text:
at from my experiences which started with my first visit in 1955; two visits in
1956/7 to and from the Suez War; a draft to Lascaris 1957-1959; a visit
en-route to Singapore in 1966 [home via Panama Canal in 1968]; a visit in 1970 en-route
to Singapore [home via Beira Patrol and The Cape]; two visits to and from the Far East in 1977/78
GROUP 6 Deployment as a FOF2 sea rider
and a nostalgic holiday in February 2004.
and DID YOUR ENJOY YOUR TIME THERE?
You bet!
Very Happy Times
but then again I was young and foolish some of that time, probably even foolhardy !
Today tourists wander around to say the least, a claustrophobic environment dictated by financial survival and keeping north African refugees at bay so as not to spoil what fun is left on these lovely islands
Before I begin, have you ever wondered why MALTA, of all places, has never been 'rewarded' by the British calling one of their major ships H.M.S. MALTA? Some would argue that MELITA and MALTA are synonymous claiming that it was the Romans who named Malta so because it was a rock on which honey was made and this {green border} is taken from 'Malta and the Romans' site:
|Malta given the status of Municipium with autonomy for local government. During this era Malta is known in the Roman world for the production of textiles, in particular, sail cloth, and for the production of honey (possibly giving Malta its present name - deriving from the Latin name for honey).
|Honey Sweet
The only problem with that is shown above {red border}, because it would appear that Melita is Greek and not Latin. I had to "lead you in" this way, because in 1888 and again in 1942, the Navy had a ship called HMS Melita, the latter {'42} an Algerine class minesweeper, and, although it doesn't appear to have ever been to Malta, an Algerine called HMS Gozo did. However, HMS Melita is not HMS Malta. So back to why such a ship has never been named. I found the answer quite by accident when looking for a different and unrelated subject. Just imagine, if they had built them, they would have been the biggest ships in the RN - a kind of a 'salute' for all that Malta suffered for the sake [and support] of the allies against the axis forces. That cleared up we can now start the story.
was the only place in the world, where sailors in ships of the Royal Navy lived and worked in full view of the civilian population on a twenty four hour a day basis. It nearest rival was Hong Kong where HMS Tamar [the local RN Shore Base] was in the centre of town and warships berthed at her jetties in full view of the passing traffic and the industrious Chinese population. In the UK, Portsmouth and to a lesser extent Gosport were places where civilians could view warships whilst crossing the harbour in the passenger ferries or by walking on the Gosport Hard. Portland in Dorset, provided a panoramic view of ships in the harbour, albeit distant, and ships using Londonderry were berthed in the River Foyle alongside the public road. All other ports had certain restrictions which prohibited civilians from observing at close quarters and these included Ireland Island in Bermuda; Singapore Naval Base, always abbreviated to SNB; Rosyth [East Scotland] Faslane and Rhu Narrows [West Scotland]; Chatham; Aden; Gibraltar and Devonport [Plymouth] although some might argue that the Hoe gives one an excellent view of passing warships navigating around Drakes Island and of course, the viewing point at Stonehouse's Devils point just cannot be beaten to view passing warships close up. That may be true, but the view cannot be compared with the view one gets standing on the Round Tower at Portsmouth!
Malta also could claim to be the leader in notoriety! Not too long after the war, Malta, despite its crown as a race of deeply religious people appeared [at least to sailors] to allow Strait Street [Strada Stretta], the 'GUT' to set-up and operate with the minimal interference from the police and from the naval provost: click for extra info. For those of you who never experienced this place of iniquity, it has not, nor did it ever have, an equal when it came bars, clubs, mini-dance halls grouped together in a long but unbelievably narrow street [10 foot from bar door to bar door across the street] which attracted just about every sailor in Malta no matter what Creek their ships was anchored in, and that you can safely measure in the thousand's in the 1950's, this despite poor pay. This picture shows my pay in 1958 which as a killick was 25/- per day [£1.25] . It was a wild place and it very often got out of hand so much so, that it wasn't uncommon for a large ship to be denied entry into Malta until a large ship already there had sailed, as it were, to make room for more riotous and unruly behavior. Strangely there were few girls, and none of them pretty, in fact quite the opposite. It was a place where sexual favours might be given which didn't involve the women's body, except for her hand of course! [me in the GUT Feb 2004 taken by my wife] Thus, the sailors went there to DRINK and that they did without reserve. Drink, as always, led to arguments and then to fights. Whilst fights are not unusual, Malta was unique in that ships companies joined in the fight wholesale to support their man who had provoked an argument, and destroyer crew against destroyer crew was always a possibility. They didn't fight about women; there was none in Malta, not that sort anyway, so they fought over status exhibiting sheer aggression the likes of which we see today on Saturday nights in our towns and cities but no longer in our Navy. If you wanted a peaceful run-ashore [relatively peaceful that is] you opted for the bars along the Barbary Coast, Valletta bars away from Strait Street and Gzira front bars, although that was 'destroyer ally' bearing in mind that destroyers berthed in Sliema Creek. To make matters worse, there was a miniature GUT in Floriana, but its small size was less of an attraction than its 'big brother'. Floriana's 'gut' was called the Balzunetta, or Barcelonetta and was right next to the Maglio Gardens. Malta's problem was obvious - no girls, but the boys wanted to play and play hard, and this they did night after night leaving behind broken furniture, broken human bodies and enough broken glass to feed a recycling machine. By and large, the sailors who were based in Malta, ashore or afloat, did not frequent this den of iniquity except for the occasional giggle, and the customers came in droves from visiting ships, whose hapless landed shore patrol soon lost control. This type of clientele was not necessarily good for the bar keepers because when the ships went to sea the bars were empty for lengthy periods. As a comparison, Gibraltar was tame although I don't think the Master-at-Arms in HMS Rooke would readily agree. There is no famous or infamous drinking area in that Port although of course there are many bars, some with more dubious reputations than others. Excellent runs ashore like Naples and Beirut in the Lebanon [before the Christians and Moslems tore it apart] had girls, so drink was moderated by their presence. Further afield, Singapore had Boogis Street but few if any sailor took it seriously as other than a 'viewing gallery' for weirdo's. Regularly, accompanied men would take their wives there for a quick peep before going off to Orchard Street for dinner. Certainly notorious drinking areas in Singapore town didn't make sense because of the distance, approximately 12 miles back north to the naval base, and anyway the three villages of Sembawang, Chong Pang and Neesoon did for outside the base, whilst inside there were many clubs in which one could let ones hair down, with an easy walk back to barracks [HMS Terror] or your ship. Singapore had the girls. Hong Kong had the girls sustained by the area immediately outside the main gates of HMS Tamar known as Wanchai [no such overt place today - new image and all that] and the China Fleet Club right next door. I was there many times and it was better than Singapore as a local run ashore, but it had a name around the Fleet without substance: it was almost romantic whereas Malta was a man's place and best not forget that. Just the other side of the China Fleet Club was the biggest police station you have ever seen where the officers were British and the policemen Chinese: they didn't tolerate bad behavior. If the truth were known, sailors in Hong Kong drank in the Fleet Club or the Wanchai bars because everywhere else in town was too expensive. Now back home to the UK still looking for a comparison with Malta. All UK ports had girls, so again, the comparison with Malta is hard to make. To my knowledge Portsmouth's bars were too well spread out to form a 'hot drinking spot', although in the 1950's Queens Street and The Hard had some good pubs and virtually outside the main barrack and main dockyard gates. Chatham, Portland, Rosyth, Faslane, Londonderry, Penarth had bars frequented by Royal sailors, but no one name has been handed down for posterity as being a must for visitors to those ports. That leaves Devonport, and for this purpose, Plymouth, for there, for the first time, we come close to, but no where near, Malta. Plymouth, from Drakes Circus to Stonehouse has a street called Union Street which sailors immortalized as Union Straza. There, every evening things got 'noisy' and west country cider helped the show along. It always amazed and amused me that despite having too much to drink, we always ended up outside the dockyard gates purchasing glass pint bottles of milk, oggies or pasties which we consumed on the long walks back to our ships or barracks. No other naval place on earth had such a end-of-evening nightcap. The many oggie stalls at the two Devonport dockyard main gates [Albert and St Levan's] must have had till takings near to those of some of the Staza's bars. SO! Malta is unique. How do I know all this? I was in the Navy at the right time, at the right places at the right age, and I observed the goings on performed by my mess mates - I didn't perform myself of course!!! Whoops! Nearly forgot the American Navy equivalent, another Klondike of a place now also long gone. Its name was Olongapo at Subic Bay in the Philippines. My submarine used to operate with the USN and we visited Subic several times. That was a Malta with the girls - think about it!
Again, Malta, because of its Grand Harbour and its many creeks in which our ships were berthed just a few tens of metres away from passers-by, was probably the most photographed "naval" environment in the world, and almost countless snap-shots must be tucked away in personal albums, adding to the many official photographic records that exist for posterity. I mention that fact because with so many photographs in existence it is difficult for any one person to claim a copyright. Recently, during my February 2004 visit, I was able to procure photographs from several sources to use on this web page. I am grateful to Emmanuel Abela of St.Andrews, an Established Maltese [that means he worked for the Admiralty, under-went an apprenticeship in the dockyard and unlike Un-Established Maltese people, was awarded a retirement pension]: additionally, I include some my wife and I took.
Although I am too young to talk about the second world war, Malta historians use the war as a watershed, and the post war Malta is very much different to pre war Malta. Therefore, I am referring to post-war [even though the table below starts in 1939] and I am going to begin with a list of Admirals, and in one case an Admiral of the Fleet, who were the Commanders-in-Chief in the Mediterranean and who were based in Malta, although during the Suez War of 1956, the C-in-C moved his Flag to Cyprus - see Bits and pieces Volume V item Number 4 - see also my home page http://www.godfreydykes.info for many other navy/communication branch pages. Two points here. Firstly, I am not aiming to state whether the Flag was ashore or afloat, thinking particularly about HMS Surprise but also of capital ships, and secondly, whereas it is traditional to show decorations and medals, I am omitting these for brevity.
|Sir Andrew Cunningham
|Acting Admiral
|Sir Henry Harwood
|Admiral of the Fleet
|Sir Andrew Cunningham *# @
|Sir John Cunningham *
|Sir Algernon Willis
|Sir Arthur Power
|Sir John Edelsten Sir John on HMS Surprise awarding regatta prizes
|Lord Louis Mountbatten
|Sir Guy Grantham
|Sir Ralph Edwards
|Sir Charles Lambe
|Sir Alexander Bingley
|Sir Deric Holland-Martin
|1964 - 1967
|Sir John Hamilton
Sir Andrew and Sir John were not related. As Sir John followed Sir
Andrew in Malta in 1943, so again Sir John [now an Admiral of the Fleet]
took over from Sir Andrew in
1946 as the First Sea Lord.
