On the Dot...

Fort Saint Rocco and the surrounding areas are being touted as a scenic spot and tourist attraction. Nothing could be further from the truth. The place is in a terrible state of disrepair and probably the amount of garbage and debris scattered around amounts to thousands of kilogrammes.

Walled In

Some time ago, parts of the retaining wall of the gardens of Vincenzo Bugeja Institute were being restored. For some reason, the work stopped abruptly. Now a chunk has fallen off one of the old sections and the rest of the wall remains extremely weather-beaten. The corner where it meets Fleur-de-Lys Junction, in particular, is missing several bits.

Funny Money

Last Monday, despite there being a queue of 15 people, only one cashier out of a possible three was serving customers, one of whom was in a terrible mood, at the HSBC branch is Santa Venera. Many people will only enter a bank nowadays when the ATM is not suitable for their purposes. So why make life difficult for them?

Music Mien

Moreover, it makes no sense to provide clients with a large-screen television to watch, tuned in to BBC, and then leave the sound at a whisper such that only those proficient in lip-reading can enjoy it. To add insult to injury, the piped music, which may not be to everyone's liking, is played at a rather high volume.

Candied Cameras

Many websites pertaining to towns and villages include a couple of webcam views. Sometimes this is a fun thing, as when one plays Hunt the Haggis through a particular Scottish newspaper, which positions cameras in different world locations. If similar initiatives were taken locally, and webcams installed in strategic places such as overlooking the Grand Harbour, or at other places of interest, it might prove interesting to foreigners.

Touch Typing

The Descant Community, in Canada, has initiated an outreach literacy programme. Word On The Street, to take place on September 30 at Queen's Park, will involve a series of collaborative stories, to be written by children stopping by, and subsequently published on the website. For this purpose, manual typewriters - which some children probably do not even know existed - will be placed on plinths in the park. It would be a good idea if a similar activity were coordinated here some time in the future.

Horse Tales

It is incredible but true that a government property in Strait Street, corner with Archbishop Street, is being used as a stable for horses. These beautiful animals are being kept imprisoned in a dark, unventilated and restricted area. Their excrement is then shovelled into the street, willy-nilly. The Government Property Division, the Valletta local council and the Police Department have been informed of this, to no avail.

Work Force

In several countries abroad, residents of correctional facilities are sent to work in the community (or even as extra farmhands when labour is sorely needed) in order to pay back some of what they owe society. A recent change of policy in Britain indicated that convicted criminals thus employed would no longer have to wear fluorescent jackets to indicate their status, lest passers-by hurl abuse. The fact remains that community payback is a good idea. Who knows, we might even be blessed with cleaner streets if it is actuated in Malta.

Uniform Rule

In Malta, schools sometimes appear to decide upon changing uniforms before younger kids can inherit those of their older siblings. Sometimes, the quality and the colour leave much to be desired and the prices are probably high enough to leave a margin of profit for the school. Some people say that a uniform violates "free expression", others say it guarantees a certain code of ethics and behaviour, and creates an orderly atmosphere. What is sure is that some people opt to send children to state schools to curtail expenses, forcing them to fork out money for expensive uniforms.

Soft Cellular

The high number of advertising magazines and pamphlets being delivered door-to-door ensures a steady diet of drivel for every household, not least where it comes to syntax and spelling in English. One advertisement for mobile telephony, besides making a pun on the word "model" by including a scantily-clad young lady in the advert, also offers a free crepe at a Sliema outlet. There is only one thing wrong with that - the name of the dessert is misspelled.

Exam Conditions

Invigilators at the University of Malta, had who performed duties in the January/February sessions and in the May/June session, have only just this month been paid for their stints. Considering the amount of calls for applications being issued, one can safely assume that money, therefore, was not the problem.

Post Haste

One notes with pleasure that post offices are set to become low-cost bank branches, after Lombard Bank became Maltapost's new majority shareholders. It is intended to launching a number of banking services from the company's post offices across the country; this in effect could mean that one may pay W&E and land telephony bills, encash cheques and, of course, purchase stamps, in a one-stop shop procedure. This was what we have all been waiting for.

onthedot@timesofmalta.com