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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2016 26 Letters New guidelines on TV programmes dealing with the subject of adoption are set to strike a blow for Tista' Tkun Int, the sob-story TV sensation that has reunited adopted people with their real parents amongst other issues, by barring the airing of such programmes before the 9.00pm watershed. The chief executive of the Broadcast- ing Authority, Kevin Aquilina, has confirmed that any programme which will generally deal with the subject of adoption, can only be aired between 9.00pm and 6.00am. The decision affects Tista' Tkun Int, whose Sunday morning repeat of its Thursday primetime show, attracts audiences of 75,000-80,000. It is expected that, according to the new guidelines, the matinee repeat of Tista' Tkun Int will not be allowed to include any segments dealing with adoption. Presenter Rachel Vella said she was still looking at the guidelines, which previously only concerned a general prohibition on programmes which establish the identity of the natural parents of children. "We have in fact focused only on adopted children who are over the age of 18," Vella told MaltaToday on the programme's policy on adoption stories. But BA chief Kevin Aquilina said the new guidelines will now affect pro- grammes or any parts of programmes which "deal with the subject of adop- tion", including those involving people over the age of 18. "The guidelines already prohibit pro- grammes aimed establishing the iden- tity of the natural parents of children. Now if the person is also over 18, and therefore the programme is not even addressing children, then it cannot be aired before the 9.00pm watershed since this is a time when children are also watching." The earlier guidelines on the partici- pation of "vulnerable persons" on me- dia programmes required that children should be pre-screened by the state's welfare agency Appogg, to assess their psychological and emotional prepared- ness to deal with such a programme. The new guidelines, enforceable as from 2007, will also prohibit any programme promotions of such pro- grammes dealing with adoption from being broadcast before the watershed. Aquilina has confirmed the guide- lines will be enforceable if breached. "We have already recommended TV stations to commence implementation as of now, in preparation for 1 January 2007 when the guidelines come into force." The guidelines also find it "unaccep- table" for third parties to be mentioned in such programmes unless there is prior consent by these people. Accord- ing to the guidelines, family members cannot say that parents or siblings are no longer on speaking terms with them and that they would like to be recon- ciled with them, without prior consent by the allegedly estranged members. What tearjerkers are not allowed to broadcast Vulnerable individuals are considered to be children, senior citizens with certain problems, those involved in abusive sexual and emotional relationships, and some though not al, persons having mental or physical impairment, and also prisoners, refugees, and victims of drugs, alcohol and usury - No financial inducement for their participation - No close-ups, especially of facial/physi- cal defects – "an invasion of privacy" - No doorstepping or unauthorised approaching of vulnerable person or third parties for comments on the vulnerability of the person in question - No broadcast of adoption stories be- tween 6.00am-9.00pm - Qualified psychologists can advise against participation of such individu- als on TV - Children who refuse participation, irrespective of parents' consent, must have their wishes respected Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. New TV guidelines on collision course with Tista' Tkun Int 19 November 2006 Europe: problems to the left of it, problems to the right So Donald Trump is now in power as the ruler of the world's superpower. And how should we, as Europeans, view this four-year sojourn? To the right we have the Russian threat of Vladimir Putin and our energy security problems, which force us to rethink our rela- tions with other countries in the East; we have Eastern European member states who do not buy into the same liberalism that the Western member states have proudly upheld since WWII; we have the threat of the far-right in France; the pressures of refugee flows from Syria and their protec- tion sold off to the Turks, which are themselves reeling under the weight of the Erdogan 'dictator- ship'. Yes, this Europe is in trouble: a climate-change denier to the left of it, and the illiberal East to the right. The truth is that the EU is not working well for every European nation. The single currency has punished countries like Greece and turned it into a dependent nation of beggars. It has prized neoliberalism and big businesses at the expense of the more impor- tant social project. And we muddle through to- wards compromise because we are trying to fuse together the expectations of 28 governments' different electorates The solution: more democracy surely, a radical sort, the one which Eurogroup leaders refuse to have, the one we need so much inside the European Parliament to influence decisions at govern- ment and council level. Johann Larsen St Julian's Mother Teresa believed in God The exploits of Suami Sivananda (120 years) and athletic prow- ess of Sister Madonna Buder (86 years) spur me on to rectify some illusions J. Guillaumier peppers regularly in all English language newspapers, like when he refers to apparitions as hallucinations. The latest tirade was his over-zealous- ness to pinpoint a holy gaffe on the occasion of Mother Teresa's can- onisation process (Letter 25/9/16, Mother Teresa's dubious miracles). Sr Buder still runs the triathlon and trains spiritually and regularly in mind, body and soul. In my limited physical qualities (unlike the nun), I have to take the late train to enter into the melting pot again. I am compelled to point out that it is indeed unimaginative that two witnesses could hoodwink the monumental researches and severe scrutiny of such honest and competent judges. The information I have portrays quite a different story. Suffice it to say that in two years 177 wit- nesses were interrogated and 263 questions asked about episodes in her life and the heroic virtues. If I were to compile all the details, it would certainly become (muddled statistics) and boring reading. That would be the remotest augury for your readers. Instead I would like to present them with a far more pleasant, lighter vein. Time Magazine was wrong in asserting that Mother Teresa had her own doubts about the exist- ence of God. On the contrary, though having doubts in faith, she really did believe in the certainty that God would help her in her doubts. This was a fabrication by a tabloid publication which can never understand and fathom the experience all mystics go through when faith collides with the 'dark night' as a preamble to their 'radi- ant glorious dawn.' This deceptive reporting re- minds me of a witty joke: A boy asked his father 'Why does the cock crow at 8pm?' The father's quick reply was that it was the time Judas betrayed Jesus. The boy had another question for his father 'But the cock sometimes crows at 2am as well.' His father quipped 'That's the time the newspapers go to the press.' No offence intended, it's just a fantasy! John Azzopardi Zabbar Celestial promissory notes When I read history, I think of the millions of anonymous people who lived in medieval Eu- rope. Not a trace is left of them. Their remains were devoured by maggots centuries ago and their graves have vanished from the face of the earth. It is absurd to believe that these dead people will be "resur- rected". Only wishful thinking, and the innate self-importance of man could come up with such a preposterous and unnatural belief. In medieval Europe, millions of dead Christians were promised resurrection by priests as their corpses were lowered into the grave. They were never resur- rected, and were consigned, instead, to oblivion. Leonardo da Vinci accused the clergy of deceiving simple people with celestial promissory notes which they exchanged for the coinage of this world. Robert G. Ingersoll, an Ameri- can lawyer, quipped: "I have little confidence in any enterprise or business or investment that promises dividends only after the death of the stockholders." John Guillaumier St Julian's Eco-reduction During the programme "Il-Polz taċ-Ċittadin" aired on RTK on Friday, 21 October, a citizen asked how the eco-reduction is computed. For the benefit of this citizen and other listeners interested in the subject, ARMS Limited would like to clarify through the following explana- tion. The eco-reduction is computed as follows: one person who does not consume more than 2,000 annual electricity units, benefits from twenty-five percent (25%) on consumption. In case of more than one person, where every person does not consume more than 1,750 electricity units, the benefit is twenty-five percent (25%) on the first 1,000 annual electricity units and fifteen per- cent (15%) on the remaining 750 annual electricity units." Nikita Zammit Alamango Senior Manager Corporate Services, HR, Marketing & Communications, Arms Limited