# Sir Andrew was known throughout the navy as ABC, so there was never any doubt as to which of the Cunnigham's one was talking about! His Name was Andrew Browne Cunningham.
|Flag Officers Malta/Commander British Forces Malta
|Rear Admiral
|D.L. Davenport
|Rear Admiral
|D.G. Kent
|Rear Admiral
|J.A. Templeton-Cotill
|Rear Admiral
|D.A. Loram
|Rear Admiral
|O.N.A. Cecil
Although it is now 25 years since the British pulled-out of Malta, much remains of the original infrastructure which today [February 2004] is either in an unused dilapidated condition, or is in the process of being transferred to organisations whose intentions are to refurbish to add to the growing list of tourist attractions. However, do not waste your time looking for HMS Falcon at Hal Far in the extreme southeast corner of the Island whose former runways are now roads, nor HMS Phoenicia on Manoel Island in Gzira near Sliema now out of bounds whilst the former naval establishment and its family lido are being converted to the Royal Yacht Club Marina, or the old Corradino Canteen for example in Grand Harbour's French Creek, but do bother to go and see the old WRNS quarters Whitehall Mansions [Msida] which is now much beautified and in full time use.
For better viewing I have added large GIF's which you can navigate by using your scrollbars. However, large pictures need lots of RAM, so if you have lots of it, and remember you can increase it by doing a restart before you view this page then choose the GIF. Where a GIF has been published I have included a smaller JPG alongside it which requires less RAM to open. A GIF has the letter 'G' to the right and a JPG the letter 'J' to the right.
Whitehall Mansions in 2004 G J
More of these places later.
and of historic significance [for TWO reasons]
The last major group of Royal Navy ships to visit Malta was in 1978, just a few months before closure - reason 1.
Group 6 Deployment under Rear Admiral Martin La Touche Wemyss, flying his Flag in the cruiser HMS Tiger [MMWS] commanded by Captain G.M.K. Brewer Royal Navy and consisting of:-
HMS Cleopatra [GMLU]
- Captain J.M. Webster Royal Navy
visited Malta en-route home from the Far East having executed what was in effect, a Silver Jubilee showing the Flag tour of East of Suez countries.
All eight ships entered Grand Harbour with Tiger and the RFA's at buoy's and the frigates at buoy's in Dockyard Creek.
I was the FCRS on Admiral Wemyss's Staff embarked in HMS Tiger.
Reason 2
The day of sailing had been well published, and since it was to be the last departure of a large group of ships, all Grand Harbour viewing areas were crowded. From Senglea to Kalkara [Ricasoli Point] and from Lascaris to St Elmo Point few spaces were left vacant.
Mohawk was moored in Dockyard Creek ahead of Rhyl, waiting to slip after Tiger had cleared ahead of her. Rhyl slipped early forcing Mohawk to slip early and move out into Grand Harbour where her passage was blocked by Tiger. Once into Grand Harbour Mohawk attempted to turn to port and then to fall in line astern of the column. Unfortunately Mohawk got it wrong and finished up on Customs House steps with the port anchor ready to let go hanging over the jetty almost hitting a enthusiastic photographer. This was the only time in 180 years of British naval presence in Malta that a dghajsas was seen to aquaplane! Mohawk suffered damage to her bows just above the water line but was able to proceed under reduced speed and manoeuvring which prevented the ship taking part in exercises en-route to Gibraltar and thence home to Devonport. The damage was confined to the space below the paint locker and there was a small charge for being allowed to look down into "Neptunes Grotto" which was put into the guide dogs for the blind charity. Mohawk's Commanding Officer Commander Richard Cobbold Royal Navy eventually attained the rank of Rear Admiral. One lasting memory for those watching must have been of the ratings lining Tiger's flight deck taking several paces backwards as Mohawk plunged towards Tiger, and of RFA Regent giving Mohawk three cheers as they sailed past.
Flag Officer Malta/Commander British Forces Malta, Rear Admiral Cecil sent a suitable signal to our boss Rear Admiral Weymss.
As the very last GROUP of Royal Navy warships to leave Malta and Grand Harbour, we certainly did it in great STYLE!!
Note: The internal happenings in HMS Mohawk and the observations made from the ship after the events describe above, were kindly made known to me by the Radio Supervisor of the ship, Radio Supervisor David Askew. Thank you David for sharing this information.
Perhaps I should say at this point that whereas many R.N., ships [tens upon tens of them] have visited Malta since its closure as a naval base in 1979, the Malta these young sailors see does not compare with the Malta of my subject. Therefore, I am writing this for all who served in Malta before its closure. Malta, despite its proven loyalty and overt friendship to the Royal Navy, has, like several other geographical areas/ports around the world, a hang-up when it comes to nuclear, and no nuclear submarine has ever visited Malta. That might be understandable, but a farcical event took place involving 'anti-nuclear demonstrators' when in June 1988 HMS Ark Royal was denied entry into Grand Harbour and had to anchor in St Paul's Bay just 16-odd miles further West: Valletta's loss and Bugibba's gain! These same demonstrators were obviously away from the Island on holiday in the summers of 1993 and 1994 for Ark Royal entered Grand Harbour with the usual pomp in full procedure Alfa.
It is extremely important to understand Malta's position today as it nears its membership of the European Union in May 2004. To do this I have added here a little potted history which most of you will know, so it is intended not to teach [or preach!!] but to dust away the cob-webs.
spot is it where the Fleet doth lie,
At anchor 'neath a cloudless sky,
Where Jack can't keep his 'mouthpiece' dry?
- It's Malta!
What place is it where the winds can blow,
Which Isle is this where Younger's stout,
Where can the eye with rapture gaze -
Where is it where the glaring sun
What blot is this upon the map
from the Nautical Gazette No8 June 1925
Strada is the Valletta Gut!
Contrary to popular belief, the relationship between the Maltese people and we the Brits, has been 'stormy' for many a long year. Certainly, in your own time serving in Malta whether pre or post war, and for that matter whether that war was the first or second, you may have experienced some civil unrest and outward hostility towards the British. In my time, I was stationed ashore at HMS Phoenicia/Lascaris Wireless when Don Mintoff's followers rioted in 1958. The troubles started in 1919 and riots broke out resulting in the shooting dead of four Maltese persons. 1921 saw the Maltese in a self-governing role in local matters whilst the British controlled matters of imperial concern, but after years of arguing between the pro-British and pro-Italian factions mainly about the language question whereby Italian was used in the courts and ordinary Maltese people did not understand what was being said about them, the British suspended the Maltese constitution in 1930. In 1932 it was restored but suspended a year later in 1933. The Maltese did not regain internal self-government until 1947. However, in 1934 the British ordered that Maltese should be the official language in the courts which greatly pleased Maltese people. Two years later in 1936, English became the official language of Malta for administration reasons in addition to Maltese in the courts. With the language problem solved, Maltese schools engaged themselves in teaching Maltese and English as main curricula subject. This did not please the Nationalist politicians who used Italian for their rallying. Italian fascists under Mussolini supported their cause. When war broke out 42 Maltese Nationalist politicians were deported to Uganda for the duration. After the war they all returned safely to Malta, one of them, Dr Enrico Mizzi, becoming the Prime Minister in 1950. When Italy entered the war in 1940 and subsequently bombed Malta, any love of the Italians and their language soon evaporated. In 1943, 28 Italian warships were brought to Maltese harbours/creeks when the Italian Armistice was signed. Two Maltese men had very different ideas about Malta's future. Giorgio Borg Olivier wanted Dominion status [Malta to have full Dominion rights] but Don Mintoff wanted Integration with Britain, whereby Malta would have 3 MP's in the House of Commons in London. Britain liked the idea, but the Maltese Nationalists opposed it, and the Church of Malta strongly rejected the idea thinking that British Protestantism might affect the staunchly Catholic Islands. In 1956, whilst we were addressing the 'Egyptian problem', Malta held a referendum. The Nationalists boycotted it and the Church 'engineered' a NO VOTE, this despite that the majority of those that did vote, voted in favour of Integration. During my time in the Island in 1958, Don Mintoff fell out with the Church and with Britain and resigned. The British Governor took power to maintain law and order and the Constitution was revoked in 1959. Malta was now run by an Executive Council. In 1961 self-government was restored and Borg Olivier was returned in 1962 helped greatly by the Church of Malta. Soon after in 1964, Malta won its independence within the Commonwealth. Thus Her Majesty The Queen remained the Head of State of Malta with an appointed Governor General acting in her name living on the Island. Malta aspired to even greater things and now wanted economic independence also. Malta signed an agreement with Britain to receive £M50 [part loan] over a period of 10 years in return for the continuing use of the military bases on the Island. Traditionally dependent on British military spending Malta had now to diversify its economy, and set about encouraging tourism and manufacturing. Then the beginning of the final phase began when in 1967 Britain announced massive and rapid defence cuts for the Island affecting all aspects of Maltese workers working for the Admiralty. The people of Malta were quite naturally concerned and negotiated with the British to slow down the timetable of cut-backs. This Britain agreed to do. In 1971 Don Mintoff became Prime Minister and predictably informed us that the Defence and Assistance Agreement would be cancelled UNLESS it was substantially revised in Malta's favour. Britain was unimpressed but Mintoff played on NATO fears that Malta might instead become a base for hostile forces. In 1972 Britain agreed that Malta was to receive an annual payment of £M14 from combined NATO and UK sources. In December 1974 when Malta became a Republic with a Maltese President as Head of State, it retained its Commonwealth membership. It is well known that in 1979, the last of the British Forces left the Island, and in the case of the Royal Navy manifest in the sailing of HMS London from Dockyard Creek. However, what might not be known is the way Malta played her International Card. For many years, Malta had been the home of the British Forces in the Mediterranean and was therefore agreeing, albeit reluctantly, to being in-arms with the British militarily. In 1979, Malta declared to the World that from henceforward, she would be completely NEUTRAL in all matters of war and that the United Nations would record a Declaration of Non-Alignment. Malta entrenched this article into her constitution.
