Minister: Satellite Conference In Paris
Next week Minister of Environment, Planning & Infrastructure Strategy Walter Roban and Permanent Secretary Dr. Derrick Binns will attend the World Satellite Business Conference in Paris from September 11-16.
“The Ministry is looking into the feasibility of creating a Space Enterprise Zone in Bermuda, building on our history of hosting a NASA tracking station, and more recently, hosting the European Space Agency and NASA, enabling them to establish a transportable tracking station in Bermuda to track the launch of rockets,” explained Minister Roban [pictured].
“The intent is to attract key operators in the satellite industry to conduct operations from Bermuda. In return, Bermuda would consider incentives to enhance our attractiveness to such an enterprise.”
“The purpose of our visit is to meet directly with these operators to ascertain the elements that would make a Space Enterprise Zone successful. We would then work to develop those elements before implementing the Zone. Ultimately, we would like to see the Space Enterprise Zone serve as another major economic pillar for Bermuda.”
Minister Roban added: “We anticipate that jobs for the island could be created as a result of the establishment of a Space Enterprise Zone. But we would be better positioned to speak to this after we have begun the discussions with stakeholders.”
A Ministry spokesperson said, “The purpose of the trip is to provide Bermuda with the opportunity to gain invaluable insight into the current and future prospects for the Satellite industry, and to network and do business with key players at the highest level.
“Present at the Conference will be some of the key players from the satellite industry, which will feature more than 120 senior executive speakers.
“The Conference will host more than 600 attendees representing 40 different countries – and 60% of these attendees are CEOs, MDs, CFOs or financiers.
“Previous Ministers with the responsibility for Telecommunications have attended this conference in the past to further Bermuda’s space initiatives. As a result, we are currently already working with an operator to place a satellite in our orbital slot.”
Is this so that all those out of work Bermudian aeronautical engineers will have somewhere to work? Oh great. What a wonderful idea.
That’s right, go out there and bring some more money into our economy. This is the first smart idea I’ve heard from government in a while.
what happened to the NASA containers out at coopers island? did we shoot ourselves in the foot again?
Glad we’re sending our top rocket scientist.
PLP seem to be a right bunch of Space Cadets.
Gee, with shuttle launches and now sattelite conferences it’s clear that our politicians really do have their heads in (or above) the clouds.
It’s astounding that on one hand the PLP is getting rid get rid of jobs in Bermuda and killing our existing international industries with term limits but spending the taxpayer’s money on lavish trips to try and create jobs and lure new industries.
Just another excuse to travel. They will enjoy thier trip at OUT expense and come back and do what they do best…NOTHING!
What a waste of time and money at this time when this can be done via the internet.
But they will miss all the fun of gay paree….if they do it via the internet.
You have got to be kidding me
….I read “Previous Ministers with the responsibility for Telecommunications have attended this conference in the past to further Bermuda’s space initiatives. As a result, we are currently already working with an operator to place a satellite in our orbital slot.”….
How many jobs have been created as a result of the attendance by previous ministers with responsibilities…a big fat zero…
Off to Paris? Seriously?
While the idea of getting more involved with the satellite industry is actually a reasonable idea, the information potentially gained from a trip for two (i.e., not one) to Paris is about the same as 20 minutes of internet research.
In addition, with the private space industry set to explode (no pun intended) within the next 5 years or so, it might be worthwile to look into what services Bermuda might be able to provide these upstart companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing to name a few) in the near future.. especially regarding a tracking station.
Bermuda is geographically prime real estate for these companies and the same idea could also be extended to the emerging microsatellite market.
Go big or go home… thinking outside the box is good; getting involved in markets that haven’t already been established elsewhere (*cough cough*, gambling…) could potentially be very economically stimulating.
Yes, this may be a lucrative industry – but for whom? How would this create jobs in Bermuda? How many Bermudians have the kind of high-tech knowledge in aeronautics and satellite technology that would be necessary to successfully break into this industry? You would have to employ foreign workers to work in this type of field.
