On the Dot...

A plastic bag is supposed to cost €0.02, yet it costs 2c. Similarly, 1c stamps are not available at Maltapost's main branch in Gozo, which means that to add just 1c (€0.02) of postage due on a letter, you have to use a 2c (€0.05) (when available) or a 4c (€0.10) stamp - a full 75 per cent in excess. Why should it be so?

Class Mates

Despite it having been brought to the attention of the school's administration, the wearing by pupils, and some teachers too, of clothing that is outright indecent, persists at the Sixth Form in Msida. There is also the tiny matter of students who still persist in smoking, on the premises.

Soft Speak

When will some (most) of the so-called disc jockeys/presenters on some (most) of the radios learn that listeners do not cherish having to put up with their voices most of the time? Audiences want to hear either music or guests discussing interesting topics.

Sweet Talk

When will the powers that be learn to respect people? Lately, we had the insult of the government claiming it had the people's mandate to defend spring hunting and now the Roads Ministry says St Paul's Bay bypass works were delayed due to unforeseen difficulties. What have the well-paid architects and engineers been doing then?

Building Sights

It-Torri, in Sliema, is in all probability the oldest building in the area. Pity it is being allowed to deteriorate through neglect and misuse. The authorities appear not to have noticed that two barracks-like structures, built specifically for the selling of fast food, have been constructed within the premises. Did Mepa give permission for this ruination of such a wonderful edifice?

Unsocial Alliance

It is hilarious, not to say preposterous, for the General Workers' Union to expect the government not to sit on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development. Apart from running the country, the government is also the biggest employer, thus a social partner.

Bin There

It is taken for granted by bars, restaurants and even grocers, that skips exist for their own personal use. Yet, one particular restaurant in St Julians takes the biscuit for this kind of boorish behaviour. Rubbish and scraps of food are thrown into a dustbin that is usually kept locked, but when this is full, the rest of the trash is simply placed alongside it.

Knight Life

The entrance to Valletta still looks like a flea market on a bad hair day. When it rains, and the stalls are parked underneath that sorry excuse for a World Heritage City entrance, the results is a cacophonous mess. Something really must be done about this.

Dark Thoughts

Despite several complaints, and also a number of accidents, certain vehicles are still being driven around with highly-tinted glass windows. Another contravention is drivers using headlights on full power, enough to confuse oncoming traffic. It is enough that motorists have to cope with potholed streets and sleeping policemen placed will-nilly across roads.

Set Piece

The PBS chief executive officer, Albert Debono, has been quoted as saying that, with regard to the screening of football match footage on PBS, talks with MFA were ongoing. Therefore, although results will be broadcast, that is as far as the relaxation of the boycott will go, because the station had not bought the transmission rights. And, meanwhile, the football-loving public awaits with bated breath the conclusion of the talks.

Wind Power

Renewable energy is a hot topic. It has been noted that extant wind farm technology is not suitable for siting in Malta's offshore, since, ironically, the shallows are too deep. One wonders whether anyone has considered an obvious alternative, the viability of a land-based farm. Is it the alleged impact on property in the immediate vicinity that is being considered one of the negative impacts?

Vote Count

Each time elections roll around, be they for local councils or the general elections, candidates and, inevitably, the parties in the name of which they stand, promise no less than heaven on earth. Yet, when they eventually do have the power to change things, they do not, such that the next round of elections finds them dusting off their old promises and dressing them up as new ones.

Stamp Duty

Maltapost plc has decided to issue new stamps to mark the centenary of Dun Gorg Preca's Christian doctrine society. The society itself will be holding a children's painting competition. It would have been a wonderful thing had the eventual winners of this competition been able to see their works on stamps, as was the case with other painting competitions for other occasions.

Day Glow

Women's Day has come and gone - mostly gone, seeing that it was just one out of the 365 that make up a whole year. Until the Commission for Equality and other entities that have a finger in the pie realise that job-sharing and flexitime have to be available to both sexes, celebrating anybody's "day" - including that of children, tomorrow's adults - is just a flash in the pan.

onthedot@timesofmalta.com