KEMH is second to none

May 10, 2009

Dear Sir,

I would like to put on record my sincere thanks to all the staff at the hospital who treated my wife when she was rushed to the Emergency Department recently. This includes the doctors and nurses in A&E, the operating theatre staff and the nursing staff on Perry Ward. The professionalism shown throughout was exemplary with a high degree of attention, consideration and care being given to my wife throughout her distressing experience.

In addition, I would particularly like to express our gratitude to Dr. Elaine Hodgson, the specialist who treated my wife throughout the trauma. Her expertise, calmness and understanding decreased our concerns significantly. Following further outpatient treatment, Dr Hodgson has also taken the time to call my wife at home to check up on her progress. I would just like to say that having lived in a number of different countries, the experience we had at KEMH was second to none!

STUART MCLEOD

Devonshire

An enlightening book

May 11, 2009

Dear Sir,

If you are looking for an interesting read, I would suggest "Why Smart Executives Fail" by Sydney Finkelstein.

It's particularly enlightening in today's environment, but even more profound is the parallels that can be drawn between the behaviours exhibited by our venerated Premier, and the many CEOs who have presided over companies that have faced a major business failure.

In his book, Professor Finkelstein highlights that to be spectacularly unsuccessful requires some unique personal qualities. Many great failures in the corporate arena have been caused by people with remarkable intelligence and talent who are often both inspirational and charming. But, as the author points out, nearly all leaders who have presided over major business failures have exhibited at least five or six of the following seven habits of spectacularly unsuccessful people:

1) They see themselves and their Company as dominating their environments

a. They believe that they are personally able to control the things that will determine the company's success or failure, labelled in the book as "the illusion of personal preeminence". Often they will reveal this trait by using intimidating or excessive behaviour to dominate the people around them

b. Those that succumb to personal preeminence often suffer from "corporate preeminence" where they believe that the superiority of their Company's product makes it invulnerable.

2) They identify so completely with the Company that there is no clear boundary between their personal interests and their corporation's interests

a. They treat the Company as an extension of themselves, causing the company to do things that make sense for the individual but not for the Company. As they use the Company to carry out personal ambitions and behave like they own the Company when they do not.

3) They think they have all the answers

a. Their fixation with being right is such that opposition is suppressed and dissent is effectively closed down even if the judgments were right

4) They ruthlessly eliminate anyone who isn't 100 percent behind them

a. By eliminating all dissenting and contrasting points of view, they cut themselves off from their best chance of correcting problems as they arise.

5) They are consummate Company spokespersons, obsessed with the Company image

a. Their best energies and attention go into crafting a public image, rather than running the Company.

6) They underestimate major obstacles

a. They become so enamoured with their vision of what they want to achieve that they overlook the difficulty of actually getting there. They refuse to admit that a certain course of action was wrong, but instead add resources, and escalate their commitment.

7) They stubbornly rely on what worked for them in the past

a. In their desire to make the most of what they see as their core strengths, they cling to a static business model which may no longer work

Having read the aforementioned points, re-read them now substituting the word "Bermuda" for "the Company" and recognise that our Island could be faced with an extremely troubled future. Running a successful corporation is very similar to running a successful country.

So to those staunch supporters of the Premier, I applaud your loyalty, even if you are coerced; but know that you may be loyal to a fault, and in the long run, when the Premier is living large in the Turks and Caicos or California, it will be you, your children and even your children's children, that will be left to try and clean up the mess and dig us all out of the gutter.

A WHITE BERMUDIAN WHO STILL

SUPPORTS OBAMA

Devonshire

Not good to place blame

May 13, 2009

Dear Sir,

Re: Front page story Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Gang violence, political violence, sectarian violence, civil war ... and so on, are in my opinion symptoms of a greater global problem. Violence is on the increase around the world ... period. Just like the financial meltdown that we are all experiencing, so too the world is experiencing an increase in violence, be it gangs in the US, Jamaica etc. or war amongst the youth in Africa or the Gaza Strip.

Depending on the culture, the violence takes on a different guise, but it is all still violence. It is still young men 18-35 doing the fighting, still taking sides (colours, religion, politics). Many of the (violent) young men of today were the children of the 1970s who in some cases witnessed the atrocities of a Cold War fought between superpowers in then "Third World" countries. The Cold War arms race during this time pushed so many guns into these regions, its sickening to contemplate. The children of that era grew up, migrated to the US and became some of the most deadly gangs in the US.

