Marsaxlokk celebrating

Marsaxlokk FC celebrated their first Maltese title in style by defeating Msida St. Joseph FC 4-0 on Sunday, having been confirmed as champions the day before, writes Domenic Aquilina in UEFA.com:

A 1-1 draw between nearest rivals Sliema Wanderers FC and outgoing champions Birkirkara FC on Saturday confirmed the inevitable and Brian Talbot's side went into the Msida game with the title already won. It is the first honour the side from the southern seaside town have won since their formation in 1949. The nearest they had come previously was losing the 2003/04 Maltese Cup final. Marsaxlokk lost only two games all season, with director Victor Sciriha giving the coach, a former Arsenal FC and England midfielder, full credit, telling uefa.com: "Brian Talbot is a true professional all the way - a coach who has the ability to fill his players with confidence." The 53-year-old Talbot himself added: "It is always nice to finish off as a winner, but this has been a collective effort. Everyone at the club worked so hard to achieve this."

At least one member of the Marsaxlokk squad has motivation to continue the good work in the remaining games of the season, with top scorer Daniel Bogdanovic finding the target twice against Msida to take his total for the season to 30. The island's top scorer this season, the Maltese international is looking to top Danilo Dončić's record of 32 goals in a season for Valletta FC in 2001/02. A hot favourite to be named as Malta's Player of the Year, Bogdanovic told uefa.com: "It is such a great feeling to have won the title. I would like to thank our coach Brian Talbot who boosted my confidence in my scoring abilities. It would be nice to get into the record books and beat Dončić's record, but winning the title was always our main priority."

Marsaxlokk will now look forward to playing in the first qualifying round of the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League. They have played only two European ties to date, losing 3-0 on aggregate to Slovenia's NK Primorje in the first qualifying round of the 2004/05 UEFA Cup and then going down 4-1 over two legs against Bosnia-Herzegovina's NK Zrinjski in the first round of the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

My first Love and our 20th Anniversary

No, this is not about the first boy I kissed in kindergarten. It's also not about my boyfriend. We've "only" been together for eight years. It's about a love that has been nurtured deep inside of me ever since I was a little girl on a big trip to a small island. Sorry, if I might have to disappoint you, this is not a love piece about a single person, it's more a love piece about a nation.
My sisters (I have two sisters) and I were lucky to travel a lot during childhood. Every summer, winter and Easter break our parents would pack the suitcases and off we went to discover another country. One year we flew to the US to see the deserts of Arizona and the Grand Canyon, another time we would be hiking in the Austrian mountains and the following summer we would ride down to Italy by car. I loved traveling, I loved visiting new places. It was fascinating to see how many things differed from home... the landscape, the people, the language and food.
One summer my parents decided to fly down to Malta (those days Malta was nearly unheard of in Germany) and that was one of the most exciting experiences I had so far in my young life. The trip in itself was an adventure. We had to cross the border from West to East Berlin because there were no direct flights to Malta (very scary experience!). After a lot of hassle the plane took off, we flew and it was beautiful. I remember the first time I saw the islands. The sea was gorgeous, sparkling and blue... everywhere blue, blue, blue! And suddenly "rocks". It was the peak of summer and the country was dry but nevertheless very charming at the same time. I wasn't prepared for what happened next. The moment I stepped out of the air conditioned plane it was if I had hit a wall. The air was so thick and hot I have never felt something like it before. You could literally "see" the heat... that flicker on the runways' asphalt at noon. We had hired a typical red minivan to take us to the ferry.. one with those plastic seats that you constantly get stuck to with the heat. It was HOT! On our bumpy ride through Malta though, I could not take a single time my eyes off the window. I was observing every little detail that passed us by from the beautiful traditional Maltese villages (remember it was 2 decades ago) with their impressive churches, to the statues that were in every single street corner, to the farmland in the outskirts and the coast road that had the most incredible view of the sea.
I have so many memories of my first vacation in Gozo that I could fill a book with it but what got stuck most was the feeling of "home". I know, it sounds a bit contradictory. How can Malta have the tiniest similarity to my home in Germany, especially those days? It wasn't a feeling of similarity that drew me to Malta (it was exotically different) but an instant feeling of affection.
I fell in love with Malta the moment I felt the heat, the first time I saw the sea, the first time I met a local, the first time I ate their food.
I was captivated.

This summer it's going to be my 20th anniversary of my first visit to Malta! And with every love, I had my ups and downs (and a lot of culture shocks in between). There was also a time, during my teen years, I lost track of Malta because I traveled to other places and lived a year in the US. Somehow though, the attraction never left and in my university years I re-discovered Malta for myself. Still, I cannot pin point an exact time I had made the decision to come and live in Malta. It was more a gradual thing with a lot of different factors playing into it. In fact, it took me ages to realize that IT IS actually possible for me to live here and sometimes I still can't believe it myself.

Oh, it's lunch time already! I have a photo shoot in a couple of hours and need to get prepared. It was great speaking here and if you like, visit me on my blogs jessmor.blogspot.com and gossip-from-malta.blogspot.com. Have a fabulous Sunday (weather is nice!).
If you see me around, please say hi!

How Blogging has Worked for Me

Hi everybody,

I am Jessica, I am a blogger ... and a sister, a daughter, a girlfriend, a friend, a photographer. No seriously now, I am completely excited to be here this weekend and talk to you a little bit about myself, my life in Malta and my blogs which are the reason why I speak here in the first place. Yeah, when I started blogging, little did I know what effect it would have on my professional and personal life. It all began only 10 months ago. I was in sort of a time strap waiting for my results from university and my final move to Malta. I stumbled across blogs quite by coincidence. I was "innocently" researching on interesting subjects such as photography, Malta, ... mmm some celebrity gossip *pppssssst* (don't tell anyone!) when I suddenly discovered it: a multitude of people sharing their piece of mind on their personalized and regularly updated websites. I have to admit, before I ever thought of becoming a blogger myself I became a blog stalker. That's what happened: First thing in the morning I would read my favorite blogs before I had even checked my Email. But hey, be honest, isn't it just plain natural?! Isn't a little blog stalking in all of us? Whatever, I got hooked onto certain blogs. There is something about the authors and their stories that gives you this strange feeling of "connection" and that although you might have never actually met them face to face and probably never will... still you keep waiting (sometimes yearning) for more... entry by entry you are following someone else's life, mind, ideas, etc..

