On the Dot...

International happenings sometimes have a totally undesired tangent; action toys are now being provided with the counterparts of war criminals, presumably as villains to be used as targets in fights. One hopes that, notwithstanding the fact that the ban on war toys, such as guns, is totally ignored, these playthings will not be allowed entry into Malta.

Radio Interference

There was a great ado when those who wanted to stand for elections as members of the European parliament were told their candidature was not acceptable to their party, with talk about their contesting anyway, as independent candidates. There had been an even greater fuss when the Foreign Interference Act had made it an offence for any non-Maltese born person to mouth away about our politics. Isn't the end result the same?

All You Need...

As from this week, seatbelts for children sitting in the back seats of cars will be compulsory. Ironically, this has given rise to the reasoning, by some people, that it is more practical to keep three young children at home than to take them along on common or garden errands. When the children themselves are the cause for the outing, then it will be relatively cheaper to go by bus. It is this type of inverted logic that probably gave rise to the slogan B'tal-linja jaqbillek.

Holy Smoke

As from 2010, Holy Confirmation will be given to children only when they have finished their first year of secondary education. Given that certain parishes will only confirm children who would have attended a minimum of 75 per cent of religious doctrine lessons in their home town we may be in for a decline in the graph, unless concrete action is taken to make school lessons acceptable as statistics.

Peace on Earth

When the Nationalist Party media announced that for the festive season it would not touch partisan politics many, on either side of the political divide, heaved a sigh of relief. One hopes this trend will become fashionable with everyone, with events and news being covered in as balanced a way as possible, by all our journalists, at all times. This wish list, of course, comes buried deep within the proverbial hot potato that nobody wants to keep.

First Class Travel

It is indeed a pity that of the prototype route buses (Scarif) built in Malta, which compares excellently with the imported ones, has been largely ignored by the local bus-owning group. Patriotic reasons apart, this miracle of engineering moreover has extra features making it ultimately more suitable for local route work. One hopes that once these vehicles are on the road, they can more easily be compared with their foreign counterparts, by prospective purchasers and commuters.

Words Worth

Whenever there is an exhibition highlighting a specific section of the country's history, people flock to see it. Yet, what remains of the self-same segment of history is all but ignored. A case in point is the erstwhile railway. One would think that the Stazzjon of the public garden in Birkirkara is only what it purports to be nowadays; a mustering room for garbage collection trolleys and carts. With a lick of paint and a general clean-up, the whole area could be given a new lease of life.

Lift Off

Some time ago, work was started on lifts in certain schools, easing the transportation of goods or, where necessary, to help those with mobility problems. The shafts are now boarded up and the workmen are nowhere to be seen. One hopes this is because work will continue during the "long" summer holidays, rather than because the project has been curtailed.

Life Styles

The reports detailing national lifestyle statistics, which came hot on the heels of the analysis of youths' way of life in Malta, leave much to be desired. We can cheerfully relish the fact that a good number of us are fat, lazy, slobs who smoke and prefer nightspots to culture. It is up to those of us who differ from this generalisation, therefore, to instil a healthier, more harmonious way of life, preferably by example rather than by preaching.

Sports Daze

Students from tertiary state schools holding football tournaments must pay, and rightly so, for the privilege of using the grounds of Church schools. Could arrangements not be made for them to use the football pitches of state secondary schools, outside school hours, where, no doubt, payment would be much less?

Low Batteries

Whatever happened to the campaign wherein spent batteries were being collected in small swing-lid bins in stationeries? Some of these were deemed extraneous, and put away, apparently, with the reason given by the shopkeepers being that not many people bothered to use them anyway. This means people are either using other containers at other places, possibly at work, or, that the batteries are being discarded with household rubbish. A reminder of the campaign would not go amiss.

Last Christmas

Notwithstanding all the talk of a determined effort to cut abuse in government departments, misbehaviour still persists. Certain staff members of a particular ministry, for example, sent personal Christmas greetings in an official envelope bearing the ministry's rubber stamp and, naturally, without a postage stamp.