21 Square

Crackdown on poker: It must be "A victory for god"

Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion. 

-- Ambrose Bierce

Every few months the same controversial topics rotate back into discussion.  Should it then come as a surprise that gambling has been thrown back into the limelight?  Is it not absurd that whenever it comes to gambling church groups rise up in a frenzy to combat the practice with a passion all while condoning their own style of gambling?  Will we see this practice repeat with poker as it did with the video machines?

In a true and just society where ideals reign king, our politicians would stand up against such hypocracy rather then bend so readily to the will of one oppressive group who chooses to impose their beliefs on others.  Why is it right for churches to be allowed to continue their practice of bingo while they condemn the practice of gambling by others?  If the police are sending out warnings to liquor establishments, should they not also be sending the same warnings to churches?

Aburdity indeed.

Tourism may look good now, but where will we be in a few months?

While the Premier may be 'excited' by the increase in number of tourists visitors, I still remain unconvinced that this year will be a good year for tourism.  In the past I have written about the potential for the new US passport regulations to have an impact on our tourism industry.  Another issue that may have impact on this years tourism season are Ajustible Rate Mortgages and how they have affected the US housing market causing a reduction in tourism spending this year.

Today, there was an interesting post on one of my favorite economics blogs - http://bigpicture.typepad.com - that was suggesting potential tertiary market impacts caused by the slowdown in the housing sector.  One potential slowdown that was listed was airlines, which got me thinking further about travel.

Back in Feburary I wrote about the potential impact rising interest rates may have on the housing market.  This being that many Adjustable Rate Mortgages were given out by lenders when interest rates were low and now that interest rates have risen, those attractive low rate adjustable mortgages have turned into high rate ones which have stretched the budgets of many beyond their expectations. 

This stretch has caused many to begin to try to put their homes on the market in hopes of selling prior to foreclosure.  This also means that the budgets of many individuals who rely on such mortgages are now stretched further then they once were.  When an individual's budget is stretched, they're more likely to cut out luxuries such as fancy vacations to destinations such as Bermuda (especially when adding the hassle factor of not having a passport) in favor of cheaper vacations.

Will the downturn of the American housing sector have a negative impact on our tourism market?  Perhaps.  Is it a good idea to get Bermudians all riled up in believing that tourism is going to be great this year?  Well I suppose an election is just around the corner.

www.21square.com

My proper domain, www.21square.com is finally active after months of frustration trying to get it to point properly which ultimately meant I had to switch DNS hosts.  Thankfully however, the change should now be in place and you can now visit my blog by following the link www.21square.com

Traffic Solutions: The Stockholm Trial Solution

The "Stockholm Trial" was a congestion tax introduced in Stockholm with a special stipulation, that being that the tax would only be a trial that would last for 6 months, at which point it would be revoked.  Following the completion of the trial, reports would be produced on it's impact and eventually a public vote (similar to a referendum) would be held to determine whether the tax should be permanently put in place or not.   Is this something we should try here?  Perhaps only being charged during specific hours, especially considering that RFID has already been suggested as an alternative to having Police Officers doing license plate spot checks.

A summary of facts released about the trial solution noted:

Public Transport and Park-and-Ride Sites

More people used public transport

• on weekdays between 06.30 hours and 18.30 hours traffic fell by approximately 22%
• over a 24-hour period vehicle passages into and out of the inner-city dropped by 19%
• approximately a 4% increase in the use of public transport

Park-and-ride sites

• approximately 23% more cars parked on park-and-ride sites every weekday

New Travel Habits

• a reduction in car use by 25%
• As many as 69% of the inner-city journeys were made by public transport, 26% were made by car.

The Environment and Urban Life

• a fall in emissions from road traffic by 8% to 14% in the inner-city.

Other environmental effects

• The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide has fallen by 40% in the inner-city and by 2-3% in Stockholm County.
• resulted in a reduction in the number of accidents involving personal injuries by 5–10% in the inner-city.

Retail, Business and the Economy

Retail little affected

• Analyses of turnover within the retail trade in the Stockholm region show that the Stockholm Trial only had a minor impact

More efficient transport

• Studies of companies within transport intensive trades such as taxis, courier services, and tradespeople show that in many cases they have been able to streamline their business as a result of improved accessibility.

Cost-benefit analysis

• If regarded only as a brief experiment, not to be resumed, the Stockholm Trial was a financial loss due to associated setup, investment and the operation of the congestion tax system over the 7 month trial.
• Social cost-benefits such as shorter journey times, improved traffic safety, and health and environmental effects
• The congestion tax levied is estimated to be SEK 763 million per annum, and running costs around SEK 200 million per annum. 
• The extended bus traffic is estimated to be unprofitable from a cost-benefit viewpoint, both during the Stockholm Trial and in any permanent charging scheme.

PLP launch new website - with blog

Only months after launching the PLP youth blog, the PLP has answered again with a blog as a part of the site's relaunch.  I am very pleased to see one of our political parties open themselves up to greater communication with the people and hope that this is one step that is among many.

I'm hoping to see is the advancement of technology within government that results in blog sites being launched for each Ministry so that regular updates can be provided and open discussion can occur on new initiatives.

I also hope that this form of participatory discussion will encourage the PLP or any future government to begin to consider referendums as a good means of gauging public support. 

Are we alone?

Though not in my typical realm of posting (perhaps I'm too politically centric with this blog), I just caught wind of news that the first potentially habitable planet that is similar in size and conditions to earth has been discovered some 20 light years away.

It is an incredible discovery as it points to the potential for life on other planets given that it hosts similar conditions to those on earth which helped make life a possibility here. 

