August 6, 2002

Dear Sir,

It seems like noise pollution will never end whether it be some gas-happy nut over-revving his car or truck on Cox's Hill Road or anywhere else, to a young guy with a loud engine on his bike, to someone blasting their “boom box” while they drive.

TOO LOUD FOR ME

Pembroke

July 28, 2002

Dear Sir,

In my last letter I took issue with Mr. Arthur Hodgson over comments he made concerning the baselands cleanup. Irrespective of our conflicting interpretations of 20th Century history, he and I both occupy common ground on agreeing there's one god awful mess to clean up and no one prepared to do it.

However, in this baselands dispute, a much larger issue has been ignored which can perhaps help us put the whole mess into perspective.

My fellow hypocrites, are we at all surprised at the antics of sections of the US military in producing that 65 million dollar mess when our own behaviour has been so laughable?

Would anyone care to estimate how many hundreds(!) of millions of dollars it would cost us to clean up our own mess at the Pembroke Dump? I'm not talking about sticking a pretty little park on top of it either! I'm talking about removing the thousands of metric tons of tin cans, galvanised/chromed steel components, tubes, paint cans, oil filters and millions of fermenting garbage bags plus mercury, lead, cadmium and a list of chemicals so long, you would think that ICI had set up shop next door and were dumping their rejects out the back.

The list goes on! Multiply that by two, and you've just included the Airport dump. Just because we went ‘green' one fine morning and started putting potted plants everywhere, doesn't mean we solved anything. They're both still sitting there mouldering away in the salive ebb and flow of the tides. One into the Mills Creek mangroves and the other, (depending on the wind...) sending it's tendril-like slick straight towards Nonsuch Island. That's how we pay tribute to the lifetime work of David Wingate.

For lovers of history and people who remember when fish from the Harbour didn't smell and taste like diesel, Pembroke marsh in its original form was an estuarine marsh where our grandparents fished for snapper and mullets which travelled up the canal, along with occasional visits from migrating Atlantic eels from the rivers of Europe and North America on their way to the spawning grounds in the Sargasso sea.

Until we can return our own environment back to this state of health, we should stop screaming about the discovery of a cave full of poo in the East End. The land was after all, returned to us in exactly the same condition and to the same standard, as we've set for ourselves.

GLEN LIMA

Paget

P.s. Either that, or there's a serious bat problem in our cave systems!

July 19, 2002

Dear Sir,

It is that time of year again when we want to express appreciation to some very special young people here in Bermuda. If any of your readers find themselves at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital as either a patient or perhaps a visitor to a sick friend or relative, they will come across our Candy Stripers.

These hard working 14 to 17-year-old volunteers work throughout the hospital, taking on the same responsibilities as our adult members. They help run the Pink Cafe and Gift Shop, assist at the Dialysis Unit and on the wards, deliver flowers, volunteer in the pharmacy and x-ray department, aid on the maternity ward and in Agape House and work on the Continuing Care Units.

These teenagers are here, dressed in their uniforms and ready to go every morning at 8.30 a.m. They are pleasant, helpful, willing, reliable and very competent. They work over the summer months, on Saturdays and during the winter and spring school holidays. We really couldn't offer the many services we do without their assistance, as many of our adult volunteers take their vacations during these times.

This summer, we enrolled 32 new Stripers and currently have a total of 90 young people in the programme. Candy striping is so popular that we have a nearly two-year waiting list. We urge parents to enrol their boys and girls at age 12 so they are assured of a spot when they turn 14.

We hope the community will join us in saying a heartfelt thank you to every one of these young people who have chosen to spend their free time volunteering. Whether you see their smiling faces behind the counter in the Pink Cafe, helping a patient choose what to have for dinner or delivering flowers to a new mother, please recognise the valuable contribution they are making. These responsible, eager and dedicated teenagers are one of Bermuda's greatest assets. The Auxiliary wishes to express appreciation to them and their parents. We hope your readers share our enthusiasm for the wonderful contribution they are making every day.

Most sincerely,

MRS. MARIJKE PETERICH

President, Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda

August 4, 2002

Dear Sir,

Isn't it a shame that the people of sophisticated wealthy Bermuda were not able to enjoy live television coverage of the 2002 Commonwealth Games played in Manchester, England.

Commonwealth Countries from Australia to Africa, the Caribbean and Canada were all able to enjoy the games and watch their athletes perform and the best we could do is wonder what was happening.

The coverage for Bermuda could have been obtained either from the Canadian feed or the Caribbean Union feed. The television stations will most likely tell us it was too expensive for us to carry or give some other lame technical excuse. They have carried the Olympics, (a much more expensive commodity ), test cricket, world cup games, we have even been treated to football games featuring Shaun Goater.

The silence from Seven and Nine leads one to believe they drop the Commonwealth Games' ball.

QUINTON L. EDNESS

Warwick

August 6, 2002

Dear Sir,

Last week, I read several articles about allowing larger cars to be sold on the Island. As an American accustomed to large cars. I'd like to share a few observations.

In general, larger cars are the way to go. They would be good for the Bermuda economy. Larger cars would consume more gasoline and generate additional tax revenue, this additional tax revenue would be put back into the Bermuda economy by meeting the demand for wider roads. The manpower required to widen all of the roads would make up for any slump in tourism for at least two decades.

You would finally have a good reason to begin an urban renewal project in St. George's, using widening the streets as an excuse you could finally remove all those old eyesores in St. George's and put in modern high rises centred on King's Square. After 200 to 300 years of use, it's time to retire those old buildings in St. George's.

Wider roads would mean smaller front lawns and gardens. Think of all the time saved mowing lawns and tending the gardens. In addition, allergy sufferers would benefit. Fewer plants mean fewer allergans, also, asphalt and concrete are naturally hypo allergenic materials.

Larger cars would spawn a larger auto body repair industry. Think of all the beautiful damage you could do with a vehicle the size of a Lincoln Navigator. Even at current posted limits, its mass would make hitting a cyclist no worse than a gnat hitting your windshield. In addition, the current burden of accident cases on the Island's hospital would be reduced since injuries to cyclists and pedestrians would usually be fatal and not require hospitalisation. Also, fewer people would reach senior citizen status and reduce the need for long term, geriatric care, some people might be bothered by these fatalities, but honestly, what have the cyclists done for you lately?

The small cars that the large cars would replace could be rented to the tourists, many more tourists would consider staying on the Island if they could rent a car instead of a scooter, if an intelligent man with political connections played his cards right, he could have the car rental franchise for the entire island. A rental car franchise beats a hamburger stand any day.

For those waiting to feel special, allow the sale of vehicles the size of a Lincoln Navigator. They're large enough to impress anyone. They can shelter an entire family in the event of a hurricane.

But seriously, don't allow larger cars. Bermudians are already special, they're the friendliest, most civilised, and hardest working people anywhere. Use your income to benefit yourselves and not the auto-dealers and manufacturers.

SMALLER IS BETTER

Hamilton