tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35857700165496700482024-03-06T21:00:01.056+01:00Reflections of A World CitizenI am 41 years old, currently living in Malta, and working in the insurance industry. Equipped with an Honours degree in Psychology, a diploma in Small Business Management, a TEFL certificate, and the CII Certificate in Insurance, I am always trying to learn new things in order to carry out a number of positive changes. This blog is intended to shed some light on my life and to raise awareness about the need to build a better world for everyone.David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-71539605303225901312020-05-17T11:44:00.002+02:002020-05-17T11:44:39.556+02:00After the Last Breath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Millions of people around the world are familiar with the Oscar awards ceremony held once a year. A part of this event includes paying tribute to a number of prominent individuals who were active within the movie industry and who passed away sometime during the interval since the previous ceremony. Those few minutes make it possible to think about and to appreciate the contributions of those persons that have crossed over. The memory of those individuals will surely remain strong as their movies continue to be watched, as biographies about their lives are published, and as numerous articles are written about them.</span><br />
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Whilst thinking about this yearly tribute, one may wonder about the thousands of people who die annually without any tributes being broadcast all over the world. As suggested above, when a famous person dies, various items remain which allow others to acknowledge their existence. To mention just one example, the grave site of such an individual may be visited by hundreds of people every year. </div>
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What, on the other hand, is left after a less popular human being takes their last breath? There is no doubt that hardly anyone alive at the time of writing this article would know anything about Andreana Cuschieri (<i>nee'</i> Micallef). The latter is my paternal great-great grandmother. </div>
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Following some research that I had carried out, I discovered that Andreana lived in Valletta. She was Giuseppe Cuschieri's second wife. She was the mother of several children, one of whom was Professor/Fr Anatasio Cuschieri. The only photo that I have seen of her was on the memorial card printed sometime after she died. She is buried at the Addolorata Cemetery, but there is no head stone to mark her final resting place. Similar to countless women who lived during the late 19th and early 20th century, most of her time was probably devoted to raising the children and engaged in other activities that were traditionally associated with womanhood. </div>
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Andreana was not a famous actress or writer. She was never in the limelight. At first, one could say that nothing much was left behind after she took her last breath at her home in St Lucia Street (Strada Santa Lucia) in Valletta in 1913. To what extent, however, is this argument really accurate?</div>
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In actual fact, whenever a person dies, some things do remain. Going back to Andreana Cuschieri, her physical remains are possibly still buried or they could now be part of other organisms or objects. Some of her genetic material lives on in her descendants, which include myself. Her name together with some other biographical details can still be found on the death certificate which could be obtained from the Public Registry. Various contracts signed by some of her children feature her name to confirm their identity. The memorial card showing her photo still exists. The Addolorata Cemetery also has some information about her. Some of the objects that she owned and treasured may now be in the homes of one or more of her descendants or in the homes of persons who decided to acquire the said items. For those who believe, her spirit is also somewhere in the universe. </div>
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Unfortunately, I have not come across any detailed written material about Andreana's character. I do not know what food she liked to prepare or eat, whether she had the patience of a saint or whether she was short-tempered, and I also lack information about the medical conditions she may have struggled with throughout her life. If such details are not recorded and preserved, it will be extremely difficult for future generations to know this information.</div>
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After a person's last breath, some activities are indeed interrupted. If, say, someone used to attend Mass in a specific church on a daily basis, death will interrupt that activity. It is, however, mistaken to think that once a human being dies, nothing remains. Death can never negate the fact that a person existed for a given period of time and that certain things continue to exist even after the last breath.</div>
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I would like to conclude by quoting a few lines from a very moving book entitled <i>My Lovely Wife: A Memoir of Madness and Hope</i>. I finished reading the latter fairly recently. Written by Mark Lukach, it is largely about the author's experience in taking care of his wife who suffered from several episodes of mental illness over a number of years. There were times when the author's wife talked about committing suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge into the San Francisco Bay. Whilst contemplating the scenario, Lukach focused on her continued existence following her physical demise: "She would still be in my life, in both her presence and her absence. Her clothes, her possessions, her hair in the drain of the shower, even her smell on the blanket she wrapped herself in every night. Her absence would be everywhere. I would miss her in everything. I would tell people about her and keep her alive in my stories. She would not be done. Her body, whether discovered or not, would join the land and the water and return to the elements, from dust you are and to dust you will return. Nothing dissolves into nothing. We are never done..." (pp. 104-105) </div>
David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-61333852498689228172020-04-30T10:55:00.004+02:002020-04-30T10:56:46.185+02:00One Person's Garbage Is Another Person's Treasure: The Fascinating World of Antique Objects<br />
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We are surrounded by objects. We may have purchased many of them to decorate our homes. Other items such as chairs or lamps would be there for functional purposes. Some objects might have been given to us as gifts or inherited from a person that has passed away. Several items become such a fixed part of our environment that we rarely stop to think much about them.</div>
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Not all the objects in our lives are equally old. Some might have been manufactured fairly recently whilst others may have been produced over a century ago. As time goes by from the manufacturing year, an item may be classified as an antique. Depending on its degree of usage, an object would normally exhibit signs of how it was handled or kept after a certain number of years. </div>
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There are occasions when relatively old items are regarded as junk. This tends to happen when an object's owner wants to make space and purchase or obtain newer items. Countless objects are also considered as garbage when a furnished property is sold off and the new owners dislike many of the old items left behind by the previous inhabitants. One can only imagine the number of objects that are disposed of in such circumstances.</div>
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Regardless of what a person wishes to do with a specific item, there is no doubt that every object has its own unique story. Indeed, apart from an item's movement from place to place and from one owner to another, all objects contain various types of information. In particular, the analysis of an object could reveal details about its manufacturer, the country of make, its production year, its chemical composition, and so much more. </div>
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Some antique objects may end up thrown away because of a lack of knowledge on how to restore them. In the eyes of certain individuals, an item that looks battered or used may no longer seem attractive or functional. This perception increases the possibility of an object finding its way in a garbage can.</div>
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Although countless antique items are disposed of each year, there are people who are actively interested in acquiring such objects. There are TV shows such as <i>Salvage Hunters</i> which show how numerous items that would have been written off by many others are restored and sold for a profit. When watching these programmes, it is interesting to note that even a heavily-worn table in a dilapidated building might still be worth a few hundred Euros in its current state. To the untrained eye, such objects may be considered as having no value at all.</div>
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In view of the above, rather than condemning an object to the garbage can, one may want to consult an antiques expert first. This would allow the owner to obtain a clearer idea of an item's current value. It could also enable the owner to become more familiar with the group of individuals who may harbour an interest in acquiring a specific item.</div>
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There is definitely a market out there for all sorts of objects. Indeed, it is possible to argue that there would be, at least, one person for every item that one could think of. There are many people who have collections of different types of objects. Such persons would surely treasure several items that have no value to others. </div>
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When talking about antiques, it could also be said that their conservation is important for historical purposes. There would surely be numerous objects that are no longer produced or widely available. Consequently, the careful preservation of such items would allow a broad spectrum of researchers to analyse as well as document the role that they played in previous times. Some antiques become so valuable that museums acquire them as part of a collection.</div>
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One last point: in a world whereby there is a greater awareness about the need to decrease pollution, the retention and conservation of countless items would prevent them from being incinerated or dumped somewhere. In this way, the proper care of antiques could also be considered as a means of safeguarding our environment.</div>
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Having read this article, it is hoped that many people will think twice before throwing away numerous objects. If an item does not interest you, try to donate or sell it rather than chucking it into the garbage can. Remember that an object that you might consider as worthless could be another person's treasure!</div>
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David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-19465748086651545322020-03-11T17:17:00.000+01:002020-03-11T17:27:34.294+01:00Moving Away From the Left<br />
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I was born and raised in a family that supported the centre-right political party in Malta. Most, if not all. of my paternal ancestors were fervent supporters of the Nationalist Party. Same applies to my maternal ancestors. I myself was a big fan of Dr Eddie Fenech Adami for several years and I enjoyed attending political mass meetings. </div>
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When I moved to Spain in 2003, my political views started to change after my first few months living there. Financially-speaking, my situation deteriorated from bad to worse. Although I was working as an English language teacher, I was given very few lessons per week. I was hardly earning enough money to cover my monthly rent (the rent was that of € 180 for a small room in a shared apartment which lacked heating and other comforts). The apartment was located in a part of Madrid called Pan Bendito. The latter was definitely not considered by many locals as a wealthy area. Not too far from my apartment, there was a park where drug trafficking was fairly common. Money was so limited that I would order the cheapest baguette from the cafeteria that I normally visited. Whenever I would go shopping for food (usually from a Dia or Lidl outlet), I would often spend quite a long time trying to decide whether I really needed something that I wanted. For example, I would grab a bag of chocolates and then ask myself whether I could buy something that would last longer with the same amount of money. The only clothes I had were the ones that I took with me from Malta and they were not much. Unfortunately, I had no money to acquire new clothing items. When I faced my first winter in Madrid, I was feeling so cold that my Spanish roommate allowed me to borrow one of his jackets.</div>
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As I struggled to keep a roof over my head and to obtain sufficient food, many of the students that I taught occupied management positions and were clearly fairly rich. Whilst I was racking my brains to choose whether to buy one food item compared to another, most of my students would be talking about the expensive shops they visited. Exposed to such a situation, my instinctive reaction was one of resentment: was it fair for them to be living so well whereas I was struggling to make ends meet?</div>
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In 2004, the Spanish electorate was called to vote during the country's general election. Although my Spanish was still far from fluent, I could understand some of the basic things that were being said during the electoral campaign. The PSOE, Spain's centre-left party, was talking about increasing the minimum wage and about improving the plight of hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the country. The party leader, Mr Zapatero, also promised that if he was elected Prime Minister, he would withdraw Spain from the Iraq war. During that time, I was bitterly against the said conflict; I felt that the main reasons to go to war had been largely fabricated by the US government and that little good would be achieved from the participation of various countries in various battles. My beliefs were strengthened even further when I watched Michael Moore's <i>Bowling for Columbine</i> and <i>Fahrenheit 9/11</i>.</div>
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Although I found myself agreeing more and more with the PSOE on a number of issues, I had still not explicitly rebranded myself as a leftist. That happened when I moved to El Salvador in early 2005. I spent less than six months in the latter country, but political positions were far more polarised there and I was strongly exposed to a great deal of socialist and even communist literature. Apart from the staggering poverty which was clearly visible in El Salvador, the country had one of the world's highest daily murder rates. Indeed, during my short time there, the average rate was that of eleven murders per day! </div>
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When I returned to Malta in early June 2005, I considered myself to be a Marxist-Leninist. I even had a key-chain showing Che Guevara's face. I spent hours browsing on the Internet as I hopped from one communist website to another. When I talked to people, I did my utmost to teach them about the horrors of capitalism and to persuade them that communism was the only solution to a better future.</div>
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By the time that my Salvadoran girlfriend came to live with me later on in 2005, my financial situation had not improved much. I had found a job within one of Malta's largest insurance companies, but I was earning minimum wage. Furthermore, since my girlfriend was not from an EU country, she was unable to earn a living in Malta until such time that we got married. As time went by, my meagre salary had to cover rent, food, medicines, and many other essential items. My Mum, the only person who had bailed me out whenever I was practically penniless, was diagnosed with a terminal illness; she was in and out of hospital until she passed away in March 2006. </div>
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My financial situation eventually improved, but I still considered myself to be a communist. I still believed in a glorious future where all people would be free to engage in their preferred activities without any human exploitation. Poverty would cease to exist as every person's needs were satisfied without the need to spend any money at all. </div>
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My support for the communist cause even brought me in contact with a number of locals who had been active within the Communist Party of Malta for several years. Many of the people that I met were friendly and truly tried to mould their own lives on socialist principles. As an organisation, the party was in shambles and there was never any formal or official membership structure. There was no conceivable way that the party could aspire to make much of a difference on the Maltese political scene. </div>
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As a result of my interactions with the Communist Party of Malta activists, I also had the opportunity to meet a number of DPRK citizens who were working in the local construction industry. I also met some who were working in a Korean restaurant in Bugibba. A handful of DPRK citizens were also working inside a Korean fusion restaurant in Gzira. </div>
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Apart from meeting several individuals from the DPRK in Malta, I was also invited to attend the 100th birthday celebrations of Kim Il Sung in the DPRK itself. This happened in 2012. I travelled to and from Pyongyang via China. </div>
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During my time in the DPRK, I was treated very well. There was always a great deal of good food to eat and the hotel room was large as well as comfortable. I could write a whole article concerning the days I spent in the DPRK, but that would go beyond the scope of this blog post. It is, however, possible to state that it is true that I could not leave the hotel on my own. It is also true that the foreigners who attended these celebrations were exposed to whatever the authorities wanted us to see.</div>
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Over time, my interactions with the Communist Party of Malta activists decreased. I found some of their attitudes to be way too rigid. Furthermore, there was such a shocking degree of disorganisation that no real projects could be carried out successfully. I also found it very difficult to digest certain concepts such as the dictatorship of the proletariat. The visceral hatred towards various wealthy individuals exhibited by a number of communist supporters both locally and worldwide made me uncomfortable since I did not feel capable of such destructive emotions. </div>