It would appear that many Maltese people have been told about the 'Irish Fortune' and how joining the European Community acted as a panacea to all her ill's. They have been told that Malta too will see dynamic changes in her economy and moreover, that they will become a rich country without the need to rely on her two [current] 'dollar-earners', namely tourism [many hotel beds remain empty throughout the year] - and light manufacturing [13,000 are currently unemployed which is worrying for the economy]. During my recent visit I got to talking with a Maltese lady who was clearly older than myself. Her father had been a doctor on the island and moreover, one of the first British trained medical men. I got to talking about tourism and did she think that joining the EU would bring in more visitors. I was quite surprised to hear that during the 1920's and 1930's many British tourists came to Malta for a summer holiday and brought in important currency. However there were two problems in Malta in those days. Firstly that local Maltese people tried to outdo the established British breweries by making their own concoction to sell to the sailors at a knock-down price. When the fleet came into port and the sailors money ran low, they would drink this local brew at a few pennies a glass. The brew caused wide spread temporary blindness and all kinds of other ailments which both naval and civilian doctors treated. One was chronic liver disease and the other was DT's, or delirium tremens. Secondly, when we talk about 'Maltese Tummy' today we talk about being temporarily incapacitated. In the 1920's and 1930's British holiday makers caught Maltese Fever or Brucellosis which would always leave its mark and regularly killed those infected. It was transmitted by using raw goats milk - ugh!
To those who know Malta but haven't returned recently, I can tell you that very little has changed from the 1950's and the place still presents itself as a loveable sleepy backwater. A good 80% of her public transport has not changed in 50 years and little appears to have been done in preparation for joining the EU, although I did see that 'part of the sacred-cow had been slaughtered' manifest in that a church in Valletta was being converted in Malta's Stock Exchange. Lots of hotels have been built on hitherto backwaters; gardens have been created; rarely did I see people crossing themselves on passing the ubiquitous religious icons; gone are the ladies of the church who stood on corners of Valletta streets dressed in black and large hooped hoods inviting donations; post cards with topless beauties are plentiful and explicit lingerie shops abound, which in my time would have been dis-allowed by the Church. Valletta has changed the name of its main thoroughfare [which is pedestrianised along its length but traffic criss-crosses it at many points] from Kingsway to Republic Street and apart from smart cafes replacing less-smart cafes nothing has changed and even the proverbial Maltese promenading {passegiata as they call it} continues. Strait Street is no longer the 'Gut' and they will show indifference at being reminded that there was such a place. Nevertheless, the street remains exactly the same [how, in its environment, could it possibly physically change?] and yes, it still has bars and cafes although I would wager a bet that the tills are not as busy as when the fleet hit town. Floriana's 'gut' is still physically there, but the bars have gone. Most annoyingly and 'flying-in-the-face' of tourism, is that on certain days everything stops at 1pm and the streets are deserted by the locals [but not by tourists] and all shop shutters are lowered.
In summary, whilst I am glad that I recognise still the Malta of my youth, I find it difficult to believe that Malta is yet ready for this elevation into a EU country. Whatever, I know you will all join me in wishing dear old Malta good fortune - their people deserve it!
Now for some pictures to remind you of how it all was in days gone by.
Malta in perspective. Malta's land mass is considerably smaller than that of the Isle of Wight. Much of Malta's land mass is wasted by rocky scrub-land and adhoc small farming patches which I will not call fields, whereas the mass of the Isle of Wight is fully utilised by sustainable management. The scales of each map used are different.
In this picture of Malta only, I have shown where the main Royal Navy/Royal Marine presence was.
Inside the large circle/oval were:-
|HMS St Angelo, formerly HMS Egmont
|HMS Ricasoli, where I passed for Leading Telegraphist
|The Dockyard
|Victualling and Stores Yard
|RNH Bighi
|Lascaris [C-in-C offices/FO Malta offices]
|Rinella W/T
|Rinella Creek; Kalkara Creek; Dockyard Creek; French Creek; Corradino Heights; Grand Harbour; Senglea; Birgu; Vittoriosa.
|St Elmo Point [entrance into Grand Harbour]
|Tigne Point [entrance to Sliema Creek; Msida Creek and Lazaretto Creek] for submarines, destroyers/frigates and sweepers.
|Marsa [Admiralty House] and Admiralty House Valletta.
|Gzira for Manoel Island, Manoel Island fleet canteen, HMS Phoenicia, the Lido and the Base Supply Office [BSO]
|Whitehall Mansions, the much loved home of the WRNS.
|Floriana NATO Headquarters; Valletta NATO building.
Inside the medium size oval shape were:-
|HMS Falcon the RNAS at Hal Far
|Kalafrana facilities
and inside the small circle was the Royal Marines Commando Training Facility at Ghajn Tuffieha.
There is a place in the middle of Malta called Ta Qali [said Ta Kali] - between Rabat and Mosta - which is the Aviation Museum and which has the old runways [now roads/car park] where the Fleet Air Arm base of HMS Goldfinch used to be. These areas are now under the control of the Maltese Government.
Whilst RNW/T Rinella at Fort Rinella {famous for being the Island's main rum store for the Navy} behind HMS Ricasoli [mentioned above in the large table] was the transmitting station for the island, RNW/T Dingli and RNW/T Zebbug were a few miles to the west of Valletta and they were the receiving stations - click on picture to see a list of shore station radio equipments . When Zebbug closed down in February 1976 she sent her final message from Malta. Just think, as I was hitting my morse key sat on ship-shore in Lascaris my dots and dashes were falling over the Barbary Coastal areas and floating in the ether all over the world. Click just HERE to hear the sad and haunting sound of morse code which left my morse key from my 8Mhz ship-shore chair, and which will forever travel the air waves of the Mediterranean looking for the Navy on the fair isle of Malta, wondering why that august callsign of GYX, had been abandoned: RIP my friend. [Note: Even if you don't understand Morse, you can still listen to its sad and haunting sound!!]
|This little island in
the Med
is mourning now Zebbug is dead.
It passed away without a noise
And now the RAF care for our boys.
We hoped to stay a little longer
To make our suntans that much stronger.
That we must go said the voice from on high
We had to agree we know not why.
So we say farewell from this small place
Take care RAF and don't lose face
This is Filfla, an island off Malta beyond which, at a range of approximately 170 miles, is North Africa . The Navy spent countless hours over many years bombarding this rock for gunnery practice, and entry onto the island is forbidden without express permission because of the possibility of unexploded shells. However, it has become a sanctuary for wild life which can only improve its lot!
Dealing first with the Fleet Air Arm. The FAA has several web sites covering their squadrons based ashore and embarked. Hal Far has a good web site which can be found at http://www.hms.vengeance.btinternet.co.uk/falcn.htm
Regrettably I cannot find anything about the Royal Marines facility at Ghajn Tuffieha. When HMS Tyne visited Malta in 1956 on her way to the Suez War [as the Flagship] we youngsters spent four days at this camp toughening-up. It was good fun and the booties didn't hurt us too much!
Next comes Whitehall Mansions and the WRNS. Whitehall Mansions was already the name of the building before the WRNS moved in, but might have been called Furse House in honour of Dame Katherine Furse, the first Commandant of the WRNS, had not that name already been used for a house in London which provided accommodation for WRNS working there. It is not generally known, but nevertheless true and recorded for posterity in the pages of history, that when in 1917 the Second Sea Lord asked Dame Katherine, at that time the C-in-C of the women's VAD - Voluntary Aid Detachment - to a meeting in the Admiralty, the resultant organisation soubriquet would be less than attractive. At first, the women's service was called 'Women's Auxiliary Naval Corps' [WANKS] but changed to 'Women's Auxiliary Naval Service' [WANS]. That too was discarded in favour of the third choice which was 'Women's Royal Naval Service' the [WRNS]. Good catholic Maltese girls didn't go out with British servicemen, so any decent medium term relationship was a non-starter: obviously, there will have been a couple of exceptions to what clearly was the norm. Many sailors, particularly those stationed ashore and perhaps working alongside the WRNS, enjoyed long to medium term friendships with our British girls. {MARGARET ROBINSON nee Gordon [known also as 'blondie' or 'scouse' ]...........an ex Wren Writer working in the small ship's pay office in the Base Supply Office on Manoel Island in the 1958-1960 period and now living in Australia, says "I must say that the shortage of women on the Island was to the Wren's advantage at the time. You could have a face like a bag full of spanners, but still get a date!! My boss in the pay office was very understanding when I asked for make and mends just to keep up with the dates I had made. Oh halcyon days!" Margarets email address can be found on the Lascaris web site under on-line members and she can also be contacted at www.geocities.com/navy99_1999/Assoc.html a site for ex-Wrens down under! The majority of the WRNS left the Mansions on a daily basis and travelled by RN buses to various parts of the Island, where they were employed as communicators, writers, plotters, stenographers etc etc. Here are a few more February 2004 photographs. They are thumbnails. As above, I have up-loaded large GIF photographs for your enjoyment, so use your scrollbars, and also the same photograph as a JPG. G J The new front entrance to a beautifully restored frontage in a building now used by the Maltese authorities. G J Looking up the stairs leading to the small side entrance door on the left hand side of the building. G J A view of the rear of the Mansions. G J Looking down the steps to the main road below G J and the small side entrance near the top of the steps.
That's what oppos are
for! – By Jeff Dykes [written
when based in Malta]
If you've never been it's worth the trip
warm, at times hot, but you can take a dip,
you can get here for just a snip
join us all for a jolly good sip.
sip of what do I hear you ask
it could come from a cask
settle back and start to bask
a bottle will be no big task.
bottle of what, Is there a local brew?
bet my friend and real strong too
make it just for me and the crew
had enough when the pink elephants come into view.
this will put you in a spin
well my friend of Marsavin
if when full you commit a sin
tell your next of kin.
off now , got to get ready for a date
you later and don't get into a state
and one last thing about my slate
is to say, many thanks mate.
lend us a rubber, a bar will do
only half a bar, then a tanner too
off ashore to see my girly
wont go far, but nor will Shirley
off I go to Whitehall Mansion
been so often that I am a stanchion
could be my lucky score
knowing Shirley, it could be another bore.
of this and another rejection
decided to leave and swap my erection
a large Marsavin injection
Honest, I have never known a girl called Shirley….nice name though!
P.P.S. I wrote this 47 years ago, when I was 'silly'. In those days we
lived hand-to-mouth and money was tight, very tight. The culture was
to borrow money from ones mess mates which was called a 'rubber'. A
bar is a £1 [it is in the dictionary also] and thus half a bar was
ten bob [50p]. A tanner was a sixpenny piece, worth 2½p today.
