Ta' nofs it-triq

Fil-bidu tas-snin tmenin meta ghext ghal xi zmien l-Italja, kont bdejt insegwi mill-qrib, bhal hafna ko-etanji tieghi, il-Partito Comunista Italiano. Madankollu dan kien zmien ta' bidliet sostanzjali fix-xena politika Taljana, u minkejja l-isforzi kollha ta' Berlinguer (dejjem ikun imfahhar!) xorta kien hemm mewga sostanzjali ta' riforma fi hdan l-istess PCI bi protagonisti li riedu li l-partit isir ferm aktar moderat. X'kuncett mishut, dak! Bosta kienu dawk fil-PCI li kienu jemmnu li l-assocjazzjoni remota li kienet issir fis-snin 70 bejn il-Brigate Rosse u Partit Komunista kienet ghamlet hafna hsara lill-istess partit. Jekk xi darba riedu jiggvernaw, dawn hassew, riedu jaqtghu ghal kollox l-irbit mal-passat. Wara li Berlinguer halliena kien jidher bic-car illi ma tantx kien ghad fadallu wisq hajja l-Partito Comunista. Bil-mod il-mod il-moderati rnexxilhom jahtfu l-pozizzjonijiet kollha mportanti u ttrasformaw il-partit f'wiehed kwalunkwe... sterili, bla karattru u wisq anqas kredibbilta'. Il-Partito Democratico della Sinistra, partit ta' nofs it-triq. Dawn il-fatturi kienu geghelu lili u ohrajn bhali mmorru nhabbtu bibien ohra. Jien ghazilt li nissieheb mad-Democrazia Proletaria ta' Mario Capanna, partit zghir li, izda, kien ghad kellu l-kredenzjali xellugin kollha f'posthom. Imm'anki hawn... l-apatija bdiet taghmel taghha u meta jigri li l-uniku deputat li tkun kapaci teleggi fil-parlament ikun hadd ghajr l-attur Paolo Villaggio (Fantozzi!)... It-tmien ikun ghoddu wasal. Dorna mbaghad ghal Partito Radicale. Dawn iva, hi. Dawn 'ta' veru!'. Heqq. Il-PR kienu vittmi tas-success taghhom stess. Partit li jpoggi l-individalizmu qabel kull haga ohra kien abbandunat mill-individwi li sawwruh ghax l-ambizzjonijiet taghhom ma setghux jespandu b'mod sodisfacenti fil-konfini ta' moviment simili. Imbaghad xbajt. Nahseb li jekk kelli nelenka meta bdiet titkattar go fija d-dizilluzjoni politika, nahseb li kien f'dan iz-zmien. L-affarijiet saru ferm aghar illum. Illum kif tista tghid min hu xellugi u min hu lemini? Il-principji taru lkoll mar-rih u l-idejologiji ssibhom biss fil-vitrini, relikwiji tal-passat. Illum il-politika madwar l-Ewropa (bhal kull haga ohra wkoll) saret wahda "Ta' nofs it-triq" (Middle of the road). U l-problema hi li meta KULHADD qieghed f'nofs il-qahbec triq... Kif tista tiddistingwi l-wiehed mill-iehor? Tlifna s-sustanza f'kollox. M'inix qed nghid li l-militanza estrema u l-fondamentalizmu huma tajbin. Lanqas xejn. Izda ninsab cert li llum il-fundamentalizmu huwa biss reazzjoni naturali ghal mod kif l-idejologiji u t-twemmin gew kompromessi b'tali mod li tilfu kull sura ta' kredibbilta'. Ghax illum kollox huwa 'Light'. Is-sigaretti li tpejjep, il-luminati li tixrob, l-ikel li tiekol, kollox. U l-politika wkoll saret Light. Diet democracy. Zejjinna l-forma u nehhejna kull tracca ta' sustanza. U Malta? Labour Light. Low-Cal P.N. Anki l-A.D. qed tirriskja li ssir 'Good for you' Green. Krizijiet ta' identita' li bil-fors igeghluk titfa' lil kulhadd fl-istess keffa. J'alla qed nezagera.

