Archive for the ‘Bermuda’ Category

A chilling perspective

Posted: December 7, 2010 in Bermuda
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Anyone concerned about where Bermuda is headed amidst the spiralling gang violence, social dysfunctionality and hypocrisy, should take a moment to read “From the Perspective of a Young Black Man” which was published on Bernews.com today.

Here’s an excerpt:

What’s my name? don’t worry about that – it’s not important. But you see me every day – on the block, sittin off with my boys by the Parson’s road playground, or drinkin Guinness and smoking cigarettes across from C & R Discount on the block. Or sharing a joke with my breddrins out the 2nd.

I’m the one you fear – admit it. You all can’t even look me in my face or speak when you pass me by. I’m the one you pray every day that your son never befriends and your daughter never brings home. I’m the garbage that this society has no official place for.

And I’m the reflection of your cowardice and failure.

You can’t escape me, but you try. Sending your kids to private school and all dat. And I can’t even blame you – I wouldn’t want my son living the street life. It’s hard being on my post rain, blow or shine; it’s hard taking all the risks for such a little return. And now, brothas are shooting to kill, so the stakes are real high.

 

From the Perspective of a Young Black Man | Bernews.com.

Hot news …

Posted: December 2, 2010 in Bermuda, internet, media
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Looks like things are going to get interesting on the local online news front again.

The Royal Gazette is about to (finally) ditch its dog’s breakfast of a website with a total revamp – although the planned Dec. 6 launch has been put back to Dec. 13 for some “technical adjustments”. The mockups I’ve seen look clean and well-organised and at first glance a vast improvement on the existing one – but it’s hard to tell until it’s live on-screen and we see how user-friendly it is – and whether the content will reflect the philosophical shift the Gazette must make – from thinking of itself as a newspaper first to a multimedia news organisation that thinks 24-7 screen first, whether that screen is the web, tablet or smartphone.

Meanwhile, everyone’s favourite upstart, Bernews – which has been kicking the Gazette’s butt for most of the year – is planning some changes. With some financial backing, an ad sales team and a handful of part-time editorial staff now on board, the site is looking to up the ante again. They’ve recently added some nice touches like text alerts, Portuguese translation and I understand plenty more changes are in the works.

Watch that space …

The night of the roundtable

Posted: October 12, 2010 in Bermuda, bermuda politics
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So much for the “Media Roundtable” last night. More like the media getting the runaround.

Like him or hate him, it was a slick performance by Dr. Ewart Brown. I was only able to see part of the event (courtesy of Bernews’ inspired decision to trump the rest of the media by streaming it live) but from what I saw,  the Premier – egged on by a partisan crowd – had little trouble in swatting away questions from an overly respectful media by getting in plenty of digs of his own and deflecting any potentially awkward questions with a crowd-pleasing quip. “We don’t stay in Motel 6 – if you don’t mind,” was a typical put-down to The Royal Gazette’s Tim Smith that effectively ended further questioning of Government $16,000 ground transportation expenses on a trip to Washington, DC.

If the event was a missed opportunity by the media, one wonders why – with the exception of acolyte LaVerne Furbert – they deigned to take part in this farce at all.  Did they really think they would be able to skewer Dr. Brown in a circus of an environment in which the Premier played the consummate ringmaster?

Having said that, this was certainly not without risk for Dr. Brown. A more aggressive media could have made it a very uncomfortable and embarrassing evening for him and undermined the legacy he seems so desperate to burnish before he leaves office. But he gambled – correctly – that the media were on a hiding to nothing and that had they really pressed him, he could simply play the victim, being beset once more by the big bad media with their vindictive plantation questions and lies.

So what was in it for Dr. Brown – a Premier who has, for the most part, side-stepped the media with the aplomb of a contestant on Dancing With The Stars and who has been subjected to more media criticism than any other Bermuda Premier? And why now?

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