Non Sequitur #19

Guernica

Only one humane, political work of art in the last fifty years has achieved real fame -- Picasso's Guernica, 1937. It is the last of the line of formal images of battle and suffering that runs from Uccello's Rout of San Romano through Tintoretto to Rubens, and thence to Goya's Third of May and Delacroix's Massacre at Chios. It was inspired by an act of war, the bombing of a Basque town during the Spanish Civil War. The destruction of Guernica was carried out by German aircraft, manned by German pilots, at the request of the Spanish Nationalist commander, General Emilio Mola. Because the Republican government of Spain had granted autonomy to the Basques, Guernica was the capital city of an independent republic. Its razing was taken up by the world press, beginning with The Times in London, as the arch-symbol of Fascist barbarity. Thus Picasso's painting shared the exemplary fame of the event, becoming as well known a memorial of catastrophe as Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade had been eighty years before. (source)

Where is the boat people's Guernica?

Hobza u Sardina

Daphne's article in today's Independent really does bring some truths home about navel gazing Malta. It is not the first time that I point out that Malta still suffers from the centre-of-the world mentality that was inbuilt into our parents by the Mintoffian generation. In the efforts to build some semblance of a Din l-Art Helwa we might have gone a step too far. Nation building in Malta had the consequence of a dramatic hyperbole suitable for a peplum starring Toto' versus Maciste (as can be seen in that great peplum called Gensna) but not for the tiny island state that we are.

Daphne rightly points out the sad and sorry difference between the way Malta and Lampedusa respectively cope with the boat people. Suddenly the Mother that gave us her name is powerless to handle the waves of immigrants while the 5,500 persons on the rock of Lampedusa (farther from Italy than Malta) continue to tackle the issue with compassion and understanding that is either absent from our shores or lies silent while being out-shouted by the vociferous rabble. We have fallen victim of another heritage of Father Dom's era... the nanny state. We forget our Catholic upbringing and instead of pulling up our sleeves and coming up with solutions we find it easier to identify the latest drama, the latest problem and complain that the state is doing nothing about it. The momentum reaches its climax when the State itself starts to whinge and requests aid because this great Maritime Republic never foresaw the dangers that the sea surrounding it could carry.

Until now our poem writers and crafters of epics have been able to rewrite history in a way that the Maltese oppressed always comes out victorious. It is in our peplum that the termination of a contract for an army base becomes a day of Freedom and release as though the valiant Maltese patrol boats pushed away the last remnants of the NATO and British armies. That sad joke of Jum il-Helsien will remain one of the last bastions of Mintoff's nation building efforts that fit more with the carnival floats than with monumental efforts of great leaders.

Meanwhile (after a short parenthesis of terror until 1987) the army of our liberated isle could now concentrate its efforts on the courageous deeds of dealing with the coloured invader who attacked our shores in the hundreds armed with boats, salt water, hypoglycaemia, diarrhoea and a determination to survive. Can't you see it? In the not-too distant future... a memorial to the soldiers who kept Malta free on August 2005. Jum ir-Respinta ... when we sent them all back from where they came from. Mass, wreath laying ceremony at the foot of the Monument tar-Respinta complete with Brigadier throwing into the sea in the late afternoon.

Sic Transit Gloria Melitae. (Ave)

�The smell is awful. Sour and overpowering, it rises from two wooden boats and two rubber dinghies tied up in a far corner of the picturesque harbour on the Italian island of Lampedusa. In these small craft some 300 people arriving from North Africa in search of new lives in Europe have endured dangerous journeys at sea, crammed together without adequate water, food, shelter or toilets�.The terrible stench gives some idea of the ordeal they must have endured. �When they arrive they are suffering from nausea, vomiting, sunburn, dehydration, hypoglycaemia, diarrhoea,� says Dr Claudia Codesani from the charity Medicins Sans Frontieres. �They have been at sea for 17 hours or for as long as five or six days, and they are desperate to eat and drink. Everyone is shocked and frightened." (source)

The Economist

Good God... Thursday came and went and it slipped my mind. Well here is the piece de resistance from Poet Laureate turned Economist. Go Labour Go! Lorna for President, after all if the Czechs had Havel why can't we have our own destitute middle class poet?

As we ache for some panacea to clear our troublesome bowels the luddite shaman still insists on applying placebo quick-fix solutions. Being the destitute middle-class we all are (membership of which is on the rise lately) we cannot just wait for the day when changes are introduced to the free-of-charge medical service. Then, maybe, the new practitioner will manage to change our zeitgeist and so real cure suddenly appears - unless by then we become floor - rather than bed-ridden because the beds are sold at judicial auction to compensate for unpaid VAT refunds!

For the troublesome bowels I can recommend Lomotil or even Imossel. For the inventor of the term "luddite shaman" I can only recommend therapy. It's all here to behold. I'm off to change my zeitgeist.

PS On the way into Cannes (from Lyon) there is an exist called "Bocca"on the Autoroute. This is immediately followed by an exit to the village of "Grasse" home of perfume. Signs of the times perhaps?

Non Sequitur #18

Malta Hanina. Hobza u Sardina.

Wisq Sabiha

Lil Duminku ma kontx nafu. Jekk kellimtu hames darbiet hafna. Erba' drabi minnhom x'iktarx kont qed nordna xi pizza jew platt hut l-Arzella. Ghalija Duminku ma kienx it-Tramps. Duminku kien Duminku ta' l-Arzella. Kien wiehed mill-persunaggi li jimlew is-sjuf ta' Marsalforn... bhal Censu tal-Baxan, Pawlu tal-Lingi, Joey tal-Kartell u hafna ohrajn.

Lil Duminku niftakru bhal sid ir-restorant li kien jinstab fl-ahhar tal-mixja taghna iz-zaghzagh mill-Kartell sal-Menqa li konna nimxu filwaqt li niddiskutu il-calciomercato, in-nisa u l-ghawm. Niftakru jaqbad il-kitarra f'idu waqt il-Friday Fish Nights meta il-Menqa ta' Marsalforn kienet tkun mimlija kummerc u pjacir - is-shana tas-sajf u l-ilwien tad-dwal madwar l-erba ristoranti li iktar milli jikkonkorru ghal klienti kienu jaqsmuhom bl-indaqs ghax in-nuqqas t spazju ma kienx jippermetti mod iehor. Ghax nghiduha kif inhi, bejn l-Oddissey u il-Mermaid u l-Arzella ma kienx hemm bahar jaqsam. Menu kwazi l-istess... veduta tal-menqa l-istess u servizz identiku.

Hlief meta Duminku kien jaqbad il-kitarra. F'dawn il-waqtiet il-klijenti tal-Arzella forsi kienu jisimghu lill-leggenda izolana tkanta ftit iktar fil-vicin. U forsi meta kien jerhilha ikanta dwar ix-xemx wisq sabiha kienu jaraw dik it-tbissima ferriegha u l-ghajnejn ileqqu bil-gost tal-muzika.

Illum iz-zghazagh m'ghadhomx jimxu l-istess bicca mill-Kartell sal-Menqa bhal ma konna naghmlu ahna. L-Arzella ukoll mexa 'l fuq. Duminku issa halliena...

Il-memorji hemm ghadhom u bhax-Xemx Wisq Sabiha jergghu l'ura sikwit sabiex igeddulna t-tifkiriet ta' l-imghoddi.

