tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97843972009-12-28T09:15:55.779+01:00A GLOBAL WINDOW FOR MALTESE CULTURE, SOCIETY, PEOPLE, HISTORY, BLOGS, NEWS... "There is something about this isle of intrigue and its people that unexpectedly enchants, no matter why or how reluctantly you first arrived. Falling under Malta's spell is remarkably easy to do" – LOS ANGELES TIMESRobert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.comBlogger2171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-3900630722214657472009-12-27T15:12:00.017+01:002009-12-28T09:15:55.788+01:00

In December 2007, I wrote a piece about how the Maltese were embracing Facebook, using comments from my online friends as the primer for the article. Fast forward two years and those twelve thousand subscribers have grown more than ten-fold, to around 120,000. Malta is right up there with the top 20 countries in terms of proportionate take up of the leading social media network.In the past 12

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09300634077969860095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-51756305644319160322009-12-26T12:52:00.028+01:002009-12-26T17:32:20.701+01:00

As a child, I thought Boxing Day was about a noble and violent sport. It was with considerable disappointment that I gradually realised that the day had less to do with fisticuffs on a black and white TV than boxing up presents for the ‘less wealthy' and 'social inferiors.' Nothing much remains in Malta of this very Anglo-Saxon tradition, despite years of colonisation. The day after Christmas

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09300634077969860095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-62721523055373502142009-12-26T10:20:00.003+01:002009-12-26T13:51:05.480+01:00

It is my pleasure to introduce Alex Grech who will be guest blogging here on Wired Malta for the next 48 hours. Alex runs StrategyWorks and Malta InsideOut a site about visiting, living and working in Malta. He's currently conducting PhD research on alternative models for social media networks.

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-88375354811765957952009-12-24T14:13:00.004+01:002009-12-24T16:25:08.314+01:00

Click here for the Christmas edition of the newsletter edited by Toni Sant on the new look aboutmalta.com:Il-Festi t-Tajba! This is the annual AboutMalta.com newsletter for Christmas. It is with great joy that for the eleventh consecutive Christmas I announce the various wonderful interactive features we’ve put together for all to enjoy during this festive season. We’ve been doing this since

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-2152474935060393792009-12-23T21:28:00.001+01:002009-12-24T14:36:53.020+01:00

Islands are like a magnet to those that have been away for a while, writes Alex Grech in maltainsideout, a website that shares knowledge and insights about life in Malta:It’s inevitable that there are more people of Maltese origin living away from Malta than on the islands. They’re increasing by the day, as young people maximise on the opportunities that an EU passport offers and leave in search

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-44571866932554355112009-12-22T20:22:00.000+01:002009-12-24T14:28:13.389+01:00

If John Dalli is perceived by too many anti-industry forces as a pro-industry Trojan horse at the very heart of EU health policy, he may not win the endorsement he needs from the European Parliament says Reflector, Pharm Exec Europe’s Brussels correspondent:John Dalli, the little-known nominee for the new post, may be about to prove the industry fears unfounded. The minister from Malta, who is

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-67662952424623944902009-12-03T17:24:00.001+01:002009-12-03T17:27:57.755+01:00

Nick Redmayne of The Telegraph is 'swiftly conquered' by the historical and cultural charm of Valletta:Mention Malta at a dinner party and eyes glaze over. Associations with mass tourism are ingrained – either as a fly-and-bop-till-you-drop centre for clubbers or a winter haunt for retired couples. It's true that despite the island's steadfast defiance in the face of Ottoman armies and the

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-57957958537161487962009-12-02T14:34:00.001+01:002009-12-03T17:24:28.476+01:00

Poitr Adamczyk, who played the part of Pope John Paul II spent three days in Malta shooting a Polish romantic comedy:..Contacted by telephone in Poland, Mr Adamczyk said that a week after he left Malta he was already yearning to be back. "I already miss Malta because during the days I spent there I was under the spell of its people and its beauty. "I didn't know the island had such a long and

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-34142257474502431462009-11-26T14:27:00.002+01:002009-11-26T14:42:50.403+01:00

There's something about the honeyed sweetness of Joseph Calleja's voice that seems to evoke memories of a golden age, as if this young tenor carried within his vocal cords a secret passed down from bygone generations, writes Mike Silverman for the Associated Press:.."Nobody sings like that anymore," said Craig Rutenberg, director of music administration for the Metropolitan Opera. "His voice is

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-54149687503898199612009-11-25T16:42:00.003+01:002009-11-26T14:45:36.402+01:00

A review by Justin Camilleri of the recent Tom Jones concert was re-produced here on the Tom Jones international website:As the crowd waited eagerly the concert kicked off with opening guitar riffs from Sugar Daddy, while the lights fired up from the stage out of nowhere the man himself appeared dressed in a cool black suit that fitted him like a glove, as he belted out those Bono penned lyrics

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-20777689289768564912009-11-24T13:35:00.000+01:002009-11-26T14:43:14.909+01:00

For the last 23 years, Jim Galbreath worked in news and current affairs at the BBC as a lighting cameraman. He has filmed extensively around the UK and in around 40 countries. In an interview on allmediascotland.com, he describes his 'proudest broadcasting moment':..We were filming in Malta on a Lockerbie documentary - one of several I worked on. The Maltese authorities had always disputed the

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-10120478158521988392009-09-25T10:01:00.000+02:002009-09-25T10:01:00.511+02:00

Sue Brown is an independent scholar based in London and Malta, and is the author of Joseph Severn, A Life: The Rewards of Friendship. Joseph Severn (1793-1879) was the best known but most controversial of poet John Keats’s friends. In this post on the Oxford University Press blog, Sue Brown reflects on her recent party at Keats House, and wonders what is was about the poet that brought out the

