Hot from the Astrid front on Super One
Published:
March 11, 2010 at 10:56pm
Kullhadd ghall-Belt ma' Astrid - march on, people!
Marelli santa, it’s like listening to a medieval quack selling snake-oil.
Did you know that black dust, when breathed in, goes straight into your blood-stream and gives you a heart attack? Rustle of papers. X% of heart attacks in America take place because of exposure to pollution.
We need a theatre with a roof, so that cruise-liner passengers can attend concerts.
Quick, somebody tell her that cruise-liners dock in the morning and leave in the early afternoon, and the last thing any of the passengers are going to do in their precious four hours is listen to a concert.
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Yes, I heard her. Black dust is the cause of all illnesses. But I couldn’t watch them any longer. Did you hear Herr Flick? The prime minister ‘iqabbad xi gurnalisti, taparsi indipendenti, u halli ma nuzax il-kelma, imma kwazi mixtrijin…’?
[Daphne – What, you mean the ones like me, who work for the same newspaper his daughter does?]
Remember what happenned to John Bencini last Sunday week? Well, he rushed home as he could not take the heat –
let’s not have a repeat performance over the weekend.
The GWU must realise that this protest she is promoting will benefit the worker’s pocket and serve as yet another prime example of what an inefficient government we have. So then we can all sit back and watch Astrid march down Republic Street arm-in-arm with Tony Zarb chanting a few charming hymns, while Birdlife release a few pigeons of peace in the background.
Her idea of packing cruise liner passengers into a theatre is one of the countless CUCATI of Astrid. With just a few hours on our island, it would be far better to show them our unique architectural heritage. Which imbecile of a cruise passenger would want to shut himself up in a theatre watching a theatrical or musical performance which he could see in his home city?
Werzaq kemm trid Astrid, la m’ghandekx x’taghmel. Id-decizjoni ttiehdet wara snin twal ta’ diskussjonijiet pubblici, snin twal ta’ djalogu mal-pubbliku, wara li saru doversi kompetizzjonijiet ghall-ahjar mudelli.
May I use the word fisswa on this blog or will she assume I’m referring to her? I wouldn’t want her to sue you.
Astrid made the sensational announcement that 1,200 signed the petition AGAINST the project. If these same people were asked what they want instead some would say they want the Barry theatre rebuilt, some would want a national theatre occupying the entire site, some would be quite happy to have a retractable roof over the theatre proposed by Piano and some would want to leave an open space.
Astrid and Herr Flick claimed that the real issue is that there was not enough consultation. WRONG! No amount of consultation would ever get 400,000 people to agree on a single course of action and Astrid knows it.
Sometimes I think that what Astrid (and her PL friends) really want is for the project to be abandoned..
Too right.
And abandonment is what they’ll get at this rate.
Yes, that is what Astrid really wants: Labour to do what SHE has in mind. But that is not on the agenda.
Yawwwnn.
I make no bones about being a friend of Astrid’s, embor (whoever you may be). And I personally disagree with the notion of whacking in cruiseliner tourists to a concert and have told her so.
But as to there being a shitload of aberrations in Piano’s plan, I think one would have to be comatose not to agree! The City Gate opening, the new Parliament on Stilts are, quite frankly, madness. And yes, abandonment of half-assed nonsense is preferable!
Chris, I agree 100% with your comments.
I’m not comatose. And I don’t agree. Taste and aberration are not synonyms.
So, according to yet another incognito (Hmmm), ripping the roof off City Gate, thereby making a mockery of it being a fortified city, is not an aberration?
This is quite apart from removing a precious access/exit route to the city. Come off it! I care not a jot about Piano’s reputation – his plan has serious flaws and should not see the light of day, especially when we could use the cash saved. Of course, I respect your anonymous opinion.
Chris Ripard
Valletta’s fortifications are a monument with no military use so there’s no point in having a “fortified” entrance – nobody is expecting the city to withstand a siege. Since the original gate has unfortunately been destroyed, I don’t see why we should build a facsimile.
The entrance to Valletta is going to be in an early 21st century style because that’s the period we’re living in and it doesn’t make a difference whether it has a top (not a roof) or not. As it happens, it won’t have an arch because that’s how Renzo Piano’s conceives it and he’s the architect entrusted with the project. Can you imagine a Laparelli having to grapple with a 16th century Astrid screeching at him from the battlements? Valletta would have remained without its bastions to this very day.
Following your line of argument, that precious access/exit route running over the current gate is an aberration in a fortified city.
Had-dumu targumentaw?
As I said, I respect your opinions but can only disagree. Piano is f ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ about with a World Heritage site purely on the basis of reputation. Valletta is not some airport in Japan. Anyway – what the heck, at the end of the day we either like it or lump it. I would rather not let some wop disfigure my country’s capital but if that’s what most people want, so be it. Nobody ever said life was fair!
