Slur on Spiteri

Nine news boss accused of slur on Christine Spiteri, from Australia's Herald Sun:

Nine network chief David Gyngell has blasted his own news boss for telling dumped reporter Christine Spiteri she'd be better off at SBS. Sources yesterday confirmed Mr Gyngell blasted news chief John Westacott for telling the Maltese-origin reporter that "with a surname like Spiteri you should try SBS".

The insult came as Spiteri was told her contract would not be renewed -- while she was on maternity leave. As Spiteri prepared to turn to the courts to fight her axing, Nine sources yesterday accused her of "mischief-making", saying she was "bitter to the core" after being denied her dream role in the news presenter's chair.

"She's no newsreader. Pregnant or not, she wasn't good enough for a newsreading role," a management source said. The former Los Angeles correspondent is due to return to Nine when her year's maternity leave ends in January.

The 40-year-old first-time mother is understood to have been offered her former LA role or a job in the Sydney newsroom until her contract expires in March. While Mr Gyngell yesterday blasted Westacott over his SBS comment, the Nine sumpremo is believed to have backed his decision not to renew Spiteri's contract.

Spiteri has hired the same lawyer who acted for former Nine news chief Mark Lleywellyn -- the man who penned the infamous affidavit in which the then-CEO, Eddie McGuire, talked of "boning" Jessica Rowe.

Brits warned

British holidaymakers have been warned to be aware of the forthcoming adoption of the euro in Cyprus and Malta on 1 January 2008, from Opodo Travel News:

A survey by foreign exchange company Travelex found that nearly three quarters of British travellers were unaware that the Mediterranean islands will change their currencies to the euro next year. This is despite the popularity of the countries with UK holidaymakers, with 57% of visitors to Cyprus and 38% of travellers to Malta in 2006 thought to have come from Britain.

Travelex said that the Cyprus pound and the Maltese lira are among the top ten most popular currencies with its customers. Steve O'Donovan of the company's outsourcing department warned that regular travellers to the islands could lose out if they do not make use of any leftover currency soon.

Ardous journeys

Immigrants often have ardous journeys behind them when they finally arrive in Malta, writes Ute Schaeffer for Deutsche Welle:

Three years ago, Jonas set out to make the long and dangerous journey to Europe from his home country, Eritrea. There was absolutely no reason to stay there, he said. Although Jonas finished high school with good marks and had found a job working for an oil company, his wages in Eritrea weren't nearly enough to feed his family.

"My aim was to get to Europe and get a better education and find a good job," he said. "Eritreans are people without hope. I wanted to have a chance in life, and I also wanted be able to give something back to my people.". But Jonas didn't expect that the crossing would be so dangerous. Many of his fellow passengers fell overboard during the journey and were left to drown. Others died of starvation on board.

Jonas was on his way to Italy, a common destination for boats leaving the coast of Africa. But as happens with many other unseaworthy vessels, his boat was picked up by a maritime patrol, and he ended up being interned in Malta. Jonas was released after a year, and now lives in a church-run refugee center.

A former British colony located 100km (62 miles) south of Sicily and 200km north of Libya, Malta has 405,000 inhabitants packed into seven tiny islands. It's the second most densely populated country in the world, and it's not happy about having to house illegal immigrants.

Malta, however, has a comparatively liberal and humanitarian refugee policy. Those who receive a humanitarian residency permit -- mainly given to people from countries affected by civil war and internal conflicts such as Somalia -- are allowed to live in refugee accommodation. Under European Union law, asylum seekers must stay in the European country they first arrive in. Although Malta is so tiny, it is a sovereign member of the EU, so anyone who lands is stuck there...

AFP: Accidental immigrants

Sharing a currency

The European Union said that Cyprus and Malta are prepared to introduce the euro on Jan. 1, from Business Week:

A final assessment of the planned changeover for the two Mediterranean nations found that both had completed preparations, including the delivery of euro notes and coins to banks. The euro will replace the Cypriot pound and the Maltese lira.

The EU's Monetary and Economic Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the two nations, which joined the EU in 2004, had to "pursue policies that continue to deliver economic stability as a precondition for sustained growth and job creation."
The two nations were given the final go-ahead to join the euro zone in July by their EU counterparts.

Cyprus and Malta will bring just over 1 million people to the 318 million who now use the euro. Their economies account for 0.2 percent of euro-zone gross domestic product. Only one other country that joined the EU at the same time -- Slovenia -- has so far adopted the euro...

Csíkszereda musings

Writing in his blog in Romania, Andy H writes about his discovery of Malta:

Malta is (to me) the most obscure country in Europe. Even places like Andorra or Belarus, Liechtenstein or Iceland, seem somewhat higher up in my consciousness than Malta. I didn’t even really know where it was (and I pride myself on my atlassic knowledge – if one can have atlassic knowledge, and not just encyclopaedic knowledge of atlases). I knew it was in the Mediterranean, that it was an island, and that it had some long standing links with Britain. Beyond that there really wasn’t much..

Valletta, the capital, is an old city, which is a UNESCO thingamajig. It has an odd motto/branding slogan which is “A city built by gentlemen for gentlemen”. In the old days the word “gentlemen” meant “posh blokes” but these days it seems that it means “blokes who go to strip clubs”. I presume the gentlemen bit in the slogan refers to the knights rather than sex tourists. There is an even older capital than Valletta, though, which we visited on our brief tour – that is M’dina (which was pretty funky, though not particularly cold).

It is a small island, and it appears to be almost entirely built up. Certainly in the eastern end of the island in which we spent most of our time, it is basically impossible to ascertain where one “town” ends and another begins. It’s sort of an ancient European Singapore or Hong Kong, though the crumbling nature of some of the buildings and the ancient buses actually put one in mind of Havana at times. The national food appears to be rabbit, which is understandable since there is no real room to breed anything larger..

I’d do my usual “name 5 famous” routine, but I have to admit I’m struggling myself. There’s Michael Mifsud who plays up front for Coventry, and Tony Drago the mid-ranked snooker player, and after that, I can’t really think of any. Edward de Bono, apparently is one. That’s about it (as far as I know)...

