Earthquakes -- it-Terrimoti

 

I think there are few natural processes scarier than earthquakes.  The noises are loud, the earth trembles, objects fall around you, buildings shake and crumble, people get injured and die.

 

The past week has seen two of these phenomena around the world, the latest in Equador where the current death toll reads at 450, and a few days earlier saw another earthquake in an island of Japan where 40 people died.

 

Earthquakes are generally caused by natural forces, although they can also be man made, for example with nuclear weapons or mining.  To understand these natural forces, one must understand that earth is not a ball made of solid rock, but rather a crust of solid rock not thicker than 50km, underneath which is an ocean of molten rock called magma.  This is heated to a temperature of more than 1000°C by various sources, the most important of which is radioactivity1.

The heated magma rises towards the crust, where it cools and returns towards the depths, creating convection currents.  This in turn generates enormous forces of friction on the crust, which has split into pieces called tectonic continental plates, which continually move in some direction, even by as much as 5 centimetres a year, bumping into and sliding against each other.

This pressure between continental plates keeps building year after year, for decades and centuries, and finally the pressure is so high that the edges of the continental plates move against each other and an earthquake occurs, where all the energy that had been stored is released immediately or over a few days.  This can result in the earth splitting, or land on one side sliding over that of the other.  This process, after many thousands and millions of years can result in highlands or mountains, like the Himalayas of India and Nepal, or the Rocky Mountains in America.

This pressure can also result in the formation of volcanoes that explode, where the magma is released accompanied by an earthquake.  This can result in new lands in the sea, as happened with so many islands in the Pacific.

Near Malta, this process had resulted in the 19th century in a rock appearing above the surface of the sea between Sicily, Malta and Tunisia.  This island almost caused a diplomatic dispute between England (which called it Graham Island), Sicily (which named it Ferdinandea after the king of the time), France and Spain, until it disappeared again under the surface and everything went quiet2.

In one of the images being shown3, one can see the principal continental plates around the world, and in the other4 one can see the localities where earthquakes occur, and note the correlation between the two.

Those of us of Maltese descent will note immediately that the African continental plate and the Euro-Asian one meet at the Mediterranean, with the boundary between them passing through Malta!  This explains why so many earthquakes happen in the Mediterranean (mostly in Greece and Turkey).

They are felt in Malta as well.  My parents often mention one that occurred when I was a baby, where the people living in Paola had gathered in what is now known as Joanne Garden, and slept outside due to fear of         an aftershock.  This had happened in 1972, and is mentioned in a list of earthquakes that have happened in Malta5.

Of interest to the Maltese diaspora is that the boundaries between continental plates also pass through New Zealand, which is well known for earthquakes, and the Eastern coast of the American continent, from top to bottom.

On the other hand, one can note that Australia is found in the middle of its own continental plate, and therefore considered to be seismically stable.  This does not mean that earthquakes don't happen here, but that they occur at a lower frequency.

Wherever we are, we are living on a planet that is anything but static.  The lesson I take from all this is the complexity of nature and just how much we should respect its natural processes which are much larger than we are.

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Naħseb li ftit hawn proċessi naturali li jbeżżgħu daqs terremot.  Il-ħsejjes tal-biża', l-art ta' taħt saqajk titriegħed, l-affarijiet ta' madwarek jaqgħu, bini jixxengel u jiġġarraf, u nies iwegggħu jew saħansitra jmutu.

 

Din il-ġimgħa li għaddiet kellna tnejn minn dawn il-fenomeni madwar id-dinja, tal-aħħar fl-Ekwador fejn s'issa huma stmati li mietu erba' mija u ħamsin ruħ, u ftit ġranet qabel seħħ wieħed fi gżira tal-Ġappun fejn mietu 40.

 

It-terremoti ġeneralment huma kkawżati minn proċessi naturali, għalkemm il-bniedem ukoll jista' jikkawża wieħed, per eżempju b'armamenti nukleari jew bix-xogħol fil-minieri.  Biex wieħed jifhem il-proċessi naturali, jrid jifhem li d-dinja mhix ballun ta' blat solidu, imma qoxra ta' blat li hi fonda mhux iktar minn 50km biss, li taħtha hemm oċejan ta' blat imdewweb, il-magma.  Dan hu msaħħan għal temperatura ta' iktar minn 1000°C minn diversi sorsi, l-ikbar wieħed minnhom ir-radjuattività1.

 

Dan il-magma msaħħan jitla' lejn il-qoxra fejn jiksaħ u jerġa' jmur lejn il-fond, u għalhekk jifforma ċirki ta' konvezzjoni.  Dan jiġġenera forzi enormi ta' frizzjoni (friction) fuq il-qoxra, tant li din inqasmet f'biċċiet li jissejħu platti tettoniċi kontinentali (tectonic continental plates) li kontinwament jiċċaqalu lejn xi direzzjoni, anke 5 ċentimetri fis-sena, u jaħbtu u jħokku ma' xulxin.

