On the Dot...

The decision by Gozo Bishop Mario Grech to go public with regard to the findings of an inquiry on allegations of abuse at a children's home - not to say anything of his apology - is exemplary, to say the least. If only the government would follow suit with regard to the fatal police shooting at Qormi and the near air miss over Żebbuġ.

Flood Lights

How far has the flood relief system infrastructure gone? Every drain and every gutter must be swept clean - and kept clean - if the flooding and traffic problems at Msida are to be solved once and for all.

Time Out

The person who programmed ATM machines must have assumed that people who use them are fast enough to fill in all the details required on a deposit envelope before the time allowed for the transaction runs out. This is very often not the case and the operation is aborted before the matter is completed. Some more time would not be a bad idea.

Bank Audio

And while on the subject of banking, it is good to note that the Bank of Valletta Fleur-de-Lys branch has switched from a certain type of music to easy listening tunes that make the wait worthwhile. However, it is still noted that, although there is a plasma screen giving financial quotes from the Bloomberg Channel, the discussions cannot be understood by anyone who cannot lip-read.

Rainy Daze

The minute an unexpected shower of rain hits the islands is also the minute traffic pile-ups occur at all major road arteries. Despite supposedly modern traffic managements systems, areas like Marsa, Blata l-Bajda and others are choked with traffic, making people tetchy... and late.

Stone Cold

A Grand Harbour cruise shows that many historic buildings are still in wrack and ruin. If they are scheduled buildings and cannot be pulled down they must be renovated. If they are not scheduled, they might as well be removed to give the shoreline a neater appearance.

Well Said

Why is it that, every so often, the press reports how much monies were spent on removing weeds growing on walled cities bastions and how much debris was salvaged from the bottom of some bay or other? Surely as used to be the case with the painting of the Firth of Forth bridge in Scotland, keeping everything up to scratch must be an ongoing effort?

Fine Behaviour

It is a well-known fact that some bus drivers, and even on occasion taxi drivers, still smoke on the job, albeit when the vehicle is not in motion. Passengers, however, are expressly forbidden to light up when the bus is stationery, lest this earns the driver a fine. This does not make sense.

Customer Care

When calling several businesses one is informed by the system that a call may be recorded for training or security purposes. This is all very well but the chances are that one would then be passed from one person to another, having to repeat salient details several times to each person. Surely the companies concerned do not relish having several calls, that contain repetitive details, to sift through?

Hoot Air

It would seem that not only local council or general elections get people hot under the collar but even their aftermath. The decisions about which seats MPs elected from two districts are to give up, or elections for significant positions in a political party, are leading to several puerile statements in the press, gossip and further mud-slinging. It's time to grow up and fast.

Fag Ends

Female teenagers in school uniforms are regularly seen coming out from shops in the Mile End area clutching paper bags that turn out to have loose cigarettes inside them. Surely this is against the law - apart from the fact that the people guilty of this misdemeanour are knowingly supplying addictive substances to under-age persons.

Fully Booked

In order to get to the public library at Floriana, one needs to trudge up and down a steep hill. It is a well-known fact that many children use this facility, especially during the school holidays, when carrying heavy loads of books. There is no pavement and this makes for danger. The alternative, travelling by car, has become absolutely impossible because every available space in front of the building is taken by vehicles belonging to people who are patently not inside the library.

Just Desserts

One notes that the owner of the snack outlet by the parking area in Golden Bay, to which reference was made in a previous column with regard to a dearth of pricing on food and drink items, has finally complied with regulations. The service continues to excel and the prices are now prominently displayed. Good.

onthedot@timesofmalta.com