Existential Question

From time to time we like to pose the question. To blog or not to blog. Are Maltese blogs useful? Why is there not the blogging frenzy that can be seen in countries like the US and France - and to a lesser extent in the UK and Italy? The nature of the blog is also put into question. What kind of blogs are we talking about? Opinion blogs like this one, Thermidor or Lanzarote? Journals of hobbies, pastimes and other personal delights? Literary gems like Immanuel or Pierre?

Some time ago J'accuse bit the bullet and expressed its displeasure at the state of the Malta Journalism Awards. We do not think we are lacking in respect in any way when we criticise the classification of Wired Temples as a journalistic blog. True, it provides a service to the internet community who want to track the mention of Malta and all things Maltese on the ethernet. Probably we are not completely correct when we say that it is not "journalism" of some kind. But does the award truly reflect an awareness of the blogging world? What does it tell us about the state of the blogosphere in Malta?

The reason for these reflections is not, as some will undoubtedly assume, some sour grape mentality at not having been considered. We hesitated to mention the fact that such "awards" in Malta are based on an in-house assessment and nominations by people who are probably not fully aware of the reality on the net. The in-house promotion is not to be underestimated nor criticised since it has to be examined on the basis of the Maltese reality. Look at the Maltamedia structure. I mention it because no one else will except in silent asides in private. The glaring absence of references to the "rest" of the Maltese reality in daily posts and blogrolls (save the gargantuan list of Maltese blogs) does say something about the mission to promote the shifting blogosphere. The loosely assembled network must be commended for carving its niche in a new medium taking advantage of the hiccuping attempts of the traditional heavyweights of Maltese communication since the introduction of pluralism. PN and MLP have a long way to go before establishing a credible presence on the net. What worries me is the sense of protectiveness that can be perceived from without. The insecurity that is demonstrated by the persistence in acting as though Maltamedia alone exists on the web.

Positive criticism this may be, though I am not sure it will be easy to swallow. Hell, we are here to discuss and provoke. The truth if I lie - that's our original motto here.

Which brings me back to the question. It was provoked once again when reading the results of the French Socialist's election. Coming so soon after the American midterms one could not resist comparing and contrasting. One point stood out. Blogs were crucial in opinion forming and in passing on the messages that needed to be passed on. True they were also involved in one of the dirtiest campaigns in American history. But citizen involvement it was. And blogs were (and still are in the limelight).

One thing that set me thinking is that it appears that blogs have more of a role in these two democratic systems because of the way they are structured. The politics of France and America allow more for the use of such a tool than that of say, Italy and Malta. It could be because of the adaptability of the citizens to the new forms of information. It could be because the mainstream media in the two countries have long ago settled comfortably in bed with blogs by appropriating them and challenging the private blogs with blogs of their own. Look at Le Monde. One of the first reviews of the Socialist election is a review of the blogs of the candidates and of other blogs. What people are saying does not come through only through dumbed down polls or the mouth of politicians. It is democracy in action. Bottom up.

Which does not bode well for Malta. By now a series of five or six articles have appeared over the last year advertising this or that blog. true we get that occasional hiccup of hits like J'accuse's 547 a couple of days ago. But the truth is that the "value" given to the content is still not big enough. I am speculating here. We do commit a few sins ourselves. We are (mostly) irregular and can be inconsistent. We do not always deal with Maltese politics with the same regularity as a French blogger would daily comment on goings on in the hexagon. But I still feel that part of the blame on the lack of attention paid to blogs in the long run is due to the fact that their potential effect on the system and mentality is either (a) not being sufficiently mined or (b) never will be able to happen because of the way politics work in our country.

Comment please. (and insults will be accepted)

Socialists go Pink

The French Socialists overwhelmingly voted for Segolene Royal to be their candidate for the Presidential elections next year. 60.6% of the Socialist voters opted for the woman whose name sounds like a product (Segolene Royal - now even stronger... warning may contain artifical additives) over Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Laurent Fabius. Notwithstanding what had appeared to be cracks in her policy arguments (see ideas on Iraq), she cruised to victory and now appears posed to face Sarkozy next year.

It is to be hoped that next year's battle will not focus on man vs woman but on sound policy arguments. Segolene has sufficient times to fill in the gaps that have tainted her run to victory.

One big positive for Segolene is her think-tank site called Desirs d'avenir - which fully recognises the role of interactive media like fora, blogging and updated news sites in the creation of a democratic campaign. Let's just say that for now J'accuse would vote for Segolene (even with the name that gives me the impression of a very strong glue).

Ferenc Puskas

From BBC SPORT:

Hungary and Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas has died at the age of 79.

