Warm welcome for Morena

Sunday, 25th May 2008 - 14:08CET
Ariadne Massa

Around 200 people gathered at the airport this afternoon to welcome Morena,and boost her spirits after Malta failed to place in Saturday's Eurovision final.

Holding bouquets of flowers, and small placards saying Well Done Morena, the crowd waited anxiously for the 24-year-old Gozitan to emerge and even cheered loudly when her husband Marvin came out first.

"I enjoyed the experience tremendously. You learn so much and despite everything I still feel it was a wonderful ride," she said.

Morena is now looking forward to returning to her routine and job in Gozo, but plans to continue pursuing her career in music.

timesofmalta.com

Pic: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Zoo's version of Vodka

Morena - Xarabank - 24 May 2008

Click image to watch

Morena on stage, performance Eurovision 2008 Semi-Final(2)

What do you hear the audience shouting?????

Stop the Gravy Train

by Joe Grima - maltaman@maltanet.net
Opinion -- 23 May 2008 -- 00:05CEST

Is there going to be a feeling of sour grapes in my comments
about the Eurovision Song Contest this year? Yes, some of that too.

First, well done Morena, A faultless interpretation that did Malta proud. Presentation was good. The ensemble was good. The song was good, better than most of those I heard on the second night. So what went wrong for us?

Technically nothing did. It was just that some of the worst songs, some of the crudest gimmicks, and one song that conveniently happened to have its recording halted for a second, just enough to be noted, made it to the finals when , with a much better song and a much better interpretation than most, we did not.

The show itself was pleasant to watch but some of the songs that were performed before and after Morena were just for my rubbish bin. We have no one to blame : certainly not Morena , not the composer or the lyric writer, not the Malta Song Board . No one.

Malta's performance was not only creditable but definitely better than most of its competitors -much more pleasant on the ear, vibrant in its execution , well backed both vocally and visually, good choreography –altogether just a good , good show by Malta. But we still did not make it.

In the early seventies , when I was Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority, we entered Joe Grech and then Joe Cutajar and Helen Micallef and Renato for the Eurovision Song Contest.

It was the time when the record companies ruled the roost and , if you were not into the record group that negotiated the deals as to who would win one year and who would win the following year , you were simply out.

Our placings of the time, either last or close to last showed precisely that our connections with the record companies were zilch.

I was active within the European Broadcasting Union at the time. In our meetings in Geneva I protested until I was hoarse about the corrupt practices that were going on year after year.

We got a lot of sympathy but nothing else. The rules were not changed and we were quietly advised not to pursue the issue because the likelihood of change was next to nothing.

That was when I advised the Broadcasting Authority not to waste more time, money and effort with the Eurovision song contest and we pulled out.


Now it is said that it is neighboring countries that determine the Eurovision final list – voting for each other , making a farce of the competition , sidelining both music and lyrics as well as vocalists and deciding on results by sheer numbers. If that's it , then we don't stand a hope in hell of getting back in.


But, on the other hand, there were recent times when we almost won, even under the same conditions as today. So I , for one, don't know the reason why and probably the Malta Song Board has no more of a handle on the situation than I have. I am beginning to follow the trend of thought that maybe we should pull out again, as we did years ago and as the Italians did years later.

Maybe it's time to kick the Eurovision Song Contest in the butt and move on. We may have reached the point when this gravy train is stopped in its tracks.

di-ve.com

Morena fuq Xarabank

Duet: Paul Giordimaina & Morena - Time

Composer: Paul Giordimaina

Lyrics: Paul Giordimaina

Votes: 3046

9th place

Morena

Morena hija l-iżgħar kuġina t'ommi. Isimha l-propja hu Margaret Camilleri Fenech. Hi twieldet fis-7ta' Marzu 1984. Morena hija minn ta' Sannat, Għawdex, Malta; u għalhekk nistgħu nifmu għala jisimha Margaret...għax il-patruna ta' Sannat hija Santa Margherita.
Morena ħadet sehem fil-'Malta Song for Europe' l-ewwel darba f'l-2006 u kantat duet ma' Paul Giordimaina bid-diska 'Time' u spiċċaw fid-9 post bi 3046 voti. Hija ħadet sehm f'diversi festivals u kunċerti oħra, fostom ħadet sehm fil-'Knzunetta Maltija'. Morena tagħmel wkoll parti mill-band Għawdxija 'Spectrum'.
Xi ħaġa li għamlitli u li żgur qatt m'jiena ser ninsa, hija meta Margaret/Morena kantatli 'Happy B day' waqt l-ikla ta' Santa Margherita!!!!!!!!!!



