Every month I pay NI from my monthly salary. This NI contribution is guaranteed not to be returned back to me as pension, since life on the Maltese islands doesn't give you that guarantee (my current NI is actually sustaining the aging population which is outliving their next generation). If it were only so...
Now I learn that foreigners with refugee status are being paid Lm150 a month, given a home and electricity, and all of this for free. Free to them, but not to us. Those Lm150 are coming from our taxes, from our NI contributions. Instead of giving me a better lifestyle (like better pavements so we don't break our legs, or better lighting in the streets so as not to run over my neighbour, or better tarmac for the roads so I don't swerve on the cyclist), money is being spent on a foreigner who comfortably enough asked for refugee status, and even though he is healthy and fit for work, he prefers the easy life being offered by the Maltese Government.
Some might point out that we must help others, the less fortunate. Sure! But let me do it out of my own will, not steal my contributions or taxes! If my taxes and NI contributions were going where theý're supposed to be going, then yes I'd be confident enough to give charities and donations. But knowing that my hard-earned money is being not invested, but wasted, then I have to intelligently save what's left for the actual purpose the contributions are supposed to be serving!
My pavement is non-existant. When contacted, the local council said they do not have enough funds to do our pavement. Sure! The funds are going to support the illegal immigrant who, whilst I work hard day and night, is leading a leisurely life strolling along the coast roads looking at the nice tourist ladies.
Back to work...
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Illegal Immigrants to the Maltese Islands
For those of you (or rather, the most of you) who are unaware of what's going on in the Mediterranean island of Malta, here's a brief snapshot.
A densely populated island (1,100 ppl per sq km) is regularly receiving a weekly intake of on average a 100-200 african people coming in by boat with no documents, permits or anything. These come from countries like Somalia and Erithrea, but also from Egypt and Iran. Whilst many would have us think that these have crossed the Mediterranean sea on one boat (usually filled to the brim), their state of being strongly suggests that they were left there from a larger boat. One of the main departure sites is the nearby Libyan country - a country with strong ties to the Maltese people in the past... but one which is doing nothing to stop these illegal immigrations.
For those of you who think of me an immoral racist here's a shocker: I am a Christian with love for the human dignity, and I think Norman Lowell has some good points but is an extremist I would not like to see in power.
Now in the country there is much unrest about this - there are those who are afraid of the country losing its image to these foreign people: people with different complexion, religion, tradition, language, culture. Those who are afraid that the jobs of the lower-classes will be given out to these immigrants for cheap labor. Those who are afraid that these immigrants will out-breed us (Maltese families today have an average of 2 children per family - whilst immigrants sometimes arrive with newly born babies amongst them). Then on the other hand there are the ones who, attesting to their christian religion, are admonishing the rest of the country for being selfish, racist, immoral.
To be honest, my religion teaches me to share what I have with others in need. True, maybe these poor people are in misery, but maybe the thousands they paid for a boat trip to an illegal entry here in Malta might have been better spent? And then there is another problem: we DO NOT have land, not even for us - the prices of accomodation here in Malta are horrendous - so how can we share it with anybody else? We have educational problems - our teenagers are preferring online gaming to schooling, the level of education is decreasing - thus the demand for lower-class jobs is on the increase : we cannot allow foreign immigrants to take these jobs just because they afford to be paid cheaper!
Last but not least - calling us racist holds no grounds: one of the Maltese population's major fears of joining the EU was of Europeans coming over to stay in Malta - taking up precious housing space and jobs. To this effect Malta was given a 7-year special allowance to control such legal immigration. And then you go call our unacceptance of illegal immigration RACISM?
It's not because they're black, it's because its our country, our land, our job pool. No matter where they come from, we're not willing to give them away!
A densely populated island (1,100 ppl per sq km) is regularly receiving a weekly intake of on average a 100-200 african people coming in by boat with no documents, permits or anything. These come from countries like Somalia and Erithrea, but also from Egypt and Iran. Whilst many would have us think that these have crossed the Mediterranean sea on one boat (usually filled to the brim), their state of being strongly suggests that they were left there from a larger boat. One of the main departure sites is the nearby Libyan country - a country with strong ties to the Maltese people in the past... but one which is doing nothing to stop these illegal immigrations.