Grazzi Dominic, u l-ghomor lil familtu u kull min kien jafu sewwa.

* J'Accuse returns with this Maltese post following the passing away of the Gozitan singer Dominic Grech. Normal English service will be resumed tomorrow.

Et in Carthago Ego

I am back for a fleeting moment. Just enough time to say ta ta like my friend Fausto. Following a quick visit to the South of France (Antibes) over the Ferragosto weekend I am back at work but only to be able to plant my leave application for one week in Djerba. So off I go armed with books and sun-tan lotion. I do not expect to be blogging much unless some good internet facilities exist in the hotel...otherwise see you in September.

Don't miss me much... I promise to be back with more!

Over and out as J'Accuse joins the August snooze.

Who are the Greens?

Harry Vassallo continues to talk about recent political developments and explains why Malta will not see a coalition in the near future. I agree with Harry on many points (I guess it is evident by now). Where Harry and I do not see eye to eye is on the Green issue. By this I do not only mean that I am not a Green. In a wider sense I am referring to the manner in which Harry labels all people who are dissatisfied with the MLPN monopoly as automatically being Greens. Look at these paragraphs from Harry's article in the Times today:

Being in politics and not being power hungry is a superb political action in itself. Our refusal to be co-opted to Parliament in the 2003 pre-election negotiations is invaluable in evidence of our good faith and our firm commitment in favour of authentic democracy. No other political party can lay claim to anything like it. Whenever we have taken up the burden of responsibility in local council or in crucial historical moments we have borne it well. When the time comes we will again.

In Malta we can give the country a Parliament. We can create the mental distinctions still largely absent between Parliament and government, government and the state. We can give the Maltese ownership of their country's institutions and give Maltese governments the humility they need to acquire in relation to ordinary citizens. If we achieve only that in five years we will have earned every cent of public money we may have received. The system can begin to work and the anti-system to retreat.

This is our vision of Malta's political development. We know that it is not yet shared by the vast majority of our compatriots and by none of our political adversaries. We know that they are currently proposing an impossible electoral threshold to perpetuate the status quo. They can retard the country's political development, they cannot avoid the future indefinitely.

Our greatest challenge is not a discussion on coalitions but to communicate our vision, to create the political culture that will allow citizens to choose a decent and better future for themselves rather than just choose which of our adversaries will rule over them. The next government will be just like the rest, whichever party wins the election. The time is ripe to begin a much greater change. It will take time, so the sooner we start the sooner we will enjoy its fruits. Not all of us will go for it, certainly some of us, many of us, those of us who can already make out the music.

Great stuff. I could not agree more. The only problem is that Harry seems to think that all people who think that way are automatically Green. Wrong. Harry and I and many other thousands now have a common platform. The platform for change. A Reformist platform with a capital R. We do not like the status quo and we have a vision of a better future. I am prepared wholeheartedly to support that platform... but that will never mean that I am a Green. I am currently 'lending' my vote to the Greens for a greater cause than Green politics themselves. As I have said once and will go on repeating... we aim for the same result and if another party could satisfy this cause of mine I will gladly back it.

So not so fast Harry... we are not as Green as you seem to think!

Non Sequitur #17

Rivals Share Derby Honours

VALLETTA --FLORIANA 1-1
Thursday, August 11, 2005

CHRISTIAN CASSAR took just 100 seconds to break the deadlock as he smashed home a stunning 30-metre free kick but IAN ZAMMIT drew level just before the interval. But these goals hardly tell the story of a remarkable match.

Never mind one point, both teams were upset not to snatch three points after a game of countless chances. But at the end the derby produced some comfortable (sic) for both sides after suffering defeats in their opening premier league matches. Continue here.

... can't wait for the return leg.

Hablas Espanol?

Malta International Airport has identified Madrid, Barcelona, Girona and Lisbon as appropriate points from which to increase tourism to Malta. The Ryanair saga continues as the cheapest airline slammed the Maltese protective policies a joke. For those of you who are not following the issue closely, what is happening is that the MIA will pinpoint the so-called "underserved routes" then a call will be made for airlines to provide transport to Malta on such routes. These airlines will benefit from lesser airport fees and such benefits should pass on to the consumer - the persons flying to such underserved routes (more likely to be from).

Where does the Maltese traveller figure in all this? Well, he or she still pays that wonderful departure tax. Secondly, in calculating the "underserved route" the only consideration is places from which we do not get enough tourism (according to MIA). Nobody asks.... Where do the Maltese want to fly cheaply to today? Nope. The institutions paid for by YOUR tax money are busy making decisions about cheaper flights for other people (mainly all the Spanish who want to fly to Malta for a bit of sun - stop laughing) while makng your flights more difficult.

Here is what Ryanair had to say about this protective polcy planning...

Of the four earmarked destinations, Ryanair currently flies only to Girona, Mr Cawley (Ryanair chef operating officer) said. "We are working on the possible introduction of the Girona route but the routes offered are anything but ideal for Ryanair." He accused the Maltese air authorities of behaving as though they were still living in the 1960s and said they had failed to take on board the open skies phenomenon that was revolutionising air travel. It was evident, he said, that MIA and the government were doing their utmost to protect existing airlines.

Espanol anyone?

* Doubts have been shed on Ryanair's capability of fulfilling their promise of flying in 1 million passengers to tourism dry Malta. Here is one interesting statistic: Last month Ryanair flew their 10 millionth passenger into Glasgow Prestwick since 1994. Since 1999 they fly 2 million passengers per annum into Glasgow. Mui bien...no?

Current Gore

Time magazine (and online) reports on Al Gore's return to the public eye with his project Current TV. Launched on the 1st August 2005 here is how CNN described the new station:

Based on material previewed on its Web site, Current at first glance seems like a hipper, more irreverent version of traditional television newsmagazines.

Most of its programming will be in "pods," roughly two to seven minutes long, covering topics like jobs, technology, spirituality and current events. An Internet-like on-screen progress bar will show the pod's length.

Its short films include a profile of a hang glider and a piece on working in a fish market. One contributor talked about what it was like to have his phone number on a hacked Internet list of Paris Hilton's cell phone contacts, saying that dealing with curiosity seekers was like "hosting your own radio call-in show."

Every half-hour, Current promises a news update using data from Google on news stories most frequently searched for on the Web.

My attraction to the story is based in the interest at seeing traditional media react to the internet revolution - and more particularly to the blog phenomenon. Al Gore's Current TV is testing the waters of a more interactive TV where viewers and producers could mix. The punishment for insufficient interactivity is the setting up of a rival... more open channel... as Gore has already seen with Rise Up Network (see Time article).

A Profoundly Human Blogosphere?

One of the items on my To Blog list was the IHT editorial which commented on the State of the Blogosphere report that has already been mentioned on J'Accuse. Here are two paragraphs from the article in question:

If the blogosphere continues to expand at this rate, every person who has Internet access will be a blogger before long, if not an actual reader of blogs. The conventional media have often discussed the growing impact of blogging on the coverage of news. Perhaps the strongest indicator of the importance of blogdom isn't those discussions themselves, but the extent to which media outlets are creating blogs - or bloglike manifestations - of their own.

(...) It's natural enough to think of the growth of the blogosphere as a merely technical phenomenon. But it's also a profoundly human phenomenon, a way of expanding and, in some sense, reifying the ephemeral daily conversation that humans engage in. Every day the blogosphere captures a little more of the strange immediacy of the life that is passing before us. Think of it as the global thought bubble of a single voluble species.

