The Insiter, April 2010

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Volume 10 • Edition 6

april 2010

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insiteronline.com 3

editorial

T

Editor-in-chief:

Katryna Storace acting Editor:

Kenneth J. Vella Editorial Board:

Claire Bonello Elizabeth Galea Philip Leone-Ganado art director:

Kenneth J. Vella DESIGN & Production:

Isabel Micallef, Jonathan Mifsud HEAD illustrator:

Daniela Attard Illustrator:

Camille Felice PhotograpHeRs:

Glorianne Cassar, Yentl Spiteri Media Officer:

Vanessa Psaila Sales & Marketing:

Tamara Chetcuti, Isabel Micallef Contributors:

Anna Abela, Rachel Agius, Neville Bezzina, Claire Bonello, Stephanie Calleja, David Debono, Robert Caruana, Camille Felice, Andrew Galea, Elizabeth Galea, Mario Jaccarini, Emily Louise Jones, Vanessa Kurz, Philip Leone-Ganado, Audri Mizzi, Katryna Storace, Romina Tolu, The Nitpicker special thanks:

Matthew Bonanno, Dejv Schembri cover:

Kenneth J. Vella

his year’s ksu elections have come and gone without too much fuss or fanfare. When quizzed about the council elections for The Insiter’s monthly vox pop, many of the students interviewed displayed an indifference towards, or a complete ignorance of, the current state of student politics on our campus. This happens from year to year. Many will admit that they had no idea that there were elections taking place. With a mere 15 per cent of the student population turning out to vote this year, one begins to wonder whether there exists anything close to a healthy political climate on our campus.

One can presume to offer a number of suggestions as to why such an overwhelming apathy exists. But perhaps ‘apathy’ is the incorrect word.

Student politics on campus are hardly inspiring, and do not engage the average student. With a political climate that is mired in – despite efforts to make us think otherwise – partisan politics, most students find it difficult to relate to what often ends up as petty power struggle. Take, for example, the ksu agm a few weeks ago, which was more of a dogfight than anything else.

It seems obvious, then, that only 15 per cent – those invested in more than a regular interest in politics, and not the average student – turn out to vote. The truth remains that very often (not always), students themselves are being left out of student politics, in what becomes a race for those with political ambitions that reach beyond the limits of university. The average student is concerned with the practical matters of achieving a degree, finding a parking place on campus, having his or her rights protected, benefiting from educational opportunities and a stipend, and the like.

A walk around King’s College campus in the uk recently, reminded me of what a healthy student politics should look like. Corridors and notice boards lined with posters of student candidates from all different walks of life: a true democratic choice, and a healthy fight to the top. Unlike our own campus, where the same political entity continues to occupy ksu, year in year out, and remains almost uncontested, despite failing, on a number of fronts, to be the voice that reflects the average student and his or her needs. ■

inside 6 insnippets 8 insiteronliners 10 infocus

KSU President, Carl Grech

12 infocus

Jacques René Zammit

15 PHilip’s column

Fair, impartial, and there għalik

16 inhershoes

10 Re-elected: KSU President, Carl Grech in focus

© 2010 Insite – The Student Media Organisation.

All rights reserved.

'I don't like politics—but I want to make a difference.'

17 involved

Get Up, Stand Up!

19 P’OUT! 20 interview Relikc

23 the insider

12 Presidential legacy Lawyer, blogger, and former KSU President

26 ingear

Toyota Vitz

27 inreview 28 instyle 31 incognito

The Insiter is published eight times a year during term time by Insite – The Student Media Organisation and is distributed free on campus.

Correspondence:

20 interview

Merry band of prodigies: RELIKC

insite – the student media organisation

University of Malta Msida msd 2080 TEL:

2340 3066 e-mail:

editorial@insiteronline.com Website:

insiteronline.com twitter.com/theinsiter

31 thenitpicker 41 indepth ERASMUS: The good, the bad, and the ugly

The Nitpicker

32 Audri’s adventures Memoirs of a Mejta

34 inperson

Jennifer Magri

35 inbusiness

VisitPaceville.com

37 letters to the editor 38 insights

Respect and reason

39 insights

Digital democracy

40 Fun Page 42 indepth report

Erasmus: a flight of fancy?

44 indepth report

Erasmus dos and dont's

45 insupport

Autism awareness month

46 inthegame

Ball's out! Women's rugby

E S U E V I T A N R E T L A COMPETITION

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6 the insiter • april 2010

insnippets news stories THAT CAUGHT our attention this month Crime on Campus

The Malta Criminology Association is organising the National Crime Conference 2010, entitled ‘Criminality in Island States’, on 23 April at the Dolmen Hotel in Qawra.

The conference will deal with both generic and specific criminological themes, including crime on campus. This is also the subject of a paper to be presented by the Għaqda Studenti tal-Kriminoloġija. Information regarding research for this paper can be found on www.ghsk.org.

Conference forms can be accessed on www.macamalta.org.

Lecturer accountability

ksu’s Education Commission is conducting a study on the level of lecturer accountability at our University. The survey can be filled in online on the ksu website. Hard copies are also available at the ksu office.

The results of this survey will be published in a report by the Education Commission towards the end of May, and will be presented to the relevant authorities.

Censored but not beaten

Front Kontra ċ-Ċensura (Front Against Censorship), a project submitted by a number of Maltese youth and student organisations, is among the 27 finalists for this year’s European Charlemagne Youth Prize.

A European selection committee made up of European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek and another three meps, along with four representatives from the Aachen-based Foundation for the International Charlemagne Prize, will choose the first three projects from among the 27 nominees.

The Front is lobbying for the revision of censorship legislation in Malta. It has been making its cause through a series of ac-

tivities including protests held at the University of Malta and in Valletta, as well as through social networking sites such as Facebook.

A representative of the Front Kontra ċ-Ċensura will participate in the award-giving ceremony which will take place in Aachen, Germany, on 11 May.

Maltese on computer

The National Council for the Maltese Language has published the second edition of a manual about the use of the Maltese language on computers.

The manual, illustrated with easy-to-follow screenshots, guides users on how to use the proper Maltese characters and write documents and emails using the Maltese keyboard layout.

The manual can be downloaded as a pdf document from: www.kunsilltalmalti. gov.mt/filebank/documents/kompjuter.pdf.

Any queries can be emailed directly to the Technical Committee for it on kunsilltalmalti@ gov.mt

New KNŻ executive

The new executive committee of the National Youth Council (KNŻ) for the year 2010–2011 was elected during the Annual General Assembly held on 20 March at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Floriana.

Of the 13 members, 11 have been elected for the first time, and four are from Gozo. In his first address, newly elected President Edward Said insisted that the Council should be a reflection of the diverse views of its members and a forum where young people can engage in dialogue. The composition of the council from members from different youth organisations and their commitment towards the Council are essential to the efficiency and success of the council, Mr Said concluded.

Edinburgh ‘work-in’ protest The Edinburgh University Students’ Association (eusa) staged a protest to campaign for longer opening hours for the library.

The students’ association wants the library to stay open 24 hours a day so that it would be in line with other top institutions in the country. eusa believes longer opening hours are required to meet the flexible working patterns of a large and diverse student body.

The so-called ‘work-in’ took place at the university’s George Square library from midnight until morning in the night between 15 and 16 March.

Appreciating the Classics

Greek and Latin breathe life and depth into virtually all modern European languages.

The Malta Classics Association is being set up by a group of students and lecturers within the UoM’s Department of Classics and Archaeology to support and advance classical learning in Malta for children, undergraduates and members of the public.

Anyone interested in joining the association is invited to email classicsmaltasoc@gmail. com. No knowledge of Greek or Latin is required for membership.

Singing in Mumbai

Young Maltese tenor Charles Vincenti, a student of voice and music at the University of Malta, was invited to Mumbai, India, to perform as a soloist in The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by contemporary Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.

Mr Vincenti came to the attention of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra after he had successfully participated in a concert in which the German youth orchestra Junge Philharmonie Brandenburg was also invited to participate. The orchestra and its conductor, Dr Hans Jürgen Nagel, were later invited by the Indian orchestra to present Jen-

kin’s work in Mumbai in February this year.

The combined 70-piece orchestra was joined by a choir of 90 singers from two of Mumbai’s well-known choral groups.

Five solo singers from different countries participated in the performance: Mumbai soprano Natasha Collaco, English mezzosoprano Rachel Gilmore, German baritone Michael Rapke, boy soprano Samar Uraizee from Mumbai, and Malta’s own Vincenti. Mr Vincenti’s performance was well received by the audience and the local press.

A new student card?

The European Students’ Union (esu) and the International Student Identity Card (isic) Association have agreed to collaborate in a bid to better support students throughout Europe.

As part of a memorandum of understanding, esu has agreed to endorse the isic Card as the official and internationally accepted proof of full-time student status. isic cards are already distributed by esu members and national student unions in the uk, Finland, France and Estonia.

The aim of this collaboration is to expand the cooperation between isic and national student unions to more countries.

EC’s ambitions criticised

The European Commission’s goal of 40 per cent tertiary education graduates has been described by the chairperson of the European Students’ Union (esu), Ligia Deca, as a problem rather than an ambition.

This ambition was stated in a communication released by the

insiteronline.com 7

Commission to the European Council in March, with regard to a strategy for the eu towards 2020. Deca criticised this benchmark for being too low: “If the bar is set as low as this, Europe will not be able to call itself a real knowledge economy by 2020.”

While the esu expressed its support towards the Commission’s proposal for an increase in research and development investments, it called on the Commission to reshuffle funds towards the education and training sector from areas which are of less long-term sustainability.

Maltese researchers win Best Paper Awards

Two Maltese academics working in the field of Computational Intelligence and Robot Control at

the Department of Systems and Control Engineering of the University of Malta were awarded two best paper awards for their most recent works, published and presented at two international conferences.

Ing. Marvin Bugeja and Prof. Simon G. Fabri’s paper, entitled ‘A Novel Dual Adaptive Neuro-Controller Based on the Unscented Transform for Mobile Robots’, presented at the International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence held in Portugal, was given the Best Student Paper Award. Only 9 per cent of the papers submitted for this conference were accepted for presentation and publication as full papers.

The second paper, entitled ‘Dual-Adaptive Computer Control of a Mobile Robot Based on the Unscented Transform’, which was presented at the Third International Conference on Advanced Engineering Computing and Applications in Sciences, held in Malta, received a Best Paper Award.

The writing's on the wall

In a statement released last month, Moviment Graffitti expressed its disappointment at Malta’s opposition to an eu commitment to an emissions cut of 30 per cent from 20 per cent below 1990 levels over the next decade.

Graffitti said that while the government’s focus should be

on sustainable energy, creating green jobs, and working for a sustainable green economy, it is currently obvious that these targets are not going to be met.

Moviment Graffitti called on the government to focus its priorities on schemes such as the recent financial programme on domestic photovoltaic systems and increasing the feed-in tariff rate rather than spending time and energy on opposing the eu initiative mentioned above.

For full news stories, check out insiteronline.com

The Job Success Chain Part 1: The Covering Letter

When applying for a job there are three important steps between the application phase and the job placement. These three related elements are the covering letter, the Curriculum Vitæ (cv) and the job interview.

What is a Job Application?

A job application should enclose two documents, a covering letter and a cv.

The covering letter which is also referred to as an application letter is the first step within the chain. It is also the first document that the employer reads. The purpose of the application letter is to encourage the employer to read your cv and consider you for the job therefore its role is to make an impact on the reader.

This letter should not be longer than one page and would normally include three paragraphs. A covering letter should always be written specifically for each application.

The Content

The covering letter should state the reason for your interest as well as indicate what you are currently doing and what opportunities you are seeking. By means of the covering letter, you should show that you have made some research about the job and company. Outline the reasons why the employer should choose you. It is essential to show what you are willing to offer to the company.

Throughout the application letter you should make sure that the employer may cross reference with your cv, therefore it is important that you refer to your accompanying cv.

The Technicalities

• Always address the letter to the person concerned.

• Personalise the letter.

• Use the letter to demonstrate your personality.

• Include your signature and name at the

end of the letter.

• Use the same high quality paper used for printing your cv.

• Use conservative fonts such as Arial or Helvetica.

• Proof read your document and make sure that no grammar, syntax or spelling mistakes are present.

It is important to use active words, for example: “I am interested in this post,” rather than “I would be interested in this post.” This will encourage the recipient to read through the letter.

Conclusion

It is important to invest time in writing your covering letter. Always remember that the aim is to encourage the employer to invite you for an interview.

In the second part of this article which will be issued in the next edition in May, we shall discuss in detail the Curriculum Vitæ.