For those of you who think of me an immoral racist here's a shocker: I am a Christian with love for the human dignity, and I think Norman Lowell has some good points but is an extremist I would not like to see in power.
Now in the country there is much unrest about this - there are those who are afraid of the country losing its image to these foreign people: people with different complexion, religion, tradition, language, culture. Those who are afraid that the jobs of the lower-classes will be given out to these immigrants for cheap labor. Those who are afraid that these immigrants will out-breed us (Maltese families today have an average of 2 children per family - whilst immigrants sometimes arrive with newly born babies amongst them). Then on the other hand there are the ones who, attesting to their christian religion, are admonishing the rest of the country for being selfish, racist, immoral.
To be honest, my religion teaches me to share what I have with others in need. True, maybe these poor people are in misery, but maybe the thousands they paid for a boat trip to an illegal entry here in Malta might have been better spent? And then there is another problem: we DO NOT have land, not even for us - the prices of accomodation here in Malta are horrendous - so how can we share it with anybody else? We have educational problems - our teenagers are preferring online gaming to schooling, the level of education is decreasing - thus the demand for lower-class jobs is on the increase : we cannot allow foreign immigrants to take these jobs just because they afford to be paid cheaper!
Last but not least - calling us racist holds no grounds: one of the Maltese population's major fears of joining the EU was of Europeans coming over to stay in Malta - taking up precious housing space and jobs. To this effect Malta was given a 7-year special allowance to control such legal immigration. And then you go call our unacceptance of illegal immigration RACISM?
It's not because they're black, it's because its our country, our land, our job pool. No matter where they come from, we're not willing to give them away!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Rape of the Maltese Language
I am outraged by what is happening to my mothertongue! Reading the Maltese newspapers and watching Maltese TV only makes me retch at what we are being inherently taught.
Just today I saw an advert for a TV programme running on (if you plese!) the Education Channel, entitled "X'Anna Llejla?". The intended meaning is "What do we have tonight?" but the proper word for "we have" is "Ghandna" not "Anna"! What's written literally means "Which Anne tonight?"! And this on the EDUCATION Channel! PLEASE!
I have a friend who is a Maltese teacher and she said that the MAltese being taught is being written just as it is sounded. I also ehard that the students are finding it difficult to learn. Now that's splendid! Instead of improving our education, let's make it easier! And what respect is that to the mothertounge? Do we expect the French to throw away half their words because they're not sounded? Should the English type "immejitley" instead of "immediately"?
For heaven's sake, stop this lingual rape and get your education system sorted out!
Just today I saw an advert for a TV programme running on (if you plese!) the Education Channel, entitled "X'Anna Llejla?". The intended meaning is "What do we have tonight?" but the proper word for "we have" is "Ghandna" not "Anna"! What's written literally means "Which Anne tonight?"! And this on the EDUCATION Channel! PLEASE!
I have a friend who is a Maltese teacher and she said that the MAltese being taught is being written just as it is sounded. I also ehard that the students are finding it difficult to learn. Now that's splendid! Instead of improving our education, let's make it easier! And what respect is that to the mothertounge? Do we expect the French to throw away half their words because they're not sounded? Should the English type "immejitley" instead of "immediately"?
For heaven's sake, stop this lingual rape and get your education system sorted out!
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Relationships
A person is a person because it lives. It lives by being faced by problems, making decisions in trying to solve them, is faced by problems consequent to the decision... and all over again.
Had each person lived alone, then it wouldn't be such a problem: life problems would be only naturally-imposed or self-imposed problems. However, the person is not alone. It lives in a community made up of thousands of other individuals, each with its own problem-decision-consequence cycle.
This leads to the person having to face not only the nature and self-imposed problems, but also problems created by the decision-making (or lack of) of others. These may lead to confrontations between the two persons until either one of the two steps down, or a neutral agreement is reached.