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In March 2013, I voted for the Labour Party. I was truly happy when the latter won a landslide victory against the Nationalist Party. Having said this, as a communist person, I always kept having several reservations about Dr Joseph Muscat's pro-business approach to politics. Indeed, I formed part of a group of 26 leftist individuals who signed a letter that was sent to Dr Muscat to express our collective disagreement concerning various issues (I wrote a separate blog post about the meeting that I then had with the Prime Minister together with some of the other signatories in December 2014).</div>
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Fast-forward to 2016. By that time, I no longer had any contact with the Communist Party of Malta activists. I came to agree with Tony Blair <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair" target="_blank">who once said</a> that "There is an arrogance and self-righteousness about many of the groups on the far left which is deeply unattractive to the ordinary would be-member...There's too much mixing only with people [with] whom they agree." </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span>My perceptions concerning life in the DPRK had also changed quite dramatically. I felt that the provision of certain essential items by the government should not be a reason to justify the terrible control that the authorities showed vis-a-vis the country's inhabitants. I found it ridiculous to note that in the 21st century, millions of citizens in the DPRK were not allowed to use the Internet and/or to communicate freely with other people around the world. I also stopped trying to fool myself that all the negative things being stated about the DPRK were merely the fruits of capitalist propaganda.</div>
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For the first time in many years, I also stopped to think about the importance of individual freedom. I realised that wherever and whenever socialist governments have ruled, there was practically always an emphasis on having a relatively strong State which limited or controlled several freedoms enjoyed by the individual citizen. As I learned more about the experience of the Soviet Union and about those countries that declared themselves socialist, I was appalled to witness the gargantuan efforts exercised by numerous States to try to force all people to behave and think in a specific way. Furthermore, it became clear to me that since one person is so different from another, even the concepts relating to the ideal socialist citizen varied from place to place. During the 20th century, several governments came to ideological blows with one another simply because they could not agree on which country adopted the "purest" version of socialism. I considered such battles to be fairly silly since a country's preferred socialist model was frequently a reflection of the leader's belief system. Once the leader had been deposed or passed away, countless changes would be introduced.</div>
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I eventually realised that when talking about capitalism, it is impossible to talk about just one model. Indeed, it is perfectly possible to discuss several capitalist models. And each one has its costs as well as benefits. Consequently, when some people recite various statements against capitalism, I am tempted to ask them: which version of capitalism are you talking about?</div>
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Capitalism - like any other economic model - is surely not perfect. One could write pages about its flaws. Having said this, capitalism allows citizens to enjoy a degree of freedom that cannot exist in a truly socialist society. In a capitalist society, the average citizen can aspire to engaging in various economic activities that would not be possible in a socialist country. Moreover, capitalist models encourage people to think freely and not to waste time trying to get everyone to behave in a rigid as well as limited way.</div>
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My material circumstances also changed from 2016 onwards. For the first time in my life, I was able to involve myself in a project that would have allowed me to earn more money. I also educated myself about investments and their potential to improve one's income. </div>
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As my material situation improved, I developed a growing resentment towards the many fixed costs imposed by the government. I strongly believed that it was unfair to be taxed here and there in respect of a person's hardly-earned income. In particular, I thought that the capital transfer duty (could be regarded as an inheritance tax) was terribly unfair. This is a tax applicable to immoveable property (such as houses) that is payable to the government by the heir/s at the time of inheriting the said property. If the person who passed way had various expensive properties, the heir/s would not only be struggling with the loss of a loved one; they would also be penalised with this tax that could go up to thousands of Euros! </div>
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At this stage, one could say: what about all those poor and vulnerable people that you once campaigned for or tried to help? Have you forgotten all about them just because you are now living a better life? I have definitely not forgotten my own battles with poverty and I have also not brushed aside the daily torments of those members of society who lack countless essential items to live comfortably. I have, however, changed my beliefs about the best way of helping such individuals. I no longer believe that a country's government should be the main entity that is responsible to provide many types of assistance to the poor or vulnerable members of society. As populations continue to grow and as the life expectancy for millions of people continues to increase, governments would need billions of pounds, dollars, or whatever currency you want to talk about to keep funding numerous social programs. For governments to be able to obtain this money, they would need to retain or add countless taxes. My question is: what is the point of helping the poor by impoverishing those that are wealthy? </div>
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Many prominent persons such as Senator Bernie Sanders in the US have argued that increasing taxation on the country's billionaires would still allow them to remain sufficiently wealthy to be able to go about their daily lives without any hardships. The points that people like Sanders fail to see are as follows: if the country's richest people are heavily taxed year after year, a day may come when they will witness a massive deterioration in their wealth since when it comes to business activities, there is no guarantee that today's billionaire will still enjoy the same wealth in the future. Furthermore, by being so wealthy, the world's billionaires create thousands of jobs. The more money one takes away from these billionaires, the less jobs will be created. And, frankly, unless a person suddenly earns enough money to start a business, jobs are the key drivers to earning a living for most people around the world.</div>
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I believe that no person should ever be homeless or go hungry. Yet, I believe that each country should have a sufficiently strong civil sector so that whenever a human being is in need, there are well-organised charities that can step in to provide all the necessary assistance. Charities usually provide most types of help for free and they do not force anyone to give them money to fund their activities. Moreover, from my experience, numerous charities tend to be more knowledgeable and dedicated to resolving various social problems than a government bureaucrat who is active for a few hours a day and whose main interest is that of earning a salary at the end of the month. A government should continue to help only until such time that one or more charities can take over once and for all.</div>
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Nowadays, I enjoy describing myself as a compassionate conservative. Politically-speaking, I like being a centrist to avoid labels. Although I have moved away from the political left, I am still a Roman Catholic Christian (this is being said since I had once described myself as a Christian Socialist). I believe that the welfare of the individual should be at the centre of any political thinking or analysis. I think that individual freedom should be championed provided that it does not cause explicit harm to others. I believe that capitalism provides more solutions to improving one's life than Marxism or Marxism-Leninism. And I definitely cannot ever see myself going back to the leftist person that I once was. As stated by Lewis Carroll in <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i>: "I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." </div>
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David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-29367966871644967062020-02-06T10:04:00.002+01:002020-02-06T10:06:30.042+01:00The Importance of Collective Memory<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When we ponder the history of certain famous
buildings, we often marvel at how they have remained standing throughout a
number of centuries. Compared to such architectural attractions, the life of
the average human being is quite short.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Indeed, during
the relatively few years of our earthly existence, there are various milestones
which are often expected – attending a specific school, earning a living as an
employee or as a self-employed person, getting married, having one or more
children, and so on. Many of us will interact with and influence – to a certain
degree – the </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">behaviour</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> of some other people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Regardless
of all our achievements, a day will come when we will pass away. Following this
unavoidable event, we may have a memorial card printed and distributed to
relatives, friends, and acquaintances. A photo capturing a significant moment
of our life story may be displayed in someone’s home or stored in an album.
Nowadays, it is very likely that countless photos will remain saved on a mobile
phone or on a computer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
ordinary mortal may continue to be mentioned here and there by some other
people for a few weeks or months following the funeral. Yet, as the living go
on with the struggles of their daily lives and as the individuals known to a
person that has passed away also die, most people will hardly ever be talked
about any longer or even remembered. Put differently, unless a person manages
to do something quite extraordinary during their lifetime, they will be
virtually forgotten following the passage of a given amount of time after their
death. To make matters worse, key details about a person’s life may no longer
be available when various items pertaining to someone are disposed of or when
no effort is made to preserve them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Historians as well as genealogists, amongst
others, could easily understand the frustration of trying to answer numerous
questions on the basis of relatively little information. Although some people
may have been particularly close to individuals that eventually gained national
fame for one reason or another, this does not mean that there would be a
considerable amount of information still available about their lives several
years after their death. In the case of those people who never shone in the
limelight like more prominent persons, unearthing biographical details about
them could turn out to be a fairly painstaking process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As an
example, I would like to mention Mr Albert William Mizzi. The latter was the
son of Dr Angelo and Ms Eleonora Mizzi (<i>nee’</i> Farrugia). He was born in
Tripoli (Libya) in 1890. One of his brothers was Mr Alfred Mizzi; the man whose
name lives on as a result of the many works carried out by The Alfred Mizzi
Foundation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Albert
Mizzi became a part of my family history. More specifically, he got married to
Carmela (also known as Carmelina), who was the daughter of Antonio Cuschieri.
My great-grandfather, Pio, was Antonio’s brother. Albert, a legal procurator,
must have known Pio to some degree since he signed the latter’s passport
application form as a character witness in 1924. He did the same thing for
Antonio, his father-in-law, in 1931.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mizzi was
also fairly active within the Nationalist Party for a number of years. Indeed,
there is a photo bearing the caption “Mizzian invaders of Gozo to break up the
1921 Meeting” whereby Albert Mizzi is standing between Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici
(also known as <i>Il-Gross</i>) and Enrico (also known as Nerik) Mizzi.
Giovanni Cuschieri, son of Antonio and Albert’s brother-in-law, also appears in
the said photo. Furthermore, an article published by <i>The Times of Malta</i>
on the 7<sup>th</sup> April 1932 stated that “…all the Nationalist leaders are
well known. We know Messrs. Mizzi, Mifsud Bonnici, Adami, Masu Fenech and
Albert Mizzi and all the rest of them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mizzi’s
name also surfaced in association with a couple of newspapers that were in
print for some years prior to the end of the 1930s. One of these papers was
called <i>Mercurius</i>; the editor was Albert’s brother, Alexander, and Albert
was listed as the printer. The other newspaper was entitled <i>Mid-day Views</i>.
Even in this case, Alexander was the editor and Albert was the printer. The
registered address of both newspapers was Mercurius Press, 17, Strada Zaccharia
(Zachary Street), Valletta.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At some
point in time, Mizzi switched his allegiance to the Malta Labour Party. Shortly
after Mizzi passed away in 1951, Dom Mintoff penned an article in <i>The Knight</i>.
He wrote that “Our friend, Mr Albert Mizzi L.P., was an intelligent and
fearless man – a born leader in a country where leadership is denied.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In view of
all the material featured in this article, it is quite disappointing to note
the myriad difficulties encountered in trying to obtain more detailed
information about various aspects of Mizzi’s life. For instance, how did Mizzi
feel whilst working with Enrico Mizzi? Or what exactly caused Mizzi to move
from the Nationalist to the Malta Labour Party? If doing so is still not always
easy in our times, let alone making such a move many decades ago! Two history
professors were contacted during my research process, but neither one of them
was able to provide any assistance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is the
part where the importance of collective memory deserves to be mentioned. The
latter involves the participation of each and every person. More specifically,
it is up to us to document, to collect, and to preserve all those items that
would allow us to weave the tapestry that features as many aspects of one’s
life as possible. By doing so, we would be contributing to the preservation of
the information about a human being long after they have died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As is often
said, every life represents a unique story. Regardless of the fame or rank
achieved by a person during their earthly existence, each story is valuable.
And as all those stories are preserved, we ensure that no person is ever
forgotten. Furthermore, as the memories associated with the departed are kept
alive, it becomes easier to understand our historical development as
individuals and as a species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-69928132230059189362018-02-06T13:15:00.002+01:002018-02-06T13:15:08.997+01:00The Social Housing Issue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJdQ3KzPdEN729F4R46Tb7MW_MAbuNfOLMo7KU_pFtfL3CC3wN6lSWlsiGSx-fAWM5RZoFkHWy9WWH_jI45yizfljEeaWKAzwfWtUi3a7eF3lwEG8Ui3Q2KkoOA-s2EoVYgQ7ZErb41Iz/s1600/local_15_temp-1334646255-4f8d15ef-620x348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="620" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJdQ3KzPdEN729F4R46Tb7MW_MAbuNfOLMo7KU_pFtfL3CC3wN6lSWlsiGSx-fAWM5RZoFkHWy9WWH_jI45yizfljEeaWKAzwfWtUi3a7eF3lwEG8Ui3Q2KkoOA-s2EoVYgQ7ZErb41Iz/s320/local_15_temp-1334646255-4f8d15ef-620x348.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Every so often, we come across an <a href="http://netnews.com.mt/2018/01/10/tragedja-lesta-biex-issehh-fhal-qormi-familja-tghix-fil-faqar-u-bis-saqaf-wasal-biex-icedi/" target="_blank">article</a> in the local media concerning a person or a family that is living in terrible conditions. The place they live in may not have the basic resources to be able to live comfortably. The building may be old and require a great deal of maintenance which is way beyond the budget of the current inhabitant/s. This issue is not something new. Indeed, we have come across stories involving extremely poor living conditions under all types of governments.<br />
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Whenever an individual or a family is living in conditions whereby they lack electricity or water, urgent action needs to be taken. Telling such persons to go knocking on the doors of the Housing Authority to wait until an alternative dwelling place is allocated to them is definitely not an acceptable solution. According to an <a href="https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20171012/local/680-new-apartments-as-waiting-list-for-social-housing-exceeds-3200.660235" target="_blank">article</a> which appeared on the Times of Malta in October 2017, the waiting list for social housing exceeded 3,200 applicants!</div>
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Over the last few months, the government has been talking about the construction of new apartments as part of its efforts to reduce the need for decent accommodation. I am quite sceptical about this type of solution. The building of new apartments costs a fortune to the taxpayer. Furthermore, given Malta's size, there is a limit on the number of new apartments that could be built; constructing even 700 new apartments will not be sufficient to tackle a waiting list of thousands of applicants! Moreover, notwithstanding all the talk about the system that is in place when allocating an apartment to a needy applicant, who could guarantee that no corruption would be involved during the allocation process? How could one be sure that no applicant is being favoured more than others simply because of one's political allegiance or because of family connections?<br />
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Another issue that is hardly mentioned when talking about the construction of new government housing is that of the maintenance cost. As time goes by, things start to fall apart or to crack. If the persons living in such places can barely afford to make ends meet, won't the taxpayer have to foot the additional millions of Euros that are required to carry out all the necessary repairs? </div>