(Sociologist would call that para-social interaction. Hey prof, if you could hear me speak about your subject now, you'd be proud of me, right! Oh wait a second... or was it ortho-social?..ehh, sorry! I still keep confusing the two ;-).

But after all, blogging really does connect. I cannot stress enough how sharing and blogging has helped me get in touch with so many different people from around the world. I'd say, my life has definitely become enriched by this experience. Here's a simple example. Eight months ago I moved to Malta and even though I had been visiting the island on a regular basis before I hardly knew anyone. Blogging has suddenly accelerated everything I do, including my personal and professional life. There is no denying, a blog puts you out there, makes you visible! To blog about my profession was the obvious choice. It's a great tool which works two-ways. It helped me to interact with people, create an interest about my work and also come in touch with other professionals. The difficult, challenging but most important part of blogging is (and every blogger will know this): updating, updating and updating! You have to keep your readers happy with a fresh flowing supply of content. Yep, that's a lot of responsibility and demands a constant effort (I admire bloggers who update daily!). Therefore, I call blogging a state of mind: you have to go out there, work harder and come up with new inspiring things all the time. Personally, all the extra work becomes worthwhile as soon as you receive comments, Emails and inquiries of people who love what you do and want more!

That's basically the story of how I got started. Then a few months down the line and some blog experience under my belt I came up with another idea. When people from around the world read my blog why not take the opportunity and share something about this wonderful island I live on. Why not let other people be part of my experience here, let them know that Malta, that small island in the Mediterranean, exists and it's so much more than a mere tiny dot on the world map. Malta is unique in many ways and I constantly try to promote that through my imagery, writing and publishing. So my second baby Gossip-from-Malta was born.

By time I was amazed to learn that Malta has it's fair share in the blogesphere. I started to love reading other Maltese blogs, it's a community in a community. The funny thing is that over here you actually DO bump into other bloggers (hi guys!!!) and it's fun to find out how the person is in real life! Sometimes, you'll be surprised!

Wow, so this was a lot of blah blah for today and since I have the whole weekend on Wired Temples I will tell you tomorrow something about my first love… Yeah…love stories are always nice! So pop in on Sunday. Don't forget to leave a comment. I love to hear from YOU (stalkers out there, c'mon let's hear what you have to say!). Post any questions you have in the comment section and I WILL answer!

Guest blogging by Jessica Moritz

Jessica C. Moritz who was first featured in this blog here, will be the guest blogger this weekend. Born in Berlin and a blogger for over a year, Jessica is a professional lifestyle photographer who blogs at Lifestyle Photographer and at Gossip from Malta. She has been living in Malta for the past eight months and first visited twenty years ago when, as a child, she spent her summers in Gozo. Jessica received an education in classical photography before moving on to digital and has a Masters degree in North American Studies, Communications and Sociology. She currently works as a freelance photographer and also takes on writing assignments as well as in marketing, PR & project management. She enjoys doing voluntary work with children of migrant families. I welcome her to MaltaMedia and look forward to her blog posts over this weekend.

'A magazine to scream about'

The thirteenth edition of the annual Scream magazine produced by Communications students at the University of Malta has been published. Creator Dr Gorg Mallia writes:

Heaven knows there’s lots to scream about in today’s world. Wars and an environment that’s going to the dogs, and viruses (both actual and cyber) threatening us with the coming of the Apocalypse – virtual pestilence riding on a CGI generated horse, no doubt. Young people, and I suppose, particularly students, have their own reasons for screaming ... some of which are real, others pointedly generated for the sake of the propagation of young-rebel angst. But the scream that results is real. As real as frustration at a society that prefers to look the other way when young people’s needs are aired. As real as anger, and laughter, and the sudden scream of shock...!

The Scream is the shout and beckon of this year’s group of communications students doing the unit Printing Processes. It has been published thirteen times as of the publication of the magazine you hold in your hands. An unlucky number for some (and worth screaming about), but not for the nearly seventy students who have worked hard to make this year’s magazine worth your while to read. Not that they didn’t scream at each other at times ... the work involved in creativity is demanding, and nerves tend to get frayed in the thick of inspiration, but on the whole, the work was smooth and all those involved were immersed in it with a determination to make the different parts cohese and come together in the final product. A fine product. Purposely varied in content, layout and design. A trying ground for incipient desktop publishing designers, novice writers, and fledgeling advertising executives, as well as promising website builders...

Making waves

Women on Waves, a Dutch organisation with a mission "to prevent unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortions throughout the world", will controversially target Maltese women in international waters offering them on-board abortion services. From The Washington Times:

The Dutch government has lifted restrictions that have kept an "abortion ship" from international waters for three years. The group Women on Waves told The Times of London that under its new Dutch license, the group can hand out "abortion pills" to women up to seven weeks pregnant after taking women from countries that ban abortion to international waters. The group plans to target the three EU countries -- Ireland, Poland and Malta -- that ban abortion and has reportedly received invitations from groups in Argentina and elsewhere in South America, the Times reported.

