An anecdote …
In the late 50’s, I was just 5 years old, and I remember this incident as clear as day now in my late 60’s.
Anyhow, being originally from Rabat, our neighbour friends’ and family ‘walks’ most usually led to Buskett Gardens and at times Chadwick Lakes.
Teeming with wildlife (nowadays frogs, chameleons, hedgehogs and many birds are rightly protected) this particular outing I’m remembering was in the earlier part of that particular year.
And at the Lakes I saw tadpoles ! Thousands and thousands. And all I wanted were a few!
As everyone’s knows, tadpoles grow into frogs, so mum said “no”, but I wanted some and threw a tantrum. The politician in her led me to think I was having it my way when I was ‘allowed’ to take home 4 tadpoles in a can.
On arrival, seeing the murky water in the can I had carried them in, mum suggested I change it to cleaner water, and I did.
Being winter, the cleaner tap water was cold, so again mum came up with a simple suggestion ... “why don’t you add some hot water to keep the tadpoles warm !”
“Yeah, why not?”
And that was that!
It solved the tadpole to frog problem ...
And that’s how most politicians work. Promise you everything, but the real reason in the shadows is for them to better their own positions and situation.
And that, like this anecdote, is the reality of life.
Peace ??
Life is a series of constant choices.
Adam was 50% of the world’s population when he took the first choice. The apple looked juicy and was being offered by the only one naked temptress around.
And the world never got back on the right track again!
With the second easement of restrictions coming into effect today, yet with active Covid19 cases consistently in double digits in the last days, indicating the possibility of the beginnings of a second ’wave’, today could be the date that might be marked in our history books as the day that was a break dealer for the country (Malta).
Of course it all depends on us. All of us, shop owners, retailers, service providers, customers, diners and shoppers.
And how we, ALL OF US behave.
The country is experimenting with a delicate tripod to balance health, wealth and peace. Naturally, there can be neither health nor wealth if peace is only found in RIP.
And in that one, as with the fact that the coronavirus does not distinguish, everyone is equal.
Well, they do say that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but in this climate, it’s better to tell Adam be aware. act safe and stay safe.
Peace.
thevirgosign
In the midst of the worst ever global depression which has seen unprecedented worldwide job losses, with the US alone notching over 40 million, a murder takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota which triggered nationwide demonstrations, some riots, the deployment of the National Guard and curfews all bracketed by a deadly pandemic which calls for social distancing, no crowds or mass gatherings in the first instance.
But in America, racial injustice is boiling over once again. Had it ever been quelled?
Anger, frustration and pain following the tragic death of George Floyd – an African American who suffocated while in custody from having a police officer’s knee pressing on his neck. Floyd died pleading “don’t kill me” and “I cannot breathe”. The officer Derek Chauvin has since been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter, even as his wife is reportedly filing for a divorce.
Then we see the contrast to this ugliness with the elation created by Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which successfully launched at 20.10h GMT yesterday, putting two NASA astronauts and best friends – Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley – on their way to the International Space Station. A first by a private spaceship owned by a private company, watched by the world and by Donald Trump, who made the specific trip to the Kennedy Space Centre.
The US President needs a positive boost in this crucial election year given his handling of, and the misguiding tweets on, the coronavirus. But he's not helping himself with such tweets
Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
· 17h
Replying to @realDonaldTrump
....got too frisky or out of line, they would quickly come down on them, hard - didn’t know what hit them. The front line was replaced with fresh agents, like magic. Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had they would....
Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
....have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That’s when people would have been really badly hurt, at least. Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action. “We put the young ones on the front line, sir, they love it, and....
Not exactly a catalyst for unifying a USA looked upon as the leader of the free world. Political and commercial issues with several countries, the abandonment of the World Health Organisation during this unprecedented pandemic and the withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change are only some issues among others that has dropped Trump’s home and worldwide ratings to their lowest ever for a serving President.
The free world doesn’t need a narcissist for a leader, but one with empathy and extending a hand of friendship. Iron fists and power threats do not encourage anything but violence. Not for a 'united' States, not for a prosperous and peaceful people and certainly not for a global leadership’s role and an example. A pity.
Stay safe.
It was at 5 am precisely that I was jolted out of a beautiful slumber by a large crash. The noise, made louder by the quietness of the night, came from somebody dumping a large amount of glass bottles in a nearby trash container. And the first thought in my sleep groggy mind was “we’re back to normal”.
