On the Dot...

People wanting to hand in their supplementary allowance at the Old Mint Street offices of the Department of Social Security were asked to go to the Ordnance Street Offices because the place was finally getting a well-deserved and long-overdue refurbishment. Surely a slip of paper enclosed with the application, to this effect, would have saved the elderly, to whom this applies, considerable trouble.

News Worthy

This is an appeal to one and all to allow calm, common sense and national solidarity to prevail following Saturday's election. This is not the time to seek to repay old hurts or even to bury the hatchet with the handle sticking out.

Black Out

Speaking of elections, can the new incumbent at Castille take it upon himself to, in addition to the Whistleblower Act and the Freedom of Information Act, also move amendments to repeal the archaic law imposing a news blackout on anything political on election eve/day? Banning public political activities should be more than adequate to allow the electorate to reflect!

Water Table

Valletta, the city ostensibly built by gentlemen for other gentlemen, might actually benefit if the moat around it were filled with water, since it would no doubt be another unique selling point for a World Heritage City. But, then again, how sure are we that the ramparts, being so old and vulnerable, would stand up to the polluted water without reinforcement, which would, again, detract from their original beauty?

Walk Ways

Commuters to and from Gozo still insist on alighting from the ferries as cars are moving. This practice, which has been going on since the inception of the trips, is inherently dangerous. Will it take a fatal accident to stop it?

IT Works!

Training programmes for persons going through a Caritas drug rehabilitation programme at San Blas were recently launched, with the participation of 6pm, MITTS, Melita plc and Demajo Group. Employers will be subsidised for half of the wages of these persons for the first year. This is a worthy initiative and it is hoped that similar public-private partnerships will be set up.

Smart Move

And while on the topic of training in IT, it is worth noting that women have up to March 28 to apply for the Smart Women programme, offering free training in ICT. Free childcare facilities will also be available. This will help women who enjoy life-long learning to avoid the hassle of finding someone willing to take care of their young ones as they pursue their lessons. One hopes this course will also be made available, perhaps in the evenings, to men who have little children in their care.

Pocket Coffees

A beat policeman in Valletta was recently quick enough to apprehend a woman who allegedly had been picking pockets in Valletta. This incident highlights two important issues: The fact that the presence of a beat policemen does not necessarily prevent or deter crime but can often bring quick results; and, two, it must serve as a warning to people to keep all pursers and wallets safe at all times.

Call Sighs

Why is it that people tend to use the cooped up environment of public transport to catch up on their telephone calls? The ensuing babble of conversations, vying with the ones between commuters, is annoying to all those who would want to spend their time at peace with their thoughts, or simply reading a book.

On Target

Incidentally, the monitors that had been installed on buses are now merely extraneous bits of technological paraphernalia. Banks and certain establishments, however, still boast giant plasma screens for customers to enjoy - accompanied by music that has nothing to do with what is being said onscreen.

Music Mania

The people who make the decisions about which radio stations will be piped to the captive audiences in hospital and other clinics appear to act on their own preferences, rather than on what is suitable. Apart from the fact that constant music aimed at a young audience does not exactly delight the elderly and the sick, there is also the consideration that the volume is often too loud to allow people to have a decent conversation without raising their voices and informing all and sundry of what they are saying.

Green Secret

Bring-in sites and skips were introduced in order to stop people from dumping rubbish here and there. This means it is not only the environmentally-conscious who tend to use them, as is evidenced by the number of dismantled household and IT appliances, broken furniture and waste that definitely does not come from households, that surrounds skips in certain areas that lie on a much-used thoroughfare. Have any provisions been made to catch law-breakers with CCTV cameras and to fine them for contraventions?

onthedot@timesofmalta.com