Appearance:
A fifteen year old with glassy eyes or a 70 year old with a slur.

Indentified by:
By his or her walk.

Best friend:
The bottle

Worst enemy:
Sina Bugeja and Peppi Azzopardi.

Why is that so:
Because drink is a drug according to Sina and Peppi and equivalent to taking drugs.

Is that so:
Yes sir.

So what are we to drink?
Milk dear Johnny.

With what shall I drink it, drink it, drink it, with what?
In a wine glass, dear Johnnie, dear Johnnie, in a wine glass.

Ok, enough, now, what should a binge drinker not do?
Drive, of course.

But what happens if one drinks and drives?
Nothing really and truly, the breathalysers have been shelved as a good will gesture by the police.

Since when?
Since they were launched.

Do you have any message to Malta's binge drinkers?
Yes, abstain from drink and go for the real thing.

On bouncers and their traits

From Emmanuel Busuttil

It is with a sense of apprehension that as the weekend approaches parents watch their teenage children put on their finest brand of clothes for another night-out at Paceville. This apprehension stems from the fact that violence is a never-ending problem in this area (arena!) of entertainment. Mismanagement and improper manpower may lead to excessive trouble and violent attitudes. As reported in local papers, this seems to be the trait among several Macho Bouncers that seem to profligate this area.
Who is really responsible for the behaviour of Bouncers?
From time to time we read and hear about incidents between bouncers and customers The most recent case as reported in your paper (01.12.01) involved four young foreign students who were beaten up for no apparent reason. As a consequence they had to receive medical treatment at hospital.
What does the job of a Bouncer entail?
This is a very delicate job, which should be backed by professional training. Bouncers deal with different characters, often under the influence of alcohol, especially in the small hours of the night. Dealing properly with such characters means thinking with your brain not with your fists.
Bouncers have to spend long hours in a difficult environment, but still have to show proficiency. Specialised and psychological training for different circumstances and environment should be provided for people working in this type of work.
Not everyone is suited for this work. Their main responsibility is to protect the customers and ascertain that they enjoy themselves in a violence-free environment. The ‘Tough guy’ mentality is a totally unacceptable perception. Bouncers are there to prevent trouble, not cause it.
It is opportune to mention that it is clearly stipulated in the Laws of Malta (Local Wardens and Security Guards Act, art.329), that people employed to perform in these duties must be in possession of a Warrant issued by the Police Commissioner.
So far there is no real accountability since there is no real list of who these people are. It seems that Bouncers are employed on the merit of their physical appearance and/or knowledge of martial arts. There is also the perception that Bouncers are often ‘strong with the weak, and weak with the strong’.
Have the competent authorities ever checked on the conditions of work of these Bouncers, and if they are being employed according to the Employment Act?
Their job demands that the competent authorities tackle the issue immediately and seriously to ensure that the law is being complied with. Accountability should lead to a higher level of liaison with the competent authorities.

Clarifications on AZZURAir

From Philip Manduca, R Frendo Randon and Associates
For ERGOM Spa. MATERIE PLASTICHE

We refer to the articles published last August in various Newspapers (It-Torca, Kulhadd and MaltaToday) in relation to the financial crisis of AZZURAir. AirMalta owns 49% of AZZURAir and the EGROM MATERIE PLASTICHE SpA (Ergom) owns 27.90%.

On behalf of the EGROM we would like to clarify the issue as follows:

AZZURAir is managed by Maltese personnel seconded to the Company by Air Malta plc (the CEO is Maltese and 4 members of the Board of Directors and other managers are Maltese).

Since starting operations, AZZURAir has unfortunately accumulated heavy losses. Indeed, except for the year 1999 a year in which AZZURAir made a small profit, from 1998 to 2000 losses have been considerable. Due to significant losses the shareholders, including Air Malta, were compelled to invest considerable amounts to keep the company afloat.

As a consequence of the disastrous financial results of the year 2000, causing a loss of more than the company's entire capital, all the shareholders have been forced to invest more money to avoid winding-up of the Company. According to the Italian Law if the shareholders did not cover the losses and subscribe the new capital the company would have had to be wound up.

To date ERGOM Group is still waiting for a credible business plan aimed to ensure the future of the company particularly in the present crisis in the field of aviation. No such plan has been discussed with the shareholders. ERGOM Group questions the viability of further investment by the shareholders of the company (Air Malta included) when there is no credible business plan.

Concern about the SPCA

From Sharon Camilleri

Kent, UKAre any figures available, from the S.P.C.A. in Floriana, regarding the number of dogs that have been put down since the departure of Mary Shephard as Executive Secretary.
Ms Shephard was openly in favour of neutering rather than destroying abandoned animals, in line with the policy advocated by animal groups such as the R.S.P.C.A. and the Cats Protection league in the U.K., where all animals to be homed are neutered as a matter of course. One cannot help but worry that the removal of Ms Shephard might be the first step toward introducing, ‘via a back door,’ the ‘collect and kill’ policy she was opposed to.

Good news for animal lovers

From Michael Pearson, Chairman, World Animal Conscience

"Circus promoters CJ Productions Ltd said they would no longer bring circuses with animal acts to Malta.

We are greatly heartened by the statement of Leo & Johann Said. This decision should be applauded by all of those campaigning for the Rights of Animals. In particular those involved in this years campaign, Azzzjoni Pozittivi, GLUE, Moviment Graffiti, World Animal Conscience and many individuals. Their effort in bringing the issues to the attention of the public and organisers has achieved a decision that will send a positive message about Animal Rights in Malta. It is of course regretted that there were injuries and violence at the protest; we all however remain committed to peaceful protesting.

We urge the responsible authorities, to use the new Animal Welfare Legislation to formalise a ban on the use of animals in entertainment, to ensure that in the future no entrepreneur is tempted to take over from CJ Productions and step back into the promotion of Animal Circuses.

In the spirit of goodwill, we commend the decision of Leo & Johann Said, and wish them every success in the future with the promotion of their business without the exploitation of animals."