The state of Maltese music

As part of the MaltaMedia 2006 Review ( a great way to look back at the ups and downs of the past year), Toni Sant looks at the state of Maltese music:

2006 was undoubtedly one of the most interesting years for music in Malta. The alternative scene saw a reunion for The Rifffs and the release of a relatively large number of albums, including the amazing Is-CD tal-iXtruppaw. Concert goers had a glut of local shows. The less adventurous were rewarded with great gigs by Sting, Roger Waters, Alan Parsons Project (at what used to be the Malta Jazz Festival) and Andrea Boccelli. Krokus finally played in Malta in 2006. Everyone else followed the ups and downs of Malta's entry to the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, which managed to attract the lowest number of points ever for a Maltese song at this event..

..MySpace was the place to be in 2006 for new internet-only releases by the likes of Grimaud who returned on the scene with You've Been On My Mind. I was very pleased to hear tracks from Mathematikal and Black Aura, but especially Bleed by Tears of Revenge, which has an unexplainable special something for me...Meanwhile, Chris D'Alfonso became the first Maltese artist to release his music on iTunes in 2006. His album Blueprints is now available from the iTunes Music Store. I'm sure more will follow in 2007.

Although I've mentioned quite a large number of LPs, EPs, singles and internet releases, I know I've left out a substantial number of acts who were fairly active in 2006. New bands like Żiżża Ensemble, Brikkuni, 8 Ugly, White Crimson and Putrid Birth, and singers like Carrie immediately come to mind. My feeling is that they'll remain active in 2007 and we'll be hearing new recordings from them. I will undoubtedly feature such recordings on my weekly podcast Mużika Mod Ieħor.

In looking back at 2006, we should not forget Maltese artists who live abroad. Marc Storace's Krokus released their new album Hellraiser and finally played live in Malta. In Australia, Andre Camilleri now has a new band and 2006 saw the release of their debut album. Joe Camilleri returned with The Black Sorrows and a new album entitled Roarin' Town. Paris-based jazz guitarist Sandro Zerafa released the White Russian sessions, while his mate, bassist Oliver Degabriele, continues to play with the Julien Diain Quintet between gigs with others, including Sandro Zerafa. In a parallel universe to the one I've been describing above, lives a phenomenon called the Eurovision Song Contest. Finnish monster rock band Lordi shook the Eurovision from its foundations this year when they nabbed the trophy that so many Maltese pop music lovers covet. I was not disappointed in my visit to Athens - made possible by Hamilton Travel and Vodafone-Malta - for what remains the largest worldwide music-releated television event, even if no one has ever disappointed Malta as Fabrizio Faniello did with his song I Do....

2006 Malta Technology Review by Martin Debattista; Other 2006 reviews here

At all costs

Bruce Ramsey, a Seattle Times editorial writer, reviews a book by Sam Moses titled "At All Costs: How A Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II" published by Random House:

This book by White Salmon author Sam Moses is the story of a British convoy sent to relieve the siege of Malta in 1942. It offers a slice of World War II action small enough so that the author can personalize the story through the key people who lived it — particularly two American merchantmen who were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Some historical background: Germany and Italy had an army in North Africa that was pushing the British back into Egypt. That army, under Erwin Rommel, was extremely aggressive — but only when it could get supplies of food and fuel across the sea from Italy.

The sea route was short, but it was within easy air range of British-held Malta. If the British could hold Malta and keep enough combat aircraft there, armed and fueled, it could stop Rommel, and buy time to defeat him. But Malta had to hold out, and in the summer of 1942, its shelves of food and tanks of fuel were almost empty.

To save Malta, Winston Churchill talked Franklin Roosevelt out of a tanker — a new, fast tanker with welded rather than riveted compartments. The Royal Navy organized a convoy of other merchant ships — our American heroes were on one of them — protected by British warships. The convoy had to go from Britain and Gibraltar across half of the Mediterranean and through the strait between Vichy French Tunisia and Axis-held Sicily. Nearing the strait, they faced torpedo boats, dive-bombers and Italian submarines. Churchill was worried, but he took the gamble. Mussolini was informed of the convoy, and knew the value of Malta to his enemies. He was also worried — and had to decide whether to gamble the Italian Navy's precious cruisers..

Moses also sets up the story of his two heroes with some detailed background, particularly on Frederick Larsen, an American who had a Norwegian wife and son stuck in Axis-occupied Norway. Larsen had a plan under way to get them out, and went into the battle not knowing whether they were safe...At the end of the book the reader wants to cheer as the shot-up tanker, disfigured by aircraft wreckage, ripped by bombs and taking on seawater, is dragged into Valetta harbor, its cargo intact. For the Maltese, it is a Roman Catholic feast day — the sort of day when one might pray for a miracle...

The Grail trail

According to legend, the Holy Grail could be hidden in Yorkshire, Glastonbury, in Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland or Malta. Lindsay Jennings writes in The Northern Echo:

..Everyone loves a conspiracy theory - a smattering of myth mixed in with our latter day obsession for a good old detective story. But while we have as much chance of seeing Elvis in Wal-Mart as we do of seeing Marilyn singing All That Jazz in Chicago, what about the Holy Grail? More importantly, what about the possibility that it could be hidden in Yorkshire, buried in a field for centuries at the spot where the secretive order, the Knights Templar, is said to have built a stone church?

The legend of the grail varies greatly. To some, it is the sacred vessel Jesus filled with wine at the Last Supper and passed to his disciples. To others it is the cup Joseph of Arimathea used to collect the blood of a dying Christ before fleeing to Glastonbury where it was guarded by his descendants for centuries. To thousands of conspiracy theorists and fans of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code, it is not a cup at all, but evidence that Jesus Christ had a child.

From the Grail's first appearance in an unfinished poem written by the Frenchman, Chretien de Troyes in 1180, some authors have emphasised the Christian element and others the mystical, with a smattering of Welsh, Celtic and Irish lore blended in. The grail could be at Rosslyn Chapel, in the Scottish borders, in Glastonbury, or even in the Cathedral of Valencia in Spain, which is home to the Holy Chalice, a 17cm-high cup made of red agate and dating between 4th century BC and 1st century AD. Yorkshire has not figured greatly on the grail radar - until now. .

..But Graham believes that, if the Holy Grail exists, then it will be under the site of the old Templar church, in a nearby field. We drive up to it. It is ordinary looking, a hill covered in grass and nothing more. "It's best to keep the exact location a secret because I know there are people out there who are obsessed with finding it," says Graham enigmatically. But this area has remained undetected to the modern day grail hunters so far. There is barely any mention of it on the internet, aside from the odd reference to its Templar connections. Graham says he heard about the grail theory through local people.

"There is a legend in these parts that it is here. One of the old guys, who died, talked about the field and what was there. You start to hear these stories and you wonder if there's something more to it." According to Graham, however, the land has never been excavated, and nor is it likely to be. "No one knows the history behind it. All we know is that it used to be the site of a Templar church on the outskirts of an empire on a pilgrim's route," he says.

We drive back to his home near Scarborough. Over tea, we talk about Dan Brown's book (pure fiction, he says) and the stonework incorporated into the modern church. Does he really believe the grail is in Yorkshire? He smiles. "Put it this way," he says. "As someone who's researched myths and legends, it's an ideal hiding place for the Holy Grail. I wouldn't be surprised if it was buried in the field. But then it could be in Malta..."

Clouds as common heritage of mankind

My former philosophy teacher Karl Borg has turned his attention to clouds and is campaigning to get clouds declared as part of the common heritage of mankind.

..People may think that Mr Borg is a head-in-the-clouds idealist but his feet are planted firmly on the ground. His idea harks back to Malta Ambassador Arvid Pardo's proposal in 1967 to have the sea's resources declared the Common Heritage of Mankind, a novel principle at the time, adopted by the United Nations and later enshrined in international law. "Think about it: clouds are important for many aspects from shade to rain. Clouds roam freely and know no boundaries. Clouds are not a mere part of climate, they are an important aspect in climate change. And what's more, they are still unclaimed and that's how they should remain," Mr Borg says.

