Bev's Blog

Beverley Oliver from Western Australia who blogs here is in Malta on a working holiday. Her first impressions of Malta: 'It is fabulous, so old, so crowded so ramshackle, so dusty, so steeped in history. I arrived Sunday night just on dark and was smitten.' Before her conference started, she found the time to visit Valletta which she found fascinating: 'It is an old, ancient--walled city built by the Knights. They built the city is such a way that tall buildings supply shade to narrow streets, and the streets run in long straight lines so the whole area gets the coastal breeze.' From Bev's Blog:

Early this morning-yes, 8am! I heaved myself and baggage onto a local Bentley bus (these also came with the knights, I think) and rumbled along with the locals for about an hour to a bay in the northwest corner of Malta called St Paul's Bay. Apparently he was shipwrecked here and lingered on to make many Christians before resuming his travels (why isn't there an Epistle to the Malteesers in the Bible?). Anyway this is package tourism deluxe and I am now staying at the Faulty Towers of Malta. Don' be fooled by those tab photos: my room wasn't ready for hours, no luggage brought up until several hours later. But these are minor annoyances; there is also no running water... So having had a dip in the pool between conference sessions of course. I am now sitting patiently waiting to have a shower. Even a wash would be good. I suspect these giant hotels are slapped up and who knows or cares, what works! Anyway, it does not really bother me-all part of the fun. I have a lovely balcony, a view of the Med, a nice room and so on...

Maltese culture in New York

Daniel Vella is an architect living in New York and the promoter of a museum known as La Cour des Boucliers located in the town of Piermont, New York. The museum, designed by Vella, is dedicated to the Crusades, the Order of St John and the history and culture of Malta. In this letter to The Times he is calling for the collaboration of other Malta based artists. From the Times:

The building is a work of art in progress. The facade has been created in the Norman-style architecture with details adapted from the houses at Mdina. The building is now being covered with cremo marble and travertine. Inside there are various halls with mosaic floors commemorating periods in Maltese history. The coffered ceilings consist of oil paintings of the coats-of-arms of the Maltese nobility and there are in addition 29 oil paintings of the emblems of the renaissance popes.

I am an architect and I have designed and financed the entire works and created all of the mosaics. These have been unveiled by prominent persons. Both President Emeritus Guido de Marco and President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici have visited the museum. I have commissioned full-size portraits of the Grand Masters of the Order of St John. At present I have an excellent artist who has produced four paintings in four years for my collection meant to comprise over 70 portraits.

I am now seeking additional Maltese artists to speed up the results so that I can start to hold historical exhibitions. I will be in Malta until July 16 and I would like artists to personally contact me at the Grand Hotel, Mgarr, Gozo, where I am staying. I shall meet them so that I may commission the balance of the works accordingly.

The Great siege of Malta and the Knights of St John - Exhibition in Valletta

Torture committee on working visit

A delegation of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) visited Malta last week to investigate the treatment of irregular immigrants in Malta. It was the Committee's fifth visit to Malta. From the Council of Europe website:

The main purpose of the visit was to follow up the implementation by the Maltese authorities of the recommendations made by the CPT concerning the detention centres for foreigners visited in January 2004. The delegation also sought information concerning the enquiry ordered by the prime Minister, Mr Lawrence GONZI, into incidents at Safi Barracks in January 2005.

In the course of the visit, the delegation held meetings with Tonio BORG, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, Judge Franco DE PASQUALE, who has been entrusted with the above-mentioned enquiry, and Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta. In addition, it met a number of senior officials from the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, as well as from the Armed Forces.

In the middle of immigration woes - Wired Temples

Cleaning up

Martin left Innsbruck, Austria to live and work in Malta for at least a year. He has been staying in St Paul's Bay for over a month and has been consistently blogging here about his observations of Maltese society and his unusual discoveries around the island. In one post he draws comparisons with Ireland ( where he also lived) on the issue of litter and general cleanliness. He will be relieved to know that new legislation announced yesterday will introduce eco-wardens and hefty fines for littering as from January. From sefekht.com:

I keep drawing comparisons between Ireland and Malta, and I have another one today: Litter. Ireland s streets and countryside became so dirty and littered that at one point the business association put up adverts all over the country, but especially at the airports and seaports. They said, Welcome to Ireland. Sorry about the litter, and things like that. This embarrassment caused the Irish government to fast-track some legislation that had been in hibernation, which introduced new litter warden positions and powers, and they introduced a tax on plastic bags, which were so populous that some said that they were the symbol of Ireland. No tree was to be found without the plastic fruit caught in it s branches.

Malta desperately needs legislation and wardens with power. I would have to vote Malta the dirty streets capital of Europe. Not that I ve been all over Europe, but I was recently in a Czech town called Cesky Krumlow (which I can thoroughly recommend visiting), and the contrast is stunning between any place in Malta and that town. It s the cleanest place I ve ever been. There wasn t one item of litter to be seen. Not on the streets, not in the parks, not in the river. By contrast, Malta has dirty streets, dirty countryside, dirty seas...

