#Chircop

[leifpm]

3 title fights in Malta 02.12.2023

Vaughan Group Malta in association with Prize Boxing Promotions arrange the great boxing show at InterContinental Hotel, St Julians on Saturday 2nd Dec 2023. In lightweight is the Commonwealth Silver Championship belt between Haithem Laamouz vs Keanen Wainwright. The Maltese National Middleweight Championship will take part in a rematch with Chrstian “Coqqos” Schembri vs Elton Azzopardi. Thrd…

[philipchircop]

SING YOUR SONG

The song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day.

I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument.

The time has not come true, the words have not been rightly set; only there is the agony of wishing in my heart.

The blossom has not opened; only the wind is sighing by.

I have not seen his face, nor have I listened to his voice; only I have heard his gentle footsteps from the road before my house.

The livelong day has passed in spreading his seat on the floor; but the lamp has not been lit and I cannot ask him into my house.

I live in the hope of meeting with him, but this meeting is not yet.

Gitanjali 13

From Gitanjali (Macmillan and Company, 1916) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

TWO QUESTIONS TO WALK WITH

Are you still stringing and unstringing your instrument?

What is holding you back from singing your song, unique and precious?

[halfwayessay]

Bugibba and Young (1983)

[This is part of a much larger script on the history of Bugibba] [This will also be a lot longer than my previous post, I apologize]

Bugibba is one of the largest resort towns in the entirety of Malta and has been that way for the past 80 years, since its initial boom in the 1960's. It, however, has little history and heritage to speak of which is why information on it is so hard to find. That's why Chapman & Speake's amazing 2011 paper is such an invaluable asset and its also how I found Young's 1983 paper which this post will focus on. This post, compared to the one I made yesterday, is slightly more analysis based rather than a retelling of some interesting history.

But why Young (1983)? As Chapman & Speake mention: “Prior to the 1950s, Bugibba and its neighbouring settlements such as Qawra and St. Paul’s Bay were small fishing and farming based communities” (2011: 483). This makes Young’s paper really interesting in the context of its focus and Bugibba’s former status as a fishing town (which it had been for decades [e.g Chircop 2010], if not centuries [e.g Abell 2007: 125]). It describes 6 stages of development, which will be projected onto Bugibba below.

i. The early traditional stage is pretty much still the traditional fishing-farming village, with the only tourists who come there being those who come to visit relatives (p.38). This is most likely the state in which the 1899-1907 survey of Malta was done, by the British Royal School of Military Engineering (NAM 1899-1907). This map shows a significant lack of an established city with only a few (presumably) houses by the shore (fishermen or farmers, most probably).

ii. The late traditional stage is similar to the previous stage, however some infrastructure has been built for tourism; not necessarily hotels/accommodation, but rather summer homes which the wealthy use on their time off. Possibly, the city may even get a police station, indicating that the government knows the potential of a future resort town (p.36, 38). This is similar to what Chapman & Speake said themselves (p.486), about what Bugibba was like pre-1950 tourist boom.

iii. The initial tourism stage is when people start to come to the village, although tourism in and of itself hasn’t really started. They respect the local culture, seeing as some of them are poets/wealthy and themselves dabble in culture, and they stay mostly separated. The villagers live on as if the tourists aren’t really there, or as Young states, “‘apathetic’” (p.38). NAM (1928), a motion to start an archaeological investigation into Bugibba, could reasonably be used to plot time. It wouldn't be unreasonable to state that amongst the poets and wealthy coming to Bugibba, might be some archaeologists. This plots pretty accurately on the rest of the accounts of Bugibba's development.

iv. The early tourism stage describes when a fishing town, like Bugibba, has finally been acknowledged for its potential. This brings with constructions of tourism complexes, commercial enterprises (shops that aren’t for village living essentials as in stage i-iii) and more. The village is being encroached upon by the tourist infrastructure, possibly even by Maltese with good money[fn1]. “Natives”, accepting the inevitable, mingle with tourists and trade food, products and newspapers and additionally, some who have the qualifications to, help the tourists out with their medical issues.

v. The expanding tourism stage signifies a point in which the village has been designated (usually by the government) to be a tourist attraction and now infrastructure to accommodate tourism is built. This also includes stuff like a new school or bus lines, which also incidentally help out the locals. One of the defining infrastructural developments is the building of a “major luxury hotel” [p.38]. New shops and attractions will open up and, whilst the older village locals might worry, the newer village locals embrace the new attention the village’s getting. This would be Bugibba leading into the 1950’s and it is from here that the development which Chapman & Speake go over.

vi. The intensive tourism stage of tourist development is the final one and it is what can be observed in the early days of Bugibba's tourist boom. The town has been ransacked by private companies looking to get their own piece of the tourism pie, new self-catering apartments, hotels and villas for tourists from all over the world to visit. The urban development of the town has gone into full swing and "the only traces remaining of the Early Traditional Stage" [p.40] are the few monuments and fishing huts which people deem as the town's heritage. This is true too in Bugibba, as little if anything from this period remains intact. 

