On the dot

Plastic sheeting, a bed headboard and part of a washing machine have been littering Wardija countryside for the past three months notwithstanding the numerous reports filed with the St Paul's Bay local council. Must residents wait till next summer for them to be removed?

Elections

Researchers will research anything and the latest grist for their mill is which qualities the Maltese would want in a female Prime Minister. According to the results, she would have to be a Roman Catholic, heterosexual and of Maltese ethnic stock. Alas, the study does not seem to indicate whether the public would have the same requirements of male candidates. One wonders whether, theoretically at least, a homosexual atheist Maori would qualify for the post. After all, Alberto Fujimori was born in Peru to Chinese parents and, yet, made it to President of Peru.

Shocking

The Malta Standards Authority has issued a warning that socket converters must not be used because they are a health hazard. The public could have done with a reminder that the adaptors known as doublers and triplers, which are cuboids in shape and allow multiple plugs to be used at one socket, are also unsafe. In any case, some people still use the tried-and-tested method of shoving a pencil into the wall socket with a two-pin plug, since changing it would make the guarantee void. Whatever happened to the advertising slogan "the one with the plug on"?

Parking

People who wear a cap and some semblance of a uniform still call themselves "parkers" and put out their hands for the customary tips as one leaves well-known parking grounds, such as the one near the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery and others. It is a sad fact of life that, despite all the letters to the press complaining of the practice, it is still rife. Drivers are reluctant to ask for proof that they are eligible to carry out the job, especially if they always park their cars in the said parking spaces.

Bottleneck

The short stretch near the US Ambassador's residence in Attard has finally been declared one way for a brief period of time during the morning rush hour. Well done. Alas, some vehicles, including a police car, persist in driving towards Ta' Qali when they should not. A surprise visit by wardens would surely help.

Smelly

Much ado has been made about the fact that the regeneration of the Salina saltpans will mean that the place will not stink to high heaven any longer. This is all to the good and perhaps when this task is fully accomplished, the technicians and engineers who succeed in working it out could turn their eyes, and their noses, towards the Menqa at St Paul's Bay and the Pietà/Sa Maison areas.

Arched

Some time ago, a new method of restoration was used to make the renovated parts of the Wignacourt aqueducts distinguishable from the old parts. As if there could ever have been any doubts about this, given the quality and texture of the stones used! Now, however, this project has apparently been abandoned. In the area between the bring-in-site skips and the playground, bits and pieces of the stonework are crumbling and the problem gets worse each time it rains. Moreover, people taking dogs for a walk there think it is fine to allow their pets to soil the newly-laid pavement.

Numbered

Someone is seeking to make good money out of the controversy about whether or not there ought to be Crucifixes in public places. The petitions that are being signed for free fade into oblivion beside an SMS campaign that consists of three concatenated messages, which the recipient is asked to forward to friends.

Branching

Many trees along residential roads had been marked for pruning, through having had papers stuck to them giving a date when the job would be carried out. It would be interesting to note how many trees have missed their date with destiny. However, it might be more interesting to find out where pruning was done haphazardly, how many tree branches broke in the high winds because the trees were made top-heavy.

Language!

"I am not a fool!" and "I shall not be mocked!" are the polite versions of what a bank clerk, last Monday morning, was shouting into a mobile phone when talking to a colleague to explain her position. The call had something to do with the fact that she had not asked the identity of the person on the line when she had taken a call with clients present. People awaiting their turn in the cashiers' queues, meanwhile, had this tiny bit of drama to alleviate their boredom. Yet, it would have been a better idea for her to have shut the door before commencing her tirade.

Recycling

On November 5, a ceremony was held at the Siege Bell Memorial in Valletta wherein children from two schools, and a handful of dignitaries, remembered the fallen and three poppy wreaths were placed at the monument's base. It was pathetic to see that, immediately the children had left the site, one person placed the wreaths in a bin bag and walked away with it. Could it be that these wreaths had been slated to make their next appearance at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the War Memorial at Floriana?

Obstructions

Just opposite the Birkirkara local council offices is a street, halfway up which is a ramp leading to some garages. A disused truck and other rubbish have been standing there for a long time. Yet, complaints to the council are met with the standard reply that it cannot take action because the area involved is private property. This clearly means that the council has full knowledge of to whom the whole caboodle belongs.