Burville the magnificent

June 26, 2006

Dear Sir,

Everyone has their favourite section of The Royal Gazette - the one they turn to first before actually reading the paper. For me, the first thing I check is to see what photographs Chris Burville has taken. Excellent work! I look forward to many more photos; at least until the National Geographic gets hold of him!

LIBBY MADEIROS

Warwick

Well done, students

Dear Sir:

What a treat today, June 21, 2006, to see our young people from Clearwater Middle School on an outing in Dockyard behaving as well-mannered young adults. They were opening doors for adults, sitting nicely eating lunch outside and then putting their trash in the bin, and quietly looking around the shops without causing any fuss. All this, from what I could see, without adult supervision. Kudos to these students!.

JT

Sky-high air fares

May 3, 2006

Dear Sir,

Having received many newspaper cuttings from my daughter that included readers' letter, I feel I must write to you with regard to the ongoing resentment of exorbitant air fares charged by BA to fly direct to London Gatwick, particularly in the high season.

I've been visiting your beautiful country for approximately 12 years and naturally the fares have drastically increased in that time. This year - even when trailing through travel companies on the Internet to find a bargain, I eventually settled with booking direct with BA but still paid 890! Travel companies who say they can offer reduced fares were between ten and 15 dearer! Even travelling to the States and out again to Bermuda was only slightly cheaper but by the time you have waited for your connections, which at the time of booking fall into place just right with one's own plans, but in reality you arrive at JFK and are told there is a three-hour delay. In 2000 when I travelled this route the flight time altered by four hours (travelling during the evening) think how far across the Atlantic I would have been direct from Bermuda!

I know that BA do offer bargain trips (my son came out on one via a national newspaper doing an offer with BA - he came in February once for 250! That year it was one of your coldest experienced in some time, but I digress. My point is when 9/11 occurred and folk were a bit reluctant to fly and flight companies took bit of a ‘dive' BA offered flights at the time of my travel dates, the following year, at 600 so to my mind it can be done and they still make a profit.

For anyone travelling to Bermuda and staying in hotels, etc. they must have to have won the lottery or be one of the elite rich. How can such a jewel in the ocean be so in accessible to so many people looking for somewhere different.

Look at many travel brochures in England for foreign parts that include the Caribbean, Australia to name a few fares are much cheaper and many holiday destinations offer a fully inclusive holiday for approximately 600! There is just no comparison.

My last gripe and I feel the occupants of the cruise ships will agree - the going of Trimingham's is a big blow to the economy of your country. Admittedly there are still plenty of shops, but Trimingham's and Smith's brought England a little closer to the Americans who liked to take a ‘little bit of England' home with them. Living in England I could still find something I couldn't get here, or was just that little bit different and usually gift wrapped into the bargain.

DOREEN HOLDER

Lincoln, England

Hotel guests beware

May 22, 2006

Dear Sir,

Please allow me a little space to share my experience with the many Bermudians who love to travel but more specifically, love to travel to New York City.

My mom and daughter were a part of a group who travelled to New York to attend the Mother's Day performance of Oprah's “The Color Purple”. They checked into The Hampton Inn, located on 31st Street and 6th Avenue, where I later joined them.

On Saturday my mom and I decided to take a subway ride, and when we got into the hotel lobby I thought that it would be wise to put my valuables in one of the hotel's safety deposit boxes, which are located in the front office.

In the presence of the only front desk attendant that was manning the desk at that time, I put my Rolex watch, passport, gold bracelet and airline ticket into the box. The attendant then supposedly locked the box and handed me the key. I remember thinking it a little unsual that she remained in the room and watched what I had put into the box, and that she was the one to lock it, but I quickly dismissed the idea that anything untoward was happening, after all, this was the front desk.

On our return we went straight to our room. The next day when we went down into the lobby to await our transportation for the “Oprah” show, I went to the desk to empty my safety deposit box, only to discover that everything that I had in the box was there with the exception of the watch.

