Silly thoughts for silly season
It has been a very hot summer so far and one starts to understand why some people have called this time of the year the silly season. Remaining in holiday mood, this week’s contributioin will focus on three aspects that some may consider silly. What do...
It has been a very hot summer so far and one starts to understand why some people have called this time of the year the silly season. Remaining in holiday mood, this week’s contributioin will focus on three aspects that some may consider silly.
What do we spend our money on?
One question that baffles Maltese and foreigners alike is what we, a population of 400,000 people, plus an odd 1.3 million tourists (staying here an average of a week), plus foreign residents and a few thousands of people seeking refuge in Malta from the atrocities in their countries, spend our money on?
It may become even more baffling when one considers that total household consumption in 2011 was a staggering €3.8 billion.
My estimate is that personal consumption is between €20 and €25 per person per day.
Unsurprisingly, food and non-alcoholic beverages take up the largest chun,k with nearly €700 million.
Following close behind is expenditure in hotels and restaurants with just over €650 million.
Clothing and footwear take up just over €200 million.
While education – which is free all the way to the tertiary sector – takes up €55 million of our expenditure.
Most of this money is spent at local outlets. However, there is now an increasing amount that is being spent on purchases done via internet – the virtual shopping complex.
It may sound silly but I believe that the internet can never beat a positive shopping experience.
This explains why so many Maltese go on a shopping spree when abroad – not for toothpaste, chocolate or pasta – but for things they can find in Malta at a cheaper price! It may sound silly but it is so true.
The incident in Marsaxlokk
All law-abiding citizens felt aggrieved by the incident in Marsaxlokk last Sunday and the result of the court proceedings.
The photo in The Times last Tuesday was the epitome of what happened – it displayed a bunch of people who felt they are above the law and who have proven they are above the law.
This incident and the way it developed, silly as it may appear to be, does great harm to our country’s reputation and to our economy.
Welcome tourists and welcome investors to our peace-loving country; but we cannot guarantee that the law will be upheld all the time. It may sound silly but we tend to get at each other’s throats not at the foreigners’ throats.
The numbers game
A class of Year 2 students (seven-year-olds) was given the follow-ing mathematical problem to solve.
The father bought a dozen oranges and placed them in a bowl for the family to share. When he went back two hours later, he found not 12 oranges but 15 – a net increase of three oranges.
He wondered what happened and asked his wife and children.
His son told him he was hungry and ate one.
His daughter told him she gave one to her friend.
His wife told him that one started to rot and threw it away.
He answered that if that were the case, then there should have been nine oranges and not 15.
His wife then said she had bought more new oranges as she was expecting some guests.
How many new oranges did she buy?
Through this problem the teacher wanted to show the pupils the difference between a net increase and a gross increase.
If you can work out this mathematical problem for seven-year-olds, then you can work out who is talking sense on the issue of the 20,000 new jobs (full-time and part-time) being created in four years.
My estimate is that the number is actually higher than 20,000.
However, who am I to say so in this silly season?