Updated: Video: Not a white Christmas, but...

Paul Psaila

Dec 29th 2008, 11:50

Can sombody from the authorities kindly remove the ice, because today after more than two days a lot of it is still there. Are we waiting for some more to come to take action.

Joe Galea

Dec 29th 2008, 07:42

Now next budget Gonzi has to promise us a pair of skis, apart from the 5 bulbs....lol

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Ronnie Gauci

Dec 29th 2008, 01:47

Maybe we could organize the Winter Olympics in the future. The Saqqajja skiing complex would ideal.

Joseph Vassallo

Dec 28th 2008, 21:34

Jimmy Magro said: "By the way, is it possible to appoint Renzo Piano to design a solution for the B'Kara and Msida flooding."

I don't think it needs any Renzo Piano to solve that one; Edward de Bono is more likely to solve that one. In my view, the answer is not to take the rainwater out to sea from B'kara but to bring in the sea inland to it... even if the road has to be rebuilt on stilts. Can you imagine the fishing rods???

Have to say though, it really is a nice sight BEFORE it gets trodden on. I remember seeing St Dominic square cover in white at about 5 o'clock one morning. Didn't last long though.

Alex Ellul

Dec 28th 2008, 13:04

Quote: "Award winning Princeton University Physicist Dr. Will Happer, who was reportedly fired by former Vice President Al Gore in 1993 for failing to adhere to Gore’s scientific views, has now declared man-made global warming fears “mistaken.”

“I am convinced that the current alarm over carbon dioxide is mistaken,” Happer, who has published over 200 scientific papers, told EPW on December 22, 2008. Happer made his remarks while requesting to join the 2008 U.S. Senate Minority Report from Environment and Public Works Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) of over 650 (and growing) dissenting international scientists disputing anthropogenic climate fears. [Note: Joining Happer as new additions to the Senate report, are at least 8 more scientists, including meteorologists from Germany, Netherlands and CNN, as well as a professors from MIT and University of Arizona."

Alex Ellul

Dec 28th 2008, 10:27

@C.R. Taliana: Keep on googling. Keep to the scientific sites, avoid the failed politicians such Al Gore and others, since these are the chaps that are trying to ride the global warming global panic so they keep their popularity. It's what gets the votes. Avoid Hollywood since it's what gets the viewers inside cinemas, and avoid journalists since they just want us to buy their articles and books. Science does not need and is not dependent on votes or hype but only on, well, science. Stay skeptical on everything, meaning that you don't just believe what politicians say, journalists write ot actors do but make your own research. Stay with science and you will get there. Sorry for sounding so smug., but aren't AGW proponents so smug too?

By the way: the sea levels have not gone up. Some say it has actually gone down.

Philip Sultana

Dec 28th 2008, 10:09

@ Jimmy Magro
Perhaps Malta will do better to control it's own micro environment contaminated as it is with diesel fumes from buses and trucks, dust from quarries and god knows what else.

C.R. Taliana

Dec 28th 2008, 08:59

@Alex Ellul I am no expert and thanks for adding the url link. But I am slightly confused about this issue now, as there seem to be many schools of thought. Too many if you ask me. Is it possible that the world can not come up with one common front even on this issue? I've done a simple search using google and this is the result. I'm posting the link.

http://www.google.it/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=it&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBF_itIT304IT304&q=global+warming+man+made%3f

Alex Ellul

Dec 28th 2008, 00:13

http://www.factsandarts.com/articles/no-significant-global-warming-since-1995/

Alex Ellul

Dec 28th 2008, 00:01

Taliana, you r completely wrong. 2008 = coolest sinve many years, Hottest this century=1938

C.R. Taliana

Dec 27th 2008, 23:04

@Alex Ellul what you said might be true about GW being caused by cyclic solar conditions, but apparently man is contributing in accelerating the process.

M Vella

Dec 27th 2008, 22:49

on the contrary this year 2008 seems like ending up the 10th warmest year on record since 1950!

Alex Ellul

Dec 27th 2008, 20:59

Jimmy, I assure you that I will be the happiest man on earth to see the back of oil and coal. However I recommed that you do not take all the global warming hype without some skepticism. According to globalwarmonders, we should have been cooked to death by 2006. In fact the temperatures have been going down since 1998. 2008 was the coolest for the last 10 years. Polar ice, which sjhoild have been gone according that great inconvenient truth by Al Gore, is increasing, Antarctica is as cold as ever while the sun has beeb reducing its activity for many years now. Global temperature correlate with solar activity not with CO2 levels. CHECK IT OUT. You'll be surprised.