Outpost of empire

One of the things that immediately strikes the British visitor to Malta is the presence of red phone boxes, and pillar boxes bearing the stamp of the Royal Mail, writes Claire Smith in The Scotsman:

..It is also probably the only place in the world where you could find a sandwich shop called The Duke of Kent Snack Bar...From the modern concrete hotels that crowd the peninsula of Sliema, you can gaze across the water to the capital, Valletta, the fortified town built by the knights. Walter Scott visited and Coleridge struggled with his opium addiction here. More recently, it has become a favourite location for Hollywood films. In 1999 Oliver Reed dropped dead in a bar now renamed Ollie's while in town to film Gladiator..

..But this is also a place where everyday life goes on, where Maltese citizens linger in tiny cafés, drinking super-strong espressos and where streetfront bakers sell pastizzi, the savoury pasties eaten as a snack or with afternoon tea.

Nearby, in the Baroque monstrosity of St John's Cathedral, knights from different regions of Europe competed to create the most opulent designs. Legend has it that the precious materials were extracted in taxes from sheltering pirates, while Caravaggio, in exile from Italy, contributed two livid masterpieces, The Beheading of St John and St Jerome Writing, before being expelled as "a foul and rotten limb".

On the northern side of Malta, one of the most densely populated islands in the world, is a landscape more dominated by concrete. Here are marine parks, lapdancing bars and an artificial beach laid on top of the island's naturally rocky shore. The set for Popeye, one of the first Hollywood films to use Malta as a location, has become a popular tourist attraction.

Yet take a 20-minute ferry ride to Gozo and you travel back in time once more. The two islands enjoy a mostly good-natured but occasionally tense rivalry. Maltese daytrippers complain about their cars being sought out by the Gozo parking wardens. But others will whisper that Gozo is the way Malta used to be. And it is here you get the strongest feeling of the distinct culture of this part of the world...

Lucrezia Borgia

Lemonhead Productions are presenting Lucrezia Borgia, an original drama piece written by Bryan Muscat which starts today at St James Cavalier. Director Noel Tanti writes in his blog Nigredo's Notebook:

It's theatre time again. Well... almost. Next production is going to be Lucrezia Borgia, written by Bryan Muscat and this time to be directed by yours truly. It's going to be staged at the St. James Cavalier in Valletta sometime around the end of November and the beginning of December.

As always this is going to be quite something. As a person I am quite hard headed when it comes to the arts, and my usual approach to things is 'jew kif nghid jien jew mur tnejjek' ('it's either my way or go to hell'). Which is quite good when you're doing things on your own for your own gratification; or when you're philosophising on the purity and chastity (whatever these mean) of the arts... sorry Art; or if you're rich enough to be able to afford everything you need without having to negotiate anything with anyone...

..Even the humblest, simplest, stupidest person might have something of value to impart, and I believe that true insight lies in being able to recognise such contributions. As someone once said: "Mediocre artists borrow; great artists steal." Of course, there are people who given a thousand years, still won't be able to come up with much. Tough luck. If you really know what you're doing you'd still be able to know shit when you see/hear it.

As far as theatre is concerned, I believe that the most important thing is to have clearly defined roles. When I had finished the script for Frankenstein, I submitted it to the director and that was it. He altered what he thought needed to be altered, added, removed, tweaked and whatever. Some things I liked and some things I didn't. But he was the director/producer and he had the right to decide these things.

To be fair, he wanted my opinion on most changes but I wouldn't have minded if he didn't. My job had been to write the script, and that was it. Fullstop. Then if the worst came to the worst and I saw that my vision was so compromised that it wasn't my vision anymore, I would have asked for my name to be removed from the credits. But then that would have been another issue.

So it is going to be something. I have to work with producers, actors, costume designers, prop managers, choreographers and all the rest. I have to transmit my vision of the script in such a manner that we'll all be pulling the same rope in the same direction. Phew! Fingers crossed...

Like a ray of sunshine

Marty in Wactac explains the work of comics-journalist Joe Sacco:

..Hailing from Malta, Sacco is a comics-journalist who goes to overseas countries and spends time living with, studying, and interviewing the people who live there. Unlike most journalists, Sacco has the opportunity to learn on his own time and spend a few months where he stays because Sacco don’t answer to no one. Upon returning to his home, he begins on what is typically a 2-3 year journey in drawing comics and describing what he’s seen.

Unlike the self-lauding, nitpicking questions-askers on Tuesday, Sacco conducts himself with a poise and humility that’s hard to find this side of the blue, when someone referred to him as a ’sequential artist’ he answered with ‘I’m just a cartoonist’.

He got his start by working on his high school newspaper where he says he learned the most about journalism. He had always drawn and used it as a hobby, and also did some comics-journalism when traveling with rock n’ rollers and recording his adventures in a now compiled ‘But I Like It‘. His interests lay in international stories, however, and he knew he might not make it there using the traditional route of written journalism. The rest is history.

Placing himself as a character in his comics is an interesting departure from yer run-of-the-mill journalism. You’re able to experience the story in a 1st and 3rd person perspective. Also, his art is super-dope. Inspired/influenced by Crumb, this comes through in Sacco’s own self-deprecation and visual style (cross-hatch up the waz’). After seeing him speak, you’re not only impressed by his art and work, but interested in all aspects of his job. At least I was, maybe some bozos out there wouldn’t be. He comes off as a guy who’s been deeply humbled and inspired by his experiences, and he strives to portray honesty in his work.

We wactac’r(z) got to meet with Joe Sacco, and, fortunately (at the risk of being found dumb) I was dumbfounded as what to ask him. Luckily he has a lot to say, a lot of which was enlightening and inspiring. However, this didn’t deter the many so called ‘young people’ referred to by an old man in a few rows up- to ask questions themselves.

