I cannot let another day pass without complimenting the fabulous Bermudian band now called Exotique which has been performing at the Southampton Princess for the past three months. Their standard of performance has gone from strength to strength. We can certainly be proud of their achievements as they displayed such a wealth of artistry in their presentation. What a vast and varied repertoire! What a charismatic group! I am especially proud of the twins Stephan and Rupert Hinds. They were some of my very first music students whom I taught for many years at the beginning of my 40-year piano teaching career. They were brilliant boys and that basic scale work which they were good at continues to shine brilliantly in their chosen career.

Not only does this band ooze with talent but it is not an ordinary group, they are not a large group of instrumentalists and singers but they fascinate me as they somehow manage to produce a `big band sound'. I am hoping that soon (I wrote this years ago) Bermuda will have accommodation and facilities for various types of groups. It is so obvious that Bermuda has come a great distance in 40 years in the progress of music, but accommodation for musical activity has remained much the same.

In the sixties and seventies there was very little happening in music in Bermuda. In the eighties it picked up considerably but nothing much was happening to accommodate this growth. Now we have passed through the nineties and all kinds of talent is exploding everywhere and of course we can hardly accommodate it. Now we can see that children whose parents made the sacrifice in those early years are having to go elsewhere to make a living with these talents.

When I returned home in 1960 I recognized that Bermuda did not respect music.

Mind you, on the face of it, there have been changes in some aspects. What a pity that this first class group of musicians, Exotique, must of necessity make their living abroad where music is very much respected. Of course, I do recognize that working abroad has afforded them vast experience. Luckily the talent of this band Exotique could not be harnessed, hence their international success.

However, my prayer is that they will see fit to return to their homeland Bermuda to work permanently before they are too much older, all things being equal. Indeed, I encourage all Bermudians of their age group to return home before it is too late to get into the workforce.

ELOISE TROTT DZOFONOO Devonshire We need a reality check October 2, 2000 Dear Sir, Now that the meetings with long-time residents have concluded, it is time to evaluate the results.

First let me preface my comments by saying any outcome will not affect me personally very much one way or the other, but the quality of life in Bermuda, of course, will.

Ms Cox has stated her satisfaction with these meetings as they were a wonderful way to let off steam and raise the emotions and, more particularly, that everyone should now understand the frustrations of the black Bermudian.

If Paula Cox is convinced of the benefits of letting off steam, she should organise monthly meetings for Bermudians only, so that they can discuss and solve their own problems.

Rather then criticise let me be constructive. Our primary concern is controlling the numbers in our small country. It is my understanding that more people -- both Bermudian by birth and by status have, in fact, left Bermuda in the last 25 years. Therefore a criteria could be that if 100 people leave Bermuda, this could be a guideline as to how many could be given some form of status. This should eliminate the scaremongering tactics employed by some people.

In any event I think many people do not want status, even if qualified, as when they reach retirement age they can live overseas where the cost of living is much lower. The quality of life, particularly as one ages in Bermuda, has deteriorated greatly in the last 15 years. In any event, decision making without statistical information seems rather meaningless. The Bermudians who attended the meetings seemed to me to represent ten to 15 percent of those at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder -- not the relatively well-off middle class both black and white who seem to be doing very well.

Rather than paying so much attention to the long- term resident issue, we should be looking for employment for the young Bermudians coming into the workforce.

The long-term residents are old and, one way or another, will fade away -- never to be replaced in the future; however, our youth will still need jobs.

The real problem, regardless of which Government is in power, is how well prepared we are to face the challenges of the 21st Century for our survival.

We must face the reality that the hotel industry as we know it will never return and we need an alternative source of employment. We have a failed education system and restrictions on imported workers, so we have a serious problem.

We need to attract outside capital investment, having none of our own. In this age of globalisation and advanced technology one needs more than muscle and a pulse. Even the USA had to import thousands of Indians to Silicone Valley, due to a shortage of skilled workers.

This therefore is where our collective efforts should be focused if we are to survive in the 21st century.

The reinsurance industry that Fred Reiss brought to Bermuda from Youngstown, Ohio 35 years ago has saved our economy but if our tax laws, or the tax laws of the US change, leaving Bermuda no longer attractive -- what else do we have to support us? We need a fast reality check dealing with facts only, as raw emotion has no calories.

LIBRA Paget