Glimpses of a mysterious past

Linda C. Eneix, President of the Old Temples Studies Foundation, will be making a presentation on 'Malta's Temples of Stone Age Genius' at the Smithsonian Institute on July 12, 2005. In this article for The Cultured Traveler about the Maltese Temples, Ms Eneix writes that "for a traveler with an interest in ancient and exotic places, their magic is singular. There is nothing like them anywhere else on earth." From the Cultured Traveler:

Malta had one traffic light in 1990 when I had my first encounter with the megalithic temples. I was a well-traveled visitor with a lot of curiosity about the "glimpses of a mysterious past" advertised in the tourist brochure. I expected to see stumpy foundations in an excavation trench. Not so! In those days they didn't tell you that they were writing about the oldest free-standing buildings on earth.

One of my first impressions was the surprise of walking inside walls still enclosing space. (Some of the temple walls soar more than 20 feet – six meters – overhead!) If I hadn't recognized the authenticity of the ancient stone, I would have thought this whole scenario was built to snag the tourists. My guide began to talk about fertility cults, and my eyes got even wider. We came upon the bottom half of a sculpture, the remains of what must once have been an eight-foot woman. My hands went to my face in astonishment that there could be such a thing in the world as this, and that the tourism industry of America didn't know anything about it. That situation has changed since then as the world discovers these fantastic constructions. UNESCO has inscribed them to the list of World Heritage Sites and The World Monuments Fund is trying to help protect them.

I enter the temples now like a little child, humbled and awed by the achievements of the remarkable people who made them. The more I learn, the more I want to know. Were the ancient people of Malta the ancestors of later people we know a little better? How are the early cultures related? Did the use of large stones for monumental expression evolve from a common source?...

Malta is a little island. Many people are not even sure where it is, much less why they would want to go there. Yet, participants in structured guided programs like Elderhostel say that they need every day of a two-week program to cover it all. Without doubt, one of the highlights of their visit is the experience of the temples. They are universally amazed to make the personal discovery of these megalithic wonders. Because, for a traveler with an interest in ancient and exotic places, their magic is singular. There is nothing like them anywhere else on earth.

All good things must come to an end!

Karen Kilby from Brighton in the UK blogs at Kinkie Karen's Kblog . She recently visited Malta and posted this entry about her adventures on the island:

I have just come back from the most amazing trip of my life! I went traveling around Malta and Oh My God the fun has only just started! I've still got Italy and Egypt to go... I cant wait! It was so cool, The men were cute especially when they tried to speak English! The sea was so amazingly blue it was unreal! It was so hot there I had to go swimming like twice a day. It was kinda funny I went swimming on the roof of the hotel and I like fell asleep for a few hours and now I'm like a little sun burnt... Oh well, I had loads of sun lotion on! Malta has the best beaches and the food is so nice, The wine is amazing, nearly as good as German wine! But then I had to come home, You know what they say, "All good things must come to an end!"...

Badr Brigades Claims Kidnapping of Maltese Citizen

The Site Institute has published a report that claims that a Maltese citizen has been kidnapped by the organization Badr Brigades. Site Institute is an organisation that tracks the activities of international terrorists. From the Site Institute report:

The Badr Brigades claim to have kidnapped a Maltese citizen named Hajya Khalil whom they assert passed information to “the enemy” about the movements and whereabouts of mujahideen in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The group says they “arrested” him in a unnamed European country.

The group says he will be killed without any negotiations: “As we were attacked, we will respond, in the same language of force: we stand and declare to all that we will not negotiate over this hostage in any way. His lot will be in the hands of our brother Mujahideen in the Country of the Two Rivers [Iraq] or in the Country of the Two Mosques [Saudi Arabia]. He will be transferred to them, together with his briefcase, whereupon he will be slaughtered, as sheep are slaughtered.” The group posted a short video of the captive which shows him in front of the group’s banner on the floor holding what appear to be identity papers.

Fallaci's fears

Aaron, a law student at the University of Malta blogs at Walahi. In this piece, he takes the cue from Oriana Fallaci's book to deal with the wider debate on immigration and racism in Malta and Europe. From Walahi blog:

A certain Italian journalist of apparently some renown, Oriana Fallaci, has published a book entitled La Rabbia e l'Orgoglio (The Rage and the Pride). This book criticizes Islam and Islamic immigration into Europe. She is currently in court having been sued by the Muslim Union of Italy. The complaint is defamation. What is troubling to me is that he have the right to free speech, something that is fundamental to a successful democratic society. I haven't read this book. From various reviews like ones that sing its praises to ones that deplore her (read the one called Fallaci's Fallacy), it seems like a serious and contentious issue. But what are we really arguing about here?...

Negotiating offshore resources

Natalie Klein, a lecturer at Macquarie University, and author of Dispute Settlement in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Cambridge University Press, 2005) raises the Malta - Libya question in her article about the dispute between Australia and East Timor over offshore resources. From the Sydney Morning Herald:

The state with the longer coastline usually receives a proportionately larger share of the maritime area. So, for example, in a case between Libya and Malta, the median line was shifted closer to Malta because Malta's coastline was so much shorter than Libya's. The same would happen to East Timor here. A factor that is not typically taken into account in adjudication is the social or economic conditions of each country. So again, between Libya and Malta, arguments from Malta about the respective wealth of each country were to no avail...

Light regulation

Courtesy of Majistral - Eamonn Butler writes for the Adam Smith Institute blog:

Is EU regulation past the high-water mark? It's encouraging, ASI author Keith Boyfield told our seminar on deregulation this week, that all important EU legislative proposals are to be screened for their impact on competitiveness. EU Commissioners seem keen to axe regulations and look at voluntary or other arrangements. And the Commission says it will move to stop national governments 'gold plating' its directives...

