2007

Xi drabi, meta kont zghir, kont inqatta' l-lejl ta' San Silvestru taht il-kutri, nistenna nofsillejl idoqq halli nisma' l-vapuri sorguti t-tarzna u l-Port il-Kbir idoqqu s-sireni taghhom. Rari rnexxieli nismaghhom ghax ghajni kienet tmur bija.

L-ewwel darba li hrigt fil-lejl ta' San Silvestru (forsi kelli erbatax, hmistax-il sena) rajt hafna nies jemozzjonaw irwiehhom aktar ma beda joqrob l-ewwel tokk ta' nofsillejl, imbaghad, minbarra x-xampanja rajt xmara ta' dmugh u kwazi isterija li sa llum ghadni ma nafx ghala taqbad lil hafna nies f'dan il-lejl.

Ghala dan il-lejl huwa daqshekk importanti ghal hafna nies ghadni sa llum ma nistax nifhem. Ghalija jfisser il-bidu iebes ta' sena gdida, li wara hmistax festeggjamenti, ikel u nfiq bl-addocc, terga' tmur lura lejn ir-rutina mimlija dwejjaq u monotonija. Jekk xejn, l-ewwel ta' Jannar iqabbadni niket straordinarju ghax naf li mill-ghada kollox jerga' lura ghan-normal. U n-normal sar idejjaqni.

Il-lejl ta' San Silvestru jinvolvi ritwal iehor: il-memorja tas-sena li tkun qieghda tintemm. U forsi ghalhekk li hafna nies jinfexxew jibku u jolfqu.

Is-servizzi tal-media jaghtu harsa lejn is-sena li tkun ghadha kif ghaddiet, bl-ahbarijiet l-aktar tragici jokkupaw il-punti ewlenin.

Is-sena waslet biex tintemm u, sforz dan kollu, anki jien nispicca nhares fil-vojt u niftakar fil-mumenti l-aktar sinifikanti tas-sena. Fost hafna affarijiet ohra, niftakar li f'din is-sena tlift lil missieri, persunagg li ghad irid naghmel hafna kontijiet mieghu (u qieghed nahdem fuq hekk). L-esperjenza tieghi tal-mewt ta' l-gheziez kellha effett anestetiku: tarrxitli hafna mis-sentiment li l-mewt kienet tqajjem qabel.

Nipprova, dis-sena, waqt li nerga' ngib quddiem ghajnejja l-ahhar dehra hajja tal-pa, nintilef wara x-xintill tat-trikki-trakki.

Id-dwejjaq inhalluhom ghal ghada filghodu, meta l-helu jiqras u x-xorb jibda jinten.

ps Hajr lil Robert Micallef talli stedinni nibbloggjalu fuq Wired Malta. The Visit ta' Durrenmatt qatt ma dderigejtha, forsi la nohrog bil-pensjoni...

L-eternita' tas-skiet

Forsi l-eta', forsi l-esperjenza, forsi c-cirkustanzi godda ... dawn l-ahhar snin sirt napprezza hafna s-skiet. Jien u nittajpja din il-bloggata, inhares 'il barra mit-tieqa u nara l-immensita' tas-silg u nisma' dik li Keats sejhilha l-eternita' tas-skiet. 'Il boghod mill-hamba tan-nies u mit-toroq ifullati li nimmagina hemm fil-Belt bhalissa, inhoss bhal sens ta' energija li lura fuq il-Blata rari, jekk qatt, inhossu.

Madankollu, difficli ninsa li din hija biss harba ta' ftit granet. Xihadd ta lit-tifel cerva tal-Milied tkanta u taqbez kollha storbju, u l-hoss taghha jippenetrali rasi. Ripetutament din ic-cerva thanxar "let it snow, let it snow". Inutli tippjana trobbija kwieta ghat-tifel tieghek, ghax l-istorbju huwa seducenti wisq.

Kif ghidt, din hija harba ta' ftit jiem, u ma nafx kemm jien kapaci nsostniha ghal zmien itwal. Wara kollox jien wild il-karozzi jdahhnu huma u ghaddejjin b'kemm ghandhom sahha minn Triq Haz-Zabbar, wild l-ghajat ta' Sunta ma' zewgha Leli ghax dam il-kazin jilghab il-karti (anki jekk Leli kien bil-kelb fil-kantuniera), wild Giela tghajjat man-neputija ghax harget bil-halterneck u x-shorts meta kien hemm it-tifel ta' Censina jittawwal mill-bitha, wild il-kampnar enormi jqanpen bla waqfien, wild is-suq jarma ma' sbih Alla, wild il-carcades tal-politika ghaddejin u tal-football ta' ma nafx min aktar. Jien wild il-hoss u l-qawwa u l-folol li jahbtu mieghek u jrossuk. Imma ghalissa, ghal ftit jiem, il-hoss m'ghandux hoss, u l-ghajnejn jaraw il-kobor abjad, jaraw il-boghod li m'ghandux tarf. Sakemm taqleb is-sena l-gdida, forsi xihadd jispara xi tuzzana trikki trakki u mbaghad jerga' s-skiet.

U mbaghad, bhalma kiteb Kalil Gibran, waqt li n-natura tifrex dirghajha biex titlobna ngawduha, niddejqu bis-silenzju taghha, u nitilqu nigru lura lejn il-bliet iffullati bhal naghgiet mahruba mill-ilpup.

Schengen

Numru mhux hazin ta' snin ilu Bob Dylan kien ikanta li „the times they are achanging". Wiehed jifhem li z-zminijiet jinbidlu dejjem u ma kienx hemm bzonn li xihadd jintebah b'dan fis-snin sittin. Ftit jiem ohra u nibdlu l-munita u z-zminijiet taghna wkoll ikunu qeghdin jinbidlu bhalma ilhom jinbidlu minn dejjem.

