Eurocopa 1984

There is a debate and vote in the Spanish version of wikipedia about the wiki post dealing with the infamous Spain - Malta 12-1 football result in 1983. From 20minutos.es - with youtube coverage of the game:

En diciembre de 2008 se cumplirán 25 años de una de las pocas gestas de las que puede presumir la selección española: el 12-1 a Malta en la fase de clasifición de la Eurocopa de 1984. Un partido que ha pasado a la historia y que permanece grabada en la memoria colectiva de los españoles y que hasta cuenta con una entrada en la Wikipedia. Sin embargo, en la enciclopedia online se está llevando a cabo una votación para eliminar la entrada correspondiente a este partido: varios usuarios consideran irrelevante esta gesta del fútbol español.

En 2005 se creó en la Wikipedia un artículo sobre el partido, pero este ha generado cierta polémica entre quienes contribuyen a crear entradas para la enciclopedia colaborativa. Tantas han sido las quejas que los administradores de la wikipedia han abierto una votación para decidir si se elimina la entrada "Partido de Clasificación Eurocopa España - Malta de 1983". En la votación sólo pueden votar los usuarios registrados desde hace más de un mes y que hayan editado al menos 100 artículos. De momento, la gesta sobrevive en la Red: por ahora han votado cincuenta usuarios de los que cuarenta defienden que se mantenga el artículo y diez quieren que se elimine...

Global ambitions

In an interview wıth Gulf News, the prime minister tells Mohammed Ezz Al Deen that Malta plans to be the 'world's centre for financial services' as well as a 'European centre of education':

..Dr Gonzi told Gulf News in an exclusive interview that Malta will be a European centre for IT, healthcare and education, in line with its desire to become a global centre for the financial services. Following the Malta parliament's approval last week, he said, the official signing of the Smart City will be in the next few days, while construction is expected within weeks. Malta Smart City was undertaken by Tecom Investments - a Dubai government entity that manages Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Knowledge Village.

Tecom Investments is currently promoting such projects globally in collaboration with Sama Dubai - an international developer. "The Smart City will help Malta's GDP to grow 10 per cent, generate 5,600 jobs which could eventually go up to 10,000 in few years," Dr. Gonzi said. "For a small country like Malta, it is a fantastic number, it's equal to 300,000 jobs offered by an enterprise in the UK! "The Smart City reflects the vision of the island to host value-added industries, and we are planning to be a Mediterranean and European centre for the information and communication technology in the next five years." Smart City, he said, will attract $300 million of foreign direct investment to Malta.

Following its entry into the European Union, he said, "Setting business in Malta would mean that you get the access to doing business with the entire Europe. "Tecom explored the options, and we offered attractive package with a large piece of land that used to be an industrial area." Malta wants to be a centre of education, healthcare, maritime tourism and financial services, he said. We have plans to be the world's centre for financial services, and we are already one of the most successful financial services centres in the world, and we are intended to make a bigger success in the next five years," he said. "And we will make Malta a European centre of education, and we will encourage the foreign and European investments in this field, and to attract the foreign students to come to study here.

"After Dubai's investment in Malta, we expect that the Middle East's investments will increase in the island in the next few years, we had big Libyan, Tunisian, and Egyptian investments, and the region's biggest independent investment is a joint Maltese-Libyan company called Lafico, working in the hotel- tourism sector, the resources, and manufacturing as well," Dr Gonzi said.

Olivia's blog

Toni Sant writes about Olivia Lewis's decision to take her Eurovision campaign to the blogosphere:

This past weekend Olivia Lewis launched her personal blog about her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. I'm chuffed that she has cited this blog as a source of inspiration to join the blogosphere. This gives me some time to pause and think about the state of the Maltese blogosphere, which has swollen well beyond what it was just one year ago when most bloggers knew each other and followed each other's blogs regularly..

Back to Olivia Lewis: I enjoyed reading the interview she gave to the Schlagerboys, which they published on the same day that she launched her blog. I was hoping she would mention it on her own blog so that more people can cherish the contagious zeal of the Shalgerboys. At the same time I can see that Olivia is eager to post entries that would not appear elsewhere. Her blog will be the place to visit if you want to know what's going through her mind as she prepares to sing her heart out in Helsinki this May.

It appears that Olivia's blog could feature a daily entry. I'm sure her numerous fans would appreciate that very much. Perhaps it's also a good way to gather new fans, especially ones who could vote for her at the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final on May 10.

Falcon Theft a Publicity Stunt?

Mark Coggins in San Francisco speculates on the 'stolen' reproduction of the Maltese Falcon:

In an earlier post, I relayed a story from the San Francisco Chronicle that the signed reproduction of the Maltese Falcon at John's Grill--the place where Sam Spade orders chops in the book--had been stolen. Now I'm hearing speculation from a variety of sources that the theft was a publicity stunt by the owner of the restaurant. The two main pieces of evidence cited: 'No sign of forced entry and no damage to the cabinet where the falcon and other stolen items were stored, suggesting an "inside job." The reproduction in question is not the falcon that appeared in the movie, which was made of lead and was supposedly dropped by Bogart on his toe during filming. It's a plaster version that was used for publicity stills and wasn't really worth that much, even with Elisha Cook's signature ... the point being that it's unlikely anyone would think it worth the risk to steal it.' Read more on the Chronicle's NWZCHIK blog entry on the topic...

Lino Spiteri’s autobiography

Savıour Balzan comments on former Labour minister Lino Spiteri’s autobiography 'Jien u Ghaddej fil-Politika' launched last week by PEG Ltd:

It seems out of the ordinary to dedicate more than one article in a newspaper to a book. Yet it has been some time since the memoirs of anyone significant and of course relevant have been published in Maltese. Neither do I recall anyone of late who has attempted to take a good look at the last 40 years. What needs to happen to Lino Spiteri’s autobiography is to get it off the shelves and libraries of news and political junkies like myself, and to throw it at tertiary education and university students. Literally throw it at them. Some of them need to know a thing or two about their roots before they fall into that spiral of self-depreciatory talk about Malta and the Maltese – so typical of today’s youth.

