Culture shock

Berlin based Punky Brewster is based in Berlin working in microtechnology for Siemens. She keeps a blog here. She spent four years in the Bahrain before coming to Malta for another four years up to 2001. Punky brewster writes about her years in Malta:

Malta changed my entire life. Moving from an arabian country, Malta was a shock for me! All kinds of women walking around with almost no clothes! And me spending the four years before covering my entire body because of the arabs. So I sort of had a culture shock! But I quickly adapted, and to the misliking of my dad, I starded to want to go out with my friends to Paceville... Paceville... I kinda do miss it. After four years in Malta, Paceville wasn't that spectacular anymore. But looking back, I wish there was a place like that here in Germany..

Pan-European radio

A new pan-European radio station will be launched in a few weeks. From Media Network weblog:

Our colleagues at UK Radio.com have published a long interview with Eric Wiltsher, the main man behind the new pan-European radio station RTI that lauches on 9 April. Despite the fact that the full name of the station is the subject of a pre-launch competition, the interview reveals that it's Radio Tatras International. It will be broadcasting from Slovakia to central Europe via a network of AM/FM transmitters, and further afield via Sky Digital and the Internet.

New pan-European radio station RTI to launch on 9 April

Humperdinck

Engelbert Humperdinck answers the question put to him by Eric Montfort. A feature on the UK's Independent not freely available but reproduced by Jim Raker's blog 'In the Woods':

I know Jimi Hendrix used to enjoy watching your performances when you were on tour together in the 1960s. What did you think of him? Eric Montfort, Malta

That was my first UK tour and Cat Stevens was also on the bill. Jimi was an incredible performer; he had loads of energy and used to play his guitar with his teeth. He saved my bacon once when my guitarist fell ill just before the show was due to start. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll play for you". I told him he couldn't just walk on stage with me - he was much too big a star. So he played behind the curtain; it sounded as though I had three guitarists instead of one that night.

Profile of Humperdinck - born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, India and named after the composer of 'Hansel and Gretel'

Priests' uprising

Since I am currently in the Czech Republic where I am teaching at one of the main universities, I was unfortunately forced to miss the revival of Alfred Buttigieg's play performed this weekend at the National Theatre. 'Ir-Rewwixta tal-Qassisin' (The Priests' Uprising), a play within a play about an 18th century uprising, stirred controversy when it was first performed in 1986 as it appeared to symbolise contemporary Maltese unrest just months before the Labour government of the day lost the national elections. 'Ir-Rewwixta', like Oliver Friggieri's 'Fil-Parlament ma' Jikbrux Fjuri', came to represent a public outcry in the mid 1980's against the dominating influence of the prevailing political establishment. In his latest blog entry, Immanuel Mifsud agrees with playwright Buttigieg who states that not much has changed in Maltese society in the last twenty years. From Immanuel Mifsud's blog:

Buttigieg's masterpiece is an exception in Maltese theatre, in that it has not become outdated despite the twenty years that passed since it was staged for the first time. No other playwright has managed to put on stage a situation which, alas, is still very much the reality of present day Malta..

In his programme note Alfred Buttigieg puts forth a fundamental question: how true is it that Malta has changed since the mid 80s when, according to him, "for the first time, democracy was in peril"? The rest of his programme note seems to answer the question: not much has changed. At the beginning of the 21st century we are still being told by our honourable politicians that whatever they say is right and whatever the 'others' say is wrong; we still have the cult figures - often arrogant ones - who drum their ideas in the collective psyche; still the usual messages from the government's side that we need to do sacrifices for the sake of a healthier economy; still polarised.

The Rising of the Priests at the Manoel Theatre - Marco Galea

'Turbulent Priests' by Claire Bonello

Eurobarometer on the Sunday Times

The latest Malta report by the EC's Eurobarometer, of which yours truly is the National Editor, is the subject of today's editorial on the Sunday Times. A summary of the survey findings also appears on a seperate feature on page 5 of the paper. From today's Sunday Times editorial:

Perhaps it is a bit early to gauge the effects of European Union membership on Malta. After all, it is less than a year ago that the island, together with eight East European (formerly Communist) states and Cyprus joined the Union. However, a number of initiatives are already being taken in Germany and other countries to look at what, a year later, this historic enlargement of the EU has meant to the countries concerned, to the "old" member states and to Europe as a whole.

The European Commission regularly holds Europe-wide surveys, known as Eurobarometer, precisely to gauge public opinion and public perceptions of the EU and of key issues. The results of the latest Eurobarometer were published recently, and its findings about Malta make interesting reading.

Not surprisingly, the state of the economy was identified as the most important challenge for Malta at present, closely followed by unemployment and inflation. Understandably, too, the immigration issue, which had ranked ninth in the previous survey, was considered the fourth most important issue...

But if the passage of time has achieved anything, it is that EU membership is no longer an issue in Malta today - except for a vociferous but hopefully tiny minority in the MLP - thanks to the maturity and realism displayed on this score by the same Labour Party, whose European credentials and credibility were undoubtedly boosted when it won the majority of Malta's five seats in the European Parliament last year.

