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Politics

Israel Exports Death in the Med

More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says. (BBC)

The convoy of ships was carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza from Cyprus following the Israeli embargo on the Hamas-led enclave. A number of Turkish humanitarian organisations were using three passenger ferries to transport cement, passengers and other aid to Gaza in defiance of the embargo. Israeli commandos boarded the largest of the vessels overnight and tackled the 500 people on board.

” Unfortunately this group were dead-set on confrontation. Live fire was used against our forces. They initiated the violence, that’s 100% clear” – Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev.

Right. A group of armed commandos boards a ship on international waters and considers their reaction “an initiation of violence”. Right. It gets ‘better0. Here is Danny Ayalon – Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister:

Israel’s deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said his country “regrets any loss of life and did everything to avoid this outcome”. He accused the convoy of a “premeditated and outrageous provocation”, describing the flotilla as an “armada of hate”.

Old Testament stories are full of instances where the “element of surprise” included winning wars by attacking enemies still fast asleep in their tents. Gideon would be proud.

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Arts Mediawatch

Say Cheese

The Spanish parliament has just made EUR 15b worth of budget cuts (by one vote) and Malta can afford to discuss communion to cohabitants, hypothetical coalitions, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Lou Bondi and whether secularism is a disease. Damned lucky country. – Fausto Majistral

Categories
Mediawatch

Sacred Rights

So cohabiting couples should strictly speaking not be allowed to take part in the sacrament of holy communion. We were reminded that recently and suddenly there is a furore, a raising of the metaphorical ruckus and more by an indignated part of the populace. What do our Bishops think they are doing? Don’t they know that there are people who traipse up the aisle and swallow the wafer who are much less deserving than the poor cohabiting couples whose only crime is to love each other?

Say what? I could not believe my eyes as more and more people jumped on the anti-church bandwagon once again. Suddenly people were pontificating on a virtual classification of “communion merit”. Soon enougha ritual of a specific denomination on the island was discussed in the same manner as one would a universal human right.

Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro...
Image via Wikipedia

Have I got news for the pseudo-libertarians: there is no universal human right to communion. On a scale of human interpreted religious ritual – one that strongly believes that what the earthly representatives of a divinity say is truly inspired by the aforementioned divinity – whatever anyone else has to add is pure balderdash. Communion is a religious ritual that has quite possibly existed ever since the man from Nazareth chose to ask is apostles to break bread and eat it in his remembrance. True, at that point in time there were no postillae or qualifications as to who could partake of this commemorative meal whenever it happened (neither did Haysus mention anything about wheat intolerance – something the Catholic Church would only solve in early years of the 21st century) but we must perforce presume that he left such work to Peter “the Rock” and his followers.

That last presumption is also crucial since the Catholic Church is now the supreme authority of what is kosher in communion. Which is why the sudden jumping and yelling when it was made clear that cohabiting couples should stay put on their church seats while the purer folk go about their queuing and communing is all very out of order. And what is all this nonsense about the Church being picky and hypocritical when it spares the more obvious candidates from wafer deprivation? I do not recall the church or any pointy hatted representative say that liars, thieves etc CAN have communion while cohabiting couples CANNOT. The rules are quite clear for everybody and there is also a mechanism for the repentant and the contrite – it’s another ritual which involves a sort of skype with God via his earthly rep.

Do we really need to get into the ritualistic details of Roman Catholicity to understand the difference between a rite and a right? But, they protest, the Church also has a social role and is a social example. Bollocks. Let the church deal with its own contradictions in its own time. Let it explain to its flock how sex before marriage, cohabitation, adultery, theft and murder are all on the same level in the “Does Not Qualify for Communion” point system. What the church also does is something very sly. It does not police its aisles with lie detectors and identifiers of premarital fornicators – it simply and very calmly puts it on your own conscience. It does not need a reminder from Mario & Cremona for a good catholic to know that sins and contrition are all part of the mechanism of personal development. Religion and spiritual development is all about rites in this case – and about the relationship between you and God – should you believe in her of course.

It’s a rite, not a right so stop harassing the catholic flock and if you don’t like it just do not go in there.

The Times of Malta. Debate rages on communion to cohabiting couples.

Not Only in Malta. In Holland controversy over a priest who refused to give communion to a gay person.

