Cartoonist's regrets

December 16, 2008

Dear Sir,

I was sorry to read Ms Beckles letter regarding my cartoon, and sorrier still to realise the way she had taken it. To be honest, not a great deal that comes out of the House of Assembly has visual potential, and when I read (Finance Minister) Ms Paula Cox's headline I seized on it gladly as a chance to draw one of the animals I have a passion about. I have long had a "thing" about the innate majesty of the gorilla and have managed to include him at least three times in cartoons - because as Ms Beckles admits, the saying is well-known and for me a delight to draw.

Maybe in retrospect, after all this time I should have listened more carefully to the little green man on my shoulder (yes, Ms Beckles, he's green, not black, white or purple) who whispers occasionall in my ear that I might think about treading more carefully now than I did in the early 80s. Which is very sad, but sometimes true. The captions I penned came straight from Mr. Wayne Perinchief, not me. He added: "When we start at the top, it will start at other ends."

That said, I regret any offence.

PETER WOOLCOCK

Grateful

November 29, 2008

Dear Sir,

Today, Saturday, I saw the face of a man who, unless he stops overtaking cars on blind corners, will be another squished and dead, motorcyclist. If I had been going less slowly or ten feet up the road Bermuda would have had one more squished fatality.

GRATEFUL NOT TO HAVE BEEN HURT

Paget

Thank you Laura Gorham

This is an open letter to Laura Gorham, who will shortly step down as director of the Bermuda National Gallery:

December 10, 2008

Dear Laura,

I too am unable to "picture" in my head how the BNG could ever be what it is without the Laura Gorham name attached to it – not at the hip but at the heart. I have seen the Gallery grow from its inception and the wonderful staff along with it. May you always be proud of the Bermuda National Gallery's accomplishments. They are yours and without your efforts and time and caring they would not be what they are today and would not be tomorrow, without that primary Gorham tending. You gave the Gallery roots and strength and like a proud bonsai it stands gracefully eloquent in its compact elegance. Thank you Laura, for reminding us all that no country can be taken seriously unless it recognises and celebrates the arts of the past, present and future. For many years to come the Gallery will rightfully be known as "The Gallery with Laura at the helm" and, for that, all of us – Bermudians and "outsiders" – will be thankful. You will be missed. Al the best in your future activities.

BERNARD POULIN

(Though not a Bermudian painter, nonetheless a painter of Bermuda)

P.s. And if the powers that be know what they are doing there will soon be a "Laura Gorham Room", if not a wing, at the Bermuda National Gallery.

Figures are no surprise

December 8, 2008

Dear Sir,

The figure of a 22 percent decrease in visitor arrivals that was posted last week is no surprise to some of us who are no longer working with Bermuda Tourism. The Minister and the opposition attributed the decrease to the economy and that may be partially the reason, however, one key component was overlooked and that was the release of an experienced sales team that had gotten positive results year over year.

The North American Sales Team had no leadership in 2008, no budget until June 2008, and with no budget there is limited activity in the various markets. Than the Bermudian sales team was informed in July that they were going to be replaced with Americans. Sales efforts January-April would have reaped rewards in high season, and not the drastic decrease as reported.

Sales Focus, which has the contract to manage the American sales team are using Tourism's old programme and have brought no new innovative approach to selling, hence the numbers falling. They are also occupying two offices in Govt's office in New York. Who is footing that bill? The Sales Focus staff is inexperienced and selling a destination is not the same as selling telephones. Bermuda is a complex destination that requires a knowledgeable team to convey its uniqueness.

If Minister Brown thought that the Sales Team needed a new direction, than he should have hired a person to direct a new vision and kept his experienced, results driven Bermudian staff. Why would anyone dismiss a dedicated, experienced team and replace them with inexperienced Americans. Despite what you have been told, the old team was trainable and had many challenges with new Ministers and Directors and still managed to have positive results.

Bermuda where is the new hotel development that was promised? I predict that nothing will happen anytime soon, and during this critical time having experienced Bermudian people in the field is paramount to sustain the economy.

Recently during an interview Minister Brown said to the reporter (Kathy Hughes) that he had a restless spirit/soul. Here are some of the words in the Marriam-Webster dictionary that describes restless, "marked by or showing unrest esp. of mind, pacing back and forth, impatient, nervous and fidgety." During this economic down turn, restless is not what Bermuda needs. Watch the Tourism numbers continue to fall.