The need for the younger Maltese to debate, to disagree or to question what happened in the last 40 years can only lead to a more open and mature society. To realise that many younger people have little understanding of their recent history is very sad, to say the least. If there is one institution I often ignore it is university; but then it appears that university is closed in itself. It refuses to engage people out of its circles, whether in the media and political world. Just look at its communication and media department and the people they churn out as graduates...

More here

Movıng data centre

ESI Entertainment ıs moving the Vancouver data centre to Malta, from Canadian BrandonSun:

ESI Entertainment Systems Inc. said Monday that its Citadel Commerce subsidiary, which does payment processing for the online gaming industry, is moving its primary data centre from Vancouver to the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. The company, which has been downsizing and restructuring its business following a change in U.S. law that has forced Citadel to pull out of that market, also said Citadel is reducing its North American marketing personnel further.

On the other hand, Citadel's call centre in the Central American country of Costa Rica has been enhanced to support additional operational responsibilities as well as local accounting capability. its U.K. operational and sales staff has been increased, and software development has been outsourced to India. ESI didn't disclose how many jobs are involved in the various restructuring activities...

Barefoot on hunting

Vancouver technologist and writer Darren Barefoot, who will soon be re-locating to Gozo, blogs about 'the annual bird massacre on Malta:

I know it’s not particularly kosher to criticize a foreign country one doesn’t know a lot about, but I’m making an exception. In every guidebook and article I’ve read about Malta, one criticism always shows up: their rampant and mostly illegal spring bird hunt. Though it has relatively few native birds, Malta is a stopping point for many species of migratory bird. According to my Lonely Planet, more than 3 million of them are killed or trapped every year. 3 million on islands that have a human population of 400,000. That’s incredibly repulsive to me.

I don’t really understand what the hunters do with the birds they kill and trap? Eat them? Stuff them? Nothing at all? I’m not opposed to sustainable hunting, particularly when the hunters make use of their quarry. Clearly this isn’t sustainable, and clearly it’s mostly (if not entirely) for sport. I searched around, and couldn’t find any Maltese pro-hunting websites. I found one news article, which described a hunters’ protest getting out of hand. In Canada, most hunters that I’ve met are wilderness enthusiasts and pro-conservation (that’s what Ducks Unlimited is all about, I gather). Apparently that’s not the case on Malta?

I gather the Maltese authorities are disinterested (the hunters are a powerful lobby group) or unable to enfore existing laws. According to this Maltese blogger, the EU is running out of patience...To me this seems roughly analogous to the ridiculous fox hunts that were recently banned in Great Britain–cruel sport hunts from a bygone era, weakly defended as ‘traditional’. For more information about Malta’s hunting problem, check out Bird Life Malta. ’m sure some of my assumptions about this issue will prove incorrect–I’ll report back once I’ve lived there for a few months...

Maltese food in Scottish garage

The ambitions of a Scotland North-east resident to turn a garage at his home into a Maltese bakery took a step closer to becoming reality last week, according to the Buchan Observer:

Members of the Buchan Area Committee discussed an application from Mr S. Saliba to turn his domestic garage at Bramble Cottage, Auchriches, into a bakery which will sell high quality Maltese breads, pastries, and pastizzis - a cheesecake-type snack which can be filled with either cheeses, peas or meat. Councillors narrowly voted to visit the site before agreeing to give planning permission, as opposed to giving outright permission at the meeting.

They heard that the recommendation of planning officers was to refuse Mr Saliba's application on the basis that there would be increased traffic using what is considered to be a sub-standard junction, a lack of parking, potential noise disturbance and a detrimental effect on the character of the local area. Addressing the committee, Mr Saliba commented: "My application is listed as a takeaway, however it is really a bakery. "I don't intend to create a greasy spoon stop off, and I won't be selling burgers and chips. "I want to bring some diversity to the area, and make Maltese pastry and bread with no additives, which will be products of high quality. "I'm a very safety conscious person. and cannot see what effect it will have on road safety. The Scottish Executive have had no objections to my application."...

Competing with Ibiza

2bitstudios, who blogs from Vancouver, Canada, writes about her recent working visit to Malta:

..It’s more beautiful than I anticipated and the Maltese are so nice. It’s a little past midnight in Malta and I just returned from the gym after having the hotel security guard open up their *huge* facility just for me I didn’t really ask for special permission; the front desk clerk insisted they could open it for me. Everyone we interact with is friendly, laid back and easy going. We finished our first day of workshops with the team of 5 and they are all very easy going, joking around, smart and quite productive when we get down “to it”. The goverment helps subsidize university so they are a highly educated society.

..Food is maybe a couple bucks less than what you’d find in Vancouver (when you convert). They are well “teched out” with the latest phones and ipods. They have all the Banada Republic, Mex, etc shopping. The gym has the typical spinning and yoga classes and people seem to keep themselves in shape. Anyway…. the Maltese seem to have the lifestyle and attitude that I appreciate. Really, I have nothing but great things to say about Malta so far.

We had Sunday to walk/bus around. It’s the most densely populated country in the EU so you see a lot in a short distance. It’s the typical european style of lovely neolithic looking buidlings. It reminds me of Spain with the light cream coloured buildings. Then, I was expecting a small quant/pretty harbour as the main-catalogue-shot-of-malta but the whole coast (what we’ve seen so far) is picture after picture of beauty...Below is the view from our hotel in St.Juliens. It’s apparently where all the “action” is. The club scene goes til 4am and some til 10am or noon They say it’s trying to rival Ibiza’s club scene...

Andy Towler

Notes from a small island is a blog by Andy Towler about life as a designer in Malta. In this entry, Towler discusses his property search in Malta:

And so, having lived in Malta for over a year, the time has come to stop renting and start looking for a property to buy...So, with property prices in our favourite town being quite high (for Malta), and with most of our 'selling up in the UK' profit staying firmly in long term offshore investments, it's back to the drawing board.

Do we go for an 'unconverted house of character' (a standard Maltese term meaning a 150 to 300 year old stone house with rooms around a small central courtyard) or a new 'shell apartment' (rooms exist, but floors, doors, kitchen, bathroom etc have to be put in) - either way we'd have to factor in building costs for renovation or completion, and continue renting our current place while this was done.