Let me be claear: I am not saying that we do not have global warming, what I m saying is that global warming follows global coling which is followed by global warming. Way back in year AD1000, Greenlanders weremgrowing corn in Greenland. Then they had the littel ice age, now global warming, and maybe soon or not so soon, global cooling.

j Ellul

Dec 27th 2008, 20:51

Great to see some ice in Malta. reminds me of1950's when it happened a few times. I loved to play in it. Thinking of G W, if it was't for human intervention with the so called emissions, the world should be in a monor ice age. I think we are still heading for this ice age, so start burning some coal and your grand ma's furniture .

Irene Bothomley

Dec 27th 2008, 20:03

I find the video clip quite unreal as the hail is up to their knees! However, the weather throughout the world is changing. Is this the Malta that I know and love? I have experienced heavy rain many times which resulted in flooding, but this, I just cannot imagine. Please ensure that the temperature is nice and hot when I visit again in May/June.
With very best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year to my many friends in Malta.

a.cassar

Dec 27th 2008, 19:32

Oh oh! I feel a political debate coming up even on this subject. Why can't you forget politics for a while and take L Debono's advise and go skiing at maghtab!

Joseph Borda

Dec 27th 2008, 19:16

By the way, why this area known il-Mandragg in Valletta was left for several hours closed without nobody from any compentent authority take action to remove this hail which caused blockage to the main area.................................

Charlie Barbara

Dec 27th 2008, 19:10

That was sure a beautiful sight to see that in Malta. Is this the global warming that they are talking about ?
Happy New Year Malta

Jimmy Magro

Dec 27th 2008, 18:06

@Alex Ellul
By the time scientists come to a conclusion what may and might not be creating global warming ( I wrote about climate change ), we will be all be dead. There are several reports that should give us the determination required to act now.

People that argue about the causes are those usually bound with big business and capitalists interest.

Alex Ellul

Dec 27th 2008, 17:59

Jimmy, many questions still abound about the cause of global warming. Thousands of scientists are highly skeptical about antropogenic (caused by men) global warming (AGW). New data reveals that GW may actually be mostly caused by cyclic solar conditions.

C.Caruana

Dec 27th 2008, 17:58

Yes very impressive for Malta! I believe that one day we will witness true snow!!

L Debono

Dec 27th 2008, 17:19

Ok, get a pair of skis and head for Maghatab for some down hill fun. lol

Jimmy Magro

Dec 27th 2008, 16:31

By the way, is it possible to appoint Renzo Piano to design a solution for the B'Kara and Msida flooding. This can be done free of charge as a 2009 present to Malta. It is a disgrace that a prime area is under flood threat after a few centimeters of rainfall.
This should be given priority to the Ghadira Road.

Ivan Tabone

Dec 27th 2008, 16:27

Wow. Didn't realise that so much hail had come down!! We can now play ... I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Jimmy Magro

Dec 27th 2008, 16:22

Instead of playing with Maltese politics it is better to think about climate change and how this is affecting our small Island. The heat in summer and hail in winter. Although we are a small Island it is in our interest to campaign more for rigorous controls on industrialised nations to implement the various international conventions. We all can do our little part too. I am quite sure that the relevant organisations can invest more funds into educational campaigns that must be carried out through civil socities, if properly assisted. This should not be a big brother exercise but these campaigns must be run by the people for the people.

Government must remove all the bureaurcracy in applications for installing environment friendly equipment. Guidelines should be set up and then the architects responsible for the works should be held responsible to install the equipment under their direct supervision. Finally the architect should issue a certificate that all works and expenditure has been certified in accordance with the established guidelines. Professional people with a warrant are trusted persons by the state and should bear full responsibility for their professional works.

jennifer borg

Dec 27th 2008, 15:47

wow, when my sister told me about the hail i didnt believe her!

m.psaila

Dec 27th 2008, 14:36

Switzerland in the Med indeed! : -)

mike pace

Dec 27th 2008, 13:15

In Bkara its was like in Venezia; islets for which you needed a gondola and not a car.