125+ web files in a constantly
updated compendium on Bermuda's business, culture, cuisine, customs, districts,
economy, education, food, geography, government, history, internet access, laws,
parishes, politics, religions, traditions, wildlife etc. For tourists, business
visitors, employers, employees, newcomers, researchers, retirees, scholars.
Funded by and linked to The Royal
Gazette, Bermuda's only daily newspaper.
By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online
To add your comments to this Guest Book, quote "bermuda-online.org/email.htm" as your Subject.
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Your comments on what you have read in any of the 125+ web files of Bermuda Online will be welcomed and published. Your feedback is important. We update our information from it, publish it below with the flag of your country (where you live, not where you are nationals, if different), appreciate your comments and show your e-mail by date of receipt. Send comments in plain text please, no html, no attachments - with subject "Bermuda Online Guestbook" - to this author at kaforbes@ibl.bm. |
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The methodology is not instant e-mail, it will take a few days to show because we eliminate junk or nuisance messages and spammers, ensure the messages are genuine and also take care to avoid racial or libelous or slanderous attacks. The hotel or property at where you stay in Bermuda on your vacation or business trip will be shown by name gladly IF it reciprocates the hyperlink in the "Accommodation in Bermuda" files. Also see our separate US Military Personnel in Bermuda file with their comments on life in Bermuda when stationed at the former US Bases here. |
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Comments for this Guest Book
Your
website about Bermuda
Online has been a wonderful discovery for us. We have linked your
site to ours and want to be sure we have complied with any requirements you have
for such. We have three photos on our site of unknown origin, showing an
abandoned RR station in Bermuda. We would like a comment from someone
familiar with that station to tell us its location and continued existence.
We do not have a date for the photos. Since there is a request on your site for
no attachments with emails, we would like to refer you to the website, listed
below and ask that you go midway down the body of text to find the word Photos
for the link. Thank you for any help you may offer. Mary M. Lehr, 1944 Marsh
Oak Lane, Seabrook Island SC 29455, President, Charleston
Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, www.BestFriendofCharleston.org,
April 18, 2008.
Dear
Bermuda
Online. I'm writing from a BBC TV series in the UK called Who Do You
Think You Are?, which traces celebrities' family trees. I'm currently
researching a tree which includes a British Army surgeon who was Principle
Medical Officer to the army in Bermuda in the 1880s. I want to find out whether
he left any trace in Bermuda, although he can only have been there for at most 5
years. But I believe there was a dengue fever epidemic in 1882 which might have
made him more important - or you never know, he might have built a particularly
impressive house! I wanted to run this past you in case you had heard of him, or
could recommend other people/institutions who might have. I've had a look
through your 'British Army
in Bermuda' file. Here's some more information about him: John Ogilvy, born
Aberdeen, Scotland 1831, died Frimley, Sussex, England 1899. Entered the army in
1853 as assistant surgeon, retired before 1885 with the honorary rank of Surgeon
General. Listed in the Army List as Principal Medical Officer to Bermuda, 1882.
Published 'An Account of Bermuda, Past and Present' 1883. I would be very
interested to hear if you have any leads for me, or any further suggestions as
to where else I should go in Bermuda with this question. Jo Foster,
Researcher * BBC1 Who Do You Think You Are? Tel: + 44 20 7241 9322 * Fax: + 44
20 7267 5292, England, 27 March 2008.
I
really admire what you write in your
Bermuda
Online about your island and its media
and am so sorry to hear your legislators are so constantly hostile to your
independent daily newspaper The Royal
Gazette in its search
for news. Even in Britain - not exactly any bastion of democracy despite what it
claims to the contrary - politicians treat the media with respect, not
hostility. Here in the USA, such hostility would be quickly dealt with, by
enforceable laws to prevent that injustice to journalists and their newspapers or other
media. Even when we don't agree with what a newspaper or magazine writes, we
treat it with respect, not hostility. I understand Canada does the same, to be
expected. Your
government needs to be sharply reminded that it owes its bread, butter and jam
to the goodwill of the tourists who visit your shores and the corporations from
the USA, Canada and Britain who have used Bermuda for their corporate
inversions. This is a warning to your politicians, to be circumspect and
civilized to your media from now on
or risk losing the goose that lays your golden eggs. In the jurisdictions
actively competing with Bermuda such as the Cayman Islands, BVI, USVI,
Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Channel Islands etc. governments respect human rights and press freedom laws, have more
class and exhibit no such crassness and frankly such blatantly racial unpleasantness.
If Bermuda is to be seen as a civilized and internationally accepted
international tourism and business center it has to abide by internationally
accepted laws governing codes of conduct to the free press by all including
legislators. David
F. Jones, Maiden Lane, Manhattan, New York, USA, March 18, 2008
Your
Bermuda
Online
website is very well done and I find it very useful. Thank you for your
efforts. I regularly visit Bermuda and will be there again this June,
arriving on a yacht participating in Newport Bermuda Race. It will be my
sixth Bermuda Race. I have been studying the history of Bermuda during The
Second World War the last few years for a novel I'm writing, it will be my
first. I'm looking for some local knowledge to help me get the facts right.