Il-gimgha l-ohra numru ta' Stati-Membri ta' l-UE addottaw il-ftehim ta' Schengen, li fisser li qsim tal-fruntieri issa jista' jsir facilment minghajr htiega ta' identifikazzjoni. Miniex se naghmel diskors iehor dwar dan il-pass, imma xtaqt nghaddi kumment fuq l-ewwel esperjenza tieghi – bhala vjaggatur – tal-ftehim ta' Schengen.

Is-Sibt 22 ta' Dicembru 2007: xi l-hdax u nofs ta' billejl. Ninsab f'karozza kbira li telqet mill-ajurport ta' Vjenna, diretta lejn Bratislava (vjagg ta' xi siegha u ftit aktar). It-triq, arterja principali li tghaqqad Vjenna ma' Bratislava miftuha xi tliet xhur ilu, m'ghandhiex fanal wiehed. Hemm biss id-dlam cappa u bozoz zghar homor fil-qcacet ta' l-irdieden tar-rih. Dlam. Dan id-dlam nessieni l-kitch tat-tizjin tal-Milied li f'Malta ilu jixghel xi xahar jekk mhux aktar. Kitch. Hawn hawn biss id-dlam. Imbaghad l-esperjenza Schengen. Noqorbu lejn il-fruntiera li tifred l-Awstrija mir-Repubblika Slovakka. Sa ghoxrin sena ilu dan ic-checkpoint kien wiehed mill-pnatar tal-purtiera tal-hadid: il-Punent jiltaqa' mal-Lvant. Sa sena ilu, meta allura l-purtiera tal-hadid kienet ilha ftit mhux hazin li nfetqet u z-zewg stati kienu mghannqa fl-istess unjoni, il-passaport tieghi, bil-kliem tad-deheb UNJONI EWROPEA stampati fuqu, kien jaqla' ftit tad-diskussjoni bejn l-ghassiesa tal-fruntieri: kien jingabar, jittiehed fil-kabina, jnxteghel il-kompjuter, tinqara l-lista ta' stati membri ta' l-UE, xi mkien 'l isfel kienet tidher il-kelma MALTA u mbaghad konna nistghu nsuqu. Imma llum kemm il-kabini Awstrijaci u kemm dawk Slovakki kienu mitfija u, fejn is-soltu kont tara serbut ta' karozzi u iehor itwal ta' trailers, illum kien hemm biss dlam. Bqajna ghaddejin qisna dorna ma' roundabout semplici u ma waqqafna hadd ghax ma kien hemm hadd min iwaqqafna.

Iz-zminijiet inbidlu. Min jaf kemm suldati ghassew din il-fruntiera, kemm passaporti ngabru u kemm mistoqsijiet saru. U min jaf kemm rapporti ntbaghtu lis-servizzi sigrieti li t-tali u t-talija ghadda mill-fruntiera u kemm -il file infetah. U llum, kwazi jnikktek id-dlam tac-checkpoint u l-istrixxa ta' ftit metri ta' art li m'hi ta' hadd m'ghad ghandha ebda sinifikat. U lanqas il-kafe' li kien ibigh is-sigaretti lil min ikun qed jaqsam m'ghadu miftuh.

U l-bnadar m'ghadhomx jittellghu: l-arbli nehhewhom minn fejn kienu.

Guest blogging by Immanuel Mifsud

Author Immanuel Mifsud will be guest blogging in this space over the weekend. Immanuel, whose work captures the spirit of modern Malta, was one of the first bloggers to use Maltese as a medium back in 2005

I've known Immanuel since our school days at SPMC and have closely followed his creative work since the days he co-founded the literary group Versarti at the New Lyceum and especially later when he set up experimental theatre groups such as It-Teatru tal-Ghomja in the late eighties and Teatru Marta Kwitt in the nineties. I have particularly fond recollections of watching productions directed by Immanuel such as Max Frisch's Andorra and Yerma by Federico Garcia Lorca.

Immanuel was among the first to represent Malta in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won acclaim for his innovative drama productions as well as for his bold poetry and ground breaking literary works such as Stejjer ta' Nies Koroh ( 1991), L-Istejjer Strambi ta' Sara Sue Sammut (2002) and Kimika (2005).

He directed the first Malta International Poetry Festival organised by the Malta Arts Council in 2004 and currently teaches Maltese literature at the University of Malta Junior College. Immanuel is an enthusiastic supporter of Hibernians FC.

Memorial

Italy plans memorial to commemorate Malta tragedy, by Dilpreet Khalsa in Jalandhar:

The government of Italy has sanctioned funds for the retrieval of the remains of 300 victims of the Malta Boat tragedy, Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Mission chairman Balwant Singh Khera claimed on Tuesday.

Observing the 11th anniversary of the tragedy at the Company Bagh, he said the Italian government had sanctioned the requisite funds and had agreed to build a memorial to commemorate the death of 300 young men who had lost their lives in Malta-Sicily Channel near international waters on December 25, 1996. Italian senator Tana Dijuleta was instrumental in getting the support of four Nobel prize winners and 100 members of Parliament, who had recommended to the prime minister of Italy to help the mission in this cause.

Accusing the state political leadership of sheltering the fake travel agents, Khaira said “though 170 out of 300 youth belonged to Punjab, till now no state government has taken any initiative to provide justice to the victim’s family”. He demanded that monetary relief of Rs 50,000 is inadequate and it should be raised to Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of victims. The mission has also decided to approach the Delhi HC for speeding up the hearing of the criminal cases against the 25 fake travel agents. He demanded that the government should publish the inquiry report of the human trafficking scandal in 2001.