From Wikipedia:

Ferenc Puskás Biró (born April 2, 1927, Budapest Hungary), also referred to as Puskás Ferenc or Purczeld Ferenc, is a Hungarian former footballer and coach. He played for Honvéd and Hungary before joining Real Madrid and going onto play for Spain. During the 1950s, in a Hungarian team that also included Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was captain of the legendary Mighty Magyars. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution he moved to Spain where he became part of the legendary Real Madrid team that also included Alfredo Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa and José Santamaria.

Puskás, with a powerful left-foot shot, was a prolific goalscorer throughout his career. He was top scorer in the Hungarian League on four occasions and in 1948 he was the top goal scorer in any European league. While playing with Real Madrid he won four Pichichis and scored seven goals in two European Cup finals. After retiring as a player he became a coach and in 1971 led Panathinaikos to the European Cup final. In 2001 the Népstadion in Budapest was renamed the Stadion Puskas Ferenc in his honour. He was also declared the best Hungarian player of the last 50 years by the Hungarian Football Federation in the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003.

Football and quiz lovers alike will today mourn the passing away of one of the great legends of football. The team with the musical names of Ferenc Puskas, Zoltan Czibor, Sandor Kocsis, Jozsef Bozsic and Nandor Hidegkuti is inevitably mentioned as one of the greatest teams to have graced the pitches of the world. The English remember the Mighty Magyars mostly for the 6-3 drubbing they received at Wembley in 1953. The greatest disappointment for the man dubbed the Galloping Major must have been the 3-2 defeat to West Germany in the 1954 World Cup final when Puskas played although not fully fit. The Magyars would have to settle for the 1952 Olympic Gold they had conquered two years before.

Thank you Ferenc for your part in filling the annals of football with your heroic feats. I am sure that you have been given a hero's welcome up there where you have joined the stars that have left us recently like Giacinto Facchetti and George Best.

Coffee Break

No, this will not be a long, Fausto-style break. It's just that instead of thinking for you today j'accuse will simply be telling you what it is thinking about. Complicated. Must be the weather. Anyways. We agreed with her article. Rather uncharacteristically we found his rather uninteresting. We thought that the whole ruckus about this is far-fetched. Once again we find him hilarous and his victims ridiculous. We find this absolutely unnecessary. We thought this had a good ending and we think this is worth reading. We know that it is uncoventional to hyperlink words like it, his, this and him... but then this is j'accuse... the truth if I lie.

Finally the secret will be out soon. This blog might be going places.... it's all in the title (in a way).

Musical Interlude

Rage Against the Machine... Testify. Following neebother's dedication in his blog. This one goes out to all the Bush apologistas and to the ones who believe politics and the way we do it can change.

Ode to Laziness

My friend Twanny used to blog at Triq il-Maqluba - a mosaical crossroads of cultures and ideas. His love of languages was always evident and the blog was a clear witness to this. His blog ended when he left Malta for Luxembourg to start a new phase in his adventures as a translator. We are still waiting for his new blog to kick off - another road, another destination. In the meantime we have been deprived of his occasional bursts of creativity such as his incredible Mosaics - poems written in three or more languages at one go. My post about Malta's record of laziness and dwarfism reminded the poet of a mosaic of his that he had written shortly before his departure for the Grand Duchy.

It is with great joy that J'Accuse plays host to this work by Twanny in the hope that his life as a sans-blog does not last forever and that he will find a new home on the blogosphere soon. Here it is (English translation follows):

Ad placitum

Għajjejt, tbażwart, inħxejt, the outside world can wait,
mon lit, le paradis, ma chambre une abîme noire,
hoy, yo soy el cansancio, in-ngħas, il-għażż, sommeil,
tout nu, non reggo più, il-lum jien nibqa' d-dar;

parapett, sigarett, café noir, donne-moi espoir,
my unsleepable brain, an ever-travelling train,
ħedla ta' nofsinhar, le nuvole vagar,
debajo de mis sábanas soy soberano rey.

Piccola grande gioia, questo dolce far niente,
far ventiquattro ore senza storie, senza gente,
jum mitluf, jum mirbuħ, ħa nerġa' nieħu r-ruħ;

j'ai envie de l'ennui, de mettre en pause la vie,
oír la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ti,
let it roll, rest my soul, patience dans l'azur.

Antoine Cassar
Qrendi, 9 August 2006

Ad placitum

I'm tired, I'm knackered, I'm fucked, the outside world can wait, / my bed, paradise, my room a black abyss, / today, I am fatigue, drowsiness, lazyness, slumber, / stark naked, can't hold out, today I'll stay at home;

parapet, cigarette, café noir, give me hope, / my unsleepable brain, an ever-travelling train, / afternoon torpor, the clouds roving, / underneath my sheets I am the sovereign king.