A good tip for artist talks: Don’t forget to introduce yourself and state what you do/why it’s relevant to the artist/your favorite food to the artist before asking your question that will wash over the awe-inspired audience like a lukewarm, rambling breeze.With his worldly perspectives, accrued wisdom, aesthetically pleasing and spellbinding art, and journalistic endeavors; Joe Sacco’s got something for everybody, from the oldest of fogies to the hippest of hipsters. Now that’s somethin’ I can jive to!

More on Joe Sacco

Spotted eagle

An extremely rare lesser spotted eagle, shot earlier this year by hunters in Malta, has been saved from death but may never be able to return to the wild, reports Environmental Graffiti:

The bird, nicknamed Sigmar after Germany’s environmental minister, underwent three operations to repair damage it suffered after being shot, but it may not be enough for the bird to live in the wild again. The bird can feed itself and, with the help of splints, stands on its own two legs. Its left talon, however, cannot clutch.

The bird had been tracked and bred by an EU project designed to reintroduce the bird into Germany. There are only about 90 breeding pairs of the bird in the country. In the project, the second chick is removed from an eagle’s nest and hand cared for to prevent the older chick killing it. Sigmar is one of two birds from the project injured this year. The second bird, currently in the Sudan, is thought to have been struck by a car.

The lesser spotted eagle is rarely found in Malta. Most of the species flies to the Bosporus before migrating south into Africa. Very few, such as Sigmar, take the direct route via Italy and Malta. International Animal Rescue CEO Alan Knight said: "Sigmar’s story highlights the terrible indiscriminate shooting of birds in Malta and the urgent need for the EU to clamp down on it if some of our most endangered species are to be saved from extinction."

More in The Telegraph

If it's good enough for royalty...

Becky Hugh of the Telegraph explains why the Queen and Prince Philip decided to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Malta:

..To follow in the footsteps of the Queen and Prince Philip. The royal couple are preparing to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary on a private trip to Malta next week. There's nowhere better to catch the last of autumn's rays than this underrated jewel just south of Sicily.

A key staging post in the southern Mediterranean that's been fought over for thousands of years, this former British colony made up of seven islands was home to a young Philip, on duty with the Royal Navy, and his wife, Princess Elizabeth, before her accession to the throne.

The couple lived there in three long stretches between 1949 and 1951, and the Queen has spoken of her "deep affection" for the island nation and her carefree days there as a naval officer's wife. It was on Malta that the young married couple are said to have come closest to an ordinary life: staying in a villa, driving an open-top MG, eating in restaurants, and holding hands in the back row of the cinema...

Second honeymoon

Queen Elisabeth has arrived in Malta to mark her 60th wedding anniversary, from the BBC:

..They lived on the Mediterranean island during two years at the start of their married life. The couple took a short walk through the Upper Barrakka Gardens in the capital, Valletta, and met Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi. The Queen paused to plant a tree and greet well-wishers before the royal party retired for the evening.

Earlier, as the monarch got out of her car near the Maltese stock exchange, she was greeted with a shout of "God save the Queen!" by a member of the crowd. The royal couple met couples celebrating their diamond weddings this year, along with some who had been married for 30 years and others who were marrying this week.

Robin Hughes, who married his wife May 60 years ago, said: "I told His Highness that we used to dance in the same ballrooms together when we were courting and he said, 'For a minute I thought you were going to say you danced with me!'" Maria Porsella-Flores, who married her husband Joseph two days after the royal couple, said: "We were delighted to meet her for the first time in our lives. She congratulated us on our anniversary."

The couple are making a brief visit to the island en route to Uganda for an official Commonwealth trip. The stay in Malta - billed by some as a second honeymoon - is reported to have been the Duke of Edinburgh's idea. The Queen and the duke celebrated their diamond wedding with more than 30 family members and 2,000 other guests at Westminster Abbey on Monday. The service featured a reading from Prince William..

..The Queen is known to have fond memories of her time on the island before taking on the responsibilities of office, and the trip to Malta is thought to be the highlight of the anniversary programme. The Queen, who became the island's monarch after inheriting the throne aged 25 in 1952, will be the guest of the republic's government...

More from the world press

The God of Petards

This poem by Mario Azzopardi translated by Charles Briffa is a good way to reflect on the events of last week in Zurrieq:


Our god the god of petards

feeds on shattered fingers,

burst kidneys and punctured lungs.

The god of potash and gelatine

drinks blood erupting from the artery

our god,

eats the testicles of men

ruptured by the bomb.



In the firework factories,

bare-chested men savour the powder,

relish the chlorine from the nitrate

and scribble numbers and recipes

for bursting showers of coloured stars and lightning,

perhaps to light god's face among the stars.



Our god the god of petards

drinks widows'sobbing

and brushes off orphans' cries from his feet.

The god of potash and gelatine

gets drunk with blood bursting from the artery

our god,

drives the fireworks-men insane,

ruptured by the bomb.


This god of petards,

in concert with the patron saints,

burps the human offering with a divine noise:

butchering in small pieces our men,

dismembered in his name, in the firework factory.


And seven years later

or seventy seven years,

in the same arena, before the same temple,

the ragged spirits of the men of flashes,

spin with the coloured Catherine wheel,

in a repeated ritual of the myth-makers.


And then they vanish in clouds of smoke with ghosts,

Wrapped up piece by piece, in a chilling silence.

Travelling Between Shadows by Charles Briffa is a recently published book that introduces the journalistic and literary work of Mario Azzopardi; Mario Azzopardi interviewed by Karl Schembri.

Memories and Future hopes

As I come to the end of my weekend of blogging, I look forward to many more holidays in Malta and I look forward to watching it develop and grow. I hope that its beauty remains and I am sure it will. Malta is a place in which you can never get fed up with, even though its a tiny island, there is plenty to see and plenty to do and every year I visit somewhere I havent been before, I am so privledged to be part of such a wonderful place as theres no where on this earth quite like it and never will be. Its a country of it owns and belongs to the people living there.Thank you all for reading.

Ta Pinu and The Feast, Viva Madonna Tal-Grazzja

Catholism as I mentioned in yesterdays blog is something that is devout, particularly to Our Lady of Grace, to whom the city of Zabbar Sanctuary is dedicated. The paintings and other artefacts in the village church museum are beautiful. I strongly believe that this belie,f is this is the reason for thebeautiful nature of the Maltese people, Church is an a very important part of the Maltese life and its these believes that make the Maltese such nice, kind and caring peple.

