The good news is that someone has rediscovered the archaic meaning of the word “dock”. The bad news is that it is happening to beautiful endemic trees, ostensibly as a part of the Dock One project. The way the trees are being butchered rather than pruned is nothing short of vandalism. These had not only been planted for their beauty but also to absorb noise and air pollution and to provide shelter for birds. Is documentation providing for such drastic measures available for the public to see?
Smokeless
The incinerator at the Gozo General Hospital is now no longer functioning, with the necessary permits from the planning authority issued for the dismantling of the chimney. This is very good news for the residents within a very wide radius who had been suffering inconvenience since 1975. One hopes other troublesome chimneys will be similarly put out of action and so contribute towards a cleaner environment all around.
Persistent
A sizeable delivery truck persists in double parking on the busy long stretch between Ħamrun and Sta Venera on many mornings throughout the week. This, naturally, causes bottlenecks, slowing down traffic. The number of police officers and wardens driving along that road must be countless, yet, the inconsiderate salesman remains immune to any sort of action.
Perching
Much ado was made about an illegal porch in front of a boathouse on the seafront next to Independence Gardens, in Sliema. It was removed by Land Department employees. And, yet, the shanty town just across the road from the Mediterranean Conference Centre, on the waterline, is still there. The “residents” could have probably gained squatters’ rights by prescription by now, if this were permissible at law.
Travel
The 5 p.m. bus from Żurrieq to Valletta on February 4 had its brakes screeching for long stretches every time the driver had to slow down or came to each of the stops along the route. This was surely indicative of a serious fault and also caused headaches, literally, to the commuters on board. The 5.30 p.m. bus from Valletta to Swieqi on the same afternoon was a bouncing vehicle that made its passengers nauseous.
Pollutants
Scientists from the University of Murcia in Spain, having studied the effects of contamination at petrol stations, came to the conclusion that fuel pollutants travel up to 100 metres. They suggested that a “minimum” distance of 50 metres be maintained between petrol stations and housing and 100 metres for hospitals, health centres, schools and old people’s homes, which they termed “especially vulnerable facilities”. In Malta, some service stations are next door to residences.
Cheating
Shoppers might find they are financially better off at the end of the month if they check their small change, rather than the notes. Some outlets, it seems, have gone back to the basic principle of short-changing people tiny amounts, which would not be noticeable. Moreover, sometimes, the price sticker on an item does not match the one on the receipt. In the first case, complaints are met with profuse apologies about how one coin was confused with another and, in the latter, customers are told the computer indicates the different (higher) price.
Customised
Press reports indicate that legal but potentially dangerous items may be seized because they are accompanied by false declarations of contents’ description and value and the necessity of having some items checked through different entities. Miscreants will always try to find loopholes in the laws. Perhaps the only feasible solution would be to fast-track legislation or, at least, institute emergency bans that make importation of certain items illegal, whether they come from inside or outside the EU.
Ideals
The publication Malta Artscene, available through local councils and probably other places too, is a cultural calendar covering music, theatre, dance and art. The cover for the issue of this trimester shows part of a carnival float with a papier-mâché man smoking a cigar stub. This takes “smoking in public” to an entirely new level. Is it possible something more innocuous could not be found?
Expenses
It has been reported that Enemalta’s CEO and chief officers were given a performance bonus of between 12 and 15 per cent since 2008 and last year. The public is wont to ask why this was done and, moreover, surmise that, if one has a high position and, consequently, a high wage, the said bonus is likely to be more hefty than that of a person receiving the minimum wage. This happens because bonuses tend to be a percentage of the net wages.
Explosive
It is incredible that a bowser full of high-sulphur contraband diesel actually made it to Malta and had probably already found a market before it was seized by Customs officers. This, apart from the fact that the container itself was a ready-primed bomb set to go off, since it had been sealed up in a place with little or no ventilation. It is little wonder, then, that other illicit importation of smaller objects, which may be even more dangerous in the long run, takes place.
Communications
It would seem that school bus and public transport bus drivers are not included in the ban that prohibits the use of cellular telephones while driving. Some of them may be seen chatting merrily away, perhaps in order to alleviate the tedium of their boring jobs. However, this is unfair on the passengers, whose lives depend upon the judicious handling of the vehicle. Drivers of private cars, moreover, are known to use electronic media and cameras, too. Surely these also distract drivers?