The idea started taking shape around three years ago, when Mr Borg started living in a boathouse at Marsascala and became fascinated by clouds. He photographed them as they changed shape, colour and form. Mr Borg now looks at clouds beyond their geographical significance. "I started associating clouds with inspiration and my background as a teacher and my studies of philosophy and what I had learnt about the educational system killing children's creativity inspired me to devise a project to empower children," he said..

"Clouds are still unclaimed territory. Clouds travel and are the best ambassadors; as postmen they can carry good news to so many from so many," he said..."Through this project I am also trying to convince European Union institutions and the United Nations to declare clouds as a non-claimed territory - thus remaining as they are, belonging equally to everybody," Mr Borg said. The Shab project has been launched together with Ir-Razzett tal-Hbiberija but there is interest in it from several countries within the EU and the Commonwealth as well as from Russia, China, Africa, the Balkan countries, Israel, Arab countries and India...

Travelpod Malta

Writing on Travelpod, the world's first travel blog, Hunter and Cierra discuss their short stay in Malta:

..We used the extra time at the gate to make friends with a Maltese couple, who evidently liked us well enough, because once on the island, they let us use their cellphone to call Theresa, our new host, and then offered to drive us to her house. We happily accepted, and although their car was a tiny Peugeot, we somehow managed to stuff ourselves and our baggage in their backseat. Theresa turned out to be a very nice college student, and we had a great evening together, cooking up some rabbit (a Maltese specialty) and drinking a bottle and a half of wine. Theresa's Mom and sister were planning on arrival at 3 am (their flight was delayed as well), and we couldn't quite manage to stay up and greet them.

The next day we awoke late, and Cierra was hungry before we had wandered very far, so we stopped in the Wild Wild West Cafe and met Mario, a Maltese man with a deep affection for Americans and most especially American Country Music. Indian art and pictures of country stars were slapped all over the wall. Blaring the country music, Mario treated us like family and was so excited to show us the things that other Americans had sent back to him that we could barely eat our lunch. He was more than kind, however, sending out some peppered goat cheese for us to try (another Maltese specialty, from its smaller island Gozo), and complimentary glasses of wine. He also invited us to come to their Christmas Eve dinner, saying he would be honored to have us as guests. What a nice guy!

On to what we spent our day on. Here's a tip. When you go to a country that is surrounded by water and has a currency conversion that's against you by 3 to 1, don't book a one-way ticket. Seems like common sense, right? We did this knowing that we had to get to Tunis for our next booked flight, and believing that there would be ferry service for us to get there. Sadly, it was not so, and the flight for next week has cost us dearly. We spent most of our first day in Malta trying to arrange alternate travel, including talking to an affable Australian fellow with a yacht, but no dice. All the other ways would cost even more and take way more time, so we had to drag ourselves out to the airport again, buy the tickets, and bus back to Valletta. First time I've ever paid for airplane tickets with a wad of cash, counted out several times to make sure it was right. 154.88 in Liri, which is around $450, for a tiny hop across around 200 km of water. Sigh. Well, at least we got the tickets and there won't be any major disruptions in our travel plans.

We got back to Valletta, Malta's capital, around sunset, and couldn't face yet another bus ride, so we decided to walk back the 3 or so miles to Theresa's place. A great night for a long walk, and we stopped along the way for a sampling of some of the very cheap takeaway food sold from counters along the street. It mostly tasted like grease, but it cost 12 Maltese cents, so who cares? Malta is one of the most Roman Catholic countries on Earth. They're one of the 4 most densely populated countries as well. I believe this is known as "cause and effect". Malta has also turned out to be much warmer than the Italian cities just to the north, perhaps benefiting a bit more from the warming influence of the sea.

Malta's also one of the smallest countries in the world, consisting of just 3 tiny islands in the middle of the Mediterranean. Its central location gives it great history as a port, and a long list of conquests by various powers with varying degrees of success. The latest one was voluntary, as Malta has just joined the EU, and the money's already flowing in. New road works are in progress, causing the pokey, decrepit buses to run even slower. The buses have character, though, with each interior wildy different from the one before. Our latest ride was decorated with big Circus style letters all over the dashboard. The bus drivers are pretty comical fellows, almost all of them chain-smoking despite the "no smoking" signs plastered all over the bus. One fellow puffed on a pipe the whole time he drove. They've all got their favorite people along their route who they stop and exchange a few words with daily, to the great frustration of the drivers behind them...

In the Garden of Eden

Jacques René Zammit who blogs at J'Accuse writes a weekly article in Espresso, a new online journal created by green activists as a forum for debate about contemporary Maltese affairs. In his latest piece, Jacques says we are all wearing tinted glasses:

..What 9/11 really did is bring to the fore already existent differences. Suddenly the media was very interesting in highlighting "the clashing cultures" that had always been around us. From the veil in the street to the cross in the classes, everyday symbols of peaceful coexistence suddenly became symbols of oppression or rebellion. The "common man" in the street caught on - always eager to pin all his anger and frustration on some unknown "other". Because after all that is what post-9/11 man is all about. About the "Us and Them". We are on one side or the other. We would love to point our finger at the other side and say "That is not right. That is not how it should be. Is it?" And then go on to our evermore materialistic lives and blast the heads off the heathens on the latest Playstation issue of "Doom".

In a way we have all begun to wear blinkers. Or let's put it more fantastically - we are wearing tinted glasses graciously provided by the masters of the "Clash of Civilisation Spin". Truth is that cultures will always be different. Even nations on the same continent will have a diametrically opposed manner of looking at the same thinking. Take the noble art of pole dancing for example. The different cultures could even be reflected in the way we read the last sentence. To a Maltese reader, reading it with the fresh memory of the recent police raids in Paceville of all the gentlemen's shops, a sentence describing pole dancing as a "noble art" is surely pregnant with sarcasm. To a Norwegian reader, where the Norwegian high Court has just announced that pole dancing IS an art and that therefore it's perfomers are to be TAX Exempt, any intended irony is lost.

Take sarcasm and irony. They are two of the worst victims of the post-9/11 world. The long arm of censorship has ridden the tsunami of political correctness to the point of ridicule. Anything that may be considered "offensive" by "the other" must now be kept away and suppressed. The critical eye of the sarcastic commentator is now covered by the bandages of a twisted justice that is going nowhere. It is like a new Garden of Eden. We have always been naked but now we are aware of it and ashamed...

Victor Fiorini discusses animal rights activism

Xmas feature

Have a look at this year's MaltaMedia feature for Xmas:

For Christmas, MaltaMedia has prepared a feature packed with information about cribs and Nativity scenes, featuring recipes about the traditional calends, known in Maltese as rwiegel or l-Ghewejjed. Traditional Christmas food specialties are also available with recipes for qaghaq ta' l-ghasel and imbuljuta as well as free online Christmas cards. MaltaMedia’s free online Christmas cards have proved to be a hit yet again this year. The cards are still available on MaltaMedia’s Christmas Special Feature, showing images of various traditional nativity cribs from Gozo photographed by Joseph Zammit or alternatively modern Christmas images by Maltese artist Gattaldo. Maltese carols sung in MP3 format, as well as a webcast of traditional Maltese singing can also be found within this feature which can be accessed here.