Morena is my mum's youngest cousin. Morena's real name is Margaret Camilleri Fenech. She was born on 7th March 1984. Morena comes from Sannat, Gozo, Malta; and you can guess why her name is Margaret....because the patron of Sannat is Saint Margaret.
Morena has taken part in the 'Malta Song for Europe' for the first time in 2006, singing a duet with Paul Giordimaina the song 'Time'. They ended in the 9th place with 3046 votes. Before she has taken part in a lot of festivals and concerts, including 'Kanzunetta Maltija'. She also makes part of the Gozitain band 'Spectrum'.
Something I'll never forget she did to me, is when she sang me 'Happy B day' during the Saint Margaret Banquet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sam Sparro - Black and Gold

If the fish swam out of the ocean
and grew legs and they started walking
and the apes climbed down from the trees
and grew tall and they started talking

and the stars fell out of the sky
and my tears rolled into the ocean
now I'm looking for a reason why
you even set my world into motion

[CHORUS]

'cause if you're not really here
then the stars don't even matter
now I'm filled to the top with fear
but it's all just a bunch of matter
'cause if you're not really here
then I don't want to be either
I wanna be next to you
black and gold
black and gold
black and gold

I looked up into the night sky
and see a thousand eyes staring back
and all around these golden beacons
I see nothing but black

I feel a way of something beyond them
I don't see what I can feel
if vision is the only validation
then most of my life isn't real

[CHORUS]

'cause if you're not really here
then the stars don't even matter
now I'm filled to the top with fear
but it's all just a bunch of matter
'cause if you're not really here
then I don't want to be either
I wanna be next to you
black and gold
black and gold
black and gold

Star Wars according to a cute 3 year old

Soooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prayers for Bush

The Gift of Freedom

Prayers for Bush

March 13/2008

Tidaħq meta jiġru veru? / Do you laugh when they happen for real?

I dialed a wrong number and got the following recording: "I am not avilable right now, but I thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.

Antonio Curtis, Vallejo, Calif

__________________________________________________

Cartoon by Matthew Henry Hall

Quotable Quotes

There's no such thing as fun for the whole family.

JerrySeinfeld

__________________________________________________

Turi lin-nies għal xiex inti trid tiġġieled meta tiġġieled għal ħbieb tiegħek.

Hillary Clinton

Jenna Bush says 'I do'

From Elaine Quijano
CNN White House Correspondent


CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- First daughter Jenna Bush and Henry Hager, the son of a well-connected Virginia Republican, said "I do" Saturday on President Bush's 1,600-acre ranch near Crawford, Texas.

The president and the bride picked "You Are So Beautiful" for their father-daughter dance, band leader Tyrone Smith of Nashville, Tenn. told The Associated Press. Smith and his 10-piece party band, The Tyrone Smith Revue, was asked to do "Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes" by Taj Mahal for the newlyweds' first dance.

Smith, who witnessed the wedding ceremony, told AP afterward the groom was dressed in a dark blue suit with powder-blue tie and the bride wore a "very simple and elegant" white dress, but did not wear a veil. Smith said Jenna Bush's paternal grandparents, President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, spoke during the wedding, though he could not hear their comments.

The AP reported the festivities began Friday with a bridal lunch, rehearsal dinner and post-rehearsal dinner celebration in Salado, a tiny tourist village, which used to be a stagecoach stop. Jenna, her sister and the first lady were in Salado, more than an hour's drive south of Crawford, all day Friday and the president arrived in the evening by motorcade.