The media hooks on to the phenomenon. The phenomenon continues to be defined or to escape a single definition. The August Shrink might be a phase but it seems that blogging is not a temporary phenomenon after all.

Blog A Diem!

* Check out Dante Chinni's article on "Journalim's Fear and Loathing of Blogging" on the Christian Science Monitor.

Airwolf: shootez le chopper!

The next time a Frenchman writes one of those letters of condemnation about our island's regime of hunters spare a thought or two for this man.

An 81-year-old Frenchman has been given a one-year suspended jail sentence for firing a hunting rifle at helicopters dropping water on a forest blaze. David Thiel opened fire on 21 July when the low-flying helicopters disturbed his afternoon nap near Grasse in the south of France, court sources said.

Source: BBC News

Non Sequitur #16

Le monde est une livre et ceux qui ne voyagent pas n'en lisent qu'une page.

- St. Augustine of Hippo

On the 1st August 2005 the tax on travelling continued to increase in the Republic of Malta.

London and Egypt both suffered a decrease in tourism in the light of the recent bombings.

The UK Foreign Office website warns of the continuing high threat of terrorism in Saudi Arabia. The FO only warns against travelling in situations of extreme and imminent danger according to recently revised internal rules.

Israel's National Security Council counter terrorism headquarters today issued a travel warning to Israelis travelling to Turkey. The warning comes in the wake of three Israeli cruise liners having been diverted to Cyprus from Turkey on Friday because of a security threat. The ships carried over 2,000 people.

Insurances tend to issue their own lists of risk prone areas. For an example see here and here.

In a world full of risks your passport is just another stamp and photo album.

Wish You Were Here

METZ - NANCY - RHEIMS - EPERNAY - DIJON - CHATEUNEUF - BEAUNE - LYON

The last six days have been busy shuffling the parents and the godmother around the jewels of the North East of France (plus Lyon). Lorraine, Bourgogne and now the farthest south... Lyon... le capital de foot Fran�ais. I finally find some time to blog and reduce the ever increasing withdrawal symptoms. The azerty keyboard does not help at all. I am in the middle of Brasserie La Republique... a very kitsch pub en plein milieu de Lyon. All cities in the abovementioned itinerary are incredible... ETAP overnight sleep hotels help you save the money to spend on good eating. The Sfigho side of the family caught up and three_quarters of the company have been afflicted by a stomach bug.

Once again the J'Accuse forma mentis is intensively in blog mode. Too much to say and comment about to fit in this tiny intervention. I bought a blog carnet... much like Hemingway's original which is for sale in many libraires here. I will use it from now on to take note of anything bloggable when access to a mac is temporarily unavailable. Since I cannot stand typing on this infernal frenchy keyboard I will just conclude this tiny blog with an affiche... a list of things to be commented upon following my five hour drive back to the grand duchy. In the meantime thank you Robert and Fausto for your reactions on the blogosphere and the rest of you.... keep blogging alive!

To Blog List:

- International Herald Tribune editoriql on Blogging (last weekends edition)

- Bloggers of the past; Travellers and their notes on travel; book purchased in Dijon (7th edition published in 1864 originally published c.1792) includes four chapters about a frenchman's visit to Malta.

- Moet et Chandon, champagne cellars, chalk and Maltese potential

- transport and parking... where we could learn

- the Maltese Knights... they're everywhere

- Al Gore and the new media

- How Mark Vella can be useful.

All that and more in the forthcoming editions of J'Accuse.

I apologise for thebabsence of hyperlinks but this internet caf� system is not very collaborative. I will add them when back home. Also any typos are due to the AZERTY keyboard.

So long... off to eat a Gallette au Sarrazin!

Wish you were here.

Guess Who?

"But, inspite of oscillating between dismissal and resignation, the minister shamelessly sticks to his seat of power waiving responsibility by simply stating he hasn't got anything to do with it."

"This the minister himself declared in Parliament in answer to a question by PN whip and MP Mario Galea. "

"Moreover, the millions of liri owed to private citizens whose lands were expropriated years and years ago can also be attributed to Mr Mugliett."*

"Such lists of creditors is an ever-increasing one.."**

"The sum paid to the foreign consultants does come across as quite some pocket money when we consider the Lm2 million in subsidies that was promised to bus owners."

"No one has to be fed as to the onus probandi (burden of proof) in a court case. Yet, the minister slips indifferently away from any political shame fully supported by a yet politically and ethically indifferent PM, at least in the eyes of the public."

"All we should do is to be happy with our new roads... A lot of twisting and turning of truth itself keeps ministers glued to their seats, lifting them so divinely above condemnation and ordaining them with divine infallibility."

I'm off (see A.W.O.L) ... sorry no time to comment.

If, like me you, thought that the link on the Times was hidden.... here it is again.

Stay glued to your seats do not slip indifferently and try to quit oscillating. This Luxembourger cheese is over and out.

*Mintoff expropriat Mugliett Pagat.
** Nobel prize in Mathematics.

A.W.O.L

This blogger has gone absent without leave. E.T.D from Luxembourg on Thursday 4th August at approx. 1030 hours direction Rheims. The tour of three cities will also include Dijon and Lyon. From Champagne to Mustard to the second largest city in France. Barring any random blogs from cybercafes along the way, normal blogging order will be resumed on the 9th of August (evening).

Enoy the great lyrics from the B-Boys while I am away. Meanwhile any suggestions for a reform of my Blogroll will be read and possibly even followed.

AWOL
(Beastie Boys/Dust Bros.)

DJ Hurricane...
When Mike D's in the house what you gonna' do
I go A.W.O.L.
Adrock's in the house what you gonna' do
I go A.W.O.L.
When MCA's in the house what you gonna' do
I go A.W.O.L.
When Hurricane's in the house what you gonna' do
He goes A.W.O.L.
St. James in the house what you gonna' do
Home-1 what you gonna' do
Got busy in the house what you gonna' do
Dust Brothers in the house what you gonna' do
Mario G. in the house what you gonna' do
Lou Gains in the house what you gonna' do
Hollis Crew what you gonna' do
John Mish in the house what you gonn'a do
Killa Cutty in the house what you gonna' do
Jazzy J. in the house
Bad Brains in the house
Richard Consen's in the house...
yo Good night Amsterdamn
"Now I want you all to break this down..."

To all the girls, all the girls..
"You liked it, some of it's..."

Non Sequitur #15

You are not alone...

The latest State of the Blogosphere survey (August 2005) has been reported on BBC News here. According to the latest statistics one blog is created every second. That means that as this Non Sequitur is typed at least 300 new blogs will have been added to the Blogosphere.

As every report is published, the definition of Blogs develops. Here is how BBC Online described them this time:

Blogs, the homepages of the 21st Century, are free and easy to set up and use. They are popular with people who want to share thoughts online.

They allow for the instant publication of ideas and for interactive conversations, through comments, with friends or strangers.

13% of all Blogs are updated weekly while 55% of Blogs survive beyond the fatal three-month threshold.

Blogs have played a part in highlighting issues that journalists have not covered. They have also proved to be a valuable communication channel for journalists in repressed countries who have no other publishing means.

They have recently shown how they can also complement and enhance mainstream press in coverage of events, such as the recent London terror attacks.

Till the next Technorati survey... this has been Non Sequitur reporting from hyperspace.

