Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/717204
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 AUGUST 2016 24 Opinion 'Politico' doesn't know the half of it O nce – and only once, that I remember – I was given a spot of friendly advice that actually worked in practice. I was planning a trip abroad, and wondered what travel guide to buy (if any). A friend suggested that, before making any decision, I should consult various editions about Malta. That way, I'd be able to tell at a glance whether the researchers had really done their homework… and by extension, whether they can be trusted when writing about other parts of the world. It worked a charm, I must say. Reading various 'guides' to the Maltese islands, I discovered all sorts of things about my own country that I'd simply never heard before. For instance, that the Maltese language had… 'ancient Pubic roots'. OK, OK, I know what they were trying to say there. It's true we all talk a lot of bollocks, there's no use denying it… but that's taking it a bit too far, don't you think? Any way: even without the glaring misprint, the link with the language of the Phoenicians was debunked more than half a century ago. And on a separate note: it was Benjamin Disraeli who said that Valletta was a 'city [of palaces] built by gentlemen for gentlemen'… and not Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, or Winston Churchill, as claimed to this day by various online travel sites. In the end, it fell to Lonely Planet (if I remember correctly) to get at least the basic historical facts right… and that was enough for me to place a fragile, generic trust in the brand. What made the advice invaluable, however, was its applicability to almost any other sphere of life. Restaurant reviews, film reviews, car reviews, video-game reviews… whatever your fancy, if it concerns accuracy of information, or quality of opinion… all you have to do is examine the same source's take on a subject you already know. It was only recently, however, that I discovered its applicability to international news items about Malta. Let's face it, there haven't been a great many in the last few decades. Closing an eye at Papal visits, mass evacuations from Libya, and isolated events like the Bush-Gorbachev summit in 1990… not a very great deal that actually happens here can ever be expected to interest the international media. In fact, you almost have to go all the way back to 1942 to find Malta regularly featuring in the news… a classic case of 'no news is good news', if ever I saw one. Well, that seems to be slowly changing. In the last two years alone, there were at least two Malta-related issues that triggered widespread media interest in the rest of the world. And while the news may not be as bad as the Malta blitz… let's just say it is still the kind of media coverage we could well do without. The first was the 'Golden Passport' scheme, which elicited (and still elicits) Raphael Vassallo Virtù Ferries MaltaToday and Virtù Ferries have teamed up to take one lucky winner and a companion every week to Sicily, with two tickets to be won every week in our photography competition. Already been on holiday? Good: we're sending you back if your best photograph from your holidays and travels makes the cut. That's right: send us a good quality image of your holidays and we'll send the best one to the gateway of Italy with Virtù Ferries. Malta - Sicily Express Ferries For more information visit www.virtuferries.com or contact by telephone 23491000 RULES OF THE COMPETITION maltatoday Conditions apply: 1. Tickets for each week's competition can only be won by one person who submits one entry of a high-res image with description. Entrants with more than one entry WILL NOT be considered. Entrants must send a description of photo. 2. Winners will be informed before the end of the week, and then announced on maltatoday.com.mt and MaltaToday on Sunday. 3. By entering this offer, entrants consent to their photos being published and owned by Mediatoday Co Ltd. 4. The entrant with the best photograph will be awarded two (2) return tickets, valid for travel to any Virtù Ferries destination. Mediatoday's decision is final. 5. Tickets are issued free of charge, excluding port charges, and in accordance with Virtù Ferries' rules and regulations. All taxes and charges are to be paid accordingly by the winning entrant upon the issuance of tickets. 6. This offer is closed to employees and contributors of Mediatoday Co. Ltd and Virtù Ferries, or their family members. This week's theme: Travel SEND US PHOTOS FROM YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY PHOTO COMPETITION Photos should be a hi-res image (one per individual entry) with a sentence or two about what inspired you to take your photo. Entrants are kindly reminded not to send in personal family pictures that might be unrelated to theme subjects unless expressly requested. If sending a photo by post, address it to: 'MaltaToday photo competition', Mediatoday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann, SGN9016 Please supply your daytime telephone number, your name, your home address and an email address. Send the photo via email on info@mediatoday.com.mt [SUBJECT HEADING: MaltaToday photo competition] by next Friday at 9am. Themes may change from one week to the other This week's winner is CARMEN CACHIA ZAMMIT with his photo Lake Nakuru, Kenya