Although one can argue that Bermuda was spared the effects of the Cold War, we had another type of invasion that may be leading to the same effect. In the 1980s we went from a culture of friendly people, to a culture of greed, where money, not love of family, community or country, became our top priority. Perhaps that was also an outside influence (political, social?), perhaps it was an internal breakdown.

Bottom line, the problem is bigger than the planet is willing to admit. After all, there's big, big money in arms. So perhaps those in that business, from the bankers to the manufacturers to the distributors would prefer that this violence, whether gang, political or religious continues. I just don't think it's a good idea to place blame, when there are so many, many variables at play.

SISTA

Pembroke

It's discrimination

May 12, 2009

Dear Sir,

This deeply concerns me. I was at a restaurant the other night and obviously next to me was a business dinner discussion that should have been kept behind closed doors and not in a public place. What concerns me is the conversation that took place, obviously Bermudian and non Bermudian managers or human resources personnel. The discussion was on hiring Bermudians, and the choice was to hire someone with the same educational qualifications but one was educated overseas in a University and the other was someone who received a degree through "distance learning" through a university at the Bermuda College.

The choice was going to be the one who was educated overseas because they obviously had more responsibility having to manage living on their own and would be the more responsible one. The one educated in Bermuda would not be the best choice because they obviously have not had to take on the same responsibilities. This is discrimination. How do they know what the person who did their education through Bermuda College did not have responsibilities?

A lot of Bermuda College students are holding down part- time jobs, going to classes, studying and completing community service programmes. The only difference is that Mommy and Daddy and possibly scholarships have paid for the overseas education and the Bermuda College Students are paying their way by paying for their books and minimum fees as well as the university fees that are required to be paid for distance learning. Some of these Bermuda College students are doing the MSVU, are full time or possibly part time employed, have a family and are still managing to study and go to school. So who is the more responsible one?

As a landlord, I have had tenants that are highly educated (and some are Bermudian), are holding a well paying job, but are snobbish, irresponsible tenants who damage your place with costly damages, demanding their deposits back after they move and threatening legal action if they didn't get back their deposit back immediately even though they have signed a lease agreement stating otherwise. These are supposed to be "highly" educated people who don't know how to interpret a lease agreement. I am currently renting to a Bermudian family, who both have good paying jobs, who take care of my place with pride and my rent is on time. They can stay there as long as they like. I refuse to rent to any more "highly educated" people.

These "highly" educated people may have all these fancy letters after their names and all sorts of papers and diplomas, but lack common sense and act as if the world owes them everything because of it. They are spoiled and only think about themselves, maybe because they have been handed everything to them on a silver platter by mommy and daddy, where most of us have worked hard to get to where we are today and have what we have, and appreciate it. So you as an employer need to pay attention and keep business meetings at the office and not in public places. I know what company you work for and am very disappointed in you.

VERY DISAPPOINTED

Warwick

Two can play that game

May 11, 2009

Dear Sir,

This ban on talking with The Royal Gazette and the Mid Ocean is almost laughable. I've said it before and I say it again ... two can play that game ... just ignore them! Even if they want you to write something ... ignore them. What comes out of their mouths is spin, lies and racial venom anyway, so just ignore them. I for one could care less – you get more factual news on the street anyway.

And then you have the added benefit of putting your reporters onto more community news stories which most of us prefer to read anyway. I'd love to see how the regime plans to "communicate" from now on but, as any person with half a brain knows, the regime would much prefer to do their dirty work in darkness. Hey, Mr. Editor, until the PLP supporters wake up to this dirty little secret ... there ain't nuffin you can do about it!

POLLY

Southampton

On demanding loyalty

May 6, 2009

Dear Sir,

I read with some interest and real concern the recent article in your newspaper reporting the Premier's (alleged) order to his Cabinet to sign an oath of allegiance. My only response comes from Mark Twain who wrote, perhaps the frequency with which the demand for loyalty is used to justify engagement in unethical conduct has led to cynicism about the value of loyalty. There is a certain resonance to the saying that when an organisation wants you to do right, it asks for your integrity; when it wants you to do wrong, it demands your loyalty. What might it be said about loyalty that makes it vulnerable to such uses?

OBSERVER

Warwick