Indeed, we might even see "regulatory competition" along the lines of tax competition. Financial services might re-locate to Malta – light regulation, not too many annoying civil servants, and even those struggle to implement the EU rulebook. The latest EU scorecard reveals that Malta has failed to implement a total of 617 directives. It's even sunnier than London or Edinburgh. Sounds like the place to be.

The Media Fire

Richard Marlowe is back at Shackled Hearts. In this piece he discusses media and politics in Malta:

You would have thought that after years and years of being quietly connected to the Maltese islands I would have understood the workings of my own industry there - the media. But dear reader, you are so very, very wrong! Whist never actually never having had any role or part to play personally in any aspect of the Malta media scene I have viewed quietly from behind my newspaper in little street cafes, in my favourite little bars, in the seclusion of my hotel and rented apartment rooms and through one or two well meaning poor souls who have offered their services in an advisory capacity over the past couple of decades...

The most loved bedfellow of any politician is the media machine. To have that machine permanently available and on tap at the slightest beck and call must be sheer heaven. For the consumer, my beloved “ordinary folk” it must be boredom made in hell where the flames rage on and on..

Warning - EU Employment Offer Scam

A number of individuals have been told by email that they had been accepted for training & a post within the EU and that they should send money for the training part which would be refunded once they took up the offered post. This, of course, is not the way in which posts are filled in the EU. Anyone receiving such an "offer" is advised to treat it as computer spam. The EU's website advertising employment is the European Personnel Selection Office.

A pro-European NO?

Hours away from the French vote on the European Constitution, here is some reading material for reflection: Paul Virilio on why the practice of holding a referendum on a subject like the European constitution is suicidal (and more), and here's a EU referendum cheat sheet. Can Europe do away with nationalism? From The Guardian, is it possible to salvage the EU dream? Key thinkers from both sides debate (and part 2), and more from New Statesman. From Sign and Sight, Jean Baudrillard describes the French referendum on the European constitution as a farce and as state terrorism, and here's the open letter from German intellectuals to France originally published in Le Monde. Timothy Garton Ash on who will dare to fill the black holes being left by Russia's long retreat. Jürgen Habermas on the illusionary "Leftist No": Adopting the constitution to strengthen Europe's power to act. Habermas and others cry out, "Do all you can to prevent France from betraying progress!" Mark Leonard on why Europe will survive a French Non (and a response). Margot Wallstrom outlines reasons to worry:

The debate on the Constitution illustrates not only the formidable challenge in arranging referenda on such a complex issue as this legal document, but also the general mistrust in politicians and apathy towards the political process. Voter participation in European, national and regional elections continues to decrease.

I was in France last week. At least we cannot say we do not have a proper debate on the Constitution. Finally we seem to be moving beyond national issues or domestic politics. In both France and the Netherlands, the real choice votes face is between the progress made in the Constitution or the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Nice. I really hope that over the crucial next days, voters focus on this choice.

Question and Answer - The French Referendum

Eurovision conspiracies

One week after the Eurovision Song Contest, the debate continues. Another letter from Romania on today's Malta Independent complaining about the remarks made by Grace Borg, chairperson of the Malta Song Board. Fausto Majistral blogged about this on Thursday:

Grace Borg, the flamboyant chief of the Song Board, is now coming up with all sorts of paranoid conspiracy theories about why Malta lost the top spot to Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. First, Grace is convonced the numbers from Albania and Romania were cooked. Grace admits she doesn't know a thing about the telecoms capabilities of these two countries but she's still asking the European Broadcasting Union to investigate. As anyone knows, talking authoritatively about something you don't know anything about carries risks. In fact, someone in Romania spotted the report on the redhead's comments and sent in a reply to the Indy..

Well done Grace. I'll sure Romania will be giving Malta douze points next year. Grace also has a theory why Greece did so well: Turks... I just hope the Turks do not take offence either. Otherwise the community here might decide to pack up and leave. How would we survive without their kebab places then? Update: More angry Romanians in today's Indy.

Abortion consensus ruined

Tonight's edition of Xarabank discussed abortion , a subject that triggers strong and passionate reactions in Maltese society. There was a national consensus in Malta about the abortion issue until a couple of weeks ago when the Government decided to push a proposal that extends the illegality of abortion to a Constitutional ban. The proposal is intended to bind future generations but, in practice, abortion tourism remains a common reality - Maltese women travel to Italy or the UK to perform abortions just like Irish women - where abortion is also banned by the constitution- travel to England. Women I know, who are prepared to consider abortion as a personal option, tell me that if one day abortion becomes legal in Malta they would still prefer to go abroad away from the gossip of judgemental neighbours. Toni Sant recently blogged about the subject:

It started a couple of weeks ago when I blogged about a proposal by the Malta government to entrench something that's already illegal by criminal law into constitutional law. Since the subject of the constitutional hack-job happened to be abortion, follow-up comments on my blog about this topic degenerated into a debate between those who are pro-life vs those who are pro-choice. Meanwhile, our grubby politicians continue to make a medieval spectacle of themselves. Thankfully, other bloggers picked up on the actual bone contention and understood that the main argument was (and should be) "don't mess with the constitution!" An excellent blog entry on this topic comes from cartoonist Mikiel Galea, who is also a worthy writer of social commentary. Another eloquent entry comes from Antoine Cassar, even if it's only related to all this in a tangential way. If you can't read Maltese, or don't give much credence to blogs anyway, there's an article in The Malta Independent by Raphael Vassallo that's also most poignant.

