Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Local Wardens and the Government’s easy money


A few years back we experienced the inception of the Local Warden System. A good idea, and something that was needed. Indeed the Maltese drivers were coerced into observing (mostly) no parking zones, which gave the Police Force a greater chance, time and opportunity to concentrate on more important issues.

At long last we could drive through the roads in Valletta and Sliema comfortably, we stopped seeing to our frustration vehicles parked haphazardly on the pavements to the detriment of both drivers and pedestrians.

When almost everybody was parking well, the next coercive action was to make sure that the vehicle licence was affixed to the windscreen.

Finally when everyone was in-line with the above, the in-car use of mobile telephone witch hunt started.

I have always been a supporter of endeavours that make the general public behave civilly in the roads, however although the goals were achieved, the means with which they have been achieved left much to be desired. The offences that the general public is being charged with are petty, and real offenders, some of which are still apparently untouchables are still getting by.

The enforcement of traffic regulations was indeed needed in this country, and, in line with the government’s policy to privatise practically everything, traffic law enforcement was delegated to the private sector. While most European governments are buying back their privatisation assets, the Maltese Government assigned the enforcement of traffic regulations to the private sector. The Local Warden System is essentially a business venture, and we all know that a business venture does not stay operative without making a good profit margin. I’m sure that the Local Warden Companies are not philanthropic!

Obviously the Government takes a share of the fines we pay, together with our Local Councils.

The Local Wardens are the strictest officers we have ever experienced. They are so sharp at spotting offenders, and so quick to issue their fines. Armed with latest technology, they are only very slightly short of the Rangers of the old Wild West.

What is lacking in the system is education. I have yet to encounter a person who was given a warning by a Local Warden without being booked on the spot. True, I admit that the Maltese population only really learn when their pockets are touched, however at this stage the system has degenerated to a pure money making engine. We have heard numerous rumours that Local Wardens operate on quotas, but this is an argument I would not like to get into as I have no proof to support any thesis whether for or against. We need Officers who put the education of the public at the top of their agenda and not booking offenders like a Gatling Gun.

During the implementation of the Local Warden System we faced the classical chicken and egg situation. While parking was mostly disorganised prior to the implementation of the system, the Maltese drivers had no amenities for parking their vehicles. At that time we saw the implementation of new efficient traffic Law Enforcement units guised as Local Wardens, before the public was educated and before Parking Areas were created. This in my opinion was the wrong way of implementing Law Enforcement. The Government should have first provided alternative parking areas, then educated the public and only at the end enforced the law.

Did any Local Tribunal ever show clemency towards a driver during a hearing? I still remember the Court hearings prior to the implementation of the Local Warden System and Local Tribunals. In those days, if you were partially right and gave proof, you were judged accordingly. Why are the Local Tribunals so impartial if money generation was not involved? Some people, who have time to spare, can take a Tribunal ruling to the Court of Appeals and seek justice there. These are the lucky few, the rest of us would rather pay and suffer, than being forced to take days off from our work to follow our rights. It is definitely the feeling of the general public that Local Tribunals act unfairly.

The next road safety implementation to come to existence was the infamous Speed Camera, or Speed Trap. I stand to challenge the effectiveness of these measures to increase road safety. Many people regard them as “traffic calming measures” or as we more commonly call them “sleeping policeman”. The vast majority of these people drive close to the speed of sound right up to the Speed Camera only to brake suddenly a few inches away not to be caught over speeding by this gizmo. I question the safety of these manoeuvres. Then there is the question of tolerances and accuracy. My car’s speedometer has large figures in miles per hour and small figures in kilometres per hour, and I have to strain my eyes to make sure I am within the limit in kilometres per hour. Most speedometers have 5kmph subdivisions, and it is basic metrology that the accuracy of a ruler is plus or minus its lowest subdivision. Therefore in a road with a speed limit of 70kph, fines are only fair if the speed detected exceeds 75kph! Not to mention the accuracy of the Speed Cameras which has for a long time been debated, and I still challenge. Additionally nobody seems to take any notice of our vehicles’ speedometer accuracy. These instruments are no precisions instruments, and definitely not calibrated. Why should we be fined on non-calibrated instrument readings? What tolerances are the agencies governing these speed cameras giving to make up for our in-car possibly erroneous readings? In my physics ‘O’ Level, I was thaught that errors are multiplied throughout a system. Multiplying all the errors outlined above, I would not be surprised that a fair figure for booking a speedster in a 70kph road would be around 80kph or more!

