First September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019

STEP INTO AUTUMN STARRING JULIAN BORG PAUL GAUGUIN REMBRANDT NEIL ARMSTRONG, BUZZ ALDRIN AND MICHAEL COLLINS CHRIS FEARNE RICHARD GERES GABRIELLA CALLEJA STEPHEN LA ROSA

GET BACK-TO-SCHOOL READY WITH M&S Our uniforms stand up to everything school life can throw at you whilst still looking smart! Packed full of clever innovations, like non-iron shirts plus crease and stain resistant skirts and trousers means they’ll wear well and last year after year.

2 PACK SKIRTS stain resistant

€16.00

2 PACK UNISEX SHIRTS non-iron

€17.50

2 PACK BOYS TROUSERS crease resistant

€17.50

*AVAILABLE ONLY AT M&S SLIEMA

MARKSANDSPENCERMALTA

ALDOSHOESMALTA

Go wild for our new collection

LEGOWIEN TRAINERS €55 TIGNE · PAMA · VALLETTA · BAY STREET · PAOLA · GOZO

TIGNE POINT SHOPPING COMPLEX, SLIEMA

NEW COLLECTION SIZES 38-52

DRESS €99 | TOP €65 | TROUSERS €45

PUNTROMAMT

0%

y

Spirits ONLY

ply.

NEW FOOD STORES NAXXAR - ST PAULS ST. HAMRUN - DANIELS MALL

€2.95

All Hot Drinks +

Cookie, Muffin or Croissant 19/06/2018 *Valid only on small hot drinks and a single/double espresso.

Muffin only 10:24 available at M&S Bay Street.

Terms & Conditions Apply.

SLIEMA | VALLETTA | DANIELS | NAXXAR | TIGNE | BAY STREET

EDITORIAL

A fire burns trees and brush along the road to Jacunda National Forest, near the city of Porto Velho in the Vila Nova Samuel region which is part of Brazil's Amazon, Monday, 26th August. On the same day the Group of Seven nations pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a "colony." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

BRAZIL AMAZON FIRES This summer the world was shocked – and angered - by fires raging across Brazil’s rainforest. Brazil is home to about 60% of the Amazon rainforest and 30,901 fires blazed this August, the highest for the month since 2010; and a 196% increase in fires in comparison to August of last year (in August 2010, there were 45,018 fires). The surge of fires has sparked an international outcry for preservation of the world's largest rainforest.

Above: Krimej village indigenous Chief Kadjyre Kayapo, of the Kayapo indigenous community, poses for a photo on the path opened by illegal

loggers on the border between Menkragnotire indigenous lands and the Biological Reserve Serra do Cachimbo in Altamira, Para state, Brazil, Saturday 31st August. Much of the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is done illegally – land grabbers burn areas to clear land for agriculture and loggers encroach on national forests and indigenous reserves, and Kayapo says he does not want loggers and prospectors on his land. In this picture (left) a cut tree stands in a burned area near the Krimej indigenous village. Critics say the large number of fires this year has been stoked by President Jair Bolsonaro’s encouragement of farmers, loggers and ranchers to speed efforts to strip away forest. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Fire consumes an area in the Alvorada da Amazonia region, in Novo Progresso, Para State, Brazil, Sunday 25th August. The country's satellite monitoring agency has recorded more than 41,000 fires in the Amazon region so far this year, with more than half of those coming in August alone. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

ON THE COVER. Chris Fearne, photographed by Rene Rossignaud.

EDITORIAL CONTENT AND SALES MANAGER SEAN ELLUL SELLUL@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT ADVERTISING SUPPORT ILARIA MOUSU IALMOUSU@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT DESIGNER CONRAD BONDIN CBONDIN@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT PRODUCTION MANAGER ANDRE CAMILLERI ACAMILLERI@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT PUBLISHER STANDARD PUBLICATIONS, STANDARD HOUSE, BIRKIKARA HILL, ST JULIAN’S. TEL: 00356 2134 5888, WEB: WWW.INDEPENDENT.COM.MT FACEBOOK FIRSTMAGAZINE PRINTER PRINT-IT. FIRST IS PUBLISHED AS A COMPLIMENTARY MAGAZINE WITH THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY AND IS NOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY. NO PART OF THE PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE PRIOR AGREEMENT OF THE PUBLISHER.

10

18

CONTENTS

INTERVIEW

One small step for man. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon, 20th July 1969.

(Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)

15

65 questions with City of London’s Julian Borg.

28

Inside the Fearne household.

Chris Fearne: the politician and the family man.

ARTS & CULTURE

18

LONDON CALLING

Gauguin Portraits. How an artist revolutionised the portrait.

20

AMSTERDAM CALLING

Operation Night Watch. The 3 million euro restoration project you can watch at home.

22

APOLLO II

One small step for man. 50th Anniversary.

25

COLLECTABLES

The James Bond Aston Martin DB5.

30

HAUTE COUTURE

Olympian Goddess. Couture Fall 2019.

The artist that revolutionised the portrait. Gauguin Portraits. Paul Gauguin, The Ancestors of Tehamana or Tehamana Has Many Parents (Merahimetua no Tehamana), 1893. Oil on canvas, 76.3 × 54.3 cm.

The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Deering McCormick 1980.613 © The Art Institute of Chicago.

50

22

32

RED CARPET

76th Venice International Film Festival.

Who wore what.

FASHION NOTES

34

New fragrance on the block: Gabrielle Chanel Essence.

36

Haute Inspiration. On trend with Punt Roma’s autumn looks.

Stonewall 50 Years.

Demonstrators rally and march during the first Gay Liberation Day march in New York, 1970. Image AP.

12

Fashion Story: All About Beige. M&S CARDIGAN AND BLAZER. FLARE SHORTS FROM KWADDRO. CHARLES & KEITH SHOES.

32

Red Carpet Looks.

Actress Penelope Cruz at the 76th Venice Film Festival. (Photo Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

CONTENTS

[S E P T E M B E R I S SUE 2 01 9]

30 20

Goddess Styling. Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda Backstage, Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily. July 2019. (source: facebook.com/DolceGabbana)

56

38

FASHION

All about beige. Style the city with gorgeous neutrals and head to toe beige this autumn.

44

SCHOOL PYSCHOLOGY

Dealing with back to school anxiety.

46

HEALTH & FITNESS Mediterranean Culinary Academy’s Stephen La Rosa prepares end-of-summer snacks and a punchy peachy cocktail.

What’s really making you fat.

Richard Geres explains.

48

VIEWPOINT

Changing the world together.

STONEWALL 50 YEARS

50

Operation Night Watch – the big brother restoration project.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), The Night Watch, 1642. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, on loan from the Municipality of Amsterdam.

STONEWALL

Raid and rebellion to rights movement.

62

54

MALTA PRIDE

50 years after Stonewall. Why the fight for LGBTIQ rights still isn’t over.

56

ANTIPASTI

Stephen La Rosa cooks up summer flavours and a peachy cocktail.

62

COFFEE TABLE

Great escapes Europe.

Top spots for absolute escapism.

Absolute escapism with Angelika Taschen.

13

INTERVIEW

65 QUESTIONS In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I City of London Bar opened, serving drinks to the Fusiliers City of London Regiment based in Pembroke. 105 years later, at 75, Julian Borg has been the pub landlord for 35 years.

FIRST caught up with Julian to find out who he would love to serve at ‘City’, his favourite item at the bar and what he's most excited about right now. Photographs courtesy Julian Borg. ow are feeling about life right now?

Well now that I’m retired I’m feeling really good, I’m enjoying myself. I travel a lot but I still have an interest in my business here at City of London. How many years have you worked here? 35 years behind the bar, not fancy management, just 35 years working hard. First thing you did today?

Checked my appointment with you, to make sure I’m here, because I forget a lot. Are you a morning or a night person?

Night, definitely. I have worked nights nearly all my life. How do you start your day?

I make tea and watch Sky News. What is the best thing that happened to you this year?

This year sales of the bar just rocketed, we can’t cope. What is the best thing that has ever happened to you? When my father offered me the bar. I was in London on the verge of buying a pub with a partner.

We had gone to the bank and it was nearly there. Then I get this call, I cancelled everything and within a month I was here.

What is the biggest surprise you’ve ever had? I haven’t had any big surprises really. What is the best surprise you ever planned? Well I sponsored a migrant. I gave him a job, found him a flat and looked after him. I still do. He escaped from Sudan and ended up in Malta. I gave him a chance. Now he’s married and he’s got a baby. I feel very proud.

Favourite city to visit? London and Las Vegas. Country you’d love to visit? Czechoslovakia. Would you ever live anywhere besides Malta? I would love to live somewhere like the Caribbean, but it would be very expensive. When I was young I always wanted to go to Canada, but now, at my age I’d rather stay here. Favourite bar outside Malta?

Harry’s Bar in Venice. It’s fantastic, but it’s expensive. 25euro for a gin and tonic. Here it’s 2euro. Describe yourself in 3 words. I’m very generous, and kind, and if I have a vision I do it. I always did. It might take time but I get there.

Your first job? In 1964 at Dragonara Casino, they had just opened, they had a course for croupiers, and I qualified, I came in the first six.

Who trained you? We had a company from Baden Baden – the Kursaal Company. They sent their own people, because they ran it, and they taught us everything from scratch. I had never seen a roulette in my life.

In 1969 you moved to the newly opened Hilton. What was the it like?

It was one of the first luxury hotels, it was really fantastic. You became head barman? Yes at the Falcon Bar. What were 3 of the most popular cocktails? There were many, but I was good at making a Daiquiri, and customers would ask me “what cocktail?” Then there was the Margarita, and being American, Whisky Sour. At First Magazine we love the iconic 70s cocktail – A Snowball – can you tell us how to make a perfect Snowball? It’s been a long time, but it’s that yellow stuff – Advocaat – mixed with ice and lemonade, but it’s not popular anymore.

