H ello All. DJLT is coming to you live and direct from Sunny South Florida, my home away from home. You gotta like South Florida and South Beach! You just have to! The place is popping, even on a Monday night. You have to like that.

Bermuda is dead on many nights, not just Mondays. We could use some ideas for things to do by way of entertainment. We really have very little in the way of entertainment. But we need to get more Bermudians involved in the tourism Industry in addition to improving our entertainment offering. More on this after the top 20.

Soaring to #1 is Sexy Chick by David Guetta featuring Akon, a catchy dance track. Up to #2 is Tik Tok by Ke$ha. Tumbling to #3 is Hard by Rihanna, the Bajan Bombshell. Falling to #4 its Bedrock by Young Money featuring Lloyd. On the way down at #5 is Why Don't You Love Me by Beyonce. Slipping to #6 is Snoop Dogg's hip hop Anthem I Wanna Rock.

Improving to #7 is On To The Next One by Jay Z and Swizz Beats. Rude Boy by Rihanna, advances to #8. Improving to #9 is Everything To Me by Monica, a former essential new tune. Up to #10 is Say Something by Timbaland featuring Drake, last week's essential new jam. Slipping to #11 is How Low by Ludacris.

Improving to #12 is Hey Daddy, (Daddy's Home) by Usher featuring Plies. Tumbling to #13 is Say Aah by Trey Songz featuring Fabolous. On the way up at #14 is Neighbors Know My Name by Trey Songz.

Falling to #15 is It Kills Me by Melanie Fiona, one of the hot ballads currently on the circuit. Slipping to #16 is Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart by the lovely Alicia Keys.

Jumping off the bottom to #17 is last week's essential new tune – My Chick Bad by Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj. Slipping to #18 is Sex Therapy by Robin Thicke. Down to #19 is She Wolf by Shakira. Falling to #20 is I Invented Sex by Trey Songs featuring Drake.

Now back to this week's word - our lack of entertainment and post dinner evening activities. I remember (well, not really but indulge me) when the Bermudiana Hotel was kicking, back in the 1960s and 1970s; when people like Clem Talbot, Toby Dillas and Dennis Wainwright were the managers of the nightclub. Aaah, you see, DJLT knows his stuff! Bermuda actually had serious tourism numbers back then and the product was largely Bermudian. Those chaps are all sons of the soil. Don't get it twisted; I don't have xenophobia; but who better to sell and serve Bermuda than a Bermudian?

But the problems are many:

1. Somewhere along the way; Bermudians told their children not to pursue careers in tourism and hospitality.

2. Bermudians developed an attitude against the industry and a flawed thinking that being in the service industry is 'beneath them'

3. It could be that there was not adequate and fair promotion of Bermudians and encouragement of upward mobility of Bermudians into management positions

4. I believe that the unions, whilst good intentioned, have made doing business difficult and management has to spend so much time worrying about union reactions to disciplinary action and other management decisions that they become counterproductive.

5. It could be that successive generations of Bermudians, having seen the way previous generations of hospitality workers were treated, chose other careers or refuse to work in hospitality

6. It could be the seasonality of the work and the unsociable hours.

However, I submit to you that the benefits are many:

1. It's a fun business; we have a blast. I still work in the industry so I know that about which I write, and there are few jobs/industries where the staff have as much fun as in hospitality.

2. Did I say fun already?

3. OH, and we have a lot of fun

4. Seriously, making people happy is rewarding and selling Bermuda by providing quality service fills me with pride

5. In our industry (hospitality) we get to consume the best food and drinks, and most humans love to eat, and drink for that matter, not necessarily alcohol.

6. In hospitality we throw the best parties. Anyone remember the old Elbow Beach staff club parties? Holla!

7. Everyone can't be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, IT specialist HR professional, etc. but people don't realise that you can do all those jobs in a hotel or somehow connected to the hospitality industry. How dumb were we that we didn't realise that hotels have managers, computer people, HR managers, trainers, accountants, etc and those people don't get laid off.

8. It's the best place to really and truly learn customer service at its core.

So, Bermudians, let's help to revive our tourism industry by putting the Bermudians back in the industry. There are tons of people out of work and yet there are still hotels hiring with ads in the paper. So let's put the Bermuda back in Bermuda tourism and give our visitors a true Bermudian experience, like we used to have back in the day, with local entertainers like Randy Lambert and Tempo being today's version of the Talbot Brothers (have you heard him do his version of Buggy Ride? Awesome!). We can get it back but it's gonna take commitment and work by everyone. Casinos alone will not improve the tourism Industry. Don't get it twisted! If we work together, add more Bermudians into the mix, reduce crime, improve our standard of customer service, add more entertainment options and keep our prices competitive the business will eventually come back. But when it does, please let's not screw it up again! Peace………………..DJLT.