The plot thickens when the two individuals love each other, 'love' in the 'care about' sense.
The decision-making becomes tougher: one will have to do away with decisions which might harm or somehow badly influence the other loved person. This narrows the choice, making a search for further alternatives necessary. At the end of it all, the final decision taken might still create a problem for the other loved individual, sending up in smoke all the pain taken by the decision-maker. A solution for the latter problem would be for the decision-maker to discuss all its available options with the other individual BEFORE making the actual decision, such that the best action is taken.
When couples go through a tough time, with their relationships going between caresses and hot arguments, they should check what type of decision-making are they adopting in their day-to-day life together: the first or the second? Preferably, the second type should be implemented, acknowleding the fact that this needs lots of open communication and sincerity.
Had each person lived alone, then it wouldn't be such a problem: life problems would be only naturally-imposed or self-imposed problems. However, the person is not alone. It lives in a community made up of thousands of other individuals, each with its own problem-decision-consequence cycle.
This leads to the person having to face not only the nature and self-imposed problems, but also problems created by the decision-making (or lack of) of others. These may lead to confrontations between the two persons until either one of the two steps down, or a neutral agreement is reached.
The plot thickens when the two individuals love each other, 'love' in the 'care about' sense.
The decision-making becomes tougher: one will have to do away with decisions which might harm or somehow badly influence the other loved person. This narrows the choice, making a search for further alternatives necessary. At the end of it all, the final decision taken might still create a problem for the other loved individual, sending up in smoke all the pain taken by the decision-maker. A solution for the latter problem would be for the decision-maker to discuss all its available options with the other individual BEFORE making the actual decision, such that the best action is taken.
When couples go through a tough time, with their relationships going between caresses and hot arguments, they should check what type of decision-making are they adopting in their day-to-day life together: the first or the second? Preferably, the second type should be implemented, acknowleding the fact that this needs lots of open communication and sincerity.
Women and Idols
Try as I might, I cannot perceive why females get so crazy about boys who look nice and sing. Being a boy doesn't help the understanding at all. I know it's something to do with their adolescence, but it looks stupid to me.
I mean, what's the difference between us boyfriends and them idols? Why is it that every wrong they do isn't condemnable while a small error from our part implies a thunderstorm? Why is it that whenever the girls see them, they melt and when they see us, it sometimes feels as if we didn't even exist?
Is it, maybe, that deep down they know the idols can never be theirs (and thus they won't be burdened by their troubles) while we are an eternal cross on their backs? Why does an idol's wink bring more joy than any gift we can ever present?
I go as far as comparing this girls' behavior to the boys' inclination of appreciation of the females' body without consideration of the person within.
The big difference is that they boys' act is morally and socially deplorable while the girls' acts are widely accepted and manifested en masse all over the world and through all media.
I suppose girlfriends totally detest it when their boyfriends fix their eyes on some sexy gal. May they know that us men feel as much, if not more, in a bad state when they melt at the sight of these idols.
God grant us to be happy with what we have. "Wish not another man's woman" was his 10th commandment. Is there room for the corollary?
I mean, what's the difference between us boyfriends and them idols? Why is it that every wrong they do isn't condemnable while a small error from our part implies a thunderstorm? Why is it that whenever the girls see them, they melt and when they see us, it sometimes feels as if we didn't even exist?
Is it, maybe, that deep down they know the idols can never be theirs (and thus they won't be burdened by their troubles) while we are an eternal cross on their backs? Why does an idol's wink bring more joy than any gift we can ever present?
I go as far as comparing this girls' behavior to the boys' inclination of appreciation of the females' body without consideration of the person within.
The big difference is that they boys' act is morally and socially deplorable while the girls' acts are widely accepted and manifested en masse all over the world and through all media.
I suppose girlfriends totally detest it when their boyfriends fix their eyes on some sexy gal. May they know that us men feel as much, if not more, in a bad state when they melt at the sight of these idols.
God grant us to be happy with what we have. "Wish not another man's woman" was his 10th commandment. Is there room for the corollary?
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