CONCERNED BERMUDIAN

Florida

Thanks, but no thank you

December 12, 2008

Dear Sir,

I am responding, belatedly, to the letter to the Editor from Sylvia Hayward-Harris suggesting that Nonsuch Island ought to be renamed as David B. Wingate Island.

While I am certainly honoured by her suggestion, I assumed it was intended to be more of a compliment than a serious proposal and hence didn't feel a response was necessary. However, so many people have commented favourably to me since about the idea that I now feel it necessary to offer my own opinion on the matter.

I would like it to be known that I am not at all in favour of the proposal for two reasons:

Firstly, the name Nonsuch was given to the island at the very beginning of Bermuda's settlement, presumably borrowed from the famous Nonesuch Palace at Cheam in Surrey, England, which was at the height of its glory and often visited by Queen Elizabeth I, at the time Bermuda was settled. The name "nonsuch" means unequalled or unparalleled and I like to think that it was inspired by the almost magic appeal of the island as a self-contained paradise, set off from the rest of Bermuda. As such, it is the ideal name, perfectly capturing the unique nature and history of the island.

Secondly, I am certainly not the only person who has contributed to the rich history of that island. Among others that I could mention are Dr. William Beebe, who was the first to make the island internationally famous as the base of operations for the record- breaking bathysphere dive and with his book, "Nonsuch, Land of Water", (which became my inspiration to want to live out there). I should also mention the Arthur Tuckers of the Nonsuch Training School, and my recent successor, Jeremy Madeiros, who has achieved spectacular success with the Cahow Translocation Project – a major milestone in getting cahows established on Nonsuch again after three centuries of absence. Naming the island solely after me would only denigrate the accomplishments of those many others who have contributed to its history.

So while I thank you for the honour you have accorded me with your proposal, Sylvia, I certainly couldn't support it.

DAVID B. WINGATE

Hamilton Parish

College is impressive

December 8, 2008

Dear Sir,

I read with considerable concern the article, "College Defends its two-year degrees", in The Royal Gazette on Thursday, December 4. Comments such as those attributed to former Attorney General Perinchief are counterproductive to the good work currently carried out by staff and faculty at Bermuda College. They do a disservice to education in general in your country and, in my opinion, rely too much on often inappropriate models of comparison.

I have had the good fortune to meet with staff from the College during a recent international education fair in Hamilton and was very impressed with what they had to offer. I hope to pursue possible collaborations with them to provide more opportunities for graduates of Bermuda College as a complement to their current studies. We would not be doing so if we didn't have confidence in the College and staff. This is in marked contrast to the statement that your associate degrees have "little credibility". The work undertaken by your College is important and respected.

It is unfortunate, although not unusual, that the role of a postsecondary institution such as Bermuda College should not be completely understood or appreciated. All too often, those who have followed a path of a more traditional nature through the university system, or who wish they had, assume that path to be the ultimate, rather than simply one of several.

In my part of Canada, our provincial government determined there was a critical gap in our education system over 40 years ago not served by the university model and created our college system. We are living in an increasingly complex environment undreamed of in the mediaeval origins of the university. I am a confirmed liberal arts supporter, and yet realise that much of the complex work that keeps the world moving forward is carried out by those who developed skills through an institution such as Bermuda College. One only has to think of college graduates when flying, for example. Without them, it wouldn't happen.

As for the suggestion that institutions elsewhere are completely dismissive of your College, it misses the mark by a wide margin. I work with a number of Canadian, US and European institutions and they are very open to recognising bona fide postsecondary institutions such as Bermuda College. The greater challenge is for Bermuda College to choose partners who may support and nurture the educational goals of their students, not whether or not a brand name or destination has a high profile.

Consider the following from the Economist magazine of October 18 last year, commenting on the annual report of the OECD comparing school test results in 57 countries:

"There are big variations in educational standards between countries. These have been measured and remeasured by the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) which has established, first, that the best performing countries do much better than the worst and, second, that the same countries head such league tables again and again: Canada, Finland, Japan, Singapore, South Korea."

