Dear Sir, I would like to thank the committee, staff and all others who helped to put together an excellent teen banquet at CedarBridge Academy on May 22, 1999.

Everyone's hard, diligent and successful work really, I may say, showed on that Saturday evening.

I would especially like to thank Mrs. Mary Ball and Pastor Stanley Lee of Bermuda Christian Academy for putting me up as a nominee for Spiritual Leadership and I would also like to thank the teen committee who chose to give me the group and individual awards in the Spiritual Leadership category.

Congratulations to all other teens who participated and won awards and also to other teens, who didn't win awards. Special recognition to Mrs. Raynor and Mrs. Perinchief for their diligent and untiring work. May God bless all of you.

KENNETH MINORS Paget Think before drink May 25, 1999 Dear Sir, Back in January I became involved in a discussion on zero tolerance against drinking and driving. The outcome was that I volunteered to enter into an experiment for six months to see exactly what I would have to do to remain in full compliance if there was such a law in effect.

The bottom line for someone like myself -- who is a social drinker -- is that a great deal of care, planning, and above all, much self-discipline is needed.

To be absolutely correct, if I consume any alcohol at all then someone else, (who has not consumed any alcohol) will have to do the driving. Whether my alcohol consumption is from medication, by food or dessert cooked in wine or brandy.

This means no more fish chowder with sherry and Black Seal, and no more Bristol Cream before dinner or chardonnay with dinner.

Well, how am I doing? Not badly. Since January I have failed on two occasions, once because I had fish cooked in a creamy champagne sauce, (Yum!), and I had an accidental sip of someone's drink.

But generally, while I do miss my sherry and glass of wine, I don't actually need those things to have a pleasant evening out. I substitute a Virgin Mary (Bloody Mary without the vodka); or a virgin anything else... we just leave out the alcohol.

The big payoff comes when I am stopped by the Police doing one of those random checks and asked whether I have had anything to drink. It feels so good to be able to say `no officer, I have not!' I work hard for my good name and to be up on a charge of DWI would devastate me.

So in summary, zero tolerance, even for non-drinkers, would mean taking extra care not to consume alcohol unintentionally through certain products, and for moderate social drinkers or even dependent drinkers planning, care and discipline would be required.

If we as a community can make the designated driver programme work for one night a year we can make it work all year round. Simply put, it's a matter of whether we care enough about the carnage on our roads caused by alcohol and the resulting pain and suffering caused to families who lose a loved one because of a road crash.

I agree with Roger Crombie, we really need to be thinking "Drinking Or Driving''! EUGENE CARMICHAEL City of Hamilton Silence is golden May 23, 1999 Dear Sir, Is there anyone in Bermuda who can tell me how and when the subject of absolutely appalling noise pollution will be addressed? It is now 9 p.m. and since 5 p.m. I have been bombarded by the most dreadful noise (apparently music to some ears) from gigantic speakers erected on Front Street and also from the cruise boats passing my Harbour Road home.

It is so loud and so disturbing that I cannot hear my own selection of music in my own home! I do not know how others living along the waterfront from Two Rock Passage around to Salt Kettle and beyond can tolerate the intrusion of this horrendous noise -- and this is only May -- with a whole summer ahead of us.

I do not wish to spoil the enjoyment of others with different tastes in music but surely there must be some control on volume.

It is the volume of sound that has been allowed to get completely out of control and it MUST be stopped.

It is not only from boats that we must endure this dreadful "noise'' as too many cars drive around with their windows down and audio blaring so loudly that it is impossible to carry on a conversation -- even in my own car.

Sadly, consideration for others has virtually been lost by many in our beautiful Bermuda. What on earth can we do to return our Island to the peaceful place it once was? Can the Police be given more powers to prosecute for noise pollution? I have been kept awake past midnight on many occasions and complaints to the Police have been effective. However, at the next opportunity the warning has been forgotten and we are again mercilessly besieged by ear-shattering sounds.

I cannot imagine why those revellers would not equally enjoy themselves in a large hall with all the volume they want (at risk to their own hearing) without disturbing others.

I wish that more people could share my enjoyment on the waters of our special Island by silently watching the stars, searching the night skies for satellites, wondering at the magic of phosphorescence or tracing a moonbeam across the Harbour.

Captains, please turn down your volume and please do not subject us to another summer of noise pollution.

ANN SMITH GORDON City of Hamilton KEMH care is uneven May 18, 1999 The following is an open letter to the KEMH Administrator.

Dear Sir, I have recently returned to Westmeath having spent a week on Curtis Ward and I feel compelled to report on my experiences.

I was admitted in the early hours of the morning suffering from nausea and diarrhoea. I felt unable to do anything for myself and had no control over myself while they hooked me up to an intravenous, took X-rays and tests.

The next days were a nightmare. There was one very professional nurse who cleaned me up and did her best to make me comfortable. Debbie was the Florence Nightingale of my stay.

I was badly chilled and unable to get blankets. In fact the air conditioning was increased to make it "smell better.'' I was wet and lying in my own filth and being reminded over and over again how objectionable I was.

When I asked for paper or tissues to help me clean up a little I was told it was "all right'' -- that when they had time they would add clean linen to put on top of the soiled things. I felt like I was dying.

I was not able to eat anything and the strength was being drained from me. One aide came in to help me wash my face and investigate my condition. Her assessment indicated to her I needed help. She swiped around with a wash cloth and then went out to the corridor "whewing'' and carrying on about the care I needed, telling everyone that she had had to wash my whole back and how awful it was.

I knew I was objectionable. I am a person who takes pride in my appearance.

Having lived 70 years without being subjected to such humiliation and degradation I prayed for death as a means of escape from this horror.

I struggled to eat as soon as they allowed, to try a soft diet just so I could leave.

On Monday the dinner trays were delivered and about an hour later a visitor of mine went to check on my tray. It had been left outside my door.

It seems if there is an isolation sign at the door, dietary staff do not deliver trays. However an aide came to my rescue. For breakfast the next morning it was the same story. I am a brittle diabetic and timing of meals is important.

At 9 a.m. I was told I could get washed. I voiced some concern about being able to manage getting into the bathroom and managing on my own while connected to the intravenous.

I was told if I felt dizzy they would take a chair in for me and it would only take a few minutes. Oh, how I wanted to get home. I went to the bathroom and tried to manage around the chair.

After an eternity I felt I had done the best I could I got back to the bed and sat in the side chair. It was then noon and no one had been in to see if I needed help or was in fact still on my feet. I only knew I was leaving there the next day.

By the time I returned to Westmeath I was almost hysterical.

One of my Westmeath "sisters'' said "Pray God neither of us ever have to go through that again.'' Amen.

But what is the solution? More nursing staff so they can answer the call buttons? More caring staff? What of the district nurses who are handed over care of patients that are being discharged without dressings and adequate instruction? When are medical insurance carriers going to acknowledge and honour nursing facilities where they can do a job more efficiently and in half the time that it takes for the hospital to provide what very little they do? The one strength I found was in the ITV team which do a tremendous job and which has made miraculous strides in their field, yet I understand they are considering this unit for redundancy.

The older persons in this "Year of Older Persons'' are being victimised and can do nothing, or perhaps they are afraid to try to do anything but the treatment I received there destroyed body and soul.

The treatment and help at Westmeath are at the other end of the spectrum. They welcomed me back with open arms. They cleaned me up, started immediately building up my self-esteem and repair wounds to my body and mind which had been so seriously damaged.

I plead for help in this cause before you find you are connected to the next victim.

BARBARA HAYWARD Pembroke