Eurobarometer report - Wired Temples

Eurobarometer report (2) - Wired Temples

Long road to gender parity

Pierre J.Mejlak argues against the Nationalist party's pro-women amendments approved by the PN general council. He claims that competent women do not need such rules to make it to the top of the party structures. From Books and Beans:

Any woman interested in politics can penetrate the party's grassroots and if she's good enough she can very easily end up in the party's general council. Then, if she happens to be a good politician, she can fight for a seat in the executive. That would be a woman who has what it takes. She has struggled to achieve her place and so rightly deserves it. Is there any urgent need to make the road any easier?! One of the amendments facilitating the way for women to climb up the party's ladder was approved by 56 votes in favour and 40 against. That's not what I call a strong vote in favour..

Dean in British Columbia, Canada links Malta's STV electoral system with the lack of female representation in public life

Eurovision slag of contest

England Expects blog is doing a better job than the Maltese media (with the exception of MaltaMedia) at following the story about the power cut in central Malta which spoilt MaltaSong viewing for thousands of Maltese - to the disadvantage of Olivia Lewis, a close second despite blackout of her performance:

Further to the shameful suggestions coming out of Malta that the State electricity company had deliberately disrupted the Maltese Eurovision competition, I learn that they, Enemalta; "would like to inform the general public of the circumstances which led to the power failure to parts of Naxxar and Mosta on Saturday 19th February while the Malta Song for Europe Festival was in progress.

"Essentially it wasn't our fault it was the fault of those other people, ADT, the Malta Transport Authority who were digging up roads, laying new roads, failing to provide culvert and generally being a bad partner in all of this. ADT have responded angrily, claiming that Enemalta were offered a way around the problem, and anyhow having two out of four of you main cables damaged at the same time isn't particular competent. This is getting serious. Hat tip Wired Temples

MaltaSong conspiracy?

Unhappy Catalans

Nationless.com blog discusses issues related to nations without a state. A post last week refers to the negative campaigning in Catalonia ( students at the University of Barcellona where among the most vocal) over the European Constitution. The reason: Why should the language of tiny Malta be officially recognised by Brussels but not Catalan - a language spoken by millions of EU citizens. Despite the Catalan protests, the referendum was successful. From Nationless.com:

Oana Lungescu reports via the BBC, Catalan concerns over EU vote, that, although the Spanish government is pushing hard for ratification of the EU constitution via public referendum, there is resistance in Catalonia: But in regions such as Catalonia, some see it as an opportunity to send a political signal not to Brussels, but to the Spanish government in Madrid. Although regions like Catalonia already enjoy a large degree of autonomy, with control over culture, education and health, Catalan nationalists want more - a greater voice for what they call “stateless nations” in Europe and official EU status for their languages.

After all, they argue, Catalan is spoken by around 10 million people, more than the population of several new EU member states like Malta, Estonia or Slovakia. Pilar Dellunde, a regional MP for the Republican Left Party, says Europe should stay true to the motto of the constitution - “United in Diversity.” “We want Catalonia to become an independent state within a federal Europe, so the first step is for our language to be recognised in this treaty,” Ms Dellunde says.

Spanish voters approve EU Constitution

Ironically, Maltese translators in Brussels are co-ordinated by a Catalan

A favourite of filmmakers

An article about film scenery on 'USA TODAY' says Valletta is a popular backdrop for major film makers. From USA TODAY:

And when it comes to film odysseys, critics may have been lukewarm on Troy, but its Malta scenery is no Achilles' heel. The stone-walled city of Valletta, which stands in for besieged Troy in the movie, is a favorite of filmmakers. (Gladiator's Roman Colosseum scenes also were filmed there.)

Troy locations include ancient Fort Ricasoli, which guards Valletta's harbor, and the Golden Sands beach, where Brad Pitt's Achilles lands in his quest to rescue the fair Helen. Malta always has been ready for its close-up, so much so that its tourism web site (visitmalta.com) offers a map of locations used in famous films.

Movies filmed in Malta

St.Agatha's catacombs

Five years of my life were spent at St Paul's Missionary College, a secondary school in Rabat. Among my classmates were bloggers Toni Sant and Immanuel Mifsud and cartoonist GattAldo. The school is built on top of St.Agatha's catacombs in which we occasionally found refuge from strict teacher-priests. Kenneth Curmi writes about these catacombs here:

The Early Christians created an extensive network of subterranean catacombs. St. Agatha's are a fine example. According to a strong local tradition, during the persecution of Christians decreed by the Roman Emperor Trajanus Decius (AD 249-251), Agatha, together with some of her friends, fled from Sicily, her native land, and took refuge in Malta.

It is said that she only stayed in Malta for a few years, spending her days praying in the crypt we find at Rabat. She had in fact decided to go back to Sicily. As soon as she landed she was arrested, and brought before Quintanus, praetor of Catania, who condemned her to torture and imprisonment. After a few days, on the 5th of February 251, she died in prison as a martyr..

The crypt of St. Agatha is hewn in live rock. It is an underground basilica, which from early ages was venerated by the Maltese. At the time of St. Agatha's stay, the crypt was a small natural cave which later on, during the 4th or 5th century, was enlarged and embellished. The main chamber here has frescoes dating from the Middle Ages, and several of the more remote passageways still contain biblical symbols dating from the Early Christian period. A seven-armed Jewish candelabra reveals that non-Christians were buried here too. Of course there are also frescoes dedicated to Saint Agatha.

Malta kattolicissima!