Almost 4 decades ahead of his time, Young commented on the model he created, asking: “How may the villscape change after Stage 6? Will it, in time, lose some of its appeal as a tourist destination?” [p.41]. This is what Chapman & Speake spend a majority of their time discussing, asking an eerily similar question at the end of their paper: “If Bugibba’s future is not as a resort, then questions concerning its form, function and identity need to be asked” [p.490]. Thanks for reading if you did and below are the references. This was really fun to put together.

Footnotes: 1. E.g, it could be that Calleja Giuseppe (NAM, 1920), who was going to America, possibly in Detroit for work (Sanko, 2018: 113), came back with good money and helped with the building of new tourist infrastructure

References: Abell, N. (2007). The Role of Malta in Prehistoric Mediterranean Exchange Networks. Chapman, A. & Speake, J. (2011). Regeneration in a mass-tourism resort: The changing fortunes of Bugibba, Malta Chircop, J. (2010). Living on Fishing, Caught in the Market: The Maltese fishing communities, 1860s-1920. Sanko, M. A. (2018). Britishers in Two Worlds: Maltese Immigrants in Detroit and Toronto, 1919-1960. Young, B. (1983). Touristization of traditional Maltese fishing-farming villages.

Archival Sources: National Archives of Malta. (1899-1907). Item 50070 - Survey of Malta - Bugibba Area. National Archives of Malta. (1920). Item 4433 - Passport Application of Calleja Giovanni. National Archives of Malta. (1928). Item 0309/1928 - Reports that remains of a megalithic building exist in the land "Ta Bulebel" at Bugibba, and recommends that the site be valued and examined by the Public Works Department. D of M.

[diorchitect]

Alexander McQueen f/w 2009 original music.

[patatedestenebres]

Petrichor, tu es un nuage!

Petrichor, tu es un nuage!

Coucou mes p’tites patates nébuleuses! Alors, le pétrichor (en français avec un accent), notre ami wiki nous explique qu’il s’agit d���une huile sécrétée par les plantes, puis absorbée par les sols durant les périodes sèches. C’est cela qui donne l’odeur de terre mouillée après la pluie. Et donc Petrichor, c’est également un jeu à la thématique surprenante – nous incarnons des nuages – de David…

[whovian223]

The Pursuit of Happiness - Big Box by Artipia Games on Kickstarter

The Pursuit of Happiness - Big Box by @ArtipiaGames on Kickstarter - Backed on Day 1!

I’ve really enjoyed my couple of plays of The Pursuit of Happiness, published by Artipia Games.

Designed by Adrian Abela and David Chircop, with gorgeous and whimsical art by Panayiotis Lyris, the game was published in 2015 but I missed it on Kickstarter.

This is the basic stuff.

This is basically a much better version of the game of Life. You are trying to live the best life you can,…

[sanjogsonsand]

" My beloved

how far will I love you?...

As far as where moon immerse in deep sea..

Where your breath fills my sails with the soft zephyr breeze. "

18A21 ~ Charmaine Chircop

[globalworship]

The Serenity Prayer Song

Millions of people around the world know this famous prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr in 1932-33. Here’s a wonderful choral version from 2014:

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Published by B A Proton Music (BMI) Choral arrangement published by Lorilou Music (ASCAP)

Purchase song at the following outlets:  iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ser...  Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/music/a...  Amazon Music - http://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Prayer...

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The prayer has appeared in several different versions.The original version says:

“Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.”  