To many, it seems that Covid19 is over, even as to many others it seems like it was just a bad dream. Facemasks are now in fashion only if you’re in a shop, or queueing at the pharmacy.
Most people, going about their post Covid19 restrictive period business seem to be oblivious to the fact that the corona virus is still at large, even ravaging countries as WHO declare the Americas as the hotspot of the outbreak with Brazil registering its highest death rate in the last days.
Apart from war torn countries like the Yemen, where the UN Refugee Agency has declared that the situation has been pushed beyond breaking point even as they only received 15% of the needed relief funding.
Presumably, every country is rather stretched and so looking after itself first and foremost. We all know the adage “charity begins at home”.
Except that home is not just Balluta in my case. Or Malta for that matter. Covid19 showed us that our home is Earth. When ET stated “ET go home”, about this time 38 years ago, the adorable alien meant leaving Earth to go to his planet.
So as we prepare for ‘normal life’ to return, and the EU opens up its skies and borders in the coming weeks, it is well to remember that our home, Earth, is not yet out of the Covid19 woods, that a jab to fight this virus is still thought to be eighteen months away, and that however our lives are being impacted, there are so many other millions far worse off than us, who need help, not only by remembering them in our prayers, but by remembering to share a little from our good fortune.
As we still need to remain cognisant of the virus, continue to practice social distancing and good hygiene and not letting off relief fireworks yet.
Let us hope Malta continues to register nil new Covid19 cases. As we also hope that the frustration release of many at beaches or bars will not spike again these figures.
And the crashing of glass bottle disposal from said bars ‘returning to normal’ business would ideally also move their noisy crash activity to a more ‘normal’ hour … shall we say 8 am?
The attack started at exactly 2am.
I have no idea from where this came. Sometimes I think they just materialise from thin air. Very difficult to find during daytime, their camouflage is something any army can learn from, and how they home in on their night attacks shows they have some advanced heat seeking ability for blood. Minute Draculas. The buzzing sound is loud enough to wake you from a deep sleep, and ominous enough to keep you awake.
So groggily you push off the covers determined to hunt down this enemy to sleep. Except that these flying nuisances have this knack of disappearing the second you decide to wage war on them, only to return to attack again the minute you switch off the light, exasperated, frustrated, defeated, but determined to fumigate the room come daylight. Except you don’t always do, thinking they’re somehow gone and you’re ok.
Which of course you wouldn’t be, and go through the buzzing, the attacks, with subsequent exasperations and another sleepless night searching for the bastards.
For of course, after losing a two hour battle, switching on the bedside light and getting out of bed several times in the process, sleep afterwards becomes impossible.So headphones, Spotify and Queen nostalgia take up the rest of the night.
But determination is peaked to seek and destroy come dawn. In the meantime, Queen drowns any buzzing.
And a reminder that the corona virus is still invisibly ‘buzzing’ about too, so act safe and stay safe.
Peace
With the easing on the opening of restaurants, and before I make my reservations, I experimented with a number of ways of how to tackle one of my favourite pasta dishes – that of spaghetti olio, aglio e peperoncino – all while wearing a facemask.
The face mask itself must be of the disposable type as it’s bound to end up rather messy.
My recipe calls for using pasta – spaghetti – from a good Italian brand name, oil from pure and untouched virgin olives, expensive locally grown organic garlic and the juiciest hot peperoncini available.
The dish is served with sprigs of freshly cut parsley and a tablespoon or two of grated parmeggiano.
So, the first possibility is to try the mask on, check that it sits well on the face, covering nose, mouth and chin. Then carefully pierce a hole exactly where it covers the mouth. The hole need not be very large, but big enough to take in a fork rolled up with the scrumptious spaghetti. This method also allows to drink a nice red Lambrusco from a fine, stemmed, balloon wineglass.
If one doesn’t wish to make an opening in the facemask, then the other possibility is to slip each pasta strand (a spaghetta) underneath the facemask and pull (as in suck) it in. The sound might annoy your dining companion, but they should be two meters at least away from you, so the sound would have dissipated by the time it reaches delicate ears. This method also allows one to sip the nice red Lambrusco albeit through a straw, also passed underneath the facemask.