Mark Vella's xifer blog refers to a post on Wired Temples and concludes that Malta is by far less catholic than Poland:

Malta (u milli jgħiduli Għawdex aktar) huwa post it-taħwid u l-immoralita’, u jekk hemm xi ħaġa li għadha torbotni mal-Blata, huwa eżattament dan. Dawra fl-internet u xi kitbiet ta’ Stagno u Mifsud mill-ewwel ifissru dak li rrid ngħid. Malta moderna għall-aħħar, saħansitra post-, minkejja li l-Labour ma kellhomx ċans jimponu l-viżjoni tagħhom bejn is-96 u t-98!

Post fejn iddepprimejt ruħi, għax hemmhekk vera Kattoliku, huwa l-Polonja. Għaddejt tmiem ta’ ġimgħa Varsavja fejn kien hemm xi rikorrenza tal-Papa b’xebgħa kunċerti fil-beraħ u programmi kommemorattivi ma jaqtgħu xejn fuq it-televixin.Ma rajt xejn ħlief bnadar sofor u bojod, nies jiġbru (u żgħażagħ cool u in, u kull mara ġġiblek għajnjek wara widnejk, mhux fidili Mużewmini), knejjes kontra knejjes, u patrijiet u sorijiet ta’ kull sura u xorta.

Sharon Spiteri in Scotland is entertained by Vella's and Mifsud's Maltese language blogs as well as with Stagno.

Relocating to Aberdeen

'Rising unemployment levels, willingness to relocate and the high level of English communication skills' in Malta are the reasons that led the city council of Scottish city Aberdeen to come to Malta in search of teachers. From the Aberdeen citw website:

The demand for qualified secondary school teachers in Aberdeen is to be addressed by taking the search for new recruits to Malta. The City Council is taking the innovative step of holding a recruitment fair on the Mediterranean island from March 1-3 to encourage teachers to consider relocating to the Granite City..

The event is the second recruitment initiative in Malta and organisers hope to repeat the success of the first event in November which led to eight Maltese bus drivers being recruited for Stagecoach Bluebird and successfully settling in the city. Rising unemployment levels, willingness to relocate and the high level of English communication skills identified in Malta have led to the decision to hold the event there. The hospitality vacancies range from waiting staff to head housekeepers and have already attracted a high level of interest due to the pre-event publicity within Malta.

Pastizzi in Little Malta

Canadian Verity went to the Little Malta bake shop in Toronto to buy pastizzi:

We're thick in the middle of the first genuine snowfall of winter. At least the first snowfall if you reside in Toronto. They're nice big puffy snowflakes too, the kind you want to catch on your tongue even after you grow-up and have to act all responsible. The boyfriend and I got caught in it when we went to the Little Malta Bake Shop to buy some Pastizzi. Little Malta, Pastizzi....uhh what ?

Little Malta, Pastizzi....uhh what ? I should probably explain. Little Malta is out at Dundas West and Runnymede. It doesn't have signpost advertisements like China Town or Little Italy does but you can tell because all the travel agencies advertise tickets for Malta and Gozo (Malta's Newfoundland) and there are businesses and gentleman's clubs with the Maltese cross up everywhere. The most accurate description of the Maltese I've ever heard are Italians who speak Arabic and think they're British.

Pastizzi is a ricotta or meat pastry that is very yummy, and greasier than you should probably eat. I use to get to lick the spoon of the extra filling when I was a kid. Ummmm.....I have two dozen in my freezer, stew, warmth, and a cute boyfriend currently immersed in solving a medical imaging problem all right here in my room. Now if only I had clean dishes. Ah well you can't have everything. I seem to spend a lot of time blogging about food. I'm big on comfort food in case you haven't noticed.

Pastizzi recipes from Gozo mag

Pastizzi under the brand name Stones from Melbourne, Australia

The Malta Bake Shop in Little Malta, Toronto

Lost shipwreck of Paul

"The Lost Shipwreck of Paul" is a new book by Robert Cornuke, former police investigator and author of “The Search for the Real Mt Sinai”. Inspired by the words of the Acts, “they let go the anchors and left them in the sea”, this book is his account of the search for the four anchors that were left in the sea. A review fron readnreap.net:

Since it’s not a mystery novel, one can know pretty early what the outcome of the search will be. In fact, there aren’t many surprises in the book at all. There are some interesting bits of information about the island of Malta and the people who live there. Cornuke spends a lot of time with the local divers trying to find out information about the sea, storms, the anchors, etc… As a result, the reader gets a glimpse into the everyday lives of these divers and fishermen.

Some of the things that he finds out has implications for the veracity of Scripture.
A few of the more interesting tidbits of information are: 1) there really is a place where “two seas meet” 2) there really is such a thing as a “northeaster” with waves violent enough to destroy a huge cargo ship, and 3) the traditional site of the shipwreck, St. Paul’s Bay, is NOT the real site (this doesn’t really speak to the veracity of Scripture, but it’s interesting!).

St Paul's shipwreck - Wired Temples

Nostradamus

The Luxembourg EuroYank blog (impressive blogroll) quotes the Nostradamus (1503-1566) Armageddon Prophecies. Do You See What Is Coming?:

..Sun twentieth of Taurus the earth will tremble very mightily,
It will ruin the great theater filled:
To darken and trouble air, sky and land,
Then the infidel will call upon God and saints.