We don’t need more jobs! Our 21sq mile expanded to much and consequently the layoffs. What we need is foreign currency invested in our economy with minimal need for imported labor….space enteprise is brilliant has similar results like money working for you while you sleep. It is clear that many on this feed need to expand their understanding of economics….
thick.
What a “Payload” of sh!t. NASA has closed Shuttle et al………The Russians are being used to do what has to be done with the Space Station.
Another …..Reach Out and Touch”..bwahaaaaaaaaaa
No way in hell they gonna build anything in Bermuda. Maybe a little listening post. They should have sent Chris Furbert………..Hahlow…hahlow…..cum hin yoo lutt……yah yah………
I need my meth…………………………….
I think we need to think far reaching even if it’s close to the clouds to get our economy on track….NASA pumped millions into our economy back in the day. With our unique location we can offer our sky and Queens bottom in return for millions of dollars from space enterprise and telecommunications without bringing in hords of people and streesing our 21 square miles. Forward thinking if you ask me…
The problem is that modern technology has all but eliminated the need for multiple ground stations for monitoring and telecommunications. They haven’t needed our “unique” location for 15 years now, what would NASA (or any other agency) need it any more now?
I know that the ESA had some interest in re-establishing some tracking at Coopers’ Island – but this won’t be your fathers’ NASA station. Admittedly there will be some income to Bermuda but it won’t be the gravy train that the bases provided for years (which cost us environmentally in the end).
“NASA pumped millions into our economy back in the day”….
Really? I doubt it actually. 3 or 4 people stationed there maybe, unless I’m missing something. And NASA left 15 years ago.
So what exactly about our ‘unique location’ is worth millions of dollars to the space industry?
Sigh NASA employed several Bermudians, many of whom went on to successful careers there, overseas and locally.The late Leslie Lynch and the late Mr. (?) Welch were among the Bermudians employed there. Our ignorance of our history doesn’t mean it never happened.
So it employed 2 or 3 Bermudians?
More than 2 or 3, however even though it may have been only a couple dozen, the huge amount of money it was putting in the GDP was equivalent to almost several hundred employees. We got more bang for our buck….
Are you making this stuff up? “The GDP was equivalent to several hundred employees”? Really? It was equivalent to having several hundred people employed at one time? Is that really true?
Can you share your information source with us all please.
Yep. That’s a potential “major economic pillar for Bermuda” right there.
If your measure of economic importance to Bermuda is how many of us are employed in it then you surely don’t understand international business.Its raison d’etre is be here without us being in it. Its about money.Check their campaigns; its only in the last 3 or 4 years that they were forced to show Bermudians having a chance in the industry. Prior to that they made no bones about the fact that we should be grateful for the rents they paid, the money they spent in restaurants etc etc…that was what we got out of them being here NOT jobs. Now you want this initiative to measured by how many jobs are in it for Bermudians? That has never been the measuring stick for economic success or importance to Bermuda. That’s new and you don’t even know it. Everything on CNN doesn’t apply here.
Hmmmm, I actually have some experience in international business. I can also smell BS at long range.
The discussion above, which touched on job creation, was about the assertion made that NASA ‘pumped millions’ into the Bermuda economy. Someone asserted that significant numbers of Bermudians were employed during the NASA years, but it seems that was not true, and the number involved was actually very small. The discussion was relevant because had NASA employed dozens of people for many years, that would have meant millions of dollars into the economy. But that didn’t happen.
I hope you understand the point now that I have explained it in simple terms.
I do understand that there is not always a correlation between employee numbers and revenue. But the minister describes this opportunity as a potential “major economic pillar for Bermuda”. Let’s think about that.
If it employs almost nobody, it will be about as significant as NASA was to the economy. Which means it would be, at best: sort of interesting to have; a nice conversation-starter; generates a bit of government income (but not a significant amount); doesn’t make any discernible difference at all to the Bermudian economy.
Certainly not a “major pillar”.
