On March 1, the light switch regulating the supply in Notabile Road, Mrieħel, did not trip when it ought to have done so and the street lights remained on past daybreak. Fortunately, however, this time someone was on the ball and by mid-morning they were already switched off.

Hole

Another elderly lady has tripped in the broken pavement immediately across the road from Louise Stationery in Our Lady of Sorrows Street, Ħamrun. This is yet another in a whole chain of accidents that have been happening when someone digs a hole for a flagpole or electricity pylon and leaves it uncovered.

Screening

In order to get a certain band of television channels, clients have to pay an additional fee apart from the usual bills. Why is it, then, that banks buy the package in order to improve their customer service but then negate the effect by switching off the volume and playing pop music instead?

Banking

While on the subject of banks, it is worth noting that the HSBC ATM at Mater Dei Hospital is not working properly. Sometimes, it will only revert to its home page, after the previous customer has left, when all the buttons, whatever their function, are pressed. This causes needless distress, seeing that visitors to the hospital are already in a state of trepidation because of their loved ones.

Greener

One is all for the nurturing of flora but not where it ought not to appear. A case in point is the bottom of the moat surrounding the Msida roundabout. There is a growth of moss where the water has not completely dried out and just before the area where there is a shallow amount of dirty water. This is probably as unhealthy as it is repulsive.

Pilfering

People who shoplift are definitely guilty of breaking the law. However, there are different ways of looking at this. Some people do it out of force of habit or just to show that they can hoodwink salesmen. Others do it because they are desperate and have not found help from other quarters. This may mean that there are still families falling through the cracks of the social welfare system.

Wardens

The public looks forward to the day when wardens do not feel they have to be zealous over and above their call of duty and penalise infringements where there may not be any. Meanwhile, it would be a good idea to increase parking spaces wherever possible, for instance, by opening school grounds that are not used during breaks, for teachers' cars. Since everyone is supposed to leave school at the same time, there ought not to be problems with any one car blocking the exit of others.

Convertibles

Is that a roof? Is that a ceiling? The solution to the is-there-isn't-there conundrum of the opera house roof appears to be, literally and figuratively, a half-measure. The very idea of a 25-metre-wide lightweight roof that is being proposed would be hilarious were it not pathetic. A national opera house is not a mix-and-match grab-bag of hybrid design. It must be a project that will return the site to its former glory.

Beginnings

Every week, a slew of letters appears in the press, praising or criticising Renzo Piano's plans for the entrance to Valletta. When all is said and done, all that is needed is an entrance arch, or gate, that allows traffic across the top, as well as through it, in keeping with the majestic bastions. There is no need for a playground reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons. If this is kept in mind, the project will be finished within this millennium.

Squatting

It is good to see that, at last, the stables at Pembroke that had been taken over by squatters have been evicted. One hopes that, soon, all manner of cabins constructed from old planks, as well as wartime shelters, will be similarly cleared and cleaned, in whichever part of the country they happen to be.

Traps

It is perfectly clear that roughening up the road surface or setting up road signs or speed-bumps are useless measures when it comes to avoiding accident traps. Two such areas are the section of Fleur-de-Lys Road, Birkirkara just around the corner from the side-street near the swings and that part of St Anne Street in Floriana, on the right-hand going towards Portes des Bombes from Valletta. There have been too many accidents, in both places, to classify them solely as mistakes made by drivers.

Stoned

We have been informed that the stone slabs being removed from St Christopher Street, Valletta, were being numbered, for accurate re-placement later. And, yet, the pavement in the lower part of this street, between St Ursula Street and East Street, remains broken to such an extent that people prefer to walk along the street, albeit it is usually dotted with horse waste, rather than tackling it. Hope springs eternal.

Pressure

Animal Welfare Department director Mario Spiteri has been quoted as saying that a suggestion to inspect cab horses "could be worthwhile". There is no "could" about it; this practice ought to have been actuated ages ago. Many people driving along National Road, Blata l-Bajda, have often seen the poor animals getting a touch of the whip when their drivers lead the cabs towards Valletta in the morning. Surely, the pressure of the bit on a horse's sensitive mouth, and the reins, ought to be enough?

Goal

Now that the football World Cup is set to start in South Africa in under 100 days, could some authority inform consumers what sort of rights they have in terms of watching games live on TV free-to-air? It would be better to clear the air now before it is too late.

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