-an OD of Love-

GOOD EVENING THIS IS CYPRUS CALLING..THESE ARE THE RESULTS OF THE CYPRIOT JURY...:) IN CYPRUS FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS BUT I'LL BE BACK SOON :) I try to keep you updated about this pretty country as much as possible

Take a good look at the family size & diet of each country , and the availability & cost of what is eaten in one week . Italy : The Manzo family of Sicily Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11 Germany : The Melander family of Bargteheide Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07 United States : The Revis family of North Carolina (Sure hope most American families eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less junk food than this family.) Food expenditure for one week $341.98 Mexico : The Casales family of Cuernavaca Food expenditure for one week: 1, 862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09 Poland : The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27 Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53 Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo Food expenditure for one week: $31.55 Bhutan : The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultr...

Tent cities have sprung up outside Los Angeles as people lose their homes in the mortgage crisis BBC reports in the first video and the other ones are amateur ones found on Youtube. within the next 5 years about 5 to 8 million americans will expeience at least one night of homelessness

The scene of devastation at Naxxar after a garage containing fireworks exploded demolishing three adjoining residences and taking two lives. Photo Victor Mercieca. When are we gonna learn? How many more lives need be sacrificed before someone takes action on people playing carelessly with the production of fireworks? How many more tragedies before the situation is grabbed by its horns. Adding to the long line of catastrophes caused by fireworks, we just had another tragedy which has taken the life of innocent victims. I can still see the face of the people who lived close to the place of the tragedy. A husband and father of two little children have lost everything they possessed simply because someone thought that keeping fireworks mixtures in a garage next door was a good thing to do. His body was trembling and he was trying to conquer his shock as he tried to tell his story, but he looked lost even if he was a few metres away from what was his family dwelling in Triq id-Dgħejf, Nax...

- and it certainly wasn't cheap at £20,000. The fan, known only by his online identity "bossnour", won a charity auction on eBay in support of Oxfam. The mystery bidder will join the 23-year-old actress at the world premiere of her new film, He's Just Not That Into You, in July. He or she will have their hair and make-up done and be chauffeured to the event with a guest. They will then meet the star of Lost In Translation and The Other Boleyn Girl. "This was a brilliant idea and has proved incredibly popular," said a spokesman for Oxfam. Would you pay £20,000? "To get £20,000 for a 20-minute date and a pair of tickets to help us fight poverty is fantastic. "All of this money will be used to help us fight poverty in countries all over the world." The winner's full identity has not been revealed but according to their eBay profile, "bossnour" is based in Cheshire.

No it's not a joke. You still have a little more then 8 hours to bid for a date with Scarlett Johansson by bidding on Ebay. All proceeds go to OxFam . The winner get 2 tickets for the premier He’s Just Not That Into You in June 2009. The winner and guest will walk with her on the red carpet. click here to participate in this good deed .

I like the way some young kids love to play shop; and it is funny how they hardly ever say 'Let's play supermarkets! Some kids have never been inside a small old-fashioned grocer, and yet their imaginations tell them to set up a counter, sell goods on one side, and buy them on the other side. It's so deep within us that science might discover a gene for it.Supermarket owners insist that they only give us what we want - though nobody I have ever met actually enjoys shopping in a supermarket. I suppose that we want, or think we want, is cheap food. As someone who tries to avoid going and shop from a supermarket, I think differently. I look for the little grocery shops and vegetable vendors and it is a different story to when it comes to meat because I am lucky enough that I know some butcher and most of them breed and raise their own cows, chickens and pigs. I realized I look for places where I would like to do my own shopping. Places that are little island in the sea of co...

Tuesday, 11th March 2008 - 18:10CET Gonzi makes triumphant return to Castille Lawrence Gonzi made a triumphant return to the Auberge de Castille this afternoon after having been sworn in for his second term as Prime Minister a few minutes earlier. He arrived outside the Office of the Prime Minister amid cheers by a large crowd which had been waiting in a cold wind as he walked slowly from the Palace, greeting hundreds of supporters who lined the street. Dr and Mrs Gonzi arrived at the top of the stairs outside Castille at 6 p.m. and stopped to take a picture with their family before entering the building. Waiting inside were the newly-elected Nationalist MPs and the staff of the Office of the Prime Minister. Dr Gonzi and Mrs Gonzi appeared in the building's central window within a few minutes, throwing the crowd into fresh cheers as they waved from a rostrum which enabled them to stand on the window in full view of the people who blared horns, waved...

Tuesday, 11th March 2008 - 16:45CET Gonzi sworn in as celebrations continue Lawrence Gonzi has been sworn in as Prime Minister by President Eddie Fenech Adami in the Palace, bringing to a close a five week process which started in the same building where Dr Gonzi advised the President to dissolve Parliament and call the general election. The short ceremony took place as a crowd of Nationalist Party supporters waited quietly outside, waving Maltese, EU and PN flags. The fact that the ceremony was delayed to today meant that the crowd was smaller than is usually the case, with many having returned to work after the "election weekend". The oath of office read: “I, Lawrence Gonzi, solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously perform my duties as Prime Minister in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of Malta, without fear or favour, So help me God.” Dr Gonzi then read the oath of allegiance: "I Lawrence Gonzi, solemnly swe...

Monday, 10th March 2008 - 16:48CET Harry Vassallo to submit his resignation Harry Vassallo, leader of Alternattiva Demokratika, has announced he will submit his resignation from the chairmanship of the party at its next meeting next month. AD polled just 3,810 votes nation-wide last Saturday, equivalent to 1.31 percent of the total vote. The party got 0.68 percent of the vote in the 2003 election (when it actually campaigned for number 2 votes) and 1.21 percent in the 1998 elections. Dr Vassallo admitted that the party had expected much better this time around. He said he would submit his resignation but would stay on if the party so requested him, although he would prefer to work as a foot soldier. Dr Vassallo said the electoral law needed to be reformed because although AD had won the equivalent of a quota, it would not be represented in Parliament. There was also a need for election debate to focus on issues of substance rather than personalities, he s...

