BeachLime Bermuda

UK Overseas Territories - good reading

2011-12-30T15:52:00.003-04:00

A little while back, Catch-A-Fire pointed out a site devoted to discussing the concerns of UK Overseas Territories, hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK.

I've just now gotten to read it and encourage any Bermudian who stumbles across here to give it a peek as well. There are posts that are quite relevant to Bermuda and it's interesting to see several parallels with the Cayman Islands, for example.

Improving cricket in Bermuda

2011-12-30T11:17:00.002-04:00

We need to find a way to get Garry Sobers to Bermuda more often.

Despite every cricketer of significance saying that 'open' cricket is a better development tool for players than the wham-bam-slam 20/20 format currently popular, Bermuda seems to hem and haw at the concept, which is so simple, Geico's already running ads on it.

Seriously though, playing cricket over longer periods is a good thing, despite what many current local players seem to think. The BCB need to find some way to encourage participation in two- or three-day competition, even if it's added monetary awards for participation.

Hopefully the new executives there will heed the wise words of Sir Garfield and others - and if it's something that can also be included at the youth/school levels, then all the better.

Another view of the Bermuda blogosphere

2011-12-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

Catch-A-Fire has taken my occasional musings of the local blogosphere to a new level, with a specific focus on political and social blogging (as would be expected, after all, the majority of well-known Bermuda blogs are political in nature; there aren't any sports blogs anymore, and personal blogs remain pretty much anonymous).

When the established online newspapers allowed commentary on articles, they became the de facto blog and forum alternatives for much of the online community - to the point that many people mis-label themselves as bloggers when they comment on article threads. That said, we still don't know if the collective posters represent Bermuda as a whole or a distinct subset (or as some suspect, paid operatives meant to skew discussion deliberately).

All in all, more is good, however. More voices means more ideas get thrown out there. Just have to know which voices are malicious and tune them out appropriately.

A calypso for November

2011-11-29T17:15:00.001-04:00

I do wish I had the calypsonian skills of a Mighty Gabby, Red Plastic Bag or the like, to apply this in an actual melody:

Bermuda's politicians remain a big joke
Embarassment ever abounds
When you think they may do something right
They turn, and then let you down

They say they helping out storeowners
By tax relief and breaks
But the duty hike on returning passenger loads
Just exposes them as fakes

We say, where's the hope,
Where's the compassion,
Where's the unity
Where's the smarts,
Where's the logic,
Where's the honesty

The powers that be, using big words
To let us know it's okay
They're in control, all will be well,
Tomorrow will be a better day

Crime is up, employment down
Education in disarray
But the political people in charge of these
Point their fingers, shift the blame away

We say, where's the hope,
Where's the compassion,
Where's the unity
Where's the smarts,
Where's the logic,
Where's the accountability

If smart people point out issues
The messenger, instead, gets attacked
The issue at hand gets put aside
Politicians succeed, that's that

Do more with less, that's the common refrain
During this very trying time
Unless you are a paid MP
Recession proof! the bottom line

We say, where's the hope,
Where's the compassion,
Where's the unity
Where's the smarts,
Where's the logic,
Where's the damn honesty

[Repeat chorus]

Oh, and Happy Independence Day, Barbados. 45 and still going strong.

Buy Bermuda? No.

2011-10-25T11:04:00.002-03:00

Here's the problem. Local businesses and Government want to beat us over the head with the fact that spending money overseas instead of locally will hurt Bermudians.

We get that. It's pretty obvious.

But here's the problem. When I read statements like "Concerned about creating good paying jobs in Bermuda? Buy Bermuda.", here's the thought that comes to my mind:

Why should I be responsible for subsidizing people who think working in a retail position entails sitting at their cash register all day, ignoring customers unless they're practically begging for assistance?

Customer service in many of the places here is a pure joke. I do not want to be subsidizing the salaries of people who think it's more important to chat with their buddies, worry about whatever Rick Dees has on the radio than to lower themselves to greet a prospective customer or ask if there's something they're looking for? And for the record, if Sports Locker goes out of business anytime soon, I sure won't lose any sleep over it.

Local businesses need to adapt - better customer service across the board, flexibility in opening hours (9-5 weekdays? WTH?), advertise via mediums like websites *with prices of items, please* (yep, it's the P-Tech blog post all over again).

Many of us would prefer to spend locally vs overseas, however neither local businesses nor government should be dictating to the public what to do with their hard-earned money.

Apathy to noise pollution

2011-10-12T10:19:00.003-03:00

Great piece in the Gazette by Al Seymour (who often writes good pieces, by the way) the other day about noise pollution in Bermuda.

We have to deal with traffic noise (which is amplified by the over-loud stereos in some cars - we get it, you're compensating for something), someone digging up the road to lay something (and a month later, digging it up again to lay something else), and the occasional construction job.

Some of it is supposedly illegal (namely the vehicle engine noise and loud music), but nobody in a position of authority can be bothered to do anything about it.

And unfortunately, with apologies - the pun is already known - this article is doomed to go in one ear and out the other.

If you could pick your 36 MPs

2011-10-04T08:05:00.003-03:00

This past weekend the idea came to mind, what would my 'dream' set of MPs be, would there be an interesting ratio of PLP/UBP/OBA/Other members in it, how would I assign Ministries, et al.

So today I took the existing 36, drew up a new table and tried to see how many of the current set I would like to have in the new structure.

After changing my parameters to "those who I think have potential and or can tolerate", I got stuck on 16.

And before anyone says, "typical anti-PLPer", I actually had more PLP reps in my 16 than OBA/UBPers.

That may not be a problem in and of itself; if the remaining 20 were a combination of former PLP and UBP MPs as well as Independents (and new blood), it would almost certainly lead to a less caustic, rabble-rousing House of Assembly floor in the first place. For starters, I'd have at least three well-known political bloggers in there (you could guess who'd they be) because of their combination of smarts, analysis and ability to generate ideas without being an ass about it. Then I'd include the last Independent MP elected as such - this time, it's a case of bringing experience and someone known for promoting sustainable development.

Okay, I made it up to 20 people. Where can I get 16 more? Best place to look may be at candidates who lost seats in the last election. I can immeditely think of two such persons - although in the case of one of them, he'll need to stop the foot-in-mouth crap first.

There's going to be new blood from the OBA and at least a couple new players from the PLP in the election mix, I could see a senator or two (or three if you count former senators) from the OBA as well as a young senator or two from the PLP who should get an opportunity to contribute to the dialogue without things going downhill. Assuming the best, now 9 seats remain up for grabs.

Inspiration hits me and I nominate a former young PLP Senator now overseas studying - it seemed a real pity that she was kind of 'cast aside', when she clearly represented a well-knowledged new breed of future politicians. At this point I'm really more about finding people with common sense on issues,... and you know what they say about common sense, it's not that common. I get torn deciding if to include some newspaper columists of note - commenting on political issues for a newspaper is one thing, taking it to the actual House is another animal, although one would argue that these may be the voices of reason when critical issues become hotly debated. So let's add two popular Bermuda Sun columnists, and we've finally hit 30.

For 31 I go with another current senator - youth and business acumen are the main selling points, although at this rate my Senate becomes closer to being totally unoccupied. Now I go back to former Senators and figure out that we could use two former UBP Senators in there, I'm not sure if they're still affiliated with a political party, but frankly at the point, I want to get two more women in there, and two women who aren't known to be feather-rufflers. Clearly by now you've realized there's no way that a current woman feather-ruffler is going to be in my Ideal 36.

Down to three slots to fill and my brain is falling over to come up with other options. I could be tempted to go old-school and bring back a couple of 'retired' politicians, but I want to keep up the forwad-thinking notions of my original scheme... although when I look at my chart I have one or two folks on this list who may be retiring sooner than I think. The easy way out is to choose the current Independent senators, but then my Senate is in a real hole. So, I open the floor up. Which three other people on this island would make a worthy Parliamentarian? For purposes of this argument, no currently sitting MP is eligible. Neither is any former Premier. Maybe a good night's sleep will bring inspiration.

Bermuda Government is a big joke, yet again

2011-10-03T12:43:00.002-03:00

Read the Gazette articles on the Premier's mindless decisions on implementing customs duty increases - first the initial crazy decision, then the "delay" announcement.

There is not a facepalm photo big enough to represent the frustration at these spur-of-moment hairbrained schemes that Government has tried to roll out in recent times. Seriously. A 12-year old could have figured out that you can't implement a change in customs duty across the board in a matter of a day, regardless if the policy is right or wrong.

What is wrong with our MPs?

Lazy email scam

2011-08-12T18:03:00.001-03:00

I think the scammers are getting lazier these days. Content from one email received this morning:

"You Have Won £1,000,000 (Open The Attachment)"

with a nice 291K Word doc that they want me to open.

Of course, there are a bunch of people out there who still feel that easy money awaits them from random emails, so heck. Carry on.

Bermudians Against the Draft - losing their way

2011-08-11T17:33:00.000-03:00

Reason #14 why the group Bermudians Against the Draft are losing their way despite me being in agreement that the current policy of recruitment into the Regiment is wrong:

"BAD plan an election boycott"

Right off the bat, the lead paragraph indicates the campaign is targeting young black men to not vote. What the hell? If their cause is so just, why just 'young black men'?

Second paragraph: they appear to say that since neither of the two big political parties appear to support their cause, they want to demonstrate by abstaining from the polls. What the hell? When you have options of backing a third party or set of independent candidates? Hell, declare that you're spoiling ballots en masse or trying a write-in candidate instead is a far better move.

It's the easiest, and weakest, option by far. Mind you, it may all come to nothing since this group has pigeon-holed itself into the whole "serving is slavery" singular objection instead of the more encompassing (and probably more appealing to outsiders) attributes such as random lottery, gender discrimination, military not needed, etc.

This group has marginalized itself, contrary to their belief that it's the political parties that have done so.

Ferry price hike delayed?

2011-07-28T15:53:00.002-03:00

Seems like there must have been a boo-boo within Min.Trans, as they've delayed their Pink Route price increase without giving reason.

I'm guessing there was a delay in printing off those stupid duplicate tickets and passes. Whatever. The public benefits for a little while longer, perhaps...