Even with my limited brain power i think i follow you. I disagree, but I follow you. Just what is the “Bermudian economy” ? This is where i think your argument falls short. For years international business was described as a pillar of the Bermudian economy. Its twin pillar was tourism. One was a pillar because of its trickle down effects the other through its employment of Bermudians. It is only in recent years that IB has been forced to look more realistically at the local pool for employees and therefore became or is becoming a pillar in which jobs for Bermudians is a part.What this must mean is that there are more moving parts to the Bermudian economy because for many years the strength of its major “pillar” was not based upon the number of jobs for Bermudians in it.Therefore, why couldn’t this enterprise become a pillar of the Bermudian economy without a requirement for job creation for Bermudians? That’s important because its a red herring to attach it. Declining birth rates, social dysfunction, failing education system = jobs in any sector like this for more skilled expats and not Bermudians. Which brings me to my original point of yesterday: we need a new pillar that is infrastructure neutral.
And if someone pays – say – $250k for a license to have a mobile tracking station here for a couple of months a year, how much of that will “trickle down”?
Your facts are wrong and your analysis is wrong. Int Business has directly employed thousands of people, Bermudians, in international companies, for a couple of decades. In addition, there were other indirect jobs created as a result of goods and services needed by the companies and their employees. Both those things were benefits for the local economy.
A licence fee paid to the Bda Govt by a space contractor will never create more than a handful of jobs. No trickle down. Even at its height here, NASA employed never more than a handful of people. To describe this project as a “potential pillar of the economy” is just misleading, putting it nicely. It looks a lot more like they are scrabbling around for nickels and dimes because they have no better ideas.
But let’s see. Maybe you’re right and we’re all too cynical or whatever. Let’s see how much benefit this brings to the economy before the next election. The proof will be in the pudding.
Not sure if you were being sarcastic but there isn’t always a direct correlation between number of employees and revenue.
All that asbestos in the containers can be put to use by lining the blast tunnels at the base of the launch pad at the soon-to-be Space Port.
I am going to ask the burning question…..WHY?????
oh boy
send them all up on a space rocket!!!! LMAO
Who is derrick Binns ?
I’m always amazed,but never surprised at the constant negative comments on this website, especially when it comes to PLP politicians, and gov’t civil servants. For those who continues to question, the competence,knowledge, and commitment of these persons, here’s some info that might be useful. Pepper, you ask who is Derrick Binns?
Dr. Derrick Binns,PHD Clinical Psychologist, graduate of John’s Hopkins Uni.
Walter Robane, Graduate of Moorhouse College Atlanta,
BA in Business and International studies, Masters degree in International studies, Birimgham, UK
I also hope that the following quote will be helpful as well.
“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something, or someone you don’t know anything about.” (Dr. Wayne Dyer)1940 American Psychotherapist
>”
The information you provided has nothing to do with the “competence,knowledge, and commitment of these persons.” It is simply personal history.
It is also ironic to accuse people of ignorance when the government sends a clinical psychologist and someone with an international studies degree to a satellite/aerospace conference.
They have every right to be skeptical…
Oh for the good old days when an architect was in charge of Planning, a hotelier was in charge of tourism, a car salesman was in charge of transport……..are you for real ?! Remind me again what Dr. Saul’s qualification was to be Financial Secretary and then Minister of Finance. How did an entomologist become Financial Secretary and get a CBE for it? Remind me again how a surgeon was Minister of Finance and never challenged about his qualifications? A dental technician as the Minister of Tourism in the heyday, a real estate agent at Home Affairs and then the Cabinet Office….and the list goes on. Don’t apply new standards because you don’t like the guys. Stick with political differences because there weren’t a whole lot of qualifications strolling around pre 1998 either and so maybe, just maybe there’s a little bit of luck involved in this game or could it be a skill set that’s more useful than qualifications? There’s another name for what you’re really saying…….
Funny how back then we had…. Hell we had a government that did save some of our money for a rainy day…. Not a government that pokes holes in the umbrella!!!
Ignorance is not bliss, It’s just Ignorance.
And denial is still just denial…
The skepticism you’re seeing here arises out of bad previous experience.
What about the visit to India? What about the China visit? What about Dr Brown’s expensive nights in the 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel, at thousands of dollars a night, because ‘as Tourism Minister he had to experience the best in the world’. What about the Plaboy Mansion party where Bermuda vacations were given away? Did those boondoggles result in new jobs in Bermuda? Or were they just luxurious and glamorous perks for fat-cats, paid for out of the public purse?