Lil' Hinn Mill-Ghamad

Ghalkemm x'indrabi nkun minn ghalija li f'pajjizi biss ma tezistix l-irgulija... Kull ma' rrid naghmel hu li nhares lejn l-ahbarijiet ta' barra u nikkonsla (sa certu punt). Niehdu lil Michael Jackson, per ezempju. Issa dan ma jisthoqqlux jinqafel go habs ta' sigurta' massima ghal bqija ta' hajtu, fi facilita' korrettiva li l-popolazzjoni taghha hija mizghuda bi Suprematisti Bojod u qattiela psikopatici (b'tendenzi kannibalistici)? Beh... qatt ma qist lili nnifsi bhala xi xempju jiddi tal-amministrazzjoni tal-gustizzja, imma dawn l-affarijiet veru jinkazzawni. Milli jidher decizjonijiet gudizzjarji madwar id-dinja jiddependu l-aktar fuq il-mezzi li jkollu ghad-dispozizzjoni tieghu l-imputat u mhux fuq il-merti tal-kaz u tal-fatti kif graw. Ghall-anqas hekk donnu. Jekk ikollok bizzejjed flus biex tixtri s-servizzi ta' tim legali bil-bajd (armata shiha ta' professjonisti u specjalisti), ghandek cans tajjeb li htijietek jinhafrulek grazzi ghat-tidwir madornali, t-tghawwig u t-tahwid tal-mohh li r-rapprezentanti tieghek jkunu kapaci jinstillaw fl-imhuh tal-gurati. Jekk ma jkollokx il-fondi mehtiega, izda, tinhexa wahda sew. Naqbel li l-ligi verament hija ndaqs ghal kulhadd... fil-PRINCIPJU. Il-problema hi, madankollu, illi biex tinnaviga fl-ibhra mqallba tal-ligi trid ikollok l-mezzi adegwati. Min isalpa b'Aircraft Carrier ma tistax tqisu, bl-ebda mod, indaqs ma' min qed ikanta f'wicc l-ilma f'luzzu b'qigh imtaqqab! Nerga nsostni li l-ligi, teknikament HIJA ndaqs ghal kulhadd. Fil-LOGHOB legali, imma, l-inugwaljanzi huma enormi. U x'taqbad taghmel, allura??? Tibda billi ma tixtrix aktar diski ta' Michael Jackson, forsi. :)

Nostalgiji

Fettilli ndur, inkiss inkiss, ma' whud mill-blogs li bosta nies jirreferu ghalihom, u tfajt harsti fuq ix-Xifer... ta' Mark Vella. L-ahhar Blog ta' Mark kien brillanti u, milli stajt nifhem, pjuttost differenti minn tas-soltu ghal dawk li huma suggett u kontentut. Nissuggerilkom taqrawha. Tikkonsisti fi ftit paragrafi dwar il-memorji u n-nostalgija, u kif xrara zghira taf tkebbes huggiega shiha ta' emozzjonijiet. Veru hadt gost naqrah dan il-Blog u, apparti li nkiteb b'mod tassew mirqum, ghal ftit tal-hin wara tibqa' thewden fuq dak li qrajt, b'dik it-toghma simultanja ta' hlewwa u mrar.

Dal-Blog geghelni nahseb ukoll f'sitwazzjonijiet simili li ghaddejt minnhom tul hajti u kif in-nostalgija taf tgharraq bina. Ezempju qasir. Mal-20 sena ilu kont nohrog ma' mara li, ghalija, kienet l-Alfa u l-Omega... il-bidu u t-tmiem ta' kollox. Kont mitluf warajha, f'kull sens tal-kelma. Tifhmunix hazin, izda, dil-mara ma' kienitx xi qaddisa (u f'certu sens mn'alla!) u mil-lat oggettiv ikolli nghid illi din, karatteristici koroh, kellha biex tbigh! Imma mur ghidli dak iz-zmien! F'ghajnejja dil-mara kienet il-perfezzjoni nkarnata u l-ebda turija ta' egoizmu, kefrija, ghira jew stmerrija setghu jdajjfu dar-ritratt mentali li kelli taghha.