Public transport > CITV

2011-07-11T23:21:00.002-03:00

I liked Vexed's post regarding the usefulness (or lack thereof) of the Government's cable TV station. Seriously, they spent a heap of money on a project that could have been achieved far more cheaply, and in doing so, neglected many of the potential benefits that it may at least have delivered (such as live Parliamentary discussion.

Meanwhile Government tinkers (seemingly by using a dartboard instead of common sense and logic) with how to cut public transportation service to the island's residents and visitors. The latest is some hare-brained scheme where they're going to print off a new set of tickets, passes and the likes ($$$ spent, not saved!) solely so they can double the cost for someone who wishes to take the reduced-schedule ferry Pink route.

Why, Government, why?

Local retailer websites

2011-07-07T17:20:00.001-03:00

On a hunch, I went online to see what local kids' stores may be offering, if they had specials, that kind of thing.

What a waste of time that was. The local sites that I visited, were nothing more than splash pages of brand name logos and random photos of clothes and stuff. Zero information on prices, specials. It's a common refrain on my part, and with the apparent exception of Gibbons Co. (AS Coopers seems to have limited online shopping, so it counts for something I guess), the norm for retailers.

Meanwhile, retailers complain that people are spending less and less. I'm not saying that local retailers need to become as web-ready as a Target or Walmart, but if they want to hopefully get the word out that they may have deals for potential customers, putting more information, let's say once a week, on the web, of whatever product they want to promote (with the *price*), is a good way.

Mind you, the conspiracy theorist in me is also thinking that if they actually did put their prices up online, people would be turned away instead of being drawn inwards.

The same goes for TV spots. Maybe showing pictures of "glamourous" stuff and saying a company motto is good enough for most ads on the island (especially with the expensive tastes of some folk), but if you say "this week, X products are on sale at Y price" it may make more people take notice. I may slam the Marketplace for a bunch of things, but I at least appreciate their committment to telling the customer what they're selling and for what price.

Not much to see here

2011-06-08T08:40:00.001-03:00

Updated the Road Hog URL just now, the Wookie has updated the design as well. Also, got back on a volleyball court for the first time in about 10 months. Fun, but I still need to get on the yoga/pilates/P90X/whatever they say gets the fitness thing going. I'm not in my late teens anymore and definitely do *not* have my sand legs.

In other news, Min of Ed is slicing the number of teachers, after all the talk about making education about 'teaching and learning'. No corresponding slicing of the Ministerial bloat. Ah, let the beurarcracy live on, I suppose.

Serious road traffic collisions appear to be on a slight rise of late, but judging on the comments on Bernews and the Gazette, any suggestion that driver fault could be at least partially to blame gets shot down... it's the road, or the car.

And in politics, PLP members are floating Independence yet again as a cure for certain social ills, the 'new' OBA is,... I don't know where they are, and the UBP leader saunters on vigorously despite his list of Parliamentary allies shrinking to 1.

Bus ticket kiosks, please

2011-06-04T21:44:00.001-03:00

So today I'm at the bus terminal. Need to buy some tickets, and the 5pm bus is about to leave. I go to the ticket booth, nobody's there. Odd, I think. So I find the supervisor there and ask if there's someone manning the ticket booth. She points at a woman who is chatting with some people in one of the shelters. Ok.

I walk up to her, give a customary (and genuine) 'Good afternoon' and ask her if she's manning the ticket booth. I KID YOU NOT, the woman turns around, grins broadly, and says, "When I am ready.".

When I am ready.

W.T.F.

Too stumped to get angry or react in any other fashion, all I do is stand and wait and eventually the woman ducks into the area for the ticket booth. I purchase said tickets and board the bus in time.

I'm still stunned at this turn of events, but it gives me impetus to once again claim that PTB ought to replace the current setup with actual kiosks, which have the benefit of being available outside of 'working hours' (9-5:30 weekdays and Saturday I think), plus, should free up the ticket booth staff to either do other tasks or simply be cut. I dunno. A real irritant to what was otherwise a pleasant afternoon. Yes, small budget, but maybe cutting salary would be a good long term benefit.

Getting out of the web design business

2011-05-31T23:34:00.002-03:00

I had a regrettable experience late last year with a proposed website design for a local group, the type that made me aware of the pitfalls that I could end up with.

Things like agreeing to contracts before doing any work, even at a "1 week to mock a couple of layouts" level. Getting no direction from the prospective client. Getting caught up in mixing business with personal favours.

Yeah, I think my career path going forward (independent of full time work in whatever capacity I'm called in) must be to go far away from design elements and stick with either pure content/data retrieval, or nothing at all.

Subjective stuff is fickle. Hard data, and manipulating it, you can't argue with the end product. And besides, then you can get someone else with the design desire/aptitude to do that stuff in the end.

Remedial Driving, Make Mandatory

2011-05-29T10:00:00.000-03:00

We have a lot of drivers driving badly here. It's common practice for the driving public to speed, disobey traffic signs and signals, park where they shouldn't, engage in reckless behaviour and willingly break the traffic laws.

In recent years, Bermuda adopted a points demerit system which when added to the system of fines, was supposed to encourage Bermuda's roads to be safer for all. I'm not sensing much change at all in our road habits and there doesn't seem to be any further motive to arrest this trend.

Perhaps Government feels that it has done all that it can, and Police, cash-strapped and resource-thin, aren't in the best position to encourage safer driving on the roads. We have littering laws that aren't enforced, a joke of a tinted window ban that most drivers bypass, a cell phone usage law which Police can't implement and a public that know that most days they can do whatever they want without fear of getting penalised.

And no, the fear of 'getting into an accident' is a non-starter, because bike riders feel that car drivers will do anything to avoid getting dinged, so they meander in and out of traffic without fear, while car drivers are too quick to blame everybody else for their bad driving habits while they're forgetting to indicate or repair their brake lights.

The next stage must be this: mandatory rehab. Anybody who has accumulated enough demerit points to become disqualified from driving, should have to go through a series of remedial driving classes, both theory and practical, before their licence is restored. It's not drummed into their heads enough, particularly the aspects of speeding and "due care", on how we should expect our drivers to act.

Our vehicles are larger and more powerful, while our roadways have not widened or been strenghtened. It ought to be imperative for drivers to recognize this, but too few do. Hence the myriad of busted fenders, broken side-mirrors and insurance claims.

I'll admit such a proposal in this economy may be far-fetched (although it should merit discussion at least once before the next budget cycle). But it seems too much of a good common-sense approach to just wave away as a pie-in-sky dream.

State of the Blogosphere

2011-05-28T16:20:00.000-03:00

I guess the state is good, in a sense. The chief political blogs, politics.bm, Vexed, and Catch a Fire remain active and continue to post interesting commentary on things in Bermuda (mostly political, one or two not). 21 Square is also active and always makes for good, informed reading.

On the other side, it's unfortunate that New Onion, Wishful Thinking, Bermuda Fables, Jewel and Devil Island have been relatively quiet of late, then again you could say the same for my own piece of the Bermuda blogosphere. Can't speak for others, but where I'm concerned it's probably a good combination of apathy to Bermuda's goings-on and my own personal frustrations (some of which I attribute to Bermuda's leadership, unfairly or not).

BIAW I suppose, remains steady in its own role, a smallish online mini-community, that continues to share comments. I don't know if the readership has grown or diminished over the last few months, but the number of contributors appears to be the same as previous.

With the advent of Facebook groups and the presence of Bernews as a quick go-to for virtually anybody with a computerized device to browse and comment, you wouldn't dare say that the online community has faded by any stretch. I think it's grown in quantity although there's still little cohesion or organisation of thoughts and ideas into anything of substance, yet.

One could conceivably ask now, is the blogosphere relevant in terms of Bermuda discussion points? I would say yes, but clearly I'm coming from a position of bias. So too, may any comment from a known blogger. The politicians likely would tend to hope for these mediums to fade away - commentary from people you can't control is a threat, presumably. But hey, we're all voters too... and there are more of us than they think there are.

More pedestrian crossing follies

2011-05-27T17:54:00.001-03:00

Not too long ago, the powers that be constructed a pedestrian crossing in Paget near the Treetops nursery school. Awesome, huh?

Wait, two problems.

First, there appears to have been zero signage erected notifying drivers of the approaching caution. Oversight, perhaps? Or no budget for new signs?

Secondly, they placed the crossing in a place where one of the bus stop poles is directly perpendicular to. Didn't they learn their lessons from the craziness of pedestrians trying to cross the street behind (or in front of) a stopped bus? Couldn't they have built the crossing 20 yards further?

Where's the common sense with the powers that be?

Quick thoughts on the OBA, UBP, PLP

2011-05-26T20:23:00.002-03:00

The BDA got impatient. Forgot that they were supposed to be a movement, gain steam. Decided they wanted to be #2, and wanted to be #2 right now.

For things to have gotten to the point of legal injunctions and the like, it doesn't reflect well on any of the current or former UBP MPs.

The OBA appears, right now, to lack any of the thrill or anticipation that the BDA did, on its launch. That may have been expected, but I don't think it bodes well in any event.

Since technically, the UBP remains in some capacity, you'd think it puts paid any notion of "NewBP" - but nothing's further from the truth. Still no sign of former PLP supporters being involved.

The PLP have plenty of time to get their machine up and running to sweep to another big election victory down the road. Say what you will about the group, there's been zero soap opera moments with them of late. Solid as a rock, indeed.

I have no idea what the average swing voter may be thinking or leaning towards doing next election cycle. Hopefully it won't turn out to be a "vote for the least sucky candidate" thing.

Bermuda politics is a big joke

2011-05-11T13:09:00.001-03:00

That is all. Carry on smartly, ladies and gents.

Gang Territory

2011-03-20T15:26:00.003-03:00

Kind of disappointed in the ol' "Ord Road Crew"... today I noticed they laid some graffiti in the bus shelters on either side of Middle Road between Keith Hall Road and Belmont golf course. Firstly, didn't know their 'territory' had expanded.

Secondly, why paint up a bus shelter when they had the majestic (sarcasm) and wide (vast) Great Wall of Warwick to work with, not far away? Now *THAT* would send some statements to the public (and the powers that be).