Notes:
Illustration taken from Sifry's Alerts.
The State of the Blogosphere report has been the subject of an earlier post in J'Accuse.
The metaphor of the Big Bang is very convenient when examining the blogosphere.

Non Sequitur #14

It seems that the end of the thong is nigh. As reported in the venerable Sunday Times (de Londre), UK sales of thongs have fallen by 17%. In Harvey Nichols stores the decrease is around 43%. The thong used to be associated with dancing girls, Brazilian Beach Babes and questionable romantic gifts. In 1997, however, it won fashion respectability when a Gucci model wore one on the catwalk.

The change in fashion was marked earlier this year by Elle Macpherson, 41, the Australian model, who launched her �afterwear�. She said: �G-strings are uncomfortable. Girls want real knickers now.� Figures from Gossard, the underwear manufacturer, show that sales of tight �boy shorts� that cover the buttocks have risen by 172% in the past five years.

Eds. note: Looks like we have to get used to seeing tight "boy shorts" now (and I am not complaining). At least one member of the Beckham family will be an unhappy man. And I am not pointing fingers... P.S. I enjoyed researching the hyperlinks on this NS :)

Why JK Rowling is not so smart.

While on holiday in Positano around three years ago, Tufigno and I came across an american gal who was living at the same hostel as us. Like most americans on holiday she was eager to share her experiences with all the hostel, whether we were interested or not. So one night, while we prepared for a game of briscola on the terrace overlooking the stupendous bay/town we were regaled with Amerigals tale about how the Potter books got adapted for in-duh-viduals in the US of A because certain names did not hit a cord. So Snape (a name that should sub-consciously trigger ideas of evil) had his name changed to something like Mr Bad. Furthermore, if Amerigal is to be believed, the laws of Quidditch were also altered so that Amerikids would not confuse it with hockey. Duh!

But that is not why I am blogging today. No. Today I found a gem of a quote on a site that topped Time Magazine's 50 Coolest Websites of 2005. The site is called Overheard in New York and consists of anybody submitting conversations overheard in NY to the site editors. Go there for some hilarious stuff... but here is the one concerning Rowling:

Guy: What book is that?
Girl: The new Harry Potter; it's the 6th of his 7 years at school.
Guy: 7? Shit. If that author was smart, she would have made high school 10 years.
Girl: Huh?
Guy: Yeah. And that bitch was homeless when she wrote those books.

--F train

Funny eh?

Have you heard the News Today?

The Maltese Blogosphere - August Shrink or The Hyperlink Misers?

Ever since its integration into the MaltaMedia Online Network blogs (as far as I know there are three plus the cartoon), Wired Temples seems to have taken on a policy of not commenting further on Maltese Blogs and concentrating on those kitsch Blogs about Malta by the occasional tourist from Upper Westphalia. Cross-referencing among Blogs keeps the blogosphere alive. The latest example of suppressed referencing is found in Tabellina (Think Journalism). A good article by Rebecca Cefai refers to Blogs being quoted by journalists (like with our anonymous friend Bocca :) ) and to Blogs getting reactions from irked columnists (read Lorna reacting to J'Accuse). Either Rebecca or the Tabellina editors chose not to refer to my blog as the example in question. Now my blog was not the only one to be mentioned in mainstream media so that is understandable however Lorna's answer to J'Accuse was the first documented reply to a blog so the omission of the reference in that case is less explicable.

I do not have statistics at hand but this reticence on hyperlinking other blogs has come at the same time as a general slowdown in posting in August to give the impression that the Maltese blogosphere is shrinking for the time being after the first big-bang. While that sans-pareil of opinion columnists J.G. Vassallo has also acknowledged the power of blogging, the Maltese blogosphere slowdown seems to be caused mainly by a realignment away from the original position of active and open engagement the original agora seemed to have. Which would be a pity.

Having said this, the page hits on J'Accuse have not witnessed any change in frequency since this slowdown has happened. Which might also mean that the hyperlinks were not effective in that sense. But that is not my point. My point is that the engagement and discussion was and is necessary for the development of the community. Navel gazing does not help. Otherwise we could all end up writing Prosy Points.

EU Commission examining Maltese Departure Tax

No comment

Nuttles Simplified Dictionary

Mr Thank-You-Government gives us a new article today. What is a decision? notwithstanding all my slagging I do think that Mr Frank Salt is doing us a service by simplifying what politics is all about. In the twisted world of Maltese politics, a column like Frank Salt's ends up inadvertently sounding like Utopia. Carry on Frank! But no more thank-yous... pretty please.

Times Editorial - Electoral Disquisitions

The Editorial starts off with that Saltish comment that the agreement between the two parties on the electoral changes marks a change in the political climate. While anyone in their right mind would smell the stink of agreement a mile away the Times expresses satisfaction. Had the Times known of Andreotti's historic kiss with Signor Riina the headline would probably have been "Progress Made between Government and Mafia". The huff over Gozo continues. As I said in a comment I made in one of Fausto's posts I am not concerned about the breakup of Gozo (which I tried to argue is actually a good thing for the island) but for the farce of MLPN when reaching this kind of agreements. More like buddies in agreement they are buddies in crime.

The concluding three paragraphs of the editorial however do deserve a mention (although no direct reference to a fair threshold is made therein):

"The objective should therefore be to make the electoral boundaries irrelevant for the strength of the parties in the House and necessary only for the delineation of constituencies.

Other issues also need to be settled, such as guaranteeing the right to vote to the growing number of Maltese who are working or studying abroad.

The agreement reached within the Electoral Commission on the electoral boundaries was clearly a step in the right direction. But it must only be seen as a first step towards the realisation of the ultimate goal of an electoral system which everyone can have confidence in."

And by everyone we mean EVERYONE!

Pratchett vs Rowling

The noughties have been the decade of recycling. The Da Vinci Code brought us a rehashed duped down version of the Umberto Eco classics like Foucault's Pendulum and The Name of the Rose. Nowhere has the recycle been more evident than in JK Rowling's rise to riches through the bespectacled geek she thought up. Most Potty readers do not have the least clue of the much more interesting worlds created by Terry Pratchett and might have just about seen JRR's trilogy on film. I find the Potter books mildly amusing and only because I recognise the formulae that make the books a hit. In my books Rowling is as original as Party Manifestos. She just takes the tried an tested and plays into the armns of an uunsuspecting audience who have just discovered the power of a book. Potter books are a fad, a trend, and just about as much a work of literary art as Coke and Fries are a gourmand's dream.

Why the venom? Well Rowling seems to have claimed to have just discovered that her books are science fiction and now seems to be claiming to have saved the genre from its boring roots.

Bollocks.

I am biased. I am fanatic for the wit, the vision, and the variety of Terry Pratchett and his discworld novels. Pratchett is to Rowling as Shakespeare is to Stagno. She cannot even dare to get close to him. Sales wise she does of course... which does not prevent TP's books from hitting the top of the bestsellers list weeks before they are released (thanks mainly to Amazons pre-release purchase possibilities).

So go on Terry... dis the bit*h and show her what it is really like to write fiction. For Tp's comments on Rowling read here.


The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp. - Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times

A taxing question

So the government is planning a tax review. The same geeks who think that the current departure tax is a good thing will be reviewing most of the tax system and coming up with a few more gems I'm sure. Not only will the government go on thinking that it knows best what the people really want but we will also solve another problem... Santino will return to what he can do best... depicting the Doom & Gloom scenario which will lead to people electing him simply to shut his mouth and see if he can get a try at solving it.

