On the dot...

The area in Blata l-Bajda known as Belt il-Hazna should be fenced in without delay. As it is, accessible to anyone on four wheels, or more, it is serving as a rubbish dump (picture). And gaining in popularity as such, for the area available for dumping is extensive.

Unknown Way

Do those in authority know there is a road leading from Rabat, or maybe Mtarfa, down to Chadwick Lakes? The question is asked because of the poor state of this hill, much used about this time of year by Sunday family outings. Not only do many of the electricity poles along it seem to be on the point of collapsing, but the state of the road surface is indescribably horrendous.

Think Tank

Triq il-Brunzar and Triq Antonio Miruzzi, in Sta Venera, are still serviced by old-style cesspits. Since the population in the area has risen to far more than when the system was set up it is not the first time that the sewage system has not been able to cope and the foul smells, not to mention health and safety dangers, annoy everyone.

Say (No) Cheese

The distribution of fresh milk from the traditional refrigerated truck in the Albert Town area in Marsa has become irregular and sporadic. Consumers assume they must be obliged to purchase supplies for several days, just in case their milkman decides not to turn up. Others tell them they are lucky, because in some areas, the truck does not stop any more, ever.

Iron Rations

Why is it that in Triq il-Mithna, in Xewkija, the water supply tends to smell faintly metallic at times? The answer is simple, it must be because the water is of a pale golden colour, with flecks of rust in it. Is this water safe to drink despite its appearance?

Fare Enough

Birkirkara and Qormi are the proverbial two stones' throw away from one another. That is why, indeed, it takes two bus rides to get from one to the other, as for that matter, one needs for other towns and villages that are so close, yet so far away. Come January 1, this means that commuters might need 20c more daily to get from home to their place of work, which adds up to a "cost of living" increase of Lm52 annually. Whatever happened to the promise that fares would not increase before the service became better?

Brick Bats

It costs the Malta Environment and Planning Authority a conservative estimate of Lm7,000 to tear down an illegal structure. Who foots the costs? Is it Mepa itself, the central government or the defaulter? The entity is truly, madly and deeply in the red; no mean achievement when one considers that this entity is supposed to be coming down, literally, like a ton of bricks on citizens who break the law, of whom there are a-plenty.

Council Counsel

When local councils organise activities, especially for children, they must realise that not all those within the areas under their jurisdiction attend local state schools. Care must be taken to involve all children in the catchment area by posting notices about the activity in several locations, and, if feasible, on children's programmes on the different radio stations or publications aimed at children of school age, too.

Tunnel Vision

The Floriana local council appears inordinately proud of the fact that pedestrians have finally got used to the idea of using the traffic lights in St Anne Street rather than making a dash for it and risking instant death. But this feat has a downside to it; it basically means that the subways have once more been sentenced to oblivion. The result? The subways lose the very purpose they were built for... at a cost.

Channel Crossing

On Sunday, November 21, Channel 45 was showing the 9 p.m. film, The Dancer Upstairs. Unfortunately, several people could not follow what was probably a Latino language and there were no sub-titles on screen. One hopes that Melita Cable will do something about this even if it has to be a dubbed version offered as a gesture of goodwill. After all people pay for the full pleasure of watching different films in the hope that they will understand them fully.

Path Ways

It is not the first time that children at the Tarxien Primary School were surprised by dogs which found their way inside their classrooms. No doubt, there is a reason for the fact that access to a state school must always be available, at least during school hours. But how many schools have CCTV cameras trained on all entrances and exits and, of these, how many are regularly checked by administration or minor staff?

Road Ways

On Friday, November 26, at about 9.20 a.m., a gang of eight workers were digging up a tiny portion of the Fleur-de-Lys Road, in front of Tabone Enterprises Limited. Of these, only one was wearing noise-protection gear; actually it was positioned just above his ears so that he could hear what a colleague was telling him. There was a distinct lack of safety gloves and heavy-duty shoes, too.

Set Piece

It is a long time since any radio or television presenter, or the companies paying for the airtime in which the programme is aired, were fined for breach of Broadcasting Authority Regulations. But is it possible that not one of them has contravened the policy which says that advertising content must not exceed such-and-so a fraction of the net programme time? Sometimes, one actually forgets that one would have been watching a certain programme, owing to the long lapse between one part and another.