I started this article saying that the Local Wardens gave more room for the Police to follow up the more difficult offences. However I am not observing any change in the bad driving habits of some untouchables. I stand to be corrected, but to my knowledge trucks, buses and commercial vehicles should not exceed 40mph in non urban areas. Also these large vehicles are not supposed to overtake at any rate, and commercial vehicles should not be driven on Sundays and Public Holidays. Every day, when I’m going to work or coming back, I come across large vehicles and buses overtaking me while I’m driving at 40mph, others simply stay in the outer (overtaking) lane of the road at any speed they desire. Buses and trucks are very notorious for their reckless driving, and most of us are forced to stop at a roundabout or junction, even when we have the right of way, if a bus or truck is about to cross our path, otherwise we will get hurt. On Sundays and Public Holidays, I have to endure inhaling the fuming exhausts of commercial vehicles to the detriment of my health.

All these offences seem to remain unseen by the Law Enforcement Officers. If they were given the attention that parking is given, I’m sure we would have observed a result. It so seems that the Government or Governing bodies only have the power over Joe Bloggs, and are only interested at booking him for his minor offence. The Law Enforcement bodies are definitely choosing the easy way, and possibly the one that generates the most cash in the quickest way.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ġunju

Din hi traduzzjoni tal-poeżija "June" tal-ġurnalist Ċiniż Shi Tao, li bħat-torċa olimpika qiegħda ddur id-dinja tradotta f'diversi lingwi, sakemm tasal f'Beijing f'Awissu li ġej. It-traduzzjonijiet kollha jinsabu fuq is-sit www.penpoemrelay.org, u hawnhekk issibu ukoll l-artiklu tal-Guardian fuq l-inizjattiva u min hu Shi Tao (wieħed minn ħafna ġurnalisti u kittieba li jinsabu maqfulin fil-ħabsijiet Ċiniżi): http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/04/protest_poem_takes_on_olympic.html. Dan ir-relay qed isir bħal protesta kontra ċ-ċensura ħarxa u n-nuqqas ta' rispett għall-jeddijiet tal-bniedem min-naħa tar-reġim Ċiniż. Din il-poeżija ghandha tidher ukoll fuq www.penpoemrelay.org,


Ġunju ta’ Shi Tao



Ħajti kollha


lil hinn minn “Ġunju” m’hi sejra qatt

Ġunju, meta mietet qalbi

meta mietu vrusi

meta l-maħbuba

mititli fl-għadira demm ta’ l-imħabba


Ġunju, ix-xemx tisreġ tfettaħli l-ġilda

u tikxef il-verità ta’ ġerħti

Ġunju, il-ħut jgħumha mill-baħar aħmar dmija

lejn ilmijiet oħra biex jorqod

Ġunju, titħarrek l-art, jisktu x-xmajjar

gozz ittri li ma jistgħux jitwasslu lill-mejtin


Maqluba għall-Malti minn Kevin Saliba u Antoine Cassar

Monday, April 28, 2008

Xi dwejjaq! Għada skola!

Hemm xi tfal li fis-sekondarji qegħdin jirrifjutaw imorru l-iskola - wħud minnhom, b'rieda soda, jirnexxielhom. Oħrajn jmorru l-iskola kontra qalbhom, għax bilfors, biex ma jirċevux iċ-ċitazzjoni. B'ton imdejjaq, jgħidulek "iġri tasal l-aħħar lezzjoni" jew "iġri jasal tmiem -il ġimgħa". Din hija qagħda li tinkwetani ħafna speċjalment meta tara li dan ma jkunx xi każ kultant imma li din hija xi ħaġa komuni. Nemmen li dawn it-tfal mhux dejjem jagħmluha b'kapriċċ din il-ħaġa - jkollhom ir-raġunijiet tagħhom. Ma nafx x'inhuma imma għandi xi suspetti:

  • Il-qagħda familjari:
    • M'għandi l-ebda dubju li qagħda familjari mwiergħa tħalli l-effett tagħha fuq il-ħajja edukattiva tat-tfal. L-instabbiltá tiġi riflessa żgur.
  • L-istimulazzjoni fit-tagħlim:
    • Nistaqsi jekk il-metodi tat-tagħlim humiex qegħdin jilħqu l-aspettattivi ta' l-istudenti - forsi qed nippretendu li l-metodoloġiji li tgħallimna aħna bihom se jibqgħu validi għall-dejjem?
  • Burnout
    • Il-firxa wiesa' ta' suġġetti li jitgħallmu t-tfal sa mill-primarja u l-fatt li ħafna drabi naqgħu għat-tagħlim bl-amment ma jistax ikun sostnut għal tul ta' żmien u ħafna tfal jaqgħu mal-ġenb u ma jinġabrux.
  • Il-qasma bl-eżamijiet
    • Id-daqqa kbira li jaqilgħu t-tfal li ma jgħaddux mill-eżami tal-Junior Lyceum ma naħsibx li qed nifmuha sew. Ma' dawn, u forsi agħar minn hekk, hemm ukoll dawk li lanqas biss jersqu għalih. Nemmen li s-sistema tal-kulleġġi għandha l-potenzjal li tibda tindirizza din il-problema.
  • Nuqqas ta' suġġetti prattiċi
    • Xi kultant, l-uniċi suġġetti li jħobbu dawn it-tfal li jmorru l-iskola bilfors huma dawk prattiċi (Disinn u Teknoloġija, Teknoloġija ta' l-Informazzjoni u l-Kommunikazzjoni, Home Economics, eċċ) naħseb li tajjeb li noffru aktar minnhom - huma s-suġġetti li jagħtu lill-istudenti x'jifhmu li huma tajbin għal xi ħaġa.
  • Nuqqas ta' rispett lejn l-awtoritajiet
    • Il-mod kif ċertu studenti jġubu rwieħhom fl-iskola lanqas kont noħolmu meta kont l-iskola jien! Ħafna jaqblu li fil-passat kien hawn ferm aktar rispett lejn l-għalliema - x'qed jiġri allura?
  • Għalliema mhux motivati
    • Din ir-raġuni irridu niddiskutuha aktar fid-dettall għax hemm ħafna x'wieħed jgħid dwarha - il-ġrajjiet tal-ġimgħa li għaddiet meta għalliem safa attakkat fl-iskola u oħrajn bħalhom żgur li ma jżidux l-entużjażmu ta' l-għalliema - imma dan jista' jkun ċirku vizzjuż.
Żgur li hemm ħafna aktar raġunijiet - hemm dokument inseressanti li jistudja l-fenomenu ta' l-assentejiżmu - tajjeb li ntuħ daqqa t'għajn - dan jinsab fuq is-sit tal-Ministeru ta' l-Edukazzjoni u l-Kultura.

Kif rajtu jista' jkun li għandi ferm aktar mistoqsijiet milli tweġibiet. Li hu żgur li jekk ma nistaqsux, it-tweġibiet żgur ma jaslux.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Silta mill-eżami tal-Matrikola tal-Malti:
L-Iscrapbook ta’ Johnny

Johnny kien ilu jipprepara għall-wirja ta’ l-iskola. L-iscrapbook tiegħu kien dwar il-ġebla Maltija, u kien ħadem fuqu bis-sħiħ għal xhur twal. Fittex fl-internet, fl-enċiklopedija ta’ missieru u fil-librerija ta’ l-iskola għall-informazzjoni. Saħansitra ħuh, li kien impjegat tal-kumpanija tal-kostruzzjoni Ħottu u Ibnu Construction kien ġablu informazzjoni mix-xogħol. Ommu kienet għinitu jwahhal l-istampi pulit. “Dan kapulavur, kemm waħħalthom sbieħ l-istampi!” kien qallu s-surmast meta ra l-proġett.

Meta qorob iż-żmien, l-għalliem qassmilhom fuljett żgħir ta’ nformazzjoni li fuqha saħansitra kien hemm ismu miktub fuq il-qoxra. Wasal id-dar ixejjer il-fuljett. “Ma! Ma! Ara ismi fuq il-fuljett! Qisni l-prim ministru meta jġibu ismu fuq il-faċċata tal-gazzetta b’ittri kbar!” Kburija bih, ommu qallbet fil-fuljett, iżda wiċċha malajr tqarras hekk kif rat il-logo ta’ l-isponsor prinċipali. Johnny ma’ fehemx għaliex u għamilha ta’ bir-ruħu li ma ra xejn.

Meta wasal missieru mix-xoghol, sema’ biċċiet ta’ konverżazzjoni minn wara l-bieb tal-kċina. Għal darba, donnu l-ġeneturi tiegħu donnhom kienu qed jaqblu “… dak qed jeqred ‘il Malta … fejn marret il-ħdura li niftakar minn tfulitna? F’butu, dak fejn marret … ma xebgħax itellgħa blokkijiet mostrużi ta’ flettsijiet? … u dil-golf course li qala issa ma nafx xi rriduha …”. Iżda l-frażi li beżżgħetu kienet “le, le, ma mmorrux, ma rridx nagħti riklam b’xejn li dak”.

Dak inhar fil-għaxija, wara l-ikel, il-ġeneturi ta' Johnny poġġew biswietu, ommu naħa, missieru l-oħra. “Ibni, taf l-attroċitajiet fuq l-ambjent li qed taghmel il-kumpanija Ħottu u Ibnu Construction?” beda missieru. “Naħseb smajt bil-golf course li qed jibnu, bl-aħħar toqba f’nofs il-pjazza ta' l-Imdina,” issoktat ommu. “Il-wirja ta’ l-iskola hija sponsored minn dik il-kumpanija, u se tittella fl-exhibition space tal-kumpanija.” “Naħsbu li bħala att simboliku m’aħniex ser nigu ghall-ftuh tal-wirja,” alternaw ommu u missieru.