"We have just received the license and there are some restrictive conditions but, yes, we are going to prepare a new campaign, that is for sure," Rebecca Gomperts, the director of Women on Waves, told The Times. "It will take a little time but we are in touch with women's organizations in several different countries, so we are looking at the best option." Women on Waves has been sidelined by Dutch restrictions since 2004. The rules were relaxed after the Labor Party was voted into the ruling coalition, The Times reported

Spirit of Malta

Spirit of Malta is a 4 minute video about Malta shot by Alexander Chorny from Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine and posted on You Tube:

This video was filmed in Malta between 02.05 to 08.05 and edited in extreme rush in 2 hours (night before my plane back home for vacation, I made it specially to show Malta to my friends and parents back in Ukraine). The soundtrack is an "Everyday song" by "Winter Moods" (Maltese band, http://wintermoods.net)./ All filmed on an amateur Panasonic NV-28EN by me except 3 helicopter shots which I took from the stock footage in the studio I work for.

More videos by Alexander Chorny; Winter Moods will be playing live next Monday at the Valletta Waterfront on the final night of the Malta Fireworks Festival.

Tongue in Cheek

Corey Amaro, who blogs at Tongue in Cheek, is American but has lived in France for the last 20 years. She has been blogging about her Mediteranean travels and her second port of call was Malta. The comments to her blog entry are worth looking at:

Costa Romantica was the name of our cruise liner. (My children swear I picked the boat for its name. Duh, isn't that how its done?) Doesn't it look out of place? Like a monster of modernity next to the ancient port of Malta? Yann likes to explore ancient ruins, to look at his GPS and tell us how many inches we are from important landmarks and cliffs. Usually on a cruise you have a few precious hours in each port....just enough of a taste to tantalize your taste buds, to get your feet wet, and make you want to come back and explore. Therefore Yann, goes with the flow, and let's us do whatever we want...until Chelsea's vision of travel kicks in, that is.

Sacha seeks museums of history. Telling us facts that make us think, "Who is this kid?" and, "Where does he gather this stuff?" He knew which museums to go to, before we got off the boat. Who needs a tour guide when you have historian Sacha around? As for me....I like to wander without map or agenda, to go into grocery stores. I like to sit in cafes, watch people, and taste the flavors of the region. If you go to Malta you must taste the deep fried, date cream, pastries. They certainly added a lush filled cushion to my plump hips. Oh, it is also true I like to take photos of door handles.

Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean. Its neighbors include, Italy and Africa. Their language is Maltese. When I heard it spoken it seemed like a mixture of english, italian, latin, arabic, and french. The words seem to bop around like numbers in a bingo barrel. Bonjour,"..."the cost,"..."cinq euro,"..."prego," then a latin word or an arabic word would follow. I felt right at home with the mixture of languages in the same sentences. Culture and history can be seen in door handles. Though Malta is mostly Catholic, the crescent moon and cherubs are neighbors in Malta.

Malta has incredible stone facades buildings, with wooden covered balconies. It seems on every corner there was a religious statue, and by every door a religious tiny shrine. I tripped many times on the mountain of stairs, because I was looking up instead of down. Even the flower stands had statues of Mary and Jesus. The public transportation buses seem to shout, "Hey lady want a ride?" I could not resist its flirtatious call. As I got off the bus and ran to the big white boat to sail away...I did make a wish to return one day.

A story of Malta - trailer, by MichaWolf (Germany) - You Tube

Supercities

Supercities is an internet project that aims to promote Malta abroad. Click on the 'cities' section for videp clips of Maltese towns. Joe Grima, the brains behind the project, explains:

We created this website because I understand that today’s selling tools are so totally different from the 1980s. When the Americans attacked Libya, and we lost all our European bookings in a flash, we went round Europe and gave 16 press conferences in 11 days in different countries. I went on Mike Buongiorno’s programme to explain to Italians that we are not part of Libya and at the time those were very legitimate tools. Today, the biggest and best tool is the Internet, because people book online. Before they used to want to see what the prices are, but today they want to see what they’re booking. We have invented two new ways of using the Internet. First, we do everything on video, not by clicking on photos – we show a restaurant or a hotel by showing you a film. We present the tourism infrastructure on video. The website itself is attractive and is linked to other websites, the best of which is www.visitmalta.”

The supercities.eu website is sponsored by the Tourism and Culture Ministry, but Joe Grima is still looking for a strategic partner. “My dream is to offer this service for free. That would give us a number of advantages because when we provide a free service, we can choose the face of Malta that we want to present and not have to bow down to commercial demands. If it’s free, we can do it quicker and better. However, so far there’s still a small charge.” The official launch for the project is on Tuesday, 24 April, and Joe is hoping for this kind of sponsor to materialise by then.

So how does it work? “Well, basically anyone who offers a tourism-related service can be on this website. For the time being, it will be translated into English, French and German but we have an agreement with the Malta Tourism Authority to go into other languages later. We can create a video for those who don’t have one, using the services of Bonaci Media Entertainment. The charge will include the one-minute video, which is on the Internet for one whole year – every minute of that year you can have someone clicking onto your product or service. However, if someone already has a commercial ready, we can just convert it into Internet language and put it in.” ...Our target market is those Europeans who take their holidays in Europe – that is around 370 million people. From our research, we have found that most people who use the Internet understand English.”...

Missing Malta already

Following a stay in Malta, Christine is back in Dublin and 'already missing Malta':

Were back in Dublin and I have to say the weather is starting to get lovely however, I am already missing Malta. A friend recently told me that she loved my blog posts but thought I was crazy for taking time out of our vacation to write them. I totally agree with her but in my defense I was filling time while my adorable husband, who had crashed two nights in a row at 7:30pm, caught up on some much needed sleep. We both needed some time in the sun in relax and reconnect with one another. For five days we lived lavishly in a very romantic setting and lazed about in the sun completely free from obligation. Therefore, we are calling our trip to Malta the honeymoon we never had.

Did I stay on my strict diet while on vacation? Of course not! At times I wish I had cut back on a bit of the heavy carbs as that may have saved me a tummy ache or two. My guiding principles were to indulge only in food of very high quality, to eat slowly with great awarness/appreciation, and to listen carefully to those important messages from my body especially the ones that tell me when I have had enough which I did with a fairly high success rate. On occasions where I went overboard I compensated by skipping either breakfast or lunch. As promised below I have summarized this amazing Mediterranean culinary experience..