Chalk that up to missed opportunity.

Guess another bus strike is looming

2011-03-16T19:03:00.002-03:00

PTB apparently has a new updated schedule for buses for the summer season to take into account the cruise ships, however the drivers and the BIU doesn't appear happy. Here we go again.

Why can't all parties get together to organise something and have it be finalised instead of this silly to-and-fro where management does stuff and the employees get no input?

Shut up, BIU

2011-02-10T18:02:00.002-04:00

Here we freaking go again. The union isn't happy about an employer's actions, so instead of going through the proper legal actions, which include giving notice to strike, they say, screw y'all, we're downing tools immediately.

Who suffers most? Joe Public, of course. And Government needs to step in and impose penalties on the union for their behaviour in this matter. Which means that it probably won't happen.

You see, the public will get over this in a week or less. The union and their political influence, appeasing them is more critical.

It's just irresponsible all around.

Would you believe that the missus called the Public Transport Board this morning to find out if buses would run today? The answer was "nope, not until further notice," and in the background you could hear people laughing and chattering away.

How can one have sympathy for a group that revels in their actions that inconvenience the public in such a manner? Selfish bastards, the lot of them.

They need to update the gov.bm Bus fees page

2011-01-28T14:11:00.003-04:00

Here's the page.

Up to date as of 1994. Nineteen ninety four.

Seriously. Government employs 80% of the island's workforce (my exaggeration) yet they can't keep certain web pages up-to-date? WTF?

Who knows what else is outdated on that behemoth of a Goverment website?

PLP thrashes opposition in poll

2011-01-24T10:10:00.003-04:00

Kind of fascinating... indeed.

68% of those polled are not happy with how things are going in the country.

63% think the economy is going in the wrong direction.

8% think the economic conditions here are 'good'.

However, 49% of those polled will vote for the incumbent leadership if a General Election happens tomorrow, compared to a combined 17% for the two opposition parties.

I suppose you could infer several things from the results of the polls (aside from the usual statistical questions):

The opposition parties are just not viable enough or recognizable enough (the party leaders got 21 and 50% "not sure" favor-ability rating, compared to 7% for the PLP leader)
The public believes that things like the economic conditions, are not the fault of the ruling party or that the ruling party is better equipped to deal with them than the others
Allegiances to party remain strong as ever in this divided community

Personally, I'd like to meet the 20% of people who think things are great in Bermuda and the economy is moving in the right direction. Because unless they're auto repair folks, I'd like to know how they're faring.

My 2011 Wish List for Bermuda

2010-12-31T16:55:00.001-04:00

A tumultuous year both for me personally, and Bermuda as a whole. As of now, if you were to gauge the overall "happiness" of people in Bermuda, I'd bet that the scale would tip substantially into the negative, and there are a number of factors at play, particularly as relating to the economy, jobs, personal safety, education of our young people, politics and sport.

Here's my quick 2011 Wish List:

[Me] Become less apathetic to the goings-on in this country, less resigned to Bermuda's "fate".
[Me] Get the website back on track, including the blog. 53 total posts is the lowest number since 2004, a bad trend.
[Me] Be a better husband, appreciate my wife more and be a better contributor overall.
[Me] Commit to bettering myself, physically and mentally.
[Bermuda] Take personal responsibility for education - mentor a young child if you can, ensure your child excels despite the pitfalls of the education system.
[Bermuda] Drive better, put your damn cell phones away, and ease up on the road rage.
[Bermuda] Be willing to stand up for what's right.
[Bermuda] Be wiser with your money and what you spend it on.
[Politicians] Engage the public, communicate one-to-one, and lay off the b.s.
[The UBP] Walk the walk.
[The PLP] Demonstrate that you're about *all* of Bermuda. Listen to your opponents, don't ridicule them.
[The BDA] Stop fighting for #2. Show Bermuda that you're capable of being the future Government.
[My fellow bloggers] Continue to offer opinions and insight, no matter your political (or other) leanings.
[Our athletes] Enjoy your sport, show a commitment to excellence, if you are representing Bermuda, give the best account that you can.
[Bermuda] Help each other. Be more gracious and understanding. Live the Golden Rule.

Here's to a more happy 2011 for everybody.

Media, don't give credibility to the gangs

2010-12-06T19:18:00.003-04:00

New rule, mass media, how about not displaying all the symbols and graffiti done up by these local gangs? I know that the media is supposed to be committed to providing the truth and facts, but I dunno, it just seems that they're these groups a sense of pride or something, and they can further thrive in their notoriety.

Education standards in Bermuda

2010-11-29T18:54:00.000-04:00

Politics.bm sums up the release of this year's secondary school 'graduates' information very well:

In reality, to graduate implies proficiency. You cannot graduate 99% of students if a mere 23% of them are proficient in math for example. The other 77% did not graduate, they were simply moved on from the education system.

This whole sugar-coating approach is terrible. We're declaring that these students have *graduated* high school but are poor at mathematics? No, that's plain wrong. School leavers, perhaps, but graduates, no. That term should be reserved for those who are at least somewhat prepared to enter the workforce - and to do that you need to have some proficiency in mathematics. Anyway, politics.bm covers this way better than I can, so read the article in full, especially the fifth paragraph.

Thinking about personal firearms in Bermuda

2010-11-18T09:00:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, we visited some friends in Alberta, Canada. It was a true vacation, and it was the first time in quite a while that I didn't have work issues to contend with (mainly because, work had no way to get ahold of me, heh, and I didn't have the temptation to check in on work).

One of the 'firsts' that I got to experience was the holding and firing of a gun. I wouldn't have considered myself to be a shrinking violet or a worrywart about using a firearm, but on the way to the range, there was no mistaking the adrenaline rush and tension going on inside me.

It was very cold (by Bermuda standards; it was probably in the high 40s at the time, with cold rain as well), not the ideal situation to be handling and testing out guns, but my buddy gave me the overview, how to load the weapon, train the sights on the target, et al. We had a Glock 9mm and some kind of 22mm pistol. These guns, for one, are heavier than they seem, perhaps it was the ammo magazine, I dunno. And they're far louder than one would think.

One truth of the matter, is that those gangster types who hold their gun sideways when shooting, you probably stand a good chance of evading the bullet. You really have to aim with these things.

Finally, we pulled out an assault rifle, I cannot recall its type but it was a modified version of an AK-type rifle with a telescopic scope. All I can say after trying it out is that I have serious respect for those who shoot competitively, especially those who do biathlon. Holding the rifle steady and hitting the target, very tough to do, especially in cold conditions.

Anyway, what does this all mean with relation to the topic title? Besides making this one of the longest blog posts I've ever done, discussions with my friend and actually using guns on the range, made me think about aspects like the right to bear arms as it relates to the USA, and if banning their possession in Bermuda by individuals gives the new generation of criminals here a bigger carte blanche to do whatever they want when it comes to robbery and assault.

While personally I'm of the opinion that letting the average Bermudian own a gun is still a recipe for disaster (consider the amount of people who beat and cut up others over such trivial matters as a cell phone or an ex-boyfriend), I'm definitely not as hard-line as I would have been a year ago.

Sure, we can carry a bat in our car and at our bedside, but against a crook with a firearm, you're going to find it hard to protect yourself or your family. We can get burglar bars, security cameras, even dogs, but would these measures be enough? What if you're walking down the street and someone decides to mug you at knife-point or even gun-point? The law-abiding citizen has little means to defend themselves, but if they were adequately trained, licenced and made fully aware of the consequences of using a gun (or say a tazer or pepper spray, even) in an unlawful manner, would this help to make our country safer?

Update: The Great Wall of Warwick

2010-11-17T08:14:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, the powers that be addressed the issue of the butchered sidewalk adjacent to the Great Wall or Warwick, and managed to smooth out the sidewalk, and move the old poles.

It's much better than previous, however while observing all the pretty plants that they placed at the top of the wall (must have been a special request from the property owner, hmph), it wasn't hard to see that there was still work to be done. Namely, that the end of the sidewalk is still a potential danger and needs to be flattened out properly.

Including that hole at the end which is a twisted ankle situation in the making.

The work equipment is nowhere to be found, unfortunately, so I fear that this is it for this area until the next election, at best.

Online billing hell - that means you, Digihell

2010-11-16T17:10:00.001-04:00

Actually I have a beef with both Digihell and Belco, it's just that Digihell has been a pain in the behind for substantially longer.

I've arranged E-billing through both services, and yet things seem to fall through the cracks.

In Belco's case, I haven't received a bill via email for some time now, so I have to remind myself to go to their website and log in to see my invoices, et al. A bit of an inconvenience considering I gave them my email address so that I didn't have to go through a bunch of browsing around and stuff, everything is easier on all sides. Well, nope. Yet somehow, when I'm overdue, a customer service rep is able to send me an email, call my work phone, et al. Must be nice to be a monopoly and be selective with contacting customers that *need* your service.

As for Digihell, got one of their SMS messages this morning. Usually it's spam, but this time they're telling me that payment could not be secured from my credit card on file. Whatever, Digihell. You're not getting my credit card number so you can pull cash willy-nilly. I will pay you WHEN I get my invoice... which I haven't seen anytime soon. So instead, I go to their stupid website, log on and retrieve my invoice from there.

Anyway, bills are (hopefully) paid off now. Of course it could be worse, they could be like Cablevision Bermuda, and simply revel in inconveniencing customers day and night.

Rant done (for now).

Hoopla about Cabinet

2010-11-01T18:25:00.000-03:00

Over the past couple of days, the ruling political party elected new leadership, and by extension, Bermuda has a new Premier. Paula Cox has taken over the reins, figuratively speaking.

A new Cabinet has been created, with a few veteran faces combining with some new ones to make up the batch of Ministers and Senators. Several are probably going to be considered controversial, to say the least. But you know what they say about opinions.

What this week has shown (if it hasn't already been made obvious) is that there are huge gulfs between segments of our community with regard to how certain political figures are viewed. Even if you don't see the extreme contrasts between some of the threads on BIAW with that on Ewart Brown's Facebook page for example, you'll know that for many people, the PLP leadership appears to be either strongly loved or strongly despised.