Bi dmugħ f’għajnejh, Johnny ħares lejn il-ġeneturi tiegħu. Kien jaqbel magħhom li dik kienet kumpanija li qegħda teqred ‘il Malta. Fil-gazzetta kien hemm li minħabba l-kostruzzjoni tal-golf course, it-turisti ma’ setgħux jidħlu jaraw l-Imdina. Imma kien ilu wisq jaħdem fuq dak l-iscrapbook. Kull ma qal kien: “Imma ħija, allura?”

“Ma ntawlux ilsienna issa,” ħatfu missieru, “dak qed jaqla lira sew minn hemm!”


Il-links fl-artiklu ghandhom jghinuk tifhem ahjar. Wieġeb sabiex turi li fhimt:
  1. Għaliex taħseb li ma jagħmilx sens li ħu Johnny jitlaq impjiegu?
  2. Min taħseb li għandu raġun, omm Johnny, jew missieru?
  3. Poġġi f’ordni alfabetika: prinċipji, ekonomija, opportuniżmu.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Urtica Dioica


Fil-bitħa interna tal-istudio tiegħi, kelli zokk imħawwel ġewwa ftit ħamrija, li darba minnu rajt tispunta werqa u skporejt li dan iz-zokk kien pjanta. Wara xhur nieħu ħsieb dan iz-zokk, ftit ftit, minn werqa saru tnejn, imbagħad tlieta u fi żmien qasir imtlejt bil-kuraġġ u illum hemm tużżana pjanti fid-daqsxejn ta’ bitħa li għandi. Meta staqsewni x'jisimha l-pjanta (minflok x'tip ta’ pjanta hi) smajt lili nnifsi nirrispondi Doris. U Doris qegħdha hemm fil-bitħa interna tal-istudio tiegħi; irqieqa, twila u imxengla.

Waqt l-elezzjoni li għaddiet, f'dak iż-żmien ta’ taqtih il-qalb, lil Doris u lil sħabha, dawk it-tużżana pjanti l-oħra, abbandunajthom, biss peress li xita ma kienetx nieqsa, ma mietux. Il-bieraħ minn wara Doris, iħarsu lejja qishom biex jinkuni, rajt ftit weraq ġodda. Mort inħares aktar mill-viċin u skoprejt li kien ħurrieq. Ħurrieq, dawk l-erba' werqiet li jirnexxielhom jikbru fl-aktar postijiet diffiċli biex taqlagħhom. U ta’ iblah li jien provajt naqla’ dawn l-erba' werqiet semplicimet għax xi ħadd iddeċieda li huma ħaxix ħazin. U wara li ħraqt idi ma’ dan il-ħurrieq sibt ruħi nirraġuna "Koż, kif inhi l-ħajja, anki fid-dinja tal-weraq u l-fjuri għandek ċittadini tal-ewwel u t-tieni klassi." Dawk li l-ħajja daħqitilhom u dawk li għax xi ħadd qam bil-bajda mdawwra sabu ruħhom imwarrba u imkażbra mill-bqija tad-dinja. Qisu kulħadd nesa' li żmien ilu, in-nanniet tagħna kellhom ħafna użu għal din l-pjanta li illum inħarsu lejha b'tant disprezz.

Forsi tinstema’ ftit drammatika, imma f'dan il-pajjiz ukoll għandna ċittadini ta’ l-ewwel u dawk tat-tieni klassi u dan jinstab fuq ħafna livelli. Jinstab fuq livell soċjali, dak ekonomiku u anki dak politiku. Dawk li minħabba min huma, x'edukazzjoni għandhom jew xi skola marru, jew minħabba x' twemmin politiku iħaddnu awtomatikament jinstabu fuq wara nett tal-karru, jew forsi isibu lilhom infushom jimxu waqt li ħaddieħor jirkeb. U din problema fuq żewġ livelli, minn naħa fuq livell personali għal dawk li biex jirnexxu iridu jistinkaw aktar minn ħaddieħor u minn naħa l-oħra telf għal pajjiż kull darba li l-ideat u l-kapaċitajiet ta' sezzjoni tal-poplu jiġu skartati.


Ironikament din is-sena, hi i s-sena Ewropea għad-djalogu interkulturali. Sħabna l-ewropej mhux żgur jafu kemm dan hu pajjiż maqsum. Mhux żgur jafu li anki f'soċjeta li suppost hi daqshekk omoġenja hawn daqshekk firda. Forsi ta’ min nibdew niċċelebraw din is-sena billi l-awtoritajiet jieħdu passi biex ħadd fuq din il-blata ma jħossu mwarrab u d-djalogu li kien wegħda politika snin ilu tassew jibda jseħħ. Ta’ min nibdew naħdmu ħalli kullħadd ikun iħossu li jista jikkontribwixxi. Forsi wasal iż-żmien li minbarra kliem fieraħ, il-politiċi taghna vera jibdew jaħdmu ħalli din tkun soċjeta inklussiva. Bħal Doris u l-ħurrieq ma’ nħabblux rasna naqsmu l-istess qasrija.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Smajt ma Smajtx 03

The debate about biofuels continues...