 

Il-pressjoni bejn platt kontinentali u ieħor ikun ilu jinġema għal snin, għexieren jew mijiet ta' snin, u fl-aħħar il-pressjoni tkun tant kibret li t-truf tal-platt kontinentali jiċċaqalqu kontra xulxin u jseħħ it-terremot, fejn l-enerġija li tkun inġemgħet tiġi mitluqa f'daqqa jew f'perjodu ta' xi ġranet.  Dan jista jirriżulta fi qsim tal-art, jew li l-art ta' naħa minnhom tirkeb fuq l-oħra.  Dan il-proċess wara eluf u miljuni ta' snin jista' jwassal għal għoljiet jew muntanji, bħall-Himalayas fl-Indja u n-Nepal, jew ir-Rocky Mountains tal-Amerika.

 

Din il-pressjoni tista' wkoll tirriżulta fl-iffurmar ta' vulkan li jisplodi, u l-magma tkun tista' toħroġ akkumpanjata ma' terremot.  Dan jista' jirriżulta f'artijiet ġodda fil-baħar, bħal dawk tal-ħafna gżejjer fil-Paċifiku.  

Ħdejn Malta, dan il-proċess kien irriżulta fi blata li kienet dehret fis-seklu dsatax bejn Sqallija, Malta u t-Tuniżija.  Din il-ġżira kienet bdiet tikkawża ġlieda diplomatika bejn l-Ingilterra (li semmietha Graham Island), Sqallija (li semmietha Ferdinandea għar-re ta' dak iż-żmien), Franza u Spanja, sakemm reġgħet għebet taħt il-mewġ u reġa miet kollox2.

 

Fi stampa milli qed nġib,3 wieħed jista' jara l-platti tettoniċi kontinentali prinċipali tad-dinja, u fl-istampa l-oħra4 wieħed jista' jara l-lokalitajiet fejn isiru t-terremoti u jinnota l-korrelazzjoni bejn it-tnejn.

 

Għalina ta' dixxendenza Maltija, ninnutaw mallewwel li l-platt kontinentali Afrikan u dak Ewro-Asjatiku jiltaqa' fil-Mediterran, bil-fruntiera bejniethom tgħaddi dritt minn Malta!  Dan jispjega għaliex iseħħu tant terremoti fil-Mediterran (il-Greċja u t-Turkija l-iktar).  

 

F'Malta ġieli jinħassu wkoll.  Il-ġenituri tiegħi spiss isemmu wieħed li kien seħħ meta kont għadni tarbija, fejn in-nies tal-lokal ta' Raħal Ġdid kienu nġabru f'dak li llum imsejjaħ Joanne Garden u raqdu barra minħabba biża' ta' terremot ieħor.  Dan kien seħħ fl-1972, u huwa msemmi f'ġabra ta' terremoti li nħassu f'Malta5.

 

Ta' interess ukoll għad-dijaspora Maltija hi li fruntieri oħra jinsabu fi New Zealand li huwa magħruf għat-terremoti, u l-kosta tal-Lvant tal-Amerika minn fuq s'isfel.  

 

Mill-banda l-oħra, wieħed jista' jinnota li l-Awstralja tinsab f'nofs platt kontinentali għalih, u għalhekk dan il-pajjiż jitqies li huwa seismikament stabbli.  Dan ma jfissirx li terrimoti ma jsirux hawnhekk, imma jsiru bi frekwenza ferm imnaqqsa.

 

Ninsabu fejn ninsabu, ngħixu fuq dinja li altru li mhix statika.  It-tagħlima li nieħu hi kemm in-natura hija kumplessa u kemm għandna nirrispettaw proċessi naturali li huma ħafna akbar minna.

1http://phys.org/news/2006-03-probing-earth-core.html, retrieved 18/4/2016

2http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-06-25/news/underwater-volcano-discovered-off-sicily-93179, retrieved 18/4/2016

3http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/slabs.html, retrieved 18/4/2016

4https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quake_epicenters_1963-98.png, retrieved 18/4/2016

5https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/earthquakes-in-malta/, retrieved 18/4/2016

1http://phys.org/news/2006-03-probing-earth-core.html, retrieved 18/4/2016

2http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-06-25/news/underwater-volcano-discovered-off-sicily-93179, retrieved 18/4/2016

3http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/slabs.html, retrieved 18/4/2016

4https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quake_epicenters_1963-98.png, retrieved 18/4/2016

5https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/earthquakes-in-malta/, retrieved 18/4/2016

Trump, or the limits of democracy -- Trump, jew il-limiti tad-demokrazija

 

For the past few months, I was looking curiously and with a mixture of marvel and amazement at this year's pantomine in the United States of America, where the two main political parties are choosing the person to be nominated to run in the November election to replace the American President, Barack Obama.