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Mediawatch

Failing with Grace

The better half organised a Eurovision party last night. Not that I needed an excuse to take a peek at the goings on in this year’s kitsch fest but a bit of party snacks and company for the dissing always helps. So we’re out – and a song that was never really destined to shoot through the charts makes a gracious exit (almost gracious bar the snipe at “neighbour votes”) from the world of euroglam and drug-free fantasia.

There’s something eerie about this Eurovision. Its thrown up the usual suspects from the weird to the tasteless to the musically undesirable but there is something more to it. There is almost (and I stress almost) a whiff of the political once again. It’s not all Plastic Bertrand if you know what I mean – there is a DNA of the economic depression that runs through most songs and – weirdly enough – a very unexpected common strand in what is generally considered a heathen festival of bugger-thy-neighbourdness (while getting his vote) is the constant appeal to religion and spirituality – a peak reached by the weepingly ungrammatical implorations to Mr God (was it Moldavia?).

Eurovision cds
Image via Wikipedia

Lithuania promise a musical solution to the depression on Thursday but Russia has already dug into the deeper and darker side of its soul providing with an incredibly melancholy outfit that reminds you of anything but music but that would also be a brilliant soundtrack to a Euro-Dollar exchange chart. In times of trouble we take refuge in the spiritual and phantasmagorical. What better place then for the expression of men with bulging crotches dressed as birds, butterflies gone wrong and trees that dance and sing Whoary-horny?

The festival will go on on Thursday and Saturday. The French have an Outre-Mer catchy football anthem featuring Brasil football gear while any intelligent bets would be on Ze German song- catchy and full of euro-pronounced English. Intelligence is not what wins the Eurovision though and given the usual betting shenanigans Deutschland and Merkel will be spared the expense of hosting the next edition of the travelling circus.

Back home we will probably revert to the usual suspects of accusations of waste and disquisitions as to whether the € spent on euromadness would have been best spent on something with more “kulcher”. We just don’t get it … c’est ça la culture … and even in this kitschfest of depressive depravity and soul-searching spirituality we exit early in a shower of self-commiseration, misguided xenophobic accusations and a renewed disgust at the failure of Greater Europe to give credit to this small island’s Dream.

***

ADDENDUM:

And even more Maltese kulchur unveiled. The PL HAD to have its say on the matter.

PL sends its congratulations

The Labour Party in a statement congratulated Thea Garrett and her team for an excellent performance and said that Thea should continue to pursue her dream in the music industry.

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Travel

Dear Long Weekend

J’accuse is anything but a personal diary but sometimes we do take a little snapshot of the j’accuse life out of a mere desire to experiment with the more conventional way of blogging (as well as an indirect justification
as to why j’accuse has not been so engaging over the weekend). In short it’s just been sunny, sunny, sunny.

Saturday was BXL day. A quick scappatella into the bowels of the city of stink. Walking along a sun drenched Place Stephanie and Avenue Louise we played a game of teaser window shopping. It’s NOT ok to only look – not for shopaholics like myself but I had to find a way of avoiding monetary dispensation since the NY trip is now only weeks away. A weird exhibition was to be found in a square bang in the middle of Avenue Louise. It represents all the things that have not been said… ever and is an itinerant Mexican exhibition that is also commemorating some jubilee anniversary of La Rivolucion!

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Muted on Avenue Louise

Just after the muted giants we discovered the newly refurbished Toison d’Or shopping centre complete with Scotch & Soda and all the brands that make your shopping euros tingle. The pièce de resistance was the Desigual (yep, Desigual… we still love it on the ladies notwithstanding the recent bad publicity it might have got) store (ladies only for now but mens will be open in a few weeks time). Embargos on purchases were thrown out of the “It’s not the same” window and we walked out of there a couple of euros poorer (thank Haysus for the fidelity discount).

desigual.jpg
It

Back in LUX there were two splendid sunlit days to kill. Sunday began with the downer of no Brit papers delivered. Shock. Horror. Survival without the Independent would require some inventive creativity. No worries. Shorts, tee and sunroof open – one hour drive of pure greenery to the idyllic surroundings of Vianden and the piscine communale. The tanning began in earnest and with sundown a banquet fit for kings on the mosellan riviere (cote allemande) with a festival of spare ribs and scampi washed down with copious amounts of Riesling. Hot. Scrumptious. Relaxing.