President Alan Garcia of Peru said using land for biofuels was putting food out of reach for the poor. Meanwhile UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is hosting a meeting to discuss European policy encouraging biofuels.
whilst the cost of food leaves an impact on most international markets

Rajt ma Rajtx 03



... which is why I never read more than the first 15 words of the local papers' editorials.

(image used from www.xkcd.com)

Monday, April 21, 2008

Precedent Evil

No .... scrap the idea that the pun intended has something to do with an evil president!

During the past few years we have been bombarded with images of the living dead. Like in the mid-eighties being a zombie has become of age again. Numerous movies are appearing on (our home) cinema screens – Romero's Dead series, 28 weeks later, Saw saga and the soon to come Invasion of the not Quite Dead produced by the (in)famous Ken Russell. All reminding us of the good crappy stuff and gore. Games on the market take us to the horrific world of body parts - Resident Evil series (inclusive of all the marketing material) , Dead Rising and my personal favourite Silent Hill saga, glorifying the act of falling apart with green stuff oozing from every human cavity imaginable.

But, is this virtual reality a comment on the real world we are living in? The variety of cancerous growths and allergies to almost anything imaginable (hay fever, lactose intolerance) is impressive. Is this caused by the lack of clean environment we're living in? Is it the nicely presented and genetically modified food we are eating? Is it the daily stress we have to go through?

Have we become Marilyn Manson’s Beautiful People? Are we participating in a human disfiguring contest? Cronenberg in his film Crash states "The car crash is a fertilizing rather than a destructive event”. Not only is this reality a shocking revelation but we are now commercialising the exchange of body parts and making it look as if it is a normal mundane necessity. This crude consumerist notion has become a conceivable reality as we sit through reality shows glorifying the transition from small boob to big boob. Oh how sexy the new plastic-you looks! Private hospitals have these operations on their menu a la carte. The medical treatments offered include face lifts, otoplasty (prominent ear correction), rhinoplasty (cosmetic nose reshaping), abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), liposuction, breast augmentation, breast reduction and other cosmetic interventions. You can now fly to Malta in order to have your cosmetic surgery done. Malta: the jewel of the Mediterranean for cosmetic surgery. That transformed acne-free face is now offering you peace of mind.


Should we start discussing the ethical consideration of all this? What I mean by ethical is not just the scientific morality but also the consumerist notion that seems to have tentacled its way into our society.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Rajt ma Rajtx 02

Just came across this version of Personal Jesus by Johnny Cash, simply superb.


Friday, April 18, 2008

Rinaxximent

Jikteb André Borg

L-istorja tal-bniedem hija ċiklu tond. L-esperjenza tgħallmek li dak li għaddej minnu llum ħafna drabi huwa mera ta’ ġrajjiet li seħħew fil-passat. Għaliex il-letteratura klassika baqgħet tiġi studjata u interpretata mijiet ta’ snin wara li nkitbet? Ir-raġuni taqa’ fuq l-iktar elementi bażiċi li jiffurmaw l-umanita’: l-għira, l-imħabba, il-poter u t-tradiment li huma t-tessut ta’ din il-letteratura klassika li baqgħet relevanti sa llum. Ikollna nigdmu ilsienna u nammettu li b’xi mod jew ieħor ilkoll influwenzati minn dawn l-elementi anke jekk mhux kulħadd bl-istess kejl. Aktarx l-istint tal-bniedem ma jafx mod ieħor. Jekk l-għira u l-kilba għall-poter waqqgħu imperi leġġendarji mijiet, anke eluf, ta’ snin ilu, inħarsu madwarna u naraw li l-istess elementi huma integrati fl-oqsma kollha tas-socjeta’ regolatorja li ngħixu fiha llum.

X’qed nipprova ngħid? Jekk naċċettaw il-fatt li l-istorja tirrepeti ruħha, analiżi tajba kemm tal-passat kif ukoll ta’ dak li qed jiġri llum, jista’ b’xi mod jgħinna biex infasslu l-futur. Irridu nippjantaw ġejjieni li fuq quddiem nett, jerġa jagħti spinta lill-kultura u l-liberta’ tal-ħsieb. Jekk tistaqsuni, ngħid li mhu minnu xejn li teżisti din il-liberta’. Araw x’qed jiġri llum. Żur il-postijiet tax-xogħol, l-istituzzjonijiet edukattivi, u ffrekwenta ċrieki ta’ ħbieb. Ara jekk hux kulħadd komdu jesprimi opinjoni li forsi ma tkunx taqbel ma’ dik tal-maġġoranza.