At 20 light years away it might be by the end of my life that we get our first concrete answer to the question of other life out there, but it certainly would be an incredible thing to live to see.

Business or Pleasure?

 

Visitor
a person who visits, as for reasons of friendship, business, duty, travel, or the like.  

Arrivals
One that arrives or has arrived.

Tourist
One who travels for pleasure.

 

First quarter tourism statisistics review

So, a visitor is any person who visits, an arrival is any person who arrives but a tourist is someone who travels only for pleasure?  Ok, lets use these definitions as we review the first quarter tourism statistics:

I have been pleased to announce month by month, increased visitor arrivals during a period that traditionally had all sorts of adjectives to describe it and none of them were positive. Today is no different and I am proud to say that if the first quarter of this year is a sign of things to come, 2007 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for Tourism arrivals.

Wait.  If they're visitor arrivals, do those numbers include business travellers here for international business purposes?

January arrivals up 24.71%
February arrivals up 9.01%
March arrivals up 32.25%

Wait.  Again, I'm confused.  Do arrivals count for all who arrived on a plane, including Bermudians?   How many were Bermudians and how many were not?  Who was travelling for business and who was travelling for pleasure?  Does this include residents who leave the island due to the cheap fares of the new discount airlines?

Total visitor arrivals for the first three months of the year have all resulted in increases, with a total quarterly increase of 23.47% over the same period in 2006. This increase of more than 9,000 visitors marks the fourth consecutive quarter of growth for the island and the highest first quarter visitor arrival statistic since 2000.

There are those words again...  Visitor?  Is a visitor a tourist or is a visitor anyone who comes to the island?

Ladies and gentlemen, the numbers speak for themselves!

Actually, they're horribly ambigous and are misleading without a proper breakdown, which was not provided.

This comes at a time when, according to the CHA Weekly News, “The US State Department says it is cranking out U.S. passports in historically high numbers to meet an unprecedented surge in demand caused by tough
new immigration rules.” There was initial concern that the new rules would affect our first quarter
results; however the results underscore the growing demand for the Bermuda product in the
marketplace.

Where is this quote as google turned up nothing?

 

What the industry is saying

This when Fodor's suggests 'Need a U.S. Passport? Expect Delays'.  Does this means increased demand and limited supply?  What was it like when Bermudians needed their passports stamped?  Then there is United States Senator Norm Coleman who is "[pressing] the State Department for quick action to address the massive passport application backlog".  "[Which] is primarily a result of passport applications that have increased by over 40% from the same time period last year"

 

What do the numbers say?

MarketWatch reports:

"About 1.1 million travelers applied for a passport in November, a 60% rise from the same month a year earlier, Royster said. In fiscal year 2006, more than 12 million people applied for passports, compared with about 10 million a year earlier."

Wait a second.  Didn't I write about a potential tourism crisis looming on the horizon?  Let's do a quick flashback.

According to an August edition of the New York Times, only 27% of Americans are believed to have passports.

Well, if Wikipedia is accuate, the 2007 population estimate for the United States is 301,566,000 people.  So 27% of that is some 81,422,800 and lets add another 6 million to account for the other half of 2006, so approx 87.5 million people.  Let's assume there is even a 50% increase in passport applications for the year, thats still only 18 million total processed in the year.  Which only adds up to at most 105.5 million people of 301.5 million, some 35%.  That doesn't even assume renewals.

Also, it was suggested by Brian Major, spokesman for the Cruise Lines International Association that last year, 20 percent to 30 percent of cruise passengers used passports as documentation, with the rest using birth certificates or driver’s licenses.

Is it presumptious to assume that tourism hasn't been impacted when the cruise season hasn't begun?  If only 35% of people actually get around to having passports, how many will opt for a local vacation instead of the hassle.  Especially if there are delays and frustrations as outlined by Fodors and Marketwatch?

 

The real numbers

The real question is how many $$$ were spent in Bermuda.  Visitors matter nothing if they arn't leaving their money here, unless you just like the joy of entertaining.  We're told that the numbers speak for themselves.  Well here are the numbers according to the number of times the following words appear in the first quarter statistics.

 

Arrival: Occurs 19 times

Visitor: Occurs 16 times

Tourist: Occurs 0 times.

 

Remember those definitions above?

 

I'll belive it's been a banner quarter when you can tell me in statistics that include non-bermudian, bermudian, resident, non-resident, business, pleasure and hopefully how much is approximated to have been contributed to the economy by each group.  Until then, these numbers mean nothing to me.

Traffic solutions: car-sharing

The Problem

We've got too much traffic on our roads and too many cars. 

Do I need a car?  Not always, but there are occasions when I do.   Having recently cut my car in half, I'm considering my options in terms of replacing it before the used-car law kicks in.  Considering that I can afford either a used or a new car and I find not having one quite a hassle for the times when you need it, I shall ultimately end up getting another one.   One more car off the road, and one more on.  Net change to the number of cars on the island?  Zero. 

It isn't right to force people to give up their cars when alternatives could be created that make people want to give up their cars.  Even still, is there a way that companies will best be able to satisfy the needs of their employees without discriminating against certain individuals such as single ex-pats, the commodity that international business most wants to attract.

What are the alternatives?  Are there better solutions?  How could we implement them and what difference would it make?

 

Current Alternatives

What are my alternatives?  Well, it is highly unlikely for me to take the bus.   They wouldn't like all my kitesurfing gear and the service doesn't run after 6:30 to St. David's anyway, which makes public transport pointless if you actually have a life. 