"I had to face some very difficult spending decisions, and I've had to conduct sensitive diplomacy. That's called planning for a wedding," Bush told the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 12.

The plans had been largely under wraps, but they called for gathering by a lake in front of an altar and 4-foot-high cross made from Texas limestone.

"This is the time when the wildflowers are all blooming. And I think it will be a very, very lovely wedding, and it will be very like Jenna and Henry," first lady Laura Bush recently said.

Jenna Bush told CNN's Larry King on April 24 that the wedding would include "all relatives, our families, really, kind of big. So it's half-family and then half very close friends." More wedding details »

Not all of her friends were expected to be on hand though.

"The only information that I've received is that there are a number of Jenna's close friends who are not being invited to this wedding because, according to them, she would be afraid of their behavior," Doug Wead said.

Wead is a former aide to President George H.W. Bush and author of "All the Presidents' Children."

He says that unlike the pageantry of White House weddings past, such as Tricia Nixon's in 1971, the Texas ceremony would take place away from the media spotlight.

"The Bushes are very private. It's a time of war; it's at a time of economic struggle. ... And this president has high negatives right now. ... It's much more of a low-key event," Wead said. Listen to President Bush's radio address on his daughter's wedding »

Wead said another consideration for the wedding's location is "they know that they don't own the White House, that they can't go back.

"It will belong to Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or John McCain. ... But [Jenna and Henry] will always have Crawford. They won't even maybe have Kennebunkport; that hasn't been decided yet. ... But Crawford, Jenna and Henry can walk through the moonlight and hold hands and say, 'This is where we were married,' and it will always be theirs," Wead added.

The first lady's office kept a tight lid on specifics. But the bride did reveal dress details to Vogue magazine, describing her gown as an Oscar de la Renta creation made of organza with embroidery and beading. Watch as the first lady details the wedding plans »

"I'm very, very excited. It's a very interesting passage of life when you get to that time in your life when your child, first child is getting married -- and we're getting, for us, our first son," Laura Bush said May 5.

And already, the first lady is joking about names for possible grandchildren down the road.

"George or Georgia ... Georgina. Georgette," she said.

As for the event itself, the ceremony took place in the evening hours in order to spare guests from the searing Texas heat. Watch more on the wedding details »



Wedding facts

• Bride: Jenna Welch Bush
• Groom: Henry Chase Hager
• Place: President Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford, Texas
• Guests: More than 200 friends and relatives
• Attendants: 14 women known as members of the "house party," not bridesmaids
• Bride's gown designer: Oscar de la Renta
• Ring: The diamond, a Hager family heirloom, reset in a ring that also features sapphires
• Maid of Honor: Jenna's twin sister, Barbara
• Ceremony site: At a cross made of beige Texas limestone erected near a lake on the ranch
• Engagement: August 15, 2007, at Acadia National Park in Maine
  Source: The Associated Press
  
  
  
  

cnn.com
Pics: White House
White House full story

True Love Story -- What They Did For Love

The world’s most puzzling proposal, awww-inspiring true love story.
By Andy Simmons


He Posted a Plea

On a Sunday evening last November, Patrick Moberg, 21, a website developer, was in the Union Square subway station in New York City. "Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed this girl," he says. "She had bright blue shorts and dark blue tights and a flower in the back of her hair." New York's fun if you're a guy -- the city's lousy with gorgeous women. But this one was different. She was his perfect girl.

When the number 5 train pulled into the station, the two got on. "I was enthralled," he says. "I noticed details like her braided hair and that she was writing in a pad. I couldn't shake the desire to talk to her."

Shot on location at the New York Transit Museum; Hair and Makeup: Andrea Cambridge; Photographed by Andrew Brusso
Patrick Moberg created a website in order to find the dream girl that he saw in passing on the subway one night.

Taking a deep breath, he headed her way. Just then the train pulled into the Bowling Green station. The doors opened, a rush of humanity swarmed in, and then suddenly, she was gone.

