What is the purpose of your comments, Tim Smith? Are you trying to discourage would-be teachers from engaging in the teacher-training programme? Government develops an idea that will potentially place 30 new Bermudians in the field of teaching and you accuse Government of a quick fix.

For your information, I am happy that this opportunity has been given and I will be signing up. If it weren't for this programme I would have to wait an additional two years before I could be certified. Now, thanks to the Ministry of Education, I can be in the school system in a more timely fashion and offer service to the Country I love. Shame on you for discouraging young Bermudians.

On top of that, all of the applicants have Bachelor's degrees and there is nothing to stop them from going on to their Masters. This programme will get us in the system now and we can pursue our Master's right here in Bermuda once we are certified.

SERGIO PITCHER St. David's Bluebird time again March 28, 2001 Dear Sir, Now is the magic time. Spring is here and the bluebirds are looking for mates and nesting boxes. Stuart Smith has written to me here in the land of Foot-and-Mouth with orders to write you and remind everyone "to monitor their bluebird boxes, and maybe help save them from extinction; your usual with not too much venom''. I was unaware that I had been venomous in my prolific bouts of correspondence to you in previous years, but I do tend to become keen when bluebirds are in question. Though now after six years living in rainy, cold weather with my old enemy the sparrow becoming endangered in Britain, perhaps my enthusiasm for the old blueys has waned a trifle.

But never mind all that. Please set your best reporters and camera crews out on assignment to build, erect and monitor trails of nest boxes and set an example to the Mid-Ocean News and the Bermuda Sun. Show ZBM, CNN and the BBC how it's done. You too, Mr. Editor. Lead the way with reporting the `Editor's Box' set in a good location, with the nest building, egg laying, wren brooding, chicks hatching, fledglings flying, etc. And without too much venom, a quick mention of the pitfalls to beware of: cats, rats, pesticides, red minutes, over heating, sparrows, starlings, kisskadees, vandalism and nuclear war. There you are, Mr. Editor. The ball is in your court. I picture you and your colleagues out in the field, fighting for their future.

THOMAS OUTERBRIDGE Buckinghamshire, England VSB defends newsreader April 5, 2001 Dear Sir, The comments made about Charmaine Burgess in today's Hester column are not only offensive to the lady concerned, but are totally unwarranted and inaccurate.

I have checked every TV newscast that Charmaine has read since she rejoined us in March, and I enclose the only one that had any bearing whatsoever on the telecommunications industry: The empowerment of black Bermudians to take on the role of owners of companies, as well as that of consumers, is one of the ambitions of the PLP Government, and no one is keener to see this accomplished than Minister of Telecommunications & E-Commerce Renee Webb... VSB News senior correspondent Bryan Darby reports on one area where the Minister's determination has already struck a few sparks...

As you will see, a deliberate attempt has been made to distance Charmaine from her daytime employer, as you would expect from a professional news organisation, and this will continue to be our policy. Contrary to Hester's allegation, Charmaine has never mentioned C&W in her newscasts and never will.

To suggest that she has quoted herself, and add the other suggestions of unprofessional behaviour is reprehensible and we would challenge The Royal Gazette to produce one shred of evidence to the contrary. Obviously this has caused Charmaine a great deal of distress and we would appreciate a clarification in your columns.

CHRIS LODGE News Director VSB News UFO speech enlightening March 23, 2001 Dear Sir, I wanted to extend my thanks to Mr. Ralph Richardson and the BUEI for their recent public lectures featuring Dr. Steven Greer, MD of the Centre for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence. While it is a deviation from the field of underwater exploration, it is one that certainly captured widespread interest in the community attested by the fact that tickets were sold out well in advance for both lectures. I'm also grateful to Dr. Greer for coming to Bermuda to share his findings.

It's particularly exciting that he chose this venue in Bermuda to make public his announcement of a major press conference on this subject in Washington on May 9. A quick review of his organisation's website at www.cseti.org provides some interesting reading on the subject. I was particularly interested to learn how the major media in the US has consistently refused to treat the research on UFOs with any seriousness at all, and the reasons why. In a position paper entitled "The Insider'' on this website Dr. Greer states that "the big media is owned by corporate entities which are (in the case of CBS and NBC) large defence contractors. The lawyers, executives and board members of these media conglomerates often sit on the boards of companies related to many military and industrial concerns which do not want a disclosure on UFOs.'' I am also glad that at least our local media is locally owned! I hope the Royal Gazette will follow Dr. Greer's progress as he seeks to bring the subject of UFOs into the limelight of serious scrutiny in the major media of the world.

BRIAN HORSFIELD Warwick Beware of labour parties April 5, 2001 Dear Sir, I read with great interest that your Labour Government is turning out just like ours in the UK, an unaccountable dictatorship. This is no surprise as your Labour politicians (quietly) come here to the UK often enough to be indoctrinated with Labour spin. Be careful, Bermudians, your country is being thieved from you the same as the Brits are having their country thieved from them. If you keep a Labour government you will progressively find that regulations and red tape will tie your country in knots.

Also don't be surprised to see the European Union interfering more and more in your every- day life. Britain today is being destroyed by a load of idiots, (not all politicians), who are all control freaks. Please don't let it happen to you.

If you sit and do nothing the bureaucrats will destroy what was once a beautiful relaxed island way of life. Power is the name of the game, the more they get the more they want.

I am not guessing. It is happening here in Britain now! Be warned.

B. ELLIS Hampshire, England Here's how to save power April 2, 2001 Dear Sir, If this Government can now take up the very real challenge thrown down by the Skink and Lobster Party (SLP) which, last month in a joint initiative with Belco, proposed lowering the boiling point of water to save the people untold thousands in electricity bills, then the PLP might just be able to recover in time for the next election. That remains to be seen, particularly considering the SLP's proposed North Vent Project for land creation, but this new highway aesthetic goes a long way towards boosting much-needed public confidence in Government.

SKINK AND LOBSTER PARTY (SLP) PWD creates war zone April 6, 2001 Dear Sir, From Paynter's Road to Devil's Hole the roadside foliage has been indiscriminately cut back -- by heavy-handed Public Works teams -- and turned into the proverbial war zone.

Along with the destructive and undesirable Brazil Pepper, palms of all sorts, Pittosporum in blossom, young Poincianas, Spice and Cedars have been hacked off indiscriminately. The tragedy of it is that the rapid-growing Brazil Pepper stumps will now recover first, and smother any recovery of the beneficial planting that once existed.

Selective pruning of desirable vegetation, and the elimination of the Brazil Pepper, is what is needed to control the present overgrowth of what has made Bermuda's roadsides so attractive.

If this cutting programme is to continue, it would seem obvious that the selective expertise of the Department of Agriculture would be more appropriate than the sheer manpower of Works.

OBSERVER St. George's