Small great joy, this sweet doing nothing, / spend twenty-four hours without stories, without people, / a day lost, a day gained, I will pick up again;

I'm in the mood for ennui, for putting life on pause, / hearing the immense night, more immense without you, / let it roll, rest my soul, patience in the azure.

Short, Lazy Buggers

Picture: The Maltese dwarves at a party: (top to bottom) Lazy, Lazy, Lazy, Lazy, Lazy, Frengo and Lazy

There, we have it on black and white now. Maltese are the shortest and laziest among EU citizens. Why am I not surprised? Have you ever been to Amsterdam or any Dutch town for what that matters? If yes, did you not get the distinct feeling that you might have inadvertently chewed on a magic mushroom in the Shoarma shop and that you were now experiencing a Looking Glass experience where everybody was at least a foot taller than you?

And when it comes to laziness. Just move to a foreign country and try to explain to other people why you just have to park infront of your next destination and avoid any extra walking. How do you explain that jogging is just not an option when the weather outside is polar? Playstation vs Jog round the Park? Give me a break.

What gets at me is that this short & lazy label gives all the pretentious, snobbish bastards situated north of Tripoli point some excuse to snort down at us as though this was the ultimate answer to the existence of the Maltese. The bureaucratically desperate Luxembourger with his squishy squashy language and whose idea of a time out is a trip to Auchan will be giggling his arse off between a moien and a schweier. That really will be the limit.

All the other 24 will follow suit in a concerto of laughter and glee and have a great ball laughing at the "nains faineants" of the Med. But the truth is that the ones who should be laughing are il-Maltin. In fact while being short is nothing that we can control short of interbreeding with the taller races (which is where I am doing my bit by dating a six-footer), being lazy is a matter of perspective.

Laziness in Europe is equated with not wanting to work. With going against the work ethic. In fact the earlier you wake up, the longer you stay at work, the more extra hours you put in in cleaning your home, the more you walk to work across the Kirchberg bridge in sub-zero conditions, the more medals you should earn. And of course you should laugh at the Maltese who steals that extra half-hour in bed, drives to work in a heated car, parks in the parking and gets a lift straight to his office, skips the morning coffee conference at the canteen (shit coffee anyway), reads the papers and listens to music while working, and even manages to leave a little early (say six as against ten pee emm). The output on the workplace is the same. The quality too (if not better) but the appearances really lose out.

You see. What the rest of the EU does not get is that what they call laziness is really a secret to a good laugh. Less stress, better time management and a philosophy based on the idea that "my body is my temple and I am not dragging this temple for a useless twenty minute jog when I could be sitting in the warmth of my house". What the EU will go on to forget is that while we are short and we are "lazy" (I prefer laid-back), we still top the list of the happiest people on the continent.

That should count for something should it not? You bunch of grumpy, clumsy, clanking, overworked good-for-nothings you. I'm off for a ciggy break - coz I've just decided I'll take up smoking again... health was never my thing and there's nothing more relaxing than a little puff for this short but happy lazy bugger!


PS. And does anyone remember the rule of thumb? You know what they say about short men? I guess now we know why our shores are full of women from the north every summer. :)

Sublime

From La Gazzetta dello Sport (Lorenzo Astori):

E intanto mezza Italia è già lì che fa i conti per capire quando la Juve riuscirà ad arrivare in vetta. Impresa possibile già sabato prossimo, ma comunque dietro l’angolo. E sarà ben difficile che i bianconeri, una volta raggiunto il primo posto, possano rallentare il passo e farsi superare: quindi c’è la concreta possibilità che già ben prima di Natale un posto promozione sia già assegnato. Mai successo nella storia di questo campionato, ma non era nemmeno mai successo che ci fosse la Juve…

Non Sequitur #63

Record

Not something for the Guinness Book of Records but a record all the same. Yesterday, Monday November 13th 2006 was the day in which the highest number of visitors popped in for a visit to J'accuse.

547

You know what we say.... probably....

Cushion the Entire Planet

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to J'accuse - la verite' si je mens (the truth if I lie). If you are Maltese and you are reading this blog for the first time chances are that you have read one of Claire Bonello's articles on FM or Manic. Thanks for making the effort and typing in the address of what is probably Malta's most popular blog in your address bar. The last sentence contains an example of tongue-in cheek humour - something that is to be found in great supply in the posts on this blog.

