Kitchen sync

The Irish insist that "Tir gan teanga, tir gan anam". A country without a language is a country without a soul. In Malta, where we have two languages, there's a weird kind of logic in supposing that we are therefore in danger of losing both our souls.

Choosing the right word, and the right way to say it, is very important to me.

There are several things that may be said about Syd Barrett - why he spells his name like that, how he achieved his trademark sound in Pink Floyd music, playing his Fender Esquire guitar by sliding his Zippo lighter along the fret-board through an old echo box. But, perhaps inevitably, the DJ decided to ignore this kind of nicety and informed us, rather, twice of when the guitarist iggojnja l-grupp.

Secret lovers have trysts, Granola types organically overlap, and ordinary people have good old dates. When it comes down to business, however, the rest of us have appointments, meetings... and interviews.

One of those invited on this week's espresso, the (obviously) fast-paced interview wedged in just before Net News on weekdays, was the charismatic Fr George Dalli. This was one of the best encounters so far, not only because presenter Jean Claude Micallef nearly always manages to draw out the best from his guests, but because this turned out to be a tête-à-tête which left a lasting impression.

At one point, Mr Micallef asked Dun Gorg whether he ever wished to become a bishop, the immediate answer was "God forbid that I would ever harbour such unpleasant (hziena) thoughts."

Not being one for beating about the bush, Fr Dalli admitted that he was well known for his forthright way of looking at things; I think that is part of his charisma, in fact.

Many people assume that this is because he is somewhat out of tune with the Church's mainstream way of thinking - but that is not the case at all. He put it in a nutshell when he said that he is different from the Church in the way the rest of the clergy is different from him, or between themselves.

Each of us is an individual, and the sooner we appreciate this, the better we will come to understand one another. Wise words indeed. Fr Dalli, incidentally, was also a guest in Qalbinnies (TVM, Sunday) where the topic was avarice - and here, too, he gave us a few salient points without even once reminding us that "you cannot take it with you".

Another interview worth mentioning is the one John Bundy (Bongu on TVM) made with Jeffrey, one of the facilitators at San Blas. This wonderful person has indeed put into practice what he was thought during his time of rehabilitation, about which he makes no bones. Substance abuse, he said, does not ruin merely the addict; it has a Butterfly Effect on all his family and friends. Jeffry rightly believes that what he received from Caritas, he owes it to society to give back.

That is why he is there, helping others to get better - in every sense of the word - as he had been helped all those years ago.

As a general rule, interminable magazine programmes are not my style at all - but sometimes I come across veritable nuggets of treasure that leave me spellbound.

Such as the case with last Sunday's "Meet the artist" in One's Sunday afternoon Il-Hadd Maghna (2-6.30 p.m.) marathon.

Sonny Gatt, as we watched, created a wonderful head-to-drapery of the Crucifix, and with deft touches of his hands and tools managed to portray love, sorrow, and pain, movement and stillness.

I am one of those people who can compose a painting, or a sculpture, in my brain down to the last detail - but my hands always refuse to comply. That is why I am so fascinated when I see a work of art appear as I watch.

It is a pity that it is always the same artists who are commissioned to carry out certain contracts and assignments - I am sure that the marvellous talent obtaining in Mr Gatt is also extant in many others who do not have the right connections, or who don't think they are "good enough" to promote themselves or find someone to do it for them.

Neither is L-Ispjun quite my scene, but from what I gather, it has a very, very huge following. This week, several people contacted me because they were incensed at the way things had turned out.

Following the expulsion of two females, it was arbitrarily decided that the next person to leave had to be a man. This is exactly the opposite of "positive discrimination" - something that I don't like, either, especially when it is used in the workplace or in politics. I thought rules are there to be followed, not to have something to bend or go against (and this goes for television schedules too).

Meanwhile, the good news is that Olivia Lewis' Vertigo music video, shot on location at Couvre Port, Palazzo Parisio, Verdala Palace... and Dock No. 1, is being wound up as you read this. Mark Vassallo is directing it for Where's Everybody?, and it is expected to be launched on Friday during Xarabank - of course - on PBS.

Meanwhile, from China, Xinhua reports that scientists at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Centre at Shandong University of Science and Technology have managed to implant micro-electrodes into a pigeon's brain.

Following the successful one done on mice in 2005, this experiment involved sending signals to the poor birds to make them behave in a pre-set way, flying Story Highlights right or left or up or down, by stimulating different areas of their brains.

A bit like the technology involved in arming a human with a remote control capable of selecting between hundreds of television channels, perhaps.