On the Dot...

The policemen on duty at the police station in Hamrun have a lot on their minds. One thing they could add to the burgeoning list is a walkabout, every so often, in the area roughly between the HSBC bank and the millennium Kebab House, just across the square, especially in the evenings. The number of traffic jams, usually caused by SUVs parked haphazardly, has to be seen to be believed.

End The Farce

Perhaps the Malta Transport Authority should use some of its authority to insist on bringing into use, or removing, the traffic signs that were put up in Rabat, in the Kola Xara Street area, considerably more than a year ago, and covered up by the local council. The farce has gone on long enough. Again, several of the signs, covered with flimsy black plastic, have lost their cover.

Clock Work

The otherwise lovingly cared for Our Lady of Jesus (Ta' Giezu) church in Valletta is fighting a losing battle on two fronts. Pigeons have once again wreaked havoc to the façade and the entrance of the church. Besides, the marble remembrance plaques on the floor of the church have fallen into disrepair.

Neat Work

Three bus stops lie in close proximity to one another at Blata l-Bajda, near the MUSEUM chapel. It was therefore a good idea to have the numbers of the route buses that stop by each one displayed next to them.

Stop Watch

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi insists that, henceforth, staff in the public service will have to give a good, full-day's work. One hopes that the new, improved workforce will materialise across the board; it is not merely a matter of introducing a punch-card system to ensure that no one is late, or leave early. Again, the magic word is accountability.

Crossed Lines

The opposition spokesman on the environment is apparently a senior employee of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Could there be a conflict of interest, especially if he is at times expected to draft replies to parliamentary questions he himself tables in the House?

Phone Called

People taking surveys often call members of the public who are curious as to how their names came to be on a particular list. When asked, they reply that the number was culled from a telephone directory. This may or may not be the case, especially when people are known by a diminutive of their name or, worse, when the name appearing on the phone book is not the person to whom the call is addressed.

Lost and Lonely

The area around Bwieraq Street, in Birkirkara, badly needs a sprucing up. People living in the smelly and grubby surroundings feel they have been totally forgotten by their local council and plead for some attention.

Swings Low

Two wicked-looking bits of twisted metal peep from the ground right in front of the acrobatic tubes network in the Qui-Si-Sana swings, opposite the Plevna Hotel, in Sliema. Moreover, one of the tyre-swings has been torn off on one side for a long time and the seating is missing from a pair of upright brick supports. Children who go there to play in the evening are not really safe, because it is quite dark, considering the drop to the lido area below.

(S)oiled Goods

A jerry can full of what can only be used engine oil was dribbled along the Valletta bastions recently, on the Lower Barrakka side. This has meant a lot of hassle for people who unwittingly sit or rest there to enjoy the Grand Harbour scenery. People can be so selfish sometimes.

Litter Act

Many corners in Marsa, as for instance the one between Triq in-Nazzarenu and Triq it-Trinitá Mqaddsa, are usually inundated with a mound of garbage bags by the time it is time for the collection truck to make its rounds.

Money Talks

What precautions are the banks taking to see that not even one of the counterfeit money notes allegedly in circulation are not among those that are drawn from automatic teller machines? Are these notes being checked by a machine, and then by members of the staff, or vice versa? It would be interesting to discover whether the use of ATMs has lessened during this scare.

Life Styles

The fact that no money has yet been allocated to make the forensic laboratory a safe place to be, let alone work in, is disgraceful. This is not merely because we all complain about the backlog of cases at the law courts, and this dearth means more and more of them piling up; it indicates that someone, somewhere, has got one's priorities wrong. And nobody seems to want to carry the can!

Lights Out

Another area where basics have not apparently been budgeted for are basic requirements such as wires and single phase meters, by Enemalta. This means that the requirements of some families cannot be met. One hopes that this lack is rectified as soon as possible.

Star Shine

Well done to all those girls and young ladies who took part in the talent show organised by the society of Christian doctrine on September 21. The dedication shown by their leaders is to be commended; all this magnificent work is done on a voluntary basis, often at great personal sacrifice.

Bitter Pill

A box of pills, of the same brand, size, lot number and even expiry date, was bought for Lm1.19 from St Paul's Bay, and for Lm1.45 from Valletta the following day. Is it the day or the greed that makes such a difference?