Bolech's farewell

Peter Bolech from Austria 'bids a light-hearted farewell' to Malta after five years at the helm of Malta International Airport:

..He noted that, without being aware of it, we carry our culture with us wherever we go. "The Maltese and my culture clashed softly in July 2002," he remarked, adding that he never had serious problems of assimilation. Whenever asked whether he knew how things worked in Malta, he would immediately say he did. But he had a confession to make at his farewell address: "This wasn't true, because some contexts I have never understood until this day.

"On the credit side of my balance sheet, where I would book the things I am proud of, I would put on the first posting line the fact that I have somehow managed until today to drive the streets of Malta without an accident. That's one small step for mankind but one giant leap for one man, especially if the man is a foreigner!"...He has his own theory about this: Maltese motorists are simply driven by logic and nothing else. "They think in mathematical terms and, therefore, they know that the shortest connection between two points is a straight line... "

He spoke of his love for the Maltese countryside and noted that he took part in two marathons in Malta. Mr Bolech let it be known that throughout his five-year stay on the island he was fined on the Manwel Dimech bridge for speeding "so regularly that I sometimes considered to set up a standing order with my bank to simplify administration. This omission is not what I am proud of, but rather the assurance that, with the subsidies I granted so generously, I made a major contribution to enhance Malta's infrastructure.

"I was made to believe that, after completion of the project, a commemorative plaque will be affixed to the tunnel, saying: (something like) 'This project was co-financed by the European Union and, especially generally, by Mr Peter Bolech'."

Mr Bolech concluded his address by looking to the future: "I will go back and start a new career as an independent adviser and coach, so I will say goodbye to my 33 years as an employed person, giving up living in the ruins of my habits and following an advice by Bertrand Russell who said: 'You should never do the same stupidity twice in your life because there is such a rich choice'.

"Being curious about the uncertainty of life and what may come next will always remind me of Malta because life is like Malta: At the crossroads, there are no signposts!"

Cribs

MaltaMedia's special Chistmas feature can be accessed here. This is a piece about cribs penned by Gorg Mifsud-Chircop:

According to Guzè Cassar Pullicino and the late John Bezzina in their studies A New Look at Old Customs (1968) and The Origins of the Crib in the Maltese Islands (1997) respectively, a crib features in Rabat Malta in 1617. It was built by the Dominicans of Valletta. This seems to be no isolated case, as the regular Religious Orders, namely the Franciscans, the Augustinians and the Dominicans had already inculcated in the last decades of the sixteenth century and early seventeenth century various religious Christmas festivities. These included the Christmas novena, daily high Mass, Christmas Eve mass, and processions with paper lanterns. In the second half of the eighteenth century a barber, Maestro Saverio Laferla is mentioned and acclaimed for his skill in making cribs and statues of papier maché.

However, reliable sources trace the modern presepju construction ritual way back to the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century in various localities, including Hal Qormi, Tas-Sliema, H’Attard, in-Naxxar, Bormla, il-Furjana, and il-belt Valletta. It was largely due to the great influence and sound religious convictions of the late Dun Gorg Preca, founder of the lay society, the Society of Christian Doctrine, popularly known as “il-Muzew’’, that the grotta and presepju tradition spread like wild fire in Catholic Malta. It was only to his merit that the Christmas procession on Christmas eve was introduced in il-Hamrun Malta in 1921 and in ir-Rabat Ghawdex in 1941, also spreading to other villages in both islands.

Flying high

Barry Napier says that when he first visited Malta it was still very quaint and he loved the old post-war vehicles 'that hurtled around blind bends':

..I still smile at what we saw in the capital, Valetta… a very old car totally brown with rust, its top cut off, all its innards removed except for the driving seat – which wasn’t even fixed to the floor – and no clocks or other dials..

..Also at that time Malta had a very small fleet of old jets, with few passengers compared to other airlines. But the Maltese air-crews were lovely folks, homely and helpful. From ‘planes to country, Malta is superb, but, as everyone will tell you, you either hate the place or love it! This is because it is not the usual nightlife hot-spot with rowdy teenagers, but a country steeped in history and ancient sites, very safe to walk around even at night.

In summer the island is uniformly stone-coloured with little greenery or flowers, because of intense heat and dust. Each season is different, bringing a wide variety of experiences for those who visit regularly. Go in late winter and you’ll get your greenery and flowers!..

I love Malta, but, until now, I would not have considered a short-break there because it would have been far too costly. In fact, I have always booked in two-week stretches, to make it financially worthwhile. Now, Air Malta is bringing in very competitive prices, so short-breaks are now a real possibility for Europeans...

The Maltese Kat

The Maltese Kat is is a 'Maltese girl from the MidWest living in San Francisco, United States'. She writes about the annual Maltese American Social Club Women's Committee gift exchange:

We had a nice sit down dinner together. My new pals at the club will only speak to me in Maltese, they tell me that is the only way I am going to learn. Tough love I guess. Anyway, we had a nice dinner, dessert and then the gift exchange.
I gave a painted Italian pasta bowl from Macy's that I will admit, would have loved to have kept for myself. Last year I was number 36 in line to pick my gift from the pile, but this year, I was number 5! No pressure, I was surrounded by lovely wrapped gifts all calling out "pick me, pick me". I went for a mid size box, wrapped in snowy white paper as shiny as ice with the print of holly berries dancing all over it. Atop was a nicely tied simple red ribbon.

I took my gift back to my seat and proceeded to open it. Beneath the paper my gift reveled itself. I got a nice set of glass candle holders with round white candles to go with them. Honestly, they are not my style, but they are nice and I was glad I didn't get the snowman fountain that the lady next to me got.

It wasn't as exciting as last year, when I started the fire (by accident of course) but it was really nice. I love hanging out with the ladies at the club, I wish there were more people there my age, but I guess everyone is too busy to get involved in their culture. The ladies I sat with were telling me what it was like in Malta during WW II and all that they went through as children, it was amazing and sad at the same time. The human spirit is incredible to me. These are some strong women that I completely love and admire.