When did you move to London? 1972 and I stayed until 1979. What was it like? Booming! It was really good. People were earning good money. Where did you work? At a very small club in Fulham Road

called the Connoisseur and then at The White Elephant, a private club in Mayfair. How did you get the job at The White Elephant? They told me that there was a vacancy on the French Roulette. So I went for an interview and started straight away. And there were two Maltese besides me.

Describe The White Elephant in 3 words? Posh, small and not for everybody. I don’t know how much the membership was, but there was a casino above and a street level restaurant. Describe the clientele.

Very rich. Saudis, owners of big businesses, one newspaper bloke, I better not mention names. The stakes were high. As far as I know no other casino had 1,000 pound sterling chips. Was there a lot of pressure at the roulette table? Well one night the casino boss informed us that a very big punter was visiting. We were told he could bet any amount – no limit – and he could have any amount of credit. He had only 3 days in London and for 3 nights he was at the casino and we cleaned him out; his losses were huge. The only drawback was that in the 70’s we weren’t allowed to have tips.

When did you move back to Malta? When my father called me. He said to me – you can have the bar, I’m tired. What was business like?

Business was getting busier, tourism was already really going. As soon as I came I got permission for outside and permission till 4 in the morning. The bar opened in 1914? Yes with the outbreak of World War I. The bar took its name from the Fusiliers City of London Regiment. There were a lot of City of London Regiments, and one of them was stationed in Pembroke – they were our first customers.

How old was your grandfather when the bar opened? He was born in 1876 – so 38. Why did he decide on St Julian’s? Well I can’t answer that but I think that he couldn’t have chosen better. Did his father run a business as well? No, my grandfather Carmnu Borg was the first, but the bar wasn’t his, he rented it; now, 3 generations later, we’re still renting the place. How long did he run it? A good thirty years, until World War II. My father had a grocery shop across and eventually took over.▶

A young Julian Borg (centre), head barman at the newly opened Hilton’s Falcon Bar, circa 1970.

15

INTERVIEW

Above: Julian Borg and his wife Jacquie have been married for 50 years. Pictured here, the newlyweds leaving their wedding party at the Hilton in their honeymoon car, an Alfa Romeo Due Mila Sei. Right: City of London Bar 1940s.

16

◀What do you like most about being a bar landlord? Besides the good business – because everyone wants a drink, whether you’re happy or someone dies – we had a wake the other week and I couldn’t believe how much they spent; you meet people, all different kinds of people. That’s the main thing about being a publican. Your least favourite part? When people get drunk you have a problem. And this happens in all pubs, not just this pub.

That bothers me, because they annoy our good customers – but there’s very little you can do. You can’t force someone to leave, you have to gently explain to them to leave the bar.

Anything you wish you had known before becoming a bar landlord?

No, this was the family business. When I was 12, I was already here giving a hand – it was in my blood. How has your role changed? All of a sudden, when I got older, and tired, I started coming to the bar less. But I still come at least once a day for a couple of hours, especially mornings.

What was the most popular drink when you started 35 years ago?

Gin and tonic was the most popular, because I had a lot of English customers in the beginning. When I started cocktails were not in vogue here, they were in hotels and nightclubs, then they caught on later. What is your best selling drink right now? Wine – white in the summer. Favourite drink? Daiquiri. A drink you don’t like? A Snowball (laughing). I hate that Advocaat, it’s eggs!

What is the coolest thing about City of London? The prices. I keep prices very low. Your favourite item at the bar? The clock. It’s a 100 years old. Shall I tell you how I got it? There was a lady resting outside with her shopping and I said ‘I’ll give you a lift‘. I took her to St Elias Street around the corner and she made me go in for a cold drink. I saw the clock and said – ‘if you ever want to sell it let me know‘. She said ‘you can have it now’.

I said ‘how much’. ‘5 pounds,’ Maltese. I feel guilty because it‘s worth a lot more. It’s made by Zahra Watchmakers – it’s Maltese. What does the bar mean to you in 3 words? Satisfaction, loyalty and prosperity - because it carries on.

If you could have another career right now, what would it be?

Working in a casino, I loved it. Something you would love to learn?

Spanish or French. What would you like to be doing in 10 years? Hopefully staying here, and going abroad more often. If your life was a song what would it be? Live forever. Who is one living person you would love to serve at the bar? You will not believe this – Miriam Gauci. I have a photo of her, at one time I was obsessed with her. The lighting man from her concerts gave me a signed photo. But I never met her. Maybe before I die she’ll read this and give me a call. Most memorable celebrity that’s visited? We had two – Johnny Depp and Englebert Humperdink. A celebrity you would love to drop in? Elton John, I love his records.

You have a passion for cars. Vintage cars mainly. What’s a favourite car you’ve had? A Mercedes Benz 190. It was nearly scrap when I bought it and it took me a year to do it up. After 6 months I went to the Hilton and this big German guy told me “I want to buy that car, my father had one.” I told him, ‘it’s not for sale’, and he told me ‘everything is for sale‘. He gave me his card, got in touch again, and I sold it for 6000 Maltese. I bought it for 500, it cost me 1500 to do it up. Is it true that you used to take clients home in your Mercedes, if they were not fit to drive home? Yes but not when they were drunk. Once there was a big storm and we were stuck here, we just couldn’t leave, there were rivers of water. Instead of putting the people out, I made two trips – one up to San Gwann, one to Tal-Ibraġ.

What’s a car you always wanted? Well I always wanted an E Type and I got one. My wife bought me one. She inherited a house in London which she sold, and she said ‘Now what do you want?‘ And so she got it for me – but there’s a sad ending – I crashed it. I was a fool. I went over a central strip. I was tired after work and smashed the underneath. I didn’t have money to repair it and I sold it. Three things you cannot live without? My glasses, I have three pairs because I lose them. My medicine. I was depressed once and my doctor said to carry on with them. And to live a comfortable life.

I don’t want to be a millionaire, I think that would spoil me. Just enough to enjoy life.

Favourite movie? ‘Being There’ with Peter Sellers. I recommend it to everyone. You will not believe what happens. And ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’. I have copies and every three or four months watch them. But I won’t watch Amadeus to the end – it’s too sad. Favourite book? At the moment I started Michelle Obama – it was a birthday present. But once when I was in Convent Garden I bought a book called The Memoirs of a Victorian Gentleman. It’s anonymous. I read it on a plane flying to Hong Kong. Unbelievable.

It’s a bit on the naughty side (laughing).

Favourite music? Classical, Mozart, Bach, and also romantic songs. My favourite is ‘Song for Guy’ by Elton John – there’s a story behind it. The guy gets killed – he was a messenger with a motorcycle – and he wrote it for him.

Sometimes when you know the story you enjoy it more. Best gift you’ve ever received? The E Type. Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? To persevere. If things go wrong, don’t give up – carry on.

There’s always a way up. And if you use your mind – with a bit of luck – you’ll get there. The wildest thing you ever did in your life? I never told my wife this but I’m going to tell you – we were in South Africa and crossed to Botswana, to a nice complex in the middle of nowhere. They told us not to leave because it’s dangerous; and I left the complex, and nearly got killed. I won’t tell you more, but I got out of it. I used my head and got out of it. One thing you’ve kept from childhood? Cuff links. I’ll tell you how I got them – I played waterpolo and when the pool opened at Dragonara we all lined up, shook hands with casino owner and he gave us half a sovereign each. You know what I did? I was first in line and I went to the back and he gave me another one. He didn’t recognize me – I’m naughty I know – and I made them into cuff links. I still have them. Two gold sovereigns, one which was due to me, and one that wasn’t.

What is your guilty pleasure? Sweets, and I am a borderline diabetic. I‘ll have a small piece and then my yearning goes. What are you most excited about right now? Right now I’m going to be married for 50 years. We are planning a fabulous cruise – a big one, with my daughter – she lives in New York. My wife does all the planning, we don’t know where yet, but when I see the price I‘ll give the go ahead (laughing).

LONDON CALLING

THE CREDIT SUISSE EXHIBITION:

GAUGUIN PORTRAITS HOW AN ARTIST, FAMOUS FOR HIS PAINTINGS OF FRENCH POLY NESIA, REVOLUTIONISED THE PORTRAIT.

Paul Gauguin, Self Portrait as Christ, 1890-1891. Oil on canvas, 38.1 x 45.7 cm.

Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Acquired by the Musées Nationaux with the participation of Philippe Meyer and a Japanese patron, coordinated by the newspaper Nikkei, 1994 (RF 1994-2) (RF 1994 2). © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / René-Gabriel Ojéda.

18

he first-ever exhibition devoted to the portraits of Paul Gauguin will open at the National Gallery, London, next month.

Spanning his early years as an artist through to his later years spent in French Polynesia and featuring over fifty works, with major loans from museums and private collections throughout the world, this landmark exhibition will show how Gauguin used portraits primarily to express himself and his ideas about art.

Although he was fully aware of the Western portrait tradition, Gauguin was rarely interested in exploring his sitters’ social standing, personality, or family background, which had been among the main reasons for making portraits in the past.

'The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Gauguin Portraits' will show how the artist – inspired by his time spent in Brittany and French Polynesia from the mid-1880s to the end of his life in 1903 – became fascinated by societies that to him seemed close to nature. With their folk tale heritage and spirituality, these communities appeared to him to be far removed from the industrialisation of Paris.

Gauguin’s inspiration to visit French Polynesia was partly drawn from the exotic novels of Pierre Loti, his photographs

of Borobudur sculptures, and Pacific exhibits he had seen at Paris’s Exposition Universelle in 1889. At the same time his own upbringing in Peru allowed him to think of himself as someone who stood outside the European tradition, a ‘savage’.

Together with his use of intense colour and his interest in non-Western subject matter, his approach had a far-reaching influence on artists throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries including Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, says: “This is the first time that an exhibition focuses on portraits

by Gauguin. Never a conventional portrait painter, his radical, highly personal vision led to the creation of a group of works that are striking, moving and at times disturbing. Through paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramics the exhibition explores how he defined his own persona in his self -portraits and how he fashioned the images of friends, lovers, and associates.”