Could you help me find a local historian or a person with good knowledge of
those times, who could help me answer a few details and general questions, in
order to help me more accurately understand those times and events.
I would like to start an email dialog with them and hopefully talk with them in
person when I arrive in June. I have made numerous attempts to contact others in
Bermuda who I hoped would connect me with an eager local historian but all but
one of my emails have gone unanswered over the last five months. I'm very
concerned about getting Bermuda's history accurate for my novel. I
continue to be impressed with the vast effort and sacrifices Bermudians
contributed during the war, as I dive into the details of this part of your
Island's history. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Dwight
Jennings, Marblehead, MA, March 13, 2008
I
was most interested in your Bermuda
Online comment that Bermuda is one of
the nine smallest places in the world, in total land area. 21 square miles
or 53 square kilometers, compared to the USA's 9.629 million square kilometers.
Thanks also for giving, as your source, the Wikipedia reference of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_total_area.
I was not sure whether to laugh or weep at your dry comment that on the basis of
departure tax per square mileage of Bermuda, the cost of the Bermuda departure
tax is now $1.66 per square mile. Calculated on the same basis, what do you
suppose would be the reaction of visitors to the USA and citizens each having to
pay $6.359 million dollars in departure taxes? There would be no more visitors
or citizens vacationing beyond our shores. We'd have another revolution!
Winifred
Rogers, America Street, Providence RI 02903, USA, March 1, 2008
I read with
great interest on your superb Bermuda
Online site and in your Bermuda's Links
with Great Britain how you are expecting a delegation of British Members of
Parliament in March. Also, you reported on the recent Bermuda Government
Budget proposals. Perhaps not in all respects but certainly so in one
major respect, the British MPs should take some lessons from Bermuda in basic
integrity and democracy. I gather your House of Assembly will be debating its
2008-2009 Budget very shortly, over a week or two, which I'm told includes a continuing
grant in a bigger amount for the local branch of Age Concern. In complete
contrast, the Highland Council, our regional Scottish authority covering an area
of well over 4,000 square miles, gave only six days notice of its intentions, to
Highland Councillors only, not the general public. It then cut out completely
its £98,000 (BD$196,000) budget to Age Concern Scotland and rushed all its
budget into one day. Bermuda is generous in Age Concern grants to its senior
citizens compared to the nastiness and lack of democracy, only arrogant,
outrageous and unfair autocracy, of the Highland Council. Please help spread
word of this around. Well done, Bermuda! I hope this truly shames those British MPs
visiting Bermuda including Scots Sir Ming Campbell, MP of Edinburgh. Bertram Forbes,
Inverness, Scotland, February 22, 2008.
I
am writing to thank you for a wonderful Bermuda
Online collection of information on the history, people and beauty
of the island of Bermuda. On each of my four visits so far to your country I
have never failed to find and enjoy some new adventure. St
George's is my favorite destination (Hi, E Michael Jones), but the other
villages are quickly catching my favor as well. I plan on visiting again this
year, maybe twice. Daryl Brown, Old Town, ME 04428, USA, January 29, 2008
I
write to congratulate you on your unique set of Bermuda
Online files on the three American,
three British (Army, Navy
and graveyards) and
Canadian military personnel or units once based in Bermuda. In posting
them you uniquely show aspects of local history and military and social life, of
much interest and value to those once stationed at the former Bermuda military
bases and the friends or family who visited them (as we did). Your files and the memories
and people they invoke give us many reasons to go back to Bermuda on vacation, either
regularly or periodically. Sincerely, Robert A. Blake and family, Providence,
Rhode Island, USA 02903, January 26, 2008.
A
North London resident, I read with great interest in the prominent Daily
Telegraph by columnist Nick Trend an October 20, 2007 article on why travelers
who are already taxed simply for flying out of a British airport have to face
more taxes when they return home. Even £290 (Editor's note, the British
Government's Customs duty-free allowance from 1 January 2008 for residents
returning from North America) won't buy much. Then I read with some horror in
your excellent Bermuda
Online how
Bermuda's Customs duty-free allowance for returning residents is only US$100
(£50) and how so rigorously this is applied in Bermuda that there are customs
duty payment machines at your airport. In case you did not already know this,
there are an increasing number of organizations now world-wide rating tourist
destinations on the quality of their governments based on two things, their
customs duty exemptions for returning residents and the cost to motorists of
petrol at the pumps. Sorry, Bermuda, but you get a failing mark to tourists for
being so mean to your residents. Jonathan Snaith, Palmer's Green, London,
England, January 9, 2008.
Just
wanted to thank you for your website on Bermuda
Online
and the former NAS bases.