I thank God for leading me on my trip to Malta, finding my family there and also introducing me to these fantastic ladies. I will never know my Grandfather but I would like to think that he would be proud that I am involved with the Maltese Club and I think I see a little of him in the men at the club as well. If they are a tiny glimpse of what he was like, it makes me sad to have never met him.

Desert island

Writing in Kansascity.com, Joseph Van Luchene from Westwood describes his summer visit to the "desert island south of Sicily":

The first thing a visitor to Malta should do is buy a six-pack of two-liter bottles of water. They lasted the entire week we were there ¡X but barely. The second thing is to remove the buls-eye that seems to be a part of your body. In Malta, they drive on the wrong (left) side of the road. We thought we were taking our lives in our hands every time we crossed a street. We both knew we had to look the other way, but it's hard to remember which way that is.

We saw lots of old stuff - a temple (Tarxien) and an underground tomb (Hypogeum) tha's 5,000 years old. They dug down into the rock to create the tombs. These would fill up, so they would dig another room even deeper. In the third level down, they carved a model of an above-ground temple, including a domed roof. Amazingly, they did this without metal tools and in the dark.

One day we went to the walled city of Medina. It rained lightly early in the morning but then started to clear up. We left our rain gear in the room again, it's a desert island. They had as much rain that afternoon as they usually have all summer. The streets flooded, retaining walls collapsed, traffic snarled, arks were started, and we got drenched. But for the most part the weather was great - hot and dry. Did I mention it's a desert island?

Flamini's corridors of power

In a World Politics Review exclusive, veteran foreign corresponden Roland Flamini discusses EU borders, the personal life of Sarkozy and Al-Qaida's targeting of the Knights of Malta:

Last week the number of signatories of the EU's Schengen Agreement jumped from 13 to 22, with the addition of nine more member states. This means that EU citizens are able to move freely, without checks, within an area expanded to 3.6 million square kilometers across Europe from France to the Baltic States (Britain is only a partial member of Schengen). In an age of world terrorism, it may seem like a risky development, but European officials maintain they have actually improved internal security within the European Union with the establishment of the Schengen Information System (SIS).

Set up in 1995, the SIS database ensures a free-flow of information in real time between all 22 countries, ranging from vital feeds on suspected terrorists to details of stolen automobiles. For example, the EU says that through October 2007, 1,826,908 SIS alerts had been issued concerning stolen cars. EU sources are a little less forthcoming about terrorist information..

..The Roman Catholic Knights of Malta are the last surviving remnant of the Christian Crusades against Muslim occupation of the Holy Land. Today, their historic order is an international humanitarian organization with its own hospitals, clinics, and medical teams. For example, St. John relief services provide on-scene emergency help at major disasters. But its crusading past (nine centuries ago) has made it a target of Islamic militants, and some Arab media have recently claimed that the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (the order's full name) was involved in military operations in Iraq.

The inevitable next step was that a Web site close to al-Qaida urged jihadists to attack the order's embassy in Cairo. With headquarters in Rome, the order maintains diplomatic relations with a number of countries, and has observer status in the United Nations..

The reference to Rhodes and Malta in the order's name reflects the two successive locations where the order settled following the final withdrawal of the Crusades from the Holy Land in the early 16th century. Its knights governed Malta for nearly 250 years. The Order was originally religious as well as military, with its members taking a vow of chastity. A handful of the present knights, including the present grand master, Andrew Bertie, a prominent English Catholic, still adhere to the chastity rule...

"Club Med" in vogue

Europe's common currency extends its Mediterranean reach when Cyprus and Malta surrender their currencies and adopt the euro but the increase in membership is making ripples rather than waves, writes Brian Love in Paris for Reuters:

What Germany's once mighty central bank feared 10 years ago -- that the euro would become a "Club Med" currency -- will be closer to the truth with their arrival in the group, but not in the ill-disciplined sense the Bundesbank so disdained. While the change will surely be significant for the peoples of two island economies that will switch overnight to euros from Cypriot pounds and Maltese lira, it makes little difference to the euro zone's weight in the world.

Malta's economic output is less than 0.1 percent of the euro zone overall and Cyprus's gross domestic product is less than 0.2 percent of the bloc's total GDP, according to GDP data published by Eurostat, the EU statistics office. "The increase from 13 to 15 will not make a big difference, especially given the nature of the newcomers." says Daniel Gros, an economist and director of the Centre for European Policy Studies, a think-tank in Brussels.

As for erstwhile Bundesbank warnings that the credibility of the euro would be at risk from slipshod public finances, notably in countries on Europe's Mediterranean rim, Gros sees no reason to fret over either of the newcomers even if the European Commission says Malta in particular needs to continue its efforts to reduce a still high deficit. "What fear? There's little danger for the euro zone," says Gros..

Now it's the turn of Nicosia, which is three times closer to Baghdad than to Brussels, and Malta capital Valletta, which is as close to Cairo as it is to Frankfurt. Insiders and observers are equally confident that life will be more or less as manageable institutionally as before, be it at the European Central Bank or the Eurogroup, the forum where finance ministers confer on economic strategy...

Ġorġ Mifsud-Chircop

Toni Sant writes about my former teacher Ġorġ Mifsud-Chircop who has died aged 56:

..His passing is a great loss for the study and preservation of traditional Maltese culture...Anyone who has studied Maltese at A-level in the last 25 years or so knows Ġorg Mifsud-Chircop's name from the textbook Fommu Bil-Għasel. His name was also synonymous with the Maltese folk scene and anyone involved in the preservation and dissemination of local traditions sure knew him and/or was known by him.