Malta has so many qualities that it s sad to see poor government and lazy attitudes spoil what could be a much nicer place. Other ways that Malta is like Ireland in the early 80s: small expensive shops; poor services; unregulated building; lots of back door dealing; prominence of religion. But then there s also so much modernity too. There are places where the service is excellent. There are new cars on the streets. The internet connection is on a par with the UK (and better than Austria and Ireland). But, together, it s quite a mixture. You walk along broken footpaths, enter a very old shop with dusty food tins on the shelf, and have to jump out of the way of inattentive drivers.

First day in Malta; Maltese workmanship; Gozo and Mdina

Maltese transgressions

Following last month's publication of his poetry book, KM, Immanuel Mifsud is now launching his long awaited collection of short stories, Kimika. The book will be launched this Thursday at the Razzett l-Antik in Valley Road, Qormi, at 7.30pm. Today's Malta Independent reports that the book is "bound to create a stir mainly because of its controversial content, which some readers may find too direct and objectionable". Mifsud has just got back from Ireland where he launched yet another collection of his poetry called Confidential Reports translated by Maurice Riordan. In this interview with Malta Today Immanuel explains the disturbing nature of Kimika:

That book is very different from km, mostly because it centres on Malta as I see it today. It is a scrutinous peep at private moments of a number of very different characters, some very private moments I would say. Sexual abuse of minors features in more than one story, substance abuse, murder and other criminal acts. Kimika is not the book I enjoyed writing most because it gives a grim portraiture of Maltese contemporary life. There are themes which so far have not featured in Maltese fiction. I had no intention to shock but it seems that the book is quite disturbing, so much so that the publishers that had originally decided to put the book in print had second thoughts just days before it had to be out for sale. Now thanks to Klabb Kotba Maltin, the book will hit the bookstores this summer. Despite the acerbity of some of the stories in that collection there is still room for humour and satire, particularly aimed at the media...

Immanuel Mifsud - from Wired Temples

Blogscape - Maltese blogging according to Mifsud

Wired Temples moves to the MaltaMedia Online Network

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The other Maltas

Our Republic does not hold exclusive rights on the name of Malta. There are other Maltas hundreds of miles away. Apart from the town of Malta in the Southern Austrian state of Carinthia which I plan to visit this Autumn, there are several others scattered around the United States:

Malta, Idaho - A city located in Cassia County, Idaho. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 177. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 km²..

Malta, Illinois - A village located in DeKalb County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 969.

Malta, Montana - A city located in Phillips County, Montana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,120. It is the county seat of Phillips County6.

Malta, New York - A town located in Saratoga County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 13,005.

Malta, Ohio - A village located in Morgan County, Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 696. It is on the west side of the Muskingum River, opposite McConnelsville, Ohio.

Malta Bend, Missouri - A town located in Saline County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 249.

Malta Township, Minnesota - A township located in Big Stone County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 90.

Via the open resource Opentopia

Theories of life and death

20 year old Victoria is a student at the University of Malta and blogs at Vic-Tor-Eee-Yah. Her blogger profile states that she is easy-going and does'nt like to be judged or tested -"There is much more to me than what meets the eye. I always try to be friendly and unbiased in my thoughts." Inspired by the recent loss of her beloved grandmother - widow of former Maltese Finance Minister Guze Abela - she contemplates the 'concept of death' in her latest post:

I had a bad habit which I dont know how it developed, why or how it ended. I used to imagine my death scene. For example, I would be driving and my mind would run into an image where i swerved to the other side of the street and hit a tree. It happened quite often - say once a day. Then suddenly it never happened again. I never feared death. I was always into weird stuff and due to my father's work, I have grown in a surrounding where death was a normal event like anyother. Many of my extended family already left for the better world and I had to deal with death at a tender age. Death only affected me at the age of 18 where I created a phobia for driving. I already had two cousins who died at 18 in a traffic accident. I didnt want to be the third. In fact I started driving lessons pretty late and it took me ages to relax and drive. I still remember the day before my 19th birthday. I was sure that it was the last day of my life, then I turned 19 and I was soo relieved. lol. I laugh it off now because it is definately something unique to me - me and my crazy theories of life.Then I thought, am I the only one who thinks this way? Is there another fool that takes time to think on these ideas?

A reminder of Baghdad

Sam and Jenna's European Adventures offers an "insight into the craziness" of the life of Sam and Jenna who are exploring Europe from their base in Echzell, Germany. In this piece, they describe their Malta visit:

We were only home for three days before heading to the Mediterranean island of Malta with a group of Sam’s friends from his old armor battalion. Malta is actually a group of islands located between the coasts of Italy and Africa. The islands themselves seemed very dry and Arabesque (see pics) and the guys who’d been to Iraq said both the landscape and architecture reminded them eerily of Baghdad. This is understandable because many world powers have at one time inhabited Malta and claimed it as their own, and the Arabs are no different. The Mediterranean was an amazing deep blue and (although it was a wee bit cold) we enjoying swimming in several areas.

We also did some cliff jumping and sun tanning, so both Sam and I were happy. The rock formations were breathtaking and we even got to take in a local festival. The friend who organized the trip, Brian, is actually Maltese and he and his family own some property there, so we had the added benefits of a free place to stay, someone who spoke the language, and who could take us to all the worthwhile sites--not to mention some stellar company. It was a relaxing trip and I think it was really nice for Sam to be able to spend some quality time with his long lost amigos...

