Influwenza

L-imxija tal-influwenza li għaddejja bħalissa tqajjem mistoqsijiet – mhux f’Malta biss imma mal-Ewropa kollha – dwar kemm is-sistemi tas-saħħa publikahuma attrezzati biex jilqgħu għall-mard infettiv li sar jinxtered ħafna aktar malajr minn qatt qabel. Mhux l-isptarijiet Maltin biss spiċċaw imblokkati bil-morda bl-influwenza; l-istess ġara fir-Renju Unit u f’pajjiżi oħra.

Il-meżżi aktar faċli tal-ivvjaġġar… bit-turiżmu dejjem jiżdied… qed joħolqu “suq” globali għall-mard li jittieħed. Pajjiż turistiku bħal Malta ma jistax jevita li jintlaqat bil-kbir.

Biex tagħqad, il-possibilitajiet qed jiżdiedu biex mard infettiv irabbi varjanti dejjem aktar komplikati u faċli li jiġu trasmessi. Dan irendi l-miżuri preventivi li jittieħdu anqas effettivi. Jispiċċaw jattakkaw forom magħrufa tal-mard konċernat, waqt li dan ikun tielaq b’linji “ġodda” ta’ ħsara.

Madankollu, l-miżuri preventivi fis-sura l-aktar aġġornata tagħhom, iridu jibqgħu l-aqwa targa kontra l-imxijiet “post-moderni”.

MHUX KREDIBBLI

Qajmu mistoqsijiet importanti għall-pajjiż, imma qabilhom qajmuhom kummentaturi u kelliema minn diversi sezzjonijiet, xellug u lemin.

Ir-rapport tagħhom, kif mistenni u kif stennew, qajjem furur fil-midja stampati u soċjali tan-nazzjon.

Xorta waħda, l-eżerċizzju tal-Parlament Ewropew biex “jinvestiga” l-istat tad-dritt f’Malta baqa’ mhux kredibbli mill-bidu sal-aħħar. Li jeżistu problemi fil-governanza tal-pajjiż u fil-kontrolli fuq il-korruzzjoni, hi ħaġa ċara. Li dawn jiġu ffaċċjati bil-proċeduri tal-Parlament kif maħduma biż-żjara tad-delegazzjoni ta’ Diċembru li għadda hi redikolaġni.

Il-membri tad-delegazzjoni ħadu fuqhom ir-rwol ta’ investigatur, xhud, prosekutur, ġurija u imħallef. Numru minnhom kienu ilhom protagonisti tal-kritika kontra Malta. Il-preżenza fosthom ta’ David Casa kien xempju tal-istil okkult li bih organizzaw xogħolhom. Dan bla nsemmu l-kwalità tan-nies li ltaqgħu magħhom, bħal pereżempju mis-“soċjetà ċivili”.

Il-ħidma tad-delegazzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew kienet nieqsa mill-kriterji kollha li jagħmlu eżerċizzju bħal tagħha kredibbli fejn tassew jitħaddem l-istat tad-dritt: kriterji li jiddeterminaw dak li bl-Ingliż jissejjaħ “due process”. Għalhekk ħidmietha mhijiex kredibbli.

CHABROL

Il-films li naf ta’ Claude Chabrol huma l-aktar mit-tieni nofs tal-karriera tiegħu.

Les Bonnes Femmes (“Nisa Ħawtiela”), li jiġi l-ewwel film li ħareġ, kien għalhekk ftit ta’ sorpriża għalkemm ili naf li meta ntwera fl-1960, għamel suċċess kbir u fetaħ it-triq għall-“mewġa l-ġdida” taċ-ċinema Franciż.

Insegwu lil erba’ ħbieb nisa żgħażagħ li jaħdmu fl-istess ħanut tal-ħwejjeġ – il-monotonija tax-xogħol tagħhom, il-passatempi u ħruġ li jokkupawhom meta ma jkunux xogħol, l-irġiel medjokri li jkollhom jitqannew bihom, il-ħolm li joħolmu. Kollox muri b’realiżmu sever u mexxej ħafna, bla sentimentaliżmu.

Ir-reċtar hu mill-aqwa, b’fuq quddiem nett Stephane Audran u Bernadette Lafont (meta kienu għadhom żgħażagħ sew) b’interpretazzjonijiet sottili u konvinċenti.

English Version – Influenza

The influenza epidemic now still spreading has raised questions, not just in Malta but Europe-wide, about whether public health systems are sufficiently equipped to counter infectious diseases that roll muchquicker than ever before. Maltese hospitals were not the only ones to suffer from congestion as influenza patients were brought in. The same happened in Great Britain and elsewhere.

Faster modes of travel, with tourism constantly on the rise, have created a global “market” for infectious diseases. A tourist destination like Malta cannot avoid the consequences.

To make matters worse, in such a situation, the possibilities increase for infectious diseases to mutate giving rise to variants that become more complex and that find it easier to multiply. This makes preventive measures less effective. They end up offering protection against known strains of the relevant diseases when these are mutating towards “new” lines of attack.

Even so, preventive measures in their most up to date format, cannot but remain the best available defence against the “post-modern” infections.

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Not credible

They discussed issues that are important for the country, though they had been raised before by other analysts and spokespersons from diverse sectors on the island, on both left and right.

Their report as expected, and as they expected, created waves in the print and social media of the nation.

Yet the exercise conducted by the European Parliament to “investigate” the rule of law in Malta was from beginning to end not credible. That there exist problems in the governance of the country and in the control of corruption is clear. That they are to be taken into account by following the procedures of the European Parliament as laid out during the December visit of its delegation to Malta is risible.

The members of that delegation simply assumed the role of investigator, witness, prosecutor, jury and judge. A number of them had for quite a while functioned already as protagonists in Malta-bashing. The presence among them of David Casa was typical of the occult methods used in organizing the work of the delegation. All this, without mentioning the quality of the people they met to discuss the Malta scene, like for instance when covering “civil society”.

The effort carried out by the members of the EP delegation fell foul of all the criteria that make similar exercises credible wherever the rule of law truly prevails – criteria that would determine what is usually called due process. For this reason, the work the delegation carried out is not credible.

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Chabrol

I know best Chabrol’s films made during the second half of his career. LesBonnesFemmes (“GoodWomen”) which was his first movie surprised me, although I knew that when it was first shown in 1960, it was hugely successful and had opened doors for the French cinema’s “nouvelle vague”.

The film follows the adventures of four young women friends who are employed as shopgirls – the monotony of their workday selling clothes, the pastimes and outings they share in their spare time, the mediocre men they have to associate with, the dreams they dream. Everything is shown in a realistic, very lively mode, with no sentimentalism.

The acting isbrilliant, withtop of thelist, Stephane Audran and Bernadette Lafont (still very young) giving subtle and most convincing performances.