Caravan

Nineteen months after it was first reported in this blog, a Bollywood film based on a 1996 immigration tragedy in Maltese waters, will be released in the New Year. From AKI News:

A Hindi movie inspired by the 1996 Malta boat tragedy, which claimed the lives of nearly 300 South Asian illegal immigants on Christmas Day will be released in the New Year. The film entitled Kaafila (Caravan) deals with the subject of illegal immigration and human trafficking and is said to be the first such movie of its kind in Bollywood. "It's a real thing happening in India and the world," said the film's director Aamtoje Mann in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI). "So many people are suffering from this. I believe in meaningful cinema and having real issues," he said. The Malta boat tragedy occured on December 25 a decade ago, when hundreds of illegal immigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh boarded the "Yiohan" in Malta to travel to Sicily from where they hoped to fan out across western Europe. But the ship sank in stormy waters, killing 289 of the around 450 people aboard.

"The film isn't only based on the Malta boat tragedy but all things related to this illegal activity," said Mann who read about the incident which made headlines both in Italy and in India.The movie, which has been described as a thriller, tells the tale of a group of people who make the journey to Europe illegally. The story focuses on how they fall prey to unscrupulous agents who force them to go into hiding in Eastern Europe for a period of time where they discover a new way of life. They continue to experience hardship along the way as they try to reach their final destination...

Guest blogging by Michael Briguglio

I would like to introduce sociologist, musician and green politician Michael Briguglio to readers of this blog. Michael, who has been blogging at Mike's Beat since April this year, will be guest blogging here tomorrow Friday and Saturday. Many know Michael for his rebellious campaigning in the nineties with Graffitti in favour of causes related to the environment, civil rights and social justice. He is also well known in the music world as co-founder of protest band Norm Rejection and as drummer of the versatile band Dripht. Michael also lectures sociology at university, is an elected representative of AD-The Green Party on the Sliema local council and is keen on Albert Camus, camomille tea, and football manager computer games. In the first entry on his blog, Mike had asked whether bloggisti are the new 1968 generation. The decision by Time magazine to dedicate this year's Man of the Year award to YOU is clear evidence of a new type of revolution taking place today thanks to bloggers around the world and activists of the information age. I wonder what Mike's views are on that.

Red Lights in Amsterdam, Neon In Malta

Thomas Basil in Baltimore contrasts the two extermes of 'Christian Europe' in the 'New Oxford Review':

It is sunset in Bugibba. Small tourist hotels and shops crowd a Mediterranean boulevard teeming with holiday-minded Europeans. Most are surely unaware that their vacation spot ranks a full chapter in the New Testament, Acts 28. In A.D. 60 a shipwreck here changed this island forever. The Church of St. Paul's Bonfire now stands in the boulevard's median strip. Here a serpent tried to strike down the Apostle Paul after he was cast ashore on Malta.

Malta is a remnant speck of Christendom off the coast of a post-Christian western Europe. Malta is home to 365 Catholic churches, roughly one for every 1,000 residents. Of her 400,000 citizens, 98 percent profess Catholicism and, more significantly, 85 percent attend Sunday Mass. The national flag is the feudal eight-point Maltese cross. Malta's state university trains future doctors and engineers as well as future priests. Public schools teach Catholicism as a required subject. Political debate is not over a woman's "right" to abort, but over a couple's "right" to divorce. Malta quaintly outlaws both modern liberties.

Before arriving in Malta, my itinerary took me to Amsterdam, where liberties flourish. In her Red Light district, prostitutes in underwear pose in storefront windows in shops directly opposite an obsolete medieval cathedral. Paid by credit card, prostitutes ply their trade shielded from onlookers only by a curtain pulled across their street-level window. Their professional status is secured by a Dutch labor union for "sex workers." Other Amsterdam sights included its airport's "meditation center," which holds a Sunday "multi-religious" service in a "chapel" devoid of any cross, but with a large arrow on the floor showing the direction to pray toward Mecca; and the suburban Amsterdam parish near my hotel where an elderly nun tallied Mass attendance for me as "about 15 on Saturday night; on Sunday about 100."

Malta's equivalent to Amsterdam's Red Light district is an area known as Paceville. It too is jammed with passersby in search of a good time. But absent are store windows crammed with either prostitutes or obscene sex toys. Instead, its stores include souvenir statues of St. Padre Pio and ceramics of famous Maltese churches. Paceville's most provocative storefront has shelves filled with penis enlargement, breast enhancement, and other hedonistic potions. A neon sign blazes the shop's name: "Made in America."

Andrew Sorokowski in Rockville, Maryland responds:

Having spent two weeks in Malta with my wife last June, I heartily concur with Thomas Basil's characterization of this island nation as a bastion, perhaps the last, of European Catholicism ("Contrasts in Christendom," Oct. 2006). I recommend Malta to all NOR readers who can make the trip.

There is one tragic historical incident that deserves mention. Having taken Malta from the Knights Hospitallers of St. John in June 1798, the French proceeded to persecute the clergy, loot and desecrate churches, and disband monasteries. But when they tried to auction off the treasures of the Carmelite church of Mdina on a Sunday, the Maltese rose up and massacred the French garrison, throwing its hapless commander from a balcony to his death in the street below. Today, you can still see the place where it happened, the House of the Notary Bezzina, in Mdina's Triq Villegaignon. In Valletta, Canon Francesco Caruana led the Maltese in besieging the French until, with British help, they finally drove them out in 1800. You don't mess with the Maltese.

Like their Baroque architecture, Maltese piety is uninhibited, demonstrative, exuberant. One Friday evening, we paused outside a packed Carmelite church in Valletta's Old Theatre Street, entranced by the lavish panoply of candles and vestments, the spirited song and ceremony. It was probably the most exciting thing going on in the sleepy capital at that moment. A woman thrust a Rosary into my wife's hands, entreating her to recite a decade whenever she passed an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is apostolicity: spontaneous and sincere, with none of the self-conscious formalism of parish outreach programs and greeting committees.

As Basil notes, Maltese Catholicism is threatened from within and without. The hugely popular Dom Mintoff, Labour Party Prime Minister in the 1970s and early 1980s, was an ardent anti-clerical. As for abortion, a student told us that with money, it can all be arranged, anonymously, though intermediaries: Just a discreet weekend trip to that great Catholic nation of Italy, less than 60 miles away...

Guard Duty

Giant Xmas log

Students at the Institute of Tourism Studies broke the Guinness World Record for the longest Christmas Log in the World, achieved in aid of Razzett tal-Hbiberija. From MaltaMedia News:

Students from the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) spent Monday baking away at an 88.44 metre long Christmas log in a bid to enter the Guinness World Record for the longest Christmas log ever made, as well as help charitable organization Razzett tal-Ħbiberija. The log took 165 kg of digestive biscuits to make, coupled up with a further 137.5 kg of dates, 55 kg of candied peel, 275 tins of milk, more than 19 bottles of brandy as well as 550 teaspoons of vanilla. The log, prepared by 30 ITS students over the period of one month, weighed 465kg by the time it was completed.
After being presented to the Razzett tal-Ħbiberija premises in Marsascala and measured by architect Joseph Zerafa Boffa, the log was cut up in one-foot (0.30m) portions and sold to local councils. Although most of the portions were sold, some remaining slices of the massive log can be bought from the Razzet tal-Ħbiberija premises at Lm8...

Focusing on minorities

Writer and teacher Maria Borg Vella has started a new blog here with her husband Victor. In this post, Maria writes about the theme of her book 'It-tifla tal-ħaddiem u stejjer oħra':

Din il-ġabra ta’ stejjer qosra fihom tema soċjali u għalkemm fittizji huma stejjer li niltaqgħu magħhom fil-ħajja ta’ kuljum. Jittrattaw dwar minoranzi u sezzjonijiet ta’ nies li forsi ma tantx nagħtu kashom u ġieli forsi anke umiljajna mingħajr ma nafu bi kliemna u bl-għemil tagħna. L-anzjani abbundanati fl-istituzzjonijiet u fis-soċjeta, il-marda tal-kanċer, ir-razziżmu, il-materjaliżmu, familji b’ġenitur wieħed, l-imħabba lejn l-annimali u l-festi Maltin huma t-temi ewlenin f’dan il-ktieb. Huma temi li nisimgħu ħafna bihom imma li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar ħafna drabi indawru wiċċna għalihom. Forsi ma nintebħux bit-tbatijiet ta’anzjani li qatt ma joħorġu minn darhom, ta’ anzjani li jgħixu weħidhom, ta’ ommijiet li li jafu li dalwaqt ser jitilfu l-familja, tal-ġenituri fit-trobbija ta’ wliedhom u ta’ nies li jħabbtu wiċċhom mar-razziżmu. Għalhekk l-appell għas-sensittivita tal-poplu u t-tifħir għal min jaħdem mal-minoranzi f’pajjiżna...

