• In order to attract clients with young children, several catering and entertainment establishments are introducing all manner of toys and games on their premises. However, it has been noted that safety gear is not provided as a matter of course. Health and safety rules are rarely explained to children and there is no facilitator on duty to ensure that these are followed at all times.

Cornered

• Wooden boards were used in Main Street, Naxxar, close to the Labour Party club, to close off an area where work is in progress. A very good idea, indeed. What is not good is that cars are allowed to park very close to it, narrowing the road, barely leaving space for a small car to go through.

Cutters

• Maintenance of the Qui-si-Sana garden is carried out at first light using motorised grass cutters despite repeated protests by nearby residents. Builders do not start engines before 7.30 a.m., however, with characteristic in­difference, the MRRA and ELC refuse to extend the same courtesy and have no qualms about disturbing the early morning peace and residents’ sleep.

Claim

• A claimant for damages (€190 for two new tyres and towing costs) to Transport Malta last February was told that, for his case to be considered he had to forward a police report, pictures of the pothole, a copy of his ID card, a copy of the vehicle licence, a copy of the driving licence and the receipts for tyres and towing. This was duly done last April but, so far, calls to the case officer have been parried and e-mails have been ignored.

Clips

• The number of VAT receipts being given to the public has patently diminished. Does the department send employees to do random checks of outlets? Sales staff avoid giving a receipt, especially when payment is done by credit cards or bank cards, unless the client notices. In a case where a credit card payment slip was sent to the VAT Department for them to check, not even an acknowledgement was forthcoming.

Callers

• Some time ago, an accident at the corner of Kukkanja Street with Cannon Road, Sta Venera caused a telephone booth, a letter box and the retaining wall of what used to be the Consumer Protection Directorate to be damaged. The latter two have been replaced, yet, the area remains without a public telephone box to date.

Cash

• It is time to seriously consider the idea of moral damages being payable at law. People being accused of a crime and who are then found to be innocent or those who are deprived of holidays because their flights have been overbooked and they cannot avail themselves of vacation leave at any other time deserve better treatment than a mere apology.

Coercion

• Another set of scam e-mails is doing the rounds wherein PayPal clients are told that sums of money of less than the equivalent of €500 would have been transferred from the account into several different banks, one of which is mentioned in each e-mail received. This is intended to make people panic enough to query the transactions thereby giving away personal information by filling in a form, as replying to the e-mail would “just confuse the computer that sent it and you won’t get a response”.

Continuation

• Alternatively, people are told that funds, made available by an unspecified bank or from an eBay payment, would have been deposited into a person’s PayPal account and are available for use. The e-mail address used for such messages has, in the past, been linked with phoney job offers. It must be emphasised that not one of the three entities would make such a silly mistake.

Currents

• At Bognor Beach, Buġibba, in the sea, all the way from below Bay Square to the boċċi pitch, there are regularly tiny bubbles that move with the current. Sometimes these are accompanied by floating dead seaweed and other debris and, at other times, not. It would set people’s minds at rest if it is confirmed that these bubbles are harmless.

Consequences

The festa season has come around again and, like each year before this and, no doubt, each one after, we are seeing young children moving around the crowds, without accompanying adults, holding beer bottles. Alas, too many people think that tipsy youngsters are “cute”, especially when they act up in silly ways. Apparently, nobody thinks of what this alcohol is doing to their young kidneys.

Correctness

• And while on the subject of village feasts, it is worth noting that the practice of singing bawdy songs, sometimes in order to offend the other parish in the same locality or a neighbouring one, has spilled over into clothing. T-shirts with mocking slogans have been seen in several areas. This is disgusting.

Cyclists

• Is it illegal for cyclists to ride two abreast on the road, as it is in other countries? Whereas it’s true that some cyclist lanes taper into nothing, which would logically intimate that cyclists are to get off their bikes and walk them on the pavements, the fact remains that, sometimes, cyclists shoot red lights and ride four abreast, as if traffic regulations exist only for four-wheeled vehicles and not for them.

Central

• Some time ago, much ado was made about the water park at Buġibba and promises were made about how “The South” would soon be getting a similar one, place unspecified. It would be a good idea were the Dock One project re-envisaged with this in mind. Perhaps the clearing of the area would get rid of the desultory atmosphere… and the mosquitoes.