The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Gauguin Portraits at the National Gallery, London. Exhibition opens 7 October – 26 January 2020. Daily 10am–6pm (last admission 5pm), Fridays: 10am–9pm (last admission 8.15pm). Admission charge. For advance tickets visit nationalgallery.org.uk.

You can also book tickets in person from the Gallery.

LONDON CALLING

Paul Gauguin, Christ in the Garden of Olives, 1889. Oil on canvas, 72.4 x 91.4 cm.

Norton Museum of Art, Gift of Elizabeth C. Norton, 46.5. © Norton Museum of Art

Paul Gauguin, Contesbarbares, 1902.

Oil on canvas, 131.5 × 90.5 cm.

Museum Folkwang Essen (Inv. G 54). © Museum Folkwang Essen / ARTOTHEK. Left: Paul Gauguin, Vahine no te vi (Woman with a Mango), 1892. Oil on canvas.

72.7 × 44.5 cm. The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland; BMA 1950.213. The Baltimore Museum of Art / Photo: Mitro Hood

19

AMSTERDAM CALLING

OPERATION NIGHT WATCH

THE MOST ELABORATE CONSERVATION PROJECT IN THE HISTORY OF REMBRANDT’S MASTERPIECE IS TAKING PLACE IN FULL VIEW IN AN ULTRA-TRANSPARENT GLASS CHAMBER AT AMSTERDAM'S RIJKMUSUEM. THE GLOBAL LIVESTREAM LETS Y OU WATCH LIVE. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RIJKSMUSEUM.

embrandt’s Night Watch, one of the world’s most famous works of art is at the heart of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, where it is admired by over two million visitors a year. The group portrait of officers and civic guardsmen is Rembrandt’s most ambitious painting, famed for its lively and daring composition.

This July The Night Watch was enclosed in a specially constructed big-brother-like glass chamber to start one of the most ambitious and elaborate conservation projects ever on a painting - Operation Night Watch, a EUR€3 million research and restoration project which is expected to last a few years. In full view of the visiting public, the entire high-tech process is being livestreamed to millions around the world.

Inside the chamber a digital device known as a macro X-ray fluorescence scanner sits in front of the painting, scanning millimetre by millimetre. X-rays analyse the different chemical elements in the paint, making it possible to determine which pigments were used. To scan the entire surface 56 scans will be made, each one of which will take 24 hours. The scans can also reveal insights into Rembrandt's painting process. In the subsequent phase a total of some 12,500 photographs will be taken at extremely high resolution under different lighting conditions, from 180 to 5 micrometres, or a thousandth of a millimetre, to see details such as pigment particles that normally would be invisible to the naked eye. When this initial research ends the painting will then be restored and will most likely reveal a brighter version as the ‘gray haze’ is lifted.

Follow Operation Night Watch online at rijksmuseum.nl/nightwatch 20

Top: In an ultra-transparent glass chamber, Operation Night Watch is taking place in full view of the visiting public. Photo Rijksmuseum.

Bottom: Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum. Photo Rijksmuseum.

APOLLO 11

50th ANNIVERSARY

ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN Top: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr. descends a ladder from the Lunar Module during the Apollo 11 mission, 20th July 1969 (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP). Left: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module "Eagle" during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity, 20th July 1969 (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP). Right: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, 20th July 1969. Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the lunar surface, while Astronaut Michael Collins flew the command module (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP).

22

APOLLO 11 Half a century ago ‘men from planet Earth’ stepped onto another world for the first time, on 20th July 1969. The event united people globally in a way not seen before or since. Hundreds of millions tuned in to their radios or grainy black-and-white TV sets as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon.

In Malta the experience was no different, says First Magazine’s Managing Director, Noel Azzopardi. “At that time, the world was very different, we could only see things from newspapers or television... then all of a sudden you’re witnessing people landing on the moon. So yes everybody got emotional about it, everybody was just glued to television to make sure not to miss this part of history. I remember watching it on RAI. The two Italian correspondents were both well known at the time, Ruggero Orlando in New York and Tito Stagno in the studios in Italy. Ruggero Orlando was a character in himself, he had a nasal voice and was always waving his hands about: ‘Qui Nuova York, vi parla Ruggero Orlando’. What everyone remembers most is their disagreement when the lunar module was landing. Tito Stagno: Ha toccato!, Ruggeri Orlando: No, no ha toccato!, it went on for about 10 or 15 seconds.”

The following article was first published by Associated Press after NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP). wo Americans landed on the moon and explored its surface for some two hours Sunday, planting the first human footprints in its dusty soil.

They raised their nation’s flag and talked to their President on earth 240,000 miles away.

Both civilian Neil Alden Armstrong and Air Force Col. Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. reported they were back in their spacecraft at 1:11 a.m.

EDT Monday. “The hatch is closed and locked,” Armstrong reported.

Millions on their home planet watched on television as the pair saluted their flag and scoured the rocky, rugged surface.

The first to step on the moon was Armstrong,

38, of Wapakoneta, Ohio. His foot touched the surface at 10:56 p.m. EDT and he remained out for two hours and 14 minutes.

His first words standing on the moon were, “That’s one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.”

Twenty minutes after he stepped down, Aldrin followed. “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,” he said. “A magnificent desolation.”

He remained out for one hour and 44 minutes.

Their spacecraft Eagle landed on the moon at 4:18 p.m., and they were out of it and on the surface some six hours later.

At the end, mission control granted them extra time on the lunar surface. Armstrong was given 15 extra minutes, Aldrin 12.

Even while they were on the surface, the seismometer they installed to study the moon’s interior was picking up the shudders created by Aldrin as he hammered tubes into the lunar crust to take soil samples.

Earlier, mission control reported that a laser beam shot from earth to the moon had been reflected back by a small mirror set on the surface by the astronauts. But scientists at Lick Observatory in California later said the initial test had failed because the beam was 50 miles off target.

There were humorous moments in the awkward climbing out and in the spacecraft.

When Aldrin backed out of the hatch, he said he was “making sure not to lock it on the way out.”

Armstrong, on the surface, laughed. “A pretty good thought,” he said.

Once back in the spaceship they began immediately to repressurize the cabin with oxygen. They stowed the samples of rocks and soil.

“We’ve got about 20 pounds of carefully selected, if not documented samples,” Armstrong said, referring to the contents of one of two boxes filled with lunar material.

The minutes behind were unforgettable for them, and for the world.

The moments ahead were still full of hazard.

Monday, at 1:55 p.m., they are scheduled to blast off from the moon to catch up with their orbiting mothership above for the trip home.

President Nixon’s voice came to the ears of the astronauts on the moon from the Oval Room at the White House.

“This has to be the most historic telephone call ever made,” he said. “I just can’t tell you how proud I am... Because of what you have done the heavens have become part of man’s world. As you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquillity, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to man.

“All the people on earth are surely one in their pride of what you have done, and one in their prayers that you will return safely...”

Aldrin replied, “Thank you Mr. President. It is a privilege to represent the people of all peaceable nations.” Armstrong added his thanks.

Armstrong’s steps were cautious at first. He almost shuffled.

“The surface is fine and powdered, like powdered charcoal to the soles of the foot,” he said. “I can see my footprints of my boots in the fine sandy particles.” Armstrong read from the plaque on the side of Eagle, the spacecraft that had brought them to the surface. In a steady voice, he said, “Here man first set foot on the

The 363-feet Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 11 crew, launches from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 16th July 1969.

(NASA via AP)

moon, July, 1969. We came in peace for all mankind.” As in the moments he walked alone, Armstrong’s voice was all that was heard from the lunar surface.

He appeared phosphorescent in the blinding sunlight. He walked carefully at first in the gravity of the moon, only one-sixth as strong as on earth. Then he tried wide gazelle-like leaps.

Aldrin tried a kind of kangaroo-hop, but found it unsatisfactory. “The so-called kangaroo-hop doesn’t seem to work as well as the more conventional pace,” he said. “It would get rather tiring after several hundred.”

In the lesser gravity of the moon, each of the men, 165 pounders on Earth, weighed something over 25 pounds on the moon.

Armstrong began the rock picking on the lunar surface. Aldrin joined him using a small scoop to put lunar soil in a plastic bag.

Above them, invisible and nearly ignored, was Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Collins, 38, keeping his lonely patrol around the moon for the moment when his companions blast-off and return to him for the trip back home. Collins said he saw a small white object on the moon, but didn’t think it was the spacecraft. It was in the wrong place.

Back in Houston, where the nearly half-moon rode the sky in its zenith, Mrs. Jan Armstrong watched her husband on television. “I can’t believe it is really happening,” she said.

Armstrong surveyed the rocky, rugged scene around him. “It has a stark beauty all its own,” he said. “It’s different. But it’s very pretty out here.”

They took pictures of each other, and Aldrin shot views of the spacecraft against the lunar background.

In a world where temperatures vary some 500 degrees, from 243 degrees above zero in sunlight, to 279 below in shadow, the men in the spacesuits felt comfortable.

Aldrin reported, “In general, time spent in the shadow doesn’t seem to have any thermal effects inside the suit. There is a tendency to feel cooler in the shadow than out of the sun.”

23

going

BACK TO SCHOOL should be

Scientific Calculators from only € 14.00

COOL

Multi-Functional Printers from only € 33.00

Avantech Building, St Julian’s Road, San Gwann | 2148 8800 | info@avantech.com.mt | avantech.com.mt

COLLECTABLES

CALLING ALL SECRET AGENTS

1965 ASTON MARTIN DB5

7 00

CAR Top:1965 Aston Martin DB5 “Bond Car”. (Photo Simon Clay © 2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s) Middle: A look at the interior gadgets in the Bond DB5. (Photo Simon Clay © 2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s) Right: The smoke screen dispenser on the DB5 is engaged. (Photo Simon Clay © 2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)Far right: One of the Browning .30 caliber machine guns hidden in each fender of the DB5. (Photo Simon Clay © 2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

RM Sotheby’s record breaking auction of the most famous car in the world: the James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5. The car features 13 functioning Bond modifications as seen in Goldfinger and Thunderball.