Fr Savio's blog

Fr. Savio Vella, the Archbishop's delegate for youths and chaplain of the Marsa Sports Club, has set up a blog primarily to discuss issues linked to the Diocesan Youth Commission which he heads. From his latest post:

After spending a number of weeks in Australia, I'm back in Malta! During my stay, my days were jam-packed with meetings with several people, most of which have to do with World Youth Day preparations. Here you can see a number of photos which I took... I heartily encourage all of you who have the wish to join us for WYD 08 to start saving money in order for this to be possible...as it will surely be an activity which will remain imprinted in your hearts and minds. In Australia, people are very enthusiastic about WYD and are counting the days till the Maltese contingent comes to spend a number of weeks in their homes and parishes. Till that time KDZ is keeping busy making the necessary arrangements for all this to be possible. More details about this can be found in the monthly e-newsletter issued by the WYD coordination team. They will surely keep you posted with all that you would like to know!

Nanny state road

With sentences like this, Malta is destined to go down “nanny state road”, writes Ian Waugh in London for TMI:

“I am so depressed about the future”. That’s my secret thought that seems to whirl endlessly around like an out-of-control spinning wheel. It clunks and rattles my brain on an almost hourly basis while I’m sitting here at my desk in London...Bad anti-social behaviour is never out of the news. Violent crime is raging. We are living on tender hooks. We’d rather walk on the other side of the street than risk the fear of coming in close contact. Yes! We are frightened of our own youth. They have taken on a self-imposed alienation with their hoods, their walk, their language, their interaction and their whole attitude – this is not culture, this is hell.

No, not beloved Malta – this is today’s UK...Great Britain has become that dark side of town – a ghetto of fear on one side and gross anti-social behaviour on the other. Bullying has reached a record, violent crime is at an unacceptable level, drug and alcohol abuse out of control, debt levels are ragingly high. There are whole areas of inner cities that are practically “no-go zones” after dark. But this gloomy scenario isn’t just being played out in good old Blighty.

Now on the tiny islands of Malta the newspapers and online reports are full of this festering, creeping disease. From drugs, to violence, to bullying. The difference between the UK hell and the current situation in Malta is simple. Immediate tough action is required to nip this in the bud before the germ becomes a full ugly, nasty, poisonous flower.

I read Francesca Vella’s article, Suspended sentence for teenage bullies (TMID, 9 December):“Five students were yesterday jailed for one month, suspended for a year, after they pleaded guilty to bullying a fellow student at the MCAST college in Corradino. Appearing before Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna, the boys, who cannot be named as they are still minors, were charged with bullying another boy by assaulting, threatening and pushing him to the ground with the intent of hurting him at the MCAST college in Corradino on 7 December and the preceding four months”.

A suspended sentence? With due respect to the learned magistrate, surely with sentences like this Malta is destined to go down “nanny state road” (we’ll meet you at the junction!). Nations live and survive by reputation. We are living the hell in the UK. Malta is small and compact enough to take short, sharp, seemingly painful action now. By taking this course, the jewel that we love and cherish in the Mediterranean will not dissolve into the crisis-ridden disaster that is emerging as Britain’s youth and the future of a once fearless nation.

L'ultima spiaggia è Malta

A report in Gazzetta dello Sport says AC Milan will start an intensive seven-day training camp in Malta on the second day of January:

Ancelotti punta sul ritiro di gennaio per svolgere la preparazione saltata in estate a causa dei preliminari di Champions. Dal 2 gennaio rossoneri sull'isola. Appena 6 punti in 7 giornate: la delusione dei giocatori rossoneri. Il quarto posto, più che un obiettivo, oggi sembra un falso problema. In condizioni normali il Milan non avrebbe problemi nel raggiungerlo, ma queste sono condizioni tutt’altro che normali. La classifica delle ultime sette giornate parla chiaro: il Milan ha fatto sei punti, un passo da zona retrocessione e allora la prima necessità è quella di cambiare marcia. Il quarto posto resta lì, lontano ma raggiungibile a patto che i rossoneri ritrovino compattezza, serenità, brillantezza, lucidità, precisione. In due parole: la condizione psicofisica. Da quando esiste MilanLab, mai i dati diligentemente raccolti e studiati da Daniele Tognaccini erano stati così preoccupanti..

Il 2 gennaio si tornerà al lavoro: raduno a Milanello a ora di pranzo, qualche test e poi il volo a Malta dove finalmente il Milan potrà svolgere in piccolo quella preparazione che è saltata in estate. "Lavoreremo sui sistemi di base che permettono di sopportare una serie di impegni ravvicinati. Insisteremo sulla forza e sulla resistenza; poi, in Italia, smaltiremo i carichi di lavoro e ritroveremo la brillantezza. L’obiettivo è entrare gradatamente in forma e tenere i ritmi alti fino a maggio per inseguire la Champions e il quarto posto. Per raggiungere i nostri obiettivi non potremo più rallentare".

Paying the bill

In a report in The European Voice (a publication of The Economist Group) about EU member states that must foot the Schengen bill, interior minister Tonio Borg offers to pay Malta's share on his credit card:

At last week’s meeting of justice and home affairs ministers, the UK and Ireland managed to get out of paying towards the cost of expanding the Schengen zone to the new EU states with the current technical database. Neither country is part of the Schengen border-free travel zone, although they do pay for the running of the technical system. The UK in particular was forthright in arguing that it should not have to pay for early expansion which would mean that it has to wait longer for a new upgraded database that will increase police co-operation. So although the UK and Ireland have arguably benefited most from the new states’ entry into the EU, through the influx of fresh labour, the new member states must foot their Schengen bill.

Malta’s Interior Minister Tonio Borg had no hesitation about coughing up his country’s share. He joked that he could put the €2,640 bill on his credit card there and then. That might have been a little tactless since bigger countries will not be let off so lightly – although final amounts have yet to be calculated, the Czech Republic will pay around €100,000 while Poland’s share could be more than €200,000, which is probably beyond the credit limit of the average ambassador. It was also inappropriate: Schengen is supposed to be a Visa-free zone

Blogging 'set to peak next year'

Blogging is having a growing impact on mainstream media and 'the blogging phenomenon is set to peak in 2007', according to technology predictions by analysts Gartner:

The analysts said that during the middle of next year the number of blogs will level out at about 100 million. The firm has said that 200 million people have already stopped writing their blogs. Gartner has made 10 predictions, including stating that Vista will be the last major release of Windows and PCs will halve in cost by 2010. Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer said the reason for the levelling off in blogging was due to the fact that most people who would ever start a web blog had already done so. He said those who loved blogging were committed to keeping it up, while others had become bored and moved on..

Last month blog tracking firm Technorati reported that 100,000 new blogs were being created every day, and 1.3 million blog posts were written. Technorati is tracking more than 57 million blogs, of which it believes around 55% are "active" and updated at least every three months. Gartner also predicted that:
By 2010, the average total cost of ownership of new PCs will fall by 50%; By 2010, 60% of the worldwide cellular population will be "trackable" via an emerging "follow-me internet"; By the end of 2007, 75% of enterprises will be infected with undetected, financially motivated, targeted malware that evaded their traditional perimeter and host defences

Steve Glossin's Watch List

WatchList is an unpublished Malta based mystery novel written by Steve Glossin featuring professional photographer Petra Wagner who discovers that she is related to German grandmaster Ferdinand von Hompesch and, together with her brother Peter, ends up a target of an international clandestine operation. Read an excerpt from Steve's blog:

..Peter and the Brits returned from Valetta. After promising to meet them for dinner he went to his suite. His heart skipped a beat when he entered the sitting room and saw the outline of someone in the chair before the balcony door. “Petra! You scared the hell out of me,” he said in German, in which they normally conversed.