What about a taxi?  When it costs $20-30 to ride from Hamilton to St. David's, what would a trip out to Somerset cost?  $60?  Then back?  So we're looking at $120 a trip for something I try to do every weekend, some evenings and really any time there is wind.  That's a fair bit of cash to drop any time I want to go kitesurfing and when compared to the added luxury of having your own car is not an incentive to give up having a car.

 

A New Solution?

According to FlexCar, a for-profit car-sharing company based out of Portland, they have been able to succeed in getting 1400 people to share 40 cars.  That's 35 people for every car.  Compare that to Bermuda, which according to Bermuda-Online.org there are some 29,230 cars for our population of 65,773.  That means there are 2.25 people for every car. 

If we could achieve half of the success that FlexCar has had and get 700 people to share 20 cars.  Today, those 700 people with their own cars at 2.25 people per car equal some 311 cars.  Take out the 20 original cars and that's some 291 cars that have been eliminated off of the roads.  Compare this to ZipCar, whose 100,000 members share 3,000 cars.  35,000 more people than the number who reside on this island sharing 1/10th the number of cars.

Imagine, a variety of different styles of cars and trucks parked in various places around the island including grocery stores, bus stops and in and around town.  All you'd have to do is be a member, walk up to the car, wave a card and drive off.  Gas, reserved parking and insurance are all included and all you have to do is return the car to it's spot when you're done. 

Imagine if we could get 10,000 people to use such a program and get more than 4000 cars off our roads?  What would that do to traffic?

 

How to implement it?

1.  Conduct a survey

Put Research Innovations to work in polling the people to see how many people would consider a car-sharing scheme.  Do they have cars today?  How often would they use it?  Do they use public transport?  Would this increase interest in public transport? 

2.  Introduce legislation/licensing incentives

Make car-sharing legal and encourage insurance companies to back the scheme with adequate coverage. 

3.  Introduce personal incentives and disincentives.

 

Would you give up your car?

If today a car-sharing scheme existed in Bermuda, would you be willing to give up your car?  What would it take to convince you?  Do you think car-sharing would be a good solution to help address our traffic woes and encourage more people to consider public transport alternatives?

What kind of country are we becomming?

Is it concerning to anyone that our Premier feels our country has become so unsafe that he needs a personal police escort and security fencing around his property?  It isn't like we've got Al-Qaeda lurking in wait to assassinate our Premier, so what exactly is so concerning to warrant such increases in security?

The Premier has his protection from 'mentally ill' people who could slice him up with box cutters, but what of us common people?  Who is going to protect us?  Is the Premier getting security an indication of just how unsafe Bermuda has become?  Should we all look to put up fencing around our properties, bars on our windows and stay in our homes after dark?

Are these signs of the Bermuda we live in today?  If our Premier feels unsafe among our small population of 60,000, how should we feel?  Do you feel safe?  Is Bermuda no longer what it used to be?

Direct Deposit?

Tonights camp was an odd one.  Rather then our regularly scheduled drill night we discovered that we were to be paid to clear up our accounts before being switched over to the pay increase.

One thought that came to mind is why we bother to take up so much time paying out in cheque form when we could get paid via direct deposit.  While I can understand that some would be difficult to gain such details from, it would be nice to be able to provide my banking details to the Regiment so that time could be saved for all involved.

Regimental Incentives

Before I forget about it, I wanted to throw up an idea about an incentive that Regiment could offer to Recruits that routinely meet expectations in terms of attendance and kit preparedness.

Today's incentive stems from the pain of having to carry work+regiment gear in on a bike if you live too far away from warwick to be able to go home between work and the evening session. While many are quick to suggest that putting up with annoyances is a part of life, I do believe the Regiment could do more to make life for Recruits just a little bit easier and potentially start encouraging more to volunteer rather then require conscription.

The incentive? Offer personal storage lockers to soldiers in good standing so that we may be able to leave our kit at Warwick camp rather then having to drag it to and fro along with find somewhere to put it.

You may be 'mentally ill' if you love the Premier

Ok, so I've got to laugh over the "security incident" published in Monday's Bermuda Sun. 

"a man walked straight up to ... shake the Premier's hand and tell him he loved him"

"Dr. Brown appeared unshaken by the incident, describing the man as 'mentally ill'."

I still cannot comprehend why the Premier believes he is in need of a bodyguard.  When your threats consist of a drunk at the cabinet building and a man in possession of a concealed weapon box cutter, I simply don't see how it is warranted.  There may be little doubt that there are people who don't like the Premier, but really, I don't see him being hated so much that his life is in danger so much so that he needs a personal bodyguard.

One can only wonder what may happen to poor Johnny Barnes if he happens to blow kisses and proclaim love for the Premier as he and his entourage drive past.   It'd be a terrible shame to see him arrested and detained as a percieved threat to national security.

FIRST Robotics

Over the last couple years we have seen some $26 million allocated to island sport in the forms of cricket and football.  While some consider this to be a valued investment in the encouragement of national and local pride within our youth others cannot help but feel like it is a great deal of money to be spent on sport.

One area where this writer would personally like to see much greater investment is in the encouragement of youth interest in science and technology to ensure Bermuda isn't left behind within this field.  One great means of exposure to science and technology for youth is the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competitions which this year featured competitors from 23 countries. 

For those unfamiliar with the FIRST robotics competitions, as described by the US FIRST website, they are special challenges designed for "teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard 'kit of parts' and a common set of rules.  Teams build robots from the parts and enter them into a series of competitions designed by Dean Kamen (entrepreneur & inventor known for the Segway Scooter and other inventions), Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals."

