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.

Peter has completed four World Tours, lecturing and demonstrating the power of the mind and has earned the title of Australia's foremost "Man of Mystery" having lived and performed there for over 22 years. Peter has been invited by the International Brotherhood of Magicians Malta Ring to host their upcoming annual production -- this year titled "Broadway Magic". The show will include 8 of Malta's Top Magical Performers each presenting magic themed to a Broadway Hit. (via di-ve)

Televoting delays

Sietse Bakker writes for the Daily Eurovision Centre:

Chiara represents Malta at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. That was the outcome of Malta Song for Europe, which took place on Saturday night at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. A minor disappointment for the international fans; the televoting lasted longer and the live stream failed before the results were announced.

22 songs competed and after the dress rehearsal it became clear that Chiara and Olivia Lewis were favourites for the victory. One of the three Maltese phone companies needed some extra time to deliver the results, which resulted in quite a long interval act. After the live stream of the show went offline, it took more than half an hour before it became clear that the third phone company wouldn't come up with any results. A story which is most likely to be continued...

Chiara represented Malta at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, where she ended up third with The one that I love. Her Eurovision Song Contest entry for 2005 is Angel, which gained 11,935 votes. A victory that brought her to tears!Malta participates in the final of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, as Julie & Ludwig made it to last year's final top 10 with "On again... off again".

CHIARA is Malta's choice - from MaltaMedia

Baresine

The guests performing during the Malta Song for Europe last night were well established with the exception of one teenager, R&B artist Baresine. The talented singer launched her first of three singles, 'I’m Out' last summer followed by 'Watch This' later last year. 'Feeback', which she sang to great effect yesterday, is her third single. Her polished performance is surely an indication of things to come. An interview with Baresine by Elton Zarb with photos from ManicMalta:

The song, a vibrant RnB melody with elements of pop, was received with enthusiasm by those present. So was the song’s video, which was also screened for the first time during the launch.
Baresine is not yet 17 years old but that does not diminish her presence and attitude, a vital necessity in the type of music she seeks to establish herself in. She seems to be taking music seriously enough, if the organisation of the launch event and the quality of the song’s and video’s production are anything to go by.

Baresine’s managers and producers, Freetime Productions, spared no effort in ensuring that the song and video were of the highest standard and that the launch was meticulously planned.
The lyrics for Baresine’s I’m Out were written by IQ’s Pen-Demonium while Elton Zarb wrote the music..

Freetime Productions

CONGRATULATIONS to close runner up Olivia Lewis and especially to winner CHIARA who will represent Malta in the May Eurovision finals in the Ukraine

Chiara to represent Malta again

Bullying the EU budget?

Former Time Magazine correspondent Roland Flamini at one point served as head of Malta's National Broadcasting. He is now the Chief International Correspondent of United Press International. In this report he discusses the budgetary dispute between the Maltese government and the European Union and says that 'the Maltese are not the only newcomers to be wondering what they have let themselves in for' From yesterday's Washington Times:

Newspapers on the Mediterranean island of Malta are a lively lot, but no extent of editorial ingenuity can brighten EU-speak, the organization's bureaucratic terminology. Take, for example, this week's front-page headlines: "PM optimistic about Objective One status issue," said one leading paper.

The term sounds like science fiction, but it refers to an EU member country's eligibility for top funding from the community budget. Malta (pop: 380,000) was one of the 10 countries to join the European Union on May 1, 2004, and the issue is the first test of the tiny island's relationship with Brussels. In a broader sense it also sends a message to the other newcomers that the promised crock of gold at the end of the EU rainbow can sometimes be an illusion.

Valletta's dispute with the Eurocrats centers on the EU 2007-2013 budget -- the first for the island as an EU member -- and it has put a damper on public enthusiasm for EU membership. Alfred Sant, leader of the opposition Malta Labor Party, charged that the Nationalist government had "fooled" the country into backing membership. But an official in the historic Maltese capital said privately last week that if anyone was fooled it was the government. He blamed Guenther Verheugen, the EU commissioner who heads enlargement negotiations, for overselling the benefits of membership to the 10 aspirants and glossing over the small print in the accession agreement.

The problem for Malta is that good news has become bad. Brussels determined that between 2000-2002 Malta's gross national product rose above 75 percent of the EU average, which could make the island a net contributor instead of a recipient of community funds. The Maltese government argues Brussels is looking at the wrong years: the more typical -- and therefore more realistic -- financial position is reflected in the 2001-2003 figures. It is trying to get the European Union to change its assessment.

Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was in Brussels this week to lobby for the change. He is said to have told European Union officials that Malta's position in relation to the EU's GDP average improved not because there has been real economic growth (the Maltese government says the differential is 0.9 percent) but rather because the economies of other new member countries have brought the average down. Malta needs the money to help improve its quality of life -- one of the main reasons why the island sought EU membership in the first place, Gonzi said. For example, badly rutted roads are waiting for an influx of EU financing to fund infrastructure improvements.

The optimistic view is that a compromise will eventually emerge, in typical EU fashion. As its last resort, of course, Malta, the smallest member of the 25-nation European Union, has the same power as the largest member to veto the budget. Following Gonzi's first meetings in Brussels, the English language Malta Independent newspaper reported from the Belgian capital that, "The unthinkable -- vetoing the Budget -- suddenly became less so, although Dr. Gonzi refused even to speak about that possibility."

It would not look good for Malta to be seen bullying the EU budget less than a year after joining. But the Maltese are not the only newcomers to be wondering what they have let themselves in for.

Roland Flamini profile

The Budget of the European Union

Jaggie Bunnet on Malta

I am not quite sure whether it's narrative or poetry but this is an ode to Malta from Jaggie Bunnet's blog:

Having spent 10 days on this fabulous island 2 years ago I feel I have to redress the balance that cannot be redressed here. Malta is a fantastic wee place, the people are amazingly friendly, the cocktails are stupidly cheap and they dislike the english football team as much as the next man!

They have an amazing list of interesting historical sites to visit and have a tendancy to drive on which ever side of the road suits them best at the time they are driving. Their food is rather poor, a sad mix of italian and british food gone bad, but hey, eat steak and you are fine.

I look forward to the trip that I intend to take to return to Malta, it has so much to see and do if you can be bothered getting up and doing it that I never did it all the last time. Did I mention I walked past the pub that Oliver Reed had his last drink in before he copped his whack? They are quite proud about it and have a sign on the door.

Stunning stunning stunning place, with truly ancient buses that run on time and struggle down hills never mind up them. Go to Malta. If you have any adventure in you then you will love it.

Picture phoning

Exploring the new world of photo and video phones:

Malta's Public Broadcasting service Hallini Norqod has launched an MMS contest for "best photo of a sleeping family member" sent by picture phone. Visitors vote by SMS. First prize wins Lm1000 Malta lires cash (or $ 3'000). [via di-ve.com] Photos from flickr, tagged: sleep (1012 photos as of today).

University life

From Kristina's blog:

University Life is never boring, and you never have a moment to stop and say : ''ahh..im bored.'' Its an ongoing process of insight and learning. While many people complain about university being hard and boring. May i suggest that while at present i am doing my thesis, its the greatest kick i got from the 2 years i have been a student at the University of Malta. Ok ok it does get a bit hectic sometimes with exams, assignments and fieldwork but after all this was my option to sit for a degree. And hey ..achievment is a great accomplishment in life. When i had my 1st ever exam of psychology i remember i stayed up till 4 /5 am studying people like Freud, Piaget, Pavlov and Bandura. It was all worth the effort when you get a good result at the end.

The title of my thesis is: Young People and Parental Cancer: Recommandation for Social Intervention within the Maltese Context. This may sound as a big big issue title but these thesis, my creation, my baby ...its somethin unbelievable. You write the chapters, the supervisor corrects and you do the changes and voila ...it starts to build up until you have 5 chapters that result into a winning reserach project i hope ... I am starting my interviews next week...then the transcripts and conclusion. Im so happy .... if you're a student, never loose hope. Education and insight are a bridge leading to adulthood...welcome to the real world !

Today Kristina blogs about the Chinese zodiac year of the monkey (my zodiac sign). For those born in 1920 - 1932 - 1944 - 1956 - 1968 - 1980 - 1992

Malta blocked by Turkey

This article by Judy Dempsey of the International Herald Tribune implies that the fact that the Maltese government has not rejoined NATO's 'Partnership for Peace' may not have been out of choice but because it was blocked by Turkey. From today's International Herald Tribune:

Until last May, before the EU enlarged from 15 to 25 countries, NATO and EU envoys regularly met to discuss issues under a special security agreement known as "Berlin Plus." This agreement also gives the EU access to NATO's military assets if the alliance does not want to carry out a mission on its own. Although Austria, Sweden, Ireland and Finland, while EU members, are not members of NATO because of their neutrality, they have joined NATO's Partnership for Peace, which gives them access to the joint meetings related to security and operations.

Once neutral Cyprus and Malta joined the EU, in May, it was assumed that they, too, would join the NATO-EU meetings. Turkey, a key NATO member, objected, arguing that Cyprus and Malta were not members of Partnership for Peace, the criterion for participation. Even though NATO and EU diplomats said both countries could easily join Partnership for Peace, Turkey made it clear that it would block their admission. As a result, the EU and NATO cannot discuss serious security and intelligence issues if Cyprus and Malta are present. A NATO diplomat said Turkey was holding out on admitting Cyprus and Malta until it had received concessions from the EU. Turkey said it was waiting for the EU to deliver promised financial assistance to the Turkish-dominated northern part of Cyprus and to allow exports to be flown directly from the north to Europe.

The EU has tried to implement these measures but has been blocked by the Cypriot government led by Tassos Papadopoulos, who last year in a referendum blocked the unification of the island. "There is paralysis between the EU and NATO," said an EU official. "We do not discuss anything serious," he said. "Everybody loses out." If Turkey continues blocking Cyprus and Malta from joining the Partnership for Peace, it might force some EU countries to speed work on a defense and security policy independent of NATO. As a result, Turkey - not yet an EU member - would lose influence.

The full article on today's International Herald Tribune

NATO's Partnership for Peace

Turkish Digest with links to other Turkish sites and blogs

Cyprus President in Malta

The President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, is in Malta for an official three day visit. This week the Turkish Cypriot foreign minister said that the intransigence of Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos is damaging the prestige of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his efforts to reach a settlement in Cyprus.

“Papadopoulos' uncompromising attitude must come to an end,” Foreign Minister Serdar Denkta told the Anatolia news agency. “Things cannot go on like this. Somebody must say ‘stop'.”Denkta was referring to the Greek Cypriot leader's rejection last week of a call from Annan to list his objections to a plan for reunification of Cyprus, which he opposed last year. The Greek Cypriot leader accused Annan of not being impartial in his approach towards the Cyprus issue as he had not requested the Turkish side to give a similar written list of its objections. Denkta said this was evidence that his inflexible attitude remained unchanged. “His irresponsible attitude pays no attention to what others say. It has placed Annan in a difficult situation and undermined his prestige. And it is not only the prestige of Annan that has been damaged but also that of the U.N. Security Council,” he said.

The President of the Republic, Tassos Papadopoulos wrote this letter to the U.N. Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, last year, which circulated as an official document of the U.N. Security Council. It was written in response to Kofi Annan's report on Cyprus

BBC profile of Papadopoulos

MaltaGirl was caught in the President's mobile entourage in Valletta

European Constitution

Elitsa Vucheva writes that Malta will put the European Constitution to a parliamentary vote during the summer. The Maltese PrimeMinister has announced that Maltese deputies will vote on the EU constitution on July 16. From EUobserver.com:

Malta is one of the fifteen countries to ratify the Constitution by parliamentary vote - the remaining ten are set to hold a referendum. A recent eurobarometer poll showed Europeans had only little knowledge of the Constitutional Treaty. This is the case for 60 percent of the Maltese population, with 28 percent not having heard of it at all. Only 31 percent were in favour of the document.