Wara xi sena u nofs, armaj, hallietni ghal haddiehor. Mhux hekk imorru l-affarijiet? Izda tahsbux illi qatt insejtha din l-imbierka! Anzi! Mal-moghdija tas-snin bqajt niftakar fiha u aktar m'ghaddha z-zmien, aktar bdejt niftakar u niffoka fuq dawk il-virtujiet kollha li kienet tippossjedi...Virtujiet pregjevoli, dazgur, madankollu virtwali biss! Illum nirrejalizza illi fil-kurrituri mghawwga tal-memorji dil-bniedma rendejtha qaddisa, impekkabbli, vergni u pura qabel it-twelid, u bi sbuhija li ssahhrek. M'hemmx xi nghidu... l-ebda mara ohra ma setghet tikkompetilha f'dal-mohh marid li ried jiftakar biss fil-hrejjef.

Ghaddew bosta u bosta snin u, minn imkien, nircievi telefonata ghall-gharrieda minn ghandha. Kienet Malta (qas kont naf li kienet siefret!) u riedet tiltaqa' mieghi for old times' sake. Apparti l-fatt li lanqas lehqet lissnet l-ahhar kelmiet li diga kont accettajt bi hgari... ghamilt hamest-ijiem nispekula dwar x'kien se jigri. Kif din kienet se terga taqa' ghalija fl-isbah tradizzjoni Hollywoodjana. Kif konna se nitghannqu f'nofs Strada Rjali qisu qatt ma kien xejn. Kif kienet se tistqarr mieghi li hi wkoll hassiet in-nuqqas tieghi tul dawn is-snin u giet Malta ghal tal-apposta biex titlobni skuza u biex, forsi, ma tafx kif....... Insomma. Ghandkom ideja tal-holm li beda jberren f'mohhi f'temp ta' nifs wiehed. Ghal hamest-ijiem shah ma kiltx. Ma rqadtx. Ma stajtx nahdem. Sirt qisni bicca tal-art. Umbaghad, dakinhar tal-Laqgha mort il-Belt siegha u nofs qabel il-hin biex mhux, allahares qatt, ninqabad fit-traffiku u nahxi kollox!

Erba' espressijiet u pakket u nofs Marlboro wara... Sa fl-ahhar waslet. Ma nafx. Forsi kienet l-esspressjoni fuq wicci. Forsi kien il-mod kif bqajt imwahhal mas-siggu skomdu, inhares lejha fit-tul, imhasseb.... Imma minn tbissima wiccha rega ha s-sura ta' eghbusija li kont imdorri nara ghal tant zmien. Imma min kienet din il-mara? Lanqas gharaftha. Mhux li kienet kerha (u mhux li sbiehet, lanqas!)... imma XEJN ma kienet tixbah lil dik li kont ossessjonajt ghal warajha dawk is-snin kollha. Assolutament xejn. Ksaht w'ibbist.

Wara tislijiet ftit jew wisq imbarazzati, bdejna konverzazzjoni innokwa u sterili ghall-ahhar, hadd ma jaf x'jaqbad jghid. Beda jxoqq l-gharaq ghalija. Ma' kull minuta li ghaddiet bdejt nintebah kemm kellha difetti din il-mara ta' holmti! Qisu l-qdusija li ghaliha kont elevajtha fil-memorji, issa mhux talli ggarrfet, talli issa bdiet thaffer hofra mdaqqsa, destinazzjoni nfern! Mah! Jaqq! X'antipatija! Madonna kif tbiccirhom in-nies b'ilsienha! U x'qamel! Hallas kafe' ja mejta bil-guh! Il-ostja!!! Kieku ridt nara kif tomghodu l-ikel kont nistaqsik jien! Dik tebgha li ghandha hemm? U x'dahka dik! Qisha qahba f'nofs xalata! Hmmm... u viva c-cellulite! Il-Qahbec!!!! M'ghandha XEJN interessanti xi tghid, din???

Ghoxrin minuta. Daqshekk issapportejt. Ivvintajt skuza, zewg bewsiet ta' bil-kemm fuq il-haddejn u weghda fiergha li nergghu niltaqghu ma ndumux. Parpart l-hemm saqajja ma' sormi, b'sens kbir ta' ghadab, imrar u ta' liberazzjoni.

Issa nista nerga nibda nghix. U f'ghoxx in-nostalgija!