Or we could go for a finished apartment (new or older) or maisonette (which is an apartment with a private front door - no shared staircase or lift) that we could just move in to. But it seems that over the last year, property prices have gone up considerably, which means our original plan of buying a nice house with garage that we could live in immediately is out of the window - unless we move to the south of the island where property is cheaper but the commute to work would be doubled...

'Big Brother' lookalike

Reporting for Variety entertainment magazine, Melanie Goodfellow writes about legal action being taken against a Maltese 'Big Brother' lookalike:

Entertainment producer Endemol has issued a judicial protest against the producers and broadcasters of Malta's "Big Brother" style reality show "L-Ispjun" saying it breaches intellectual property rights. "Endemol regards 'L-Ispjun' as a blatant copy of its 'Big Brother' format and has demanded that the companies responsible discontinue this infringement of its rights," the company said in a statement.

"L-Ispjun," which translates roughly as "The Spy" or "Spying," is one of Malta's most popular weekly shows. It involves participants living under constant camera surveillance in a "house of the spy." Endemol issued the writ Tuesday to producers Watermelon Media & Communications, pubcaster TVM and Melita Cable, which runs an evening channel dedicated to the show.

Netherlands-based Endemol gave the companies 48 hours to stop producing and broadcasting the show. It also demanded that any profits made from the program be handed over. A spokesperson for Watermelon Media refused to comment on the case, saying the company was consulting its lawyers. He added that no decision had been taken on whether to air the next edition of the show on Wednesday evening

Conquering Paceville

Lifestyle photographer Jessica Moritz who has a second blog here, takes her readers on a tour to Paceville, the centre of gravity of Malta's nightlife. Her article was first published in Italian lifestyle magazine Jack:

..Over the last few decades Malta has been going through some drastic changes and has basically transformed itself from a tranquil Mediterreanean island into a fast paced society. Today, the island buzzes with life, action and movement!...Old and new seem to co-exist in Malta side by side, a juxtoposition of traditional values and modern 21th century lifestyle. My thoughts take me back to last nights events. Paceville must be one of the hottest spots for nightlife entertainment in Europe. Yesterday we headed to the islands party town after a summer of absence. Having spent all hot season at outdoor events, such as rave, boat and beach parties that are organised all over the island, we were excited to reconquer Paceville's clubbing scene.

Our night usually starts with a few drinks at Coconut Grove. This place is in fact nothing out of the ordinary but liquor is cheap, six shooters for LM 4 (10 Euro). A huge crowd of people is accumalting right opposite us in front of the new "old" Alley. This bar was once famous for its grungy looks and live rock acts but after an refurbishment it had lost its special appeal to its most loyal followers. Now everyone was excited to witness the return of The Alley to its original roots, as it was heavily advertised by its owners. There was no way though, we would make it in there tonight with half of Malta queeing right in front of its door. We needn't worry though, Paceville is crammed up with bars and clubs: You basically fall from one venue into the next one, and thanks to an entrence free door policy you can explore and roam the town as you desire.

We walked a few meters and looked up to the balconies of Sabor. The atmosphere was right on and people were dancing to the house's sound. We'd stay there until our mood would carry us on to an endlist list of other clubs with different music styles. One night, we'd go to Places for it's progressive house, trance, and techno, then we'd chill a bit at 7 Rooms until we feel like Salsa and continue our night at Fuego's. Whatever your appetize, Paceville will satisfy your cravings.

By now, it's 1.30 at night. The clubbing scene usually starts to heat up around 2 am and carries on until the earlier hours of the next morning. We have some time for another drink from PLUSH before we descend into their underground club. This would be the night's last stop. We dig their cool lounge style and dance until my legs and feet won't let me go on, no more...

Big ideas

Tiny Malta has big ideas for EU Diplomacy, writes Roland Flamini in CQ Weekly:

Malta, the smallest member of the European Union, has always benefited from its strategic geographic position. The island nation is in the center of the Mediterranean, at a pivotal gateway point between southern Europe and northern Africa. And in the newly unified Europe, the tiny country — with about four-fifths the population and one-and-a-half times the acreage of the District of Columbia — likewise has an outsized profile on some key issues: immigration from Africa and relations with the Arab Muslim world.

It’s of course true that in the EU’s nominally egalitarian membership, some members are more equal than others. Still, Malta has a voice in the union’s deliberations and a vote equal to France or Germany in its decision-making — a bit like the clout that Wyoming and North Dakota can command in the Senate. “You can do two things with small states,” argues Michael Frendo, Malta’s foreign minister. “One is to ignore them, the other is to embrace them; and if you embrace them, you can tap their resources. Malta is the southernmost point of the European Union, and strategically important — not militarily, but politically.”..

The key to swimming among the big fish in the EU, he says, was preserving one’s own diplomatic composure. “We didn’t strut,” Frendo says. “We told the European Union we had an agenda — which was Mediterranean issues, illegal immigration, the environment — and we focused on matters that were in our strategic interest.” Frendo says it’s a myth that the 15 original EU nations consigned his class of 10 smaller states to diplomatic limbo. The real challenge, he says, was getting and holding the interest of the EU’s bureaucracy in Brussels — an ongoing difficulty for the smaller members.

For added comfort, Frendo has organized the Olive Oil group, an informal regional consortium of foreign ministers from Mediterranean states in the EU that produce olive oil: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, along with Malta. They convene informally to discuss issues of common interest and how to resolve them. But Malta really hopes to make its mark with its proposal for a structured, ongoing contact between Europe and the Arab world, starting with a conference of EU and Arab League foreign ministers. “The point is not to discuss their problems, but to talk about an agenda of reform: development, security, energy, climate change,” Frendo says. “We need to engage the Arab world, which has been a source of friction in Europe. The Arabs are the people we have problems with, and we hardly talk to them. Europe needs a new visibility in the Arab world, and a new engagement.”...

