SASM Members approve changes to Statute

The changes to the Stars And Stripes Malta Statute have been approved when 92% of registered members voted in favour of the changes. At http://www.starsandstripesmalta.com/News/News201211.html#SA20121102 one can see the changes members were asked to approve.

We would like to thank all members who took part. It is a clear demonstration of your support in SASM and we greatly appreciate it.

The approved statute will be filled in the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.

'Sunday Lunch With A Twist!’ – Next Door Family EU

On 18th November at 1pm, 20 slightly different Sunday lunches will be happening all across Malta as part of the Next Door Family EU project.

Each ‘Sunday Lunch with a Twist’ will be between 1 Maltese family, 1 non-EU family making Malta their home, and 1 trained Next Door Family assistant.

The aim of this project is to celebrate the strength and beauty of diversity, to teach us how to live together not just next to one another and to focus on our similarities, not just our differences. But it is also just about having fun, eating good food and making new friends! 

The Next Door Family project has been running successfully since 2004 in the Czech Republic coordinated by NGO Slovo21, and lasting friendships have been formed between the families. This year 8 European Union member states have joined together to create Next Door Family EU and more than 210 family lunches will take place across Europe on 18th November at 1pm.

We feel that this project is a really exciting opportunity for the Maltese to showcase their famous hospitality, rich family culture and great food.

Equally, we know that settling into a new country can be challenging and we hope this project helps Non-EU families to feel more at home here. The ‘Sunday Lunch with a Twist’ is a wonderful chance for these families to make those first steps whilst sharing their incredible variety of cultures and cuisines with Maltese families.

If all this sounds like something you and your family might enjoy and you would like to be part of it all, then have a look at our website www.nextdoorfamily.eu and APPLY ONLINE as soon as possible before spaces run out!

Please feel free to email us on nextdoorfamilymalta@gmail.com or call on 99613869/79699692 if you have any questions.

Happy Halloween from Stars And Stripes Malta!

Like many other ancient celebrations, Halloween was originally a non-Christian ritual. According to the historian Nicholas Rogers, this celebration seems to be linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain. This feast was the largest celebration in the Celtic calendar and used to mark the end of as well as the beginning of the cycle of life. This feast was observed around the end of October / beginning of November at a time when the long days and the bonanza of summer would give way to the less prosperous winter period. Being farmers, these people had to secure livestock and ensure that the summer harvest would last through the winter months.

The Celtics believed that during Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year made their way into the next world. They lit bonfires and performed sacrifices to honour those who had passed on and to light the way towards their new destination. The Celts believed that on the day supernatural traffic was two ways; demons, fairies and the ghosts of departed already in the afterlife would come back into the real world.

 Photo: http://0.tqn.com/d/create/1/0/l/g/6/-/samhain-altar.jpg

In an effort to eradicate paganism, Christian missionaries hijacked non-Christian festivities and attributed to them a Christian twist. In this case, the feast of All Saints was assigned to November 1^st, yet unlike many other similar pagan feasts, Samhain was not wiped out.

Halloween was revived thanks to the Irish who had immigrated to North America. During the 20^th century it evolved into the nationwide feast we love so well. Today Halloween is usually celebrated amongst family and friends. Parties and other events may be planned on October 31 or in the weekends before and after this date.

Many children dress up in horror costumes and visit other homes in the vicinity. At each stop they knock and ask for a treat. This is normally sweets. If they are not given anything, they threaten to do some “harm” to the inhabitants of the house. Some families make jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins and decorate their homes and gardens for the occasion.

In Malta this occasion has been celebrated only for about 20 years as costume parties. The custom of children trick-or-treating with parents has not yet caught up nationally.

Photo: http://wallpaperdesigns.co.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Fright-Night-Happy-Halloween.jpg

Columbus Day: Are you in or are you out?

Columbus Day is a controversial annual holiday which falls on the second Monday of October. It became a federal holiday in 1937 although there are records of it being celebrated in the late 18th century. It is intended to celebrate Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas; the first European to set sail to what was later to be the new world.

This celebration has Italian origins and many Italo-Americans borrow the day to celebrate their heritage. It took the lobbying of a first generation Italian living in Denver called Angelo Noce to popularise it, then Colorado governor Jesse F. McDonald a to make it a statutory holiday and the push of the Knights of Columbus to result in President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sign the date as a federal holiday. 