Every year I visit Malta, Ta Pinu church in Gozo is somewhere that I always visit, the church notorious for being a miracle church. I really enjoy visiting this church, it gives you hope when perhaps there is none. When I last visited I was awaiting A level results at home and I didnt think I was going to do very well as Id been lazy and to be completely honest was'nt expected by my teachers to do very well either, I however ticked some boxes on a sheet that was available within the church, this was asking what you would like to pray for, the results box was one of a few I ticked and I put in in the box. When I arrived back to England, I was very shocked to find I had passed my exams and had done very well considering my situation.

The feast is another of the most memorable events in Malta and as a child I enjoyed many in Zabbar, the singing the dancing the band and the shear enjoyment of the weekend celebrations is something thats hard to put into words. My family are supporters of Ghaqda Madonna Tal-Grazzja Banda San Mikiel, or the Greens as they are known, however I did attend a Rave of the Societa Filamonica Maria Mater Gratias or Blues, a few years ago, as one of my cousins is a supporter, however our great aunts and uncles are not aware of this or there would be big trouble. The fireworks the church bells, the colours, the motorcycle and bicycle race, a fantastic event which can be enjoyed by young and old. The family gathered on the streets as I was carried high the shoulders of my uncles and paraded around with my green flag, pretending to know the words of the songs that were being sang. The feast days are the most happy memories of Malta I have the whole family would celebrate together and as the years go by those family members who were there at the feast when I was child and are no longer and its these memories that account for the happier days of life.

A Maltese Boy in The 1940's

Last night I enjoyed an indepth conversation with my Nunnu Victor about his life growing up in Malta and how he met my Nan Grace. With no apprehension he delved straight in, I could hardly get him stop, and why would I when his story was so facisinating. Firstly I asked him where he met my nan, he said he used to see her going to school and he would meet her in an alleyway in Zabbar when she was finished, he himself was kicked out of school. As nans family were very strict with her she was in big trouble when her father found out she was courting him. Nunnus family were also very strict in particular his father.

I wasnt aware of this until last night but nunnus father Bert was actually English, he was in the Army whilst his Mum Doloris was a nurse, however my Grandad is as Maltese as they get, sun kissed skin all year round, strong maltese accent and so on. Its difficult for me to look at him and believe he has an English father, but its true. Bert used to tell him not to have the Maltese kids in his house, however it would have been very hard being that he was born and living in malta, when my grandad use to talk Maltese to his friends his father use to think they were talking about him, being that he himself didnt know the Maltese language.

When I asked him what he did of an evening, his reply 'chase girls' I wonder if anyone get relate to that!. I said 'but you were with nanna' he replied with a little laugh 'but I still chased girls'. He then continued that he chased girls in Valetta, Cospicua and where he lived Zabbar. Nanna use to cook and clean and often he would go shopping with her where she would buy him sweets!. From the conversation and from witnessing the lives of the majority of my family that live in Malta, it hasnt changed a bit.

I love the traditional lives of the Maltese and I suppose that has alot to do with the religion aswell,the majority are catholic so its taken extremely seriously. in England however its difficult to appreciate one religion fully, as there are so many other religions in practice.

Nunnu and nan came to live in England because one of his 4 brothers had came to live here to earn better money, so he decided to. He did add that he was coming back and forth from Malta for many years and did not settle here in England until 1972. This explains why my mum has so many childhood memories in Malta.

Unfortunatly My nan Grace very sadly passed away in April, so Im not able to comment on her life in Malta and her version of events but I know she would have only nice things to say about the things she did and the people she met, she loved Malta and that is where he final resting place is, even though her immediate family are in England, the family chose to bury her in her favourite place where its peaceful and sunny all year round.

A Paradise Called Malta

Malta, is such a wonderful country, never do I wish to bathe on any other beaches in the world than those on the Maltese coast. Mellieha Bay has to be my favourite, Though even bathing on the paved path along the Marsacala promenade is paradise. It is such a pleasant feeling knowing that my family are from such a beautiful, place.So here the beginnings of my love for Malta.

My Nan and grandad were born and bred in Malta they lived in Zabbar, Nanna was born in 1942 and Nunnu born in 1939. My Nanna Grace was just 12 when she met Victor, they moved to England in 1957 to start a new life, Im not sure why, but Nunnus coming over tonight so I will ask him a few questions about his life in Malta and update you all tomorrow. They have lived in England since then and regularly visited Malta, all my Mums extended family live in Malta, from Zabbar to the other end of the island Mellieha. Mum was born here but spent most of her life to and from Malta with her her Mum and Dad. Staying with her nan in her big house in Zabbar with a beautiful balcony that was fantastic to watch the yearly feast from.

The family visit Malta regulalrly Mum would never go to Spain or Portugal, or anywhere else for that matter, she says " It wont be the same as Malta" and I totally agree with her.Dad, being an Englishman agrees to. He has no choice. When we go to Malta we spend between 2-4 weeks there theres always plenty to do, we usually stay in appartments in Marsacala, and when mum visits Zabbar, she relives the memories of her childhood, every year we hear the same stories, it makes mum so happy when shes in Malta.

A typical day in Malta for us would be getting up, getting our beach bags, Patizzis on the way, pea ones are my favourites, or maybe I will have a slice of pizza with the olives on it. Mmmmm......... anyways then onto the beach depending on the mood we would travel to the other end of the island and go to Mallieha bay, Armer, Golden bay or Paradise bay. all are equally beautiful. We would enjoy big ice-creams and ħobz biż-żejt (Mallieha Bay) hotdogs (Armer) and of course the waters and the hot sun. In the evening we would go for a meal, my favourite restuarant is Ximos in Marsacala its wonderful food in a tiny restaurant that hosts around 12 people at a time, it serves beautiful fresh lampuki and a range of pastas.