During the month of April, MISCO is offering sessions (free of charge) to students with the aim of providing guidelines on how to write a covering letter and a cv as well as how to present oneself during an interview. For more information contact us on graduates@miscomalta.com or on 22054505.

8 the insiter • april 2010

insiteronliners

highlights from our website ☞ More comments and regular updates at the new insiteronline.com Ladies, gentlemen, and all the rest, We are very proud to present you a more student-friendly version of our site, insiteronline.com, launched on 15 April.

In the meanwhile, here are some of the highlights from March’s ksu elections week. Once again, Insite reaffirmed itself as the only media organisation covering the ksu elections on a daily basis. Our website registered more than 17,000 hits.

Insiteronline.com also organised a debate between Carl Grech and Andre Vella, who were contesting for the post of President on behalf of sdm and Moviment Indipendenti respectively. Some of the main topics included student apathy and ksu’s handling of finances.

Though it has now been more than five months since the newspaper Ir-Realtà was banned, there was a recount of what happened, followed by more accusations and claims from both sides.

Claire Bonello chaired the debate.

Visit our revamped website.

New and improved formula!

Here are some tidbits from the two live blogs we had running:

KSU AGM Live Blog

‘fight’ were mentioned eight times in different contexts.

Before that, there was lots of drama concerning the order of the agenda. Lots and lots of drama.

■ There were two walkouts, one

KSU Elections Live Blog

■ ‘Shouting’ and ‘yelling’ and

of which was by Pulse. It left half the Common Room empty.

■ Did you know that it took five

hours for the official agenda to actually start being discussed?

■ Since only three positions were

being contested in the elections, the counting process was quick in comparison to last year. Results were out by 11.30 pm whilst things went on till 5 am last year.

Working on a dream ■ This year has seen the re-

branding of Insite's main media outlets. After the complete redesign of The Insiter (the very publication you’re holding) last October, the revamped website will help usher us into a new era of student journalism, enabling us to better interact with our audience using channels and means of online communication that have only surfaced in recent years, long after the previous version went live.

You might have picked up that we are a bit overexcited about

■ Never known for the high

■ This year, 167 votes were

turnout, the 2010 ksu Elections had an even lower turnout than usual. 1,836 votes were cast this year—almost a thousand less than last year’s 2,813 votes.

mixed—a low number compared to last year’s 577 votes.

■ Whereas last year only 12 block

votes were found to be invalid, this year nearly four times as many (46 votes in all) were found to be invalid.

■ Karl Agius obtained the

highest number of votes (1,345) whereas Carl Grech got the least number of votes for sdm (1,332). Andre Vella, with 429 votes, garnered the highest number of votes for mi.

Kenneth J. Vella, Art Director at The Insiter, looks back at months of preparations behind the new insiteronline.com

our new website. And well, who wouldn’t be when a labour of love finally sees the light of day after months of planning and preparation?

From discussing Matthew Stroud’s wireframe drawings in our late evening meetings at Matilda’s to the unveiling of the new site at a jam-packed RIOT Boutique Café on 15 April, it’s been quite a journey. Let’s just say there was good reason for the celebratory drinks and banter as all-female band Stolen Creep (featuring none other than our

very own Katryna Storace, editor of The Insiter) entertained the numerous guests in attendance.

A fitting end to a gruelling two weeks during which the enthusiastic Yanika Borg, our web editor and the brains behind the project, together with the rest of the web team painstakingly went over every single article in the archive to iron out any issues.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Mifsud (our ever-resourceful Swiss knife) oversaw the data migration process from the old website and fine-tuned our new one.

Props are also due for the contributions of Warren F. Sammut, and the tireless work of Tamara Chetcuti in advertising the event.

At this point, I have to include a shameless plug to thank Liam, Matthew, and James over at NIU for the fantastic work and professionalism they put into the design and implementation of our new website.

We hope you will enjoy the new browsing experience we have put up at Insiteronline.com, the only independent source for upto-date news on campus.

insiteronline.com 9

illustration iella

infocus

10 the insiter • april 2010

PhIlip leone-ganado speaks to carl grech, ksu president for the second TIME running, about his first year and the upcoming term

The Power and the Carl Grech must be one of the most spoken-of people on campus—as President of ksu, he has never been one for a low profile. I meet him in the midst of the electoral campaign.

We step into the ksu boardroom, away from the bustle of the quad, for our interview. I am aware of another infamous interviewee in this room, but banish the thought from my mind as we begin, taking a look at what ksu means to the man who embodies it…

PLG: What should be the role of the ksu executive board in the student’s life?

CG: The executive body should be the most present body, and this is why we have an open door policy and a minimum number of executive board members in the office at any time. We try to be as present and accessible as possible, and publish our updates on the website as soon as they happen. So the interaction that should exist is one of mutual trust—the student should feel free to come to speak to ksu and trust that ksu is there to represent him and work for him.

And who is ‘the student’? In sdm’s electoral campaign this year, we heard a lot about ‘the student’. The University being a melting-pot of sorts, is there any difficulty involved in representing such a diverse body?

The main difficulty involved in representing the student body is of course the diversity of the student body. When ksu takes any stand, we have to make sure it does not negatively affect any particular sector of the student body. I believe this has characterised our work, especially this year, and this is why I believe we have been the centre of so much criticism, because ksu was expected to have taken one stand or another, whereas we believed that in light of the views of the whole student body, we couldn’t take one particular stand.

How would you sum up the last term in three words?

Busy, exciting, and interesting.

One of the biggest issues of the year was the banning of IrRealtà. We have heard that it was ksu officials who reported the newspaper…

Carl laughs, genuinely or wearily, it’s hard to say… With regard to this allegation, I’d like to very strongly state that it was not any ksu official who reported this matter to the Precincts Office. It was not any ksu official.

And the testimony of the Precincts Officer?

No. I’ve spoken to the Precincts Officer about this matter and he told me specifically that he never said during his testimony that it was a ksu official, he only said ‘some university students’.

Here is the transcript of that testimony. The question was “Għidtilna li sarlek xi rapport min-naħa tal-istudenti. Għidilna kemm kienu u min kienu jekk jogħġbok” (“You first told that the report was made by University students. Please tell us how many and who they were”), and his response was “L-istudenti ma niftakarx, imma min-naħa tal-ksu. Min-naħa tal-Kunsill Studenti” (“I don’t remember the students but they were from ksu. From the Students’ Council”).

Carl reads the transcript I hand him. A twenty second silence follows…

What is this exactly?

This is the transcript of the Precincts Officer’s testimony in the case against Mark Camilleri.

Yes, in fact, further down, he is asked: “Xi ħadd min-naħa talksu?” ("Someone from ksu?"). “Aħa, xi ħadd min-naħa tal-istudenti” (“Yes, one of the students”). Nowhere does he say that it was a ksu official.

He does say “Min-naħa tal-ksu. Min-naħa tal-Kunsill Studenti” (“From ksu. From the Students’ Council”).

That’s not what he told me. I’ve even spoken to the members of my executive and I can vouch for them and say that it was not a member of the ksu executive who reported the matter to the Precincts Office.

Is it possible that it was a member of the ksu executive acting outside their official capacity?

I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t think so. We have spoken about this matter, and I don’t believe this to be the case. ksu controversially remained silent on the matter. Could ksu’s silence be construed as a statement in itself?

I hope not, because quite frankly we did this in the interest of the student. ksu deals with hundreds of complaints every year, and it is not ksu policy to simply blurt out a statement, because the moment something of this importance is released to the media it becomes a trial by media, and it snowballs out of control completely. Regardless of whether his actions were right or wrong, ksu has a bias towards the student, and even if ksu had come up with a statement, this could very easily have been used against him. I don’t feel that we had to come up with any particular statement with regard to the Mark Camilleri and Ir-Realtà issue. ksu Secretary General Vivienne Bajada was this year no longer a student. Why was no pressure put on her to step down from her post?

First of all I’d like to state that when Vivienne Bajada was elected she was a student, so she had every right to remain in her post.

Nowhere in the ksu statute does it state that a member of the ksu executive should step down if they are no longer a student.

insiteronline.com 11

Glory But surely as she was no longer a member of ksu as defined in the statute, then on a level of respectability…

Technically, according to the ksu statute she was still a member of ksu because, of course, she was still a member of the executive. With regard to pressure for her to step down, Ms Bajada this year carried out a very important function for ksu. She was fundamental to the team, and as she was carrying out her duties correctly and in line with the statute, I really see no reason why she should have stepped down.

How would you feel about a student in their final year of studies running for ksu?

It’s their every right. However, what would worry me is the level of commitment that they would be ready to give to ksu because, as you can imagine, ksu entails a lot of commitment. So, yes, I would feel a bit uneasy, but if I knew that the person is fully committed, then I would see no problem at all with them running for ksu.

This year’s agm was characterised by shouting, even violence at one point. Do you think this reflects the current state of student politics?

Well, student politics is what it is. I’ve been involved in student politics for four years now, and I don’t remember it ever being any different. It could be that it’s becoming worse, or that it’s becoming more vociferous, but that’s student politics. I’m not saying I like this situation or accept it, but that’s student politics.

Do you feel that the agm could affect the legitimacy or the respectability of the new ksu?

I hope not. The agm has to follow a set of procedures and a set of rules, which amid all the shouting, were followed.

RE-elected: KSU President Carl Grech addresses students at the start of his second term Photo: Yentl Spiteri

A substantial portion of students feel that they were not.

What can I say? It is every student’s duty to attend the ksu agm, so as such you cannot postulate illegitimacy on the newly-elected ksu executive simply because a portion of the students felt that they no longer had to stay in the room during the agm.

You are standing for a second term as ksu President. What motivated you to do so?

In my first year, I realised what a lot of situations students have to deal with. In my second year, as President, I became more in touch, because of the work I had to do, with these situations, and this is what motivated me to run again—the simple belief that I couldn’t just leave a job half done, and I believe that I have a lot to give to ksu. I want to see ksu become ever more relevant to the student. At the end of the day, if the student doesn’t feel that ksu is really there to represent him, then most of the work we are doing is for nothing. And I believe that this link between the ksu

executive and the student should be strengthened.

Is there anything about ksu that frustrates you?

What does frustrate me is the lack of participation. There is, at times, not enough participation from students and student representatives. For example, it did frustrate me that the Social Policy Commission, which is made up of all the student organisations, couldn’t find an agenda or a topic to discuss, such that kps meetings would last for ten minutes. This is a shame and it frustrated me a lot. I even tried to push the kps Coordinator and kps Commissioner to come up with agenda themselves, where of course it’s not usual ksu policy to push its own agenda.

We wind up and thank each other. Leaving the boardroom, he immediately enters campaign-mode once again. And I step back out into the quad, where chants of “S-D-M” have now, for some reason, broken out.

infocus

12 the insiter • april 2010

The President we n 10 years after his term as KSU President, Luxembourg-based lawyer-cum-blogger Jacques René Zammit remains a reference point in the history of Maltese student politics. Anna Abela caught up with him to talk about the state of student politics, reforming the KSU statute, and the importance of independent thinking AA: During the ksu election campaign, Moviment Indipendenti Presidential candidate Andre Vella told our online sister publication, Insiteronline.com, that his first act as President would be to erect your bust in the ksu Boardroom. Why do you think student activists hold you in such high regard?

name:

Jacques René Zammit education: ll.b with International Relations, ll.d (University of Malta)

Masters in European Law (College of Europe, Bruges) extracurriculars:

Executive member of għsl Information & Communication Officer and later Secretary General of sdm ksu (first elected in 1998, re-elected as President in 1999) Active member of elsa and aiesec occupation:

Lawyer at the European Court of Justice, Columnist for The Malta Independent, Blogger

JRZ: Well, I guess that somewhere along the line the ‘think different’ approach during my time in sdm and ksu must have left its mark. Student activists today must be aware of the need for new reference points that are different from the ‘plpn mode’. The little difference people like me made in our time must be a curious source of attraction for those willing to break from the mould.

What were the highlights of your term in the ksu Executive?

The principal highlights must have been two: the prelude to the Executive period when we produced the ‘ksu Memorandum to the Political Parties 1998’, outlining what we expected from the parties involved in the general election. I remember that both the Education and Social Policy Commissions were convened just after summer recess had begun, and we drafted a brilliant document that represented all organisations and students.

The second highlight is undoubtedly the negotiation process with the newly elected government that preceded the re-introduction of stipends. To this day, the importance of the work produced by that ksu is still not sufficiently recognised. We opened up a reasoned dialogue with an interlocutor who was willing to listen but who also needed to be convinced. It was not simply about re-introducing stipends, but also about justifying the cost on a national and individual scale. We managed to work in a non-partisan manner representing students’ rights, in spite of attempts to paint us as doing the contrary and to draw us into petty, partisan battles.

blog:

J’Accuse — http://www.akkuza.com

You were one of the architects of the current ksu statute. What vision motivated the students who drafted it?