I suggest a little walkthrough through this blog by clicking on previous postsin the section entitled "Hot of the Press" in the right column. To do the time travel thingy without the Delorean then go to the section entitled the "Bollagio" which is a not so smart reference to a vault in a famous film and which contains all the archives of J'accuse. You have material that goes back to 10th March 2005 which is when J'accuse first strated picking on politicians, haranguing columnists and being rude to all and sundry.

J'accuse is not the only blog I write. If you are well versed in Maltese take a look at Kinnie & Twistees a blog that is a bit about Malta and a bit about the rest of the world. In there you will find the series entitled "Folklor Urban ghas-Seklu 21" which has three installations (+ one interlude) entitled Karawett, Kafe' and Kuluri'83 respectively. If on the other hand it's spoofing of Vassalli Maltese that you are after then the chronicles of Gakbu Sfigho in Il Bollettino della Sfi*a are just for you. The Laughing Fit is a project aimed at propagating humour in its basest form. It began as an educational tool for those who keep missing the joke and developed into a collection of funny things suggested to me by readers of J'Accuse.

You may read more about me, my blogging and more on my homepage. Any comments you may have are welcome and may be added on this page by clicking on the word "Comments" at the beginning of this post just near the title.

You might like to know that I post every day or almost. That there are no rules as to the content except that nobody is spared. You might want to get to know every time something new is put up - in that case I suggest an "RSS reader" which is a thingy on the net that allows you to read posts from different blogs as soon as they are up. Nowadays with IE Explorer and always with Firefox you can click on the orange button in the address bar and add the particular blog to what is called your "RSS feed". For a less complicated system just add J'Accuse to your favourites and come back again daily!

There are other blogs out there. Many. I have a short list of some at the end of the column on the right. Enjoy the browsing and please do come back.


Thank You
Finally, a big thank you goes out to Claire for her double mention. I am flattered to be mentioned in the same article as Guze, Immanuel and Pierre. Not to mention Karl Schembri of course!


The idea of this blog is still evolving. It is basically there to "think so you don't have to" as the great vblog philosopher says. We like to put it this way...

"this has been j'accuse... it was either cushion the entire planet... or just your brain."

come again... if not, so long and thanks for the peep.

David and Lorniath

It's a sad day for j'accuse when we resort to this sorry kind of title. We are aware of its sorriness however and that is a very very good start. Recognising the limits of (your) ignorance is what Lorna is all about. Spoofing her is what we are about. Engaging her in a political debate is either the stuff of losers or of budding politicians in search of an easy victory. Failing to convince the reader when writing an article in answer to a Lornism must fall under the category of "Give Up now".

Why on earth David Agius (a PN MP) decided to tackle Lorna and reply to her article of the 25th October is beyond me. For those of you who forget the article in question it is a piece of unfettered adulation for the Leader of Leaders - known in some circles as Alfossa (*cue rueful noises and boos), in others as Fredu Fredu (*cue waving of handkerchiefs andf throwing of underwear).

The radio deejay and host formerly known as davidagius (one word as per radio presenter) is now a politician with the right to have MP writ after his name. So His Honourable Self has taken over two weeks to reply to Lorna. A simple letter might have sufficed but one of the perks of being an MP is that of having an Opinion that is Valued. Well sort of. So a column he needs. And in this column David Agius regales us with an extensive repertoire of reasons why Nationalist vision is incredibly light years ahead the befuddled vision of the party of the Leader of Leaders.

NOT. Of course not. How do you think DA goes about replying to Lorna and her droolings over Alfred? By writing something smart? By telling us why Smart City is a good thing? By projecting us straight into the core mind of the PN plan for the next decade? Of course bloody not. We get the long litany of Old Socialist Nonos that any person who attended the Eddie Mass Meetings of the late eighties and early nineties had learnt to the heart. A bit like the Litany itself...

Prohibition on Chocolates... Labour's fault
No Tv's ... Labour's Fault
No pluralism ...Labour's Fault
Violence and thuggery ...Labour's Fault
Numerus Clausus ...Labour's Fault
Nationalist gits in the 21st century ...Labour's Fault
Friends with the Axis of Evil ...Labour's Fault
Faulty telephone system ...Labour's Fault
Faulty electrical system ...Labour's Fault
Ugly Airport ...Labour's Fault
The mess we are in today ...Labour's Fault

Ora Pro Nobis I say. So David. You pick on the easiest target available. You chose a non-contest. And you bloody well make a mess of it. You claim to speak about vision yet the only eyes you have are for the past. I know. Labour are not the best apple to choose out of the basket. I've known that for some time. That's why I have never voted them for as long as I have had my vote.