Learn about the prayer at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer

I am indebted to Fr. Philip Chircop for first bringing this song to my attention. https://www.facebook.com/chircop.philip

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[damonkowarsky]

Thrilled that 'Studenica' has been selected as a finalist in the 2022 M16 Artspace Drawing Prize. The drawing prize has been a staple in M16 Artspace’s exhibition Calendar since 2006. It attracts hundreds of entries from across Australia and internationally. The M16 Drawing Prize is for drawing in either traditional drawing media and techniques, or non-traditional works that extend understanding of what drawing may be within contemporary art practice. The judges for this year’s prize are Megan Monte, curator and inaugural Director Ngununggulla and Dr. Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax, Canberra-based artist, writer, curator and Curator, Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Australia. Congratulations to all the finalists including Belle Palmer - @belle__palmer, Caterina Leone - @caterina.leone.art, Damon Kowarsky - @damonkowarsky, Joanna Gambotto - @joannagambotto, Lee Crisp - @leecrispartist, Louisa Chircop - @louisachircop, Louise Owen, Mark Shorter - @marktshorter, Melissa Emerson - @mel_emart, Melody Spangaro - @drawing_melody, Roz Hall - @___r_a_h___, Ryan Forster - @sethius.art, Sally Mumford - @sally_mumford, Tom O'Hern - @tomohernia, Anh Nguyen - @msanhpaints, Matt Bromhead - @matt__bromhead, and Todd Fuller - @fuller_todd. You can see the finalists work at https://www.m16artspace.com.au/2022-drawing-prize-finalists, or by following the link in bio. Official opening and prize announcements Thursday 1 December at 630pm. Exhibition continues until 16 December. M16 Artspace 21 Blaxland Crescent Griffith ACT 2603 Gallery hours Wednesday to Sunday 12 to 5 @m16artspace #m16artspace #canberra #drawing #studenica #drawingprize @fabercastellaustralia #polychromos (at M16 Artspace) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClCcK2QBTHV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 2003 my top 26

Hello and welcome again to another episode of this ESC top series, and I go back to the last ESC held in only one night, and that was May 24, 2003 when the 48th edition of the contest was held in Riga, Latvia, after Marie N’s victory in Tallin last year. This was also the biggest ESC at the time, with 26 countries taking part, while Denmark, Finland, FYR Macedonia, Lithuania and Switzerland were relegated, Portugal, Poland, Norway, The Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland returned to the contest, also we said hello to Ukraine, which entered for the first time. The contest was won by Turkey and Sertab Erener with the song Everyway that I can, making this their 1st and only win to date. And now, let’s review the songs.

1st Place: BELGIUM/Urban Trad-Sanomi (Real Placing: 2nd-165 points)

But this one, makes me travel out of this Universe, the music is so relaxing and meditative, the fact that this is in an imaginary language makes it better and mysterious, they sing so well and I’m in love with the whole package, I love Turkey but if this won that night, it would’ve been amazing and I would’ve been happy with it. 

2nd Place: TURKEY/Sertab Erener-Everyway that I can (Real Placing: 1st-167 points)

Aaaaah the winning song... AND OF COURSE IT’S A WORTHY WINNER, this entry has everything, a perfect performance, a wonderful singer and the music is so amazing and epic, what a close victory it was but it was worth it, also for Turkey, the wait was worthy. 

3rd Place: CROATIA/Claudia Beni-Više nisam tvoja (Real Placing: 15th-29 points)

When I first listened to this song, I fell in love with it. Her voice is nice and the music is so cool and perfect, the choreography is catchy and I learnt it. The chorus is the best part of this song. I LOVE IT. 

4th Place: SWEDEN/Fame-Give me your love (Real Placing: 5th-107 points)

Another ABBAish song from Sweden, and I like this, they have nice voices together and the music is so enjoyable. This was the right choice on that year’s Mello, and they are so lovely. What a strong song and lovely performance. 

5th Place: SPAIN/Beth-Dime (Real Placing: =8th-81 points)

Again another modern pop song with a Latin touch, this is a brilliant song, maybe her voice at some point was shaky but overall this song stands out and I think it’s one of Spain’s best efforts in recent years. Just a nice entry that I love. 

6th Place: PORTUGAL/Rita Guerra-Deixa-me sonhar (Real Placing: 22nd-13 points)

Oh please, another underrated Portuguese song, her voice is stunning, the music is like a dream and it’s one of the best ballads that year, this makes me feel so good and I enjoy every second of it. What a good song!!!

7th Place: NORWAY/Jostein Hasselgård-I’m not afraid to move on (Real Placing: 4th-123 points)

Another lovely ballad and his voice is so cute, the music is so brilliant and it’s enjoyable, I’m happy this finished high on the night and a well deserved result for this wonderful song. 

8th Place: FRANCE/Louisa Baïleche-Monts et merveilles (Real Placing: 18th-19 points)

Another nice French ballad, but C’MON YOU CAN TAKE YOUR HAIR AWAY FROM YOUR FACE, her voice is perfect and the music makes me feel free, also the chorus is very memorable and I can’t understand how this song finished so low. 