As a law student and a politician I was very interested in participating in what I saw as a great possibility to give new drive to the oldest student organisation in Malta. When we drafted the statute, we presented proposals on the basis of two principles: representation and participation. By involving as many stakeholders as possible we thought we would drive new inroads into the notorious malady of apathy that has afflicted Uni students for longer than we can really remember. Furthermore, by making the executive answerable to the two representative commissions and rendering it almost impotent in the field of policy creation, we thought we would be eliminating the partisan interest that risked polluting student representation.

If you read the statute carefully, you will notice that the executive is meant to be a group of managers without policymaking power—running the union on a day to day basis but dependent on the two commissions to create or alter policies. We had a system of checks and balances in mind that would interact with the basic units of university society through the principle of subsidiarity.

insiteronline.com 13

never forgot In the run-up to this year's ksu election, you publicly expressed your disagreement with Pulse’s proportional representation electoral system. Why do you disagree with it?

Objections such as those of Pulse are not based on an interest in improving the representative situation but on an obvious lack of interest in understanding the basic workings of the statute.

What use is it to battle over proportional representation in an organ that is meant to be one of managers and not policy creators?

The idea behind post-by-post elections was simply that students would elect the most appropriate person for each post based on his abilities. For example, the President would be a good spokesperson, leader and mediator between different ideas in the Commission. What we now have is the plpn battle over ‘representation’ being imported to university by Pulse/sdm: the ultimate goal is not real representation, but a battle for what they wrongly assume to be a power base from which to launch their partisan aspirations.

In your blog you’ve called for another reform of the ksu statute. What kind of reform does ksu need?

I think the statute has failed in selling its ideas and how it works.

If I could go back in time, I would oblige students to run on an individual ticket for the executive posts and create more awareness about the importance of the Commissions. Unfortunately, all that would happen is that we would have hidden bloc votes (as had happened before the current statute). There is no clearcut solution except battering down the partisan mentality. Every student entering university politics (and I use this in a wide sense) has two options: either to take the easy road and support one of the organisations that could lead him up the greasy pole, or to realise that he has a brain of his own and can think differently. Instead of following, it could be time to lead. I recognised that the plpn schools are not fertile grounds for free-thinking the moment I joined sdm. I think that the question is not of reforming statutes but of reforming mentalities, which is probably the much harder option.

You are also a former Secretary General of sdm (Studenti Demokristjani Maltin). How would you describe your time in sdm?

I found sdm exciting. I had already had a taste of politics earlier (I represented mżpn Gozo on the national mżpn executive). My generation of sdm members realised that students had potential as a think tank and as active participants in an open society. We believed that we could best contribute through discovering our basic principles and applying them independently—and by ‘independently’, I mean with the aim of representation of our sector and not with the aim of serving the needs of external forces.

There is no denying that sdm and the pn have shared historic

struggles in their past. We saw the possibility of developing a new generation of politicians who could, when the time comes, be prepared to give new impetus to our political life, something that cannot be done with a generation of yes men. More often than not we were labeled idealists, but the very fact that we soldiered on in spite of this label was something that makes me proud to this day.

What words of advice would you give the current sdm President?

More often than not, I do not manage to identify with today’s sdm. Of course its members and President are just as free to take whatever direction they have chosen as we were in our time. The impression I get though is that, given the choice between thinking for themselves and thinking like others, they disappointingly opt for the latter.

In a column I wrote last month, I perhaps unwittingly dragged you into the graduate ‘brain drain’ debate. In your blog you said you wanted to write back to us to answer the ‘Should we stay or should we go?’ conundrum. So… should we stay or should we go?

This is a difficult question to answer because of the risk of being misinterpreted. There is no doubt that decisions such as ‘should I stay or should I go’ involve a mix of egoistic and altruistic considerations. My instinctive answer to anybody who asks me nowadays is first of all to ‘go’ and gain experience working and living abroad. As for contributing positively in Malta you can always return, with all the inherent dangers of being seen as a threat by those who decided to stay behind. I feel that my blog has helped me to bridge the gap, and I feel more active and in a way effective on the local scene than others who have chosen to stay behind.

You’ve also recently said that you daydream about founding a liberal party in Malta. Firstly, why haven’t you ever taken the plunge into Maltese politics? And secondly, have your ideological bearings changed since your student days?

I I must admit that I don’t have the sexiest of dreams but yes, I do hope that one day the stranglehold of partisan politics is broken. I’ll let you in on a secret. I had already founded a Liberal movement in sixth form; the Għaqda Liberali Riformista lasted a little over a year. Joking apart, it’s less about founding a party and more about advocating for change with whichever means possible.

Have my ideologies changed? I’d definitely say yes. I identify less easily with ideological labels, especially since I believe that the advent of the global village might have a lasting effect on how we even look at ‘ideologies’ themselves… but that is another discussion altogether.

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Fair, impartial, and there għalik A monthly Opinion column by philip Leone-ganado

Q: What is the ksu Electoral Commission?

A: The ksu Electoral Commission is a body nominated during the ksu agm, and has the role of guaranteeing the smooth running of the ksu electoral campaign in line with the regulations laid down in the statute. It has an obligation to be at all times fair and impartial in its appearance and in its dealings.

Q: Who nominated this year’s Electoral Commission?

A: This year’s Electoral Commission was nominated during the agm by the entire student body. Well, everyone who was left after (a) Pulse and Moviment Indipendenti stormed out, (b) everyone bar thirty went home after seven hours had achieved nothing, and (c) Ġiġi the cat stalked off for a cat-nap.

So, well, sdm.

Q: Who is on this year’s Electoral Commission?

A: Well…

Let’s start with Lucienne Caruana, the Chief Electoral Commissioner. She has been the ksu Administrative Secretary for four years. She has a desk in the ksu Office, spends most of her day there, and has worked with four successive sdm-composed ksu executive boards. She is, for all intents and purposes and to the mind of the average student, a member of ksu. Next up is Salvino Ellul Bonici a leading member of mżpn, the Nationalist Party’s youth section, followed closely by Edward Camilleri, sdm’s Public Relations Officer, that is to say, the man with statutory responsibility for the public image of the candidates in this election. Standing in front of me in the queue to enter the Common Room for the ksu agm, this man remarked “I’m only here to vote against Pulse”.

Matthew Vella should need no introduction. As Chairman of that stormy ksu agm a few weeks ago, it was he whom Pulse and Moviment Indipendenti protested against as they stormed out of that meeting claiming that it had been hijacked by sdm and its supporters, and it was he who tried to evict Mark Camilleri (an mi candidate) from the room. As for Andrea Gonzi, if the name weren’t enough to set alarm bells ringing, one might mention that he is the editor of sdm’s own publication, Stream, which this month carries a large photo of Gonzi’s illustrious namesake on the cover.

Alessandra Dee Crespo is a member of the Theology Students’ Association executive board, and the editor of their

publication Logos. Considering the self-expressed radicalism of Moviment Indipendenti’s candidates, their negative use of the Archbishop’s image in their campaign material, and Mark Camilleri’s outspoken views about the Church, I find myself a tad uncomfortable at the pairing.

And finally we come to Mark Farrugia and Rachel Abela, respectively executive members of the Science and Geography Students’ Associations, and graciously free of affiliations to ksu, sdm or the mżpn (or any other totally separate and unrelated organisations). Unfortunately, where formal affiliation fails, informal takes over, and both enjoy firm and easily verifiable friendships with prominent sdm activists.

Q: (Thoughtfully submitted by sdm apologists.) Don’t those students all come from and represent different faculties and student organisations? Are they not representative of The Student? sdm Għalik!

A: Well yes, and if you chose Fidel Castro, Kim Jong-il, Robert Mugabe, and Adolf Hitler to preside over the International Court of Justice, you could claim that they each represent a different continent. They do, of course, but that’s hardly the point.

Q: Didn’t sdm have every right to nominate whoever they wanted, if everyone else chose to leave?

A: Of course. And Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had every right to fix the Iranian elections last year, if nobody was there to stop him (sorry for extending the dictator analogy so excessively, but I feel it works). None of that changes the arrogance demonstrated in bypassing any attempt at suggesting neutrality—arrogance confirmed when sdm expressed satisfaction at a victory obtained in an election that over 85% of students ignored. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to stick my neck over the parapet and say that, if the negligible turnout was not enough, then with the nomination of this electoral commission, any semblance of fairness or impartiality has been irreconcilably discarded. As a result, the appearance of justice being critical, regardless of the actual conduct of the Electoral Commission or any of its members, the integrity and validity of this election has been totally and irreparably vitiated. As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing legitimate about a result obtained under the Hu Jintao school of election strategy (I’m sorry—that’s the last).

Q: What’s your favourite fruit?

A: The grapefruit.

illustration camille felice

Welcome to Democracy 101.

inhershoes

16 the insiter • april 2010

‘I don’t like politics— but I want to make a difference.’

Full-time law student and former editor of The Insiter, Anna Abela, shares her ideas in a monthly column

I

photo yentl spiteri

n my last column, I hinted at the growing dissatisfaction with public life among young graduates—Malta’s first ‘yuppie’ (young, upwardly mobile) generation. But this sentiment cannot simply be restricted to University graduates, it is shared by an increasingly significant swathe of the middle class. For the first time in Maltese political history, a substantial part of the electorate can safely be called ‘post-materialist’.

The term was coined by the political scientist Ronald Inglehart who, in the 1970s, observed that advanced post-industrial societies bred new political values. Put simply, economic affluence and access to higher education change the issues people care about.While the generation that grew up during wwii prioritised order, security, fixed rules and the status quo, the post-war generation valued single-issue politics, feminism, ecology, nuclear disarmament, citizen involvement in government decisions, personal improvement and self-expression. These so-called babyboomers were reluctant to act as footsoldiers for political parties. Their credo can be summed up in the title of a book by Tory mp John Redwood: I want to make a difference—but I don’t like politics.

While this shift from materialism to post-materialism started in the seventies across the Western world, it’s only happening now in Malta. First of all, one can hardly argue that economic affluence prevailed in the seventies. Malta was still finding its feet after centuries of colonisation. In fact, the Labour years were marked by policies to address stark poverty.

What followed was the briefly interrupted twenty-year reign of the Nationalist party, which was characterised by economic liberalisation. All this economic progress came to a head with eu accession, another turning point in Maltese political history. The Maltese ‘Yes’ vote was a clear signal of intent—while some may have voted in favour due to ‘bread and butter’ issues, for an emerging group of post-materialists, it was a value-loaded statement on the direction they wanted the Maltese political project to take.

My guess is that it was at this point that the conditions for the emergence of post-materialism were finally ripe. The telltale signs are writ large for those who care to read them.

This is why secularism and civil rights are finally being, albeit gingerly, flirted with by the political class.

This is why both major parties are vying over who will champion the ‘creative economy’. This is why the arraignment of Ir-Realtà editor Mark Camilleri and the banning of Stitching have captured the public imagination. This is why more and more people are taking to the streets, armed with placards, espousing post-materialist

causes like gay rights, the enforcement of environmental regulations or the revision of outdated censorship laws.

It also explains why civil society groups have become stronger and better organised and why attempts have been made, first to seduce them, then to discredit them. The anti-overdevelopment lobby immediately springs to mind.

Attempts at defining the Maltese post-materialist movement have been many, but the columnist to come closest to a proper definition is David Friggieri, the son of the eminent philosopher Prof.

Joe Friggieri. I quote selectively: “They are …citizens who distrust Red and Blue political journalists in equal measure and who (if they bother at all) are looking on in amazement and astonishment as the ongoing and inevitable journalistic-cum-political circus unfolds in all its gory details…

They may choose to call it a farce but they probably perceive its tragic undertones...In spite of their apparent detachment from political life in this country, they are, in fact, interested in politics, in culture, in the way society is developing. They have ideas about how Malta could be a better place…They have one thing in common: they demonstrate a distaste for the degeneration of public life in Malta: tv programmes which pander to the lowest common denominator; shockingly biased political journalism which – when push comes to shove – serves one master while drowning out any sensible debate; an unclear demarcation between Church and State; an all-round lack of cultural sensitivity on the part of those who lead us and who are meant to set an example.” (MaltaToday, 7 March 2010) Many post-materialists feel disenfranchised. They are probably better represented by intelligent columnists like Mark Anthony Falzon in The Times or Jacques René Zammit in The Independent than by either political party—both of which, in their attempts to colonise as much of the electorate as possible, are evidently in the throes of ideological schizophrenia.