Continuing with Msida, this was the view before 1960 of the depot ship HMS Forth with the boats of the 1st Submarine Squadron alongside on their trots. The view is from Whitehall Mansions. Forth was the longest serving depot ship in Malta first going to Msida creek in 1948. She left for the UK on the 1st of October 1960 to be replaced by a much smaller ship, the LST HMS Narvik on a temporary basis. The next two pictures come from a large aerial photograph showing the large 'S' bend formed by Sliema, Lazaretto and Msida Creeks, with Sliema at the top right edge of the letter 'S' and Msida at the bottom left edge. If you print them both, then overlay the Sliema/Lazaretto picture of Whitehall Mansions on top of the Msdia picture of Whitehall Mansions trimming accordingly, you will see all three creeks in true perspective. The picture is post-war and shows {in the left hand picture} HMS Forth sitting in Msida Creek, and {in the right hand picture} the large ship, HMS Ranpura, with her many vessels, sitting in Lazaretto Creek. In the distance are destroyers and frigates sitting in Sliema Creek. Note the farmers fields immediately behind Whitehall Mansions and the war damage along the coastal road to Gzira. The big land mass in the middle of the Sliema/Lazaretto picture is of course Manoel Island . Later, In 1967 Forth came to Singapore and was the Depot Ship to me at that time serving in submarine Auriga. Another view of Forth with her boats at Malta, this time 1951 in Grand Harbour at the entrance to Dockyard Creek Her view, anchored off Fleet Landing HMS Terror in the Straits, was a lonely affair compared to her exciting 12 years in Malta for all she had to look at was jungle. Here is Narvik in Msida Creek with the Torpedo Depot on the right [now pulled down and replaced by a garden/pedestrian walk way] and Whitehall Mansion in clear view as the prominent building on the left hand side. In the garden there is a memorial to the Torpedo Depot. After Narvik came the Ausonia and she departed in late summer 1964. After the submarines left the Creek was used for minesweepers and then they left Malta in 1969. Msida Creek is now filled with small boats, ferries [Valletta and Gozo], and immediately outside Whitehall Mansions there is a car park.
Next, back along the twisting curving road to Gzira where I lived in barracks called HMS Phoenicia, just 30 minutes or so by foot from Whitehall Mansions. From the main road running through the Gzira water front there was [and still is] a small bridge which crosses a water-run which leads onto Manoel Island G J Note now in February 2004, there is a petrol station at the very foot of the bridge. Manoel Island, named after a 14 year old [1722-1736] called Antoine Manoel de Vilhena, is a large island by Maltese standards jutting out into a large bay comparable to that of Grand Harbour, and by so doing, forming two large creeks, and those, with the Creek of Msida forms a natural harbour [haven] behind the northern perimeter of the Valletta peninsular. This harbour is called Marsamxett [Marsamuscetto] Harbour {see below for key}. Here is a picture showing the whole of Manoel Island with the bridge to it middle left of the photograph .
|1= Floriana
|2= Valletta
|3=Msida Creek
|4=Lazaretto Creek
|5=Slieman Creek
|6=HMS Phoenicia
|7=Manoel Island
|8=Whitehall Mansions
|9=Gzira Front
|10=Manoel Island Bridge
|11=Manoel Island Fleet Canteen
|12=Msida Roundabout
|13=Manoel Island Lido
|14=Out to Sea
|15=Slieman Front
|*=Sports pitches
The creeks formed by Manoel Island were called Sliema in the north and Lazaretto in the south with Msida Creek independent of Manoel Island further south still. [Lazaretto Creek with Manoel Island on the left]
A good part of the Royal Navy presence at any one time was 'parked' in these three creeks. Sliema was used for destroyers and frigates; Lazaretto for reserve fleet, small vessels and, supporting the dockyard, the heavy repair ship HMS Rampura whilst Msida was used for submarines and their parent 'mother-ship'. [Sliema Creek with Manoel Island on the right] Add to the business of the comings and goings afloat, were the operations of a good sized naval barracks HMS Phoenicia, the Lido which was frequented by families as well as single service personnel, the diving school, shore-side facilities for the ships in the creeks, a large BSO [Base Supply Office] and last but not least, the large fleet canteen which supported just about every social and sporting facility imaginable. It was a very busy place although it could never have been compared to Valletta for size and activity. Note the many ships present in both creeks. For those of you who used the bars on the Gzira front, the ever popular Don's [or Yorkie's] bar is still there immediately across from the bridge, and after a quick peep inside, it hasn't altered one iota in nearly 50 years except for a new main door. The main road leading to Sliema is now a double dual carriageway with a substantial walkway on the sea side and a small traffic island between the two carriageways, so some land reclamation must have taken place. [The duck farm sanctuary] The walk to Sliema is much the same, but Sliema itself has changed to accommodate the tourists requirements. Like Msida, all the creeks are full of boats of all sizes and types, and Malta has three large patrol boats in her navy which are moored at the top end of Msida over on the bottom part of Floriana. [The notice at the gates to the Canteen. It reads "Manoel Island and Tigne Point Development. NO PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ACCESS TO MANOEL ISLAND. This forms part of the Manoel Island and Tigne Point Project. We regret any inconvenience caused and plan to open the site to public access as soon as possible. In the meantime, you are reminded that unauthorised entry is forbidden for reasons of safety" The picture in the bottom right corner shows one what the finished project will look like] On Manoel Island, the road leading up to the canteen gates is roughly twice as wide as it used to be [looking up to the old Manoel Island Fleet Canteen] and on the left there is a duck farm where birds of all types seek refuge: having said that, we saw at least [the road now much wider sports a "Yacht Yard" on the left hand side going up to the Canteen] three sleeping cats sprawled amongst the rocks which form the sanctuary! Once at the old gates, the way ahead is barred for safety reasons for they are building a major marina where [a second view of the canteen showing more of the out buildings] HMS Phoenicia used to be. It is still possible to see the old canteen which appears to be ready to fall down and the road from it up to the hill top and Phoenicia's main gate has not changed and is still narrow.
Next, to where I worked when based ashore from 1957 to 1959 which was LASCARIS in the heart of Valletta. During the war, the British fought the 'Battle of Malta' from deep inside the Lascaris tunnels which today are a tourist attraction and very well presented. I highly recommend a visit in addition to your visit to the War Museum proper at Fort St Elmo. Fortunately, I never had to work in these underground caverns, but where I did work, just around the corner from the tourist entrance to the Lascaris War Rooms, is still exactly the same as it was 47 years ago, although the building has been much modified with new windows and doors etc. It is now owned and used by the Maltese Government and used as the National Stats Office. The approach to the old communication centre is via a long tunnel itself many tens of feet below the arched entrance into the city of Valletta. Here I am at the entrance and at the end by the old office[sorry about the poor quality]. No you can't have your old job back ! Then at the bottom of the tunnel I found a photograph of the 1957 staff which included me and many others I knew 47 years previously. I photographed this picture with my digital camera at close-up range and what follows is the result . This is a digital zoom of that picture G J. From that, I isolated yours truly and I am right in the middle to the immediate left of the Petty Officer.
Finally, since we are now in Valletta, to Grand Harbour and its surrounding areas and memories, which could be considered as being the naval heart of Malta. G J The entrance to the harbour has not altered and it is still protected by the staggered breakwater. Entering the harbour, on the port side Kalkara [HMS Ricasoli Point] is still the same as it was 50 years ago when the STC [Signal Training Centre] offered advancement courses for the professional killick rate, and where one could pass provisionally for petty officer, subsequently attending the professional course in the UK at HMS Mercury. It was also a centre for cookery, leadership, a rifle range, a transit centre and bathing facilities at the Fleet Lido. It is a fascinating place to visit and now used for film sets. We also visited the naval cemetery at Kalkara which is beautifully kept. Incidentally, HMS Ricasoli closed down on the 1st September 1958 - my, how time flies! Over on the starboard side much has changed at St Elmo's Point. This picture shows a bell tower which is part of a large and attractive memorial monument to the dead of the second world war, which was opened by HM The Queen in 1995. G J The whole area has been revamped {there used to be a light-house on St Elmo's } and it, plus the lower Barracca Gardens immediately opposite give the visitor a very pleasant place in which to sit and observe: pity that there are very few ships entering and leaving port. G J Integral to this almost total refurbishment are good museums and audio visual displays although little has changed when it comes to garry-horse owners pestering you to take a ride. Once inside the harbour little seems to have changed except for four things. G J All the buoys have been lifted; French Creek is dominated by large cranes and a chimney stack for the main power station whose top marks the highest point on Malta; customs house steps is no longer the home for the proverbial and one time ubiquitous dghajsas and clearly the barklor's [a dghajsas man] have found new work and Barriera Wharf and the Steam Ferry Landing appeared to have no regular use anymore. Remember the merchant ships being berthed bow on to the Landing.
We now say goodbye to the Valletta side of Grand Harbour and remind ourselves of the 'meat-on-the-bone' side, where work came before the pomp and circumstance of Lascaris!!
The Creeks on this side of the harbour are generally well known to Royal sailors, but sometimes, their names get mixed-up or are wrongly used. In this picture all creeks except Sliema [which has been circled only] are highlighted. No 1 is Ricasoli - No 2 is Bighi - No 3 is St Angelo - No 4 is Senglea - No 5 is Valletta - No 6 is Marsamxett Harbour - No 7 is Lascaris. Rinella Creek and Kalkara Creek together were often referred to as Bighi Bay. RNH Bighi, once a major hospital working in conjunction with the RN Memorial Hospital at Imtarfa [near Mdina in the centre of the island which closed in 1978] closed in 1970. It is now used as a Trades Training Area as well as for public housing. Bighi still sits upon that rock looking like a beautiful Greek Palace. Bighi Bay appears not to be attractive to small boat owners and is more or less deserted. Round the bay we come to Vittoriosa, HMS St Angelo, Dockyard Creek, the Dockyard, the victualling yard and several other facilities. What a sad site is HMS St Angelo. This was the place which contained barracks; messdecks; dining halls; offices; a NAAFI shop; bars; a cinema; a rifle range; classrooms; a parade ground; post office; library; sick bays; a dental surgery; Chapels and the Captains House. It also had store rooms; workshops; sail-loft; paymasters office; MOD Police HQ's, and it was home to the Malta Port Division who were locally entered personnel [LEP]. We were told that The Knights of Malta had taken it over, but for my money, it has been ruined. The place is in a bad state although the following photographs do not show the internal ruination.
The old victualling yard with its bakery, rum store, dry and fresh issue stores has been part converted into a Maritime Museum which is well worth a visit and from here you can get a dghajsas ride, outboard motor and all, back to Valletta.
The dockyard itself is completely unused and derelict. Both its main dockyard gates are shut and bolted and painted bright red. Windows are smashed in the dockside workshops and the creek is half full of luxury craft of every type some so beautiful that their owners, if not international corporations, are very seriously rich! They are busy extending a marina into the creek and also building a 5-star hotel.