I weep for Nice, Monaco, Pisa, Genoa,
Savona, Siena, Capua, Modena, Malta:
For the above blood and sword for a New Year's gift,
Fire, the earth will tremble, water an unhappy reluctance..

Did Nostradamus predict the 9/11 attacks?

Sauerkraut meets Hot Dog - The German - American connection

Eurovision skullduggery

From England Expects:

Blogroll Addition Malta
A new addition to the Webroll is Wired Temples, a blog out of Malta. Part of his out put is this rather strange tale of Eurovision skullduggery: "a power cut in central Malta may have been timed to help Chiara win the MaltaSong contest." Is nothing sacred?

EneMalta have since then explained the power failure that helped Chiara win on Saturday.

Targeted assassinations

Arthur Chrenkoff's blog is one of the most active with news and views from Down Under on politics, international affairs and culture. In his latest update about Lebanon he discusses the possibilities of non-Syrian involvement in the killing of Rafik Hariri. He quotes sources that claim that this could have been another Israeli targeted assassination similar to those carried out in other places including Malta:

One person who agrees - kind of - is Patrick Seale in the "Guardian": "If Syria killed Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister and mastermind of its revival after the civil war, it must be judged an act of political suicide..."If Syria did not kill Hariri, who could have? There is no shortage of potential candidates, including far-right Christians, anxious to rouse opinion against Syria and expel it from Lebanon; Islamist extremists who have not forgiven Syria its repression of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 80s; and, of course, Israel."Israel's ambition has long been to weaken Syria, sever its strategic alliance with Iran and destroy Hizbullah. Israel has great experience at 'targeted assassinations' - not only in the Palestinian territories but across the Middle East.

Over the years, it has sent hit teams to kill opponents in Beirut, Tunis, Malta, Amman and Damascus."I first remember encountering Seale when I read his biography of the Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal (Nidal, as you will recall, died in suspicious circumstances in 2002, while enjoying Saddam's hospitality), built on the thesis that Nidal must have been a secret Israeli agent because no "genuine" Palestinian terrorist would have done so much damage to the Palestinian cause. Enough said.

In defense of Israel - The Nudnik File

The Malta - Lebanon connection - Wired Temples

The other occupation - Malta9Thermidor

Did Syria do it? For and against - from Lebanon Anyone?

Diving amongst jellyfish

During his working vacation in Malta, Bill Fedun from Ottawa, Canada went diving in Gozo. From Bill's travel journal:

The nice thing about diving in Malta in the winter time is that there are not very many tourists, and we had him all to ourselves! The extra attention made what could have been a miserable experience into a superb experience, worth every penny!

The second dive after lunch was a little rougher....my first breath from the regulator that morning had dislodged a lot of very fine salt dust, which got taken right down to the bottom of my lungs. Yup, you CAN cough under water... The Jelly Fish were really thich though...it looked like a scene from Finding Nemo.... Most of them were just tiny little things maybe an inch across, light yellow. Very pretty. The bigger white ones were much more scary...

Rabbit and Kinnie in Mosta

Anthony Vassallo

From London Ontario Soccer News:

Canadian born Anthony Vassallo continues to score for the Birkirkara Youth Squad. He notched his 7th goal in 11 games on Thursday in a 5-1 victory over Pieta Hotspurs. Anthony is 2nd on the team in goal scoring, just after Ian Falzon who also scored in the Stripes Victory. The Birkirkara squad has a good hold on 1st place in the top Maltese youth football division.

European blogs

EU Pundit weblog has put together a list of European blogs. A very useful tool for us living in American dominated blogosphere. A brief but useful description is given for each blog. From EU pundit:

As a regular feature of EU Pundit, we will blog our blogrolled blogs. This is essential to retain the communicative nature of blogging, where there must be an interchange of thoughts and ideas with the public, with journalists, and with bloggers. Indeed, we ask our readers to suggest appropriate new European blogs or EU links to us in the comments section. Please provide at least one reason for any suggestion you make. Either the weblog should be EU-related or it should be marked by some special feature. We make no promises to include suggested blogs in our blogroll, but we will look at all blogs suggested.

European Blogs A-B

European Blogs C-E

European Blogs F-L

European Blogs M-Z (Wired Temples listed here)

Catacombs rediscovered

From the Archeology in Europe weblog:

Part of a network of "world heritage" catacombs that archaeologists had thought was lost under a stretch of road close to Mount St Joseph, in Mosta has been rediscovered during works to upgrade the road system.The area where the 2,000-year-old catacombs are located is known as Ta' Bistra. The catacombs network - once used as a burial ground - is cut into a ridge or terrace in the landscape and is about 100 metres long, most of which runs under a field. The terrace is 3.7 metres high.The whole network was recorded and drawn by Charles Zammit in 1933. But by then the site had long been looted because the Knights of St John used to issue licences for treasure hunting. The Times of Malta

Malta on the Boston Herald

Sharon McDonnell wrote this article for The Boston Herald last May:

I was always curious about "The Maltese Falcon," and even before the "Troy" production came to town was determined to visit this Mediterranean island nation south of Sicily and east of Tunisia. Instead of falcons, or Brad Pitt for that matter, I found the world's oldest temple ruins, a city Napoleon called the most heavily fortified in Europe, rainbow-colored fishing boats and the cave where legend says the nymph Calypso lulled Odysseus into tarrying for seven years in "The Odyssey."