The FIRST robotics competition can be an incredible introduction to the technology field and give the youth the ability to compete in a sport of the mind rather then just the body.  It has evolved over the years to become a well run and well recognized competition that has grown internationally.

Is such an event something that could help encourage our own youth to become more interested in science and technology?  Could Bermuda enable itself to put together a team out of our various high schools to send off to compete and find local sponsors to assist?  Would a Bermudian entry in the next FIRST robotics competition encourage youth to advance their interest in education and provide an alternative means of national pride based upon sport of the mind rather then body? 

Hopefully next year we'll see part of the budget dedicated to encouraging such efforts.

Archive Entry: What is fair and open government?

What is fair and open government? 

Today, in Bermuda, we live in a political climate founded in a form of democracy referred to as representative.  What exactly is Democracy however?  The very word is an interesting concept, but by many definitions, does it encompass our needs, does it entitle each Bermudian to fair and open government?

Alan Corenk once described democracy as; "Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear."  Will Rogers suggested the following of American democracy; "On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does. "  Winston Churchill said "democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried".

How would you rate our own democracy?  Is the very definition of the word not subjective, being that there are so many different variations and interpretations?  Should we as a people not be entitled to a form of government that is fair, open and accountable to the very electorate that handed them the reigns of power and control over our country?  Or perhaps, should we instead sit back in a nonchalant manner as we feel content that our form of democracy means we get to choose new dictators every five years?

Should we not be proactive and strive to achieve the best form of democracy possible?  Is it not the right of the people to know more of what our government is doing and thus be able to hold them accountable?  How many scandals, examples of waste, corruption, and abuse of the system can you recall over the many years Bermuda has been governed?  Not just limited to one party at the helm, but examples can be found for both who have led our country over the years.  Inherently does this not suggest that perhaps the flaw does not lie so much with the parties themselves, but the very system and structure under which they rule?

Our present government did the most honorable thing in moving to change the very structure of our political system for the better.  In the 2003 Throne Speech, our Premier pledged to introduce freedom of information legislation to entitle all Bermudians with the ability to access information on our government.  In December (2005), the Premier brought a take note motion on the Public Access To Information (PATI) discussion paper.  Premier Scott said, “Government has not been seen to be as open as the public wants. It was once hard to find, get and share information but that is all about to come to an end. We will now work to open up Government. Information will go from a 'need to know' basis to a 'right to know' basis.”

Such a wonderful initiative, however quite unfortunately, implementation of it is not slated to begin until between 2007 and 2009, and the actual laws will not be active until 2010 or 2011.  Does this not seem to be an awfully long time to wait for legislation that the Premier himself admits we need?  How much longer shall we need to sit idly by as we watch whistleblowers like those who brought attention to the dire situation of the Berkeley project, are needlessly silenced and targeted?  How much longer will we need to wait before the public has the right to ask the very questions that should be answered?

By comparison, the people of Trinidad and Tobago only had to wait two years for their Freedom of Information act, which went into effect in 2001.  Jamaica's people only had to wait two years for theirs which went into effect in 2004.  The Cayman islands has already started debating some actual draft legislation.  The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), a non-government organization concerned with implementation of human rights reviewed their draft legislation.  They suggest that "delays send mixed signals of government intention and pander to the penchant for secrecy. Often justified on grounds that time is needed to put in place systems to enable efficient information-giving, delays often mask a battle against openness being waged within the bureaucracy. Delays can range between the reasonable, such as in Australia and Canada where laws were operationalised within a year of enactment, and the unreasonable, such as the United Kingdom, which has been heavily criticized for insisting on a five year gap to get its house in order."

So if one year is considered reasonable, and five to be considered extreme, why is it then that our government has a plan in which our own legislation will be introduced perhaps in 4-5 years?  Especially when so many other Caribbean countries have set the precedent in having established theirs in two?  Beyond this, in July 2004 our Premier said that PATI legislation would be tabled in the next parliamentary session.  Certainly one doesn't need to be an expert on parliament to realize that we'd have at least one session in the last 3 years?  Yet, PATI legislation has yet to have been tabled.

Are we to be burdened with unreasonable delays in achieving legislation that we as a people so deserve regardless of which leadership we elect into power?  William H. Borah said it best when he claimed "The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments."  Are we burdened unnecessarily by the lack of freedom, by a lack of a fair and open government?

Bertrand Russell said, "There is no nonsense so errant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action."  Perhaps adequate government action is talking more about taking action then actually taking any action.  How long shall we delay the inevitable before we can achieve a democracy worth living in?

So, may that question again be asked, what is fair and open government?

Archive Entry: Land reclamation project

The following piece was written nearly a year ago around the time when Dr. Brown was taking his famed trip to Dubai which has recently resulted in the Southlands proposal.  It was never published but I've decided to throw it up here.

Dr. Brown recently took a trip to Dubai to attend a conference on tourism.  I do wonder if perhaps he took note of some other developments going on there.  Having a background in Engineering, I’ve had an ongoing fascination with development projects around the world.  Recently, I’ve taken keen interest in the progress of Dubai as they’ve taken on some colossal projects that are so big they’re almost impossible to believe.

It is incredible to consider that tremendous wealth is being invested into a region in the Middle East that has effectively run out of oil.  The development of these projects stemming from their government’s decision to diversify away from an oil-reliant economy into one that is service and tourism based.

One truly amazing example is that of the Burj Dubai, which is a tower under construction and is set to break all records in terms of the world’s tallest structure.  It will stand at an impressive 750 meters high and be host to 200 habitable floors.  By comparison the world’s tallest free standing structure, the CN Tower of Toronto, stands at a mere 553 meters.

