On the dot

Weather reports are something of a show as presented on some foreign television stations. Others, however, produce them in a vivid professional manner, complete with graphics and associated information. Local television stations think they are doing us a favour by presenting a map with isobars and isohyets, icons representing weather conditions and columns of words and numbers, with boring satellite pictures in the background. Is it possible this is the best they can do?

Flagging

It's not every day that mountaineers reach the peak of Mount Everest. Moreover, the fact that The Maltese Challenge 8000 team, made up of Maltese climbers Marco Cremona, Greg Attard and Robert Gatt and two foreigners managed to do it, ought to have commanded top headlines in the media. However, for some, it was a non-event, indeed, the national television station only threw it in as an afterthought, as the final item in the bulletin!

Statuary

The statues on top of the parish church at Naxxar need to be restored immediately. The weather conditions have affected them adversely to the extent that they may already be dangerous. One shudders to think of what might happen if they toppled over in a high wind; even a limb falling off could be very dangerous.

Shading

Dermatologist Lawrence Scerri suggests that lightly tinted car windows would in part act as a sunscreen, especially for children and those who spend a good amount of time in their vehicles. Whereas UVA and UVB rays are important factors to consider when it comes to the physiology and pathology of skin, it must be noted that the tone of the photo-chromatic windscreen, rear window, and side windows of the vehicle need not be dark enough to obscure what is going on inside the vehicle or impede the driver from adequately seeing what is going on in the street.

Visibility

We are told that police cars do not have air conditioning so that windows are kept open, allowing officers to better see and hear what goes on around them. That may explain why Cabinet members are usually cut from reality: their luxury cars evidently have very efficient ACs, which demand that windows are constantly kept tightly shut!

Carbonic

It is fascinating to listen to all the speeches and read all the column inches about how we are supposed to care for the environment. Yet, at the same time, we read how dignitaries of different countries have travelled to the same place in order to meet and discuss different issues. Teleconferencing may be a rather impersonal way of assembly, and the encounters made therefrom may not be really conducive to further networking.

Detailed

It is obvious that, in some criminal cases, certain details have to be kept hidden in order to protect the identity of the victims, which is as it should be, Data Protection Act or not. When a crime happens in a public place, however, and there is the faintest chance that, given the circumstances, it may happen again to other minors, one would think that people have a right to know, in order for children, or the elderly, to be protected.

Sandy

Whenever it is windy, a lot of sand from Għadira Bay ends up in the street, to the extent that the wheels of cars parked at the kerb end up much higher than the other two. One wonders what happens when the sand is eventually collected, soiled as it is by the diesel fumes and the rest of debris and road dust. Is it cleaned and replaced on the beach or is it simply discarded in a landfill?

Buildings

Several people embark on home improvements without getting adequate advice from a civil engineer, let alone applying for a planning authority permit. This may involve damage to the properties of neighbours, especially if the buildings are very old. Most home improvements are made on the inside of buildings or the side that is not visible from the road. This is not something to be treated lightly.

Lifesaving

Lectures on parental skills sometimes include superficial mention of first aid. Heart attacks, drowning, flooding and choking emergencies are all covered. However, seeing that these talks are tailored for a particular sector of the populace, it is necessary that a nation-wide media campaign be developed. The life we save may be our own.

Entrance

Approaching Valletta from the "back door", the Victoria Gate side, has now become a pleasure in contrast with the dreary experience it used to be. Now that the elegant gateway has been restored to its former pristine glory, we have an adequate reminder of the graceful and stylish type of architecture that would suit the main - City Gate - entrance.

Beached

The beach in St George's Bay, St Julians, desperately and urgently needs a good clean-up. It is strewn with seaweed and litter. Locals and tourists flock daily to this beach for relaxation and swimming. It is indeed a pity that it hasn't yet been tidied up.

Bucked

On May 11, consumers visited the Enemalta customer care office at Marsa to sort out problems concerning their electricity meter. They were immediately re-directed to the Water Services Corporation customer care office at Luqa. Having arrived there and queued for nearly two hours, they were informed that their account file was at the Marsa customer care office. Moreover, all that the WSC customer care office could do is to send a note to the Enemalta customer care office at Marsa, relaying the query...