Chris, wait till 2013. When the whole place is inaugurated, we can talk again. I am sure the Leader of the Opposition then will say “we now have a state of the art parliament” and about the theatre, “this is art in itself.”
If you do not like it, you will have the chance to disapprove by voting Labour in the elections to be held in that same year.
I agree perfectly with the thinking being expressed by Antoine Vella. We are living now, and the architect must (and can reasonably be expected to) express something contemporary. Otherwise, the Prime Minister should have appointed Girolamo Cassar or Francesco Lapparelli.
Disfigure Valletta? I don’t think so. There’s not much of a ‘figure’ to begin with if you only see Valletta as a fortified city.
@ Chris Ripard You think that what is being proposed is madness. There are many who disagree with you. It is no surprise that there are different opinions. So be it.
What would be a far greater madness is if we do nothing. Having abandoned ruins at the entrance of our capital city is the madness to which we must put an end.
“I would rather not let some wop disfigure my country’s capital but if that’s what most people want, so be it.”
Some wop. Renzo Piano is not just an architect of world repute. He’s also an Italian architect – and Italians have a flair for art and creativity running in their veins.
She must have been reading Al Gore recently, whereas the rest of Malta was reading this blog.
Funny that none of the speakers mentioned that Cameron Mackintosh likes the idea of an open air theatre. He also mentioned that MCC could be refurbished into a national theatre with proper acoustics. This solution should satisfy those who complain that Malta lacks a proper national theatre.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100307/local/theatre-guru-recommends-opera-house-at-the-mcc
And Cameron Macintosh is half-Maltese, which should make his opinion more acceptable to the plebs.
Here’s another one who thinks that an open air theatre is a good idea.
I agree with Adrian Buckle 100 per cent when he said “I agree with the concept of an open-air theatre because it will offer theatre new possibilities in the summer months, when everything connected to theatre seems to die off.”
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2009/07/08/and-heres-another-campaigner-who-has-taken-an-honest-position/
There must be another Adrian Buckle then … http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100216/local/artists-oppose-decision-to-retain-roofless-theatre
@ Grezz It’s the same Adrian Buckle.
The fact remains that an open-air theatre is doable and feasible. With it, City Gate will become a beehive of cultural and entertainment activity in the evenings during the summer months (and probably also in April and May).
joseph p – My point is that if he is so much in favour of an open-air theatre, then why did he sign the protest AGAINST it? You clearly haven’t bothered reading the links.
@Daphne, who is Herr Flick? You’ve mentioned him before I think. Sounds like someone straight out of a Nazi film. Did you enjoy Eastenders tonight? Some relief from your trouble and strife.
Please keep up the excellent work. My only fear is that all this is three years too early. Some people have short-term memories and are likely to forget by 2013. Unless of course you have more stories tucked up the sleeves of those pretty jackets of yours and that you are going to pull them out slowly, one by one. Here’s hoping.
Herr Flick was a character in the TV comedy series ‘allo ‘allo who bears more than a passing resemblance to someone who appears on tonight’s programme ma’ Brian Hansford.
Reminds you of anyone?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-zig-/257820836/
Reminds you of anyone?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-zig-/257820836/
Fanny, Flick is Leo Brincat, a Labour shadow minister.
I read on this blog that Astrid was on Super One and sacrificed a couple of minutes from watching Juve. I cannot understand how people can listen to her and more than that bear to watch her. Pathetic.
Aktar int issafrifikajt lil Juve! At least Juve are picking up some wins, Astrid is always a loseRRRRRR bil-camerapeRRRRRRRssssson tas-SupeRRRRRRone
Is it only me but when I hear the all-knowing Astrid speak about illnesses caused by dust in the air, I get this image in my mind of people dying off like flies and dead bodies strewn across the streets.
I think that the idea of a roofless theatre or a partially roofed one isn’t a good idea, regardless of who designed and planned it. The theatre, as it is, is already without a roof, and we don’t need any architect, whether of international or local repute, to design it in such a way as to leave this particular aspect of it as it is. Sorry guys, but I am with Prof. Peter on this.
The black dust ‘phenomenon’ is a real problem and it’s not going to go away until some serious action is taken. I don’t think it’s very Christian of us to ridicule something merely because it doesn’t affect us…come on people, if the winds were blowing the other way it would be affecting those who lived to the north of the island, and its not as if our country doesn’t have an immense problem with dust pollution in general. The European Commission is going to start infringement proceedings against Malta as a matter of fact due to government inaction. Simon Busuttil is on the same page as I am on this issue.