The last option of the three possibilities is the most difficult to perform. Order and wait for your dinner to be served, and then while you only ogle at the food on your plate, enjoy watching your company consume theirs, chatting about the Covid19 situation, how easing on the opening of restaurants is positively effecting the nation and other pandemic stories. You have nothing to worry about as long as you continue wearing your facemask and of course not eating.
Don’t forget to pay the bill on your way out.
Stay safe.
Peace
thevirgosign
So yesterday I visited my mum at her retirement home and after the initial hellos, and a lack of a conversational subject, she asked me about my beard, and how in her opinion I would look younger without it. Then this morning I woke up with mum's words on my mind, and sure enough I did something about it. I gave myself a crew cut .... and kept the beard.
Peace
Bongu nies.
Last week we read or heard about the passing of Monserrat Caballé ... an operatic Spanish diva, who came to my attention only through the sadly much lamented Freddie Mercury. This was when the two superstars collaborated on the Freddie's penned powerful song Barcelona, singing it together in the mid 1980's.
Here is one rendition of it, from Live at La Nit in 1988, in memory of these two greats.
Peace
Bongu nies.
I’ve been singing The Beatles songs since their very own original release dates in the glorious ‘60s ... and for a while, most of the 70s I guess, the catchy tune of ‘When I’m Sixty Four” kept reverberating in my head, singing it humming it to myself mostly. Well, the phrase in the song “many years from now” is with me, as I turn 64 tomorrow, and in my reminiscing mind I happily remember the many happy and grateful memories. Sadly though, I also remember the 9/11 attack on NY Twin Towers and the exact place I was when it triggered. Sad.
Life is made of ups and downs, of achievements and disappointments, of grabbed opportunities and missed situations.
Do I have regrets? Sure I do. Anybody doesn’t have any? But these are easily mellowed by pride of purpose, honesty, some achievements and truth.
So roll on 64! Still haven’t lost all my hair ... at least.
Peace
A bit on the lighter side of life today. Do you kick yourself when you message anybody and message goes out with a typo ? Or worse, you write if well and the internal autocorrect programme changes a word and so the whole message might look ridiculous? Fear not you’re not alone. Cathay Pacific Airlines of Hong Kong took delivery of a recently newly painted aircraft with their new livery. And the painter did a boo boo. Was it a typo or a deliberate advertising attention grabber sort of typo? They spelt it CATHAY PACIIC.
And I’m agreeing with that somebody who tweeted “the F got *ucking lost”.
See, it happens to all of us. Go *igure huh !
Peace
Bongu nies.
While today’s date officially recognises an additional year to my life on Earth, it is a mere number and of not much importance or of any consequence to anyone but to myself and the other 20,000,000 people on average celebrating their birthday today !
However, today marks the anniversary of when life on this planet changed, with the atrocious terroristic act of 9/11. 2996 people, including the misguided 19 hijackers, lost their lives that day. An additional 6000+ were injured. A calamity that has changed our way of life forever.
Nowadays we hear of daily, small (compared to 9/11) terrorism acts, all over the world’s great, and maybe not so great cities. We stare at various screens, and WOW at the instantaneous media coverage and the keeping us ‘informed’. We might think of the victims for a little while, go numb for a little while, maybe even spare a silent moment ... and then we move on! But for those victims and their loved ones, their world is messed up. Forever!
Remember the day today. Remember the change this day made in 2001
And remember all the victims of such acts in your prayers.
Peace
President Trump is in the news again. Or rather President Trump keeps dominating the news. Not climate change, not dying oceans, not human sufferings and mass refugee movements. Trump!
We have a saying which loosely translated alludes that 'with money, one can build roads across oceans'. Goes to show, emphasize, the power of money. Yet, there is also the saying that 'money is the root of all evil'. Many powerful people with money cover their dark sides by playing the philanthropists. That let's them get away with even darker sides. Ofcourse not all philanthropists fall in that category.
Some powerful wealthy people cover their ugly sides with their money purchasing power - buying witness silence. And it works, unless the witnesses become too greedy and the same money buys their permanent silence!
It's nice to have the money and a means to do what one likes. As long as one stays in control. But many times, doing what one likes trespasses into the darker realms of life, stepping over everybody and everything. Then it's the money that's controlling one's life.
Everybody can understand this. But not everyone will.
Peace
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