Ġorg established the National Festival of traditional Għana about 10 years ago and he was behind the creation of a countless radio and television broadcasts of traditional Maltese music and storytelling. After his mentor Ġuże Cassar Pullicino, he was undoubtedly the foremost Maltese folklorist. Beyond all that, he was also a very generous human being and a trustworthy friend. I'm sure that he will be sorely missed by many.

The last time I met him it was during one of my visits to Malta in 2006. He had organized an evening of traditional storytelling and għana at the Teatru Manoel courtyard. The event was entitled Nirrakuntaw mal-Ġaħan Tagħna: A story telling evening - Words, ballads and Maltese Għana; a collaboration between Poeżija Plus Narraturi 21. A full audio recording is available, courtesy Campus FM. It was the middle of winter but the atmosphere at the event was incredibly warm. I was moved to tears on that day. It was simply magical. Thank you Ġorġ...I really appreciated that and much else that you did.

Desmond Morris in Malta

Forty years after The Naked Ape, and as controversial as ever, Desmond Morris talks to Stephen Moss about sexual politics, homosexuality, and his second life as a surrealist painter. From The Guardian:

..He didn't stay at the ICA long. The runaway success of The Naked Ape allowed him to run away - he says he knew it was a sensation when he heard Burt Lancaster had bought the film rights. He quit his job and, with his wife Ramona, went to live in Malta, where he started painting again in earnest, lived a life of sunny, self-conscious hedonism, and produced a son, Jason.

Morris was almost 40 when he left for Malta - burned out, he says, after 15 years of frenetic activity. "A few months before I wrote The Naked Ape my health collapsed. When I recovered I said, 'Right, that's it,' and I cut out a lot of things. I realised that I had to cut down. I was trying to live like a machine when in fact I was just an animal. I focused all my efforts on one thing, which was The Naked Ape. I sat down and wrote it in the autumn of 1966. I hadn't any hopes for it; I didn't expect it to do anything. People say I must have known what I was doing. They think I deliberately wrote it to make a shocking bestseller, but it wasn't like that."

Intentional or not, that was what it became, and he was determined to enjoy the money and freedom it brought him. "I didn't intend to stay in Malta for very long, but it stretched for five or six years. I had a studio and painted. I wrote in the winter, painted in the summer. We had all our friends out to stay. My childlike curiosity, which I've maintained all my life, demands new experiences, and this was something I'd never experienced before. My mother was horrified. She said, 'Put the money in the bank,' as mothers do, but I said, 'No, I'm going to spend it all, and when it's all spent I'll come back to work, because I like work.' And that's what I did. I spent most of it, and then came back and started research again here at Oxford."

In 1973 he returned to the UK with his family to take up a research fellowship at Wolfson College, seeking to combine hard science with populist books. The Human Zoo and Intimate Behaviour, both written in Malta, were followed by Manwatching (which developed the concept of "body language"), The Soccer Tribe, Catwatching, Dogwatching and Babywatching. He resumed his TV career and travelled widely - a map of the world in the corridor that connects his art-world with his science-world is covered with pins marking the places he has visited...

Jimmy Graham's Malta trip

Having just returned from a fortnight's holiday in Malta, Jimmy Graham shares his experiences while thanking "all the Fanciers and the ‘Boss’ of The Blue Bar Café" for a most enjoyable time:

Visiting Malta from the UK what strikes you immediately is the absence of any birds! You look around and there are no crows, starlings, wild pigeons (apart from the feral pigeons notably in the capital Valletta). In our hotel at the very utmost northern point of the island we only ever saw four sparrows. Towards the end of our fortnight we managed to see a few baskets of racing pigeons being let off from the Gozo ferry terminal (training tosses from fanciers at the southern end of the island).

This absence of wild birds is apparently down to the indiscriminate hunting and shooting of all types of birds. So acute is the problem of indiscriminate hunting in Malta that there are almost no resident species of wild birds on the Islands. The few that manage to survive usually share most if not all of the following characteristics: they are either so small that they do not provide an adequate target to hunters, or have an unattractive plumage and call which do not attract the attention of hunters or trappers, or are insectivores which cannot survive out of their habitat.

These include the Spanish sparrow, tree sparrow, Sardinian warbler, spectacled warbler, cetti's warbler and zitting cisticola. Yet a few other birds such as the Cory's shearwater, European storm-petrel and blue rock thrush inhabit and nest in almost inaccessible places such as the tops of sea cliffs.

If given a chance, a number of other birds would certainly breed in Malta on a regular basis, as these have already been recorded breeding over there. Amongst such birds are the peregrine falcon, starling, quail, turtledove, barn swallow, house martin, short-toed lark, moorhen and little ringed plover.

Hunting and trapping is a very big problem in Malta. Hundreds of thousands of birds are shot and trapped every year. They are shot both from land and from powerboats out at sea, (this is where the larger number is shot).

Amendment debate

The opposition party in Malta appears to be the key in determining whether or not an abortion amendment will move ahead in parliament, reports Canadian site LifeNews.com:

The new language would be added to a clause which prohibits depriving a person of his right to life without due process.Gift of Life has spearheaded the campaign for two years and collected more than 36,000 signatures from residents on its behalf. The effort has resulted in obtaining the support of 40 lawmakers from both parties for the amendment, only four votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to approve it.

A Maltese government spokesman has said it would not officially propose any constitutional amendment without the support of the opposition Labor Party. That means opposition leader Alfred Sant needs to put forward a position on behalf of his party for or against the amendment. Several Labour Party members have endorsed the amendment but Sant hasn’t yet taken an official position.

“Sant also has the right to be in favor or against the proposal,” the newspaper wrote. “But it is high time that he decides one way or the other. It is unfair to leave the debate hanging. It shows indecision, which is not a good sign for a prime minister-in-waiting.”LifeNews.com previously profiled Gift of Life's efforts to protect the unborn further."Following the public consultation by the Government in 2005 on how to best protect Malta against abortion, a year later, the unborn child in Malta is still not adequately protected from the possibility of abortion being introduced in the future. We are lobbying to give the unborn child the right to life through our Constitution," the organization says.