Preca's language

A seminar held by the Fondazzjoni Mikiel Anton Vassalli discussed Dun Gorg Preca's 'use of the Maltese language in his mission and the effect it had on the present':

Malta Labour Party leader Dr Alfred Sant called Dun Gorg the first Maltese Methodist because he broke away from the rituals and norms of the Church of the time by entrusting the teaching of catechism to working class laymen. A century later, he gained the endorsement of the Vatican where he will be canonised in June.

Dun Gorg Preca’s life work was discussed yesterday from a different perspective as academics and the Mikiel Anton Vassalli Foundation reviewed his contribution to society and the Maltese language. The seminar entitled “Dun Gorg: The teaching of Maltese and the present”, dealt with Dun Gorg’s use of the Maltese language in his mission and the effect it had on the present.

Dr Sant said that although Dun Gorg was a mystic he was also a communicator. One cannot say he was an ascetic, as he was a down-to-earth person who could interact with society. Dr Sant drew a comparison between Manuel Dimech and Dun Gorg. Both focused their work on the working class and started teaching in Maltese. “Dun Gorg was by no means a follower of Dimech,” said Dr Sant, adding that Dun Gorg was a radical, both in his mysticism and in his determination to entrust the teaching of catechism to working class laymen, which at the time was done solely by priests.

Frans Sammut, author and teacher, spoke about Maltese society a century ago when the Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM) was set up by Dun Gorg. At the time, the Church was very suspicious of the young priest’s initiative to teach working class people. In a society marred by social divisions and the ongoing struggle over which language should be adopted as Malta’s national language, Dun Gorg succeeded in founding a society made up of working class laymen who taught catechism to working class people. “At the time, it was scandalous,” said Mr Sammut, “yet today it is seen as the norm.”..

MUSEUM member and teacher Joseph Buttigieg said it is very ironic that people are celebrating a man who wanted to be buried in an unmarked grave and be forgotten forever. Yet Malta cannot ignore a man who was its great benefactor in his role as an innovator, a leader and an educator. Dun Gorg, asserted Mr Buttigieg, was a great believer in the democratisation of education; it was he after all who said that “learning is the fount from which all goodness flows”. Mr Buttigieg said Dun Gorg chose the Maltese language to reach all people, because as Mgr Pietru Pawl Saydon said:“Dun Gorg’s sermons have no frills.”...

Smokescreen

Following the EP resolution supporting the Commission’s decision to open infringement proceedings against Malta for violation of the Birds Directive, BirdLife Malta has stated that the government hid behind a smokescreen:

The European Parliament has come out in support of the Commission’s decision to open infringement proceedings against Malta for violation of the Birds Directive in a resolution that “strongly urges the Commission to redouble its efforts to persuade the Maltese authorities to comply fully with Community law”. Executive Director of BirdLife Malta Tolga Temuge said: “The whole spring hunting controversy revolved around a smokescreen that the government has built and hid behind. They never negotiated a derogation on spring hunting. This may mean that Malta may be taken to the EU Court of Justice much sooner than the Maltese government calculated.”

During the voting, attempts to reinforce the smokescreen built around Malta’s EU membership negotiations were shot down by the European Parliament. It was clearly exposed that the Maltese government had not negotiated any agreement on spring hunting during accession talks. MEP Simon Busuttil went as far as putting forward an amendment that called on the Commission to undertake a study on the effects of bird hunting in Malta. This was also rejected by the Parliament since it is the responsibility of the Maltese government to justify its decision to allow spring hunting.

The adoption of the resolution by the European Parliament is to be followed by a visit of an EU delegation, which will include top officials from DG Environment. The aim of the visit is one last attempt to convince the Maltese government to retract their decision to allow spring hunting this year. The Maltese government now has an opportunity to correct the misdoings of the past. The upcoming visit by the European delegation is the chance offered to the Maltese government to help Malta save face and comply with EU law. It is also an opportunity for the government to regain the confidence of the Maltese public, stated BirdLife Malta.

Tolga Temuge said “BirdLife has repeatedly stated the only point that had been agreed on during membership negotiations was a transition period for the trapping of seven species of finches during autumn. Every spring hunting season given the blessing of the Maltese government since Malta joined the EU in 2003 has been a direct breach of EU law.” “The attempt by the government to defy EU law for a fourth consecutive year was utterly irresponsible. Now is the time for the government to take the opportunity offered and comply with EU law or the Maltese public will have to bear the brunt of the government’s misconduct. The Maltese government has a mandate to bring Malta’s environment legislation in line with EU law. There is simply no other way forward.” Temuge concluded.

The Kite Runner

Intellectual Debris in Zurrieq blogs about The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's first novel:

The Kite Runner- I bought it off Amazon because it came recommended along with A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian. As per the latter, both extremities of this book were covered in snippets of glowing reviews the book had received. I must admit it, I'm often too lazy to check out new material for myself, rather, I let other people do it for me, and will keep on doing so until the day I run out of good, pre-reviewed, ideally multi-awarded books, films, albums and guitars. Then I'll be rummaging around bookstores and actually reading bits of the text to see if I like them or not. Or possibly I might try to pool in myself, if inspiration strikes.

Anyway, back to the Kite Runner. This is a bloody good book, and when I say bloody I mean it. It is a tale of friendship, honour, sacrifice, and ultimately, love - not the Valentine's Day variety, sultry, sugary and sexy; rather it's the kind of love that is so unnatural to our selfish nature, sacrificial and undemanding. Excellently written, it is basically the journey of Amir, the narrator, in trying to make up for his betrayal of Hassan, his dear friend and servant who had loved him selflessly, trying to exorcise demons which had tormented him since he was 12 years old.

The result is a book which almost left me in tears (but didn't, as usual), and which I made a point to finish within 2 days, rather like A Child Called It, by Dave Pelzer, which is similarly poignant. Indeed the emotions evoked are very similar, hearkening back to the strong bond children usually have with their parents and siblings. But I can't stress enough how good this book is without boring myself to a premature death, so I'll stop here.

European Parliament on Bird Hunting

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on illegal bird hunting in Malta, from the EP Press Service:

In adopting a resolution on illegal bird hunting in Malta with 300 votes in favour, 253 against and 35 abstentions, MEPs takes note of the report on the fact-finding mission of the Committee of Petitions during which the facts were examined in situ from 9-12 May 2005, and supports the recommendations in the report.