Il-biża’ mir-riperkussjoni qed toqtol bil-bosta l-inizjattiva u t-tixrid ta’ l-ideat. L-ideoloġija saret tabu’ u li tkun idealist hija bħal donna dagħwa f’katidrall. Ftit għad hawn zgħazagħ li jesprimu bil-miftuħ l-ideal progressiv li jħaddnu. Bħal dak il-bajd li b’tant għozza jkun ilu jiġi ndukrat mill-fekruna tal-baħar, iżda f’tebqa’ t’għajna fis-satra tal-lejl jittiekel mill-predatur. Hekk ukoll il-ħsieb kreattiv u t-thewdin li jkun ilu jikkarambola fil-kuriduri tal-moħħ, qed jispiċċa jintesa’ qabel biss jażżarda jingħad. X’inhi r-raġuni?

Qatt ma kienet faċli għall-progressivi li jbiddlu mentalita’ b’mod radikali. Ma kenitx faċli fil-bidu tas-seklu li għadda li n-nisa jwasslu ‘l quddiem ħsibijiet dwar id-drittijiet tagħhom, u lanqas ma kienet faċli l-ewwel darba li persuni omosesswali immarċjaw fit-toroq għall-għarfien tad-drittijiet ċivili li talbu. Storikament lanqas ma' kienet faċli li niffaċċjaw gwerrer u nerggħu inqumu fuq saqajna. It-trijonf għall-Maltin ma ġiex ma’ l-għoti tal-George Cross fl-1942, iżda l-qawmien li għamel il-poplu Malti biex wara l-istess gwerra ittrasforma soċjeta’ tal-gaxin għal dik sofistikata li nafuha llum. Bid-differenza li wara l-gwerra kellna ambizzjoni li nagħtu qawmien ġdid lil pajjiżna. Illum wisq nemmen li n-neo liberaliżmu qatel certu inizjattiva u ħsieb kreattiv.

Illum iċ-ċiklu reġa ġie f’punt li rridu nerġgħu nibdew noħolmu kif nistgħu nixprunaw ir-riżorsi u l-ideat ta’ kull min hu progressiv. Qatt mhu se tkun facli li nesprimu ruhna b’mod liberu, u dan għal raġunijiet li huma affettwati minn pressjonijiet esterni. Iżda jekk ħadd ma juri rieda soda u solidarjeta’, se nibqgħu nfesfsu l-idejat tagħna fil-widnejn. Irridu naqbdu id xulxin u nibdew paġna ġdida. Ir-rivoluzzjoni siekta li rridu naħdmu ghaliha, lil hinn mill-mazza u l-minġel, hi bbażata fuq il-liberta’ kif nixtiquha, spintata minn moviment progressiv li jkun ispirat mill-arti u l-kultura. Din l-istess arti tista' tkun il-mezz li bih nesprimu ruhna, għalhekk rinaxximent. Ghandu jirnexxielna nbiddlu mentalita’ li llum intliet bl-għabra.

info@andreborg.com

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Smajt ma Smajtx 02

A great thinker dies, just came across this

Edward Lorenz, the father of chaos theory, died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Wednesday. He was 90.

He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he came up with the scientific concept that small effects lead to big changes, something that was explained in a simple example known as the "butterfly effect." He explained how something as minuscule as a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil changes the constantly moving atmosphere in ways that could later trigger tornadoes in Texas.

Not convinced that his theory is applicable to Maltese politics though.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Rajt ma Rajtx 01

thanks to Andre

Min hu l-Haddiem? – What is the working class?

Since times beyond history, when bipedal monkeys started to organise themselves into a society, differences spawned between the haves and the have not’s, the equal and the lesser equal, the working class and the non working class.

In this Piscean era, class differences are the inheritance of our forefathers, but are they real?

Today every politician, who thinks he’s worth a penny, vouches for his allegiance with the working class, and promises a utopia where those, who are left behind in this race we call life, will be taken care of by the state. But hey is this not Communism? So why did the Communist experiment fail? Oh yes, this is social democratic, sorry. On second thoughts even a Republican says the same, so did an extreme rightist (Nationalist) in Germany 60 odd years ago!

The question remains, who is this worker that everyone wants to glorify for just one week every 5 years and milk for the following 60 months? What is the working class? If one is to define the set “working class” who would be the members?

The stereotype image of a worker is the manual, often unskilled labourer, the rest are managers and professionals. What differentiates the manual labourer from a manager and a professional? The labourer wakes up early in the morning and goes to his place of employment to finance his living and that of his family and at 5 pm he shoots off home to kiss his wife and kids and spend some time watching TV with them or go out to nanna’s. The manager on the other hand wakes up a bit later, goes to the same place of work, armed with his best weapons, which he sharpens daily to climb the career ladder, and leaves quite late, returning home to find his kids asleep, his wife sulking over how high the expenses of the family are, worrying about the ever increasing kid’s school fees and how little time they have together ever since his promotion. While the manual worker has his skin peeled of his back to make both ends meet, the professional works his behind off to follow his vocation. Thus, from dusk till dawn he meets and visits clients nonstop, cash flows much less than he ever expected, meets his buddies for an expensive lunch, expresses intellectual political views, and goes home late to find his wife and kids fast asleep, but his career is moving on and his family lacks no perk that his neighbours have.

