Protect our children

March 6, 2006

Dear Sir,

I am shocked to say the least that someone like Larry Scott, who has legal and moral responsibility to the community, would even think the things that he is reported to have said, let alone speak them out loud in a court of law, no less!!!.....especially after the recent negative publicity concerning teenage sex. Reading about the things Mr Scott had to say literally made my flesh crawl.

Nobody in their right mind condones sexual activity in children. When I say children, I mean all ages, including teenagers, because teenagers (contrary to their own beliefs) are still children. I am sure that anyone with half a brain is aware of the harmful physical and psychological consequences of sexual activity in children. There is absolutely no benefit whatsoever from sexual activity in children but there are certainly well known negative, harmful effects of sexual activity in children.

As parents, Mr. Scott, it is our responsibility to protect our children from harm.

Bird flu?s real threat

February 28, 2006

Dear Sir,

During my departing flight last Saturday, I read with interest your headline article:?Minors: Threat is real, Bird flu outbreak would kill 41 and affect more than 15,000 in Bermuda Health Minister warns?.

With respect to the Minister I must take issue with this fear-inducing statement on the grounds that it simply is not anchored in scientific fact or truth.

I have followed developments since arrival in the EU and base the following comments on the very credible releases from the Robert Koch Institute (Viral Research) in Germany and the various competent veterinary authorities.

Firstly, and most importantly, the Bird Flu is NOT a ?pandemic? (demos gr. Man), it is an animal disease or zoonosis. Nor is it by any means certain that it ever will become a pandemic illness. Secondly, the world IS however ?overdue for a new influenza pandemic since history has shown that with periodic intervals of several decades, a new virulent human influenza pandemic arises and spreads through the human population rapidly. Because the world is overdue for this, there has been much speculation in scientific circles as to the possible source of such a new (in other words mutated) virus. No one knows what the source could be? (Quote - Director of the Robert Koch Institute). Thirdly, speculation serves to shorten the time needed for development of appropriate human vaccinations, but it could just as easily ? actually more easily mutate from an existing variant of an human influenza virus. As yet the H5N1 has simply been used as an example of a possible source, and once again the facts regarding the current status of the H5N1 are as follows:-

1) Ducks, geese, swans and a variety of migrating birds are highly susceptible to infection with the H5N1 virus, whereby stress (nutritional status, exhaustion cold) are important enablers of infection. Once infected they pose such a threat to other birds, because they shed higher quantities of the virus.2) Poultry (chickens and turkeys) are vulnerable to infection where they are used for commercial food production primarily where they are in close contact with the above group of birds and where there is opportunity for faecal contamination. Because of their high density infection spreads rapidly.

3) H5N1 does not transmit to the pigeon or dove family of birds, or to wild songbirds such as finches. 4) To date the seriousness for the EU is out of economic concern for the possible collapse of the poultry industry and the potential for collapse of an important pillar of the economy.

Facts about this virus are although transmissible to certain mammals (to date there has been equine, human and feline transmission) this is only possible with a very high concentration of the infective dose, and once infected, these mammals are of very low potential threat, because they shed so little virus.

Expressed differently, infecting these mammals is very difficult unless there is intense concentration of the infecting virus (e.g. many dead and dying H5N1 infected birds).

Having watched events unfold on the holiday island of R?gen in Germany, where there have been large-scale hotel booking cancellations, I believe the real danger of Bird Flu to Bermuda would also be in the form of an economic one.

As with the Foot & Mouth disease, in the event the H5N1 were to be isolated in any Bermuda (sea) birds, North America would also look to take effective and immediate action to protect its poultry industry. This could of course in its most extreme form include anything from restrictions and conditions to a complete stop on movement of animals and people to and from infected areas.

Great achievements

March 2, 2006

Dear Sir,

I got to thinking the other night about evolution and suddenly it hit me. Five hundred years ago, more or less, a shy hesitant people left Africa, the end result of many successive evolutions that go back to the dawn of mankind. These people brought with them a physique which survived the Middle Passage, where others would have perished, and melanin enriched skin capable of resisting a lot of the harmful rays of the sun.

These people had never heard of the history of Rome, or Egyptian civilisation but now they occupy the halls of universities in every hemisphere.

They had never heard of the Olympic games of ancient Greece, but they have made sports events all over the world, their own, through sheer talent. Jackie Robinson, Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali, Jesse Owens, Brian Lara and Pele to mention a few.