In December 2007, the same magazine, continuing to report on the OECD survey, commented:

"There is bad news for the United States: average performance was poor by world standards. Its schools serve strong students only moderately well, and do downright poorly with the large numbers of weak students… The results are unsettling for Britain, too. The country was excluded from the OECD's 2003 study because its sample of students was so poor. That, conveniently, disguised what is now apparent: that the excellent results of 2000, when the country came seventh in reading and well above average in both maths and science, were a statistical blip. This time Britain is way down the league in all three subjects."

Those comments are not the usual common wisdom, often because the country 'brand' has a more popular impact than data might support. The traditional big brand destinations, such as Britain or the United States, continue to draw large numbers of international students. And yet, as with other commodities, the main brands may not always deliver the best value and may rest somewhat on the laurels of past performance or of a few well-recognised names.

Of course, there are many reputable colleges and universities in those countries and we work with them, but each destination should be examined with equal, clear-headed scrutiny.

It is unfortunate that institutions such as Bermuda College are seen by some as lesser cousins. This is more often a reflection of unspoken cultural assumptions on the type of work associated with status. In our society, it is a sad commentary that one may be a highly paid computer programmer, graphic designer, or marketing consultant, yet still not be as socially well-regarded as an (often financially-challenged) lawyer.

Perhaps a more useful model to pursue would be one of collaboration to allow students from Bermuda to gain a varied cultural experience by studying abroad and at the same time opening up exchange possibilities for foreign students to enjoy the benefits of studying at Bermuda College. The reality is that we are globally interactive. Instead of creating more silos, maybe stronger models of international cooperation would serve the people of Bermuda more effectively.

BARRY KEEFE

Director, International Education, St. Lawrence College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Director, Canadian Bureau for International Education

Director, International Consortium for Education and Economic Development

We need the parking

December 9, 2008

Dear Sir,

This was sent to the Corporation of Hamilton and copied to The Royal Gazette.

To whom it may concern, I see in today's newspaper that you intend having the Number Five car park area resurfaced this coming Thursday and the parking area will be closed for the day. The mind boggles! Hamilton is already a nightmare regarding parking with so many areas under construction and approximately six bays marked off with yellow tape in No. 1 Shed at any given time (and the rude security person can offer no explanation why). Could this not have been done in January when Hamilton could well be a ghost town? We have the Chamber of Commerce begging us to shop and The Corporation making it as difficult as possible! For goodness sake, you guys in City Hall, it's Christmas and to be able to shop you need to park.

SUE GARLAND

Paget

Resolve channel rift

December 9, 2008

Dear Sir,

Re Cable rates: In the tier system for billing, the first 12 to 14 channels are the low cost selection. This incidentally, is as I recall, the same group that is offered to the patients at King Edward VII Hospital for $13 a day through another hands-on carrier. In this tier are ZBM and ZFB: possibly sad news in the future for the patient. Luckily thus far, VSB, are not threatened.

Since CableVision has been required to include the three local channels through its Island-wide cable network all this time, is it only ZBM and ZFB that are feeling shortchanged by this arrangement? Our viewers, by virtue of their very existence, afford constant recognition of ZBM, ZFB and VSB simply by exchanging opinions on notable events and stories at the end of the day. It may not be seen to put change in company pockets but they can be sure their transmissions are fully referred to and appreciated via the People's Channel, i. e- word-of-mouth.

In 1997 to 2000, we had satellite TV for a while – it had a control that allowed us to transfer to local TV when needed, and that was fairly frequent. I am sure there are ways around this that will reduce the burden on everyone but, I for one, really would like to see it resolved so we can all go back to enjoying our favoured programmes without feeling at the mercy of disgruntled services.

The simple fact is that we contract to buy beyond our preferences in order to get the few we really want. Of the available choices in more than 300 stations, we ourselves only regularly utilise about 28 and that includes Channels 7 and 9, and of course 11.

If WOW can find its way to continue service of these channels to its customers then I foresee a shift in loyalties is pending – so CableVision should rise to the occasion and continue to extend the same loyalty to its customers that they wish to retain for themselves. Meantime I suggest we get new rabbit ears... CableVision or not, I intend to watch Channels 7 and 9 as I have for some 40 plus years and will do as long as their programming continues to satisfy my viewing choices and addictions. Disappointed and housebound,

MACM

Warwick