There's a bit of a debate at the moment about updating the country's constitution and this being a democracy, every Cali, Johnny and Joey has a right to make their recommendations. Here's one which brought a smile to my face, whichever way I looked at it:

"...the constitution should make sure that having ID cards and a telephone directory expired by over 7-8 years should be a priority to be reviewed."

Times of Malta on-line 29 April 2012

What's the suggestion exactly?

• expired telephone directories become a constitutional right?
• we have the right to file a constitutional case against the government should a private telephony company not update the directory?

I hope this doesn't put another wild idea into the head of the former US Ambassador Douglas Kmiec, such as adopting the Catholic bible as this island's bedrock of rights!

"Dr Debono had earlier today challenged the Prime Minister to a public debate on any subject anywhere and anytime.

His only condition, he said, was that the Prime Minister should be accompanied by at least another two ministers. He, Dr Debono said, would be on his own."

The Times on-line 24/04/2012

If this is an accurate report, all I can say is that this man, lawyer and member of parliament has Quixotic delusions.

The company was today visited by Malta's Ambassador to the Netherlands Martin Valentino and Malta's consul general in Breda Herman Stevens to welcome the arrival of some 100 tons of potatoes. -  Source: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120322/local/maltese-potatoes-make-it-to-the-netherlands.412324

Hello potato!

This video was taken in February 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBPWV1j2SqU

Related post: Anti-Mubarak protest - collage

• go whining and sniffling to every TV station and newspaper that's ready to offer you a tissue of space on its media
• exhibit emotional stigmata
• proclaim love for your country while crucifying colleagues and government

The paralysing influence that the dictatorial North Korean leadership has on its people and country also extends to the  Malta-Korea Friendship Association. For the evidence, just take a look at the "activities" page of its website and you'll see that the most recent update is way back in June 2007; the one before that is May 2006. Morbidly enough, these two "activities" are in fact obituaries. More of the North Korean joie de vivre rubbing off here?

Today the Tunisian Justice Ministry announced the lifting of the summons warrant issued against her in October. Back then, Ms Arafat thought it opportune to implore divine powers to help her overcome a political threat.

This Madonna of Malta is a new source of divine intervention to be reckoned with!

Click here for related post: Suha Arafat and the Madonna of Malta

Why exactly is Ms Arafat, a Muslim, praying to the Madonna of Malta, who, as per our Constitution, is Roman Catholic?

Click here for follow-up post: An intercession by the Madonna of Malta

A premature greeting, is it not? What with  the summer not having melted away completely and another two months before that December day. However, springing up from the turfed roundabouts are the decorations heralding the Christmas season. Why such an early blossoming of baubles?

Commerce is probably the main factor because, as economists and politicians like to emphasis, spending stimulates the economy. Since childhood, our minds have been trained to equate Christmas with gift giving and consequently these traffic island embellishments are actually a diversion to the shops and malls. Physically we might be driving home or to work but mentally we have been detoured into drawing up our shopping lists.

There could be a religious dimension to the matter of course, especially in view of developments in neighbouring Libya. Last Sunday, National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said that Islamic Sharia law would be the main source of legislation in the country. Many on this island shuddered upon hearing the words "Islam" and "sharia", immediately fearing  that Maltese Catholicism was facing a new threat. The Church, which has recently lost its battle against the introduction of divorce in Malta, may now be girding its loins for another holy war. This early erection of Christmas symbols in public places is  proof of Malta's preparedness to become Europe's bulwark against the spread of Islam once again. I ask, is it mere coincidence or prescience that the government has been repairing the formidable bastions which protected us from the infidel  in the past?

A merry Christmas to all.

Or so goes the advertising slogan of Mediterranean Bank, which I've been hearing on the radio recently.

From the financial angle, this catchphrase is not the wisest that could have been chosen. Look at Greece, a bankrupt country without even a national consensus on how to pull itself out of the deepening hole. Spain, with unemployment hitting a negative record of 21.3% in the first quarter of this year. In the southern Med we have Libya, an economy shattered by exploding bombs and gunfire, and Egypt, where the cronyism of the Mubarak regime allowed for untold millions of dollars to be siphoned off from the economy. To the east, Syria's ruling elite of power-hungry money-mongers is imposing too bloody an exchange rate for the freedom of the inhabitants.

So, is it really that great to be Mediterranean?