Which he will not of course. Because just like the Nationalists, the Labourites have absolutely no clue on how to go about rebuilding the country's economic status. Risanificazione. That is a no-go area.

But back to the PN government's new tax ventures. The document is entitled "Biex Int Tghix Ahjar"* and should have been subtitled "Gewwa Malta... ghax i**abbab tohrog minn hawn bit-taxxi li ghamilna"**. We learn that the government is planning to "engineer a shift from direct taxation towards environment-related taxation as part of a review of the entire tax system." Considering that this government could not engineer its way out of a 200 metre bridge in regional road I think we should read that there will be less direct taxation but we will reinvent the wheel in what we like to con ourselves to be environment taxation. Ah... and the idea is to introduce concepts such as the polluter-pays principle. Introduce? In 2005? (My bet is AD have been pushing for this since the early 90's).

Stipends will no longer be uniform but will be moulded to the course in question. Hold on. Did he say tailor made to each course? Eureka! As president of KSU in 1999 (that's six years ago) I presided over one of the most detailed surveys/ censuses of the University population's needs. The result was a document that broke down the needs of every student in the minutest of courses at University. What was our aim? To suggest to the government that, among other things, stipends should be course based. Was it heeded? No. Now it seems to be a valuable option. Good luck ... you need to dig deep to do that well. Six years late buit as they say... better late than.... [selfish bracket aside... law students will be among those worse hit with this kind of system... no direct equipment costs and law books are negiligible].

Then the rental market. Now the government wants to stimulate the rental market. Hallo? One of the big criticisms directed at AD's referendum campaign is that they instigate rental instead of ownership. Now some big dildo in the tax department wants to stimulate the rental market? Another copied leaf... contradictory but good. Fausto? In case you havce any doubts here is what government plans to do ... "Government is considering the establishment of an advantageous final withholding tax regime for rental income to incentivise the inclusion of additional housing in the rental market." To me this means the government means more rent. Now I was never good at taxes (never good at things I do not like) so correct me if I am wrong.

There will be a study on the privatisation of certain sources of energy. I read we will privatise gas cylinder distribution. There is a mention of a possible revision on "bank property lending terms" - do I read make it more difficult to buy your house? Reduce the dependence on loans in our society?

Family planning might risk being affected again with a new revision of the children's allowance. Will we be asked to go forth and procreate or forced to roll on the rubber?

Air Malta will float on the stock exchange... possibly in the hope that it will sink on its own eventually.

There you go. PN Pre-Budget Document 2005.

That's KSU 1999 and AD 1990s to us.

Happy Taxing to all!


* So that you can live better
** In Malta... where else could you go with these bloody taxes?

La Canicule (the Heatwave)

France : Water-rationing is in place across more than half of France, with the west particularly affected by drought. Measures range from bans on washing cars to limits on farmers watering crops. Cereal production may be badly hit. (...)

Spain: Spain is suffering its worst drought since records began in 1947, with the east particularly badly hit. Temperatures have risen to 40C (104F) in parts of Andalucia, in the south. A wave of forest fires has destroyed hectares of tinderbox woodland. (...)

Portugal: Portugal faces its worst dry spell since the 1940s. Some 97% of the country is suffering a severe or extreme drought, ministers say. (...)

Algeria: A heatwave which has seen temperatures climb to 50C has claimed more than a dozen lives in Algeria. Forest fires have broken out across swathes of the country. (...)

Italy: the temperature has topped 35C (95F) in cities including Milan, Florence and Turin. Several people have died in northern Italy as a result of the intense heat. (...)

Greece : Hundreds of firefighters have been struggling to contain a forest fire near the coastal resort of Rafina, near Athens - where Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis has his home.(...)

... And Luxembourg?
Well, the normal routine here is that we wake up to a sunnyish day and spend most of the day with clouds waltzing mischievously around the sky while setting their target. At around five -thirty of the pee emm the heavens decide to make a reenactment of the opening storms in War of the Worlds. Persons living close to a park (like myself) witness wonderful snakes of lightning crossing the sky as the rain falls down in torrential quantities. The bucketfuls of rain normally start falling in huge wallops (you cannot call them drops) on unsuspecting tourists who are normally drenched within the first five minutes (serves them right for coming to Luxembourg).

So guys, sorry about the draught and all that... but for once it is cool (and wet) to live in Luxembourg.

Have a good Sunday.

* Guide to Mediterranean Heatwave taken from BBC News. Additional info on Lux taken from first-hand experience.

(The Truth About) Voting Habits

From today's Times: Harry Vassallo writes....

"In a country where the goalposts are set on wheels, nothing could ever surprise us except a glimmer of democratic sentiment, something that truly expresses the will of the people. We have had Labour proposing an electoral system in which the next government could enjoy a majority of seats in parliament with a minority of 47 per cent of the vote. We have heard the PN propose an electoral threshold of 7.5 per cent regardless of the fact that they have spent the last decade blaming Labour for the collapse of the 1995 reforms in which they Proposed a five per cent threshold. Their detachment from the feeling within the country is simply awesome.

They seem to dismiss the fact that 25 per cent of those entitled to vote either did not vote for them or voted Green in 2004; 55,000 people said no to old style politics as recently as 2004. In a country where absolute power changes hands on slivers of one to two per cent, it was a political earthquake. Many seem to have rejected the system altogether."

Beyond the rhetoric and what I believe to be the excessive inflation of ADs importance which one finds in the rest of the article, I still find myself in complete agreement with the exposition of facts regarding the MLPN manipulations to retain their grasp on Maltese politics. The Luxol speech did not baffle me. it only confirmed my suspicions.

I have not fallen for the Greens. I still feel, like Harry, that the future can be ours and that MLPN nonsense cannot be tolerated any more. I will endorse any reasonable party that provides a promising scenario away from the two-party mediocrity we live in- and I will do so publicly as I already did in the European Parliament elections if necessary. AD is my imperfect choice right now. If a better option comes along... it will be more than welcome.

Mediocrity is not an obligation, it is an option we keep on choosing like headless chickens.

Mediocrity: A virtual necessity?

Jason Azzopardi writes (also in today's Times):

"The Maltese Parliament has been facing an increasing number of challenges as a result of its responsibility in scrutinising the EU's pipeline acquis.

(...)

The government is involved in the scrutiny process from the start, ensuring accountability and transparency on its part with regard to the forwarded EU legislations. In fact, all documents originating from the EU are forwarded to the relevant ministries, who have to prepare an explanatory memorandum (EM) to be presented to Parliament. The EM has to include, inter alia, the ministry's assessment of all the political, legal, social, environmental, financial and/or economic implications with the adoption of the draft acquis in question.

(...)

Although the members on this committee are limited in number compared to our European counterparts, I feel profound satisfaction in the fact that the representatives of both sides of the House are pulling the same rope towards giving top priority to safeguarding the national interest. Through a much admired spirit of cooperation and determination, all committee members are working hard towards ensuring that in scrutinising the work of government with regard to EU legislation, no stone is left unturned.

During its first year of operation, significant progress was recorded by the committee as evidenced by the number of times the committee and the working groups were convened and the progress achieved thereafter.

