Author: Jacques René Zammit

You bought me a present? Why would you do such a thing? I know you think you’re being generous, but the foundation of gift giving is reciprocity. You haven’t given me a gift, you’ve given me an obligation. The essence of the custom is that I now have to go out and purchase for you a gift of commensurate value and representing the same perceived level of friendship as that represented by the gift you’ve given me. Ah, it’s no wonder suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. Oh, I brought this on myself by being such an endearing and important part of your life… – Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory)

This blogger is now officially 34.

Why wait for the Finance Minister to announce rises in utilities bills during his budget speech when you could read it all in the Daily Mail the next day? Actually what is reported in the Mail  is what one would expect in a normal country – and the leader of the opposition should know given his enthusiasm on regulators and consumer bodies.

The Daily Mail reports:

Families should brace themselves for steep increases in their fuel bills, Britain’s energy regulator warned last night. Ofgem boss Alistair Buchanan said he feared a crisis in Russian gas supplies will ‘push up prices’ in the next few years. The warning will worry millions of households, particularlyparticularly pensioners who are often forced to choose between heating and food, and families with young children who cannot afford to keep warm in the winter months.

The average gas and electricity bill, known as ‘dual fuel’, has more than doubled in the past five years from £580 to £1,240 a year – an increase of nearly 115 per cent. Mr Buchanan said he feared that bills could climb even higher due to Europe’s growing dependence on gas supplies from overseas, mainly Russia. The country’s giant Gazprom accounts for a third of western Europe’s gas imports. Last night, Mr Buchanan said: ‘Gas scarcity in Europe could push up prices for British consumers.’

It’s gas not oil but there you are. It’s a regulator giving the news and guess what – barring very unusual circumstances neither Labour nor the Tories nor the Libdems will be turning the inevitable rise in international prices (this time thanks to the Russian shenanigans – remember last winter?) into a national blame game.

The 2009 budget is out and we already have the first reactions. PL Leader Joseph Muscat predictably labeled this year’s budget as irresponsible, his main target being the fact that no indication has been given in this budget as to what the extent of the new raise in the utilities bill will be. J’accuse predicts the yawn inducing answer from the PN apologists: this is not a Mintoffian budget the Nationalists do things differently. Theirs it is not to quibble on the price of olive oil, tuna and sardines on budget day, theirs it is to outline grand plans and overarching measures.

Of course Inhobbkom Joseph is not appealing to any intelligent crowd in an effort of distracting them from their intellectual read of the day (before it gets confiscated by the Rector). This is the usual rant to the converted that includes criticism of the €10 million on an allowance to ease the impact of the tariffs because the government is still due to rake in €85 million from the tariffs. Which might (just might) be the final proof that Joseph is anything but on the left of the political spectrum. My guess is that the 10 million in question goes to ease the burden of those most in need – unless the nationalists are really out of their mind.

Distribution of wealth… sticking up for the weak? The Wall may have fallen 20 years ago but this New Labour is light years away from any semblance of socialist/social democrat politics. With progressives like these who needs conservatives?

The debate on censorship, explicit language and Alex Vella Gera rages on. And J’accuse still has much to add. At some point yesterday Alex Vella Gera’s status on Facebook read as follows:

“Kemm qed ituni f’ghajni dan-nies kollha li qed jikkundannaw il-ban ta’ Ir-Realta, imma fl-istess nifs qed jghidu kemm l-istorja tieghi hija bla sens u bla ebda merti, u anke hmieg papali. My artist’s ego is taking quite a beating :)”

(I can’t stand all the people who are condemning the ban of “Ir-Realtà” while at the same time they say that my story is senseless without merits and a very dirty. My artist’s ego is taking quite a beating.)

I am sure I detect more than a little hint of irony in Alex’s statement and I am sure that he is not all too miffed about the criticism his story is receiving. What I wanted to make clear was that my point in Sunday’s article was more concerned with the existence of censorship at University, and on a larger scale in an adult community, than with the qualities of Alex’s writing.

Of course this does not mean that there is not a huge opportunity for a debate within the debate – this time focusing on the value of literary provocation with the use of realistic images or wording that require the narrator to pepper the imagery with expletives and graphic detail best described as cringeworthy.

Juanito Camilleri should thank his lucky stars. At least he had to contend with a bit of paper that could be considered by the more conservative elements of society as being a tad on the raunchy side. His counterparts at the Brasilian University of Bandeirantes had to resort to another form of censorship. Apparently student Geysi Villa Nuova Arruda turned up at Uniban wearing a very revealing red dress (too short for some). Geysi was expelled from the University for her “lack of respect to academic and moral dignity of the university”.

Caos ensued. (tee-hee)

This article and accompanying Bertoon (click to enlarge) appear in today’s edition of The Malta Independent on Sunday.

The Word

You do not need to be of a bible-bashing persuasion in order to recognise that within “the word” resides a power that can never be taken away. Much before an evangelist named John placed “the word” at the very origins of the universe, humankind had recognised the innate power that the written word could have. You do not have to be a Tolkien fanatic to have heard of the magical powers ascribed to runes and writings. Nor would you necessarily have heard of the Discworld’s magical library in order to have at some time read about the very, very powerful qualities of books and their contents.

It helps of course if you have at some point in time read any of the texts in question, as you would be armed with the knowledge imparted therefrom. Which is basically the point – the arming business that is. Quite a pointed matter in fact, for say they not that the pen is mightier than the sword? (Although, as Terry would add, it would have to be a very, very big pen against a very, very puny sword.)

The written word is powerful. Very powerful. For centuries, a practice known as “book burning” was a constant reminder of the dangers that the written word would pose to the authorities. Written word, when set to slate, papyrus or paper by an intelligent free-thinking being was as dangerous as an army of ravenous barbarians at the gates – and much more difficult to destroy. As far back as 213 BC, a sneeze in time away from the spread of writing, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of all philosophy and history books as an appetizing prelude to the main course of “Bury Alive All Intellectuals Who Do Not Comply With State Dogma”.