Everyone seems to wake up in the morning to fund his living in one way or another! So who are the members of the set “working class” really? Is it the manual labourer, his manager or their lawyer? Maybe the big boss, the owner of the company, is the one who is not member of the “working class”. No? He just sits in that big leather seat all day for fun and when he is in the mood goes for a walk in the shop floor because it gives him a kick to boss people around. I forgot, he too wakes up early in the morning to go to his office, works hard and worries about his business, suffers from stress, drinks a tot or two on the job (some people are lucky ay?), meets his buddies some of whom are fellow investors or professionals, talks the high talk and arrives home to be greeted by his snoring wife and kids.

Is therefore everyone a worker at the end of the day? What about the manager and the professional who feel they are higher up in the rung of society? Are they common working mortals like the manual labourer? Is the society providing such a deceit as to delude people into believing that they are something different from what they really are?

The set “working class” does involve the vast majority of the society otherwise politicians would not make it such a point in addressing them in that week every 5 years. But are these politicians being mislead in their pleas? Is their propaganda not reaching the whole target sector? Do they have an audience that albeit being part of their target sector are not listening? Are there people who, whether they like it or not, form part of the “working class” and live in their ivory towers believing they are outside of this segment of society? Do these people feel that any political change or any politician’s address targeted at the “working class” are targeted towards another stereotype we call the ‘common man in the street’ and will not have any effect on them? Do they simply feel that they do not belong to that sector, albeit they actually do? Or are they just resigned to fate, with their faith in the political system broken down and thriving for their own independence from the State through their continuous struggle to improve their financial wellbeing, and never seem to reach the goal they have originally set themselves to achieve?

Maybe it is time to re-define our sociological classifications and take care of the needs of the whole society in general and not just the few non members of this set, whether imaginary or real.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Smajt ma Smajtx 01

Monday, April 14, 2008

Killing us softly

One of the few things I hate about Malta. It's killing us and it's killing our children. Slowly. Without realising it. Smoke. There's no denying that air pollution is the main cause of respiratory illnesses. Statistics show that these have been on the increase and the difficulties and helplessness caused to sufferers are ever more present. Some patients require medicines that cost more than EUR720 per year, which admittedly, is a small price to pay to be able to breathe. Then again, some patients cannot afford to pay for this and the treatment is not offered by the national health service.

There are different sources of smoke, some essential and some completely unnecessary. Let's look at the absolutely unnecessary. Cars with flared exhaust pipes bellowing black clouds of smoke on our roads, into our faces, our nostrils, our lungs. Into those of our sons and daughters, even in the pushchair. The perpetrators of these acts are criminals. These are crimes that are allowed to happen everyday. I was happy when the SMS reporting system was introduced, I regularly used the number to report abusers. To my disappointment I soon realised that this system was not having the desired effect. The same cars that were reported over and over just keep pouring filth into our lungs.

I cannot understand why they do it. I sometimes suspect that it is just trendy, makes their car sound faster and draw people's attention, but then I just can't make myself believe that this is the case. The reason is probably that they are not aware of the consequences of their actions. Nobody in their right state of mind would want to harm their neighbours, their relatives, their loved ones. It is therefore a matter of education, we need to do something about this. In the same way we encourage people to stop smoking, we need to teach people to keep their carbon emissions as low as possible.

Then there are the buses and heavy vehicles. New trucks and buses, I'm happy to notice, seem clean – these make up a very small percentage of the total. I think that EU regulations are very strict on the issue of carbon emissions. After years of full membership it is about time to start tackling this in a serious manner. Our environment starts with the air we breathe.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Il-Pixxatur ta’ Duchamp

Għadni kemm spiċċajt naqra The Napoleon of Notting Hill ta’ G.K. Chesterton. Kummidjant jigi mlaħħaq Re ta’ l-Ingilterra, u biex jitmejjel jaħtar Provosts ta’ diversi mkejjen zgħar madwar Londra, jivvintalhom bandiera, simbolu, tradizzjonijiet, jikkrejalhom storja u identita li qatt ma eżistew. Iċ-ċajta dejqet lil kulħadd, jew kważi kulħadd, għax għaxar snin wara, niskopru li l-Provost ta’ Notting Hill ħa kollox bis-serjeta, u f’diskussjoni twila li jkollu mar-Re, tispiċċa tistaqsi ‘Ghaliex le?’ Aktar ma ċajta jemmnuha, aktar issir titwemmen.