This August the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 used to promote Goldfinger and Thunderball was sold for a record breaking US $6,385,000 at the world’s biggest classic car auction held in California – the RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction. The most valuable DB5 ever sold at auction, the 007 car was the subject of a 4 ½ minute bidding competition between six interested parties in the room and on the phone. The DB5 is one of two examples outfitted with John Stears-designed Bond gadgets from new and used on the North American promotional tour for Thunderball. Beautifully restored, all 13 Bond modifications are fullyfunctioning, including a Browning .30-calibre machine gun in each fender, wheel-hub mounted tyre-slashers, smoke screen dispensers, revolving license plates, a bullet-proof rear screen, and more.

25

COLLECTABLES

1

2

4 26

4. 1935 Alta 1½-Litre. One of only six examples built, the name of Alta may not have the aura of Maserati, Bugatti or Alfa Romeo, but nonetheless it holds an important niche in the history of British motor racing. Geoffrey Taylor was a small specialist manufacturer with a difference. Where others assembled hybrids from proprietary bits and pieces, he not only designed but also made every part of the Alta sports and competition models, even down to the superchargers. Listed as still for sale on the RM Sotheby’s site. (Photo ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s) 5. 1949 Jaguar XK 120 Alloy Roadster. Only 240 hand-built, alloy-bodied XK 120 roadsters were produced.

Sold at RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction for US $357,000. (Photo Ryan Merrill ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

onterey Car Week is one of the biggest global classic car events, a yearly affair which draws a huge number of some of the most valuable cars from around the world. Some come to enter the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance while others come to be sold in various auctions. The RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction prides itself as one of the biggest and this year presented more than 120 of the world’s most important motor cars, with more than $107 million in total sales across the company’s three-night auction in Monterey, California (15-17 August). The auction entries are pure eye candy – here are our top 5 favourites.

3

5

1. 1939 Porsche Type 64. The antecedent of Porsche’s historical evolution, the first and sole remainder of the three examples believed completed. This is a personal car driven by both Prof. Dr. HC Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry Porsche, and the oldest car to ever wear Porsche’s iconic wide-font script badge.

Expected to sell for millions at the Sotheby’s Monterey Sale, the car failed to sell in a heated and confusing twist of events, when according to Bloomberg, a massive mistake in bidding price by the auction house upset the crowded room. The car remains ‘Still for Sale’ on the RM Sotheby’s site. (Photo Jack Schroeder ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s) 2. 1954 Maserati A6GCS by Fiandri & Malagoli – listed as still for sale on the RM Sotheby’s site. (Photo Darin Schnabel ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s) 3. 1971 MercedesBenz 280 SL ‘Pagoda’. The elegant and understated styling of these roadsters, penned by designer and artist Paul Bracq, made the model a desirable accessory for young Hollywood celebrities in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sold at RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction for US $240,800. (Photo ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

INTERVIEW

INSI DE THE FEA RNE HOU SEH OLD Top: Chris Fearne is married to Astrid, also a doctor. They live with their three children Rafael, Dawn and Julian (extreme right). Bottom left: Chris Fearne has frequently been asked how he manages his roles as a minister and as a father throughout his campaigns. “Quite honestly, it did me good to be asked, because it kept me on the straight and narrow and made me constantly ask myself whether I was keeping the balance.” (Photo Rene Rossignaud) Bottom right: Chris Fearne with his wife Astrid, both avid readers.

28

As Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, Health Minister and a renowned paediatric surgeon – Chris Fearne is a household name. While most people are used to seeing Chris in parliament, or on the TV, behind the political man is a husband and down-to-earth father of three. At home he’s just as likely to be found rushing around in gym gear as he is organising a Saturday night family BBQ, writes Dayna Clarke. Main photography by Matthew Cutajar hrough the years, the 56-year-old politician has managed to keep his family out of the spotlight. Along with his wife Astrid, the couple live very ordinary lives in a quaint corner of Malta.

Chris was born in Attard, raised in Paola and later moved to Ghaxaq. He attended St Joseph Primary School and St Aloysius College.

Chris graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Malta, and obtained a prestigious Surgical Fellowship at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. During his time in the UK, he specialised in Paediatric Surgery at Alder Hey and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Back in Malta he established neonatal and paediatric surgery units at both St Luke’s and Mater Dei hospitals, and was eventually appointed Clinical Chair for Surgery. He contested and was elected on the Labour ticket in the 2013 general elections. Following this he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Health in 2014, Health Minister in 2016 and Deputy Prime Minister in 2017.

Chris is married to Astrid, also a doctor; they live with their three children Dawn, Julian and Rafael and their dog Ming. When it comes to living life in the spotlight and the golden work-life balance, Chris bears all. He has frequently been asked how he manages his roles as a minister and as a father throughout his campaigns. “Quite honestly, it did me good to be asked, because it kept me on the straight and narrow, and made me constantly ask myself whether I was keeping the balance. When it comes to time consumption, politics is a powerful vortex – if you allow it to, it will take it all. Of course, my children always get priority - now they are all adults and have their independence”.

Politics is not just a job for Chris. “Even if you do it passionately and assiduously, yet still treat it as a job, one is bound to fail. I see it like a mission, a public service, which - for those who truly and genuinely embrace it - is driven by one’s heart and

soul. My view is that a sound balance between work and life stems from the recognition that one cannot be sacrificed for the other. Indeed, in my case at least, I cannot imagine myself being a deputy prime minister without the constant sustenance, and, more importantly, criticism from my family.”

But with such a high profile, how does he ensure his family still has a relatively normal life out of the public eye? “Quite honestly, they do it for me.

Neither my wife nor my children are particularly keen on being in the limelight. They support me, but mostly prefer to be in the background.”

Inevitably, over the years, his family have had to learn to adapt to his changing roles, a learning curve which is still very much in progress. He respects that, unlike him, they did not choose to be in politics, and recognises that they are used to his long working hours from his life as a surgeon.

So how do you go from being a top paediatric surgeon to a leading politician? Chris explains that being a child surgeon for decades has taught him to make quick decisions on matters of life and death.

This helped him tremendously in discharging his political duties – having a sense of judgement and a rapidly deployed one is inarguably a crucial skill for any leader.

“I spent many satisfying years working as a paediatric surgeon, which is something I always wanted to do. Now that I have shifted to full-time politics, I am proud to say that I am equally in my

INTERVIEW

element and have the same passion for going to work every morning that I did in my previous life”.

When it comes to spending the limited free time he gets, Chris ensures he maintains a healthy lifestyle, frequenting the gym daily, with the help of his personal trainer Anthony Meachem. “Keeping fit both physically and mentally is paramount to me”. When he is not at the gym Chris loves to cook, and often spends hours cooking for family and friends in the morning on weekends. In the afternoon Chris catches up with football- Chelsea and the local Hibs, or reads - “I am an avid reader and usually read one novel a week.”

Chris fondly describes a happy childhood growing up in Wied Blandun in Paola. Visiting Birzebbuga in summer offered him many opportunities for friendship and adventure. “I am extremely grateful and proud of my parents.

Besides giving me the best education I could wish for, they imparted strong values on me. My mother is energetic, outgoing and has a positive outlook to life. My father is disciplined, has an incredible sense of fairness, but is the most kind-hearted person I know. I can only hope to emulate their values in my private and public life.”

Chris’s resounding message is loud and clear: a life in politics is a vocation, and a lifestyle one must learn to manage. His advice to anyone considering a career in politics? “If by being in politics, you are fulfilling your life’s mission with

passion and sincerity, your children will appreciate and be proud of you. Of course, politicians have little or no private life - and willingly or not (especially if you happen to have a distinctive surname!) your family will be dragged into the public sphere.

I firmly believe that as long as you ensure that

your children feel that they are loved, and feel secure, and are given the backing and space to develop, they can grow up to fulfil their full potential. So, my advice to parents with an eye on politics would be to make the most of the time with their children. It’s what you make of it that is the key.”

29

HAUTE COUTURE

1

5

2 OLYMPI

3

4

GODDE COUTURE FALL 9

10 30

11

IAN

ESS L 2019

HAUTE COUTURE

Goddess inspired creations lined fall haute couture shows this July, in an endless stream of ethereal and mesmerizing flowing robes.

Here are just a few of some of our favourites.

6 8

7

1. Helena Christensen in Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda dress with corset in silk tulle hand painted with gold leaves and embroidered with sequins and crystals. Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda, Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily. July 2019. (source: facebook.com/DolceGabbana) 2. Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda column dress with cape embroidered in sequins, bugle beads and crystals on tulle and lurex gold lace.

Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda, Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily. July 2019. (source: facebook.com/DolceGabbana) 3. Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda look composed of a corset made in filigree with 3D metal applications of Hellenic inspiration. The skirt is printed on silk organza and reproduces the work of Jean Antoine Giroust Oedipus of the Columns, 1788. Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda, Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily. July 2019. (source: facebook.com/DolceGabbana) 4.Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda Backstage, Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily. July 2019. (source: facebook.com/DolceGabbana) 5. Gown made with marble printed organza mosaic and beaded embroidery on the top. Fendi Couture Fall/Winter 2019-2020 Collection, “The Dawn of Romanity” at the Palatine Hill, in the heart of the Roman Forum. (source: facebook.com/Fendi) Fendi paid tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld with an ethereal haute couture show overlooking the monumental Colosseum from atop Palatine Hill. 54 gowns were presented, representing his 54-year tenure at Fendi.

6. Black jacquard and gauze dress, pale orange, Valentino red, ochre, copper and silver floraison, embroidered with rhinestones and sequins.

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino couture show was brilliant and a fantasy of colour. Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019. (source facebook.com/valentino) 7. Taffeta, faille, crêpe and velvet dress and cape in framboise tones. Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019. (source facebook.com/valentino) 8. Trouser-cape combinaison, with multicolor taffetas, lurex and velvet embroideries and encrustation of an imaginary landscape.

Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019. (source facebook.com/valentino) 9. Gauze cape printed with vol d’oiseaux de nuit motif, saphir blue, ivory and intense red feathers on the hems. Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019. (source facebook.com/valentino) 10. Lebanese designer Elie Saab’s haute couture collection at Paris Fashion Week consisted of multiple showshopping gowns. Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019 (AP Photo/Michel Euler).

11. Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019 (AP Photo/Michel Euler).

31

2

RED CARPET

1 9

32

5

6

8 7

10

11

4

RED CARPET

3

76Venice th

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

At 76 the Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world. From Cate Blanchett to Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson stars flocked to the Lido for premiers of some of the highest-profile films which debuted in competition for the prestigious Golden Lion Award this past week. Here are the best looks from this year's Venice Film Festival.

1. Actress Penelope Cruz in a Ralph and Russo tiered floor-length tutu and jeweled bodice with feathers. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 2. Actress Zazie Beetz in Valentino Fall 2019 haute couture. (Photo Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP) 3. Model Sara Sampaio in an Armani Privé dress with a full striped skirt. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 4. Actress Laura Dern in dark, forest green Gucci gown with red velvet trim. (Photo Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP) 5. Actress Cate Blanchett in a flared Armani Privé gown. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 6. Model Sara Sampaio in a fitted sequin Armani Privé jumpsuit. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 7. Model Iman in Valentino Fall 2019 haute couture. (Photo Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP) 8. Actress Kristen Stewart in metallic pink Chanel gown. (Photo Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

12

9. Model Elsa Hosk in an Etro strapless gown. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 10. Scarlett Johansson in a custom Celine red sequined thigh-split gown. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 11. Actress Liv Tyler in black puff-sleeve Givenchy couture gown.

(Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 12. Actresses Catherine Deneuve, left, in a Jean Paul Gaultier floor-length dress and sleeveless orange coat with a feathered trim; and Juliette Binoche in a floor-length beaded Armani Privé silver gown. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 13. Actress Meryl Streep in a Givenchy silk-georgette dress with asymmetric hem, high neck style and floral print. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP) 14. Actress Alessandra Mastronardi, the actor and host of the Venice Film Festival opening ceremony in Giorgio Armani Privé. (Photo Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

13

14 33

TRENDS

GABRIELLE CHANEL ESSENCE THE EXPRESSION OF GABRIELLE The bold, independent character of Gabrielle Chanel would determine her fate and change the course of fashion history. In 2017 CHANEL created a fragrance in her honour, a reflection of her extraordinary, determined and passionate spirit: GABRIELLE CHANEL, paying tribute to the woman she was before Coco Chanel. In 2019, GABRIELLE CHANEL Eau de Parfum is reinvented with GABRIELLE CHANEL ESSENCE.

M

argot Robbie is the face of the new fragrance GABRIELLE CHANEL ESSENCE. The House was drawn to the captivating personality of the Australian actress and producer, who stars in Quentin Tarantino’s new film, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood.

C

reated by Olivier Polge in cooperation with the CHANEL Laboratory of Fragrance Creation and Development, this new olfactory interpretation of GABRIELLE CHANEL reveals a trail that is more voluptuous and opulent, solar and enveloping. Composed around four white flowers revered by CHANEL: jasmine, ylang-ylang, orange blossom and tuberose, GABRIELLE CHANEL ESSENCE gives a majestic role to Grasse tuberose.

C

HANEL’s campaign for the new fragrance, directed by renowned photographer Nick Knight, sets Margot Robbie against a white and gold background that calls to mind a fragrance with a solar hue composed around a heart of these four white flowers.

A

n allegory of a radiant and fulfilled femininity, this campaign is the continuing story of the GABRIELLE CHANEL fragrance. It echoes the life and personality of Gabrielle Chanel, a pioneering woman who went against the diktats of society to choose her own personal and professional destiny. “I decided who I wanted to be, and that is who I am” she said, reaffirming that nothing was more important to her than her freedom.

Choosing who she wanted to be, and becoming that person.

I

nspired by the very essence of Gabrielle’s radiance, the fragrance shines with intensity, inviting all women to reveal their true selves, to follow their instincts by expressing their freedom and speaking their mind. The voluptuous scent works its magic to reveal each individual identity. Solar, it heightens the dazzling charisma of the woman who wears it with warmth and luminosity.

Chanel is distributed by Alfred Gera & Sons Ltd

34

TRENDS

PUNT ROMA A/W 2019

HAUTE INSPIRATION

This season Punt Roma’s collections are inspired by haute couture. Smart and refined cut looks predominate, with carefully selected on trend colours and fabrics which maximize the styling of the feminine figure.

36

ne of this season’s trending autumn colours is Red Crusset, a vibrant red present in jackets, blouses and sweaters.

The collection presents a chameleonic autumn in which different patterns inspired by wildlife will rule. Shades go from nature beige, through earthen brown to camouflage green. Micro-corduroy and Cordele fabrics in jackets and trousers will become essential. As a novelty the collection also includes a pleating finish on blouses over liberty flower patterns.

Comfort remains a priority in Punt Roma’s collections which use quality fabrics and contemporary designs that can be adapted to any style. The casual line and free time collections offer multiple combinations and create new looks for more sporty jackets and t-shirts with basic trousers both stitch and flat woven.

1

SPOTLIGHT

2

IN STORE NOW

3

4

1. Make a bold statement and create a perfect evening ambience with distinctive handmade glass table lamps by Mdina Glass. Available in a range of colour patterns, shapes and sizes, these wonderful pieces can be bought with or without the shade. See them in-store or online at www.mdinaglass.com.mt.

For more info tel: +356 2141 5786, email onlinesales@mdinaglass.com.mt or find Mdina Glass on facebook.com/mdinaglass 2. HANDMADE LANTERNS BY MDINA GLASS look stunning indoors or out and each piece is finished off with a high-grade leather handle for a timeless look. Light them up at night with a candle or fairy lights for a truly striking ambience. See the options in-store or online at www.mdinaglass.com.mt. For more info tel: +356 2141 5786, email onlinesales@mdinaglass.com.mt or find Mdina Glass on facebook.com/mdinaglass 3. INTRODUCING NANOGEN'S UNISEX HAIR HYDRATOR & BRUSH THROUGH HAIR EXPANDER. Hair drenching hyaluronic acid gel adds visible density to fine hair, and provides the first step to your hair application routine. Non-sticky and super lightweight, new Hair Hydrator leaves hair feeling supple, soft and moisturised after first use, helping to reduce frizz and injecting long lasting hydration into each individual hair strand, with perfect styling hold. Trade Enquiries: Beauty Culture Group, Sta. Venera. Tel: 2144 0424, 2744 0424, email: info@beautysuppliesmalta.com, www.beautyculturecentre.com, Facebook: nanogenmalta 4. TOM’S. A wide selection of unique figurines and decorative objects by the renowned Tom’s Company, available at HENRI Luxury Gift Boutique. The idiosyncratic creations make for ideal, original gift ideas for him, for her, or just for yourself! Outlets: Mdina (next to Palazzo Falson). Tel: 2010 6307 or Facebook/henrimalta

FASHION

PHOTOGRAPHER MATTHEW B SPITERI FASHION STYLIST ADRIANA CALLEJA HAIR NEVILLE ROMAN ZAMMIT MAKEUP AMANDA GREAVES. MODEL ELINA (MODELS M) M&S DENIM DRESS AND TRENCH COAT. HAT STYLIST'S OWN.

38

ALL ABOUT BEIGE

FASHION

Style the city with gorgeous neutrals and head to toe beige this autumn.

KAREN MILLEN FRONT BUTTONED TOP AND HIGH-WAISTED LEATHER SKIRT. SCARF STYLIST'S OWN. CHARLES & KEITH SHOES.

39

FASHION

M&S SUEDE COAT, HIGH-WAISTED CHECKED SKIRT AND TURTLE NECK.

PUNTO ROMA DRESS. KAREN MILLEN SUNGLASSES. CHARLES & KEITH SHOES AND BAG.

40

FASHION

M&S LINEN DRESS AND CAMEL VEST. EARRINGS AND BELT STYLIST'S OWN

KAREN MILLEN STRIPED MIDI DRESS. BERET STYLIST'S OWN. CHARLES & KEITH SHOES.

41

FASHION

M&S CARDIGAN AND BLAZER. FLARE SHORTS FROM KWADDRO. CHARLES & KEITH SHOES.

42

FASHION

M&S CARDIGAN AND BLAZER. FLARE SHORTS FROM KWADDRO. M&S SUEDE COAT. FLARE SHORTS FROM KWADDRO. CHARLES & KEITH BAG.

43

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

BACK TO S ANXIETY?

AS SCHOOL STARTS UP AGAIN THIS MONTH, MANY CHILDREN WILL RETURN WITH EX CITEMENT, HAPP THIS CHANGE IN ROUTINE AND THE CHALLENGES OFFERED BY THE SCHOOL DAY . SOMETIMES THIS AN LEE Z WIERS. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK MCKENNA.

44

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

SCHOOL HERE ARE SEVEN ? SIMPLE SOLUTIONS.

PY TO BE REUNITED WITH TEACHERS AND FRIENDS. OTHERS WILL EX PERIENCE ANX IETY ABOUT NX IETY MIGHT BECOME INTENSE, OR PERSIST LONGER THAN IS HEALTHY EX PLAINS MICHAEL

U

nderstand the anxious brain. From birth to age 11 or 12, children’s brains grow dramatically and neuronal connections are made rapidly. This allows them to learn from many sources and amass important knowledge and skills (think about learning to talk, read, write and socialize).

After that, the focus of brain development turns to consolidating and integrating learning while they gain a fuller understanding of the world and how they fit into it.

Whatever stage they are in, children and adolescents are reaching out to explore the world around them, embracing new experiences and facing challenge and change.

These new experiences carry with them uncertainty, which has the potential to provoke anxiety.

In its purest form, anxiety is adaptive and helpful. It alerts us to potential risks in the environment around us, helping to ensure that we look before we leap. It keeps us close to those who will protect us. Unfortunately, the brain’s alarm system can become over activated and trigger anxiety in unnecessary circumstances, or evoke excessive anxiety that keeps us from doing things in normal daily life.