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Rather than spend millions of Euros taken from the citizens by means of taxes to build more apartments, I believe that alternative and hopefully more cost-effective ways of dealing with the need for decent accommodation could be identified. Until such time that local NGOs could provide emergency shelter to all those that can no longer continue to reside in a particular place until it has been repaired, the government could work on a different strategy. More specifically, the government could issue a tender to seek a contractor that is willing to carry out all the necessary repairs on a place that is no longer safe or decent to live in. Whilst the repairs are being carried out, the government could first check whether the inhabitant/s could live in housing provided by an NGO or it could cover the costs of alternative accommodation in a place that is equipped with the basic resources. Once the repairs have been concluded, the inhabitant/s could return to live in their former home.<br />
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Furthermore, it is also highly recommended that the government as well as local NGOs work together to offer training relating to home maintenance skills to all those who have received assistance. In this way, the inhabitant/s would be better able to prevent damage to their properties and to carry out a number of repairs themselves.<br />
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The above may sound quite simplistic. There are various cases and different circumstances that one needs to consider. True. Yet, it is often said that the longest journey starts with a step. And if we do not make any steps or, even worse, if we step in the wrong direction, many more people will continue suffering. </div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com.mt/search?dcr=0&biw=1280&bih=895&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=l5J5WqiRHIfkUa7VjqAI&q=dilapidated+buildings+malta&oq=dilapidated+buildings+malta&gs_l=psy-ab.3...12944.19530.0.19977.27.20.0.4.4.0.277.2778.0j11j5.16.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..7.16.2195...0j0i67k1j0i30k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i30k1j0i24k1.0.okPRD-QiRfo#imgrc=PPX-c7f2zBy4bM:" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Source</span></a>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-30813406449056693792014-12-03T01:12:00.000+01:002014-12-03T01:13:57.201+01:00A Meeting With the Prime Minister<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weeks ago, an open letter signed by 26 individuals was sent to Dr Joseph Muscat, the Leader of the Labour Party as well as the current Prime Minister of Malta. The persons who signed the letter included Dr Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, one of the country's former prime ministers. I also agreed to sign the letter. <br />
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The letter attracted some attention in the media. More specifically, the links relating to a number of publications have been posted at the end of this blog post.</div>
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Following the articles which appeared about the said letter, I was informed that Dr Muscat wanted to meet with us to discuss the points that were raised. The meeting was going to be held on 1st December at 4pm. The venue was the Auberge de Castille in Valletta. </div>
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Out of the 26 individuals, around 16 turned up for the meeting. We met outside the Auberge de Castille shortly before 4pm so that we could all go in together. </div>
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After being led to a large meeting room right next to the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Muscat came out to shake hands with each one of us. Clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt, the Prime Minister then walked to his chair to start the meeting. We sat down around the oval-shaped table. </div>
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Dr Muscat went through the letter and expressed his reaction concerning each point. As expected, his response to virtually all the issues was characterised by various references to the government's positive achievements following the Labour Party's electoral victory in March 2013. </div>
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Surrounded by the portraits of the country's previous prime ministers, almost every person who attended voiced their views regarding a number of topics. I told Dr Muscat that I wanted to speak as a university graduate who was working in the financial services sector, an area that has often been praised as one of the most successful in the current economic climate. I said that even though I managed to qualify for a mortgage, the thought of paying the bank until I was 65 was quite daunting. Previous generations were reportedly often able to pay off their home loans within around 10 to 15 years. Being in debt until the age of 65 led to more pressure and anxiety; if I could no longer keep up with the monthly payments for one reason or another, I could end up losing my home. I expressed my hope that the government could do something to help ease this burden for the thousands of people living in similar circumstances.</div>
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I also expressed my disagreement concerning one of the narratives that had been promoted by the Labour Party even before the 2013 election. More specifically, I told Dr Muscat that I totally disagreed with the notion that there was no longer any conflict of interests between the employer and the employee. My own experience and that of many other workers clearly demonstrated that employers typically squeezed their employees as much as possible without giving fair remuneration. I added that the issue of the conflict between employers and employees formed part of the basis of leftist thinking. I argued that it was, therefore, practically impossible to identify with such a political viewpoint and reject the existence of the said clash of interests.</div>
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With reference to the housing issue, Dr Muscat did not offer any reassurance at all. No mention was made of any government scheme aimed at helping existing and potential home-owners to pay off a mortgage within a much more reasonable time-frame. Furthermore, the Prime Minister said that the aspiration to own a home would soon no longer be sustainable given the country's environmental constraints. He added that renting will need to become more popular in the future rather than opting to have one's own property. </div>
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Dr Muscat's reaction was quite disappointing. His response totally neglected the hardships associated with living in debt for most of one's life just to have a stable roof over one's head. Moreover, simply encouraging rent as an alternative does not offer much relief to the countless individuals who wish to avoid the fear of losing one's home as a result of not being able to keep up with the monthly payments. </div>
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Turning to the class warfare issue, the Prime Minister was quite succinct. More specifically, his view was that any focus on the said matter would be counterproductive.</div>
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The meeting lasted for around 90 minutes. Dr Muscat concluded by saying that even though his door was open to everyone, he could not guarantee that he would accept every request that was brought to his attention.</div>
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<i>http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/45958/leftwing_activists_urge_labour_to_return_to_its_fundamental_values_and_aims#.VHz2NmdN3hE
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<i>http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141116/opinion/The-Magna-Carta-of-26-individuals.544178 </i></div>
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<i>http://www.illum.com.mt/ahbarijiet/politika/39145/karba_biex_ilpartit_laburista_jsir_aktar_xellugi#.VHz0smdN3hE</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20of%20Malta/Prime%20Ministers%20of%20Malta/Pages/Dr-Joseph-Muscat.aspx" target="_blank">Image</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.visitmalta.com/en/valletta-getting-around" target="_blank">Image 2 </a></span><br />
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<br />David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-80904718348306729552014-08-05T21:14:00.000+02:002014-08-11T01:53:06.860+02:00A Letter To W<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear W,</div>
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I should have seen the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. I should have been able to forecast the massive storm that was unleashed in early October 2012. The signs had been there since, at least, Christmas 2011. </div>
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Christmas is normally a time when family members make an effort to be with one another. It is a time when millions of people around the world celebrate friendship, peace, and love. It was one of our favourite times of the year. Do you remember how excited we used to be as we decorated our home? And how we looked forward to opening our gifts? Beautiful memories! </div>
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You surely knew how much I loved the Christmas season. You were definitely aware of how I yearned to spend it with you. Sadly, you ignored all that and thought only about your own interests. Although we did not have the funds to go abroad as a couple and in spite of the fact that you knew that I could not take vacation leave in December, you insisted on wanting to spend Christmas Day abroad. Ignoring all my objections, you decided to leave me alone on Christmas Day. </div>
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Leaving me alone on one of the most important days of the year was not enough for you. Where did you spend your Christmas Day? At the place of one of your ex-boyfriends in Spain!!! As you very well know, he was not any guy. He was the guy with whom you had lost your virginity! Even just writing about it makes me feel sick! The total lack of respect shown by your actions is still so hard to believe! I was so ashamed that when I attended a family party on the evening of Christmas Day, I told my inquisitive relatives that you were unwell in an attempt to explain your mysterious absence. </div>
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Why did I endure your Christmas abandonment? I seriously cannot imagine too many guys putting up with such behaviour. I decided to let it slide since I genuinely loved you. And true love is hopeful; it never stops believing that things will get better no matter how bad they are today. Sadly, you never saw love in the same way. </div>
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2012 was expected to be a great year for us. Among other things, it was the year during which we both hoped you would be able to acquire your citizenship. You were granted citizenship in August 2012. Do you remember that last interview prior to becoming a citizen? Do you remember talking favourably about our relationship? Most importantly, do you remember asserting that you would get married to me again if you were given the choice? I wonder if you still ever recall that interview whenever you think about the disgusting actions that occurred less than two months after acquiring your citizenship. </div>
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It was certainly during the summer of 2012 that you started removing one brick after another from our marriage until the whole thing collapsed. During that time, your work circumstances brought you in contact with the guy with whom you are presently living. He already had a girlfriend and they were supposed to get married in 2013. They had been together for 10 years! </div>
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Having talked to two girls who allegedly witnessed the way things developed between you and him, you were the one who seduced him. Even though you were married to me and although you knew that he had a steady girlfriend, it seems that you went after him like a heat-seeking missile. When you were at home, he increasingly dominated your conversations and I regularly found you chatting with him online. </div>
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The farcical birthday celebration of his girlfriend should have continued to alarm me. Instead of sitting next to his girlfriend as well as the person that he was supposedly planning to marry, he went to sit a few chairs away from her! It was such a blatant act of disrespect that practically everyone present commented about it. </div>
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As time went by, things got worse for me. One of the key moments when I noticed that big trouble lay ahead of me was when you had called at around 8pm one evening to tell me that you were keeping him company as a friend following his decision to break up with his girlfriend. I had prepared dinner for you that evening and I was so hurt by the fact that you preferred to stay out till almost midnight! I remember storing your dinner away in the fridge. You never ate that food and it became such a terrible symbol of those dark days that it took me around 2 months until I finally got rid of it. Every time I used to see it in the fridge, I just did not want to touch it. </div>
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I cried so hard that evening. I looked at so many of our photos taken during our trips abroad and during various celebrations. We looked so good together. So many happy memories! So many sacrifices endured together in order to build a better life for both! </div>
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The next few days were characterised by your spending more and more time away from home. I was terribly worried and I made it very clear that I was not happy about the time you were spending with him. You kept insisting that you were just friends. </div>
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As you pursued your interests without showing much concern for my welfare (lack of respect once again!), I was getting ready for the holiday to Florence and Pisa that we had planned a few months before. We had been to Florence in 2011 and it was surely the best holiday of my life! We had celebrated your birthday there. We were both so happy and we returned to Malta committed to return there the following year. </div>
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Sadly, the holiday that I had been looking forward to for several months turned into one of the worst nightmares of my life. We left Malta on the 4th October. Contrary to our holiday in 2011, I ended up making most of the travelling arrangements on my own. You slept throughout most of the flight. Furthermore, you were quite cold as well as distant as we walked around when we got to Florence. </div>
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The 5th October was our last full day together. We went to visit the Uffizi Museum. I remember that I was holding your hand at one point in time and I told you how happy I was feeling. In the evening, you were very cold once again and you did not hesitate to rush to chat with him on the iPad once we got to the hotel. It was the iPad which I had given you for your birthday and which took me a year to pay off! </div>
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On the 6th October, after visiting the convent where Fra Savonarola had lived, you told me that you wanted to talk to me. I immediately sensed trouble. Very big trouble. Without betraying any sadness, you informed me that you were no longer happy with me, that this other guy was very much in love with you, and that he had bought you a ticket to join him on his holiday in Spain. The shock was so great that I could not hold back the tears. Devastated by the pain, all I wanted to do was to return to the hotel. Once we got to our room, I just locked myself inside the bathroom, fell to the floor, and cried my head off. I could not believe that you were capable of doing something similar to me! </div>
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Before you left the hotel to go to the airport, you told me that you would make a choice at the airport about whether to go to Spain or to return to me. I cried until I had no tears left and then forced myself to go out to eat something. My eyes were so red that everyone was looking at me strangely! Even though I was so hurt by your words and deeds, I hoped to open the hotel room door and find you there saying that it was all a big mistake and that you wanted to be with me...that we would stick together through thick and thin...that our love would help us to fight against all the problems that we had! Alas, this did not happen. I opened the door and there was nothing but darkness. The darkness of an abyss. </div>
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As you know all too well, I spent the rest of the "holiday" on my own. I forced myself out of bed to try to visit some places and to continue eating properly. As I toured places that we were supposed to visit together, I was often overcome by a tremendous feeling of sadness. For instance, as I walked through the beautiful Boboli Gardens, there was - at least - one occasion when I had to sit down to cry since the pain was too strong. All this pain whilst you were having a wonderful time in the company of your new partner. </div>
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When I returned to Malta a few days later, I cried for a long time when I saw the two pillows on our bed. More specifically, I looked at your pillow and realised that your head would never grace it again. I grabbed the pillow and held it close to me, hugging it tightly. It still had your scent. My body was shaking as I cried on the bed. </div>
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During the first few weeks and months following your hasty Florentine exit, I went through pure hell. You might recall that my manager had left the company I was working for in October. This meant that apart from dealing with your loss, I also had to find ways to cope with an increasing workload (by December, I had over 150 emails in my inbox!). Every morning, I had to pull myself out of bed to go to work since I had to earn my daily bread. It was either that or face total collapse. </div>
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The evenings of those first few weeks and months were among the darkest in all my life. Whilst you were enjoying yourself with your new partner and draining our credit card to furnish the apartment you were living in, a heavy stream of tears normally flowed down my cheeks onto my clothes as I saw the many beautiful photos we had taken together, read the first emails we had exchanged with one another when we decided to get together romantically, and thought of all the plans we had made for the future...On those lonely evenings and nights, I remembered how we had both clawed our way up - making countless sacrifices - from the poor days of 2006 to the relatively comfortable lifestyle that we enjoyed at a later stage. Do you remember how we were so cash-strapped in 2006 that a colleague of mine had lent us a pair of trousers for you to wear at my mum's funeral since we could not afford to buy one? We had come such a long way since then, but you clearly could not care about the achievements we had made and what they represented for the future!</div>