Some of Dubai’s other developments include the world's tallest hotel, the Burj al-Arab, built on an artificial island; the world's largest man-made marina, the Dubai Marina; the world's largest artificial island, the Palm Islands; an archipelago of artificial islands shaped like the continents of the Earth, entitled The World; the Dubai Waterfront; the worlds largest airport, Jebel Ali International Airport; the world’s largest amusement park, Dubai Land, which is suggested to be more then twice the size of Disney Land; and the world's largest mall, the Dubai Mall.

So many amazing projects all in the scope of one region that has run out of natural resources and is reshaping the face of it’s development to target a new future.  I can’t help but feel inspired to consider that perhaps we have the potential to undertake our own incredible projects. 

Land reclamation, like that which is being used to construct Palm Islands and The World, is certainly not a new concept for Bermuda having been the source of how our airport was constructed.  Such a concept could certainly be used to overcome many of our difficulties, especially in terms of great new projects to diversify our economy, encourage regrowth of tourism, and reach closer towards sustainability.

The proposed redesign of Hamilton harbour is a perfect example of how we could begin reclaiming land from the sea.  In the past, such as outlined in the '63 Dyer Report, other land reclamation ideas have been proposed which outlined land that could be reclaimed at the causeway, great sound and spanish point.  Land reclamation was also what brought us the flat space requirement that gave us our own airport. All of these wonderful examples only spur my thoughts on to what opportunities there may be to solve our problems of today.

Thanks to modern satellite photography resources provided by the internet and companies like Google, I don’t need arial photography and expertise like those used in latter years to make a rough assessment of what potential there may be.  By simply glancing at the satellite photos of Bermuda and using relatively simplistic deductive reasoning, I can gain a tremendous overview of what Bermuda’s general surroundings look like.

From these deductions, I could only begin to wonder if perhaps we could consider our own artifical island project as a means to spur growth of not only new industry, but new development.  By viewing these maps alone, it would appear that ideal sites for such a project could be to the west of the island as well as to the north of Somerset. 

Could such a location be the site of our own great project, focused towards revitalzing tourism by creating unique resorts and new housing?  Could we reach so far ahead into our future to make ourselves competitive with other destinations like Las Vegas?  Could we build the ultimate conference center and rival the world as host to year round trade shows, events, conferences and the like? 

I suppose all it really takes is a little imagination and a few big ideas.  Dubai certainly hasn’t held back on ensuring a sustainable future.  Perhaps it’s time we ensured our own.

Archive Entry: True independence

The following piece may or may not have been part of the speech I gave at Khalid Wasi's independence forum last year.   None the less, I am reproducing it here

True independence

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.  I’d like to begin by thanking you for attending this forum and listening to the thoughts my colleagues and I hope to express. 

As a young Bermudian I have the unique opportunity to share my voice on behalf of the youth as best I can.  While I have not known or lived in the time of segregation, I do know some of the stories of those who did and am thankful to the struggle of others that blessed me with this ignorance.

No man, woman or child should have to face the travesty of being ruled by another, a slave by mind or body.  I am proud to live in a day where true freedom from slavery and segregation is within reach, though I won’t deny that remnants of the battle still remain.  Much like the war on terror, the war on subjugation may never be won until we can accept our differences and embrace true equality.

True equality is a means to an end as it is only when embraced that we shall forever achieve peace.  Regardless of what your belief, be it Jesus, Mohammad, science, fate or other, the belief that we can achieve better lies in the hearts of each one of us.  Noble faiths place in the hearts of individuals the belief that in the eyes of god each person is equal.  True religion instills in the hearts of it’s believers the freedom of rule from another.

This battle of equality has led us to our place today.  Some believe that there are still steps to walk ahead, while others feel our journey is near complete.  Some believe our only saving grace will be to separate ourselves from our history by achieving independence from our mother state.  Others believe that old memories won’t go away and independence won’t bring the needed change.

I share the belief that our own independence from the UK will not bring the change that is needed.  It may relieve some of the suffering that still lies in the hearts of those forsaken, though it will never mend our history or greatly change our everyday.  In the end we will have separated ourselves from an arrangement in our favor for a change we may never see, based on a history some have never lived.

I for one do believe that independence is what we need to achieve, though my definition of independence is different from that of many.  I believe in true independence, where our differences will be seen as a virtue, something we can embrace that makes each individual unique, not as something to divide one from another.  True independence will not be achieved by our separation from the UK.  That independence may mend past deeds but will do little for the battle against the subjugation we do still wage.

What I am speaking of is a different form of independence.  In our next stage of struggle we should be striving to achieve not independence from the UK, but independence from the continued rule of any other.  We live our lives trapped within the confines of the remnants of the colonial system of government.  The basis of our constitution was written with the representative democracy system that we use today which has resulted in two warring parties.  It’s creation was based upon the thoughts and ideas of the UK and what may work for their country, but does not work for ours.  It is from this that we need to achieve separation.

Why should we continue to not be able to decide for ourselves to what fate we are best suited.  Why should we elect into power individuals who can rule for their own term and have power absolute during their reign?  Should we not have the ability to free ourselves from rule and choose new leaders at any time deemed convenient?  Should we not have the right to decide for ourselves what is to be our own destiny and fate?

It is this battle, not of subjugation of body but subjugation of mind that my generation must now face.  The freedom of expression by the individual and the very freedom of choice, the one thing they truly can’t take away.  Our people want independence but they don’t see it the way I see it, they don’t see that we remain enslaved, only now not through body but through mind. 