Is there middle ground? Probably, but it's muted. It's probably along the same lines as what's been happening in the United States lately. Unfortunately we don't have Jon Stewart around to push a Restoration of Sanity Rally in Bermuda.

Web page troubleshooting

2010-11-01T14:59:00.003-03:00

I'm sure that many in the computer programming business experience this at one time or another.

You go through day after day of going through code, trying to figure out why a particular piece of code is not giving you the desired result, and eventually on a wing and a prayer, take a different tack...

And discover that you have a piece of code that you put in, in order to test some functionality, was not commented out when you ran the script in full.

That's right. In this case, within a few thousand lines of combined HTML, ASP.NET and SQL code, I could have saved myself three days of grief by adding a pair of hyphens in a procedure. Sigh.

Good thing the pub is nearby. (Kidding, boss!!!)

No Blackberry

2010-10-28T18:21:00.002-03:00

I've been without a Crackberry for two weeks now. Despite the missus claiming that I'd miss it like a best friend, I've done very well.

We'll see how long it lasts. One thing though, it was nice not having to check the work mail (although I'm now suffering a bit, perhaps).

We really do live in a world where people have this 'need' to have information right at their fingertips, huh.

Barbados in mourning

2010-10-25T17:43:00.002-03:00

The Prime Minister of Barbados, David Thompson, passed away this weekend at the age of 48.

I expect that the entire nation is mourning - Mr. Thompson to me appeared to be a hard-working and genuine politician, He was leader of the DLP when I was at school there, and was able to persevere through several political defeats to eventually win the most recent General Election and become in a position to implement his visions for Barbados as a nation.

This particular article is a really inspired tribute to the man, and he is sure to be missed by many Bajans both there and overseas. Blessings to the people of Barbados and especially the family of David Thompson.

Licence plate snapped in half

2010-10-13T18:18:00.002-03:00

This made me laugh. Yesterday I was leaving work and I'm at the junction of Church and Par-la-ville (yeah I know, but this time nobody's running the red light, heh).

One of those black Kia Sportages comes rolling to the traffic light. First thing I notice, is that the licence plate on the front is snapped neatly into two. You can see clearly a pair of 7s on both ends, the left side of it hanging almost vertically.

Second thing I notice, is the woman, sunglasses on and all, is yakking on a cell phone.

I'm not sure if irony is the correct term to use here, but it goes on. Naturally, she inches past a cop car. And of course, it goes unnoticed.

La de la la la. Another day on the anarchy that is Bermuda's roads. La la la.

Schoolchildren and buses

2010-10-12T08:00:00.000-03:00

So the Transport Ministry finally decided to appeal for schoolkids to use dedicated school buses.

(a) Whoop-dee-doo.
(b) As suggested in some of the comments adjacent to the article [Bda Sun] [Bernews], it can be difficult to get particular information on the exact schedules for a particular school.
(c) They simply haven't gone far enough. Someone posting under the name 'Swan' in the Bernews article suggests that the whole 'free rides' gimmick should've only been applied when leaving a particular school, not from the central bus terminal. That indeed may help to cut down on the kids loitering around town, knowing they have a 'free ride' home whenever.

It would be nice indeed if the schoolkids took buses only to and from school (and parents didn't have to drop them to and from, grumble grumble traffic grumble), but there are several other issues with public transportation that haven't been addressed, as well as issues convincing schoolchildren that 3:30-5:30pm isn't "free roam around the City" time.

Random thought - we need calypsonians

2010-10-08T08:33:00.002-03:00

It's a shame that folk music and calypso in Bermuda is a virtually dead art. I can only imagine the tunes that Gabby or Red Plastic Bag could come up with when putting the antics of our politicians and others, into song format.

Dunkley, Dunkley, Dunkley need some ketchup...
Not for french fries...
But for his big foot;
Policeman very tired of his complaining...
without reason...

Crap, only thing I can think of that rhymes with foot is soot. Back to the drawing board.

The farce that is National Heroes Day

2010-09-23T17:20:00.001-03:00

Government is determined to ensure that the selection of 'National Heroes' remains in complete control of the Government, rather than the community.

Why the devil can't the committee responsible for choosing the candidates, be composed of primarily persons unaffiliated with Government at all? Why not a group of historians and educators?

The MP who made the announcement made this weird quip with regard to having people who weren't politicians:

"We have looked at where they tried that in other jurisdictions, such as in the Caribbean, and it did not work."

Please, please, elaborate.

Anyway, until we get a suitable explanation, the whole process is an even bigger farce and waste of resources than before.

She (the Government Minister) has effectively said that a panel of politicians from the ruling party is a better solution than having respected independent voices decide. A complete and disdainful farce.

Return of traffic

2010-09-14T07:57:00.001-03:00

I sure don't miss when schools are out for summer vacation, traffic seems to double when schools are in.

We hear all the usual reasons, of course, but nothing's ever been done to try to encourage a curbing of morning road traffic.

Ho hum, I suppose. Let the road rage continue.
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Respect religion even if it differs from your own

2010-09-10T17:25:00.000-03:00

I could be flabbergasted at the selfishness and unawareness of the pastor of that Church that wants to have a "Burn the Koran" day, but it's hard to reason something to a guy and his followers that they're unwilling to listen to.

I get the 'free speech' angle of it, but seriously, *IF* the guy wanted to see Islam stamped out or whatnot, why would he consent if the site for the mosque in Manhattan was moved a few more blocks away from Ground Zero?

Here's the thing. It's totally unnecessary. First off, in the same manner that Christianity is, not all Muslims are out to destroy non-believers. Secondly, if you want to show your desire to honour Septebmer 11th 2001 and bring back Christian values or whatever you're planning, there are TONS of ways that don't involve inflammatory (excuse the pun) gestures like burning books which is considered holy and sacred to members of another faith.

Instead, this pastor went right out and got people's blood boiling all over the world. Way to intensify the tension in dangerous areas like Afghanistan, Mr. Pastor, and potentially inciting violence.

Treasure life

2010-08-26T17:52:00.000-03:00

Stop the shooting, the slashing, the knifing.

Stop the robbing.

Stop the lying.

Life and love seem so easily squandered nowadays, and it's really senseless. Don't we know that every day on Earth is a gift and a blessing? Some people, many people, aren't as fortunate. Young and old alike.

Honest work for honest pay. Respecting the other person's property. Valuing life as if it were your own.

Our society needs to collectively start to stem this tide of negativity.

August Heat (should've stayed at the office)

2010-08-24T17:25:00.001-03:00

How cruel is it when you get home after a day at the office and the electricity's out at home?

No AC.
No fan.
Not even a cooling drink.

Grr, Belco. Help us out already...

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Bored of politrix

2010-08-17T22:56:00.002-03:00

Dog days of summer, indeed. The month's half over and this marks the first post of the month. Mind you, I'm not alone in the blogging community when it comes to posting topics. I think many of my fellow bloggers are going through some combination of R&R, apathy to the situations going on in this country, frustration with the continued state of political affairs.

I had a 'State of the Blogosphere' topic I wanted to go with but I don't even know if it's worth the effort. Then came the outcry of an assasination attempt. And in typical fashion, the established media seized the opportunity to further 'probe' into the goings on of an online forum (not to be confused with a blog, although many locals lump the two together).

Whatever, Government and the mass media.

People are still getting attacked, people are still frustrated and we have this not-so-pretty smokescreen (for who knows what) that could easily be debunked by freaking common sense.

Common sense, people.

Changing the Municipalities Act, et al

2010-07-23T07:33:00.000-03:00

One of the more unpopular bills that has come up in recent times (I suppose the Gambling proposal ranks higher) is this Municipalities Reform Act. The public appears to be overwhelmingly against this, namely on the basis that it's seen as Government taking over certain aspects of the Corporation of Hamilton's functions (and thus drowning it in its own bureaucracy), yet the ruling government party is adamant that this must be done, and also be given priority.

Personally, stamping out the gun violence and crime ranks as a much higher issue to me (as well as issues dealing with the economy, tourism, traffic and road use) but ces't la vie, I suppose.

One thing that bugs me about the way that Government has gone about this, is that apparently up to $800,000 - that's eight hundred thousand dollars - went to some overseas consulting firm for the purpose of allegedly determining how to reform the CoH and Corporation of St. George's. However the findings of the report have not come close to sniffing the air. Nobody outside of the PLP inner circle appears to know the findings of this expensive study. Makes one wonder if the purpose of the consultants was instead, how to come up with a bill to successfully put forward a bill which can serve Government's wishes, while yet appearing not to be the prophecy of doom that the CoH may think will happen (and have enough lingo that certain MPs can use to deflect criticism).

I dunno. More astute and critical posts exist at Vexed Bermoothes and Politics.bm, and I'm sure they and other local sites will have posts on the fallout soon enough.

Recman gets it

2010-07-09T17:04:00.001-03:00

Bermuda's senior men's team have been pretty poor of late. Their results over the past couple of years have been disappointing in all aspects, and in every one of their matches there's at least one area that has shown up to be abysmal (usually the batting effort).

The popular newspaper columnist known as 'Recman' attributes this to the demise of the longer form of the game on the island, a stance I completely agree with.

Bermuda's cricketers have fallen in love with the swash and thump that 20-20 cricket affords them, and on our minuscule grounds, it's a delight for the casual fan to behold. But it does nothing at all for developing sound cricketers.

It's been proposed by many a person in the island that if anything, the domestic season can start with proper 'open' or two-day cricket, followed by your limited overs matches and then you can have your wham-bam cricket at the end of the season. By then, the good habits that are hopefully picked up earlier on can then get applied to playing decent cricket when the shorter form of the game comes around.

Unfortunately, I think the horse has already left the stable, so to speak. Good luck to the national programme.

Cell phone ban in Bermuda

2010-07-04T10:35:00.002-03:00

It's at least four years too late, but Government actually did something I agree with, in regards to banning the use of cell phones while driving.

What remains to be seen is how this is enforced; police resources appear to be stretched really thin, and with cell phone use in cars and on motorbikes now firmly entrenched in our culture, it's going to be hard to see a drastic improvement in driving habits at this time.

And Government must make it clear that this legislation is not just simply another way to make some extra cash, but an actual road safety improvement where MPs and the like lead by example.