His sister stood up and wrapped her arms around him. “That’s not the welcome I anticipated, but I guess it’s what I should have expected from my younger brother.” Peter stepped back after the hug. “How did you get here?” “I took a bus to Mestre and the next day caught a flight to Valetta. Then a taxi.”

“What I meant was, how did you get into my room?” “When I explained to the nice young man at the desk that I was your wife and you were expecting me, he escorted me to the room.” “It was that easy?” he said. “Almost. I had to show him my passport…We do have the same last name…I suppose the twenty lira I offered him helped…Now that the interrogation is over, aren’t you a little happy to see me? I did tell you that I would be visiting.”

“Yes, but your telling him you were my wife will be circulating around the hotel before the sun sets.” “If you’re worried about what the two Fräuleins will think, I’ll make things right.” Peter shook his head. “That was you I saw in Valletta! I called your name, but when you kept going I assumed I was mistaken.” “You looked like you were having a good time and I didn’t want to put you in an awkward position. Besides, I was surprised to see you and wasn’t prepared to be the long-lost sister showing up unexpectedly…I had a small problem myself.”

“What happened?” “Some jerk tried to run off with my backpack.” Peter saw it leaning against the chair. “I bet you kicked the crap out of him to get it back.” “I would have if I’d had the chance, but a constable found it in an alley.” “How long are you going to stay?” “Are you referring to your suite or to Malta?” Peter rolled his eyes and tilted his head back. “In Malta, sister!” “What’s happened to you here? The Peter Wagner I know has a sense of humor that only a major catastrophe could dent.”

Peter slumped back. “You might say that I’ve been through a few minor catastrophes. And a major one…I almost went to the airport this morning to catch an early flight back to Germany.” Petra leaned forward and placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “That sounds bad. I think it’s time for you to tell me about it.” “It started the day I arrived on Malta.”...

Read the first five chapters of Watch List here:

Legal Blogging

The EU Law Blog is a platform for students, academics and practitioners interested in discussing European Union Law. This entry discusses the Maltese translation of EU legislation:

A while back we posted something about the Irish language. You can see that post here. Now it is the turn of the Maltese language. According to Regulation 1/1958 Maltese is an official language. Then the Council adopted Regulation 930/2004 setting up a transitional period of three years from May 1st 2004 during which the institutions would not be obliged to draft all acts in Maltese. But it was also agreed that the Council would review the operation of that Regulation and decide whether it should be extended for a further year.

The Council has now undertaken that review and adopted Regulation 1738/2006 which decides not to extend the period for a further year. That means all new acts of the institutions must be adopted and published in Maltese from April 30th 2007. As for acts that have not already been translated and published in Maltese, they should be published in that language by December 31st 2008, according to Article 3 of Regulation 1738/2006. Has anyone ever costed all this ? It would come as no surprise that the cost of translating into Maltese - a cost borne by all member States - exceeds the GDP of Malta!

Chocolate and Chips

Inverness teacher Marsalidh Chapman writes about a Scotland - Malta partnership project called Chocolate and Chips which highlights healthy living:

"I was involved in the eTwinning project, ‘Chocolate & Chips’ which won a UK National award in 2006. As a result, I was given the opportunity to visit my partner school, Dun Guzepp Zerala Primary A in Malta and to finally meet Miriam Schmbri who I had spent a term working closely with on the project. Along with two other school colleagues, I spent a day at the school visiting the infant classes, meeting the teachers and children. The staff were incredibly friendly and were very interested to hear about educational practice in my school, Cauldeen Primary.
It was great to finally meet Miriam after months of communicating by email and to also meet the children who had taken part in the project.

My visit to Malta enabled me to reflect on the similarities and differences between the Maltese and Scottish education systems. Speaking with Miriam allowed me to further develop my teaching approaches to ICT within the context of eTwinning. Through discussion we were able to identify and address issues concerning the use of ICT with infants. I found the trip to Malta and the chance to meet Miriam extremely beneficial and a great conclusion to our e-twinning project. The connections and friendships formed will carry on into a further eTwinning project between our two schools this session."

UK eTwinning awards

Patents

Malta has joined the WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty, from a report by AG-IP News:

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announced on Wednesday that Malta became the 134 contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) when it deposited its instrument of accession at WIPO on December 1, 2006. The Treaty will enter into force for Malta on March 1, 2007.

According to a press release by the WIPO, the accession by Malta means that in any international application filed on or after March 1, 2007, Malta (country code: MT) will automatically be designated, and as it will be bound by Chapter II of the Treaty, will automatically be elected in any demand for international preliminary examination filed in respect of an international application filed on or after March 1, 2007. Also, as of that date, nationals and residents of Malta will themselves be able to file PCT applications. The PCT system offers a number of advantages for patent applicants, national patent offices and the general public...

More from WIPO

Drained but happy

Viki Camilleri, who blogs here, is an interior designer and a psychology student. In this post she writes about her AIESEC experience in Portugal:

..Cara, a swiss youth who led the weekend, was a true inspiration! She managed to keep the youths so focused and in tune throughout the three days... no wonder after she led 39 other conferences!! Other people were present from Belgium, Naples, China, Swiss and Eygpt! Looking forward to experiencing more and giving more!! The weekend was very well organized by a bunch of 20 youths, whom are all etremely dedicated...

The weekend was full of great presentations on motivation, group workshops, some dancing... and in the evening.... lots of drinking.... (although I only took 2 glasses of wine in 2 days). Besides, yesterday evening I attended a Gen Verde concert at the MCC. They have such an amazing talent! 24 women from all over the world with amazing talents at saxaphone, base, drums,... to the harp... not to mention their amazing singing talent! No wonder they have been going from strength to strength since 1974!!!! I also left the MCC witha beaming smile after meeting a person whom I treasure deeply and whom I had not met in 5 years!

Then I went back to the hotel for another night of partying. The conference ended today at 4:30... we spent more than an hour stuck in traffic so I stayed taking some photos! Then I went straight to Br Ivan's deacon mass! It was great seeing him back from Rome..although I didn't have the chance to talk to him. Hope I see him before he leaves once again! Now back home .... trying to sort out my week ahead... whilst chris the oraklu is giving me background music ....

Ring of Fire

Australia is paying the cost of the worst drought on record, writes Godfrey Grima in a new report for this blog just sent in from South Australia:

If you’ve been waiting all your life to understand better what come hell and hellfire means, South Australia in December is the place to be. For people living in this corner of Australia - particularly those on farms and around forests - this is a weekend of creeping apocalyptic inferno.

Bushfires - some of which have been burning since October - are raging at increasing menace. Fifty fires, originally started by lighting strikes, have joined into thirteen walls of blazes of horror. These now threaten to join up into one supra 150 kilometer fire front. If that happens it will be an unstoppable hell on earth racing east and south until it engulfs the entire area from the Alpine National Park down to the coast. The toll, in death and destruction, would be unthinkable. With temperatures soaring past 40 degrees c, people in all of South Australia - but more so in the east - fear dry windy conditions will turn all of 600,000 hectares into a rampant firestorm.

In little over a week more than 189,000 hectares ( 440,000 acres) of farmland and forest have been destroyed. Soldiers are helping an army of some 3,000 local firefighter, mostly volunteers. A squad of specialists has flown in from New Zealand. Aircraft are water bombing the fires but the smoke makes it difficult for pilots to target the fire edge.