Research on Malta

RoMWeb, the research on Malta website is a compilation of social science research on Malta. According to the now dormant site it aimed to do two things: to present a comprehensive, up-to-date bibliographic listing of scholarly research published since 1990 on the politics, society and economy of Malta & to make as much of this work as possible available in full-text viewable form. Charles Polidano goes on to explain: Plenty of work in these areas has been undertaken, by Maltese and non-Maltese scholars alike. But it is scattered across several disciplines and a wide range of publications. This means that much of it is immediately accessible only to specialists, even though its relevance extends well beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries. Moreover, researchers in Malta can find it difficult to gain access to work published abroad—and vice versa! Hence this website..

Listing by subject; Listing by author; Related links; What’s new; Further information

An amazing day

Zaidman & Smith, travelling on the massive cruise liner Queen Elisabeth 2, stopped in Malta for a day earlier this week. From DanceMetaphor:

Valletta, Malta. The port was absolutely stunning, square sandstone buildings, brilliant sunshine and gorgeous blue water. We awoke early, arranged to meet up with some crew and caught a taxi into town. We ate in a cute little cafe, with cute maltese staff serving us. Quality food for the first time in weeks!! And then we met up with Francis the Mad Maltese Taxi driver. He took us in his mighty chariot.... a 1974 Datsun with vinyl bench seats, doors that flung open when turning right, no seat belts and 3 million kms on the clock!!! 50 minutes later we were in Golden Bay Beach. One of the only sandy beaches close to the ship.

Paul started squealing and jumping about when he saw the para-sailing and jet-skiing and there wasnt much stopping him. Off he went for his first ever jet-ski experience. You could hear his excitement from the beach, it was fantastic.We then hopped onto a 20 seater boat where the driver took us out of the bay and into another bay where we saw the most magnificent electric blue waters. We entered these fabulous limestone caves and took a dip in the clearest water I have ever seen. We moved onto these little alley ways of limestone with crystal clear, bright blue water and found another cave to swim in...

This is an amazing place, the QE2, it has gut wrenching lowes (literally) and exhilarating highs. Its a roller coaster ride, thats for sure. Our day in Malta will keep us inspired, happy and energized for the next few weeks. The next two days are at sea, then we are in Lisbon Portugal and then another sea day and back in sunny Southampton. After this cruise we do another short weekend cruise and then off to Norway again! Ahhh... we've been away nine weeks now... over the half way mark... its an amazing experience!!

Queen Elizabeth II berths in Malta's Grand Harbour

Reading into the side of the Visual

Geof Huth from Schenectady in New York blogs at dbqp: visualizing poetics about visual poetry and personal experience. In this post he writes about Brian Whitener's poem:

In "Bull," the obscuring photo is dominated by a rusting metal pillar, with the word "MALTA" scratched into it. The photograph seems not quite in focus at any point (the depth of field apparently ending in front of the pillar itself), and the central point of the photograph is a bit overexposed, almost obscuring the name "MALTA" itself. The photograph disrupts the flow of the words and seems out of context.

What could the point be of Malta? a Mediterranean island, where they speak plenty of English and a language descended from Arabic but written in the Latin alphabet.* But if we read the visible part of the underlying poem, we learn that it consists of jarring bits of text. Sabine women, green ducks, and plastic windshields are all part of this poem, and their dissimilarity is the point. The poem itself gives us hints: "frequent essential know[ledge]" and "it is therefore impossible." The poem cannot tell us what to think because the world doesn't allow it...

Birds of Passage

Lou Drofenik born Zammit recently launched her first novel, Birds of Passage, to Maltese readers at Dar l-Emigrant. She emigrated to Australia in 1961 under the “Single Women Scheme” and has been living in Melbourne for the past 40 years. “It is a love story,” she told the Malta Independent on Sunday, “and the women are fictitious characters” but it gives the reader an opportunity to discover a bit more about Malta’s history and culture as it deals with complex migration experiences and describes what society was like in the late 19th century. The book is the result of ten years of graduate research on Maltese women. From MaltaTopics

The book BIRDS OF PASSAGE by Dr Lou Drofenik nee’ Zammit was launched at the Maltese Centre in Parkville on March 15. It is the story of five women who left Malta, a small island still gripped by the vicissitudes of the World War, to experience a new life in Australia. The book is a treasure-trove of aspects of social and political life in Malta at the time contrasted to life on the new continent. This is what the Consul General of Malta for Victoria Dr Clemente Zammit said in introducing the author:

To those who, as I did, knew Lou a long time ago in Malta, “Birds of Passage” is an apt description of her rather short-lived life on the island. I knew her as a child through my nanna Stella, who would later describe Lou and her sister Georgina as outstanding students, blessed with talents that belied their humble origins and that were beyond the reach of most of us coming from the same background.