But at least it's a start.

Too hot for black

2010-06-27T20:34:00.001-03:00

More power to MPs Paula Cox and Neletha Butterfield - Friday afternoon I'm heading home and I see the two Government Ministers walking down Front Street in the heat and humidity - both wearing black outfits.

The hell? I don't know how they did it while still looking comfortable but definitely more power to them.

Perhaps that's a good sales pitch for the Ministers - keep their cool even when the heat and pressure is on.

Do we call it soccer?

2010-06-26T16:39:00.002-03:00

Jon Stewart the other day had a pretty good proposal on his show. It basically was, if the U.S. managed to win the FIFA World Cup, then the rest of the world has to call the sport 'soccer' instead of football.

Sounds like a good deal to me, although there's no tradeoff if the U.S. fails to win. Still say everything's solved by just calling the American form "gridiron". Ah well. Like 2/3 of Americans care.

Psycho lady touchy-feely

2010-06-21T11:56:00.003-03:00

We're in Lindo's Warwick on the weekend, with our baby in the stroller lying contentedly. The missus and myself are looking at some containers of formula in the aisle, when suddenly there's a long arm reaching in the stroller, stroking my baby's leg!

The hell?

Looking over, there's this giant of a woman lovingly gazing at my baby. She finally sees us glaring at her, and then decides to say, "You don't mind if I touch your baby, do you?"

Now if my wife was in front of me, I'm sure there would be a clear "Hell no, get away" (she's way less tolerant of crap than I am), but I was too stunned to respond. Heck, I was worried she had a knife in her bag and would stab me to steal our child!

It appeared clear that she was a baby stalker, though,... later on she was seen walking up to an unsuspecting parent holding his baby, touching his leg and then later trying to strike up a conversation.

Beware, parents.

A big middle finger to Bermuda and the Police

2010-05-08T18:03:00.002-03:00

This Gazette article is, in my opinion, highlighted by the photo (which the Gazette is guilty of not providing a decent res version) of the defendant wearing a T-shirt with the caption "Stop Snitching".

"Stop Snitching".

Worn in court. At a trial involving assault charges.

This guy effectively gave a big middle finger to the judge, the Police and by extension the Bermuda public. The Police have been feverishly begging the public to come forward with evidence or statements, but this shirt worn by an accused,... it would be funny if this wasn't reality.

In other jurisdictions, this guy may have been found to be in contempt of court. Here of course, it's a bunch of 'whatever'. Mind you, we have MPs who want to ban certain brands of bubble gum, I expect him to come down hard on this case.

About the Great Wall of Warwick

2010-05-05T00:05:00.002-03:00

I'm glad Sue Garland wrote a LttE about the new eyesore sometimes known as the Great Wall of Warwick. It took W&E crew a few months to erect this behemoth, originally meant (well, that's the word that we got) to prevent debris from raining down on pedestrians. It caused some traffic hindrances, but at some point the wall was 'completed' and work crew no longer were spotted at the site.

However, what we now have is an unpainted 30 foot tall wall overlooking a sidewalk that is so jacked up that I avoid putting the baby stroller on and think that runners or walkers won't want to use much at all, with old telephone/electricity poles in the freaking middle of the sidewalk at points. Perhaps it's another case of lack of consultation with BTC/Belco etc., but maybe it's more-so just simple abandonment like the letter writer suggested.

Bad enough that there aren't enough sidewalks on the island in the first place, but having one of them in such rotten condition while the big ass wall towers over everything... well it's just disgraceful.

About Bermuda Shorts, and who's wearing them

2010-05-04T17:15:00.002-03:00

Noticed this item when browsing one of the online forums, and am curious now - when was the last time a Government Minister wore Bermuda shorts? Most notably, I speak of those in the Tourism Ministry, which perhaps ought to play up the Bermuda shorts (hell, it's in their marketing logo that they splash all over the place) a bit. However in all the photos that appear, you may see hotel officials or other persons decked out in the classic style... with the exception of the Minister who's wearing normal business attire.

Missed opportunities, to say the least.

Red lights are just a suggestion - special edition

2010-04-29T17:50:00.002-03:00

This was a weird one today. Par-la-ville Road headed to Front Street, this guy on a rental bike (but almost certainly a local) reaches the red light.

In a moment of ingenuity (ie unnecessary dopiness, but whatever, right Bermuda's powers that be?), the guy hopped off the bike, walked it past the light and around the corner, then hopped back on, riding away into traffic.

It was such an unneeded maneuver, I caught up to him less than half a minute later.

Anyway, Booking deserved (O 062) however it doesn't mean much since it was a rental scooter.

Arm the Police, pow pow

2010-04-27T17:11:00.000-03:00

I'm in support of the recent decision to introduce tasers to the Police here. It may be unfortunate that we've reached this point, but it's imperative that the police officers be equipped with ways to overcome a criminal who may be in possession of a firearm.

There are guns on this island, and too many of them to boot. Robbery is at a high level, assaults are constant and with the shootings happening on a fairly regular basis, I don't think we had much choice. A baton and some pepper spray versus someone with a gun?

Sure it may be disconcerting to see officers with them on the street, but I figure that if you've got nothing to hide, then you shouldn't have anything to fear, either. Here's to hoping that the police officers get trained up efficiently and effectively. And if even the sight of a taser will dissuade a potential crook from causing damage, then that can be seen as a positive thing.

Grow up, PLP

2010-04-26T20:34:00.003-03:00

Tonight on the Let's Talk programme, Minister of Education El James wound up being the latest PLP senior member to say something along the lines of him not reading the Gazette and thus not being in the know about certain things said.

When will the governing party stop their petty crusade against the only daily? I get it, you don't like it. However you're doing everyone a disservice by claiming to not be aware of what the Gazette produces.

Until the Workers' Voice (or another entity) becomes the most popular news source on the island, please cut the crap.

Bermuda's dumbest TV commercials

2010-04-22T17:11:00.002-03:00

You know, I get what Marketplace tries to do with their ads showing how much they save, however it's very hard to believe that this person is a random customer when they have their big-ass "I work at the Marketplace" badge front and center.

I mean, please. The director of those clips should be ashamed. Wish there was a clip online to show the world the ineptness of these ads.

Wishing ill fortune (reckless riders edition)

2010-04-21T17:45:00.000-03:00

I see this guy on a black bike swoop onto Keith Hall Road (cutting the corner), then proceed to accelerate. The bike is super loud. And as if he wasn't annoying enough, he pulls a wheelie all the way up the hill. I really wanted him to slide on a oil spot or something. Yeah I know I'm bad. But anyway, watch out for BM539, its rider clearly doesn't give a crap about road safety.

Yeah, I know few people care, but it's certain irritants that linger.

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Wristbands?

2010-04-08T17:14:00.002-03:00

There's been a big, overblown, hullabaloo over the 'Bermudians-only' IB employees meeting hosted by the Minister of Public Safety, but when I read about there being damn wristbands to identify the attendees, I had to laugh.

Whoops, I guess the Budget's already overrun.

It doesn't get much sillier than that, but in the pettiness that is Bermuda politics, it shouldn't surprise a soul.

Devil Island is on the same wavelength as I am on this topic, while Politics.bm and Vexed offer useful commentary.

Good Friday shooting

2010-04-02T16:42:00.002-03:00

Most people know the significance of Good Friday in the Christian religions, and by default that means most of the Bermudian population are aware of it.

How can it be, that in what I think is the most callous and brazen incident I've ever heard about happening in Bermuda, today on Good Friday, somebody went to Victor Scott Primary school field, where lots of kids and their parents were enjoying kite flying, and then chose to shoot someone, murdering them?

That's right. On one of the most religious holidays of the year, on school property, where lots of people including small children were congregated, someone shot and killed another human being.

If this is not the bonafide, no doubt #1 ISSUE facing the island, way above $800K reviews of the City Corporations or changing the gambling laws, then something's immensely wrong.
If CrimeStoppers and the Police aren't getting any assistance from the public (as hinted here), then this country is truly doomed.

The powers that be, including the public, must do everything in their power to stop the madness and the anarchy.

Cycle theft!

2010-03-19T09:01:00.003-03:00

HAAAAAAATE cycle thieves (as if you didn't already know).

They're so callous they would swipe your bike right in your front yard.

Last time it was a public parking lot (and I'm still bitter at CoH, too). Now they've struck closer to home, literally.

But how brazen can you be to go into a condo area and steal a bike?

In Bermuda there's no active investigation into cycle thefts, it's more of them just patrolling the area and when they find it abandoned, they let us know. It's frustrating, but I don't see the police doing it differently (then again it's hard if you can't really do things like check for prints).

Haaaaaaaate.

Rearranging the side links

2010-03-18T17:41:00.001-03:00

I'm kind of disgusted that it's been over 200 days since I last picked up a volleyball. sigh. I know Bermudians don't get it, but I'm still a bit upset. Not like I'm in any shape to be any good to anybody right now, of course. It's all about motivation, though.

Bowling though, probably a lost cause. Even though Warwick Lanes is a 5 minute drive away.

Rearranged my Online Community links somewhat slightly. Bringing back New Onion, which is a cleanly-designed site, with posts categorised neatly and the topics always of local interest. Finally got around to removing Prog Minds, which is effectively dead. At least they got rid of the spam posts.

I still think we'd be better served with at least a couple more local blogs run by females. Discounting Jewel, we only have two or three (Vexed Bermoothes I still don't know about, honest). Again, the proliferation of Facebook discussion areas (I can't call them forums or boards) may have shifted the scope of local opinion sharing away from traditional blogs or forums. So we may not see any new blogs in the near future, unfortunately.

Waiting rooms

2010-03-18T11:18:00.001-03:00

You know things are bad when it's Standing Room Only at the doctor's.

Hopefully this is the last time we will ever have to go to Dr. Emery's office. An hour and a half of waiting for the scheduled appointment is just insane!

[Mobile]

Zombieland: what happens when you have a sleepless baby

2010-03-13T15:13:00.002-04:00

I gotta apologize to all the people I came across on Friday on the street, Portofino's and Lindo's. Chalk it up to sleep deprivation, I think. No-one said raising babies was easy, and it's a challenge so far handling the late night wakeups for food and diapers.