Comparisons are being made with the 1939 Black Friday massive fires tragedy which killed 71 people. People twenty towns across south eastern Australia may have to be evacuated. So far there have been no deaths but scores of people have been rushed to hospital suffering from dehydration.

Heavy smoke drifting into Melbourne has cut down visibility to a few kilometers and is disrupting flights. Qantas had two incoming flights diverted on Saturday.

Victoria premier Steve Bracks has defended his policy of not ordering widespread evacuation. People should either leave early or not at all, he said.

Australia is paying the cost of the worst drought on record, a major catastrophe for market garden and cattle farmers. In Victoria eight farmers are known to have taken their own life in despair.

Despite being an early advocate of better climate control Australia’s Liberal government of John Howard has refused to sign the Kyoto protocol, an issue which constantly earns him bitter attacks from the environmental lobby.

Godfrey Grima in Australia - Part 1 and Part 2

Tourism turning point

Visitor numbers have been in decline in Malta, but the hope is that 2007 will see new life breathed into the hotel and holidays industry, writes Roger Munn in American Chronicle:

..The Malta hotels and holiday industry are major players in the island's economy, and with unemployment already high, a further drop in the number of visitors next year could have a negative impact not just in tourism but for Malta as a whole. Throughout the year the monthly statistics for the number of tourists visiting Malta have made depressing reading for the Malta hotels, and the next twelve months will be pivotal as to whether the island can stay in the mainstream of holiday destinations, or be relegated to niche travel status..

But the most positive news has come from low cost carrier RyanAir, who have started flights to Malta from London and Dublin. Between announcing the Dublin and London routes and the maiden flight to Malta, Ryanair sold 30,000 tickets. And the new competition has spurred Air Malta, the island's national airline, to make offers of its own. A successful campaign saw two tickets a minute being sold recently.

'Unfortunately,' continue YourMalta, 'The Malta Tourist Authority and The Malta government seem to to make life as difficult as possible for the island's hotel owners and those involved in the holiday industry. A privately run company like Ryanair will achieve more and bring more money on to the island than the Tourist Authority can ever dream of. And Ryanair will probably make a profit out of it while the Tourist Authority is using taxpayers money. We're just waiting for the first set of figures where tourism has risen, and for the Malta Tourist Authority to claim part or all of the credit. In reality if tourist figures do rise it's despite the Tourist Authority, and not because of it'..

'If Ryanair do deliver 85,000 visitors to Malta in 2007 it will stop the perpetual decline in overall tourist numbers,' say YourMalta, 'It depends of course on whether a large number will be new visitors or simply those who would have visited Malta anyway. We believe the likelihood is that a good deal of the 85,000 will be new visitors who hadn't considered a Malta holiday before. With Air Malta fighting back and having successful promotions too there is every reason to feel confident that 2007 will prove to be a good year for Malta tourism. Hopefully it will prove to be a turning point and not a delay in the downward spiral of the last few years'.

26th anniversary

Eddie Louise Clark and partner celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary in Malta:

..So... 4 years after we moved to Europe, we are finally getting to see a part of Europe other than our beloved Scotland! The winner for our first romantic trip to the continent... Paris?, Vienna?, Lake Como? No... we decided to start at the most southern tip of Europe - so far south it's practically Africa.... That's right! MALTA!

Why Malta you ask? Well... 3000 years of history, evidence of every major western civilization, friendly locals, warm weather and beautiful beaches all had something to do with it. Ryan Air's £1 tickets had a lot more to do with it!! Yes, that's right £1 - ROUND TRIP!! So we are off to beautiful Malta for 4 sun-soaked (or possibly rain-soaked as it is the rainy season) days. We will walk in the footsteps of the apostle Paul, visit sites for the ancient Phoenicians, the Romans, the Ottomans and the British. We will snorkel, and ride bikes, and sail and perhaps... if Chip really loves me, rent a horse a carriage for the day!! I promise an update with pictures when we get back... in the meantime, I am off to celebrate my love and my marriage!

Other Malta visits:
Pamela of Yarn and Paper visits Malta;
My Garden - Malta visit;
A swordfighter's Malta;
Darren Barefoot considering Malta

Language attitudes survey

Iris Weihrauch is a student from the University of Vienna, Austria who is currently writing a dissertation with a focus on language attitudes in Malta. She has developed an online questionnaire and urgently requires Maltese citizens to help her with her project by filling out the questionnaire. It is an anonymous survey and the completion of the questionnaire will take between 10 and 15 minutes. It can be filled in either Maltese or English. Click here to start the questionnaire.

Undersea resort to replace shipyards?

Cala dba UnderSea Resort is in the final stages of negotiations with the Maltese authorities to take over the Marsa shipyards with a view to build an "UnderSea Resort and Residences fleet", reports Euroinvestor. No public communication has been made by the Maltese government in connection with these plans. From Euroinvestor:

..The Marsa shipyard has one of the longest dry docks in Europe, and until a few years ago was also the home of the British Royal Navy. The company plans to start building its naval fleet as soon as the Maltese Government is ready to move forward with agreement. The company is also pleased to have attracted one of the most respected and prestigious investment firms in the world. This investment banking relationship is critical because the firm will likely have the role of major of equity partner for the amount of $200 million.

"While I was honored to be a guest of Malta, I received a warm response from Hon. Francis Zammit-Dimech, Minister of Tourism & Culture of Malta and Mr. Galea, Chief Officer of Malta Enterprise," Joseph Cala´ stated. The company´s immediate plan is to start construction for the UnderSea resort and casino for the pristine Qawra Bay in Malta, offshore Miami beach, Bahamas, New York City and San Francisco Bay. As a back up plan the company is negotiating with another nation to receive their shipyard under our control in case Malta Government has a change of heart. The local economics impact is tremendously positive because it takes about 3,000 employees to build our UnderSea Resort ships.

Reports of plans by Joseph Cala' to build undersea resorts in Malta first appeared six years ago; Deidre Woollard writes..

From Scotland to Malta

As Methode Electronics second quarter profit declines, all production lines are transferring to Malta from Scotland after the New Year. From The Houston Chronicle:

Methode Electronics, which makes electronic connectors used by automakers, said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter earnings slid 6 percent as lower North American automobile output resulted in sales declines. Net income fell to $4.9 million, or 13 cents per share, from $5.2 million, or 14 cents per share, a year ago. Last year's results include a $2.1 million bad debt provision related to the bankruptcy of Delphi units in the U.S...

"As anticipated, we experienced a solid increase in our European automotive sales," said Donald W. Duda, president and CEO. "This was offset by a steep decline in North American automobile output during Methode's second quarter resulting in a 9.8 percent decline in sales in our automotive segment, excluding customer paid tooling sales, compared to last year's second quarter." The company said its power distribution segment reported increased sales during the second quarter both domestically and in Asia. Cost of products sold increased to 82.2 percent of net sales from 80.3 percent last year, due to automaker production volume declines, contractual price reductions, inefficiencies in the company's Scotland facility and higher material costs.

Starting Friday, Methode will begin transferring all production lines in its Scotland facility to Malta. These lines produce automotive electronic components. Production in Malta is expected to begin after the New Year holiday. Total cost of the transfer is forecast to be $2.2 million to $2.9 million, resulting in a reduction of earnings per share of 6 to 8 cents per share in the second half of the year. After the 2007 fiscal year, Methode said it expects annual savings of closing the Scotland facility will be about $2.5 million...

Taste the World

This year’s edition of the Taste the World fair trade festival will be held this Saturday at St. James Cavalier. Adrian Grima writes in BabelMed:

..The highlights of this year’s fair trade festival are a seminar on the cotton industry between 10.00am and 1.00pm, including the screening of a documentary film on the situation of garment workers in Cambodia, and a concert starting at 8.00pm featuring violinist Simon Vella, oud player Walid from Sudan, and African music and dance. Entrance to all events is free of charge.

