Kaleidoscope

I present to you today something unusual that you can enjoy for a long time. Some of us may remember it as a toy, but when it's done with precision, it is a marvel to behold, as you can see from the image presented here.  A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces or mirrors tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more parts of objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when viewed from the other end, due to repeated reflection. The term "kaleidoscope" was coined by its Scottish inventor David Brewster, and the first patent was granted on July 10, 1817. He experimented with glass, mirrors and other gadgets to create his finished product, which was perfected over the past 200 years. Enjoy what you see, as the image changes constantly. Make sure to put the image on Full Screen.

Mark Cavendish – Record Breaker

Mark Cavendish rejoicing on the finish line yesterday.

I follow cycling passionately and nothing can excite you more than seeing a record broken in one of the cycling races taking place throughout the year. One of the most cherished records was held by Eddy Merckx who had won 34 stages of the Tour de France. He was an all-rounder, so he sprinted, he climbed and won regularly. Many people thought that such a record can never be broken. A cyclist who wins one or more stages is considered a hero, and so when British sprinter Mark Cavendish kept winning stage after stage in sprints, his stage wins were climbing slowly into the 20s, and 30s. By the time he reached 32, many thought he would retire. But then came win number 33, and 2 years ago, came number 34 to tie Eddy Merckx’s immortal tally. Yesterday was stage 5 of this year’s Tour de France, and it was a flat stage, which means that the sprinters would have the upper hand at the finish. And sure enough Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory representing the Astana team, breaking an almost 50 year-old record. Let’s not forget that he also won 17 stages in the Giro d’Italia and 3 stages in the Vuelta of Spain over the last 15 years. Yesterday he was embraced by every other cyclist, especially his team-mates, but especially by his wife and 4 children who went on the stage when he was presented with the 5th stage medal. Mark may win again today as it’s a flat stage, but when it comes to mountain stages, he suffers a lot, and presently he is over an hour behind the present leader Tadei Pogacar of Slovenia. So, today we are honored to say to you ‘Hail Mark!’

Twilight in St Julian’s

One of the most picturesque scenes in Malta is in my hometown of St. Julian’s, officially called Spinola Bay. It used to be a fishing village with a few fishermen earning their livelihood through fishing. Nowadays it is just a tourist attraction, although the few boats you see in the bay belong to local folks, who may go out on a brief fishing trip once in while. But all in all, the entire bay is now filled and surrounded by restaurants, snack bars, souvenir shops and some hotels. Yet as twilights approaches, the place comes alive and stays alive until 5 am the next day. 

With an entertainment zone a few hundreds yards away, known as Paceville, many young people spend the evening and early morning in clubs, bars and socializing with friends. When I once asked my brother to drive me through around 8 PM to see what the place looks like, he said ‘Julian, if you don’t go after 10 PM, you won’t see anybody there!’ And he was right because the next morning I went down there to take photos of  the sunrise, and several young people were going home, exhausted, hobbling and despondent, probably drunk, or maybe even drugged. These two photos were taken an hour apart.

Iceland

My nephew and his wife went on a holiday to Iceland this past week, and they found a new world which we don’t see that often. I share with you today some of the photos they sent me, with no particular theme or order but just some scenic views that are breath-taking. Iceland has been the subject of various volcanic eruptions recently, mostly in the south-western area, and the lava that flowed out of the volcano destroyed a whole village. 

Iceland has a population bigger than Malta, at 399,189, with Malta now hovering around 500,000. Compared to our tiny Malta with 122 square miles area, Iceland has 39,817 square miles, the majority of it arid land, mountains and icy terrain. 

Blessed Nazju Falzon

The Maltese Islands today celebrate the feast of a holy cleric who was loved and cherished especially by the British sailors who happen to be stationed in Malta. Back in 2001, Pope St. John Paul II beatified three holy people in Malta. The first one was St George Preca, eventually canonized in 2007, the second one was the mystic Blessed Adeodata Pisani, a Benedictine nun, and the third one was Blessed Nazju (Ignatius) Falzon. He was born on July 1, 1813. He had three brothers, two of whom became lawyers and later priests. He studied for the priesthood, received the minor orders like tonsure and acolyte, but was never ordained a priest as he felt he was not worthy to celebrate the Eucharist. He learned how to speak English and taught catechism to young children as well as sailors and soldiers, since Malta was still a British colony and many of them were present in Malta. They trusted him with leaving personal belongings with him, as they feared not surviving during their travels and war-time confrontations. This way he would pass on these belongings to their respective families. Nazju Falzon was also available to give advice about legal matters without any payment, although he never actually practiced as a lawyer. He also helped many sailors and soldiers who were Anglican and used to gather them in a Jesuit church, close to the University of Malta. Some of them converted and even became priests. He published a magazine entitled “The Comfort of the Christian Soul.” He was well loved and many people found comfort and protection with him. He died on his birthday, July 1, 1865, when he turned 52. His process of beatification started in 1882 and was declared Servant of God in 1889. But 100 more years had to pass for him to be proclaimed Venerable. Then he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in May 2001, after another miracle through his intercession was approved by the Vatican.