Matul vjaġġi bit-trenn dan l-aħħar, komplejt nimpressjona ruħi b’kemm infirxu l-imtieħen tar-riħ mal-kampanja Ewropea. Tilmaħhom fi gruppi ta’ sitta jew aktar qrib xulxin, qishom għassiesa tal-għelieqi u l-irħula. Kieku Don Quixote kien qed iħuf fi żminijietna, kien jikkonkludi li qed isseħħ invażjoni tal-ġganti.
Id-dehra tal-imtieħen, tikkonferma dak li qed turi l-istatistika: fl-aħħar snin, kien hemm żieda sostanzjali fit-tħaddim ta’ enerġija li tiġġedded.
L-istess dehra imma donnha tikkonferma kemm dan il-mod kif tiġġenera l-elettriku ftit jgħodd għal pajjiżna, minkejja li ta’ spiss jinħakem mir-riħ. Anke mitħna waħidha, fil-kobor tagħha tkun tiddomina l-kampanja Maltija. Aħseb u ara skwadra minnhom ta’ sitta jew aktar.
Sempliċement m’hawnx post fejn jitpoġġew, sakemm mhux fil-baħar. U hemm mid-dehra ma jkunux vijabbli.
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Wara Nizza
Il-massakru ta’ Nizza jkexkex fil-barbarija tiegħu, anki wara ż-żewġ attakki barbari li twettqu fl-aħħar sena u nofs fi Franza, u dak ta’ Brussell aktar kmieni dis-sena.
Donnu li qed jinstabu dejjem aktar individwi li lesti jmutu f’furja kważi orgażmika waqt li jkunu qatlu u qerdu għexieren ta’ persuni innoċenti. L-attentati qed jitkebbu fil-lingwaġġ tal-Iżlam fundamentalista, imma aktar jixbhu l-attentati li kienu jwettqu n-niħilisti fi żminijiet oħra. Biss żgur li dak iż-żmien, ma ntlaħaqx il-livell ta’ terrur u barbarija li qed naraw illum.
Il-problema għal kull politika tas-sigurtà hi li l-aqwa ħarsien kontra din it-theddida hi żieda sostanzjali fis-sorvelja li ssir fuq iċ-ċittadini fil-ħajja tagħhom ta’ kuljum. Dan imur kontra l-valuri tal-ħelsien u d-demokrazija li bir-raġun il-maġġoranza enormi tal-popli Ewropej ma jridux iwarrbu jew jillimitaw.
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Sejbiet arkeoloġiċi
Ħabib qalli kif matul is-snin, qed jinstabu f’Malta fdalijiet arkeoloġiċi li għalkemm ftit jissemmew, se jkollhom impatt kbir fuq kif nifhmu l-istorja mbiegħda tagħna. Jekk fhimt tajjeb, l-isfida tal-biċċa hi li mhux ħaġa daqshekk ħafifa biex il-fdalijiet misjuba jiġu studjati malajr malajr.
Jonqsu r-riżorsi materjali u umani, waqt li s-sejbiet isiru ħafna drabi waqt il-ħidma dejjem għaddejja biex nibnu toroq, skejjel, servizzi tad-drenaġġ u oħrajn minn tarf sa tarf tal-gżejjer. Kif rajna dan l-aħħar bil-protesti li qamu f’raħal fejn il-bini ta’ servizz meħtieġ tħalla nofs leħja… Sakemm jiġi żgurat li l-fdalijiet misjuba waqt ix-xogħlijiet jingħataw ħarsien adekwat, ma tistax tistenna li l-iskoperta tal-imgħoddi xxekkel il-ħajja ta’ kuljum taċ-ċittadini.
Forsi hemm bżonn ta’ politika ġdida u integrata li tfittex li tivvalorizza aħjar il-fdalijiet misjuba ġodda.
M’hemm l-ebda sorpriża fil-konklużjoni li biex dan iseħħ, ikunu meħtieġa aktar flus.

English Version – Renewable Energy

Journeying by train recently, I was again impressed by the number of energy windmills spread across the European countryside. You see them grouped in sixes or more, like watchers over the fields and villages. If don Quixote were still adventuring now, he would conclude that an invasion by giants is taking place.

One view of these windmills confirms what is being shown by statistical data: in past years, there has been a dramatic rise in the use of renewable energy.

That same view though seems to also confirm how such a method of generating electricity is less than suitable for this country, even if winds frequently sweep across its length and breadth. Just a single windmill by itself could dominate the countryside where it is located. Just imagine what a platoon of six mills or more would do.

There simply is not enough space where to put them, unless they are placed in the sea. Yet apparently, that would not be a viable proposition.

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POST NICE

Even after the two savage attacks in France during the past year and a half, as well as the one in Brussels earlier this year, the Nice massacre is horrific in its savagery.

It seems as if more individuals are stepping forward, prepared to die in close to an orgasmic fury, while killing and maiming scores of innocent people. Attacks have been packaged in the language of Islamic fundamentalism, yet they are more similar to the attacks that used to be launched by nihilists in other times. Even so then, in no way were today’s levels of terror and savagery reached.

The problem with all possible options for an effective security policy is that the “best” protection against the current threat is a substantial increase in surveillance over the everyday lives of citizens. That would contradict the values of liberty and democracy that with good reason, the enormous majority of European peoples do not want to sideline or curtail.

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS

A friend told me how progressively new archaeological finds are being made in Malta which though they barely get mentioned, will have a major impact on how we understand our ancient history. If I understood his claim correctly, the challenge will be that it is not so easy for the finds to be studied as soon as they are brought to light.

Material and human resources are insufficient, while finds are frequently surfacing during ongoing projects to build roads, schools, sewage lines and other services from one end to the other of the island. As happened recently when protests were staged in a village where the provision of an essential service was left pending… For so long as remains uncovered when public works are being carried out, get adequate protection, it is illusory to expect that the discovery of the past can take priority over the everyday needs of citizens.

Perhaps we need a new integrative policy that seeks to extract better value from newly discovered remains.

The conclusion that for this to happen, more money will be needed is unsurprising.

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