These people are going to Paris, whatever we say. The trip is on. Let’s hope that, prior to the election, real jobs are being created as a result. Or this will look like another waste time and resources.
This already is a waste of time and resources due to the qualifications of those going.
This won’t directly generate new jobs for Bermudians unless they are qualified. However, it may well stimulate the economy directly due to new revenue streams.
And yes, previous travel by Dr. Brown etc. was the opposite of cost-effective to say the very least.
I really hope they can gather some good information from this conference that may actually help the country, but if we’re basing that off past experience, I remain pessamistic.
Overall it is a good idea, but nothing that can’t be researched over the computer.
You have to remember, this Government is Desperate, we have no idea what kind of wheeling and dealing may go on in Paris. We certainly know what went on in India and China! We may have a lot to cash in on by just being a Cog in the Global atmosphere.
I’m sure Great Ex-Leader enjoys flashing his American Express ‘Black Card’ that we paid for.
Yet another initiative that will fall by the wayside because all of you are blinded by the venue. We don’t need anymore jobs in this country; stop watching CNN! What we need is a diversified economy that generates revenue and foreign exchange and a skilled workforce that can play its part in it. We don’t have rivers, mountains, gold or oil and so this kind of thing is EXACTLY what we need to be pursuing. We’re straining now under the weight of cars, people and the like. The next wave of revenue generation must be infrastructure neutral guys: no people, no work permits, no cars, just money into the Government coffers. The stuff that requires the people will continue to grow if we handle that part right but this is about ecnomic diversity and revenue generation. The attitudes expressed so far regarding this story are exactly why our relationships with China and India haven’t taken off. Everyone was focused on how much a plane ticket costs to Beijing or Mumbai and that killed it.Broaden your horizons and see that the broken US and UK economies can’t help themselves, never mind us. Every other country seeking investment and new business is courting China, India and Brasil. Meanwhile, we sit here hating because this meeting happens to be in Paris?! Get over it people, this is the real world and if you think this economy doesn’t need to grow, diversify and explore new revenue streams then you’re not the rocket scientists you’re pretending to be in blog-land.
AMEN Hmmmmmmm! Bermuda’s economy cannout be defined like other countries….we have limits, excruciating limits! This is an excellent opportunity, I hope that Bermuda is able to captialize on it.
Derrick Binns is one of the army of permanent secretaries who irrespective of which party is in power they have significant sway over the limited decisions that Ministers make, long story short, Derrick Binns is a highly paid loated civil servant.
I hope Walter Roban is getting ready to seek employment like the rest of us as PLPs reign is coming to an end, maybe the Bank will take him back and allow him to travel every time he is bored, like this Paris trip.
ANOTHER pie in the sky PLP excursion, and still no Tourism Plan.
Another wasteful trench of taxpayers revenue being utilised so the black panther PLP member can have a european jolly.
The main problem for Bermuda is having a Government that has no business acumen. Couple that with the current Public Education system producing very few functionally and employable people except in Government. Case in point. The Orientation pamplet produced for Cedarbridge S3 and S4 was in fact titled as Oridentation.
Nothing much will change unless and until Bermuda is again managed by Ministers who have strong buinsess experience. This is even more important if new revenue streams from technology driven buisness is the aim.
Walter,
Come down to Gombeys beach to drink some beers wif us tomorrow and dont waste your time going to Paris for no conference mate, besides they aint got no mac n cheese or fried chicken in paris………also you aint gonna find no proper shopping on Champs Elysees just luxury goods that you will get bored with
Paris and Space…………come on Bie stop playing
See you down Gombeys tomorra we’ll give you some ideas how we can get back to work without the $14,000+ in airfares, hotel, taxi and perdiem allowance that you and di Bie Binns gonna waste with them astronaughts
See you tomorrow
We bies!………..not Spacebies!!
Why are we spending more money on speculative fact finding when there are real things that the PLP could be doing now to attract inbound investment in Tourism like 1 Casino run professionally by Bellagio or Caesars, with a minority goverment interest for annuity income to reduce the DEBT.