Click here if you want to become an expert on the European Constitution

The full text of the European Constitution

Malta Song for Europe

The Malta Song for Europe Festival 2005, never short of controversy, takes place this week end. This year the public will select the song that will represent Malta in the Eurovision song contest by televoting. The voting public will listen to the songs just once:

The MaltaSong board is prohibiting the songs to be online before the festival. MaltaMedia OnLine Network requested Malta Song a digital copy of all the songs to enable us to make clips available as web streams on EurovisionMalta.com. However, for an unknown reason, Malta Song did not even reply to two requests MaltaMedia sent by e-mail. Regarding this situation, MaltaMedia founder and artistic director Toni Sant questioned if the reason behind this decision is an attempt to preserve CD sales. He said, “What could be more important than marketing the 22 songs, singers and songwriters in any way possible to the people televoting for them this weekend?”

Toni Sant asks whether the chairperson of the Malta Song board has a conflict of interest.

News about Malta from the daily Eurovision centre

Information security

Are you over-spending or under-spending when it comes to your information security expenditure? InfoSec writers have published blogger Adrian Mizzi's Return on Information Security Investment paper on their website:

Much is said on the importance of investing in information security (Potter 2004; Ernst & Young 2003), but little is known on the extent and effectiveness of such sucurity programmes. A model that analyses the mechanics of an information security programme is presented and will serve as the founding work of future research in this area. The model attempts to put an upper-bound on the amount that should be sprent on an information security programme and estimates the amount an attacker is likely to spend to break into a system depending on the information assets at stake of the organisation in question. To view paper click here (pdf)

Noticebored.com for people interested in information security.

Eurobarometer report (2)

The Malta Independent Feb 17: "The Eurobarometer survey, requested and coordinated by the EU’s Directorate General Press and Communication, suggests that the Maltese believe, at a personal level, in their ability to overcome the challenges presented by economic restructuring in the country. This could also be a reflection of the growing importance being assigned to non-financial life domains, such as the quality of the environment, and the role of the EU in introducing higher standards to those domains..

Maltese respondents share a strong sense of European identity. The percentage of Maltese who say they identify with their own nationality only is lower than that reported in the 25 member states overall. Most Maltese said they felt equally Maltese and European. Maltese females tend to sense a European identity to a lesser extent than males..

Among the 25 EU member states and the candidate countries, the Maltese have expressed the lowest level of support for a rapid reaction force that would be used to deal with situations of international crisis."

MaltaMedia Feb 17: "Support for the European Union Constitution among the Maltese fell to 56 per cent, down from 70 per cent in the spring of 2003, according to the results of the public opinion survey held in Malta in October 2004..

The EU Constitution would strengthen a Maltese presence in the EU institutions by granting the country an additional seat in the European Parliament. The fact that the mainstream opposition party has not yet taken a stand on this issue is likely to have contributed to uncertainty among respondents – 24 per cent say they do not know whether or not they support the Constitution. In addition, the government’s decision to rule out popular approval through a referendum has dampened public interest on the subject."

MaltaRightNow Feb 17: "Dawk li ħadu sehem fl-istħarriġ qalu li s-sitwazzjoni ekonomika kienet l-aktar kwistjoni mportanti li Malta qed tiffaċċja f'dan il-mument. Il-qgħad u l-inflazzjoni wkoll issemmew minn ħafna. Fi żmien l-istħarriġ, it-trasport pubbliku, is-sistema edukattiva, it-terroriżmu u l-affarijiet ta' difiża u ntern kienu l-anqas importanti fost il-Maltin. Il-kwistjoni ta' l-immigrazzjoni kienet ikkunsidrata r-raba' kwistjoni mill-aktar importanti li qed jiffaċċja l-pajjiż.

Skond l-istħarriġ l-istituzzjonijiet li jafdaw l-aktar il-Maltin huma dawk ta' karita' u ta' volontarjat. Warajhom jiġu l-armata, il-Pulizija u l-istituzzjonijiet reliġjużi. Minkejja li l-maġġoranza qalu li m'għandhomx fiduċja fil-partiti politiċi u l-media, fl-elezzjonijiet ġenerali aktar minn 95 fil-mija ta' dawk reġistrati għall-vot imorru jivvutaw."

L-Orizzont Feb 16: "Madwar 67 fil-mija tal-poplu Malti jemmen li s-sitwazzjoni ekonomika ta’ pajjizna mhix se tirpilja, waqt li 65 fil-mija jemmnu li lanqas il-qasam tax-xoghol m’huwa se jitjieb. Dawn ix-xejriet hargu minn stharrig li se jigi ppublikat mill-Eurobarometer, l-agenzija ta’ l-istatistika ta‘ l-UE, fil-jiem li gejjin. L-istudju sar f’Ottubru li ghadda fost il-Maltin li ghandhom aktar minn 15-il sena.

Il-figuri ta’ l-Unjoni Ewropea juru wkoll kif aktar Maltin qeghdin iqisu l-immigrazzjoni bhala kwistjoni ewlenija ta’ pajjizna. Il-Maltin jghidu wkoll li l-inqas li jafdaw huma lill-partiti politici. Fl-istess waqt, dawk favur il-Kostituzzjoni Ewropea nizlu minn 70 fil-mija ghal 56 fil-mija.

L-istatistika turi kif 46 fil-mija tal-Maltin iqisu li s-sitwazzjoni ekonomika ta’ pajjizna se tmur ghall-aghar fi zmien 12-il xahar, waqt li 21 fil-mija jemmnu li s-sitwazzjoni se tibqa’ kif inhi. 20 fil-mija biss jemmnu li s-sitwazzjoni se tmur ghall-ahjar. Il-kumplament, 14 fil-mija, qalu li ma jafux. Dwar il-qasam ta’ l-impjiegi, 47 fil-mija jemmnu li s-sitwazzjoni se tmur ghall-aghar u 18 fil-mija ohrajn qalu li din se tibqa’ l-istess. Kien hemm 23 fil-mija li qalu li s-sitwazzjoni tax-xoghol se tmur ghall-ahjar waqt li 12 fil-mija qalu li ma jafux x’se jigri."

Read the latest Eurobarometer Malta Survey here (published yesterday)

Language change

Oliver Friggieri, a professor of Maltese literature and a poet who has been published in numerous languages, writes about the individual's relationship with God, society and history/destiny. He considers religion, history and language as the main pillars of the Maltese identity. He was interviewed by Deutsche Welle last year in conjunction with the German Chancellor's visit to Malta about the implication's of EU membership on the development of the Maltese language:

But some, such as Oliver Friggieri, a Maltese poet and literature professor, say Maltese is irreplaceable as a mother language. Friggieri himself also teaches in English, but he's convinced that his countrymen won't give up Maltese completely: The language is changing more than any other in Europe, according to him. "It will probably end up as a completely new language that's half Maltese and half English," Friggieri said..

But Friggieri still believes his mother language could help bridge the divide between Europe and the Arab world. "Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet," he said. "This combination is something unique that Malta has to offer."


Oliver Friggieri profile from Atlante Letterario Italiano

Extract from The Lie by Oliver Friggieri translated by Charles Briffa

Nidhol fis-silenzji tieghek - with a translation by the author

Shoes news

Fake branded footwear and clothes seized in Malta. From the 'shoes news' weblog:

On Monday, three containers transporting fake footwear and garments of famous brands such as Hugo Boss, Gucci, Nike, Giorgio Armani, Adidas and Timberland were seized by the Customs Enforcement Unit based in Marsa. Each 20-foot-container from China was destined for North Africa. Following more investigations, discrepancies in declarations on official documents of these three containers, were discovered. The three containers are being emptied on Tuesday. The authorities contacted the legal right holders of the brands concerned and following their efforts, the suspicions of the Customs officials was confirmed that the merchandise was counterfeit. So far, with the above seizure the total number of seizures in two months has reached 20 full load containers

Fibre2fashion.com

The first female President

On this day in 1982 Agatha Barbara was elected as the first female President of Malta. Remembered by many as an explosive and abrasive politician she became a legend in her own right playing an important part in the reforms of post-war Malta. She became President of the Republic at a highly turbulent period when Malta was ruled by a Government which did not have a majority of Maltese voters behind it. Few people know how hard Ms Barbara worked behind the scenes in those difficult times trying to build bridges between the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party. She has her fingerprints on the historic constitutional amendments which avoided a repeat of the unfair electoral result of the 1981 election. From her last interview before her death:

She grew up in difficult times, when much of the population was blighted by poverty, illness, illiteracy and unemployment. She had to plead with her parents to find the money to send her to secondary school, since the reforms she would play a major role in implementing which would ensure free education for all were still a long way off. And she also witnessed her father lose the wage rise he should have been awarded when promoted to tug master, because he couldn't read or write.

No wonder that as a young woman, the former Labour education and social security minister and President of the Republic, Agatha Barbara, was looking for a vehicle that would enable her to help make the changes and reforms that post-war Malta so desperately needed. "After the war, we had many people unemployed – former soldiers, the Drydocks workers - and no Constitution in place," she explains. "The people governing us were not bothered about how these people were going to live. At the time, there was no social justice at all. I wanted to help put things right. I wanted to help people. That was why I accepted people's encouragement to enter politics."

Agatha Barbara profile from searchmalta

When Maltese women voted for the first time - by Sonia Attard for aboutmalta

Eurobarometer report

The European Commission this afternoon published the latest Eurobarometer report about Malta which represents a comprehensive survey of Maltese public opinion on numerous subjects. The Eurobarometer report for which I am national editor is conducted by the Gallup organisation on behalf of the European Commission. Eurobarometer reports are published by the office of Margot Wallstrom, the European Commissioner responsible for institutional relations and communication strategy. From the latest Malta report:

The state of the economy was identified as the most important challenge for Malta at present. This was followed closely by the level of unemployment and the inflation rate, which are both closely tied to the prevailing economic situation. The survey results mirror Malta’s current phase of below-potential economic growth.

The immigration issue, which had been ranked in ninth place, in the autumn 2004 survey was considered the fourth most important issue facing Malta. Increasing concern on this issue is likely to reflect the influx of a relatively large number of illegal immigrants during the past summer months. When compared to the 25 EU member countries, Malta’s respondents placed more emphasis on the economic situation, but expressed less concern on the issue of criminal activity.

Survey participants said they mostly tend to trust charitable or voluntary organizations. Many of these organizations are administered by the Catholic Church, which retains a strong influence over Maltese society. The army and the police also enjoy a high level of trust. A majority of respondents affirmed they do not trust the political parties and the media, which itself is partly owned by the political parties.

L-Orizzont newspaper reports on the Malta survey

Read the latest Eurobarometer Malta report here (pdf)

30 years of Eurobarometer

Commissioner Margot Wallstrom's weblog ( the only Commissioner who blogs!)

Public anger

The decision by the Nationalist Party to deprive thousands of voters from voting in local elections in three weeks time has angered the public and has earned severe criticism from the press. The party led by PrimeMinister Laurence Gonzi is not used to this kind of harsh treatment from usually friendly media sources such as the conservative Sunday Times. As I write I am listening to a live discussion programme on the Nationalist Party radio station with PN supporters phoning in to express their disgust at their party's decision. A selection of press clips:

PN Executive Committee member writing on today's Times: "But I am not only a former mayor of Marsa, I am still an active member of the PN executive and I know many of my colleagues are in pain seeing this party, which has the potential to win yet another national election, resort to measures that go against the essence of our beliefs...Let us get back to basics and let's start realising that we participate in politics not to win by tricks but by substance and persuasion.

The editorial of the Malta Independent Feb 14: "The decision taken by the Nationalist Party to withdraw four candidates from the forthcoming local council elections is rather strange. It was bound to backfire, and indeed it has done so already...The PN has shot itself in the foot on this one."

The editorial of the The Times Feb 14: "By making a move that could only give the party and its die-hards a false sense of security; in other words trying to give the impression that the party is stronger than it really is. Having said that, one suspects that the PN knows precisely where it stands in terms of popularity and hence its Marsa/Zejtun pull-out decision. It is a pity that a strong and courageous party like the PN should opt for tactics the weak resort to. Who shall bell the cat now?

