The Bay of Broken Promises

On December 2nd and 3rd 1989 Michael Gorbatchev and George H.W. Bush met on the Soviet ship TS Maksim Gorkiy South of Malta, mooring in the Bay of Marsaxlokk. The sea was choppy, which brought the meeting the name “Seasickness Summit”. It is often described as one of the most important summits since the Yalta Conference in 1945, as it marked the end of the Cold War, just about a month after the fall of the Berlin Wall. There was no treaty signed, but a core message by Gorbatchev was: “[…] The world is leaving one epoch and entering another. We are at the beginning of a long road to a lasting, peaceful era. The threat of force, mistrust, psychological and ideological struggle should all be things of the past […]”. Bush’s response was: “[…] We can realize a lasting peace and transform the East-West relationship to one of enduring co-operation. That is the future that Chairman Gorbachev and I began right here in Malta.”

The rest of the story we all know, with different interpretations. The TS Maksim Gorkiy had a dramatic story in the same year, when it hit ice near Norway and began sinking quickly. The Norwegian ship Senja took on 700 people from the ship and managed to stop it from further sinking. More were rescued by helicopter from life boats and ice. Perhaps that was a bad omen for the Malta Summit. Or a good one, given that the ship was rescued, repaired and put back to service. History will tell.

Marsaxlokk Bay, or also Kalafrana Bay in Birżebbuġa, is framed by the power plant with its LPG tanker to the East and the Freeport to the West. But it is still a very pretty area with its turquoise waters and the traditional fishing boats. It was also a set for the award winning Maltese movie Simshar (trailer also below). There is a fish market on Sundays which became a tourist attraction. What I enjoy is a hike along the Maltese West coast, along the cliffs and then going to the place where you get the world’s best Octopus in Garlic. It’s a family business. I am not an “Influenza” and don’t make promotions of my favorite places. But if you write to me in the contact section, and describe why you think you qualify to go there, I may tell you.

I have walked to this bay many times, and always like it as a day’s outing. This time I saw it though a little different, perhaps being overwhelmed by recent events which’s historical trail also crossed this little bay, back in 1989.

The Glasgow Effect

We spent a week in Glasgow, before heading for the Western Scottish countryside. There we will hide in an old stone cottage for two weeks and crunch numbers on our laptops. About 25 years ago, I have been doing fieldwork in the Motherwell opencast coal mine, monitoring the particle emissions from excavation, haul trucks and blasting operations. I remember that I had to give up my running shoes to what I thought was a vicious dog. It stopped me rather fiercely in my running exercise. But it just liked to play with these shoes, and when I left them behind, it did not attack me further. Now I was back for a few days. I don't really know why. We just thought: why not? And knowing that this will be a bit of a rough place, we went to have a look. Of course we knew, it will not be pretty. But it is interesting. And here is why.

The so-called "Glasgow Effect", is a term describing the interestingly poor health of people in this city. Premature mortality rates were in 2010 about 30 % higher than in similar cities, like Liverpool and Manchester. In 2008 the male life expectancy in Carlton, was down to 54 years. Alcohol, drug abuse and violent gang crimes, were often attributed to this. But also Vitamin D deficit, and poor nutrition was hypothesized to play a role. Generally, people seem to make very unhealthy lifestyle choices. Obesity is a problem in all Scotland though (even the entire UK), not just in Glasgow. To see the situation in numbers, I found the Glasgow in Indicators Project very insightful. But also, I found it a bit depressing. What's wrong with this place? If you don't look at it scientifically, it nearly feels like it is haunted with something.

But then there are the lovely sides of Glasgow's culture too. The roughest looking guys maybe "good lads" when you talk to them. Grannies which can't move their little fat bodies, but help somebody in a wheelchair mounting a public bus. And also to mention the little "romances" between the tire fitting and tattoo shops, when he takes her out to the "Blue Lagoon" (you don't want to know the menu). The Glasgow Effect has attracted a lot of attention, and is well researched, even though not fully understood. There have been improvements. But still it is hard to translate facts into policies. It would be interesting to have a view, perhaps not of a statistician, but of a writer like George Orwell on today's Glasgow. Something like a contemporary The Road to Wigan Pier. Even though, I don't think you can treat it with the same logic. Perhaps this even already exists. I have not followed contemporary English literature in recent years. I will have a look. Might be better than another spreadsheet.

Toona sinensis (香椿)

Today I saw something at the vegetable market, which I have never seen before. It turned out to be Toona sinensis, which is actually a tree, also called Chinese Mahogany (香椿). Pan fried with egg, it gives the dish a nutty taste. The supply seems limited in the markets. There is no farming format for it, but just harvest from trees around. And the small supply first goes to restaurants. Strangely the "vegetable" is still not expensive in the market. So, I guess, individual demand must be low. There seem to be quite a few medical applications of the plant, and it is a Traditional Chinese Medicine remedy. Having seen a bit of Chinese research, my first suspicion, when I see overwhelming press on something, is: must be bullshit. But the veggie is good. I really like it. It says, that it also enhances the mobility of human sperm. Well, lets try.

Toona sinensis (香椿) in the market shelf. Never seen this. 

Cut off the lower part of the leaves.

Then stir fry with egg. Yummy!