Post-materialists could very well be the standard-bearers for the cultural and social change our society so desperately needs. Right now, this movement is still in its infancy. Yet, the exponential growth of civil society and the strong following of certain columnists belies that it cannot be dismissed as a passing trend.

The party that is most successful in courting this section of the electorate will win the next general election. You heard it here first: the post-materialists are the new kingmakers in Maltese politics.

Political parties can only ignore (or worse, demonise) this growing undercurrent at their own peril.

insiteronline.com 17 17 insiteronline.com

involved david debono meets alexandra cachia, vice-president of get Up Stand Up!, an ngo that seeks to bridge cultural gaps between the maltese population and refugees through their common love of music

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n this world of ours filled with so much social injustice, one begins to wonder if anybody really cares anymore. So when an organisation like Get Up Stand Up! appears on the scene, it really is like a breath of fresh air. I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with Alexandra Cachia, vice-president of Get Up Stand Up! to discuss the organisation’s aims, the issues it prioritises, the difficulties it faces, and how people can get involved with them.

The organisation was founded in late 2009 by President Yasmin De Giorgio after she wrote her dissertation on racism and the immigration issue in Malta. This made her realise that people are usually only fearful of immigrants because of a false perception about them carried through society and tacitly fuelled by some media. The clear positive correlation between education and tolerance suggests that by spreading awareness we can create a more peaceful environment.

After speaking with some immigrants, she realised what a hard time they’d had, crossing deserts and having to bury friends and family who didn’t make it to their intended destination. Learning how sad they feel on arriving here – where they have no freedom, can’t work, and have nothing to do to occupy their time – fuelled her passion for human rights. When the people were detained they had to share cramped, tiny quarters and one toilet between them.

This all prompted Ms De Giorgio to launch Get Up Stand Up!, an organisation created to fight for human rights issues with regard to racism, homophobia and poverty, as well as the environment. Through their website, the members of the or-

ganisation help spread awareness about other ngos operating in Malta, such as That’s Rubbish, sos Malta and Rotary Club Malta.

“Get Up Stand Up!’s main focus at the moment is the issue of immigrants in Malta, but as it grows and gains more manpower, we plan to be active in other areas too,” says Ms Cachia.

The organisation is made up of a board of directors and project managers, making up around ten core members, as well as having as many other members as possible to pitch in, taking the odd roles. At this point, Ms Cachia emphasised that they do not demand too much time from members, allowing volunteers the flexibility of fitting their voluntary work around their lives, without being tied down to the organisation. The project managers are responsible for making their various projects happen; each manager chooses to take up new projects as they arise, and they coordinate the volunteers involved with that particular project.

They have so far had two major projects. The first, their Jamming for Change event, took place on 14 March. Through this music event they set out to create awareness on cultural diversity and human rights to battle the problem of racism, discrimination and xenophobia in Malta. Alexandra explains that the aim of this event was to challenge people by communicating with them on a personal level. One of the asylum seekers also held a presentation about his horrific experience while crossing the desert in Libya and about life here in Malta.

Riding high on the success of its first music festival, Get Up Stand Up! just organised the Marsa Music Evening on 10 April,

18 the insiter • april 2010

aimed at showing immigrants that there are people out there who care for them. This event, held at the Marsa Open Centre and sponsored by the American Embassy, aimed to encourage integration between the residents of the open centre and the Maltese by creating a fun atmosphere through the appreciation of music. Local bands such as No Bling Show played alongside African acts composed of musicians residing at the centre.

“We will also be organising a football tournament at the centre, first among teams formed within the centre itself, and then by having these teams play in friendly matches against Maltese teams,” explains Ms Cachia. Because of this, there was a drive to collect old football boots for the residents of the centre. The members of the organisation are also collecting books for the library renovation project, which will take place in the near future—part of an effort to teach the immigrants English, encourage education, and allow them to integrate into society better.

The group is also collecting blankets for the open centres.

Get Up Stand Up! hopes to be able to establish monthly Jamming for Change events while also setting up mentoring projects where the members integrate with immigrants socially.

The organisation is also organising a series of information sessions. “We wish to start holding these public information sessions in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the International Organisation of Migrants in mid-April,” says Ms Cachia, who goes on to explain that these will be held in an attempt to aid communication between the immigrants and the Maltese population, as well as to educate the public about the problems the people

at the open centres face.

Their appeal to spread awareness has worked fantastically so far with their two musical events and the public information sessions provided with the help of the unhcr. Their website has had over 3,500 hits in just three months, while people are keen on helping and donating, and new members are constantly joining. “The group is growing, and events are happening, although it is never enough to keep up with the project wishlist,” Ms Cachia remarks.

Sadly, the members of the organisation encounter quite a few difficulties. Ms Cachia remarks that the worst thing is the lack of understanding from some people, sometimes even from friends. “People don’t make an informed decision about their attitudes and are heavily biased in what they believe by what is supposedly fact,” she remarks. “Challenging one’s worldview can be very difficult but Get Up Stand Up! hopes to at least create a platform for debate which is not aggressive or judgemental.”

“Thankfully, despite these personal difficulties, the spirit of initiative is alive and kicking in the organisation, which is still new and not that well known,” she adds as a final remark.

Anyone is invited and encouraged to join the organisation, and those wishing to get involved with Get Up Stand Up! can do so by sending an email to info@getupstandup.org.mt with their interests, or by visiting the website: www.getupstandup.org.mt You may also subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed of any upcoming events and of any roles that need filling within the organisation.

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• inthespotlight: W hatsTheirNames • The Insider • Vox Pop • ingear: Toy ota Vitz • inreview • infash ion

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photo glorianne cassar

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20 P’OUT! • april 2010

They're young and ridiculously talented. meet relikc, a budding homegrown band By robert caruana

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was sitting in my car in a beautiful and quiet neighbourhood, watching my watch tick on a sunny spring afternoon, when a small Ford Fiesta approached from the other end of the road. Inside the car was Relikc, a band consisting of five members: Keith Zammit (vocals), Luke Grech (guitars/backing vocals), Ivan Giordano (bass), Robert Spiteri (drums) and Joey Axiak (keyboards). One of them had evidently cracked a joke and I could see their faces laughing through the windows. Later I was to find out that this happens about twice every second, and laughter was to surround me every minute that I spent with the group.

I turned Muse off and got out of my car to meet them, beginning my rock-packed afternoon with five handshakes, and then followed the group into Luke’s garage.

On the wall was a smudgy whiteboard on which an extensive list of covers and originals that the band knew was scrawled.

They asked me which one I wanted to hear.

I requested ‘Time is Running Out’ by Muse.

They also played ‘Mindwreck’ and followed it up with ‘Tomorrow’, both original songs

of theirs. I had heard these songs on the band’s MySpace page and thought they were good, but to see the band play the songs live with such energy and charisma really blew me away. If they had this much passion when playing as a favour to a guy they had just met, one can only imagine how great they are live. This is a band that possesses that mysterious something in abundance, and has backed it up with hard work. They then played a few more originals and covers, including their own version of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’. Most people who know me will be surprised to hear that I actually enjoyed hearing their rendition of ‘Bad Romance’ (I consider Lady Gaga to be the devil with a cute behind), but this is testament to Relikc’s gifts. They infused the song with interesting riffs and with the humorous quality of funk.

Soon we were all sitting nice and chilled out in Luke’s room. My ears were still ringing in a good way, and I had my tape recorder whirling slowly, right next to the cup of coffee I had accepted from Luke. I ask them how they all got started as a band. Ivan tells

me, “Luke had encouraged me to start playing bass in Form iii, and we then formed a band together with Joey and Robert called Cobalt 60 in Form iv, while Robert was still in Form i. We continued to play together at sixth form, which is where we spotted Keith singing in the corridors and decided to recruit him. Apparently Keith is blessed with an outstanding memory for lyrics, and rarely gets one wrong.

I ask how old they were when they started playing their instruments. Ivan, Joey, and Luke started when they were about thirteen, but Robert started when he was much younger. “My father was a guitarist in a band and his band’s equipment was all set up in our garage. This one time he heard a loud banging coming from the drum kit, and when he went inside to find out what it was, he saw me rocking the kit. I was six years old, and have continued playing the drums constantly since then.”

When it comes to influences, Relikc draw inspiration from a wide range of sources.

Joey and Rob are very much inclined towards progressive rock artists such as

Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Tool.

Ivan loves funk, particularly the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while Keith prefers relatively mainstream bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Luke is drawn towards virtuoso musicians such as Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Nuno Betterncourt. Interestingly, the band all share a love of metal, but they stay away from that genre in order to cater to the more delicate tastes of the local mob; though they are only willing to compromise to a certain degree: “We try to make sure that we stick to the music we like and don’t only play what’s popular with the crowds.” The music they like fluctuates, no doubt on account of the diverse range of influences the band has. Generally though, the sounds I heard in Luke’s garage were high energy songs with aggressive funk riffs, and the influence of metal constantly lurking beneath the surface.

The process a song goes through, from the moment it is born out of the unconscious of the musician to the moment it is saved as an mp3 in a folder entitled ‘Band’s Songs’, is usually a long and arduous one. I ask about

how Relikc go about the songwriting process.

“Before, someone would write a song that the band learns but now it’s more a case of someone presenting an idea that the band works on. Very often we spend a night in someone’s room working on a song—Robert doesn’t usually come (laughter). Lately he’s started coming though.” At times the band’s attention wanders away from my questions as they pick on each other. But whenever I ask a question they tend to fall silent and answer at length, often debating with each other. When it comes to gigging, however, they are all agreed that their gig at the Farson’s Beer Festival 2009 was their favourite performance by far, a performance which spawned many Relikc fans and launched the band onto the local scene. You can easily tell that the band love being on stage. “When the crowd know the lyrics to your song it’s a good sign,” Luke says. Undoubtedly, a crowd that knows the lyrics is a crowd that’s entertained.

The band hesitates a little when I ask them about the local music scene. Joey com-

ments, “I think there is an interest from our peers in local bands, but actually it’s some of the radio stations which aren’t promoting local bands enough.” However, considering they are such a new band, things are looking very good. Their music has been played on Bay Radio, while Toni Sant described the band on his online blog as having a bright future ahead of them. They’ve already been featured in the German magazine Marco Polo in an article entitled ‘Isle of Rock’. The band’s name has certainly travelled out of Luke’s garage, and is gradually spreading among the Maltese youth.

Once the formality of the interview was over, free flowing banter once again erupted around the room and followed me all the way to the front gate of Luke’s house. There was one question on my list that I hadn’t bothered to ask them: What do you think is the best thing about being in a band? The answer to this had been obvious from the moment I saw them grinning at me in their Ford Fiesta. The band may be on its way up, but Luke, Keith, Ivan, Robert and Joey already feel on top of the world right now.

photo lorleen farrugia / illustration theo cachia

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22 P’OUT! • april 2010

WhatsTheirNames go to France by rachel agius

hatsTheirNames Theatre started off in 2009, with a production of All in the Timing by David Ives. Since then, they’ve put on three other productions based on a variety of themes: Seven Jewish Children by Caryl Churchill, Art by Yasmina Reza, and a staged reading of Pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill. Such a variety of genres, from humour to harsh reality, offers a breath of fresh air to the theatre scene, a scene which, until recently, was not represented at our highest educational institution. The lack of a University-based group was the main catalyst for the creation of the company. One restless thespian disliked not having anything of the sort on campus and took matters into his own hands.

Philip Leone-Ganado describes the birth of WhatsTheirNames as something of a lengthy affair. After spending some time lamenting the lack of a student theatre company, he decided to create one himself. Part of the company’s raison d’être is in fact to bring theatre to those who have not yet experienced it. And they have succeeded: following their staging of Art, many of the first-time theatre goers expressed a wish to be second- and third-time theatre goers. The company aims to reach an audience which includes, but is not limited, to the student population and is always looking for new productions to tackle, especially those with themes such as youth and the student experience.

Despite being only a few months old, WhatsTheirNames have already earned themselves some impressive recognition.

Following their first production, All in the Timing, they were invited to take part in the 19th International Student Theatre Festival at the end of March, held in Besançon, France. Many universities were represented there, including students from Poland, Romania, France, Algeria, and Japan. Quite a feat for a fledgling company. The company was represented abroad

by Philip Leone-Ganado (ll.b); Joseph Zammit (ba History); Nicolà Abela Garrett (ba English and Theatre Studies); Claire Bonello (ll.b); Abigail Caruana (bsc Chemistry and Biology); AnnaMaria Zammit (ll.b); and Barrie Stott (ba Theatre Arts – Aberystwyth University). The company is receiving support for its venture from the Malta Arts Fund.