I was stationed there for 4 very formative years - married and had a
child there. I lived on the base for 2 years and off base for 2 years – lived
on
It
recently was brought to my attention that in your Bermuda
History Part 1 the Susan Constant, one of the three ships that
transported English colonists to Virginia in 1607 is spelled as Susan B.
Constant. This should be with no middle initial. Also, I noticed that
Jamestown is described as the "second permanent English settlement in the
New World." As the chronology mentions, there was an attempt in the
1580s to establish an English settlement in Virginia, but Jamestown, founded in
May 1607, is considered the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
The Popham colony in Maine was planted later in 1607 and was abandoned in 1608. Debby
Padgett, Media Relations Manager, Marketing and Retail Operations,
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, P.O. Box 1607, Williamsburg, VA 23187.
November 16, 2007
Editor's note: Corrected, with
thanks.
I
only recently became aware of your excellent and very thorough Bermuda
Online
website.
I had been seeking a resource that would provide information on what might have
happened to Ft. Bell. Your site on US
Bases in Bermuda provided an extremely complete answer. In 1943 a
street at what was originally Ft. Bell was named for my father, Brig. Gen.
Kenneth N. Walker, and I was curious to learn if any of the original streets
still survived. I realize that’s very unlikely as the airport now occupies
much of that area. In any event, I’ll ask you the question: do any of
Ft. Bell’s infrastructure and/or its streets survive to this day?
Douglas P. Walker, P. O. Box CT 1655, New Canaan, CT, USA, November 12, 2007
Editor's note: Mr. Walker was referred to the Government-owned Bermuda Land Development Corporation, under the jurisdiction of which of all the land once held by the US Military bases in Bermuda is administered.
Your
Bermuda
Online pages generally and golf
page particularly, especially with your history of the sport, have
proved very popular with US golfers. Some of us, who in the past have always
gone to Hawaii to combine it with an exotic vacation, are traveling down to
Bermuda for a few days to see the PGA Grand Slam. We assume that for this event
at least that part of Bermuda, the most magnificent part according to insiders,
the South Shore coastline of Tucker's Town normally closed to all visitors and
residents who don't live in that gated area, will be open to all golfing
visitors as part of the hospitality of your government and Mid Ocean Club. Many
of us want to enjoy the beaches and coastal views from there, in addition to
watching the Grand Slam. Adrian D. Childs, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,
October 14, 2007
Many of us
in the financial arena with offices here in New York, plus London, Paris and
beyond were saddened to read the news reports in our financial newspapers and in
your Royal Gazette newspaper of
what is now happening in Bermuda. Yes, many senior executives are so
concerned about Bermuda's current political climate and work permit problems we
are not just reviewing but planning our Island exit strategies. It is not pre-election
"scaremongering" but a fact. We can relocate off Bermuda as quickly as
we came aboard. Yes, we cite political turmoil and difficulties caused by
work permit time limits and delays in getting applications processed. Also, the
racial attitude of your government is dreadful. A new law to fine companies up
to $50,000 if they block the progress of black Bermudians in the workplace is
racial prejudice with a vengeance, planned by racists. If that Workforce Equity
Act 2007 is legislated to give your Government powers to review and copy corporate
records to investigate compliance, it will be the last straw. Bermuda already imposes
restrictions and controls on our operations, our non-local imported staff, that no other
international business center in the world does. The nasty catalog of concerns
affecting every employee who is not Bermudian not only applies to work permits and
their six-year maximum validity but potentially being denied the use of a
personal automobile; not being able to buy a home at
all; being charged grossly profiteering rents for offices and places to live; being denied citizenship at all unless
non-nationals marry a Bermudian and then only
after 10 years; and their children, if born there, not being citizens unless a
parent is. None of these restrictions apply in the democratic countries. With its horrific costs and
expenses compared to other jurisdictions on our offices and petty
anti-democratic bureaucracy for imported employees on our payroll, Bermuda is no longer nearly as
attractive for corporate inversions as it once was and we are actively seeking
to go elsewhere. A pity, but necessary unless changes of policy, racist
attitudes and petty restrictions are reversed and fast. It is a sad but true business fact of
life, Bermuda is now rapidly becoming an unacceptable domicile of
fast-diminishing returns. It needs far more than a change in government, it
needs a wholesale change of attitude. Bermuda needs all of us who are
internationals far more than we need Bermuda. Charles M.
