Monschau, Germany - 30 November 2008

Nestled at the bottom of a valley, close to the Belgian border of Germany, lies a pretty little town called Monschau. On the first Sunday of the 2008 advent, we took heed of several recommendations to go visit this place, and we were not disappointed. From this weekend they have their Weihnachtmarket - the Christmas market - complete with food stalls, toy stalls, souvenir stalls, and our favourite, the gluhwein (mulled wine) stalls. I tried out a traditional gluhwein, and an orangepunsch, both of which were delicious. We rounded up the morning with lunch at Restaurant Flosdorff - good inexpensive food, friendly service, warm atmosphere and a toy to keep the young wild one quiet, which was a great improvement on his previous few hours' rebellious and uncooperative behaviour. The whole ambience was rendered perfect by snow from previous days and a snow shower after lunch, including a drive back into Belgium through a snowbound forest. Lovely experience!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/tonio.privitelli/MonschauGermany

How to run a marathon - 6 - the standard 10k session

A training schedule for long distance running consists basically of a combination of three different types of session:

1. A standard 10 km run, at an easy pace, normally carried out several types per week.
2. A speed session, normally carried out once or twice per week.
3. A weekly long run, traditionally (although of course not necessarily) done during the weekend.

Up till now, my suggested training runs for budding marathon runners have always been given in minutes of easy running. The schedules given here have been working up to the standard 10 km run. We are basically there. In week 7 it was suggested that three of the four training sessions would be 50 minute runs.

Now, of course, the distance equivalent to a 50 minute run at an easy pace depends on the natural ability and speed of the individual. In my case, I normally run 10 km, at an easy pace, in 53 minutes. When I started running around 17 years ago, I used to carry out the same session in just 48 minutes or so. One can't expect to be as fast at 46 as one was at 29... Mind you, when I race I expect to run 10 km in around 44 minutes, so there's still some good quality steam running around in me yet!

Whatever my pace, which is not very relevant here, normal runners who are neither exceptionally fast nor terribly slow should expect to run 10 km, at an easy pace, in 45 minutes to 60 minutes. This should be your "regular" midweek training session, when you're not doing a speed session or the weekend long "endurance" run. It's what keeps the running machine ticking - the filler, not-too-difficult sessions to allow for recovery in between the more demanding quality sessions.

How do you find out your 10 km time? I wouldn't recommend taking this measurement by running 25 times round a 400 metre track - as here the tendency is to run faster than normal. I'll explain more about this when we discuss speed training. The best way is probably to use the car odometer (mileometer) to measure a 5 km stretch of road, along which there's a good pavement where you can carry out a normal running session. The average time of three separate runs along this stretch of road and back will give you your 10 km time. Once you know this, you need not measure the distance run each time you go for your regular 10 km training spin - just run at your normal pace for 26 minutes (if your 10k time is 52 min.) and do exactly the same route back.

You may also opt for hi-tech, and wear a GPS on your wrist that gives you lots of data about your run - distance, time, speed, average speed, pulse rate, and lots more - they're getting better all the time. This old timer, however, is quite happy using traditional methods - a stop watch, and that's it.

Week 8 of the beginner's schedule for running a marathon (Monday to Sunday, running at an easy pace):

0, 10k, 10k, 0, 10k, 0, 70 minutes.

Enjoy your running. Vary your routes. Sleep well. Limit your alcohol intake. Run on an empty stomach, while keeping well hydrated. Soon, you'll be taking part in a race.

Going to the dogs

Oh dear, two consecutive posts about the Maltese Partit Laburista. This blog is really going to the dogs. I promise I won't do it again. But I had second thoughts about yesterday's comments, which were admittedly a bit too dismissive, so today I will mention some positive points, as seen from this runner's viewpoint.

1. Changing the name of the party is a step in the right direction. The MLP label and the banner that goes with it, and all that they stand for, appeal to the party's 47% core support, and no more than that. Worse, they bring back too many bad memories for the majority of the Maltese people to actually vote for anyone represented by that banner.

2. They will finally be sporting a name in the Maltese language. Still an ugly name, but at least it's not a national party with a foreign name.

3. They're doing away with the children's political indoctrination club, the Brigata Laburista, which is so reminiscent of North Korea. Actually, I was surprised that this aberration still exists in this 21st century. I thought it had already been disbanded, but I must have been wrong. So - another step in the right direction, and none too soon.