It'll get easier, I think, as the routine is formulated.

Until then, expect to see the zombie in town and elsewhere. You may have to holler louder to get my attention.

Followup to the Report on 'Gaming'

2010-03-08T17:55:00.001-04:00

The Gazette editorial that discussed aspects of the Green Paper on 'Gaming' covers a few of the issues I had with the content of the report.

Namely, the tie-in of 'gaming' with tourism as a whole. If the point of the discussion was solely on tourism, then there's absolutely no need for national lotteries to be investigated. No tourist, whether from the United States or elsewhere, is going to visit Bermuda in order to buy damn lottery tickets.

If they want to discuss lotteries, then it should be discussed not from a tourism aspect but a national revenue aspect, and the potential social issues, cut and dry. Like I've said ad nauseam over the years however, we already have at least one national lottery in place, it's just under a different name.

This aspect of the research was a complete waste of time and money if the goal was to evaluate the tourism benefit of 'gaming'.

Internet gambling as well. How is someone who plays online poker for example, with funds raised going to Bermudian business, suddenly considered in any form a contributor to tourism?

It's a situation that could have been prevented by making the research more about raising money for Bermuda and Bermudians alone instead of this tourism angle. Keep it about casinos (and perhaps looking into hosting international events like World Series of Poker tournaments) and this report makes a ton more sense.

Here's the kicker that many political pundits and commentators are probably looking into with regard to the casino in town, it's on Page 19 of the report (the pdf as viewed in Acrobat Reader, page 9 of the report as printed out):

Allow an independent casino to be developed to accommodate locals and tourists seeking a larger, more energetic gaming environment. This property would likely be larger and, not being in a hotel, would likely attract the majority of the local patronage. The property would also appeal to tourists seeking a gaming
experience that are not staying at hotels offering casinos as well as hotel guests that may seek larger casinos that typically feature more energetic environments. We have identified this situation as a possible stand-alone casino in downtown Hamilton.

Let the rumours begin on where such a development could be situated in 'downtown Hamilton'. Two areas right off the bat, can be guessed at. Page 24 (page 14) gives you the added hints on location (shh, waterfront).

I like that they covered what they call 'Ambient machines' in the report as well. These of course, are commonly known as the 'one arm bandits' that used to be available locally until they were banned in 2005. These are common features of certain kinds of casinos, and one would think that if they were allowed to exist in any new casino that the current crop of bars and restaurants that once had them would immediately call for the law to be repealed to avoid the perceived hypocrisy of the situation. The report itself suggests that these 'machines' aren't recommended, mind you.

My issues with the whole debate on the social issues surrounding 'gaming' (and really, I'm tired of quoting 'gaming', so I'll use the real term - gambling - going forward) is that Bermuda already has an abundance of real gambling avenues, and it's only antiquated laws that say that gambling of one form is perfectly fine while another is abhorrent and vile.

The list of social issues in the report is: crime, burglary and related, loan sharks, crimes at casinos, prostitution, bankruptcy, suicide, family impact, child abuse, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence and divorce. These already exist on the island, some in greater quantity than others. And if you wish to tie these to the people who already go to Seahorses or GameTime every day to place wagers on horse racing or European football pools, then shut them down.

What I hope for, in the end, is that the current laws relating to gambling be reviewed and restructured where applicable, and this is without the use of the Green Paper recommendations. There are some outdated, and in some cases, nonsensical, provisions in there. I hope that the powers that be address them along with their decisions on allowing casinos to set up shop.

Shocking - 'Gaming' recommended

2010-03-06T13:23:00.002-04:00

It's pretty convenient that Government consultants came up with a Green Paper that outlaid the Government leaders' wishes to a tee while offering significant olive branches to those who would ordinarily be against gambling as a whole in Bermuda.

Taking a look via the Gazette article:

a casino is recommended, especially in the (soon-to-be taken-over) City.
the olive branch to church groups by recommending against a national lottery (even though Bermuda already has at least one - it's called 'Bermuda Bingo'.
the other olive branch being the no Internet Gaming stance. The most 'Duh' moment of them all, one would think.

I'd link to the Green Paper hosted on the Govt portal, however it's currently inaccessible (how surprising). Ooops. Vexed luckily has it uploaded on their site.

It's as clever as you can get with regards to trying to win over PLP MPs who opposed the original plan to allow cruise ships to open on-board casinos while in port. By emphasizing the importance of casino gambling to tourism, the argument becomes more one of neccesity and less of morality.

Spending $300,000 on this pre-determined research however, just seems wasteful. Everyone on this rock knew what the 'findings' were going to be, but no matter. Consultants rule.

Random thoughts of the week - Budget and more

2010-02-28T22:07:00.003-04:00

The Budget statement doesn't inspire confidence. Cutbacks of significance weren't announced, instead the public (employees and employers) is being asked to shoulder a bigger load in this climate. All businesses, both local and foreign ones operating here, are being told to shoulder a bigger burden. Retailers for one can't be happy.
I am strangely fascinated with Olympic curling. Since NBC continued with their dramatic stories form of televised coverage I was lucky to get this (British?) telecast on one of the cable channels which showed tons more sport. The Sweden-Canada women's final was compelling. Of course, it's not really TV-friendly but the telecast suited me just fine.
The Southlands-Morgan's Point situation has turned ugly really, really fast, or at least that's how it appears in the headlines. Most likely the developers have been stewing for a while on the lack of a resolution and right now nobody's happy at the situation.
I think the BDA Party is getting there, but needs to step it up even more. Right now they're still not at the level needed to realistically challenge the PLP in an election, rather they're just splitting the old UBP support block. Swing voters overall still have to be convinced that they're truly viable.
Kellon Hill's murder looks more and more like a situation where justice won't be achieved in the courts. I feel terrible for his family and friends.
Avoid Lindo's supermarket in Warwick on Saturday afternoons. Checkout lines extending into the aisles. Maddening... although it beats MarketPlace in town on Wednesdays easily.
Global catastrophes seem to be more frequent or immiment nowadays. It's scary to think that disaster is potentially so close.
We need more hangars at home. Yeah, throwing a *really* random thought out there.
I cannot recall the last time I went to a local movie theatre. I guess it's sad, but either there's no "must see now" movies out there or the prices have just gone past high and into crazy territory. At least Specialty/Little sells nachos now, right?
Babies at home reduce your sleep allotments, test your resolve when they pee everywhere and can possibly cause more stress,... but I won't trade him for anything.

Getting food at KEMH

2010-02-23T21:13:00.002-04:00

Got to experience a bit of the hospital over the past couple of weeks. You hear both horror stories and tales of enjoyment, but at the end I have a few observations as a relatively frequent visitor:

No way the front desk should be 'closed' at 8:30pm. Having everyone routed to the emergency department entrance at night just seems out-of-place for some reason. At the very least, put a sign up in the lobby so I don't go all the way up to the electronic sliding doors for them to not activate but instead mock and laugh at me.
I was stunned to find out that not only does the hospital cafeteria close at 12pm on Sunday, there's no vending machine or anything else in the area where a visitor can get a beverage or light snack. This is 2010 and Bermuda used to be a developed country.
Whoever commissions the toilets there, two things - firstly they gotta raise the seats, but secondly they need to install whatever motor is propelling the flushing action in our house. Like a jet engine.
Most importantly, the nurses and staff working in the SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit) have been an absolute joy to talk with and get information from. They've helped to make our time there so much more pleasant with their encouragement, professionalism and care.

I'm not sure if the talks about the replacement hospital have fallen off the country's radar but I hope it's addressed again in the near future because I think the environment there could use improvement from an infrastructure and facilities point of view.

What about the Causeway

2010-02-23T17:47:00.000-04:00

Read a short piece by Vexed Bermoothes today relating to the Causeway here. Essentially, it's the only way for people to get from the mainland to the Airport and St. George's, and vice versa. The powers that be have had to close access to it a few times recently due to high winds and storm.

The discussion on a replacement or enhancement to the Causeway has been going on (and off and on) for quite a few years now, with nothing close to a concrete plan being determined. But according to the VB post that I linked to earlier, plans are going to be soon revealed by Government. The website created for this initiative looks to be pretty informative.

Vexed rightly points out potential issues from a spending and financing point of view, for me, the idea that they may choose to bypass the existing location of the causeway and instead go through Coney Island and potentially Ferry Reach, that's quite surprising. And almost certainly, something that would not be appreciated by the owners of Swizzle Inn, Bailey's Ice Cream Parlour, and Blue Hole Shell gas station.

About the Lindo's TV commercials

2010-02-16T23:00:00.003-04:00

You know, Lindo's supermarket in Bermuda have gotten a fairly good reputation for witty and clever TV commercials over the years (by local standards, of course).

However, for some reason the producers continue to have the microphones for the actors in the most obvious and visible places ever. Such as these two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNBoZTcRzIM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMmljPxUhHM

Surely they could hide them to give them a bit of a realistic appearance?

There's also one not yet online where there's not only the obvious mic attached to the collars of the actors, but if you look at one guy's shades you can see the reflection of the video camera operator. Sigh. Pity.

Where I've been

2010-02-07T12:57:00.002-04:00

World events, local issues, politics, community, crime, I've put off (for the most part) in great detail over the past few weeks.

When you become a parent, all other things tend to pale by comparison, at least for the first several days. There are few awe-inspiring moments (and right now I can't think of a single one) that can match watching your son emerge into this world.

He was born a few weeks before due date, so right now we're still in the "wait for him to put on some weight" stage and have to visit the hospital often to see him and get some quality time in as far as interacting and making those bonds with.

It's great though, to be a proud dad.

Drinking in school uniform

2010-01-22T08:32:00.000-04:00

The other day I was a bit perplexed. Was on the ferry heading out from town and at Albouys' Point I saw a bunch of fellas congregated around the benches. It's the norm at that time of day for there to be quite a few. They tend to do the usual; talk, smoke, drink out of paper bags.

Then it was pointed out to me that one of the persons was wearing a school uniform.

In broad daylight.