The Maltese islands' ornate baroque palaces and churches resemble those in Italy, particularly in Valletta, the capital, on the biggest island, also named Malta. A walled city of ocher-colored, richly adorned stone buildings from the late 1500s and 1600s and steep streets, Valletta at sunset is tinged literally with a rosy glow. The country's language, an Arabic dialect, means the devoutly Catholic Maltese call God "Alla." But the lipstick-red telephone booths, fish-and-chips shops and vintage orange buses are purely British, the legacy of a 150-year rule until the colony gained independence in 1964.

Arabs from North Africa indeed raised falcons (as well as leopards) on Malta during their two centuries of domination, which lasted until 1070. In fact, the Catholic order of crusading knights who ruled Malta for almost three centuries, until 1798, offered a live falcon as an annual tribute to Hapsburg Emperor Charles V, after he donated the islands to them in 1530.

In Malta's complicated history, the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem were based on the Greek island of Rhodes for more than two centuries, until expelled by the Turks. After an epic battle in which they defeated the Turks, who invaded Malta in 1565, the knights built Valletta as their impregnable fortress, naming the city after the Frenchman who led them in battle, Jean de La Vallette. Today, the only falcons are stone statues that adorn building facades. But the stamp of the knights is everywhere in Valletta.

The sumptuous interior of St. John's Co-Cathedral features a floor with 375 marble mosaic slabs honoring deceased knights, richly carved and decorated stone chapels for knights of different countries and ornate ceiling frescoes. Built in the late 1500s, the church also boasts a Caravaggio masterpiece, "The Beheading of St. John." The Grand Master's Palace contains an armory of weapons and armor used by the knights, plus striking tapestries of the New World.
Massive Fort Ricasoli, where the main set for the movie "Troy" was built, dates to 1670 and guards the south entrance of Valletta's Grand Harbour.

The city of Mdina, the country's ancient capital, is entered through a monumental ornamented stone gate. A nighttime stroll down its quiet, winding, narrow streets past stone palaces, lighted by lanterns, is a delight. One 17th century palace, the Xara Palace, was restored and today is a deluxe hotel and part of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux group, with antiques-filled suites adorned with original paintings by Maltese artists. The ruins of a Roman villa lie just outside Mdina, which later was fortified by the Arabs. Due to its strategic location in the Mediterranean, Malta was colonized by Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the knights of St. John, the French and finally the British.

Independent Malta became a member of the European Union on May 1.

A contrast to the aristocratic charms of Valletta and Mdina is the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, also on the big island of Malta. Here traditional boats painted neon yellow, blue, red and green - each with a painted eye to ward off evil spirits - bob in the harbor, facing pastel houses in pink, yellow and peach. On Sundays, a market selling tablecloths, fish, vegetables and clothing runs the length of the harbor.

Stone Age settlers from Sicily built rock tombs about 3,800 B.C. - and temples about two centuries later - on the smaller island of Gozo, which is greener and more rural than Malta. The Ggantija Temples are 1,000 years older than Egypt's earliest pyramids at Giza, and much older than Stonehenge. Today the ruins are located in an open green field surrounded by palm trees.
Ruined temples also can be found on the island of Malta. The three Tarxien Temples, for instance, date from the third and fourth millennia B.C., and are known for the details of their stone carvings. A special site is the Hypogeum, a burial chamber and temple several stories underground, whose accidental discovery in 1902 provoked a sensation in the world of archaeology. Believed to be 5,000-6,000 years old, it was re-opened in late 2000, after being closed for nearly a decade for restoration.

But the Maltese islands aren't just for archaeology or medieval history buffs. The ultramarine Mediterranean Sea is never far away. Calypso's Cave offers a spectacular view overlooking rugged cliffs and the red sands of Ramla Bay, the biggest sandy beach on Gozo. Another magnificent view on Gozo is the Azure Window, a dramatic rock formation with a window-shaped natural arch, with the alluring Mediterranean beyond. No, no Maltese falcons, or Brad Pitt, but visitors will find a great deal more on Malta.


Hitting the jackpot at writers conferences - Sharon McDonnell for the Writer magazine

Match fever

Paul Cachia of di-ve reports on European football fever taking over the islands tonight and tomorrow:

From crowded pubs to the corridors of power, Malta will come to a near standstill on Tuesday and Wednesday as four of the most favourite football teams amongst Maltese fans, have been pitted against each other. On Tuesday, Juventus will take on Real Madrid in Spain, while on the next day Manchester United will clash with AC Milan in Manchester. For a day or two in their lives, the Maltese will put aside political rivalry in the midst of an electoral campaign to form new alliances supporting their favourite side..

Maltese football fans will be transfixed at 2100CET, amid predictions of good business for bars, pubs and restaurants, where big screens will be erected for the occasion. Meanwhile, some members of parliament - amongst whom there are some avid supporters -- could be taking time off to watch the game, keeping their mobile switched on in the event that they are called by party whips to rush to parliament for a division!