In the kind of sheltered life we lived in those days – in the embrace of loving, tight-knit families – we were rather awed to learn in our teens that Lou and her sister were leaving the nest in search of discovery in a far away land. Little did it cross our minds that the move could well have been motivated by a desire, among others, for intellectual development. It seemed as if their leaving was an act of betrayal to a lifestyle in the shadow of the imposing basilica of St Helen in the village of Birkirkara. It was as if all of a sudden the narrow streets of the village had come to symbolize the drabness of social life in Malta still ravaged by the destruction of World War II...

Europe of misunderstandings

In this special feature on Cafe Babel states that "our linguistic diversity is one of our riches but, as the failure of the Brussels Summit shows, Europeans do not understand one another. The simplicity afforded by a single language is complicating the struggle for multiplicity." In this piece Lindsey Evans asks, Are you speaking my language?:

The Maltese start learning a foreign language aged 5, Finnish schools teach up to 4 different foreign languages, and 80% of Danes are fluent in another tongue. Then there’s the British… British kids lag behind in languages (EC) Multilingual communication is the oil that keeps the wheels of international co-operation turning, makes intercultural understanding possible and strengthens our sense of world citizenship. And it comes in pretty handy for global trade. People with language skills have better job prospects, better brain function and, if a poll of UK dating agencies is to be trusted, greater sex appeal and self-esteem. What better reason to become a polyglot?

Europe of misunderstandings - a selection of articles

Martin Belam's Malta

Martin Belam who blogs at currybetdotnet is "a new media geek at the BBC writing about search, the web, the media, politics, transport, the BBC, Walthamstow, football, music, and other stuff...". He spent a week in Malta with his wife and friends a couple of months ago. He has just blogged about his first days in Malta:

Malta Day 1: Valletta's bus station is a massive roundabout, the centre-piece of which is the impressive Triton Fountain. It's always disappointing though to see old buildings scarred by racist and fascist graffiti, which was the case with the stairwells that you climbed to get up to the higher level of the city...Our favourite sight in Valletta? A poster advertising a 'Rabbit, Cat and Bonsai show' which has to be one of the oddest combinations imaginable. How do you come up with a show like that - "Hmmm, we've got rabbits. And we've got cats. What we are really missing to make this a marketing coup is to add tiny trees"?...

Malta Day 2: Here we visited St Agatha's Catacombs. These rock-cut tombs feature frescos from the 12th to the 15th century, although they have had their faces rubbed off by later Turkish invaders to the island. There is also an amazing surviving rock-cut painted Christian Altar from the 4th century. I did find it strange that in several places the bones of those buried there were simply left exposed as a tourist attraction...The courtyard with the entrance was also adjacent to a school, so we also had the fun of being abused through the window by some young Maltese kids - good to see juvenile delinquency alive and well - and they weren't even wearing hooded tops so we could easily identify them...

The restaurant had artwork on display for sale, much of which depicted semi-naked women with 80's hair-do's done in a vibrant colour style aping charcoals. One in particular spawned the comment "She's got Tina Turner eyes" which became a catch-phrase for the rest of the holiday, and is now firmly on my list of titles for future m-orchestra tracks. They also had a really strange muzak selection in the background, which featured bland cover versions of a selection of dance and house tracks reproduced badly on cheap(er) keyboards, and an astonishing rendition of "Girlfriend In A Coma". Why on earth would you pick "Girlfriend In A Coma" as a track to make into a muzak version?...

Malta Day 3: At one point the bus got completely stuck going forwards and had to execute an insanely difficult reversing manoeuvre. Vittoriosa, although we didn't get to stop off in it, looked an interesting, if sad place. It was the site of Malta's dockyards, but many of the buildings and warehouses by the shipyard seemed desolated and beaten-up. It suggested that at one time it had been magnificant, but the disrepair was tragic to see...

Malta Day 4: A trip to Gozo

Shopping

The new anonymous malta blogger is unhappy with local shops and prefers to opt for online shopping. From Why are Maltese shops so terrible?:

Go to buy something, you'll find it's been lying there for ages. It's either something lying in a shop window, gaining dust and becoming yellow due to the sunshine (and we have a lot of that), or it's old technology still being sold at yesterday's prices. I mean you can shop online and get a cheaper deal within the EU... Even if you want to buy a DVD, it's often cheaper to get it from websites like Amazon.co.uk than to get it from D'Amato or Exotique. The prices are often twice as expensive at the local shops I mentioned, and you can't find anything different from standard hollywood fare and little else. Try to get a tv show dvd box set. You will get strange looks...

Sun, sand, beaches and studying

Candice is trying to concentrate on her medical studies:

In retrospect, this year has been a rollercoaster...mentally, emotionally... moving miles across the Atlantic and landing here. Malta. The island of sun, sand, and beaches, beaches, beaches. But I'm here to study, study, study... something that I painfully must admit, I did not do this year. I don't know how I managed to pass... that is if I managed to pass. I guess I'll find out in July. At least I know how much I'm gonna have to work next year if I ever want to step foot in a hospital in scrubs with scalpel in hand...

