Clearly the removal of our sovereign's birthday as a public holiday is inexcusable. No discredit to Dame Lois; she was an integral part of securing equality for all parts of our population, facing adversity along most of the way.

There are ways of honouring her that do not involve a blatant insult to Her Majesty.

This is some of the most ecologically sensitive land in Bermuda as there are lands with Nature Conserve, Woodland Reserve and Coastal Conserve designations.

It is also a culturally sensitive plot of land as it had once been home to a large number of Black Bermudians and had been taken from them forcibly.

For the Minister of the Environment, Planning, and Infrastructure Strategy Walter Roban and the Minister of Business Development and Tourism Patrice Minors' answers to questions raised, see here: http://bernews.com/2011/02/ministers-answer-sdo-questions-on-citv/

More info: www.best.bm; www.curb.bm

The Bermuda Sun reports as follows:

Magician to offer 'the ultimate tiger encounter'

A tiger will be on stage as part of a hotel magic show next year. Magician Rick Thomas will be offering the ‘ultimate tiger encounter show’ at the Fairmont Southampton Resort from February 25 to March 5.

The award-winning illusionist and magician will make the white tiger “appear then disappear” at the Mid-Ocean Amphitheatre.

The show is being organized by the Sandys Rotary Club, who insist the tiger will remain in a cage “at all times.”

Mr. Thomas visited the hotel about five months ago and deemed it suitable for his show.

The tiger, which is one of six that he owns, will stay “absolutely securely” on site at the hotel and will be guarded by security guards.

Event manager Sandra Christensen said: “Everyone is really excited about the show, it’s something fun to go and see.

“It will mostly be illusions, Rick Thomas will also bring the tiger on stage, as well as birds and dancers.

“It will be a very interactive show. He will talk about the preservation of tigers and invite the audience to have their photo taken with the tiger.

“The tiger will be in a cage at all times. Rick Thomas has travelled to over 50 countries with his tigers, he knows what he is doing.”

Mr. Thomas will drive the tiger from Las Vegas to New York, before they travel to Bermuda by plane.

At present, Bermuda has no infrastructure in place to support home births or birthing center births.

All the Island's Obstetricians have explicitly stated their preference for hospital births and discourage home births. As a result Midwives do not have the requisite Obstetrician support to perform home births.

Midwives are not permitted to administer pregnancies or perform deliveries on their own in the hospital.

The Maternity ward at the hospital is very much like any other ward. It is very clinical and has no bathtubs, resting facilities for family members (except a waiting room area with chairs), and very small birthing rooms - limiting the number of people who are allowed to witness the birth. No alternatives to medication for pain-relief are available.

Over the past 5 years KEMH has digressed in every facet of operations. Employee morale and poor patient outcomes are tangible indicators that underscore the seriousness of the many problems experienced on a daily basis.

Unchallenged leadership decisions, conflicts of interest and salary awarded initiatives have devalued focused based objectives surrounding key components of healthcare.

Today is the beginning whereby we will no longer tolerate an aggressive and controlling healthcare environment established as untouchable and above reproach. The BHAG anticipate the resignations of persons responsible for the failure and diminished credibility of our healthcare system.

Bermuda Government has been providing free tuition since Fall 2008 and since its inception has proven to be beneficial for many members of the Bermuda public to obtain post-secondary education at affordable rates.

A very wise man once said:
“There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society, with a large segment of people in that society, who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that they have nothing to lose. People who have a stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don't have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.”

That wise man was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s eerie how such words of yesterday’s wisdom seem so prophetic of today’s Bermuda. Look all around this small island. You can readily see the evidence of people who feel they have no stake in their own country. Where does a stake in one’s country begin? It begins from childhood – when you are accepted into the family fold – or not. It seems Bermuda’s family fold may have disowned our recent generations. We, as a country, have not seemed to nurture our youth or provide viable structure and direction to allow them to foster that feeling of acceptance . . . that feeling of a stake in “The Rock”.

BRIDGING THE GAP:
The following is a synopsis of one idea to promote such a feeling of belonging among our young Bermudians, while also promoting productivity from an early age. Consider that our youth and our elderly constitute the largest segments of our population. By bringing the two groups together, we can bridge the vast gap, provide an outlet for both, and ensure certain valuable and practical knowledge concerning our unique trade culture will not be lost.

WHO WILL THIS SERVE?
This idea will serve many families who have young children (especially boys) and who are concerned with providing them activities to discourage idleness. Looking forward, this idea may also become a welcome relief for many Bermudian tradesmen business owners who complain of the struggle to secure skilled Bermudian workers. Due to the lack thereof, they are forced to employ overseas workers – which add numerous dimensions to the socio-economic problems that exist in Bermuda today. It will be impossible to fix all problems immediately; however, we can begin to make baby steps by creating a generation of young men and women skilled in all areas of trade – masonry, carpentry, tiling, electric, plumbing, roofing, motor mechanics, etc. Then, hopefully in the near future, our Bermudian tradesmen business owners will be grateful they can finally “Buy Bermuda” with confidence.

HERE EXISTS A VIABLE SOLUTION:
What better way to introduce an abundance of Bermudian tradespersons than to have our older tradesmen teach our younger generation the way to do it right . . . with numerous benefits to the teacher, the apprentice, and our society. Older and or retired tradesmen can put their golden years to good use by being a good role model and teaching a few old school values. Thus gaining a relationship of respect that would endear the younger generation to the older, and, ultimately, pass on some valuable tricks of the trade.

