Sandy's Vacation

While residing and working on the island of Bermuda, I had many wonderful experiences. And for your pleasure I will take some time to share with you one such event that shivered my timbers with the ultimate in fun. So I introduced you to the short titled Sandy's Vacation.

Big Brither Big Sister of Bermuda

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The Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) Mentoring program of Bermuda has been making an overwhelming contribution to the youths of that island. Like many country of this world, Bermuda were not spare the devastating effects of poor, lack of, and inadequate parenting of the nation’s children and youths. These situations greatly contribute to the high level of delinquency, antisocial and criminal behavior that is rapidly getting out of control, behavior which youths are active and willing participants.

It was design by our creator that the nuclear family was the ideal situation in which a child or children should be introduced into the family. There the father and mother will equally contribute to the proper nurturing, protection, and socialization of their off-springs, thus blessing the society with a healthy replenishment. Unfortunately the break down in societal norms, morality, and respect for each other have saw the emergence of our selfishness and the abandonment of rational thinking, love for family, and children. As a result of the forgone, the children have become the biggest lousier and the reluctant victim.

This situation have predisposed the children to many man created and man imposed danger. Thus transform the parents roles from the protector, nurturer etc. to roles that is aggressive, destructive and very unfriendly to the family.

It is in these situations those None Governmental organizations (NGOs) such BBBS, their members and affiliates seek to satisfy a need by providing a positive influence in the life of a child or a young person. Although the volunteers that lend their support to these NGO cannot replace, meet or fulfill the requirement of the absent parent; it is important to note that the investment of time means far more to a young person or a child than the volunteers will ever know or understand. Such investment far reduces the psychological, emotional and developmental impacts their present imposed situations have doom them to.

Mrs. Esme Williams: executive Director of the Big Brother Big Sister program in Bermuda as well as supportive team, possesses an undying passion for Bermuda’s youths and work with all of their might to ensure that the participants in the program are equipped with the necessary mental, social, creative and interactive tools to satisfy the requirement of being a Big (the mentor). Apart from training and control interaction (activities organized by the organization) the volunteers has the privilege to call upon Esme Williams and any of her support staff for advice at anytime.

Above is one of the many social activities organized that BBBS put on to ensure that mentors and littles are provided with control environment with their peers to interact and socialize. I hope this short video will motivate someone to become a Big brother or sister and therefore become catalyst that motivate a positive change in the life of a child.

Do You Remember These Crazy American lol

The Crazy & adventurerous bunch of college youths filing into the H.P.S about to be booked for skinny dipping in the Bacardi Fountain Photo by: lol

Most of you may have long forgotten the group of young people that came to Bermuda and decided to go skinny dipping in the Bacardi fountain at 65 Pits Bay Road Pembroke. This was really amusing. Some of the crazy things people do for a little attention.

I once saw a man (white man) who rid his livery Cycle along Front Street and up Parliament Street in front of the Hamilton Police Station bare buttocks, I mean mother naked, in order to win a five dollar wager. Can you believe that?

Crushing fools: The Courage and Slimy Awards

Crushing fools: The Courage and Slimy Awards

The Courage and Slimy Awards

It is with the knowledge that no one is perfect, (although it may be hard to believe; yes I must confess that I am not perfect either) that I take this opportunity to celebrate some people in the community, who on a daily basis look for the opportunity, to go beyond the call of their expected duty or responsibility as citizens. Such is done in their quest to serve their fellow men. On the other hand, there are a few in Bermuda who has consistently allowed their dishonesty, poor judgment, petty spite, idiocy, their disrespect for others, themselves and the institutions that was put in place for the protection of all and the harmonious running of the people’s affairs; to govern their actions.

It is with this in mind that I have created the courage award to recognize the selfless efforts of those who step up and courageously perform acts that benefits their fellow men. These people may have normally go unnoticed. In the same breath I will be giving out the Slimy (Slime bag) award to those who have been poor example to Bermuda's youths. The Nominees for a Courage and slimy award for 2007-2008 are as follows.