What I really need to see is why I should choose that other apple that has begun to rot. Why my vote should go for the likes of you and that merry band of deejays turned opinionists. Why I should even consider voting for a party that in its eight years in power since the last switch has done nothing to prevent the hundreds like myself who now work for the European institutions from losing their vote come election day.

Incidentally the PN has to stop trumpeting inevitable events as being an achievement. The fact that an island of our size cannot compete in certain industries like salt and caper packaging is not difficult to understand. Even to someone like myself without any degree in economics or radio programming. That in today's world a strong investment in IT knowledge is a must is a fact that has long been known in Baglaore, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi... so this particular citizen will not be jumping up and down waving a 'kerchief with David's face on because our University decided to be prepared to churn out new IT specialists.

For heaven's sake people. Stop treating the electorate like they are idiots. After 20 years of plastic politics we can see right through the MLPN average politician facade. That odd article in the Times. That odd intervention at a pizza convention. That odd brillantine smile in the photo-op with party leader. They are not inspiring. They just serve to have our stomach churn in revolt. Take note Aaron Farrugia. This is what politics should NOT be about....

As for Lorna. Do us a favour David, and leave the Dame alone. She is fully capable of damaging herself without any help. Thank you.

Borat

Any doubts?

XXXI

Thirty one years ago today Messrs Anthony and Myriam Zammit were celebrating the birth of a newborn son. Apparently the baby was the missing link in the Darwinian theory of evolution since the lack of proportion between limbs and torso as well as the general pelosity of the screaming infant attested to the relationship between homo sapiens and the ape ancestors. In the words of the doctors (and grandma) he looked like a chimp.

Needless to say, the missing link was later baptised Jacques Rene' Nicholas Marcel Zammit at the Gozo Cathedral much to the joy of the extended Zammit and Agius families in Gozo.

Tempus fuggit, man.

Lest We Forget

Aftermath
Siegfried Sassoon

HAVE you forgotten yet?...
For the world's events have rumbled on since those gagged days,
Like traffic checked while at the crossing of city-ways:
And the haunted gap in your mind has filled with thoughts that flow
Like clouds in the lit heaven of life; and you're a man reprieved to go,
Taking your peaceful share of Time, with joy to spare.
But the past is just the same-and War's a bloody game...

Have you forgotten yet?...
Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you'll never forget.

Do you remember the dark months you held the sector at Mametz--
The nights you watched and wired and dug and piled sandbags on parapets?
Do you remember the rats; and the stench
Of corpses rotting in front of the front-line trench-
And dawn coming, dirty-white, and chill with a hopeless rain?
Do you ever stop and ask, 'Is it all going to happen again?'

Do you remember that hour of din before the attack--
And the anger, the blind compassion that seized and shook you then
As you peered at the doomed and haggard faces of your men?
Do you remember the stretcher-cases lurching back
With dying eyes and lolling heads-those ashen-grey
Masks of the lads who once were keen and kind and gay?

Have you forgotten yet?...
Look up, and swear by the green of the spring that you'll never forget.

Siegfried Sassoon, 1920

Zeus, Foie Gras and other things

A conversation over dinner yesterday sidetracked into the realm of Greek myths and fables. My Greek friend was obviously much better versed in the matter than myself and never confused the Greek names of the deities with their Roman counterparts. Part of my childhood was spent reading various of the love stories, martial exploits and heroic wanders to be found in the Greek mythology, the Arabian nights and anything similar that I might encounter. I could list the names of various deities just as quickly as I could identify the disonaurs from the different periods.

I wonder whether today's children are still tried by Jason, the Minotaur, Demeter and Proserpina, Zeus and this sexual fantasies, Hades and Cerebrus, playful pan and the Argonauts. I wonder whether the interest in dinosaurs is as intense as it was in the eighties when the gretaest question for an eight year old amounted to whether Tyrranosaurus Rex could really outdo a Brontosaurus and how many days it would take for the carcass to be devoured. Yesterday I discovered that behind each name in Greek mythology lies a meaning. So much to learn. So little time.

The culinary experience yesterday was magnificent. We went to a place called "Les Plats Canailles de La Bleue Maison" in Habay-La-Neuve (Belgium). Yesterday was a special menu which I will share with you in a moment. The ambience was amazing, the food divine and the company exquisite. Yes, you guess right... it was a great evening.

La Carte

Un apéritif ma foi … très canaille et ses amuse-bouches

***

Un duo de foie gras de canard :
L’un nature à la fleur de sel
L’autre fourré d’une compote de mangue, coulis de mangue infusé au thym

***

Une rencontre de produits fermiers …
Un magret de canette rôti et du boudin noir au saindoux, rettich aux gésiers confits, gros champignon de Paris farci d’une purée de pomme de terre au Beaufort, sauce fine aux essences de mandarine.