Malta loses another place in FIFA ranking - from MaltaFootball

UEFA - Europe's football website

Rooster launches New Year in China

When in late January or the beginning of February our TV screens show scenes of celebrations in China, few people in Malta comprehend why the Chinese celebrate their New Year much later than we do in the West. I asked Mr. Reno Calleja, the former Labour Minister and a China enthusiast for more than 25 years, to explain this difference. Mr. Calleja is the current President of the Malta-China Friendship Society and in Malta is considered as one of the most knowledgeable persons on China and the Chinese. Mr Calleja writes:

The Chinese have just celebrated their new year which started on the 9th of February and ended two weeks later with the lantern festival. For western people, who always celebrate the New Year on the 1st of January, it is incomprehensible and sometimes confusing why the Chinese New Year, always falls on different dates each year.

This year the Chinese New Year fell the on Friday 9th of February. Last year it fell on January 22nd. The reason for this is that in China, the beginning of the year is determined by the Chinese calendar which is a combination of lunar and solar movements (lunisolar). Every few years, the Chinese insert an extra month to the year. This is the same as adding an extra day to the leap year. That is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

Countries who have adopted Confucianism and Buddhism adopted this calendar. So have those countries whose cultures were influenced by the Chinese, like the Koreans, Tibetans, Vietnamese and even the pagan Bulgars. The Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the New Year that contains a new moon. It ends l5 days later on the Lantern Festival. This occurs around the time of the full moon, since its lunation (the period of time the moon takes to make one complete revolution around the earth) is about 29.53 days in duration. Thus in the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese New Year falls between January 21st and February 22nd

All calendars are based on civil and religious observances. The Egyptian calendar consisted of 12 months of 30 days each, followed by five added days, giving the year 365 days. The Muslims, followers of Muhammad, still use a calendar in which the year has 12 lunar months. Hence the month is either 29 days or 30 days. There are 12 months in the Islamic year, which are either 354 or 355 days. The Hebrew Calendar is also based essentially on the moon.

Julius Caesar threw over the lunar month completely. He gave the western world a year that contains 365 days, inserting an additional day every four years. The allotment of days to each of the 12 months, as dictated by Caesar, survives to this day. In 1577, Pope Gregory X111, further reformed the Julian calendar for civil and ecclesiastical purposes.

New Year’s Eve and New Years Day in China is for family re-unions and thanksgiving - very similar to Thanksgiving Day in the United States. To the Chinese their New Year is for them what Christmas is to the Christian world. While we take different gifts when we visit our families for the Christmas or New Year’s lunch, the Chinese children and relatives take a bag of oranges and tangerines when they re-unite with their families.

The arrival of New Year in China is a very important event. It is time when the Chinese clean their houses, repay their debts, enjoy feasts, distribute red envelopes that hold gifts, remembering the ancestors and above all renew family ties. The Chinese families decorate their living room with vases of pretty blossoms and bowls of oranges and tangerines. They display trays filled with varieties of dried sweet fruit. On the walls and doors of their houses, they write poetic phrases and messages such as May you enjoy continuous good health or May the Star of Happiness. The Star of Wealth and Star of Longevity Shine on You.

On New Year’s Eve a reunion dinner is held for members of the family, near and far. The New Year’s Eve Dinner is very large and traditionally includes chicken. Fish and vegetables are also included since whole steamed fish is a symbol of long life and good fortunes. Noodles are served uncut as this represents long life. For desert, the Chinese serve a steamed gluttonous rice pudding and gluttonous rice wrapped in leaves, which is considered a delicacy.

The Chinese New Year brings with it l5 days of festivities until the Lantern Festival known as Yuan Sui, in the Chinese language. Some years ago I was fortunate to be in Shenzen, during this festival. It has left on me, a lasting impression. On New Year’s Day, the Chinese put up red paper decorations, set off firecrackers and beat drums and gongs to scare off Nian. According to thousands of years of traditions this was a man eating dragon. On the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, every door of the house and even windows, have to be opened to allow the old year to go out and the new year to come in.

As in the case of the Yuletide festivities in the West, the Chinese New Year brings with it fifteen days of the best food the families can afford. Probably many Chinese families deny themselves many necessities throughout the year to have enough money to spend during these fifteen days. More food is consumed during the New Year celebrations in China than at any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food are prepared for family and friends.

Every traditional Chinese household usually have blooming plants. To the Chinese these symbolize rebirth and growth. Flowers are symbolic of wealth and a high position in one’s career. If a plant blooms on New Year’s Day, the family owning that plant will have prosperity.
As in the case of the Christmas and New Year period in the West, most offices, factories and businesses are closed for the fifteen days of festivities marking the Chinese New Year. So do not plan any business trips during this period.

Why is every New Year in China tied up with an animal?

Chinese astrology has 12 animals representing an l2 year cycle based on the lunar calendar. These are the horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit and the Dragon. This year it is the year of the rooster. Last year it was the year of the Monkey and next year, 2006, it would be the year of the dog. In oriental astrology, each animal has an underlying different personality. Each animal has a symbolism which is distinct from the western perception of animals. For example a Westerner would not take it kindly if you call him a rat or a pig.

In the orient however a pig or a rat represents success, ingenuity and respectability. While in western astrology the personality of a person is attached to the month we were born, in Chinese astrology the year of birth is represented by an animal. However like in the western astrology the Chinese believe that a person’s destiny is determined by the year of birth. They take this so seriously those parents often consult astrologers about the prospective spouses of their children. They often reject suitors who have inauspicious birth dates.


