A dubious internet survey is out, according to today's papers. It places commercial sites di-ve and searchmalta on top, in response to the question “Which local website do you visit most often”.

It's not at all clear who were the respondents, what age group, how many there were at all. For all we know it could have been Maltacom employees (Maltacom owns both websites which came on top) and Maltacom could have sponsored the whole survey which would make it less than objective. Other websites fell under the 10% mark, it was said.

The survey is not publically accessible anywhere, also. Was it a free survey, or were respondents paid, for instance?

With regards to internet usage, these reports are at best dubious and should be ignored. Which sites were given as choices to the respondents? 1..xyz, 2..abc, etc. That would influence the results, too. Also, real internet usage is not something you can analyse complete, ever. Somewhat accurate reports can be obtained from server logs, but they will never be accurate. Use of caches at various ISP's, transparent ones too, means that many users will NEVER be counted. So the hunt for finding which site is most popular will never work, especially in Malta.

“Statistics can mislead: different sites attract different visitors; different surveys use different methodologies. Statistics like these, therefore, should only be used as very rough predictors. ” (Chuck Upsdell, Browser News)

Nowadays, commercial Maltese sites look much more like the covers of supermarket tabloids, with about as much content, many pictures and as much accuracy. Is this what we want to make the web like? Just some food for thought.

A photograph of the Norwich City FC laid for the last 32 years in the Mellieha Sanctuary of Our Lady.
Why?

This question was asked by the Norwich Evening News after Len Abel and his wife returned to Norwich from another visit of theirs to Malta with this photo (which was removed from public display this year).

DNA study reveals a Phoenician-Maltese link

–

More than half of the Y chromosome in today?s Maltese population could have come in with the Phoenicians

This was revealed following a comparative study between DNA samples, such as a tooth from a human jaw ? which is around 4,000 years old ? found in a mountain cave at Raskifa, Lebanon, and DNA samples taken from Maltese men, along with other samples from men from around the Mediterranean.

JOHN PAUL THANKS MALTESE FOR “FIRM ADHERENCE TO THE FAITH”

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 2004 (VIS) – President Edward Fenech Adami of Malta was received this morning by John Paul II who told him he was pleased “to welcome you to the Vatican so early in your term of office, and through you I send heartfelt greetings to the people of Malta.” President Fenech Adami was elected on April 4, 2004.

“Your visit today,” said the Pope, “occurs at an important moment in the history of your country. As Malta takes its rightful place in the European Union, it has a vital role to play in upholding the profoundly Christian identity of this Continent. In this regard I would like to express the Holy See's sincere appreciation for the support given by Your Excellency and the government of Malta for the inclusion of a reference to Europe's Christian heritage in the Preamble of the Constitutional Treaty of the European Union.”

The Holy Father underscored that “since the time of Saint Paul, Malta has been renowned for its firm adherence to the faith. I pray that it will persevere in this and I am confident that the Maltese people, well known for their dedication to the Church and, in particular, their great respect for family life, will draw others to a deeper appreciation of the liberating message of the Gospel.”

Pope John Paul has been to Malta three times: in May 1990, a brief visit to Luqa on the way to Africa in September 1990 and again in May 2001.

Source: Vatican VIS news

Pope thanks Maltese leader for support on European constitution

Vatican, Jun. 25 (CWNews.com) – As he met on June 25 with the president of Malta, Pope John Paul II (bio – news) voiced “the sincere appreciation of the Holy See” for Malta's efforts to include a reference to Christianity in the new European constitution.

The Holy Father told President Edward Fenech Adami that his visit to the Vatican was coming “at an important moment in the history of your country.” He was referring to Malta's entry into the European Union on May 1. He added: “As Malta takes its rightful place in the European Union, it has a vital role to play in upholding the profoundly Christian identity of this continent.”

The effort to include an explicit reference to Christianity in the European constitution– which was energetically supported by the Vatican, and backed by Malta– was defeated by the leaders of the 25 European Union nations. Nevertheless the Pope expressed his confidence that Malta would help to revive a proper appreciation for Christian culture, noting that “since the time of St. Paul, Malta has been renowned for its firm adherence to the faith.”

President Fenech Adami, in his previous capacity as prime minister of Malta, supervised the negotiations that led to his country's admission into the European Union, and successfully campaigned for public approval of that move in a national referendum in April 2003.

After resigning as prime minister, Fenech Adami was elected to the more ceremonial post of president in April of this year. In Malta, an overwhelmingly Catholic country, it is traditional for a new president to make his first state visit to the Vatican.

During his meeting with the Maltese leader, which was held in the library of the apostolic palace, Pope John Paul spoke in English– audibly, but with some difficulty in making himself understood. The public meeting was a festive affair, with the Pope obviously delighted by the presence of the Maltese president's six young grandchildren.

Source: Catholic World News