He considered giving chase, but there's a fine line between blind love and stalking. He thought of plastering the station with posters. Then a brainstorm: the Internet. "It seemed less encroaching," he says. "I didn't want to puncture her comfort zone."

That night, the world had a new website: nygirlofmydreams.com. On it, Patrick declared, "I Saw the Girl of My Dreams on the Subway Tonight." He drew a picture of the girl etched in his mind, along with a portrait of himself with this disclaimer pointed at his head: "Not insane."

The website spread virally, and soon he had thousands of leads. Some were cranks, and some were women offering themselves in case he struck out.

Two days later, he got an e-mail from someone claiming to know the girl. He even supplied a photo. It was her. She was an Australian interning at a magazine, and her name was Camille. And she wanted to meet too.

It seemed less encroaching ... I didn’t want to puncture her comfort zone. Their first meeting was awkward. And why not? It was set up by Good Morning America. Like the rest of the media, GMA saw a great love story and pounced. But being sucked into a media maelstrom isn't necessarily conducive to a nascent love affair. "There was a lot of uncertainty on how to act around each other," Patrick said. And in the back of Camille's mind, a nagging thought: Who is this guy? The media circus eventually moved on, giving the two a chance to talk without a microphone present.

"Everything I found out about her was another wonderful thing," says Patrick. She was smart, funny and a big personality, a nice fit for this shy guy. "And," he continues quietly, "we've been hanging out together every day since."

Thinking back, he sighs. "It's amazing everything went without a hitch."

Priest gone with the wind

23 April, 2008 08:49 CET

Click to watch



Reuters bureau from Brazil confirms that Adelir Antonio de Carli a Brazilian priest, is currently lost and a continuous search is on its way after he tried to set a record after he flew away by means of helium filled balloons.

This priest started his flight last Sunday from the port of Parangua. He was suspended in the air by a 1,000 balloon seated on a form of a seat. His intention was to fly for 20 hour to the West.

However the wind was not in his favour and he changed direction all of a sudden and the wind changed his direction towards the Atlantic Ocean. The last contact that the priest had was by mobile which he was carrying when he called on Sunday evening to give out his coordinates.

The priest, who is just 42 years of age wanted to attract attention towards his mission at his parish found at Parangua, which mostly attracts truck drivers.

It is also known that De Carli, who had reached an altitude of more than 16,400 feet, was carrying a reserve of water, cereal, and energy capsules. Meanwhile the seat on which he was sitting was manufactured on purpose so that it will open in case of an emergency landing.

The search for the priest will continue in the coming days, however for now only pieces of balloon have been found in the route in which the wind directed him.

Abarijiet.com

cnn.com

WORST father in the world

AMSTETTEN, Austria (CNN) -- A man who previously rented an apartment from a now-73-year-old man accused of holding his daughter captive in his cellar for 24 years said Thursday that he saw the man's son enter the off-limits basement.


Josef Fritzl admits raping his daughter and fathering her seven children.

1 of 2more photos » Alfred Dubanowsky said he rented a ground-floor apartment at Josef Fritzl's home from 1995 through 2007. He said there was a verbal agreement between Fritzl and the house's tenants that they were not to enter the cellar or the garden or photograph the premises, or they would be kicked out.

Police said Monday that Fritzl also made clear to his wife and children that they were not allowed to go into the basement.

Fritzl has confessed to keeping his daughter Elisabeth in the basement for more than two decades, where he repeatedly raped her and fathered seven children with her, six of whom survived, police say.

Dubanowsky said he saw Fritzl's son, also named Josef Fritzl, enter the cellar. He also saw the elder Fritzl enter the basement frequently at night.

Once, when he asked to talk to the younger Fritzl, the older man said his son was working and "not to distract him," Dubanowsky told CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.

It was not clear whether the younger Fritzl went into the secret section of the cellar where police said the woman and children were kept or whether he knew of their captivity.

Dubanowsky said he heard strange noises coming from the cellar sometimes, but Fritzl told him it was coming from the heater in the home's boiler room.