Have you any idea from where this BLACK DUST IS COMING FROM? So how can anyone tackle a plague when no one knows from where it is coming? We start the usual guessing games, hitting at one and all, but never hitting the real culprit.
The project was not sufficiently explained by the authorities, but then the flipside people did not bother to inform themselves before taking a stand). Here is the description of the project as given by Piano’s architects (it is readily available from MITC website).
“The Opera Site: a place for outdoor performances
Three simple thoughts have led us to propose the use the opera site for outdoor performances:
First, the site is too small to contain a Parliament Building as was initially envisaged. Secondly, a modern opera, of conventional size, would equally not fit in this place considering today’s requirements for rehearsal, back stage facilities and accessibility, besides generating exorbitant running costs. Thirdly, we strongly believe, that after more than 60 years of controversy, the Ruins of the demolished opera have undeniably reached the status of monument, irrevocable witness of history and the dignity of collective memory.
This is why we strongly believe that the opera Ruin should not be eradicated but should serve as the framework for a place where artistic performances will be an evocation, in a contemporary way, of the activity of the past. Complementing the activity of the Manoel Theatre and the Mediterranean Conference Centre, this third, very special place will lead to the creation of an extraordinary combination of performance spaces in Valletta.
The project envisages the preservation of all the existing stone work and the reuse some of the still existing scattered fragments to complete and embellish the ruin. A new, very light skin or façade will define the space, supported by a surrounding alignment of steel masts and columns. These will carry removable walls, lighting systems, acoustic and sound equipment, and shall give the space its specific identity during the staging of performances. When the theatre is unused, the place works as an open piazza with a shallow stepped seating deck, totally accessible and offering the view towards Castille, to the Churches of Santa Catarina and Our Lady of Victories and Saint James Cavalier. The translucent wall elements – why not in alabaster – shall be constructed in such a way, that they can enclose the space, but also remain sunken, so that performances can be held in the most extraordinary scenery of some of the city’s best buildings. This “open air opera”, if correctly equipped with the adequate systems of modern communication, light projection and controlled, directive electro -acoustic sound systems, will be very rare in the Mediterranean world and offer to many art groups an outstanding place to perform.
This concept, away from the traditional opera circuit can be envisaged with much smaller backstage areas, for which there is not enough space available and offer therefore a capacity for an audience of about 1000 spectators.”
Whilst Fgura have the black dust problem, the rest of Malta has the white dust problem. This is of the submicron range and usually full of diesel residues. Contrary to the black dust, these submicron particles enter the lungs and get lodged there forever, slowly releasing their poison.
This is happenng anywhere where there is a building construction and even worse near quarries that are being filled up – as the people of Attard.
Is there anyone putting up protests about this? Is there anyone mentioning it in parliament? the answer is no as otherwise the Sandro Chetcuti’s of this island would die of hunger and would then expect us to pay for their expensive sports cars and way of life.
If they’re dead you don’t have to feed them!
You have every right not to like the idea of an open-air theatre, as I have every right to like it. But in the end there is no way 400K people are going to agree to the same thing, and the final decision must lie with the prime minister. I find that pressure put on the prime minister to favour one side of the argument over the other is grossly unfair. Why should the opinion of 100-odd theatre performers have more weight than the opinion of the thousands who will be in the audience? And what if 10000 were to turn up at the protest next Saturday – what about the 390K who didn’t?
True.
1. This is a democracy. there is nothing unfair in voicing an opinion, no matter how strongly and applying pressure on the incumbent in order to persuade.
2. Therefore, not dissimilarly, those who want an open-air theatre have every right to have their voice heard, make their arguments and apply pressure. The 390K who don’t turn up to protest, (and I am not advocating that a protest should in fact take place!), or any number of them, have every right to organise themselves into a similar protest.
3. No one said that this was not, or is for that matter, the prerogative of the prime minister. No person voicing his opinion is stating otherwise.
4. The prime minister has to take an informed decision, That will happen when he has heard the opinions of experts and the people alike.
This is what a healthy democracy is all about – discussion. Why some of you wish to stifle it, is, quite frankly beyond me. Why is it that we cannot discuss anything on this island? Why is it that things have to occur through imposition, even on an issue which is completely apolitical?
“The prime minister has to take an informed decision, That will happen when he has heard the opinions of experts and the people alike.”
How do you define ‘the people’? Not, I hope, as solely those who are planning to join tomorrow’s protest. That would disqualify you from rational discussion.
@ erskinemay There is no problem with expressing an opinion. The problem is when some of the people expressing the opinion go out of their way to block a much needed project. It is also a problem when some try to force their ‘wants’ down other people’s throats.
You say “The prime minister has to take an informed decision. That will happen when he has heard the opinions of experts and the people alike.”