Monday, 10th March 2008 - 13:10CET Gonzi calls for calm, good natured celebrations Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has made his first public appearance since the Nationalist Party declared its election victory yesterday. He appeared on the balcony of the newly-built PN headquarters to acknowledge the cheers and applause of hundreds of supporters who crammed the square in front of the headquarters. A banner hanging from the balcony carried Dr Gonzi’s picture and “Grazzi” (thank you). Dr Gonzi was accompanied by his wife Kate and their children, deputy leader Tonio Borg and general secretary Joe Saliba. Many supporters had earlier made their way to Valletta where they expected Dr Gonzi to be sworn in, but the ceremony was put off when it was decided that since the PN had not won an absolute majority of votes, the swearing-in ceremony should follow the completion of the vote-counting process. In a few comments, Dr Gonzi thanked the people, saying he especial...

Monday, 10th March 2008 - 13:49CET Gonzi reacts to Sant's resignation Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in a first reaction to Alfred Sant's resignation, has thanked the MLP leader for the energy he put into the service of the country. Speaking to reporters at PN headquarters, Dr Gonzi said Dr Sant and himself had a relationship of mutual respect, and he regarded Dr Sant as a worthy political adversary. He wished him well. Replying to questions, Dr Gonzi said it was too early for him to comment on the formation of the Cabinet, but the priorities of the new government would be to build on the success achieved over the past few years. An "exciting adventure" lay ahead for Malta, he said. Dr Gonzi made it a point to thank his parents. He said his father had suffered a cold but was now fine. (There had been speculation that he was in hospital).

Monday, 10th March 2008 - 11:23CET Alfred Sant resigns with immediate effect In a press conference , Alfred Sant has submitted his "irrevocable" resignation from MLP leader. Alfred Sant thanked all those who helped throughout the Labour campaign. He said Lawrence Gonzi has a big responsibility, since this is one country and nobody should be discriminated against. When asked his opinion about the electoral defeat, he said that the factor of 'power of incumbency' was present. Sant added that for the time being he will remain a Member of Parliament, until further discussions with the new Labour leader.

Monday, 10th March 2008 - 03:28 Labour concedes election defeat The Labour Party has conceded electoral defeat, PN general secretary Joe Saliba said. He said at the counting hall in Naxxar that after all figures were confirmed, the party had contacted him to concede the election. The difference between the parties was of 1,500 votes.

PN WINS jubilation, time to celebrate...

Posted 21:37: The PN has won by a relative majority and will be have more seat than the MLP which in fact won a majority of seats. Posted 21:25 : PN win election 2008 by slimmest of margins Joe Saliba announces that the PN won the election by 1,200 votes. Posted 21.12: First count votes 6th District Mlp Charles Mangion 3845 Posted: 21.10: F irst count votes: 8th District MLP John Buttigieg 22 5th District Silvio Izzi Savona 551 4th District Karl Chircop 4371 Posted 20:58: First count votes 5th District AD Patrick Attard 224 AN Anthorny Mercieca 96 MLP Joe Farrugia 821 MLP Farrugia Migneco Ancel 264 6th District Gavin Gulia 290 8th District AD Mario Mallia 75 AD Harry Vassallo 313 Posted 20:55: Roderick Galdes (MLP) obtained 1634 first-count votes on the Sixth Electoral District Posted 20:54: Speaking to journalists, PN deputy leader Tonio Borg urged caution. None of the parties will make an official declaration before the first count ends and the votes are counted. He said this urge ...

but the maltese people are still waiting and in the meantime I have become the unhappy uncle of three sheepish 'lion cubs'

and WAITING... and WAITING... and WAITING... and WAITING... and WAITING... and WAITING... and WAITING... and WAITING... for some news... for the last 14 hours... in the meantime, I’ve run out of fingernails to bite and I ate every chocolate bar in the house and drank gallons of coffee. My neighbour son is giving birth to 'lion cubs'(sheepish ones:)).

Thanks to Jacques Zammit the following is a poem by Antoine Cassar JUM IR-RIFLESSJONI Għada l-elezzjoni… Jiena, Malti ta’ barra u barrani ta’ ġewwa, wara nofs ħajja f’eżilju bl-addoċċ nissindika mill-bogħod, jirriżulta li għada se nixħet għall-ewwel darba l-vot. Jum ir-riflessjoni… Passiġġata fil-Belt, qassata, ir-rassa tan-nies, paqqa wara paqqa, nieqaf ħa nieħu nifs fejn it-teatru mwaqqa’ biex bilqiegħda il-kummiedja nosserva. Tant tgħallimt u tħawwadt mit-tagħjir u l-għajat bla għadd li ħsiebi rabba s-sura ta’ qrun iċ-ċerva… waqt li f’qorrigħat in-nies nissemma’ bejn il-partiti jissokta t-tpartit ta’ semm is-suppervja. Mur semma’ leħnek f’nofs dil-ħerba, frattarija u ċaqċiq! Għada nivvota nixtieq… Nivvota nixtieq, f’pajjiż fejn l-ilsna klubija ma jaħlux ta’ kuljum ir-riq isewdu t-triq bi mxija li minnha ħadd ma jfiq… Nivvota nixtieq, f’pajjiż fejn il-blu jfisser baħar u sema u xejn iżjed minn baħar u sema, fejn l-aħmar ma jfissirx dmija, fejn fil-kamra ta’ l-imtallgħa darba, darbtej...

thanks to Jacques Zammit