With such a track record and in such a short space of time, the future of WhatsTheirNames looks very bright. Aside from being the first company of its kind on campus, it has already broken new ground in creating a theatre scene that is especially accessible to students. Sustaining this scene is something that, I firmly believe, should be prioritised by those in charge. After all, education isn’t just about books and facts. Culture needs to be given more importance on campus and WhatsTheirNames have made the first step in making our university a source of creativity and engaging experiences.

photography claire l waterfield

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€16m investment project announced Condom manufacturing giant Durex will be opening a manufacturing plant in Msida come October, The Insider has learnt.

The plant will be built in the site currently labelled as ‘Ġnien Arturo Mercieca’ on the campus map, and works should start by the end of the academic year.

The project, codenamed ‘L-AX2’ in company circles, will be churning out approximately 10,000 condoms a week.

It is understood that the company will be using the Tal-Qroqq plant to cater for the Mediterranean and North African markets after it was forced to close its Libyan plant following the Schengen visa saga.

The company will not only use the factory to manufacture its whole range of prophylactics, but it also intends to carry out some of its research and development here.

There are also plans to employ University and mcast science students, with summer work placement schemes, internships and scholarships planned once the company starts its operations in October 2010.

“We have great faith in Maltese students, and our company trusts that the hard-working ethic and flexibility that the Maltese have will pay off dividends,” a spokesman for the company said.

This publication has learnt that the company intends testing out its new products on the student population by handing out free condoms every week in a scheme called ‘F**king Fridays’.

When confronted by our journalist on whether it was ethical to test out products which are generally looked upon as safeguards against sexually transmitted diseases, including babies, a spokesperson for Durex said Maltese students were chosen “purely for this reason” and would not divulge any further information at this stage.

Meanwhile, student organisation (h)umps welcomed this news and said it was “about f**king time”.

University Rector Juanito Camilleri said it was a good sign that a company with Durex’s profile had chosen the Malta campus as its Mediterranean base and promised his unwavering support.

Tanks for the Space ksu are encouraging University students to drive to University in armoured tanks to solve the parking problem on campus.

The reasoning behind the scheme, named ‘Tanks for the Space’, is that if a space is already occupied by a car, a tank-driving student can simply crush the vehicular obstacle under fifty tons of steel. Once the scheme becomes widely implemented and more students start using tanks, they will have to engage in fights to the death for contested spaces.

Driving schools have been quick to take advantage of the scheme by offering tank driving lessons. “It’s great! Parallel parking is no longer a problem,” said Joe Fenech of Dodgy Dodgems Motoring School.

Second-year Biology and Chemistry student Julie Farrugia, on the other hand, was skeptical about the proposal. “It’s not fair because you find these rich snobby girls whose daddies will buy them the latest American hardware, while I have to settle for a second hand Soviet wwii rust bucket with no digital rangefinder or mp3 player.

One person who has already embraced the scheme is Normal Lowell. Mr Lowell could be seen parking his sixty-year-old Panzer tank on top of the Rector’s car, before heading off to the ksu office for a cup of tea and a chat.

ksu president in it “for love” The re-elected ksu president has quashed any rumours that he might be using the student council as a stepping stone for a career in politics.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Insider, the ksu president said he had “no plans” for a career in party politics and that he was in the student council out of a selfless interest towards his fellow students.

“Once I finish the law course, I’m thinking of studying Human Rights with a particular emphasis on the rights of students,” he said, tears welling up his eyes.

The fourth-year Law student said that he was completely devoted to advancing the cause of Maltese students, and “would let nothing get in the way of that”.

“Everything I do, be it organise a student activity or present a programme on national tv, is totally oriented towards making University a better place for students,” the selfless champion of students rights said.

late at 8: An eager student on his way to University in an American m1 Abrams

24 P’OUT! the insiter • april • april 2010 2010

KSU e h t ollow ? Are f u o y ar 1. Did ns this ye the o h electi tisfied wit a you s ? result smus a r E view rience u o y e 2. Do sitive exp hould s o as a p e students o? t s Malte emselves th avail ed all v i e c ou re lts? y e v 3. Ha xam resu e your

ruana Joseph.CCoa m Courserd: B Year: 3

tions. ed the elec Yes, I follow lts, I am happy the resu As regards re contested and that e that SDM w able to exercise the re e w ts n e stud . confidence o n f o te vo n’t had cause I have rasmus, e b ll, te ’t n nE I ca nity to go o the opportu e that it is a positive m but I’d assu . e c n e ri expe ave. but yes, I h A little late,

Shaun A bdilla

Course :B Year: 3 rd .Eng

I did follo w wasn’t sa the elections, but I tisfied w it because it was lik h the result e a one-h race and I reflect w feel that it does orse n h students at the majority o ’t f think.

Yes, I do . view of w It gives students a abroad a hat university life nd it pro is like v a cultura l break fr ides them with om Malt a.

Yes, I ha ve.

Andrea Por telli

Course: B a Year: 1 st

Yes, I did fo llow the ele happy with c the results tions. I am in the sense that the gro up I vo of course, was elected ted for, that is SDM, .I the voter tu rnout hit an am not happy that all time low .

I haven’t be en on Erasm it must be a us yet, but I g visit differen ood experience. You think get to t universitie s and meet people. different Yes, I have.

P a bit disapp retty late though, whic ointing and h was ra considering the efficien ther pathetic technology c these days. y of eSIMS and

insiteronline.com 25

Stephanie Camilleri Course: B.Psy rd Year: 3

m, so I cannot No, I didn’t follow the the results. This on t en really comm erested in the year I was even less int use I’m very ca elections than usual be d my thesis. an e urs busy with my co on Erasmus Yes, but I haven’t been something ds ad it nk myself. I thi rience as a different to your expe ople from pe student—you meet unds and gro ck ba different cultural ectives rsp pe nt ere diff learn how ople of compare to those pe try. un co n ow in our time, too.

Yes, and they were on

Nicky Micallef

Course: LL.D Year: 3rd

I only followed the elections because my brother is in first year and very enthusiast ic.

Personally, it doesn’t affect me because I’m leaving University in just over a month.

Definitely! I went on Erasmus and it was a life-changing experience .

I learnt a lot about living alone and improved my Italian.

I had no credits with this universi ty last semester, but received all the results of the oral exams I had abroad.

Mariari b Schem(Hons)

e: BA r: 3rd Yea

s Cour

photos t aken usin ga iPhone 3G S Provided

by Vodafo ne

ed the followctually. r e v e a ’ve n lections, ive No. Ie a posyits nt e e d b u t t s s it mu have alwa er had think Yes, I rience andI’ve just nev. expe ed to go. y to do so te wish pportunit very la m e o h t . e s th ceivedin two day ut I re Yes, bear, and all this y

ingear

26 P’OUT! • april 2010

Gotta getta Vitz in our monthly ingear column, we take a look at a number of cars which, by some virtue, happen to be perennial classics in the world of student mobility. This month: the TOYOTA VITZ. By robert caruana

J

apanese cars are like cheap prostitutes. They get you where you want to go quickly and economically; all they ask in return is a little bit of fuel. The Toyota Vitz is an embodiment of these characteristics that have, over the years, seen Japanese cars dominate the automobile industry. You’ve noticed the alarming number of Toyota Vitzes crawling about Malta and Gozo, and you probably feel vaguely annoyed. (Unless you’re to be counted with the Vitz-owning majority.) The situation is comparable to when a house becomes infested with ants: Vitzes are all over the place, in every nook and cranny, and we’re wondering where they all came from and who left the food out. Except you can’t squash a Vitz, metaphorically or otherwise, and this is what annoys us.

The Vitz also has a special significance to me, and others who, like me, happen to own a Peugeot 106. The Vitz is very much to the noughties what the Peugeot 106 was to the nineties. Both were the a2b cars of their generation, a2b being the technical term that refers to a car purchased by someone who simply needs a vehicle to get from a to b with no frills attached. The immensely high consumer demand of both a2bs ensured their long-term success, and the Vitz has been on the production line since 1999, and is still going strong. The Peugeot 106 went out of production in 2003, and the feeling of being usurped is ingrained within the unconscious of all Peugeot 106 drivers. The Vitz’s popularity was such that it also outsold and replaced the Toyota Starlet and went on to win several awards, including Best European Car of the Year when it was first released in 1999.

A part of the Vitz’s success must also be attributed to how well Toyota marketed their product, carefully adjusting the technical and aesthetic characteristics of the car according to the regional market, right down to the very name of the car. Ever wondered what the difference between a Toyota Yaris and a Toyota Vitz is?

The answer is: almost nothing except the name. The Vitz is the car brand in Asia, while the Yaris is the car brand in North America and Europe. Toyota must have thought Shakespeare’s ‘What’s in a name?’ verses in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to be absolute rubbish. Before the Vitz, Toyota, traditionally associated with large, gas-guzzling cars, had long been frustrated with their in-

ability to produce a successful small car. The Vitz represents their success in breaking into this market.

In 2005 the Vitz was given a facelift, and a second generation of Vitzes were unleashed upon the world. The four-valve per cylinder vvt-i engines of the 1999 Vitz were replaced with different engine configurations that the consumer could choose from, all of which afforded the car better fuel economy and power. In a world in which the price of oil, global warming, and those pesky holes in the ozone layer are bringing everybody down, fuel economy is definitely a market car companies want to get into. In this field, the Vitz has, until recently, been outshone by hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius. However, although the recent controversy that led to Toyota recalling more than two million cars certainly affected Toyota’s sales of many of their vehicles such as the Prius, the Vitz, being a tried and tested car, seems to have escaped with its reputation intact.

During these tumultuous times, the Vitz seems to be one of the few things that one can rely on. Finding a proud Vitz owner is certainly not a hard thing to do. The car is easy to park and has a great turning circle. There are a few negative points which must be mentioned. Its interior is quite cramped; you’re not likely to see steamy Vitzes parked suspiciously in lonely car parks. And as for the boot, there’s hardly enough space to fit a deflated basketball in there. Therefore, if you’re a keen Mafioso, don’t buy this car.

On the other hand, if you’re a person who wants to buy a reliable car but doesn’t want the money to go towards Lithium-ion batteries concealed beneath passenger seats, then the Toyota Vitz is a car to consider. A friend of mine owns a 1999 Vitz which has got a mileage of over 100,000 km, that is about 2.5 times the circumference of the Equator. I asked him whether the car had ever given him any trouble. His answer was: ‘No’. The simplicity of that answer sums up the Vitz quite well. It’s a no-nonsense car, for no-nonsense people.

MODEL: Toyota Vitz (1999) airbags!

SAFETY FEATURES: It actually has Y: BILIT RDA STUDENT AFFO FUEL ECONOMY: TOP SPEED: BACKSEAT FUN: ™ CHICK SWOON FACTOR :

OVERALL RATING:

insiteronline.com 27

Pick of the month: Book By ElizabetH Galea

i

n The Book Thief, set in 1939 Germany, nineyear-old Liesel is described as ‘an expert at being left behind’. Her brother dies at the beginning of the book and her mother disappears. For this reason, she steals books to settle the score.

At the beginning of the book, Liesel is on her way to Molching, a town outside Munich, where she will be taken in foster care.

The first book she steals is a gravedigger’s handbook dropped in the snow at the cemetery where her brother is buried. Through this book, her foster father Hans teaches her how to read.

The following nine books all somehow shape Liesel’s story. She takes a book from a public book burning, while a copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf helps save a young Jewish man named Max Vandenburg, who is hidden by Liesel’s foster parents.

The novel is narrated by Death. But in this case, Death is wry and tender, and just as

shocked as we are at what man can do to man.

Behind the novel’s postmodern aspirations, its typographical symbols, handwritten passages and illustrations, lies a novel which is brought to life by its focus on the innocence of its protagonist and the sheer goodness of her foster father, a German man hiding a Jew under Hitler’s regime.

The novel seeks to bridge the divide between young adult fiction and adult fiction, and, to a great extent, it succeeds. Zusak is no idealist; he depicts all shades of the spectrum—from the life-affirming selflessness of Hans Hubermann to the fanaticism of the Nazis. The author does not budge at the vast scope of the subject he is undertaking and seeks to tell a story about the Holocaust that is his own, and relevant to his contemporaries.

The novel, a New York Times bestseller, is not only a page-turner, but also a novel which will unsettle and challenge the reader.

Book By Mario Jaccarini

F

spiritual authority.’ This book shows a very humane person who is not puffed up by his great knowledge.

Collins appeals for extremism to be set aside both by religious people and by scientists.

Some of the former want to present creationism and intelligent design as scientific alternatives to Darwinism. However neither creationism which depends on faith, nor intelligent design which is a philosophical approach are scientific as their proponents contend. On the other hand, many scientists will accept only scientific evidence as valid which is too narrow a view of reality.