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Vianden, Piscine with view of Castle

Monday. Pentecost. Public holiday and all shops are firmly fermées. Which only leaves us with one thing to do. A second trip to the Vianden castle for a second coating of the by now Mediterranean tan (with the soleil des ardennes). Olive skinned and well coated we return to the Duchy in the evening for a terrrace mixed grill overlooking the Parc de Merl and its menagerie of singing volatids. Tuesday (aujourd’hui) is a day when we return back to work with the laid-back goodwill of a Mediterranean bon vivant. Even the Court of Justice can spare a smile….

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Steps to Main Gallery, ECJ

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Sport

Inter-cettati : Ridimensionati (Liar, Liar)

Il processo Calciopoli 2 continua oggi. Mancini ridimensiona le sue allegazioni del 2006… toh ne esce fuori un bel niente. Si continua però a scoprire i rapporti stretti di Giacintone con le terne arbitrali. Celebrate anche questa? All-night a Milano forse? Ma fateci il piacere. Vigliacchi e imbroglioni – questo si che è un record!

Calciopoli, Mancini ridimensiona le accuse del 2006

È durata poco più di 10 minuti l’attesa deposizione di Rioberto Mancini al processo di Napoli, anche perché gli avvocati della difesa hanno rinunciato a porgli domande. Con l’allenatore del Manchester City ed ex allenatore dell’Inter ha interloquito invece il pm Capuano, che si è soffermato anche sull’ormai celebre telefonata tra Facchetti e Bergamo, per ironia della sorte scovata dai difensori, segno che ormai anche l’accusa si avvale del lavoro della controparte.

Ma sono state soprattutto le proteste per i presunti torti arbitrali quando era alla guida dell’Inter in alcune partite del campionato 2004-2005 l’argomento al centro della deposizione. In particolare, Mancini si è soffermato su Roma-Inter arbitrata da Rosetti e finita 3-3. «Io spesso ho avuto episodi di liti con arbitri – ha detto fra l’altro Mancini – ma a fine gara, presi dalla foga, se ne dicono tante. Nella foga della partita a Rosetti ho detto “pagherete tutto, tu e i tuoi amici di Torino” e alludevo a Moggi, perché pensavo che, essendo lui (Rosetti, ndr) di Torino, avesse a che fare con quelli della sua città. Ma non so niente di particolare a riguardo. Ho fatto un collegamento facile perché pensavo fossero amici. Conosco Moggi da sempre, ma nello specifico il collegamento con Rosetti era dovuto al fatto che l’arbitro è di Torino». Una delle accuse più pesanti rivolte da Mancini a Moggi nel maggio 2006 era quella di avere più volte visto il dg della Juventus negli spogliatoi degli arbitri.

Ora il tecnico jesino fornisce una versione più morbida: «Ho visto Moggi più di una volta nello spogliatoio degli arbitri, ma quiesta era una prassi anche di altri dirigenti di società. Era una cosa che capitava. Magari negli altri casi si poteva trattare di dirigenti addetti agli arbitri, ma non so fornire il nome degli altri dirigenti che mi è capitato di vedere nella mia carriera».

Altro match preso in esame dal pm, la finale di Supercoppa italiana Inter-Juve. In quell’occasione, disse Mancini quattro anni fa, Moggi scese quasi in campo, posizionandosi tra le due panchine durante i supplementari. Adesso il tecnico marchigiano specifica meglio: «Di sicuro era fuori dal terreno di gioco. Ricordo che è successo in quella occasione, non so se è successo in altre, non venne allontanato dall’arbitro». Il pm Capuano a questo punto contesta a Mancini la diversa versione fornita nel 2006: «Lei aveva detto di ricordarlo in altre circostanze. E poi aveva anche detto di non avere mai visto altri dirigenti entrare negli spogliatoi degli arbitri».

Alla fine il pm pone un’altra domanda: «Ricorda di problemi con Bertini su Inter-Perugia? (in realtà si trattava di Perugia-Inter 4-1 con un gol segnato da Rapajc di mano, ndr)». Mancini questa volta proprio non può rispondere, perché all’epoca dei fatti era impegnato altrove: «Non ero l’allenatore dell’Inter in quella stagione e non ricordo comunque problemi particolari con Bertini». Eppure dalle telefonate Bergamo-Facchetti e Bergamo-Bertini, pubblicate in questi giorni, i lamentii per le designazioni dell’arbitro aretino da parte interista sono sotto gli occhi di tutti.