Controversy surrounds the holiday because of a number of factors:

·         Christopher Columbus was not the first European to visit the Americas, it was Viking explorers from Scandinavia who crossed into the Americas almost a thousand years before;

·         Columbus did not really discover mainland USA, he discovered San Salvador, an island in the Caribbean. In his four voyages, the closest he got to the USA was Cuba.

·         The Europeans displaced the native Indians, their beliefs and culture and in some cases massacred them. Some feel that this is not something one should celebrate.

 

Different states celebrate the day very differently; some states hold a Columbus Day Parade, others mark it as a Day of Recognition and hold services while others do not officially recognise it and normally celebrate another occasion on the day. For example, Hawaii marks Discoverer's Day to honour James Cook the British navigator who discovered the islands.

Anatomy of Presidential Vote

Voting in a US Election cannot be simpler; just fill in the oval next to (or above) the person who you would like to vote for.You can do so in blue or black ink or in pencil. In US elections you also have the option of voting for a person whose name is not printed on the ballot. There is space on the last column of the ballot. In this case you would write or stamp the person's name and fill in the oval in the blank space at the right end of the row in which appears the title of the office.

Besides voting for the President you may optionally vote for the Senator as well as the Representative in Congress. The Senator and Congress Representative will vary depending on the State you are registered at. The names shown here are for those who are registered in New York.


As with almost all ballots, any other mark or writing as well as any erasure made on the ballot outside the voting ovals or blank spaces provided for voting will void this entire ballot.

Members of Stars And Stripes Malta can avail themselves of the free service provided by either the US Embassy or SASM.

Absentee Voting Week

All American citizens living in Malta are invited to register to vote in the forthcoming Presidential election. Thanks to a service being offered by the US Embassy you can now register here in Malta rather than write to the US. Events will be held both in Malta and Gozo and will be managed by staff from the US Embassy.  They will be hosting two separate events, one in Gozo on Thursday, October 4th and one in Malta at Verdala International School on Friday, October 5th beginning at 2:00 p.m.  The process is very simple and straight forward. If you are not registered, there will be a table where you can register. After this short process is completed you can then case your ballot. On the other hand, if you are registered all you need to do is vote. The embassy will send the ballot box back to the United States.

Stars and Stripes Malta encourage you to vote in the Presidential elections. If there are people with special needs or if you would like someone from Stars And Stripes Malta to assist you during the process get in touch.

If you are aware of other people, don’t forget to pass this message on to them.

SASM's 2nd Annual Get Together: What a Party!

SASM 2nd annual get together that was held at Ta’ Kenuna Bar and Restaurant in Nadur Gozo. The event was well attended (we tripled the number of attendees over last year).

A group of volunteers arrived beforehand so that we could decorate the place and turn the restaurant into Festive USA mode. Photos clearly indicate that we overcame this challenge with flying colours.

We soon realized that the area we had originally reserved (double of what we had last year) was not sufficient. Luckily Ta Kenuna Restaurant had an additional dining area that allowed is to spill over into this area.

The event kicked off with the singing of the US National Anthem after which the food starting being served. In the background US songs could, at times, be heard over the chatter and laughter of SASM members as well friends and family who accompanied them.

After the tables were cleared of the second course, President Alan Bonnici and Honorary President Mark Miceli-Farrugia thanked those who had attended the event as well as the committee of SASM who put time and effort into making SASM into the active and dynamic organisation it is. SASM is a not-for-profit organisation by members for members. It thrives on the input of its members and offers services and support to all those who have at heart the continuing good relations between Malta and the USA. It aims to keep a bit of the USA alive for those Americans and Maltese who reside in Malta as well as retain and project Maltese culture and lifestyle to those who left the Maltese islands in the past. With the latter SASM hopes to extend Malta to subsequent generations of Maltese living abroad who, because of circumstance, may not appreciate their Maltese heritage. Special thanks to the success of this particular event went to committee members Joyce Grech and Joe Meilak who were in charge of organising this event.

As desert made it way to the tables, Joyce Grech took charge of the raffle. Prizes donated by Meridiana Wine Estate, onNeutral’s Bulk SMS Services, Budweiser and Ta’ Kenuna Bar And Restaurant were distributed to attendees. Thanks to the generous donations many of the attendees walked out with a gift (some with two or more).

This August evening came to a close with the singing of the Maltese national anthem. At the end, those who live in Gozo drove or walked home, those who come from Malta headed for the ferry and those who live in the USA will continue their holidaying in Malta until they have to go back to the USA.