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When recalling your many acts of disrespect towards me, it is quite amazing to think about how you tried to brush all the pain you caused me aside and expected us to still be very close friends. When you came over on one occasion to collect some of your things from the place which was our home for a number of years, you even asked whether I could prepare a burger for you! On another occasion, you tried to hug me before leaving, but I refused. Just because your love for me might have died ages ago did not mean that I shared the same stance towards what had happened between us. Notwithstanding all the hard times, all the acts of disrespect, all the fears and anxieties that we faced, I never stopped loving you. Even when I felt terribly wounded by your behaviour, I kept believing in a brighter tomorrow since I always thought that true love never gives up. </div>
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Where exactly did I go wrong? Yes, there was an intimacy problem which became harder to resolve as I felt increasingly under pressure to "obtain results". Till this very day, I cannot pinpoint the exact cause/s of my problem. It was probably the result of performance anxiety, stressful work conditions, boredom with routine, and a state of mild floating anxiety when confronted with the fact that we were so vulnerable here for many years. You should know that for most of my life, I always felt the need for an external support system - whether it is family or some type of organisation. Like most other human beings, feeling relaxed and confident of having that support system would have surely helped me to feel less tense in my everyday life. I am also quite convinced that the ways in which you reacted to my problem together with the fact that you never made an effort to make certain changes which could have led to some progress contributed significantly to my intimacy issues. I know that you will strongly deny this last point stating that just because certain things happened in 2005, they could have continued to happen in the same way without the need for any particular changes. All I can say is that every time you failed to listen to my feedback and every time you decided that only your analysis was correct represented additional acts of disrespect towards me. Over the years, your pride and self-righteousness became so inflated that you could hardly ever admit making a mistake. You always had to have the last word. </div>
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There is no doubt that the intimacy problem plagued our marriage for many years. It is, however, a total lie to say that we lived like brother and sister. Brothers and sisters would not usually have been sexually intimate with one another. And they would not normally walk around holding hands or massaging each other intimately. </div>
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We spent over 7 years together. I was often anxious about the fact that you were very unhappy about the intimacy problems, but I always believed two things. First, I strongly believed that the solution to the problems had to come with the work of both partners with little to no external help. Second, equipped with the hope that things would eventually get better, I thought that the rest of the marriage was strong enough to ward off the possibility of a total collapse. </div>
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In retrospect, I believe that my problems did not necessarily have to lead to the breakdown of our marriage. I think that our relationship broke down gradually as you stopped showing respect towards me. Your decision to spend Christmas away from me in December 2011, your insults and threats whenever we talked about our problems, your reckless spending, your total lack of interest in making the slightest effort to help me overcome my difficulties, your lies during the summer and autumn of 2012...those are the factors that brought our relationship to an end. You frequently said that you tried to find a solution by taking the initiative to see a psychotherapist. True, but as I had told you on many occasions, a psychotherapist was unlikely to be able to resolve the type of problems I had. Just to give you one example - if fairly long hair was very important for me on a woman, how was the psychotherapist going to deal with that? It's not as though I was living with her! You ignored the feedback that I had been giving you for so long that there was even a time when you cut your hair really short notwithstanding the fact that you knew all along how important long hair was for me! Once again, your interests came first. To hell with what I believed or told you!</div>
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Before I forget, do you remember how you had sometimes remarked that some of the problems in our relationship might have been due to the fact that our courtship was limited to the phone and to the Internet? You occasionally complained about the fact that we started living together without the chance to date for a while before deciding to live under the same roof. Notwithstanding all that talk, what did you do after you left me? You immediately moved in to live with a guy that you barely knew! Indeed, by the time you started living with him, you had only "known" each other for around three months!!!! And you went straight from me to him; there was no interim dating period! </div>
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To conclude, we could argue for months about who should have done what and when. The bottom line is that you and only you were the one who threw in the towel. You were the one who disrespected me once again by making plans to go to live with another person. A most disgusting form of selfishness prevailed in your life. You withdrew over EUR 2,000 from our credit card account to sustain your new relationship and never repaid that money. You initially made promises to continue paying your share of the debts which we had accumulated over a period of time, but you then quickly found a number of excuses to avoid honouring those promises. As you withdrew money from our credit card to go abroad in December, you surely never spared a thought relating to my financial welfare. You just thought about your own interests without giving a damn about the person who had stood by you through thick and thin for several years. </div>
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You and I are clearly extremely different when it comes to our understanding of what it means to love a person. To me, love is best expressed by the following words written by St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: "<span class="text 1Cor-13-4" id="en-NIV-28670">Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-5" id="en-NIV-28671">It does not</span><span class="text 1Cor-13-5" id="en-NIV-28671"> dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-6" id="en-NIV-28672">Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. </span><span class="text 1Cor-13-8" id="en-NIV-28674">It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." I was willing to be patient, to be kind, to avoid pride, to avoid disrespecting you, to trust, to continue hoping, and to persevere in spite of all the difficulties. You, on the other hand, were surely not willing to act in the same way. </span></div>
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-8" id="en-NIV-28674">Regards,</span></div>
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David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-48275684388056784302013-10-01T00:30:00.000+02:002013-10-01T00:30:05.799+02:00The Last Photo<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ReE0hUz54h77ZfEeSKJGedpf7nXfvviOEDvbTyuiSioKoi8c6-gp8wu68QW-ByWVmvV-rqxLp4-L4PxmhOKsCuTh_KjABjcBQ2PBq4gfnrylN4YEup_SW1mQ8GYyB7yAQraDnxDYxLAL/s1600/P8260152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ReE0hUz54h77ZfEeSKJGedpf7nXfvviOEDvbTyuiSioKoi8c6-gp8wu68QW-ByWVmvV-rqxLp4-L4PxmhOKsCuTh_KjABjcBQ2PBq4gfnrylN4YEup_SW1mQ8GYyB7yAQraDnxDYxLAL/s320/P8260152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The photo shown above was taken in Sicily on the 26th August, 2012. It is the last photo that was taken showing my ex-wife and I standing close to one another. </div>
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I still have very nice memories of that one-day trip to Sicily. Although I had woken up with the symptoms of a cold in the morning, I had such a great time that I returned to Malta fully healed! </div>
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Our sixth wedding anniversary was only a few days away. I could have never imagined that my ex-wife would be living with another guy less than two months after this wonderful trip to Sicily! </div>
David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-46874168663481127152013-09-26T01:31:00.000+02:002013-09-26T01:33:15.614+02:00Keeping In Touch<br />
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The 6th of October is not far off. On that day in 2012, I was on holiday in Florence. I went there with my wife. </div>
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It was the third day of our holiday in Italy. After a good breakfast, we went to visit the monastery where Fra Gerolamo Savonarola had lived many centuries ago. It was shortly after leaving that place that the horrible news was delivered to me. The person with whom I had been married for just over 6 years and the close friend that I had known since I was around 20 years old informed me that she was no longer happy with me. She then added that a guy she had only known for a few months was madly in love with her. Aware of how miserable she felt, he bought her a plane ticket so that she could join him whilst he was on holiday in Spain. To my horror, she accepted. When we returned to the hotel, she packed one of the bags with her things and left. As one may imagine, the rest of my time in Florence was characterised by a terrible sense of sadness and loneliness.</div>
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Almost one year later, my ex-wife and I met yesterday in the presence of our respective lawyers. The terms of the separation agreement were read to us inside a small room in the Family Court. At one point, the atmosphere seemed a bit surreal as the person who read the conditions to us asked about how we met. When I gave her the brief version of the story, she said "How sweet!" Talking about how we met and evoking memories of those happy times did not appear to be particularly appropriate behaviour whilst reviewing the conditions associated with the dissolution of a marriage! </div>
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After we left the Family Court, my ex-wife asked me to have a drink with her. At first, I wanted to decline the offer, but I then said to myself that exchanging a few words might somehow contribute to my healing process. </div>
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We went to the Charles Grech coffee shop in Republic Street. We did mention some of the main developments that occurred during the last few months. I, however, refused to disclose anything which I considered as too personal. </div>
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On more than one occasion, she expressed the desire to keep in touch. I told her that I saw absolutely no point in doing so, especially after all the suffering that she had caused. I added that once the separation goes through, there would be no further contact. I said that she would die alone and that I would also die alone with no additional involvement in each other's lives. When I uttered those words, her eyes seemed to fill with tears for a few seconds. </div>
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Shortly after leaving the coffee shop, she repeated the desire to keep in touch. She said: "You know that I care about you!" I told her, "It is too late for that now!"</div>
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It still hurts very much whenever I remind myself that in October 2012 I lost my wife as well as one of my dearest friends. The decision to avoid further contact with her is painful, but necessary to protect myself. Given the current circumstances and especially the way in which she ended the relationship, there truly seems to be no point in keeping in touch. To talk about what? Her present life with her new partner? No thanks! </div>
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David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-35151682275127194562013-08-19T20:36:00.000+02:002013-08-19T20:36:11.831+02:00Will Soon Be Back!!!Dearest Blog Readers,<br />
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Have been away for several months following various storms that hit me since early October 2012. Things are getting better now and hope to be able to post several articles more regularly...<br />
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Keep visiting! :)David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-41423250890333192932012-09-30T18:41:00.003+02:002012-09-30T18:41:36.053+02:00The Minimum Wage: To Increase It Or Not?<br />
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Over the last few days, a lot has been said and written about the issue of increasing the minimum wage in Malta. As an employee with various debts chained to my feet, my first reaction would be to give my full support to any initiative aimed at increasing the minimum wage as soon as possible. Yet, upon giving some more thought to the matter, measures that would surely affect the lives of thousands of people cannot be decided on the basis of an individual's whims. </div>
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Whoever knows me well would be acquainted with my political beliefs. To those who do not know me, I am a fervent Socialist. I believe that a society is judged on the basis of how it cares for its weakest members. I believe that hard-working, successful individuals should be helped to contribute their skills to create a better world. Yet, I am against the notion of huge power imbalances in society since these could easily constitute a threat to democracy and to social harmony. I have diverted a little here to make it clear that my position regarding the minimum wage issue is linked to my political beliefs.</div>
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If one had to analyse the amount of money that is required in our times to live decently, there appears to be little doubt that anyone earning a minimum wage would have a fairly hard time trying to make ends meet, let alone living decently. As time goes by, the typical person requires more items to enjoy a decent standard of living. Compared to life several decades ago, having a mobile phone and Internet service could be said to be a must-have in the 21st century. Depending on the job one has, a number of things might be necessary to satisfy the company requirements. </div>
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In order to bridge the gap between the amount of money being earned and the amount of money that is necessary to live decently, it is possible to list two options. Increase one's income (by, for instance, increasing the minimum wage) or reduce the price of a number of essential commodities such as electricity, water, and gas. The reduction in price of such commodities could, of course, be carried out by means of State intervention. More specifically, government subsidies could be utilised to ease the burden of the thousands of people who are on the verge of falling into the pit of full-blown poverty. In principle, I would prefer to opt for the second option, especially when we are living in times characterised by a huge economic crisis affecting several countries.</div>
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As far as Malta is concerned, many businesses are fairly small (employing less than 30 employees). Furthermore, numerous businesses are family-owned and a handful of non-family members are usually employed to help provide a service or sell certain products. Compared to a number of other nations, Malta cannot boast of having corporations whereby hundreds of thousands of Euros are paid as bonuses on a yearly basis to a group of individuals. There are the factories and the i-gaming firms, but these do not represent anything close to the full picture of the Maltese economy. </div>
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Given the specific characteristics of the Maltese economic landscape, simply increasing the minimum wage could mean the loss of a certain number of jobs. This applies particularly to family-run businesses whereby the families already have to deal with the increase in price of several services or items. If they are forced to choose between their own survival or that of their employees, it is quite likely that they will opt for the former and let their employees go. Do we want to witness a drastic increase in the unemployment rate in our country?</div>
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In the case of those companies that are doing well enough to be able to absorb an increase in their expenditure without firing any of their employees, it is plausible to think that the directors would not just sit there and see their income plummet. They would probably want to recover the income lost due to the increased expenditure. And one way of doing that is by increasing the prices of their products or services. They would argue that if people are earning more money, what harm would there be in increasing the prices? Such a situation would probably lead to a vicious cycle whereby the minimum wage would have to be increased very regularly to keep up with the increased prices. In all likelihood, given such a scenario, the country would witness a spectacular rise in inflation. And how would lives become easier if the increases in the minimum wage are matched by inflated prices? </div>
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I would like to conclude with an observation about many of the organisations that are campaigning in favour of an immediate increase in the minimum wage. I have noticed that some of the most vocal organisations demanding an immediate increase have very little contact with local businesses to understand the full impact of an upward adjustment of the minimum wage anytime soon. One specific organisation seems to be making a great deal of noise in order to attract some votes in the next general election. The sad thing is that the representatives of this organisation fail to state that they barely have any funds to run a political party and that they do not have a team of individuals working on a full-time basis to meet both employees as well as business-owners to obtain a more realistic understanding of the many facets relating to the minimum wage issue. Many fancy words might be noticed in their press statements, but no studies of their own are published. No concrete plans are advanced to substantiate their positions. </div>
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It is all too easy to say that one has to either choose to support the workers or the business owners. In the real world in which an economy consists mainly of private companies, any rash measures that ignore the circumstances of the business owners could lead to the loss of countless jobs. And if that happens, how would all the press statements and the nice words be of any help to the unemployed individuals who do not know where the next meal is going to come from?</div>
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David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-75757606297463318872012-09-20T20:53:00.004+02:002012-09-20T20:53:58.091+02:00The Need for A More Planned Economy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>"A university graduate, Liam Gauci, said only two graduates out of 15
from the University of Malta's history course had found jobs, but none
related to their field of study. "The government prizes IT students
because their jobs are in demand by the industry, by paying them higher
stipends. But graduates like myself haven't managed to find jobs except
in some secretarial posts.'"</b></div>