They had never heard of the Reformation or the teachings of Christ but they have embraced Christianity so ardently that the Archbishop of York is now an African.

They invented the only new musical instrument in the 20th century (via Trinidad) the steel drum. In addition they invented Jazz, Blues, Rock and Roll, Be Bop, Calypso Reggae Chat and Hip Hop and have dominated the musical stage from opera to Broadway. And oh the magic dancing feet of Gregory Hines, Alvin Ailey, Bo Jangles and Michael Jackson!

The people of Africa have played cricket at Lords and Golf at St. Andrews, become aides to Prince Charles, sat in the Houses of Common and the Lords, the US Congress and Senate and become justices of the US Supreme Court.

The newcomers have gone into space, studied the stars, become stars in Hollywood and even won a medal in a strange medium, snow, at the Winter Olympics.

Often accused of a lack of bravery, they have been awarded the Medal of Honour in the US, and the VIctoria Cross, just recently in the UK.

Doctors, scientists, statesmen, presidents of corporations, US Secretary of State, Four Star Generals, all in a period less than a millennium and yet there are people who still think the Peoples from Africa are inferior, I think not!

It is true that we all originate from Africa, but look at what these newcomers have achieved!

Beach is private

March 8, 2006

Dear Sir,

I would like to comment on the letter to the Editor ?Clean Police Beach up? ? March 7, and also to refer to an article in the Mid Ocean news by Gareth Finighan this past weekend. It?s called Gibbets Beach and only recently when the police used it did some call it Police Beach. I wish we could stop trying to rename everything on this Island.

The property above high water mark and the old railroad tracks are privately owned. There is no access to the beach unless you come in a boat and stay below the high water mark. The old railway tracks lead to the pylons which end in deep water ?and you could certainly jump off there if you don?t mind being beheaded by the boat traffic coming and going out of Flatts. The property to the left and right of the railway tracks is privately owned.

There has been a private property sign there for the last 10-15 years ? recently removed by vandals and since replaced. There are no bathroom facilities and no suitable parking. Loads of trash is accumulated there because trespassers don?t take their trash away with them-they even poop in the bushes. The winter gales always produce lots of debris and this is cleaned up in the spring by the owners.

Gibbets has always been close to my heart.

Our children spent many a happy afternoon there when they were very young ? courtesy of Annie Trott and Lucy Watlington who kindly gave some of the residents of Jennings Land permission to swim there. We removed our trash when we left and never had loud parties or any parties there. We thank them for these memories. In recent years I have spent many hours painting there with the permission of the current owners and I thank them for that. I don?t produce any trash when I paint but I always took a big black garbage bag and filled it with trash other people left behind and took it home with me.

So to the lady in Flatts who is complaining about the state of Gibbets: get permission, and when you leave there take a trash bag and collect the trash. Don?t forget to thank the owners. For heaven?s sake don?t write letters to the Editor unless you know what you?re talking about.

Sen. Burch: Tou get an F in this little class exercise. Your chartered surveyor should check this out a lot more carefully before you state that this is public land.

Taking notice at last

March 8, 2006

Dear Sir,

Well, well, well. After years of people screaming about education, someone on the hill noticed. Good for you Rene. Splendid.

I do have some quibbles. As far as the UBP shouting their approval - thats a little disingenuous. The school system would seem to have changed little since the bad old days of the UBP. The system we have now is the tattered organisation that UBP handed over to the PLP. So both parties are culpable. The UBP can all hang their heads in shame too.

Quibble 2: The teachers may not be all that good, but its a bit hard to expect much in terms of morale after years of neglect. What does one expect from an organisation that is routinely ignored by the public and the government?

Quibble 3: It?s also a bit nasty to take it all out on Terry Lister. Just as the public and so the Government ) ignores education so they have tended to ignore and not support the minister. Decent, intelligent and capable people, from both parties, have run that department. It is my belief that both parties have tended to park dangerous talent in that Ministry and then leave it to quietly frustrate itself out of politics. No matter how good a Minister is, he or she is useless if they don?t get support.

The next step will be of course to say that the public deserves an explanation. The public deserves no such thing. The public has not cared for years. The more wealthy have acquiesced to a growing elitist system, which will harm them in the end. Those who send their children to public schools have not been demanding the education their children need. Both parties have happily paid the money, in taxes, for the bad service they receive. Far from being the more responsible, the affluent pay for education twice: in tuition and then in taxes. We are a fat profligate little island aren?t we?