***

« Reblochonnade » aux pommes de terre « Charlotte », crème fleurette et ventrêche, salade de chicon à l’huile de noisette et noisettes grillées.

***

Sur une ganache au chocolat noir, un sablé aux épices et banane caramélisée flambée au rhum, glace rhum-raisin.

***

Moka et ses mignardises

It's the Demos, Stupid

Donald Ducks Out
The first victim of the undoing of the Bush Administration is Donald "Seek the WMDs" Rumsfeld. And we are grateful to God the ever merciful for that. The man whose arrogance had no limits and who became famous for denying the undeniable and defending the undefendable was asked to step down by Supremo Duh!bya. A general increase in worldwide happiness was registered on the Smiley Scale at the moment of the announcement. This was followed by a sharp dip as Duh!bya announced that Mr Gates from his daddy's administration will be stepping into Donald's shoes. Microsoft were quick to issue a press release announcing that any similarity between the name of the new Defense Sec and Bill G is purely fortuitous. Bill G is involved in aggressive marketing tactics, Bob Gates will be involved in just being aggressive.

Full House (and Senate)
Yep. They've done it. The Americans (note the change in reference as promised) have voted in the Democrats... both Senate and House now have Democrat majorities. The future looks bright. At least for now while we are still gloating on this, the first of Bush's defeats and hopefully not the last. Madame Pelosi, leader of the House, is to be congratulated on her optimism regarding bipartisan cooperation. The hunch is that Congress will be transformed into a battleground for the next two years - a witness to the excessive polarisation provoked by Bush's administration. At least I am happy that my first visit to the US will be to one run by a democrat Congress.

Demokristjani
Another interesting article by Ranier. Christian Democracy remains the ideology I can associate closest with. I find myself on the left side of the CD spectrum which can be as varied as an italian parliament. The role of the Christian Democrat politic in today's world was already being questioned after the fall of the Berlin Wall - and of its greatest enemy. The last fifteen years have been a long period of soul searching for the movement. I do not think that we have come to a stage where it is sufficiently redefined to discover its purpose in post 9/11 days. I definitely believe that it should be above petty reformations around militant catholic structures. The christian democrat vision is about the value of humanity and the human being. It is about building a healthy society to grow up and develop the human potential. It is about a tolerance based on a respect of a number of truths that are self-evident - the truths of natural law and natural rights. These truths should be able to transcend the tight-jackets of "civilisations", "cultures" and "races". It's a long way to go. But the donkey in every christian democrat knows that we can get there.

To Critique or not to Critique

The lifting of all obstacles to anonymous commenting on J'accuse has allowed the good old "anonymous" to return. This time I will enjoy his/her presence - whoever he or she may be. I did notice that others too who would have found creating a Blogger ID too tedious now manage to post comments at ease. Good Good. The more comments the better the discussion.

Two particular comments intrigued me this week. They both came in yesterday and both caused me to giggle uncontrollably. The reason the two comments were written is partially as a reaction to the unmitigated provocation that this blog tends to generate when criticising this or that website or article. Our TGIL posts have become stuff of legend and an appointment that is eagerly anticipated by many of our esteemed purveyors of all that is J'Accuse. We do not reserve the prickly pen of painful criticism solely for the Dame of the Gramatically Unconstructive - rather we have spread our blogging wings and flown over Hogan's, Di-ve's and other budding blunderers of this world.

So enjoy these two gems from the commenting world. I thought I should share them with you since they are posted on previous posts which have been relegated into the Bellagio Vault. I shall be breaking one of the laws of chivalry by speaking about the Knights before the Dames.

First the Knights
Offending Post: Up the Knights!
Comment by: Matthew Paris (author to Mdina Knights portal write-ups)
Comment:

I will not retaliate to your unconstructive and inept criticism to my articles, I will simply limit myself to write that, your serious of write-up’s related to Mdina Knights FC, has substantiated my call that, indeed MKFC did manage to attract a considerable amount of Media coverage and a larger amount of followers – which do also include a number of lone Maltesers based abroad.

Dr. Jekyll – I value your comments:)
Matthew Paris – Author to Mdina Knights FC portal write-ups

I like this comment. Firstly because Mr Paris understood the jesting spirit with which the offending post was penned. Secondly because the very subject of the jest - overuse of bombastic, badly placed words to express basic ideas - is also present in the comment itself. And I have a strong suspicion that Mr Paris is an individual who has fully understood the humorous side of it all and is pulling his own leg there. Any doubt that I harboured quickly vanished with the last part of the comment... "Dr. Jekyll.... I value your comments" adorned with smiley.