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I was not surprised by Mr Liam Gauci's observation quoted above. I was not surprised at all! According to an <a href="http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Muscat-vows-to-build-new-middle-class-will-not-raise-minimum-wage-20120918" target="_blank">article</a> that appeared on the <a href="http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/home" target="_blank"><i>maltatoday</i></a> website, Mr Gauci expressed his concern during one of the recent Labour Party Congress sessions held at Ta' Qali.</div>
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One of the saddest things about Mr Gauci's comment is that this situation has been with us for a fairly long time. After four years of very hard work and countless sacrifices, I graduated with an Honours degree in Psychology. Philosophy was my subsidiary area of study. Short of getting a scholarship to further my studies abroad, it was extremely difficult to find a decent job related to my degree. A small number of my university colleagues found jobs working in the HR (Human Resources) industry. Many others ended up working in areas that were almost totally unrelated to their studies. That was in 2001.</div>
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I still clearly remember that after a few months of job-hunting, I was eventually accepted for a government job which did not even require a university degree! Once all taxes were deducted, my monthly salary amounted to approximately € 815.00. It was painful to witness other people who had spent pretty much the same amount of time studying at university finding jobs quite easily and earning more money. Of course, the difference was that they had studied Accounts or Computer Programming. Till this day, it seems that most of the job vacancies in Malta are related to accountancy or IT skills. If you have pursued your childhood dream of studying, say, Archaeology, you might have a <i>very</i> hard time finding a decent job related to your studies!</div>
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In view of a situation whereby the time and the effort spent at university are far from being sufficient to guarantee easy access to the job market or to land a decent job that is somewhat linked to one's studies, a number of questions come to mind. First, what is the point of telling people that they are free to study whatever they want to when we are living in a society which clearly discriminates between individuals who study different subjects? Second, how exactly does an individual and society benefit when a person graduates from a course that is largely subsidised by public funds, only to spend a number of months unemployed or working in an area which does not require the skills acquired during the university years? Third, if our government was a truly caring one, wouldn't it take a more active role to ensure that <i>ALL</i> graduates could find decent jobs that could be somewhat linked to their studies? </div>
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Compared to other countries, the Maltese Islands are very small. It baffles me to see that in spite of our size, the present government is still unable to come up with a better strategy to deal with the problems mentioned above. I would say that there is a lack of political will to improve the situation. The Nationalist Party opposes the notion of having a more planned economy. As long as it is in power, it prefers to deliver the following message: "I am not here to guarantee jobs. I am only here to ensure that as the private sector thrives, it is able to comply with local laws and regulations. If you cannot find a decent job because of what you studied, too bad! Just keep trying to find something! I can put up a lot of vacancies all over the ETC offices, but I will not go into the match between those vacancies and the skills you have. If you studied something and are unable to find a related job, try to find someone to support you as you study something new for another two or three or more years! Good luck, mate!" That is pretty much the Nationalist Party's philosophy when it comes to helping university graduates to find good-quality jobs. </div>
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I believe that a Socialist government would be far more caring towards the country's university graduates. After years of hard work and sacrifice, such people deserve to be rewarded with decent jobs which could help them to grow as individuals. Jobs which could also help them to make a bigger contribution to society. For this to happen, the country would need to have a more planned economy. Without such an economy, many more graduates will surely continue struggling to find a decent job linked to their studies following graduation. Is this what we want for our country's graduates? Do we want to continue witnessing a situation whereby some graduates find good jobs fairly easily whilst many others are simply forgotten or deserted? </div>
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David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-7427711070062969732012-09-19T17:37:00.003+02:002012-09-19T17:37:36.788+02:00Dissent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1MzrVgA9cw5yNz_2QADtV_hor0ij3uBpVYNMwrJA5XWv7eRWG-85ZWxW2not1Mr_QwPm0iyL2rvWwNk3cmHY8jARr86z7ZKvcUMjEWvF0EMtl4wv1PGAu1ANsuAFh5ihkr-hqFua00bn/s1600/arguing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1MzrVgA9cw5yNz_2QADtV_hor0ij3uBpVYNMwrJA5XWv7eRWG-85ZWxW2not1Mr_QwPm0iyL2rvWwNk3cmHY8jARr86z7ZKvcUMjEWvF0EMtl4wv1PGAu1ANsuAFh5ihkr-hqFua00bn/s320/arguing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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How many times have you heard someone say something and disagreed with the contents of that person's statements? How many times have you nurtured a view that differs from that of an entire group of people? Did you ever express your disagreement? If so, what reaction did you get? Was there a debate that led to the taking of some vote? Was there any negotiation in order to reach a compromise? Or were you considered as "odd", "crazy", "stupid", or "disloyal" when you mentioned your differing beliefs?</div>
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Whilst reflecting about the issue of dissent within Maltese society, I almost immediately developed the impression that most people in Malta are not brought up to challenge or question the positions taken by various authority figures. Although Maltese schools are excellent at promoting cut-throat competition as well as the memorising of a staggering amount of details, relatively little attention is devoted to analysis and debate of several phenomena. Such an educational system leads to a situation whereby countless individuals could quote Shakespeare or read a balance sheet, but are then usually totally unwilling to express an opinion that could be regarded as a threat to the preservation of the social and political status quo.</div>
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Dissent is probably as old as the human species. I believe that ever since human beings were able to get together to make plans regarding the best way forward for a community, the clash of a number of individual wills must have always existed to a certain degree. Whoever has a knowledge of history will surely be aware of people such as Martin Luther or Giordano Bruno. Such individuals challenged the institutions that they belonged to and Bruno was even killed for doing so. </div>
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As a phenomenon, dissent is probably best understood when analysing the relationship between an individual and the organisation/s he or she belongs to. Throughout life, most people would normally drift in and out of various organisations. These organisations could range from one's family to school, the workplace, a religious group, and even a political party. It is fairly difficult to move ahead in life without being involved in some type of organisation. <a href="http://markmontebello.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fr Mark Montebello</a>, a Maltese Dominican friar as well as one of the country's most prominent philosophers, has analysed the relationship between the individual and the organisation/s he/she belongs to. Indeed, in 2010, Fr Montebello published a booklet entitled <i>The Redemption of Anarchy </i>(<i>Il-Fidwa Tal-Anarkizmu</i>) which sheds a great deal of light on this matter.</div>
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As organisations grow, they tend to develop a set of rules. Depending on the organisation's views regarding change, its rules could become extremely rigid. In such situations, the group's members are expected to accept all the rules without showing any hesitation or doubt. The organisation's objectives would normally become associated with certain people who mould the group's identity on the basis of their personal beliefs. Everyone else must simply suppress any differing views and toe the line to avoid being labelled as a "traitor".</div>
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It is no secret that whenever one belongs to an organisation, certain benefits or rewards are expected. If, however, the organisation feels threatened, measures could easily be taken to ensure that the person challenging it no longer enjoys the fruits of membership. With reference to Fr Montebello's aforementioned booklet, he wrote that "The individual in Malta and Gozo, especially the one who wants to function within an organisational setting, would still be considered as forming part of the social and political structure as long as he/she does not behave in a way that challenges the supremacy of the values that are held as sacrosanct by the organisations to ensure their preservation. Indeed, till today, the organisations in Malta and Gozo still give more importance to their own welfare than to the individual's well-being. Whoever poses a threat to an organisation's ability to achieve this goal would be pushed out from the organisation and excluded from membership" (pp. 14 - 15).<br />
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During last year's divorce referendum campaign, I still clearly remember that when divorce was being discussed within a small Catholic group, any views in favour of divorce were crushed by the conservative group leader in a very dogmatic way. There was no real debate. And it seems that those individuals who held differing views were eventually pushed out of the group.<br />
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When it comes to the working world, each company could be perceived as an organisation with its own culture and rules. In those companies where there is very little co-operation or unity among the workers, there is often a great deal of fear to express dissent. Even though many employees would easily grumble or complain about certain work-related practices or issues in hushed tones, the pressure to obey together with the fear of being fired from the company would usually lead to the repression of dissent. Taking another look at Fr Montebello's booklet, he wrote that "In Malta and Gozo you would come across many people who would - in a private setting - talk very openly. But when you invite them to write something in a newspaper, to sit for an interview or to participate in a public discussion to express their views...they refuse to expose themselves due to the fear of exclusion, which could affect them directly or their loved ones" (p. 31).<br />
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Turning to Maltese politics, one could also identify some examples of the ways in which dissent was handled. In 1998, when Dom Mintoff voiced his disagreement with many of Dr Alfred Sant's policies, he was called a "traitor". Apart from being accused of treason, Mintoff was also brushed aside by many people within the Labour Party. </div>
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During the last few months, Dr Franco Debono was also accused as "mad" and as a "traitor" following his various criticisms of the work of several Nationalist Party Members of Parliament. With reference to a <a href="http://www.maltastar.com/dart/20120909-debono-head-high-in-parliament-in-october" target="_blank">recent article</a> that was published on the <i>maltastar</i> website, Dr Debono summed up the way in which he was being treated as follows: "if you don’t obey the rottweiler comes barking at you. The scheme goes
like this: either you obey and shut up or else you have to face the
rottweilers. Simple. If you shut up and be quiet we keep you
comfortable. If you don’t shut up there are no rights. It’s useless
invoking rights. My message was: I am not afraid of the rottweilers. I
am invoking rights. I want meritocracy not favours from Gonzi".<br />
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To conclude, there is still a lot of work to be done in Malta and Gozo so that more people could learn how to deal with dissent in a healthy way. The educational system must surely devote more time and energy to the teaching of skills that would allow countless individuals to question a number of things in order to build a better society. Organisations should make a genuine effort to become more inclusive and to avoid the rush to crush dissent or to expel any members who have differing viewpoints. If dissent helps to improve the workings of the organisations which make up a society, it is definitely something that should be encouraged more regularly.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.google.com.mt/imgres?hl=en&biw=1280&bih=886&tbm=isch&tbnid=-OsAAAdEAIf-KM:&imgrefurl=http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism/when-autistics-write-about-autism/&docid=Zzmx_EHPsDomMM&imgurl=http://www.stuartduncan.name/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/arguing.jpg&w=850&h=638&ei=59pVUPLRE-mn4gTG14DQDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=540&vpy=164&dur=1991&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=185&ty=84&sig=117690442694277001246&page=1&tbnh=164&tbnw=218&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:73" target="_blank">Image</a></span>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-56924341125343407292012-06-15T20:37:00.002+02:002012-06-15T20:37:35.493+02:00Being A Christian Socialist<br />
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Nowadays, when I examine my current beliefs and opinions, I would say that it is possible to consider myself as a Christian Socialist. Two "big" words here, each easily evoking a set of cliches and stereotypes - Christian and Socialist. In order to avoid any confusion, I have decided to explain what each word means to me. I will also explain how my beliefs are weaved together into a Christian Socialist philosophy that guides my life.</div>
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<b>Being A Christian</b><br />
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First and foremost, I would like to make it clear that even though there are numerous groups that call themselves Christian, I tend to prefer the Roman Catholic shade of Christianity. This is mainly because of my observation that even though there are several dogmatic Catholics, this group is far more open to scientific analysis and discussion than many other Christian organisations. Just to mention one example, there are relatively few Catholics nowadays who interpret most of the Bible on a literal basis. </div>
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What does it mean to be a Christian in the 21st century? What do we mean by religion? Does religion still play an important role in our lives? Many people associate religion with superstition and with extreme behaviour. I view it differently. To me, religion is a way of life. It consists of a set of principles that are there to guide my actions. </div>
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When it comes to Christianity, countless individuals get bogged down in long - and sometimes heated - discussions regarding the possibility or impossibility of believing in events that allegedly occurred many centuries ago. To be honest, whether a particular battle mentioned in the Bible really occurred or not does not make much of a difference to me.</div>
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The historical Jesus together with his main teachings should, in my eyes, be the central focus of Christianity. Granted, the fact that virtually everything we know about him comes from material that was written by other people at different points in time can give rise to various debates about the authenticity of certain events. Brushing aside the squabbling about whether this or that "miracle" truly occurred, it is still possible to identify a number of principles or beliefs that could be considered as Christian. If followed as guides to human action, those principles could have very tangible consequences. </div>
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Having gone through the writings of several prominent Christians, I believe that it is possible to list the following beliefs as among the most important when it comes to calling oneself a Christian:</div>
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<li>The importance of forgiveness and love for one's enemies </li>
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<li>Helping all other human beings - regardless of their backgrounds and past deeds - to be the best they could be, physically and psychologically </li>
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<li>The wish to build a better world whereby the best standard of living can be enjoyed by all human beings simply because they deserve to live so; a world where happiness is not dependent on money </li>
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<li>A strong desire to avoid perceiving death as the end of our lives</li>
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Many people take a negative view of Christianity as a result of a priest's or even a pope's words or actions. When compared to the main objectives of being Christian, the words and deeds of fallible human beings who are largely conditioned by the societies they live in do not play a pivotal role in my choice of embracing the Christian philosophy. </div>
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Does being a Christian mean that one must base one's life entirely on faith and ignore science? Absolutely not! In order to help all other human beings to be the best they can be on both a physical as well as a psychological level, it is virtually impossible to do this without the help of science. It is scientific thinking and activity which helps us to obtain a better understanding of ourselves and of the world we live in. Such knowledge can go a long way to helping us continue improving our lives and the lives of millions of other individuals. Equating religion with superstition or with unscientific attitudes represents a very narrow way of looking at such a complex topic. </div>
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In view of the above, being a Christian has little to do with spending hours clapping hands and acting in what sometimes appears to be a quasi-hysterical way. Being a Christian is mainly about action. It is largely about <i>doing</i> things to improve oneself and to improve the lives of all other human beings.</div>
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<b>Being A Socialist</b><br />
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What about Socialism? Why am I saying "Socialist" and not "Communist"? How does being a Socialist fit with being a Christian?</div>