Sorry, I have run out of steam for this post. I started with vigor and then went out for girls night at Tonic so I have drifted back to Dublin, my new home, where I have made so many wonderful new friends. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip and that you will one day have the chance to visit and fall in love with Malta as I have. Darren I am envious that you and your wife are moving there. I definitely think that I could live there.

Steffen Nork's Malta photos

Euro decision time

The European Commission will announce on May 16 whether Cyprus and Malta can join the euro currency next year, from IHT:

The European Central Bank is also likely to give its view close to that date, EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters. If both support adding the two nations to the 13-nation euro economy, EU finance ministers will then have to take a final decision in June. "We will adopt our report on May 16, more or less the same calendar as the ECB. If the assessment is positive in both cases, or one of both cases, we will present the proposal to the European Council (of Ministers)," Almunia said after ministers met for talks.

The Commission and the ECB must judge if the two Mediterranean island nations meet EU standards on inflation, budget deficits and overall government debt. For Cyprus, EU entry took place only a month after the southern Greek Cypriot government voted against a United Nations plan that would have called for reunification with the breakaway Turkish-Cypriot state in the north of the island. Only one other country that joined the EU at the same time — Slovenia — has adopted the euro. High inflation in Latvia and Lithuania, which joined the EU at the same time, forced the two Baltic states to delay plans to join the currency zone...

Least competitive

Malta is among the least competitive EU states, from the MagroEconomics blog:

Innovation is one of Malta’s weakest points, according to a global index of the World Economic Forum ranking countries according to their competitiveness. Malta ranks 19th in the index when compared to other EU member states. The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007 says Finland is the most competitive EU country of all. The report revealed that Malta’s economy was not resilient as was the case elsewhere because it lagged behind in a number of factors such as higher education and training, infrastructure, business sophistication and the macro economy.

Less problematic are areas such as health and primary education, while technological readiness is the only area where Malta is at par with the top countries. Still, among the EU25, Malta ranks penultimate when considering the percentage of graduates in science and technology. Among Malta’s pluses were a strong institutional set-up, few barriers to trade and the soundness of banks. Yet, the burden of government compliance was huge, as was the case for the overall infrastructural quality.

Some sore points were the dirt around Malta, bad roads and signage, lack of enforcement of health and safety regulations and the general shabby state of the environment. It was pointed out how a potential investor from South Africa who was planning to move his financial services company and all his assets to Malta had changed his mind after being choked by the exhaust fumes of three buses while walking on the Sliema front. Simple solutions were suggested, such as imposing a tax on construction left half-finished for months all around the islands, were doable and would greatly improve the situation.

Centre of calculation

Writing about engineers, Facetation says that Malta is one of the 'most interesting hubs of fortification activity':

After reading and writing about Ramelli I feel that I have to circle back and cover off some other parts of the world. One of the most interesting hubs of fortification activity was Malta. The Knights of St. John arrived in Malta in 1530 and they quickly began to build out the fortifications of the island. The Ottoman Empire launched a major attack in 1565 which the Knights were able to repel. In many ways, Malta was on point for the protection of Christendom. It was the most exposed part of the Aragonese Empire. Successive waves of engineers visited the island to consult on the fortifications. To use Latour's expression, it became a "centre of calculation" for early engineering knowledge.

Malta depended on a succession of visiting engineers. They were among the first consulting engineers and were granted dispensation from their patrons to perform duties in Malta. They weren't paid for this service nor were they considered full-time residents of Malta or members of the Order of St. John. They were, however, treated very well and were often given valuable departing gifts. In many ways, these engineers were the super stars of the day and could affect a haughty manner. In addition to gifts, the engineers could gain social status. Francesco Paciotto, for example, was knighted by Philip II and eventually became the Count of Fonte Fabbri (but surely his status had more to do with his work in Turin and Antwerp than his work in Malta).

The engineers who worked at Malta include Pietro Paolo Floriani, son of Pompeo Floriani, an early author of fortification treatises. Gabrio Serbelloni was also in Malta in 1565. Serbelloni was a cousin to Pius IV (and El Medeghino). Some engineers, such as Mederico Blondel (brother of Francoise) stayed for many years and were given authority over both military fortifications and civil works such as aqueducts and fountains. This occurrence seems to be a rare one since the high profile engineers were rarely involved in civil works although domestic engineers sometimes did both.

The pay scale for engineers in Malta varied from about 25 Scicilian scudi per month in the late 16th century, to 30 scudi in the 17th century, to 50 scudi in the 18th century. It's unclear whether this pay scale applied to domestic engineers or to the foreign specialists who were supposed to be unpaid. Fortification was very much a gentleman's occupation, as were the pursuit of math and science. As such, engineers were very well placed for good social standing and promotion within various bureaucracies. Unlike scientists, mathematicians, or alchemists, however, engineers were not protected by complicated symbolic languages so there work was open to criticism from various armchair engineers.

Tombs

Kris Hirst writes about the Megalithic tombs:

Number 3 on our list of all-time great Megalithic sites to visit is the Mediterranean Islands of Malta and Gozo, colonized by the Neolithic farmers around 4000 BC. The Old Temple Study Foundation has a wealth of information concerning work on Malta and Gozo; including how to get there and what you might find. Also, see the University of Bristol's page on Brochtorff Circle: The Old Temple Study Foundation; Brochtorff Circle (U Bristol)

Meanings and Interpretations: Do the Neolithic temples at Malta reflect evidence of the Goddess myth? It's interesting to contemplate: Goddess Tours to Malta Goddess Tours to Malta has compiled a reading list of books on the Maltese temple sites and the Myth of the Goddess...Bristol University has been doing some pretty cool 3-D visualizations of Brochtorff Circle Brochtorff Circle Reconstructions...Things to Ponder...Several pieces of fiction are listed on the OTSF Temple Stories page; and the reader is invited to submit his or her own as well; and MaltaVista has some great pictures of Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. OTSF: Temple Stories; Neolithic SitesArchaeology of MaltaMegalithic Archaeology

Corrie Blog

Coronation Street to be filmed on Malta this summer, from Corrie Blog:

It looks like there could be a special edition of Coronation Street filmed in the sunshine hotspot of Malta this summer. News in from Malta Media says that filming could possibly be carried out in July. Initial contacts for the project were carried out by officials at the Malta Tourism Authority in association with local film and TV producer, Winston Azzopardi. Coronation Street producers will be in Malta shortly for talks in an effort to finalise the project. Now that sounds intriguing - I wonder why and which characters will be involved? Does anyone know? Some Maltesers, pictured, were unavailable for comment. Is it the first time Corrie have filmed abroad since this storyline?

