On the dot

Marsaxlokk used to be a beautiful village... before certain people discovered it and went to live there. It appears that, for them, a daily rubbish collection is not enough; piles of garbage bags are left here and there, haphazardly, and these are sometimes torn open by stray animals and vermin. It would seem that the local council does not care enough to do something about it.

Prostrate

Over the past days men have been urged to keep their eyes open for prostate cancer. Yet, the same health authorities have apparently instructed lab technicians not to do prostate tests when blood samples are submitted by health centres. The poor patient ends up prostrate before the big powers' whims!

Stable

Despite a number of reports over the past months to the health authorities, the local council and Mepa, a residence in Charlotte Alley, Għargħur continues to be used as a horse stable. Every morning the stable is turned inside out leaving the alley reeking of horse excrement and urine as the foul water cascades down the alley. To make matters worse, the cart, horse-trailer and other paraphernalia, as well as the owners' vehicles, are left along the no-parking areas blocking the alley to the further inconvenience and frustration of the residents.

Petitioned

A group of people, without any identification as to name or affiliation is going around houses collecting signatures for a petition "against illegal immigrants". If householders refuse to sign, they are treated to a harangue about how "these" will gradually take over Malta and we will become a Third World nation. Apart from being racist, this is probably illegal.

Control

Do members of the medical profession who suggest the use of contraceptive methods realise that some patients are unable to ask whether some of the options offered are abortifacient or not? It is only later, when they do their own research, or discuss the alternatives with someone else that they discover this. Not to mention the moral aspect of the matter!

Unplugged

Wasn't it supposed to have become par for the course for electricity plugs that conform to the local system to be provided with every electrical appliance purchased? One would have thought that this applied across the board and not only for white goods.

Enforcement

Drivers of horse-drawn cabs obviously find it easier to enter Valletta through Great Siege Road. Every morning, especially on Sundays, the stretch of road between the Phoenicia Hotel and the Excelsior Hotel is littered with horse droppings. The smells and the appearance are ruining the area. Since dog owners are required at law to clean up after their animals, ought not the same rules apply to the cabbie drivers? Where are the wardens when we need them?

Downhill

Another street that seems to have a beneficial effect on the digestive system of horses is St Chorister Street, in Valletta. This street already has problems with parking down one side and a narrow pavement on the other, pigeons roosting on balconies and attacking passers-by, as well as vehicles zooming down it on their way out of Valletta. Even when the road is free, however, pedestrians cannot even hope to use it.

Lightening?

Which entity, specifically, is responsible for seeing that the street-lights are out during the daylight hours in Republic Street, Valletta? It would seem that the main street of the capital does not come under the jurisdiction of Enemalta or, at least, the Valletta council. One would be forgiven for thinking this because both have been informed several times that the lights are still on. Could it be that the timer is faulty? Or is the operation a manual one?

Walled

The mayor and the members of the local council at Swieqi are to be commended for the way they handled the issue of the damaged rubble walls. Rather than replacing them with slapdash non-artesian work as has been done elsewhere, a pristine job has been done on the few remaining ones along Ibraġ Road and along Triq Tal-Franċiż in Ta' l-Ibraġ, Swieqi, by the Old Halland Hotel bus stop. This could give rise to a new slogan: Product Malta, where we strive to accentuate the best of what we have.