As a young Bermudian I am ready to see a new revolution, a resurgence of the energy and drive that when embraced can overcome our history and write a new fate.  I am ready to live in the day where my government is held accountable on more then just election day.  When we see can see change for the betterment of all people, not just those elected to lead the way.

It is our duty as individuals to ask our leaders to set the stage, to amend our constitution so that it is one of OUR people, not that of another state.  To give us notions such as set term limits in office.  To give us the ability to recall our leadership to election at OUR leisure, not theirs, so they can always feel accountable and know fear of losing power at any mistake.  To give us the freedom of choice to decide our own issues, and to require our leaders to consult us, if that freedom is to ever change.

I believe in freedom.  It is up to you to decide if you’re with me, or if you’d rather remain enslaved. 

Freedom is true independence and it is true independence that I seek.

Archive Entry: Docking on familiar territory

Just looking through some old archives of ideas for articles that I had that I didn't end up following through with.  One that caught my attention was in respect to the docks in Hamilton.  Since it's winter, we've quickly forgotten about how each summer the docks become overwhelmed and it becomes horrendous to be able to get anything through.  I had taken a couple screenshots on google maps of Sir John's proposed move of the docks to the north side of town.  While I havn't gone anywhere with the concept in terms of a full piece, I thought I'd post the screenshots anyway and perhaps revisit it again later.

Our current docks:

Compared to... 

The wide open space above government house (sorry Mr. Governor, Bda might have to come first)

I really can't help but look at that and see it as a perfect spot to relocate our docks to.  I have little doubt that the issue will resurface and when it does, perhaps I'll retouch on this thought again

Archive Entry: 'De ole boy's club'

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with a high ranking individual in our international business community.  He exposed to me an interesting perspective, one of the young Bermudian, despite how smart or talented we may be, who simply doesn't know how to communicate effectively on an international level.  It is this that he suggested causes many Bermudians to fail to get ahead in international business.

Stepping outside of myself for a moment, I really couldn't help but stop to consider the point he was trying to make.  Could I deny that Bermudians have developed our own way of speaking and in some cases our own variations on English?  Perhaps those that just don't measure up to commonly accepted grammatical structure and syntax?  Could I also deny that some Bermudians, despite how smart we may be, have difficulty in not only presenting our own ideas, but also in selling ourselves?

I'm reminded of this conversation by commentary in the introduction of a book I'm reading about improving one's communication skills.  The introduction starts off with,

"Have you ever admired those successful people who seem to 'have it all'? … A lot of them aren't smarter then you.  They're not more educated then you.  They're not even better looking!  So what is it?”  Noone gets to the top alone, those who "seem to 'have it all' have captured the hearts and conquered the minds of hundreds of others who helped boost them".

It then suggests that wanna-be's wandering around at the foot of the ladder often gaze up and grouse that those at the top are "snobs", "cliquish" or accuse them of belonging to an "old-boy network" are simply missing the facets of true successful communication.  This is the very moment I was struck profoundly and knew this book would be a worthy read.  I grew up hearing about our own "old-boy network", how there was a small group of wealthy individuals who essentially controlled and ran everything and have done so for many years.

Have you ever wondered, like me, what is it that makes these individuals do so well?  For many of them, it may not even seem to appear to have lots of money, connections or wealth, but what always seems to be relatively apparent when they talk to others of the in-crowd is that they seem to have something likened to a “midas touch”.  These individuals seem to naturally ooze a little something called charisma. 

The book I'm reading suggests that most everything in successful communication begins with your body language.  The way you look, the way you hold yourself, and in every way you act is like a mini autobiography of your personality and who you are.  It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and thus a first impression in the characteristics of how you hold yourself says everything about you even before you open your mouth. 

I’m drawn back to that conversation I had some time ago.  I could only wonder if perhaps this individual was describing my own ability to communicate with some of his remarks.  On that day I had neglected to bring my tie and ended up feeling tremendously underdressed when he and his colleague were dressed smart and I only as 'smart casual'.  I had assumed the encounter was to be more of an informal introduction and underestimated the opportunity to share some of my thoughts and ideas.  Of which I did so far under prepared.    Quite unfortunately I left the meeting realizing that I did not appear as prepared as I very well could have been and sadly I have been learning since that preparation is everything.

I can’t help but review my own success, as a young bye of heritage rooted deeply in St. David’s; for I cannot claim that I have any ties to the “old-boy network”.  I can be thankful that I have grown to learn and appreciate the little subtlties that have drawn me to study the art of communication a little bit more in an attempt to pursue the success that others so quaintly enjoy.

I can't help but wonder about other youth my age.  Perhaps indirectly this individual I met was referring to me, though I could not deny that in the place of context I could see his point of view as a generalization of circumference around many Bermudian youth.  Has our educational system risen to the challenge of providing our youth with the knowledge and experienced necessary to survive in the world that lies beyond this little 21 sq mile rock?

For those of us who weren’t so lucky, I’m glad that there are those wonderful books out there supported by Amazon reviews.  Those that can help even those clueless among us gain a little insight into how to step forward to be even just a little bit more successful in life.

Digging through the archives

Over the course of the last year or two I've written a number of articles I've either not published, or published and did not record.  Having recently loaded up one of my old hard drives, I've once again come across some of these which I belive I'll share for whatever they're worth.  Hopefully they'll help make up for my recent break from new content.