After much discussion with the hotel's management about how this could have happened, and my threatening them with a lawsuit, the Police were called in and they began questioning the employees. The same front desk attendant who had assigned me the box was on duty and when asked, flatly denied having seen what I had put into that box. I left my two carry-on bags in the middle of the front office floor while I stepped out to have a word with the travel agent who had brought the group to that hotel and the hotel manager came over to join us, leaving the front desk attendant alone in the room, which is when “someone” had the opportunity to slip the watch into one of my bags, where I discovered it on my return to Boston. Draw your own conclusions as to who could have put it there, and no, it's not possible that I had put it there and had forgotten about it.

Obviously, I'm very happy to have my property back, but I felt compelled to relate this experience, because the next person that this happens to may not be as fortunate.

So please, when using safety deposit boxes, first get the hotel's policy on liability and who is to be in the room with you.

Make sure there are security cameras in the room and that they are working, and above all, personally check to be sure the box is securely locked, had I done those things perhaps this would never had happened, although I do think that it's a reasonable expectation that your valuables would be safe there.

It is not my intention to paint all hotels with the same brush but it's obvious that this particular hotel has a dishonest employee/s in a position of trust and I also wonder just how common a problem this might be.

JUDY CLAIRE BASCOME

Ps. after paying $440 for airfare, $250 per night for the room and $150 per show ticket and not be able to see the show, leaves me a lot less than impressed with this hotel.

Questions need answers

May 23, 2006

The following was sent to Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons and copied to The Royal Gazette.

Dear Mr. Simons,

I am writing to you in your capacity of Shadow Minister of the Environment

Sir, I have worked with animals and those human individuals and families, who choose to share their lives with domestic animals for almost 30 years, 24 of which have been in my country of birth, Bermuda.

Tigers and bears are not domestic animal species. They have not evolved alongside man to mutual benefit. Instead the big cat species is hard-wired genetically to “regard” man as food, and in the case of the bear as an enemy competing for the same food resources.

Perhaps you can answer these questions:

1) What is educational, in a positive sense, about shipping captive bears to Bermuda - a voyage lasting over two days after three days on the road from Florida, keeping them in a very confined space with no access to natural outdoor exercise or direct light - and then forcing them to ride on cycles in front of a noisy crowd of children?

2) What will children learn from seeing tigers exhibit compulsive neurotic behaviour (turning tight, repetitive circles) in eight by ten foot crates inside a subdivided, 52-foot container, which has made the same long journey to be placed on a hot Penno's Wharf?

3) What is educational in observing a ‘trainer' compelling a large cat (normally regarding man as prey) to become so submissive in front of a crowd, he - the trainer - can place his head inside its opened mouth?

Perhaps you would be kind enough to ask these questions on my behalf, and on behalf of all other saddened and appalled Bermudians and residents (we collected almost 200 signatures for our letter to the serving Minister of the Environment, which was never officially acknowledged) at your earliest convenience in the House.

MAUREEN WARE-CIETERS M.R.C.V.S.

Pembroke

Read the report

June 28, 2006

Dear Sir,

I wish to respond to a letter by ‘E. Raben' that appeared in today's edition of The Royal Gazette. The writer refers indirectly to the recent report of the Auditor General in his comment about “…the revelation of the missing EIGHT HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS from Government coffers…”. The writer is mistaken in his reference to the $800 million as missing.

In section 2 of his 2005 report, the Auditor General estimated that the total unaudited expenditures for a number of public funds and public entities was $800 million at March 2005.

The Auditor General did not show the details of this $800 million estimate in his report. The detail underlying the $800 million estimate is contained in working papers that the Auditor General provided to the Ministry of Finance after the release of his report.

The largest share of the estimated $800 million is represented by the Contributory Pension Fund. The Auditor General's estimate of the pensions and allowances paid to senior citizens, and changes in asset values for the period 2003-2005 is $538 million.

Government has records of the actual amount that has been paid to our seniors during this period but these records and accounts remain subject to the audit process.

The next largest element of the estimated $800 million is represented by the accounts for the Government Employees Health Insurance Scheme. The Auditor General estimates that the expenditure out of the GEHI Fund for medical claims, prescription drugs and other benefits and the administrative costs is $65 million for the years 2003-2005.

There is an estimate of $43 million by the Auditor General for the Public Service Superannuation Fund which pays pensions to retired public sector workers.

