• Companies like Computer Domain and Medavia are two more firms that have recently organised blood donation campaigns. This is uplifting, seeing that so little time and effort, coupled with a lot of goodwill, goes into such an altruistic gesture. No doubt, the amount of man-hours used in one day by donors compares favourably to the time wasted on smoking breaks in any given entity.

Scarecrows

• In a bid to draw the crowds, parking restrictions are removed in given areas when popular events are held. That, of course, happens overseas. Here, local wardens arrive soon after the event starts in order to issue as many parking tickets as possible. That was the case last Sunday, as people arrived for the Delicata Wine Festival held at the Upper Barrakka, in Valletta.

Jobs

• It is heartening to see that the Employment Training Corporation has added one more job centre, in Birkirkara civic centre, to its string of recruitment offices in Valletta, Vittoriosa, Qawra, Mosta and Victoria. The centre, albeit for only two mornings a week, will offer the services offered by other ETC outlets with regard to advice and information about different employment schemes. One hopes that, if this office is well patronised, opening hours will be increased in the drive to lower unemployment by raising awareness about jobs and programmes being offered.

Stealing

• Upon handing down a judgment, a magistrate commented that the two Maltese youths’ action of stealing the belongings of tourists was casting a blot on the hospitality trade in Malta. However, a news bulletins that carried this item also reported that two foreigners were caught in the act of pick-pocketing. So who, exactly, is harming the industry? One asks this, of course, on the premise that the type of thieving does not make a difference.

Pyrotechnics

• Every summer, the same argument about whether or not noisy fireworks ought to be banned ensues. And, at the end of the festa season, we realise that, after all is said and done, a lot more would have been said than done and the big bangs continue until the very last feast of the season ends. It would seem that no parish is ready to bell the cat for fear of alienating parishioners, who, incidentally, are also potential donors.

Disastrous

• Despite a lot of correspondence, the state of Princess Margaret Street, in Msida is going from bad to worse. It must be said that, in just one week, no fewer than six cars passing through there ended up with all sorts of damaged parts. When will the responsible authorities get down to commissioning the urgently-needed repairs?

Communication

• Some local councils include “contact us” sections in their websites; others give their e-mails. However, it is to be noted that, even after five working days, some e-mails and online communications go unanswered. This is not what customer care is all about. Most people would be satisfied to receive a reply to the effect that it is not possible to give a reply to their query.

Telephony

• Getting through to Go Mobile is sometimes a Herculean task. Sometimes, however, one strikes lucky and connects with representatives of the firm like Sandra, Ian and Dorian who give clients excellent service.

Dirtied

• Merchants Street, in Valletta, was re-paved and turned into a pedestrianised zone. Yet, Valletta taxis are not the only vehicles that are seen using it. It would be interesting to find out whether any tests are made on vehicles that pass through parts of the street in order to ascertain which ones are staining the surface.

Eyesores

• To remain in the capital, the powers-that-be ought to note that government cars, and others too, can still be seen parked haphazardly, and illegally, at Castille Place. Whatever happened to the project to have the whole area traffic-free and pedestrianised? There again, no cars are supposed to go through Merchants Street either. But it seems some car users are more equal than others!

Syntax

• In the answering service of several firms the English is stilted and the Maltese ungrammatical. A case in point is the mobile telephony stock answer to the effect that “il-persuna li qed iċċempel...”, whereas, in fact, one would be calling the person and so this ought to be changed into “… li lilha qed iċċempel...”

Students

• What, exactly, is the law with regard to “change of purpose” when it comes to residential flats? It is one thing for home owners to convert an upper storey into a flatlet for the use of in-house student lodgers but totally another to rent out empty premises to students who would therefore have no supervision. This is unfair on the families living in the condominium, some of who may be shift workers, elderly or infirm.

Sheltered

• When someone took the law in his own hands and built a shelter for karozzin horses, people were quick to complain about its lack of aesthetics and it was quickly pulled down. Yet, years later, horses still bear the brunt of the noonday sun in their mustering areas while cabbies cross the road, resting in the shade, until clients purchase a ride. And then we call ourselves a nation of animal lovers.

Glassworks

• Much ado is being made about whether or not school vans ought to have tinted glasses, with outlandish statements being put forward by both sides. The solution is easy. Photo-chromatic would only darken when the sun’s rays could potentially harm children and clear glass would enable traffic policemen and wardens to check whether more children than is legally safe have been crammed into the vehicle.