February 28, 2002

Dear Sir,

The Honourable David Allen is once again downing Scotland and her people! So we are mean. I differ and would say thrifty and wise. His previous attack was on our golf courses.

My sisters' families and friends are frequent visitors and love Bermuda. They have stayed usually off-season at Ariel Sands, Southampton Princess, Elbow Beach, Castle Harbour, Waterloo, Horizons and Harmony Club. The usual length of stay (is) ten days to compensate for long costly flights. A thrifty wise choice. One of my nephews will honeymoon in June at Harmony Club.

All this certainly does not seem a mean race to me? Off-season in Bermuda usually means out of five hotel restaurants advertised, only one is in use and the heated pool is never heated enough to enjoy. Still, undeterred, they come, as Bermuda is a warm change from (their) homeland.

Bermuda tourism has never seen the potential of this market. What one calls a Bermuda winter is heaven to a Scottish or UK visitor. The sunny daily spells and golf courses are a great magnet. Only Scotland could come up with the perfect words for majority of Scottish days "driech" weather. These types of long-stay tourists in the off-season are a well-needed boost for Bermuda. It has amazed me, with empty hotels, that these long-stay guests are not pampered and given upgrades to encourage repeat visits and spread the word that Bermuda is really another world.

Every country has its beauty. Scotland has rugged remoteness and friendly hospitable people. Many of my Bermudian friends who have visited have enjoyed it and were greatly impressed. The late, great Champ Hunt would always remind me how well he was treated during his many years there. My ex-St. George's Colts team mate Tuppence Parfitt, is yet to come back! They certainly would disagree with Mr. Allen.

Now the mean Scots on the Island are going to give Mr. Allen an airline ticket to Scotland. He will be the guest of honour at the next Glasgow Rangers vs. Celtic clash. He will be dined on the finest Irn bru, macaroon bars, and scotch pies.

At half time, he will be led out to the centre of the field in his pink shorts. The tannoy will tell the fanatical fans of his comments on Scotland and her people. The added fact he dislikes the colour blue or green and a cricket fan will be stated.

The announcement "let the games begin" will cause a re-enactment of a "Braveheart" battle scene with a certain person the centre of attention! Now I could get nasty and start listing all this mean tiny country has contributed to the world - Fax, radar, television, penicillin, pedal bike, Bank of England, steam engine, asphalt - due to its quality education, but I won't. So it's all just a wheen o'blethers about Scotland.

MICHAEL R. C. WHALLEY (THE FLYING SCOT)

We were taken for a ride

February 21, 2002

Dear Sir,

Is This policy?

A turbulent Sunday evening flight from New York was at an end. Bermuda Customs was over with and my girlfriend and I were directed to the central controller for taxis.

We waited a short time for a taxi to arrive. Being first in line, our luggage was placed in the back and we took our seats when, to our surprise, another gentleman took his place alongside the driver.

We were asked our destination and headed off to Devonshire and then on to Paget for the gentleman. We arrived at our destination and I offered the gentleman 75 percent of the fare indicated. Upon this, our driver refused to give us our bags unless we paid the full fare and stated "you are sharing only the taxi, not the fare".

It was now 11.15 p.m. and all I requested was the taxi driver's number, which was duly given with the addition of "this is policy". I then paid the remaining fare and collected my bags.

This is theft! The other passenger is also expected to pay full fare, providing the cab driver with a "nice litter earner".

Surely this is an example of why there is certainly a need for a central dispatch system.

TAXI DRIVER #1690

Spammers should be banned

The following was sent to Royal Gazette syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman and copied to the The Royal Gazette

February 25, 2002

Dear Sir,

Thank you so much for your wonderful expose, on Page 4 of February 20 in The Royal Gazette (www.theroyalgazette.com) daily newspaper of Bermuda, on 'Can we beat e-mail spam'.

As my e-mail address indicates, I write from Bermuda.

Unfortunately, unlike many countries, US states, and Canadian provinces now, Bermuda has no laws against spam. I really wish we did.

With many others, I receive an average of 20 spam messages a day on my local e-mail and a Yahoo.com account.

I hope there will soon be anti-spam laws throughout the responsible and responsive e-commerce world against all unsolicited, unwanted and often pornographic or downright crooked e-mail.

What makes it worse yet are the high rates of restricted Internet access here in Bermuda, as I describe in www.bermuda-online.org/internet.htm, compared to the very low cost of unrestricted high-speed and 56 kbps access to the Internet in the USA, Canada and elsewhere.

Most Bermudians end up paying through the nose for unsolicited e-mails, most of which don't apply to Bermuda anyway and are sent by ignorant rednecks or out-and-out crooks. I hope spammers and the organisations they use to send spam are forbidden to use any e-mail for ten years or go to prison for as long, for flagrant e-commerce terrorism. Feel free to quote me on this.

KEITH A. FORBES

Hamilton Parish

Time to wake up

February 28, 2002

Dear Sir,

Please allow me to express my views on the current political climate in Bermuda.

I am not a political scientist, rocket scientist, nor a social scientist. I am a little guy who does have the power of the vote. I take the right to vote seriously: Democracy and votes of equal value are important to me.

Why do I feel like kissing the PLP on one cheek and slapping them on the other cheek? Because I am politically confused. Under the UBP government, life seemed simpler: get them out of power. Nothing personal Sir John, but enough was enough. Pam, nothing personal, but enough was enough.

The PLP camp seems to be fragmenting into various sub-political groupings. Happy not happy group; give them time versus how much time needed group; Jennifer has to go versus Jennifer is doing a good job group; and a most interesting group: the love/hate Dr. Brown group.

All of the above seems to point to the Cabinet office. Leadership by definition is hard to define. One meaning of leadership is the ability to lead. The word lead means - to go before, to guide in direction, course, action, or opinion.

Premier Smith is the national leader; her cabinet members are leaders in their respective ministries. It is time for the PLP to look at the question of leadership: individual or collective. Enough time has passed for this matter to be addressed. Lets not wait until we have reached the 'enough is enough' stage.

As the little guy, politically confused, I now am beginning to understand why there are so many non-professional foreigners in Bermuda. According to Mr. Dale Butler, Bermudians are not applying for the jobs. Confused or not; 1,200 jobs were advertised last year and only 75 Bermudians applied for the advertised jobs. This does not mean that 75 locals were successful, only that they applied.

Bermuda wake-up. Is our opinion of ourselves so low that we have bought into the idea that locals are lazy, cannot make time, do not want to work, or are unable to do the jobs of the lower work level foreigners. Bermudians do not think that all lower work level non-Bermudians are cheap labour. I think I understand why Mr. Lister and the PLP cabinet are annoyed at poor Mr. Butler.

AVATAR X

Devonshire