Taylor, Maiden Lane, New York, September 27, 2007
In
your Bermuda
Online and its well-used Guest
Book, I agree with Mr. Lewis 100% re fine dining on cruise ships as the
single most important reason for going on a cruise ship that merely crawls at
about 23 miles an hour en route to Bermuda. There is no substitute for being
able to go right into a local port where the stores and services are and other
facilities and services are easy commutes. I also agree about Invergordon, in
the UK. Only complete fools would pay US$100 a bottle for premium Scotch that in
Nassau costs less than a third of that as we found out in a trip my husband and
I took to Europe and Scotland including Invergordon last year. With the bus
journey passengers have to take from that miserable 1950s excuse for a port to
get anywhere, it was no surprise so many passengers stayed on board and had good
lunches and dinners for free. Also, trying to rent an automobile there and
paying $2 a liter for gasoline was a real rip-off in a country that is an oil
producer! I would add other things re Bermuda, namely the importance of
duty-free shopping of the type cruise ship passengers can easily get in ports
such as Nassau, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, etc. It would be a huge plus to Bermuda
to have duty-free shopping there. Bermuda, when you make yourself more
accessible to passengers in port services in Hamilton or St. George, shorter
distances for passengers to take less-crowded buses, automobiles for rent and
duty-free shopping, you'll have word-class facilities for cruise passengers. Christine
M. Taylor, Buffalo, New York, September 15, 2007
I
refer to your Cruise Ships
in Bermuda files. Nice piece in your superb Bermuda
Online, the bible of
Bermuda surely! I write on behalf of a large group of like-minded potential
and past cruise ship visitors to Bermuda. We want to be able to dock in Hamilton
or St. George's (winds permitting) as before. It was one of the major
attractions of your very nice city and attractive historic small town to
compensate for Bermuda's high taxes included in cruise ship prices - already
believed to be the highest in the world by far - to be able to stroll off the
ship moored so conveniently close to the sights of Bermuda and walk just a few
hundred yards into stores and sightseeing attractions near and regional, then unhurriedly
make our way easily back to the ship for our breakfasts, lunches and
nice dinners, all paid for in the cost of our cruises. With these incentives
Bermuda had terrific advantages. We don't appreciate, don't want and won't go on
cruises which will no longer go to those ports but to the Dockyard many miles
and at least an hour away each way, journeys which will not enable us to eat
leisurely eat our meals on board at times to suit us and during which we can
plan our trips in comfort but instead make us put up with a standard of Bermuda cuisine probably
not so high and certainly far more expensive, due to long journeys on crowded
buses or expensive taxis or unsafe mopeds or relatively infrequent ferry
boats. Being served elegant meals on board is a key part of the whole cruise ship
experience! We don't accept the rationale that all cruise ships these days are
too big to dock in Hamilton or St. George. Other cruise lines seem to have no
difficulty in obtaining vessels that (a) go alongside cities or towns in the
Caribbean, Central and South America and (b) charge far less than cruises to
Bermuda. If this massive new costly inconvenience in Bermuda is part of the
"contract-ship" deal the Bermuda Government has with major cruise
lines favoring Bermuda then we need to tell the latter and Bermuda we'll go
elsewhere. Bermuda Government Tourism - put Hamilton and St. George back on your
cruise ship ports of call, please, and keep our business, or face the loss of
your cruise ship business through greed. Have more respect for and appreciation
of cruise passengers. Don't turn unique Bermuda into another unnecessarily
expensive and inconvenient Invergordon, Scotland. Charles S. Lewis, Back Bay,
Boston, MA USA, September 7, 2007
You have a great Bermuda
Online site and I visit it often, also to check former
American military stationed in Bermuda. I was stationed with the 1934th
Communications Squadron in
We
are pleased to introduce "Bermuda’s Own", the first and only
magazine highlighting Bermuda’s own and young leading lights, including
those who have had impact on Bermudian lives as well. This is not the average
magazine, our goal is for Bermuda to collect and refer to our magazines as
Bermuda’s Encyclopedia of the young talented and prominent, and most of all,
support and nurture our own. However, due to the fact that many Bermudians
feel, our history should be taught in schools. We take the first step, by
making such substantial resourceful information reachable of our young people
by creating it in a magazine that is strictly school-based. Which the intended
launch date will be this September 2007.This is where we ask permission in
utilizing your information (maybe slight revising??) from your Bermuda online
page. Of course stating credit where deserved. We ask you, because resources
seem to be very limited and we want our young people to know and have easy
access to useful correct researched information. As well as knowing their
history and knowing how to answer when being asked about their...our Bermuda. Christie-Lee
Weeks,
Bermuda, July 26, 2007.
I
am in the process of creating a website to market the Banana Dolls which I make.
In the process of researching local websites I came across your Bermuda
Online.
I must tell you I was extremely impressed by the vast, up to date and
accurate facts about Bermuda in it. I will have a page on my website called
'About Bermuda' and have decided to put a link to your website on
there. I will let you know when this takes place. While browsing the site I
found to my delight a reference to my doll-making. I hope you do not
mind if I let you know that my name is spelled incorrectly. I spell it the
old-fashioned way, i.e. DEIRDRE FURTADO. (As you know if the spelling
is incorrect you loose search engines picking you up, Horrors!). Thank you and
do keep up this great site. Deirdre Furtado, Hamilton, Bermuda, July 18,
2007.