The book ends with an appendix setting out the prospects which genomics offers for preventing and for curing diseases. At the same time some moral problems arise from the practice of genomics such as the use by third parties of genetic information.

This is a very readable book, though it can be difficult in small parts for those with little scientific knowledge.

rancis Collins finds no difficulty in reconciling science with his religious faith in The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. He states elsewhere that the two are not walled off from each other in his life.

He traces his own journey from atheism to belief in God and Christ. Collins started as a medical doctor, later specialised in genetics, and held for some years the prestigious post of director of the Human Genome Project.

Brought up an agnostic while studying medicine he became an atheist. He started his journey to faith when he was challenged by a patient. He discovered God by means of reason but this God became concrete for him as for so many others, in the person of Jesus Christ. His faith was further confirmed when he went deeper into science and was awed by its wonders.

Early in the book (chapter one), he admits that the real difficulty about accepting God was not science: ‘As a young man growing up in a world full of temptations, it was convenient to ignore the need to be answerable to any higher

glorianne cassar

photography

roberta

model

insiteronline.com 31

The Nitpicker incognito Xebgħa KSUħat I’m not going to go into the ksu agm very much, seeing as a lot of what I would’ve said has already been said, but I can’t for the life of me understand why more people don’t go to the agm. It’s the closest UoMeh gets to gladiatorial combat. Actually, that would be a much more fun way of deciding who gets to occupy the throne.

Without a doubt, my favourite moment of the whole agm happened during the almostbrawl, when Pulse president Tyson Fenech took off his glasses and roared at a certain diminutive sdm busybody/groupie who was pestering him. For a moment, I thought things were going to get ugly. It was a close shave, I can tell you.

To be honest, I was surprised that sdm even bothered to campaign afterwards. I can’t decide whether to admire them for not underestimating their opponents, or criticise them for wasting resources. I’ll do neither, and instead point out how sdm’s campaign this year was strikingly similar to act’s last year.

Whether it was the colour scheme of blue, gold and green, or the wholesale incorporating of many of act’s proposals, sdm really went to town. Also, is it just me, or does sdm’s new half white, half yellow flag look like that of the Vatican?

I suppose, as punishment for being so apathetic, the UoMeh gets the ksu it deserves.

This reminds me of a conversation that is said to have taken place between actor Rex Harrison and an unnamed British mp: “The trouble with England is that it is being governed by cunts,” said Harrison, to which the mp replied: “Quite frankly old man, there are an awful lot of cunts in England, and they deserve representation.” Oops, I used a naughty word, twice. Hope I don’t get us banned or anything…

As for the candidates, I can’t help but think that Net News / MaltaRightNow / In-Nazzjon reporter Matthew Bonett would have been more suited to the role of Public Relations Officer. That way, he could write press releases, and then report on them himself. Rumour also has it that Carl Grech’s roguish eyebrow has acquired consciousness and is now going to use him to take over the world. Mr Grech has tried to regain control of his brain, but apparently, whatever he says makes no difference.

Assignment assault Last month, The Times carried a story about two students who were involved in a fight over a project which they were meant to hand in six years ago.

Apparently one of the students went all ninja on his partner when the partner refused to put Karate Kid’s name on the project, because he didn’t actually contribute. Sadly these types of students, lazy sods, are all too common and one of the reasons why I personally dislike working in groups. This got me thinking about plagiarism and copying. Take the optional credit ‘Women in the Bible’, for example. Aside from the fact that it might as well have been called ‘Target Practice for Rock Throwing in Israel’, according to esims there are an astonishing 189 students enrolled in the course. The assessment is based on an assignment. So does that mean that the lecturer reads every single one, and furthermore can spot a copied assignment? I sincerely doubt it, even though the lecturer is a priest and therefore blessed with miraculous powers.

The Commies are coming!

What is it with sdm’s obsession with Communism? Every other article in their publication Stream is about the perils of socialism or the profile of some Communist dictator. Yes, because fervent Nationalism has worked so well in the past. Then again, it’s not surprising, given that their definition of a Commie is anyone who doesn’t think Eddie / Edward / Edible Fenech Adami was the best thing to happen to Malta since sliced ftira, and ravishingly sexy to boot.

Ooh, and while we’re on the subject of Stream, I suppose I should reply to my counterpart Aunt Anna’s kind invitation to pastizzi and krustini, which was sent in return for my offer of tea and cake. Well, Aunty dear, after entering your għorfa and nibbling your proffered pastizz for a while, I’d love to chat with you about hairnets and stuff.

Apologies for the mostly sdm-centric rant this month, but they bring it on themselves, poor dears. And remember, if you want me to write about something that bugs you at UoMeh, send an email to insite.nitpicker@gmail.com illustration camille felice

32 the insiter • april 2010

Every month, a pint-sized human being tries out things and writes things about them. Meet Audri

Memoirs of a

audri’sadventures

Mejta I

know I promised a roller-coaster ride, but my ride is a wooden chair. Read about the non-adventure of being a third-year student, trying to write a dissertation, trying to find inspiration.

Oh, there goes a rhyme! I’ll spare you the details of my varied daily routine, and apologise beforehand for my static adventure.

Due to my stress-induced lifestyle, I have recently been accompanied by a little zit called ‘Fire’, who seems to have found herself a home on my forehead. I’ve almost scratched the life out of her now, poor thing. Still, here I am trying to drown her in concealer. I’ve even decided to wear a patterned dress for tonight, so as to draw the attention away from the persistent creature. I struggle to zip up my dress—I hate it when dresses get smaller.

Now, if I fix my hair to one side, perhaps I could shelter her from the cold (and myself from embarrassment).

I leave the best for last: my new pair of boots. Black, suede, and guaranteed to make me look somewhat more proportioned.

Wait, have my feet grown? My left foot feels smaller than my right one. I panic, and struggle to find meaning for the size of my feet. Did I put on foot weight? Those extra kilos must have gone somewhere. *Insert cartoon light bulb here* What if I had to wear the right boot on my left foot? Eureka! The clever salesgirl gave me two different sizes. And here I was boasting about my great bargejn.

I get into my car and drive towards Paceville. I park relatively close to where I’m meeting the others, just because I’m lazy and I wobble as I walk. I get there and get complimented about my hair and my dress. No one’s seen Fire yet. Good. Now let’s eat.

Being the responsible type, I go for carbs, since I have to eat for two. I order ravioli with (supposedly) Parma ham, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. Once I manage to spot the ravioli beneath the rucola tree in my plate, they taste pretty good.

We leave the restaurant and walk towards a karaoke bar. It’s

my first time on stage so I’m a little excited. Look at all these people. Seriously. It’s almost like a place for the shunned and genetically-impaired. There’s a couple who looks like they drank too much corked wine. The woman looks like one of those witches looking for the fountain of youth and failing desperately. The man, on the other hand, just looks like a drunken douche. Why people bring their ten-year-old kids to Paceville is beyond me. If you can’t afford a babysitter, rent a dvd.

There’s a group of ħamalli trying to sing 80s songs. My ears hurt and so do my eyes. I pity the dj, but at least he’s getting paid for listening to rubbish; I’m not. So, make them stop. Please.

Ah, finally. My friends convince me to sing, so they choose a song and I join them on the squeaky platform. What is this song, and why does my voice sound better in the shower? The others seem to be getting into it. Hmm. Lip-sync. Music playing.

La, la, la.

You see, dear reader, I’ve always had a particular dream. One which involves me on a stage, growling in front of thousands of heavy metal fans. Of course, the people here are far from ideal followers, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. So I grab the mic, take a deep breath in and growl ‘Argh!!’ during a Latino song.

And again, then again. This is fun! Boo—the dj just switched off my microphone! Spoilsport. He calls me crazy, but judging from this place, he doesn’t exactly have the best sense of judgement.

Time to go. Thankfully, my friends drive me to my car to ensure my safety. Fire’s too, of course. I sleep like a baby in a coma, only to wake up to face another fun-packed day on my wooden chair. Coffee. Write. Write. Read. Write. Facebook. Write. Eat. Write. Sleep. Repeat. How exciting.

Do stay tuned for more intellectually stimulating adventures.

Until then, remember, that one day, ‘from little spark may burst a mighty flame’.

insiteronline.com 33

The last instalment of the erasmus diaries of emily Louise jones

L

eaving Germany was a sad affair indeed. I had to say goodbye to my roommates and the other international students, in whom I really feel I’ve found true, lifelong friends. However, the eve of the day of my leaving was an adventure in itself. Did you ever experience an occasion where something really awful happens, and someone annoyingly comments that “one day you’ll look back on this and laugh”? Well, what follows is certainly one of those moments, and a misfortune I deem necessary to share with you, dear readers. Read, be amused, but please, for goodness’ sake (and mine too), do not judge.

Fancying myself as a bit of a party girl, I naturally threw a farewell party to celebrate (commiserate?) my departure from the student dorms. I was the first of the Erasmus students to leave, so it was quite a big affair. A few hours into the afternoon on the day of the said party, I realised that I hadn’t really done much packing. At all. Now, if you’ve ever had to pack up six months of your life into one suitcase and a hold-all then you’ll know it’s certainly no easy task. Getting it done in a matter of a few hours… well that’s another kettle of fish altogether. Add to that the fact that my dad was (so kindly) passing through Germany after a transatlantic flight to help me with getting to the airport the next morning and so on and so forth. He would arrive at the airport and be expecting me to greet him there at 8am.

Now, being totally honest, as many of my friends and family and, well, anyone who knows anything about me will be able to tell you, time-keeping has never really been my forte, to say the least.

As the afternoon wore on, my suitcase began to look more like a terribly stuffed bratwurst, and my dorm room like the result of an atomic bomb experiment gone horribly wrong. I was panicking, to say the least. Friends were starting to drop by for pre-party drinks, and I had tonnes to do before going to pick up my dad.

The rest of the evening is somewhat of a blur. Let’s just say, in my head, it goes something like this. Doorbell rings. Friends enter. Alcohol is consumed. I try in vain to squeeze a couple more items into my suitcase. More friends arrive, carrying buckets of some sweet-tasting lemony cocktail mixed for the occasion. This is drunk by the gallon. Squeeze some more items into suitcase.

Gallon of lemony-sweet cocktail. Realise at 4am that I have no choice but to fall into bed and hope to wake up on time to pick up the old man from the airport. Unfortunately, my prayers go unanswered …I’m late. And would you just look at the state of my room.

Needless to say, Daddy was less than impressed by his ohso-unpretty (and so-very-hungover) daughter that morning, and even less so by the awfully packed suitcase I presented as my luggage. It was like poking an angry (tired and hungry) bear with a stick as I hastily tried to toss all of my remaining belongings into plastic bags and get out of the messy dorm as quickly as possible to avoid the morning-after clean-up. It started to really sink in that

none of this stuff was ever going to fit in my suitcase. How I even imagined it would, I have no idea.

Long story short, my dad and I ended up buying two extra pieces of luggage and paying €250 in overweight fees for my cases.

I wish I’d never taught my flatmates those Maltese swear words. At least then they wouldn’t have understood every word my dad was saying early that morning, and I could have saved myself some dignity. Well, whatever was left of it after the night before and those buckets of lemony-sweet cocktail, anyway.

ingermany

Auf Wiedersehen!

inperson

34 the insiter • april 2010

Personality of the month:

Jennifer MAGRI

mother, educator, and doctoral student.

By katryna storace

How would you describe what you do in a nutshell?

I am, first and foremost, a proud mother and a housewife, which is a very important part of my life. I am an educator by profession, working in a Learning Support Zone at a public secondary school, planning and implementing programmes for students who have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (sebd).

I am also following a PhD at the University of Leicester on this same subject. Recently, I have taken on the role of a co-ordinator at the Pastoral and Liturgy Youth Group (plyg) in Qormi.

What motivates and inspires you?

The urge I have to help the people I meet to maximise their opportunities and make them happy. People help me to dream, plan and act. Different individuals spark off different inspirations, making my task very demanding since I am constantly working among people. As an educator, I feel I also have the duty to motivate and inspire others to grow and develop in every dimension.

Did your aspirations for the future change since your days as a student?

My aspirations have basically remained the same; however, as I got older I realised that the journey towards them is not as straightforward as I believed, and that time and patience are very important aspects in reaching them. It is also interesting to note that the process for reaching my aspirations is also vital, as it moulds me into the person I am today.

Tertiary education: is it useful in the ‘world out there’?

I believe that the main aim of any university should be to excel in making accessible to its students the best possible sources of

information, whether these are human resources, reading material, equipment, technology, etc. This should then be complemented by a good structure whereby this information can flow easily and be disbursed accordingly. At university level it is then up to the students to make good use of this information, learning how to use these resources independently and critically, and applying this knowledge during their work experiences.

How would you define ‘tolerance’?