Stars and Stripes Malta would like to thank the following organisations and individuals for helping to make this such a special occasion:
• Mr Charles Calleja
• Mr Charlie Tewma
• Budweiser
• Embassy of the United States of America
• Meridiana Wine Estate
• Ta’ Kenuna Bar And Restaurant
• onNeutral’s Bulk SMS Services

SASM's 4th of July Word Cloud

Help us define SASM's 4th of July ECard

We would like to run a special edition of Stars And Stripes Malta News covering the USA’s largest holiday, Independence day. Send us your thoughts, pictures, quotes and other publishable material. We will then go through the material and through our combined effort create a web page to mark the occasion.  Your submission must be at us by the 1st of July. The material you send can be of yourselves or it can be public domain stuff you would like to share with the rest of the world.

We will print the names of all those who have participated unless you tell us otherwise.


Send your contributions including your details to info@StarsAndStripesMalta..com.

Thank You

I would like to express my thanks to the committee of SASM for their support, prayers and kind words following my father’s passing on. I would also like to thank all those from the US Embassy who communicated their condolences.

My father was three weeks away from his 89th birthday and apart from the last few days had lived a physically healthy life to its fullest. For many years he made New York his home. Upon his return to Malta, he would proudly hoist the US flag onto a pole with a silver eagle on many occasions. Celebrating US festivities were a common occurrence at home and this was more so when others who, like him, had lived in Manhattan, started retiring in Malta.

Alan Bonnici

4th of July / SASM annual get together

As all of you know our committee is split between the Maltese islands and the east and west coast of the USA. Our normal day to day activities are only possible thanks to technology. This year whilst planning our annual 4^th of July celebrations we learnt that both Louis and John will be in Malta a few weeks after this national holiday. A dilemma arose on whether we should remain faithful (or as faithful as possible) to the 4^th or whether we should shift this occasion to a date when the entire committee could attend. We decided for the latter as this gives all those who attend to get the rare opportunity to meet SASM’s committee in its entirety.

In order to make this happen we have set SASM’s annual get together to Friday August 3^rd.  As was the case last year we will be holding this event at Ta’Kenuna in Nadur. Given this special occasion we will working triply hard to make sure everyone who attends has a great time with prizes and loads of fund for kids and adults alike.

If you  have any comments or suggestions how to make this a special night then drop us a note. Joyce Grech, our hard working PRO is the person organising this event. Address your suggestions to her on joyce.a.grech@gov.mt. If you would like to lend a hand with the organisation of this event contact her.

25 Beneficiaries Of International Protection Depart For The United States Of America

25 persons from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan all of whom are single adult men left today to start a new life in the United States, under the US Refugee Resettlement Program (USRRP). On arrival, they will be assisted by NGOs in the U.S.A. to proceed to their final destinations in various states. This latest departure brings the total of beneficiaries of international protection who were resettled to the United States from Malta since such resettlements started in 2007 to 896. To date, 28 migrants have been resettled from Malta to the U.S.A. during the month of April - 85 since the start of the year. More beneficiaries of international protection are expected to leave to the United States in the coming weeks.

In all 1,507 refugees and beneficiaries of international protection have been relocated or resettled to various other developed countries since 2005.

The persons who departed this morning were selected following a process involving the UNHCR (Malta office) as well as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at various stages. US Government officials also conducted interviews in Malta.

Washington's Birthday

Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday honoring George Washington. Originally if was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. In 1968, the 90th Congress voted to shift three holidays (including Washington's Birthday) to Mondays. The law took effect in 1971, and as a result, Washington's Birthday holiday was changed to the third Monday in February. Not all Americans were happy with the new law. There was some concern that Washington's identity would be lost since the third Monday in February would never fall on his actual birthday (the third week of Fenruary can only fall between the 15^th and the 21^st of February). There was also an attempt to rename the public holiday "Presidents' Day", but the idea didn't catch up universally as some believed not all presidents deserved a special recognition. This federal holiday was the first one to honour and American ciizen.

George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. His first term as president was from 1789 to 1793 and his second term from 1793 to 1797. Before he became president, he played important roles in the military, leading the American Continental Army to victory over the British in 1783. Washington is often seen as the father of the United States and is probably the best known American politician ever.