Exploring referendum results

A new Eurobarometer survey just published explores the results of the French and Dutch referenda on the European Constitution in an attempt to throw some light on why citizens voted as they did. The citizens of France and the Netherlands rejected the EU's new proposed Constitution - 54.8% against in France on 29 May, and 61.6% against in the Netherlands on 1 June. The failed referenda are widely seen as a turning point in the European construction process, which is also held up by disagreements over the Union's budget for the 2007-2013 period. This new survey demonstrates that the public across Europe tends to increasingly identify the Union with too much economic liberalism, and there is also a perceptible dissatisfaction with Brussels and a growing resentment to the EU's enlargement.

According to Eurobarometer, the majority of those who supported the Constitution were aged 55 or older (54% of all voters in France and 48% of all voters in the Netherlands). Among those who voted Yes, the most often cited spontaneous explanation was that the Constitution is "essential in order to pursue the European construction (France: 39%, Netherlands: 24%)

Among those who voted No, the relative majority of French citizens cited their fear of the Constitution's harmful effect on employment (31%) and the current status of their country's economy and the labour market (26%). Many French voters who chose Non also thought that the Constitution was "too liberal" (19%) or not "social" enough (16%). Among the Nee voters in Holland, the relative majority cited "lack of information" (32%) and they also cited their fear of a loss of national sovereignty (19%) or complained about the cost of Europe for taxpayers (13%)

In the Eurobarometer samples, 88% of the French and 82% of the Dutch respondents voiced their conviction that EU membership was a good thing. At the same time, while the French (along with the Spanish) widely support the notion of a Constitution for Europe being essential for European construction, the Dutch are far less convinced and most of them disagree

Overall, opinions on the European institutions are fairly negative: while 53% of the French saw them in a positive light, 61% of the Dutch respondents saw them in a negative light. Elsewhere in the EU, public support for the Constitution is on the wane too. In Portugal, a recent poll showed that 49.2% of the citizens would vote against the Constitution. Popular support for the Yes camp is decreasing in Luxembourg and Denmark. Both countries aim to hold a referendum on the issue in July and September, respectively. Some 57% of the public in Poland would support the Constitution, down from over 60% in May. Recent surveys in the Czech Republic and Ireland also show a slump in public support.


Read the Flash Eurobarometer reports: "The European Constitution : post-referendum survey in the Netherlands" (pdf – 829Kb) and "The European Constitution : post-referendum survey in France" (pdf – 555Kb); In Europe, division between old and new - Judy Dempsey for the International Herald Tribune writes that "Many West Europeans did not really absorb enlargement last year. Now, they are keenly aware of it, and fear the EU may be aggravating the threats of globalization by opening borders to cheaper labor and cheaper products."; Two visions for Europe; Immanuel Wallerstein on the ambiguous French 'No' to the European Constitution; From Wired Temples: A Pro-European NO?; Europe, Malta and the Labour Party; Alfred Sant writes To ratify or not to ratify; What the Maltese think about the EU: interview with the Malta Independent on Sunday about the results of the Eurobarometer report on Malta.

Top Ten Euro-cliches for journalists from Observer Blog - 'Malta is too plucky for words'

WoWonderland

A Maltese Smiths fan living in England blogs at WaWeasill in WoWonderland. He writes "Insib kull skuza biex ma nahdimx u biex ma naghmilx attivita' fizika. Sibt xoghol barra mill-Blata, kif isibuha xi nies, hekk kif kont ghadni kif niggradwa mill-Universita'. From his latest post:

..Dalghodu kont qed nikkorrispondi bl-e-mejl ma' Jurgen. Semmejna l-Grand Prix li saret fl-Amerka l-Hadd li ghadda, u l-farsa li nqalghet meta spiccaw telqu sitt karozzi biss minn 'l fuq minn ghoxrin karozza, minhabba li r-roti li kienu qed juzaw dawk il-karozzi li spiccaw ma hadux sehem, kellhom difett. Il-Ferrari ma ridux li tinbidel dawra minnhom biex inaqqsu l-velocita, u b'hekk perezz li lanqas riedu li jinbiddlu r-roti Michelin, spiccaw telqu dawk is-sitt karozzi li kellhom ir-roti tal-Bridgestone. Jurgen iccajta illi Xarabank kienu qed jahsbuha jaghmlux il-programm li jmiss dwar din il-grajja, pero rega' bdielhom ghax ma tantx kienu jgawdu vantagg politiku l-PN minn programm bhal dak. Allura hsibt x'kien jigri kieku t-tellieqa kienet fl-Ewropa. Missier Malta Ewropeja kien jezercita l-influenza fuq shabu l-Ewropej, Gonzi kien jirretifika l-istatut minghajr mistoqsijiet ta' xejn, u Tonio Borg, f'isem id-drittijiet umani kien idahhal ligi fil-kostituzjoni sabiex jissalvagwardja hajjet ix-xufiera - u tas-sigar li gew maqtula biex isiru dawk ir-roti, zied Jurgen.