Even weirder, of all the drinks that this wannabe tough guy was chugging before taking the arm of some young girl and walking off, it was a freakin Blue WKD. To each their own, naturally, but you'd expect the beverage of choice being passed around to be a Heineken or even an Amstel Light.

Back in my day (yes I'm sounding old), the kids who snuck beers or cigarettes, took pains to ensure that nobody could see them when they were drinking or smoking. After all, you could get into serious trouble with both the school *and* your parents if caught (not to mention the law).

Well, now we have a schoolkid in plain view of dozens at Albouy's Point and the Ferry Terminal chugging one back.

Quo Fata Ferunt.

Help Haiti if you can

2010-01-14T19:26:00.005-04:00

I can't add anything to what the major news outlets have already covered, concerning the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti earlier this week.

But imagine.

Estimated 50,000 people dead.

It's nothing short of a tragedy. And we need to try to help as best we can.

As far as I'm concerned, anybody who can browse to this site, surely has the capacity to show and demonstrate compassion and generosity. Please donate if you can, to the Red Cross in your area or other organisations that can provide aid to this impoverished nation.

These are our fellow human beings.

More of the same sad news

2010-01-11T18:58:00.002-04:00

Both our road fatality count and the gun shooting count have increased by one.

It's still January. My last post is already outdated.

And we have to add the reported shooting attempt the other day in Somerset, and the multiple serious traffic collisions recently.

Vexed Bermoothes believes that much of this can be traced to the erosion of the nuclear, two-parent, family. Kids aren't being raised as well as they could be, the influence of community and church is dimished greatly, and the fundamentals of being a productive citizen aren't learned.

I think there's great merit to this line of thought.

Red lights in Bermuda are just a suggestion (VII)

2010-01-11T18:53:00.002-04:00

I haven't been on the bike much lately, but got me another example of the blatant breaking and don't-care attitude of our traffic laws - bike, 141 AJ, not only goes through the red on Burnaby to merge into Front Street traffic, but then proceeds to overtake cars on the inside.

Life goes on, I guess.

A LttE complaining about a TV commercial's impact

2010-01-06T18:45:00.002-04:00

This is confusing.

According to this Gazette LttE, the letter writer firstly *admits* that they don't pay attention to TV commercials.

So CADA airs a public awareness announcement (it's basically an old 'commercial' that was produced by MTV, with different background song and labelling at the end) about drunk driving and it successfully served the purpose of catching his attention, and now he's complaining about the 'shock value'?

What the hell?

We need a little shock factor in our system, since our society is so damn apathetic to the dangers of driving while drunk. And since the only time most Bermudians are watching the same program is usually the Y&R-evening news-Oprah block, this is the best time to drive home the point to the general population at once.

Shoot, by this one single event and response, CADA has totally trumped everything that the Road Safety Council has. Well done.

Besides, young people aren't going to be traumatized by seeing someone wet their pants. Hell, it may actually stimulate conversation between the kids and their parents! As for a *gasp* thong on the air, there are surely more unpleasant things that come on the air before and afterwards. Substitute the thong shot with the proverbial "plumber's crack" and it's the same effect.

But perhaps he'd be happier if they just put up some happy smiley face telling the island to "just say no" to drinking and driving. Then he and the other 'average joes' can continue to ignore the commercials as usual.

Hit and run on a pedestrian crossing

2010-01-06T17:10:00.001-04:00

Continuing the theme of lawlessness in the New Year, the Gazette reported on a pedestrian getting hit (first reported on ZBM) while *on a crosswalk* while the person who struck her *continued to drive on*.

I hope Mrs. Holder makes a speedy and successful recovery from this incident.

The person who drove the car ought to be dreadfully ashamed of himself for a myriad of reasons, primarily the total disrespect for a fellow human being that he injured.

Disgusting and detestable.

I hope they find him, name him and shame him, and lock him up for a long time.

I have to admire the husband who's shown great compassion and capability to forgive; he's made of far stronger stuff than the average person.

Thieves are SCUM

2010-01-04T19:40:00.002-04:00

Serves me right for riding my bike to the ferry stop at Darrell's Wharf, I suppose. In this current climate, people will be lawless and will seize any opportunity to get something for themselves, regardless of how it negatively affects other people.

After getting off the ferry this evening, turns out someone stole BOTH (selfish twat, couldn't even save one for me) of my mirrors and may have been trying to take more than that.

Now this is the second time my bike's been tampered with (the first time, some scumbag hot-wired it for a joy-ride) but it doesn't lessen the anger at the low-lifes the second time around. On top of that, this incident has the additional effects of:

making me not want to use the bike, instead getting a car and add to the traffic and parking issues
turning me off from using public transport, because the parking bays of course have no security

Anyway, I have no sympathy for thieves and think they all deserve locking up. They disgust me.

Not off to a good start to the year, Bermuda

2010-01-04T17:10:00.000-04:00

One road death, and one murder by gunfire.

Bermuda has work to do.

Bring on 2010

2009-12-31T19:30:00.002-04:00

The only sure thing that's going to happen in 2010 is that it will prove to be a challenging one for Bermudians, and for that matter, many others all over the world.

The year's ended pretty much the same way as 2008 did - concerns about crime and gun activity dominate the mindsets of many, our road deaths and serious injuries haven't diminished, most people are distrustful of politics and politicians and the worries about the future of International Business and tourism on the island - which affect the livelihood of all residents - are still present and are even greater than before.

Over the course of the past week, two of my friends have had parents pass away. The issues going on in the world and even locally can pale in comparison to these most personal of moments, as it should be when it comes to friends and family. I hope Bermuda, and the world at large in their own individual communities, doesn't lose its sense of empathy and understanding.

Times are tough and we need to be able to support each other.

Recycling

2009-12-31T13:00:00.000-04:00

I was surprised to find out that a poll indicated a large majority of residents were in favour of mandatory recycling.

Considering how callous many residents are with their trash, recyclable or not, in how they dispose of it when in town, on the road or at the beach or sporting events, and that you're always going to see discarded bottles at bus stops or just in the bushes, it's surprising news.

The question is now, are the steps in place to encourage and actually get residents to dispose of recyclables (as well as regular litter) correctly? There have been steps taken towards this in 2009, I see more bins designated for recyclables next to trash bins in town and other places, and I suppose KBB have other ideas and initiatives that they'd like to implement.

People can be disgusting

2009-12-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

See this photo? I could not get too close because of the smell, but the photo is of a couple of plastic bags that contain what appears to be horse crap. The volume is too large to be from any creature besides livestock.

Someone scooped up or shoveled up a big pile of crap into some old plastic bags, and then tossed them into the bus shelter on and in front of the bench.

I'm not an expert on the best way to dispose of animal waste - there was bush behind the shelter and a trash bin just to the right of the photo - but there's something inhuman and disgusting about dumping this crap right here.

Somebody thought it was the right thing to do. This is what we have to deal with. How sickening is this?

Peeling the bus stop poles

2009-12-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

This picture depicts the reflective coating that was glued over a bus stop pole. As you can see, it's peeled off and is only attached by a couple of screws in the pole itself.

According to the W&E Minister lawless people are responsible for stealing the reflective material.

Yet this one hasn't been stolen. And it's in a central location.

Perhaps if Government didn't waste money on such a substandard application we wouldn't have peeled-away plastic hanging off our poles?

Yep, the Minister's statement appears to be a classic case of blaming somebody else (but me) and passing the proverbial buck.

More on Rise Above

2009-12-24T23:34:00.002-04:00

As follow-up to the post about the community group formed to address some of the critical issues in Bermuda, they've launched a website. Check it out.

Be safe on the roads

2009-12-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

With the gun crime situation being deservedly the most critical endeavor that the Police are going to focus on during the next couple of weeks, my wife remarked that there hasn't been as much talk about the increased potential for road collisions during this time of year, particularly as pertains to drinking and driving.

Hopefully, people will be more responsible - if you're staggering out of the bar, find a taxi or find a friend.

Bowling and volleyball

2009-12-23T09:00:00.003-04:00

Update on my "Days Since" chart to the right...

Over 140 days since I played volleyball. Sigh.

And over 495 days since I went bowling. Pathetic, huh.

I only got some time to play Final Fantasy XII because I was home sick all last week. Got my behind out of the Great Crystal and am preparing to hunt the Behemoth King... check back with me come February, I suppose...

Anyway, talk about depressing, folks. Hopefully if I'm inspired enough I'll try to at least get back into volleyball in time for the King of the Beach circuit. Meanwhile, anybody wanna go bowling before the New Year? Anyone? Bueller?

The Road Safety Council's website

2009-12-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

In follow up to the commentary of praise in an earlier post on this group, I have to ask the anonymous poster how they would rate the efforts to promote the discussion on their Facebook and blog site.

Personally, I think the TV ad spots aren't too bad - the "drinking is our culture" one and their advisory on the "new youth licence" are informative and useful. However, it appears that the public pretty much zooms past them like a V50 through rush hour traffic.

Nobody so far has "gotten real" nor "joined the discussion", unfortunately. I'd suggest the following, one or some of which may have been already contemplated by the group:

[1] get the radio DJs and TV talk show heads to discuss things, stimulating some two-way conversation.
[2] forget the 30-second clips currently on the air, get the required 3 minute commercial time and air (damn the censors) the well-known clip of the British girls text-messaging in their car and then crashing. Get graphic, get the people talking.
[3] call a press conference or something similar, invite the Minister of Transport and in no uncertain terms call upon changes in the Police applying the rules of the road and in the legislation being adjusted or enhanced to take note of the seriousness of infractions.

Professional courtesies

2009-12-22T20:00:00.002-04:00

When you've already been waiting 8 months for your wedding photos to be produced, and have already dealt with various email and phone messages advising us that things are 'going to be complete soon', what can you do short of lambasting with the curse words?

I mean, I'm a patient person, to a fault. Perhaps that gave our photographer the green light to beat around the bush on us, however, how unprofessional is it to not give us the honest answers and or results that we would like to have?

Our wedding day was in April. It is late December and we do not have our wedding photo album. It's ridiculous. If this is more of the 'Buy Bermuda' mantra, then we'll be contracting such a service to an overseas person in the future (screw the work permit argument).