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-40245975836287853762009-09-23T12:50:00.001+02:002009-09-23T12:52:58.832+02:00

On September 4, 2009, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Malta:After a period of sustained expansion following successful EU entry, Malta started feeling the effects of the global downturn in the fall of 2008, with declining trade flows and investment. More recently, private consumption also weakened, as the labor market

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-32424594511308951992009-09-15T23:39:00.002+02:002009-09-15T23:48:11.984+02:00

Stephanie Borg, a Maltese designer who lived in Oman for five years, is the Tuesday Designer of the Week on Yasmintoo! blog:Stephanie's colorful and contemporary take on traditional textile design motifs is refreshing. I was most taken by her bold and striking use of color. Take a look and see what you think.Stephanie is a self-taught artist who has worked as a graphic designer for the past 20

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-48526912366432971472009-09-14T16:20:00.002+02:002009-09-14T16:26:42.341+02:00

Vatican Radio indicated that the issue of migrants might figure in Pope Benedict's Maltese pilgrimage in April next year to commemorate the 1,950th anniversary of St. Paul's shipwreck. It noted that 'Malta's archbishop had recently asked that modern migrants be welcomed just as Paul was in ancient times'. The Canadian Press reports:Tradition holds that Paul stayed three months on the island in 60

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-29039732316578261232009-09-11T11:40:00.001+02:002009-09-11T11:41:54.559+02:00

European court puts end to spring hunting in Malta, Wild Life Extra reports:Malta has finally been forced to comply with European bird protection laws, following a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice which has declared that Malta has been breaching European law by allowing the spring hunting of quail and turtle dove passing through the islands on migration.On joining the European

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-12089773834824955632009-09-04T15:41:00.004+02:002009-09-04T16:03:24.720+02:00

Justin Camilleri was part of what he describes as 'probably the biggest Maltese contingent for an outside concert outside of Maltese shores'. He says that the August gig at Wembley will live in the hearts of all U2 fans:..The pinnacle of the show had to be With Or Without You as Wembley was transformed into a gigantic discotheque as the mirror ball effect resonated all throughout the stadium.

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-79508407878297477432009-08-27T17:34:00.002+02:002009-08-27T18:42:28.523+02:00

Writing in Il Giornale, Rolla Scolari takes a critical look at how Malta is dealing with illegal immigrants:La comunità africana è già una realtà sull’isola, ma è ben separata dal resto della popolazione. Malta, dove ci sono diversi centri di detenzione, passaggio obbligato per tutti i clandestini, è l’unico Paese dell’Unione che detiene automaticamente gli immigrati illegali per un periodo

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-84472079480436211342009-08-24T15:20:00.003+02:002009-08-24T16:24:18.740+02:00

P O'Neill of the BestofBothWorlds blog speculates about the visit to Malta last winter by US Presidential candidate John McCain:John McCain will, yet again, be on ABC's This Week on Sunday. Here's a question. The photo shows Sen. McCain leaving a restaurant in St Julians in Malta in December 2008. The Malta stop looked strange at the time, in a visit (along with his fellow musketeers Graham &

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-25325693379592836102009-08-17T17:31:00.002+02:002009-08-17T17:40:41.311+02:00

Carol Drinkwater finds a new enthusiasm for Malta's olives and grapes an dcalls it "a revolution born of the earth and out of ancient history". She says Malta's Mediterranean heart is beginning to beat again. From The Daily Mail:What, you might wonder on first glimpsing Malta's forbidding lunar landscape, has made this tiny island one of the most sought-after - and fought-over - pieces of real

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-51939730254141947092009-08-06T10:41:00.003+02:002009-08-06T10:41:00.576+02:00

Sarah Basset is trying to come to terms with becoming "randomly and technically a Maltese resident". Using some great Malta pics, she posted this on the international Vice magazine:..Don’t feel stupid if you have never heard of this remote island and/or don't have a clue where it is. Up until the move, my exposure to Malta never surpassed annual Eurovision Song Contest highlights. The place

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-56945979458628164822009-08-04T11:27:00.003+02:002009-08-04T11:40:08.486+02:00

Alannah, who writes a food guide for The Local in Sweden, is currently in Malta "eating pastizzis and pasta":During the past three weeks I’ve escaped the ‘on-off’ Scandinavian summer weather to spend my vacation in France, Germany and Malta enjoying bottles of Bordeaux wines in Parisian bistros, American-style dining at Disneyland Paris, bratwursts and sauerkraut in Germany and right now,

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-55100181232150545292009-07-29T14:52:00.003+02:002009-07-29T15:00:35.016+02:00

Dennis Vella, curator of the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, passed away last night. He was only 56. An old friend of his, Toni Sant, wrote this obituary this morning. From Toni's blog:..Dennis always struck me with his gentile manners and erudite knowledge of the context for whatever we were looking at or listening to. I was not surprised, but rather impressed, when he actually because curator

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-49214161735576404702009-07-13T11:12:00.001+02:002009-07-13T15:10:33.444+02:00

A Malta based refugee interviewed for the website of Médecins Sans Frontières, an international humanitarian aid organisation, describes his attempts to find a better life:We had tried and failed twice. But we didn't want to give up. That journey was our only chance so in August we tried one more time. We had been at sea for four days and four nights when our boat broke down. There were about 50

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9784397.post-85009920826052481062009-07-03T13:36:00.002+02:002009-07-03T13:47:38.402+02:00

The choice of the the new US ambassador to Malta is "sure to spark opposition in Catholic circles given Malta's strongly pro-life stance" writes Steven Ertelt, editor of lifenews.com:President Barack Obama has named Douglas Kmiec, the Pepperdine University law professor who has become a key impediment to pro-life Catholics as the ambassador to Malta. The move is sure to spark opposition in

Robert Micallefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01137063336380847026noreply@blogger.com0