Deportation drama

Roy Greenslade of The Guardian comments on the case of Gina Khachatryan:

..The Armenian journalist, Gina Khachatryan, is on the Air Malta plane bound for Valletta at the beginning of her unwanted journey back to Armenia. (See Protests over Armenian journalist's deportation) The home office rejected pleas from friends, supporters, lawyers, individual journalists and the National Union of Journalists in order to carry out her controversial deportation..

But Maltese journalists, led by David Vella of the Malta Star, have rallied to Gina's cause. Herman Grech of The Times of Malta is also on the case. They contacted the United Nations human rights commission in the hope that one of its representatives would be allowed to speak to Gina when she arrives at the airport in Malta in order to assist her to make a formal request to the Maltese government for political asylum. But the UNHCR have pointed out that such a request would be extremely unlikely to succeed. The only hope now is a legal decision by the European court.

If that move fails, then the family will be flown on to Moscow. Gina will hope that the Russian authorities might be prepared to accept her (although she does not have Russian citizenship she was born in the country). She believes that anything is better than returning to the country where she anticipates bitter hostility from officials after fleeing in 2003.

Some people have asked me why a journalist should be afraid of operating in Armenia, which was named as the 101st worst country (out of 168) for press freedom restrictions in the Reporters without Borders 2006 rankings. And it may well slip further down that list because Edik Baghdasaryan, head of the association of investigative journalists of Armenia, has reported a recent wave of violent attacks against journalists in the country.

More from Maltastar

'Maltese – Aussie realities'

Charles Flores writes that there are 'two facades of the Maltese in Australia':

..There are those rare – and rarer – species that still go about in the city centres wearing cloth caps and checked flannel shirts. They survive in the community that protects them from their obvious linguistic limitations, but it also tries to moth-ball them in cotton wool by organising those very same activities they miss so much when they left the island – the band marches, the festas, the fireworks, the anthems, the statue replicas, the pastizzi, the odd Kinnie and so on.

But is it fair on these people to lead to them believe that they really have not missed anything – or are they being convinced they have never really left, instead of being encouraged to integrate into the more cosmopolitan climate of the big Australian cities? This is no condemnation. There are Maltese Aussies who are doing a sterling job in that same community and should be commended for their efforts. The purpose of this short piece is merely to delve into the realities that exist, this juxtaposition that sometimes perplexes as much as it reflects on the character of a nation on the go, a people who are always ready to face new challenges without losing touch with their origins.

The second façade is that of the Maltese who simply prefer to switch off, cut the national umbilical cord and throw themselves into the new and exciting society that characterises modern Australia. Some of them quickly merge into it and never reappear anywhere near any red-and-white hues, while others maintain a distant, if prudent, link with the past, refusing to mix genesis with opportunity, nostalgia with present-day scenarios and socialising in half-baked parodies of old village xalati.

There must be a compromise somewhere and indeed there are numerous living examples, as can be seen in the book Maltese Achievers in Australia, a recent publication by Maurice N. Cauchi. Cauchi, a world-renowned pathologist and author, was born in Gharb, Gozo, and spent several years in the UK prior to migrating to Australia in 1969. He was very much involved in migrant issues as chairman of the Education committee, and subsequently as president of the Maltese Community Council of Australia, so he certainly knows what he’s talking about.

Four hundred and thirty-eight packed pages are no joke. Cauchi manages to project a completely different image of the Maltese to that provoked by festa processions and statues carried on the sagging shoulders of Ku Klux Klan look-alikes on the wide pavement of a six-lane boulevard, fireworks let off in the restricted air space between sky-scrapers and band music that sounds so foreign when not played against the quaint and beautiful background of Maltese village cores...

Wild Notebook

Writing in his regular column in The Times (London), Simon Barnes says that Malta's lack of respect for the EU Birds Directive is 'flagrant and unapologetic':

If you have the privilege of joining an organisation that will give you substantial economic benefits in exchange for certain concessions, the thing to do is to take the money and then stick two fingers up at the world. That is the policy adopted by Malta since it joined the European Union. This week, the spring hunting season began on Malta. Again. As it has done every spring since Malta joined the EU in 2004. The Maltese are off on their annual killing binge in direct defiance of the Europe Birds Directive.

The main thrust of the hunt is against turtle doves and quails: birds on migration from Africa to Europe. Migrating birds funnel together over the pinprick of Malta: and so the Maltese let rip at them. These are not Maltese birds: they are birds using Malta as a stepping-stone. These are birds that belong to all Europe. They are our birds.

They are birds that should be brightening our spring. These are the turtle doves whose gentle turr-turring should be adding a mellow voice to the English chorus. But instead, they are being blasted to bits. This is Malta’s fourth consecutive breach of the directive. The defiance is flagrant and unapologetic: and Malta should be kicked out of the EU for its intransigence.

There is legal action by the European Commission against Malta, and it began last year. The case is expected to be heard later this year. But the legal hunt is only one part of it: illegal shooting carries on utterly unpoliced. Any species that appears in front of the gun-barrels is mown down. A purple heron and a pallid harrier were found shot last week before the hunting season even opened.