The editorial of the Sunday Times Feb 13: "So it is ironic that while acknowledging the right of voters to decide who becomes mayor, the PN this year has deprived its voters in two major localities of the choice of who becomes councillor."

The editorial of Malta Today Feb 13: "What the PN did was diabolical. I do not know if there was a discussion, but it is apparent that depriving the people of Zejtun and Marsa an election, will benefit the PN, worried over a landslide defeat at the local council elections. With these kind of games, I am not quite sure what politics is all about"

Malta - China relations

Malta was among the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. The Maltese Prime Minister Dom Mintoff bluffed his way to a substantial financial agreement with the United Kingdom's Lord Carrington in 1972. The day after he flew back to Malta from London, he shocked Britain by flying to communist China to establish relations and sign a controversial agreement there! The website of the Chinese foreign ministry gives an overview of the history of Malta-China relations:

Ever since the establishment of the diplomatic relations, the economic and technological cooperation between China and Malta on the whole has been: China provided Malta in 1972 a long-term interest free loan of 100 million yuan, facilitating the construction of 7 whole plants and 2 technological cooperation projects, of which the 300000-ton Dry Dock was the largest. In 1985, Chinahelped Malta build Marsaxokk Breakwater (funded by Malta), a project which has made great contribution over the years to the maintenance of Malta's free port. In April 1994, the two sides established the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine. The project provides short and mid-term training courses and runs a traditional Chinese clinic. Premier Li Peng proposed to build a "China Garden" for Malta for free during the Maltese Prime Minister's visit to China in June 1994. China presented 500 willow seedlings to Malta as a gift. ChinaGarden was completed in July 1997. China gave Malta 3 million yuan assistance gratis respectively in the year of 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Life is elsewhere - weblog of Song Li

From local to national

With local elections due in early March, it is interesting to note that more than a quarter of current Maltese members of parliament have served in local councils. Maltadata.com counts at least 17 out of 65 deputies elected in the last national elections:

Carmelo Abela (MLP / 3rd District / Zejtun)
David Agius (PN / 7th District / Attard)
Robert Arrigo (PN / 10th District / Sliema)
Michael Asciak (PN / 8th District / Birkirkara)
Frederick Azzopardi (PN / 13th District / Rabat, Gozo)
Dolores Cristina (PN / 9th District / Swieqi)
Joseph Cuschieri (MLP / 10th District / San Giljan)
Helen D'Amato (PN / 5th District / Zurrieq)
Joseph Falzon (PN / 9th District / Msida)
Antonio Fenech (PN / 8th District / Birkirkara)
Roderick Galdes (MLP / 6th District / Qormi)
Franco Galea (PN / 9th District / Pembroke)
Michael Gonzi (PN / 12th District / San Pawl il-Bahar)
Gavin Gulia (MLP / 7th District / Zebbug)
Silvio Parnis (MLP / 4th District / Paola)
Clyde Michael Puli (PN / 6th District / Qormi)
Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando (PN / 7th District / Zebbug)
Edwin Vassallo (PN / 11th District / Mosta)

Local Government in Malta

The Malta - Lebanon connection

World news coverage was dominated yesterday by the shocking car explosion that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in an assassination in west Beirut. It brings to mind the historical and cultural relationship between Lebanon and Malta, two peoples that have a lot in common.

Raymond Dibb's curiosity about the Maltese language, which started in a New York lift, prompted him to conduct research about the historical links between Malta and lebanon. His enthusiasm for Pheonician history led him to set up a Malta - Lebanon friendship society with a view to enhance ties between the Maltese and Lebanese People, to explore their common heritage, and encourage research, exchanges, and visits between the two Mediterranean countries. To discover his own Pheonician roots he visited Malta for the first time in the summer of 2002. He made a number of discoveries:

The Maltese are Phoenicians who came from Lebanon some 3,000 years BC. Some Phoenicians also arrived Malta from Carthage years later, during or after the Punic Wars with the Romans. These were warriors as opposed to the original Phoenicians who were just peaceful traders. The Maltese have little or no idea (or interest) in their roots. In fact very little of their history is recorded, or preserved before the Knights of Malta.

The Maltese think their language is a mix of "Arabic" and Italian. I tried very hard to explain to the ones I met, that it is not really Arabic; rather it is Phoenician having similar roots to Arabic.
They still speak the Phoenician language of the "old, old" days. It is very hard to understand by some Phoenician like me, whose language has been mixed with classical Arabic. Theirs was mixed (10%) with the Sicilian dialect.

Their spoken language sounds more like the language of the Lebanese mountains and remote Lebanese-Syrian villages, where they have not learned to sophisticate their speech with classical Arabic pronunciations. I had hard time understanding the Maltese speech, but was at ease with the written words. For example "Jelleb ta'l Carrob" means "Debs el-Kharnoub". I loved the "Jelleb" part, but it seemed they had no clue about our use of the word "Jelleb". It was very hot, and at every place I went to for refreshment, I kept asking if they had "Jelleb" over ice. I must have sounded like an alien since they do not know the Lebanese way of drinking Jelleb.

They have some very familiar family names such as "Abu Hagar" (Abou Hajar), Micallef, Mintoff, and, believe it or not "Saliba". I was amazed to learn that my cousin "John Saliba" practiced law in Malta. Any way, there are some 375,000 people living in Malta, divided into only 895 family names (and that include some English Colonial, as well as old emigrant Sicilian, and possibly some remnant Knights family names). Their phone book is very interesting; each family name takes up many pages. I guess these were a "few" Phoenician clans who migrated centuries, or millennia ago, and just kept on inter-breeding.

The National Geographic reports on a study by The American University of Beirut proving a DNA link between Pheonicians and Maltese.

Maltese blogs

Toni Sant's aboutmalta.com has set up a list of Maltese weblogs which should be a useful reference point for Maltese bloggers. From aboutmalta:

All the blogs that appear in this section of aboutmalta.com are either blogs from Malta or blogs by Maltese people who live abroad. There is also the occasional listing of a blog by a non-Maltese person who has decided to write about Malta. If you have a blog from and/or about Malta or know of such a blog that is not listed below, just fill out the add a link form. Our goal is to offer this section of aboutmalta.com as a directory for all Maltese blogs of any shape.

Politics and people

Two speeches by two Labour party leaders in seperate countries, yesterday, both reached out for support from people they seek to persuade in forthcoming elections. People often feel disempowered by the political process but, in their different ways, both Tony Blair and Alfred Sant called for a partnership between politics and people representing a modern application of the values traditionally embraced by both their parties. Seeking to win a historic third term, the British PrimeMinister yesterday addressed his party supporters telling them that life is not about euphoric moments but about steady change and that the best policies come not from courting popularity but out of conviction. Ahead of local government elections, the leader of the Malta Labour Party stated a couple of hours later just outside Valletta that a Labour government would be honest with the public and would create employment as well as take decisions in the national interest.

As expected, the national protest organized yesterday by the MLP dominates the media today with extensive front page coverage on all newspapers. The Malta Independent's Matthew Xuereb quotes Alfred Sant saying that Maltese families need a party in government that knows what they are feeling and is able to respond to those needs. Rosanne Zammit writing for the Times reports the Labour leader stating that the situation in the country is so bad young Gozitans are turning to their MPs asking for help to emigrate to Australia or Canada in search of a better life.

I don't know if Ruth Davies from MaltaMedia was present in Valletta but her disappointing report ( much shorter than her report about a carcade two Sundays ago) attempts to downplay the massive event referring to the attendance of "several people" who she later qualifies as "hundreds of people". MaltaMedia can do better than this. To have an idea of the scale of the event have a look at the photo here , part of l-Orizzont's detailed report. Even the Nationalist Party called it a 'mass meeting' in it's front page coverage (no website available). The MLP has complained to the Broadcasting Authority about the poor coverage of the protest by the Public Broadcasting Services and I suppose Ruth Davies would feel at home in the PBS newsroom.

Give us policies not mudslinging - Guardian

Valentine

Caroline Hills believes that 'people have come to expect to be sent something on St Valentine's Day and those who do not, feel horribly left out'. From the archives of MaltaToday:

At the risk of sounding a little sceptical, I find the concept of St Valentine's Day an interesting one. In a commercial sense, it is rather conveniently located between the spending rush of Christmas and the chocolate deluge of Easter. It is thus certainly well timed for shops to establish another reason to assault us with the perceived need to express our affections by displaying our purchasing power. It seems that the tradition of sending an anonymous card or gift, only really started in the eighteenth century, though the date chosen also corresponds with the long-held belief in the northern hemisphere that birds pair on 14 February. It is all a curious mixture - a Christian saint, a Greco-Roman God and an ornithological mating ritual..

In Malta, though we are hardly lacking excuses for public holidays or reasons to put up flags and bunting, we could also have spontaneous beach barbeques when fish have escaped from the farms and been caught by anyone with a jam jar or street parties to celebrate that final day when a new road is paved and 4 x 4s are no longer necessary to negotiate the cavernous excavations of a long series of infrastructure providers. The possibilities are many and no-one would have to feel left out.

Happy Valentine's day from Gonzi - the satirical MaltaFly

Send a Valentine card via MaltaMedia

Romantic getaways in Malta from lovetripper.com

Inventing the noir style

Bruce De Silva writing for the Associated Press says that there were two types of crime stories before "The Maltese Falcon". From IndianaLiving:

For lovers of the hard-boiled crime story, life began with the black bird. It was 75 years ago this month that "The Maltese Falcon" first appeared between hard covers, just weeks after it was published as a five-part serial in the pulp magazine "Black Mask."

To today's reader, Dashiell Hammett's masterpiece can seem vaguely antique, its characters too stereotypical: the cynical detective who works both sides of the law; his spunky and loyal secretary; the trench coat-draped gunman who talks from the side of his mouth; the wily femme fatale who manipulates men with the promise of sex. But to 1930s readers, every line was a revelation.

Sam Spade, Effie, Wilmer and Brigid O'Shaugnessy may be archetypes today, but Hammett was the man who first gave them breath. "The Maltese Falcon" is a novel of astounding originality that virtually invented the noir style...

Maltese Falcon turns 75

Happiness

In a philosophical mood, Elaine Meli says that happiness is acceptance:

Since we are of young age, we always try and accomplish happiness by cuddling with our loved ones, playing with friends, getting good grades, and then when we grow older, going out socializing, graduating, having children, finding a partner etc. It is all about happiness and it seems the harder we try the harder it takes to come along. My past experiences have thought me, at my own expense sometimes, that it makes no sense to try hard, because whatever is in your path, will come within it's due time.

There is only one formula for that to happen. Let it be. Accept your path and whatever comes your way. It has happened to me a number of times that I would want something really bad, but even by trying any strategy possible, things keep on coming the other way round. And then when you don't even try, situations or opportunities just appear, right there, in front of me, for my grab!

Happy Maltese from Wired Temples

3G policy

The 3G Portal is a resource centre for the mobile data industry for people working in and around 3G wireless service provision. It has been online since May 2000 and is run by Steve Jones. The 3G Portal reports on the upcoming Maltese 3G policy:

The Malta Communications Authority will be publishing a document in the coming weeks detailing the overall policy related to third generation mobile technology, digital terrestrial television and fixed wireless access. Full story on The Times

Tiny gem at the heart of the Med

Richard Moriarty wrote this piece for the Sunday Express as part of the British newspaper's series looking at the capitals of the 10 countries who joined the European Union last year. It "explores the delights of historic Valletta, this small but vibrant Maltese city that boasts magnificent fortifications, stunning architecture, a friendly welcome - and a mean rabbit stew". Via the library of maltavista.net:

More than 50 years after surviving a Nazi onslaught from the skies during the Second World War, Malta is about to reaffirm its close bond with Europe by joining the European Union. A familiar holiday destination for up to two million Britons every summer, the island is now using its rich history to attract holidaymakers seeking the five-star treatment. The country No bigger than the Isle of Wight - its capital Valletta covers barely a square mile - Malta has been strategically important to every great army due to its position in the centre of the Mediterranean. It was occupied by the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Sicilians and in 1282 was given to Spain.

