OVER the past two years, the crowd at Serangoon Swimming Complex has grown, mainly from an influx of swimming instructors with their students. The situation has grown from a mere inconvenience into a potential hazard for both regular swimmers and learners.

ON THE night of May 4, the kindergarten units directly below my two bedrooms in Rivervale Drive had their lights on throughout the night till the early hours of the morning. The bedrooms became very hot due to the heat from the lights in the kindergarten.

STARHUB should be commended for featuring eight simultaneous English Premier League matches as part of its Survival Sunday menu. However, I was disappointed at the numerous distractions on the TV screen.

I REFER to the article, 'Drug firms told to stop running 'educational' adverts' (May 5). The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) felt the advertisement by GlaxoSmithKline on cervical cancer played on emotions and used fear as a tactic, while not providing information on the symptoms of cervical cancer, other risk factors and the importance of pap smears. It also criticised drug companies for being too creative and not providing enough factual content. I would like to know how the HSA, in evaluating individual advertisements, arrives at these conclusions. Is this a formal process performed by a qualified team, or is it left to subjective evaluation by a few individuals?

IN 2005, my wife and I attended two seminars on options trading - an investment tool anchored on the concept of leverage. Two of my friends attended the seminar and signed up for the course immediately. Today, one has stopped after huge losses and the other is still struggling to make a profit.

WE THANK Madam Teo Lay Khim for her letter, 'Marsiling's marathon migraine' (May 3).

I SINCERELY believe that the price of oil will go ballistic in the near future due to falling available supply from producers and increasing demand from developing countries.

THERE has been recent mention on why Singapore cannot be a welfare state. Indeed, there are good reasons why it would not work for a country like Singapore.

THE Saturday report, 'Allow drug firms to advertise their products', said in part: '...but now would be a good time for Singapore to reconsider this issue, for the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is in the midst of discussions with the Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (SAPI) on the types of publicity to be allowed". The relationship between the drug firms and doctors in the past has been contaminated by many episodes of unsavoury scandals.

I WRITE to join Mr Patrick Sio's discussion on the contentious issue of the 1 per cent property sales commission. Let me state that I am all for real estate agents who deserve their due. If a buyer has commissioned an agent to represent them as they have no time to look for a HDB flat and are in need of the agent, by all means, the agent has earned it. An independent buyer's position, however, is completely different.

I CHANCED upon a television advertisement for Class 95FM which featured a woman flaunting her tongue jewellery. In my practice, I have also noticed in recent years that it is becoming more prevalent for young people to have their tongue pierced for such tongue jewellery. Most do so without their parents' knowledge and are themselves unaware of the risks involved.

THE article, 'Where in the world is the West?' (May 2), was, as asserted, predicated on mindset and not contiguous to any continent, specific nation or religion. Be this as it may, the non-contiguity takes its course from attitude which, in turn, has its source in prepossessions which creates the mindset.

THE letter from Mr Dudley Au, 'Don't stop at seat belts for school buses' (Wednesday), was considered worthless in content by some ST Discussion Board posters. May I enquire why a letter that points out the dangers inherent in a mode of transportation is worthless, when it says something which is true?