G

et a good night’s sleep. Excitement and anxiety can affect sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is important in helping us cope with stress. Some children get so worked up that they cannot sleep the night before school, or they wake up early.

In the evening, acknowledge your kids’ excitement about school, then try some warm milk (which releases tryptophan to help with sleep). Tuck them into bed to read a familiar story that might even be a little boring. Soft lighting and gentle music can also help.

Melatonin is a natural substance that makes them feel sleepy, which can be used for a few nights if needed (consult a pharmacist).

Bedtime routines are helpful. And electronics with screens should be shut off 90 minutes before sleep.

T

alk about morning anxiety. Anxiety can present as tummy aches and tears, as well as irritability and avoidance of going to school. It is important to talk with your child about their worries and fears. But do not give in and let them stay home unless there is a really good reason. Staying at home will only reinforce their anxiety and make it worse in the end.

Help kids transition. It is normal for young children to experience some separation anxiety, especially if they have not previously had the chance to attend daycare or summer school. In this case, you might need to accompany them to the door of the school or classroom to help them transition to the teacher.

Sometimes, it helps to have another child with them. Your child can meet with their friend before school or even travel to school together, an approach that works well with older children and youth . igure out the worries. Ask your child what they are worried about. Once you have found out the cause or trigger for the anxiety, you can take steps to respond.

Work together with your child to develop a plan that will help them be successful.

Sometimes problems will require adult intervention. The last thing you want to do is send your child off to school when they have real worries about being bullied or physically hurt by peers who have threatened them.

Similarly, some youth can feel threatened by certain teachers or school staff who may not be respectful or sensitive to their needs. Of course, the anxieties may be exaggerated or unfounded but real problems should never be dismissed.

F

D

eal with your own anxiety. Parental anxiety can affect children. It helps if you talk to your partner or trusted friends about your anxiety. Is this your first child starting school? Try to connect with a more seasoned parent who can help make your journey easier.

K

now when to consult a specialist.

There are some types of anxiety that are more severe and require specialized support and treatment. It is important not to let these run on for too long without intervention, as these types of anxiety tend to persist if they are not treated. Anxiety also tends to run in families.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by frequent worrying about many topics and situations (including worrying about family members, peers and schoolwork) that provokes an impairing anxiety response. Separation Anxiety Disorder is characterized by marked anxiety at separation from significant adults.

Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by significant and impairing anxiety and selfconsciousness in social situations, which can make it hard to talk or eat in groups. Panic Disorder (rare before age 13) is characterized by an unexpected adrenaline pulse that provokes a strong physiological anxiety response, which can make it difficult to stay in enclosed or public spaces.

Though it is common to experience some anxiety during the first month, most children will make a successful transition. If anxiety continues beyond that, you might need to consult with a specialist such as a child psychologist or pediatrician. An excellent resource that is useful for both transitional anxiety and clinical levels of anxiety is the book Keys to Parenting Your Anxious Child.

Help your children to prepare, then you can enjoy the first weeks back at school just as much as your children do!

Originally published on The Conversation. Michael Lee Zwiers is an Assistant Professor Educational Psychology, University of Calgary, Canada.

The good news is that most young people adapt well and their anxiety reduces to normal levels within the first month of school. As a former teacher, and an educational psychologist, I can offer parents a few suggestions to help this adaptation happen faster.

45

HEALTH & FITNESS

WHAT’S REALLY

MAKING YOU

FAT The number one strategy that comes to most people’s minds when they’re trying to lose weight as a result of being overweight or obese is to go on a diet. There are plenty of diet options around. Low-fat, low-carb, paleo, keto and the list goes on. Following one of these diets may induce weight-loss for the period of time that the diet plan is rigidly followed. However, once the diet plan is abandoned, the weight starts to creep up again, and numerous studies show that practically all the weight is regained eventually. This is not necessarily the dieter’s fault, and the cause is largely a physiological adaptation to caloric restriction that includes metabolic slow down, hormonal changes and increases in appetitestimulating hormones, writes Richard Geres, Fitness Consultant & Registered Nutritionist.

46

Another possibility for this weight-regain is the resumption of flawed eating habits or lack of physical activity that led to weight-gain in the first place.

‘Flawed’ eating habits don’t usually mean disastrous eating habits. Many people consider their diet to be fairly healthy, at least when considering the type of food consumed during the main meals.

Weight-gain is often a result of what is consumed between meals, after the meals or in addition to meals. Therefore, to rectify such issues, it’s not necessarily the main meals themselves that need modification. Instead, the focus needs to be directed towards the habitual consumption of excessive snacks, nibbles, calorific beverages and the uncontrolled number of visits to the fridge when at home.

Such habits may be driven by other underlying problems, such as emotional eating, stress, not finding enough time to prepare meals, cravings or boredom.

A survey by a leading international nutrition coaching company recently summarised the main nutritional challenges that people face in their daily lives. Top of the list of main nutritional challenges faced by people included emotional and stress eating 63%, lack of planning 53%, cravings 52%, snacking when not hungry 51%, eating quickly 49% and eating out frequently 40%. Other challenges include wine and alcohol 32&, family or peer pressure at 16%, and an unsupportive environment at 13% (source: www.precisionnutrition.com).

F

ocus on your behaviour.

None of the nutritional challenges listed are related to a specific dietary type, such as a high-carb diet, which is being demonised at the moment. These nutritional challenges are behavioural in nature, and the behaviours are driven by environment, external influence, emotion and lack of planning or awareness.

S

o how can these issues be addressed? A number of frameworks have been developed to address behaviour change interventions. These frame works are not limited to nutritional behaviour change, but can be applied to a wide variety of scenarios, such as in business, population based behaviour and in psychology.

U

nderstanding the behaviour. Defining the problem in behavioural terms is the first step towards resolution. What is the problem you are trying to solve? What behaviours are you trying to change and in what way? What will it take to bring about the desired change? When applied to emotional eating the question would be what triggers an emotional eating episode? Is it a telling off from your boss? Is it an argument with your partner? Is it the misbehaviour of your children? This is an important realisation, and the heightened awareness about the triggers that led to this behaviour allow the person concerned to understand their reaction and consciously evaluate their behaviour, rather than just acting instinctively.

I

ntervention options. What type of intervention options are likely to bring about the desired change? After identifying the trigger to a certain behaviour, would talking to a colleague or family member help to ease the tension? If the emotional eating involves the consumption of sweets, would the removal of such items from the person’s immediate surroundings be possible to reduce the temptation?

I

mplementation options. Once these options are evaluated, which specific intervention can effectively be implemented to give the highest possibility of success? This intervention has to be clearly defined, and be specific in nature.

C

hanging one habit at a time. Implementing behaviour change tactics requires mindfulness, and trying to change too many behaviours at once usually leads to overload and failure. Learning a new behaviour requires lots of repetition, and the newly acquired behaviour change needs to go on autopilot for it to really become a new behaviour that is followed long-term. Due to this, behaviour change should be tackled one habit at a time and be repeated until it does no longer require a conscious reminder to be performed.

Knowledge alone does not bring about change. After all we all know that smoking is bad for us, yet there are numerous people who still choose to smoke. Behaviour change can only occur if a specific change in behaviour is practiced repeatedly and consistently. Only action can create change and only repetition can create habit.

VIEWPOINT

CHANGING THE WORLD TOGETHER

I was recently invited to attend the BPW European Conference 2019 and Young Symposium. At the time, I had no idea what BPW was, apart from what it stands for: Business and Professional Women, and I thought to myself, I am no businesswoman but I may be in the process of becoming a professional one. So I took the opportunity and headed to the conference in Galway, Ireland, with a group of women I did not know. Going, I had quite low expectations, writes Clarisse Spiteri.

Clarisse Spiteri (right) with Dr. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, who was a host at the BPW European Conference 2019 and Young Symposium held in Galway, Ireland.

48

he moment I introduced myself to the group, I felt a plethora of emotions. I was unsure of what the conference was about, but the energy, enthusiasm, professionalism, mindset and genuine passion these women had towards BPW gave me a totally new perspective.

BPW, or The International Federation of Business and Professional Women, is a nongovernmental organisation that has consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Its mission is to empower women and help them gain economic independence through Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The globally agreed SDGs consist of 17 goals and 169 targets to be achieved by 2030, aiming to protect the planet, end poverty and ensure peace and prosperity.

BPW has become one of the most influential

networks of business and professional women with affiliates in more than 100 countries in five continents. Its members include women leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, professionals and young career women.

The purpose of the BPW European Conference 2019 and Young Symposium was to develop the professional, business and leadership potential of women through skill building, networking advocacy and mentoring around the world. We discussed, shared ideas, actively listened and socialised with women of all ages from around the globe. I gave an overview of the projects currently driven by the Maltese BPW members such as the Careers' Day in Malta, which was initially aimed at 14-year-old secondary school girls. The intention behind this event was to empower tomorrow's women to pursue the careers and jobs they desire. From this year, boys were also invited to attend, so that they could meet and speak with women who followed their careers reaching different positions and roles in all sectors. These experiences help to break stereotypes and perceptions that boys may have about women in business.

It was an honour for me to meet Dr. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President Emeritus of the Republic of Malta, who was a host at this conference. Being an activist and having such an organisation at heart, her speech was a true inspiration to us all.

This opportunity left an imprint on me. I felt connected, formed friendships with women from all over the world and felt part of this global cause, even though my professional journey has just begun. Above all, I am grateful to Bank of Valletta, for having provided me with this experience. BOV is not just my employer, offering me a job, a career and an extended family; it has also opened the doors for me to a higher purpose in life. BOV made the first step possible for me to become a proud young BPW member in Malta. With great pleasure I pledge to be an active volunteer towards this greater global cause.

You too can be part of this global change by contacting BPW through the BPW Valletta Malta facebook page. Together we can make a difference.

BOV CARDS

YOUR CARD YOUR EXPERIENCES COM 2094

Shop with your BOV Contactless Cards and make the most out of your experience. Just tap and go – fast and easy payments for all your purchases.

