On the Dot...

It would appear that the area adjacent to the Bognor Regis and Bognor Beach Club was never intended for use as a parking area; yet so it has become, and therefore there is a dire need to do something about the state of the ground. One of the pitches, moreover, has no apparent use except as a dog-fouling area. This is wasted space.

Roll On

Some time ago, Maltapost had launched a first on the market: self-adhesive stamps that came in handy booklets through which one could cope better with sending mail over the Christmas season, if one was so inclined, or the occasional letter if one did not subscribe to that idea. Now that the postage rate has increased, it would be a good idea to issue this type of stamp again, in the new denomination.

Fair Play

The 365-metre-long Mall Gardens in Floriana could be a welcome sight if the pathways, the statues, and the fountains were properly maintained. As it is, the walk up the garden path makes for sore feet, since the place has not been given a thorough going-over for ages. No doubt, Pell-Mell played there now would cause balls to ricochet in many directions but true.

Ball Points

All the rivalry between different television and radio stations is ridiculous. Now if they managed to agree on one thing it would be a good start. Why do they not appoint a representative cameraman who would then be in charge of taking as many photos as were necessary and then make them available to all? This would avoid both jostling and hard feelings as has happened in the past.

Radio Gaga

It is indeed a misfortune that Radio Malta is just a stone's throw (from the roof anyway) from Saint Luke's Hospital. As a result, it is not the first time that ambulances are heard to-ing and fro-ing during radio programmes. Presenters try hard not to comment about this, but sometimes there is that infinitesimal pause that says more than it ought to.

Boxed In

There had been talk about ensuring that each household has an adequately sized letterbox that is easily accessible from the street, or from the pavement to facilitate the work of postal workers. This, so far, has not happened, and postmen still have to walk many extra kilometres in and out of driveways and front yards. Then people have the cheek to complain, when their letterboxes are tiny affairs, that letters are crushed when they are larger than the opening of the box.

Mangled Maltese

The vernacular continues to be maltreated in the local print, sound and audio-visual media. Why is it that so far nothing has been done to curb this terrible offence? Has the liberalisation of the airwaves made it too difficult for each and every programme to be followed, with warnings being slapped on all those who assume that being in front of a microphone gives them carte blanche to gabble away as if there were no tomorrow?

Paving The Way

The Valletta Local Council must be waiting for Godot, or someone else who is equally important. Why else would the pavement in front of and at the sides of the main entrance of Saint John's Co-Cathedral have been allowed to deteriorate to such a state? Thousands of people throng there everyday, and it is not the first time someone has tripped. A bad fall could have even worse repercussions.

Learning Curve

Every year, teachers and facilitators are duty bound to attend in-service courses, or select a voluntary set of sessions, in order to broaden their perspectives and bring them up to date with modern methodology. Some of the latter courses are not subscribed to by as many people as would do justice to the research carried out by the lecturers. One wonders whether they could be made available to interested members of the public albeit at a nominal fee.

Crime Waves

Just one month or so after a foreigner has been charged with defiling a teenager he had met on the internet, a conference was held in Malta on the same subject, with an assistant director from Interpol indicating that a joint effort between as many countries as possible was necessary to stop this scourge. It would be interesting to find out whether any major rings, or single operators, have been caught since the conference ended.