On the Dot...

In the first week of March, employees of the Works Division rebuilt a water culvert in the road in front of the Millennium Stand, at Ta' Qali. And the surplus material was disposed of on the sides of the same road!

Double parked

Can the powers-that-be explain why cars of personnel working in various ministries in Valletta are allowed to double park and block other vehicles with impunity? These are not ministerial cars and just display a contact number which one can call. The owner of one such car had to be called on various occasions over the past days and, on the last instance, the owners of a blocked car had to wait for at least 15 minutes!

Dry Run

About six weeks ago, as the war of words in the local elections was hotting up, Rabat local council saw the light and dug up the lower end of Riebu Well Street to lay tarmac. Unfortunately, the light seems to have dimmed. The tarmac has not been laid and the residents now have to do with mud when it rains, or dust when it is dry.

Boning Up

A woman whose medical condition makes it advisable to have regular bone density scans turned up for what she thought was her appointment. However, it turned out she had misread the date; her appointment is in March, 2007. Yet, seeing there were no patients in the waiting room, she asked whether she could still be attended to. If the card says next year, then next year it is, was the reply.

Bread Alone

And while on the subject of medical care, it is pertinent to point out that not all patients in hospital have family or friends who will journey to and fro with dietetic meals. In a recent case, for instance, a person with celiac condition was given the same meals as the rest of the patients in the ward.

Dressing Down

Why is it that the matter of a dress code pertaining to schools has been left to the administrations thereof? Some teachers appear all too ready to "spring" into clothes unsuitable for a school environment. And it's not just the ladies, either. How do they expect students to look up to them?

Law Lords

In a judgement last week, in which police raids on a record shop were declared unfair, the judge seemed to be saying that, once the Police Commissioner was acting on an order issued by a magistrate the police could not be held responsible for civil damages. Does it mean a magistrate cannot make a mistake? And, if a magistrate does err, should s/he not be liable to "pay" too, like all the rest of us?

Football Crazy

It would seem that some football supporters have lost all their sense of fun when it comes to celebrating victories. Why is it that their so-called happiness has to include insults to rival teams, with profanity thrown in for good measure? Is it possible that no one dares book these hot-headed people for breaking the peace and using foul language in public?

Beach Buoys

This column has long been suggesting that "something" ought to be done about the dire state of the beach at Islets' Promenade, in Bugibba, where the pointed rocks make the otherwise beautiful area less enjoyable. One hopes that an environmental impact assessment is carried out, boulders and dangerous overhangs removed, and any structures worth preserving tended to before this issue of turning the area into a sandy beach is resolved.

Hoarse Course

The boundary rubble wall around the Marsa Sports Ground is in a very bad state of repair, especially at the side of the cemetery. Before we even dare think about golf courses and agro-tourism, we had better take good care of what we already have.

Walled Out

Auto repair shops and garages that have diversified into selling vehicles are still liable to hog precious parking spaces by exhibiting vehicles for sale in the general areas outside their establishments. Sometimes, moreover, minor repairs are carried out in the street, leaving thick oil slicks when the vehicles are eventually removed.

Light House

Every so often, we are told how much is owed to the state in utilities bills, and how much the state owes the public back in refunds. This system makes the whole affair risible, as if by subtracting the smaller from the larger amount, one is able to arrive at a conclusion about who owes what to whom. This is not the case at all; some dues are not recoverable, and the public wants a refund, not a statement about how much of it is due.

Think Tanks

Some time ago, there was a much-publicised drive to get rid of all the rusted fuel tanks doing duty as part of boundary walls in fields, or in rubble walls fronting streets. For a while, this appeared to be a dream come true; however, the project appears to have fallen by the wayside, since in some areas nothing appears to have changed.

Spokes Persons

Whenever they have bad news to impart, be it of a national or a private affair, certain members of the media appear to relish lingering over the details. This means that, sometimes, reports lack in sensitivity, and try to make up for this with extraneous information.