 

Every nomination contest provides its spectacle and personalities, however this year's Republican battle is extraordinary.  This is being dominated by Donald Trump, an entrepreneur in property amongst others, author and TV presenter, a wealthy man although this is not precisely quantified.  It's however what he said on the campaign trail that stupefied me.

 

At the start of the campaign, his views on entire nations came to the fore.  Regarding Mexicans, he declared that these go to the United States to rape and kill, and that the Mexican government is 'sending' the bad people.1  He wants to stop immigration by all Muslims immediately.2  With his style of speech, it's clear that he tends to portray all members of a community as behaving in a homogenised way.

 

Mr Trump did not shy away from boasting, without much subtlety, about the size of his male organ, and this during a national TV public debate.3

 

More recently, he declared that the United States should reintroduce the waterboarding torture method and a whole lot more.4  He thinks that Japan and South Korea should have their own nuclear weapons.5  Finally, on international politics, he has declared that he would consult with himself, as he has a good mind and has said many things.6

 

I do not understand how this idiot can expect to be taken seriously.

 

Although I tremble hearing him expand on his extreme ideas and imagine their impact on the world if they had to become policy in the most economically and militarily powerful country on earth, what scares me is that he has a substantial following with Republican voters.

 

In fact, he's in front in the race for the Republican nomination.  He is followed closely by Ted Cruz after most of the other candidates fell away.  Until last week, 80% of those identifying as Republican expect Mr Trump to be the person nominated7, although this level of expectation seems to be diminishing.

 

This person has a good chance of becoming President of the United States, with his finger on the button of the substantial nuclear armaments held by that country.

 

If this fact actually occurs, one has to wait and see.  I have faith that the American people at the end of the day realise the huge risks of Mr Trump not only to his country but to the entire world.

 

Nevertheless, this situation demonstrates the possible consequences of democracy, where this person has come to represent those who feel excluded from the American political process, who feel that those who are supposed to represent them today in fact represent other interests.  This is in fact a legitimate view.  The problem is, who will enlighten those casting their vote?  And really, what choices do they have?

 

And what choices do we have in our elections around the globe?  Are we comfortable with those members representing us?  Do we in fact know what the candidates we find in the ballot paper on this on that subject, really?  In fact, after they are elected, are they free to vote according to their conscience, or according to the crack of the party whip?  And which one do we actually prefer?

 

This is the fundamental problem of democracy, at least from my perspective.  I don't see a real representation of the views of the people, and so quite understand why so many people feel alienated from the political process, and I have heard this expressed in Australia, Malta, the US and other places.

 

The problem is, what is the alternative?  In theory, a benevolent dictatorship is superior, however who will choose the dictator?  Many times he will put himself there, and one would expect the reason for doing so would not necessarily be popular, and would be difficult to remove once there.

 

So which is the best system?  Democracy at least usually ensures that the leadership changes after some time.  However its perils are being played out for all to see, and if the risk materialises, who knows what might happen!  I hope that Americans choose wisely!

 

 

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Għal dan l-aħħar xhur, kont qed inħares b'kurżità, u taħlita ta' meraviljar u skantament għall-pantomina ta' din is-sena fl-Istati Unit tal-Amerika, fejn iż-żewġ partiti l-kbar qed jagħżlu l-persuna li se jinnominaw fl-elezzjoni ta' Novembru biex jieħu post il-President Amerikan Barack Obama.

 

Kull ġirja għan-nominazzjoni tipprovdi l-ispettaklu u l-personalitajiet tagħha, imma l-ġlieda tal-Partit Repubblikan ta' din is-sena tidher li hi straordinarja.  Din qed tiġi ddominata minn Donald Trump, intraprenditur fil-proprjetà fost l-oħrajn, awtur u preżentatur fuq it-televiżjoni, bniedem għani ħafna għalkemm mhux magħruf bi preċiżjoni b'kemm.  Imma huwa dak li qal matul il-kampanja għan-nominazzjoni li ġabli għajnejja wara widnejja.

 

Fil-bidu tal-kampanja, il-veduti tiegħu fuq popli sħaħ ħarġu fil-beraħ.  Fuq il-Messikani, kellu l-istqarrija li dawn imorru l-Istati Uniti jistupraw u joqtlu, u li l-gvern Messikani qed 'jibgħat' in-nies il-ħżiena.1  Fuq il-Musulmani, jrid li l-immigrazzjoni tagħhom titwaqqaf kompletament.2 Is-Sur Trump kien qed juri l-istil li bih jitkellem, fejn ipoġġi lil kulħadd f'keffa waħda.