The engine that rules the world

John Naughton, the Observer’s internet columnist, says that Google ( to whom we are grateful for Blogger) is set on global domination. From this week's Spectator:

Google’s business plan, like Microsoft’s, can be summarised in two words: world domination. In 1975 Bill Gates set out his vision of ‘a computer on every desk and every one running Microsoft software’. Si monumentum requiris, circumspice (as Christopher Wren might have said). Google’s declared mission is ‘to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful’. By this the company means all the world’s information. At the moment, for example, it is funding a massive project to digitise the entire text of the books in some of the world’s greatest libraries. When complete, a search will enable online perusal of any text that is out of copyright and selective browsing of copyrighted works (something that worries some academic publishers). In a networked world, Google’s role as the gateway to online information could give it tremendous power. We all know what power does to those who wield it. And if we don’t, a Google search for ‘power, acton, corrupt’ will find 205,000 relevant pages in 0.34 seconds.

Fighting AIDS with generic drugs

According to the World Health Organisation, generic drugs are "key to uphill AIDS fight". Ben Hirschler reports for Reuters from Malta:

Generic drugs hold the key to AIDS treatment in the developing world, although a target of getting 3 million people on therapy by the end of 2005 may now be out of reach, according to the World Health Organization. Hans Hogerzeil, its director of medicines policy and standards, said around half of those on AIDS drugs in poor countries were taking generic tablets, most of them made in India. Speaking at a pharmaceuticals conference in Malta, he urged the United States to work with the world health body to include more generics in its AIDS treatment programs, which currently mainly use more expensive branded medicines...

Malta can become a ‘pharmaceutical Silicon Valley’

Economist survey on pharmaceuticals.

Scream

Media students at the University of Malta produce an annual magazine called Scream featuring an assortment of Malta related articles. The project is undertaken with the supervision of the energetic cartoonist and lecturer Gorg Mallia. Eleonora Rose Abela blogs about Scream 2005:

Finally, after 7 months of hard work, meetings, coming up with concepts and generating ideas, the SCREAM 2005 magazine is out!!! This magazine is produced by 3rd and 4th year University of Malta students taking Printing Processes as a credit, lectured by Dr. Gorg Mallia. The whole class (around 70 students) was divided into 3 teams: Editorial, Advertising and Production. I was in the Production team (obviously :P ) and I have to say that I had the pleasure to work with such a team of talented students!! am delighted with the way the SCREAM 2005 turned out...being waaaay modern and different from the past 10 editions! ...

Gorg Mallia Links

No problem in Addis

Thea Demanuele currently working in Ethiopia is surprised to meet someone in the middle of Addis Ababa who happens to be familiar with Malta. From Thea keeps painting the planet:

This guy turns out to be a university student who is also a volunteer with a missionary, where Maltese come down to do missionary work. He is also very good friends with a well known Maltese lawyer who started a project in Ethiopia called ‘Ethiopia OK’, thus this guy comes down to Ethiopia every now and then with some Maltese to work on this project!!! I was amazed! I thought I was the only Maltese in Ethiopia (he he ironically enough, the guy told me that the lawyer also thought he was the only Maltese in Ethiopia)!! ...

The order of Malta in Ethiopia

Brad Pitt fir-Rotunda

Brad Pitt recently made an unannounced visit to Malta to attend a friend's wedding which took place in Mosta's Rotunda Church. Kullhadd reports:

Iz-zjara ta’ Brad Pitt inzammet mistura. Ma nghatat l-ebda pubblicità, tant li wahdiet kienu dawk il-mistednin li attendew ghac-cerimonja taz-zwieg fir-Rotunda, li kienu konxji tal-prezenza tieghu. Id-dhul fir-Rotunda waqt ic-cerimonja taz-zwieg kien ikkontrollat. Brad Pitt kellu jkun ix-xhud ta’ l-gharus - l-attur-kantant Ingliz Matthew Marsden li propju ftit tal-gimghat ilu, izzewweg lil tfajla mill-Mosta. Matthew Marsden iltaqa’ mat-tfajla Mostija waqt li kien hawn Malta ghall-gbid tal-film "Helen of Troy", li fih kellu parti ewlenija. Matthew Marsden kien iltaqa’ mat-tfajla Mostija propju waqt il-gbid ta’ dan il-film meta t-tfajla kienet hadet parti bhala zeffiena fost il-hafna extras Maltin li kienu hadu sehem fl-istess film...

Brad Pitt's trial of the soul - Wired Temples

Loving the English

This article titled Why the Maltese love the English was published by This is Lancashire last month. It argues that "in Malta everybody is helpful, even more so if you are English". Via Maltavista.net:

..Malta's history is entwined with its present. From the stories passed down about the famous battling Knights of St John to the modern Malta Experience state of the art museum and exhibition centre. The centuries-old ramparts of Valetta overlooking the Grand Harbour seem to go on and on. More extensions were added before each battle. If there had been any more warfare the whole island would have been encircled in stone! Even the famous orange bus fleet is being extended with a little help from traditional coachbuilding experts using modern chassis. There are very few beaches on the islands but they make up for this with fine hotels culture galore huge dollops of history more sun on most days than we see throughout July and . . . they drive on the left.