Previously, government leaders in Malta said they will not cave in to pressure from the United Nations and European Union leaders to legalize abortion.Malta is one of the few European nations to make abortion illegal and government officials have tried to crack down on efforts from other nations to promote abortions there.

“Seeking asylum is a human right, not a crime”

The right to seek and enjoy asylum is not fully protected in Europe today, writes Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe:

In spite of a downward trend in asylum applications in several countries – with some exceptions such as Malta and Greece - the policies have remained restrictive and arbitrary. The chances of an asylum-seeker to find protection in the EU countries vary considerably depending on where he or she applies.It is now more difficult for refugees and other migrants to reach our borders. Airlines are pressured to refuse passengers who may not be granted entry on arrival. Patrol boats along Europe’s southern coasts are used to intercept and turn back potential asylum- seekers from African countries. Among those stopped in this way may be individuals whose freedom or lives are under threat..

..The European Union has initiated an important process aiming at a common European asylum policy. Such a policy should contribute to prevent the “race to the bottom” which now tends to guide national policy making. The idea is to establish a common asylum system by 2010 with a common asylum procedure and a uniform status which would be valid throughout the union. The European Commission has expressed the ambition to achieve a high standard and equality of protection across the EU and a high degree of solidarity between the member states.

Achieving “higher standards” is essential, the harmonisation should not lead to a minimum common level of protection. Therefore, it will be necessary in several EU countries to take a clear position against the extreme messages now coming from some of the parties driven by populist agendas. There is also a need to look more soberly on the problem that many migrants come without documents. It is clear that traffickers in many cases confiscate or destroy the passengers’ passports or other identity papers.

..My position is that detention of asylum-seekers should be avoided. The present discussion in the European Parliament about allowing no less than 18 months detention is sad and could harm the whole process of achieving better standards. Obviously, states consider detention necessary during their efforts to clarify the identity and home country of the individual and to ensure that he or she will be received at deportation...

License to explore oil

Malta's government has awarded a licence to Canadian company Heritage Oil Corp. to explore for oil and gas in two offshore areas. From Reuters:

Malta has so far been unsuccessful in oil exploration, despite being flanked by Italian and Libyan oilfields. Maltese Resources Minister Ninu Zammit said on Friday the Calgary-based company would explore two areas, south and southeast of Malta, with a total area of 18,000 sq km.

Under the 30-year deal the company will spend at least $22 million in the first three years of the contract with the focus initially on seismic work.Should oil or gas be found, production will be shared between the company and the government.

Rise in fruit and vegetable prices

The price of fruit and vegetables in the third quarter of this year went up considerably according to NSO figures. From FreshPlaza.com:

During the third quarter of 2007, producer and input prices for agricultural output rose by 7.7% and 2.6% respectively.

The producer price index for agricultural products rose by 7.4 points, from 96.0 points in the third quarter of 2006 to 103.4 points in the corresponding quarter of 2007. Different factors within the agricultural sector contributed to this rise. The fresh vegetables price index rose by 23.4% over the third quarter of 2006.

As a result of the general decline in supply on the market, increases in the producer prices of the main vegetables such as tomatoes (+68.3%), sugar melons (+12.1%), watermelons (+16.6%) and mushrooms (+6.4%) were registered.

The fresh fruit price index stood at 101.6 points, an increase of 32.3% when compared to the same period last year. This was mainly due to a fall in the supply of fresh fruit, primarily grapes and peaches, the prices of which increased by 67.3% and 18.6% respectively. A sharp drop in the market supply of potatoes was the main factor underpinning higher prices (+66.4%) for farmers who produced this crop...

Green Paper Chain

Roland Flamini reports from Malta for the World Politics Review:

With elections set for early 2008 on this Mediterranean island, which is, incidentally, the smallest member of the European Union, the Maltese environmental minister announced this week that he will plant new trees to replace the paper he'll be using in his campaign. George Pullicino said he has set up an audit board to assess just how many trees will be involved.

Pullicino took his cue from a memorandum sent to the island's political parties by school children taking part in a nationwide ecological project. The children urged parties to use recyclable materials, and to install bins to encourage waste separation at political activities. The appeal is being taken seriously, and other candidates said they are thinking of following Pullicino's lead..

Blogging Gelle

Michael Carøe Andersen from Denmark blogs about his long weekend in Malta:

3 months ago my knowledge on Malta was very limited - all I really knew was that it was in the Mediterranean, that they had English as a semi-official language, that there was something about the Maltese cross and knights and that they usually did pretty good in Eurovision Song Contests - “Malta 10 points” - but that was about all.

Since then Ann has told me a lot about the country and I’ve been reading up on the country on the internet. Malta is a couple of rocky islands about half the size of Bornholm or twice the size of Washington DC. With a population of 400,000 it’s one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Knowing this fact I was actually surprised that the place didn’t feel cramped and that they seemed not to have many high rising buildings - but instead a lot of 2-4 floored limestone buildings..

The food is a chapter in itself. It’s inspired by Italian but with a twist of it’s own. I didn’t get pictures of much of it but I covered about 10 of the things on this list and all of it was good I did manage get a picture of a Pastizzi before it disappeared. A delicious snack bought at a pretty obscure local spot...

The Tuesday traveller

Josh Roberts who lives in northern Massachusetts reflects on Malta's disproportionate importance:

In my January 2007 American Adventurer column, I described Malta as “a lively little melting pot of European, African, and Arabic cultures unique in all the world,” and I think that really hits the nail on the head. Because of its strategic location between Europe and the Middle East, Malta has always enjoyed (or suffered, actually) a disproportionately large level of importance in the battle between the East and West.