Malta - China relations; China - Wikipedia

China Links - Keys to know China; China Blog list

Craziness

Escaping the Berlin winter, Dan-m came to Malta this month and wrote a travel report for his Bad Scene blog:

Certainly Malta is incredibly religious, and by that I mean Catholic -- there are tons and tons of churches everywhere, 18 in Valletta alone! Divorce is illegal and everything, it's kind of frightening, but you don't get that vibe from the people, just the tour books. The people are very Mediterranean-seeming -- laid-back, shouty, enjoy their food, etc. Because of the churches, shoutiness and proximity to the sometimes-stinky Mediterranean Sea, Valletta bears the nickname "City of Smells, Yells and Bells". The first night I was here I couldn't sleep because of the traffic, and about 1am I heard a bell ringing in the distance. Craziness.

Monitoring the temples

Heritage Malta is launching an intensive programme of environmental monitoring at Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples with a view to protect these sites from the elements. From the Malta Independent on Sunday:

The environmental monitoring of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra will involve recording of factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind speed, which all contribute to the sites’ deterioration. Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples had been buried for thousands of years prior to their excavation in 1839-40. On excavation these sites were suddenly exposed to harsh environmental conditions which have caused their rapid deterioration leading to the loss of certain features, and in some cases, to the collapse of parts of the structures.

In order to address this disquieting situation, in 2000 a Scientific Committee for the Conservation of the Megalithic Temples was appointed, for the first time, to examine various possibilities that could slow down the deterioration of the sites. The Committee reached the conclusion that the best way to protect the sites at present is to install temporary and reversible lightweight shelters. In August 2000 the proposal for sheltering these prehistoric monuments was approved by Cabinet.

World Heritage Sites

Comparing Constitutions

Comparing the American and European Constitutions. From Pytheas Online:

In today's UK Telegraph, Charlie Moore explains the differences between the US Constitution and the proposed constitution for the European Union: It is natural for Americans to like the sound of the word "constitution". They have the best one ever written in a single document. It consists, in the copy I have before me, of 12 pages, 11 if you exclude the list of the men who signed it. There are also amendments added over the past two centuries: they amount to another nine pages. If President Bush tucked himself up with it at his famously early bedtime of 9.30, he could finish it well before 10. The proposed EU constitution, on the other hand, runs 511 pages in length. It reads more as a commercial contract than as an outline for federalism.

European Constitution - from Wired Temples

A world inside

St James Cavalier in Valletta is currently hosting an art exhibition by Maree Azzopardi, an Australian artist of Maltese descent. The loss of her influential Maltese grandmother "was an event that made Azzopardi question one's connection to heritage, to land, to burial, to renewal, to spirit and the sacred, which is evident in Azzopardi's new metaphysical landscape paintings." Lycia Danielle Trouton writes about another exhibition in Sydney of Maree's work:

What kind of work does an artist produce when she spends a great deal of her time immersed in a landscape and culture imbued by the world’s oldest stone structures–megalithic buildings from Malta’s Temple Period, 3600—2500 BC? Maree Azzopardi, like other Maltese descendents living in Sydney brings with her a rich heritage. As well, she draws on the influences of Vermeer, Catholic iconography, Islamic mosaics and the advantages of new media technology. Her latest show exhibits a range of both colour and black and white photographs and digitized paintings on stretched canvases.

Azzopardi's images focus on domestic interiors, but she creates a sense of space suggesting intimate temples. She places the female nude in settings with props symbolic of rituals that order life: baptism, the partaking of wine and bread in communion, and the cleansing and shrouding of the dead body. What is eerily subversive is that while the images appear at first romantic, and even nostalgic, there is a distinct absence of signs of life.

'The world inside myself' - Sandra Aquilina talks to Maree Azzopardi about her life and work

Maree Azzopardi - Spirit land - a profile

Danish films this week at St James Cavalier

Spotting immigrant boats

Sunday newspaper MaltaToday is now updating it's website more promptly - this is good news for bloggers. The papers published by the Independent, the Times and the Union Press have been quicker in their online updates. Unfortunately, unlike the rest, the online content of the Times remains online for just a few weeks. A report by Karl Schembri on yesterday's MaltaToday quotes sources in the Maltese Armed Forces complaining about the activities of the Italian authorities in relation to illegal immigrants:

AFM sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned the cooperation agreements between Malta and Italy which they hold to be effectively working against Maltese interests. They say the Italians are utilising sophisticated air surveillance equipment to spot boats in the middle of the Mediterranean that would potentially end up in Italian waters unless they are restrained in search and rescue operations by the AFM’s maritime unit.

“The Italians are informing their Rome office of any suspect boats in our rescue region, which in turn informs Maltese headquarters that there are boats in distress, and we would have no other option but to go out for them, even though in fact they would not need to be rescued” a source said. “They are effectively bringing over immigrants who would otherwise have gone elsewhere.”Malta’s search and rescue region spans over a staggering 250,000 km squared, stretching as far as the south of Crete.

In the middle of immigration woes - an interview

Deepening resentment

Even the most vocal supporters of this government have turned against the Nationalist party. Marisa Micallef (Leyson), opinionist and current chairman of the Housing Authority, has just delivered a scathing attack against the "clique" running the governing Nationalist Party. From an article published today by the Malta Independent:

The decision to not contest two localities was yet another example of the Nationalist Party thinking they can fool people. You can’t. If you try to trick people, in any way, and the people notice, they will hate you all the more for it..

