On the Dot...

... it is in your blood, goes the bumper sticker. However, potential donors who ask at the mobile blood unit for the date of their last donation to be checked cannot be accommodated. This is because there is not a system connection with the Central Blood Bank, in Guardamangia, to enable the duty nurses to ascertain whether a new donation would be possible.

Blood Banked

The National Blood Transfusion Centre has a new twist on its donor campaign. Along with a reminder or thank you note to people on their mailing list, they have recently sent another item. This is a heartfelt letter by the parent of a youth to whom blood was donated which drives the message home surer and swifter than a list of reasons why one ought to give blood ever could. Well done to Xerox and the Government Printing Press, which sponsored this initiative.

Sir Humphrey

The Department of Information replied to comments in this column on defaulters in the government's green initiatives campaign. The Sir Humphrey who would have drafted the reply should read the action plan report carefully: "...10 ministries indicated that they purchased environmentally-friendly product options while four stated that they did not practise green procurement". The people have a right to know which are the four defaulters.

Truck Load

One Tuesday morning recently, at about 10, a vehicle with a GVA (army) number plate was seen going down High Street, Hamrun, with two personnel inside it. The driver, who one assumes is one of the people who ought to see to it that laws are kept in this country, was actually using a cellular telephone.

Model Behaviour

Now that Milan and other fashion capitals of the world have banned "waifs" from the catwalks, it remains to be seen what will be the ethos in Malta. Whereas it may be true that the typical wannabe model is not skinny, a few girls appear to be on a self-starvation regimen in order to stand out from their peers. Will these still be allowed to be part of the local rag trade?

Play Grounds

Despite several suggestions from this and other sources, state school playgrounds remain inaccessible to children after school hours, barred by padlocked iron gates. In certain areas, these would be the only places where children can let off steam safely. These activities moreover are prohibited in public gardens. Then we complain that children are getting more obese by the minute.

Puppy Love?

The trend of selling barely-weaned puppies at City Gate, Valletta, appears to have been revived. A cute, furry, Labrador-type puppy, shivering and barely able to stand on his paws, is the latest offering. The man who had him on a lead was telling people that, at Lm20, it was a bargain.

Fishy Story

Another obvious example of cruelty to animals persists in the Valletta flea market. Goldfish are still being suspended, in sealed plastic bags, upon a horizontal iron bar, the better to be seen by passers-by. The bags are left intact, so that upon purchase, buyers will not spill water during the journey home. This could be one of the reasons that so many of these poor creatures die once placed into a bowl.

In Step

A very worthwhile collaboration between the Vittoriosa local council and Din l-Art Helwa has produced a 56-page booklet entitled Four Walks In A Historic City. The full-colour directory, being sold for a nominal Lm1, gives a detailed account of all the historical wealth to be found in Città Vittoriosa. One hopes other local councils will commission Anton Attard to author further issues of what one hopes will become a series.

Horse Sense

In the 1960s the Malta Horse Show used to take place in Marsa. People thronged to see these magnificent animals in all their finery; there were also other activities that together made for a most enjoyable outing. Perhaps it is time to re-instate this unique equine event, which would also be a tourist attraction.

Scholastic Year

No doubt, the students at Valletta St Elmo primary school are pleased that the school façade has been given a fresh coat of paint. The overall aspect is much more welcoming. However, one wonders why the iron grilles in front of the windows in the lower storey have not been similarly treated to a fresh coat of paint.

All Tolled

Once again, it is examination season. One wonders whether it would be as legal as it is reasonable to make teachers and lecturers sit for the same papers as their students. It would appear that, at times, papers are set with the express intention of showing what pupils do not know, rather than what they have managed to retain from their lessons. This, not to mention then sheer amount of information to be given in a limited time.

Windows '07

On the continent, gypsies who approached vehicles at red lights, hoping to garner some small change for wiping windows, lost their case, because they were classified a "hazard" as they slalomed through traffic. They really ought to have taken a leaf out of Maltese parkers' books; taking over a plot where cars normally park, and charging car owners for the privilege of using it!

Wrong Answer

The visitors to HSBC Hexagon House, in Blata-l-Bajda, appear to be few and far between. That could be the reason why the suggestion box is empty. Another could be that there are no forms to fill in, and even if there were, the person making the suggestion, albeit anonymously, could easily be identified from the visitors' register at the reception counter.

Smoke Screens

There was much ado in the British press about the government's decision to raise the minimum smoking age from 16 to 18, in a last-ditch attempt to reduce smoking by teenagers, as from October 1 - giving everyone a chance to stock up, one assumes. In Malta, this is not even necessary; some unscrupulous shop owners still sell cigarettes singly, and not only to adults who are trying to cut down.