On the dot...

Not many of the itinerant artistes spread along the Bugibba coastline, and congregating at City Gate, are too ready with their VAT receipt books. This is evident to the extent that some of them, when asked for a receipt, even have the temerity to ask one what the date is.

Wheelie Good

The Life Cycle team has managed to raise the sum of Lm10,000 after the particularly strenuous stint in the Scottish highlands, towards the needs of the Renal Unit and Transplant Support Group. However, since their other aim was to raise awareness about organ donorship, it would be a good idea were everyone who reads this item to actually make a move towards becoming a donor.

Fag Ends

Some establishments have started sticking notices on the façades of their buildings to the effect that cigarettes must be put out before one enters the building, and leaving sand-filled receptacles in situ for this purpose. It is, therefore, galling to see inveterate smokers glibly ignoring these signs and puffing away as if their life depended upon it, inside the buildings and other public places.

Daily Bread

At last count, there were 177 recognised refugees in Malta, with another 351 people having been accorded residence on account of humanitarian status. It is amazing that only the Emigrants Commission has seen it fit to take these people under its wing; perhaps, soon, some NGO will bother to ask whether the Commission has, for instance, enough fans/heaters or food to go round, since benefactors may not be that thick on the ground and awareness is often a problem.

Road Runners

A particular route bus has, on its two chromium bumpers, two stickers bearing the immortal words "No Brakes" and "Eat My Diesel". The last is, of course, too true to be funny. Let's hope the first is a barefaced lie.

Taxing Feeling

The foreign taxpayers who need to use the expatriates section of the Income Tax Department are less than impressed by the state of the building, in St Calcedonius Square, Floriana, where they are served. If their imagination is active, they might well think it is being tacitly suggested to them to return home. Not only the ground floor, but also other parts of the building, could do with more regular cleaning and maintenance.

Star Shine

During the last two summers, residents of Stella Maris Street, St Paul's Bay, were deprived of a proper holiday, owing to the local council and relevant government departments sanctioning building works, despite the fact that it was high season. This year, once again, they have had to bear dust, noise, building debris, and even a crane. One hopes that next summer will bring relief.

Trail missing

If they can manage to have boats and canoes in foreign national, European, world, and Olympic championships, rowing within clearly laid out (i.e. roped or marked) lanes - swimming pool type - for distances like 1,500 metres and over, why cannot our regatta organisers have the same type of setup in Grand Harbour to avoid arguments and/or scenes like those of September 8?

Unmasked

So, judging by The Times centre page spread (September 10), Fort St Angelo is fast joining Fort St Elmo down the national decadence, abandonment, and destruction route. These, and similar other evidence of Maltese governments' inability to conserve our national patrimony, lend credence to that theory applicable in the case of so many African post-independence countries which shows these countries (and now us too!) as nations which at a point in time inevitably display their inbred incapacities to function as meritorious owners of whatever their former colonisers may have left them.

Science moves

One possible suggestion for Pietà's mayor, since he asks about what can be done with St Luke's Hospital once Mater Dei replaces it - why not change it into the university's science campus? That is, have there not only the Medical School, but also all the computer, engineering, informatics, science, architecture, mathematics, and physics courses? With the Tal-Qroqq campus close to bursting at the seams, with the Junior College likewise, the London and Wales type of spread campuses structure will have to be embraced sooner or later by our university. St Luke's Hospital could be the next wise step after the Foundation of International Studies in Valletta.

Unlit

The traffic lights in San Gwann, close to the Fantasia toy shop, have been out of order for weeks. Will they be seen to only after a serious accident occurs?

Own Goal

How come PBS, and other stations, did not show the goals scored by Malta against Israel the previous day? Eurosports aired Malta's goals an hour or so after the game ended. That is the local level of affection for Maltese football - on a day that we obtained a positive result.

Slow to move

Residents in Triq iz-Znuber, Attard are getting somewhat irritated at the way the local council and the police are handling their complaints. A Tata Safari has been abandoned in the street for over six months. Residents have been asking the authorities to remove this car since May. The car has an expired road licence and is leaking oil on the fairly new road surface.