George Washington could trace his family’s presence in North America to his great-grandfather, John Washington, who migrated from England to Virginia. The family held some distinction in England and was granted land by Henry VIII.  Much of the family’s wealth was lost during the Puritan revolution and in 1657 George’s grandfather, Lawrence Washington, migrated to Virginia.
George’s father, Augustine, who was born in 1694. Augustine Washington was an ambitious man who acquired land and slaves, built mills, and grew tobacco. George Washington’s father died when he was 11. In 1748, when he was 16, George traveled with a surveying party plotting land in Virginia’s western territory. In 1753, Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, Robert Dinwiddie sends Washington, now aide-de-camp with a rank of major, to Fort LeBoeuf Pennsylvania, to warn the French to remove themselves from land claimed by Britain. The French refused and French and Indian War begining. The French counter attacked and after a full day siege, Washington surrendered. He was later released. George Washington was given the honorary rank of colonel and joined British General Edward Braddock’s army in Virginia in 1755. During the encounter, the French and their Indian allies ambushed Braddock, who was mortally wounded. Though he fought bravely, he could do little to turn back the rout and led the broken army back to safety. In August, 1755, Washington was made commander of all Virginia troops.

In 1758, George Washington returned to duty. His experience during the war was generally frustrating and eventually he resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon disillusioned. George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealty widow.  He kept over 100 slaves, but accepted the fact that slavery was the law. He also entered politics and was elected to Virginia’s House of Burgesses in 1758.

The British ministry, facing a heavy postwar debt, high home taxes, and continued military costs in America, decided in 1764 to obtain revenue from the colonies. When the Virginia legislators, in May 1774, called for a Continental Congress, he was present and signed the resolutions. The Virginia provincial convention promptly elected Washington one of the seven delegates to the first Continental Congress. When the Congress met in Philadelphia on Sept. 5, 1774, he was in his seat in full uniform, and his participation in its councils marks the beginning of his national career.

He was elected to the second Continental Congress at the March 1775 session of the legislature.

After the battles of Lexington and Concord in April, 1775, the political dispute between Great Britain and her North American colonies escalated into an armed conflict. In May, George Washington traveled to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia dressed in a military uniform, indicating that he was prepared for war. On June 15, Washington was appointed Major General and Commander-in-Chief of the colonial forces against Great Britain.

By November, 1783, the British had evacuated New York City and other cities and the war was essentially over. The Americans had won their independence. The war had been costly to the Washington family but generous land grant from Congress for his military service and sufficiently compensated him.

In 1787, George Washington was again called to the duty of his country. At the Constitution Convention, George Washington was unanimously chosen as president. Washington had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t amendments that were needed, but a new constitution that would give the national government more authority. 

During his first term, George Washington adopted a series of measures proposed by Treasury Secretary Hamilton to reduce the nation’s debt and place its finances on sound footing. In foreign affairs, President George Washington, took a cautious approach, realizing the weak young nation could not succumb to Europe’s political intrigues.

All through his two terms as president, George Washington was dismayed at the growing partisanship within government and the nation. As Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton pushed for a strong national government and an economy built in industry.  Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson desired to keep government small and center power more at the local level, where citizen’s freedom could be better protected. He envisioned an economy based on farming. Those who followed Hamilton’s vision took the name Federalists and people who opposed those ideas and tended to lean toward Jefferson’s view began calling themselves Democratic-Republicans. Washington despised political partisanship, believing that ideological differences should never become institutionalized. He strongly felt that political leaders should be free to debate important issues without being bound by party loyalty. However, Washington could do little to slow the development of political parties. The ideals promoted by Hamilton and Jefferson produced a two-party system that proved remarkably durable. These opposing viewpoints represented a continuation of the debate over the proper role of government, a debate that began with the conception of the Constitution and continues today.

Groundhog Day

Do you recall the 1993 comedy starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell called Groundhog Day?  For the benefit of those who aren’t fans of Ghostbusters star Bill Murray; aren’t film buff or are not that old, I’ll briefly go through the move plot: “A self-centered weather forecaster (played by Bill Murray) ends up reliving Groundhog day every morning until he finally realizes that in order for this routine to stop he must change from within. What is most striking about this movie is the alarm clock at the B&B Murray resides in; it wakes him up the same rituals and activities as the day before and Murray soon realizes, the day after.” IMDB rate this move at 8.1/10 and places is at position 168 of the top 250 movies of all times. 

