Newstocks

What a contrast

Contrast the responses of our Premier and Deputy Premier to the UK's recent announcement that it will be conducting a financial review of its Overseas Territories that operate as financial centres.

First, Deputy Premier Paula Cox:

"In the wake of the recent G 20 meeting concerning the troubled global economic and financial system it is understandable that the UK would want to better understand the role of its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories in the global financial system."

Second, Premier Ewart Brown:

"This should be an affront to every Bermudian... At a time when nations around the world are basking in the glow of the historic US election, some of the British territories are being brought to the knees of our colonial master by this intrusive intervention."

Which sounds more mature, more statesmanlike? Does the Premier really believe he's going to win any Bermudians over to the cause of independence with such a rant?

An open letter to Wayne Furbert

Hi Wayne,

Do you really believe, as you imply in your article in today's Royal Gazette, that the main reason white Bermudians do not support the PLP is because they would be ostracised by their white peers?

Is it not possible that the real reason that most whites cannot bring themselves to support the PLP is because of the frequent comments made by senior members of the party, up to and including the Premier, that show an ignorance of and disdain for white people? You need look no further than the Premier's recent comments about how white Bermudians would not have voted for Barack Obama. To the extent that whites do look down on other whites who support the PLP, I suspect it is because they have a very hard time understanding why any white person would support a party that seems to be so hostile to them.

I submit that most whites do not support the PLP because of how that party conducts itself today, and that most blacks do not support the UBP because of how that party conducted itself ten or more years ago. Which is more rational?

Kind regards,
Phil

Guitar Hero III

Yes, I know I'm late to the Guitar Hero party, but when I saw a one day deal on the Guitar Hero III Wireless Bundle for $40 last week, I didn't hesitate to snap it up. (Of course, the shipping and duty was double that, but hey, that's life when you live in Bermuda.)

Yesterday I finally freed the game from the customs purgatory to which an absent invoice had consigned it, and was able to give it a go. I don't know most of the songs so far, but that hasn't damped my enjoyment of it. It's clear that developing the muscle memory required to play well could take a little time though.

I started playing through on easy difficulty and things weren't too bad. I didn't fail any song, and managed a four or five star rating on all in the first set list. My only problem was when activating star power - doing it by tilting the guitar up inevitably caused me to miss the next few notes, and I found the button on the guitar body that does the same thing to be inconveniently placed.

Feeling encouraged, I then tried a song on medium difficulty. Jesus Christ.

I had three attempts at Pat Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and failed twice. The third time I only just scraped through, my rock meter staying in the red the whole way through. It wasn't the extra fret that killed me so much as the increased speed that the notes came flying towards me.

It was a surprisingly steep increase in difficulty from easy. Can't imagine how I'll ever complete a song on hard, let alone expert difficulty.

The crux of the ID card issue

If the government's ID card proposal merely replaces a large piece of paper with a small card, and expats will not be required to carry this card, how will this help immigration identify those expats who are working here illegally? Surely illegal workers will just lie and say they have left their card at home, forcing the compliance officers to make the same checks as they do now?

The proposal seems to offer no benefit to Bermudians, but will absorb some of their tax dollars which could have been spent on other things.

Does the Premier really believe this shit?

So Premier Ewart Brown thinks that white Bermudians would have voted for John McCain rather than Barack Obama.

While I'm sure that's true for some, anecdotal evidence suggests that most white Bermudians would, in fact, have voted for Obama - notwithstanding the risk he poses to the Island's international business sector.

The Premier's comment, if he really believes it, is yet another indicator of his lack of understanding of, and distaste for, white Bermudians. It's comments like this that explain why more white Bermudians don't vote for the PLP, and why many whites stare uncomprehendingly at those whites who do.