Hamilton Parking Suggestion

Is it possible to get RFID based payment for parking?  On one hand we've got scratch tickets, on the other we've got mounds of coins and neither are overly convienent if you find yourself short of either.  Take bulls head car park for example, $5 in dollars and quarters is alot of change.  It'd be easier if you could sign up for an "easypass" of some sort that tracks when you enter and exit and sends you a bill each month rather then constantly fumble for change.

Traffic solutions continued

Last week I wrote about the potential to create a toll for entry into Hamilton that would be charged via the planned wireless devices being placed into license plates.  If you're going to create negative incentives for entry by car into town, you should alternatively create positive incentives to make it easier for people to choose alternatives.  In order to do so, would it be possible to expand further on the idea to better enable and encourage people to use the bus system as a means of getting into town.

Right now there are at least a few of reasons why many don't use the bus system to get into work.  The proposal of making public transport free in the coming year is good, but it won't encourage everyone.  For example, public transportation is already free for me as I am a conscript of the Bermuda Regiment, yet I still don't take the bus.  Why?

Why don't you take the bus?  Is it accessible enough for you?  If you live in St. Davids you know for one that buses don't run after 6:30 and likely you may also have to walk a ways to get to a busstop as busses don't travel on anything but main routes.  A walk which, when you have things to carry, can be a real pain.  Do you even have a good understanding of where and when the busses run?  Is such information readily available and posted at every bus stop to help keep you informed on alternatives?

There is encouragement from government for entrepreneurs to run minibus services, yet where are they?  How do I find them and how much do they cost?   Are they running consistantly in areas where I can call to be picked up and shuttled to a depot where I can catch a bus or ferry?

Are there any express busses?  Those that run without stops from depot points that allow for a faster trip into town?  With shuttles acting as feeders to bring the people from their homes to the depots so they can take express rides into work?

If a better combination were used would it encourage more to take public transport?  If there indeed was a toll for entry into Hamilton would it encourage more people to consider use of an improved public transportation system?  Would this work in conjunction with other solutions to solve our traffic woes?

A little better organized

A friend recently discovered my blog site and mentioned to me that it was amazing that I'd been writing consistantly for months.  This immediately got me thinking about the latent value of all of that writing I've accumulated and how difficult it is to go through months worth of info to find works on specific topics.  As a result, I've taken some time to go through and categorize my posts.  Hopefully it'll help spread my ideas and suggestions a little better.

A lack of realism hurts the ultimate goal

It's pouring rain.  You're soaking wet, huddled under some trees with fellow recruits as you stand watch at a makeshift roadblock.  You hear a vehicle approaching.  Just then a small white cube van rounds the bend and makes its way up the hill towards you.  At it nears the gate you motion with your hands for the vehicle to stop.  Just as the van stops, the doors swing open and three men huddled inside suddenly heave an improvised explosive device out the door as they slam in reverse and try to get away.  You're heart races, as you've got mere seconds to decide.  What do you do? 

It's a decent scenario, but it's hard to play the part when the makeshift explosive device consists of a cardboard box with wires taped to a large rock and an empty tissue box inside and the "terrorists" appear more interested in staying dry then accomplishing their objective.  You're running on little sleep and you've been standing in the rain for a while now.  You're holding rifles that are older then most of the recruits and somewhat tattered clothing with raingear that is rare to keep you dry.  It's rather hard to get into the theme of things when you can get better realism out of a video game based simulation.

If I could offer any suggestions to the guys who teach next year's recruits, could it be that you make it a bit more realistic?  Throw together a digital display, some logic gates, a timer, some wires and attach them to set off a false grenade so you can give the guys something to get a bit excited about.  Such a scenario would work great if you told us we'd recieved a bomb threat and we'd had a limited timeframe to track it down and cordon it off, potentially recieving an award (late night pizza?) for being the team to finish it in the shortest amount of time.

The power of suggestion

Reciently I wrote about a simple suggestion for the gov.bm website to include "bus schedule" in the search of the gov.bm website so it was easier to find.  Not too long after I did, I recieved a kind email from the e-government department thanking me for my suggestion.  This came as a pleasant surprise as I have been uncertain if anyone from government was keeping tabs on the various blogs that are out there.

It is very encouraging to know that government is willing to take suggestions from the public, as I know there are many great Bermudian ideas out there to be shared.  Perhaps you have a few?   If you'd like you can feel free to send them to me via mail {at} 21square.com or even better, start a blog of your own.

Sort your life out

All too often we're told "sort your lives out"; for it's a favorite saying at regiment.  What is amazing is that while we are expected to be on time and prepared, very rarely does the regiment do us the same courtesy.  All too often the stigma of "hurry up and wait" comes into play as we are hurried from one place to the next only to spend most of our time standing around.  The nickname the guys and I have come up with for this is "Wait Training", as that seems to be the most frequent regiment exercise - patience - all 3 years, 2 months and 2 weeks of it.

I'm sorry to those 75% of Bermudians who think conscription is a good idea for frankly I think it's a waste of time for the majority of youth who are forced to be there.  The benefits for us lowly privates just aren’t there.  The only benefits are in favor of the country should it need to be entertained from a circus of trained animals and put on a show or act like slaves exploited to provide a cheap labor force for times of emergency.  It is unjust and frankly quite ridiculous and I don't see how many in the community don't see that, but ultimately there is nothing that my fellow conscripts or I can do about it, we're stuck.  This is what the greater majority believes we should be doing and as a minority there simply isn't much that we can do aside from wait it out or get unruly and riot.

