hmm.. “solve the problems of the Middle East”.. I wonder where that gem came from?

As to UOM, I wonder what any Ethics course would make of the current going-ons, or even Logic course for that matter. What does it say about a person heading an institution when that person accommodates compromise as a recompense and bolster for his position and not for the betterment of quality of that institution?

Joseph’s positioning is to me extremely deliberate: it is the only way he can give himself permission to do anything he wants. Ethics and Logic do not fit his style of “governing in poetry.”

“Why not?” policies do not fit with logic but with possibility and provocation: hindsight logic destined to be a chance benefit if it works, but one that would have pivoted on any convenient alternative with the most expedient mix of ingredients. Any time a new ingredient enters the mix, this becomes the license to switch to a new recipe or arrangement. Ethics are frowned upon as old-fashioned and conformist: weighing unnecessarily on the ‘change process’ for the movement.

“All options kept open” policy works on the same basis. He currently thinks this is being ultra-modern. He is not new to the process, but it’s another thing altogether to be directing your own? The shedding of existent values seems attractive initially, but the evil worms its way in from the start. The agenda of those providing the enticing mix of new ingredients very rarely undergoes due diligence in the excitement of all the newness, and leeway.

The sub-structure of mini-pyramids is formed. Quite an evolution already. The bottom forever open and the top already experiencing power push and pulls.

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The title “hypothesis of evil” is an interesting one. Here we have a “cacophany of evil” with almost all other journalists and media reporters shutting off and not having any interest in looking towards its roots and naming it for what it is. As a public figure and journalist, Daphne is the only one with guts, and with the courage to look at the nitty-gritty.

For that inconvenience she is brandished with slurs and insults. Only to be expected at a certain level. Only those on that other side cannot see the effect produced by such counter-productive and infantile insults.

If only Malta had more of her sort

Other journalists seem to have forgotten the reason for their existence.

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I always try to see which fairy tale would resemble a situation. In this case, I would say Malta resembles the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and that Prince Charming will have to cut through many acres of thorns to be able to plant that kiss and wake the nation from its poisoned 100-year slumber.

Nothing surprising about the possibility of Muscat “striking a secret pact with the mafia” when a predecessor MLP Prime Minister declared publicly that he wouldn’t object to a pact with Lucifer himself.

Isn’t that the real reason why the electorate was cheated with the false promise that this is some “new” Labour and that it shouldn’t look back to the dismal record of the 70s and 80s? Well that is where we have already arrived after only a couple of months.

Just to state facts about Israel. I have been there many times and I can state the facts as I have seen them. There are 44 Israeli NGOs which supply legal aid to Palestinian people who need such help.

Haaretz is one of the newspapers which are highly critical of malgovernment and it is quite left wing. It is also very critical of rabbinical interference.

Ah, hence the evil merkin reference.

I wouldn’t classify the obligatory military two-year requirement as anti-democratic.

It is necessary given that Israeli surrounded by enemies. Also, it was observed that military personnel, in particular leaders, turn out to be effective business leaders later on in their lives.

[Daphne – Anything that anyone over the age of 18 is forced to do, other than the obvious basics of civilisation like pay tax if they work and maintain any children they bring into the world, is anti-democratic. When this is something that involves matters of conscience and other value judgements – and participating in the military certainly does – there is an aggravation of the anti-democratic element. Forced military service has nothing to do with ‘being surrounded by enemies’. Apart from being a non sequitur in logical terms, it is neither the reason nor suitable justification. Malta was surrounded by enemies for six years during the Second World War and there was no conscription or mandatory military service. Fundamental human rights are inalienable: you cannot use ‘being surrounded by enemies’ to force 18-year-olds to join the army, jailing them if they refuse. As for military personnel turning out to be good business leaders later in life, you have cause and effect confused. It’s not having been in the army that does that. People who are highly disciplined and organised tend to be attracted to army life. They will take those qualities with them to other fields, and will still be disciplined and organised if they go into business without first going into the army.]

The military training and disciples induces Israelis to respond quickly to crisis and take effective and quick business decisions. The success of Israel in various fields stems from the discipline and to a certain extent, the military training.

[Daphne – Rubbish. See above. People either have certain personality traits or they do not. Forced military service has caused a great deal of distress in Israel, including young people fleeing the country to avoid it, and others who were unsuited to the life suffering from mental problems and pathological anger. And you conveniently ignore the ‘success’ of conscription in the United States during the Vietnam War. How many successful business leaders are there among Vietnam vets, and how many ended up as vagrants, in asylums, alcoholics, suicidal or on drugs?]

Just look at the successful agricultural, irrigation and water preservation practices. They have the same climate as their neighbours, and yet. Israel became on the most innovative and largest agricultural exporter in the region.

[Daphne – Exactly what does that have to do with the price of eggs? Agriculture and water conservation can and are developed independently of forced military service and even democracy.]

Daphne, were it not for the fact that they have conscription they would not have survived as a nation in the first place. As for newspapers, have you ever read Haaretz? Minorities actually have the same rights that the Jewish Israelis do.

[Daphne – We know that. Minorities have the same rights everywhere in the world. They’re inalienable. Whether they are protected, safeguarded and guaranteed is another matter.

It makes no sense to say that Israel would not have survived as ‘a nation’ without mandatory military service. Israel has survived as a nation since Biblical times. As a state, we’re talking a lot more recently, and it’s the state, not the nation, which can organise and enforce military service. Israel neither came into being nor survived as a result of forced military service. The reasons for that lie elsewhere.]

Sorry, amateurs? Idiots and blockheads suit them much better to me.

Very well said, except it took this incompetent lot less than 2 months to demolish all the good work of GonziPN. No wonder, I have always felt I was born in the wrong place. What a sad island to live in. I have never ever understood those who felt proud to have been born here.

So what’s the gas? I mean, 80% of costs are related to shipping and interfacing with the supply terminals.

Which is why Qatar and Edison have reverted to an offshore network, reducing shipping to a minimum and gaining trading ground in northwest Africa.

Muscat has to come clear what he meant that he’s for both strategies, ie. having an LNG tanker until the pipeline’s in place. There’s one in drydock at the moment, albeit no more than 90,000 cbm. We’re looking at one twice its size then.

He may have fooled the Maltese, doing the opposite of what he promised, not so sure the Chinese will do the same.

Daphne, what do you mean ‘non-democratic’. They have instituions, elections and all the freedom (speech, etc). Can’t say the same for the neighbours.

[Daphne – Democracy is not about elections. It all depends on what institutions and no, they don’t have freedom of speech. There are restrictions and Israeli newspapers are closer to Chinese newspapers than they are to British newspapers. They also have mandatory military service (hardly democratic, hence Italy and Germany…), and the general attitude is more fascist than liberal. Minority rights are not safeguarded and human rights violations occur regularly.]