Lib Fashion

Following a link in one of Mark Vella's posts, I went through a James Debono piece that referred me (yes, yes, I know... long explantion here) to this online store that sells, basically, Anti-Bush apparel. Imagine my surprise when I cam across an entire section - Boxer shorts and all - with the logo of the LIBERAL ELITE! http://www.cafepress.com/thewhitehouse/571903 Cool.

Let's all go for a spin!

"So we went from the Elite Republican Guard to, simply, The Republican Guard to 'The Republicans made this shit up about there being Guards out there!’ “ - Bill Hicks.

In a manner somewhat akin to my morbid fascination with the Mintoff administration of the seventies and early eighties, I'm becoming equally hooked on the Gonzi government and the various protagonists Labouring (sic!) therein. Many of these moral- and intellectual giants (all, all honourable men) have now managed to significantly outdo their forebears by consistently exhuming the decomposing, maggoty carcass of Maltese politics and, with a few dabs of gaudy make-up and vulgar attire, transforming it into a fully-fledged Feydeauian farce. What is it with these guys ? OK, it's common knowledge that a wave of fundamentalism is washing over the entire gonzoid globe in every aspect and regard... be it religious, political or otherwise. But what is it, precisely, that the Cabinet posse's getting all fundamental and hot-under-the-collar about? The threats of the Liberal Elite?? What, in the name of fiddly-fuck IS a Liberal Elite? C'mon! Even the Archbishop, bless his catholic cotton socks, would think twice before uttering a dumb-assed faux-pas of that calibre. The thing that worries me the most about the Nats N'A Twat is that they ARE becoming increasingly fundamentalist, yes, but in a RELIGIOUS context! If blurring out the dividing line between church and state wasn't enough (thanks EFA, you're the BEST!), the Gonz's guys now appear to be falling all over themselves in an effort to display more piety than Papa Ratzi, by assuming the role of Defenders of the Faith!!!. Gee!. I thought that those titles died with the scumbag monarchs of yore?.

Where was I? ah. Yes... So now we've a situation where a political party (which also happens to be the party in power) abandons all hope of courting the disgruntled electorate with its collective powers of persuasion and record of good deeds and, instead, opts for a "Let's grab them by the balls and put the fear of Almighty God into them!" policy. Cute. Trouble is, guys, that that's what the Church is supposed to do. Even then, nobody's really gives a tuppenny toss any which way. Just look at the Sunday mass attendance figures for starters. The great Gonz, however, has decreed of late that the all-important Lets-weld-the abortion-clause-into-the-constitution issue might well be an ELECTORAL issue too! Huh!?!?!? Look... This was NEVER an issue to begin with! No-one, repeat NO-ONE from the anonymous pro-choice camp has a fart-in-a-hurricane's chance of making any headway whatsoever on this holy hunk of junk that we call Home. It's a non-starter. A non-issue. For a few more decades, at any rate. So why make it an issue? Why blow it out of all proportion? Why turn a universally acknowledged political fait accompli into an all-embracing national crusade for the restoration of morality and values (ach! that bloody word again!) and the defence of the foetus...EVERY foetus, bar none. Why impose an unwritten dictat upon every single association and organization under the scorching Maltese sun to publicly endorse this jihad against the forces of evil and all local babykillers-in-waiting? By the way, has the Bidnija Bocci Club signed the endorsement yet? Or the Selmun Satanic-Worshippers and Macrame' Society? I guess they're next on the list, together with the Pigeon-Breeders, the Condom-Importers, the Hell's Angels (Malta Chapter) and the Esperanto Society (to mention but a few). Does all this smack of farce or does it smack of farce?