Do you seriously believe that the decision was arrived at without consideration of all technical and financial issues as well as the opinions of people? You seem to think that one fine day, the PM fell out of bed and decided what needs to be done.
I have no doubt that the government’s decision matured over many months and years. Suffice it to say that in 2004 (I believe), the minister responsible at the time, Jesmond Mugliett, had floated the idea of a parliament on the opera house site. This was discussed in the media and, most probably, also within government.
Note also that in such projects, there is a team of Piano’s architects giving their input into the project including various experts. Government is getting all the expert advice it needs.
I believe you need to update yourself on Prof Peter’s views.
In this evening’s programme, Astrid claimed that Piano said that in Malta it never rains. This reminded me of a comment she posted last Sunday on timesonline.com (under Fr. Peter’s Perspective)
…………………………………………………
“Piano’s shortcoming is to try to surround his marvellous project in spin. I have to confess that when Piano charmingly assured us that :
– The festa bangs would be stopped because they infringe EU regulations
– Once the festa enthusiasts see the theatre they will so fall in love with it that they will stop their bangs
– In Malta it hardly ever rains
– Theatre producers can shift their performances, changing dates the week before once they check the weather forecasts.
I realised that this goes beyond being poorly informed. This is gross disrespect of the Maltese public, treating us as fools.”
………………………………….
Can somebody please enlighten me when and where Piano said this? Or is this a blatant lie in an effort to boost numbers for the protest?
“Piano’s shortcoming”
Glory be. And hers is claiming to speak on behalf of The People.
She certainly doesn’t speak for me.
Astrid – the usual Labour-type slogans: no to this, no to that, yeso to nothing.
The comment below published on timesofmalta.com on yesterday deserves widespread coverage so as to correct the distortion of history that the ‘Sette Giugno’ monument – now mercifully removed from Piazza San Gorg – represents.
Three of the men who died at that time where not patriotic heroes at all. They were involved in the looting of Maltese private residences. The fourth was a passerby who was accidentally hit by ricochet from the single warning shot fired in a direction away from the crowd that was attempting to set fire to the offices of The Malta Chronicle wherein a town-gas leak had been detected by the army personnel guarding that building.
June 1919 was a time of shame for the Malta Police and the Maltese army regiments, all of whom abdicated their duty to maintain law and order, thereby bringing British personnel into direct confrontation with the Maltese looters.
One might here record that in April 1958, Prime Minister Mintoff, in furtherance of his egocentric and flawed political objectives, had attempted a repeat of the June 1919 events by preventing the police from reacting to orchestrated and violent demonstrations by MLP Luddites in Valletta and elsewhere, thereby dragging in the British forces to maintain order and leading to possible loss of life, . That attempt was fortunately thwarted by Police Commissioner De Gray who, unlike his 1919 counterpart, faithfully discharged his duty.
Quote:
Sammut(7 hours ago)This “monument” is a misrepresentation of history. It should be said that 3 and not 4 died on June 7, 1919, and one of these 3 had not been involved. He died from stray shrapnel after a shot was fired to disperse the mob wrecking the Chronicle in Old Theatre Street. The fourth one was also not involved in the riots. He was injured a day later while resisting arrest near Francia’s residence in Strada Reale. He died much later in hospital (Jun16). The other two died in Old Baker Street after being hit by bullets not fired under orders and fired by soldiers under extreme conditions on the street. The “monument” is a charade and a travesty because rumours and the violence by rioters had undoubtedly been instigated by Mussolini sympathizers based in Valletta. It is worthy of note that Mussolini won power in Italy by a coup d’état just three years following this debacle. Responsible government in Malta has at the least a moral obligation to decommission this so-called “monument”. It brings immediate disgust to anyone who reads objectively about the facts that took place in Valletta during a difficult period for Malta immediately following WWI.”
Shockingly, the government has says it has plans to re-locate the monument ‘near to the new parliament building’ that is part of the Piano project, where it will not only perpetuate the lie, but where the hideous design of the monument and its total lack of any artistic value will also most certainly mar the elegant architecture of the project.
The ‘Sette Giugno’ monument should not be restored, it should be properly dumped into the dustbin of history.
Hear hear. Along with that horrible rock garden with gnomes in Birgu.
U ta’ Lorry taqbel li jithalla, allura?
That’s your interpretation of history, while there were people who died and were not protesting there were others who were angry at The Daily Malta Chronicle, and at the high price of flour -that’s why Francia’s Palace was attacked and looted. Francia owned the flour mills.