The committee members are not full-time parliamentarians. Contrary to the situation in all European countries, no Maltese MP has any personal/office backup and each one has to juggle with his private profession, family, constituency demands and heavy parliamentary workload.

(...)

Parliamentary scrutiny is indeed an essential tool in bridging the gap between the government and the electorate. In ensuring information-sharing, accountability and transparency, it is aimed at reducing the much maligned democratic deficit.

It has underlined the vitality of the quest for what is in the national interest."

An interesting final two paragraphs lead to a Non Sequitur of immense magnitude. This is how we bridge the gap between government and electorate. I guess the gap is reduced in direct proportion to the number of times the committee is convened.

In Medio Stat Virtus ... n'est-ce pas?

Lay Down Your Arms

The leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign.

This will take effect from 4pm [1600 BST] this afternoon.

All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms.

All Volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means.

Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever.

The IRA leadership has also authorised our representative to engage with the IICD [Independent International Commission on Decommissioning] to complete the process to verifiably put its arms beyond use in a way which will further enhance public confidence and to conclude this as quickly as possible.

To continue reading this historic declaration click here.

Ghajnsielem... not so calm

1. Does the loss of Ghajnsielem diminish Gozo's parliamentary representation?

Let me see. So when all of Gozo is in one electoral district it could elect 5 MPs. Under the new electoral laws all of Gozo elects 5 MPs plus Ghajnsielem which has a say in the election of at least one MP in the 12th district that makes it potentially 5 +1 MPs. My guess at first glance... no.

2. Does Gozo deserve a regional status?

Of course. It is an island with features distinguishing it from the rest of the archipelago. It has economic and structural disadvantages which merit special attention. If we were to listen to Daphne it is also a cowboyland of criminals where too many murders and such occur. That too merits special attention. Gozo is often seen in international travel reviews without any mention of Malta (and this is not thanks to the Malta Tourist Board or whatever it calls itself now).

3. Do the MLPN show any interest in Gozo?

But of course. They have an interest in those 5 seats in parliament which could make or break a government (sadly enough eh). They pander to the Gozitan populace come election day and slither to the little island for its mini-mass meetings. No respectable leader of any party omits the "u ghawdxin" in his speech, as though the Gozitans merit special mention. Can you imagine starting a message with "Merhba lil Maltin u Mostin kollha?" Of course not. But l-Ghawdxin... how could we forget the Gozitans... they deserve that little extra. Pepper of course. But what plans do they have for Gozo? Fantasy helicopter rides? Inefficient Gozo Channel? golf courses?

4. Does Gozo need special representation?

Of course. The Gozitans should have the guts, balls (and tits) to elect their own in their own name. Forget about your Nationalist or Labourite Gozitan MP. get their own party... a Gozo Party. That would get the right results. Fast. I'm sure Fausto will have a thing or two to say about coalition governments being inefficient... but in Gozo's case Fausto... who cares.... we do not get much out of the MLPN deal anyway!!!

Incidentally this is what I mean by a multi-party system being more efficient for Malta. We need an agora that thinks of ourcountry in realistic terms and regulates efficiently as an efficient city council would. need ideas ...? Pop over to luxembourg and take a look! - urban planning, conservation, economic efficiency... it's all here... now... not stuck in an electoral manifesto that is shred to tatters come post-election day!

Kefta & HP Fruity Sauce

I had to drive around Luxembourg on errands this morning. My shopping included a stop at Little Britain (in Rue des Romains) where I bought (among other things) HP Fruity Sauce (my favourite) as well as some real cheddar. A bit further down the same road there is La Zeitouna, a Tunisian Halal shop where the most divine kinds of meat are served. I bought my half kilo of kefta and merguez sausages.

It was only while driving back home listening to the Clash (London Calling) that the thought struck me that while somewhere else in the world people of one culture are busy blowing up people of another for the craziest of reasons, here I was carefully plotting a very good grill of best Halal meat to be dipped in HP's finest.

Not so much a clash but a pot-pourri in my case. If only we all concentrated on the good things in life!

* thanks to Elina & Gary for the directions to the two abovementioned establishments!

Non Sequitur #13

*

Luxembourg City manages to fit 21 parking areas with 13.235 places as well as 5 Park&Ride (just outside Luxembourg) with 4.375 places. These parkings serve an area the size of The Inner Harbour region in Malta.

And there are no parkers, just machines.

No pigeons either.

* Notwithstanding the accompanying image all parkings levy a fee which is gladly disbursed by the users for the services rendered.

A Moving Faith

This piece of news on the BBC website grabbed my attention. After this morning's symbological news, another venture into the world of semiotics is necessary. Apparently a statue of the Madonna (the Holy one and not the singer of "Like a Virgin") is moving the crowds towards a small town in Naples because of the way it turns flesh-coloured and moves. One woman even saw the madonna's ear-lobe turn pink.

I feel that this kind of news should be viewed as seriously as manifestations of the messiah's face on toast (later to be sold on eBay). What kind of believer would actually accept that Our Lady has nothing better to do than to play fleshy peek-a-boo from within a statue in Naples?

I rmember religion lessons with Brother Mifsud at SAC. One of the basics impounded into us was the fact that faith is there when you have no proof. You cannot believe in the sun... it is there... there is nothing to believe. I like to believe in a more discerning Madonna who would restrict appearances to the necessary and, more importantly, to the effective - and not to a quasi-circus act not too far from the Bearded Lady. Can we be so stupid?

Something in the way she moves,
attracts me like no other lover.
Something in the way she woos me.

I don't want to leave her now.
You know I believe her now.

Somewhere in her smile she knows,
that I don't need no other lover.
Something in her style that shows me.

Don't want to leave her now.
You know I believe her now.

You're asking me will my love grow.
I don't know, I don't know.
You stick around now it may show.
I don't know, I don't know.

Something in the way she knows,
and all I have to do is think of her.
Something in the things she shows me.

Don't want to leave her now.
You know I believe her now.

Something
(Harrison)
Recorded: April 16, May 2, 5, Julay 11, 16 and August 15, 1969, Abbey Road Studios, London

Prehistor(d)ic(k)

I could not resist a "Sun" type title for this post. It appears that the oldest sample of a phallic symbol has been discovered in the land of Ze Germans. It goes back to 28,000 years ago and measures 20 centimetres (length) by 3 centimetres (diameter). They had to tell us the measurements.

The rarity of the find consists in the fact that findings of that period tend to concentrate on the female symbols and although similar male symbols were found in France and Morocco it still remains a rarity. The artefact was found in 14 separate pieces... an early Bobbit?

28,000 years ago they carved phallic symbols and left them in caves... today they are voted into parliament and spend five years coming up with phallic of laws most of the time.

Article found in La Repubblica.

New Cafe' Welcomes Junkies and Addicts

A new cafeteria in Paceville is responding to the Criminal Code and current fuss on the right to Life by providing a convient area for drug addicts. Proprietor Mort Da Te' enthusiastically described the joint as "the best place since the football court opposite Wembley Garage was cordoned off" and "even better than the Upper Barrakka Gardens". Patrons will be provided with accessories that are in line with the latest health and Safety regulations and will be able to indulge in all their addictions in a welcoming environment. A patron who preferred to remain unnamed stated that "this is an excellent opportunity for us to finally enjoy our sacrosant rights that have been denied us for so long by the whingeing few", he was later seen being placed in an ambulance that headed off to the emergency section.

