We need to be flexibleJuly 8, 2002

Dear Sir,I heard on the local news last night that the Minister of Home Affairs may have to extend the contracts of several West Indian Policemen, recently recruited from overseas. What about the British Policemen, also recruited from overseas around the same time? Are they, for whatever reason, considered unworthy to have their contracts extended or have I missed something somewhere?

When the suggestion was first made to recruit Policemen from overseas again, after what I and many others considered much too long an interval, I did express my concern to the Police hierarchy of the day that a blanket three-year contract would not be appropriate, for the following reason: several Policemen all come out at the same time; they all come out on the same length of contract; therefore the chances are pretty good that they'll all leave at the same time, and we're back to square one. My suggestion was, why not negotiate with each individual to see how long he's willing to serve here? Some people might only fancy two years, whereas others might fancy five or even longer. I think the keyword in contract negotiations has to be "flexibility", and I honestly feel that overseas Policemen are essential to maintain law and order in Bermuda.

While I have absolutely no problem with the principle of Bermudianisation, there are simply not enough quality Bermudians to fill all the jobs that are now available to them, and the Police (by the very nature of their job) are probably pretty far down the list of anyone's preferred options. It's a great career, but it's not to everyone's taste, and I think every effort should be made to retain overseas Policemen in the Bermuda Police.

DAVIE KERR

St. George's

Attack from the skiesJuly 7, 2002

Dear Sir,Another Bermudaful day. Another helicopter day.

It's just 9 a.m. and I can hear it approaching my peaceful little valley below Gibbs Hill. As this obnoxious machine passes to and fro (not once but several times), I am reminded of the famous scene from the musical 'Miss Saigon' as it strafes my neighbourhood.

Even the horse living on the farm next door is upset and is saying so.

Later that day I decide to take a visiting friend from the US out to Whale Bay. One of the most remote and quiet of our national parks, its tranquil waters and scenic fort usually fascinate and refresh both locals and visitors. But wait ! The evil "whirlybird" is back, moving up and down along the reefs, ruining the ambience for beach-goers and golfers on Port Royal.

Considering previous letters about this hateful, noisy invader, there may be enough of us now to purchase a bazooka.

FREDERICK PILLSBURY

Southampton

We got a good dealJuly 5, 2002

Dear Sir,There has been some discussion of late regarding the return to Bermuda of the US Baselands.

First, any discussion/negotiations with the American Government must be tempered with the fact that the US is the most powerful country in the world. As events have proven recently, they set the agenda.

During the last war if you wanted to enter or leave Bermuda you either did so by ship or by flying boat. There was no airport until the Americans came and built it.

For 40 years they ran it at the American taxpayer's expense — free of charge to us. Part of the post-war boom in Bermuda was nurtured by that fact. No one ever said anything, though we though it would last forever.

What have we got with the return of the Baselands? We have 2.8 square miles of land where there was only water before. We have an airport that can take the largest planes, and it was free for 40 years. I think it is a very good deal.

The old Naval Base should be a multi-purpose park for the people of Bermuda, the clean up of same being spaced over a number of years.

PAGET

Dangers of supplementsJuly 7, 2002Dear Sir,Unfortunately, last week's frightening emergency room experience was not a rare occurrence.

I trained in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in Seattle, Washington and I spoke with several Seattle ER doctors who would see up to eight people a day for the same reason: anxiety attacks and/or heart attack symptoms being caused by weight loss or energy-enhancing supplements.

When not prescribed by a qualified Chinese herbalist, taking Chinese herbs can be extremely dangerous.

For several years now, we have been hearing the horror stories about the Chinese herb "ma huang" (an herbal source of ephedrine) which has been proven to increase metabolism.

A "more is better" mentality, typically prevalent in North America, has resulted in nutraceutical companies using very high doses of ma huang in weight loss supplements.

To make matters worse, high doses of caffeine are added along with other natural weight loss herbs and vitamins.

This "magic pill" is then taken in the recommended dose or whatever dose the consumer decides to take.

Most people do notice that they feel jittery and/or have tachycardia (fast heartbeat) and often insomnia. But they feel that it's OK, because they are losing weight!