In 1530, the Spanish King gave it to the Knights of St John, a religious order which fortified and occupied the island until it attracted the attention of Napoleon in 1798. Britain took over Malta two years later and held it until 1947 when it was granted independence. The capital Valletta's foundation stone was set in 1566 and it was the first planned city in Europe. A walled city surrounded by two harbours, Valletta is tiny but vibrant, alive with people scurrying through its many squares and narrow streets. It is also easy to navigate as its streets form a neat grid.
In the evening it becomes a ghost town as the attention shifts to lively St Julian's Bay, a five-mile drive north along the coast.

Valletta from Wired Temples

When Richard Moriarty was arrested

Which history?

A comment by Caxxaro, in response to my earlier post 'Knights of Malta on hold', raised the question of historical accounts that only take into perspective the version of events over the years as licensed by Malta's ruling elites. Evarist Bartolo, a former education minister and current MLP tourism spokesman, has often discussed Malta's identity in a post colonial theoretical context. During parliamentary debates last year he insisted that Malta should not join the EU with a colonial mentality. He wrote a play that places under a modern spotlight the novel 'Mattew Callus' written in 1878 by Guze` Muscat Azzopardi. The play, produced two years ago, recounts the story of a Maltese medical doctor who was sentenced to death by GrandMaster La Vallette for protesting against taxation and lack of representation. This story about events that took place 5oo years ago could be a useful point of reference for future revisionists of Malta's history. From a paper by Evarist Bartolo:

Il-bierah, illum u ghada ... x'differenza hemm bejniethom? Ta' qabilna, ahna u ta' warajna ... kemm nixxiebhu? Fejn ahna differenti? Qatt jigri xi haga gdida fid-dinja? Dak li qed jigri llum u li se jigri ghada, kemm hu differenti minn dak li gara l-bierah? Dawn huma kollha mistoqsijiet li nqajjem fil-kitba li qed insejjah websajt ghall-palk guzeppimattewcallus.com.

Ir-rabta mal-imghoddi, ma' dawk li gew qabilna ilha tqanqalli mistoqsijiet difficli. Mhix l-ewwel darba nkwetajt b'dik it-tip ta' rabta fejn l-imghoddi ma jhallix lill-prezent jitwieled u jizviluppa b'mod gdid. Il-poeta Russu Yevtuschenko jitkellem dwar il-passat bhala katavru li miet bil-ponn tieghu maghluq fuq il-prezent. Il-prezent ma jistax jiftah il-ponn tal-mejjet u ma jistax jaqbad triqtu u l-haj jibqa f'idejn il-mejjet..

Ahna nistghu nkunu nafu mnejn gejjin? Kif nistghu nkunu nafu jekk ghall-hafna snin l-istorja li konna nafu mhix taghna, izda l-istorja ta' dawk li gew jahkmuna? Kif nistghu nkunu nafu mnejn gejjin jekk lanqas kapaci nahsbu b'mohhna u naraw b'ghajnejna dwar dak li ghaddew minnu ta' qabilna f'dawn il-gzejjer u lilhinn minnhom? Jekk hafna minn dak li nafu dwar ta' qabilna nafuh mhux minnhom stess izda minn dak li qalu dwarhom dawk li gew minn barra dawn il-gzejjer kif nistghu nkunu nafuhom? ... U allura kif nistghu nkunu nafu min huma? Kif nistghu nkunu nafu min ahna?

'Minn Moby Dick sa Mattew Callus' by Albert Marshall

Interview with Evarist Bartolo - MaltaToday

Airbus

AirMalta receives a new Airbus, from the Belgian website Luchtzak Aviation:


Air Malta took delivery of its 8th new Airbus A320 family aircraft on 5th February 2005. This aircraft forms part of an order made by Air Malta for 7 A319 and 5 A320 units in 2002. These aircraft are powered by CFM engines and are on a 12 year lease from ILFC.

Discuss this news here in Luchtzak aviation forums

The Airbus A320 family

Airmalta from Airline History

Knights of Malta on hold

Production of the film 'Knights of Malta' had been scheduled to start in Malta close to three years ago after director Guy Ritchie finished the filming of 'Swept Away' starring his wife, Madonna. It was then pushed back over a year to the summer of 2003. Greg Dean Schmitz states that this project is still currently on hold. According to this report reprinted by IGN FilmForce, Ritchie's top choices to star may be Sir Anthony Hopkins, as Jean Parisot de la Vallette, Grandmaster of Malta, and Robert De Niro as Turkish leader Dragut Reis:

The Express also reports that Sir Anthony Hopkins and Robert De Niro are two top contenders for Knights of Malta. Hopkins might play Jean Parisot de la Vallette, the Grandmaster of the Knights who heroically defended the Maltese during the Siege. De Niro is up for the part of the great Turkish pirate Dragut Reis, who advised the Turks during the battle. A source told the Express that "Guy [Ritchie] has always been fascinated by the Middle Ages and wants to make a real blood-and-guts epic. Swept Away is a small, personal film, but this is going to be a major blockbuster."

The Great Siege of Malta - 1565 - by Ernle Bradford

Knights of Malta permanent exhibition in Valletta

Malta House for homeless women

A new President will soon be in place at the Malta House in Norwalk, USA:

As a member of the state chapter of the Order of Malta, a Roman Catholic group that helps the poor and the sick, O'Rourke and several others helped found Malta House, a shelter for pregnant and homeless women in Norwalk. The first woman came to stay in the converted convent on Prowitt Street in early 1998. After 10 years, O'Rourke is stepping down as chairman and president of the organization to spend more time with his family.

Buried in the church

Kenneth from California describes a church in Malta with pictures:

It's got all the old world decadent stuff. What I'd like to draw your attention to is the floor: See all that marble? Those nice neat boxes are actual grave sites. Folks got buried in the church. Of course, not your every day 18th century Maltese Peasant, mind you. You had to be a bishop or a general, or, in later years, a merchant of some import to grab a spot where you'd be stepped on by pious people forever. It's a great way to up your Mass attendance. What we shall see is that these folks didn't exactly share our current ideas about what was appropriate grave maker decor...

The European Constitution in space

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, a large majority of Europeans have little or no knowledge of the contents of the European Constitution despite the influence the document will have over their lives. Officials at the European Commission hope that a publicity stunt with the help of astronauts will help promote the treaty which must be ratified in all of the EU's 25 member state:

Facing uncertain prospects on Earth, the European Union constitution is being launched into space. Struggling to raise public interest in the historic document, EU leaders said Friday that European astronauts will bring the charter along when they blast off toward the International Space Station on April 15 from Baikonour, Kazakhstan. "It will undergo full testing before it can be flown," EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen told reporters at the opening of an EU space exhibit. "You can be sure it will come back." French astronaut Michel Tognini accepted a bound copy of the document as well as the EU's 12 gold-star flag...

Where all the 25 member states stand on the European Constitution

The politics of language

My gratitude to Andis Kaulins at the informative EU pundit weblog for including Wired Temples on the blogroll (favourite links). Andis, who is blogging for a better Europe, is co-author of the leading RoutledgeLangenscheidt English-German Dictionary of Business, Commerce and Finance . From his latest post about the languages of the European Union:

As the major index pages of the official EU websites demonstrate, the European Union is a multi-cultural unification of many countries and many languages. The current 25 Member States of the European Union represent 20 official languages of the EU. Irish (Gaelic) is regarded to be an official EU language for primary legislation. Languages are and will continue to be an important EU issue. For example, what should be the languages at universities within the EU?

Expatica.com via DPA has a February 10, 2005 article enititled English rules the European Union, in which they report that there had been a marked increase in the teaching of English in Eastern Europe since 1998. Germany came in second and France third as the chosen second language of instruction.

However, to say that "English rules the European Union" is overstating the case a bit. Over the years, we have had business to do at several EU organizations in Luxembourg and have occasionally had difficulty finding English-language speakers among the rank and file (especially at the front door, where you need it most) with French clearly dominating. It all depends on where you look. In Luxembourg, it is French (or Luxembourgish, also called Lëtzebuergeusch) which has the upper hand, at least in the lower echelons.


EU still desperately short of Maltese translators and interpreters - Euractiv

How do you say accession in Maltese - Deutsche Welle

'Ma' nitghallmu qatt' - the politics of translation - Mark Vella in Luxembourg

Maltese Falcon turns 75

From NPR, in Washington DC, an international producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming:

February marks the 75th anniversary of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, hailed as one of the greatest detective novels of all time. Day to Day book critic David Kipen takes a look at the legendary murder mystery (audio).

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Read an excerpt from the Maltese Falcon here

Ann Marie Cini

Maria Calleja, who is currently working in Brussels, recalls a fellow university student who died tragically following a birthday party. From Maria in Brussels:

Today is a very special day, (if I can call it so!) not only because it is St Paul's Day, a remembrance Day of when St. Paul was shipwrecked in Malta on his way to Rome but it is also a day where many people in Malta remember a young, gentle, innocent girl called Ann Marie Cini that left us today six years Ago.

On the night of the 9th February 1999, I was at an 18th Birthday Party of Mark Camilleri. Now, like in many countries, 18th Birthday Parties are very big. The age of 18 implies that now you are a grown up, you can get your driver's license, you started your university life... and started being more independent! These are the dreams and visions that most university students have at the age of 18!

Ann Marie had just started her dentistry course, and of course, she excelled in everything from the minute she set foot into the lecture theatre at the University of Malta. Ann Marie was also there for Mark's 18th birthday party! She looked so radiant, she had just washed her hair and it was pulled back nicely... I remember she was wearing a kind of Polo Neck, and If I'm not mistaken it was red, not sure, but definitely was a bright colour!....


Raphael's blog from dinglicircus.com

Delusioni

21 year old Gerry from Milano, Italy, is an ardent supporter of Inter football club and a student of the Cattaneo University. He visited the rocky coast of Malta last year and took these photos. In a melancholic mood last week, he contemplated life's delusions:

Ho concluso che tutto questo mi porta a nutrire una grossa delusione... ...la natura umana non si può cambiare, non posso aspettarmi di essere al centro delle attenzioni delle persone che tuttora stimo care!! ...l'unica cosa da fare è ispessire la mia scorza, bruciarmi le spalle, e non aspettarmi niente dagli altri!! ...così se sarò triste e affranto mi conscolerò da solo, e nel caso mi trovassi accanto una "mano" amica, beh avrebbe effetto doppio, perchè ci sarebbe anche il fascino di qualcosa inaspettato!!

Tuttora vanto degli amici stupendi e sono circondato da ottime persone... però mi rendo conto, che tutti hanno dei limiti... forse quel qualcuno che saprà rompere questi limiti è la mia metà? ecco perchè... ...forse nella propria partnersi cerca ciò che nessuno sa darti... ...beh queste son riflessioni, forse logorroiche... però attraverso queste posso illudermi di essere ancora un essere pensante!!

Phoenicians

About the origins of the Maltese from Gene Expression:

Last fall PBS aired a special, Quest for the Phoenicians, with Spencer Wells. Via this page I find that one of Wells' most interesting discoveries is that the island of Malta seems to exhibit a high frequency of haplotypes which suggest a Levantine origin within the past few thousand years. If you watch this video (control-f "from geneticist Spencer Wells"), note that Wells excludes an Islamic or "Neolithic farming" source for these haplotypes, so by a process of exclusion the Phoenicians seem the most plausible candidates. Seeing that Malta is a small and somewhat isolated island, it should be no great surprise that the frequency of Levantine Y lineages might be higher here than around ancient Carthage in modern Tunisia, which likely had a far larger native substrate and was subject to continuous genetic exchange with the hinterland for thousands of years after Cato's work was done.