 Photograph by Jason Cohn, Reuters

Has SASM started reviewing movies? No yet. We want to discuss the holiday celebrated on February 2^nd. Tradition has it that when a groundhog leaves its burrow on this day it will look for its shadow. If it can’t see its shadow (because it is cloudy) than the groundhog will leave its burrow signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. On the other hand if the groundhog sees its shadow (meaning that the sun is out), the critter will head back into its burrow and winter weather will continue for another six weeks.

Punxsutawney, a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, 135 km northeast of Pittsburgh holds the largest Groundhog Day celebration. It is followed by thousands of locals, tourists and news crews who gather every year to observe whether winter has come to an end or still has a few more weeks.

German immigrants brought the tradition with them. As they settled in hills of Pennsylvania, they began using the Groundhog to predict the arrival of spring. The tradition is based upon Candlemas, the day that is the midpoint between winter and spring. A famous Candlemas poems goes:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

Obama vs Romney?

Mitt Romney's 16-point victory over Ron Paul in the New Hampshire primary provided a big boost for his candidacy as the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination heads to South Carolina. Romney is the first non-incumbent Republican presidential candidate to win both Iowa and New Hampshire since Iowa assumed the pole position in the party's race to the nomination in 1976.

New Hampshire is a state with only 12 delegates of which Romney picked up 7. The remaining 5 delegates went for Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman. This is still a long way from the 1,144 delegates needed by a candidate to secure the nomination but this state represents the first tangible step in the stuff that counts, delegates.

The next primary now moves south of the Mason-Dixon Line to South Carolina were there will be 25 delegates up for grabs. Polls see Romney leading with Gingrich close behind and Paul coming in third. The actual outcome will now depend on the rallying and lobbying of each prospective candidate’s camping team.

Mitt Romney was born in Detroit on March 12, 1947. His mother, Lenore, gave up an acting career when she met and married his father, George. Mitt’s father came from humble origins and never graduated from college. He apprenticed as a lathe and plaster carpenter and sold aluminium paint before beginning a career that brought him to the head of American Motors and then the governorship of Michigan.

Mitt married his wife, Ann, in 1969. They first met in elementary school when he was a Cub Scout. When they met again years later at a friend’s house, he was smitten. Between them, they have five sons and sixteen grandchildren, who are the center of their lives. Like any family, the Romney’s have faced hardship: Ann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, and more recently fought a battle with breast cancer. She credits her husband’s unwavering care and devotion to her for helping her through these ordeals.

Martin Luther King Day - Jan 16

Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday that will fall on January 16 this year. It celebrates the life and achievements of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), the civil rights leader. He is best known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States.

This federal holiday is a relatively new one with all states observing it from the year 2000 -- New Hampshire was the last state to observe it. Four days after Dr King’s death in 1968, Congressman John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday. Even though Illinois was the first state to adopt Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday in 1973, at a federal level everything was at a standstill. When the bill did not progress, a campaign was started. Following support from the musician Stevie Wonder with his single "Happy Birthday" and a petition with six million signatures, the bill became law in 1983 and Martin Luther King Day was first observed by some states in 1986.

MLK was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. According to him the civil rights movement began when he was six years old. Two of his friends did not show up to play ball and Martin decided to go look for them. He was met by the mother of one of the boys who told him in a very rude tone that her son would not be coming out to play with him ever again because they were white and he was black.

Rev King is probably best known for the speech he gave on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Washington DC Lincoln Memorial. It goes as follows:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Iowa Caucuses: And then there were 8

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has won the Iowa caucuses by only eight votes. Romney narrowly edged out former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Romney got 30,015 votes while Santorum received 30,007 votes.　

During the Iowa caucuses residents of Iowa State meet in precinct caucuses in 1,774 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa. These county conventions then select delegates for both Iowa's Congressional District Convention and the State Convention, which eventually choose the delegates for the presidential nominating conventions.

Romney was born on March 12, 1947. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. While Governor he presided over a series of spending cuts and increases in fees that eliminated a projected $3 billion deficit. He also signed into law the Massachusetts health care reform legislation, which provided near-universal health insurance access via subsidies and state-level mandates and was the first of its kind in the nation.

Santorum has on numerous occasions made derogatory statements against homosexuals. In 2003, Santorum stated that he believed mutually consenting adults do not have a constitutional right to privacy with respect to sexual acts. He described the ability to regulate consensual homosexual acts as comparable to the states' ability to regulate other consensual and non-consensual sexual behaviour, such as adultery, polygamy, child molestation, incest, sodomy, and bestiality, whose decriminalization he believed would threaten society and the family, as they are not monogamous and heterosexual.