On the Dot...

The huge billboards near the War Monument in Floriana have powerful messages to convey. It is a pity it is only their front those putting them up seem to care for: the back of the billboards, especially the one on road safety, is a mess of rusting metal, all there for tourists to feast their eyes on as they board their coaches.

Old Hat

The façade of the St Mary of Jesus (Ta' Giezu) church in Valletta was recently given a much-needed sprucing up. However, those flying vermin otherwise known as pigeons have once more been making a mess of the place. Truly a case of money down the drain, if the situation is not taken care of.

Post Coded

Unfortunately, industrial actions taken by Maltapost plc have repercussions on those sectors of society that have nothing to do with the disputes in question. It is not the first time that pillar boxes, full to overflowing, were the target of casual vandalism. This tends to happen in places where those with nothing better to do, congregate. A case in point are the collection boxes near schools, where children are more likely than not to put their hands through the slots and pull out letters as they wait for the vans to take them home from school. What happens to the mail is anyone's guess.

Free Flight

A woman paid a deposit for a flight. When she went to pay the balance, she found that, without advising her, the travel company had replaced the one chosen with another, thus causing her to miss the connecting flight. A spokesman for the Department for Consumer Affairs indicated that "the client must check these details out for herself, just in case something of this sort happens". Is it only for package tours that travellers may expect redress?

Smooth Operators

On Sunday, May 23, at around 9 a.m., three workers were doing roadworks in Notabile Road, Mriehel, near Centre Point Buildings. One of them was in the cabin of a vehicle equipped for breaking up the road; another was acting as foreman, and the third was clearing away the debris from the cutting edges of the machinery. Unfortunately, little or no safety gear was in evidence, despite the noise and the obvious dangers involved in the job.

Net Loss

One more child has managed to slip though the safety net of our welfare society, and fortunately drawn in again before it was too late. One wonders whether, unfortunately, many more children are in the same position, or worse. Sometimes, what happens is a case of misguided ideas about how to be of assistance to those in need. Something must be done to avoid potentially fatal mistakes of this type happening again.

Culling Culture

One hopes that by the time the elections for members of the European Parliament come around, all local councils will have modified the entrances and lobbies to the buildings from which they operate, in order to ensure that people who have handicaps and/or use wheelchairs have no problems of accessibility.

Price Watch

The price of Imperial Leather "original" spray deodorant has shot up from 90 cents, through 92 cents, to Lm1.21, in a couple of weeks. What can possibly warrant this change is the packaging of the product; from white with a red cap it evolved into an all-beige container, and thence back to an ostensibly new, improved version with a red cap and a design on the front of the white canister, with other variations in between. One hopes that this trend will not continue.

Learner Plates

Every season, it seems that the number of people who fall victim to one type or other of eating disorder, is on the increase, and the ages at which these problems start, are ever younger. Children get extra-curricular lessons about several things, during the scholastic year. It would be a good idea were a whole module to be presented to children as an activity, rather than the topic being mentioned in passing.

Present and Correct

Three years ago, one of the prizes auctioned in a fund-raising activity in aid of the American Interval House Crisis Shelters of California, was the holiday of a lifetime at the Xara Palace at Mdina. One hopes that other establishments will be moved to make a similar gesture on such a grand scale in the near future. Meanwhile, it is wonderful to note how many concerns are offering like prizes locally, in the name of charity.

Dead Wrong

The vandals who do the rounds of the cemetery are no longer content with stealing flowers and other more expensive things off graves at the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery. A couple of graves have been set alight, causing tangible, but also, much emotional damage. One hopes that this hallowed place also becomes a part of a policeman's or a warden's beat.

Left to rot

The state of Valletta Road, Qormi, in general and the area close to the Topper Autodealer in particular is chaotic and in a great state of neglect with vehicles left there to rot for years. The assistance of the local council has been sought on more than one occasion. Little or no action is taken.

Animal Welfare

Right behind the parking area of Topline Store in St Andrews, there is a room with a blue door, in which dogs are being left tied inside for days on end without food. A few paces down the street is Pembroke Primary School. The council have been informed about this, and so have the St Julians police. The poor dogs are being ill treated, and nothing has been done, as yet.