[Daphne – Hey come on, John. That’s like trying to justify the dockyard workers’ rampaging in Valletta, and their ransacking of shops and public buildings, to say nothing of the arson attack on The Times, on the grounds that The People Had Had Enough. Can’t you see that it’s exactly the same situation? How would you feel if in 40 years’ time somebody got the bright idea of putting up a monument to those who ransacked the Curia and the Law Courts? There is a bit of this piece of history that never gets told: on their way into Valletta, the mob – no doubt the antecedents of today’s tunnel-visioned Labour voters – SACKED AND BURNED ALL THE FLOUR MILLS BAR ONE. The surviving mill was Farrugia’s – and it survived only because the brave employees somehow managed to fend off the mob instead of running for their lives. The net result was an immediate bread crisis. With all the mills but one burned or otherwise destroyed, there was an acute shortage of flour and the price reached mammoth proportions. In other words, the mob achieved the precise opposite of what they wished. I don’t know how you fail to see that this was a precursor of what happened in our own life and times.]
I’m only stating facts and not taking sides.
People continued to die from bullet wounds after the riots. The total was around seven if I’m not mistaken.
On the other hand I hate the rock garden with gnomes and a latrina underneath. In my opinion it could have easily happened in 1972.
“People continued to die from bullet wounds after the riots. The total was around seven if I’m not mistaken ”
…so discounting the innocent chap who happened to be in Valletta that day and on his way to collect his new passport, but who was accidentally killed by ricochet, that makes six looters in all who copped it – or did you mean seven over and above the original three?
I was stating facts, you stated more facts, after the riots there was a commission and it made some recomendations which were implemented, life became more bearable for the populace and some sort of self government was granted by the colonisers.
I’m not justifying piano throwing out of balconies , Revolutions, civil wars and riots are the ultimate weapons and sometimes produce the long term desired effect… repeat :SOMETIMES.
Michael A Vella : if you read about that event you will find out that one of the leaders who instigated this protest was Nerik Mizzi.
The Daily Malta Chronicle premises were right in front of Saint George’s Square , the soldiers who were protecting the Pro-British paper, were in the doorway with an angry crowd in front of them , some soldiers panicked and started firing at the crowd , Bajada found himself in the line of fire.
When there is unrest you will always find looters, just look at the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti.
This is like when the fatal bullet hit poor Raymond Caruana inside the PN club of Gudja.
In my opinion these were both innocent victims, with whose blood we had important political changes.
I think that’s a little strong. It depends whose account you read and on which side of the fence one or one’s ancestors may have been. It may not have been Gettysburg but it certainly wasn’t Robespierre’s reign of terror either. What we commemorate on Sette Giugno is not so much the casualties but the constitutional advances which came about as a result. And that certainly has some significance in the context of our first purpose built parliament.
That isn’t the constitution lying prostrate on the monument.
The constitutional advances would have come about anyway. They did not come about as a result of the riots, but as a result of widespread changes following WWI.
Similarly, Malta gained independence owing to worldwide changes brought about by WWII.
The troubles fanned and fostered by the Nationalist Party in 1919 were totally unnecessary and also irrelevant to the constitutional changes.
The troubles fanned and fostered by the Labour Party in the mid/late 1950s were also totally unnecessary and were equally irrelevant to the process leading to Malta’s independence.
The riots were not only instigated by the Mizzian’s but the Dimechian’s were also present and their newspaper was also one of the three papers that lit the fire.
That’s a minority view held by the Constitutional Party and its remaining supporters, is it not? The question is how minor? I think the last time public support for the constitutional party exceeded 5% was what, 1951?
If you want to obsess about a monument, there’s much worse to think about. The one to Lorry Sant for instance.And notwithstanding his supporters wishes, Mintoff isn’t going to live for ever either…….. You just wait for THAT monument….
Michael A Vella: you are shooting from the hip.
I can tell you that at tal-Barrani for example I stopped young people vandalising a bus stop sign. Would that mean that all the people there on that day were vandals?
One of the miller’s houses which was ransacked by the mob was located opposite the planned parliament house site. Placing the monument to those who looted it right there is yet another reflection on our Fantozzi approach to history.
John Schembri. The march along tal-Barrani Road was justified and politically valid. It was a strong and clear statement against the abuse of power by the MLP then in government, and against the thuggery that was encouraged by that same government to act unhindered .
The riots in 1919 were not politically valid; they were on a par with the riots and troubles orchestrated by the MLP in the 1950s and in the pre-/post 1987 general elections.
The 1919 events were characterised by looting and attacks on private property, at no time were any British/Government establishments attacked. The only targets were the Maltese-owned flour mills, the residences of the mill owners, and the offices of The Malta Chronicle which was also Maltese-owned.
Such confrontations that took place between the Maltese and the British were between looters and British soldiers protecting Maltese-owned private property.
If anyone wants to know what Astrid sounds like, hold your nose and screech ” jiena m’inhiex sexually transmitted disease”.