If you enjoy history, adventure, and romance on a grand scale, I recommend David Ball’s epic historical novel Ironfire, which tells the story of two siblings—one who’s kidnapped by Ottaman raiders and the other who’s left behind to grow up on Malta—in the years leading up to the 16th century Battle of Malta. A must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction.

Here we Gozo for a feast

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Jacqui Thake writes how she "whiled away getting used to Gozo’s oh-so-tranquil ways":

I’ve always found cooking a bore and a chore. Sure, I can rustle up a mean spag bol and a satisfying shepherd’s pie... and for exotic I do cheese and spinach pasties (pastry bought ready-rolled, of course). It’s my husband who gets all the culinary accolades.

But not any more. Because I’m spending the day with Gozotan restaurateur and super-chef George Borg as part of a short break on his island in the sun. And I’m so inspired by his Mediterranean enthusiasm for all things food and wine – and his humorous and easy manner as he imparts his extensive knowledge – that I now feel ready to take on even Delia..

Having arrived still reeling from the frenetic pace of London via two days on the island’s much busier big sister Malta, I have to learn how to go from 100mph to zero in 10 seconds. Gozotans go at two speeds – slow and slower, and that, according to George, is the only way to cook.

But first you have to gather your ingredients. My companions and I follow him, learning to stroll Gozotan-style, as he saunters lazily into the local shops in search of the very best produce.

Shopping takes nearly all morning. George caresses the vegetables, reverently weighs the bread in his hand, strokes the fish to check the texture and chews his lip as he examines the rabbit-meat on offer. Every decision is carefully considered.

Bridgewater goes to Marsa

Members of the Bridgwater Twinning Association visited twin town Marsa during a trip to Malta to strengthen links between the two communities:

Secretary Pat Morgan held meetings with the people of Marsa, presenting the people from the Maltese town with gifts from groups around Bridgwater. Pat Morgan said: "We were invited to Marsa Scout headquarters to see the entries to their annual handicraft competition. We were able to present a scrapbook that Abbey Walker from Wembdon Scouts had made for them with badges, photos and description of her time at the Centenary World Scout Jamboree.

"We were also invited to visit a primary school, which is hoping to link with a school here. "They have given us a yearbook with lots of information about themselves and calendars illustrated by the children to give to the school in Bridgwater." The Mayor of Marsa joined also joined the group on the trip as they revisited the Bridgwater playground in the town.

'Ghost that lives nearby'

A message posted on Islamist websites close to al-Qaeda is urging jihadists to carry out a terrorist attack on the embassy of the Order of Malta in Cairo. AKI reports:

..The message urging the jihadi attack on the Order of Malta - nowadays a charitable organisation - follows the publication of an editorial in the United Arab Emirates daily al-Bayan, by Jordanian MP Jamal Muhammad Abidat entitled 'The Knights of Malta - more than a conspiracy'. In the article, Abidat gives a Muslim interpretation of the Order's history, describing the role played by the Knights of Malta during the Crusades. Abidat says the Order is playing the same role in the Middle East today, citing the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The painful saga of modern Arab-Muslim history evokes the battles fought in Crusades of the 11th centry - when the Knights of Malta began their operations as a Christian militia whose mission it was to defend the land conquered by the Crusaders." "These memories return violently to mind with the discovery of links between the so-called security firms in Iraq such as Blackwater have historic links with the Order of Malta," Abidat argued..

Abidat accuses the Order of Malta of being run by men who are close to US president George W. Bush and neo-conservative political circles, taking a cue from a report transmitted on the Arab network, Al-Jazeera, on 24 April 2007..."You cannot exaggerate it. The Order of Malta is a hidden government or the most mysterious government in the world," said Abidat in the editorial. "We accept the definition given by one of the officials at their Cairo embassy, that defined it as 'ghost that lives nearby'."...

Roots of an island

Gozitan artist Christopher Saliba is back with another exhibition titled "Roots of an Island", the ninth solo event since 2002. The exhibition, showing at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, consists of around 20 of his latest semi-abstract landscapes. Another exhibition last year was reviewed by Kenneth Wain:

Christopher Saliba’s painting has come a long way since October of last year, 2005 when he exhibited a set of paintings titled ‘Silent Places’ in Gozo. Those paintings were landscapes in the conventional style representing recognisable landscapes in Gozo and Comino. They were followed up in May of this year, 2006, by another exhibition ‘Impressions’ in Malta at Cleland and Souchet where his style continued to be conventional. The brochure for the first exhibition described him as a “passionate landscape painter,” fascinated by his native land but interested not in “mere natural reproductions,” but in creating ‘atmosphere’; as the name of the exhibition implies one of contemplative silence related to the “mysterious and the primordial.” The brochure also described him as a ‘romantic’ and an expressionist, thereby placing him within a particular strand of modernism.

Not much in the artist’s outlook has changed substantially since then. Saliba still sees himself as an expressionist inspired by natural forms, particularly those around him, interested in ‘transcending’ them, in creating ‘atmosphere’, in imbuing them with his own meaning rather than replicating them faithfully on a canvas. What appears to have changed, and radically, in the very few months since May is his style; the landscape painter has turned abstract, a predictable step in his evolution as an artist. What may not have been so predictable is the speed with which this transformation has taken place. But, in fact, the artist has long been familiar with the idiom of abstract expressionism, has obviously studied the works of its main protagonists closely, and at first hand, and has been quietly working away at it for the past two years or so.

Fighting discrimination

The 2009 European International Lesbian and Gay Association conference will be held in Malta, from Pink News:

..The Mediterranean island beat the competing Dutch city of The Hague to win the right to host the LGBT organisation's annual gathering. Malta Gay Rights Movement welcomed ILGA Europe's decision, saying it would be an opportunity to raise the visibility of LGBT issues in the Roman Catholic country, where gay people still suffer discrimination.