Malta sandwiched between EU and USA - Wired Temples

Tabellina

With her new look blog, Sharon in Glasgow writes about a new initiative that "aspires to be an independent network of writers, published in Maltese and English and initially updated every fortnight". From Lost in thought:

After Immanuel's coy reference to the need for alternative journalism, I feel we should tell you all about our baby. And what better way of doing it than by blogging about it, which is how Immanuel and I got together in the first place.We've been working on an exciting new project for a while now, hoping to create a space for new writing to be published online. It's mainly just the two of us plodding along at this point but we recently decided to throw the idea open and see what kind of a response it attracts. We already have some great people on board and the contributions have started trickling in.The site, at www.tabellina.com, is envisaged as a new online journal of contemporary critical thought. It is dedicated to opening up a space for free thinking about our society and aims to publish intelligent opinions to inform debate...

Land of Rabbits, Rifles and Rocks

Ben Mason, an Australian based in the UK, blogs about his travels jointly with his fiancée, Louise Jamieson (aka Weisie) at Weisie's World. He blogs about their journey to Malta a few months ago - with photos. From Weisie's World:

The flight was good but the in-flight movie was cut short due to our early arrival. We dropped into the diminutive island nation of Malta in the early evening. Like many Mediterranean islands the land was barren, but the buildings were golden against the sun. We were greeted by the last rays of warmth and were happy to have escaped the chill of London...

The people of Malta were very friendly and it would seem that everyone had a relative in Victoria, Australia. In fact, there are more people living outside of Malta than there are living in it. Another fact: there are more Maltese people living in Melbourne than there are in Valletta (the capital). With a population of 400,000 and around 400 churches, there is room for everyone on Sundays. Malta has a rich history, having been occupied at various times by Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Knights of St John, the French, and the British (among others). As a result, many place names are Arabic, the people bare a resemblance to those in Southern Italy (many have blue eyes), and most menus include a full English breakfast, pizza, pasta, rabbit and horse. The fishing boats are beautifully colourful and reminiscent of Venetian gondolas, but with the enigmatic “Eye of Osiris” painted on the bow...

I have wanted to visit this part of the world for a long time. I recall buying a geographica at Uni and reading the following: “Malta and Gozo have the oldest freestanding stone structures in the world”..Little is actually known about the “temple builders”. Archaeologists generally agree that the temples were built between 5,600 and 4,500 years ago. The builders had a penchant for obese (female) figurines and the odd phallus, and they tended to favour a temple orientation approximately in the direction of the winter solstice. All of this makes for some fantastic theorising. We were very lucky to have almost exclusive access to every site given that the tourist season was drawing to an end...

And no trip to Malta can be made without an examination of the curious “cart ruts”, apparently worn into the limestone by repeated use of carts by a race of Bronze Age people that occupied Malta sometime after the mysterious disappearance of the temple builders. The ruts are all over the island (Weisie posed in front of most of them for perspective) and in some places run off the edge of cliffs and reappear on the other side of a bay. I have seen photos of underwater ruts (and read about submerged temples), but did not see any personally. From what I did see, I can say that the ruts are truly baffling and that even the most authoritative archaeologists cannot fully explain them. Please note that Erich von Däniken is neither an archaeologist nor authoritative on any point..

Ode to Ben VanMeter

David Tieche in San Jose, California, inspired by his friend Ben VanMeter's trip to Malta, blogs about finding his own 'Malta' one day:

Yesterday, at approximately 4 p.m., my friend Ben VanMeter left this hemisphere to go to Malta (official motto: Pass the Straits of Gibralta, then head on to Malta). He's doing something that most people don't have the courage to do: he's following the dream in his heart. He and his wife have a passion for languages. They're both linguistics majors, and one of the more entertaining things is to listen to them talk about the differences in words and idioms in different cultures. They talk about stuff like tongue placements on the upper palate with a passion and energy most people only reserve for professional sports. It's refreshing to see people like that...

So Ben and his wife Jess, one night, were sitting around a table with friends in Mendocino sharing about what they were hoping to do in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years. Suddenly, the got the realization that if they wanted something to happen, they needed to act. So they did. They set a timeline and now, 11 months later, they are on a plane with a year's worth of salary saved up and a hope that Malta might be a springboard into other adventures. It's a good starting point: Maltese is a language closely rooted in Aramaic languages, which will give Ben and Jess another language family to study. It's also a bi-lingual country, which will make the transition easier. It's also in close proximity to three continents.

Aurélie sous le soleil Maltais

Aurelie Herbemont is a French journalism intern working for the Malta Independent on Sunday. She blogs about her stay in Malta at Aurélie sous le soleil maltais (with photos). In her latest article for the sunday paper, she wrote about French ex pats in Malta who will vote in next sunday's referendum in which France will decide about the European constitution. She discussed the French European dilemma at length in a previous article:

The French who live in Malta are generally afraid that a No vote would only be for political reasons specific to the current French political climate, even if it sounds ridiculous to vote against the Constitution just to show Jacques Chirac and his government that you don’t agree with them. Many French people living here think it is a “primary reaction”, which is true. However what is also true is the fact that the French abroad don’t really feel like the French in France. “These reasons are bad. We cannot say No to Europe just because we disagree with the French government. It is nonsense.” Reactions here are really hard towards the French who want to scupper Europe only because of home problems...

France and the European constitution - John Simpson - BBC

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe - Wikipedia

au pays du père noel.. - "A côté de ça, malte est véritablement un microcosme, un havre de paix - un jardin d’Eden presque!" - Aurelie Herbemont

Ewrocucati - Antoine Cassar

Damascus Gate

Adrian Grima will be speaking about his recent trip to the Middle East this friday 27 May, 7.15pm, at St James Cavalier in Valletta. He wrote at length about his trip for Babelmed.net:

The van ride to Ramallah takes about 15 minutes. It’s heart-rending. Every minute of the way I hear harrowing stories about how the Israeli establishment is squeezing the Palestinians out of Jerusalem. I’ve read about this in one report after another but here I can see it happening. That, in itself, is a privilege. Many of my friends in Al-Bireh and Ramallah cannot visit Jerusalem. Israel, the “only democracy in the Middle East,”(1) has denied them access to their magnificent city.