Of course the above is fictitious. It would be scandalous no? Imagine... a Cafe' trying to get advertising mileage through something so sick? It could never happen. Of course not. Except that, it did. In Malta.

New Cafe' Welcomes Smokers

...was the title. Without entering into the issue of the smoking regulations. Without even debating the smokers vs non-smokers hullaballoo. Can someone please explain the positive side of this kind of advertising? Is the only saving grace of this establishment the fact that tobacco can be liberally inhaled while having a mediocre coffee? While we are on the point, in a conversation held recently where he was present, someone who is in the know of the running of establishments stated clearly that the electricity required to have a full smoking establishment under the regulations would make the venture absolutely prohibitive. Impossible even. It had to do with the machines reuired to change the air per person in the room. So... who's lying? Did I hear anyone say investigative journalism?

Meanwhile, please do go to Rhapsody Cafe' in Paceville. Smoke a fag two.... I am sure the coffee tastes better with it. However I cannot be too sure... I do not know how good the coffee can be... since the salient feature of the promotion seems to have been the smoking. Do they give you special fags or do you bring your own? I'm afraid I will not savour the fun of the place when I am back in Malta... I quit smoking... and in case you are wondering the smoke laws still do not apply in Luxembourg so it had nothing to do with prohibition in establishments.

Opening Hours
Another thing that gets at me in the relationship between the catering establishment and the media is their methods of promotion. Some things I like. Like for example reviews by persons notorious for their gastronomic panderings (like Bocca for example... honestly). On the other hand I find this business of 'inaugurating' a catering joint by some eminent personality like the PM as sad as a smoke-enabled cafeteria. The news about the opening of the Rhapsody comes to us through an article in the Times. Not an advert. not a full-page article with a teeny asterixed footnotes saying "this is a paid up advert". No... an article. Like Lorna's biex niftiehmu. Why? Because George Cassar, while opening a cafeteria (a small area) in a Hotel (the Vivaldi) which has been open for ages, deemed it fit to call in all and sundry to witness the historic event (and smoke a fag or too of course).

Now I do know that newspapers will depend on advertising. So they will ensure that some unlucky journalist draws the short straw and is sent over chop-chop to report the event and avoid risking some embargo of advertising. Sad innit?

The same sad story applies to this place which seems to have become one of Bocca's favourites.... Del Borgo. Here you can read about the grand opening of Del Borgo by none other than PM Gonzi himself. Now I have heard plenty of persons raving about the good qualities of the place (and not only Bocca), so it seemed to be doing quite well advertising wise simply by word of mouth. So why do we have to have the PM in persona doing the honours? It might be prestigious for the establishment in question but I do not want MY Prime Minister to stoop down to the level of inaugurating bars and restaurants. That is not a Prime Ministerial job! get the mayor to do it like in the movies. It is fitting too since the Mayor is meant to be pleased with the new establishments opening in his locality. Not the bloody Prime Minister.

I can just imagine the conversation that night...

PM: "I'll have another glass of the red Gaja Alan"
Alan Mercieca: "Yes Prime Minister...."

Non Sequitur #12

Interesting GOOGLE:

1. Go to www.google.com
2. In the search area type "matthew vella" and click on Search.
3. When results appear click on "Images"

Why is he here? And him?

ferhantghallimttuzagoogleimages?

*Getting a googleback (c) at an anonymous comment. :)

Non Sequitur #11

1964:

Year, in the twentieth century, when films shown in Malta were first allowed to show two-piece bathing suits.

from The Moviegoer's Companion
by Rhiannon Guy
A Think Book published by Robson Books
ISBN 1861057970

Out of Office (2)

You have reached J'Accuse, home of the Luxembourger who smells of Gozo Cheese. We are afraid the blogger is not home at the moment as he is spending the weekend away in Metz (read and pronounced "mess"), home of Ikea, St. Stephen's Cathedral and excellent gastronomic experiences.

For any messages, insult, hate comments or fan mail please click on Replique below and leave your message after the sheep.

(Bad) Voting Habits

This is the reason why I started voting AD. I am not a green and I think that Green politics can only be a fringe (but necessary) solution unless they are adapted (as Harry once tried to explain to me) to wider policies like education. I think it is also fitting to state that I am not a partisan (partiggjan/ partitarju) of AD. I have no ties with the party, I am just using my vote in my interests.

I do not easily fit into a political label although my years in politics were as a Christian Democrat (a label which I find myself comfortable with). Christian Democrat is definitely not Nationalist or Labour. The MLPN are too opportunist to deserve any kind of old style political description. At most they are OpinionPollist, at worst they are Sponsorist.

I have decided to vote out dualism for the sake of dualism.

Latin for the Masses

Note: This is a cruel post of the nit-picking kind.


Jose Herrera

Readers of this blog have often complained about the interspersed occurrences of Latin in my scribbles. I must confess that I love Latin and would support its reintroduction any day. I feel I was robbed of the classic education that my father always complained about. I wanted to learn Latin (not so much Greek). I never did. I got exposed to Latin mainly through maxims and it is mainly maxims that I quote. The blogroll in the side bar is either headed by maxims, half-maxims or in the case of "Ad Maiorem Blogger Commoditatem" and "De Visitatorem Provenienta" spoof latin.

Ever since Vatican Council whatever decreed that masses may be said in the vulgate (De Vulgari Eloquentia), latin has survived only in the legal field. Maltese lawyers love to use latin to impress (which explains the reactions on my blog) and to bluff their erudition.Well... bluffing is a very fine art I must say. As author of the "De Minimis Law Notes" in my time I knew a thing or two about the fine art of bluffing honed and perfected during those sweat inducing law orals. When you bluff you use the little information you know and manage to get away with implying that you know much more than that. You throw the little you know at your listener in such a way that he or she believes that you could have said more but we both know it so why waste time... or we both know that I know it but no need to go into that detail.

Well, Dr. Jose Herrera chose to start today's article about his Reverence for the Republic by describing the latin roots of the word Republic. Here are the first few lines of today's article...

"The term republic derives from two Latin words, that is, res pubblica, which means "of the people" and this as opposed to the term monarchy, whereby, figuratively speaking, the state belongs to the sovereign. This system of government probably originated during the Roman Classical period when the citizens dismissed the last of their tyrannically kings and established what was perhaps the first republic and this around 500 BC."

No way Jose. It is either singular... a RES PUBLICUM or plural a RE PUBLICA as in Cicero's great oeuvre d'art the "De Re Publica" (note the subtle implication that I read Cicero's work... of course NOT). Whichever case the Romans were too busy "probably originating" the Republic and ignoring Plato to bother with double b's. (E' una repubblica Maltese... ha piu' effetto allolra doppia b")

Know what I mean?

Cicero

An Offer We Cannot Refuse (Flyaway Taxes III & Independent Media)

Lies, damn lies and statistics. The manipulation of statistics and surveys is one of the commodities of twentieth and twenty-first century marketing. As I see it (and probably as many others would), the flyaway taxes issue has three parties in the argument: a) the government (the taxman), b) the people (the ever willing taxpayer) and c) the travel agents (the businesses affected by the rise in tax). The public debate is occurring between the government (the taxman) and the travel agents (the businesses...). So you can agree either with the government OR with the travel agents, right? You either agree with the imposition of additional tax on departing flights or you do not. Right?

