and children in crisis, and along with you, to helping make an even better Bermuda.This project has been a labour of love well worth it to our team at The Azimuth Group, and we are circling our wagons to continue helping our community in further ways over the long haul.

JEFFREY LEWISCEO,

The Azimuth Group

Chairman, Finance and Investment Committee

The Physical Abuse Centre of Bermuda

Unemployment blues

March 19, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am surprised not to see anyone addressing the unemployment that is now reaching Bermuda. I am a Bermudian who was made redundant recently and I have been flooding the market with my resume to no avail. I would like to make mention about what is available out there to assist with my job hunt. I have registered with all the agencies (who have little to offer job-wise, also due to the decline in the economy and the consequent needs of companies for staff) but at least they were friendly and encouraging and offered suggestions and assistance with my resume.

I was also told I had to register with the Government. What for is beyond me. I had an interview and filled in a paper of registration. "What help can they offer me" I asked, and was told if any Government departments had any temporary positions (possibly a week or two or maternity leave) that they need staff to fill they would call me or one of the many that have registered but other than that, that is it. I was told they are used to handling six to eight people who need work, not the number that have been registering due to the down turn in the economy. (Personally I think they are overwhelmed by the situation and just don't know how to handle it all.) I went there expecting help and suggestions on where to find a full-time job but feel I basically got nothing. I left feeling let-down knowing that it still comes down to me to try and find something on my own, something very difficult to accomplish during these tough times.

I think we need to address the fact that Bermuda doesn't have unemployment insurance and that like our pensions it should be a mandatory payment by the employee/employer. That money should be used to assist those who are without work while we look for work.

In Canada and the US, they have unemployment insurance and when you lose your job, you apply at the Government Unemployment office where there is an initial wait period (I believe seven to ten days) followed up by a weekly interview with a counsellor to prove you are trying to find work in order to collect benefits. The benefits are ?rds of your salary for six months, then it stops. That gives you six months to find a job but at least you can survive in the mean time. During those six months, a counsellor can call you up and ask for an appointment to review the proof that you have been actively searching. If you prove not to be looking then the benefits are stopped immediately so as not to abuse the system.

I also think we need a job bank where jobs available in Bermuda can be posted and where those unemployed can get some kind of assistance with free classes on resume writing, networking, and interview skills along with even assistance on advice on how to dress and how to present oneself. With all those out there looking for work, employers can be choosy and any additional help on how one might land a job in this economy would be welcome by those who are looking for work.

I watch the paper daily, check the online agencies like Bermudajobs.com, and others and apply for anything that I see posted that I could do but so far no luck. Believe it or not, 100 people applied for one job posted in the paper recently. I think we need to know exactly how many are unemployed right now in Bermuda and to keep a weekly count and post it in the paper. People need to be aware, especially employers and the Government that yes even Bermuda who has never had this before is experiencing what the rest of the world is experiencing …. unemployment. In Bermuda it used to be that if you were unemployed it was by choice but no more. Its very worrying out there to get "no's" from every place you apply. Some places won't even take your resume because they have been flooded with resumes. All I can hope for is for someone to need someone with my many talents or for the economy to get better, for people to start spending again and then hopefully the employers will need me and the others out there unemployed.

RECENTLY MADE REDUNDANT

Pembroke

We may have to do it

March 24, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am writing in regard to allowing cruise ships to open up their casinos for passengers after ten p.m. First we have to face the fact that Dockyard offers absolutely nothing for passengers to do in the evening other than a walk about; even most of the restaurants close about that time. Instead of allowing passengers to spend their money on board I suggest that we open our own casino in Dockyard strictly for tourists. In order to get in they must show their cruise cards or passport. This should satisfy the local decision not to allow Bermudians to gamble, and at the same time take advantage of those tourists who enjoy the excitement of the game.Unfortunately gambling has become so popular that casinos on-board ships these days take up much more space than bars or dance floors, and that's where the majority of passengers spend their evenings. Sad but true. We may not like it, but it does not make sense not to take advantage of this and open our own facility, which at least would be somewhere for tourists to go for a bit of entertainment, even if they do not necessarily gamble. There would be light, music, drinks and the satisfying clink of cash, and think of the financial rewards. Why let the cruise line take the money when we could be benefiting ourselves.

There are professional companies that specialise in setting up casinos, and in our case Government would be the benefactor. It would have to be professionally run and we would have to learn the ropes, but it would be worth the effort. While on the subject of Dockyard and what it has to offer, I hope that shops in the clock tower mall will stay open in the evenings during the few days that the cruise ships are in port. There may be as many as five thousand tourists in Dockyard at any one time when the new terminal is finished, plus crew, and it will be impossible to supply transportation for everyone, so we must do all we can to create as many attractions as possible in the area. I hope that the Premier will consider this idea as Government could certainly use the extra money that this will generate.