The police investigation will examine whether any accomplices were involved in the case, but police spokesman Franz Polzer said there were "neither technical nor biological traces of any other person in cellar" other than Fritzl.

Meanwhile, Fritzl's sister-in-law said in an interview published Thursday that the man often spent many hours in the cellar and would sometimes stay there all night.

"He said he was drawing engineering plans that he would sell to companies," said the woman, the sister of Fritzl's wife. "Often, he would stay there all night." She said his wife was not even allowed to bring him coffee.

Fritzl is alleged to have threatened to gas his prisoners if they harmed him or tried to escape, The Associated Press reported.

Austrian authorities said the imprisoned children, who for years had not seen the light of day, were slowly adapting to sunlight. Officials also debunked reports in a few British newspapers that some of the children could not walk or speak in sentences.

Timeline
1977: Elisabeth Fritzl claims she was first abused by her father Josef when aged 11.

1984: Elisabeth is allegedly lured into house cellar, drugged and handcuffed by her father. She is forced to write letters saying she has run away.

1988: Her first child, Kerstin, is born.

1989: Elisabeth gives birth to her first son, Stefan.

1993: Nine-month-old Lisa is left on the doorstep of the Fritzl house.

1994: Another child, Monika, arrives and is adopted by the Fritzls.

1996: Elisabeth gives birth to twins, but one dies after three days. Josef allegedly burned the body.

1997: Alexander, the surviving twin, joins the children upstairs.

2003: A letter from Elisabeth arrives saying she had a second son, Felix, the previous year. He is raised in the cellar.

2008:

April 19: Kerstin is taken to that hospital after falling serious ill. Doctors discover that her grandfather is her father.

April 20-27: Josef releases Elisabeth, Stefan and Felix and tells his wife they are returning.

April 26: Police pick up Josef and Elisabeth near the hospital where Kerstin is being treated.

April 27: Josef admits his guilt after Elisabeth's statement.

April 28: Police search house and discover cramped cellar with special security door.

April 29: Josef appears in court.

WORST father in the world

cnn.com

Splużjoni f'residenza privata fejn kien qed isir logħob tan-nar illegalment / Explosion in a private residence where illegal fireworks were being made

Tfittxija għal mara b'possibilta' li għadha mirduma
12 ta' Marzu, 2008 12:10 CET






Splużjoni f'garaxx fi Triq Ħal Dgħejf, in-Naxxar ħalliet ħerba sħiħa, karozzi maħruqa u ħsarat kbar f'diversi djar fil-madwar. Ħasdet ukoll il-ħajja ta' raġel ta' 57 sena, filwaqt li mara ta' 38 sena għadha rrappurtata nieqsa tant li hi wkoll maħsuba mejta qalb it-tifrik, u tliet persuni sofrew feriti ħfief.

Il-każ seħ għall-ħabta tal-10:45am, meta sploda materjal f'garaxx f'żona residenzjali. It-tliett persuni feruti, ilkoll nisa, ttieħdu l-Isptar Mater Dei permezz ta' ambulanzi, iżda ħadd minnhom m'hu fil-periklu tal-mewt. Il-garaxx li sploda kien propjeta' ta' Pawlu Camilleri, membru attiv fil-Każin tal-Banda Peace tan-Naxxar.

Jidher li wara l-isplużjoni seħħew numru ta' splużjonijiet iżgħar, filwaqt li n-nirien damu għaddejjin għal aktar minn tliet sigħat. Membri mid-Dipartiment tal-Protezzjoni Ċivili, mill-Forzi Armati ta' Malta, l-Pulizija u paramediċi mill-Isptar Mater Dei waslu minnufih fil-post biex jikkontrollaw is-sitwazzjoni u jibdew it-tiftix għall-persuni li setgħu nqabdu qalb it-tifrik. Il-Prim Ministru Lawrence Gonzi wkoll mar fil-post akkumpanjat mill-Viċi Prim Ministru Tonio Borg. Preżenti wkoll kien hemm l-Arċisqof Pawlu Cremona u l-Arċisqof Emeritus Mons. Ġużeppi Mercieca.

