On the Dot...

Unscrupulous establishments allow students to purchase certain items - including fancy stationery, sweetmeats and toiletries - with their Smart Cards... Since the items mentioned are not actually necessary for straight As, one would recommend a tighter rein on those participating in the system because, in the end, students are the losers if they do not have enough money left to purchase what is necessary for their course of studies.

Main Thing

The front page of Eduforum, the magazine addressed to teachers by the Department of Education, proudly boasts that an agreement has between reached between the government and the MUT, the union that represents the majority of the teaching profession. Unfortunately, the boast of better conditions having been obtained applies to heads and assistant heads of schools. What about the rest of the crew?

Brain Drain

Sometime ago, a series of floodlights were installed along areas in Birkirkara prone to flood damage. Ironically, however, the drains serving these selfsame areas are not being regularly cleared of debris and this would make the alarm exercise less than futile if things had to go awry. A good place as any to start would be the drain just across the road from McDonald's.

Book Your Time

The celebrations regarding the Day of the Book are over. Yet, one enterprising firm, the Agenda Bookshop (incorporating Bookends), has seen to it that many children receive a book token in Maltese, and another in English, to encourage them to choose their own books. This is one way of indicating that having nothing to do, rather than being boring, can be a blessing when one has a book yet to read.

Streets Behind

The tiny alleyway between Triq il-Batterija and Triq il-Palazz l-Ahmar, in Sta Venera, has now been cleared of debris and given a smooth layer of concrete, the better to serve as a private parking area. However, the aforementioned streets are still full of potholes - a fact which can be attested to by the hundreds of vehicles used to transport children to and from their common entrance examinations at St Michael school in the latter street.

Torn Down

A car has been abandoned and parked in Mediterranean Street, Valletta, just across the road from where the olive trees are planted, for many months now. The cover has torn lose and has been damaged by vandals and the wind. Very soon, someone will start getting ideas about it; unless the Valletta local council gets it moved away soon.

Leaves of Absence

What is being done about the need for gradually replacing trees like acacia and pennyroyal with others more suitable to the local climate, such as gharghar and olives? Surely the latter cause less allergies and are hardier. Meanwhile, ditches and drains get clogged up and allergy-like symptoms in the general public continue to increase.

Horse Play

On May 9, at about 6.15 p.m., one horse literally had to run for its life. The incident happened at Fleur-de-Lys Road, in Sta Venera, when the owner of a vehicle had the poor beast on a short halter and was driving along the road, hanging onto it from the side-window. This is no way to train an animal.

Resting in Pieces

Several people, including emigrants who happened to be in Malta, visited the Marija Addolorata cemetery on the occasion of Mother's Day. It is indeed a pity that one of the loveliest resting places in Europe has not been spruced up and has fallen into such a state of disrepair; the flower-beds are well cared for, but that's about it.

School of Thought

The general area from the Pietà playground, along St Joseph School, in Blata-l-Bajda, up to National Road, is one big, dirty mess. Trees have been vandalised and left for dead, with their troughs drowned in litter which also abounds in the street and on the pavement and cars park haphazardly notwithstanding the heavy traffic and potential dangers to school children.

Mirror, Mirror

The convex mirror reported as damaged in these columns some weeks ago is not giving trouble any more. It has been prudently shoved out of the way, pole and all, in order that there is parking space for one more car against the wall. Some solutions, it seems, are easier, although not necessarily better, than others.