Welcome to the Jungle

I could have posted an entry about the weather today, just like Athena did. The first day of snow in England this season. I was also very tempted to post nothing and continue paying tribute to my dear departed friend Antoine Camilleri.

Instead, I'd like to invite everyone in the Maltese blogosphere to give a nice warm welcome to Martin Debattista who has finally taken the plunge and started blogging.

As some readers of this blog already know, Martin is MaltaMedia's editorial director. Our network of websites has continued to grow over the past 7 years because of his loyal dedication to the vision we shared when we first started working together back in 1998. His personal blog is a work-in-progress, so for now he has chosen to run it outside MMON. However, Robert Micallef managed to rope him into a guest blogging spot on Wired Temples this weekend. I must confess that I played a part in this maneuver.

Martin started the weekend by blogging about the CHOGM. It appears that he was seriously tempted to overlook this over-rated topic, just as the UK media has, to a large degree. (Thanks for keeping your eye on this David.) What difference does it really make that all those politicians have gotten together with Queen Elizabeth II in Malta for a few days? Doesn't it say it all that most people in the UK have never even heard of the CHOGM, nevermind know that it's happening in Malta right now?

Live 8 will not be remembered for helping to make poverty history but for giving the world a Waters-Gilmour Pink Floyd reunion after 25 years. At best, the 2005 CHOGM will be remembered as that time something happened in Malta to overshadow the passing of the leading Maltese artist of the 20th century but not Britain's foremost footballer.

Working on the second podcast in the new music series will help me shake off the ghosts. Meanwhile I look forward to more of Martin's blogging as I walk around my apartment yelling "iċ-ċogim...iċ-ċogim!" at the top of my voice like a deranged mourner. And this too shall pass.