In July this year I came with my Partner, he is now like me and won't visit any other country in the summer. The weather was wonderful this year, we stayed in the Seabank in Mellieha, this is the first time I have ever stayed in a hotel in Malta,as I mentioned before we usually stay in appartments and as I could not rent a car, I stayed in Mellieha,simply because of the beach!. This holiday gave me the opportunity to explore Malta on my own without being in and out of the car, I got to find my way around by bus and was so impressed with some of the newer buses in Malta, the contrast between the new and old was so noticeable, however those old buses are part of the Maltese culture and history and it would be a shame to replace all of the them, it is now so noticeable in Malta just how much its moving on and modernising, all the roads and road signs are all very much like Britain now. However, thats not always a good thing.


Thats what I really love about Malta, its unique its not like Spain swamping with loud, drunken English people (not that theres a problem with that) , its not like Britain busy and overwhelming. Its calm, relaxed and clean. It is paradise, theres no real worry about being on the streets at night, no real fear of being hurt or attacked or like in England you can be murdered for looking the wrong way. The Maltese can go out and enjoy thier lives without the concerns that people living in England have, though England is a beautiful place to visit, the shops we have are out of this world, the number of restuarants are uncountable and the wide range of cultures is growing, the continuing problems for people who live here in England are growing. We do not have the peice of mind we once had. The Maltese, I believe do.

Guest blogging by Louise Causon

Louise Causon is a 20 year-old Londoner who studies at the University of East London where she is doing an honours degree in journalism. She enjoys music, film, TV, football as well as nights out and having fun. Louise had work experience at the Daily Express newspaper and has written reviews on Talking Pictures and LoveBritishFilms.com. She visits Malta frequently to visit relatives in Zabbar and Mellieha. As a guest blogger here until Sunday she will discuss her Maltese roots and provide clues on why and how she has fallen in love with Malta.

Creative retreat

La Delirante is a Salvadoran who has been living in Malta for two years and considers her blog as a 'creative retreat'. In this post she discusses last month's Lejl Mdawwal in Valletta:

Last night we enjoyed the second edition of "Lejl Imdawwal" also known as "Notte bianca". Valletta is brought to life at night once a year: Most of the shops are open, there are many activities such as parades, concerts, fireworks and theatrical presentations, the Prime Minister's office is also open to the public. Valletta, despite being a capital city, is usually dead at night. Most of the shops are closed by 7 and though there are some restaurants there, I think there are more in the Sliema and Paceville areas for instance.

The attendance to the event last year was unexpectedly high and the restaurants couldn't cope with the demand. This year was much better in that respect as well as the amount of entertainment activities. The weather was perfect and in general we had a lot of fun.

The only downside to all the fun was the fact that amidst thousands and thousands of people you could barely walk and breathe in order to get from one place to the other. This also meant that you couldn't really enjoy the activities unless you were there perhaps at 4 pm in the queue. For instance, we wanted to go to the Flamenco performance but when we finally got to the venue where it was going to take place, we were immediately discouraged when we saw the hundreds of people trying to get in...I suppose the solution would be a repetition of the same performance at different times.

Notte Bianca pics from Maressa

Kennedy's Gozo

Berzy of the MaltaGo blog quotes Douglas Kennedy, author of The Woman on the Fifth, who admits 'going gaga' over Gozo:

Gozo has been given a huge publicity boost by Britain's The Sunday Times travel supplement which yesterday carried a full page feature on the island under the banner headline "The best in the Med - bar none". The writer, Douglas Kennedy, admits going gaga over the island, saying Gozo remains one of those rare places in the sun that has managed to retain its integrity while being open to the outside world.

He goes on to describe Gozo's attractions, particularly the architecture, the natural scenery , its successful balancing act with the complexities of modern life, and the people. "I can vouch for the fact that this is an island where, by the time you have patronised a shop for the second time, the owner knows your name and those of your children. It's also one of the few places I've encountered where a rigorous code of honesty informs all business dealings (because as one contractor informed me: 'If I cheat you, not only will everyone on the island know about it, it will make all of us look bad)".

Kennedy also reserved some of his praise for Valletta, describing it as an "overlooked gem"

My kind of town: The best of Gozo by Douglas Kennedy in The Telegraph; Interview with Kennedy

In search of nirvana

Steve from Hertfordshire, who blogs at In search of Nirvana, will retire in Gozo in a few months time:

A brief reminder of my situation, I retire from the London Fire Brigade in March next year, when we will be moving to the Maltese Island of Gozo to live. Now I did not want to retire and then sell my UK house, I felt that this is a job to get out of the way well ahead of my leaving date. The house is duly sold, and we complete the sale on this coming Friday. So Gill and I needed to find rented accommodation for the remainder of our stay here in the UK.

Due to the circumstances that surrounded the sale (I won't bore you with the detail here) we only had 1 week to find a property to rent, subsequent visits to all the estate agents in the area to find a rental available immediately, only came up with 5 possibility's, we promptly viewed all 5, one of which we decided that we liked.

Following the viewings Gill and I went home to discuss what we had looked at, we were desperate and had only found one flat that we liked and if we could not find anywhere to live we would be homeless, desperation indeed, so first thing the following morning we called the agent to confirm that we would take the property that we looked at the previous day, the agent said he would contact the owner just to confirm that the flat was still available and would call me back...

Sights and experiences

The sights and experiences from Malta, by Neil Dixon, creator of BritCaster - home of UK podcasting, and Talent Relations for PodShowUK:

Together with a multitude of photographs and video (though not quite as much as anticipated thanks to my forgetting the connector cable from camera to laptop), I decided to capture some unique experiences in imagery. With no real inclination to spend hour after hour producing detailed drawings, these took the form of simple cartoons, each capturing the essence of our experiences in a combination of words and pictures. The highlight of the collection has to be the one featured on the left.

This was a doorway, spotted fleetingly as we drove around the rural roads of Malta. No time to grab a photograph, but this is a good representation of what we saw. Now picture this door, the only feature to break a long roadside wall, with no hint of a hotel, bar, or cafe… I’ll leave the potential nature of the advertised “party time” to your imagination.