Senglea itself as a place [or city, as they call it] has not changed at all. However French Creek has. No 1 dock is still there [the submarine dock] but the huge jetty on which carriers and their ilk were berthed for repairs has now been converted to a dry dock for commercial shipping. However, Laboratory Wharf rebuilt with the assistance of the Royal Navy before closing is still in use. Of course the days of Corradino, its famous canteen, theatre, sporting facilities have long been history. An old picture of Corradino. Some called this area Corradino Hill whilst other Corradino Heights. Four views of inside St Angelo today . Right looking at St Angelo from Senglea and left, looking towards Senglea from St Angelo . Top the lovely garden at Senglea Point overlooking Grand Harbour and the childrens playing area, and bottom overlooking French Creek from a Senglea street with number 1 dock first and the commercial dock second . Two pictures of the gates leading to the victualling/stores depot on the road leading to St Angelo, now the Maritime Museum . Two views looking down Dockyard Creek towards Grand Harbour. Note the large Marina . Two views of Dockyard Creek. Bottom looking into the Creek from St Angelo and top looking across the creek from Vittoriosa to Senglea . Two views of the Dockyard Proper. Top looking down the dockyard from the dockyard main gate in Conspicua and bottom, looking up the dockyard from the dockyard gate [painted red but hardly visible in the shade] near to Senglea's Macina Bastion . Two views of the main Dockyard gate and security wall at the Cospicua end . The now derelict main Dockyard building looking from Vittoriosa side. The windows are broken and it is a sad sight .
Finally; Here's to the health of your blood,
Here's to the blood of your health;
If your health is your blood
And your blood is your wealth
Then here's to your bloody good health.


text:
We start a new season of Hoarders with a bang.
I have to say, this particular episode is one of the most profoundly moving episodes they've had in five seasons. Hell of a way to start off, A&E.
Norman Jr., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Norman is a guy that collects things. Guitars, records, old comic books, lithographs. Boxes, clothes, garbage, papers, old bikes, random bits of furniture. He has thousands of these items in a three story house, plus a basement. There are no pathways in Norman's house; you have to climb. But it's okay, he says, "I'm good at climbing and balancing. It's kind of like exercise, after all."
Norman is whip thin, looking like a healthier version of Riff Raff from Rocky Horror, his thinning hair swept back from his kind, gentle face. And Norman is a kind man, one of the nicer people we've seen on the show. His parents, Joan and Norman Sr., haven't been in his home in eight years even though they maintain a close relationship with their son.
Norman Sr. is in the antiques business and feels wholly responsible for the mess Norman now finds himself in. It was a bonding activity for the family in Norman's formative years, and once Norman lost his job seven years ago, he's had to learn to survive in the flea market business, buying, selling, and trading his things.
Norman wasn't alone, however. He met Jeneveve several years ago, an adorably sweet-faced punk girl with bleached hair and huge doe eyes. Jeneveve broke her ankle three years prior, and because she had no insurance, found herself unable to have necessary surgery and was therefore immobile. She was also agoraphobic and an alcoholic. This meant that she stayed up on the third floor of the home without leaving. Ever.
Because Norman loved her so, he made a point of spending every moment he could with her, bringing her presents and holding her. He said, "I'd do anything to make her happy." The camera pans across the floor where mostly empty take-out cups lay, a roach wandering through. She would order things online to connect with the outside world, and he would bring her trinkets from the flea market, and the house became more and more filled with, well, garbage.
Jeneveve had alcohol-induced seizures. Norman simply wasn't equipped to care for her. The situation that is the Big Worry for Hoarders begins to happen, and there's no way to stop it. Jeneveve is in the throes of another seizure. Norman struggles to get to her, climbing over boxes and cases and furniture and empty booze bottles. She wasn't taking any of the food or drink he offered her, and then she stopped breathing. He realized he had no way to get her out of the room, let alone the house.
He managed to call 911. A paramedic, interviewed for the show, says "We were brought to Norm's house from a 911 call. We had to climb in from the back, and we couldn't get in with our equipment." They balanced on rickety chairs, which were balanced on two to three feet of garbage. By the time they pushed and shoved their way to Jeneveve, they realized, "Oh. She's been dead for a long time."
Norman sits still, crying piteously. "It was the worst day in the history of the world." The paramedics immediately notified the city about the conditions in the house, and the home was condemned within hours. Norman is facing eviction. His parents and extended family want to help him; he has nothing in him but grief, he has no motivation for anything.
Dr. Melva Green is his therapist for this process. She arrives in bright separates, her friendly kewpie doll face all sympathy. She climbs in alongside Norman to survey the house and notes the large chest of drawers blocking the stairs. "That's from the paramedics trying to get in." Remembering that time, Norman begins to cry. Dr. Green softly tells him to take his time, she is there for him to help and support.
She notes to the camera that as he took her through the house, he was very concerned for her safety and well being, reaching back often to hold her hand as they navigated over the piles of stuff. Norman is the kind of man that really does put others before himself, and it's evident that a lot of his grief – aside from his very visible love for his girlfriend – is centered on the failure to care for someone in the most fundamental way. There have been some very kind people on this show, but Norman is maybe the most heart-wrenching case I've yet to see.
They get to Jeneveve's room. There is no visible mattress. She laid atop boxes and instruments and bottles; remembering that day causes Norman to turn aside, grief overtaking him as his tears slip down his cheeks. Dr. Green tells the camera that he's incredibly fragile due to his overwhelming grief. It's only been seven weeks since she died.
Cory Chalmers, former fireman-turned-hoarding specialist, will be the organizer for the clean up crew, wearing a tee-shirt that promotes his company (and I'll happily support them, as well: 1-800-hoarders.com.) In the morning meeting, he assures Norman that he – that they're all – here for him, as help and support. They will all be sensitive to him and what he's gone through. He's appreciative and shows it by diving right in, working at a fast clip alongside Cory.
A lot of garbage is coming out of the house, and Cory is at first excited by the work pace until he realizes that Norman is far more frenetic than energetic. He stops Norman, wanting to talk him through the process, wanting him to engage in the act of clearing out his home and why he needs to clear out his home.
"I'm just throwing things away, I guess," is Norman's response. Already on the floor on his knees at a bookcase, he begins rocking back and forth, his sobs shaking his body as he realizes what he's doing – and what his home did. If ever someone on this show needed to be wrapped up and just held, it's Norman. He picks himself up however, and leaves, locking himself in his car.
Cory follows him, trying to understand what's going on inside his head. "It's really painful," Norman cries through the car window. But it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt so badly and it should, is what Cory explains, because once you feel that level of hurt, you won't let yourself feel it again. Concerned, Cory brings Dr. Green over. She tells Norman that he's hiding from emotion (which ultimately makes it worse when it hits.) His whole family is there to love and support him–
"Yeah, say what you want. Nobody ever gave a shit when she was alive."
Oh. So the family, while loving and supportive, were not so with his girlfriend. Hence the not coming to his home in eight years. And now that she's gone, and they're willing to help him, it must be feeling like a slap in the face. Dr. Green keeps talking to him in the car, eventually convinces him to come out and get back to work.
Dr. Green takes initiative with the family, bring Joan, his mother, to look at the front room. There is a very small amount of space that has been cleared out; Cory says that it filled one and a half dump trucks. Just that space in just that room. Joan begins crying. "I feel that's hopeless!" She doesn't see how it can be possible to meet their goals of cleaning the house so Norman won't lose it. She's devastated by the living conditions of her son.
Dr. Green, quiet but firm, tells her, "You've been avoiding seeing it." Joan wanted to blame this on the girlfriend. It was not Jeneveve's fault; it has been her son's home, and he's taking ownership for it. Norman tells Cory in another room how he doesn't want his mother to be sad. What good will that do, hurting her? He just wants to put his head down, let his thoughts churn, and work.
The family regroups, organizing the next day's work. Two cousins join the group on Day Two; Cory takes them upstairs to see the room where Jeneveve died. The male cousin realizes that the half-filled Gatorade bottles are filled with old urine, that they served as a bathroom for the couple. He begins to dry heave and stumbles across the hoard to get out of the tight, close space. The female cousin, Becky, sees the empty alcohol bottles everywhere, sees that there was no place to lay down and is overcome with sadness for Norman and Jeneveve.
She leaves the house, hand to her mouth, sobbing with such force her body shakes as she tries to go down the stairs. "It's awful, it's awful."
Dr. Green follows her. Becky is utterly devastated that their close family – and they are – didn't realize how Norman had been living all these years. And they love him. They want nothing but happiness for him. Dr. Green says, "Imagine the level of shame to keep him trapped like that."
Becky goes straight to Norman after that. "We love you. But the truth is, you're ill." She speaks quietly but for the emotion causing her voice to waver. Her hand is on his arm, making sure he knows she's speaking with love, not with accusations.
And Norman, sweet, gentle Norman stops in his actions, turns to her and says, "I didn't even realize it until you just said it."
Everything clicks with him. It's the most amazing moment in Hoarders history, in my opinion. Everything is coming together in an astounding way: a hoarder ready to change, a family willing to do whatever it takes, a crew that knows just how to work with the situation. If ever there was a story that could give someone hope, Norman's is the one to do it.
Becky is able to get through to Norman in a way that no one else has. He begins crying again, saying, "I didn't realize how bad it was." Cory is there, a hand on his back, talking him through it, praising him. "It's really good to hear you say that."
Norman repeatedly says that he feels his family's love and support as he continues loading up things, carting them out to the dump trucks. He gives the effort every ounce of energy he has, assured that his family will be by his side, ready to help him recharge. The team and Norman manage to get his large home cleaned out completely on two floors. It's astounding.
Norman hugs his entire family, telling each of them how grateful he is. He turns to Cory, telling him that he will forever be a part of his life. "This whole thing has shown me how sick I was and how totally fortunate I am. I've overcome a tremendous step by realizing it."
Everyone is filled with hope for him. He is ready to go back to living and loving, which makes sense, given how tenderly he cared for Jeneveve. "I feel like I'm reborn," he says to Dr. Green, his arm slung around his cousin's shoulder. "It feels like an honest miracle."
It does for us, too, Norman. Bless your heart. I won't even pretend that I wasn't crying throughout the program, so sad for him, and then so unbelievably happy for the progress he was able to make. What an outstanding guy.
Norman is living with his parents while he works with an organizer, continuing the clean up. A bio-hazard crew was called in to clean the third floor, where Jeneveve lived out her last years.
Norman is regularly seeing a therapist and will eventually move back home. (God speed, buddy.)