More information is available from www.bov.com or contact 2131 2020.

Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1130 Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta).

STONEWALL

STONEWALL 50TH ANNIVERSARY

RAID AND REBELLION TO RIGHTS MOVEMENT 28th June 1969. It was the day. No one would have dreamt that a routine police raid of New York City's Stonewall Inn the night before would give rise to a series of riots that would spark the dawning LGBTQ rights movement.

50

Demonstrators rally and march during the first Gay Liberation Day March in New York, 1970. Gay and lesbian demonstrations grew following the 1969 New York Police Department raid of gay patrons at The Stonewall Inn in New York's Greenwich Village.

(Leonard Fink/The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center via AP)

STONEWALL

51

STONEWALL

Top: Stonewall Inn visitors read news clippings headlining the 1969 riots. Some of the coverage of rioting was itself a source of the fury that led Stonewall to become a synonym for the fight for gay rights.

(Bebeto Matthews/AP) Bottom: Demonstrators march through the streets during the Gay Liberation Day march in New York, 1971. (Rudy Grillo/The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center via AP)

The Stonewall Inn, a bar located at 51-53 Christopher Street in New York, was run by the Mafia for a short time between 1967 to 1969. According to 'Stonewall veterans' the bar was dirty and unpleasant, but it was the best bar at the time - 'we just didn't have things like that'. It was the only bar for gay men in New York City where dancing was allowed.

Police raids on Stonewall were frequent. But on the night of Friday 27th June 1969, the New York Police Force planned its biggest raid ever and immediately ran into resistance from transvestites who were mouthing off to them, saying things like "I have my Civil Rights too, don't touch me". The angry crowd pelted the police with bottles and rocks. Nothing like that had ever happened before.

According to author David Carter "the definitive turning point came when a lesbian, who had been inside the bar, was being roughed up by the police as they took her out to a patrol wagon, and she said to the onlookers 'why don't you guys do something', and then everything went crazy".

Many details of what happened that night are enveloped by

different perspectives and clouded by half-century-old memories. But the outlines are clear. At a time when homosexuality was defined as a mental illness in the U.S., and showing same-sex affection could be deemed illegal, a diverse crowd of hundreds of gay men, bisexuals, lesbians and transgender people refused to go quietly after police raided the bar. They confronted the officers.

Some bucked arrest and scuffled with officers, who took cover inside the bar for a time before riot police arrived.

Demonstrations, defiance and arrests continued for several more nights.

The U.S. had seen some organized gay protests and spontaneous fights between LGBTQ people and police. But Stonewall proved to be a turning point. It kindled a sustained burst of organizing that changed the tone and volume of LGBTQ activism and altered how some people saw themselves in a society that had relegated many to shadows and shame.

The following are some Stonewall veterans' memories from that night.

M

ichael Olenick was 19 and living a secret social life, letting loose with friends at a speakeasy-like bar with blacked-out windows and one of the few floors in town where men danced with other men. Then the lights came on and the police strode into the Stonewall Inn. Adrenaline pumping, Olenick worried about getting arrested but also about the action outside – shouting, sirens, sounds of objects being thrown. Gay people got harassed on the streets often enough that he wondered whether they were getting attacked. “I’m standing there, not knowing what was going on. That was the horror,” recalls Olenick, who was among many patrons police eventually allowed to leave the bar. “And then what came from it was the joy – the enlightenment for the country, for the world, that, ‘Hey, we’re here. Get over it.’”

52

STONEWALL

S

crawled on the Stonewall’s boarded-up windows the night after the raid were words that blew Dale Mitchell’s mind: “Support Gay Power.”

“I had never seen ‘gay’ as part of a political slogan before,” he recalls, “let alone associated with the word ‘power.’”

Mitchell, then 20, didn’t feel so powerful. He’d had to drop out of college after breaking with his family over his sexual orientation, and he was living in a drug-ridden rooming house with an older man who was mortified by the prior night’s Stonewall rebellion.

Mitchell, though, was struck by it and by the crowd that gathered the night after the raid, calling for gay power as another tense standoff developed with police.

Two years later, he would become Indiana University’s first openly gay student senator and tell a student newspaper gay people were “showing that our power is real.”

H

eading toward the Stonewall that night after the raid, Charles Evans viewed it from the vantage point of a black man from the segregated South, where he’d seen “you had to fight for everything that you got.”

“Now, I got to fight for my rights to be who I am,” the college student thought as he joined in the second night of protests, heartened at how many supporters had gathered.

For Paul Glass, Stonewall’s impact was more private but no less important. He came out to his family a few weeks later. “It was liberating,” says Glass, Evans’ husband.

C

irculating in the crowd, Karla Jay heard the urgency but feared it would fade. Yet a month later, she was among hundreds on a march to the Stonewall, mobilized by the nascent Gay Liberation Front.

Formed in the rebellion’s wake, GLF was more radical than earlier groups that staged pioneering, decorous demonstrations and emphasized a message that gay people were mainstream.

GLF members “didn’t care any more about those niceties,” said Jay, then a graduate student who became the group’s first female leader. “We wanted society to change.”

Short-lived but influential, GLF marched in Times Square and picketed news publications. Members started a spectrum of other groups, including a transgenderadvocacy organization founded by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

I

knew that I deserved the same rights as anybody else, but it took all of that to make me realize that we, as a people, could fight back,” says Mark Segal, who was weeks out of high school when he went to the Stonewall that night and emerged an activist. “How could anyone have imagined that going out for a night would end up being history?”

Activists pressed officials to pass anti-discrimination laws and psychiatrists to stop classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder. The new groups held dances to socialize in the open.

“We had to be out, loud and in your face,” concluded Segal, the teen spurred to activism by the Stonewall uprising. A GLF member, he founded a gay youth group, disrupted TV news and talk shows to raise the movement’s visibility, and now publishes the Philadelphia Gay News.

Members of the Gay Activists Alliance hold a protest against the New York Daily News for its use of homophobic slurs in its coverage of the LGBTQ community, 1972. Fifty years later, media treatment of the LGBTQ community has changed and is still changing.

(Rudy Grillo/The LGBT Community Center National History Archive, via AP)

T

oday, the Stonewall Inn is part of the first national monument to LGBTQ history. It has undergone various physical and ownership changes over the years, but it’s still a bar, and a rallying point for LGBTQ activists along a winding road of political and social change.

Article sources: Jennifer Peltz/AP; YouTube video: Stonewall Veterans Talk About the Night That Changed The World – Stonewall: Profiles of Pride.

53

MALTA PRIDE

50 YEARS A STONEWAL WHY THE FOR LGBTI RIGHTS STI ISN’T OVER We should celebrate all that has been achieved while recognising that much still needs to be done, writes Gabriella Calleja, Head SOGIGESC Unit, Human Rights and Integration Directorate. Photography by Steven Levi Vella. he movement for LGBTIQ equality is often traced back to the Stonewall Riots that took place in New York 50 years ago.

A group of, mostly trans women, who rebelled against the oppression they experienced at the hands of the police at the time, targeting those who did not conform to gender norms.

Of course, the fight for LGBTIQ equality has varied histories and timelines in different regions and countries around the world and many LGBTIQ individuals still experience significant legal and societal obstacles and human rights infringements to this day.

These include fear of the death penalty and imprisonment simply for loving someone of the same sex; experiencing violence, even murder, for being trans; being rejected by one’s family; lack of recognition of one’s relationship and chosen family; non-consensual surgical interventions on intersex children and being refused the right to recognition of one’s gender identity.

Over a period of just six years, Malta has gone from very limited protections to the country with the best legal and policy framework worldwide, as judged by European and global indexes produced by such organisations as ILGA, ILGA-Europe, IGLYO and TGEU. While much of this for LGBTIQ equality has been and continues to be led by civil society, governments are increasingly involved in these efforts at national and international level. The adoption of the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy and Action Plan 2018-2022 recognises the role that Government plays in mainstreaming LGBTIQ equality across all spheres of life in Malta. The setting up of a dedicated unit tasked with overseeing its implementation is a strong indication of the commitment that the Government has to address existing gaps.

Tackling prejudice and changing attitudes that give rise to discriminatory beliefs and practices requires ongoing and coordinated efforts from all stakeholders. Parents, teachers, employers, service providers in the public and private sector, churches, and people at all stages and from all spheres of life. All have a role to play in ensuring that the next generation is more inclusive and accepting of sexual and gender. But we must also work towards ensuring that LGBTIQ individuals are guaranteed equal treatment today.

No child or young person should fear being bullied at school because of being LGBTIQ; no elderly person should have to go back into the closet because they have become dependent on others; all gender diverse persons should be able to walk down the street without fear of being ridiculed; and we should all make more of an effort to respect people’s gender identity and expression when these transgress the strict gender binary that is often enforced without much thought to its harmful effect.

We should celebrate all that has been achieved while recognising that much still needs to be done. We all share the responsibility of ensuring that the fundamental human rights principle that ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’ is not just an ideal to which we aspire but a practice enshrined in our laws, values, education, behaviours and interactions.

54

ANTIPASTI

SUMMER FLAVOURS AND A PEACHY PUNCH Yellow Pepper Muhamarra

Muhamarra is a Syrian red pepper, chili and walnut based dip. We’ve put our own spin on it by toning down the heat and switching up the colour palette of the dish to reflect it. If you don’t mind a little bit of extra heat on your summer afternoons, garnish with fresh chillis or chilli oil. We mixed some up by adding a tablespoon of harissa to some olive oil.

5 yellow bell peppers 100g walnuts 1tbsp yellow ras el hanout 1tbsp turmeric 1tsp ground cumin juice from 1 lemon salt and olive oil to taste

For September we’ve collected some of our favourite recipes for light snacks and combined them with a vibrant cocktail, for what would be our ideal way to spend a lazy sunny late-summer afternoon. Enjoy fresh flavours with food by Mediterranean Culinary Academy's Stephen La Rosa, but be warned – The Peachy Keen packs a delightful punch.