The European Parliament has received several petitions against the practices of spring hunting and trapping of migratory birds in Malta, including a petition from the Belgian Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, signed by 300 000 Europeans, more than 4000 of whom from Malta. 115 000 Europeans, notably from the UK, petitioned the Maltese Government in February 2007 in protest against the spring hunting. The Committee on Petitions has examined the allegations made in the petitions and dispatched a delegation to Malta to establish the facts of the situation in situ.

The report on the fact-finding mission concluded that, although certain efforts had been made by the Maltese authorities responsible seeking to bring national legislation and its application into compliance with Community law, the sustainability and survival of populations of several species of migratory birds still face serious threats from illegal and indiscriminate hunting and trapping when birds of these species pass through Malta during their spring migration.

The House shares the concerns expressed in the report on the fact-finding mission, in particular in respect of the authorisation of spring hunting of resting migratory birds and trapping and illegal hunting of protected species, including in areas protected under Community law. MEPs condemn all types of illegal hunting in all Member States. The EP calls on the Maltese Government and the Commission to publish their full technical positions on the subject.

Parliament welcomes the Commission's decision to investigate the compliance of Maltese legislation and its application with Directive 79/409/EEC on the protection of wild birds and strongly urges the Commission to redouble its efforts to persuade the Maltese authorities to comply fully with Community law.

The House Calls on the Maltese Government to fully comply with the EU Wild Birds Directive, the relevant Community law and the terms of the Accession Treaty as signed by the Maltese Government. Parliament welcomes the decision by the Maltese Government to address cases of abuse by, inter alia, increasing fines to a maximum of €14 000 and providing for terms of imprisonment of up to two years and the permanent revocation of hunting licences in the case of recidivists. MEPs welcome the decision by the Maltese Government to ban the capturing of finches and the hunting of birds at sea during spring.

European Patents

Malta has become the latest EU Member State to join the European Patent Organisation (EPO), from Cordis News:

The country's accession brings the number of countries in the EPO to 32, including all of the European Union Member States as well as Iceland, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Switzerland and Turkey. In addition, observer status has been awarded to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, all of which recognise European patent applications and patents in their countries. According to Professor Alain Pompidou, President of the European Patent Office (EPO), the growth of the organisation signals the importance of a European patent system for European economic growth and competitiveness. 'European patents play a central role in implementing the Lisbon Strategy, and particularly in building up a knowledge society in Europe. Malta's membership means that patent protection can now be obtained for the whole of Europe,' he said. However, the EU is still waiting on a Community patent system, which would allow individuals and companies to obtain a unitary patent valid across the Union.

Antoine Camilleri: Alla Ricerca Del Simbolo Perduto

A one-hour documentary film about the life of Antoine Camilleri will be screened this Thursday at St James Cavalier. The film was made in 1988 by Josette Caruana during her art studies in Florence. From the St James site:

..The film, which is in Italian, was made in 1988 by the artist Josette Caruana as her dissertation project to gain her Diploma di Licenza in Painting at the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Florence.In this film, Antoine Camilleri comes across as an articulate and engaging person, with deeply-felt views on art and life. Various scenes of his basement studio in Old Bakery Street, Valletta reveal its interesting architectural features as well as several important paintings. The film is of particular interest in that the artist is also seen working on different stages in the creation of his incised clay paintings.

Besides Caruana’s questions, the film also includes informative interviews with Fr Marius Zerafa O.P., then Curator of Fine Arts, artists Josef Kalleya, Gabriel Caruana, Luciano Micallef Joseph Borg Xuereb and Rita ‘Charis’ Pergolani philosophers Rev. Peter Serracino Inglott and Joe Friggieri besides critics Emmanuel Fiorentino and E.V. Borg who all bring out different aspects of Camilleri’s art. Maltese voice-overs were provided by Anna Bonanno and Martin Micallef..

..The film, which has never been screened before, promises to be a treat for Maltese art lovers. These will also have the opportunity of acquiring the 40-page exhibition catalogue Antoine Camilleri: Pictures In Clay written by Dennis Vella, curator of contemporary art at the National Museum of Fine Arts...

Vertigo Video

The video for Vertigo by Olivia Lewis was launched this past weekend, by MaltaMedia News:

Olivia Lewis’ Vertigo video was launched on Friday during a press conference held at the Eden Century Cinema in St. Julian’s. Vertigo, which won the MaltaSong for Europe last February, will be representing Malta in the upcoming semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest on the 10th May 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. The video was produced by Pablo Micallef, P.J. Vassallo and Angie Laus from the Where’s Everybody? team in the recent days. Most of scenes were filmed during the night in Vittoriosa, at the Verdala Palace in Buskett, at Palazzo Parisio as well as in the cemetery near Rabat...Malta’s poor placement last year with Fabrizio Faniello’s I do means that Olivia’s song will have to make it through the semi-finals before performing during the final night...

Local elections

Malta ruling party loses local elections, from Reuters:

Malta's ruling Nationalist Party lost local elections in a third of Malta's localities, with the opposition Labor Party winning 53.2 percent of the votes, official results showed on Sunday. The elections, held on Saturday, could be the last test before general elections due to be held in Malta by the middle of next year. The Nationalist Party won 44 percent of the vote with the rest going to independent candidates.

The Nationalists have lost all four local elections held since the party formed a government on a platform to take Malta into the EU in 2003. Malta joined the European Union a year later. Nationalist Party officials said turnout at the local election was only 68 percent, which they said was an indication that many traditionally Nationalist voters had stayed away.

More from MaltaMedia

Bunts Blog

Bunts Blog is a Maltese windsurfing and sailing blog by a 'windsurfing mum' who has been practicing the sport for around 27 years. From 'Big Swell':

Can't find the camera to take a photo but had a SE'ly yesterday. Went down with 4.5m - could have done with a bit more power but was ok. Wind was very fluky - when it was up it was great but when it was down didnt have enough power to get thru the mushy breaking waves. There were a couple of nice waves though.

