On the Dot...

Buckets of fish heads and entrails, pails of prickly pear skins, sacks of building debris, broken PC monitors, leftover lengths of wooden and metal framing...all these, and more, regularly find their way into the skip at the end of Triq il-Palazz l-Ahmar, Fleur-de-Lys, at the junction with Canon Road. Since the area is covered by a daily collection, is there need for a skip there?

ChangeOver

A similar problem is created by the large waste containers at the bring-in site in Balluta, St Julians, and at other locations. They are very dirty and hardly, if ever, cleaned. They are adding to Malta's overall shabby and shoddy appearance.

Sheltered Living

All villages and towns in Malta have a number of air raid shelters. It would be interesting and beneficial to all, if the local councils were to select one of them for cleaning and for any refurbishment and reconstructions necessary. Electricity could be installed, and the resulting monument could then be made available for visits by locals, groups of schoolchildren and tourists, with people being asked to make a small donation for the upkeep of the place.

Eighth Wonder

So the paving circus of two roads in Valletta now starts all over again, thanks to some bright spark who thought it suffices to simply download some tender specifications from the internet. Will s/he be named and shamed? Hardly! Indeed, wonders never cease in this minuscule country.

Still Waiting

Talking of accountability. We, the people downstairs, are still waiting for those upstairs to give a full account of what happened in Qormi when a man was shot dead by the police and how an Air Malta plane almost collided midair with a light aircraft. Alas, we are likely to wait in vain.

Field Day

In March 2007, a Maltese national applied for EU financial help and sent all the data and documents requested. On August 8, the person called the department concerned to remind them of the case and was informed by some official he would see to the conclusion personally. On August 23, the person tried to contact the department again; this time, the operator, having tried all the extensions, put the caller through...to a fax machine. The next call was cut off.

Malta Story

Many tourists are thrilled to learn about Malta's history. It would be a boon if such series as Rajt Malta Tinbidel are translated in full and serialised on one of the many websites devoted to tourism or Melitensia. It would be rather easy to obtain the translation and serialisation rights from a living relative of the author, one thinks.

Cats' Cradles

People should think twice before sending cats from private homes to cat sanctuaries; it would be better to ask around first and try to get another family to adopt them. Sometimes, when hand-reared felines find themselves in an atmosphere where the pecking order automatically relegates them to the bottom of the heap, they will suffer sickness, hunger and injury, despite the efforts of the carers.

Stone Cold

Building contractors must be made to clean up the mess they cause in the environs of the property being developed, and not haphazardly, just once upon completion of a project. As things stand, they appear to believe they have the right to leave mounds of debris, loose stones and bricks lying about, arguing that it's not worth clearing away something that will revert to type on the morrow.

Bus Boys

The bus terminus near Mater Dei Hospital is quickly turning into a squalid base camp for bus drivers. Some of them have been seen sleeping on the grass nearby and others congregate on makeshift seats made of loose bricks in various stages of undress. Surely they deserve a clean station with a lounge, toilet facilities and a small reception area?

Wilful Damage

There is nothing wrong with having an enjoyable night out. What makes it awful however, is when it is driven by so much alcohol that damage is done to public or private property and no redress is offered, because the culprits cannot be nailed down. It would not go amiss for policemen to tour the Ta' Qali crafts village late at night and on weekends.

Lesson Plans

The objectives behind the introduction of PSD sessions in schools are evident in the acronym - personal and social development. Yet, when the National PSD conference was held on July 3, not all those who were required to attend, in fact knew about it; others were informed on the day itself. When an attendance sheet was lost, those who had signed and those who did not attend were asked to justify their absence... a month after the meeting. A case of mismanagement?

Vine Thing

One major vintner has not yet paid farmers for last year's grape harvest. They have already started picking grapes for this year's pressing and they are worried this will lead to more financial hardship.