Photography by Robert Pace.

1. Preheat oven to 250C and line a baking sheet with foil. Rub the yellow peppers with olive oil, place on the lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until the skins are blackened and the flesh is tender.

2. Place the yellow peppers into a mixing bowl and cover with cling film to allow them to steam for an additional 10 minutes. Carefully remove the skins and seeds with a small knife and reserve the flesh and liquid that runs off from the peppers.

3. Chop the peppers roughly and place in a food processor with the walnuts, ras el hanout, turmeric, cumin, juice from half a lemon, 1 clove of minced garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Begin pureeing the ingredients, streaming in about 50ml of olive oil through the opening of the food processor as the blade spins.

4. Once a spreadable consistency is achieved and the puree is homogenous, adjust the seasoning with olive oil, salt and lemon juice as needed. Serve in a small bowl and garnish with chilli oil if you miss the heat from an authentic muhamarra.

Harissa Fish Cakes

Now that lampuki season is in full swing it’s always good to have a few extra recipes to utilize this wonderful fish. If you fillet the lampuka yourself be sure to scrape the bones with a spoon as there will be a lot of flesh that even the best fish butchers will miss out. This 56

will make for an excellent tartar or additional mixture for your fish cakes. Feel free to replace lampuki with your favourite choice of fish.

500g lampuki fillets 2 tbsp harissa 1 tsp ground cumin 30g corn flour 1 egg a small bunch of mint and coriander juice of 1 lemon olive oil for frying 100g full fat yoghurt for the dipping sauce 1. Chop the fish roughly into bite sized pieces and place into the bowl of a food processor with the harissa, cumin, corn flour, egg and a small handful of mint and coriander.

Season with the juice of half a lemon and a generous pinch of salt.

2. Pulse until the mixture is well combined but do not over work. If you can take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball, the mixture has come together well. Correct the seasoning to taste by frying up a test fish cake. Allow the mixture to chill in the fridge before forming into patties. To form, take a generous tablespoon of the mixture and roll into balls with lightly oiled hands. Pat the balls between your palms and shape into uniform patties.

3. For the dipping sauce, season yoghurt with finely chopped mint and coriander, a few drops of lemon juice and a small pinch of salt.

4. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat and fill with enough olive oil to coat the bottom cm of the pan. Once the oil is aromatic and shimmering it should be hot enough to begin frying. Gently lay a fish cake into the oil away from you and if a good amount of sizzling takes place, you know the oil is hot enough.

5. Cook the fish cakes in batches if necessary, so as not to crowd the pan. Cook for roughly 2 minutes on each side or until you get some nice colour on both sides and the centres are just about cooked through.

Once cooked, drain on a plate lined with paper towels and season with a light sprinkling of salt. Serve with the yoghurt dipping sauce.

ANTIPASTI

57

ANTIPASTI

Gbejna, Peach and Basil Salad

This simple summery salad really accentuates the delicate flavour of fresh local gbejna. Do go through the effort to find a good quality sheep’s milk cheeselet as it really makes all the difference in the flavour of the dish.

3 fresh gbejniet 1 dried gbejna a variety of peaches, apricots and/or nectarines 100g flaked almonds a small handful of basil leaves Maltese honey, extra virgin olive oil, salt and lemon to taste 1. Preheat oven to 160C. Spread the flaked almonds over a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 10 minutes. Once lightly browned, grate the small dried gbejna over the almonds and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the grated cheese is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature.

2. Portion your fresh gbejna and various stone fruit into bite sized pieces. Dress lightly with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

3. Arrange the fruit and gbejna over a flat serving dish topped with a scattering of basil leaves and shards of the toasted

almond and gbejna. Finish by drizzling with good quality extra virgin olive oil and Maltese honey.

Peachy Keen

This refreshing fruit cocktail can be particularly dangerous on a hot day - when made correctly the alcohol is subdued by the vibrant flavours. Drink responsibly! To make the best version of this drink, juice the peaches yourself and use a good quality ginger ale.

2oz of your favourite gin 2oz peach juice half a lime or a quarter lemon several sprigs of mint ginger ale to taste Pour gin and peach juice into your preferred serving glass. Top with a few sprigs of mint and add the juice from half a lime.

Add in the squeezed lime half for added flavour. Top up with enough ice to fill the glass and stir for 15 seconds or until a good amount of condensation appears on the side of the glass – this shows that the drink is well chilled. Top with ginger ale and enjoy.

If you’re interested in attending one of Mediterranean Culinary Academy's workshops covering BBQ and summer recipes visit www.mcamalta.com or email contact@mcamalta.com.

58

Š 2019 McDonald's Corporation.

All pictures shown are for illustration purpose only. Actual products may vary.

SPOTLIGHT

BACK TO SCHOOL Eugène Ionesco’s

RINOCERONTI

Planetarium Hall, Esplora, Kalkara 12-15 September 2019 Teatru Malta are just days away from premiering the latest from their Proġett Klassiċi series: Rinoċeronti ta’ Eugene Ionesco directed by Michael Fenech and translated to Maltese by Clare Azzopardi and Albert Fenech.

Photography by Rodney Gauci. eatru Malta are just days away from premiering the latest from their Proġett Klassiċi series: Rinoċeronti ta’ Eugene Ionesco directed by Michael Fenech and translated to Maltese by Clare Azzopardi and Albert Fenech.

Photography by Rodney Gauci.

Something strange is going on, in a town where nothing strange ever does. In this town, a very normal town, full of people who lead very ordinary, cereal box family sort of lives, something’s about to happen, something absurd.

But what happens when those people, those very same normal people you thought you know so well, begin to change? Do you change too?

As part of their Proġett Klassiċi, Teatru Malta will be presenting one of Ionesco’s masterpieces and part of his Berenger cycle.

Rinoċeronti is an absurdist piece of theatre dealing with conformism, mass hysteria and alienation amongst other motifs.

Rinoċeronti is translated and performed in Maltese in this new adaptation of Ionesco’s classical black comedy.

Rinoċeronti stars Daniel Azzopardi as frightened and self-loathing hero Berenger as well as: Andre Mangion, Antonella Axisa, Kim Dalli, Naomi Knight, Magda von Kuilenburg, Michael Mangion, Joe Depasquale, Anthony Ellul, Simon Curmi, Aaron Fenech and Daniela Carabott Pawley. For tickets and information visit kultura.mt or call 2122 0255.

60

SNACKS TO INCLUDE IN Y OUR KIDS’ LUNCH BOX ES. OR Y OUR OWN. Here are 3 lunch box snack ideas for the upcoming school year – they also make for a great mid morning treat to hide in your drawer at work – or if you have a late meeting and need a quick pick me up!

N

ature Valley Crunchy bars. Filled with 100% natural wholegrain oats and power-packed ingredients, Nature Valley Crunchy bars are a satisfying on-the-go snack. The bars contain no artificial flavours or colours, and come in a variety of flavours including Oats & Honey, Oats & Dark Chocolate, and Peanut Butter. Available in multipacks of five.

M

r. Day Plum Cake. This delicious soft cake is prepared to perfection with the most genuine ingredients - it is also suitable for lactose-intolerant individuals and contains no palm oil.

Mr. Day Plum Cakes are available in multipacks of six.

F

ruit Forest. Made solely from fruits, fruit concentrates and purees, the Fruit Forest Real Fruit Snack is a perfect balance of flavours with a luscious soft texture. A high in fibre treat without artificial sugars or preservatives, this snack comes in five blended flavours including strawberry, peach, mango-passion fruit, pear and raspberry.

CANON ZOEMINI POCKET PRINTER Every moment is a fun moment with the CANON ZOEMINI POCKET PRINTER. With three colours to choose from, a free app that lets you get creative by adding your own affects to the photos, and photos that transform into stickers, this printer is a technophile's gadget to have or to gift. Available for only €99 from Avantech in San Gwann or online on www.avantech.com.mt Tel. 2148 8800 or fb.com/Avantechmt

ESPLORAPL ANETARIUM HALL, K ALK ARA

12, 13, 14, 15 ta’ SETTEMBRU fit-8:30PM

addattament u direzzjoni ta’

traduzzjoni ta’

MICHAEL FENECH

CL ARE AZ ZOPARDI u ALBERT GATT

K U M M I E D J A A S S U R D A ta’ EU GÈNE IONESCO BILJETTI MINN KULTURA.MT · TE ATRUMALTA.ORG.MT

COFFE TABLE

GREAT ESCAPES

EUROPE The Hotel Book. 2019 Edition. In this updated guide Angelika Taschen scours Europe for the most beautiful places to rest your head, revealing the top spots for absolute escapism.

ublished by cult coffee table book publisher Taschen, this revised and updated edition brings you a curated selection of the most unique hotels and atmospheric guesthouses across the European continent. Selected for their breathtaking locations and interiors, each haven offers the surroundings of style and the serenity in which everyday life can melt away.

Angelika Taschen reveals such gems as Der Seehof, an idyllic site on an Austrian lake where guests can fish for their dinner; a 150-year old Portuguese estate refurbished

by Pritzker Prize-winner Eduardo Souto De Moura, which remains a working farm to this day; and Budsjord, last stop on one of the loneliest pilgrimage routes in the world, situated at the edge of the Dovrefjell National Park in Norway – to name just a few.

A treasure trove of travel inspiration, this must-have guide profiles each hotel through postcard-ready photography as well as key information like directions, contact details, and reading inspiration for each destination.

Great Escapes: Europe. The Hotel Book. 2019 Edition.

Published by Taschen. Editor: Angelika Taschen. Hardcover, 23.8 x 30.2 cm, 360 pages. €40.

62

Top: Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Saariselkä, Lapland, Finland; glass igloos, rustic log cabins and a complete Santa's Home. Bottom left: Mezi Plůtky, Čeladná, Carpathian Mountains, Czech Republic, surrounded by forests and meadows. Bottom right: Reid’s Palace, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, built by Scotsman William Reid in 1891.

chanel.com

gabrielle. the essence of a woman.

the new eau de parfum