26 January 2010

Bermuda and the Next Millennium: a view from the past!

Another addition to the Bermuda Library:

Bermuda and the Next Millenium, by Kit Astwood (1997)

A think piece by J. Christopher "Kit" Astwood, OBE, JP. He lays out questions about the future of Bermuda, using a few bits of data to provoke thought. It's interesting to see how many of today's issues were starting to take root in 1997. View the accompanying data in a spreadsheet. He also wrote a follow-up piece in 2000: The Mid-Atantic Economic Miracle: Bermuda. Both documents Copyright J. Christopher Astwood and posted with his permission.

16 January 2010

From the "Bad Ideas" Category

In today's New York Times:

  • Creams Offering Lighter Skin May Bring Risks: For years, Allison Ross rubbed in skin-lightening creams with names like Hyprogel and Fair & White. She said she wanted to even out and brighten the tone of her face, neck and hands. Mrs. Ross, 45, who lives in Brooklyn, also said that she used the lightening creams “to be more accepted in society.” After months of twice-a-day applications, her skin was not only fairer, it had become so thin that a touch would bruise her face. Her capillaries became visible, and she developed stubborn acne. A doctor told her that all three were side effects of prescription-strength steroids in some of the creams, which she had bought over the counter in beauty supply stores..... I'm sorry for her, but doesn't this seem like a bad idea just by thinking about it?

  • A Gangland Bus Tour, With Lunch and a Waiver: LOS ANGELES — The tour organizer received assurances, he says, from four gangs that they would not harass the bus when it passed through their turf. Paying customers must sign releases warning of potential danger. And after careful consideration, it was decided not to have residents shoot water guns at the bus and sell “I Got Shot in South Central” T-shirts..... Sign me up!

03 January 2010

Headline: "UK Has Trust Issues with Bermuda"

Just saw this headline: "UK Has Trust Issues With Bermuda", from Caribbean Life News. I am not sure what kind of outfit that site is: for example, they write that "half the citizenry is expatriate", which is wrong, as a simple web search for "Bermuda Statistics" shows the answer is 17,675 out of 62,059, or 28% according to the 2000 Census. Regardless, this is an example of how Ewart Brown's actions have tainted Bermuda's reputation internationally.