So why do it? Why? Because they're politically screwed is why. They've shafted themselves so far up their own Hershey Highway that their teeth are buzzing!. AND it's self-induced. The economy is in a shambles. Cash liquidity is BELOW ZERO. The roads? Don't get me started on the roads. Banks threaten foreclosures at every turn, the government agencies and corporations all screaming for moneys due. And optimism for the future? Zilch, niente, rien, nada, nicht! The construction and property market is in a disarray, more rules and regulations flooding in from the E.U. are going to suffocate industries even further. What about vision? That's the punchline, right? Cos THERE IS NO VISION, GEDDIT??? It's been made amply clear that joining the E.U. was the be-all and the end-all and that life did not really exist beyond the 1st of May 2004. It might have been what many suspected beforehand but in retrospect it's now become glaringly obvious. If the government had a proverbial plan, any plan, it's expiry date was the 30th of April 2004. It's also apparent that no subsequent plans have seen the light of day. So what do we do now? DON'T PANIC! wrote the late, great Dougie. We've got GOD on our side (Ghax is-sewwa jirbah zgur!!). Let's use the God card. Let's make our own Moral Majority ticket. Let's start squeezing consciences, pulling at heartstrings and let's emotionally fucking blackmail these bastards into voting for us again! Because there's nothing else. There's no other option. It's no use going back to the drawing board cos the drawing board's bare and is likely to remain so.

So we've got the theme, we've got the stage, the script's pretty much in the bag. What now? The protagonists! We're the goodies so who's the bad guys? Oh, Bollocks! It looks like EVERYBODY'S on the sodding bandwagon, opposition, Alternattiva and all (altho' we're sure that when the time comes, something can be arranged!). I know... Let's do a God thing again and CREATE the Evil-doers from some dirt and a spare rib, kind of. We'll kick off with something a bit obscure but ominous-sounding. Something that old Joe Stalin could've concocted, like Diversionary, Reactionary, Anti-progressive, Interventionist...sorta thing. Liberal Elite, maybe? Il-Alla, Ton!. X'ideja dik! Veru tal-ostja int!!!

Sa fl-ahhar!!!

Ok. seem to have things up and running again, WITH, I might add, the elsuive links in place. So its back to business and let's see what happens next.

Alea jacta est, evidently. So now, after having somehow managed to get the posts back on I STILL have to redo the effing, blinding LINKS all over again. This is not looking good and I guess that I'll just have to strike off the 'Advanced IT programming' bit from my C.V. I wonder what it was that I did in a previous life to be having to face these things over and over again like Groundhog Day revisited? Ach! Well.... Issa naraw.

Fuck!!!!

This is just dumb, stupid and highly irritating, so say the very least. After having spent the better part of an evening playing with my sodding html settings to include links etc.... The fucker now presents me REPEATEDLY with a green blank page and some gobbledegook at the top. Where's my sodding posts and links???????????? They're THERE because I can access them through edit applications, but why can't I SEE the damn things?? Where's my long list of links gone to? In the light of the previous ecstatic post, that's a hell of a lot of egg I'm gonna be having to wipe off from my face. Bollocks!!! To the power of plenty! THAT is why I STILL can't use a wanking VCR to record! Maybe my son will come over some day and help me out. Does anyone have any idea how utterly PATHETIC that sounds?? Ugh! I'm going back to bed.

Techno orgasm

Yes! Yess! Yesss!!!! Oh man, that was wicked!!! Was it good for you too? But hey, who gives a flying fuck, eh? Hah! I've never held much truck with the Modern Man's Guide to Sensitive Reciprocal Sex any old how. Bottom line is... I've actually managed my first (yes, no typos...FIRST) successful html ejaculation, and the sloppy results are there for all to behold in awe and wonderment, splashed proudly upon the screen. I'm referring to the new, improved and updated LINKS list of course, something that would not have been made possible without the kind assistance of those of you who took time off to explain the hows, whys and wherefore to this IT impotent. So now that I've begun to pay dues, albeit in a minor manner, I already feel better about shedding my diverse loads, as it were, on others' pages. What's the big deal? I hear you mutter in the ether shadows. Not much, I guess. But for someone who is STILL unable to record a tv programme on a fucking VCR after forty-something years-worth of attempts... This is no mean feat and comes in at a very close second, right after the Nazarene's alleged Bread & Fishes caper. Scoff all you like anyhow. I feel great and with hand on heart I can say, with all sincerity, that this is even better than sex!!! Ooooh, baby, yeaahhh. (Yeah, right. Goes to show how long it's been since I've gotten a decent leg-over. Ah well. "The sun'll come out TOMORROW, bet your bottom dollar that TOMORROW...there'll be sunnnn..." Oh, for god's sake!!! Good night one and all, and may the waters of your wadi never turn to wee wee. Layla-tov