The kids want peace

2009-12-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the long gap - it's not been a great December, and I also think that applies to Bermuda as a whole, as most of the news has had to deal with gun crime and murder. I think many overseas readers would be stunned to believe that there is gun violence in this little country, but the truth is here.

I was encouraged by this montage from local primary schools a few Saturdays ago where the children drew pictures depicting their thoughts on violence or peace. They were very creative in their drawings and some of them really showed the reality of the situations at hand, such as broken families. The kids seem to get it, and that should be encouraging.

Question is, once these kids get a bit older, how do we maintain the focus and desire to live a clean and healthy lifestyle, and allow them to reject a lifestyle where they're committing serious crimes against each other?

There's a group called "We Will Rise Above, Bermuda" that formed recently, with a series of action plans to try to tackle the problem at the grassroots/community level. I think it shows real initiative. People are tired of relying on the Government to come up with answers, and may also be frustrated with the Police for not being able to apprehend everybody at fault (then again, there's an issue with people not being willing to report incidents... another story).

I think it has the potential to bring hope to the community and a way to cutting off some of the problems at their roots. That said, we still need to take care of the bad issues that are already malignant in our society.

Fix the traffic lights at Albouy's Point

2009-11-23T20:14:00.001-04:00

Bad enough that drivers constantly run through red light there, now the pedestrian lights aren't functioning - the one at the exit of Point Pleasant is permanently red, while the one on Front Street does not change even if someone's pressed the button.

It's problematic as pedestrians are assuming that the pedestrian light is about to change in the regular rotation once the light at Parlaville has turned red, only to be surprised when Front Street traffic has been given the go-ahead.

Does Corporation of Hamilton have an email addy?
[Mobile]

Cutting back on public transport

2009-11-21T21:57:00.002-04:00

In the wake of Government's announcement of the cancellation of the St. George's to Hamilton daily ferry service, as well as this recent article about the reduction of the #6 bus route for St. George's to St. David's, I have to wonder what exactly Government sees its public transportation role as.

Considering that Government promised to make public transportation free for all in their election manifesto, and indeed followed up with enabling schoolchildren to ride buses for free, it should be clear that they're treating the bus and ferry services as services to the community at large - taxpayer dollars rightfully going to what can be considered an essential service to the population.

However the claim that they're cutting routes because they don't get enough passengers or that there are financial constraints at play doesn't make sense.

Make up your mind. Don't short-change your customers, particularly those in St. David's. The Government should be pushing hard to encourage people to leave their cars at home, thus reducing congestion, noise pollution, exhaust fumes, while making the streets safer at the same time. However you have to provide the means, and that includes having consistently running buses and ferries, adequate parking at the ferry stops, sheltered bus stops (and include sidewalks/pedestrian crossings in the vicinity), to encourage the populace to do so.

Public transport isn't likely to be a profitable industry here, so don't try to make it as such. The value of a good public transportation can be measured in other ways than dollars earned or spent.

Road improvements for safety

2009-11-18T18:32:00.002-04:00

I chuckled when I heard Minister Burgess speak on the TV news last night about people 'stealing' the pink and blue coatings from the bus stop poles.

"A bus shelter maintenance programme is underway, but the Minister also had to report on a disturbing trend of thieves stealing bright pink and blue coverings from bus stop poles.

"We deplore the kind of anti-social conduct that leads to removal of the coverings and call upon the public to speak with one voice against it," he said."

He conveniently omitted the fact that the coatings were put up in such a shoddy fashion that as soon as summer approached, the coatings were peeling off in the first place, making it very easy for somebody to pick away at the remnants. Maybe if they had gotten it done right in the first place,... ah who am I kidding.

It's the same with all the road works. We get shoddy 'improvements' done where they just patch up the road, a rain shower comes, some big trucks roll over the ground and it's torn up all over again. Just do it right the first time, and it'll save money over the long term.

Then there's this piece about pedestrian crossings:

"Mr. Burgess said other planned road safety improvements included installing flashing amber beacons at pedestrian crossings"

How about getting the regular street lamps in working operation instead of them flickering off and major roads being encased in darkness?

I suppose the installing of flashing lights at pedestrian crossings isn't a bad idea, but it's no guarantee to be a success what with our drivers' tendency to roll as soon as the person is out of their line of vision. What if the person had dropped their purse and turned around to pick it up? But that's a beef I have with drivers, not the powers that be. I've noticed that some signs indicating a pedestrian crossing is nearby, aren't around anymore - such as Reid Street where it intersects with Queen. I'm still of the opinion that a better way to ensure pedestrian safety is to raise the crossings, forcing drivers to slow down - and if anyone wants to make it into a ramp, good luck.

Of course, in an effort to be less doom-and-gloom, the promises to resurface East Broadway near the Crow Lane junctions are a good thing and enabling wheelchair access to some of our beaches is a good start to making the island more accessible to all of our residents and visitors. A lot needs to be done, particularly in the City, and it should be a priority of our Government to implement.

Too many guns, and too much lawlessness

2009-11-16T20:01:00.002-04:00

One of the worst parts of these incidents of course, is that everybody is expecting the Police to solve everything. While there are legitimate issues one may take with their actions and policies, the fact is that we have people's sons, brothers, cousins and boyfriends (and occasionally daughters and sisters, too) committing terrible acts and we're unwilling to talk with them directly.

How not to run a local television station

2009-11-16T19:55:00.002-04:00

The fact that nobody at Bermuda Broadcasting was monitoring their signal from (possibly even before) noon to 5pm on Sunday, giving us some static image for the entire duration (and thus, not broadcasting CBS's NFL coverage), and or not bother to check in and flick their damn switch (or whatever it is they use to get the network feed), proves without a doubt that the powers that be at Bermuda Broadcasting simply can't be bothered.

They just killed every ounce of goodwill they gained with their new "Let's Talk" show. Just give up the ghost already, either shut down or let someone with the will and aptitude to run the company take over. Stick to radio. Yeah, it sucks for those who are unable or unwilling to get a subscription TV package, but enough is enough.

I hate Bermuda's drivers, 2009 version

2009-11-12T09:25:00.002-04:00

So this morning we had a monsoon strike the island. Seriously, it poured, constant and relentless. And we were forced to ride the bike in because of an appointment outside of town.

What is a major irritant, is the fact that most Bermudian drivers when it rains, don't bother to slow down when pedestrians or motorbike riders are approaching. I mean, it's bad enough that they're vulnerable to getting soaked as it is, but then they take a huge splash from a driver going along the road.

I got heavily splashed no less than 8 times between Paget traffic lights and Berry Hill Road by cars that refused to at least slow their ass down, even when I honked my horn and flashed my lights. We have a lot of insensitive drivers, and I suppose we've had them for a while. I just wish that I could dump a couple of gallons of dirty water on them so that they could know first-hand what it feels like.

Briefly on the Alliance

2009-11-12T08:34:00.000-04:00

As our good friends at Catch A Fire pointed out, I hadn't said anything about the new party launch for the Bermuda Democratic Alliance so far.

I think I share most of the sentiments expressed in the posts at Bermuda Longtail and Bermuda Fables. The fact that this party (I can now say 'party' instead of 'movement', I suppose, thank goodness) is new, professes to be different, makes it an attractive option to many who are fed up with the current political landscape, so by default possesses a sizable support base. Can they build on that and attract people who traditionally lean PLP?

Their method of attracting interest is a novel one to Bermuda and there's a discussion on Bermuda Jewel that appears to dig through the merits of their 'open forum' method of developing policies and agenda items.

One thing, and the Triangle's Tip blog touches on this, is what exactly is the alliance made of? When I think 'alliance' I tend to think of groups coming from different places joining up in a common cause. What we're seeing is a group of people who have left the UBP, joined up with... each other. The public faces are all former UBP members. They claim to have former PLP members in their fold that are 'waiting in the wings', but that just doesn't make sense to me to have them not out front, to prove that they are truly not an offshoot of one particular party.

And as far as the posts concerning the acquisition of the bda.bm domain not going to the new party, perhaps if the party had gotten themselves organised months ago, maybe they would have had a decent leg up on getting the domain name in the first place. But at least everyone agrees that the process of getting a domain name with .bm is very antiquated and outdated.

Fun with ferries

2009-11-10T12:06:00.002-04:00

It's bad enough that the Dept. of Marine and Ports announced that the St. George's to Hamilton ferry service was being cut (and thus now provoking a petition from St. George's residents) but we had a very unfortunate situation yesterday where hundreds of passengers were forced to queue up for ferries headed to Dockyard as a cruise ship was berthed there but without sufficient numbers of transportation vehicles to get these visitors out and about (and potentially, of course, contributing to our economy).

Seems like a recipe for frustration and disappointment among visitors and resident commuters alike.

Perhaps the Minister of Transport is working on ways of remedying the situation as I speak, though.

Call the Stats guy to explain the education results

2009-11-06T16:52:00.000-04:00

It's good to have the Bda Longtail Blog back, and the author has just summarized the confusing stats from our secondary school students in the two posts here and here.

Our public secondary school students are achieving miserable GCSE pass rates under 50%, yet the percentage of graduating students is 97% and 99%?

You know what I would infer from this?

That the latter two figures are based on the amount of students enrolled in the school right up until the end, *not* the amount of students who started the year.

So it must be completely misleading to believe the 97% and 99% figures, unless the standards for graduation are so low that all you need to do is show up to take a GCSE exam.

And even if you allow for 'graduating' students to get the extra boosts by taking the 'free' Bermuda College courses, they're still completely disadvantaged when compared to their peers from other countries.

Obama-like movements and moments

2009-11-05T18:14:00.001-04:00

I'm sure we're not alone in the world in this, but many Bermudians, from all sides of the political spectrum are fond of using the last name of the current U.S. President as some kind of synonym for unity and cohesiveness.

It's played out to the point of exhaustion and madness.

So stop it, people. Can we ban the phrase "Obama-movement" with regards to politics, especially now that we've since learned that all isn't so peachy with the U.S. after their great watershed moment of their election result happened and trying to run the country has turned out to make half the country angry and fed up?

Enough is enough, and that goes for all our local politicians. Shoot, I liked them better when they were on that whole stupid "testicular fortitude" bollocks. No pun intended, of course.