4. The Bord tad-Dixxiplina u Vigilanza (rendered immortal to the national psyche by a picture of three old men in sandals and shorts, one of them sporting a long beard) is also being disbanded. This Soviet style organisation, which reminds me a bit of the Broadcasting Authority, every so often decides to censure any party member that expresses him or herself in a manner not in line with party diktat. Good riddance.

So, the new PL intends to rebrand and rid itself of some dead wood. Good for it. But it's only a first step. They still have a long way to go if they wish to become attractive to those who can't stand the MLP. The next, crucial, step will be to come up with some interesting, valid, alternative policies. Malta is desperately in need of a credible alternative government, just in case the ones in charge lose track of things. It doesn't need two Christian Democratic parties - if the new PL intends to be a carbon copy of the PN, there would be no point in bothering to vote. What we want to know, in concrete terms, from the PL is this: what do they stand for? What are they proposing to do? How are they proposing to do it? Only then, when they are offering something substantial for us to consider, can we take them seriously.

Incidentally, the Partit Nazzjonalista should have long ago changed their name, which in political circles the world over is normally associated with separatist movements or the extreme right. I wonder how they don't feel embarrassed to introduce themselves as nationalists to mainstream political colleagues at the international level. It's not only embarrassing, but it's also a misnomer, because they are NOT nationalists at all. They are Christian Democrats. So - Partit Demokratiku Kristjan. It would win them yet another two general elections...

A banner is hit by an "earthquake"

They may well be changing their name, and altering the shape of their torch, but it's still the same old motley crew. Changing the MLP banner into PL is a bit like the monstrous black smoke-emitting buses putting on a coat of orange paint to make us think they're someone different.

Another gem by Capital Radio

I do love Malta's Capital Radio. So many times, the background noise they provide through my PC as I key in one translation after another gives me cause to emit a loud groan. Their latest gem concerns none other than St Joseph, who, according to them, was married to this lady:

It's the only interpretation I can give to one of their current Christmas adverts, in the Maltese language, where they were mention "Madonna u San Ġużepp", pronouncing the lady's name the American way - "Madona". Hmmm again...

How to run a marathon - 5 - dogs and other problems

By now, if you have been following my step-by-step schedule, you will have become a regular runner, going out for a training spin anything between 3 to 6 times a week. You will have noticed an improvement in your physical condition, and more so in your self perception. You're doing something useful for your fitness, and it's beginning to bear fruit. But the best part is yet to come. This is still very much the beginning - you're laying a strong foundation for a lifetime of running.

You are bound to encounter challenging situations. In the previous section I dealt with problems caused by the weather. Today I will consider some other problems you will need to tackle, namely, difficult terrain, dogs, injuries, illnesses, or simply off days.

Difficult terrain

This could be due to the weather (which I dealt with in the previous section) - there is no magic formula here, you just have to be careful if it's rainy or snowbound. You should of course avoid choosing routes that are prone to becoming muddy, as well as rocky terrain - both of which situations could result in a sprained ankle if you're not extra careful. These are rather obvious, common sense precautions.

What I have in mind most when I mention difficult terrain is hills. You will have immediately noticed how much harder it is to run uphill than on flat terrain. You become breathless more quickly while running uphill, especially if you're a beginner. Experience will teach you how to approach hills, so that eventually you will simply take them in your stride, without much ado. But in the beginning, the best idea is to avoid them, although in many places this is much easier said than done.

Here are a few tips about going uphill. First of all, be confident - you'll just need to work harder than usual for a few minutes. Be prepared for the fact that your pace is going to slow down. Decrease the length of your stride, look down to the ground, concentrate on taking small steps, thrust your arms to help propel you uphill, and don't be too concerned about reaching the top of the hill. The less you think about reaching the top, the quicker it will seem once you get there. Don't worry about getting breathless. Let your lungs and your heart pump away, but don't force the pace. The magic formula here, most often valid wherever long distance running is concerned, is to take it easy. It will definitely become much less difficult as you gain experience.