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To me, Socialism is a way of translating one's Christian beliefs into action on a community or even national level. Just to give an example, if I am struggling and filing petitions to have more health centres opened around the country, this action is being motivated by my desire to see people living a better life.</div>
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Genuine Socialism is characterised by a strong feeling of love. It embraces scientific thinking and analysis to bring about great advances for the people.</div>
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Similar to religious organisations, political parties are made up of fallible human beings. Mistakes are often made. People are hurt in various ways. Having said this, I believe that one should not automatically link an organisation's objectives or beliefs with every word and action of each one of its members. A mistake is a mistake. Needless to say, it is extremely important to learn from the errors of the past to avoid their repetition. Yet, in an imperfect world, drawing conclusions about the goals of an organisation based on the errors of its members is a totally fruitless way of thinking.</div>
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The 20th Century witnessed countless errors made by individuals who described themselves as Socialist or Communist. Indeed, the latter word still evokes a great deal of scepticism and fear among many people.</div>
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Furthermore, numerous Communist organisations have done almost irreparable damage to themselves by either failing to appeal to the masses or by getting involved in protracted bickering with a number of other Communist groups. </div>
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The errors committed by numerous Communist individuals and groups as well as the dogmatism that is frequently associated with such organisations have led to a massive wave of distrust by millions of people in many countries around the world. Indeed, brushing aside those nations such as Cuba whereby Communist parties managed to retain a key role in the lives of the local populations, the hard-line Communist organisations in several other places have become relatively marginal and largely ineffective. Even if a Communist party in a particular country has, say, ten thousand members, that number pales when compared to the millions supporting the more popular parties. </div>
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Even though I often described myself as a Communist in the past, I now prefer to call myself a Christian Socialist. This does not mean that I am opposed to numerous beliefs that are commonly described as Communist. I just believe that the current times require a different approach to politics. </div>
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Guided by the Christian Socialist philosophy, I believe that it is possible to look at every country in the world and ask oneself: what type and degree of Socialism has been achieved in that country? I believe that - throughout history - countries have managed to achieve varying types and degrees of Socialism. No matter how much two or more countries tried to share certain values and practices in the past, no two nations ever shared an identical type and degree of Socialism. </div>
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In my view, the more Socialist a country becomes, the closer it gets to becoming Communist. More specifically, a country can only be called Communist when it has become completely Socialist. Is this a goal that could be achieved any time soon? Depending on the country being analysed, this would tend to be a difficult question to answer. At the moment, there are definitely countries that are more Socialist than others (i.e., some countries are closer to Communism than others).</div>
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What would define a Communist society? I believe that the latter would be characterised by a community whereby there is no more war or suffering inflicted by one person or group of people on other human beings. In a 100% Socialist or Communist society, all human beings would be able to enjoy the best standard of living without relying on money to do so. Power would be distributed fairly within a community so that there would be no elite groups dominating less powerful people. A Communist society is characterised by the highest degrees of love and friendship among all human beings. Of course, this could sound like highly utopian talk. I am aware of that. Yet, there is absolutely nothing to lose by working to build a better world for all human beings. </div>
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<br />David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-5567373452960243442012-05-18T20:23:00.000+02:002012-05-18T20:33:49.135+02:00Arriva...Almost One Year Later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Arriva started operating in Malta on the 03/07/2011. In spite of the many promises about how good the new public transport service would be prior to the aforementioned date, the service still leaves much to be desired almost one year later. This article is intended to expose the many faults that still exist when it comes to the new, more expensive service. It also proposes a solution that would grossly benefit the country.</div>
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At the time of writing, notwithstanding the boasting about the modern technology utilised by the new buses, one can still witness several buses showing one route number on the side, another number on the front (this sometimes consists of a piece of paper stuck to the screen!), and another number on the back!!! This obviously leads to a great deal of confusion and wasted time as several people are obliged to ask the driver to confirm the correct route number.</div>
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The promised modern technology has also failed to materialise when it comes to the displays located in a number of locations whereby passengers should be able to know how much time is left before the next bus comes along. I have seen such systems work in countries far bigger than Malta. It is indeed baffling to imagine what could be so difficult to make this system work! At the moment, when one looks at these displays, two things normally happen: there is either a message saying something along the lines of "Test in Progress" or else if there is a bus route together with an expected arrival time, no bus usually shows up at the announced time. </div>
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Prior to the launch of the new service, a lot of attention was given to the fact that the new buses would have AC. Although this promise was welcomed by the vast majority of regular commuters, there are still many times when the AC fails to work. Considering that the bus doors are kept closed, one can only imagine what that feels like during lunchtime on a typical Maltese summer day! On many occasions, the AC is switched on, but the temperature is either too high or too low. </div>
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As far as the buses themselves are concerned, virtually all of them were apparently made of relatively cheap materials. I have travelled on several buses whereby one or more of the poles to hold onto whilst standing had been pulled out from their place and were patched up with tape. The passages are not particularly wide, making it rather cumbersome for someone travelling with a fairly large bag. The breaking system has also been commented on by numerous individuals. More specifically, almost every time a driver hits the breaks, practically all the passengers are jerked forward and this has sometimes led to people falling or getting hurt. Scared of the sporadic breaking habits of many drivers, there is a tendency for countless passengers to stand close to the front area of the bus when they get on board. This leads to a situation whereby there is a massive crowd blocking the main entrance area of the bus and hardly any passengers in the central and rear parts of the bus. </div>
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Turning to the regularity of the buses, it was obvious that there was insufficient planning when talking about the buses going from Valletta to St Julian's and to Bugibba. More specifically, routes 12 and 13 had become notorious for several passengers. These buses would often leave Valletta completely packed making it virtually impossible for new passengers to get on board by the time the buses got to Msida or Sliema. In Valletta itself, one could frequently witness huge crowds of people waiting to get onto these buses. Fights were also sometimes reported between individuals trying to get on board. Whilst going through Sliema, especially during the busy tourist season, it has often been possible to see crowds of up to 15 people waiting for one bus after another as most of the buses cannot accommodate anyone as a result of leaving Valletta totally packed! Such a situation is deeply distressing to both the locals and to the thousands of tourists who visit Sliema and St Julian's every year.</div>
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Talking about busy routes, the notion of buying tickets directly from the driver was also a huge mistake. When a bus stops in Sliema and there are around 10 people waiting on the stage, it can take fairly long for the bus to resume its journey when almost every passenger wants to buy the ticket from the driver or when several passengers just get on to ask the driver about how to get to a specific place. In order for the public transport service to be as efficient as possible, there should be as little contact as possible with the driver. More specifically, all bus tickets should be purchased beforehand from ticket machines or from a group of designated shops scattered across the country to ensure that everyone can buy the ticket prior to boarding the bus. </div>
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What about the drivers themselves? Although the general behaviour of most drivers has improved very much compared to the old system, there are numerous occasions when one wonders about the amount of training given to them on how to use the bus or on a specific route that has to be followed. Indeed, there were many times when drivers were unable to switch bus numbers when they had to change from one route to another. Others had no idea on how to increase or decrease the temperature of the AC. Still others had to ask passengers about how to get from one place to another.</div>
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As a Communist who believes in projects that truly benefit the masses, I think that the points mentioned above are sufficient to show that whoever is staying in Malta deserves a much better public transport service. Am I suggesting a return to the old service? Definitely not! </div>
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I believe that the service should be nationalised after a certain number of years during which the government could learn as much as possible to allow it to take the service from the hands of the private sector. Malta could endure Arriva for, say, another 5 or 10 years. During that time, the government could make all the necessary arrangements to set up the <b>Malta Public Transport Corporation</b>. The latter would provide stable jobs to the drivers, ensuring that they have proper areas where they are protected from the elements. Measures would be taken to ensure that busy routes are supplied with very regular buses to avoid the current situation whereby many buses leave Valletta packed. The government would subsidise certain expenses of the company so that the tickets are affordable to all. The night service would also be improved so that there are more regular buses going to various towns and villages without charging a higher fare to the passengers.The routes would be planned following extensive consultation with the people.</div>
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Most importantly, given that the service would be managed by the Maltese government on behalf of the Maltese people, any profits would be invested in the community. There would be more money to build more health centres around the country. There would be more money to improve and, if necessary, construct more educational centres. </div>
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<br />David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-43653425729587878142011-12-25T12:48:00.002+01:002011-12-25T16:10:44.021+01:00Building Bridges<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog55IBMMFiKLm0zTFTQ5x6Kp4y6ZLzuJyjs_ggbFnqvylhDgCaaWvHzJoy6Fv4znZeEfVkQuZCC_lFEcfxcciBSSuwDetCwfzo07F5kgp9OpgMaOjBG47Th35ZgyMy6RE4JU3Kog1ehqK/s1600/DPRK_Gifts_2011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog55IBMMFiKLm0zTFTQ5x6Kp4y6ZLzuJyjs_ggbFnqvylhDgCaaWvHzJoy6Fv4znZeEfVkQuZCC_lFEcfxcciBSSuwDetCwfzo07F5kgp9OpgMaOjBG47Th35ZgyMy6RE4JU3Kog1ehqK/s320/DPRK_Gifts_2011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690083534724525970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Ever since I was a child, I have always considered the Christmas season as a time of the year during which we ought to display our best qualities as human beings. Throughout the year, many people often end up burying themselves in their own personal matters without paying much attention to the community or the world they live in. Furthermore, there is little doubt that ignorance, misunderstandings, and various prejudices frequently lead to a degree of hostility or indifference when it comes to several relationships. As an imperfect human being, I am not immune from making mistakes, but the Christmas season serves as a reminder that I could do more for the community I live in. That I could start talking to a person once again in order to replace anger or ignorance with empathy and care or friendship.<br /><br /><br />Last Friday, I was contacted by one of my North Korean friends. Following the recent loss of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) much-admired Leader - Kim Jong Il - my friend invited me to meet him and some other friends to express our condolences formally. I did not hesitate. He picked me up from Ta' Xbiex and we went to an apartment in Qawra. Inside this barely-furnished apartment, there was a room with a portrait of Kim Jong Il hanging on the wall. Below the portrait, there were some beautiful flowers and wreaths displaying messages in Korean. Two young men stood guard on each side. A small video camera was recording the whole event. After bowing in front of the portrait (the Korean way of showing respect), I signed the visitor's book. We then went to have dinner at a restaurant in Ta' Xbiex.<br /><br /><br />Although I had already witnessed the generosity of my North Korean friends over the past year or so, I was impressed when they told me that they wanted to pay for my dinner. Even though they were not drinking any alcohol due to the mourning period, they insisted on buying a small bottle of wine for me. One of my friends even told me to order anything I wanted since they wanted to see me happy. They even gave me a number of gifts (see the photo above). Many of the gifts are DVDs from the DPRK. One of them is a movie (<span style="font-style: italic;">The Kites Flying in the Sky</span>) with English subtitles. Such items are extremely hard to find outside the DPRK and I was so grateful for the fact that they showered me with such nice things!<br /><br /><br />During the few hours that we spent together, we talked about many topics. We exchanged our views on religion, the huge food portions served in many restaurants in Malta, illegal immigration, and other issues.<br /><br /><br />As I had dinner with my friends from the DPRK, I thought about all the negative things that are said about the country and its people. I thought about all the hatred that is directed against the DPRK. And I wondered about how much better this world would be if more people replaced their ignorance and hatred with knowledge and care.<br /><br /><br />On this Christmas Day, I encourage people all over the world to look at each other as part of a single family. Although each person and each government has their flaws, let us focus our energies on making positive differences. Let us sow peace and unity rather than hatred and division. Let us engage in building bridges rather than burning them!<br /><br /><br />Merry Christmas to All!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-21503107186615268422011-11-05T16:17:00.000+01:002011-11-05T16:17:21.951+01:00The Church<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Human Family</span><br /><br />Whenever the word "Church" is used, many people tend to associate it with a particular building or with a specific organisation. As far as buildings are concerned, there are several beautiful churches around the world. When it comes to organisations, there are also numerous ones such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and so on. Although the term "Church" could certainly refer to an architectural wonder or to a group of people, I prefer to go beyond these definitions.<br /><br />To me, the Church consists of <span style="font-weight: bold;">ALL</span> human beings. Put differently, I consider the Church to be made up of the huge human family that includes all the people who have ever lived, are presently living, and even future generations. And yes...the human family or the Church is not limited to a group of individuals who gather in the same building every Sunday or who recite a particular set of prayers; prison inmates, athiests, agnostics, alcoholics, and suicide bombers, to mention just a few groups of people, are also members of the Church.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Us Versus Them</span><br /><br />In view of the definition given above, a person cannot join or leave the human family. Regardless of what one says or does, they will always remain a member of such a family. Seen this way, the Church cannot be regarded as, say, a football club or a political party. <br /><br />Throughout history, one could observe a tendency to carve the human species up into various groups. Each group would typically have a number of rules. The failure to comply with some or all of the latter would normally result in the suspension or even expulsion of the person who strays. In several organisations, the rules are laid down by a handful of individuals who are conditioned by the socioeconomic circumstances they live in. Once the rules are established, any person who questions them usually risks facing various types of threats. In many organisations, there is such a degree of fear of losing certain benefits or of being humiliated that numerous members resort to adopting a publicly conformist attitude whereby they avoid upsetting the status quo, even though their hearts might be tormented by countless doubts.<br /><br />Over time, several groups pride themselves on being better than others. In some cases, a group can become so exclusive that any prospective new members are scrutinised very carefully prior to being allowed to join the organisation. Such behaviour leads to an us-versus-them mentality. It is hard to consider the latter as particularly beneficial to society because it usually encourages the creation of numerous stereotypes about all those people who do not belong to the same organisation. Furthermore, the division of human beings between those who are "with us" and those who are "against us" could also be said to contribute to a shocking degree of indifference towards all those who are perceived as outsiders.