Birdlife International is doing a hefty job on the political front, but Malta is having its cake and eating it: reaping the EU benefits while carrying on with its tradition of ancient barbarities. The name of Malta stinks across Europe: but does that really matter to the Maltese?

Big Heart

James Martin from Europe for Visitors writes:

Easter celebrations on the tiny island nation of Malta have just drawn to a close, according to Malta Media. Know what happens now? People go for the first swim of the year. Doncha wish you could do that? I've spent quite a bit of time in Malta and it was fabulous. There are great beaches, fantastic archaeology the likes of which you won't see anywhere else on earth, and a great majority of the people speak English. Not to mention that it's warm in sprigtime, of course, unlike some of the other places where folks have the habit of speaking English. Edward Penza, who liked visiting Malta so much he wrote a web guide to it called GuideToMalta, writes of his infatuation in Malta: Of sun, sea and a small nation with a big heart

Europe for Vısitors

Time stands still

Writing in the Yorkshire Evening Post, John Thorpe re-visits Malta after three decades and finds 'the charm hasn't faded':

..So what has changed in over three decades? Most of the roads I saw are still in poor shape and in need of repair although since Malta joined the EU there are huge signs dotted about the island informing anyone who bothers to read them that the European Union is funding this improvement, or that highway. They'll have their work cut of for decades such is the enormity of the task.

Many of Malta's buildings, especially in the countryside, look to abandoned and ready to fall down but they are in fact inhabited. They are though in need of major renovation. Indeed some that are in the capital, Valletta, also need attention. But that's part of this island's charm. There are some new buildings going up. A huge development on a headland across from Valletta is taking shape but it stands out like what Prince Charles might call a carbuncle..

One thing I noticed was all the green doors. Everywhere you looked the doors were painted green. Now whether they got a job lot from a paint company some years ago and are still using it up, or whether in this time-warp Frankie Vaughan's 50s hit was still topping the charts, I couldn't discover. But Malta has a certain charm because, to my mind, time has stood still for a lot longer than the 32 years since I last visited. Unlike many other destinations in the Med it hasn't been ravaged by greedy developers or ugly constructions. At least not yet.

You can see the stamp different civilisations have had on Malta in particular the Knights of St John who were mighty powerful. Every direction you look in Valletta you can see church spires and steeples. This is a very religious island and it shows. I always reckon you get a true perspective of a place from water so I took a harbour cruise from Sliema having crossed to this sort of Knightsbridge of the island on a ferry from Valletta. Competition is fierce for custom so walk along the Sliema foreshore and barter with those trying to coax you onboard one of the many vessels that cruise Malta's creeks..

There was a serenity about the place; an unhurriedness that is all too rare a quality these days yet at the same time there was a bustle, a buzz, too. And the people were well-dressed - you could spot the tourists a mile off. As for the food, well Malta has a culinary menu that reflects its position close to Europe and near to North Africa. And being an island, fish has to be the catch of the day any day..

This island is for the connoisseur who wants to live life in the slow lane for a week or two under clear blue skies amid ancient buildings and walk on streets that aren't littered with discarded fast-food boxes and empty beer cans and bottles. My hope is that Malta stays that way - an island paradise that looks after its visitors and doesn't rip them off. Oh, and all those years ago a navy launch picked me up and took me to Ark Royal that was sailing out of Grand Harbour in to the Med.

Birds Directive

The head of the EU Representation in Malta, Joanna Drake, has joined the blogosphere here. In her first blog entry she discusses Malta's obligation to enforce the Birds Directive:

The problem centers not so much on whose side to come down on- hunters or environmentalists- but on the wider – and far more reaching - issue of an EU member state’s legal obligation to comply with laws drafted after years of deliberation and enacted by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. Malta was one of the latest member countries to join the EU. That does not exclude us from complying. The package Malta signed to before accession in 2004 included the Birds directive. This carries a prohibition on Spring hunting. Each member state can ask for a derogation under clause 9. There was no exemption negotiated for Malta. Malta could have applied granted the condition tied to the derogation could be satisfied.

But the point at issue is exactly this: did Malta satisfy the conditions attached to the derogation? The Commission does not believe so. Is there an argument to be made by Malta for allowing hunting in the Spring ? Perhaps. If the case were ever to go to court Malta will have enough time to make its position clear.

Wife of leisure

Christine, who blogs at Christine's blog, has just moved from Edmonton Alberta Canada to Dublin Ireland. In this entry she writes about her long Easter weekend in Malta:

Well, we are in Malta and it’s gorgeous! How did we arrive at Malta as our destination of choice for this Easter long weekend you might ask. I was happened to be watching a travel show on the BBC one evening months ago and I saw a feature on Malta depicting an island brimming with intriguing history, architecture, natural wonders, and romance. As it turns out this little known gem in the Mediterranean is all that and more.

As we were flying in I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Everything below me was completely foreign, like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life. Malta has the fourth highest population density of any city in the world. The coast is packed to the limit with apartment stacks and towers. I do not know the proper words to describe the predominant style of architecture with the stacks of flat roofed houses. The only reference I have that is even remotely useful as an analogy is the village in the movie Aladdin. And that is totally not right but that was what came to mind both from the air and zipping along the narrow streets.

The cab that took us from the airport to the resort was a 1970’s Oldsmobile 2000 with the low bench seats and no seat belts. Eye Corumba! I can’t remember the last time I was in a vehicle without seat-belts. Come to think of it, I am not even sure if I ever have been. It was driven by a reserved Maltese gentleman who liked to drive very fast and improvise passing lanes where none actually existed. If people honked at him he would retaliate by shaking his fist purposefully out the open window and say a few words in Maltese that might have been anything but were likely swears. He did divulge secrets about the best spots for food and great nightlife in the St. Julien’s Bay area where we are staying. Information that would come in handy during our walk abouts...