Phoenicia from Wikipedia

HomeSouth

Claudine Berrisford is an Australian with Maltese heritage living in the north of England. She is married to Ian, a fan of London team Queens Park Rangers. In this piece she wrote for a football fanzine, she recalled her Maltese grandfather who was proud to be 'English' and also a Manchester United supporter. Many people in contemporary Malta share the same syndrome. From HomeSouth:

My grandfather's name was Robert Peel. He was born in Malta to an English father and a Maltese mother. He married my grandmother in Malta and later dragged her, my Mother and her seven siblings to Australia in 1965 to start a new life. Although he spoke the language fluently, he was reluctant to call himself 'Maltese'. Having said that, he was a great advocate for elderly immigrants in his later life and while at home last year, I found an article about him at my Grandmother's.

In it he states that he was 'born in England'. "He was not," I said to my Grandmother in surprise. "Oh, he always told people he was and I never asked him why," she replied. Sadly, I never got to ask him either but I suspect his love of English football, cricket and the odd pint was part of a culture, although far away, quite dear to him. And somehow, part of it he left to me.

Unfortunately (I only found out how unfortunate later!) he was a Manchester United supporter - something else I'd like to ask him why! So when I arrived in London in early 2000 and started seeing Ian, my dyed-in-the-wool QPR fan boyfriend (now husband), I quickly learned that to follow in my Grandfather's footsteps in this regard would result in me being single again. Cheers love.

The Universe is talking to Claudy

Claudine's brother in Australia, Stephen Said, blogs here

The oldest Manchester United supporters club is in Malta

St.Paul's shipwreck

The holiday blog celebrates St. Paul's Shipwreck in Malta via Malta Network Resources:

In time for the feast of St Paul's shipwreck to Malta on 10th February, here is a collection of the best links and books on our father and patron saint St Paul. This day is celebrated as a public holiday in Malta and Gozo. The shipwreck of St Paul is described in the Acts of the Apostles:27,28. Publius (who Luke calls Protos meaning leader) whose father was healed by St Paul is thought to have been the first Bishop of Malta consecrated by St Paul before he left Malta. We celebrate his feast on the 22nd January. Some think Publius might have been Maltese as it was customary for the Romans to elect a local as civil leader, rather than a Roman Governor.

Saint Paul from Wikipedia

Cultural initiative

Alexia Papantchev is in her first stages of her activity as a volunteer with Inizjamed through the European Voluntary Service action funded by the Youth programme of the EU. Alexia, who is from Normandy in France, is working within the Creative Sustainability project run by Inizjamed, a Mediterranean development NGO based in Malta. She replaced Chiara Perucca and will stay in Malta for 10 months:

"I am here," says Alexia, "to live with the local population, to share in their daily life, to enrich myself with a culture other than mine and to merge into the cultural diversity of Malta. The EVS programme has given me the opportunity to put my knowledge at the service of a cultural initiative and to benefit from a unique experience.”

In Normandy, Alexia has trained and worked mainly in the field of theatre and she has been involved in the coordination theatre workshops and other projects with various groups, including underprivileged people. In Malta she will also be working closely with the Third World Group and Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, two partners of Inizjamed in the Forum for Justice and Cooperation.

The Creative Sustainability project aims to promote cultural sustainability in Malta and in the Mediterranean and the ethical, educational and cultural richness of fair trade by designing and running concrete projects that are carried out in Malta among young people from various social and educational backgrounds and with the active participation of Refugees and asylum seekers, especially the young adults among them.

The Youth Programme of the EU - Malta

NGOMA - African festival in Malta - St James Cavalier -12 February 2005

Restricting IVF

LifeSiteNews.com reports on the Maltese Bishops call for a law restricting IVF:

The three bishops of the tiny Catholic island state of Malta have called for the creation of a law on artificial reproduction that would rule out procedures such as in vitro fertilization that “go against human beings and against the family.”Malta is 98% Catholic and the number of Maltese who attend Mass weekly is one of the highest among all Catholic countries at 67%. Divorce is illegal in Malta and a recent poll showed that 95.7% of Maltese oppose abortion.

The bishops of Malta, Archbishop Joseph Mercieca of Valletta, Gozo Bishop Nikol Cauchi and Auxiliary Bishop Annetto Depasquale, have written in a letter to Maltese legislators, “One of the main ethical problems with this technology is the large number of embryos which, after being fertilised artificially, are destined to die.”“Embryos which are formed through assisted reproduction but are not utilised have also been used for research and have become subject to manipulation,” the bishops said.

In vitro fertilization - a fact sheet

Public hospital has a duty to provide IVF - Fr Peter Serracino Inglott

Carnival politics

From the editorial of today's Malta Independent:

A suggestion included in a Malta Labour Party document saying that the Lm220 yearly bonus given to workers in four instalments should be removed has been taken by the Nationalist Party as being a proposal forming part of the MLP’s electoral manifesto. The denials made by the MLP that it is merely a suggestion that is up for discussion, and that the document in which it is included does not bind the MLP, seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as the PN has mounted a huge PR campaign on the matter...

There is no doubt that this kind of politics is not good for the country. It is understandable that political parties try to take advantage of any failings committed by their adversaries, but there are many controversies that could easily be avoided if more commonsense prevailed. After all, both have the interest of the nation at heart. It is the manner of achieving this that differs. Misquotations, misinterpretations and misunderstandings do not help the country to move forward.


'The politician as integrator' - In his monthly essay for the Malta Independent, the leader of the parliamentary opposition Alfred Sant says that politicians are best placed to ensure that projects for national development are run as an integrated and successful process

Dealing with spam

Malta is one of thirteen European countries that have united to tackle spam and to pledge to exchange information on e-mail abuses. Simon Taylor reports for IDG News Service:

Under an agreement announced by the European Commission on Monday, the countries' antispam authorities -- in most cases their data protection offices -- have pledged to exchange information on e-mail system abuses and to follow up on complaints about spammers operating on their territory from other countries.

Commenting on the agreement, E.U. Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding said: "Enforcement authorities in member states must be able to deal effectively with spam from other E.U. countries, even through at present most spam originates from outside the E.U."
The move is designed to tackle the problem where spammers operate outside the territory of the member state that has received a complaint about abusive e-mail and the national enforcement agency cannot act because it lacks legal powers to take action in another member state.

Conference on email and anti spam, Stanford July 2005

Death to spam - A guide to defending your inbox

'Referral spam' from Owen Cutayar's Ugh!!'s GreymatterHoneypot

Encouraging asylum seekers

Hilary from Fiat Mihi, a potential(!!) applicant for asylum status in Malta is encouraged by the latest European Union directive that grants asylum seekers applying for refugee status access to the labour market within a year of their application:

For our "How to Live in Malta" file...Just a few more until Ash Wed...Sometimes the bad guys work comes out in our favour. Malta has just had a ruling from the EU that says asylum-seekers (that'll be us) must be allowed to look for work within a year of their application as refugees.
Asylum seekers will also keep their right to work if their unsuccessful application for refugee status is appealed, until the appeals process is finalised.


National conference on immigration continues today-MaltaMedia and an overview of all speeches from di-ve.

Investigating immigrant assaults - Wired Temples

Di-ve is five

www.di-ve.com is celebrating it's fifth birthday today. The popular internet news channel has often placed highly in independent market research and from the beginning was "determined to maximise on the strengths that the internet brings to journalism, those of allowing true multi-media presentations". The editor Paul Cachia today writes an assessment of the first five years:

In our first addition -- click here to see first articles -- apart from messages from Robin Cook on Malta's accession to the EU and a message from the President of Malta, we also launched the Joe Grima Live Show -- a 1 hour live streaming talk show in which Joe Grima aired his views over the Internet once a week, making a comeback after going through a very dark period in his life which we all know about . Today Joe Grima is well past those times, and back to his very busy self; however he still finds time to contribute with his inimitable pen through a weekly article. Thank you Joe Grima. Joe Grima's article on di-ve's 5th birthday.

The first www.di-ve.com journalist was still a University student when he was recruited. He put together the first version of di-ve and did a one man job to get us going. Today Kurt Sansone is a well known journalist with a local newspaper, as well as occasionally trying his luck at local council elections. Thank you Kurt Sansone. -- Read comment by Kurt Sansone.

President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici about di-ve

Malta: unexplored and mysterious

The iconoclastic UK based John Bartram has a career in media and intelligence. He believes that many of the prehistorical and historical sites of Malta that remain untouched are mysteries worthy of exploration. From The Fool (with quotes and pictures):

My parents retired to Malta, in the delightful village of Siggiewi. The island is the backdrop to 'Troy' and many other blockbusters. Whenever I've stayed there, as well as the swimming, diving and sightseeing, my favourite activity is archaeology..

On one visit, the head of the National Museum invited me to explore an area of interest, which I was glad to do. A year later, a letter from my mother contained a newspaper report that a team of Italian archaeologists had used my data and declared the site to be the biggest Punic-Roman villa known. Glad I didn't miss it, then!..

You have to be careful in using the term 'history' when talking of Malta, because in most cases it is inappropriate. What Malta specialises in is prehistory.

World Heritage Sites from Wired Temples

History of Siggiewi

Lauren's chillout spot

I8 year old Lauren Xuereb from Ghajnsielem, Gozo is one of many Maltese students who get a grant for being a student. A former New Yorker, Lauren is dreading the 40 days of Lent leading to Easter that start this wednesday. From Lauren's chillout spot:

god i hate carnival!!! i just realised how fucking boring this week is!!! not to mention i have to start fasting on wednesday for lent which is horrrrrible.... especially in my condition (i have final exams in two weeks and a-levels in two months). i just wish that this winter passes by and its the first week of august when i'd be in tolfa (italy) with my sister, bibiana, enjoying a week of away.

last night i fell asleep listening to my ipod yet again and woke up at 1am singing along to gwen stefani. lol. unfortunately this morning i have a headache the size of texas and to top it all off its not one of the 'nicest' days in malta. the sun is hidden behind low grey clouds and the temperature has fallen to 9degrees (celcius). its freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzing!!! - btw. i hope ya'll enjoyed the new year's eve pictures i put up. i had a blast that night!! we had gone to the GOZO MUSIC FESTIVAL and danced til 5am where by that time i had to choose between going home or falling flat on my face to sleep..lol i have some more pictures but most of which i'm not in them and i doubt the people would be thrilled that i'm showing their face online (crazy assholes) (just kiddin)

Ghajnsielem.com

The forty days of Lent by Linda Campbell - from the bizarre festivals site, 2CAMELS.com

Maltese Easter traditions by Daniel Bartolo from MaltaMedia.com

Carnival night in Gozo

Raised in California and Washington but living in Minessota, westcoastraised is currently in Malta and having a great time. He spent the weekend in Gozo at the crazy Nadur Carnival:

Went back to this 100 year old farm house that they rented out and sat down to enjoy the homemade wine. Started to feel pretty good laughing and joking with Claudia and Duncan's friends. Thus we started our trip to the carnival which is a combination of the 4th of July, Marti Gras, and Halloween. The craziest ever, I have never seen anything like it. I got onto a float and danced until they kicked me off, acquired a couple of bottles of booze free of charge. Listened to bands, saw a bunch of guys dressed as women and crazy ass outfits of everything. So we got a little more intoxicated and headed back to the farm about 3:30 in the morning. We stayed up until the break of dawn. Then we woke up and spent 4 hours trying to get food because everything closes down in the middle of the day for people to take there naps, then we got to a place that make hand tossed pizzas and then cooks them in a huge wood Bakery oven. They were divine.

Carnival in Malta and Gozo - Wired Temples

View colourful Carnival photos here from the hardworking floatbuilders at talbanda.com

Pierre from Nadur has to stay miles away from his beloved carnival this year while MaltaGirl watches the Valletta parades on TV

Carnival celebrations reach climax - Maltamedia

Gagaland

Outgoing relentless wanderer Colin McElhatton is a 33 year old IT systems manager who has just started to blog via msn spaces. In his thoughtful first entry he writes about Malta's membership in the European Union, criticizes the new eco tax and calls for a more mature political system. From Gagaland:

Before closing, why "gagaland"? Well because here we tend to do a lot of talking and mudslinging especially in the political arena and because our politicians prefer to rouse the population with speeches that show situations as either black or white, good or bad, no half-ways no greys. If you were to hear either leader of our principle parties you'd believe you were living in two totally different countries. Why? Because rather than pursue a line of speech that focuses on solving the issues at hand, they're just out there to nurture the applause of their followers as a shepherd would tend to his sheep leading them along.

