Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono certainly deserves to be commended publicly and thanked for his services to society as he prepares to leave the Bench and head for a well-deserved retirement. Very often he was a voice in the wilderness, the true shield of society who ensured that justice is done and seen to be done. May we have more like him... though one should not hold one's breath!

Expressive

The security officer accompanying the Israeli Foreign Minister to Malta the other day may have been uneasy with having pro-Palestinian protesters too close. But why did he have to object to the presence of journalists standing in a given area? Was he worried they might physically attack the dignitary or did he want to avoid them putting uncomfortable questions?

Artistic

It was a brilliant idea to have collaborative works of art being created in front of the public and sold in aid of a charity, in this case the Malta Hospice Movement. There are times when people who want to donate money would also like the idea of having participated in a public activity, as well as having the opportunity to obtain something tangible against their contribution. This idea could well be emulated by other groups, thus giving the opportunity to up-and-coming artists to showcase their works.

Booked

Another artistic venture was the International Poetry Festival obtaining in Berlin, with the backing of the Maltese Embassy there. It is interesting to note that, apart from literary works, the celebration included information about the several island countries taking part and also a buffet with samplings of traditional foods from the participating countries. Next on the cultural calendar is the July All Nations Festival, another opportunity to plug Malta as a tourist destination.

Fishy

The mind boggles as to why the crews of the Sea Shepherd and the Rainbow Warrior would want to "inspect" tuna catches. As yet, they have failed to indicate the ways and means in which they can ascertain that tuna were caught before or after a set date. Given the slow speed at which tuna must be towed, it is obvious that the season would have long closed by the time they get here. And if the tuna that have been bought for fattening in local fish-farms would have been caught under another country's quota, this would not even matter, anyway.

Falling

On June 23 it was Falls Awareness Day. Not that anyone would notice, seeing that publicity across the audiovisual and printed media was little and far between. It is to be noted, however, that pavements are still in a disastrous state in places that have been pointed out in this column, as well as elsewhere, and that workmen are regularly seen balancing on planks, working at heights, without harnesses or hard-hats. These two issues, too, concern "falls".

Moneys

It is interesting to note that the €7 million Izola Bank secured notes issue was over-subscribed. If it is true that this country is in a recession how could this ever occur? It must be that, despite the doomsayers, certain investors feel perfectly safe in subscribing to a scheme which, for a nominal value of €1,000, bearing an interest rate of 5.35 per cent annually, appears more attractive than some of the schemes offered by local banks.

Fares

Youth who would like to enjoy a night out often club together and hire a mini-bus for the purpose of taking them to their venue and back to their hometown. Alas, because of certain circumstances, this can never happen with tourists who would like to go to Gozo straight from the airport. So far, they cannot parachute down from the plane before it lands at Luqa, in those couple of minutes it passes over Gozo. Thus, they have to pay taxi drivers for the pleasure of the journey. There is no question of dividing the fare, however.

Straits

The repaved Strait Street, in Valletta, looks much better than it used to before its refurbishment. However, there is an anomaly that one cannot fail to notice. From a distance the street surface appears to have a gradient that slants away from the Infrastructure Ministry towards the Vincenti Buildings side. Why is this?

Foods

It is amazing that, despite all the information freely available from different sources, people choose to believe questionable nutrition advice given by people who have an axe to grind. Therefore, we are still being told that margarine is better than butter, for instance, and in some cases it is even claimed that frozen vegetables have better nutritional qualities than fresh, local, seasonal ones. Just because a product is low in sugar, salts or fats, it does not automatically become the healthier alternative to the one it replaces.

Dirty

Nothing much has come of the talks about "doing something" about horse droppings left in the middle of the streets to be squashed flat by the wheels of passing vehicles. The mounds may disappear but the smell lingers. Meanwhile, it would be interesting to find out how many dog owners have been fined for not cleaning up their pets' messes. Moreover, not too many people take a bottle of water out with them to dilute urine, which stains some pavements.

Noted

Some teachers take it in hand to photocopy notes from different sources and bring them together into a bound sheaf for their students to use in conjunction with their textbooks. The teachers charge only a nominal fee for these sheets, because, with their being in different styles and fonts, it is obvious that they have been cobbled together. This, perhaps, indicates that it is high time certain textbooks were replaced because students find these study aids immensely helpful, and often prefer them to the actual books.