Well done Matthew and well done once again MKFC. Just polish up the web site language. You need simple English... after all the game is about the pitch and not the prose. Otherwise I am sure your club will go a long way and - as I have already said - you have been adopted by J'accuse as its mascot team for which we have loads of sympathy and support.

And oh... if you have time... do change that horrendous badge.

Then the Dames
Offending Post: In Vin a Veritas (TGIL)
Comment by: Anonymous (but the comment is peppered with clues about the identity)
Comment:

I can never get myself to understand how someone can critique something without even watching it. That is the problem, we ignorant human beings think that we can judge anything at face-value, without delving into the subject matter and trying to understand the why and how of certain happenings. Well i'm sorry that you are so unaware of your own ignorance, for he who judges a piece of work he has not seen, must be ignorant.

Good Lord. "I" and "myself" in the first five words of the sentence. Then we use the word "critique". See what dictionary.com has to say about usage of the word as a verb:

Critique has been used as a verb meaning “to review or discuss critically” since the 18th century, but lately this usage has gained much wider currency, in part because the verb criticize, once neutral between praise and censure, is now mainly used in a negative sense. But this use of critique is still regarded by many as pretentious jargon, although resistance appears to be weakening.

Well, well. Someone who speaks alot about "I myself" and uses "pretentious jargon". As for any remaining doubts to the authorship I also noted the invitation to "delve deeper into the subject matter". Which reminded me a lot of "Especially appealing to Francophiles, this year I have taken the opportunity to delve deeper into the mystical French language as well as its psyche": which is a phrase taken from the article by Lorna that was being criticised in this post, which post was being attacked by Anonymous.

That's three wiches in the last sentence, and speaking of wiches we must come to the message left by not-so-Anonymous. Basically I am being berated for criticising (I'd love to say critiquing) without seeing. Ignorance I must confess. Ignorance of the play in its Maltese form. Ignorance of the play with abridged Maltese names as translated by the Gramatically Challenged. But ignorant of the article penned by the Dame to promote the play I am not. And that, my dear, was the subject of my post. And that was what was so visciously dissected much to the amusement of the onlookers in this 21st century version of the Pan Circenses. I did not "critique" the play but its promotion. What I did say is that based on the presentation of the play in Lorna's article, I would rather be seen in an MLPN General Conference front seat waving a handkerchief than subject myself to the bastardisation by the Gramatically Inept of a French play.

Ignorantia grammaticae neminem excusat, Lorna. And that counts for you too Anonymous. :)

And finally
Thank you to Andre who implied in one of his comments that this blog comes up with a "classic quote" every now and then. See Anonymous... I got some fans too!

To conclude. Just keep commenting. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. We like them all.

Democrats in the House

This may well be the last post to refer to Duh!mericans in that way. It appears that the Democrats have definitely seized control of the House. The White House has conceded the new Democrat majority in the house. The Senate was still too close a call around an hour ago. It appears that the Democrats are counting on the states of Virginia and Montana in order to obtain that necessary six target Senate seats (four are already in).

One little anecdote encountered in the little hours of the morning (around 2am). The Governor of Ohio turned up at the polling booth without his voting document. He was turned away by the zealous voting officials and was later interviewed by bemused journalists. He would not stop smiling about the "logistical" problem while we could hear his wife shouting in the background "I asked him this morning if he had his card". Behind every great man lies.... a whinger right?

Go the Donkeys!

Urban Folklore

The third installment in the series Folklor Urban ghas-Seklu 21 is here. For those of you well versed in the vernacular (the vernacular being il-Malti) do pop over to Kinnie & Twistees and tell me what you think. Trust me... all opinions are welcome. Even when some tell me that my Maltese efforts are best kept to il Bollettino. Incidentally there's a new short story there too.

Meanwhile, back in the city, the Duh!mericans are off to vote. I promise to shed off the Duh! moniker if the Democrats win both Senate and House. That's a deal. The biggest news on the Duh!merican pages seems to be... Britney Spears files for divorce. Way to go!

Blogs are in the news big time in the Duh!S. It appears that the duh!mericans are in the midst of one of the worst sleaze campaigns ever... and the major blame lies on the manipulation of blogs by both sides. Maybe in this case we should be thanking our lucky stars that the MLPN confederation has not heard much of our blogosphere.

Finally allow me to say that there is the faintest hope that J'Accuse might feature regularly on a weekly paper. Nuff said. We'll wait for the powers that be to decide.