Despite the belief that many youth fail to give back to the community, I'm desperately trying to figure out how to make a difference for the island to ensure there is a future for young Bermudians.  Regiment simply isn't it, it isn't going to provide affordable housing, it isn't going to provide the education my generation has been robbed of and it isn't going to help most of those soliders who don't have jobs get jobs.  Are we nothing but clowns out to put on a show for the rest of the community?  Out to be laughed at as we're prodded to do tricks like spin on command and walk in unison at the threat of imprisonment and extra years of conscription if we do not perform?  Our commanders might as well wield branding irons as you will be branded with a criminal record if you step too far out of line.

I've joined and contribute to so many organizations I can barely keep my head afloat.  Bermudians For Referendum, Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce and Youth on the Move are just examples, let alone trying to keep a regular commentary about how to improve Bermuda in blog form, work a full time job, somehow manage to find a reasonable place to live (which if you know of anything - I'm still looking), assist government, the UBP, ABC and whatever other organization I can convince to take on and embrace modern technology to encourage better communication going amongst Bermudians and somehow, on top of all this I have fantasies of trying to run for Parliament to make a difference.  I must be wasting my time as clearly Regiment does more then all of these things.

Those in Regiment may well be right; I do need to sort my life out.  I simply care too much about trying to make a difference and it is growing ever clearer that caring about Bermuda's future is a pointless escapade that will only do me more harm then good.  Why can I not accept that 75% of Bermudians believe that my time is best spent simply doing regiment?  That is my forced commitment to the country and I should simply leave it at that.

Solving our traffic woes

 

The problem

Premier Brown has suggested that next week he will be announcing a new plan to cut traffic.  This plan could involve one of three scenarios which have already been discussed; such as putting restrictions on the sale of second hand cars, restrictions on car ownership for ex-patriots or a license plate scheme to restrict certain individuals on certain days from using their cars.  None of these solutions are particulary ideal but given Premier Brown's mention of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Chip or, in layman's terms, a wireless tracking chip) based solution could we be expecting the announcement of an even better solution?

 

Previously proposed solutions

Lets consider the scenario of an older Bermudian for a moment, a grandmother perhaps.  Despite her age, she is still independent and likes the ability to still take care of herself.  She rides around the island in her small car running errands, getting groceries, perhaps still working and visiting family and friends.  What if, with her age, her knees arn't what they used to be and what may seem like a short walk to the busstop for you and I seems like a marathon to her.  What if she isn't fortunate enough to be able to afford a brand new car?  Should she be discriminated against by not being able to purchase a used one?

Restrictions on car ownership for ex-patriots may seem like a good idea but in reality it would act as a heavy deterrent to businesses investing here and chosing to remain invested here.  Discriminating against ex-patriots will only another log to the fire and make it even less enjoyable to live here as a foreigner.  If we hope to keep our economy afloat, we need to avoid adding fuel to the fire.  Restricting car ownership for ex-pats simply isn't a good idea for the survival of our economy.

Putting forth a licence plate scheme that includes restrictions for who can drive on which days is also a solution that would not bode very well for the people.  There are simply some days when you need to use the car and some days when you do not.  For example, as a conscripted member of the regiment, I have training every Thursday evening in Warwick and typically drive to work on those days.  There are many reasons why I drive including; I give people rides home, I have to take all of my gear in to work with me which is difficult on a bike and St. David's isn't serviced by bus or ferry after 6:30 pm (which means free public transport for Regiment soldiers absolutely pointless for us St. David's byes).  A restriction based upon which days people could drive in would discriminate against all of those who may not use their cars often, but do have a need at times.

Unfortunately none of these previously proposed solutions are very ideal.  In every instance a major group are discriminated against the use of their car when they very well may have legitimate reasons for needing it.  The first group is discriminated against car ownership entirely based upon financial ability, the second based upon country of origin and the third based upon accessibility, which is the entire reason to have a car in the first place.  Is there a scenario that would not discriminate so heavily against one specific group while still acomplishing moderation of traffic and accessibility to transport for those who need it?

 

A better solution?

Would you agree that the very crux of the traffic issue isn't that there are too many cars, instead it is that there are too many people trying to enter and exit town at specific times of the day?  Outside of these rush hours, traffic on Bermuda's roads is relatively manageable.   This brings us to Premier Brown's mention of an RFID based solution embedded into license plates to track unregistered cars.  Will Premier Brown's announcement this week leverage this technology to create a much better solution to our traffic problems that works to deter people entering town at specific times of day?

Rather then restricting license plates by number, with RFID technology you can track when and where people enter and exit town.  This means that a small fee, or toll, could be instated for entering or exiting town during specific hours, say entering between 7:30am and 9am and exiting between 5:00pm and 6:30pm.  What this would do is encourage people to consider making arrangements to enter or leave town at less busy times.  Would this mean people would do so every day?  Not particularly, however it would encourage people to decrease the amount of times they do enter during rush hour and overall, the cumulative result of each individual decreasing the number of times they enter town during rush hour will decrease congestion.

 

How would this be implemented?

There is no guarantee that this would be the perfect solution, just as there is no guarantee any proposed solution will be the perfect one.  The only way to find out would be to try it.  If I were Premier Brown, this week my announcement would be that we would implement what I suggest above for a 6 month trial.  After 6 months, the public would have had enough time to determine whether it works or whether another solution should be tried.  Thus, I would hold a plebicite (also known as a public vote) on whether or not the solution should be put in place perminantly or whether it should be revoked and another solution proposed.

Hopefully this is just the plan that Premier Brown will announce this coming week.  Time shall tell.

Gov.bm suggestion

Just a thought.  Why does putting "bus schedules" into the search field on the gov.bm website not actually take you to the bus schedule?