Pakdilpur founded by Maltese Capuchins

Sanil Michael SCJ , blogging from India, writes about Pakdilpur - the oldest parish in the diocese of Jhansi founded by Maltese Capuchin fathers. He gives an account of the history and the present day realities of the surrounding areas. From Sanil Michael SCJ:

If you remember well what happened in Utter Predesh in 1994, the demolition of Babri Masjit, and the killing of Muslims and Hindus and the river of blood that was shed... And the role-played by Rani Lekshimi Bhai and the fight against British are unforgettable part of the Indian History. The fort still remains there with it all proud and beauty. And to this place where we went for our summer village program... the next day we reached the Bishop’s house and in the evening we left for Pakdilpur – where we were assigned to live by the Bishop..

Pakdilpur is the oldest parish in the diocese of Jhansi. And it was began in the early 19s and still it remains, as it was build by the Malta fathers. In the early years of 20th century there came a group of Capuchin fathers from Malta and they started this entire diocese and this mission. Actually it was place was a jungle and there was a very big forest and only there was advisees (tribal people) living in it..

..And when the Malta fathers came they bought thousand acres of land and made use of cultivation and then they brought Christian people from a different place and actually according to the Bishop these were Christian orphans from a distant place. There are 26 Christian families in the village and they do not like to make any contact with other tribes or other people outside of their village...

In Malta with Ben and Jess

Ben and Jessica have set up a blog to record their adventures in Malta. They find something 'strange and new' each day and they invite readers "to stay tuned as the picture of Malta becomes clearer". In this post they review Malta's public transport:

The bus system here is actually really easy to use. We hopped on one of the orange and white Maltese icons on our very first day and got around easily for the first two weeks. All the buses (except for a couple of routes) go to and from Valletta, the nation’s capital. Right outside Valletta there’s a big round-about with the gigantic Triton Fountain in the middle where all the buses stop. If you need to get to the other side of the island, just hop on any bus, it’ll take you to Valletta, then hop off and ask somebody which bus goes to the other side, then hop on and you’re there. Way better than the VTA back home. It’s a simple matrix..

He was right. People just sort of form a congregation near the spot they expect the bus to stop. When the right route number comes along, someone sticks out their thumb like a hitch-hiker, and the bus slows down for the most part. But unless there’s more than two people getting on or off (or if the one person could be as old as two), don’t expect the ride to come to a full and complete stop.

Once you get on the bus, you’ll pay the driver the incredibly reasonable fare of 20 Maltese cents. You’ll see the name of the bus somewhere near the front, or maybe it’s the name of the driver. You’ll also see a picture or shadow-box of the Virgin Mary and a sticker of some other favorite saint, and everyone crosses themselves when you enter the freeway (although we’ll soon be discussing the Maltese version of a freeway). You’ll notice that nowhere in my narrative thus far have I said that the door closed. It never does. Maybe that has something to do with everyone crossing themselves...

Malta Public Transport

The Maltese bus system according to Shan's travel blog - Wired Temples

Europe, Malta and the Labour Party

The editorial of the Malta Independent on Sunday today calls on Labour Party delegates to vote NO at the forthcoming MLP Conference that will decide the party's policy on the ratification of the European Constitution. The decision by the pro-European paper to call for a NO vote is unexpected and will surely raise some eyebrows. Is the paper reflecting the growing cynicism towards the European project that is currently sweeping popular sentiment across Europe? Or is the paper's editor getting his own back on the Labour Party's administration (which is calling for a YES vote) over an article published last Sunday by the party's official newspaper? Whichever reason, the editorial makes a number of pertinent points that deserve 'a pause for reflection' as called for by Europe's leaders - a call from which the Maltese authorities seem immune. From today's TMIS editorial:

..the Labour delegates’ vote is the only way a section of the Maltese population will get to vote on such an important treaty. They will be the only Maltese allowed to do so, since this government of ours has decided there is no need for a referendum. It is amazing that just when Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic, followed by Sweden, Finland and Portugal on Friday, decided to postpone their vote, the Maltese papers had the Prime Minister saying, also on Friday, that Malta will ratify the treaty in July. What’s the rush? It is even more amazing that the leadership of the Labour Party is joining in this attempt to force the treaty down the throats of the Maltese..

This is one reason why the delegates of the Labour Party should vote against ratification: to join the many millions in Europe who are complaining that Europe is not delivering what it promised them, and us: a better standard of living, and an economy that can grow and grow, instead of wallowing in recession; who are complaining that the real EU is not the EU it should be; that Europe spends far too much time on regulation, and very little time in alleviating poverty.

If the Labour delegates vote Yes, they would be among the very few in Europe who seem satisfied with the way Europe is being governed – sad for the delegates of a party which, up until two years ago, was steadfast against accession. A No vote is also a vote in favour of Malta... for it is by voting in favour of ratification at a time when everybody else is consigning the treaty to the deepest oblivion, that we are turning Malta into a figure of fun Europe-wide...

To ratify or not to ratify - Wired Temples

EU scraps timetable for ratifying Constitution - Guardian

Marsa's Roman Port

Raphael Vassallo writes on today's Malta Independent on Sunday that no public enquiry has been held into recent infrastructural works he calls " the rape of Marsa’s Roman port". He writes that 'so far, no legal action has been taken against the Works Division for causing what has been described as “extensive” and “possibly irreversible” damage to a highly sensitive archaeological site... namely, the remains of Marsa’s ancient Roman port..' From TMIS:

“The Marsa site is one of very few sites known in Malta to contain substantial archaeological remains related to maritime and commercial activity from the Roman period. It also contains deposits that accumulated in the area by alluvial action from land and also by marine action. Both deposits contain substantial information about Malta’s ancient environment and climate... “The Marsa Roman harbour is also important as it is one of the few ancient harbours in the Mediterranean that still contain structural and environmental deposits, and therefore it is also significant on an international level vis-à-vis other Roman ports in the Mediterranean.”