Linda, Madisonville, Louisiana
"I'm not in the best of health. And neither is my house." Linda, an elderly and ill woman who maneuvers through her packed home with the aid of a walker, lives in filth. She also lives with her two adult sons, one whom is in his early forties.
The pathways are lined with old papers and flattened boxes, sweeping up into mountains of laundry and food. The small one story home is falling apart slowly. The bathroom is missing tiles on the walls, support beams and rotten insulation exposed. The floor is blackened with unimaginable filth. There are bugs everywhere. Then again, this is the humid south and food containers are a calling card.
Linda needs knee surgery desperately. She's unwilling to have it, as she knows she will need in-home health care. She can't bring anyone into her home for two reasons. One, because there's no where for a person to go, and two, anyone that sees the living conditions will instantly contact authorities and the house could be condemned.
Her sons do nothing to alleviate the problem and in fact, they contribute to a lot of the mess. The number one activity in the house is blaming others. No one is responsible for their own actions, and each of them believes they clean the house. It's the others that keep messing things up. I get the sense the the boys have been conditioned to live like this and have just given up.
It's revealed that Linda has been hoarding for decades. As she soaps up a Mason jar in the bathroom, we learn that her husband, deceased now for twelve years, tried to stay on top of things, but Linda refused to let anyone get rid of things. Her sister Robin is at the end of her rope. She loves her sister, thinks that she's a good person who simply doesn't deserve to live in the hell she's created for herself.
Linda doesn't only refuse to have things removed; Linda continually buys things and brings them into the already-crammed house. She is going to have to learn how to stop doing that for this to work. And Robin is determined that this will work, otherwise, she has no choice but to call someone. She can't let her sister's last years be in pain and in garbage.
In another outstanding match-up of patient to Hoarders staff, Dr. Chabaud arrives with her lilting Creole, immediately bringing comfort and neighborliness to Linda. Dr. Chabaud notices that Linda seems to have "everything under the sea" in there, not just a few things, like clothes or books. Linda shows the doctor where she sleeps in her crammed room: a crooked little corner way in the back behind stacks of items.
Linda then tells the doctor, clearly comfortable with Chabaud's demeanor and ready to just have someone know, that a few weeks ago, she fell. "I liked to never get up." She didn't tell the boys; she didn't tell anyone. Dr. Chabaud notes that she prides herself on being independent.
The parallel between Linda and Jeneveve is stark. We come in far too late in once case, and just in the nick of time, it seems, with Linda. The reality is that a hoarded house is a death trap, it's just waiting to be sprung.
Geralin Thomas arrives, ready to head up the organization and clean up. Robin says at the morning meeting that Linda won't ask for or receive help as she's very independent. Robin then holds her sister's hand, sneaks a kiss to her cheek and whispers fiercely, "I do love you."
The clean up begins with basic sorting and clothing removal. Geralin asks the gruff son, Sean, "How does a grown man not have a garbage can?" Blame, blame, blame. Oh, he had one, but the others didn't like it, because it was always full. So he got a smaller one, and that was always full. And…
Meanwhile, Robin is outside with Dr. Chabaud, sobbing. Geralin comes out to bring her back to work, but Robin won't go. She doesn't want Linda to see her crying. "So what? Why the secret?" That's the dirty secret in this family: feeling something and showing it.
Robin braces herself and goes in, hugging Linda straightaway. She tells Linda that she's proud of her for doing this. Linda brusquely shoves off the affection, almost as if she's unsure with how to react to it. Robin tries to talk with her, and this sets Linda off, who calls it "Preaching." Robin refuses to let her by as Linda bristles at the conversation.
"I'm gonna be involved because I give a damn about you!" Robin yells, shocking Linda into silence. Linda finds her gumption and hollers back, "Don't I have any rights?" This is the fallback for so many hoarders: that they have the right to live in squalor. And they do. But that doesn't make it right.
Dr. Chabaud comes in to address the shouting, wondering if Linda has always felt controlled by Robin. "If I controlled her she wouldn't be living like this!" She has a valid point.
The camera cuts to the refrigerator being rolled outside, taped shut. And we learn the other secret of Linda's: she is addicted to collecting pots and pans. It doesn't seem like it's a bad thing until the camera doesn't stop moving across the entire length of the driveway where it is lined on both sides, four pans deep. Stainless steel pots nested together, casseroles for baking, Dutch ovens, more cast iron skillets than a person would ever need in their life.
None of them can be thrown away. Linda will allow none to be taken. And Linda hasn't cooked a meal in thirty years. Dr Chabaud says, "Yeah, okay, I think you're living in the past." Linda imagines cooking elaborate meals for twelve people. There are only three of them and they've not had a sit down meal since Sean, nearing forty, was ten years old.
Andre, her older son, asks her as he wrings his hands, "You [want to] live with pots and pans, or you [want to] live with people?" She doesn't respond for some time and the rejection is painful to see on the boys' faces. Dr. Chabaud notes, "You won't break up sets [of pots] but you'll break up families."
Andre says he feels useless and wanders off. Robin and Sean go inside and start whispering about how they'll wait for her to go somewhere and they'll throw things away. Geralin overhears them and quickly puts the kibosh on that. "People have committed suicide from that. It's a terrible idea and a betrayal." She says directly to Robin, "At some point it's okay to say you've done everything you could as a sister. You are unable to fix what's wrong."
Another moment of profundity on the show. As a person wanting to support or help a hoarder, at some point it has to be understood that it's up to the hoarder to make the change, it simply cannot be forced on them, no matter how badly their family and loved ones wish it could.
The boys tell Linda that they feel she loves objects more than them. This seems to shock her. "No, I don't!" But they feel that way. Linda's actions have given them no other option to believe about their relationship.
The house gets about 60% of it cleaned out or boxed up. There is still a significant amount of work to be done, and the "ah-ha!" moment for Linda doesn't feel apparent. Dr. Chabaud says that Linda "lives a life of intentions, like so many hoarders."
I would take that a step further and say that so many of us live that way, I'm going to, I'll get to that or this. We do it with our goals, we do it with our things, we do it with our bad influence, be they person or thing. The best advice I was ever given was in regards to a toxic relationship. "If you look at this person right now, with who they are right now – not their potential, not who they could be – would you stay with them forever?" And it's relevant to so much of our lives, that bald and honest look at whatever it is holding us back from making a positive change: are you operating on something or someone's potential, by the intention? Or by the reality?
As Dr. Chabaud says in regards to living with nothing more than intentions, "No one gets the life they really want." You're constantly waiting for Gadot.
Linda finally had her much-needed knee surgery. The family used aftercare funds to clean the home. She is seeing a therapist, and she and her sons will begin sessions together. Let's hope those intentions of theirs stay grounded in action, not thought.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011
Posted: 10:00 p.m.
By Joe Collins and Taylor Bell
1 - Maine South (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 1): Defeated Niles North 42-6
Next Game: Friday at New Trier, 7:30pm
QB Matt Alviti racked up another four touchdowns (three passing) in the victory. The Hawks, who enter conference action next week, will play three of their next four games on the road. Will that even matter? Maine South continues to be a football machine.
2 - Glenbard West (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 2): Defeated Hinsdale Central 45-14
Next Game: Saturday at Oak Park-River Forest, 1:00pm
The Hilltoppers scored on seven of their first eight possessions, which included the first play from scrimmage: a 75-yard touchdown from Justice Odom to Avery Balogh. Penn State-bound defensive lineman Tommy Schutt even got in on the act, scoring on a one-yard touchdown run.
3 - Mount Carmel (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 3): Defeated St. Joseph 62-8
Next Game: Friday vs. Brother Rice, 7:00pm at Gately Stadium
Head coach Frank Lenti becomes the states all-time winningest coach in Illinois (307), passing former Richards coach Gary Korhonen. Don Butkus threw three touchdowns as the Caravan put the game away early. Now the fun begins: back-to-back Catholic Blue showdowns with Brother Rice, then Loyola.
4 - Lincoln-Way East (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 4): Defeated Homewood-Flossmoor 38-21
Next Game: Friday vs. Sandburg, 7:30pm
Illinois-bound wide receiver J.J. Robertson helped the Griffins carve up the Vikings defense. He had 230 yards on five receptionstwo of them went for touchdowns. LWE cant afford to coast, as a tilt against undefeated Sandburg awaits. Bolinbgrook (4-0) lurks the following week.
5 - Joliet Catholic (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 5): Defeated St. Viator 63-3
Next Game: Saturday at Benet Academy, 7:30pm
For the second straight game, the Hilltoppers put 63 on the scoreboard. Mailn Jones and Tyler Reitz chipped in with two rushing touchdowns apiece. Ty Isaac also rushed for a touchdown and added another on a punt return. JCA is averaging 50 points per game.
6 - Glenbard North (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 7): Defeated Glenbard East 49-0
Next Game: Friday vs. West Aurora, 7:30pm
A five-touchdown second quarter lifted the Panthers in the western suburbs Friday night. QB Brian Murphy accounted for three touchdowns, while running back Phil Jackson tallied two more. The Panthers have now shutout three straight opponents.
7 - Loyola (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 8): Defeated Providence 32-6
Next Game: Saturday vs. Gordon Tech, 1:30pm
Quarterback Malcolm Weaver and running back William Palivos rushed for two touchdowns each as the Ramblers earn their first Catholic Blue victory. Loyola has to take care of business this week against Gordon Tech before the October 1st showdown against Mt. Carmel.
8 - Downers Grove South (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 9): Defeated Leyden 49-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Downers Grove North, 7:30pm
Can anybody stop running back Josh Williams? he Mustang senior running back was menacing Friday night, scoring six touchdowns on 282 yards. He is averaging 12.5 yards per carry on the season. Like Glenbard North, DGS has shutout three straight opponents.
9 - Homewood-Flossmoor (3-1)
Last Week (Ranked 6): Lost To Lincoln-Way East 38-21
Next Game: Friday vs. Bolingbrook, 7:30pm
The Vikings could not overcome five turnovers, including four interceptions by quarterback Tim Williams. H-F cant stew over the loss for too long, as another ranked team (13 Bolingbrook) comes into town Friday night.
10 - Carmel (3-1)
Last Week (Ranked 10): Defeated Marian Catholic 44-20
Next Game: Friday vs. Wayzata (MN), 6:30pm at the University of Dubuque
Who needs a passing game? Not the Corsairs, who rolled up 332 yards of offense against Marian Catholicall of it on the ground. Running backs Jordan Kos and Mike Panico had 131 yards apiece.