Serving the common good

An article on last week's edition of the Malta Independent on Sunday reported an entry on Wired Temples that referred to Toni Sant's defense of the internet. It has triggered an official response from Malta's Church authorities. The Archbishop is not for turning! From a letter by the Curia's public relations officer appearing today on the Malta Independent on Sunday:

Mgr Mercieca would like to assure one and all that he felt the need to dwell on this subject in light of certain incidents that were brought to his attention. He wanted to take this occasion to pass this message to journalists to encourage the local media to contribute towards helping people, especially the young, to be able to make sound evaluations and good choices when using the Internet.

The Archbishop knows that the essence of the Internet is that it provides an almost unending flood of information, much of which often passes in a moment. He also knows that, in a culture which feeds on the ephemeral, there can easily be a risk of believing that it is facts that matter, rather than values. The Internet offers extensive knowledge, but it does not teach values; and when values are disregarded, our very humanity is demeaned and man easily loses sight of his transcendent dignity.

Mgr Mercieca feels that despite its enormous potential for good, some of the degrading and damaging ways in which the Internet is being used must be obvious to all, so one needs to ensure that this marvellous instrument serves the common good and not become a source of harm.

'Remember a day' by Toni Sant

A longer Halloween

Things are getting better for Canadian Bill Fedun who is touring the island on a semi-working visit. Last week he was not lucky with the weather or the food. The sun is out and things have now taken a different turn:

My friend Mila and I poked around fort St. Angelo this morning. It is a stunning fort...much in demand by many different groups. You can see pictures of all these places, and the big gun on my web site....www.southtower.on.ca, in the Library.

Had a lovely dinner in Mosta, at the Tal Koppola. The best desserts in Malta, in my opinion. And now I can say that I have found Maltese food I actually like...the rabbit in Spagetti was superb. The pizza (three cheese...mozzarella, blue and goat cheese) was well spiced, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. A pleasant change from the usual North American napalm on a crust. The water at 4 bucks a litre came from Scotland, and was a good choice...normally of course I would have had a "Kinnie" (as soft drink that tastes like a cross between a coke and a jar of marmalade...no, don't think too long about it...the result actually is great) or a cisk beer (good and cold Martyr!) but water was best.

Mila is enjoying herself, and is finally un-jet lagged. We moved to a larger room with a spare bedroom for her, and she seems happy. I think her back is still aching from one of the Layland busses which dropped into a hole whilst we were traveling through the "three cities".

Carnival is still on...kind of cute seeing all the kids in costume. Sort of like Halloween back home, but for the whole weekend.

Barefoot

During his adventures in the Himalayas, Samuel from California is impressed by a bare footed Maltese man. From 'The Great Escapade':

After beginning our final climb to ABC we passed two guys and a girl from Malta. Do you know where Malta is? Did you know it's an independent country and a member of the European Union? I didn't. Anyway, they stand out in my memory because one of the Maltese men had walked all the way from the trailhead BAREFOOT. I wasn't sure if he was a pilgrim or an idiot, but as I watched him crunching his raw feet through the ice fields I have to admit I was impressed. As it turns out he just wanted to push himself further than most trekkers, and as he warmed his feet inside the ABC lodge I spent a couple minutes reflecting on what a tenderfoot I am. My feet can't even handle walking on socks, much less ice and rock.

Kenneth's online repository

Creative 17 year old Kenneth, an electric guitarist from Mellieha, has a passion for graphic and web design as well as rock music. A consistent blogger, Kenneth has recently posted entries about procrastination; Harry Potter, the iPod and Ligabue's Giro d'Italia. His girlfriend Lena Sammut of Mosta, whom he first met online, has her own blog as well. This extract is from a Wired article about online love connections via Kenneth's blog:

For those of us who feel sorry for our ancestors, who had to fall in love and nurture relationships without the internet, connectivity can be A Big Deal. And for anyone who invested a lot of time and thought into e-mail love letters, or who reveled in the nakedness of late-night IM, dropping those elements from the established relationship is the modern update to the cliché "you don't bring me flowers anymore." The trick, of course, is to find people who have a similar affection for -- or dislike of, I suppose -- internet-enabled communication. Couples who meet online have a good chance of assessing their connectivity compatibility.

Kenneth's assessment of 2004

Pride of the Maltese navy!

Steve Glover from Merseyside has just posted some Malta photos on his blog, 'Glover's Digital World'. They capture a variety of moments and places including his "favourite high street shop, a 1960 Morris 1000 Traveller"; an MLP club in the middle of a shopping centre and this military vessel which he believes is "the pride of the Maltese navy":

Malta is a one-off place. You either would love to live there (so laid back and friendly, calm and peaceful all the time) or happy after your holiday to get back to "normality". It's not for me personally, but I would jump at the chance to go to the Fortina again sometime.

Cross with words

Ginga Cool Cat from StrangeWingedCreature is struggling with her crossword puzzle:

I don't think he was really offended - at least I hope not. Did you know that Valleta is in Malta? I didn't. Really, I think a lot of these clues are a little oblique. I mean, it's true that I can't spell worth a darn, but I think I have a fairly good vocabulary.

You have to get into a certain mindset to do crossword puzzles. It isn't in every day language that "split to join" in any way means "elope". When was the last time you heard somebody use the word "lea" when they meant "meadow"? What "tusla's st." has to do with "okra" is beyond me - but I'm keeping it because a) okra is a word and b) it fits in with everything else.

I'm Too Sexy For Employment

World Heritage Sites

Daniel Cilia's website The Megalithic temples is one of the most informative you can find about the world's most ancient stone architecture. With over 400 web pages of information, it is dedicated to the prehistoric sites in Malta and Gozo:

UNESCO has designated the main Megalithic Temples of Malta and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum as WORLD HERITAGE SITES. The following is an extract from the Reports of the 4th (1980) and the 16th (1992) Sessions of the Committee:

Seven megalithic temples are to be found on the islands of Malta and Gozo, each a result of an individual development. The Ggantija complex on the island of Gozo is remarkable for its superhuman achievements dating from [the Bronze Age] 3,600 BCE On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces, given the very limited resources of their builders. The Ta' Hagrat and Skorba complexes bear witness to the development of the temple tradition in Malta. The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum is an enormous subterranean structure excavated with cyclopean rigging to lift huge blocks of coralline limestone around the year 2500 bc (3,000 BCE). The Hypogeum, possibly conceived as a sanctuary, has been a necropolis since prehistoric times.

Other Links related to the temples of Malta

Death of a moderniser

The tragic death of 41 year old Prime Minister of Georgia Zurab Zhvania came one day before the appointment of a new Prime Minister today in the Ukraine, 44 year old Yulia Timoshenko. Both champions of anti-corruption movements and leaders of recent successful popular uprisings in their respective countries. Jean Christophe Peuch from Radio Free Europe says that the Prime Minister's sudden death is likely to alter the balance of forces in the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili in favor of its more radical elements. A Maltese former member of parliament Dennis Sammut has been active in Georgia for the last twelve years and was a personal friend of Zurab Zhvania. As executive director of LINKS, a London based NGO active in the Caucasus, Dennis Sammut yesterday issued the following statement:

"I heard with great sadness and shock of the tragic death of the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mr Zurab Zhvania, in Tbilisi last night. I knew Zurab Zhvania since 1992 and over the years we worked together on many issues connected with the political future of Georgia and the South Caucasus. He was a true friend to me, as well as to LINKS over many years.

I always considered Zurab Zhvania to be an outstanding politician and one of the most enlightened and visionary personalities to emerge out of the collapse of the USSR. He was in the vanguard of the reformist wing of Georgian politics throughout his political life. He believed passionately in modernising Georgian society and in the building of a strong, peaceful Georgia. He valued tolerance and believed in the peaceful solution of problems.

In this sad and difficult moment on behalf of all the Directors, Staff and collaborators of LINKS I would like to extend my sincere condolences to his wife and children, his mother, as well as to his colleagues in the Georgian government."

Zurab Zhvania obituary from the UK's Times

BBC Country Profile: Georgia

Dennis Sammut speaks about the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict - BBC news

Carnival

Carnival weekend in Malta has a particular meaning for me because it's where my parents met. Coming from diametrically opposite social backgrounds and both in costume it would have been highly unlikely for them to meet in any other setting. The traditional festival with mysterious origins is an opportunity for a long weekend of lively and colourful activity for both residents and tourists. The carnival parades in Valletta and the Gozo carnival in Nadur are the main focal points. In British colonial days, the Valletta carnival was the domain of the upper classes and the ruling elites while Nadur attracted the less privileged. The increasingly fashionable Nadur has gained more attention in recent years thanks to the efforts of Vicki Anne Cremona, newly appointed ambassador to France. From a paper written by Peter Paul Buttigieg about the Nadur carnival:

Revellers wearing only a sheet or bedspread, in boiler suits, in clergy or nun habits, wearing grotesque masks inspired by the current affairs, locally and internationally- all walk up and down the streets for hours on end. All covered from head to foot and no one dare stop and unmask these devils. All one hears is a confusion of the sounding of horns, ringing of bells, banging, whistling and anything, which could add to the din and create an eerie and bizarre atmosphere.

It is not uncommon to be able to watch the mimicking of a wedding ceremony, couples in beds on wheels feigning lovemaking, in exaggerated pregnancy costumes, the trailing of live animals like a sheep, a goat or a donkey, the carrying of live or dead mice in cages and others dressed up as doctors and nurses performing operations by sawing off limbs. All walk up and down arousing the curiosity of the onlookers who try to identify the real person but of course to no avail as the mask covers it all.

This spontaneous carnival at Nadur has survived the times against all odds and we can proudly say that it is the only traditional carnival celebration still held in the Maltese islands which attracts thousands of people, not only Maltese but also tourists, to enjoy the revelry that goes on.


The history of Maltese Carnival

Watch the Malta carnival live this Sunday here

Carnival diary of events from the Westin Dragonara ( they also have an excellent monthly diary for cultural events in Malta)

European Carnival links

Perfect place

Hilary from the spiritual Fiat Mihi blog says Malta has the attributes of perfection!:

I think I have found the perfect place to run to when it is time to become a refugee somewhere. We've got to go to Malta. One reason is clause 2 of their constitution:

(1) The religion of Malta is the Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion.
(2) The authorities of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church have the duty and the right to teach which principles are right and which are wrong.
(3) Religious teaching of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith shall be provided in all State schools as part of compulsory education.

They are also one of the few countries in the world who have consistently told the UN what they can do with 'reproductive rights,' and gender feminism. Yep, one of the oldest countries in the world. It has everything: Mediterranean weather, antiquity and water-oriented leisure activities; English organizational structure; Roman Catholicism; some of the world's most beautiful Churches; some of the world's oldest and most interesting ruins and all the cheap seafood you can eat for the rest of your life. Oh, and pretty strong feelings against euthanasia and all its little friends and relations, so when we're old we are actually more likely to receive Viaticum than a shot in the arm.

Karen's insane rants

In one of her latest 'insane rants' Karen from blog-city is not happy with the customer service of technology providers in Malta.

A few things have happened to piss me off today. I tried to sign up to be able to send sms via the net and as I am entering my details, the stupid thing goes and sends an invitation to everyone in my address book! I did not ask it to, it just did it. Sorry to those of you who got an email.
When I finally entered the details and everything, I discover that the wonderful system does not work if you live in Malta, as you need to activate it using your phone, I was mighty pissed off that it was all for nothing.

During my lunch break, I had to go down to the local Vodafone shop in order to sort out a line. I got in the car leaving my coveted parking spot and drive there to find they are shut at lunch times! I am going to be working tonight which means leave here at 5:30, start there at 6:00. Its just enough time to get there really. WONDERFUL. Customer Care my a£$.