You must go to Gozo by Christine

Pizza World Record

Paul Fenech and his crew 'stop off in Malta on their quest to circumnavigate the globe to deliver a pizza to Uluru'. From The Sydney Morning Herald:

In tonight's reliably hilarious episode of the only successful Australian sitcom since Mother and Son - look it up, folks - Pauly (writer/producer/director Paul Fenech) and his crew stop off in Malta on their quest to circumnavigate the globe to deliver a pizza to Uluru.

Pauly is half-Maltese and so is buzzed about visiting the tiny island nation, but his team absolutely hates the place, a dislike voiced with unambiguous frankness by the magnificent Katrina (Katrina Spadone), who has taken over from Tulah (Rebel Wilson) as Pizza's reigning airhead. Habib (Tahir Bligic) and Kev the Kiwi (Kevin Taumata) also have strong views about the puny country that can only be softened by a visit to the pub where Oliver Reed apparently drank himself to death during the making of Gladiator.

Fenech's humour is as broad and low-brow as ever and his skill at the editing console seamlessly blends the scripted scenes with material that was obviously shot on the fly, such as when Habib discovers with some element of relief that, as boring as Malta is, the local girls are extra hot.

Fulbright in Malta

GFrancia blogs about his stay in Malta as a Fulbright scholar:

Everything is progressing smoothly. Lectures are being delivered; the APT courses are moving along fine. The APT students submitted their first assignment: a literature review of the topics they have been assigned. Surprisingly, only a few of them really understand what a literature review is. Essentially, I just asked them to redo the assignment. Next week, the System Architecture is due. I think they'll do much better on that part of the project.

I very interesting fact that I failed to mention earlier is that every Maltese citizen is afforded a free college education + some amount of stipend. Of course, only those who qualify get to study in the University. The others are likewise supported to go to technical schools like MCAST. They also have a socialized health care system that provides for all the citizens. Here are some more pictures taken in Mdina and Rabat, where the early Christian catacombs are...

Fra Mudest

The first Fra Mudest story 'Ir-Ruħ fil-Kantina' appeared in a publication called 'Children’s Own' forty years ago this month. The author, Charles Casha, has set up a website as a showcase of his work over the years:

He started writing while still a young student at the Lyceum. In the late sixties he became well known among young readers with his humorous stories about the jolly character "Fra Mudest" which were first published in the "Children's Own". However his writings for children include also adventure novels, short stories, plays and text-books. The set of books "Kun Af " gained popularity in a very short time and are still widely used in schools all over Malta. The same could be said for the series "Naqraw ma'...." His book "Il-Klabb - L-Ghaxar Anniversarju ", written for adolescents was awarded the Literary Prize for Children's Literature in 1998. In 2001 his book "Gummienu" was awarded the Literary Prize for Children's literature. His novel "L-Appartament fir-raba' sular" (the Apartment on the fourth floor ) was awarded 2nd prize in the National Literary Awards.He has also written a number of books for adults, namely five novels and short stories. Total number of publications amount to 43

Rising sea levels to affect Malta

In view of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that has reported today on how global warming will impact the world, BBC World Service environment reporter Matt McGrath came to Malta to see how rising waters "could make life more difficult on the island in future". McGrath writes that emission cuts required by the EU "could hamper Malta's tourist industry". From BBC News:

About 400,000 people live on the tiny island of Malta. It is one of the most crowded spaces in the world. It is also highly vulnerable to climate change. Rising sea levels in the Mediterranean over the next century caused by global warming threaten to submerge parts of the island. But there is another aspect to sea level rise that is already having a significant effect on Malta. It is the impact on the supply of drinking water.

In the tourist season Malta's population trebles. All these extra people put great pressure on the island's water supply, which depends on a vast reservoir that lies under the island. Because the fresh water is less dense than salt water, this reserve effectively floats on the sea. Down the centuries, the Maltese have developed a clever system of underground tunnels, called galleries, to extract the water for human consumption..

..As a member of the European Union, the Maltese are already facing sanctions for failing to co-operate on carbon cutbacks with Brussels. Cutting their emissions will not be easy, according to Dr Christopher Chaintor who is responsible for environmental policy within the Maltese ministry of rural affairs and the environment. He says that the people of Malta will want to see climate change impacts first before they are willing to spend money changing their lifestyles.

New predictions for the Mediterranean area suggest that heat waves and droughts will become much more common - and the seas will continue to rise. To deal with these problems, the EU says that serious emission cuts must be made across Europe. These cutbacks could hamper Malta's tourist industry - and that is an option few local politicians would like to embrace.

Easter in Malta and Gozo

This MaltaMedia special feature provides an overview of the traditions and rituals of Easter as it is celebrated in Malta and Gozo:

..Faith can be witnessed outside the church's building especially at this time of the year. People who prefer acting in the streets rather than in closed theatres are in for a special treat where live processions and pageants are the order to the day. On Good Friday Malta is turned into Roman and Jewish pageantry. In the inner core of villages one comes near Pontius Pilate and Barabbas! Sometimes the procession has nearly the whole biblical story and hence may include Adam and Eve too. People do some odd penitence such as carrying heavy weights or walking barefoot! Some cover up their faces as they pay the price for a special grace they received.

If one likes food then there are very special and unique Maltese delicacies. The kwarezimal and the figolli top the list yet other food items are also present such as the Lent's ftajjar; Karamelli; hot cross buns and Pastarjali food are also present. Although in Lent the traditional Maltese fast, yet the street vendors are as busy as bees in keeping up with the heavy demand!

Send an Easter Card

Vertigo

Olivia Lewis, who has taken her campaign to the blogosphere, is leading the esctoday Eurovision semi-final poll, by MaltaMedia News:

Olivia Lewis’ Vertigo, set to represent Malta in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest is leading esctoday’s 2007 BigPoll, climbing up from the second place after the poll registered its first 1000 votes during the third week of March. The poll was formerly being topped by Turkish Kenan Dogulu’s Shake it up shekerim, which is presently ranking fifth. Karolina’s My World has been steadily climbing the poll, and is presently placing second. Based on the current trends, the song could overtake Malta’s at the top within the next two weeks.