Editor's note. Replied stating Bermuda Online will be glad to reciprocate the website link.
In
your Bermuda
Online
you were nice enough to link
the perfect vacation spot for my son and I. We just recently returned
from our stay at Munro Beach Cottages and you could not have been more spot on
so we would first of all wish to thank you for that. It is a lovely spot
and I believe one of few resorts where you can enjoy the stunning beauty of the
island without feeling like you are in a large hotel setting. Perfect!!
Unfortunately I'm told the property was sold the day after we left so we can
only hope the new owners will continue with the same unique charm, but we shall
see. The other reason I'm contacting you again is because I was stung by a
Portuguese Man of War. It actually wrapped it's tentacles around my ankle
and I now have a scar that looks like an ankle bracelet : ) I actually was
looking for a shirt that says "I survived the Portuguese Man of War"
ha . . ha. . . but my question is that I'm not sure of the nature of this sting.
I was stung two weeks ago this Friday and the pain subsided over the course of
the day and I felt completely fine the next day. The only remnants were
the scar. At the time I put vinegar on the sting and I was told to swipe
it with a credit card to get the tentacles out which I did. I did not see
any tentacles come out, but they said you will not always see them. So
last night the site of the sting was itchy and I scratched it which caused the
area to become raised and swollen right around the sting. Is this normal?
I'm thinking maybe some tentacles are still in there. I resist going to a
doctor here in the US because they are just not used to seeing this sort of
thing and I'm not sure they could add much care or advice. So what do you think?
Doreen Melillo, Two Gateway Center, 4th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, July
18, 2007
Editor's note: recommended she see a doctor to help avoid any problems.
Thank
you for this valuable service, publishing brief accounts of former
American military who were stationed in Bermuda. It was through this
site I was able to re-connect with my former Sgt at Kindley AFB. I was stationed
at Kindley AFB from June 29, 1967 to June 29, 1969, assigned to the 55th ARRS as
an airborne nav aids repairman. I worked on the C-130H's and the
"base pig" the old WWII C-54 which was always broken and in need of
repair. I was an E-4, married, and lived just outside gate 2 across the
Severn Bridge on Stokes Point Road at Byway Lower. I just visited Bermuda
June 1-4, 2007 for a nostalgic trip. Much has changed but my old Nav Aids shop
building is still there at the base of the cliff upon which the Air traffic
Control tower sits. The island is still very beautiful. Thank you
for this opportunity to re-connect with former buddies. Fred Beyersdorfer,
16202 Kinrush Court, Houston Texas 77095, USA, June 28, 2007
I
have noted with great interest your articles on Senior
Citizens of Bermuda and how
they compare with other countries. Why is it that only in
Editor's comment: I can confirm that Both Age Concern in Bermuda and the Bermuda Council on Ageing were written to about these points. It is worth noting that both organizations show in their mission statements that they are in active partnership with Government to assist the elderly, whereas the UK organizations can operate more independently and act as activists too.
Much
appreciate your Bermuda
Online. Why
is it that Bob Geldof and Bono are so ignorant of economic world affairs? At the G8
leaders conference in Heiligendamm, Bob Geldof called them "creeps"
and denounced their work as a "total farce." "The richest
countries in the world, trillions of dollars swirling around that table, smiling
in that stupid tent chair with the candy stripes. Do me a favour: get serious.
This wasn't serious, this was a farce, a total farce," he said. Bono,
Geldof's fellow rock star and campaigner, accused the leaders of deliberate
"obfuscation" and said the summit's final declaration masked their
failure to reach a consensus on helping Africa. The pair singled out the
Canadian and Italian prime ministers, Stephen Harper and Romano Prodi, for
blocking pledges for more aid. Geldof and Bono and their pathetic ilk should get
real, recognize that the world's richest nations are not the USA or Canada or UK
but Bermuda, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Cayman Islands, etc. When Bermuda goes politically
independent, as many from Bermuda apparently hope, it will surely want to
satisfy the likes of Geldof and Bono and other trouble-causing, carping,
misguided activists. I really resent how those two, purely for their own cheap
personal publicity reasons, have slammed Canada and the G8 in their own ignorance. They should realize how much in aid the G8 countries
already give, despite many global concerns, to the developing world that the world's wealthiest countries in
per capita income and the world's holding-to-ransom principal oil-producing
countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria, etc. do not. Bob Martin, Toronto, Canada, June 9, 2007.
