People who stayed at home last Thursday evening – and who were flipping from Net TV to Super One and back to see what was happening in Floriana and Birzebbuga respectively – could not help but feel amused that there was a point when the PN and MLP supporters were chanting the same songs. “Rise up” and “The concert” songs were played right after each other in both venues at the same time. If only there would be more cohesion on other matters…
Surely the Malta Broadcasting Authority should set some standards on the radio stations' use of Maltese! One disc jockey, a returnee from Australia, speaks of the "oppocunita" he sometimes has, and plays "m-you-zika" and songs that are very "pop-you-lari", and is always "nippromissjawkom" something to his listeners. He is a good dj, music wise, but how he massacres the language! Should that be allowed?
Local television stations use the summer season to repeat programmes they would have aired live during the winter. This is a rather pathetic way of filling in time. It is so strange seeing people wearing winter clothes in the summer, and more so to watch programmes about Christmas and Easter in the middle of August. If local stations are to reproduce their winter programmes, they should at least avoid airing those that are linked to a specific time of the air.
The accident which led to the evacuation of a number of families from the Qajjenza area last week was yet another proof that these people are living in a very dangerous situation. The gas depot should not be so close to residential areas and the authorities are urged to move to an alternative place as quickly as possible. Last Wednesday the situation was under control within a short time thanks to the hard work of the Civil protection Department, but next time we might not be so lucky.
A court case involving a dangerous wall, which never fell, took four years to be decided, and the Chief Justice said that time lapse should not have been allowed. Perhaps the Chief Justice should look at the family court, where there are cases - involving people's feelings, and lives, and children - which have been dragging on for many years. The highly complex Microsoft case decided just last week, took just 10 years, including the appeal stage.
Most schools will re-open their doors today after the summer break, and we wish all students a successful academic year. The usual traffic jams in the morning will become the order of the day. One hopes that each and every driver – in public and private vehicles – pays great attention when transporting children to and from school. It is better to be safe rather than sorry.
It rained quite heavily over the weekend in certain places around Malta, and the roads quickly became slippery as they normally do each time it rains after a long spell. Areas notorious for flooding experienced the same old problems, and this largely because the waste that had accumulated in the roads over summer blocked the water’s passage. Perhaps the authorities responsible should have seen to a better clean-up of the roads in question.
The initial stretch of Mensija Road in San Gwann – as soon as one turned the corner next to the HSBC branch – is a nightmare each and every day. Cars are double-parked there almost all throughout the day, especially in the mornings and more so on Saturdays, making it quite hard for other drivers who want to proceed towards the Mensija area.