Khaled Katamish, the director of El-Funoun has never been to Jerusalem, he’s not allowed to – it’s so close and yet so frustratingly far. I remember him telling me about this in Malta – he seemed calm at the time, but he can’t have been. For him, when friends visit Jerusalem they are making a statement for him and his people too. “It’s important that you go,” he had told me on the telephone. And when Khaled tells you something like that, you know there are so many reasons you can’t even start to imagine...

Distances - Wired Temples

European Cultural Foundation

Robs Diary

Rob in Surrey, UK writes that the skipper of this boat is a teenager who steered the boat "with its bow thruster bringing it alongside perfectly on it enormous Fender-soxed Fenders (which mysteriously appeared from nowhere) having previously put a man ashore to take and secure the mooring warps." From Robs Diary-see photo:

Atlantide - A most beautiful boat found on a beach in Malta and brought back from extinction by a loving and caring owner. To my mind the most beautiful of boats above decks as well as below, with her gratious furniture Lalique glass, cut glass mirrors and sculpture, created by her owner. She now spends her time as a support ship for a racing "J" class yacht. Far from the sounds of an ongoing battle

Former fugitive in Malta charged with selling bomb to terrorists

A man who spent a year imprisoned in Malta was charged yesterday with trying to build a bomb and sell it to an affiliate of al-Qaida. Ronald A. Grecula, 68, was arrested on Friday in Houston during a meeting with undercover FBI agents. Grecula was angry at the government over losing custody of his children, with whom he fled to Malta. He met a confidential source in prison in Malta while awaiting extradition to the United States for the alleged kidnapping of the children, then 10 and 3. Grecula has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. From the Houston Chronicle:

A man who compared himself to Spartacus and claimed the U.S. government had tortured him and stolen his children appeared in a Houston federal court Monday, accused of trying to sell a bomb that "approaches nuclear ... capability" to an undercover agent posing as a terrorist.
Ronald Allen Grecula, 68, believed he was talking with someone from a terrorist group when he claimed he could build a bomb that would destroy everything within more than a half-mile, federal authorities said.

He actually was talking with a Houston police officer, working as an undercover agent with the federal anti-terrorism task force, they said. A criminal complaint accuses Grecula, of Bangor, Pa., of offering to build the bomb to be used against U.S. citizens for a group he believed was affiliated with al-Qaida..

While in prison in Malta, Grecula met a man who later acted as a confidential source in the investigation, authorities said. They did not say how they came into contact with the man.
Baldwin said in the affidavit that Grecula had asked the source for help finding a terrorist group that wanted to purchase a bomb, saying he would fly anywhere in the world to build a prototype to demonstrate his capabilities.

He also asked the source to help him hire someone to kill his wife, who now lives in The Woodlands, the affidavit states. Grecula suggested that the killing be done in a "mysterious way," to avoid the appearance of murder, the document says...

The Heart of the Mediterranean

Harleydreamer from Altoona, PA blogs at Does It Really Matter 2 U?. He is calling for donations to help his daughter travel to France, Italy and Malta on a European student travel program. From Does it Really Matter2u:

Tomorrow is my day off. If I don't stop after work tonight I'll stop tomorrow to see about a new cell phone for my oldest. I'd like to get a picture phone so that when it's used, it can be sent to a moblog. I think it would be cool to see the trip from France through Italy, ending in Malta, through my child's eyes. Especially if I set it up to post when the picture is taken. I'd have to link the site on here to share with everyone. I can't wait! I think that would be the best birthday gift anyone could give me.

Just for background: My oldest child was accepted into the People to People Student Ambassador Program. There program is The Heart of The Mediterranean. If anyone would like to donate, the button is at the top of the blog. I'll send you a copy of all the photos taken if you make a donation. If you know of something else I could repay your generosity with let me know (I have about 500lbs of chocolate bars :~} ). We have been doing fundraisers for months now. It only seems like forever. It's tough collecting that much money for one child, but I'd do it all over again if I was asked. It will be a once in a lifetime trip..

Improving Product Malta

Today's editorial of the Malta Independent follows on the interview by Matthew Xuereb with the newly-appointed executive chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority:

The Malta Tourism Authority has undertaken to improve what it describes as “product Malta”, that is upgrading what are known as tourist priority areas in a bid to substantially increase customer satisfaction. Areas such as Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s, St Paul’s Bay, Mellieha, Gozo and Comino have all been identified to form part of this “comprehensive project”, and will be cleaned up according to action plans to be carried out within a specified timeframe..

One important point mentioned by Mr Lungaro Mifsud is the MTA’s plan to have segment specialists based in Malta but travelling frequently to promote the country as a destination. They will complement the four offices in the main markets. In this way, there would be a better focus on the niche markets that form the basis of the industry – conference and incentives, history and culture, and leisure. Added to this, administrative costs will be reduced and, at the same time, more funds can be utilised for marketing and promotion.

Tributes to Julian

The sudden death of Alfred Giglio, a photographer of The Times, this morning while on duty, came as another shock to everyone connected with the Maltese media. His death comes less than a week after the sudden demise of journalist and environmentalist Julian Manduca. The editor of MaltaToday, Saviour Balzan, has written a tribute to Julian Manduca who worked for the newspaper. A number of other tributes were published here and here. With the help of the internet, Julian's friends around the world have also discovered the news of his unexpected departure. American environmentalist Daniel Stout who blogs at Manufactured Environments posted this entry in remembrance of Julian:

I was saddened to read on Wired Temples that Julian Manduca died Tuesday in Valletta of a heart attack at the age of 46. I remember Julian as being one of the most interesting people I met during the year I was living in Malta (an island nation in the Mediterranean). He was what we Americans would call a non-traditional student at the time, which simply means he was attending university as an older student. I remember many conversations with him talking about film and culture and the environment.