9th Place: ICELAND/Birgitta-Open your heart (Real Placing: =8th-81 points)

Another lovely song and I’m crazy for this one, this song is so inspiring and cute, her voice is so nice and wow, I’m so amazed for this song, one of the best that year. 

10th Place: IRELAND/Mickey Harte-We’ve got the world (Real Placing: =11th-53 points)

Oh a lovely Irish song, and it works, the music is so lovely and cute, also the lyrics and his voice (and he) is perfect, I enjoy this song so much and makes me feel calm but pleased at the same time. 

11th Place: GERMANY/Lou-Let’s get happy (Real Placing: =11th-53 points)

LET’S GET HAPPY AND LET’S BE GAY, seriously, this song is so amazing, her voice is so good and the music is so catchy and, well the title says, makes me so happy and I sing along to this one as soon as it starts. I’m so happy because of this song. 

12th Place: ISRAEL/Lior Narkis-Words for love (Real Placing: 19th-17 points)

Awww this song is amazing, the music is so good and his voice is very good, and the backing singers here are so fine, I love the performance and the chorus is so catchy. I absolutely like this song so much. 

13th Place: ROMANIA/Nicola-Don’t break my heart (Real Placing: 10th-73 points)

Oh this song is like a chase scene, it’s crazy, the music is so epic and I like it so much, her voice is so special and it works for me, overall this entry is so wonderful and of the best Romanian songs in the contest. 

14th Place: AUSTRIA/Alf Poier-Weil der Mensch zählt (Real Placing: 6th-101 points)

This entry is so weird... AND I LOVE IT, the music is so... interesting as well as his voice, but this works a lot for me, I enjoy the music on the verses because it reminds me of childhood and the music change when the chorus finish is so energizing. What a crazy entry!

15th Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Esther Hart-One more night (Real Placing: 13th-45 points)

This is another good song, this is perfect for 03 and her voice is so good, the music is nice and I feel so bad because of putting this low, but there are more entries that I enjoy the most. 

16th Place: BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA/Mija Martina-Ne brini (Real Placing: 16th-27 points)

This song is alright, her voice is good and I love the music so much, but maybe this song needed an oomph to be perfect because it has everything. Also the performance is a bit off putting, anyway I like this one. 

17th Place: RUSSIA/t.A.T.u.-Ne ver', ne boysia (Real Placing: 3rd-164 points)

Okay when I saw t.A.T.u. were at Eurovision I was happy, and I like this song, but not as much as I did 2 years ago. They sing out of tune and maybe this is my problem with this song. The music is epic and I like it, and maybe with more rehearsing this would’ve been perfect. 

18th Place: MALTA/Lynn Chircop-To dream again (Real Placing: 24th-4 points)

She looks a lot like my Math teacher at high school, very weird. Anyway this song is lovely, she has a nice voice and it’s a bit catchy, maybe the running order and the stronger songs killed this but this song is very good, I like it so much. 

19th Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Jemini-Cry baby (Real Placing: 26th-0 points/last)

The first ever last place for the UK, and what an off key performance, but this song, problems aside, is very good, the music is so accurate for 2003 and it’s catchy, but sadly poor guys, they sang so out of tune. One of my guilty pleasures at ESC. 

20th Place: LATVIA/F.L.Y.-Hello from Mars (Real Placing: 24th-5 points)

Aww this result for the host country is very sad, but the song is a bit flat and gets better on the last part. They could’ve been better that night and I kinda like the song, but sadly I understand how this finished so low. 

21st Place: GREECE/Mando-Never let you go (Real Placing: 17th-25 points)

This song has a very nice music and feeling to it, but maybe her performance was all over the place, her voice is very good but I feel that this song deserved a softer performance. 

22nd Place: SLOVENIA/Karmen-Nanana (Real Placing: 23rd-7 points)

This starts so good and the verses are perfect, but the music in the chorus it’s so mediocre and bad, this also has a retro vibe that I enjoy but this could’ve been miles better. 

23rd Place: POLAND/Ich Troje-Keine Grenzen – Żadnych granic (Real Placing: 7th-90 points)

I’m in love with his voice, but sadly this song doesn’t say anything to me, the music isn’t the best and it’s kinda boring after many listens, the best part is the last one because he makes it special. I feel a bit bad for putting this so low. 

24th Place: CYPRUS/Stelios Constantas-Feeling alive (Real Placing: 20th-15 points)

Another good song ruined by the singer and the performance overall, this bores me because of it and his pronunciation is bad, maybe if he sung in Greek this would’ve been better. 