In October more than 200 delegates from all over Europe gathered in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius for this year's conference, where they experienced first-hand discrimination and resistance, including a smoke bomb explosion at a club next to the conference venue, the banning of their Rainbow Flag event by the city's mayor and a small demonstration against the conference. Despite the attacks, the delegates said in a statement they were "determined to fight prejudice, discrimination and injustice."..

Next year's location is expected to follow the pattern of choosing to gather in a country where LGBT people are still facing visible forms of discrimination. Malta, a British colony until 1964, has around 400,000 inhabitants and is the smallest EU state in terms of both size and population. In 2000 the government was criticised by gay rights groups for openly homophobic statements condemning EU proposals to treat gay people equally.

According to a December 2006 Eurobarometer survey, only 18% of the Maltese population support gay marriage, and there is significant prejudice against the LGBT community.

'Post box operations'

The Commonwealth Bank has reported booming profits from its "post box operations in the tax haven of Malta", with net profit jumping threefold last year from $29.1 million to $90.6 million, Richard Gluyas reports in The Australian Business:

The 2007 accounts for CommBank Europe, obtained by The Australian, also show that the lender's income tax expense increased from $2.3 million to $7.8 million - equivalent to a rate of 8.6 per cent, or well below the 35 per cent nominal rate in the Mediterranean country.

CBE's five directors said the level of new business had increased considerably since a Maltese banking licence was obtained in August 2005. "The bank's financial position is considered strong, and the directors expect that the present level of activity will be maintained over the company year," they said.

At CBA's annual meeting last month, chairman John Schubert defended the operations in Malta - which relied on other parts of the bank for key tasks such as credit assessment and employed just five people last year for a total administrative expense of $2.1 million. Mr Schubert said the country's European Union membership made it an attractive place to do business, and the bank was there for the long term. He said CBA had discussed its business in Malta with the Australian Taxation Office "from day one".

In relation to CBE's 2006 accounts, the bank has said previously that further tax is payable in Australia under the controlled foreign company rules. Rival banks have disputed CBA's strategic rationale for basing its European operations in Malta. Senior executives have noted that the country is not well-known for its deep pool of financial services experts, and argued that CBA's presence is driven by tax considerations...

Malta's concentrated banking system still performing well, says Moody’s

Meeting leaders

Mary is an academic and an administrator at Michigan Technological University who is currently spending the year teaching international law at the University of Malta on a Fulbright. In this post she discusses meeting Government leaders:

I was sick the week before this past week and missed class, didn't go out much. This just past week, however, found me feeling better. It also had (and still has) fabulous fall weather--sunshine, temps in the upper 60s or low 70s (19-21 C.). It was glad to be alive weather, for sure.

I finished my lectures at IMLI and the students were so sweet. The students gave me a certificate of appreciation in a frame. I learned later that this was entirely their own initiative, so it means even more to me than it did. What a fine group of men and women--real credits to their countries.

On Wed. Prof. Attard of IMLI and his wife hosted a lecture, statue unveiling, and reception in honor of Arvid Pardo, who was the first to say that the resources of the deep seabed should be the "common heritage of mankind.' He was, at that time, Ambassador to the UN from Malta, having had years of experience in the UN. There were a number of very interesting talks, then we went out to unveil the statue and on into IMLI for the reception. The Prime Minister of Malta unveiled it, after talking about the governmental history on how Pardo became the Ambassador. Prof. Attard introduced me to him--PM Gonzi. That's the first time I ever met a PM.

Other ministers were there. I had a quick chat with the chief of the Central Bank about the planned switch to the Euro on Jan 1 and a somewhat longer one with the head of the Malta Defence Forces. And, of course, I talked with the IMLI students I had just finished teaching the day before. The week also was the start of a series of lectures in Prof Attard's International law class for the 3rd year law students (bachelors degree, not JD). They are a lively group.

Ned Parks in Malta

A half day in Malta is not enough - or in Barcellona for that matter, says Ned Parks from Ohio, USA:

Well we were in Malta today, and as far as I can tell it is one of the gems of the Mediterranean. I could only spend half a day there as I had to finish the management training on the ship. But I will tell you it is a splendid place with more history on that rock than most entire countries have. The have been owned, fought over, bombed, traded, fought over some more, owned by someone else than anything you can imagine.

There is so much to tell about Malta I will do a separate post with pictures on this when I am using something other than a satellite connect for my Internet. The short of it is if you get a chance to go to Malta by all means GO. More to come on this one...BTW....it is a very civilized place on a very old rock so no one offered to purchase my daughter for camels on this trip. Pass up a chance to visit Malta....you've got 2 be kidding me...

Life in Malta - Telegraph Mentor

'Malta - Prague connection'

Armour maker Bill Fedun in Canada writes about the 'Malta - Prague connection':

A beautiful May afternoon. The sun was shining brightly (for a pleasant change) on the gelatto coloured buildings of Prague. Deirdre, Brenda and I were walking beside yet another pile of medieval building, and I noted to Brenda that the stone on this building was actually not like the stone you usually find in Prague, but sandstone, like we saw in Malta.

In fact, I joked, it looks exactly like Maltese stone! Deirdra nodded non-comitaly, she is used to my off the wall comments. Brenda caught us walking around the corner of the edifice. In the distance, you can see one of the thousand Georgian period gelatto coloured buildings...I think that was cappuccino-strawberry..

As we went around the front, I realized two things almost simultaneously...that this church was crennellated like a castle, (so maybe it wasn't a church???) and then, sillouetted against the sky, was that old standby Maltese Cross. Well, that explained why it looked like a castle, and hey, it probably explains why there really IS sandstone from Malta used for the outside repairs of this church!

Fort St Elmo