Julian was very welcoming to us foreigners and made us feel comfortable in our new surroundings. I remember going to parties at his flat and the interesting, literate people who were his friends. Julian is the last person I remember saying goodbye to before I left Malta and returned to the States, and I still remember his last words to me, which were “We’ll run into each other again on the streets of some city somewhere in the world.” Julian was very much Maltese, but he was also a man who had a distinctly broad worldview. As I plan a return trip to Malta, I’m stung by the loss of this exemplary person. He will surely be missed by those of us abroad, as I’m sure his loss will be distinctly felt in Malta.

Life according to Mark

Mark, a philosophy student from Zurrieq, blogs at Me, Myself and Mark. This weekend, he was in philosophical mood discussing life:

As we grow and mature, so does our thought and instinct. What is 'Life' to a child? What is 'Life' to a teenager? And what is 'Life' to a person on his or her deathbed? Perhaps, to a child, life is something that comes out of nothing; divine intervention, perhaps. "Life is love," a child would say, inspired by countless Disney animated features. A teenager is usually the person who's tired of Life; simply because Life is, for the teenager, a routine. It is merely up till that point in time a climax of studies, where each step forward looks to be harder than before. For the teenager, life starts with pleasure, and perhaps as teenagers, we have a very slight misconception of death...

Through movies, dramas, radioplays and books, we are presented with a spectrum of life and death, which usually bring out the following points:- Life sucks; death is seen as the ultimate release;- Tragic death; everyone mourns and loves the dead person;- Die to protect; the ultimate way of life. I could, of course, keep on going with the above, but the main points are the above three. And those three are usually constantly repeated - we are constantly exposed to the theme of self-sacrifice in movies (Titanic or Pearl Harbour would be major influences, but they are also accompanied by movies like Constantine).

"For you to live, I must die." How many times have we heard that?! This is absurd. Through such things, we believe, whatever our age, nationality, culture and so forth, that self-sacrifice is the way. At least for some minutes following the movie. Then, the 'depression' of life falls back upon us, cloaking us with its dark gown and forcing us to, once again, abandon fiction and move across a well-lit path known as 'reality'. And what are we trying to do? Break out from the path, or ignore our fantasies and dreams? I wonder...

Chiara and the Eurovision in blogosphere - a selection of posts

Piglet's blog (Belgian) - Eurovision 2005 Final: (reviews all the songs) "Malta: Chiara – Angel - Urgh. Collective sigh of bliss on my sofa, and of course I’m the only one who sees sense. Yes, the woman can sing, and yes, she’s wearing a sparkly dress. I know it’s a relief not to have boobs shoved in your face for once and the lack of drums is also refreshing, but come on…this is boring. The Ukranians are going out of their minds over this and the consensus in the living room is that this will win. Please, spare me. Though I do fancy a trip to Malta next year…"

Nimmy's World (British) - My Eurovision tradition: "Angel – Malta - Oh Chiara returns, she’s got a lovely voice and came second I think two or three years ago. Dressed in rubies from 16/47, she’s Malta’s very own Johnny Logan. This could be one of the key songs of the night...The female Ukrainian presenter’s definitely got a corset on. How she can shout like that I don’t know. I think it's going to be between Serbia Monte Negro, Moldova and Greece. But I am not going to vote for the sake of my phone bill."

Blog-A-Drew (N.Irish) - Eurovision: "Bottom countries were, France, Germany, UK and Spain. The 4 big western countries in Europe. Could this be the rest of Europe telling us to wise up and treat them like equals? Even in the Eurovision contest itself it isn’t fair. The Main counties (Inc those above) are guaranteed a place in the final automatically where all the other countries have to make it through the Semi-Finals (where Ireland were among those kicked out this year). One of the reasons for the EU Constitution is to make the EU fair by giving voting rights based on population size rather than importance as at the moment and one of the main reasons the like of France and probably the UK are going to have such a large No vote. Its time that people made a few sacrifices to make things fairer."

EurovisionBlog.com - So how was it for you?: "As a result, we’ll all be off to Athens for the 2006 contest, which has already been given a provisional date of May 20 2006 (with the semi-final on May 18). And as the dust settles on Eurovision 2005, here’s what we made of the performances: ..MALTA – we were never fans of this but we have to admit Chiara did a good job here. A great performance, and she really looked like she was enjoying herself. In an era when flashy performances tend to be the order of the day, she ought to be proud of the fact she came second with little more than an empty stage and a microphone."

Chris's Scotland Diary: "I watched the Eurovision Song Contest last night at a friend's place. This is a big event in Europe and most take the contest very seriously even when the song and dance routines are very silly. Britain does not take the contest seriously and puts on a show with the most sarcastic commentator they can find. As the commentator said during one of the acts, "I take my consolation in drink". One of my friend's daughters said that he must just sit there with a bottle of whiskey because the comments get worse and worse after every act. It was wonderful. Anyway, I am not going to comment on every act just a couple that I thought were the worst and the best.

First up is Israel. Ok. Now the last time I checked Israel was NOT in Europe. All those years of geography in primary school out the window because Israel is, as far as Eurovision is concerned, now a part of Europe. Everyone will now need to update their maps.

Malta was the best of the night. They put on what I thought the Eurovision was all about, good songs. Rather than just techno beats with skinny girls in short dresses. The singer was definitely not skinny but she had the best voice out of all the contenders and the best overall song. They came in number two, which is just a tragedy.."