That the area was potentially rich in historical remains has long been known by the authorities. According to the Museum Annual Reports, five Roman tombs were found in 1947 “in the field opposite the Civil Abattoir at Marsa.” That is, within 20 metres to the east of the Roman remains in question. MEPA’s spokesperson continues: “This implies that the area was one of intense activity. It also included burial sites and most probably a settlement, the location of which is still unknown. The remains that were recently re-discovered near the Marsa Canal had already been discovered on 24 January 1956, while government workers were digging trenches for the laying of foundations of the Government Technical College at Marsa.” The Museum Annual Report for 1955–1956 also states: “Systematic excavations will, however, be necessary to obtain detailed information about these remains...

Malta History; Malta Roman Times; Malta history links

Notes from Blighty - 'These are the things we'd alte'

The Sawpit is a blog edited by Ralph DeMarco with contributions by Chris Cobb and John Scott Lucas. Chris Cobb is a graphic designer and writer based in London. This week he posted this piece about Malta:

Malta is roughly twice the size of a major metropolitan city, say Washington, DC., scattered in towns and villages. It has a sun-scoured, hilly, Holy Land feel about it; the colors run the spectrum from eggshell to egg nog, all to do with the native rock, a kind of lithified mud typically formed in a river estuary. All the buildings are made from it. It bleaches in the sun to a blinding whiteness. It was pushed up out of the sea by volcanic activity and has been in a headlong rush to return, in a geological sense, ever since. Waves are eating its sandstone hem like mice..

It is a very Catholic island but they must let down their guard for the tourists who make up 40% of their annual income. Mediterranean toplessness is tolerated provided it is surreptitious. Were it not for the sea breeze the island would suffocate in its own exhaust. Many of its buses are British Leylands and Bedfords going back to the fifties and sixties and Malta bears the stigma of the true third world nation: if you abolished public transport the air would be cleaner. But in the end it is a Mediterranean climate, the natives are friendly, the beer is cheap and you can roll off a rock and dive among the fishes...

So the people may be heard

Former President of Malta Guido De Marco, who is now chairman of the Commonwealth Foundation, talks to Steve Mallia of The Times. Professor De Marco says that civil society's voice "is sometimes not heard at all or is heard as a murmur". From today's Times:

That is not to say he finds all aspects of civil society attractive. In a direct reference to the scenario in Malta, Prof. de Marco expressed concern that at times civil society reflected people whose unpreparedness led them unwisely to pontificate on issues. He also warned the Maltese to avoid provincialism, which was so obvious in debates on topics like the Eurovision Song Contest.

But there is no doubt in his mind that civil society can express itself. "If you look at the recent referendums on the EU Constitution in France and Holland, you notice that while representative society - parliaments, governments - were speaking with one voice, civil society was speaking with another. I think both have to be taken into account and this is what makes the Commonwealth Foundation relevant in its quest to give a voice to civil society."

Prof. de Marco does not accept the idea that the Commonwealth itself is a remnant of an empire dying a slow death and stresses the importance the need for it to provide a bond of friendship, common ideas and ideals. "The Commonwealth is a positive force. Its strength lies in the fact that it has few rules but they are felt."..

While he urges a cautious approach to avoid being over-run by illegal immigrants, he says an inhuman approach towards them is not acceptable...It is a question of striking the right balance and seeking the right balance is easier said than done. "Whatever is done should be done within the framework of the EU and our Mediterranean belongingness. These illegal immigrants have lost their sense of state and people have lost their sense of future. It is here where we have to galvanise public opinion. If we manage to do this, something may be done. As things stand today, there is a lot of talk from the international community but few tangible facts."...

Miriam Dunn interviews President Guido de Marco - Malta Today 2001

The Road to Europe - MaltaMedia special feature - President Guido Demarco addresses a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Valletta after signing the 2003 Act to provide for Malta's Accession to the EU - Audio webcast

Diminishing land

New blog Oht il-Gherf by Malta based Tsuchiko starts off with a critique of the Maltese planning authorities over the Kalkara valley controversy. From Oht il-Gherf:

The Kalkara valley dispute has been going on for years now. But MEPA is still resolute on proceeding with the rape of such a jewel. i've been trying to understand the logic but i realized they just don't have any. how can they preach about sustainable development when they really don't know the meaning of such a phrase? how can they come up with a programme to safeguard Malta's diminishing land resource, when all they do is give permits to build in areas such as the Kalkara Valley? I'm not the only one to be disappointed by the way things are heading, thousands of Maltese protest, write letters to the local newspapers, become part of NGOs....some even start blogging....just to make their voice heard, but do things really change? oh yes they do....but only for the worse. i think it's high time for MEPA to recheck its priorities and listen to the voices....