During the night the sea got up and at around 5 in the morning it was a howling gale then the rain came down monsoon style. Now no wind but big sea. Both reefs are breaking big in the bay - was going to take a photo but dont know where the camera is. The sea seems to be increasing, hopefully will get a bit of wind later on.

Insularity and Opportunities

Like many small island states suffering from insularity and a lack of natural resources, Malta and Gozo have had an uphill struggle over the past forty years to build an infrastructure and economy to sustain the 400,000 population who live on the 75 square miles of land, writes Julian Zarb in Travel Video:

Over the past week, the Maltese government inaugurated a number of projects. Among these projects are the Cottonera Waterfront and the Smart City. These two projects, situated in the South Harbour area of the island, can be added to the list of embellishment projects including Public Gardens, promenades, beaches and arterial roads that were completed throughout the last few years. that have been added to those which were completed in the past twenty years and which have improved the quality of life and economy of the islands..

Ironically, it was the Cottonera Project which brought down a labor government after just 22 months in office in 1998, today this project is creating a new attraction for visitors. The three walled towns (known as the Three Cities) of Cospicua, Vittoriosa and Senglea were synonymous with the Great Siege of Malta; before 1939, after 1945, the growth of the Drydocks as a major economic activity meant that the three cities lost some of their attractiveness. Through certain initiatives by the local councils; the history and characteristics of these heritage towns are now being promoted and have already proved to be a successful place to visit on most tourist itineraries. With the growth of cruise line business, these attractions should continue to grow in popularity.

Just a kilometer away from the Cottonera Project, another initiative that is being undertaken by the Government together with Tekom investments of Dubai, consists of a new Smart City on land that includes an old, derelict industrial zone dating back to the eighties. This project should attract IT companies and give employment opportunities to some 5000 persons besides providing a top quality environment including hotels and a commercial center. The plans for the Smart City have already been drawn up by the firm, Colin Buchanan...

Louis de Bernières

Louis de Bernières, the author of “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” and “Birds Without Wings” will visit Malta between the 21st and 22nd March, from MaltaMedia news:

Louis de Bernières will be brought over by the British Council and Miller Distributors. The Maltese reading public will have a number of opportunities to hear him talking about his work. On Wednesday 21st March Louis de Bernières will be meeting University students at 1300CET in Lecture Theatre 2. He will read extracts from his work and participate in a Question and Answer Session. The event is being organised in collaboration with the Department of English and KSU, and will be followed by a book signing session at 3pm at the Agenda Bookshop on campus...

'Amazing and laid back'

Big Papi from Ottawa, Canada, has kicked off his European tour by visiting Malta:

So I got a bit of vacation time, on top of my normal 4 days so I went to the tiny country of Malta....i'll wait while most of you go look for it on a map. (hint: it's south of Sicily) Anyway, I've met a few people working at the hostel who either were from there, or raved about their trip there. It has a little bit of everything, unique culture and history (they've been ruled by the Turks, English, Italians, French and Spanish), great climate (i ended up with a sunburn, how you guys doing in Canada? lol!), historical ruins, and beautiful natural sights. I wanted to go some place that wouldn't involve long hauls to check places out. Malta at it's widest point is like 13km....'nuff said!

Anyway, I was there for 6 days, most of the time I slept outside the capital city of Valletta, but I spent one night (a little cooler then I expected) under the stars by a beach in a pretty secluded area. I basically lost myself in the country. The homes and buildings for the most part looked a little like something you'd see in Morocco or Sicily, I suppose (but very well-kept). Tourism seems to be the biggest thing going, and some places are built up resort areas, which i tried to stay clear off.

I visted alot of the cities (Valletta, Midna, Rabat, Mostar, Naxxar, Silema, Paceville, etc) with beautiful Churches (and I thought Ireland was very Roman Catholic! Wow!!), incredible fortified cities, and just amazing landscape (Dingli Cliffs). The bus system was good, but often you'd have to wait a while and do all these crazy routes to get to a town only 3-4 km's away, so I walked alot, and hitch'd. Well, sorta. I'm not whether I was really lucky, but it seemed that whenever I would walk past a town limits, and along the highway, I wouldn't get very far before a car stopped offered me a lift to the next town. The people were amazing and laid-back.

I tried to take my time and see some off-beat things, one of which was the Island of Gozo, which I took a tour of. I guess I had something saying I was Canadian cause locals would come up and ask me about Canada, saying they had family there. Visited the salt pans (pools dug along the shore for sea water to gather, and then drying in the sun to get salt), the Azure Window - an incredible rock form in emerald coloured water, the beautiful town of Xlendi, which was in an incredible bay. Dunno what to say, I just loved the place - i don't think i could have picked a better place! I'll let the pics do the talking!

Top of the religion table

Following a new Eurobarometer survey measuring the social reality in Europe, The Universe newspaper in Manchester, UK, highlights the fact that, according to the survey, Maltese people are the most religous (and happiest) in the EU:

A survey conducted all over the European Union has shown that the people of the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo have emerged as the most religious people in the EU. The findings, released by the European Commission in its Eurobarometer survey on ‘European Social Reality’, has shown that 88 per cent of the Maltese consider religion as “a very important aspect” of their lives, topping the survey’s ‘religious’ table.

The survey, which included 26,755 people in the EU’s 27 member states, revealed that the Maltese are followed by the Cypriots (86 per cent) and Romanians (82 per cent). The least religious are the Czechs and the Danes, with 28 and 30 per cent respectively. The UK came in at 45 per cent and Ireland at 61 per cent. Overall, the survey showed that EU citizens are happy with their lives, with an average of 86 per cent expressing satisfaction. People from Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium say they are the happiest (97 per cent and 95 per cent), while Romanians and Bulgarians can be seen as the grumpiest, according to the new statistics.
Some 94 per cent of Malta’s population say they are happy.

Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom also scored above 90 per cent. At the bottom end, only 68 per cent of Hungary’s population consider themselves happy. Romania and Bulgaria are even worse off, with 60 per cent and 38 per cent respectively. The European Commission said the results of the survey would be fed into forthcoming policy initiatives including the review of the commission’s social agenda, later on this year.