E. RABEN

Paget

Pros and cons

March 22, 2009

Dear Sir,

I was filled with enthusiasm when Belco announced they would be issuing new, improved billings – however, having seen the so called improved billings I am not impressed as it provides no more information than prior billings.

The new billings still do not separate out the monthly meter – the current Belco residential monthly fee of $25 is still lumped in with the "energy charge" line item – thus the term "energy charge" is not totally accurate. The new billings do not reflect the usage broken down by the cost of the three different rate bands – in fact who amongst us can readily quote the cost per kWh for the first 100 kWh, and the next two layers? (Telco break down billings by monthly fixed access line charge, excess local calls and excess hours)

The new billings continue to refer to "current month", "previous month"and "same month last year" – whereas we all know that "month" should more accurately read "period" as the usage under each line item is neither a calendar month nor consistently a period of say 30 days.

We now have a pretty graph – purportedly showing usage for the current "month" and 12 prior 'months'. I assume that the graph is drawn based on my usage for each billing period and that the graph is not based on the months named in the graph but rather on the periods covered by the billings – in my case this is usually mid calendar month to mid calendar month. The period reflected can vary from 24 days to 38 days.

The graph is therefore meaningless – in my humble opinion – I think we all know that we use more power in the colder and warmer months, and when we have house guests, and less power when we do not need help in keeping cool or warm!

I must give Belco one positive shout out – I do like the fact that I can get an e-mail advice of my monthly billing within a day of the meter being read – this means that I have plenty of time to pay my billing and not lose the prompt pay discount.

MERIANNA

Pembroke

We have been in deniaL

March 9, 2009

Dear Sir, About ten years ago I was reasoning with some friends about my prediction that guns would become a daily part of the Police uniform. I'm not for the move, but the reality of it all is slowly taking its course. This may or may not be on the minds of the every day Police officer to exchange their old school Scotland Yard type batons for a nickel plated 9mm. I'm urging all gunmen to refrain from killing one another, stop the drive-bys and seek God.

The community has been in denial for too long about this trend, but now is the time for every Bermudian to be conscious about their surroundings. If you know there's a strong possibility that the people you hang around with will eventually get you killed, the party that you want to go to will get shot up due to the person having it, the fight in which you and your friends jumped someone … etc. The possibilities of catching a slug (being shot) doesn't always mean that the victim deserves it, but on the other hand if you're trying to earn a slug you'll receive one with your name on it. I don't spoon-feed my thoughts and that's why I may come across harsh at times, but it's due to the conversation at hand. During this time of recession I may become a seamstress if things don't change, because the Police service will need plenty of white sheets.

DESAI MARDEL JONES

Sandys

Blinded by insects

March 30, 2009

Dear Sir,

I would like the public of Bermuda to know what happened to me late one night near Warwick Pond. I was riding my motorcycle without goggles and a few insects hit my eyes. I rode about 40 to 50 feet blind. I could have died and people would have said, "he was drunk" or "he was speeding". I was 19 years old, now I am 79 years old. I have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I thank the Lord three times a day.

WESLEY SCRADERS SR.

Warwick

Swiss miss Bermuda

March 28, 2009

Dear Sir,

I was exceedingly miffed to find that the Swiss National Tourist Office website does not include Bermuda in its drop-down list of countries, thus preventing my having rail passes sent here.I have pointed the error out to them (and hope to receive a case of chocolate "for services to tourism") but until it is corrected I think that our Minister of Finance should boycott Davos, wherever that is.Yours yodelling,

ANDREW R DOBLE

Hamilton Parish

Cost on the wrong track

March 26, 2009

Dear Sir,

In today's article, "Adopting an overseas schools curriculum is smart, says Gibbons", we see the following paragraph: "But a plan to rewrite the curriculum for the first time in more than a decade was ditched after the interim executive board set up to implement education reform was disbanded at the end of last year."t$Now we seem to be on the right track, I have to ask,"How much did that cost?"

UN-COMMON SENSE

St. David's

We can be a model

March 19, 2009

Dear Sir,

I would like to give some initial views on the recently published Bermuda Energy Green Paper. I will first say that I applaud the Bermuda Government and the Department of Energy and all who were involved in putting not only the Green Paper together but also for the excellent efforts towards inclusion and public/private consultation during the compilation process. The paper at a first glance is broad in its attempt to cover all the bases relevant to energy in Bermuda and indeed it has to be in this stage of formulating a forward direction for Bermuda's sustainable use of energy in the future.

In regards to this "broadness of approach", the EGP reveals that there is much more specific and detailed research, data gathering and options building in all the areas that will have to be done to get to that place we call a sustainable energy platform. Hopefully, a more specific and detailed strategy can be accomplished in publication of White Paper on the topic. One key factor that is pointed out by the EGP is the need for a major effort to come from the Bermuda public towards increased energy conservation and energy efficiency. This not only includes the layman but also the commercial and public sector as well and applies across the board to areas of electricity use as well as fuel based activities such as transportation.