Dogs

On rare occasions, dogs can be a nuisance to runners, especially if they're not on a leash (the dogs, I mean...). The worst possible encounter would be if it's you and the dog (or dogs!) and no one else. Clearly, the best policy is to ignore them, and in most cases they will leave you alone. Once they realise that you're not threatening their territory they will lose interest in you, and go back to their doggy world. Very rarely, a dog persists in pestering me, in which case:

(i) I turn upon it, shouting an animal growl, and literally chase it away, hurling kicks if necessary. This action works wonders, and they always disappear in a flash; or

(ii) for added security I keep a stone handy when anticipating an unfriendly doggy encounter. Throwing a stone or even an imaginary stone at them, again, should scare them away.

In 17 years of running, I have never had any trouble with dogs other than the very rare occasions that I resolved by (i) or (ii) above.

Injuries and illnesses

If you don't make any abrupt changes in training distances and intensities, you shouldn't have many injury problems. However, people do get hurt without even running at all, and this is true for runners as well. Where injuries are concerned the golden rule is this: if it hurts to run, stop, and walk back home. Don't run if it hurts. Just in case you may have misunderstood this point, please allow me to clarify a bit more: don't run if it hurts, unless you want the pain to get much worse. Too bad, you'll have to take time off training, until you're fully recovered. Only then is it safe to ease back into running again.

The same principle applies if you're feeling ill. Again, "listening to your body" will tell you if you should run or not. My rule of thumb here is that if I feel like going out for a run, I'm probably healthy enough to do it; if I feel run down and plain miserable, I take a good rest and allow myself time to recover.

This subject, i.e. having to take time off training due to injury or illness, and how to ease back into normal training, deserves a future section all by itself.

Off days

Sometimes, for no apparent reason, you feel more tired than usual and don't seem to be able to get a satisfactory rhythm in your run. There could be various reasons for this. You may have had a particularly tiring day, didn't sleep well, the weather is humid, or there may be a different reason altogether. The "off day" is an unexpected factor that could strike on a training run or during a race. You'll just need to sweat it out, puff somewhat more than usual, and look forward to a better day. Make sure you have not been overtraining during the past few days, in which case you should ease back on your training.

Don't let the odd bad day discourage you too much. In the next run you'll probably feel on top of the world again.

Week 7 (minutes of running at an easy pace, starting on Monday): 0, 50, 50, 0, 50, 0, 60

Capital Radio's Christmas Santa

Malta's Capital Radio must be in possession of a goldmine. For this year's Christmas Santa competition, they're giving away gift vouchers that include no less than an entire jewellery shop. "Vouchers għal ġojjellerija" is what the ad said. I tell you, it's worth giving the competition a try.

Unless...

...unless, that is, they didn't mean "vouchers għal ġojjelli"...? Hmmmm........

How to run a marathon - 4 - when the going gets tough...

... the tough get going. I sometimes repeat this saying to myself when I run, and it often helps.

Running is not always like a walk in the park. You're going to encounter challenging situations, including bad weather, difficult terrain, dogs, injuries, illnesses, or simply off days.

Bad weather

The worst weather for running is not when it's rainy or wintry - you can normally overcome these conditions - but when it's hot and humid. That's a nasty combination, and you need to be extra careful here. You have to ensure you're sufficiently hydrated (this applies for all your running, but especially when it's hot and humid). In the peak of summer, i.e. in temperatures exceeding the high twenties, you should only run early in the morning or in the evening, and drink enough water before, possibly during, and after the run. Running in late morning to early afternoon on a hot day is a definite no-no - you would be risking heatstroke, which is a potentially fatal condition. Just don't do it.

The other extreme... winter. Rain is not much of a problem. I find that I get wet anyway when I run, whatever the weather conditions. Many runners wear waterproof jackets. I don't - I dislike having sweaty air trapped inside this type of clothing. I simply ignore the rain. For me the only change when it rains is that I'm extra careful where I tread. There are puddles, which could easily hide dangerous potholes, besides which the ground is slippery and motorists have limited visibility. Basically, when it's rainy you have to be a bit more careful. Otherwise, I normally find running in the rain to be an exhilarating experience!

Strong wind is a bit of a nuisance - when it's a headwind. But again, unless it's an extreme case, in which case you should be looking after your own house and not training, all you need to do is literally take it in your stride. Accept the fact that you'll have to run at a slower pace, and console yourself, if you're running in a loop, that for half the time the wind will be pushing you forward.