Labour never made any significant achievements for this country. And please don’t mention the departure of the British Forces. That was a sine qua non.
The major achievements of independence and EU membership – and those are just two – are thanks to the vision of the Nationalist Party. Labour wish they could bite their elbow. But they cannot turn back time and change history. So what do they do? What they are best at…oppose and disrupt.
The war damage money received for reconstruction was siphoned elsewhere. Labour never tried to do anything about the theatre ruins. Now that the PN have come up with a plausible plan, they are trying to shoot it down and try and get NGOs on board. Since when have Labour started to work with NGOs? NGOs must have really short memories or were not here in the bad old days. And since when has Herr Flick become a champion of the environment? Any bandwagon will do, I guess.
Labour and its sycophant the GWU always talk about democracy and side with NGOs and unions when there is a Nationalist government. Once Labour is in power the GWU shuts up and never organizes protest marches or industrial action whatever hardships the Labour Party imposes on the country. As for the Labour Party, it trampled upon people’s rights in the past. Sant’s government raised the electricity bills when the price of petrol was very cheap and listened to nobody and carried on. While the present lot in the opposition do not augur well for a future Labour government.
It-Times taghtha palata lil Astrid illum.
The Times has been infiltrated by a load of anti-Gonzi left leaning ‘journalists’. The paper is rapidly losing its reputation of being the leadiing newspaper with objective reporting.
You’re 100% wrong, Ta’ Ninu. No one can take sides at The Times. Editors fill up their papers with controversial and interesting issues.
I think Astrid has lost her credibility. She has turned herself into background noise.
We will see tomorrow – surely she will not gather half the people Tony and John got last week.
Kurt Sansone, formerly of Malta Today and probably still of AD, is now covering all the local political events. You can guess how unbiased he is.
@ P Shaw:You’re wrong.
If the alternative is having to listen to self-righteous Astrid, then I for one would opt for a double helping of black dust instead.
Will somebody please inform Astrid Vella that most cruise ships have theatres comparable in size to the old opera house footprint.
erhu in nies jamlu li jridu.mandkomx mera id dar!!!!!!!
Daphne what is going on? Why have the blogs stopped? Everything OK?
[Daphne – I have a life to lead, you know.]
Ours is mostly on hold when waiting for a new blogpost…
Will this tragicomedy ever end? In 1962 Martin Esslin coined the term Theatre of the Absurd to refer to a type of play, popular in the 50s and 60s. This particular genre never became popular here, in my opinion, for a reason: we simply didn’t get it.
What had audiences all over Europe splitting their sides with laughter was, and sadly still is, a way of life for us. And we’re still not getting it. Is it that difficult to understand what a massive culture change was needed to make projects like Manoel Island, St James Cavalier, the Valletta Waterfront, Mater Dei possible? And those are just a few.
Is it that difficult to understand how impossible the measures being taken by Jason Azzopardi and George Pullicino today, for example, would have been till very recently?
These brave steps forward have been made despite the Labour Party, Astrid and her anoraks.
I too wish I could see the day when the blackmailing illegal residents in Armier and Ghadira are removed. For this to happen, given our very peculiar political system, it follows that anyone with a bit of common sense would support and seek to strengthen efforts to bring about these needed changes. But what do we do? We whinge and bang our drums Bonzo.
Until fairly recently, the lunatics had taken over the asylum that Malta had become.
Hospital too small? ‘U iwa zid sala l’hawn u kamra l’hemm u ejja ha mmorru’. We need a conference centre? ‘U iwa, ghandna dik il-bitha tal-Kavallieri l-belt – ghax ma nsaqfux lilha’.
And we could be heading back onto that road to nowhere because it will take many more years for the post-Mintoff Labour Party to learn li l-qamel igib il-qamel.
Spot the flaw in this. Joseph Muscat says he will make this country ‘l-aqwa fl-Ewropa’ and then he tells us that he disagrees with the City Gate project minhabba l-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma. And we still don’t get it.
For crying out loud, this is Renzo Piano we’re talking about. But the dilettanti have spoken instead. The result? St. John’s Cathedral museum aborted, and next stop City Gate.
Elsewhere, the dilettante is just that. Here. the dilettante is an expert and an authority.
Look at a picture of almost any street in any country and there is almost always a sense of harmony in style. Look at a picture of any street in Malta and what you see is total chaos, loud and tacky with everyone struggling to be different. And we, the owners and creators of these ghastly streets and homes, still feel that we have what it takes to teach Renzo Piano a lesson.
By far the best comment I have seen on the subject!
Indeed, in Malta the dilettante is perceived by “the people” as an authority and an expert. All you need is a diploma in baroque studies.
