On the Dot...

The boat storage area near the slipway at Ta' Xbiex Seafront, Msida, is in a mess, what with garbage bags, oil drums and other waste. A new bus stop shelter (picture) has been constructed in the middle of the narrow pathway there, hindering access to pedestrians, especially to wheelchair and pushchair users. When people are waiting for a bus, pedestrians have to leave the footpath and use the road, with risk to life and limb.

Taking A Pulse

Why is it that one may query a telephone bill, and get it itemised over the internet, but not in hard copy? Surely it is not that difficult for Maltacom plc staff to produce a printout when so requested, especially when a bill is disputed or when one has suspicions about how an amount was run up.

Special Edition

The agents of a popular aperitif sponsor one particular radio programme. The presenters make a joke of this and pretend to down one every time the jingle is heard. This has now gone beyond a joke and surely drinking on the job is a no-no anyway!

Scrap Heap

It would seem that summer is the time when people with nothing better to do churn out flyers, leaflets and booklets full of advertisements, in the hope of attracting new customers. Unfortunately, those who are chosen to deliver them are paid by the number disposed of; as a result, most of them just chuck the material into front gardens or porches. When they do bother to use a letterbox, the chances are that gates are left open.

Palm Springs Eternal

The palms that were planted along the main road, in St Paul's Bay are obviously suffering from thirst and a general lack of care. Were each outlet on either side of this busy thoroughfare to adopt one single plant, and nurture it back to health, the whole area would look infinitely better.

Bubble Trouble

The management of a food stand at the Malta International Trade Fair ought to be ashamed of itself. The "two chicken pieces" were scrawny wings; the steak and onion pie was an overcooked empty shell; the pizza was cold and stuck to the paper bag in which it was served and the ftira was obviously taken straight from the fridge. The drinks were served in small cups; under the pretext that this was a "pack" offer.

Kept Posted

It took an envelope from Sunday night to Friday to arrive at St Paul's Bay from Sta Venera. Inside it was a tiny trinket meant as a gift, with adequate postage for the weight involved. Obviously the person for whom it was meant, whose birthday fell on the Wednesday, was somewhat disappointed that this particular friend had not remembered her.

Star Gazers

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is one of the mottos that were rightly followed in the Malta-EU pavilion at the Malta Trade Fair. The words Fiera Internazzjonali ta' Malta 2002 were covered by a sticker proclaiming Malta Fl-Unjoni Ewropeja, on the cover of... an address book, handed out to visitors during this year's fair. Way to go, folks.

Low Key

Why did the councils of the localities where the 100-strong Bromley Youth Concert Band gave a number of public concerts last week fail to advertise this most enjoyable event sufficiently to attract audiences? And which government department was involved in the visit and failed to do justice to the orchestra and to the Maltese public?

Street Wise

All the residences, as well as the new Franciscan Family Centre, except for a tiny plot on the side of the church, in Triq S. Sommier, Birkirkara, are now completed. The section of street between the former and the latter, however, is still unsurfaced and the residents find it difficult to cope with the talcum-like clouds that fly up every time a vehicle passes. They have been told that this is a job for the central government; they await developments.

Lucky Dip

Some people have participated in the by-lotteries of the Nationalist Party because they have sent in their ticket stubs already. Others have not even received their packets yet; so they were unintentionally discriminated against. Since many people end up buying the packet they receive themselves, to save the bother of trying to flog them on to others, surely this is in some way unjust.

Wrong Date

Television Malta qualified for the Gaffe of the Year Award when, last Tuesday, July 15, in its L-ghodwa t-tajba feature on the Almanakk it recorded the date as the anniversary of the award of the George Cross to Malta.