PLP you and Cog are about to get a severe “Cut-A__” at the polls, no amount of spin doctoring or hype will save you all the media is about OBA right now absolutley nothing but the usual uninspiring drivel from the fat cat PLP Government
Dont you guys read what happened to the UK Labour Party in the last UK elections and how their disconnect from the public got them kicked out.
Rocket Man
She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine a.m.
And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It’s lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And I think it’s gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I’m a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone
Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it’s cold as hell
And there’s no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don’t understand
It’s just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man
I can just see it now:
Expensive conference in Paris
Club World Travel
Walter and Derrick sitting in a corner table smiling and not being able to speak French, or communicate effectively about current trends in the Aerospace Industry as we have no such Industry in Bermuda
Shopping shopping glorious shopping and champagne on the recommendations made by Dame Jennifer and Renee Webbe
Returning to Bermuda with the powerpoint slides and handouts from the trip and promises of how the trip will translate into 500 new jobs a year
Telling everyone how successful the trip was.
In the corporate world, new business opportunities have to be substaniated by solid quants data and projections before the executive even underwrites any fact finding business travel around the investment decision, you people and your permanent secretaries should all be banished to Neptune.
Jokers, come have some swizzle instead and dont waste your time with a trip to Paris, also please dont speak publicly at the Conference many will not take kindly to your lisp and habit of punctuating sentences with the phrase um-um
Dear Premier,
Please give Minister Roban clear objectives and deliverables when he and other Ministers decide to go on rips like this here, didntnyou say this was the time of austerity? This trip has no likelihood of generating income or jobs for bermuda before the next election so why risk the public fallout by even telling us about it, what you should sensor you dont and vice versa…………come on Leader tell Walter to go sit down and do some work.
Still Confident we can reset the dial under Cox but hope is fading.
CFO
Bernews Readers,
Since I did not get get invited on this travel and after reading all the previous posts I decided to to a quick bit of research on how much it will cost 2 adults, assuming they sit in different seats, and sleep in different hotel rooms to attand the full Satellite program at the Westin Hotel in Paris.
By the way the Westin is a 5 star hotel and because BA do not fly from Gatwick to Charles de Gaulle direct, the Minister and Permanent Secretary will either have to fly via Newark to get to Paris direct, or go to Gatwick and then take a taxi to Heathrow to connect as they should not take the bus after a comfortable Club World journey.
All converted to USD from EUR at the rate of 1.37, and I have conservately assumed Per Diem allowance for this Ministry travel at USD$100 per person/per day.
1) Flights on BA in Club World – $10,637
2) Hotel at Westin, Paris (2 Basic Rooms/6 Nights) – $6,225
3) Full Conference Attendance – $9,428
4) Gatwick/Heathrow/Gatwick Taxi Transfers – $270
5) Per Diem Allowance (Minister & Perm Sec) – $1,400
Total in USD $27,960
As we are in a recession and since this is a prehaps shot in the dark and stormy kind of trip with no guarantees of getting anything I would suggest we cancel this one, or make the Minister and Permanent Secretary share a room at the 5 Star Westin in Paris, as those rooms are big and the Minister is looking fit and trim so he can take a single bed alongside Mr Binns who is a quite small framed man.
that would save $3,000 off this trip which they could use to buy shoes?
See even I can balance the budget!!
Um Vexed
Junior Civil Servant
If they are to share a room then maybe they could eat at a Bistro or Burger King instead of a 3 Star Michelin Restaurant.
Walter i need to go UK for a job interview can you lend me the $700 more that i need to make this trip happen there is work in uk for my profession but not here and i am a local bermudian
What would life be without laughter?
Let me know when you fall back down here with the rest of us in the $65,000a year and under society
Bernews u should place this article and the others with over 50posts back on page 1 of your feed, this story is important as it shows a complete lack of focus on Bermuda by the Minister and his Permanent Secretary
This trip is inappropriate like MP Listers one to NASA
Wake up call- you say $65k is hard times?
Next time you see a job advert for an unskilled labourer @ Works and Engineering- compare the $900 a week they’d get in BDA to the $200 max they’d get in the UK.