These cartoons were great fun to create, so I plan do keep up the practise with any day-to-day experiences which can be captured like this. All of the cartoons and some of my panoramic photographs are up on my flickr set, with more stills and eventually video to follow in a few days.

Vatican proves Maltese author correct

Vatican proves Maltese author correct, by Carmel Bonello in The Templar Globe blog:

The recent discovery by Barbara Frale that in 1308 Pope Clement V secretly absolved the last Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, and the rest of the leadership of the Knights Templar, from charges brought against them by the Medieval Inquisition was barely reported in Malta but it proved the theory expounded in 2006 by Maltese writer George Gregory Buttigieg as correct.

In his Of Craft And Honour And A Templar’s Chronicles, Dr Buttigieg then seemed to be going against the grain of popular opinion. His theory maintained clearly and loudly the Templar’s innocence with regard to the accusation of heresy and rejection of Christ. His book appeared close after the “Da Vinci” wave. Dan Brown had taken the opposite view, namely that the Templars were keepers of dangerous knowledge on the divinity and humanity of Christ who was supposed to have fathered children by Mary Magdalene. According to Mr Brown this was the real reason why the Templars were arrested and destroyed in 1307.

“Wrong!” seemed to shout Dr Buttigieg who in his Of Craft And Honour, published by Miller Publications, maintains that the Templars were destroyed by the King of France who arm-twisted Pope Clement V into suppressing the Order on a trumped up charge of heresy.

Before these two books were published, a centuries-old historical controversy had raged about whether the Templars were truly heretic or not. Dr Buttigieg too was inspired by this story and painstakingly researched the 1307 - 1312 period of the Templars’ destruction...

Auntie Valya

Kevin O'Flynn writes in the Moscow Times about Valentina Matviyenko a former Russian ambassador to Malta who is likely to stand in the presidential elections and who many believe is "a prime candidate to succeed Putin" next year:

Valentina Matviyenko has been called an iron lady, an undemocratic ruler and the woman behind a business boom in the northern capital. But on the streets of St. Petersburg, she is more commonly known as Auntie Valya. The nickname refers to a much-loved presenter on "Spokoinoi Nochi, Malyshi," or "Good Night, Kids," a television program that has sent children off to bed since 1964.

The nickname hints at Matviyenko's Soviet roots. She entered politics as a Komsomol youth leader in the 1970s and has managed to remain close to the nexus of political power as a diplomat, minister, presidential envoy and now St. Petersburg governor. "It is a light reminder that we know what she was before," said Anna Petrova, 34, a translator, who did not vote for Matviyenko.

Opponents say Matviyenko, with the Kremlin's approval, has secured power in St. Petersburg as ruthlessly as President Vladimir Putin has across the country. Now some people speculate that she is a prime candidate to succeed Putin next year...Political analysts believe Matviyenko has no chance of running in her own right but could run as a stopgap candidate while Putin waits on the sidelines for a possible return to the Kremlin in 2012. The Constitution bars a third consecutive term..

Matviyenko followed the traditional path of a Communist bureaucrat. After serving in Leningrad for the first half of the 1980s, she was elected deputy of the Supreme Soviet, where she headed the committee on women, family and children affairs. While a deputy, Matviyenko enrolled in the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy and in 1991 was appointed ambassador to Malta. She spent most of the next seven years as an ambassador, first to Malta and then to Greece.

Then-Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, her former boss at the Foreign Ministry, called Matviyenko back to Moscow in 1998 to oversee social issues as a deputy prime minister. She served under four prime ministers -- Primakov, Sergei Stepashin, Putin and Mikhail Kasyanov. In March 2003, she resigned to become presidential envoy to the Northwest Federal District. She was elected governor a scant six months later...

Submariner's life

The BBC's Bill Duff looks back at the life of Northern Ireland man Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet whose career took off in Malta during World War II when "he sank the large Italian troopship Esperia". From the BBC:

To this day, students at naval colleges learn about a June 1945 torpedo attack masterminded by Hezlet, one of the classic submarine attacks of World War II. HM Submarine Trenchant daringly slipped past a minefield into the confined waters of the Banka Strait in the Dutch East Indies and torpedoed the Japanese heavy cruiser Ashigara as she raced along at 17 knots.

It was the largest Japanese warship sunk by a Royal Navy warship during the war, and one of his many exploits at sea. He became the Royal Navy's youngest captain at age of 36 and its youngest admiral at 45. Hezlet was born in April 1914 in Pretoria, South Africa, where his soldier father was serving. He began following in his family's military tradition at the age of 14 when he entered the Royal Naval College, before serving as a midshipman on the battleships Royal Oak and Resolution.

It was with the outbreak of WWII that Hezlet really began making waves in his career, starting out on the small submarine H43 before becoming First Lieutenant of Trident. He sank the U-Boat with a single torpedo and then rescued 11 of her crew before having to withdraw Operating from Malta in Unique, he sank the large Italian troopship Esperia, and this success was a factor in him being given command of Ursula.

The importance of wartime signal intelligence was demonstrated by an attack which damaged the supply ship Beppe - upon leaving Malta, Hezlet set a course to intercept an enemy convoy and never altered it even to attack. Hezlet was then given command of his old boat Trident, engaged in operations exclusively connected with Russian convoys. On one patrol Hezlet sank the German ore carrier Hoedur. Amid the many battles, the boat also played a role in picking up survivors from merchant ships.

Eklissi Perpetwi

Top Maltese poet Achille Mizzi is back with a new collection of poetry called Eklissi Perpetwi. It includes a study by Oliver Friggieri and is published by Midsea Books:

Midsea Books Ltd (Klabb Kotba Maltin) have just published a new collection of poetry by outstanding poet Achille Mizzi. This collection entitled Eklissi Perpetwi is the seventh in a series produced by Mizzi throughout a career spanning over fifty years.