Snow... is definitely a problem if it's thick on the ground. If you live in an area with snow for extended periods, you'll have to either find yourself a track or trail that is maintained and de-snowed regularly, use a treadmill indoors, or simply wait for the end of the snowy season. In the meantime you could take up cross country skiing, which is the snowbound version of long distance running.

Hail is even worse. Running while it's snowing is OK if it's not thick on the ground. It's rather fun, in fact. But hail is bad - a shower of stones falling down on your head. If you're unfortunate enough to get caught running in a hailstorm, just cover your head the best you can with your arms and run for shelter.

Cold weather is as unpleasant as hot weather, except that you can do something about it. All you need to do is wear enough (but not too many!) layers of clothing so that you don't feel cold. This you can only fine tune through trial and error. Before I run on a cold day, I normally check the temperature and cover myself accordingly - cycling shorts, number of shirts, long or short sleeves, sweat shirt, thin gloves, thick gloves, two sets of gloves, woolen cap...

The other challenging situations will have to wait for my next blog in this series. I'll sign off for tonight with Week 6 of our beginners' schedule:

Week 6 (minutes of running at an easy pace, starting on Monday): 0, 45, 45, 0, 45, 0, 60

Enjoy your running :-)

"The referees were awful"... again

Every Sunday, almost without fail, the Italian football commentary ends up with the same conclusion - the referees were awful.

Now the truth of the matter is actually the opposite. In most instances, they take perfectly correct decisions in extremely difficult conditions. But all these are overlooked by the commentators in favour of the inevitable handful of errors, which are analysed repeatedly in slow motion in many different TV programmes. The most distasteful aspect of this is those retired referees who get paid easy money to appear on these programmes and issue generally negative judgments on their younger colleagues with the comfortable benefit of video replays. Their conclusion, almost every Sunday - the referees were awful, and Collina (the ex-referee who is in charge of Italian referees) should do something about it.

But, clearly, in the circumstances within which they are asked to perform, today's referees can't improve anymore, in any way. The pace of the game is simply too fast, and it's already incredible how they manage to get most of their decisions right. An advancing attacker is tripped as he enters the box. He falls inside the box, but was he inside when he was tripped? For Italian commentators, an error of judgment in such a situation is considered to be a scandal. An attacker is in an offside position by one centimetre. The attacker is advancing fast. The defender is advancing fast in the opposite direction. Which one of them was closer to the goal line when the ball was passed forward? And was the ball passed towards the attacker who was in an offside position, or towards another attacker who was just onside (in which case the former is deemed to have an "inactive" role) in that instant? The decision needs to be taken in half a second, without the benefit of any replay, in a tense situation being watched by millions of people. And once you've taken a decision, it's practically impossible to change your mind, otherwise you would seem to be undecided. It's mind boggling.

The stakes related to one single decision are often very high, involving millions of euro (in case of relegation, qualifying for the Champions League, qualifying for the World Cup, winning an important trophy), the job of a coach, a footballer's career, or the dreams of millions of fans.

It's useless for referees and football administrators to talk endlessly about improving refereeing standards. Referees are already performing at the limit of human capability, but it's just not good enough. And no, Herr Blatter, football is none the more interesting for it. Refereeing errors, along with violence on and off the pitch, are foremost among the ugliest aspects of football.

There's one, and only one, solution. Football is crying out desperately for the introduction of video replays to help match officials finalise their decisions. In case of a suspected offside, the ref would wave play on and if a goal is scored suspend the award of that goal until he has verified whether it was offside or not. Play is stopped for an offside ONLY if the ref is 100% sure (99% is not good enough) that the attacker is really in an offside position. Both coaches have two chances in each half to "challenge" the refs' decisions, just as happens in tennis and in other sports.

Not only is this possible, but it would drastically reduce important refereeing errors, and the waving on of play and the tactics involved in "challenging" the officials' decisions would actually make football more interesting.

Alas, we need to fervently await Herr Blatter's retirement. For the time being we can only dream on.

Social conscience, please, anyone?

Water and electricity cost money. We can't afford to waste them, and oversubsidisation by government of their cost to the general consumers is bad just because of this: it encourages waste of an expensive commodity, that is energy, which through the infinite foresight of all our previous and present governments is only available in Malta through a natural resource that we don't have - oil.