With
your latest file, Bermuda's
Executors, in your unique stable of Bermuda
Online files, you've done yet another a huge service to all not only
in Bermuda but elsewhere too. So many organizations omit this type of
information yet it is often crucial for the elderly to plan properly where their
assets will go. Organizations such as AARP (American Society for Retired People)
and its counterparts in Britain such as Age Concern, Help the Elderly, etc.
could and should do much more in this area. Sincerest congratulations for your
considerable research and information. My only surprise is that you have to be
Bermudian, but I guess I should not be given your island's very small size yet
very large population per capita that necessitates stricter controls on home
ownership. Roderick Jackson, Grand Junction, CO 81506, USA, May 20, 2007
With
the sheer quality as well as quantity of your hugely informative Bermuda
Online, I hope that this wish, echoed I am sure by most visitors from
the USA, will bear fruit. You so rightly point out that over 85% of all
Bermuda's tourists come from the USA and Bermuda is deemed to be in the Western
Hemisphere, with the USA, not Canada or Britain or Europe, its closest neighbor
by a huge margin. Why then does your government not insist on showing the price
of gasoline in gallons, not liters? It confuses all Americans on vacation,
especially those who rent scooters. There seems to be a huge inconsistency in
this, after all every one of your stores show their prices in pounds, not grams,
liters or kilos. None of the locals I've met in Bermuda want anything to do with
the metric system. Nor so we as tourists. John Martino, Rhode Island
02903, USA, May 8, 2007.
I
just returned from a wonderful trip to Bermuda. Your Bermuda
Online information was very helpful in preparation, and I'm
enjoying rereading sections now that I have been there. Perhaps it is a
part of the British Honours category that I missed, but where can I find
about initials and titles which I found used frequently in publications and
newspapers? Examples include JP, MP (which I assume is Member
of Parliament although the legislative branch consists of the House of Assembly
and Senate), OBE, MBE, and several others. Also, what is the ranking
("pecking order" to use a slang expression) and duties for persons
called Sir, Lord, Worshipful, Lady, Dame, and others? Thanks for
your assistance. I'm looking forward to my next visit to Bermuda. Frank
Jonasson, USA, May 1, 2007.
Editor's comment: There is a mention of the initials and titles in "Bermuda Government" at www.bermuda-online.org/bdagovt.htm. Hope it helps.
Thanks
for a great Bermuda
Online site! I just did a web search for "Bermuda
soil" and found your web site on Bermuda's gardens (http://bermuda-online.org/gardens.htm)
and noticed that you describe Bermuda soil as being "limestone in
origin." In fact, the majority of Bermuda's soil is derived from
African dust which has been transported via the atmosphere and accumulated over
long time scales of many 10's of thousands of years, particularly during periods
of widespread glaciation (ice ages). There are minor inputs to the soil from the
local geology and decaying plant matter. Regards, Dr. Andrew J. Peters,
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), Ferry Reach, St. George's GE01,
Bermuda, April 25, 2007
Macmillan
Education are publishing the above new schools book for Bermuda and I have been
trying to obtain hi res images of the following for reproduction inside. I have
tried several contacts at The Royal Gazette but am having difficulties obtaining
even lo res images for selection purposes.
I
wonder if you have any of the following image or any contacts who may have:
1. Any picture showing Bermudan (sic) children (or failing that, adults)
cleaning up a marine environment.
2. Guy Fawkes fireworks display in Bermuda.
3. A house (or houses) in Bermuda decorated with Christmas (i.e. fairy)
lights.
4. Some people carrying out the Bermudan (sic) New Year's Eve custom of
onion dropping.
5. Some Bermudan people voting in an election
6. The interior of Sessions House, the Bermudan (sic) Parliament, showing
some MPs debating.
7. Some people on a nature walk in Bermuda
Ginny Stroud-Lewis, Macmillan Education, UK, 17th April 2007
Editor's
comment: I can help you readily and quickly with anything contained in the 125+
files of Bermuda Online at www.bermuda-online.org,
but not, I regret with your enquiries. I respectfully suggest that for your
new educational schools book on Bermuda you might be best served by getting all
the info you need from Bermuda's Ministry of Education. It would be the central
clearing house for getting all the requested photos from government entities and
consents from other organizations. There is not, and
never has been, any word "Bermudan" (no matter what the Oxford
Dictionary claims incorrectly) - the correct word is Bermudian, like
Canadian, Floridian, Grenadian, etc. There are no Guy Fawkes fireworks in
Bermuda and have not been for 50 years. I'm a Bermudian but have never heard of
onion dropping. (Bermudians are referred to locally as onions). Good luck in your quest, hope the Ministry
of Education can help, it seems the most logical place to help you.
When
visiting Bermuda in March we shopped at Dockside Glass in St. George's and
inadvertently left our credit card and a few other cards behind after we
purchased a rum cake. We spoke with Ann Stewart, the manager, and she
promptly airmailed our cards back to us. I had wanted to alert the Chamber
of Commerce and the Tourism Board about this wonderful, honest citizen but
could not find either site on your web page. So, please pass on the
information to the powers that be that we were very grateful for Ann's honesty.
The world would be a better place if there were more individuals like Ann
Stewart. Linda Chapman, Rupert, Vermont USA, April 17, 2007.
Editor's
comment: Bermuda Online (BOL) is always very glad to
return the courtesy link to organizations that link to BOL.