Enter the Times of Malta. Bastion of Independent reporting and prime exponent of freedom of expression ever since that condemnable bad day when a band of thugs headed by the Christian KMB decided to pop by Times HQ and explain what happens to people who think different. Enter the Times, our main hope for unbiased reporting and journalism. And enter their wonderful medium the Times Online Survey where at the click of a button you get to influence what "the Maltese people think". So the Times are asking us who we side with... do we agree with the government or with the businessmen? It should be easy-peasy no? Basically it should be asking... DO YOU WANT THE DAMN TAX OR NOT?

But no. We have to be complicated. We have to sound sophisticated. We have to look technical and intelligent. We have to justify the existence of the great minds at Strickland House. So what question do they come up with? ....

"Do you agree with travel agents' proposal of levying a flat minimum tax on all air travel?"

Do I what? Hold on hold on.... this is ridiculous. So we were debating whether tax A should be introduced... the tax on Maltese passengers who decide to catch a plane out of Mickey Mouse Land... and we get asked what we think about hypothetical tax B... the one where a tax is added (anyway) on everyone whether they are Maltese or visiting Malta. Tax B is not accepted under EU Law (so virtually impossible to introduce) unless the funds are directed to Africa (and they would not be helping us make our fiscal picture nicer would they?).

So why did the Times frame the question in such a manner? Why? You ask why? Let's see the options when answering it:

YES: Yes I agree with a tax on air travel.
Fat chance. What reasonable citizen loveth his country so much that he believes that it is sweet and meeting to pay more tax?

NO: I disagree with the travel agents.
So we click on No. And with NO you get to imply that the travel agents are a bunch of ignoramuses and do not know what is needed by the country's seasoned travellers. With NO you imply that you have full faith in PapaGonz and MamaFred when it comes to saying what is best for you.

Lovely. Brilliant even. We do not even get to have Option C. I would suggest "I have no opinion and would let either travel agents or government drain my wallet with either an exorbitant price for a flight or with a ridiculous tax".

Having said all this the impossible hath happened. 773 persons had used the survey when I decided to click on No to test the answers.

71.8% had said YES.
28.2% (Including myself) said No.
I am lost.

Anyone with an explanation? Are there (78% of 772) travel agents in Malta? Is there some sadistic travel agent who flits from pc to pc clicking on yes? Or is this some big joke? is 1st April here yet?

Sic Transit Gloria Melitae.

The Evil Ideology vs. The Clash of Civilisations

Last Saturday I posted Blair's speech following the horrible attacks on London. I chose not to comment at that point beyond highlighting salient parts of the speech which I found intriguing. In his speech TB went one step further in defining the enemy that uses terrorism as its main weapon. In a jab at the "clash of civilisations" party, TB insisted that this was not a case of a clash of civilisations but a case of an evil ideology raising its ugly head and trying to make us change our ways. We shall not be changed was the answer. We will go on doing whatever we were doing without a huff or a puff. It was all civilisation that was attacked.

Fair. True. I agree. Or at least I'd love to. I still cannot help comparing the way we go about our lives and our politics to the way other cultures would. Today's news headlines include the shooting of the Sunni members of the committee that is drafting the Iraqi Constitional Charter. Comparatively, it is as though Friggieri and Fr Serracino Inglott were shot down on their way to the early meetings of Giscard's Constitutional group. The death of the Sunnis practically means the end of the involvement of the minority in the creation of the Constitution in Iraq. A draft that is reportedly very close to a Sharia based law. The Shi'ites and the Kurds who together control the drafting committee have framed a constitution that, insofar as women's rights are concerned... well, they are not exactly all there.

So. The liberation of Iraq (by a nation that defined the Axis of Evil coincidentally along the lines of "which states have switched to dealing internationally using the EURO instead of the dollar?") has freed the Iraqis and allowed them to rewrite their nation's history. How far does 'our' civilisation go in 'dictating' the kind of democracy that is necessary? (Note how diffcult it is to choose the right words). Will the "bringers of peace" send in the troops again should they find out that there is a new kind of oppression going on, namely the suppression of women's rights. An article by Lesley Abdela in opendemocracy.org seems to show that violence on women already exists.

My point is: We do things differently - if we disagree on a draft constitution we may call each other names like "you cook worse than the Finns" and we may have long faces and block the devlopment of a fledgling Union fifty years on. We do not explode other people because of our disagreement with them. We do not create legislation where one human being gets more rights than another because of a scrotal sack dangling between its legs (at least we do our damned best not to). We may be passing through a crisis of mediocrity but we advocate tolerance and are ashamed whenever an intolerant faction within our community raises its ugly head.

The Crisis of Mediocrity

I still agree with Tony. We must see these acts of violence as acts based on an evil ideology and not because of differences in civilisations. What worries me is how long can we continue to believe this.... we need clear signs of change... otherwise the other side can start winning... and its greatest victory is that we become like them... that we react to violence with violence... that we try to eradicate their existence because it threatens ours... that we speak of killing or of suppressing rights using terms such as liberation, democracy, axis of evil....

I do not want to become one of them. Thank God I am European.

The Big Picture

I. From today's Times:

More on the Flyaway Taxes.

"The government is considering excluding children from payment of the new Lm10 departure tax, which has pushed up the already high price of travel for Maltese. Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech said when contacted that following a request by the Federated Association of Travel and Tourism Agents (FATTA), the government was looking at the possibility of reworking the tax but he stressed he could not give any guarantee.

(...)

After an informal meeting of EU finance ministers last month in Luxembourg, certain states agreed to impose a levy on air travel to fund development aid in Africa. According to EU rules, a new tax can only be introduced following unanimous agreement.

The Maltese government made it clear it was against the introduction of any such tax and therefore argued with FATTA that imposing a new tax on tourism could be deemed as contradictory in this respect. FATTA president Ian Tonna said the association expressed fears that the new tax would hurt outbound travel. "The Prime Minister understood our concerns but he asked us to take the entire fiscal picture into consideration," he said."

Headless planning or what? We do not introduce a uniform tax on inbound and outbound travel because it is manifestly anti-EU (unless introduced for helping Africa and who wants to help the boat people anyway?*) BUT we introduce a tax on all Maltese leaving the island (take note Fausto... we need the "right to travel" law).

It would be unethical on my part to comment on the legitimacy of the law under EU legislation - I might have to work on such a case in the future. What is interesting to me is the PM's comment...

We look at the fiscal picture (ooh! that's an ugly one innit!) and then we are supposed to understand and accept that this kind of tax is necessary to solve the mega-deficit.

Carry on... Up the Taxes!

* Note: The boat people comment was sarcastic. Just in case you did not notice and decided I had converted to vivamaltism.

II. Prevention is better than Cure

Alfred Sant's Wednesday special today is entitled Prophylaxis. That's one step away from a prophylactic. Are we to assume that Sant's government will have a prophylactic effect on the country? Is that in the sense of a cure or a prevention of disease... or is it simply the rubber kind? methinks he must change this trend of Pr words.... running out of vocab... stretching it too much.... and a stretched prophylactic might not be the safest thing around.

Mark did not want to blog about AS's article. He claimed he is (a) above it, and (b) (more reasonably) he would not write anything against one of his idols. Speaking of his idols, I found a pic which would join the two together... Sant's article and that obscure singer Morrissey (another sarcastic comment for those of you who keep on replying that Morrissey is not obscure)....

"Let the right one slip in" - Morrissey

(The Obscure Prophylactic Album)