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Building Bridges</span><br /><br />The world is made up of countless organisations. Although some are more inclusive than others, even those that stress the importance of peace and love in the world can generally be fairly hostile towards certain individuals. The us-versus-them mentality could still be witnessed in such organisations.<br /><br />If one had to look at, say, various Evangelical Christian organisations, even if many of them might be working hard to combat various social problems such as drug addiction or alcoholism, most of these groups can be extremely harsh when it comes to anyone who does not express an interest in sharing their beliefs. Just to mention one example, a typical Evangelical Christian could easily say that since an atheist refuses to believe in God, they will suffer for eternity in Hell.<br /><br />On the basis of what I have read about Jesus and in the light of how the Church was defined at the beginning of this article, the world would be a much better place if people tried to build bridges rather than burn them as a result of ignorance, fear or insecurity. If I am a true follower of Jesus, I must consider <span style="font-weight: bold;">all</span> other human beings as my brothers and sisters. I cannot see much love coming out of withdrawing love from other people simply because they are Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, and so on.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Importance of Love</span><br /><br />As atheism and certain lifestyles appear to become increasingly popular in many parts of the Western world, simply labelling people as sinners or as infidels and threatening them with an eternity of suffering does not strike me as a response that is characterised by love. Furthermore, the effectiveness of such labels and fear tactics is highly questionable nowadays. In a world that is largely obsessed with instant gratification and with things that can be seen and measured, simply talking about one's "spiritual destination" following death is clearly not filling up the churches or leading to more people deciding to base their lives on the teachings of Jesus.<br /><br />Moreover, I am always puzzled by how several individuals who describe themselves as Christian appear to feel comfortable when talking about the possibility of millions of human beings ending up in a place of eternal torment for one reason or another. I believe that true love can never rejoice at another person's suffering.<br /><br />When a family member does something wrong, provided that there is true love, the other members might feel hurt or angry when contemplating the consequences of the act, but they would not desire any harm to befall that person. They would actually want to do everything possible to help the latter become a better individual. As far as I am concerned, if I were in Heaven, I would not be happy until I was sure that every other human brother and sister who has ever lived is also there to live as happily as possible, cured of all those things that drive people to harm themselves or others.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-51613061415817935532011-10-31T19:51:00.000+01:002011-10-31T19:51:54.001+01:00Fr. Mark Montebello on Xarabank 22-01-10 - Part 2<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/U7qy2d9-hus?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" width="459"></iframe>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-27142674868581547362011-10-31T17:22:00.004+01:002011-10-31T19:49:59.598+01:00Gaddafi's Death<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1yQ3yMhNQ466ekAfCpZ-Ytlkmcg-k5H5o5XqZqfTejcZLMUX4jYtnVhTO63W2s0dUFVxQW1qnpNBNZFOEMc9U98rsssZ-Z9RWq4xteeQsEMq6xHTclZ_IbzDYLYvUYO6wXom-CIcR3Ou/s1600/gaddafi-dead.jpg.pagespeed.ce.HoWYY42Dff.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1yQ3yMhNQ466ekAfCpZ-Ytlkmcg-k5H5o5XqZqfTejcZLMUX4jYtnVhTO63W2s0dUFVxQW1qnpNBNZFOEMc9U98rsssZ-Z9RWq4xteeQsEMq6xHTclZ_IbzDYLYvUYO6wXom-CIcR3Ou/s320/gaddafi-dead.jpg.pagespeed.ce.HoWYY42Dff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669694025294603682" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When I saw the first image of Gaddafi with blood splattered all over his face, I was shocked. When I watched the news footage of him dead only a few moments after his capture, I was disgusted. Although he was clearly hated by the rebels, I was hoping that in the case of capture, he would have been kept alive in order to be able to give his side of the story during a fair trial.<br /><br />Some parties have argued that Gaddafi died as a result of cross-fire between his supporters and the rebels. I am more inclined to believe that he was executed.<br /><br />I have been against capital punishment and also against the notion of revenge for as long as I can remember. Regardless of all the crimes that Gaddafi may have committed, I do not believe that he should have been beaten and killed. If it is true that human rights are universal, they cannot only be safeguarded for the people that we like.<br /><br />Notwithstanding the ongoing demonisation of Gaddafi in many parts of the world, I was surprised to come across several pro-Gaddafi comments on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=69wBG6ULNzQ"><span style="font-style: italic;">YouTube</span> </a>that are rarely given any attention in the mainstream media. Some of them are featured below:<br /><br />"Colonel Gaddafi, the world will miss you. You were an international symbol of defiance and a tower of strength in your support for the weak with your magnanimity. The wise will see through the mire of all the smear, lies and propaganda that the West has directed at you." - GlassSeagull<br /><br />"I cried for this man I'm 26 yrs old male and I curse every single american and pro-american who supports their government a.k.a the biggest terrorist country on the planet EARTH!!! What did he do to deserve this? R.I.P. Gaddafi you are a HERO!!!!" - HulkHooligann<br /><br />"you will go to heaven oh great king!!!!" - oaxacaismo<br /><br />"They just kill body, not his soul....." - lelemdronik<br /><br />"it is funny how the western media never interview the people who support Gaddafi. Always on the TV they have the people who hate him. When even we in the west KNOW he has loads of Libyan supporters." - girlznguitarz</div><a class="author " href="http://www.youtube.com/user/girlznguitarz" title="girlznguitarz"></a><div class="content"><div class="comment-text" dir="ltr"> </div> </div> <br />Some food for thought!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><a href="http://www.zimeye.org/?p=37918">Image </a></span>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-83962514893291018222011-10-18T19:38:00.004+02:002011-10-18T20:17:19.858+02:00A Letter to Kikko<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqjeRwtj5Oog3UgdpGDvhehJCT3Wh14Hx-ynYn90jx7z02HSipVeYGX_Hm17JCCcygwN9d4DyB_f_x73twndoBxzIwePATelfqBQ7GpMAMLvqOWCVysPtVyrmYdNZ5NItZkLoDcs-COIt/s1600/Kikko2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqjeRwtj5Oog3UgdpGDvhehJCT3Wh14Hx-ynYn90jx7z02HSipVeYGX_Hm17JCCcygwN9d4DyB_f_x73twndoBxzIwePATelfqBQ7GpMAMLvqOWCVysPtVyrmYdNZ5NItZkLoDcs-COIt/s320/Kikko2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664897343847152386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Dear Kikko,<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />When I woke up this morning, I was hoping you would jump onto the bed as usual so that I could stroke you while you purred. You used to make me laugh when you would raise your paw for me to continue stroking you whenever I stopped doing so. I looked at your small bed, but it was empty. I waited to hear your "good morning" cry, but there was only silence.<br /><br />When I went to prepare my coffee, I saw your favourite food bowl. Do you remember how you would start jumping as soon as I touched it? Do you remember how happy you used to be whenever I gave you one of those special treats? I looked at the bowl, remembering how Wendy and I smiled joyfully as we saw you eating from it last Saturday. The bowl is still there, waiting for you...<br /><br />When I returned home today, I did not find you waiting for me just behind the door. I was greeted by silence. A silence pregnant with pain.<br /><br />I saw the water fountain we had bought for you. How you loved drinking from it! And all the small toys scattered all over the place!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7_Y_AyGH6u3_caZam-NVewmzJAWDfsZog8kOUj_wC1pGesPnTlV_f4YJ5N250nkehJc6DupOo7f_w2zZ-pMZ-FrS2YOsfdTnrnCk0sFWm1EKD801WGlYhQCbJg6Sha31g8N3iZHu5z_l/s1600/Kikko.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7_Y_AyGH6u3_caZam-NVewmzJAWDfsZog8kOUj_wC1pGesPnTlV_f4YJ5N250nkehJc6DupOo7f_w2zZ-pMZ-FrS2YOsfdTnrnCk0sFWm1EKD801WGlYhQCbJg6Sha31g8N3iZHu5z_l/s320/Kikko.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664897018239324770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I will start cooking soon, but you will not be there sitting next to me. You remember how naughty you were whenever I had some chicken on the table? Always trying to steal a piece?<br /><br />I feel so bad that I was unable to do anything more to save you! When I took you to the vet yesterday afternoon, he told me that you were slipping away and that there was no real hope of survival. I hope that you still remember me next to you at the clinic, stroking your magnificent coat, as death edged closer to take you away from me. How I resisted the tears during those last few minutes! How I wanted to cry as I tried to imagine life without you!<br /><br />I entered the vet's office with a cage, but I left with just the towel you were sleeping on. I still remember the expression of the man who had allowed me to enter before him due to the urgency of your condition. When he saw me leaving the office with the towel, he gave me a supporting hug.<br /><br />As I walked back home, the tears just started streaming down my cheeks uncontrollably. I had not felt such a degree of pain since the day I had seen my mom's lifeless body at Boffa Hospital in 2006. <br /><br />Dear Kikko, I hope that you are now happy in Heaven. I hope that you met your brother, Carlo, again and that you are now playing with each other. I hope that my mother was also there to stroke and comfort you; to tell you that we are missing you so much!!!!<br /><br />I just pray that shortly after I take my last breath on Earth, you will be there to greet me. I pray that you will be purring there. And I pray that nothing will ever separate us again. <br /><br /><br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-9054658034035308922011-09-04T17:26:00.003+02:002011-09-04T19:26:41.639+02:00Camouflaged Dictatorships
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<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Nowadays, it has become extremely fashionable to write and talk in favour of democracy. The Western media hardly ever stops showing interviews and pumping out articles about the importance of democracy. Dictatorships are frowned upon. And there appears to be a growing aversion towards any person or structure perceived as a symbol of authority.
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<br />Although I am in favour of societies whereby people are given the opportunity to bring about various positive changes through campaigns and other initiatives, I am quite perplexed by the general tendency to support democracy only within a strictly political framework. In other words, I cannot understand how the thousands of people who would even risk their lives to have the opportunity to say certain things seem to fail miserably at extending the notion of democracy to other settings such as the workplace.
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<br />Even though we live in the 21st century and even though many countries have adopted multi-party political systems, it is quite shocking to see how dictatorships - as a way of organising several human activities - are still extremely widespread in those countries that usually describe themselves as fully democratic. Taking the Western world as an example, if one goes beyond appearances and marketing propaganda, the typical workplace could easily be viewed as a dictatorial structure.
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<br />Before analysing the nature of the average workplace in a capitalist country, it might be a good idea to examine what usually occurs in the case of most dictatorships. In order to simplify matters and to avoid being too academic, it seems possible to say that there are usually four groups of people within a dictatorship.
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<br />The first group includes the leadership clan. The latter determines the objectives that need to be achieved by the masses and is the one that will benefit most from the current state of affairs. The leadership clan tends to shun bottom-up communication or consultation and any thought that does not fall in line with its aims is frequently perceived as a threat that must be neutralised.
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<br />The second group contains the enforcers. These are the people who will usually go to fairly extreme lengths to support as well as defend the leadership clan. These individuals will often attempt to emulate their leaders and resent any criticism. Their loyalty is not always motivated by the material rewards they receive from the leadership clan; the belief that they are important and loved by the leadership group could also forge very strong bonds even if few possessions are given to them.
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<br />The third group consists of the silent conformists. In a typical dictatorship, this would be the biggest group. It is made up of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who come to believe that any attempt to change things drastically is extremely dangerous and that it is, therefore, safer to go along with the flow and to do whatever is expected of oneself. Although many people within this group might secretly want a change or might even detest the leadership clan together with the enforcers, any criticism is normally expressed very discreetly.
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<br />The last group includes the rebels. These are the people who cannot endure various abuses and unfair pratices any longer. They are the individuals who will attempt to organise resistance movements or organisations with the hope of struggling against the dictatorship. If detected or identified, they could face terrible consequences. They are usually aware of such dangers, but they are strongly committed to their visions of a better future.
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<br />It is now time to apply the above to the typical capitalist workplace. To what extent could the latter be regarded as a dictatorship? Although it is said that an increasing number of companies is becoming less vertical when it comes to organisational structure, this does not mean that they have necessarily become more democratic. In many situations, regardless of whether there is one or more supervisors/managers, the entire workforce is there to achieve the objectives laid down by the shareholders (the leaders): to maximise profit and to minimise costs. In several large companies, the shareholders would rarely know much about their workforces and their interest in the well-being of the employees would usually be limited to productivity issues. In other words, many shareholders would often only show an interest in their employees provided that the money is rolling in. If an employee succumbs to, say, a mental illness, a shareholder would usually pay more attention to finding a quick replacement for that person rather than spending money to ensure that the employee receives the best possible treatment.
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<br />Given that the leaders are not always around, a network of enforcers is absolutely essential to ensure that the objectives are obtained and that any resistance is crushed. Within a workplace context, although the enforcers would normally be the managers or the supervisors, there is almost always a small group of individuals who believe that they are special within the organisation and who would provide information about the behaviour of any employees who might not be toeing the line.
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<br />Most employees normally play the role of silent conformists. They might grumble and complain about the company with other employees who share the same rank or who could even be a rung or two below them, but they would usually be too scared to rock the boat. These individuals tend to be terribly scared of unemployment given that the income they receive from the job might be supporting a family or going to several creditors. Their loyalty is based on fear and if a better opportunity appears, they would not be scared to move.
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<br />The rebels are typically described by the shareholders and by the enforcers as the pessimistic, negative employees. Although there are people who seem to be hell-bent on complaining against virtually everything, the rebels are not to be confused with them. In an average company, the rebel could be that employee who is tired of earning less than a person with fewer responsibilities. It could be the employee who does not want to end up working on week-ends or on public holidays as a result of the company's decision to assign the work that would ordinarily be done by three people to one person. It could be the person who is tired of the lack of respect shown by an autocratic manager.
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<br />In view of the above, it seems pretty obvious that most workplaces function as dictatorships. They are, however, camouflaged by all the fancy websites and management guru books that portray the typical capitalist workplace as a sort of college that serves to mould human beings in such ways that they become better citizens. The typical capitalist workplace might be generating more productive people, but that does not mean that more harmonious societies are being created. Sadly, in countless workplaces, the main focus is on the self - devoting more of one's life to earning more money for oneself without paying much attention to the welfare of other human beings who might not be contributing to one's wealth and happiness. In such an atmosphere, other people are regularly perceived as rivals and not as partners in creating a better world.
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<br />Many politicians might boast about how democratic their countries are, but this article clearly shows that multiple dictatorships still exist within those countries. Even though some people would say that an unhappy employee is free to move to another company, such a move is normally from one dictatorship to another.
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<br />Some people might say that contrary to political dictatorships, a typical employer would not throw someone into prison or torture them. Well, when an employee cannot really move quickly to another workplace, that person could feel imprisoned. Furthermore, the anguish felt by many employees when faced with certain conditions could be regarded as a form of torture.
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<br />When will there be a serious effort to put an end to all forms of oppression? When will there be more structures that allow human beings to live decently without having to compete against one another? When will the members of a society be regarded as equal partners rather than being divided according to whether they are employers or employees?
