The Premier threw out a highly suspicious number again the other evening that gambling could generate 3,000 jobs in Bermuda. That is highly unlikely … and it is even more unlikely that many of those hypothetical jobs would be 1) available or 2) attractive to Bermudians. A reader points out that casinos elsewhere have extremely [...]
Entries from April 30th, 2010
Snore
April 30th, 2010 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
I heard FinMin Paula Cox on the radio this morning giving a “sound bite”. It was more like a “sound four course banquet with a doggy bag”. This is someone in dedicated love with the sound of her own voice. After a couple of run-on paragraphs of her soliloquy, all I can hear is the [...]
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Winners and Losers
April 29th, 2010 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
The polls appear to show that very few people have much trust left in Dr. Brown. Here’s an example why: Dr. Brown gave a speech last night saying that casinos offer a “win-win-win” scenario for Bermuda. Umm, Dr. Brown … gambling, by definition, is always a “win-lose” scenario. Someone’s always got to lose. And unfortunately, [...]
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Union Wakes Up Confused
April 28th, 2010 · Comments Off · Economy
The head of the BIU has demanded that local insurance companies not raise their premiums saying the increases were “alarming and unacceptable”. Thanks for waking up Chris. Where were you when Government raised payroll tax by 25% ? Or when it doubled the size of its budgets over just five years? Or when it lost [...]
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More of the Same
April 27th, 2010 · Comments Off · Accountability
The revelation that Coco Reef’s lease has now been extended to 120 years is stunning. The original tender was to operate the Stonington Beach hotel for 21 years. This was quietly renegotiated into a 50 year lease, and an SDO was later granted to develop 66 “leaseback villas” in several towers on the site. Now, [...]
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Ship Ahoy
April 27th, 2010 · Comments Off · Tourism
The Veendam is in Hamilton for the first of 24 scheduled visits this year. For the first time in ages, Hamilton seems alive and the stores are busy. All morning there have been locals standing on Front Street, just looking happily up at the ship. While I understand it may be difficult to attract smaller [...]
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Much Ado
April 26th, 2010 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
The New York Times has triggered a flurry of web commentary with their article about New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s enduring affection for Bermuda and his getaway pad here. Gimme a break, Bloomberg’s been coming here for decades. He acts like a normal guy here. He’s well liked. Big deal. I can only assume that [...]
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Piss ‘n Vinegar
April 23rd, 2010 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
ImmiMin Burch comes across very badly in these remarks to a press conference about the land license scheme. “Don’t talk foolishness to me about foreigners owning their second house. There are a lot of Bermudians who don’t have a house.” These are not foreigners; they are spouses of Bermudians who are on track to acquire [...]
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Land License
April 16th, 2010 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics
Land licenses are in the news again. Bermudians with non Bermudian spouses or POSSLQs have until June 22 to apply for a license ($1375) or face possible $1 million fines and getting sharks with frickkin lasers on their heads sikked on them. This policy supposedly is designed to protect Bermudian ownership of land for future [...]
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Time for a New Tagline
April 15th, 2010 · Comments Off · Bermuda Politics, Tourism
Dr. Brown’s signature tagline for Bermuda Tourism is “Feel the Love”. Oh dear. That “comfy shoe” company Crocs has also adopted the schmalzy line. Like Bermuda tourism, Crocs have been losing money for years, and people either love ‘em or think they are so uncool. However the shoes, unlike our Government, are odor resistant. UPDATE: [...]
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