In Chinese Herbal Medicine, ma huang is used as a constituent in larger formulas for asthma, because it dilates the bronchi in the lungs and assists in breathing.

Qualified Chinese herbalists, who require a minimum of two years of clinical training, are extremely cautious about prescribing ma huang.

If a person has a history of irregular heartbeat or even a family history of heart disease, ma huang would not be prescribed. In Chinese herbal medicine, ma huang would never be used alone or in the high dosages used in weight loss supplements.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the governing body in the US responsible for the approval and regulation of supplements and herbs; unfortunately, the nutraceutical industry is not nearly as controlled as the pharmaceutical industry.

Every day we hear of a new "natural" way to "treat this" or "prevent that".

What is often unknown, or overlooked, are the dangers of serious interactions between herbs and medications already prescribed.

"Natural" does not equal "safe". I will take I sincerely hope that health food stores, gyms and sporting goods stores also take action and be responsible for the safety of their customers.

ERIN MORAN

Pembroke

Bring on the mega-shipsJuly 5, 2002Dear Sir,I would like to add my three-penny-worth to recent happenings in Bermuda.

Firstly I congratulate our Government for taking the bull by the horns in getting something done about the US military base lands turned back to Bermudians. As for the critics who suggest we should have been given more. I say shame on you. How long did you think it would take to get all what you wanted?

Think of it this way, it was the US military that put all that land together, dredging for years, to make an airbase so as to land, aircraft on it. Would our past government been able to provide an airport such as we have today? I think not. We would have be on relying on cruise ships to get people to our Island.

Secondly I don't think another golf course at Morgans Point is really needed. We have enough golf courses now. I believe Morgans Point should have more recreational areas for locals, such as an amusement park, more housing for the lower income groups of Bermudians, or maybe a regulated casino for both locals and tourists, look at the income a casino would generate for our economy.

Thirdly, I say open up those large fuel storage tanks at Morgans Point, take all our containers of asbestos that we have been storing for years, and not knowing what to do with them and place them in these fuel tanks, pack dry sand all around them (that would soak up the remaining residue of oils) and cover them with a slab of concrete, and put soil on top. "As the saying goes", out of sight, out of mind."

Fourthly in reference to megacruise ships coming to Bermuda, I say bring them in as frequently as possible. I heard, over one and a half years ago, that Carnival was going to bring these megacruise ships here, and I've also been told that consideration is being given to placing a second cruise ship in Dockyard in the South Basin where the area was dredged to put nuclear submarines in the past and that the southeast breakwater on the corner of the entrance into the Dockyard was going to be removed so larger cruise ships could move safely into the south basin.

As for the critics of megacruise ships, I never heard a murmur when the QE2 came alongside at Dockyard, she is also a megacruise ship.

Let's be thankful for small mercies, bring in the megacruise ships and help the "little" man in the street to make a few pennies more. All we have today is about the expensive condo's going up around Bermuda, for the rich and famous.

PETER F. BROMBY (RETIRED)

Bailey's Bay

Try zero toleranceJuly 4, 2002Dear Sir,As a long time visitor to Bermuda and daily reader of The RoyalGazette I must comment on the "pat" replies from the Police spokesperson about almost anything that happens in Bermuda.

Without fail they say "we must be vigilant".

They must be vigilant about speeding. Speeding and the posted speeds in Bermuda are a joke. I remember regular radar traps outside Astwood Cove. I've not seen that in years.

They must be vigilant about drugs. They are not acting, they are watching because the problem is so much bigger that only a few years ago. Apart from the odd US college student I don't seem to notice any locals falling afoul of the "law" sic.

They must be vigilant about gangs. As a visitor I can see the growth of such in the past years. I used to look at groups of kids as just that. Not now, I am on their patch and I am not sure I want to be.

I believe Bermuda's Police must stop being vigilant and begin being pro active. Use the model of New York City. You start with a zero tolerance for the most minor things and go from there — no speeding, no drugs, no gangs, no problem.

JIM HARDIE

Toronto, Canada