Mobile phone Fan - Eurovision hangover in UK: "Yesterday Eurovision 2005 song competition ended and UK took 22nd place (3rd from the bottom), so now some folks in UK are calling for pulling out of Eurovision contest. Well, of course UK has many good singers, song writers and composers however if UK sends to Eurovision such very lame singer as Javine Hylton then no wonder she scores nothing (apart from some mercy votes from Ireland and Malta). The winner was the representant of Greece - a girl born in Sweden from Greek parents - very European! So stop whining, Brits! … and next time just send somebody good to the contest instead of lame ducks like Javine Hylton!

MaltaMusic - Chiara’s Angel flies to Eurovision heaven: "Malta’s Chiara made this small island in the middle of the Mediterranean enormously proud when she came an excellent second in the 50th Eurovision song festival held in Kiev last night...The enormous gamble paid off: big huge Russia gave her 12 points, Ireland, UK, Norway, Israel, Denmark, Ukraine itself gave her 10 points, and so on. Chiara totalled 192 votes against Greece’s 230, and did better than her previous appearance at the Eurovision song festival when she came third. Previously, Malta’s best showing was Ira Losco who also came second. Paparizou’s song was described by Terry Wogan as a mix of Zorba (or Zorbette) and Riverdance. But in most Maltese minds what marred Greece’s win was a determined campaign in Greece against Malta’s Chiara.."

Kenneth's Online Repository (Maltese) - Hellas go to hell!: "Betting house William Hill was nearly there when predicting Malta would place third. And her "awful dress" didn't seem to have made any difference on her performance and results.This is the second time we placed second (Ira Losco had placed second in 2002.) To sum it all up: Chiara had placed third in 1998 and now (2005) second. What's next... first in 2012?Her performance was rather good on the whole, although I spotted a small mistake. Those who have the MP3 of the song may have noticed that she made a mistake when singing the bit which is found at around 02:08 - 02:12 in the MP3. I'm sure many didn't notice it, but it was quite evident to anyone who had heard the MP3 long enough. But all in all, she did great.."

Jumping on the Bandwagon (Israeli) - The Silence that remains: "Israel won one year, thanks to Dana International (a transvestite[its amazing who is chosen to represent the Holy Land]). This year our singer was Shiri Maimon. She became famous in 2003 when she came in second on Kochav Nolad (something like American Idol). We thought her song was great, her only problem was she didnt make a whole production like some of the others who used dancers and props. She just stood and sang beautifully. In the end, I voted for Latvia, and MyShan voted for Greece. Then we had to sit while each country went through how many points they gave to the other countries. That part takes longer then the actual singing.."

14M2 in Montmartre (French) - Eurovision: "Then there was Malta, which offered up by far the best singer of the evening: a plus-sized mezzo with wonderful stage presence. I hoped she would win, but she ended up in second... Alas, France did get a sizeable number of points from Andorra. But this tiny principality of the Pyrenees mountains wedged between Spain and France was probably keenly aware of just how easily it could be invaded (the French head of state is partly in control of the country anyhow for seven centuries now)...But the lesson of tonight's Eurovision was really that Western Europeans, that EU-15 enclave of prosperity, can't count out places like Romania or Moldova. Hell, they've got grannies in rocking chairs who rock out.

Emirin Mohamed Kasah (Malaysian) - Eurovision Finale: (click here to hear the winning song) "The finale of the most popular music contest in the Europe. Too bad it doesn't get that much attention here, as compared to almost anything that happened in America. Culture dominance, perhaps? I watched it halfway through the end bacause of internet problem here. Well, there was no other alternatives other than to stream it, is it not? It was superb; the show surpasses any music competition that I've watched so far. So the winner was Helena Paparizou from Greece, with her My Number One. That song deserved the place and recognition, as it is considerably the best out there.The second was Chiara from Malta, with the song Angel. Such a soothing song...In conclusion, I was happy with everything about this competition. Such competitive and such diversification in songs, languages and presentations. Unlike the one that we have in Malaysia, either a carbon copy of American cultureless, or just some lovey-dopey songs...

Ebby brett (Irish) - Read Ebby's Eurovision awards with photos: "Celine Dion Powerballad Award: Malta’s Chiara, bless her. What would the Eurovision be without a good decent powerballad sung solo with atmospheric lighting and full orchestra? Bless her though, at least she wasn’t singing yet another upbeat, arabic influenced pop song with many drums on stage and skimpy skirts. Sheesh, it was like someone passed a memo around that this was the theme for this years Eurovision..."

Hillary Molin (American in Sweden) - Stupid Eurovision: "Ugh. I don't know why I watch this at all.. :/ It is always so disappointing. At least Malta came in 2nd place, that made me happy at least. And Isreal received lots of points as well, too, and that was nice. And at least Sweden didn't do very well, because it didn't deserve it...And now Sweden saying stuff like Sweden won a little, too, because the singer is "Swedish." (Only born in Sweden, her parents are from Greece.) Ugh... Swedes sometimes make me mad.. :/ The voting is so predictable btwn countries.. ugh.. and knowing that there is no way to fix it is even more annoying.. :/ See, I always tell myself that I won't watch it the next year, but of course I will end up watching it..."

Eurovision Kiev 2005; EurovisionBlog.com; EurovisionMalta.com

Swedish singer wins for Greece

The Eurovision song contest was won by Swedish singer Helena Paparizou representing Greece. Malta's Chiara obtained an impressive second placing. The following are excerpts from the international press:

MaltaMedia - Chiara satisfied with Eurovision Song Contest result: "Asked during a press conference whether she would consider participating for a third time in her bid to win the contest, she replied that it's too early to say. Chiara believes that the result she garnered is both excellent and frustrating, having missed the top spot by just on place. Chiara and the Maltese Eurovision Song Contest delegation are expected to arrive back in Malta on a flight from Munich at around 0100CET on Monday."