The Junior Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation was adamant a program already exists within the ministry. Upon investigation, a similar program does exist in the form of the Community Education / Summer Internship Program. However, confirmed by the words of the program manager, the program caters mainly to the higher public school system, is not otherwise advertised, and has a limited capacity due to limited staff and funding. Further, it is usually oversubscribed. This means many interested youth must be turned away. The program manager further suggested a parent be diligent in finding an alternate source if their child was one of the many that could not be accommodated. Although thankful for the existence of the program and the great job being done by the staff, such an incidence of supply not meeting this demand should only be a temporary incidence – until the problem can be pursued and solved. During this critical time, we must not be complacent in leaving the aspirations of any interested and impressionable youth unresolved. For whatever reason, some parents may not go the extra step to find industrious activity for their children. And we cannot expect the youth to have the determination to pursue such activity themselves – That’s just not realistic. Therefore, it’s the job of the entire community to push industrious activity as hard as drugs are being pushed – make it readily available and within their grasp.

WHAT'S NEEDED TO MAKE THIS WORK?
Maybe funding can be allocated to the existing program in order to improve its capacity, balancing the equation, and filling the need. Or there can be introduced a more substantial system that is targeted specifically to the trades to accommodate all interested youth (ten and up). Such a system may be facilitated by hosting tri-yearly training camps aimed to introduce the youth to diverse trades – enabling them to discover their niche. Thereafter, pair them with acceptable, experienced tradesmen who are willing to pass their knowledge down to the next generation. (Of course, screening will be necessary to ensure the safety of all involved.) This may be accomplished by introducing an agency that acts as a liaison between interested youth and available skilled tradesmen. This would be very beneficial throughout the whole year (especially during the holidays) to keep the kids motivated by a fun and industrious activity and, thus, off the streets. Additionally, current tradesmen business owners may be targeted to offer their practical experience to the youth. Hopefully, they would be interested. If so, invite them to join – maybe offering some incentive for their willingness to be instrumental in the cause (e.g. a stipend or a tax break).

We have seen the ways regulated cannabis can impact not only people, but also a nations economy. For the first time in history, families are seen taking advantage of pro-cannabis laws and completely uprooting their lives to move to marijuana friendly states in order to increase the quality of life of their chronically ill children or loved one.

States have see an unprecedented increase in tax revenue, as literally millions of dollars are being made at dispensaries. The job sector has also benefited, as this new industry is creating many work opportunities at all levels of cannabis production- farming jobs, production and packaging jobs, retail jobs etc.

The first nation to adopt this approach was the Netherlands, and we can all see the amazing impact that made to the country's tourism; to imagine an already desirable place like Bermuda doing the same, would mean an incredible boost in our economy in so many ways. So many small businesses can thrive so many new jobs and careers and industries.
The country's debt can be erased. We have the potential, we have the facilities. There are locals who are taking steps to stay on par with international indoor growing standards in hydroponic/soil/soil-less etc. marijuana production on both small and large scales.

We don't want the island to fall behind and "miss the train" on an emerging new industry that is doing amazing things for the jurisdictions that have legalized it. We have many people on the island suffering from various forms of cancer. We have an ageing population that can benefit tremendously.

We don't have to be fearful anymore, lets erase the stigma, lets be apart of world change.

Lets regulate recreational and medicinal marijuana in Bermuda!

I am writing to you to demand change on an epidemic that is destroying families, fathers, and children right here in our country.

Simply put, the "Family Court" system as it now exists has stripped fathers of their rights to be a part of their children's lives. Instead, fathers have turned into financial pumps, living in constant fear of being dragged back into court by the mother and victimized yet again.

It is fair to say that the Children's Amendment Act of 2002 is biased against the fathers. Children aren't things that you buy off of a shelf in the grocery store. The whole child support system needs to be scrapped, and built up in a manner that the father and mother have equal rights to the child in question.

There is one judge in the family court that is clogging up the jails with fathers that don't pay support. If you take a look down the Prison Farm, you would notice that the majority of men down there are sent there by Judge Chin. It's really hard for a man to go to court and state his case when Judge Chin is leaning to one side……THE WOMAN!!!! I am a woman, and I feel that he is very biased.

This Government has an important role in changing this act. The person who is suffering through this whole ordeal is the child. It's not fair that when I go up on the Bermuda Laws Website there is nothing in there about a "Father's Bill of Rights" or "Fathers Rights". Why is it that a female has the last say when it comes to the care and control of a child? Why is it that she holds all the cards?

Fathers are not treated right in the Bermuda court system. Children need their fathers, as fathers need rights and access to their children. The Bermuda Court System needs to be changed to enable this to occur. Right here in our country, our homeland where we feel justified in wanting to raise our Child (ren) are we being stripped of our rights.

We, as parents have a fundamental right to assume equal periods of placement of our children, unless there is credible evidence that a parent is not fit, that placement would be harmful to the child (ren). This right is fundamental; not that one parent must win as a result of lengthy, intrusive and costly legal battle, or compromised simply to reach a stipulated agreement to avoid a battle.

I hope that this hits home, and you consider a change in the system. This letter will be sent to the Premier, The Governor, The Senate, until somebody in this country stands up and fights for fathers. We need to do more to make sure both parents are fully involved in the raising of their children, particularly fathers. We will start a petition, walk on parliament and call you out. This is just the beginning.