LA TELEFONATA – La sera del 12 maggio 2005, al termine della partita Cagliari-Inter (1­1), l’arbitro Paolo Bertini chiama il designatore Paolo Bergamo per lamentarsi delle pressioni di Giacinto Facchetti prima dell’inizio dell’incontro. «Sa, questa è la tredicesima partita, eh? – dice all’arbitro negli spogliatoi il presidente dell’Inter -. Per ora siamo in perfetta parità: quattro perse, quattro vinte e quattro pareggiate. Eh, sa, per l’Inter non è che sia un grande score». «Non è stato piacevole – commenta Bertini con Bergamo -. A volte è imbarazzante una premessa del genere». Si discute del mani fuori area di Carini, portiere interista, poi si va sulla visita di Facchetti a Bertini, evidentemente all’oscuro del tema della telefonata Bergamo­Facchetti sul 4-4-4 (ma Bergamo faceva così: la dava calda a molti, forse a tutti).

L’INTERCETTAZIONE
BERGAMO- Pronto?
BERTINI – Sei a letto, Paolo eh?
BERGAMO – No, se. Allora?
BERTINI – Com’è andata, che mi dici?
BERGAMO – Mah, ho visto l’ultima mezz’ora perché m’avevano avvertito di questo fallo di mano che. No, non è mica espulsione comunque.
BERTINI – Quella non è espulsione.
BERGAMO- No, non è mica una chiara occasione da rete.
BERTINI – Ma poi si può fare una disposizione di carattere tecnico su tutto ma non c’ha? Forse la mancata percezione di dove fosse come posizione ma non può essere ritenuta una occasione di?
BERGAMO- No, assolutamente.
BERTINI – È stato quello l’unica cosa.
BERGAMO- Protestavano un po’ quelli dell’Inter, so’ un po’ insofferenti, quando?
BERTINI – Eh, me ne so’ accorto. È stata una remata dal primo minuto, poi, eh? Non capisco, non capisco perché. Tra l’altro c’è stato Facchetti a inizio partita, è venuto dentro lo spogliatoio a salutare con quel fare di sempre. “Ah, sa questa è la tredicesima partita, eh? Per ora siamo in perfetta parità: quattro perse, quattro vinte e quattro pareggiate. Eh, sa, per l’Inter non è che sia un grande score”, ha detto. Quindi l’abbiamo preparata in questo modo la partita.
BERGAMO- Mh, mh.
BERTINI- Eh, non è stato piacevole, non è stato piacevole.
BERGAMO – E bisogna che ci parli, sì. (incomprensibile) .più tranquillo in campo. C’avevo già parlato, gliel’avevo già detto, ma questo non capisce un cazzo.
BERTINI – No, ma ho l’impressione. non so nemmeno l’interlocuzione più giusta quale possa essere perché questa veramente… A volte è imbarazzante. Una premessa del genere. Ci siamo guardati tutti, ci siamo guardati tutti prima della partita.
BERGAMO – Ascoltami, quando avrai buttato giù con me, dopo chiama Gigi (probabilmente Pairetto, ndr) che si è accorto che m’hai chiamato.
BERTINI – Dici? Sì, sì certo.
BERGAMO- Capiscimi.
BERTINI – E quindi, niente, insomma, questa situazione te l’ho detta appunto.
BERGAMO – Grazie, comunque la partita, a parte il clima.
BERTINI – Al di là di questo, insomma la partita è poi andata bene.
BERGAMO- Per quella parte lì che ti diceva, ti ci penso io, dai…
BERTINI – Sì, perché tra l’altro non ha neanche senso. Non mi sembra di avere fatto. Anzi, anzi. Vabbuò.
BERGAMO- Buonanotte, ci sentiamo.
BERTINI – Ci sentiamo domani, va.
BERGAMO- Vabbè grazie, ciao.
BERTINI – Ciao.

Afine gara il presidente Cellino dirà: «Si vede che devono far vincere qualcosa all’Inter. A questo punto non so se serva andare a San Siro la prossima settimana».

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