Bravo Paul Portelli!
Well said Paul. In Malta, everyone thinks he is the Prime Minister.
Everyone thinks he’s a Renzo Piano, you mean.
Excellent comment. I will never pardon those people who were dead against the St. John’s museum before knowing exactly the plan and logistics of the project. Now we need to clean Castille Place from that Dimech monument and have a big open space high-lighting Auberge de Castille.
Hsibniek mort tfittex il-kartiera ta’ Charlon.
Ahhh – Astrid’s comments about the black dust (trab iswed) made it to the second item in One’s 7.30pm news today, thus given far more news value than the arraignment of Sandro Chetcuti who is charged with the attempted murder of Vince Farrugia.
[Daphne – I’m trying to work out whether she’s too silly to see she’s become a tool or whether she does see and loves it.]
U kretinata ta’ proporzjonijiet bibblici. “Il-Fgura hija l-iktar lokalità bi proporzjon ta’ trattament ghal mard respiratorju fid-DINJA”.
Mela, let’s deconstruct this shard of idiocy:
1. Define “locality”. A small village clustered around a power station will obviously win hands down over a whole county.
2. Define “mard respiratorju”. Asthma mod, u silicosis mod iehor.
3. Iccekjat jekk in-nies tal-Fgura jpejpux iktar minn haddiehor?
4. Iccekjat jekk il-“lokalitajiet” l-ohra fid-“dinja” ghandhomx anke clinic jew sptar? Ghax nahseb il-Fgura jaghddi lil Bhopal fil-kwalità ta’ trattament disponibbli.
5. U fl-ahhar: Aghtina citation ghal dan l-istatement enormi. Carl Sagan jghid: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
Translation of the above comment for the benefit of those who don’t read Maltese.
Stupidity of biblical proportions “Fgura is the locality with the highest proportion of treatment for respiratory illness in the WORLD.”
So, let’s deconstruct this shard of idiocy.
1. Define “locality”. A small village clustered around a power station will obviously win hands down over a whole county.
2. Define “respiratory illnes”. Asthma is one thing. Silicosis is another.
3. Did you check whether people in Fgura smoke more than people in other localities.
4. Did you check whether other localities in the world also include a clinic or hospital? Because I think that Fgura beats Bhopal in the quality of available treatments.
5. And finally: Give us a citation for this wild statement. Carl Sagan says: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
There’s something about the matter here :
http://www.ideat.org.mt/stqarrija4.aspx
I quote :
“Dr Debono qal li l-fatti juru li Malta ghandha problema serja hafna bit-tniggis tal-arja, u zied jghid li l-Fgura ghandha l-oghla rata ta’ tfal morda bl-azma fid-dinja kollha. Fatti ohra juru kif pajjizna ghandu rata gholja ta’ kansers li nistghu nassocjawhom mal-livelli gholjin tat-tniggis. L-akbar problema dwar it-tibdil fil-klima hi l-attitudni generali tal-poplu lejha. Dr Debono zied jghid li l-poplu jrid jaccetta din il-problema u jitghallem aktar fuqha. ”
Granted, Dr Debono did not in turn cite anything but merely referred to statistics. However, I think we can accept that we do have high levels of air pollution in Malta.
Another quote from http://www.um.edu.mt/umms/mmj/PDF/191.pdf
“Balzan et al. (2004), in a study conducted in Malta,
also found an association between heavy traffic and
prevalence of asthma related symptoms. Three areas
within 250m of a major traffic artery in Fgura had a higher
prevalence of physician diagnosed asthma, wheeze and
nocturnal symptoms compared to a sub-urban area with
much less traffic.”
Personally, while I’m not too impressed with Astrid, I do believe that steps should be taken to reduce air pollution, as it is a problem which transcends politics.
Some more relevant documents:
“The ever-increasing motorisation and vehicle use is contributing largely to air
and noise pollution with ensuing effects on cardiopulmonary and mental
health. There is an increasing body of evidence linking land transport-related
air pollution to an increased risk of death, particularly from cardiopulmonary
causes. It increases the risk of respiratory symptoms and diseases that are
not related to allergies. Moreover, it may increase the risk of developing
allergies and can exacerbate symptoms, particularly in susceptible groups.
Results from the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Children
(ISAAC) show a dramatic increase in the prevalence of childhood asthma in 5-
8 year old Maltese children from 7.5% in 1994 to 14.8% in 2001.”
http://www.health.gov.mt/dsu/news/news_files/NCD_Strategy_2009.pdf
http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E90767.pdf
“With asthma being the most common chronic condition in the world, Malta currently places worst among Mediterranean countries, third worst in Europe and in the worst 25 all over the world as a percentage of population of asthma sufferers, Dr Stephen Montfort said yesterday.”