Canadian Press - Greek artist wins Eurovision song contest: "Helena's personal history echoes the contest's ethos of uniting Europe's diverse people and cultures: she was born and raised in Sweden and still lives there. Nonetheless, at a post-win news conference, she jumped on a table waving the Greek flag. "I am happy that this prize finally goes to Greece . . . I wish to welcome you to Greece next year," she said. But, she added "I think this prize is a big honour for Sweden as well." Other transnational performances were by Vanilla Ninja, from Estonia but representing Switzerland, and by Bosnia-Herzegovina's Feminem, with one of its three singers born in what is now Croatia."

BBC News - Euro-unity and divisions in Kiev: "Maltese balladeer Chiara struck the right note with her soaring voice - sending a collective tingle down the spine of the vast crowd. But it seemed there were no performances which were unengaging, each with their own beguiling charm.. The UK, Malta and Cyprus exchanged goodwill points, while Ireland's eight points to its nearest neighbour saved singer Javine from nul points shame."

Deutsche Welle - Germany Last as Voters "Run and Hide": "This year's Ukrainian candidate, the Greenjolly group, placed only 20th. Its selection to represent the former Soviet republic had sparked controversy, as had its choice of song, "Razom Nas Bahato" (Together We Are Many), the hymn sung by demonstrators against former president Leonid Kuchma's regime in Kiev's Independence Square during last year's "Orange revolution." Greenjolly was largely unknown before the revolution and its last minute choice unleashed an avalanche of criticism of the new government which was accused of manipulating the vote that picked the group.

DotEurovision - Greece wins 2005 Eurovision Song Contest: "The so called ‘Big 4’ countries – the ones that contribute most financially to the EBU and have the largest potential viewing public – ended in the four bottom positions. Germany, France, Spain and the UK failed to garner much interest. According to the current rules of the contest, the big four automatically get a place inb the 2006 final. Their low scores make it easier to name the other ten nations that are through. These are Greece, Malta, Romania, Israel, Latvia, Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Spain, United Kingdom, France and Germany. The others will take part in a semi final."

ABC News - Europeans Under Spell of Eurovision: Most Britons profess themselves too sophisticated to embrace the sort of cheesy Euro-pop that Eurovision celebrates. But some 8 million viewers, in a country of 60 million, tune in every year to watch and, in recent years, to see their country roundly trounced. "The great thing about Eurovision is you can come at it from so many different angles," said John Kennedy O'Connor, a fan since the 1970s and author of the official history of the competition. "There are some people who take it deadly seriously, as if it were a major political contest. Others watch to see how bad it will be. You can enjoy it on so many different levels.".. But that has not lessened the appeal of a competition as fraught with diplomacy, feuding and delicate allegiances as the United Nations. Lebanon, due to compete this year for the first time, pulled out after its national broadcaster refused to show the Israeli entry.

Connections and cliques

With the Eurovision Song contest starting in a few moments "all Malta is glued to radios, TV sets, big screens and PC monitors in huge anticipation for the final". Anthony Gatt writes for MaltaMedia about the Economist article that deals with the research on Eurovision geopolitics just published by arXiv. From MaltaMedia:

...To try to understand such ambiguities the team working on the study took a 12-year range worth of results for imaginary contests in which all songs were equally nice and there were no biases between countries and compared them to what really happened in the ESC between 1992 and 2003. The two sets of scores where than analyzed so to determine some major voting patterns. “Voting cliques were immediately apparent, with geographical gangs of countries that show a strong tendency to vote for each other, such as the Nordic bunch, and political allegiances between countries such as Greece and Cyprus. But some cliques, such as that between Croatia and Malta, defied explanation, with no obvious geographical or political connection”, affirmed the study.

The creators of such study are now anxious to analyze future developments especially after Middle Eastern countries join the contest.“For now, though, they are waiting to see what horror the judges will inflict on a hapless continent this time” concluded the study. Meanwhile all Malta is glued to radios, TV sets, big screens and PC monitors in huge anticipation for the final hoping that not only Croatia will favor us and that our song queen will climb right up to the top of musical Europe.For more detailed information about Malta's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest see EurovisionMalta.com.

The original arXiv research: How does Europe Make Its Mind Up? Connections, cliques, and compatibility between countries in the Eurovision Song Contest (PDF)

Chiara set for a splendid performance in Eurovision final - MaltaMedia

Il-Blogosfera Maltija - Introduzzjoni

Arcibald posts an overview of the Maltese blogosphere:

Ghal min qatt ma sema’ bil-kelma ‘blogg’, merhba. Hafna Maltin ghogobhom jibdew wiehed, jiktbu dwar dak li jhossu u jiddibattu suggetti li fil-gazzetti Maltin sar impossibli li titkellem dwarhom minghajr ma taqla’ libell. Kull persuna jkollha speci ta’ djarju li fieh tikteb li trid u dwar kwalunkwe suggett. Min irid wara jista’ jhalli kumment jew inkella jirrispondi fuq il-blogg tieghu aktar fid-dettall.

Il-blogosfera nista’ nghid li hadet ir-ruh mal-bidu ta’ din is-sena, ghalkemm xi pijunieri bhal Toni Sant diga ghalqu aktar minn sena jikkontribwixxu. Hemm per ezempju Robert Micallef bil-blogg ‘Wired Temples’, li jikteb u jillinkja affarijiet konnessi ma’ gziritna, ‘It-Triq il-Maqluba’ ta’ Antoine Cassar b’poeziji b’hafna lingwi mill-aktar interessanti, il-blogg ‘Tgedwid’ tal-kittieb Immanuel Mifsud u ‘Xemx u Xita’ tal-muzicist D li huwa Malti jipprova xortieh f’Parigi. Hemm ukoll ‘Il Bollettino della Sfiga’, li huwa miktub b’Malti Taljanizzat umoristiku ghall-ahhar. U xi nghidu ghall-blogg ta’ Guze Stagno, li l-ewwel beda jikteb bil-Malti, umbaghad iddejjaq u waqaf, umbaghad rega beda imma bl-Ingliz, u issa mid-dehra regghet qabzitlu?

