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Excuse me, I resent that incorrect use of syntax
OK then, the man with a small business
Thank you, we do have feelings, you know
So what are you grumbling about now then?
I don’t grumble, I just discuss the current financial situation
Which is…?
Always bad, of course, just in varying degrees
How did I guess…
Especially with this latest government innovation
What’s that?
A new concept which we’re still getting used to
Pray enlighten me…
Paying tax, of course…
Oh, of course…going to ruin your Christmas, is it?
Completely, even Father Christmas asked for a fiscal receipt
when he came in to the shop
Whatever next?
Absolutely. He probably gets a tax allowance for Rudolph
No reigning in of funds there then…sorry…
So you should be, things are very difficult you know
Yes, yes, as you’re always saying
All we can hope is that if this rain keeps flooding the roads…
Yes?
They’ll let us class our yachts....
What yachts, the yachts you don’t own?
Yes, the yachts we don’t own, as company vehicles again
Bully for you! |
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Cookies, local news and other
suggestions
From Edward, via e-mail
I refer to your I-poll and its voting system.
What prompted me to write this email was the irritatingly ubiquitous
poll pop-up. And, no, I'm not referring to the content of the
poll, rhetoric as it may be. What I would like to point out is
that even after having taken my vote, your system insisted in
presenting the pop-up every time I returned to the front page.
A per-session type cookie can prevent this happening by determining
whether the user has already voted before presenting the pop-up.
A useful feature here would be an ‘I'm not interested’
option for those who clearly don't want to vote on the poll in
question but still want to get rid of the pop-up. Those users
who insist on refusing to accept cookies expect to suffer the
annoying consequences.
As regards the content of the poll itself, I consider the judiciary
to deserve the protection of privacy that is enjoyed by mere mortals,
and they should not, in my humble opinion, be exposed to further
ridicule and moves to undermine their authority.
A slight oversight on your part seems to be the way you ignored
Alfred Sant's references to Nicole Fontaine's eligibility for
Taliban membership, the reaction to this by Nicole Fontaine herself,
and the associated embarrassment to the entire nation.
Editor’s note: The suggestion regarding the poll pop-up on
the website has been taken on board
Addressing
social problems
From Dada Gunamuktananda, Regional Secretary
Ananda Marga Yoga Society
In present-day society we have many social problems, including crime,
corruption, drug abuse, depression, anxiety and general frustration
amongst many people. This is not to mention the threat of terrorism
and social disruption on a global scale.
All these social problems, and others that I have not mentioned,
can be put down to a lack of education on the individual level.
In our education system, the emphasis is placed on the teaching
of facts and figures, but two things are sorely lacking: morality
and spirituality. This is not only the case in Malta, but all around
the world.
First of all morality. True morality does not depend on the sense
of doing (or not doing) something because society says it is "right"
or "wrong." It depends on the feeling of love for others
that one acquires through proper spiritual practice - that is, by
realising the oneness of creation within oneself. Proper behaviour
is based on proper realisation, and that realisation is the feeling
of love which abides within each and every one of us. Morality in
the real sense of the term should be automatic, depending on what
one's conscience tells one to do according to each and every particular
circumstance.
Second, spirituality. Real spirituality involves the search within
oneself for the essence of one's existence, and this can only be
done through a systematic and scientific technique of meditation.
Meditation means the process of looking within for the true nature
of one's existence. This is important because it leads to personal
bliss and satisfaction (what in yoga is called "self-realisation")
and the sense of connectedness with all creation - humans, animals,
plants and the whole universe. Many people feel depressed and isolated
because of the lack of this feeling of connectedness - the feeling
that we are all part of the same whole; the one universal family.
Instead, we are taught to value the physical things in life over
the more important things. Materialism is given more importance
than internal contentment, and people become unhappy as a result.
Instead, there should be a balance between the internal and external
aspects of life, and as a result people will experience true happiness
and contentment. The path of self-realisation through meditation
gives this balance: it gives real happiness, a sense of meaning
and purpose in life, and with it the internal feeling of love and
affection for all people, regardless of race, religion and nationality.
Naturally this realisation will lead to a harmonious outlook towards
all people, because out of love comes peace. If there is love amongst
the members of a family, there will be peace within that family,
and if this can be felt by all members of society, we will have
peace in the world on both the individual and collective levels.
Hunting
horror stories
From Christine Punnett, UK
Following our recent visit to Malta I am writing to express our
horror at witnessing the wholesale massacre and trapping of wild
birds. Every visit we made to the ‘countryside’ was accompanied
by the continual sound of gunshots - even in the Buskett Gardens.
We also saw the trapping and killing at extremely close quarters
when driving up to Qammieh Point. Is this the lasting impression
you want your visitors to take home with them? You obviously rely
heavily on tourism. I wonder how many potential visitors you are
losing because of this barbarism.
These birds do not belong to Malta - this level of loss will eventually
become unsustainable and for what? Stuffed ‘trophies’!
Stop this now so that future generations of tourists and Maltese
alike can enjoy watching and hearing live birds in their natural
habitat.
Why not extend the small nature reserve shown on the ‘Landmark’
map to include the area behind and up to and including Qammieh Point?
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