Belarus ’ Work your magic by Dima Koldun's, which ranked third in the third week of March is now in the fourth place of the poll. The poll suggests that the ten qualifiers from the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest semi-final on the 10th May will be Malta , FYR Macedonia, Cyprus, Belarus, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Norway, Switzerland and Andorra, in this order.

Keeping Gozo quiet and clean

Low-budget carriers are changing the face of tourism on the islands of Malta and Gozo, writes Brandy Yanchyk for BBC News:

..Hannah O'Reilly, an Australian backpacker, says she booked a ticket to fly to Malta because it was so cheap. "I didn't actually know where Malta was until I saw it was, like, one pence to get there, so I looked it up on the internet and booked it." People living on the more tranquil sister island of Gozo also want to benefit from the low-cost carriers flying into Malta.

Joe Muscat, from Gozo's tourism association, said: "These new cheap airlines are a double-edged knife for Gozo. The island is losing its share of the domestic market.
"The Maltese that usually would have crossed over to Gozo for their weekend breaks now have another opportunity to go to more exciting European destinations at a cheaper rate". Some locals in Gozo have joined together to make sure their island continues to be a unique destination to travel to by promoting it as a destination that specialises in agro and eco- tourism.

Zeppi Ta'Kurun, a Gozitan farmer has joined up with the Ager Foundation, an organisation that invites tourists to spend the day with local farmers, learning the traditional ways of making cheese and milking and shearing sheep. Mr Ta'Kurun said: "When the tourists are here, they like everything, because they see I milk with my hands not with the machine. They try to milk the sheep, they try to cut the grass for the sheep." Gozitans are also trying to attract tourists by improving the island's infrastructure. There is a heated debate on the island over whether to build upmarket hotels and villas, a golf course and a heliport extension for private planes.

These possible developments worry locals like the island's Green party member, John Mizzi. He says he is against the proposed expansion of Gozo's tiny airport because of the possible noise and air pollution it may bring. "Because Gozo is small when you have planes landing, the whole island will roar. I think we have to keep Gozo as quiet and clean as possible."

Nonsense upon stilts

Wayne Koh, who blogs at Nonsense Upon Stilts, has posted an entry about his travels in Malta in which he compares it to his home country Singapore:

When Raffles founded Singapore, he had hoped that Singapore would one day be the Malta of the east. Indeed, both Singapore and Malta have much in common. Both are small islands (Malta is about half the size of Singapore), both are kinda flat with limited natural resources (Malta is a barren rock outcrop) and both were at some point in time of vital strategic importance to the British Empire...In other words, they have a much richer history than Singapore.

The Maltese are generally quite laid back. For the 400 000 of them, life mostly ambles around the seasonal tourism industry. Since joining the EU a couple of years ago and assisted no doubt by the advent of budget flights, this industry is now booming. Resorts are sprouting out everywhere, public amenities are being upgraded and even bus drivers are evolving to become de facto tour guides. After all, 80% of bus passengers are tourists...

..During the summer, Malta is overrun with tourists and it is not difficult to see why. The weather in Malta is fabulous. There are many scenic beaches, bays etc. Without a doubt, it's a great place for diving or snorkelling. Or just swimming in the sea or a pool by the waterfront. Or relaxing in a luxurious resort. The Mediterranean is indeed gorgeous. Little wonder there's a shade of blue named after it. Pity the weather wasn't warm enough for me to go swimming just yet..

The Maltese coastline is also quite spectacular. As you can probably tell from my photos, I'm quite a geography buff. Have always loved beach cusps, cliffs, wave-cut platforms, overhanging arches and the like. So I trekked to some of these places and was amply rewarded with some of the most fantastic sights I've ever seen. Notice there aren't any ships on the horizon?...I found Gozo itself to be quite barren and unremarkable. Perhaps because I didn't have time to make it into the main town or any of the actual sights like the Dwejra and Ta Cenc cliffs or the Ggantija temples. I went only as far as the Mgarr harbour. Which is quite sad really.

On the whole, Malta is a fantastic place and probably more amazing in summer. It has everything, from history and culture, to spectacular scenery and beautiful beaches. Simply ideal for a holiday. I started this post with a comparison between Malta and Singapore and I shall end with one. In many ways, post-colonial Malta is very different from post-colonial Singapore. Obviously, Singapore has surpassed Malta economically. But for its breathtaking scenery and laid back holidayish way of life, I'm glad that Malta is still the way it is and has no aspirations to become some lame "Singapore of the Mediterranean"...

Maltese culture in French schools

The Maltese Ambassador in France is pursuing her visits to French higher secondary schools to discuss Malta’s history and identity wıth students:

Vicki Ann Cremona, Ambassador of Malta in France, is pursuing her visits to French higher secondary schools to discuss with students Malta’s history and identity, as well as its present role within the EU and how joining has impacted on life in Malta and the way the country is now perceived abroad.

Dr Cremona visited the Lycée Martin Nadaud, and spoke to students who are now coming to Malta where they are eager to meet Maltese students. Her visits are in line with one of the strategic objectives of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, that of promoting Maltese culture and identity internationally.

At the lycee she spoke of the differences between the French and Maltese educational systems, and underlined the importance of EU educational initiatives such as Erasmus, and Comenius, which help young people discover and appreciate each others’ way of life and systems of education, and helps them develop greater awareness to share interests and establish common goals.

She was also patron a fund-raising concert organised by the school to partly-finance the students’ trip to Malta, in particular for those students coming from poorer families. Dr Cremona will be visiting the Lycée Paul Valéry next week and in April will also be addressing students at the University of Lyon II, which has an Erasmus exchange agreement with the University of Malta.