I
read in your superb Bermuda
Online about
how Zoom Airlines expect to start services between London Gatwick and Bermuda on
8th June. That's good. But it is not good that Zoom says on its
website that "our toll free numbers are
I
read in your excellent Bermuda
Online site and so did my elderly friends originally from Bermuda who
came to live here in Florida, how Bermuda driving licenses are so
restrictive to senior citizens compared to Florida and I gather all other US
states too, plus Britain, Canada and Europe. Please tell your authorities that
they should not prejudice against seniors in the way they do by making them take
a medical after they become 65 to continue their driving licenses, and also
restricting the time of their renewals after the medicals. We are in the
American Society of Retired People believe this attitude of your government is
wrong, should be discontinued, is not an inducement to seniors to visit your
island and if not corrected should form the basis of an AARP report. Helen C.
Armstrong, Miami, Florida, April 5, 2007
Your
Bermuda
Online website is the most detailed and organized site I have seen.
Your updating daily for key topics was a big plus as well. I have physical
limitations with walking, and your information regarding Bermuda and
the handicapped was extremely helpful. Your cross references and subject
names to refer to were absolutely marvelous. We will be first-time visitors to Bermuda, and
traveling also for the first time by cruise, using Royal Caribbean. So
far, we have not chosen a date, but are leaning towards going in May. This was a
gift to us from my husband's parents for all our efforts in helping them, as
well as our dealing with the physical difficulties of my elderly
parents (91 and 95 years old), who now are in a nursing home and receiving
good care that I was no longer capable of doing for them. With a sincere
thank you and best wishes. Jean Baker, USA, March 25, 2007.
I
recently (and happily) discovered your site re former
Kindley personnel. My family was stationed there. An article about us
appeared in the Royal Gazette around the last week of May 1961. Following is
information re my father’s assignment in
I've
noted with some dismay from reports in The
Royal Gazette how many thefts have occured from hotels and other guest units
in Bermuda in recent months and how the Bermuda Police won't identify them.
In contrast, here in the USA, in all States, the State Police must reveal such
details of who, what and where the premises and locations are and I believe the
Mounties in Canada, the 47 Police services in Britain and those in the European
Union are required to do so as well. I believe Bermuda should do the same
in view of the importance of its main industries, international business and
tourism. We need and have a right to know the information omitted. Please pass
this on to your authorities in the hope they will bring Bermuda up to
international standards in this respect. John Macdonald, Dorchester, Boston,
MA, February 4, 2007.
I
write to say how much I appreciate your year-round Bermuda Weather statistics in
your outstanding Bermuda
Online site. You provide a weather and information service that
the United Kingdom's otherwise good Daily Telegraph service does not provide for
Bermuda, and should. I recommend this be looked into by the UK people who
promote Bermuda Tourism. I find it amazing that in its Holiday Weather, the
Telegraph does not mention Bermuda at all but reports the weather in Algarve,
Athens, Bahamas, Barbados, Cape Town, Corfu, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Crete,
Cyprus, Dordogne, Eilat, Hawaii, Jamaica, Los Angeles, Madeira, Majorca, Malta,
Mauritius, Miami, New York, Paris, Rhodes, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Francisco,
Sardinia, Seychelles, Sicily, Sydney, Tenerife, Venice and Wellington. James
Robertson, York, England, January 28, 2006
I'm
hugely appreciative of and constantly amazed by your excellent and invariably
accurate, up-to-date and uniquely comprehensive Bermuda
Online site.
Could you please suggest to Fare Compare
that they copy your accuracy and use you as a source? When it's officials
claim in their blurb on Bermuda that there are 10,966 flights a week from
Bermuda, they are so way off base that it is laughable. Right now, I reckon there are
only 16 to 18 flights of scheduled commercial aircraft a day coming and the equivalent
number going. That makes 252 flights a week in total, not 10,966 a week. Sincerely,
John T. Anderson, Philadelphia, PA, January 18, 2007.
Editor's comment: Many thanks for this. I had also pointed out the enormous inaccuracy to Fare Compare. It was acknowledged as wrong by its CEO, Rick Seaney who has pledged to correct it. He explained it is a brand-new site.
Enjoyed
reading the Bermuda
Online article on the US
Military bases in Bermuda. I was stationed there with the 303rd Air
Refueling Squadron from 1956 into 1959 (3 year tour). Our family was
started with our two children being born in the new Kindly AFB Hospital
Steven March 22 1957 and Sandra March 8 1959. Your article states that the
303rd formed there in 1960. I am not sure of the date of the activation of
the unit but it was fully operational when my wife and I arrived in July 1956.
We had a wonderful time living on your island and enjoying the Bermudians.
We lived in Normar Cottage next to Captain Stan Burns the Harbor Master.
The 303rd ARS is planning its final reunion in Colorado Springs September 22,
2007. I would like to post your article for all to read. Could I be
of assistance in providing you with accurate dates of operation for my old unit?