When in 1997 Alfred Sant's Labour government decided that Maltese consumers should pay the full cost of these utilities, which, as has been well remarked by someone, do not grow on trees, all hell broke loose. The Nationalist opposition, at that time, was very vociferous about the subject, and went so far as to align itself with big bad Dom Mintoff in criticising the new tariffs, endlessly quoting his "Labour has lost its social conscience", and much more besides. At that time, the non-Labour leaning unions took it upon themselves to protest against the higher tariffs on behalf of the working class, while the General Workers Union (an extension of the ruling Labour Party) limited itself to a timid "scientific study" of the effects of the price hike...

Fast forward 11 years. Exactly the same thing has happened, but the political parties have switched sides. Now it's a Nationalist government insisting that consumers should pay the full price for the water and electricity they consume. And the Labour Party, along with their trade union wing the GWU are screaming blue murder, organising outdoor "manifestations of courage" and "national protests".

Apparently, neither Nationalists nor Labourites or GWU have realised that their stand is diametrically opposite to their position 11 years ago. What an utter farce.

The non-Labour leaning union(s?), which had protested in 1997, is also protesting in 2008, for exactly the same reason as eleven years ago. It's heartening to notice that one voice, at least, has managed to remain consistent instead of being driven only by blind political partisanship.

Autumn's last gasp

The Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, just a few hundred metres away from the office, is where I do most of my running during the mid-day break. Today Saturday afternoon, on a typically grey and grizzly Belgian November day, the lawn was completely covered with fallen leaves, offering a wonderful pre-winter spectacle.

The fact that I'm appreciating even the grey and grizzly weather here is to me a clear indication that I'm beginning to grow fond of this country.

Incidentally, today it's exactly four years that I have been living in Belgium...

Autumn

There's a stately elegance in autumn that never fails to enthrall me. It's so beautiful - an explosion of colour that is nature's swan song, after the abundance of summer, before the imminent onset of the cold, dark bleakness of winter. The light intensity is subdued, the air is silent, in keeping with nature's slowdown, in preparation for a regenerating sleep. I love it!

Excusing oneself

Today a Radju Malta disc jockey apparently turned up late for his programme, and apologised by informing his listeners "Niskuża ruħi talli ġejt tard, għax weħilt fit-traffiku, ..."

Hmm. I accept my own apology to myself for being late, because I was held up in the traffic.

"Nitlobkom tiskużawni talli ġejt tard" would have been much more in order.

Vox clamat in desertum. On the airwaves, everyone is accepting their own apology to themselves, all the time. "Niskuża ruħi" here, "niskużaw ruħna" there. Every time you happen to hear these expressions on the radio, I could very well at that moment be listening, somewhere, and silently fuming.

Armistice Day

In Europe, 11th November is Armistice Day. It's taken very seriously in Belgium, where the day is a public holiday. I learned this the hard way this morning, when the train never came, and I eventually had to decide to take my own car to work. So much for "integration" with the Belgians, by the way - I wasn't even aware it was a public holiday... The EU institutions are partly to blame, because for some reason they do not deem Armistice Day to be worth celebrating as a holiday.

The Belgians have good reason to commemorate the official end of World War I. The country was devastated by the madness. I came to learn of the folly of this war through reading Ben Elton's "The First Casualty" (referring to the truth, which is said to be war's first casualty). There I read of the way the war was conducted, with ground troops charging at each other beyond their own trenches into no-man's land, trying to capture a few metres of enemy territory. The defenders would simply shoot the chargers down, and the latter would drop dead like flies. Utter madness. Almost 20 million soldiers died this way, just 90 years ago. Twenty million pawns, all of them leaving behind grieving loved ones, wives, parents, young children, all in the name of power play.

Did the world learn from past mistakes? Like hell it did. Twenty years later a bigger world war broke out, this time claiming many dozens of victims. And following that there were others, scattered all over the planet. Wars are being fought, and people are dying, this very moment.

What a tragedy.

I wonder. Will we ever learn?

Citizens of the world

Being an emigrant is not easy, more so if you need to learn two languages of the host country. Apart from having to work hard in the beginning to settle down, including setting up the most basic requirements, there's the longer term process of integration and acclimatisation. I don't think this process can ever be fully completed, although some emigrants do get very close.