25th Place: UKRAINE/Olexandr-Hasta la vista (Real Placing: 14th-30 points)

Oh his voice is very annoying, the music is a bit flat and it’s a quite forgettable song, not a nice debut for a country that to date keeps sending nice songs. Not  a fan of the whole package of this song. 

26th Place: ESTONIA/Ruffus-Eighties coming back (Real Placing: 21st-14 points)

Okay I love the retro vibe in this one, but sadly this song is very flat and starts to annoy me after a while, also this doesn’t stand out in a quite strong field of songs and his voice could’ve been better. 

[philipchircop]

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before. It is not possible to keep it from coming, because it will. That's just how Advent works ...

So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.

–from Night Visions by Jan Richardson

Photo: Philip Chircop | Life-At-Eye-Level

[kappavision]

A view down Kappillan Mifsud Street to the parish church of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady in Ħamrun, Malta. The colourful decorations ‘dress up’ the area for the feast that is celebrated on the first Sunday of July. BIL-MALTI Il-parroċċa tal-Kunċizzjoni Immakulata tal-Ħamrun minn Triq il-Kappillan Mifsud imżejna għal-festa li tiġi ċċelebrata fl-ewwel Ħadd ta’ Lulju. ORIGINS An oratory dedicated to the Immaculate Conception was established in Ħamrun by Paul Burlo on the 15th of May 1923. Initially set up within a private dwelling, its location was moved several times over the next two decades. After Burlo died in 1950, Father Edgar Vella took over the oratory and made plans to construct a permanent church. With the assistance of Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi and pastor Matthew Chircop from the St. Cajetan parish within the same town, Vella acquired a plot of land which formerly contained railway tracks of the Malta Railway to build the new building. A CHURCH DESIGNED BY GUŻÈ DAMATO The new church was designed by the architect Ġużè Damato. It was built by the stonemason Ġeraldu Camilleri. The first stone was laid down by Bishop Emanuel Galea on the 23rd of March 1958, and by the end of the year the basement was already complete and it was used to celebrate Mass. The building was almost complete by the time of Vella's death in 1962, but works halted soon afterwards due to a number of unpaid debts. The priest Joseph Mifsud Bonnici was later appointed to resume construction, and the building's finishing touches were made with the assistance of local volunteers. The church was inaugurated by Bishop Galea on 14 August 1963. POST WWII AND THE ROAD TO BECOMING A PARISH The area in which the church was built had developed rapidly in the years following World War II. The building became a vice-parish church in 1966, and later a parish church on the 1st of January 1968. A parish centre and a house for the pastor were built adjacent to the church in the 1970s, and work on the church's interior was fully completed in the 1980s. It was officially consecrated by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca on May the 28th 1988. (at Ħamrun) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfeXHFZoRYb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[maschasrankings]

2003: Top 26

France: Louisa Baïleche - Monts Et Merveilles

Turkey: Sertab Erener - Every Way That I Can

Netherlands: Esther Hart - One More Night

Iceland: Birgitta - Open Your Heart

Portugal: Rita Guerra - Deixa-Me Sonhar (Só Mais Uma Vez)

Germany: Lou - Let's Get Happy

Spain: Beth - Dime

Estonia: Ruffus - Eighties Coming Back

Russia: t.A.T.u. - Ne Ver, Ne Boysia

Ireland: Mickey Harte - We've Got The World

Malta: Lynn Chircop - To Dream Again

Slovenia: Karmen - Nanana

Belgium: Urban Trad - Sanomi

Greece: Mando - Never Let You Go

Israel: Lior Narkis - Words For Love

Sweden: Fame - Give Me Your Love

Ukraine: Oleksandr Ponomariov - Hasta La Vista

United Kingdom: Jemini - Cry Baby

Latvia: F.L.Y. - Hello From Mars

Poland: Ich Troje - Keine Grenzen (Żadnych Granic)

Croatia: Claudia Beni - Više Nisam Tvoja‎

Norway: Jostein Hasselgård - I'm Not Afraid To Move On

Romania: Nicola - Don't Break My Heart

Cyprus: Stelios Constantas - Feeling Alive

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Mija Martina - Ne Brini

Austria: Alf Poier - Weil Der Mensch Zählt

[newbloggycat]

Beautiful Easter Poem - Charmaine Chircop

Beautiful Easter Poem – Charmaine Chircop

Happy Easter Everyone!／(^ x ^=)＼