Not imposing yourself or your views on any other person. No matter how good you think you, or your views are, the other person might have a very good and valid reason to believe the exact opposite.

Which three personalities would you invite to a dinner party?

(1) Angela Merkel—I would like to discuss how she handles the power bestowed upon her, and what difficulties she faces being a woman in her position; (2) The Pope—to discuss the challenges the Church faces in keeping itself relevant in today’s fast and ever-changing society, and what ideas he has in mind to address such a reality; (3) George Clooney—to have someone to look at if the conversation ever gets boring!

Happiness is...

The ability to be pleased with the people around you, no matter how different they are; be thankful for the things you have no matter how small; enjoy the life you have no matter how difficult; wake up in the morning and smile because you were given the opportunity to live for another day.

insiteronline.com 35

agood,goodnight

inbusiness

Tonight'sgonnabe

W

hen I was first given this article to write, I must admit that I wasn’t too sure how to go about it. Being rather computer illiterate, the idea of writing about an internet site didn’t appeal to me at first. Yet as I delved deeper into the subject I found the two faces behind the site to be very intriguing. As they shared their story with me, it became more and more evident that a good friendship and loads of determination can help to reach any goal.

In 2008, two university students came up with the idea of creating a website that would promote the Paceville and St Julian’s area as an entertainment zone. Mark Borg, a geography graduate, and Jeremy Debattista, an ict student at UoM, are like chalk and cheese, but although different, they still manage to work as a team and prove that different does not mean incompatible.

The initial inspiration behind the site was a result of Mark looking up an event and finding no information about it. This lack of information caused a light bulb to flicker above his head, and pretty soon Mark and Jeremy got cracking on their newfound project, the light bulb burning ever brighter. It is at this point that they began working on the site and chose to call it VisitPaceville.com, the word ‘visit’ being synonymous with tourism and area promotion websites.

Both students took on different roles – Jeremy being the brains behind the technical side and Mark working as creative director – yet they made it a point to take decisions together. Although they admittedly butted heads, the two friends supported one another and were in turn supported by reliable mentors, namely two of their uncles who gave them loads of useful tips and a helping hand. And although they did come across people who discarded their idea, they persevered, in the knowledge that hard work always pays off.

The guys were determined to get the site up to the right standards before launching it, which they did about seven months ago. Although they feared their idea would leak out before they had the chance to perfect it, they didn’t allow this to pressure them into launching an unfinished site, saying “we only had one shot and we had to do it right.”

It was worth the wait! VisitPaceville.com is now a successful website visited by thousands every month, and these regular numbers give the boys courage to continue feeding their users with unbiased information. The site has also attracted major entities like the Malta Tourism Authority, which is now supporting the project.

The site is professionally designed and its various sections provide information which is clearly geared towards letting tourists know what’s happening on our little island. It is evident that Mark and Jeremy bring their different strengths to bear and form a very good team. After browsing through the site I couldn’t help but ask what their future plans are. Everything seems to be so well set up that I couldn’t imagine any changes being made. Yet like all great website owners, Mark and Jeremy want to keep perfecting their work. Some of their upcoming plans include expanding the coverage of large scale events occurring in Malta, as well as further expanding the ‘Live Your Life' section so as to present more lifestyle-related articles about what users actually want and like.

VisitPaceville.com has proved to be a great success and both friends have grown from the experience. Asking them for their best advice to anyone setting up some sort of business venture or website, they both agree that “a mistake is only a mistake when you don’t learn anything from it—that’s our philosophy.”

photo glorianne cassar

dripping pizza in one hand and a plastic cup OVERFLOWING with vodka in the other, Vanessa kurz speaks to MARK BORG and JEREMY DEBATTISTA about visitpaceville.com, their little tribute to the nightlife mecca that parties on like it's not 4am yet

insiteronline.com 37

Letters to the editor

Dear Editor, There seems to be a misunderstanding as to the message I was trying to convey in my opinion piece in the last issue of The Insiter. Somehow readers got the impression that I was of an anti-liberal stance, or possessed of some bizarre nationalist sentiments. That I was somehow undermining the work being done to fight the archaic censorship laws that blight our media, and that my accusations were leveled solely at Ir-Realtà.

Let me clarify my position by saying that I am as virulent an opponent of censorship in any form as the next rational human being. I couldn’t agree more with the proposed changes to the Constitution made by Ir-Realtà.

That a front against censorship has formed as consequence of the situation surrounding Issue 8 is commendable and I am in full support of it, as I was of the first-ever steps into the battle made by Adrian Buckle following the banning of Stitching.

Given the context and the manner in which the argument has evolved from that initial problem to one of bigger and broader importance, perhaps my comments appeared petty or outdated. The point that I wanted to make and that I feel is crucially relevant to the anti-censorship front as it has developed, is that with the freedom of speech comes a responsibility and necessary respect towards the rest of society and your readers by forewarning them of what they are to expect. A responsibility that I feel was not exhibited because of the absence of a disclaimer for the work in question, and a lack of respect that I felt was aggravated by Issue 9 that showed no admittance of fault.

Therefore my argument is that while of course Ir-Realtà are correct to be fighting the censorship issue, and that that is perhaps the bigger priority here, their starting point was to some extent flawed and that this flaw should be recognised so as to better inform and instruct their course for the future.

—Andrew Galea

38 the insiter • april 2010

insights

Respect and

reason I

Andrew galea is currently reading for a degree in english

would like to qualify the term ‘respect’ as I used it in my lowed to. Often it is met with the obvious answer: can you last article. There is also a concrete connection between disprove God’s existence? ‘respect’ and ‘reason’ which I would like to highlight in this To which I would reply that, while we most certainly can argument. I do so because I can already see accusations of disprove God’s existence and already have done in the sphere attempting to set some sort of moral and qualitative social of science, “the onus is not on us to disprove God’s existence measure by asking that people respect others when they but on the believers to prove it. We have reasons for believpublish works by providing a disclaimer. ing the world is round, for believing in gravity and evolution.

Now I can pre-empt some criticisms also of ‘over-sim- What are your reasons for believing in God?” plifying’ matters. Being of a scientific and logical bent, I am People do not want to be confronted about it. So much wary of over-simplifying anything and would like to point so that Article 163 of the Criminal Code, put in effect in 1933, out by the end of this argument that people often accuse states that whoever ‘vilifies the Roman Catholic Apostolic someone of over-simplifying something when the conclu- Religion which is the religion of Malta, or gives offence to the sions or definitions are disagreeable with those people. I Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion’ is liable to a six-month would like to argue that my viewpoint is in fact contrary to jail term. Given the Vatican’s forays into procuring gay prosthe idea of over-simplifying things because science is not an titutes and covering up child abuse, I feel they’re doing a over-simplification. good enough job of it themselves. We can vilLet me start with the following sentence: we ify politicians or celebrities, why not religion The onus is respect someone for the reasons they provide for and the Church? not on us to an action, thought, or belief. Now I would argue What is it about this belief system that that reason is the product of proof by induction makes it immune to the basic probing of indisprove God's (that is, predicting that the same thing which quisitive minds? Why do people automatiexistence, you have observed to happen will happen in the cally consider it a virtue to not understand but on the future) and a principle known as Occam’s razor, something they fully subscribe to? Why is believers to whereby one says that given two or more reasons it that if I question or undermine a person’s which can explain the evidence, you choose the faith they either smile patronisingly and tell prove it. simplest one; the one with least assumptions. me ‘it’s blind faith’ or become hostile, treating So when I say that when discussing censorme like a deviant? ship we must bear in mind that all media forms People might accuse ‘not believing’ of being should bear a responsibility and respect for society, I do not a religion in its own right, which is bizarre. It’s like saying mean that in terms of morality or anything like that, but that not collecting stamps is still a hobby. Somehow people seem we must communicate what we want to say with the relevant to think there can be no purpose or meaning or morality to consideration for other people. Respect the observation that life without faith and they will therefore protect it. The quessociety has time and time again clamoured for freedom of tion is of course: why? To so protect a blind and unfounded choice as well as that of speech, so do not impose upon peo- assumption such as religious faith is a dangerous thing. In ple imagery of artistic creation that has proven offensive or light of recent attention drawn to religious extremism and that they have not specifically sought to be exposed to. fundamentalism, would it not be prudent to review our own This does however bring me to another point: religious belief systems? Encourage intellectual curiosity, not bovine faith. Now this is too broad an argument to fully tackle in so complacency? small a space so I am forced to be brief. In short, to continue Feel free to join the Facebook groups Atheist Alliance from my point about respecting someone for the reason they Malta and Atheist Society. believe in something, I would like to point out why questioning religious faith (something which has long been taboo to The author would like to thank Marc Tanti for his input. do) and ridiculing it is something not merely permissible but necessary.

Ridicule is the only weapon that can be Religious faith holds as its main tenet a blind assumpused against unintelligible propositions. tion: there is a God. We do not hold people accountable for their religious beliefs. We do not question it; we are not al—Thomas Jefferson

“

“

insiteronline.com 39

Digital

democracy F

or the entire duration of the last decade, you have been a pirate: the enemy of music, literature, and film. Every time you sit in a cinema to watch a film, you’re treated to a warning (you wouldn’t steal a handbag or a car...) that downloading films is illegal and a criminal act, comparable to the act of theft. At least that’s what major media corporations want the world to believe.

Their message is that it’s your fault that they’re failing. In their eyes, you – their 20-something, internet savvy customer – are directly responsible for the systematic breakdown of their business model and their profit losses. Agnete Haaland, the president of the International Actors’ Federation, believes that due to the connotations associated with the term, the word ‘piracy’ actually encourages the infringement of copyright and going forward pirates should be simply referred to by the equally inappropriate term of ‘thieves’. I prefer the term ‘sharer’, thanks, and if not, perhaps ‘ninja’ might do the job.

Since suing music-sharing service Napster into oblivion ten years ago, the music and film industries (or rather their major exponents) have targeted individual customers in expensive legal cases to ‘make an example’ of them. Using copyright law in this way has ironically done completely nothing to significantly slow the sharing culture which proliferates online. So while millions of files continue to be copied and shared, companies insist on using bullying tactics which only further alienate millions of potential customers from purchasing from traditional retail outlets. The irony of current copyright regimes is that they are based on laws written before the internet was even invented. Internet users are all too aware that their latest downloading or streaming of Avatar is for all intents and purposes illegal; and that’s OK. In the age of instantly accessible, free quality content, pursuing copyright allegations against millions of users is logistically impossible and benefits neither creator, nor publisher, nor consumers.

The medium of the internet has created a new, open sharing culture to which publishers and other ‘content providers’ must adapt to rather than fight against. Digital culture reshapes old consumption patterns. It alters the media and social landscape, moulding different breeds of art and entertainment, journalism, and even the writing of scholarly articles. The new vocabulary of this culture is ‘free’ and ‘sharing’, and the belief that reality cannot be copyrighted. As proposed

by Lawrence Lessig in Free Culture (an excellent book which is legally available for download, for free) these two concepts need to converge into a culture which rewards openness as a

commitment to a set of values and which vilifies any lack of respect to original creators. Such a culture is already becoming prevalent online with the rise of the open culture movement, which incorporates groups who are inspired by the ideals of preserving the right to privacy and freedom of expression online. They work at making high quality learning and entertainment material available for millions to access and share for free. As explained on freeculture.org, rather than advocating the ‘permission culture’ of traditional copyright, the new culture ‘is one where all members are free to participate in its transmission and evolution, without artificial limits on who can participate or in what way.’ In this world, creative works would ideally employ Creative Commons licenses to provide a viable and flexible alternative, ensuring the accessibility and sharing of knowledge. This is exemplified by the likes of ted and Academic Earth, who host hours of video lectures; Grooveshark, which allows the streaming of music for free; Feedbooks, which makes thousands of novels and books in the public domain available for download in many formats. Online, the concept of ‘open source’ also allows programmers to make their software available for free to use while letting anyone try to improve it. Originality in creative process will not die a slow death because of the internet. It is because of the internet that countless new artists have found an audience ready to hear their unique voices; an audience who has the option to access them freely and the choice to pay creators directly for the privilege.

All this is turning the present moment into a cultural period in transition between the old and new. The new, dominant trend of sharing online demands a revision of the rules that have dictated the spread of cultural materials during the past three centuries. Notions of intellectual property rights and attribution to the original must in turn reflect this fundamental shift.