Fair trade products, ranging from foodstuffs, handicrafts and clothes, to musical instruments and CDs of world music will be on sale throughout the day from stalls manned by the volunteers that run the Maltese fair trade shop L-Arka. On Friday 8th December, the fair trade activists will also be showing the film The Take which follows Argentina’s radical new movement of occupied businesses, groups of workers who are claiming the country’s bankrupt workplaces and running them without bosses..

“The theme “Cotton: Caught in a dirty business” highlights the need to establish fair and sustainable practices that would benefit both the workers and the local communities, and the natural environment. This seminar, which is open to the general public, is funded by the “Playing Fair Alternative” EU development education project, supported by Forum Malta fl-Ewropa and held in collaboration with the “Global Action Schools” project.

During the Festival, the four Maltese organisations that make up the Forum for Justice and Cooperation, including the fair trade organisation Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, will be presenting information about the EU-funded development education and GLEN projects in which they are involved...

Uneven progress on Euro

EU countries hoping to adopt the euro are making uneven progress and none has quite made the eurozone grade yet, the European Commission stated in a report published today. From Deutsche Welle:

.."The nine countries assessed are making progress towards convergence, though at different paces," the European Union's executive arm concluded in a report. The study reviewed progress in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden on meeting the economic and legal criteria necessary to adopt the euro. "Although the road to the euro is proving more difficult than some may have thought originally, the reward is well worth the effort," said Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.

Slovenia is to test the eurozone waters at the beginning of 2007 by becoming the first to adopt the single currency of the 10 mostly ex-communist countries that joined the European Union in 2004. Although none of the nine countries under review are reported to have met all of the criteria for joining, the two Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta had a chance of doing so next year. To be able to adopt the euro, candidates must hold inflation low, keep sound finances that meet EU limits, have a stable exchange rate and long-term interest rates as well as ensure their laws are in line with EU and European Central Bank (ECB) norms.

However, the inflation and public finances criteria are probably the most difficult to meet for most countries, with Lithuania being refused earlier this year entry to the eurozone with Slovenia because its inflation was too high. The commission found that the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Poland and Sweden were the only countries reviewed that met the inflation criteria while Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia and Sweden met the public finances, with Malta expected to do so next year.

Only Estonia met the exchange rate criteria although Malta and Cyprus were also expected to make the grade next year while all the countries under review, with the exception of Hungary, had long-term interests rates in line with the requirement. On legal requirements, Estonia was the only country that had met EU and ECB norms although Cyprus and Malta were pushing through new laws that would help...

What the report says about Malta; Read the Convergence report here

Like a prison

Peter Brooks, a freelance writer based in the Hudson Valley, talks to Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja. Calleja tells him how he lives, breathes and sleeps opera. From Opera News Online:

At twenty-eight, young Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja has been thrust into the spotlight, expected to take the world by storm when all he has at his disposal are his charm, which is considerable, and his talent, which is also substantial. His warm, honey-toned voice is an impressive instrument, but is he really the next Pavarotti? In Internet chat rooms and blogs, fans and detractors dissect his abilities, throwing around terms such as "squillo," "ping" and "spinto." Some have quibbled about the "bleating" quality of his quick vibrato. Others wax rhapsodic over its "old-fashioned appeal," calling it an affecting "flutter." Riccardo Chailly, who collaborated with Calleja on his first album, Tenor Arias (2004), has stated, "For some time I have not heard such a talent at this young age, with a sound harking back to a quality I thought we had long lost." His second solo aria album, The Golden Voice, led by Carlo Rizzi, was released by Decca last spring..

Speaking with Calleja this past summer by telephone in Malta, where he was born and raised and still lives, I encounter a man who appears to have his priorities absolutely straight, but who evidently needs a break from the hectic pace of his burgeoning career. "I've been taking my first vacation in thirteen years," Calleja tells me, in fluent English. "It was time for it. I finally had the space in my calendar." Actually, Calleja had just given one of the biggest concerts in his life, an evening recital in Malta's capital in a popular outdoor theater. It was completely sold out, and the audience demanded several encores. But that is quite natural, as the Maltese, according to Calleja, have a special affinity for music. "We have one of the most beautiful Baroque theaters in the world, the Manoel in Valletta. And throughout its history Malta has been influenced musically by Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. We have a strong European tradition of opera here. The Royal Opera House, built in the 1860s, was world-renowned, but it was destroyed during the Second World War." Asked if his voice has a Maltese flavor, Calleja replies, "Malta is too small to have a flavor of its own."...

Calleja grew up listening more to Iron Maiden than to Madama Butterfly. "My teen years are not far behind me," he laughs. "I like rock, heavy metal. But at the age of thirteen or fourteen, I also discovered classical music. I was visiting my uncle's house, and he gave me a videocassette of The Great Caruso, starring Mario Lanza. From the moment I heard Lanza sing those first three notes in the restaurant, I was hooked. His voice and the way he used it were pretty phenomenal." Calleja, like many a green tenor, immediately began attempting the big operatic arias himself. "I sang 'Nessun dorma' but had no guidance," he recalls. "Thank God I met my voice teacher soon after." That teacher was noted Maltese tenor Paul Asciak, whom Calleja met at age sixteen through a piano instructor..

Despite his early successes, Calleja's decision, as a teenager, to become a professional opera singer was cause for some parental anxiety. The family ran a supermarket chain, and it was expected that Calleja would join in the business. "I worked there in the summers as a stevedore, lifting big boxes, fifty to 100 pounds each." Since Calleja stands at six feet, two inches, that is not hard to believe. When he was younger, Calleja was a jock. "I played on the basketball team," he says, "and did track and field — the shot put and javelin." Over the years, perhaps because of his former athleticism, his weight has fluctuated..

He finds that life on the road can be stressful and lonely. "Many singers do not have the same interests. I live, breathe and sleep opera, but I also need to recharge my batteries. When on the road, there is no time to see friends." After performances or rehearsals, he tends to stay in his hotel room. "I tell young singers that if they can think of any other job they would like to do, then they must do it. The competition in opera is intense. They must have the desire, be passionate and dedicated. For six months they have to be willing to not go out socially. At all. They go from the apartment to the opera house and back to the apartment. It is like prison, a cloister...

Complete article

Godfrey Grima in Australia - Part 2

Continues from yesterday's blog entry, Godfrey Grima writes:

...Australia remains unabashedly committed to making life as comfortable as politicians can promise. Few now remember Malcolm Frasier, the former premier, warning his people that ‘life was never meant to be easy’.

It certainly seems easier for some - possibly many. Chance, endevour and success are the most visible of steamheads here. In a country as blessed and as sparsely populated as this, here is no shortage of chance - takers. Building fortunes on mountains of credit is probably more widespread than openly discussed. Given the huge opportunities this country throws up - and the brazen entrepreneurial spirit it attracts, playing dice with financial disaster seems to be a popular and exciting game. Not that it hurts the economy - or the country’s social fibre. Few social and economic wrinkles seem to last - at least that’s the portrait one is encouraged to take back with him. And it must be true.

The meadows will flourish again once the rains come back. The meek coming in from Asia are creating much new wealth inheriting the antepodian world as they erect new multicultural communities and fortunes.

Under Liberal rule, Australia and its people may well continue to prosper at speeds that defy world trends. Interest rates have tumbled from a breathtaking 18% to a seductive 7% and Australia now supplies China with limitless minerals and raw materials. Tankers filled with liquid gas - for which Australians pay 45 cents a lire at home - leave Hastings Harbour for China regularly at 3 cents a litre.

Leslie Cassar, who jointly owns the recently set up call centre with Air Malta - a personal friend of Premier Howard and former US president Gerald Ford - says China is allowing thousands of people to travel to Australia on their own each year. This is a significant nod to Australia’s close ties with the burgeoning Asian economic giant given the fact Chinese are only allowed to take holidays in groups.