It’s not just a case of the middle classes feeling disillusioned right now. Incidents like this at Marsa and Zejtun have almost universally been condemned by anyone I have asked. But the worst is the sour taste it leaves. Equally, people do not like the PN or anyone else trying to fix an electoral result for them. So what if the Nationalists do badly in these elections? Many people may use these elections to send a message that they are heartily sick of being treated badly by their own party. It is their right to send that signal and the Nationalist Party should not be afraid of it..

Right now the Nationalist Party is like a closed metallic bubble of a room being thrown this way and that over very choppy waves. Occasionally they come up with a non-brainwave, like the local election withdrawal of candidates and then go back to their bubble thinking the world has been put right. It hasn’t. The Nationalist Party is a very broad church. Yet, right now at least, it all seems to be run and managed by a very small closed clique who are either out of touch because they don’t care or have just not realised what a serious credibility problem they have..

The PN is not going to win an election or the sympathy of this people with these aggressive 30 something men who are choking the party to death. The anger is growing, the resentment is deepening.

Public anger - from Wired Temples

MaltaSong conspiracy?

A report by Ariadne Massa on the front page of today's Sunday Times quotes sources suggesting that a power cut in central Malta may have been timed to help Chiara win the MaltaSong contest. There were no denials forthcoming today from Enemalta corporation, Malta's monopoly supplier of electricity. From the report on the Sunday Times:

However, the overall result could take on a sour note after it was learnt that the Maltese Composers and Authors Union (UKAM) would be filing an official complaint with Maltasong because of a power cut in Mosta, Lija and Naxxar, among other localities.

According to sources, the electricity "conveniently" went out at the beginning of the festival and was back on just before Chiara's performance, putting Olivia at a disadvantage, especially since the gap between the two was just 566 votes.

Enemalta was today severely scolded by Government about a lack of gas supplies

Toni Sant today wrote this thoughtful open letter to Chiara

Watch all the songs on demand here

Paying for the PrimeMinister's lunch

The government's inefficiency is not restricted to public affairs. Prominent Maltese journalists who were in Brussels this past week were lucky to avoid paying themselves for a lunch offered to them by the PrimeMinister. From Noel Grima's Brussels notebook:

While in Brussels, the Prime Minister generously offered lunch to the media, a gesture that was heartily applauded and approved of by all the media, regardless of their political colour. It was a quiet meal with normal dinnertime conversation going on, all very pleasant. At the end, the Prime Minister rose to go to his next appointment: a series of meetings with three commissioners. His staff rose and rushed off with him.

The rest of the media, with no pressing engagements, took it more leisurely and ambled out. When we got near the door, The Times’ Ivan Camilleri, MaltaToday’s Matthew Vella, PBS’s Reno Bugeja and myself, a tall waiter appeared from nowhere and blocked the way out. “Who’s paying?” he asked. We looked at each other, as realisation slowly dawned on us. Swift contact was established with the Prime Minister’s entourage and the embassy; the embassy promised, and did, settle the bill later that same afternoon.

Bullying the EU budget?

Polarised politics

This Blog is a collection of posts and links ( in favour/against and neutral) relating to why residents of British Columbia should vote in favour of changing the electoral system to Single Transferable Vote (STV) on May 17. The STV system in place in Malta is a point of reference in this hot debate in Canada. Declan who favours a Yes vote responds to Norman Spector:

After reading Norman Spector's latest comments on STV in the Vancouver Sun, I have come to the conclusion that it is (past) time for him to depart from the column writing business...

But further down, Norman backs his point up by saying that we don't want to become like Malta (which uses STV), since Malta is, "a country that's infamous for polarized politics." The thing is, Malta is also famous as the only jurisdiction which uses STV and which still has a two-party structure. So the infamously polarized Malta has a two party system, just like we do now, and Spector is basically contradicting his argument that a two-party system is the recipe for non-polarization.

There's more. Spector also claims that, "To date, proponents of the new voting system have been unwilling or unable to explain clearly where my vote and your votes would go after we mark our ballots. "Now the unwilling part is absurd. It is the Yes side which has a strong interest in explaining the STV system as well and as clearly as possible and a visit to any Yes-vote supporting site will reveal a strong emphasis on doing exactly that. For Yes supporters, ignorance (like Spector's) is our enemy.

Backgrounder to STV debate in British Columbia, Canada

Crawl across the ocean - Canadian politics blog

Single Transferable Nonsense - from Wired Temples

Malta: STV with some twists; STV - lessons from Malta; STV - Malta Case study

Man of mystery

Just Heard is a site to post news and gossip, anything you Just Heard. Rumor Monger takes Google News Alerts and packages them up here. In future you'll be able to add your own Entries and add new Google News Alerts. They have just been alerted to the news that Australia's man of mystery is in Malta:

Australia's foremost "Man of Mystery" and the host of a popular Radio and Television series is here to record a series of TV programs of Malta's Heritage Sites for worldwide distribution. "Peter J. Shield's World of Unexplained Mysteries" has been screened in Australia and the USA and his radio series of the same name was syndicated on 47 stations around Australia, On Da Cera radio in Spain, and "The Talk of Las Vegas" Radio 2KY in Las Vegas USA.