In five days, on 15th November, it will be fully four years that I have been living in Belgium.

In the beginning, I used to fly back to Malta to visit Sue and Roberta, and the rest of the family, once every fortnight. It was almost as if I was leading two lives in parallel. It felt that, in Belgium, I was living in a bubble, the inside of which was Maltese territory, sealed off from the Belgian surroundings. I watched the same, non-Belgian, mostly Italian TV stations that I used to watch in Malta, by means of satellite. I was in contact with my family by means of the internet. I read Maltese newspapers on line. Even my colleagues at work were mostly Maltese, and we spoke my native language at work. The process of cultural integration with my physical surroundings was very slow indeed.

The process hasn't speeded up any much, but one can't help eventually getting used to one's environment. And, unless the environment is awful, which is certainly not the case here, you 'mould' yourself to it. The place becomes a bit like home, and the more you get used to it, the balance of "where is home" shifts inexorably towards where you are staying long term.

This has affected my outlook in various ways, but mostly in my general perspective on things. Again, it's inevitable, and my colleagues report the same effect. We have acquired an international perspective. This is the biggest gain that we have made by moving abroad. The world has become our country, and we follow the international news with great interest. From this perspective, and with all due respect to my dear fellow country men and women, some shenanigans that happen in Malta seem so petty and puerile. I'm doing my best not to be misunderstood here. That which is happening in Malta is also important, but it's given exaggerated weight in the overall scheme of things. Especially the political soap opera, which is truly fantastic entertainment value...

I now realise that it's my entire home country, and not only myself, that has been living in a bubble, sealed off from the outside world. To overcome this drawback on our development, it should be made compulsory for all Maltese schoolchildren not only to look out of the bubble, but also to venture outside it, even if for a short educational trip. Later, those that take up tertiary education should be required to live abroad for a period of at least six months. The EU actually encourages this, and now that we are members we should make the best possible use of this wonderful opportunity to truly feel and act like the citizens of the world that we are.

How to run a marathon - 3 - Endurance build-up

If you have been following my suggested schedule for taking up running, How to run a marathon , you will have done more or less easy running, somewhere on the following lines:

(Monday to Sunday, minutes of easy running)
Week 1 - 10, 0, 10, 0, 10, 0, 15
Week 2 - 0, 15, 15, 0, 20, 0, 20
Week 3 - 0, 20, 20, 0, 30, 0, 30

This is basically a build-up of endurance, the essential component of distance running. Endurance is a measure of your capacity to carry out an aerobic activity for a prolonged period. It involves the burning of glycogen stored in your muscles, using oxyen (hence the term "aerobic") that is dissolved in the blood, to provide energy. We derive glycogen, the fuel, from carbohydrates that we eat. Oxygen enters the bloodstream through our lungs, and is pumped via our heart through the arteries to our muscles. As you build up endurance, you increase the efficiency of oxygen intake into the bloodstream, as well as the capacity of your heart to pump oxygen-enriched blood to your muscles. There is no speed involved yet, but your ability to maintain a running activity for a sustained period without getting breathless is improving continuously.

You could build up to a marathon simply using this method of gradually increasing your endurance, although as the distances get longer you would need to limit the longer runs to once per week at the most, filling in the rest of the week with shorter runs.

However, this has an important drawback. Improving your endurance through long slow distance training will only result in long slow performances once you start competing. This could be good enough for you, but you might be a bit more ambitious, hence the need, once you have built up a strong endurance base, for speed training.

Unfortunately, three weeks after taking up running, the endurance base is still not good enough to support speedwork. Remember, distance running is all about patience, perseverance and discipline. We need to continue building up our endurance, our capacity for running without losing our breath, for a few more weeks. Here's my suggested schedule for the fourth and the fifth week of build-up:

Week 4 - 0, 30, 30, 0, 30, 0, 40
Week 5 - 0, 40, 40, 0, 40, 0, 50

In the meantime, it would be a good idea to vary your training sessions as much as possible, by running along different routes. Otherwise, repeated running along the same route tends to become quite tedious.

As you run on a regular basis, the distances run get longer, and the routes chosen more varied, you are bound to encounter difficult conditions - bad weather, difficult terrain, dogs, injuries, illnesses. I will be considering these factors in the next section.