11 - St. Rita (3-1)
Last Week (Ranked 11): Defeated Brother Rice 21-17
Next Game: Friday vs. Providence, 7:30pm
The Mustangs get a nice win on the road in the Catholic Blue, thanks in part to Charles Elmore. The senior DB intercepted a pass in the final minute to preserve the St. Rita victory. Kenny Golladay had a nice night, tallying 137 yards receiving with a touchdown.
12 - Prairie Ridge (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 12): Defeated Dundee-Crown 55-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Crystal Lake Central, 7:15pm
Jordan Getzelman ran wild against the Chargers, scoring four touchdowns in the victory. The Wolves defense let up a mere three yards in the first half. Prairie Ridges opponents have only scored 14 points on them this season.
13 - Bolingbrook (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 13): Defeated Joliet West 49-12
Next Game: Friday at Homewood-Flossmoor, 7:30pm
Junior quarterback Aaron Bailey accounted for five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing) as the Raiders triumphed. They face a challenge in going for 5-0, as a date with Homewood-Flossmoor awaits.
14 - Crete-Monee (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 14): Defeated Glenbard South 64-19
Next Game: Friday at Kankakee, 6:00pm
The Warriors finally had a chance to show their home crowd why they deserve to be ranked. Quarterback Marcus Terrell threw for 317 yards and five touchdowns in C-Ms first home game of the season.
15 - Lake Zurich (3-1)
Last Week (Ranked 15): Defeated Lakes 28-0
Next Game: Friday at Mundelein, 7:30pm
Quarterback Zach Till and running back Mike Shield had two touchdowns apiece as the Bears cruised. Till went 9-12 for 168 yards and also rushed for 100 yards on 16 carries.
16 - Crystal Lake South (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 17): Defeated Huntley 48-12
Next Game: Friday at McHenry, 7:15pm
The Gators tallied 229 yards on the ground in the first half, en route to a 42-6 lead and never looked back. Austin Fowler also threw three touchdowns. CLS cannot afford to look past McHenry to the Prairie Ridge game on September 30th.
17 - Morris (4-0)
Last Week (Ranked 18): Defeated Ottawa 34-14
Next Game: Friday at Yorkville, 7:30pm
Running back Collin Grogan and QB Austin Feeney helped guide the Redskins to their 20th straight win over Ottawa, a streak that dates back to 1973. They face a big challenge Friday night in 4-0 Yorkville.
18 - Cary-Grove (3-1)
Last Week (Ranked 19): Defeated Hampshire 35-6
Next Game: Friday at Jacobs, 7:15pm
Junior quarterback Quinn Baker came off the bench to spark the Trojans, scoring four touchdowns in the victory. Baker finished with 193 yards on 12 carries. An intriguing opponent (4-0 Jacobs) awaits.
19 - Lemont (4-0)
Last Week (Unranked): Defeated T.F. South 30-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Tinley Park, 7:00pm
Another game, another shutout. The Indians cruise past the Rebels thanks in large part to capitalizing off turnovers. Something has to give next week: Lemont has given up only six points on the season, while Tinley Park (also 4-0) is averaging over 48 points per game.
20 - Geneva (4-0)
Last Week (Unranked): Defeated Elgin 45-14
Next Game: Friday at St. Charles North, 7:30pm
Senior quarterback Matt Williams went 9 for 15 for 221 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Parker Woodworth found the end zone twice as well as Geneva gets their first taste of the Top 20.
Looming and Lurking: Brother Rice, Stevenson, Addison Trail, Antioch, Wheaton North, Naperville Central, Simeon, Streamwood, Sandburg, Marian Central, Bremen, Conant, Batavia, Glenbrook South, Oak Forest.


text:
I have always considered challenging to find the right gift for the right person and I have always loved to wrap it in a beautiful and unique way. It really brings me great joy and shows those I care. And, one of the things I really enjoy when I have some time to relax during Christmas preparations and other obligations, it's to scroll down Pinterest and find new gift wrapping ideas, playful and extraordinary.
This year I chose kraft paper to wrap the gifts for my nephews and nieces. Kraft paper can wrap beautifully boxes and packages with odd shapes, like these I've chosen for our kids. And, with extraordinary trimmings and gift tags, their look became awesome. I've used gift tags from recycled cardboard, colorful ribbons, string, dried plant's parts and small paper stars that I glued to them. In one package, I cut the paper in many Christmas trees of different sizes and I glued them on it with a small star on their top.
Thus, wrapping Christmas gifts can become a lovely tradition that all the family can participate – I had my little helper to this – and put, even more, heart, joy, and creativity on the gifts for our beloved ones!!!
Follow Papanikolaou Joanna – By JWP's board Gifts Wrapping & Crafts Ideas on Pinterest.//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js


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DEFENDING champion Petron dominated Sta. Lucia in straight sets, 25-12, 25-14, 25-16, to barge into the semifinals in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals on Thursday at the Batangas City Sports Coliseum.
It only took 65 minutes for the Blaze Spikers, led by Ces Molina, Remy Palma and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, to eliminate the hapless Lady Realtors.
Team captain Molina led the charge with 15 points highlighted by seven blocks and had a great floor defense with 10 digs and six excellent receptions. Palma and Pontillas chipped in 13 and 11 hits, respectively.
Rhea Dimaculangan scattered the offensive loads with 23 excellent sets on top of five points, while libero Buding Duremdes had 14 digs and five receptions.
Petron will battle the winner of Foton and Cignal, who will clash in a knockout semifinals on Saturday at the Arena in San Juan City.
The do-or-die semis games fire off next week at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.
The Blaze Spikers annihilated the Lady Realtors in all departments with a 42-20 disparity in spiking, 10-0 differential in service aces and 11-4 edge in blocking.
Souzan Raslan was the lone double digits scorer of the Lady Realtors with 10 points as Sta. Lucia finished the conference without a single win in 11 games.


text:
Scavenger Hunt
The Scavenger Hunt was a promotion for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire that focused on finding 55 codes hidden in various promotional media, in order to unlock special rewards via eternity.obsidian.net. The promotion ended on November 30, 2018, and the website is no longer fully functional.[1] However, Patch 1.2.2.0033 updated the Well-traveled Supplier's inventory to include the unique items, excluding the Golden Ring, rendering the website and promotional codes obsolete.[2]
Obtaining[edit | edit source]
- Go to https://eternity.obsidian.net/scavenger
- Log in and connect your Steam account
- Type in 55 of the following codes.
- The items will automatically appear as DLC in Steam, and will be applied to existing saves.
- The items are also sold by the Well-traveled Supplier, which needs to be activated with 5 Berath's Blessings points (Unique Item Vendor).
Codes[edit | edit source]
BtF6nW- Bestiary Entry 1: Imps (17 Jan)
w6Pd2u- Bestiary Entry 2: Rathun (24 Jan)
SHbEXB- We are happy to announce... (25 Jan)
cCedpo- THQ Nordic mockup of the physical Obsidian Edition (26 Jan)
8twCgw- Bestiary Entry 3: Engwithan Titans (31 Jan)
BMahh7- Bestiary Entry 4: Eotens (7 Feb)
KFK5Lj- February Press Images - Stone Doorway (Published 5 Feb, also in print)
RMaM4A- February Press Images - Entrance Stairway (Published 16 Jan, also in print)
XQrdGv- PC Gamer UK/US Cover (March 2018)
CoC6eF- Bestiary Entry 5: Rotghast (14 Feb)
DeYvu8- Gamestar März 2018 cover (17 Feb)
HTEPbK- Bestiary Entry 6: Naga (21 Feb)
25Pwqv- Backer Update 45 (23 Feb)
VMTjAb- Bestiary Entry 7: Corrupted Tigers (28 Feb)
yJ3BqA- Versus Evil video thumbnail (28 Feb)
mfvU5r- Bestiary Entry 8: Constructs (07 Mar)
vSKRXA- Bestiary Entry 9: Engwithan Saints (14 Mar)
RHh2SA- Obsidian Pedi-cab (20 Mar)
3D7mzF- Bestiary Entry 10: Earth Blights (21 Mar)
WgE69K- March Press Blitz - Right Balcony (26 Mar)
tg2b3r- March Press Blitz - Circular Carpet (26 Mar)
KUyE6X- March Press Blitz - Ship Stern (26 Mar)
vitshR- March Press Blitz - Left Cell (26 Mar)
5Vtwje- March Press Blitz - Furled Sail (26 Mar)
EQC3bw- Versus Evil PAX Tweet (28 Mar), Stoic Tweet (08 Apr), Backer Update 46 Tweet (30 Apr)
APDPmj- Bestiary Entry 11: Party Time (28 Mar)
zdhfFQ- Companion Spotlight: Tekēhu (04 Apr)
zvzrSg- PAX East Twitch Stream, Day 1 (06 Apr)
hCSjoE- PAX East Twitch Stream, Day 2 (07 Apr)
iXncsY- Scavenger Hunt Site (11 Apr)
eZ9ywi- Companion Spotlight: Pallegenia (11 Apr)
mDjZsK- Welcome to the Deadfire Explorer's Scavenger Hunt! Email (11 Apr)
3kp5Bi- Companion Spotlight: Serafen (18 Apr)
Ksucnw- Community Manager tweet: Aarik (23 Apr)
4eVMKu- Instagram Ad 1 (24 Apr)
SNGVTh- Instagram Ad 2 (24 Apr)
i2MrLF- Companion Spotlight: Aloth (25 Apr)
aFJJ8F- Backer Update 46 (30 Apr)
6X4EYa- Backer Update 46 (30 Apr)
BprrJv- Backer Update 46 (30 Apr)
ysRHrs- The World of Eternity tweet (02 May)
3UNUbC- Companion Spotlight: Maia Rua (02 May)
TjF5if- The power of friendship! (02 May)
UBRYio- The Road To Eternity (04 May)
P5swCz- Developer Tweets (04 May)
PLmjXG- We can bearly wait (06 May)
JvD6Sx- Last chance to pre-order (07 May)
47KjYc- InXile tweet (08 May)
7NLeRW- Deadfire Launch Tweet (08 May)
zGckQH- Deadfire FAQ (08 May)
UG6Q9Y- Backer Update 47: Launch day (08 May)
PrHg3N- Press Kit Images
eVSMvT- Press Kit Images
cLD6nB- Press Kit Images
uUZCgG- Press Kit Images
E6Gqaj- Deadfire Manual - Table of Contents
Items[edit | edit source]
|Cut through the Deadfire with the Scavenger's Lantern lighting your path.
Grog x20
|Keep your crew merry and quenched with a mountain of Grog.
|Keep Stinky Pete on board so the crew has someone to blame for the smell.