Read the full survey report: European Social Reality (pdf)

Don Hickman's luzzu

Writing in the openwriting site, Don Hickman tells 'a delicious tall' story of a Maltese luzzu:

Giuseppe Loscano was born in his father's boatyard at Birzebbuga in Malta, the yard where generations of Loscanos had built wooden fishing boats to the detriment of the island's forests on Malta. Not all of the required wood grew on Malta. Oak, larch, greenheart and red pine were imported by the boatload from Sicily. Seppe’s father specialized in building small boats, his favourite being the Luzzu. This multi-coloured craft is believed to be of Phoenician origin, but only the ‘eye’ of Horus depicted on the bow is a relic from those times. The boat's name has evolved down the centuries, from Ozzo, Uzzo to Guzzo. In 1905 a fisherman called Tal-luzzu was recorded as owning one - so Luzzu it became.

The Luzzu is a carvel-built double-ended open boat with the rudder hung on the stern by gudgeon and pintle. This versatile craft has been propelled over the years by oars, sails and engines. She's a good sea boat and nice to handle. One day, as Seppe was working in the boatyard, a Major in the British Army came to purchase a Luzzu. In true Maltese fashion Giuseppe said, “You name the boat. We name the price.” A deal was settled and a name agreed. It was to be called St John, the Major's first name (pronounced Sin-jin). As part of the transaction the boat was to be shipped to England. St John was constructed almost before the cheque had cleared the bank. Seppe's mother completed the painting and his father carved the name and a cockatrice or two on the mahogany sheer. Now for the delivery.

Giuseppe had been twice married, firstly to Sliema who tragically drowned in a creek full of submarines, and then to Floriana. Everyman in Malta knew Floriana. Seppe decided to get away from the island for a while and deliver the Luzzu himself. He had heard that a vessel was about to depart Grand Harbour for England and after a few drinks with A.B Rafferty, the skipper of the Skomer, it was agreed to take Seppe and his boat as deck cargo as far as the Solent.

The Skomer sailed to Gibraltar, through the straits and out into the Atlantic. Past Lisbon, across the Bay of Biscay, and round Brest they went. At a mark off Cherbourg, Rafferty steered north in order to cross the English Channel. Having rounded the Nab Tower, the Warner buoy, and then Outer Spit where the Seagulls sit, Giuseppe was in the Solent. Giuseppe Loscano had successfully completed his mission. The boat having been delivered to its new owner it was now time to return to his native island. But how to get home by train? The nearest railway station was Ryde St Johns but the ticket office there was not much help. They told Seppe to hop on the next train to Ryde Esplanade and ask at the information office.

“Malta,” said the man at Ryde Esplanade. “That’s an island in the Mediterranean. Ask at the Pier Head.” There was one confused man on the trip to Ryde Pier Head, but at least he had not had to buy a ticket. At the Pier Head he asked if there was a boat to Malta. “Sorry mate we only go to Portsmiff. Ask at the Harbour,” the boatman said. When they arrived at Portsmouth Harbour, the Station Master directed Giuseppe to the station at Portsmouth and Southsea. “If all else fails, ask at Waterloo,'' he was told.

Giuseppe had a satisfied smile on his face on the boat train from London to Dover. In his pocket was a document written in French, a request that the person in charge of French Railways, Paris, assist in the repatriation of the bearer, Giuseppe Loscano, to Malta. On arrival at the Gare de Nord he was soon whisked away by private car to the Gare de Bercy station. Here he was given a first class seat to Venice. With luck, the people in Venice would know the way to get to Malta.

Seppe Loscano liked Venice, but the gondolas reminded him of the Dghajsa boats in Grand Harbour, Malta, making him homesick. He went back to the Santa Lucia station in Venice and found a train that was going south to Sicily. Now he was almost home. The mail boat Knight of Malta sailed from Syracuse in Sicily to Valleta. A ticket, £2 10s, and Malta was just eight hours away from Sicily. On arrival in Valleta Seppe disembarked at the Customs House Steps. His two mothers-in-law were waiting there to meet him...

More stories by Don Hickman

Touring Valletta as a film-set

No less than 150 films were shot in Malta and it is now possible to know more about at least 20 of them in a two-hour walking tour of Valletta, explains Noel Grima:

..the Malta Union of Tourist Guides celebrated World Tourist Guides’ Day by launching a new theme tour entitled “Movie Moments”. The tour was created by Pat Flores Martin and offers participants the opportunity to see the streets of Valletta through the eyes of the “Dream Merchants”. This is only one of four tours that have recently been created and which are proving quite successful both with conference organisers and tour operators. The others are “Sex and the City”, all about Valletta’s seamier side and past, the “Gardens of Floriana” and “Underneath Vittoriosa”.

The tour starts off at City Gate, near the Phoenicia Hotel where The Malta Story was shot. City Gate and Valletta in general stood in for Montevideo in Battle on the River Plate. Up to the Upper Barrakka and down in the ditch one can see where scenes of Midnight Express were filmed, apart from Fort St Elmo. The Maltese extras in that film spoke ordinary Maltese but this was thought to be Turkish by audiences. Oliver Stone later had to apologise to the Turkish nation.

Across the sea on the Vittoriosa waterfront, scenes were shot of Cutthroat Island and The Count of Monte Cristo. Cutthroat Island can be called the pre-sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean but it was a big financial flop: it cost $100 million and only grossed $10. Apart from the Vittoriosa waterfront, the Count of Monte Cristo was also shot in Mdina’s main square, at enormous cost since the square had to be returned to the Middle Ages and residents were paid Lm50 to remove their television aerials for just one day.

The Mdina main square was also the venue for Roman Polanski’s Pirates with Walter Matthau in 1972. It took two whole days to shoot a scene of the square as a slave market but only two seconds were shown in the film. Down to the Victoria Gate, up whose steps ran the children in 1963’s Treasure in Malta. Actually, the whole of Malta was one film set then, as the treasure was found in the end at the Calypso Cave in Gozo. One unknown boy actor in that film, Mark Lester, attained international stardom the next year in Oliver, with Oliver Reed, about whom later.