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=32062
That said, I could not find any concrete information that Fgura is the locality with the highest proportion of treatment for respiratory illness in the WORLD, but if there is any such list, I think Fgura, and indeed, the entire country, would be quite high up on that list.
Perhaps Daphne can contact Dr. Debono and ask him how he arrived at that figure?
Perhaps Jean Azzopardi could contact Dr Debono and ask him how he arrived at that figure?
Look, Malta has the third or fourth highest population density among countries in the world. And it has one of the highest car densities too. So we should also expect the highest proportion of respiratory illness country-wise.
Perhaps what Dr Debono meant was that Fgura has the highest incidence of respiratory illness in Malta and that Malta has the highest incidence of respiratory illness in the world. But to say that Fgura has bla bla bla “in the world” is wrong and misleading.
The solution to the problem would be to reduce Malta’s population density. Since we cannot increase its area, this implies ipso facto that we should decrease the population. How we can achieve that, short of subsidising the resettling of Maltese citizens elsewhere, is beyond me.
It irritates me no end when people state the problem but stop short of proposing a solution because that solution is impracticable.
@ Jean Azzpoardi
Information from a respected source: “Malta currently places worst among Mediterranean countries, third worst in Europe and in the worst 25 all over the world as a percentage of population of asthma sufferers”
Statement made by Astrid Vella: “Fgura has the highest number of people with respiratory illnesses in the whole world.”
The problem with Astrid Vella is that she twists credible information into ridiculous statements.
The problems of air pollution in Fgura and elsewhere are not in doubt. What is in doubt is Ms. Vella’s ability to make clear coherent arguments using correct information.
The prevailing wind in Malta is from the power station towards Fgura. The government wants to extend the Delimara power station to close down the expired Marsa power station, which is churning smoke in the inner harbour area: Cottonera, Corradino, Paola and Fgura. So Astrid is on the wrong side of the fence.
The Marsa power station is around 27% efficient while a good fuel burning power station would be around 38% efficient. So people should stop being scandalised when they hear about the ‘inefficiencies’ of Enemalta,which are mainly due to mechanical and chalorific losses, which we cannot do much about.
When one turbine is on it produces 30 Mega watts of power. If the demand increases to 40 Mw another 30 Mw turbine has to be started to compensate for the 10Mw increase.
G. Debono did not give any scientific studies and personally I have not come across any studies that have compared Maltese towns or regions.
Overall the prevalence of asthma is around 8% (Global Burden of Asthma). It is true that Malta has a high rate compared to other Mediterranean countries, but not as high as USA, Canada, and the UK. The UK has one of the highest rates – around 17%.
Though the amount of dust present over Malta is a precipitating cause, the major causes of asthma would be an immune system that due to the low rate of parasite infestation did not mature properly, and thus we become more vulnerable to allergic disorders. The other major reason are our predisposing genes.
So yes, we should fight to reduce all levels of dust – especially the submicron particles (quarrying, building, diesel fumes), but I would prefer it if these self-declared experts were to stop quoting figures as if they were playing the weekly Super Five.
I tend to agree with Mr. P. Shaw that The Times does give a helping hand to the FAA.
I had sent the following comment, re the article “Talking Point-Legality now in Valletta” by Astrid Vella:
“This project is starting on April 1st, protests or no protests! This protest-march is solely organised to protest against the Renzo Piano’s Project and for no other reason. Once this project is completed in due course, this will put our capital city on the world map and thus enhance its status as a World Heritage Site.
Do you think that the SILENT MAJORITY is a bunch of imbeciles, who do not know how to distinguish between right and wrong? Yes, the FAA was successful in destroying the project of the St. John’s Co-Cathedral museum, but not this time!
FAA’s mission is to object, destroy and hinder any project embarked upon by the PN Government, in order to make it look weak and impotent; but I am afraid that the FAA has, this time, gravely miscalculated the Government’s determination.
I used to admire the FAA’s environmental campaigns up to some time ago, of which this organization was supposedly set up to do, but now it seems that it has been “hijacked” by “lawyers” as its main protest is not longer on an environmental issue but a LEGALISTIC issue!”
The last bit was deleted.
Just when I thought One News hit rock bottom, their credibility takes a further blow. They quote Astrid Vella as if it were gospel truth: “Fgura has the highest number of people with respiratory illnesses in the whole world.”
They have yet to discover that much of what she says is a load of hogwash.
[Daphne – That makes two of them then.]
“An architect should live as little in cities as a painter. Send him to our hills, and let him study there what nature understands by a buttress, and what by a dome.” (John Ruskin)
http://maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=7650
Watch the video clip. At least the squeaky shrills take your attention off the actual verbal diarrhea.