...............................Nominees for the Courage Awards

The nominees for the courage award for Valiant efforts are:

• Steven Winchell: for his selfless action of pulling an injured man from a burning boat.
  
• Britney Robinson: for her efforts in trying to save the life of a tourist at Snorkel Park.
  
• The unknown man: for pull the unconscious victim from the Hamilton harbor.
• Warren Vincent: for putting himself in harms way to stop the runaway horse and carriage at harbor night thus preventing lost of life and further injuries.

The nominees for the courage award for Community Service are:

Esme Williams: for her work with Bermuda's youths (Big Brother Big Sister program)

Ethel Liverpool: for her Works with Bermuda's youths in her effort to revive the Girl Guide Association.

Jermaine Richardson: for his work in adult education. For successfully managing and coordinating a GED program.

The nominees for the courage award for Politician of the year are:

• Paula Cox: for her statesman and professional conduct in her public and private life.
  
• Alex Scott: For dignified conduct even in the face of embarrassment, for his statesman and professional conduct.
  
• Michael Dunkley: for his courage in the face of defeat and for his statesmanship.
  
• Dale Butler: For his statesman like behavior, his bold and honest writing and his passion for youth development.

The nominees for the courage award for professional conduct are:

• Larry Dennis: for his work in keeping public officers from misusing the public funds and exposing corruption.
  
• Roslyn Bascombe Adams: for professional behavior in the Medial field.
  
• Martin Weeks: for his work in bring professionalism and ethics to the Bermuda Police Service.

The nominees for the courage award for impeccable police are:

• Martin Weeks: for his work in bring professionalism and ethics in the Bermuda Police Service.
  
• Gregory Grimes: for his knowledge, integrity, community service and efforts to ensure that justice is done.
  
• Anthony Muchette: for dedicated work to his community in youth development.
  
• Antion Daniels: for his bold new approach to crime fighting.

The nominees for the Courage award for youth oriented Organizations are:

• Pride: for work in Drug prevention among Bermuda’s youth
  
• Mirrors Program: for efforts in building character in Bermuda’s youths
  
• Big Brother Big Sister: for providing mentors and program to facilitating the mentoring of Bermuda’s youths.

The nominee for the lifetime courage award is:

• 
  
  Rickeesha Binns: for embodying and presenting an awesome display of guts, will and the strength of the human spirit; for surviving and recovering from a life of drug addiction and prostitution to becoming a community activist and to winning the Bermuda’s idol competition.
  

.....................Nominees for the Slimy Award

Nominees for the Slimy award for oppression are:

• 
  
  George Jackson: for his role and action against Allan Palmer, Michael Hayles, and Nicole Allers.
• Derrick Burgess: for his public declaration and action in oppressing foreign workers.
• 
  
  Randolph Liverpool: for his conniving work behind the scenes to ensure his bosses mess up so he can get their post and for encouraging them to do his dirty bidden all in the name of betterment of the institution.
• James Howard: for victimizing Michael Hayles, by ensuring that his contract was not renewed because he refused to comply with an unlawful order.

The nominees for the slimy for dishonesty are:

• 
  
  Andre Curtis: for his effort in allegedly misappropriating funds from his Faith Base Tourism project, and for getting involved in international fraud that may ruin many people who are working for worthy cause, and for alleged criminal activities at home also.
• 
  
  Nelson Bascome: for his role in motivating criminal proceedings to be brought against him while minister of Health.
• 
  
  Dr. Brown (Premier of Bermuda): for his effort in ensuring that allegation of dishonesty was associated with him in the B.H.C scandal and his efforts to make public document private.
• Dennis Pamplin: for using his wife name, position and respectability to smuggle drug and gun into Bermuda and thus causing her public shame and embarrassment.

The nominees for the slimy for whiner are:

• 
  
  Wayne Furbert: for whining about the injustices in the United Bermuda Party (UBP), but never took the bull by the horn and make the changes that were needed when he was leader of the UBP and for leaving the UBP without putting together an alternative to the PLP and the UBP.
• 
  
  Lt. Cornel David Burch: For Whining about the decision which was arrived at during arbitration thus caused the Government to spend much more money than the unions were asking for.
• 
  
  Larry Scott: for crying flowing his self debasing personal notes was made public.