Ara ritratt mibgħut minn Clifton Fenech u li juri kif kienu qabel it-tliet residenzi meqruda

MaltaRightNow.com jinsab infurmat li għall-ewwel il-Pulizija bdiet tfittxija għal ħames persuni, sakemm it-tfittxija waqgħet għal żewġ persuni minħabba li sar kuntatt mat-tliet persuni l-oħra. Waqt l-investigazzjonijiet il-Pulizija sabet tliet garaxxijiet oħra li fihom kien hemm maħżuna logħob tan-nar, hekk kif jidher li l-garaxx li sploda u dawn it-tliet postijiet fl-istess triq kienu jintużaw mill-istess persuni. Il-materjal tal-logħob tan-nar inħareġ mill-garaxxijiet mill-Pulizija u membri ta' l-Explosive Ordinance Division.

Quddiem din it-traġedja, li ħasdet il-qalba tal-lokalita' tan-Naxxar, spikkat il-ħidma kontinwa tal-Kummisarju tal-Pulizija John Rizzo u d-Direttur tal-Protezzjoni Ċivili Peter Cordina, li mexxew proċess delikat biex jibda jitneħħa l-materjal u l-ġebel miż-żona fejn seħħet l-isplużjoni. Aktar tfittxijiet, biex tinstab il-persuna li għadha mitlufa filwaqt li tkun assikurata s-sigurta' taż-żona, se jkomplu anke matul il-lejl.

Dwar dan l-inċident qed issir ukoll inkjesta maġisterjali mmexxija mill-Maġistrat ta' l-għassa Miriam Hayman, filwaqt li l-Pulizija għadha qed tinvestiga l-każ.

maltarightnow.com

________________________________________________





Violent explosion kills two, destroys three houses in Naxxar
Wed, 12 March 2008


Rescuers and army personnel are slowly removing the debris from the site of Wednesday’s explosion, in which two persons died and three houses were completely demolished.

The cause of the blast is not yet confirmed, but in the street in Naxxar where the incident took place, police found two nearby garages with explosives and fireworks stored inside.



Using mechanical shovels, the rescuers are sifting through the debris, and loading it on trucks. Police sources confirmed that since the body of the 59 year old man who was in the garage where the blast took place has not yet been completely recovered, the removal of debris is proceeding very slowly.

At the same time, relatives of the owners of the three houses are watching over the operation, in the hope of retrieving any personal belongings that may emerge out of the debris undamaged.

Families of nearby houses still have no access to their houses. They were evacuated soon after the blast, which damaged the nearby structures.

At the same time, following the explosions, police received information on other locations where explosives may be stored irregularly. Police raided several locations on Thursday morning. The Times further reported that in a farmhouse in Naxxar, police managed to find more explosives, and a number of persons were arrested.


UPDATE 1000HRS:

Rescuers uncovered the body of the second victim, a 32-year-old mother of two young children, which was buried beneath the debris of her house, which was demolished with an explosion on Wednesday morning.

The woman was found early on Thursday morning, after long hours of searches in the debris of the three houses demolished by the blast. The first victim was found on Wednesday.

Police investigators are currently examining the site.
(Scroll down for pictures of the accident site)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two persons died after a violent explosion of a garage full of fireworks illegally stored in Naxxar. The explosion demolished three houses and left three persons injured. The explosion was so big that nearby houses and cars were severely damaged.

The tragic accident happened on Wednesday morning at around 1100hrs when, Paul Camilleri, 57, was working fireworks in his residence at Triq id-Dghejf Naxxar. Mr Camilleri was certified dead on the spot. The same explosion killed also a 32-year-old mother of two young children who were at school at the time of the explosion.

A few minutes later relatives of the victims started arriving, panicked looking for their loved ones. Other neighbours arrived later to find their houses damaged, while others rushed to rescue their pets.Neighbours were all shocked as a house opposite to the garage which exploded caught fire, while damages were noticed in houses blocks away. Eye-witnesses told this e-newspaper that at the time of the explosion they saw a pick-up van literally blown off the road.

maltastar.com