But could there be meaning for Labour in the haunting words of the Wilburys? Will it have something to say as it grows old and grey?

Maybe, and then, probably only in the far time horizon. Labour is a house divided and Kim Beazely, though politically and academically robust - he met Tony Blair at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar- is fast being challenged by his own men.

For the moment, the continuing love affair the middle classes everywhere are having with the featherbedded ways of liberals and conservatives might well be something of a cautionary tale of our times.

Concluded

Update 4 Dec 2006: Beazley ousted this morning from Labour leader by Kevin Rudd; Rudd Labour's quiet achiever.

Trolley Talk

When seasoned journalists Charles Flores and Godfrey Grima met at the supermarket, they spoke about yoghurts, vegetarian cheese and, of course, local politics:

The first time I met Godfrey Grima, the journalist who has, over the past three decades, undoubtedly lead the small, restricted band of Maltese scribblers who have had – and some still have – a close association with the international media, particularly that of the UK, was in the press area of the old House of Representatives in Valletta. We were covering the parliamentary proceedings for two rival Maltese language dailies. It had actually been my first real foray into that arena, having earlier had to ask passers-by, in what was then Kingsway, the way to the island’s highest institution. When one considers that kind of baptism of fire straight off my sixth-form bench, I understandably had neither the heart nor the gall to ask my News Editor for details as to where our erstwhile representatives met and toiled on our behalf. So entered the green young pauper of Maltese journalism into the abode of the elected princes..

What do two ageing journalists pushing loaded supermarket trolleys talk about in the middle of the frozen-food section of a store? The cost of living has risen lately, dear boy, but have you tasted the latest foreign cheap wine? Visit the frozen-food department and you’ll find everything is really frozen except the prices. Once upon a time when you felt the need to have a good cry, you went to the cinema; later, soap operas on TV did the trick; now it’s the supermarket.

No, Godfrey and I simply and almost automatically carried on with the debate we had started on television weeks before on the country’s economic crisis. What crisis? I insisted it was a crisis and he continued to maintain there were indeed problems but no crisis point has been reached. We talked and we argued, sometimes we surrendered corridor space to fellow shoppers giving us the odd look or two, as we instantly turned boring supermarket visits into something more worthwhile..

And so it went on, right in the middle of the new supermarket, for a longish time. A far cry from our first meeting many years ago, but possibly more entertaining. We discussed the economy. Crisis or no crisis. But we also found time in between the yoghurt and the vegetarian cheddar to talk about the ministerial status quo, the local political scene as it is developing, idle or not so idle time being spent in these early twilight days of ours and, oops, back to the economy, stupid.

Godfrey still needed to take the lift to the floor above where I had already been to. It’s where they keep the wines and spirits, favourite fare with journalists. So we finally bid each other goodbye, retraced our steps, gave the trolley a push back and forward, allowed a family of jolly trolleys to ramble past us towards the cashiers’ point of no return, and it was finally back to our shopping...(TMI 17 Mar 2006 broken link)

Godfrey Grima in Australia - Part 1

Godfrey Grima is spending nine weeks travelling all over Australia and has recorded his thoughts for exclusive publication in this blog. In his piece, published here today and tomorrow, he surveys the Australian political landscape drawing lessons from the opportunities and predicaments of the island for all of us concerned with the political process. The 'Godfrey Grima weekend' starts here:

"Well its all right, even if you’re old and grey
Well It’s all right, you still have something to say
Well is all right remember to live and let live
Well its all right, best thing to do is forgive"

Trying to absorb the collective musical genius of the Travelling Wilburys - Dylan, Harrison, Orbison, Lynne and Tom Petty - as it trips off the small- change sized MP3 can be a tough call. More so whilst visually soaking up the pastoral enchantment of Mornington Pensinsla from the commanding heights of Boneo whilst, simultaneously, mulling over the crestfallen fortunes of the Australian Labour Party. The State of Victoria has just gone to the polls.

Much about the lingering depression of the Australian Labour Party mirrors the state of affairs of is fellow travelers abroad, particularly in Europe. Most seem to be good only at running the local shop. As far as concerns national electoral contests the chances of many remain a wave short of an ocean.

Those socialist parties that do make it seem more keen to sleep with conservative than social democratic policies. Tony Blair is only one example.

In Victoria, as in every other state in the Australia Federation, Labour gallops into a cozy straight run without a sweat. Ted Ballieu and his Liberals lick gaping wounds. Wan smiles, produced for the gathering tv cameras, masquerade the despondency of the defeated. But the bandages- soaked in whiskey and old blood- are difficult to keep concealed for long. Victorian voters have just left the Liberals swinging in the wind for the third time in a row.

Yet, in Canberra it is Prime Minister John Howard, now celebrating his tenth anniversary as prime minister, whose Liberal writ runs nationwide - and whose policies unfurl unchecked. Nothing he does seems to deliver Labour out of its misery- not keeping troops in Iraq, nor his many broken promises.

Only Elton John explodes into opprobrium.

‘So what would you tell John Howard if you two met’ a journalist from Tv Nine quizzes the visiting rock star ..

‘To Fuck off’ snaps back the irreverent warbler.

Two years ago Mark Latham held great promise of chasing Howard into the wilderness. He turned out to be a damp squib – and failed miserably. I watched his campaign on tv then from the same spot as I now watch his successor, Kim Beazely, perform in Parliament - a friend’s well heeled hobby farm nestled on top the magical sweep of Boneo’s sprawling lush meadows. If ever there was a slice of heaven on earth, this must be it. Escarpments of natural beauty, perimitered with Pine and gum trees, cascade for miles all the way down to Mornington Pensinsula on Australia’s south coast until they hit the ocean.

It has all since withered away.

Latham has disappeared as has the wonder of Boneo’s green pastures. Two years ago this was irreducible beauty. Paddocks stood proud, bountiful with graze and grass. Now dreaded bracken, sorrel and apple of Sodom triumph. Australian farmers face the worst drought for 1,000 years. The 150 or so Angus cows on my friend’s farm are a constant worry. At the cattle markets, prices have collapsed by 40% since the drought struck. Up in the North the dread hand of bankruptcies- and suicides- threatens. In Victoria, eight farmers have taken their lives in despair.

Yet despite the frenzied slaughtering of herds and vanishing farmers’ incomes, meat prices at the shops remain full bloodied as ever. What market manipulators put together no government puts asunder. Somehow none of this makes it into labour’s policy papers - or their speeches...

Continues tomorrow.

Godfrey Grima is a Fleet Street trained journalist, created Associated News Ltd in 1971 and worked as a Financial Times foreign correspondent for many years. He is also a member of the University of Malta Governing Council. In the eighties, Grima was once charged with breach of privilege by the Maltese parliament after writing a piece for the Financial Times criticising a law that forced the Maltese to repatriate their investments from abroad. That event inspired Oliver Friggieri to write his controversial anti establishment novel Fil-Parlament ma jikbrux Fjuri in 1986.

New Archbishop

Malta's new Archbishop is Fr Paul Cremona OP, according to an exclusive Maltastar report. An official announcement is expected tomorrow Saturday at noon:

Reliable sources have exclusively confirmed to maltastar.com that the bishop elect of the Archdiocese of Malta is expected to be Fr Paul Cremona S.Th.L & D., OP. The official announcement is expected to be made at noon on Saturday. This brings to an end the seemingly interminable three year wait as to who the successor of Monsignor Joseph Mercieca as Archbishop of Malta was to be.

Fr Cremona is currently the parish priest of the Dominican parish of Jesus of Nazareth, Sliema and the Provincial Director of the Maltese Lay Dominicans. Fr Cremona was born in Valletta on January 25, 1946 and was ordained a priest on March 22, 1969. He also served as the Prior Provincial of the Maltese Dominican Province between 1982 and 1989.

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