Nominees for the slimy for insensitivity are:

• 
  
  Derrick Burgess: for publicly declaring that foreigners who speak out against their company’s policies must expect to be fired.
• 
  
  Lt. Cornel Burch: for his insensitivity to the homeless of Bermuda
• 
  
  Dr. Brown: For his insensitive in the area of race. For encouraging the racial divide among the Bermudian community and for making remarks and action against the white Bermudians.
  

The nominees for the slimy for poor sportsmanship are:

• 
  
  Melchisedec Gibbons: for spitting on referee Anthony Francis.
• 
  
  Lionel Cann: for behavior that is unbecoming a sports man whilst representing Bermuda in the international arena; Cann failed to preform his ambassadorial duties with the dignity of a man his age. His action resulted in him being placed on 12 months probation and getting a two match ban both incidents occurring months apart.
• 
  
  Kris Frick: for failing to be a good youth ambassador while representing his country overseas. Frick deserted his team whilst performing his ambassadorial duties.

The slimy life time achievement award goes out to:

• 
  
  Yet to be announced

You can submit your category and nominees for any of the awards, feel free to post your submission on this blog or send them to allanp460@hotmail.com or editorallanp@hotmail.com.

Bermuda day 2008 A fun day for me.

Photo by: Jennifer Bean

A fun day

The 24th of May 2008 was very significant for me; this is so because it is the last Bermuda day I will spend in Bermuda. Today 26th May 2008 I got a piece of everything. I got to sit with my friends Sheridan, and Wakeel Ming, along with the other members of the Restoration Seventh Day Adventist Church; together we enjoy the splendor, pageantry, and the array of Bermuda’s talent that parade the streets of Hamilton. After which I join my brothers on wheel and participated in the parade performing tricks on my roller blade to the crowd delight. I did splits, spins and a verity of fancy foot work. All in all I had fun as a spectator and as a participant in the Bermuda day parade.

The Ugly head of Violence.
On my arrival at Bernard’s Park, I saw the crowd began to run, I observed that the people who were on the base ball field and who were trapped in by the fence were trying to get out of that area. A woman who recognized me as a police officer informed me of the occurrence and volunteered to take care of my rollers blade while I go and help the young man who was being beat upon by a gang of his peers. As a police officer (though I am on suspension) I still have an obligation to lend a hand of protection to any member of the community who is in need, even if it means confronting the danger alone. After I skillfully scaled the fence that enclosed the base ball field and after I identify myself as police officers the assailants made off. The victim who was blinded by his own blood was fighting viciously even after his attackers had left. But with the help of a Bermuda fire Service personnel (whose name I do not know) and other helpful member of the community we managed to restrain the aggressive youth and took him to a place of safety.

Before, during and after this incident there were no police to be found in the area where the public had gathered to celebrate such an auspicious national event. It was about half an hour after the fact, and after the assailants had left the scene the Calvary rolled in, in a number that represented total over killed which is the usual thing.

Anyone who knows anything about preparing for an event of the magnitude and significance as the Bermuda day celebration, strategic and contingency planning is paramount, and this should include the strategic deployment of uniform police office, the uniform officers are and will be the first response in prevention and dealing with any foreseen and or unforeseen antisocial behaviors that may pop up.

As soon as the Bermuda Police Service release me from my contractual obligation I am going to submit a detail report to the Governor who have responsibility for the running of the Bermuda Police Service and the to minister of Home Affairs who has the responsibility for national security and public safety. In this report I will outline my observation as it relates to the weakness, short comings, and negligence which is spur on by ignorance, that adversely affect the Bermuda Police Service ability to effectively provide the level of protection the people of this Island needs and deserves, but first things first.

After all Bermuda day was a fun day for me, I socialized with friends, I had fun on my blade, and I confronted danger to help a member of the community. today was truly a Bermudaful day, and I could not have asked for a better day. Thanks Bermuda.