Cinder Bomb x8
|Cause a distraction or blow your enemies up with a bang!
|Something for the crew to kiss.
|Show the world with whom your allegiances lie.
Iron Thunderer Cannon
|This cannon will help with aggressive negotiations in the Deadfire.
|Reward your crew, or yourself, for a job well done.
|Let the death god's will strike fear into the hearts of your enemies.
|Someone has to handle the crew when you're not around...
Gallery[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 5. TIMING: The Promotion begins on April 11, 2018, at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time ("PT") and ends on November 30, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. PT (the "Promotion Submission Period").
- ↑ Version 1.2.2.0033 Patch Notes The Vendor in Port Maje, unlocked via Berath's Blessings, now sells the following items (if the party does not already own them): Scavenger's Lantern Stinky Pete Cloak of Berath Sails of Berath Cutthroat Cosmo


text:
Canadian cooking teacher Norene Gilletz got this recipe from her husbands uncle, Uli Zamir, who makes fabulous falafel. He uses the family recipe that was handed down from his father, Shlomo, who sold falafel for 20 years from his now-closed kiosk in Kiryat Tivon, Israel. If desired, use 6 to 7 cups of canned and drained chickpeas instead if you are in a hurry. This recipe comes from Sephardic Israeli Cuisine by Sheilah Kaufman.
- ServingServings
- 1 lb. (about 2 1/4 cups) dried chick-peas, well rinsed
- 2 slices bread
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 5 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Soak chickpeas in 8 cups cold water for 24 hours at room temperature. Drain chickpeas, and grind in blender or food processor until fine. Place chickpea mixture in large bowl.
- Soak bread in water, and squeeze almost completely dry. Place parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic and bread in food processor or blender, and process until fine. Add chickpeas, and mix well to blend. Add seasonings, baking soda and enough water, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, to moisten and hold mixture together. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls.
- Heat oil in deep saucepan over medium heat, and deep-fry balls until crisp and golden. When done, balls float to surface. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels before serving.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: MAKES ABOUT 6
- Calories: 190
- Carbohydrate Content: 26 g
- Fat Content: 7 g
- Fiber Content: 7 g
- Protein Content: 8 g
- Sodium Content: 330 mg
- Sugar Content: 2 g


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Third Edition: Magician Class
Years ago, I ran a Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons play-by-post game. One of my players asked to play a 'blue mage' that was developed by (if I remember correctly) another member of the forum but I didn't like the class and wanted a chance to offer him an alternative. He ultimately refused the class I made and I caved.
Revised Dungeons & Dragons Magician Class (v0.1)
I found my magician class and I've uploaded it. It isn't for everyone, particularly not 'character optimizers,' but it covers a lot areas not normally found in a single arcane class. They combine medium skill selection with a medium attack bonus, light armor (via armored mage analogue) and simple weapons.
In addition to the above, the magician gains the ability to use Detect Magic as an at-will spell-like ability, and has the option to take on a familiar. Their primary "schtick" is their Spell Repertoire ability, which allows them to duplicate the effects of any spell they observe and successfully identify with a Spellcraft check.
They gain the ability to duplicate the effects of spells of successively higher levels (basically character level divided by two), 2nd-level spells at fourth, 3rd-level spells at sixth, 4th-level spells at eighth, and so forth. They gain the ability to learn and cast their own spells, but only up to 6th-level (much like bards).
When they use their Spell Repertoire ability to duplicate an identified spell effect, they expend a number of spell slots that total the spell they're duplicating. In other words, once they're 18th level, they can use like, three 3rd-level slots to cast a 9th-level spell. If you do the math, they can throw around more 9th-level effects than a sorcerer.
Oh, and these are cast as 'spell-like abilities,' which means they don't need spell components. The main drawbacks are twofold: each 'improvised' spell requires a full round to cast (thus they can't be readied or used to counterspell), and the character must of course observe and identify the spell effect in question.
There is technically no limit to the number of spell effects a magician can memorize, and I left it deliberately vague so the game master could decide, should they think it necessary to rein in a magician's power. The magician gains a unique variation of 'evasion,' and the 'mettle' ability, which is rarely seen outside of… anywhere?
Finally, the magician gains the Timeless Body later in their career, and their capstone ability transforms them into a native Outsider and they gain Spell Resistance. The idea was to create a more balanced arcane caster, something comparable to say, the bard.


text:
A Collection of Dhamma Talks
by Ajahn Chah | 1982 | 36,083 words
Bodhinyana; A Collection of Dhamma Talks by The Venerable Ajahn Chah (Phra Bodhinyana Thera)...
Part 4 - The Empty Flag
I once read a book about Zen. In Zen, you know, they dont teach with a lot of explanation. For instance, if a monk is falling asleep during meditation, they come with a stick and "whack!" they give him a hit on the back. When the erring disciple is hit, he shows his gratitude by thanking the attendant. In Zen practice one is taught to be thankful for all the feelings which give one the opportunity to develop.
One day there was an assembly of monks gathered for a meeting. Outside the hall a flag was blowing in the wind. There arose a dispute between two monks as to how the flag was actually blowing in the wind. One of the monks claimed that it was because of the wind while the other argued that it was because of the flag. Thus they quarreled because of their narrow views and couldnt come to any kind of agreement. They would have argued like this until the day they died. However, their Teacher intervened and said, "Neither of you is right. The correct understanding is that there is no flag and there is no wind."
This is the practice, not to have anything, not to have the flag and not to have the wind. If there is a flag, then there is a wind; if there is a wind, then there is a flag. You should contemplate and reflect on this thoroughly until you see in accordance with Truth. If considered well, then there will remain nothing. Its empty — void; empty of the flag and empty of the wind. In the great Void there is no flag and there is no wind. There is no birth, no old age, no sickness or death. Our conventional understanding of flag and wind is only a concept. In reality there is nothing. Thats all! There is nothing more than empty labels.
If we practice in this way, we will come to see completeness and all of our problems will come to an end. In the great Void the King of Death will never find you. There is nothing for old age, sickness and death to follow. When we see and understand in accordance with Truth, that is, with Right Understanding, then there is only this great emptiness. Its here that there is no more "we," no "they," no "self" at all.


text:
One of my newsletters advised me of the word plenilune, which you probably all know means full moon, but it was new to me, as an amateur classicist and etymologist.
Best wishes for 2007!
Kirsty (and let's hope the momentary power loss a minute ago was just that... )
Not-very-neo ology
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"Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another."
-- Plato (427-347 B.C.)
-- Plato (427-347 B.C.)
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Spiritual Assessment
Main Navigation
Home Page
Contact Us
Home Page
This Spiritual Assessment is a resource for chaplains, hospitals, clinics and churches interested in using religious faith and spirituality to maintain health, prevent disease and treat illness. It seeks to further understand the relationship between religion, religious values and practices, and healthcare outcomes. Its goal is to expand the dialogue between physicians, nurses, behavioral scientists, chaplains, pastoral counselors and religious leaders in an effort to collaborate and gain greater understanding of physical, mental and spiritual health, and their interdependence on one another. Its software supports database management for the purpose of gathering information to measure clinical care outcomes. This website seeks to provide a spiritual assessment instrument that demonstrates the value religious faith and practice have for the health and well-being of the human community.
Content copyright


text:
In Brief: Pulling Together: Administrative and Budget Consolidation of State Long-Term Care Services
Introduction and Purpose
This is a summary of the AARP Public Policy Institute issue paper Pulling Together: Administrative and Budget Consolidation of State Long-Term Care Services.
The delivery of long-term care (LTC) services differs considerably from state to state. Currently, in most states, LTC functions and operations are dispersed throughout state government. This often results in confusion for consumers as they try to deal with a variety of programs and procedures scattered throughout many different state agencies. To ease this process, many state officials are exploring several strategies, one of which includes the consolidation of LTC programs, policies, and budgets within one state agency.
This paper contains the following:
- An examination of a consolidated agency approach, by studying the structure of such an agency, reviewing the arguments for consolidation, and the barriers to achieving it;
- A description of how several states accomplished consolidation; and
- A checklist of steps toward consolidation to serve as a resource for state policymakers considering a move toward such a model.
Key Findings
1. The ultimate purpose of a state's consolidation of its LTC system is to overcome barriers to providing access and viable, real choices to consumers. Consolidating the existing fragmented program areas makes it possible for program administrators and consumers to begin thinking about LTC as a system designed to meet the changing needs of individuals, and not just a collection of separate programs.
2. There is no single definition of a consolidated state agency. For purposes of this project, the authors offer the following definition of a model consolidated state LTC agency:
A consolidated agency has responsibility for administration, policy, funding, and regulation for all LTC services and settings. This includes Medicaid institutional care and community-based programs, such as personal care, home and community-based waiver programs, home health, hospice, Programs for All-Inclusive Care (PACE), and state-funded LTC programs, if applicable. The model structure includes the state agency on aging with its Older Americans Act programs. The model agency has responsibility for Medicaid financial eligibility determinations and responsibility for quality management for the LTC system. The agency can cover all populations of people with disabilities—older persons, other adults with physical disabilities, and persons with mental retardation/developmental disabilities. Persons with mental illness are rarely included.
A state can have a consolidated agency that serves only older people or that serves older persons and younger people with physical disabilities. However, some states—for example, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington—have organized their LTC systems to also include people with developmental disabilities.
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text: We've all endured the indignity of tripping in public. Chances are, you haven't had it captured by the Google streetview camera, as was the case for this unfortunate Albany pedestrian. Of course, if you fall twice in the space of a hundred feet you increase your odds of being memorialized. The sidewalks look rather devoid of other pedestrians; I hope the fellow got whatever help he needed.


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Hope you all are having an amazing day! I know so many of you are going somewhere fun over this Memorial Weekend that's coming up. We're headed to my wonderful in-laws, we always have a good time with them and my Mother-in-law makes some delicious treats. She asks us in advance what we want and I have to say I always weigh more when I get home but it's worth it. haha.
Today's look is for ya'll beach lovers. The Spell & The Gypsy Collective is one of my favorite designers and this Crochet beach coverup that they designed is seriously gorgeous. I fell in love with the slit open sleeves, the fringe and the bottom of the dress with the crochet lattice pattern below the knee's. Yes, its gorgeous and I've never seen a crochet dress like this one so it was a no brainer to buy it. Now I paired this beach dress with this cute black one-piece by Mara Hoffman. Mara Hoffman seriously has some of the cutest one-piece swimsuits and she always does her best to make them look slimming and flattering to the women's body. Well, I hope you love this swimsuit and beach cover-up. Have a safe and fun Memorial weekend.


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