Patrick Dalli's nudes

Patrick Dalli, a realist painter and an analyst of the human body, displays his second personal exhibition of nudes. Husband of former Miss Malta and current Malta Labour Party front bencher Helena Dalli, Patrick Dalli exhibits 17 impressive pieces painted over the last two years. The exhibition, at the Gallerija Libertè of the General Workers Union’s premises in Valletta, reveals "a newly developed personal style that is essentially realist and primarily based on a conscientious analysis of the human body". From the GWU website:

The paintings on show in PATRICK DALLI – NUDES are not studies, they are not narratives, but they are finished pictures of his models. The artist’s intent is to capture the boredom and disinterest of his sitter who sits for the long pose, repeatedly taking up the same pose in numerous sessions. They are rarely doing things, just contemplating time passing by as the artist is at work. Their mouth is shut, their eyes fixed in silence. The models are integral part of the act of painting, they are working with the artist for its successful completion. There is, however, a detached intimacy between artist and model, such that the model’s name seems to go lost. In three NUDES, the models are looking straight into the painter’s eyes, establishing a contact with the spectator that animates the tour of the exhibition.

Patrick Dalli Biography

Malta deserves better

The headlines from yesterday's news: the President of the Republic has asked the Constitutional Court to evaluate whether the European Constitution complies with the country's Constitution; minimum wage to be lowered to motivate employment; the Prime Minister to explain to Parliament where he got the money to buy his expensive new home; moves to document migration in the region; praise for bold new tax reforms that will introduce a uniform business and personal income tax rate of 19 percent; Bill Gates visits the capital; authorities to double controls on taxi drivers; injured British tourist to receive compensation.

Most of the above themes may sound familiar to a Maltese audience but as you can see from this link they represent the highlights of the Czech news as reported yesterday by Prague radio. To some extent the Czechs are faced with similar challenges to us but they certainly have a different approach in dealing with them. For years, I have closely followed events in Central and Eastern European countries particularly due to my professional engagements related to the EU accession process. Having a part-time lecturing appointment with an economics faculty in the Czech Republic, I can continue to follow at close range the transformation of these ambitous countries run by a new generation of business leaders and politicians (the Czech Prime Minister is 35 years old).

In contrast, an old and tired establishment continues to rule these islands. The Nationalist Party, with many permanent faces and features, is now in it's 18th year of Government since defeating the Socialist administration of the eighties. While the transformation of Central and Eastern Europe has been boosted by a free and prolific media, real media freedom - an excellent gauge for democracy - still eludes this country. Most of the influential audio-visual and print media are controlled by the political establishment. And the content quality is not improving. The main story tonight on the Nationalist Party owned media was the false claim that the MLP intends to tamper with workers' wage bonuses. There is no such plan and it is puerile and childish to extract in such a manner from an anonymous document published by the party as one of the many tools for it's policy discussions. And PN journalists ( recently criticized by their own party leader) spent part of their day filming vox pops asking silly, misleading questions to the public. Instead of enhancing the development of our democracy, such behaviour prevents serious debate about urgent national issues. The Maltese deserve better.

Today's issues

In her popular column on the Malta Independent, Daphne Caruana Galizia revisits the immigration controversy and makes some poignant remarks about detention camps, court martials, the extreme right wing and the genetic origins of the Maltese. I wonder what's her take on the Prime Minister's handling of the Alexis Callus affair! She also expresses her feelings about the Church. From DCG's article:

How many priests have given a Sunday sermon about the Good Samaritan and there being no room at the inn for Joseph and Mary, as a way of illustrating what the true Christian attitude to refugees and “illegal immigrants” should be? How many priests took the trouble to explain that Christianity is very often in conflict with political expediency and the exigencies of survival, as they are perceived by those who live here and feel threatened – and that Christians often have to make a choice that might go against their personal interests? If any one of you heard such a sermon, please write in and let me know. All I have heard so far are complaints from those who were expecting one and didn’t hear it.

If the Church wants to become relevant – as opposed to playing the role of a controlling elderly relative who never dies – then it has to make itself relevant and speak to us about the issues of the day. We are no longer interested in what the Church thinks about sexual relations between individuals in whatever context, unless those individuals are priests and the boys in their care. Those are yesterday’s issues. We need to hear about today’s.

Beginning of the end?

Turning against old ways

Ariadne Massa's article about new research concerning the media impact on Maltese youth culture was noticed by a commentary blog today. The findings of New Zealand based Joe Grixti demonstrate that Malta's new generation is tired of the Maltese status quo:

Politicians and the Church have come under fire from young people who believe the two are "major exponents of the old ways of doing things" who fail to take their needs and interests into account. This emerged from research carried out by Joe Grixti, who examined how young Maltese consumers are influenced by broadcasting and assessed the impact of global and local media on the young people's culture.

The qualitative study was the subject of a public seminar held yesterday evening by the Broadcasting Authority at Robert Samut Hall, in Floriana.The findings have been compiled in a book-length report entitled Broadcasting And The Young Adult Consumer: Local And Global Media Influences On Maltese Youth Culture, which the authority will be publishing in the near future.

Dr Grixti, a senior lecturer at Massey University in New Zealand, based his findings on data from a series of focus-group interviews with 195 young men and women aged between 14 and 25. Many interviewees expressed impatience with the "old way of doing things", insisting that greater openness to new ideas, especially to those from technologically advanced cultures, was essential to Malta's further development.

The full article here.

Jumping the queue

Riana, an American living in Paris blogs regularly about the customs, regulations, red-tape, and joy of life in France. And in one of her previous side trips she discovered an effective way to getting her way while in Malta:

We danced like fools after dining at a fantastic Thai restaurant in Brussels tiny china town area. The bar that we went to was a benefit for the Tsunami victims and was sponsored by the European Union Commission (funny, since I pretended to be part of that group four years ago when Dean and I were in Malta trying to get private tours of the Maltese Hypogeum).

The Commonwealth in Malta

This November, Valletta will be the host of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The Commonwealth is an association based in London with 53 member countries representing around 30 per cent of the world's population. In an interview yesterday with Cameroon's English language newspaper The Post, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, discusses the prospects for the Malta meeting. He also spoke about the Tsunami, African politics and his optimism for the future. From David Akana's interview with Don Mckinnon:

We will have our leaders meeting in Malta towards the end of this year. I believe the leaders would want to evaluate what has been achieved in the area of governance and building human capacities. Now that we have got new means of measuring a country's status in terms of its commitments to the Commonwealth, this gives us the chance through what we call Latimer House Guidelines to ensure that Commonwealth countries see themselves as having power divided between the executive, legislative and the judiciary.

Malta to host Commonwealth Leaders meeting - the Commonwealth Secretariat

Coleridge, the literary spy

In his personal essay about language and identity, Trekteacher writes that he followed his grandfather's footsteps to study the life and works of Coleridge:

I grew up in a literary household—my mother was a nature columnist for the newspaper, and my father was, although an engineer by profession, entranced with language as only a British man of letters can be. My paternal grandfather was a don at Oxford for many years before retiring to Malta, where he continued to study the literary figure around whom I did my graduate work: Samuel Taylor Coleridge. My blue-blooded grandmother raised me in the appreciation of opera, Wagner specifically, and the Tolstoi and Chekov school of literary thought. I inherited, along with the slight intellectual guilt of a wealthy and scholarly upbringing, a sense of reverence for the language and the skillful use of words for effect, so it is natural that my graduate degrees in English are in rhetoric and language and that I take a particular delight in a well-crafted sentence. I know, after all, how hard they can be to create.

Read more from Trekteacher here

According to this profile Coleridge came to Malta in 1804 to spy for the English King

From Coleridge's biography in Wikipedia:

From 1804 to 1806, Coleridge lived in Malta and travelled in Sicily and Italy, in the hope that leaving Britain's damp climate would improve his health and thus enable him to reduce his consumption of opium. For a while he had a civil-service job as the Public Secretary of the British administration of Malta, assisting governor Sir Alexander John Ball. Thomas de Quincey alleges in his Recollections of the Lakes and the Lake Poets that it was during this period that Coleridge became a full-blown opium addict, using the drug as a substitute for the lost vigour and creativity of his youth. It has been suggested, however, that this reflects de Quincey's own experiences more than Coleridge's.

Corruption in Malta

GRECO, the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe, produced a report that examines the level of corruption in Malta. During their visits, the delegation experts met senior officials from the State institutions, judges, prosecutors and police officers specialised in the fight against corruption, as well as representatives of various national institutions and journalists.
The report includes a list of recommendations to make Malta comply more fully with the standards laid down in the Council of Europe texts on the fight against corruption. Malta should have reported to GRECO within eighteen months on the measures taken and was asked to submit a report by June 2004. It is unclear what the Maltese government has reported in terms of progress on the recommendations. From the report:

The GRECO Evaluation Team (GET) noted that Malta - a tiny, densely populated group of islands with a rich and colourful history - is more or less a ”closed” society, with strong links between its inhabitants. This can cause special problems when it comes to dealing with corruption efficiently. Indeed, corruption is normally a crime without any specifically identified victim. It might be particularly difficult in a ”closed” society to bring corrupt practices to the authorities’ knowledge. These factors also complicated the GET’s ability to assess the level of corruption in Malta.

The GET noticed that press articles and representatives of political parties – maybe also because of the strong polarisation of the Maltese society - expressed the opinion that Malta suffers from corruption, a serious phenomenon which is not dealt with by appropriate means and as a priority matter. The way to deal with the problem is to raise the awareness among the inhabitants about the negative results of corruption such as higher prices on products and services. The GET was also aware that a privatisation process had just started in Malta. Such a process often raises a risk of corrupt practices. It makes it even more important to raise the awareness among the public. The GET therefore recommended that the authorities raise the awareness among the population about the negative effects of corruption, and encourage them to co-operate with the law enforcement authorities in the investigation and detection of these crimes.

The Media and Access to official documents:

The GET is of the opinion that transparency is a very important tool to discover and fight corrupt practices. Therefore, the GET recommended the Maltese authorities inform/train the public and public officials about the conditions required to obtain access to documents and files
held by the local and state authorities.

GRECO addressed the following recommendations to Malta:

i. that the authorities raise the awareness among the population about the negative effects of
corruption, and encourage them to co-operate with the law-enforcement authorities in the
investigation and detection of these crimes;

ii. to strengthen the training of the Police investigative skills, putting emphasis in specialised
and regular training in the field of corruption;

iii. that the Maltese authorities consider legislation giving Police the authority to seek and
obtain wiretaps in the investigation of at least serious corruption offences, empowering the
judicial authority to authorise wiretap, and making wiretap evidence admissible in court, in
the light of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Moreover, it should be
made clear to all authorities involved in the investigation of corruption that wiretap evidence
is, under certain conditions, admissible evidence in court;

iv. that the oversight of the Department of Customs at the Freeport continue to be enhanced,
thereby discouraging corruption and other potential criminal activity within the Freeport;

v. to ensure an appropriate oversight of the exercise of licensing powers of the Local
Councils;

vi. that the local wardens undergo regular training with regard to corrupt practices;

vii. to use the Commission for the Administration of Justice in its advisory capacity on
appointments to the posts concerned in the Judiciary, thus contributing to the objectivity of
appointments;

viii. to offer specialised training for members of the Judiciary and the AG’s Office in economic
and financial matters and to introduce a particular in-service training programme, including
for the fight against corruption;

ix. that, in cases of corruption, where the Commission for the Administration of Justice
recommends dismissal, the decision be made known to the public, and in cases where the
Commission does not recommend dismissal, the complainant is made aware of this
decision; it also recommended that the Commission makes appropriate changes to the
Code of Ethics for the judiciary when the cases before it so warrant;

x. that when granting a certificate exempting a person from criminal proceedings, as provided
for by law, such decision should be motivated, given in written form, be included in the file
and, to the extend possible submitted to public scrutiny;

xi. that as a general rule, cases of corruption committed by certain categories of persons,
such as police officers or members of the judiciary, should be in the exclusive competence
of the Criminal Court;

xii. that the Maltese authorities consider the opportunity to establish a system of co-ordination
between existing institutions responsible for the fight against corruption;

xiii. that the PCAC: i) be empowered to make use of means of compulsion; ii) be given the
possibility to appoint, on its own capacity, persons with special knowledge when it is
necessary to assist the PCAC in its investigations; iii) publish the results of its
investigations on its own, without prejudice to pending Court proceedings; and iv) be
empowered to present its reports before Parliament;

xiv. the introduction of a more independent procedure/authority when it comes to dealing with
public procurements and tenders;

xv. that the Maltese authorities inform/train the public and public officials about the conditions
required to obtain access to documents and files held by the local and state authorities.