GRANDE JUVE!

I've criticised them when they weren't doing well. It's only appropriate that I should now shout out to the whole world:

GRANDE JUVE!

Far from faring badly in the Champions' League, we're among the first teams to qualify to the next stage, after just four matches, two of which were victories against Real Madrid, home and away. Alex Del Piero earned a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd, an accolade reserved for a restricted elite. It's probably the crowning point of his illustrious career.

And we're still on course to realise the prediction I made at the beginning of this year's campaign, back in early September...

Dare we hope?

I don't remember the election of any country's leader that was greeted with such world-wide enthusiasm. I would consider the election of Barack Obama as the biggest political event since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I can suggest a few reasons for the present "Obamania":

1. The world is crying out for a leader who has charisma. We are bored silly of the various grey Merkels, Putins, Berlusconis, Gordon Browns and Barrosos of this world. Sarkozy is just a prima donna. Zapatero was one of the few steps in the right direction.

2. I have used this expression before, but I like it, so I'll use it again. The collective sigh of relief as we see the end of the Bush presidency will probably be heard from the other side of the galaxy.

3. Obama is the antithesis of George W. Bush. He radiates optimism and good will, and this is spilling across the Atlantic as well as the Pacific. He transmits a sense of involvement to the common people. He wants us to work together to create a better world. It's so refreshing to have a leader who is inspired by positive values, to which the people can relate - a beacon of hope in a world that seemed to have forgotten the meaning of the word "hope".

4. We may now dare hope that America will "change" (Obama's clarion call) from an arrogant sheriff to a strong, friendly partner. Certainly, Bush represents all that the rest of the world dislikes of America, while Obama is its friendly, likeable face.

5. The fact that Obama is black (well, sort of, he definitely isn't white) has finally laid to rest the taboo about race. The white majority of the USA has no qualms about electing a black leader. On the contrary, they fell over each other to put him into the White House. Effectively, as far as American electors are concerned, race is no longer a big deal. At long last!

I just hope that Obama will live up to the high expectations. And I dearly hope that his security people will make double sure they can ward off any potential madman...

Human rights, my foot

We Maltese (some of us, anyway) may not be entirely happy with the way our country is being run. In particular, it seems in my eyes that, after having done its damnedest to get us into the EU, the Nationalist government strongly resists any improvement in our way of life that results from EU membership.

But every now and then, we (i.e. those some of us that are not entirely happy) recover our sense of perspective, by means of a straightforward reminder:

There they were, most of the beautiful bunch who were ruling our country with, in the background, that picture of the Great Leader, which after so many years is still capable of ruining my day. And we thank God a million times that those days are truly over, and that our country is now governed by a normal, even if imperfect, set of politicians. The dinosaurs from the past were celebrating... would you believe it... the Al-Gaddafi prize for Human Rights, awarded to the ex Great Leader Dom Mintoff.

Just a handful of days later, we were reminded of one possible reason why Al-Gaddafi chose to award a Human Rights prize to Dom Mintoff. This is so typical of the human rights situation overseen by the great leader:

The Times, Thursday, 30th October 2008 - 14:24CET

Prison warder gets compensation for 1982 police torture

Former prison warder Anthony Mifsud was today awarded €186,349 in compensation after a court found that his human rights were violated by the police when he was beaten in a police cell.
The case goes back to 1982 when Mr Mifsud, then in his twenties, was arrested and questioned by the police following the escape of two prisoners - Louis Bartolo and Ahmed Khalil Habib - from the civil prisons.

He had subsequently been accused of corruption and complicity in the escape, but was acquitted after having been kept in jail for three years under preventive arrest.

Mr Mifsud had claimed that during his arrest, before being taken to court, he was tortured by (then) Superintendent Carmelo Bonello and Superintendent Joe Psaila, among others. He claimed he was repeatedly beaten and kicked to the extent that he started coughing up blood and could not eat.

He said the officers also put a gun to his head and threatened him unless he signed a confession.
The court found that the police officers had violated Mr Mifsud's fundamental rights not to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. It ordered the Police Commissioner, former Police Commissioner Laurence Pullicino and former Supts Bonello and Psaila to pay total compensation of €186,349.