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This article and accompanying Bertoon appeared in today’s edition of The Malta Independent on Sunday.

Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha

Now that’s quite a mouthful of a name and I doubt many readers would be familiar with it. If I were to limit my tease to the initials YKK I am quite sure that faint flares of recognition will be sparking somewhere in your brain cells allocated to memory and familiarity. You’ve seen it before, time and time again, so it must be something you see or do regularly. Now where could you have heard of this “YKK” before?

It’s Ferragosto (for any queries on that moniker see last year’s article) so I’ll spare you any further intra-cranial efforts that might waste the valuable energy necessary to lift you off the deckchair and walk those five odd steps to the sea. YKK or (Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha) is by far the world’s largest producers of that ubiquitous item present on clothing apparel and carrier bags known to most of the world as the zip or zipper.

The company philosophy at YKK is “The Cycle of Goodness” which means that one prospers when one renders benefit to others. Which is quite an apt philosophy for this article which was never intended to be an essay on zips but rather one on our fixation with prices and costs – particularly in this the period of travel. I only got to YKK while researching online tips on travelling and examining the pros and cons of different styles of suitcase (including considerations on whether the zipper on aforementioned suitcase is “chain” or “lock”). In order not to have wasted too much of the research time let me give you this tip: if a suitcase manufacturer opts for an anonymous brand of zips rather than world famous names (read YKK) then you may be sure (almost) that it is a cost cutting exercise and not an effort to improve quality. Caveat emptor.

While the Government of Malta struggles to reassure it’s citizens that it will do everything in its power to ensure that Valletta retains its World Heritage Status (funny, for a moment one got the feeling that the Government was the threat in the first place) art around the world has been having a rough time.

Two unrelated stories of persons venting their anger on art pieces have once again shown that people believe that they could use our common heritage as ransom for whatever personal troubles need attention. A russian woman threw a ceramic cup at bullet-proofed Mona Lisa in the Louvre out of frustration for not having obtained French nationality. The wry smile of Da Vinci’s painting must have been the straw that broke the camel’s back and the lady decided to vent her anger at the French administrative system by attempting to destroy one of the iconic images in the Louvre.

Art as a medium to channel our anger? Makes you wonder if this trend will catch on.

Brazilian infomercial urging people to pee in the shower and waste less water. Every time you flush you use about 12 litres of water – around 4,000 litres a year. The solution? Pee in the shower.

Michael Schumacher is expected to announce today that he does not feel well enough to replace Massa in the driving seat of the Ferrari. When you consider his illustrious career and his aura of invincibility, this latest announcement gives you a further insight into his disiplined approach to the sport. He’d rather not race than enter for some cameo appearance. Bravo Michael.

(news added on Gazzetta site as I type: Neck problems continue to plague Michael. Badoer will be his replacement)

This article and accompanying Bertoon appeared in yesterday’s edition of The Malta Independent on Sunday.

As I sat down to type, the news reached Rue De Bragance that Sliema Water Polo Club has won a crucial game against Neptunes. I don’t really dig water polo, and beyond a fetishist support for Otters ASC, I usually follow as much of the sport as I do cricket. Frankly, I find watching the game a rather yawn-inducing affair and I get the impression that most of the action occurs underwater. I do however respect sporting interest, whatever the sport and whoever the supporter – I can develop a curious interest in the history of lacrosse or the rules of the Mayan game of “poc ta poc” – and therefore I will find no fault in the hundreds who will be celebrating this victory over what I understand to be their bitter rivals.

Water polo leagues generally served as a trivial palliative for the sports fanatic waiting for the resumption of what he considered the “real” season. The football fanatic would keep his league table reading skills honed thanks to matches like Neptunes versus Sliema and might even feign a passing interest in the players themselves. Don’t kid yourself though, not too deep below the mask lies the beast ready to explode with the kick-off of the new season – the real season of football that is.

That’s what the “silly season” is all about. It’s when you expect to read columns complaining about the dearth of writing material and when the news reverts to auto-drive: fires in the south of Europe, fireworks in Malta, heat waves and melanoma warnings and soon, very soon – the crazy long break of the 15th of August. So you’d expect blogs like J’accuse to be having quite a quiet period. And you’d only be partially right.

Five months ago I spoke (Of Leopards and their Spots) about the contradictory messages that were being sent out regarding the legality or otherwise of the various gambling machines that had cropped up around the island:

First we had an article discussing recommendations made by Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee with regard to illegal gamning arcades. Now the word “illegal” in that phrase begs some questions of its own especially since by admission of the Finance Minister the arcades are not directly violating any law but rather stand in a limbo of non-regulation. What that means is that there is no clear regulation prohibition of these arcades and in fact the Committee recommended proper regulations be drafted. In the meantime however it is a legal nonsense to suggest that the arcades are illegal until the regulations rendering them illegal is actually drafted. There are after all such principles as Legal Certainty and Legitimate Expectations.

Yesterday, the entire (known) gaming arcade industry came to a halt thanks to a nationwide raid by the police. According to the Times a Government spokesman stated that “none of the arcades had been operating with the necessary Gaming Authority licence.” Interesting. Back in March J’accuse had pointed out the importance of “legal certainty” and “legitimate expectations”.