Bonne nuit.

Up the Knights!

They still have a badge that would look better on a cheap bottle of plonk than on a football kit (read gear if you never went to SAC). They still stuck to a name that is more deserving of hockey or basketball than of good old footballing tradition. I would have stuck with Università Mdina but that is a personal opinion. Well the latest addition to the MFA has a new funky website which can be found here.

Graphically it's a very good website. Just what it takes for a football club for the 21st century. The music is a bit worrying. You'd expect Clyde Puli to start blabbering away any moment. It might be taking the Mdina and Knight idea a tad bit too far. Then there's the English. They take a page or two out of the Di-ve Guide to Battered Language. Which means... wait for it... a TGIL style J'accuse special (usual rules apply):

***

Founding Members
Mdina Knights FC - an idea sprung up by the founding members Sean Buhagiar; Gilbert Camilleri; Keith Galea; and Matthew Paris. Their flair for sports and their ambition to intrude within the administrative side of local football [intruders eh. Now now.], has cast out [Creative language - you can feel them bursting on the scene] a football club which represents Malta's former Capital city. Their struggle to erect a professional structure has materialised [you see my MK friends - the materialisation seems to refer to the struggle and not to the professional structure - the struggle to grasp the basics of grammar goes on though], prove [yep. Prove of this is that you have no idea that it should be Proof] of this is the overwhelming support by commercial affiliates and the hefty [as in hefty fine - with all its negative implications to boot] amount of subscribing members, which in turn translates in a fortified [see? I told you they had wine in mind] vote in favour for such initiative.

Club's Ambitions
The club has embarked in [that's ON folks] an ambitious project to instigate a professional outlook [find a professional outlook and instigate it... probably using a knight's sword... or something] by installing the appropriate corporate structure and a statute, which governs the members behaviour. The committee reckons that mounting a decent environment between policy-setters and makers is of paramount importance [and there we were thinking that they would be playing football]. Such rapport would ignite motivation [fire up the passion ... a Lornesque alternative] and hence inspire all the key stakeholders to perform with due diligence and enthusiasm [elation that has been vetted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers].

Corporate Structure
The club's corporate structure, utilises [note: whatever happened to USES?] a flattened approach [this really took the wind out of their sails] which seeks to endeavour [to endeavour: to try - hmmm to seek to try] a less bureaucratic approach [yes yes. Now try less bombastic] and hence venerate a more dynamic set-up[ Oh! More Dynamic Set-Up we adore you and have brought thee our gifts] whereby individual creativity [and grammatical creativity] is highly fostered. Each committee member is entrusted with a vast portfolio [Minister? give me a break. A vast portfolio!]. The club's Secretary and the Treasurer will both be assisted by an Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer respectively . The other functional areas include the PRO department which entangles the club's image [Fatal fatal: Entangles, confuses even!... ] with its dependants and third party stakeholders [does the club hold some stake in a third party?]; The Team Manager will seek to engage [Oh Mia Patria... from ingaggiare to enroll] the best football team members and is repsonsible for a good rapport between the coach and the Club; The last but not least is the Team Co-ordinator which [They ran out of personnel with vast portfolio's at that point and the TC is actually an inanimate object] will be responsible to co-ordinate player's issues with top management [To understand top management please refer to flattened (less bureaucratic) approach].

***

Thankfully these guys will be in the business of kicking balls and scoring goals. With Nader Toutoungi and Ayrton Buhagiar they have many a milestone to look forward to. It will not be the Booker Prize but they did kick six goals past Ta' Xbiex two days ago and also won the derby against Attard. Pity for the slip up against Sirens. We will look forward to other results by the Knights as they have been adopted as the mascot team by J'Accuse... if not for the goals at least for the kind of football reporting that Lorna can only dream of:

Sirens FC tampered Mdina Knights FC positive run in the third(3rd) division league played on Thursday 19 th October at 20.00hrs at the Centenary Stadium. The squad devoid of players such as James Vella suspended, Mauro Vassallo and Joseph Debono declared unfit, struggled a great deal in the opening minutes of the first half. As time ticked off, MKFC grew bolder and managed to counter the fierce opposition through diverse initiatives by MKFC midfield players. MKFC did also manage to hit the upright through a fine shot by midfield player Aytron Buhagiar. The deadly goal was scored by Sirens, from a dead-ball situation, which alas condemned MKFC to the first ill-positive result in the third division league.

I was about to say that people should stop B.Comm graduates from writing anything that does not involve numbers. But then Lorna is in possession of a Law Degree. So I guess it takes all sorts!