Moreover, GRECO invites the authorities of the Republic of Malta to take account of the
observations made by the experts in the analytical part of this report. Finally, in conformity with article 30.2 of the Rules of Procedure, GRECO invites the authorities of the Republic of Malta to present a report on the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations before 30 June 2004.


The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption - 1st Evaluation of Malta dec 2002- Full report

Related internet resources

From Yalta to Malta

Fifty years ago today, the US President and the British Prime Minister met in Malta to prepare for their meeting with the President of the Soviet Union. It is rumoured that Malta was chosen as the location for the summit in 1989 between the US President Bush and Soviet President Gorbachev because it ryhmes with Yalta. Many Americans speak of Yalta to Malta when they refer to the Cold War period. From 'This day in US military history' blog:

2 February 1945
President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill departed Malta for the Yalta summit with Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

The Yalta Conference February 1945 - Wikipedia

'From Yalta to Malta' on CNN

Transcripts from the Malta Summit in 1989

'Europe in the post Yalta era' from The Nation

Alfred Buhagiar

It has been a truly stressful new year for the Malta Trade Union Confederation (CMTU) President Alfred Buhagiar who died suddenly around an hour ago. Mr Buhagiar, who has been representing trade unions in difficult ongoing marathon talks with Government, collapsed with a heavy heart attack in a Valletta establishment. Formerly a long standing President of the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT), he was upset by their recent decision to break away from the Confederation. The Malta Bankers Union was also reviewing it's membership within CMTU stating that it was not happy with the way CMTU represented it's members in the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development. This week he was caught in the crossfire between the Government and the powerful General Worker's Union. A highly respected educator and accomplished trade unionist, Mr Buhagiar will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues.

Listen here to Alfred Buhagiar speaking about a recent Government budget

Don Corleone in poetry

Grantly Marshall impressed his audience on Monday with his memorized poetry that he recited with great effect. The poetry evening at the busy Manoel Theatre, one of a series of monthly meetings convened by PoezijaPlus, was dominated by the powerful voice of the American born artist. The following poem was recited especially for the evening and Marshall kindly offered to put it to paper and send it to Wired Temples. It is inspired by the colourful artistic director of the Manoel Theatre, Tony 'Don Corleone' Cassar Darien. Other poems by Marshall can be read here via his website.

A POETRY EVENING IN MALTA

You can’ t shake its whispers, soft words of seduction
Which enter your soul when you step on its shores.
Firm footsteps of history from shoreline to shoreline,
The excitement, the power of the bull as it gores.

Its theatre once built by the Knights of the Order,
Whose doors never close and whose lights never dim.
Its leader, director a man of great stature,
The Don Corleone of literature and hymns.

One snap of his fingers moves all the world’s mountains,
One glance from his eyes makes or breaks great careers.
And so when he asked me to join in his madness,
I plunged to the sharks in a dance with my fears.

I dug in my past for my poems most pleasing,
Strange moments of pain or of pleasure or both.
Descriptions of feelings I’d long since forgotten,
Events which exalted and stunted my growth.

My pride stood above just a plain, simple reading,
So I rearranged time to adjust to my needs.
I memorized all of my poems, my children,
And rescued these flowers from the grasp of wild weeds.

My friends felt rejected, my girl friend soon left me,
Her importance was dwarfed by this moment of fate.
Controlled by an army protective and threatening,
With orders to kill if I broke this blind date.

The moment arrived lead by Don Corleone,
Would I dance with the stars, hide with shame in my bed?
I waltzed through the evening, felt my power, my triumph,
Reversed all the negative thoughts in my head.

Time altered these roses to bars of a prison,
Which blocked me from planting the simplest of seeds.
Alone and abandoned I rot in the darkness,
A flash in the pan much too weak to succeed.

Malta, January 29, 2005

Copyright Grantly Marshall
The American Drama Group - Europe
www.adg-europe.com

Ten lessons from Don Corleone

The Third Space

An entry in this weblog about the defunct Voice of the Mediterranean radio station, has attracted the attention of a writer based in the United States. A member of the media industry in San Francisco, California featured the story on her blog 'The Third Space':

This posting is both a story I found amusing involving Maltese-Libyan relations and a missing radio station (VOM) as well as an introduction to a new Mediterranean blogger who has graced our presence. Welcome to Wired Temples from Malta, a lovely island between Sicily and Tunisia that has been a stopping point for many Libyans traveling to or from Libya. I was reminded to make the introduction by Highlander's last post on her own blog.

WIRED TEMPLES - Malta on the Web: Government inefficiency Part 1

Read an impressive memorial to Edward Said from 'The Third Space'

The Pope's decline

News has emerged that the head of the Catholic Church is in hospital with serious breathing problems. The frail Pope John Paul II has been ill for a few days and has cancelled all his appointments. The London Times reports that "jostling for position in the next conclave to choose a new Pope has intensified during the Pope’s decline, with cardinals divided over whether to choose a Pope from the Third World or revert to type and elect an Italian pontiff".
Independent of who is king in the Vatican, Catholic Long Islander Gen X Revert hopes that Malta can make the Catholic case inside the European Union:

From Seattle Catholic comes news that the White House snubbed Rocco Buttiglione possibly to please "old Europe" on behalf of the State Department. Although this may just be Robert Novak's conjecture, it is worrisome. The EU is doing everything it can to forget its Christian heritage and to push the religion of secular humanism.

We Catholics should hope Malta can continue to fight the good fight within the EU. The small island nation is mostly Catholic and abortion is illegal. This does not sit well with the "old Europe types" in the EU but Malta so far has been able to stick up for itself. Hopefully, "new Europe" countries such as Poland will be able to remind the EU of the Catholicism that is at the heart of its history.

Pope John Paul II from Wikipedia

Information resources on the papacy of John Paul II

Pope thanks Malta over Europe from Catholic World News

Corto Maltese

Camila Medina in her cinema focused Portugese blog today writes about the French film based on the fascinating adventures of the 'Corto Maltese' , the fictional sailor born in Malta. I discovered the Corto Maltese years ago at a cartoons exhibition while attending a student conference in Brussels. Within days I had devoured all the Corto stories. The character created by Italian writer Hugo Pratt is very popular in France, Belgium and Italy but virtually unknown in his 'native' country (and in the anglo-saxon world) where children are usually restricted to reading books that are popular in the UK (thankfully Malta has it's own children's literature author Trevor Zahra). Maltese audiences have been deprived of the exploits of this open minded treasure-hunter and risk taker for far too long. Maybe one of the new crop of Maltese translators could be commissioned to take up the challenge! This Valletta born son of a British sailor and a Spanish gypsy travelled the world without prejudice to national, ideological and religious boundaries. He could be the ideal hero for our times! About Pascal Morelli's Corto Maltese film from the French cultural website Plume-Noire:

If you're not familiar with Hugo Pratt's universe, if you only swear by the jokes of the Dreamworks' ogre, Miyazaki's dreamlike princesses, or Disney's Christmas "ornaments", then carry on. This adaptation of the adventures of Corto Maltese, a mythical figure of comics, risks disappointing the neophytes. This ecstatic dive into a universe set halfway between history and romantic poetry cannot be compared to current animated productions and is intended for sensitive souls in the audience.

The first adventures of the gentleman sailor (born in 1877 in Malta) started in 1905 in the album la Jeunesse. The son of a British officer and a Spanish gypsy, Corto is not only crossing the path of future great historic figures, from Jack London to Joseph Stalin (then called Djougatchvili) and Butch Cassidy. This is one of Pratt's brilliant tricks, making his hero credible by giving him a life, an existence, a body and a soul by anchoring his adventures in History.

The adventure brought to the big screen is inspired by one of his best books, Corto Maltese in Siberia. The gentleman pirate is entrusted for a mission by a Chinese secret society, the Red Lanterns: to seize gold being transported on a train through the snowy steppes of Manchuria and Mongolia. Set in the background of the Russian Revolution of 1919, with an abundance of fights between Bolsheviks and Imperial troops, Corto searches for the treasure. In the process he meets his accomplice and negative alter ego Rasputin, the young and beautiful revolutionary Changaï Li, as well as Jack Tippit, an officer of the United States Air Force and the suspicious duchess Marina Seminova.

Corto Maltese - Wikipedia

Pictures of Corto Maltese

World without Corto - an essay by Igor Stiks translated by Elizabeta Bakovska

Trevor Zahra: Diary and Interview

Cross-cultured Malta

German ethnographer Gerold Gerber visited Malta a number of times to collect data with a view to study the Maltese identity question. He has a particular interest in Malta's Arab heritage, the shipyards culture and political intervention on the island. In association with the European University Institute in Florence and the University of Konstanz in Germany, he presented the results of his studies at the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) Conference in Copenhagen, 14-17 August 2002. From Gerold Gerber's paper:

All people are increasingly stuck between inside and outside. I therefore propose Malta as an attractive case for our reflections on hybrid identities and methodology. Yet, to look at the Maltese as ‘halfies’ is not self-evident, at least not for Europeans. According to the official Maltese policy vis-à-vis the European Union, to what the Maltese tell the tourists who visit their islands, and to what we learn from the scientific literature written by Western scholars, the Maltese are “100 percent Europeans”, not hybrid and ambivalent. “That we are European is now a fact of life”, writes, for instance, Godfrey A. Pirotta (1994:111).

The word ‘now’, of course, is an indication that this has not always been the case. To defend the suggestion that the Maltese exist ‘betwixt and between’ various categories and identities (V. Turner 1967), in particular between Europe and the Arab world, we have to go into the story of my somewhat unusual encounter with Maltese society via Malta Drydocks...

The biggest surprise, however, came when I realised that, despite of all that, Malta’s Arab and Islamic heritage, and what the Maltese make of it, has never been a topic of social research. The dominant view among intellectuals, both in Malta and abroad, suggests purity and coherence, not ambivalence and hybridity. Consequently, to raise the Arab question at all has to be seen as an exception in the literature.[10] The fact that I studied Maltese society in the “Three Cities” - the name simply being the translation of Tripoli into English by the way -, and not in Sliema, Valletta, or at the university in Msida, made me aware that the Arab heritage plays a role in Malta. Yet, I wasn’t sure what kind of role.


'Interviews as cross-cultural encounters in Malta' - Read the full paper by Gerold Gerber here (with bibliography and notes)

Anthrobase - Searching for anthropological texts

Wikipedia - Anthropology Basic topics

A lawyer's report

Max Ganado writes for the British lawyer.com website about new challenges and opportunities in Malta:

The common experience of nations acceding to the EU is an avalanche of new legislation. Malta is no exception. Although preparations have been in progress for more than 10 years, at least since 1993, it was inevitable that more should have been done by 1 May 2004. Fortunately, the main legislative infrastructure was already harmonised to EU law and so the financial services industry did not have to go through great adjustments. Of the 14 acts of parliament passed in 2004, only two were enacted to comply with EU requirements.

Little Malta in Sri Lanka

Joe from Canada set up a Sri Lanka reconstruction blog dedicated to sharing ideas for reconstructing communities in the coastal South East Asian country devastated by the Asian Tsunami. He has blogged about the village reconstruction project near Hambantota financed by Maltese money:

Each of the houses will be given a name of a Maltese or Gozitan town or village. By hanging a small plaque on each saying that the houses were built with Maltese donations it is hoped that once the Maltese mission in Sri Lanka draws to a close a little piece of Malta will be left behind permanently, a reminder of how a tiny nation like Malta can still have a huge heart.

'Little Malta takes shape in Sri Lanka' - from the International Red Cross

Malta Red Cross appeal

EU member states reactions to Tsunami disaster