Again congratulations on a very interesting piece of research. I look
forward to our future communications. Troy L. Hanson
Lt.Col. USAF, Retired. Colorado Springs, CO, USA, January 12, 2007.
Your
correspondent Mr. Watkinson is so right. I too read about this in your superb Bermuda
Online, my bible on Bermuda.
Normally from Aberdeen in Scotland but based for a while at Inverness, I have to
fly from there to London Gatwick on 21 February. British Airways have issued
me an e-ticket showing fare details of GBP 54.00 for the round-trip
non-refundable INV LGW fare + Tax/Fee/Charge GBP 97.80 = GBP 151.80. Merely
for this domestic journey, the taxes are now nearly three times the fare! It is
outrageous! Because my oil company has an insurer based in Bermuda and I'm on
standby to go there from Gatwick, I enquired what the least it would cost a day later.
Fare Details: GBP 468.00 + Tax/Fee/Charge GBP 258.80 = GBP 726.80.
I don't want to buy British Airways, I just want a decent and competitive fare,
not a total British Government rip-off on the taxes over and above an already
inflated fare compared to other destinations such as Barbados and Jamaica much
further away than Bermuda but less expensive in overall fares and taxes to get
to than Bermuda because there is only one airline going there, unlike in
Barbados, Jamaica. etc. I hope the dammed Labour Government of Westminster but
not Scotland disappears for good into the haar soon and that the next government
will pledge to lower taxes hugely to consumers and travellers or they don't get
my vote. Edgar Corbett, Aberdeen, Scotland, 12 January 2007.
I
have been looking at your very comprehensive and impressive Bermuda
Online website on all aspects of Bermuda. I would love to
learn more about what went on in cable and postal censorship during World War
II. The reason for this is that both my parents worked on this in Bermuda during
this period (Reginald & Vera Buckley, nee Bidston, British) and while we
have a few photos of their life there, very little else has survived. They are
now both dead and my sisters and I would love to know more about what they
actually did there and how they lived (It is possible one of my sisters may
actually visit Bermuda later this year). If you know of a website, book or
individual who could provide us with more background on their life in this time,
I would be very grateful. Kind regards, Peter Fraser Buckley, London,
England, 12th January 2007.
As a prospective UK visitor, I was really dismayed to read in your Bermuda Online how Chancellor Gordon Brown of the UK has now made it more expensive than ever to fly to Bermuda, by doubling - not just increasing it with the rate of inflation - the Air Passenger Duty (APD). I agree fully with William Walsh, CEO of British Airways that this just another UK Government rip-off, a UK Government revenue-raising measure with no direct environmental benefit, instead of being used in full on emissions-reducing renewable projects to offset airlines' emissions. I hope Mr. Walsh gets huge publicity internationally for noting that Chancellor Brown's latest rip-off tactics will now make BA passengers (those to Bermuda must now pay an additional £40 ($80) each way to Bermuda), cough up more than four times the cost of offsetting the CO2 emissions from the airline's entire world-wide fleet of aircraft. John Watkinson, London WC2 7RH, England, 8th January 2007.
I'm
writing you at 1:15 am on Jan.2 because I had trouble sleeping so I decided to
Google Summerhaven and managed to find the link for your report on Bermuda's
accessibility and services for the handicapped and disabled. I'm 19 years old
and did community service at Summerhaven in my senior year at Mount Saint Agnes
Academy. Living close to John Smith's Bay, I've always been aware of
Summerhaven's existence but was never exposed to any of the personalities who
lived there. I befriended many residents while doing the mandatory year long
service but felt as if my service there was unfinished. The facilities there
were less than admirable and while noticing injustices, it became apparent to me
that this issue of less than ideal conditions for the physically disabled was an
island wide problem with no visible solution to it. It's embarrassing to think
that an island that prides itself in economic and political advancement is
capable of being satisfied with less than efficient facilities for the least of
their own. Aren't we, as members of a community, responsible for ensuring
equalities for those incapable of doing so? Is there a logical explanation to
why the physically disabled are denied public transportation or the ability to
enter a recently built building if necessary? In terms of feedback from you,
Sir, I'm not looking for direct answers for these questions but would like to
hear from you if you have any suggestions for me in terms of involvement
with an organization, charity, or colleagues who have the same concerns as I do
regarding this situation. Even if you are willing to do an interview or share
some advice, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm currently attending Brock University
in St.Catherine's, Ontario, Canada and am due to fly back on Saturday, January 6
but I'm keen on being heavily involved during the summer if I can do enough
research on topics concerning ideal physically handicapped conditions. Thanks
again for your in-depth research posted online. It was informative, honest and
useful. May this new year be prosperous for you. Sincerely, Tiago
Garcia, 8 Talbot Lane, Smith's, HS01, Bermuda, 2nd January 2007.
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