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<br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-45045467115912672282011-06-15T11:12:00.006+02:002011-06-15T16:22:18.145+02:00A Few Days in Florence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5Aw0bYw8Z29L1FvG1q_EYgfhDzy2pDw5iSmss4_OuW6IQbNWutcKlWL5fZBsAQANCNjOebo_SmIbLH0WKSzqcrjCI1BG520U7uxK_IpX4te2_rWS-wMg7njCuFhExcqqNYvUhQCQhAzL/s1600/Piazza_del_Duomo+%25286%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5Aw0bYw8Z29L1FvG1q_EYgfhDzy2pDw5iSmss4_OuW6IQbNWutcKlWL5fZBsAQANCNjOebo_SmIbLH0WKSzqcrjCI1BG520U7uxK_IpX4te2_rWS-wMg7njCuFhExcqqNYvUhQCQhAzL/s320/Piazza_del_Duomo+%25286%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618450296552286850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Following my return to Malta from Florence (Italy) yesterday afternoon, I kept thinking about the many differences that exist between Malta and most - if not all - of the other European countries. I am not referring only to culinary or to architectural differences; I am also talking about intellectual differences.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgrUD3T1EckpMHRTW0rle_qR7HQkY_jYujLHXjbl0-3HcoPXDMwkTa5e1kBdQW9h75Fk_qwltaN6FrESNb_OCYWEU3bayLpVnNTXREqWxG1jcVW6whauBAJB7d9Y7qTg0tnks9GTTpEBd/s1600/Arno_River_Bridges.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgrUD3T1EckpMHRTW0rle_qR7HQkY_jYujLHXjbl0-3HcoPXDMwkTa5e1kBdQW9h75Fk_qwltaN6FrESNb_OCYWEU3bayLpVnNTXREqWxG1jcVW6whauBAJB7d9Y7qTg0tnks9GTTpEBd/s320/Arno_River_Bridges.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618450706565842690" border="0" /></a><br /><br />During the few days that I spent in Florence, I noticed that there were several bookshops that remained open until around 10pm. In Malta, most shops close at 7pm. The longer opening times of the Florentine bookshops fits perfectly well with the modern reality of countless individuals who might only have some free time to go book-shopping later on in the evening, after 7pm.<br /><br />The bookshops that I saw in Florence dwarfed the ones in Malta. Indeed, there was so much to see that it was quite tempting to spend an hour or more just going through numerous books! The shops even had small seats so that customers could simply relax a bit whilst leafing through the pages of a chosen book.<br /><br />Two other points that struck me were the books published by Italian academics regarding current events and the books about certain controversial issues. Starting with the first point, I was amazed to see that even though the fighting in Libya erupted only a few months ago, some Italian university lecturers have already published works focusing on the ongoing conflict and on the relationship between Libya and Italy. To my knowledge, not a single book has been written lately by a Maltese academic about the relationship between Malta and Libya. I have not seen a single book published by a Maltese scholar that attempts to analyse the present situation in Libya.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp-JH_Lgxcz2buL2iAYnEljxTNCECsBiOYLFDrHiW8X-0UFFQfmarxZu0zD-VHAFZQSsO6W_AOzLjQ4IJudIkd5tvwOYlTOeuWbgNyrn5XBtxuILtvuZWOAw81vNPIA-aDABypsQQvOUE/s1600/Piazza_del_Duomo_More+%25281%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp-JH_Lgxcz2buL2iAYnEljxTNCECsBiOYLFDrHiW8X-0UFFQfmarxZu0zD-VHAFZQSsO6W_AOzLjQ4IJudIkd5tvwOYlTOeuWbgNyrn5XBtxuILtvuZWOAw81vNPIA-aDABypsQQvOUE/s320/Piazza_del_Duomo_More+%25281%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618451396475494626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Turning to the second point, I came across books that shed light on topics that are not apparently given so much attention in Malta. One of the books I saw was called <span style="font-style: italic;">Sex and the Vatican</span>. Written by <a href="http://www.carmeloabbate.it/">Carmelo Abbate</a>, an investigative journalist, the book focuses on gay and heterosexual priests who have struggled with the celibacy issue. Abbate's work includes accounts of priests who have had partners and even children. Another book which captured my attention was <span style="font-style: italic;">Cio' che credo</span> (<span style="font-style: italic;">What I believe</span>). The latter was authored by Hans Kung, a Swiss priest and theologian who has argued in favour of contraception (such as taking the pill) and against the concept of papal infallibility.<br /><br />There were also several books that focused on gender issues, local as well as international politics, and so on. When seeing the titles of these books, it was interesting to note that different points of view would be present on the same shelf. Thus, if anyone was interested in acquiring more information about the many facets pertaining to a specific topic, it seemed easier to do this in a foreign bookshop than here.<br /><br />On 12th June, my wife and I attended a brief organ concert held at the church of Santa Maria de' Ricci. Halfway through the concert, it started raining very heavily outside. After around thirty minutes, the concert came to an end and the person we had seen taking care of the church appeared on the altar dressed as a priest. We decided to attend Mass there.<br /><br />The Mass was very different from the ones normally witnessed in Malta. Although there were less than 30 people inside the church, Fr Roberto Tassi addressed the participants as though they were family members. He interacted with the audience during a part of the Mass (he actually asked a question to one of the people present!), he provided information about the historical context during which various Bible passages were written, and he sat on a chair close to the participants whilst delivering the homily. When the time came to exchange messages of peace, he walked to the front of the altar so that all the participants could go to shake hands with him.<br /><br />Once the service was over, my wife and I went to introduce ourselves to Fr Tassi. I told him that his style was very different from the one normally witnessed in Malta. I also talked to him about the recent divorce referendum and about how many representatives of the Church in Malta had acted towards those Catholics who wanted to vote in favour of divorce legislation. Fr Tassi challenged the notion that the early Christians were against divorce; he even stated that St Paul had actually written about the possibility of divorce in the light of certain circumstances. He added that when two people no longer want to live together and when such individuals actually hate each other, it is much better for them to go their separate ways rather than continue living together in misery.<br /><br />Of course, Florence was not only about books, priests, and museums. As expected, the food was delicious! And there were so many beautiful shops, selling all sorts of things. There was also a Torture Museum (showing how people were tortured in Florence during the medieval period), but we did not go in since it looked quite disturbing.<br /><br />Florence is definitely a place to visit! <br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-13850267794627647882011-04-06T15:09:00.002+02:002011-04-06T15:55:07.854+02:00When Doctors Become Mercenaries<div style="text-align: justify;">On Monday morning, I was not feeling well. I had been sneezing a great deal on Sunday, my nose was almost constantly dripping, and the back part of my mouth looked totally red. Following the usual company procedure, I sent a message to the person who takes care of sick leave at work to let him know that I was not going to the office that day. I was not sure whether they would have sent the company doctor and I, therefore, asked my personal doctor to come over for a quick visit.<br /><br />The company doctor came to visit at around 1pm (just as I was about to start having lunch). She asked me about my condition and I gave her a very short history of my symptoms. She asked me whether I had any fever; when I told her that I did not have a working thermometer, she did not bother to check herself. She then proceeded to tap her fingers against my temples and against my throat, asking whether I felt any pain. I told her that I was not feeling any pain when she did that. I was then asked to open my mouth; she looked inside and informed me that there was no pus in my throat and that whatever I had was due to a virus. I knew that if one is suffering from a viral infection, there is no need to take antibiotics, but I just wanted her to confirm that I was not suffering from a bacterial infection. I asked her whether I needed any antibiotics and I also asked her to confirm whether the Day Nurse capsules that I was taking would be sufficient to treat my illness. She asserted that no antibiotics were necessary and that the Day Nurse pills would be fine together with some warm water with salt. She also advised me to drink much more water since I was dehydrated. According to her, I was suffering from URTI (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection).<br /><br />My doctor rang the door bell around 10 minutes after she left. When he asked me about her diagnosis, he said that he still wanted to check for himself. When I told him that she did not bother to test whether I had fever, he took out his thermometer in order to check; he tried the thermometer twice and on both occasions, it was clear that I had a relatively high fever. When he looked into my mouth with his torch, he said that I HAD pus and that I was definitely suffering a bacterial infection. He prescribed, at least, one antibiotic product. When I told him about the company doctor's views, he just shook his head and said that such doctors are clearly only interested in sending people back to work as soon as possible. According to him, I was suffering from pharyngitis. He told me that if the company had any doubts about his diagnosis, they could contact him for any further details they required. <br /><br />A similar story has probably occurred to many other people out there. It could be that several individuals just dismissed the matter as a disagreement between doctors or that they were too scared to challenge the company doctor's views. I have already come across the cases of two individuals who were advised to go back to work following the company doctor's visit. In both cases, the employees had also been seen by their personal doctors and had been certified as genuinely ill. As far as I am concerned, I do not believe that such cases should be taken lightly. Every medical doctor is trained to safeguard the patient's welfare; when a company's interests become more important than the patient's health, there is something seriously wrong.<br /><br />I believe that whenever a company sends a doctor to check on someone's fitness to work, there is a clear conflict of interest. Such doctors are not being paid by the companies to treat the sick employees, but to send them back to work as soon as possible. If a company doctor allows various employees to spend many days recovering at home, it is very likely that the company director/s will suspect that the doctor is being too generous with the employees.<br /><br />Why is the government not taking any action to prevent such unethical behaviour? It is my understanding that the government should only support the praiseworthy objectives of the medical profession. It should never allow medical doctors to become mercenaries.<br /><br />If you have also experienced or witnessed a similar story, please share your observations on this blog... <br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-18589205236366660112011-01-26T18:53:00.003+01:002011-01-26T20:19:49.950+01:00A Few Thoughts about Money<div style="text-align: justify;">Money has not always existed. There must have been a time when human beings that needed something could either obtain it on their own or ask another person/group of people to help them acquire it without having to think in terms of a price to be paid.<br /><br />Times changed. Societies were formed. Money was invented. Various objects and services could no longer be acquired for free; they had to be purchased.<br /><br />Nowadays, very few things that are necessary to live comfortably can be given or obtained freely. Food, clothes, a decent roof over one's head, education...several of these have to be bought. And if one does not have any money to acquire these things, that is where some very serious hardship could be expected.<br /><br />There is no denying the fact that in order to live well, money is indispensable. And, of course, the more money one has, the more possible it becomes to enjoy many of the pleasurable things that life has to offer. Individuals who are millionaires can roam the world and divide their time in the many properties to their names whereas the millions of human beings who earn little more than a minimum wage are frequently cautioned to avoid thinking about certain pleasures since they must "live within their means". For the people who are earning little more than a minimum wage and who have absolutely no external support, what exactly does "living within their means" mean?<br /><br />I have sometimes asked this question to people earning far more than me. Their answers were along the lines of "Well, if you are not earning a great deal of money, it is irresponsible to think about travelling, eating out, going to the cinema, buying good clothes, etc." Such thinking suggests that all those people who are barely earning enough to survive should - in spite of spending the same amount of time at work as several other individuals who are earning much more money - just focus on shutting themselves up at home and spend the little money they have on pure survival. And let's not fool ourselves here...with the prices of many essential items going up, it is sometimes very difficult to imagine how a monthly salary of, say, EUR 650 could be sufficient to even cover all the necessities that could crop up during a given month! <br /><br />Nowadays, I frequently ask myself: why have so many societies embraced systems whereby various things and services that could be provided freely must be acquired following payment of a sum of money? Why am I obliged to spend money in order to nourish myself? Why am I obliged to spend money to have a decent roof over my head? Why must I spend money to buy enough clothes to keep me warm in winter?<br /><br />When I talk about the sometimes shocking financial inequalities between several individuals, I am regularly told that the people who are extremely rich must have done something good to possess such wealth; that they must have worked very hard for the money. To me, this is quite debatable. There are countless individuals who are incredibly wealthy simply because they were born in very rich families. Other extremely rich people manage to build an empire for themselves by using the labour of other human beings to generate the wealth, but then keep most of the proceeds to themselves. Of course, there are also many people who are incredibly wealthy as a result of engaging in several criminal activities such as drug trafficking. <br /><br />When talking about the huge gaps between salaries, I am often told that the market is the master of such matters. To give a simple example, waiters tend to be far less paid than, say, medical doctors because the labour market has a far greater supply of waiters than of doctors and waiters are, therefore, less "valuable" than doctors. Thus, if a typical waiter would like to live an average medical doctor's lifestyle, they would probably need to think about how they could sustain themselves for several years until they are able to graduate as a doctor. But what if someone really likes being a waiter and has no interest in medicine? Must the waiter be constrained to spend the rest of their life deprived of various comforts simply because the market rules that waiters should not be paid as much as people working in many other professions? To me, this type of unquestioning worship of the market is terribly disturbing. <br /><br />I believe that we should try to imagine - even if only for a few minutes - a world without money. A world where human beings can be happy without needing to spend a penny to achieve that happiness. A world where people are not valued according to how much profit they could generate, but where they are regarded as equally deserving of the many comforts that life has to offer. What is so wrong with such a world? Why do so many people keep putting up one obstacle after another to prevent such a dream from coming true?<br /><br />Perhaps we should remember that the world and all its resources once belonged to the entire human species. Huge tracts of land never had anyone's name written on them. When apples and oranges grew on thousands of trees, they never had any price tags stuck to them. Countless things were available to all and they were free. <br /><br /><br /><br /></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585770016549670048.post-54733828144425572612010-11-22T12:07:00.002+01:002010-11-22T14:50:03.095+01:00Mistakes<div style="text-align: justify;">Mistakes happen all the time. Thousands occur every month, every week, every day...Not all mistakes, however, have the same consequences. In several cases, the damage caused can easily be corrected via a simple procedure. For example, if a name is written incorrectly, it does not take more than a few seconds to rewrite it correctly. There are, on the other hand, many mistakes that create a great deal of damage or harm. Such errors are rarely, if ever, easy to deal with.<br /><br />If a mistake is defined as an act that should not have taken place, countless acts could come to mind. The cashier who gave back the wrong amount of change to a client, the lawyer who did not provide good advice, the accountant that did not check the accuracy of the amounts shown on certain reports, the surgeon who made an error that killed a patient, the person who murdered another human being following an argument...<br /><br />I think that every mistake has a two-fold impact. More specifically, a mistake is expected to affect the individual who made it and the person/s that suffered as a consequence of the error. Needless to say, the greater the mistake, the more worrying the effects.<br /><br />One thing that perplexes and even disturbs me is the way that most societies react to people who make certain mistakes. Although it is frequently said that to err is human and even though new studies keep shedding more light about the fallibility of human beings, many societies react to several errors in a totally merciless way. Granted, when we read about people who broke into the homes of others to steal things or when we read about some doctor who made a fatal error, it is quite understandable to feel a certain degree of anger and fear. Such news tend to make people wonder: what if something like that had happened to me? Or to one of my loved ones?<br /><br />Although I can understand the fear and anger that affects people who have suffered as a result of another person's mistake, I surely do not support the belief that the wrong-doer's life should be destroyed as a consequence of the error. As long as human beings are not changed in a biochemical way, people will continue making countless mistakes that are only made possible because of the way they are.<br /><br />Any person who suffers as a result of a mistake should be helped. Yet, I believe that society should also help the individual who made the mistake. Whether the help given consists of psychotherapy or some other form of assistance, this should definitely be the preferred option rather than inflicting pain on another human being that requires help to avoid erring again.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/doctors-confess-their-fatal-mistakes/article185422.html">Eric Cropp's story</a> is a clear reminder of why things should change when it comes to mistakes. According to an article that appeared on <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2008-02-24-emily_N.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">USA Today</span></a>, "Born in February 2004, Emily was diagnosed with a curable form of cancer when she was 18 months old. She underwent surgeries and four rounds of chemotherapy to eradicate the tumor growing from the base of her spine. The treatment worked, and Emily was expected to go home disease-free just after her second birthday. Her parents planned a Disney World celebration trip with Emily and her older brother and sister. Instead, Emily awoke crying on Feb. 28, grabbing her head in pain and vomiting. She died three days later. An Ohio pharmacy board investigation showed that pharmacy technician Katherine Dudash had made a tragic error. According to a notarized statement Dudash wrote for the board, she prepared Emily's chemotherapy bag with a 23.4% saline solution, 26 times the 0.9% normally used. Pharmacist Eric Cropp didn't catch the mistake. The board revoked his license last year over the incident and a string of later errors. In August, an Ohio grand jury indicted Cropp on charges of reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter 'in the death of Emily Jerry'".<br /><br />Apart from having spent 6 months in prison, Mr Cropp was also stripped of his warrant to work as a pharmacist. Is this a healthy way to deal with mistakes? What good came out of Mr Cropp's imprisonment and the fact that - to date - he is still unemployed?<br /><br />I will conclude with an <a href="http://doctorrw.blogspot.com/2009/11/eric-cropp-redux.html">anonymous comment</a> that was left following an Internet post regarding Mr Cropp's case: "I am a retail pharmacist in New Jersey and have made my share of mistakes always to realize them later and follow-up immediately on them. This is almost always due to over-burden. So it just saddens me that an over-worked pharmacist made such a grave mistake unintentionally and is now paying so dearly for it that he has lost a means of livelihood. The law should understand that pharmacists are over-worked and instead of punishing one pharmacist for it, should ensure that all pharmacies have adequate help to sustain the pharmacy. I hope for the best for pharmacist throughout the States and for the profession of pharmacy." <br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">What if you had committed a similar mistake? How would you like to be treated after making such an error?<br /></div></div>David Cuschierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06479884899112163160noreply@blogger.com0