Il-pixxatur ta’ Duchamp ċajta oħra. Tifmhunix ħażin, inħobbu, u meta rajt wieħed minnhom (għax biex tagħqad hemm diversi minnhom) ma flaħtx ma nitbissimx. Ħallieni burdata tajba għall-bqija tal-ġurnata. Imma huwa arti? Ħafna jgħidulek li iva, propju għaliex illum ħafna aċċettawh bħala arti, u jgħidu li hu. Għal xejn aktar. U aktar ma għajtu li huwa arti dawk l-ewwel nies li emmnu hekk, aktar ma kienu nies li ħaddiehor ried jassoċja ruħu magħhom, aktar ikkonvinċa nies, u aktar sar arti.

Il-politika lokali saret tixbaħ lil dan il-pixxatur. Partiti li nsew, xi kultant huma stess, il-kuluri tal-bnadar li jxejjru l-partitarji tagħhom. Kienet kampanja elettorali ta’ ilħna jirbumbjaw jgħidulna x’għandna nemmnu. Il-pixxatur ghaliex arti? Ir-riżultat ta’ l-elezzjoni għaliex huwa dak li hu? Għax wara li l-għajjat mill-pixxatur/partiti, media/kritiċi ta’ l-arti, u kull min beda jsemma leħnu, il-maġġoranza hekk jemmnu li ghandu jkun. Bħal fil-każ tal-pixxatur, aktar ma jgħajjtu nies mill-bidu, akbar ma jkun l-istorbju, id-diżgwid bejn l-ilħna, aktar demokratika u rappreżentattiva tkun id-deċiżjoni.

Għalhekk iddecidejt li nibda nikkontribwixxi f’dan il-blog. Ghax xtaqt insemma leħni jien ukoll, ħa nżid leħen iehor mal-kakofonija li diġa hemm.

Din l-ewwel opinjoni li se nsemma: Iva, ma jimpurtanix jekk il-pixxatur ta' Duchamp huwiex arti, imma jogħġobni.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Il-Ftuħ

Mhux ħa nagħmlu ċerimonji, qtugħ ta' żigarelli, tberik u pastini. Imma mill-llum il-manoċċa bdiet ittir. Ħafna kienu dawk li tul dawn l-aħħar ftit jiem li kient online urew interess dwar din il-manoċċa. X'inhi, minn fejn gejja? Għaliex? Din serja? Mill-llum, l-opinjonijiet tagħna jibdew jinkitbu hawn.

Min aħna? Ma aħna ħadd partikolari. Numru ta' individwi li ddeċidew li jiktbu fuq li qed jiġri, fuq dak li jemmnu. Aktar numru ta' individwi, milli grupp, ghax daqs kemm hemm affarijiet li naħsbu fuqhom b'mod simili, hemm ferm aktar li naħsbu differenti. L-unika tema li tunifika hija l-ħsieb progressiv (fis-sens wiesgħa tal-kelma), u t-twemmin li tikkomunika dak li temmen fih. Perspettivi differenti fuq temi komuni, mingħajr linja editorjali dritta. Forum miftuħ għad-diskussjoni, fejn ħadd, u l-ebda ħsieb m'hu ċċensurat.

Ghaliex? Għaliex le? In-nuqqas ta' postijiet fejn wieħed jista jesprimi ruħu b'mod ħieles hu ż-żerrieġħa minn fejn nibdet il-manoċċa. Lok fejn nies jesprimu dak li jemmnu mingħajr ma' għandhom bżonn jaraw għajn m'għajn ma' l-editur. Post fejn ħsibijiet intelliġenti progressivi huma milqugħa, u mhux mormija u kkundanati bħala ereżijiet mingħajr validazzjoni mill-qarrej. Għaliex blogg? Ghax iħaddan il-prinċipju bażiku ta' ħsieb ħieles demokratiku, fejn kulhadd jista jitkellem mingħajr ma' jiġi maħnuq jew injorat.

X'għandek tistenna hawn? Stenna minn kollox, kummenti dwar dak li qed jiġri, dak li nemmnu, dak li nħossu li hu mportanti, xi kultant dak li nħossu li hu trivjali. Li nħossu dwaru b'passjoni, imma tistenniex wiċċ serju wara kull artiklu. Biss stenna li nkunu ġenwini, sinċiera u kemm jista jkun oġġettivi. Stenna ukoll li l-perspettiva tinbidel, dak li kien jgħodd ghal llum mhux bilfors jgħodd għal għada.

Narawkom għada.

Emile, Gordon, Rupert, Russell u Sean

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

In The Beginning

"'Let there be light' and there was light, but the Electricity Board said He would have to wait until Thursday to be connected." - Spike Milligan

First Article will appear Thursday 10th April 2008