Beside one hundred and ten new poems, written between 1997 and 2006, this collection contains a very scholarly appraisal by Professor Oliver Friggieri. The titles of Achille Mizzi’s previous volumes were L-Ghar ta’l-Enimmi (1967, Mas-Sejha tat-Tnabar (co-author) (1971), Il-Kantiku tad-Demm (1981), Taqtir is-Skiet, (1987), Achille Mizzi - Poeżiji (1993) and Vetrati Milwiena (1998).

In this collection, Achille Mizzi strives to probe beyond the wide spectrum of subjects that have moved him as a poet. However as the poet mellows, his élan vital and his exuberance seem to be giving way to a staid reflection on the predicament of human existence in general and his own mortality in particular. Copies of this book are obtainable from Klabb Kotba Maltin (Strait Street, Valletta) and from leading booksellers.

'Nurse of the Mediterranean'

Malta 'popular with UK medical tourists', from Age Concern:

Medical tourism is becoming a sizeable industry in Malta, thanks to growing frustration with long NHS waiting lists in the UK and patients' desire to avoid the risk of MRSA in British hospitals, it has emerged. The majority of medical tourism patients in Malta come from the UK and Dr Frank Portelli, chief executive of the island nation's St Philip's Hospital, revealed that local hospitals provide patients with high standards of medical care as well as doctors who speak English.

Dr Portelli told Malta Today: "Most of our doctors are simply first-class not only in expertise but also in their ethical behaviour." Malta is an ideal location for British patients seeking treatment abroad, as it takes just a few hours to reach from the UK and benefits from excellent healthcare. Prices are often between 60 and 70 per cent lower than private treatment in the UK, and the nation also enjoyed a reputation as "nurse of the Mediterranean" during the evacuation of Gallipoli in 1915.

Too drunk

Gazza barred from boarding a plane because he was too drunk, reports Neil Sears in the Daily Mail:

He is fresh out of rehab, and has sworn repeatedly to kick alcohol into touch - but football legend Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne is understood to be drinking again. The ex-England player had been invited to Malta to play in a special veterans match, but is said to have been barred from boarding his return flight when judged too drunk to get on the plane.

Gascoigne, 40, had managed to play only in the last half hour of the game last Thursday, and barely got a touch of the ball as a team of British veterans were beaten 5-1 by a squad of ageing Italians. He was then seen drinking heavily in his hotel - and by the time he arrived at Malta's international airport at 3.30pm on Sunday onlookers said he was considerably the worse for wear.

The girl at the check in desk informed her supervisor, who is said to have promptly told Gascoigne he was not in a fit state to fly. The former footballer reportedly complained, but to no avail. And when a young fan asked for his autograph shortly after, Gascoigne is said to have told him 'You'll be silly to fly with Air Malta'.

He is then understood to have left the airport, and last night it was still not clear whether he had left Malta. Staff at the Gran Hotel Excelsior in Floriana, just outside the Maltese capital Valletta, said Gascoigne drank heavily after Thursday's match, and broke several glasses in the hotel cocktail bar...

'Messi of Malta'

The impact of Maltese football on the major leagues of Europe is about as big as Michael Mifsud is in stature, which is not very big at all, writes Evan Fanning in the UK Independent:

..However, the 5ft 4in Coventry City striker, nicknamed "The Messi of Malta", is quickly becoming his country's greatest footballing export. The 26-year-old scored his ninth and 10th goals of the season in his side's impressive away victory at Stoke, which put Coventry on the verge of the play-off spots.

The buoyant atmosphere around the Sky Blues was further heightened by the belief that a takeover of the club will be completed in the coming weeks, with a consortium headed by the former Manchester City defender Ray Ranson believed to be the favourite of two possible bids. Any takeover would also end the Football League's recently imposed transfer embargo on the club..

Flowers also paid tribute to his Maltese striker, whose stock has been rising ever since his two goals at Old Trafford in September knocked Manchester United out of the Carling Cup. "Michael Mifsud has what defenders hate – raw, blistering pace. If he gets behind you, you're not getting back to him. He's making a real name for himself."

Mifsud's two goals on Saturday lifted an otherwise drab affair. A 20-yard volley opened the scoring after 58 minutes, before Dele Adebola put Coventry two up. Liam Lawrence's penalty briefly gave Stoke some hope, before Michael Doyle's pass found Mifsud's clever diagonal run and the striker finished brilliantly.

The scale of Ggantija

Julian Cope's The Modern Antiquarian is based on his guidebook of the same name and his exploration of Europe, The Megalithic European. The site is a 'resource for news, information, images, folklore & weblinks on the ancient sites across the UK, Ireland and Europe'. This post discusses the Ggantija temples:

..When it comes to 'looking at rocks' my family and I have an unspoken agreement, they are happy to tolerate my obsession as long as it doesn't involve me dragging them around a bunch of sites or trying to convince them how wonderful these places are. So I had a choice to make, I knew I could get away with taking them to one prehistoric site on Gozo. The island has many prehistoric sites from standing stones to temples to Dolmens, so where would it be? Without a doubt it had to be Ggantija.

Ggantija is signposted and quite easy to find. Once you get to Xaghra just look for the large car park and you know you're there. When walking towards the temple it is worth looking at the surrounding walls. Not far inside of the main gate there are some large orthostats that have been interpreted as possibly another structure associated with the main temple. Another feature worth looking out for is The North Cave, which is a cave just at the top of the site. The cave has been interpreted as possibly starting out as a rock cut tomb which then became a rubbish pit for the temples.

As for Ggantija itself, the scale of the walls is overwhelming. Mr Cope is spot-on when he refers to the walls as Cyclopean. I just had to stop and take it all in. This structure is five and a half thousand years old and was build by people who had no knowledge of metal. These stones were cut, erected and had fallen long out of use long before any Egyptian had even considered building a pyramid..

..Ggantija is an extremely important site and is treated as such by the Goitans, it has had the full heritage treatment but is not over the top, this is no 'Stonehenge-site-in-cage' it is a site you can still interact with and come away feeling that you've had a personal experience. As temples go Ggantija is definitely a world class site and my second favourite temple of the islands.