Hafna jiftakkru wkoll id-‘Dizzjunarju’ li ghal xi raguni waqaf u sparixxa. Idea nobbli li taret mar-rih.Insomma hallata ballata ta’ ideat, kreattivita’, zvog mir-ripressjoni mundana kif ukoll lehen gdid fid-dinja virtwali ta’ nofs l-ewwel decenju ta’ dan il-millenju l-gdid. U erhilna nikkummentaw fuq li qed jigri f’pajjizna b’mod mill-aktar miftuh.Ghal min jixtieq isir midhla ta’ x’inhu ghaddej fid-dinja alternattiva tal-blogosfera Maltija, nistiednu jibda mill-aktar pagna li fiha lista nklussiva tal-bloggijiet minn persuni ta’ nazzjonalita’ Maltija:

www.aboutmalta.com/INTERNET/BLOGS jew inkella nistiednu jzur mal-ewwel il-blogg li nahli hafna hin fuqu jien: ajjut.blogspot.com (ghidtilkom li dan riklam sfaccat).

The President of Italy in Malta

The President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, is in Malta for two days on a state visit. This follows another official meeting with the previous Maltese President that took place January last year. Last night he made this speech during a dinner offered to him by the Maltese President:

..Il rapporto fra Italia e Malta poggia su storici legami culturali e spirituali. La comune appartenenza alla dimensione mediterranea ha dato luogo ad una millenaria simbiosi culturale. Ne ammiriamo le tracce a Malta nell'arte, nell'architettura, nella lingua. A questa antica tradizione, si aggiunge una naturale complementarità d'interessi, una stretta comunanza di obiettivi, una solida prospettiva d'intensa collaborazione.

Malta e Italia sono nella condizione ideale per comprendere le ragioni profonde dell'incontro fra civiltà diverse, i benefici dello scambio di valori, di tradizioni, di conoscenze fra i popoli. Sono anche pienamente consapevoli della necessità di un rinnovato impegno congiunto per il superamento dei problemi che frenano le potenzialità dell'area mediterranea...

I saldi rapporti di cooperazione fra l'Italia e Malta possono svilupparsi ancora. In campo economico, attraverso il potenziamento dell'interscambio, i progetti sostenuti dalle importanti intese di cooperazione finanziaria bilaterale, nuovi investimenti italiani. La collaborazione culturale è in crescente sviluppo: negli scambi universitari, nell'archeologia, nel restauro. L'italiano è lingua corrente a Malta: tra gli studiosi, nelle famiglie, tra i giovani. E' interesse di entrambi i nostri Paesi contribuire alla diffusione della lingua italiana come fondamentale strumento di collaborazione e di recupero di una secolare tradizione d'affinità culturale..

Ciampi a Malta: ad attenderlo, Caravaggio, Preti e altri - IGN Esteri

Ue, Ciampi: ratifica Costituzione europea obiettivo immediato - Reuters Italia

The official declaration by the President of Italy in Malta - Quirinale website

Ciampi: “La presenza della lingua italiana a Malta è una realtà ben affermata. Si tratta di potenziarla ancora”

Luciano Micallef revised

In this interview over lunch, artist Luciano Micallef shares his views with Josanne Cassar about art, the lack of art critics, his upcoming exhibition and his Italian connections. From the Malta Independent:

“We’ll start you off with some meze,” he tells us, then goes off and returns with bruschetta with mozzarella di bufala and tomatoes, olives, anchovies, various dips and small rolls. The Italian touches are welcome by Luciano, whose affinity for Italy can be heard in the way he lapses into the language in casual conversation. “Well, we speak Italian at home,” he explains. “There is a Sicilian connection because my wife’s mother is Sicilian so they speak Italian between them.

I also spent a number of years studying in Italy which was a major influence. Their temperament is very similar to ours, but I also like their way of life. If financially I could afford it, I would even consider spending more time there than I do here because I feel the magic of Malta is gradually vanishing. I find that very upsetting because I never thought Malta could be replaced. In any case, I feel more that I belong to the Mediterranean, rather than just being Maltese.”

Luciano has come a long way from his childhood in Birkirkara, the middle child of nine children. “I remember I was critical of everything even then, and would ask my mother why there had to be so many children. I was the only one who ever asked such things!” Perhaps because of the inevitable crowded conditions, even as a child he always yearned for his own space, something which lingers with him to this day. At his home in San Pawl tat-Targa, the studio is an area which is “his”, where he can work and relax and even sleep if he chooses to.

He loves travelling around the island on a motorbike, stopping to roam around the pathways and countryside of the villages. He used to run regularly, which probably explains his trim figure, and he is still a light eater. He is analytical, pensive, forever questioning the forces which lead us down one road and not another.“We didn’t choose anything in our life, we are the way we are because of the energies around us influencing our lives and our decisions. Even when we think we have made a conscious decision to do something of our own free will, in reality it was a series of events which led us to that decision.”...

As for his upcoming exhibition, Transitions: “There have been four different stages in my work and each exhibition is a continuation, a sequence, and search for an aspect of something. Before this, metal was primary, but now I’m back to my trademark which is colour. Hopefully, I can create positive energy which we need to survive. “You can either complain endlessly about how you wish things to be or be positive.

I am always keen to notice the reaction of the viewer to my work. I am revising all the work I’ve done, that is why I’ve called it Transitions – a period in which I am reviewing all the work I’ve done. And by trying to transmit the thinking process through painting, I believe painting can help us to understand what is taking place. I am writing a book to make these ideas more tangible.”

Luciano Micallef in Tripoli

Dreams wrought of Rock

Norbert Ellul-Vincenti, arts critic for the