On the dot...

Some weeks ago road works were undertaken on the Rabat-Valletta road. When it was closed to traffic motorists breathed a sigh of relief: they were going to re-do it, it was thought. But their joy was short lived, the workmen did patch up, really well, some sections of the road, but left other parts in an atrocious condition. Is the budget that tight?

Heaven's Gate

One is pleased to note that, in connection with a suggestion made some years ago from these columns, the issue was raised by Justyne Caruana and backed by Michael Asciak and Franco Galea and parents of miscarried babies will henceforth be allowed to bury them privately. No doubt, the final decision was achieved also through the intervention of the Bioethics Consultative Committee.

Dying Words

The bad news is that nearly half of the women diagnosed with cervical cancer between 1992 and 2002 had never undergone a smear test, which could have detected the problem early and led to effective treatment. No doubt, similar statistics may be obtained for women who eventually succumb to breast cancer. Perhaps the time has come for instituting random screening for women whose mothers, sisters, or daughters have had these conditions.

Lights, Sound, Action

Well done to the 10 young job seekers from the Cottonera who will be undergoing a three-week training programme with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Birmingham. This was part of the Employment and Training Corporation's project targeted at Cottonera for those who desired to pursue a career in television and the film industry. One wonders whether other specific areas of the island will be targeted for attention.

Local Warts

On April 15 at 11 a.m. a woman traffic warden parked her car on double yellow lines in Locker Street, Sliema, next to a brick wall. She then proceeded to dish out fines to cars parked on the Qui-Si- Sana seafront. What cheek!

Smoke Scream

One is pleased to note that after yet another suggestion from this column and other sources, plainclothes policemen are finally set to patrol leisure and entertainment areas with a view to stopping those who will insist on polluting the air for others. They will certainly be quite busy!

Dog Gone

Some dog owners are still getting away with picking up their pet's messes with a hand inside a plastic bag, and dumping everything into the nearest patch of soil. A campaign to stop this in Italy entails taking samples and identifying the culprits by means of DNA tests. Would the mere mention that the same plans were to be adopted locally, drastically reduce the number of (human) offenders?

Daylight Robberies

How long is it since certain areas have seen policemen on the beat, rather than zooming by in their cars as if there were no tomorrow? Whereas it is true that those intent on mischief will not allow such a trifle to halt them, the fact remains that police presence, in the neighbourhood proper and in the local police station, is a psychological support.

Rude Awakening

It is patently obvious that there are still nasty people who want to get rich from the miseries of others by making quick money from drug trafficking. Their so-called "agents" are drawn into the net with the promise of a steady income to be obtained by luring their friends, and perfect strangers, into the net. Sentences meted out for those who get caught must become a lot harsher, in order to serve as deterrents to others who might still be thinking about their recruitment promises.

Mental Arithmetic

The Richmond Foundation's CEO Doris Gauci has rightly welcomed the Green Paper issued by the European Commission about mental health as a long-overdue step in the right direction, seeing that more than 27 per cent of adult Europeans experience at least one form of mental ill health during any one year. But do we really have to wait for the EU to institute a coping strategy?

Six Digits

First there was the fuss about whether it ought to be ewro or euro; then it was the designs being chosen for the obverse sides of the coins; then it was the actual suggestion to put living people's likenesses on the coins, despite international praxis. One of the final scores is dual pricing. What steps will be taken to ensure that the exchange rate is computed up to six decimal places, rather than the usual four?

Rainy Daze

A recent dust-storm in Beijing, China, left a film of grit over everything; part of the cleaning up solution includes seeding clouds in order to produce rain to wash away the residue far more efficiently and cheaply than hosing down ever would. And, yet, in Malta, we regularly allow most of our rainwater to wash away into the sea without even thinking of harvesting it.