On the Dot...

The prohibition of smoking in offices and public places has been given a funny interpretation by some employees. They have willy-nilly entitled themselves to regular smoking breaks, and unlike coffee breaks, these are not taken at their desks. The chances are that they are taken in the doorways or at open windows - thus giving their colleagues the chance to inhale second-hand smoke when it blows back into the room.

Tanks for Nothing

Some time ago, a fatal accident occurred when maintenance to a water tank resting right on the edge of a building's roof was being undertaken. It is obvious that many householders think that a corner provides two ready-made stable parts of a square base for such a purpose. Is this legal? Maybe surprise inspections of public buildings could stop this dangerous trend.

Hanging Garden

Recently, construction works in a plot caused the collapse of a nearby garden. This happened because the regulation about a three-foot buffer zone, where no excavation is allowed at law, was ignored. This could have been through negligence, or in order to make full use of the available ground. Whichever the case, this practice is rife, and must be halted forthwith.

Cheque Mates

The Department of Social Security has streamlined its operations such that pensioners are not being sent statements every four weeks informing them of their financial status. In a radio interview, the director intimated that they could discover this through an SMS, thereby assuming that all pensioners had a cellular telephone. If this is an efficient system, why do pay slips continue to be issued to public servants? Is this not also a waste of man-hours?

Streets Behind

Some people appear to be mistaking the dust that permeates the air in Valletta for sand. Why else would they have the cheek to walk through the streets of the City Built by Gentlemen for Gentlemen, dressed in next to nothing? This is not a question of offending religious sentiments - it is simply a matter of how beachwear in the capital city of a country looks tacky and cheapens the wearer.

Art's Sake

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was recently quoted as saying that the nation "acknowledges and appreciates the enormous contribution that our artistic community has given to the Maltese identity over the years," in a speech made during the preview of an artistic exhibition reinterpreting Caravaggio. This is well and good; however, one would appreciate seeing works by "unknown" artists gracing the foyers of Malta International Airport, local banks, cinemas and theatres, such that more and more people could get exposure.

Bedside Story

Children who are stricken with medical conditions such as cancer need to have hospital amenities that are totally separate from those of children with potentially infectious diseases. This is because with low blood counts, their immune systems are compromised, and therefore a germ-free environment is an important precautionary measure. One hopes that at Mater Dei Hospital the streaming procedure currently used at Wonderland Ward will still apply.

Eggs-amination!

Egg producers are required to place a stamp on each batch of eggs to indicate the origins and date of production. However, no expiry/best before date is equally stamped. Is this because there is no way of checking how the eggs have been stored before they get to the consumer? In this heat, eggs that are not kept at a controlled temperature may harbour salmonella.

Flat Rate

A particular ground floor flat in a block at St Paul's Bay is apparently being used for a purpose other than as a private residence. This can be safely assumed because a number of vehicles regularly stop by, dropping off passengers who visit this place. Up to 50 men have been counted in certain instances. The resultant hubbub, when it happens at unusual hours, annoys the residents of the area; moreover, the door's lock has been tampered with, such that it is very easy to enter. The police and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority have said that the matter "is being handled", but the status quo remains.

Walled Out

A few metres down from the cemetery at Balzan, someone has seen it fit to knock a hole in the retaining wall. This breach is large enough for a person to easily slip through. This has also affected the stability of the wall because the stones surrounding the gap are out of alignment. Will action to block this opening be taken only after the whole structure has fallen apart?

Make Shift

A manhole cover which had worked its way loose in National Road, Blata l-Bajda, in the general area where it meets Mountbatten Street, has finally collapsed. Rather than having it mended, some wise person has decided to make it visible to motorists by placing a traffic cone over it. This is another thing to look out for in an area that has recently become an obstacle course of traffic lights, zebra crossings, centre strips and cars driving haphazardly along different lanes.

onthedot@timesofmalta.com