On the Dot...

The revelation that a wanted man was, almost literally, put on a plane to escape by a police officer is incredible. The harsh comments made by Mr Justice Joe Galea Debono about the matter are fair and timely. Will any heads roll? Very unlikely. This side of the world people are after glory and perks not accountability.

Green Sleeves

The Vatican's Paul VI Centre is to become green, through the installation of a series of rooftop solar panels. This will come into effect after an environmental impact assessment, although the Vatican City state is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol. It would be interesting to find out how many public and private rooftops in Malta are similarly equipped.

Rude Awakening

The area in front of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta has been awaiting attention for several years now; nobody thought of patching it up until the grand exercise of levelling all the pavements in Valletta is finished. Almost every day, someone trips over at the corner leading to Merchants Street, as can be attested to by the shop owners in the area, and the workers who eat their packed lunches there.

Market Value

Another area notorious for the number of injuries occurring is the bus terminus at Zurrieq. The last time this happened, a woman twisted her ankle and was in great pain. It would, as an ironic corollary, be a good idea to have the telephone numbers of the emergency ambulance service, and of the nearest health centre and police station, on every billboard showing route bus numbers.

One Tree

A beautiful large tree, by the side of the Catholic Institute, going towards St Publius church in Floriana, has been chopped off. This tree was practically a landmark, having been there for a good number of years. It did not look sick, although, admittedly, it did need some pruning. Why was this allowed to happen?

Car Takers

The third car that had been illegally parked or abandoned in Carini Street, Santa Venera, has now been removed. However, it would seem that car dealers in the area are still taking up precious parking spaces by placing cars awaiting maintenance or sale in strategic places. Moreover, staff members of establishments that have their own spaces do not use them, preferring the streets, for easier and faster access.

Road Show

Another area that has become a veritable car showroom is Mdina Road, beginning from Qormi and going all the way to Zebbug. It would seem that a part of the area, besides, has become a container depot for some haulage company.

Soft Soap

Advertisements for anti-bacterial toiletries and detergents are mushrooming. These products can be worse for the people using them, as well as for the environment, because they contribute to pollution. Moreover, they are contributing to the growth of pathogens that are increasingly resistant to antibiotics. One has to understand that they work in the same way as pesticides - used in excess, they can even be toxic.

Tongue Twister

According to a government newsletter, "More foreigners visit Malta for the learning of English..." The phrase is undoubtedly a literal translation of ghat-taghlim ta' l-Ingliz. One can only hope and pray that the person who wrote it does not have a part-time job teaching English as a foreign language to the said foreigners.

Slow Service

The organisational side of the ADT is in shambles. New car registrations are taking too long. Clients awaiting the registration of their newly-bought cars were actually being advised that, as there is only one person processing all the registrations, they have to wait. The following week they were told that the computer system had collapsed!

Bully You

The excuse, or the reason, that some A and B state schools were amalgamated into a C one, gathering all grades from Kindergarten to Year 6 within its folds, is simple: The number of students attending does not warrant two sets of administrations. Yet, in some cases, there is not enough supervision going on. In some cases, bullying has become rife, and the head of school intones there is nothing he can do about it and that it is "useless" consulting higher authorities.

Funny Funding

Fine Gael in government will sack ministers who waste public money, according to local election candidate Senator Joe McHugh. Could this happen in Malta too, given the astronomical bills being toted up again and again by the same people in the same departments, entities, and ministries? Where does the buck stop? Who will be the first courageous minister or parliamentary secretary to bell the cat?

Waste Not

Without thinking, a man from Buncrana, Ireland, tossed away his expired tax disc in the car park of Carn Public Services Centre. He narrowly escaped a €3,000 fine, because of exceptional personal circumstances. How many people, to date, have been fined here for throwing snack packets, cigarette butts and used chewing gum, on the ground instead of taking them back home for disposal?