Armed with the momentum that the EGP now provides, our local educational institutions should now have the impetus to include these types of environment and sustainability studies in a more rigorous method into their curriculum, specifically at the tertiary education level where specific solutions to Bermuda's unique challenges can be researched by Bermudians. This will help us to not only find indigenous methods to solving our energy challenges but also to avoid recycling the "bad habits" and "one size fits all" concepts that are currently being promulgated as energy solutions internationally.

Bermuda can of course be a model for sustainability for many areas in the future – biodiversity, marine conservation, progressive agriculture and aquaculture, integrated habitat protection and now energy – and a model for how dialogue and consultation can be used to move collectively towards national solutions. For me, in relation to creating process frameworks, this is one of the most critical aspects of what needs to be achieved – that is, the process of using dialogue, education and research, accurate evidence gathering and effective management in the most wide reaching and inclusive processes possible. The EGP is a good starting point in this regard for the thrust to create a sustainable energy framework for Bermuda.

AVIDD CHAPMAN

London

A major error

March 19, 2009

Dear Sir,

I have become more and more concerned and confused by all the discussion surrounding the legalisation of gambling on this tiny Island. First, let me say categorically that I think it would be a major error to legalise yet another potentially addictive behaviour. SPECT brain scans have shown that when one has a big gambling win, the chemicals released have the same euphoric effect, impact and addictive potential on the brain as cocaine or heroin. I do hope the folk who are studying the feasibility of legalised gambling are looking at this aspect, too. Bermuda already has a large and increasing problem with addiction. Adding another legal "drug" could be catastrophic!

Today I learned that the current proposal is to only allow cruise ship passengers to gamble, so that "we can keep up with the competition". This doesn't make sense to me. I thought the original idea was to "enhance our tourism product". If only cruise ship passengers are to be allowed to gamble, how does this help to entice other non-cruise ship tourists? Also, since cruise ship passengers will be staying on board the ship to gamble, how will this help Bermudian businesses? Not to mention the potential problems as there are sure to be Bermudians trying to find ways to sneak on board.

The thing that really doesn't make sense to me is that our government and the hoteliers seem to be going around and round, supposedly trying to find a solution to the decreasing tourist trade, while avoiding/ignoring two very pertinent issues. It is very expensive to get here and to stay here. Plus there is no night time entertainment here. It appears to me that the airlines have been holding us hostage for many years. Our hotel rates are steep and they have not offered entertainment for many years.

Meanwhile, we have a wealth of talented Bermudians – singers, dancers, musicians, magicians, comedians – who have nowhere to showcase their talents. The recent survey of visitors made it clear they were not interested in gambling. If they were, they could find gambling anywhere. Tourists want to experience something that is unique to the place they are visiting. They can find casinos, restaurants and bars anywhere in the world. They won't find a Gene Steede, Gita Blakeney, Joy Barnum or Sheila Smith (to name just a very few) anywhere else but here. Why aren't we making their talents available? By the way, a lot of Bermudians love to hear them, too, which could generate additional hotel revenue.

A final point: The purported proliferation of guns, presumably in the hands of lawless people, coupled with the well- documented connections between gambling and the various Mafia families really ought to make our lawmakers and the general public pause for thought.

SYLVIA HAYWARD-HARRIS

Pembroke

The full quotation

March 24, 2009

Dear Sir,

The president of the group Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB), Lynne Winfield, made a statement at City Hall recently in which she called for white people in Bermuda to apologise for their racist behaviour and actions towards the black community in Bermuda over hundreds of years, as reported in The Royal Gazette on March 24. At the end of her reported statement Ms Winfield cited words by Nelson Mandela as follows: "Incomplete and imperfect as the process may be, it shall leave us less burdened by the past and unshackled to pursue a glorious future.

The weight of the message in Ms Winfield's statement implied that the quote referred to the need for white people to apologise to black people for historical wrongs. In fact, the quote was from a speech that Nelson Mandela delivered as a New Year message on December 31, 1997, and was directly related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission established in South Africa in the post-Apartheid period. The full quote from Mandela's speech is: "While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is taking us on a difficult journey, it is one that has helped us understand our painful past. Incomplete and imperfect as the process may be, it shall leave us less burdened by the past and unshackled to pursue a glorious future."

The overall objective of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was to allow for a sort of bloodletting by people from all communities in South Africa, to seek to restore the dignity of those who were wronged and to grant amnesties (or not) to those who testified to their wrongdoings (including people from Mandela's own party, the African National Congress). The "process" which Mandela referred to in the speech from which Ms Winfield quoted was therefore not in reference to making apologies as such. It referred, rather, to reconciliation through revelation and testimony, and through acknowledgement, atonement and forgiveness. Whether or not that "process" begins with an apology is a matter which I sincerely hope will be debated fully, rationally and critically by your readers. In the meantime, to emphasise the human import of Mandela's message, let me here quote a closing remark in his speech: "By working together we can build the South Africa of our dreams."

G. FAIELLA

London