The crisis facing the current model for intellectual property is irreversible, but it can be counterbalanced by the emergence of an open culture in which knowledge is accessible and in which creators retain the right to direct acknowledgment. Such openness and transparency is the huge potential of an intellectual culture based on the development of the appropriate frameworks for a free and truly open culture; a democracy for the postdigital age.

neville bezzina is a BA (hons) student and President of desa

any insights to share? email us on

you@insiteronline.com

40 the insiter • april 2010

funpage spot the difference

illustration

iella

(11 to find)

sudoku

indepth

Erasmus

The good, the bad, and the ugly

indepth

42 the insiter • april 2010

Erasmus:

a flight of fancy?

amid endless talk of opportunities for students willing to study abroad, Stephanie Calleja argues that maltese students would do well to weigh their options wisely before spreading their wings. the risk of an icarian tragedy might be all too real for some

T

hey call us the ‘Erasmus generation’. And according to Jean-Christophe Bas, author of a book called Europe à la Carte, ‘we have no idea how lucky we are’. Venturing out to new places, receiving high-quality education in another country, establishing relationships with foreign professional people, and widening our cultural background have almost become a customary part of our education process.

The Erasmus programme is just one segment of the Lifelong Learning Programme, the European Union’s project dedicated to bettering the various stages of the education and training of its citizens. The European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students is specifically aimed at students pursuing studies at post-secondary or tertiary level.

The oft-quoted Erasmus Student Charter appends a list of duties to be accomplished and expectations to be fulfilled by every student who chooses to leap at this opportunity. However, it’s not all rosy; these points encompass most of the trials and tribulations every Erasmus student has to go through. The learning agreement to be signed between the home university and the host university, the transcript of records at the end of the period of studying abroad, the funding schemes available, and departmental coordination are but a few of them.

To give a practical example, for B.Commerce students who wish to study Accountancy abroad, the Erasmus experience is anything but plain sailing. They may be allowed to apply and choose their first and second university preference, but it’s inexorably tedious for them to choose study units which match with their syllabus. A student told The Insiter that a few weeks after they submitted their formal application, they were asked to write a letter of resignation so as to avoid mishaps later on. “It seems that our university is one of few academic institutions in Europe that doesn’t have a syllabus similar to that pertaining to the other universities participating in the Erasmus programme. The worst thing is that nothing is being done about this,” this frustrated student explained.

The exacerbating amount of bureaucracy that revolves around the whole Erasmus process might also discourage some students.

Another student told The Insiter that she only got an approximation of the amount of money that would be granted to her a week before she left for the uk.

“Getting an estimate of my grant would’ve made it easier for me to deal with booking flights and so on,” she pointed out.

A second-year student who’s currently studying and residing in Portsmouth also complained about the red tape that has considerably slowed down her Erasmus application process.

“I had to resubmit some of my applications twice, just because the International Office lost my forms.” Another second-year student who is currently studying in Paris attested that she didn’t get any help in finding accommodation. She also denounced that there was a lack of communication between UoM and the university in Paris, and that this resulted in a re-evaluation of study units she had chosen before going abroad. “Instead of attempting to settle down, I had to spend my first day in Paris at the administration office trying to choose different study units,” she told The Insiter.

She also divulged that her semester dates abroad did not match those in Malta, so she had to wait a week before attending lectures in Paris. Her friend who’s studying in Ireland had tests a fortnight after she arrived at her destination.

The International Office, situated in the Administration Building at University, is the bureau which directly deals with incoming and outgoing students benefitting from the Erasmus scheme. Oddly enough, student hours are from Monday to Friday between 10am and noon. Most students have lectures during this time period.

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, more commonly referred to as ects, was specifically designed for the recognition of studies on an international scale. It makes

it easier for students to obtain a degree because it is supposed to facilitate the transcript of records.

Prior to and after the period of study, both the host university and the home university have to approve the programme of studies that the student will pursue abroad. When the student sits for exams abroad, his/her results are transcribed on their result slip. This might pose a problem.

Whereas a 70% grade might earn the student an a abroad, the mark may be interpreted as a b at our university.

For those who are reading for a degree in midwifery or a diploma in nursing, the system works differently. These students are given a placement period abroad. A total of 12 ects credits are allocated for this placement period. At the end of their placement, examination papers from Malta will be sent over to the host university.

The Erasmus experience might not be feasible for students who rely exclusively on the funds they’re given as part of the scheme. It is necessary to save up money beforehand. Although this might be an arduous task, it might help the student become more financially independent. In the long run, learning to become autonomous is beneficial for the student’s academic and non-academic life. Opportunity knocks but once.

insiteronline.com 43

Ed: We were meant to run an infographic feature with statistics on incoming and outgoing Erasmus participation at all Maltese post-secondary institutions.

One would think such figures, on principle, should be readily available since EU programmes are funded by taxpayers' money after all. As at the time of going to print, we were still jumping through time-consuming bureaucratic hoops to obtain any significant statistics.

We apologise to our readers.

indepth

44 the insiter • april 2010

Dos and

Don’ts

while on erasmus

By Camille feli

Do: Socialise

weird hair and odd scary strangers with ths so They may look like for the next few mon em th nd ou ar be l u’l events—it’s clothes, but yo . Go to parties and ow kn to ng tti ge they’re worth w people. Using the t and get used to ne ow people the best way to mee her way to get to kn ot an is n io at od m student accom in doubt, just be t of the time. When you’ll be around mos polite and smile.

Try the local cuisine

Blood dumplings (Sweden), jellied cow ’s foot (Poland), and beer-bread (Denmark) all sound more weird than wonderful, but you never know until you’ve tried it. There’s nothing wrong with making yourself a ħobża biż-ż ejt every so often, because daydreaming about pastizzi can’ t possibly be productive.

Use public transport

but you can also save Not only is it environmentally friendly, that give you unlimited a bundle by making use of travel cards journeys for a time at a fixed price.

ce

Don't: Take your entire wardrobe and printer and

collection Leave your pet at home too. Of course, the idea of condensing all the things you need into a couple of suitcases is downright terrifying. But try to remember that mos t of the things you’ll be using will be found at your accommodat ion (kettle, hairdryer, etc). When you arrive, have a look arou nd town for the best priced supermarket—it might not be the clos est. Leave the bikini at home if you’re spending the first semeste r in England. dvd

sentials nspicuous daily es t lenses. Set co in e th ok rlo ve O edication and contac

for m Bring prescriptions arrive, because a big cal bank when you lo a at t un co ac an up l be needing that is spending, so you’l ad ro ab g in liv of rt pa credit card.

Laugh at the funny pronunciation you ’ll

com

e across OK, you can laugh a little. You won’t be able to help it anyway.

Other students will probably laugh at the way you talk too.

Everybody should just get together and have a communal laughfest. Getting foreign people to say Mal tese words will provide hours of fun.

Keep a map with you at all times

But leave the dictionary at home. It give s a much better impression to simply ask the meaning of a word, rather than digging up and ploughing through a dict ionary.

Sort out your electronics

es to restrict Some mobile phone manufacturers lock their phon d use to certain networks. Find out if your phone is locke ing beforehand, and get a local sim card when you are study et, intern ss abroad. If your accommodation doesn’t have wirele ts Socke why not rent an internet key? Think about adaptors! and French in the uk are like the ones we have here, but Italian sockets are different.

Assume Friday and Saturday to be standard nights for partying

Abroad they have different events on different nights. You should check about these with other students when you get there. Facebook will help with this too.

Forget to take photos

Lots and lots of photos! Let’s face it— they last much longer than memory, and you’ll need somethi ng to put on Facebook.

Take a sketchbook if you’re artistically inclined.

insiteronline.com 45

by rachel agius

A

pril is International Autism Awareness Month. All over the world, therapists, parents, and advocates help the general public to understand a little better what living with autism entails.

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘autism’ anyway?

Perhaps an image of a young child lining up his toys with surprising precision. Or maybe a memory of a toddler in the supermarket the other day, screaming and banging his head against the ground.

Maybe it’s that video doing the rounds on YouTube, of a man with autism taken on a helicopter tour of Rome and then returning to a studio to recreate each and every building, window, and doorway on a giant sheet of paper with dumbfounding accuracy. In each case, you would be at least partly right.

Autism is the common name given to a spectrum of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (asds) that encompass three main areas. The first would be language. Impairment in this area means that the language typical kids pick up automatically needs to be consciously taught to a child with autism. This is often the main reason parents become concerned and seek professional advice from speech-language pathologists. Often, children with autism begin to speak very late or develop language normally up to a point and then reduce its use dramatically. Being unable to communicate their needs makes these children very frustrated and prone to tantrums, which are very upsetting for parents, especially when faced with unkind comments from strangers.

Another area of impairment for people with autism is social communication. Just as language must be taught, so must the meaning of facial expression, understanding emotions, and how to make friends. Often children with autism prefer their own company, partly because they can find it difficult to relate to others and partly because the unpredictability of other people is a challenge for them to accept. This brings us to the final aspect of impairment and the one which most people are aware of. People with autism tend to be very inflexible in most aspects of their lives. They thrive and feel safe when given routine and structure. Knowing

what comes next is critically important. As children, this often manifests as playing with toys in exactly the same way such as by lining them up, stacking them or going through the same motions each time. If something is out of place, a child with autism will quickly put it right and will become upset if they are not allowed to arrange it.

An interesting phenomenon linked to autism is savantism.

This is basically being almost unnaturally good at something. The term is not exclusive to autism and people with other disabilities sometimes display these talents. Some, such as the man who went on a helicopter over Rome, have outstanding artistic capabilities.

Some are musically inclined; others have ‘calendrical’ skills which allow them to say which day of the week a random date fell on.

Some savants are mathematical whizzes. These gifts are linked with the strong memory that most people with autism have. An eye for detail is also a common factor as well as an acute awareness of patterns.

Children are being diagnosed with autism earlier nowadays.

This allows for intervention and family support to begin sooner.

In 2009, the prevalence of autism in the us stood at 1 in 91 children, with four boys to every one girl that shows traits. An increased understanding in the way these children perceive the world has allowed many to integrate well at school and have as many academic successes as their peers. Living with autism or a child with autism is no mean feat. It takes dedication and a great deal of patience to learn to work around limitations and focus on strengths. Increasing public awareness towards these individuals will help to make this process easier and maybe, just maybe, will inspire some to work with these unique individuals. Check out the posters and events around campus to get involved!

If you need to refer a child for assessment of asd, you can approach any health centre and hospital on the island or the clinic within the Institute of Health Care at Mater Dei Hospital.

insupport

April for Autism

46 the insiter • april 2010

inthegame

photo jessica mamo

Ball’s out!

That rugby is not for women is but a common misconception. As Romina tolu finds out, IT’S A SPORT FOR ALL AND SUNDRY, NOT LEAST for THE FAIRER SEX

I

n Malta, rugby is growing in all sectors – men’s, women’s and youths’ – whereas in Europe, women’s rugby is considered to be the fastest-growing sport. That might also apply to Malta, to some extent, ever since women’s rugby was first introduced six years ago. Back then there was only one team, but the sport has slowly progressed, bouncing back and forth between two and three teams until the addition of a new one this season, bringing the number up to four. The league now consists of Falcons wrfc, Kavallieri wrfc, Valletta Lions wrfc, and Birkirkara Alligators wrfc.

On the international front, despite the fact that rugby is a relatively new sport, the Maltese National Team has been recently promoted to Division a of the European Women 7s Championships. It’s hard to believe that a couple of years back there were hardly any women playing this sport on the island when now there are at least 40 players. With four teams and two leagues, the rugby scene in Malta is becoming more competitive, and this can only mean better results in the international scene.

But why rugby? Initially it may seem very difficult to even explain the sport, let alone explain why someone enjoys playing it!

You either love it or you don’t. Many different kinds of people have started and stopped, many others have just got hooked. It’s a team sport which accommodates everyone: girls with no previous sport experience have succeeded in rugby, as well as those who have been involved in sports before.

Rugby is a sport with strong social roots. As anyone who plays rugby can tell you, you feel like you are part of a big family—from the close-knit family within your club to the nation-wide rugby community. Many agree that after a stressful day of work, there is nothing better than unwinding at a training session, while after games, players often visit the ‘home bar’ for a third half, where off-pitch there is no more rivalry between the teams and a couple of beers and laughs are shared.

New players are commonplace, so newcomers to the sport have no reason to feel intimidated by their lack of experience.

Also, beach rugby tournaments are also being organised during the summer period.

Apart from the feel-good factor of all that adrenaline, there are plenty of new skills that can be acquired while playing rugby.

Nothing spells confidence and trust like being able to run through a defense line with the support of your team mates.

As a Birkirkara Alligator, I am proud to be part of an outgoing, competitive and fun-loving team. Although we may lose more games than we win, it’s all about pride, power and teamwork at the end of the day.

Anyone interested in spending a few hours a week away from the stress of assignments is welcome to join us for a training session and can contact Yasmine on 79071787 or Sarah on 99858797 for more information on the sport and our team.