‘Wagging tails’ and ‘wagging tongues’
Mark Montebello, the friar and philosopher, is at it again.
His monumental tome about ‘The life and struggles of Dom Mintoff’ took seven years in the making. This is attested by the author himself. It surfaced in the local market in June 2021. It is heavily annotated.
Throughout its 640 pages, there are miles and miles of minutely printed detailed sources. These are to be read through aided by a strong magnifying glass if the reader wants to respect his/her eyesight.
The furore ignited by the popular and populist local printed media arising from the listed salacious references about Dom’s libido should only be a tangential aspect in this study of the man and myth.
Many peoplein Malta are pro-choice
We refer to the article by Ramon Bonett Sladden entitled ‘In defence of the president’ (June 27).
In October 2019, we were invited for a meeting with President George Vella. This invitation was a response to our public outcry at the time, objecting to his patronage at a screening of an unscientific anti-abortion propaganda film in an event organised by Life Network Foundation.
Doctors for Choice Malta had already built its momentum with a large following after voicing its concerns with several important issues and our concern with the position taken by the president did not go unnoticed.
In October 1952, I started attending St Emilie de Vialar School in Rabat, which was administered by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition. Our uniform consisted of a navy blue blazer with the school badge, shorts, a white shirt, a small blue tie, black shoes and grey socks. A blue pinafore was obligatory to keep our daily clothes clean. I would complete my primary education there by July 1955.
The author with his sister Vivianne at St Dominic Square, Rabat, near St Emilie de Vialar boarding school, in October 1952.
The following is a list of the sisters at the primary school and their subject areas or duties. They were all Maltese except where otherwise stated: Sister-in-charge: Rev Mother Pace; English: Senior sister Marie de Lourdes and Sr Richard (from Manchester, UK); Religion: Sr Winifred Anastasi; arithmetic and discipline: Sr Emilie Mamo; geography: Sr John Mark (from Ireland); dormitories: Sr Albin (from Ireland) and Sr Mary Magdalene; Pantry/kitchen: Sr Wilfred (from