Recently, Wayne Vahldieck from Massapequa Park, New York, wrote to you complaining about an incident involving FedEx and Mailboxes Unlimited and the service he received related to a damaged shipment.

At issue was that Mr. Vahldieck had insured his beer steins for two times their actual worth. When he called requesting and insurance claim be opened for double the amount, our Assistant Manager, Dennis, politely explained that our insurance carrier, BF&M, could only cover him up to the full value of the items and not double the value. Mr. Vahldieck proceeded to explain that he was an ex-policeman and he was going to "close us down.'' Mailboxes Unlimited and FedEx have a long history of working closely together to serve the needs of our customers both locally and abroad. It was further offered to Mr. Vahldieck that we re-purchase the beer steins from Frith's Liquors, pick them up, pack them and ship them for free as part of our desire to better serve him. He refused this offer.

Both Mailboxes and FedEx were dismayed to see his letter to the Editor when each of our companies had tried so hard to please him. Long before his letter ever reached The Royal Gazette , he had in his possession a full refund for all the damaged items that he received.

We will continue to strive to serve our customers to the best of our abilities and will not let this issue tarnish our goals.

CYNTHIA SIMMONS General Manager Mailboxes Unlimited Major tensions February 17, 1999 Dear Sir, I am dismayed by recent articles in the paper concerning internal tensions in the Bermuda Regiment. It appears -- to me, at least -- that these articles have been the direct result of unverified and biased information given to the Press. What has happened to objective, investigative journalism; or, for that matter, communication between parties within the Regiment itself? If the Bermuda Regiment has personnel difficulties, Major Napier's secondment to Bermuda is certainly not the cause; nor will these problems suddenly disappear if the Major is forced out a few weeks short of his (extended) time.

Major Napier came to Bermuda -- almost three years ago -- to offer the Regiment (and the country) the benefit of his military expertise. If some advice has proven unpopular, well, that's really a question of command and should not be open to political debate. Surely, world history has shown that it is socially dangerous to blur political expediency with military necessity? David Napier, and others in the Regiment, have been working hard to bridge the gap between what may have been and what "should'' be. He has helped to organise and been the impetus for many social and sporting events which could have increased camaraderie and boosted morale. If this has not been the case, how can the Major be held solely accountable? If there are problems -- among the Officers, or between the Officers' Mess and the Sergeants' Mess -- they did not begin with Major Napier or under Col.

Outerbridge's command; nor were they solved, obviously, by the previous commands.

Col. Outerbridge should be commended for his action in this regard; I hope that the persons appointed can insert openness and honesty into what has, apparently, been an atmosphere of anger and mistrust. It is simply too easy to cast the first stone at a man who came from, and will return to, "the outside''. Perhaps those aiming the stones should take a deeper look at themselves.

NAN GODET City of Hamilton Bermuda and UFO's February 18, 1999 Dear Sir, While looking at a television programme about UFOs on VSB last night I wondered how many Bermudians had experienced "unexplainable'' events. I have had two such "encounters'', both occurring in the late 70s and early 80s respectively.

The first occurred when I was riding my bike along the South Shore near Astwood Cove. It was daylight at the time and as I rode along I saw something in the sky in my peripheral vision. I looked up and saw a huge triangle shaped, silver metallic object moving slowly over me and heading towards the beach at Astwood Cove. It was about the size of an airliner, had flashing coloured light at each point and would move a few hundred feet and then stop.

After rotating a bit it would move a few more hundred feet and then stop again, rotate, and move on. There was no discernible engine noise and I watched this object for about three or four minutes until it disappeared in the clouds off South shore.

The second event occurred years later at a family barbecue attended by about 30 family members and friends. Once again, it was daylight and we were in the back yard cooking and eating when someone noticed three bright shiny lights in the sky over Hamilton. They were bright pinpoints of light and were in a straight horizontal line. As we watched, the lights started to dart about the sky at amazing speeds making almost geometric shapes and then stopping. As we ooohed and aaahed at this display, all three lights made spinning pinwheel type movements and then shot up into the sky and out of view. Someone exclaimed that they were UFOs and after a few nervous chuckles, we went back to eating.

A few years ago while watching another UFO type programme, the reporter interviewed a woman in Russia who described to a tee the triangle metallic shaped object that I had seen in Bermuda years before. I wonder how many Bermudians have experienced such "weird'' events but don't talk about them for obvious reasons? CURIOUS OBSERVER Paget Reconsider stance February 15, 1999 Dear Sir, I refer to the rightfully wholly positive exposure recently given to Captain Wayne Smith, Aid-de-Camp to our Governor, in both The Royal Gazette as well as the Mid-Ocean News whereby the enormous benefits of discipline are acknowledged in bringing about positive change in many of our young men especially.

Your records will show that I very strongly lobbied for societal acceptance of a youth corps programme for Bermuda in 1992 for both very men and women intended to expose as many of our young people as possible to the many positive advantages of a wholly integrated programme of positive discipline.

Furthermore, although the Bermuda Regiment is but one medium for such exposure, it was my view that another and far more broadly based medium totally devoid of both weapons as well as a predisposition for destruction of both life and property should instead be embraced if the greatest possible benefit was to be obtained for all.

However, in 1992, you then editorialised that such a programme "should not be even seriously considered''.

In view of the above there and the alarming incidence of many young people today often totally out of control and throughout every sector of society, are you perhaps now at least willing to reconsider your then wholly negative stance on this matter in our "New Bermuda''? Indeed, if you were so willing, and aided by your barrels of ink in your arsenal, perhaps even now our community would at last also be willing to revisit this idea with an open mind? TED GAUNTLETT Sandys Parish