Just round the corner from the Victoria Gate is the British Hotel, which stood in for a Greek hotel in Munich. Inside the building Mossad agents met with Palestinian ones without pre-knowledge on either side. The next morning the Palestinians were butchered by KGB agents. Across the sea once again in Dockyard Creek, another key scene was shot in Munich (apart from the Sliema promenade) when frogmen invaded a girl’s party and shot at anybody in sight. Ironically, film crews always say they come to work in Malta because it is safe here!..

..The first version of Casino Royale was shot in Malta in 1960 with Cilla Black; the music later used for Born Free was originally written for this film. Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and David Niven took part in this film. David Niven had lived in Malta when he was in the army and worked at Montgomery House in Floriana. He was later to write that the period he spent in Malta in the British Army was the only time he did anything for humanity.

Sometimes it can be somewhat disconcerting for a Maltese to watch a film shot in Malta because different parts of Malta come up as if they match when in fact they are distant from each other. A case in point is in the Count of Monte Cristo when the actors dive into the sea near the Siege Bell and come up smooching at the Azure Window. Up St Ursola Street one remembers that residents were not allowed to leave their houses for days at a stretch while Munich was being shot, and at last the tour ends at Ollie’s last pub. Oliver Reed had first come to Malta when he was shooting Cutthroat Island...

New historical tour

How Brett sees Malta

As part of the Excellent Adventure Series in the Kiwi Travel Blog, Brett from New Zealand writes about a visit to Malta:

Timing is everything. From watching wildlife in Kenya, we’ve arrived in Malta and apparently we’re around 180,000 years too late to see the Maltese hippopotamus. And if we had jumped in a time machine we could also have spotted pygmy elephants. Apparently they were the size of a German shepherd, and fellow refugees from Europe’s Ice Age when Malta was joined to Italy.

Fresh off an Emirates time machine from the electricity free villages of Kenya’s Masai people via Dubai’s 21st century over-achievement, our first experience of Malta is the prehistoric temple complexes at Tarxien and Ħaġar Qim. (That’s just a sample of Malta’s unique language which mixes Arabic and Italian and tosses in Brit colloquialisms like “Orwright?’)..

Day two in Malta dawns sunny, so we trundle off in our hire car to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, (pronounced Marshes-Shlock). Malta’s recent British heritage has an inevitable Latin spin - we’re just 60km from Sicily after all - and the vibe is kind of Coronation St meets the Coliseum. There’s local football teams called Wanderers and Hotspurs; the island is patrolled by a team of old Bedford and Leyland buses; and red phone booths dot street corners. Trotting is a big sport on Malta, and on the way to the morning market at Marsaxlokk, horses and sulkies share the road with Sunday morning traffic including loads of 1970s British cars like Cortinas and Minis.

At Marsaxlokk, we soon realise we’re in the Mediterranean though. Stretched along the waterfront corniche crammed with colourful fishing boats, is a riot of fish vendors, fruit and veg sellers, and stalls selling the usual Euro-tat mix of cheap shoes and cheaper clothes. The sales pitches are all delivered in the Malti dialect, sounding like Arabic or Hebrew with an Italian accent, and peppered with English phrases that could came straight from Eastenders.

A huge Maltese Labour Party flag is flying above a café run by the local Labour Party, and we fall into conversation with locals John, Yvonne, and Charlie. Our initial idea was a quick coffee and a few imqaret, (tasty date pastries), but soon we’re sharing Maltese sausage, garlic snails and peppery goats’ cheese. I’m driving so I decline a local Cisk lager, but after a second espresso, the café suddenly fills up with local TV crews. Our new friend John, who’s already decided it’s not too early for a few beers, jumps up and introduces us to a well-dressed guy in a suit. Wiping imqaret crumbs from my fingers, I shake hands with Alfred Sant, Malta’s Leader of the Opposition and potentially the country’s next Prime Minister. I’m still not sure if I managed to stay out of the way of the TV cameras though.

More from Brett: More affordable Malta; Gozo is the new Tuscany

Ebony and Ivory

Noel Tanti at Nigredo's Scrapbook responds to Sharon Spiteri's post on the plight of irregular immigrants in Malta:

..Every day I catch the 06:45am bus to work. This would be full of people, black and white, going to work. I never see anyone segregated to the back of the bus, or black people on one side of the bus and the rest on the other. I have seen Maltese people helping immigrants with bulky bags get on the bus; and others taking care of the young black kids till their mother paid the fare.

I am not saying that Sharon's points are rubbish. Far from it. I still remember that woman who refused to get on the bus because there were only black people on it; or that other mother who tried to discipline her son by telling him that if he does not behave himself the big black man on the other side of the road will come and get him. However I suspect that the whole furore about illegal immigration was fruit of that customary Maltese reaction to anything 'big' that happens in the country, aka the taking-sides malaise. Just as there is Valletta vs Birkirkara, Ta' l-Ajkla vs Tac-Cintura, l-Ahmar vs il-Blu, Vodafone vs Go Mobile, there was the iswed vs l-abjad. It seems that the Maltese mind blossoms in (or can just take) dualities and jumps at the opportunity of nurturing a new one. But after some time the enthusiasm dwindles and is put aside for the next two big things to come

Country in transition

French bank, Credit Industriel et Commercial (CIC), has chosen Malta as its destination for this year’s cultural trip for 300 French business students:

Speaking to The Malta Independent following the group’s arrival in Malta on Monday for a three-day stay, Mr Brouchiquan said that every year, the bank organises cultural trips for some of the best students in the field, since it feels that by doing so, it will be making a good investment in the future leaders of the French financial and economic sector. “Students who open accounts with us are given a bonus of 160 euros, apart from special conditions, and this cultural trip is also offered as part of the package,” he said.

The bank normally chooses a European town or city that has a strong link with what is happening at present, said Mr Brouchiquan, adding that he viewed Malta as a country in transition. “The country is charged with history, with numerous monuments and a strong religion, but my impression is that there is already the presence of a strong banking network. “I believe the country can play an important role in Europe, particularly in the economic and financial sectors, since its geographical position on the southern border between the west and east of Europe gives it the potential to act as a link between the EU and other countries,” he said...