Jack Ooze

Yesterday I found myself trawling through my countrymen's blogs and happened to settle upon a certain Jacques Rene' Zammit's weblog entitled J'ACCUSE (akkuza.blogspot.com). I'm still not entirely sure what it was I was replying to (need to check again), but, anyhow, I ended up making the acquaintance of many fine, upstanding gentlemen (and a lady?), namely Jacques himself, Arcibald, Bertu tal-angli, Antoine Cassar and wwwitchie. I recommend their blogs to all and sundry and, once I get the hang of how to post links, I'll be listing these and others on this page. For all its worth. Very nice to have met you , people, and hope that there'll be many other opportunities to resume whatever it was that we were on about. I'm getting to like this blog thing. I think.

X'Iz-Zobb Trid?

Oy vavoy! Thanks to Guze' Stagno's website I've been made aware of a Maltese anarcho-punk band called R.A.S (Rage Against Society) and a cute little ditty they've penned, poetically entitled "X'iz-zobb trid?". I love it!. To bits!. And if anyone can direct me to other sites where their music is available, I'd be much obliged. What strikes me most about this group is (1) They use the Maltese language effectively in their songs, (2) They communicate the punk ethos and the 'Spirit of '76' very credibly, but, most importantly, (3) There's a hell of a lot of humour there and, contrary to what many might think, a lot of punk music is thoroughly suffused with humour, satire and totally hilarious digs against the institutions and the powers that be. Great, great stuff guys. I want more.

Old blog/New blog?

Many venerable and esteemed Melitensial bloggers (i.e. those that have been blogging for some time, BEFORE any printed articles extolling the Blog phenomenon had seen the light of day) are somewhat perplexed by all the attention that their erstwhile 'underground' activity has generated in the space of a few short days. A few also appear to be miffed, flummoxed and not exactly gruntled by the prospect that a number of unworthy, insufficiently intellectual and trendy young nouveaux bloggeurs will now be contaminating the ether... Previously THEIR exclusive and undisputed domain, and realm of the bare-all confessionals, cum meandering mind-fucks. Those days are over guys (and gals). Didn't anyone get the memo?. The last bastion of introspective, albeit utterly unread, angst has now fallen and the barbaric hordes are converging in droves towards their nearest blogspots, grinning evilly as one at the imminent promise of thousands, nay millions, of posts exalting the finer points of S Club 7's lyrical prowess and the pros and cons of D&G, as opposed to CK, sunglasses. What the fuck! Welcome to the Fifth Estate, people. The new generation of trans-global, trans-gender, trans-IQic media masturbation. It was inevitable and it can only get worse. Live with it or find some other more obscure, more arcane and more concealed manner of addressing yourselves to the minority malcontents. The truth is that the wheat SHALL lie with the chaff and the reluctant offspring of their unholy union will undoubtedly be some idiot bastard son, all form and no content. And what you gonna do about it??? Blog it off, I guess.

Smokescreens 01

Listening to: Hal - 'Hal' (2005). What a damn brilliant band with remarkable songwriting capabilities. The last time I got all worked up and excited about a new album or group was aeons ago. It's no wonder, then, that the CD has not been extracted from its player for a whole week now. I foresee many more weeks of the same. Previous bands and CDs (or, records/cassettes at the time) that have had similar epiphanic effects on me mainly due to the sheer brilliance of the songwriting and delivery include: The Squeeze (Argy Bargy, for instance), Prefab Sprout (Steve McQueen and, more recently, The Gunman and other stories), The Blue Nile (Peace at last and High), as well as the Jayhawks (Smile) and Richmond Fontaine (Post to Wire). All masterpieces, all totally recommendable, without reservation.

Reading: This, that and th'other, including (STILL!!!) Ludlum's The Prometheus Deception (the speed with which I am trawling through this is reversely commensurate with the book's enjoyment quotient), the last couple of issues of UNCUT magazine, as well as excepts now and then of a fascinating book called The Basque History of the world. Pretty good read, by all accounts. Oh, and since I've discovered many of my countrymen's blogs... I'm spending lots of hours poring over blogs too. One could do worse, I suppose.

Last watched: Series 4 of The West Wing. Yeah, ok... So bite me!