The Auditor General provides an estimate for the Bermuda College, $39 million, the Hospital Insurance Fund, $24 million, and the Mutual Re-insurance Fund, $23 million.

In each and every case the estimate is in respect of a set of accounts yet to be audited.

The writer may be interested to know that over the same period of time (from 2002 to 2005) more than $3.5 billion of expenditures by the Consolidated Fund and other public funds and entities has been audited and accounted for by the Auditor General.

I would like to conclude by noting that the Consolidated Fund Financial Statements (the Fund through which Government conducts the majority of its transactions) have been completed, audited and published for the fiscal year 2004/05, the reference period for the recent report of the Auditor General.

Members of the public are encouraged to read the Auditor General's report to be properly informed of its content as hearsay is neither accurate nor reliable.

DONALD SCOTT

Financial Secretary

Outrageous prices

June 6, 2006

Dear Sir,

While scanning the Caldwell Banker's real estate flyer that came with yesterday's Royal Gazette, I was appalled at the out of reach outrageous real estate prices listed in their flyer and wondered how in the world would the average hard working Bermudian be able to pay for any of the real estate offered by them without working themselves to an early grave.

I thought that Real Estate Brokers Caldwell Bankers was a US based real estate agency. How were they able to be franchised here? I would be more likely than not be rebutted for this but as far as I can see, they are partly responsible for the outrageous increase in real estate prices on the Island which in turn have influenced other real estate agencies who at one time were more compassionate to the housing and rental needs of the honest and hard working average Bermudian but who have now jumped on the band wagon and greed which includes Bermudian owners of properties free of debt from many generations back who at one time were also compassionate to the less fortunate among us.

I hope Government will be more vigorous in their efforts to come to grips with this housing problem and not be afraid to challenge these real estate agencies.

Having to pay a million dollars or close to it for a two bedroom one bathroom house on a very limited amount of space is mind boggling and shouldn't be allowed. Is it any wonder that there is an escalation of diabetes and other stress related illnesses that many Bermudians are suffering from.

People are working two, three and four jobs to make ends meet and to keep up with their mortgage payments while at the same time neglecting their health; eating on the run.

Mind you, there are a few exceptional people who are able to cope but there are also many who buckle under the stress and strain in their efforts to own a piece of the rock and end up losing it all to the greedy real estate agencies and the bankers. It's called foreclosure.

ANOTHER ANDERSON

Pembroke

Commission's ruling

June 16, 2006

Dear Sir,

I had to laugh after reading the press release from the Human Rights Commission in their defence of their ruling in relation to the offensive words broadcast by Lt. Col. David Burch over the radio airwaves. His words may not have violated the Act per se because of the anomaly of radio not being considered a public place by definition, but he certainly violated the spirit of the Act under Section 2, Interpretation of the Act.

This states that a person shall be deemed to discriminate against another person (a) if he treats him less favourably than he treats other persons generally…or deliberately treats him differently to others because of his (vi) religion or beliefs or political opinions.

My thought is that Lt. Col. Burch violated this part of the Act by making offensive remarks to a caller to his radio show.

It is unfortunate that radio broadcasts are not included under Section 8A of the Human Rights Act and maybe the Government should look to include it here, as Lt. Col. Burch clearly ‘…promoted ill will or hostility against any section of the public distinguished by colour, race…'.

Under Section 15 (1) (a), ‘ANY person (may) complain upon grounds which appear to be genuine that he has suffered unlawful discrimination by an alleged contravention of the Act' and under 15 (8) of the Act gives the Commission the ability to dismiss a complaint which is without merit. So it is surprising that, after taking up a complaint, they would criticise anyone who makes a complaint to them?

Finally, under Section 14, the Commission has the responsibility to (a) ‘encourage an understanding of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual guaranteed by Chapter 1 of the Constitution and the principle that all members of the Community are of equal dignity, have equal rights and have an obligation to respect the dignity and rights of each other' and (b) ‘develop, conduct, research and arrange educational programmes designed to eliminate discriminatory practices'. I do not see the Commission sending a good message to the community, to respect the dignity of others, with their ruling on Lt. Col. Burch's offensive words.

ROBERT MASTERS

City of Hamilton