Metageum: Exploring the Consciousness of the Megalithic Temple Builders, Caraffa Stores, Vittoriosa Waterfront, Birgu, 3rd - 11th November 2007

Out in the blue

Writing in today's Sydney Morning Herald, Daniel Scott falls for 'the world-class diving, dramatic landscapes and laid-back lifestyle of Malta's sister islands'.

On the short ferry crossing between Malta and Gozo, the deep, blue Mediterranean is churning and tumbling, producing a mass of frothing white caps. The robust ferry can cope but our garrulous and "fearless" taxi driver, Tony, finds it all a bit much. Soon after the boat sets off, he disappears into the toilet and doesn't emerge until we are safely inside Gozo's Mgarr Harbour.

Driving off the ferry, Tony gives us a slight, green smile as if to say he is glad to be back on Gozo. As we head across the island it is as if our Maltese Lewis Hamilton has undergone a sea-change, slowing the car deferentially as we head through villages and speaking only to point out the lovely sandstone churches.

Tony's transformation is typical of what happens to you on Gozo. With a population of just 30,000 it is smaller and less crowded than its sister island Malta and its hillier, rural landscape demands a more reflective pace. In fact visiting Gozo feels like stepping back into a more gentle era. When we are on the island there is a minor crime wave involving the theft of a car, worrying community-minded Gozitans. In the local village square the police station, complete with 1950s-style blue lantern, has only two notices on display outside. One advertises the station's hours: "Thursday, 10.30-10.45am". The other concerns an unfortunate lost cat.

If you are not careful, Gozo can lull you into total inactivity. This is particularly true if you are staying at the Kempinski Hotel, San Lawrenz, with its swimming pools and luxurious hideaway spa. In order not to miss out on Gozo's history and natural wonders we plan something active for each day of our visit.

On our first few mornings I go diving off Gozo's coast, where I am rewarded by 60-metre visibility and some of the most dramatic underwater landscapes I have ever seen. It is not so much the marine life that divers come here to see - although we do spot moray eels, barracudas, schools of silvery sardines and colourful starfish - as the way the Mediterranean has sculpted Gozo's coast into arches, cliffs and grottoes...

Football against racism

Malta rises to anti-racist challenge, by Domenic Aquilina in UEFA.com:

The Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network's Action Week has been greeted with particular enthusiasm in Malta with the football association and the government uniting to show racism the red card.

The eighth Action Week against racism has seen clubs throughout Malta take part in activities geared towards confronting issues of discrimination and inequality through football. Players at all levels, as well as match officials and ball boys, wore anti-racist T-shirts as they lined up before their games, while banners at local stadiums also drew attention to the problem.

Malta Football Association (MFA) president Dr Joseph Mifsud joined forces with minister of education, culture and sport Dr Louis Galea in visiting three schools – state, church and private – as part of the drive. Galea said: "Football is a great way of delivering the message that racism is wrong and that nobody should be discriminated against just because of the colour of their skin."

In his speech at the state-run Lija-Balzan Primary School, Galea continued: "Football is an international language spoken all over the world. We remain strongly committed to supporting our country's national team. We will do that with total respect towards other people from other countries, irrespective of their skin colour."

Maltese internationals Roderick Briffa, Andrew Cohen, Jamie Pace and Brian Said were also part of the schools' delegation which, like the rest of the Mediterranean island's Action Week activities, was co-ordinated by MFA vice-president Dr Peter Fenech. Students were given the anti-racism branded replica shirts worn by the Malta side in their recent UEFA European Championship tie against Moldova as a memento of the visit...

Unchanging slavery

In his new blog Sandro Vella takes a cue from Beppe Grillo to discuss the nature of work in modern times:

“Schiavi Moderni huwa ktieb ta’ vuċi ta’ ġenerazzjoni mitlufa. Ktieb ta’ xhieda. Fl-Italja għaddejja gwerra minn taħt kontra ż-żgħażagħ. Paga baxxa. Impjegati għal żmien limitat, ankè għall-week-end wieħed. Bla prospettivi. Jekk iż-żgħażagħ tagħna wara d-diploma, wara l-gradwazzjoni, jsiru skjavi taħt il-liġi, x’futur jista’ jkollha l-Italja?” sors: www.beppegrillo.it..

..F’dawk l-erba’ sigħat tal-ħin liberu jmur ifittex part-time u niltaqa’ miegħu jservini tazza ħalib f’kafetterija. U minn tmien sigħat allokati għal raqda u mistrieħ juża ħamsa minnhom. Dan il-waiter universitarju skopra l-ilma sħun meta xewa jdejh u kisser platt u l-imgħallem part-time ġagħlu jħallas il-platt. Dan il-waiter universitarju skopra li m’hu rappreżentat minn ħadd fuq l-ebda settur. La qabel imur għax-xogħol. La waqt ix-xogħol. Lanqas wara l-ħin tax-xogħol.

Dan il-waiter tgħallem ħafna suġġetti obbligatorji u kellu jpoġġi għall-eżamijiet tagħhom: Studji Ambjentali, Għarfien Reliġjuż, Xjenza Avvanzata u tgħallem ukoll suġġetti li kellu bżonn għas-sodisfazzjon ta’ ħajtu: Psikoloġija, Soċjoloġija u Filosofija. Kollox għaż-żeta. L-unika raġuni li ma telaqx minn Malta hija li għandu ommu marida minħabba l-istudji ambjentali.

Il-battalja lejn dawk li suppost jirrapreżentawna m’għandhiex tkun dwar in-nisa topless iżda dwar din l-iskjavitù moderna għax b’din l-iskjavitù: topless se jispiċċa kulħadd. Irrakkonta l-esperjenza tiegħek (anonima u le) bħala ħaddiem jew student billi tibgħat e-mail fuq info@sandrovella.org. Irrakkonta dwar il-paga. Dwar il-ħinijiet. Dwar il-flessibilità. Dwar dak li l-gvern mhux jaghti każ. Dwar id-drittijiet u r-rispett. Dwar il-paroli fil-vojt. Dwar ix-xogħol innifsu. Dwar iċ-ċertifikati tiegħek u fejn qed jiġu stmati eċċ. eċċ. eċċ...