 

Is-Sur Trump ma qgħadx lura milli jiftaħar, mingħajr wisq sottilezzi, fuq il-kobor tal-membru maskili tiegħu, u dan waqt dibattitu televiżiv nazzjonali.3

 

Iktar riċentement, iddikjara li l-Istati Uniti għandha terġa ddaħħal is-sistema tat-tortura tal-waterboarding u anke agħar.4  Jaħseb li iktar pajjiżi bħall-Ġappun u l-Korea t'Isfel għandu jkollhom bombi nukleari5.  Fl-aħħarnett, fuq il-politika internazzjonali, stqarr li jikkonsulta miegħu innifsu, għax għandu moħħu tajjeb u qal ħafna affarijiet.6

 

Jien ma nistax nifhem b'liema serjetà dan l-idjota jistenna li jittieħed.

 

Jien għalkemm nitriegħed nisimgħu jgħid l-idejat estremi tiegħu u nimmaġina l-impatt tagħhom fuq id-dinja kieku kellhom isiru l-politika tal-iktar pajjiż b'saħħtu ekonomikament u militarment, li jbeżżagħni hu li għandu appoġġ sostanzjali mill-votanti Repubblikani.

 

Fil-fatt, jinsab quddiem nett fit-tellieqa għan-nominazzjoni tal-Partit Repubblikan.  Huwa segwit fil-viċin minn Ted Cruz wara li kważi l-kanditati l-oħra kollha waqfu.  Sal-ġimgħa li għaddiet, 80% ta' dawk li jikkunsidraw lilhom infushom Repubblikani jistennew li s-Sur Trump se jkun il-persuna nominata7, għalkemm dan il-livell ta' stennija jidher li qed jonqos.

 

Din il-persuna għandha ċans tajjeb li tispiċċa President Amerikan, b'subajha fuq il-buttuna tal-armamenti nukleari sostanzjali li għandu l-pajjiż.

 

Jekk dan fil-fatt iseħħx jew le, wieħed jistenna u jara.  Jien għandi fiduċja li l-poplu Amerikan fl-aħħar mill-aħħar jagħraf ir-riskji kbar li s-Sur Trump iġib mhux biss lil pajjiżu imma lid-dinja kollha.

 

Madankollu, din is-sitwazzjoni hija xhieda tal-konsegwenzi possibbli tad-demokrazija, fejn din il-persuna, ġiet li qed tirrappreżenta lil dawk li jħossuhom esklużi mill-proċess politiku Amerikan, li jqisu li dawk li suppost qed jirrappreżentawhom fil-fatt jirrappreżentaw interessi oħra.  Din hija fil-fatt veduta leġittima.  Il-problema hi, min se jlum lil min qed jitfa l-vot?  U wara kollox, x'għażla għandhom?

 

U x'għażla għandna aħna fl-elezzjonijiet tagħna madwar id-dinja?  Komdi b'dawk il-membri li jirrappreżentawna?  Fil-fatt, nafu x'jaħsbu l-kandidati li jkollna fuq il-karta tal-vot fuq it-tali suġġett jew ieħor, verament?  U fil-fatt, wara li jkunu eletti huma liberi li jiddeċiedu skont il-kuxjenza tagħhom, jew iridu jivvutaw skont il-frosta li ċċaqċaq tal-partit?  U aħna, liem waħda nippreferu?

 

Din hija l-problema fundamentali tad-demokrazija, almenu kif naraha jien.  Ma narax rappreżentanza vera tal-veduti tal-poplu, u għalhekk nifhem għaliex ħafna nies iħossuhom tant aljenati mill-proċess politiku, u din smajtha hawn l-Awstralja, f'Malta, l-Istati Uniti u postijijet oħrajn.

 

Il-problema hi, x'inhi l-alternattiva?  Fit-teorija, dittatura benevolenti hija superjuri, imma min se jagħżel lid-dittatur?  Ħafna drabi jpoġġi lilu nnifsu hemm, u wieħed jistenna li jagħmel dan għal raġunijiet mhux neċessarjament popolari, u li diffiċli jitneħħa ladarba jkun hemm.

 

Allura x'inhi l-aħjar sistema?  Id-demokrazija talinqas normalment tiżgura li t-tmexxija tinbidel wara ftit taż-żmien.  Imma l-perikli potenzjali tagħha qed jiġu mpinġija quddiem għajnejna, u jekk ir-riskji jseħħu, min jaf x'jista' jiġri!  Nispera li l-Amerikani jagħżlu bl-għaqal!

 

 

1http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/9-outrageous-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-latinos_us_55e483a1e4b0c818f618904b, retrieved 2/4/2016

2http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/donald-trumps-call-to-ban-muslim-immigrants/419298/, retrieved 2/4/2016

3https://news.vice.com/article/donald-trump-just-referenced-his-penis-size-in-a-nationally-televised-debate, retrieved 2/4/2016

4http://time.com/4247397/donald-trump-waterboarding-torture/, retrieved 2/4/2016

5http://www.businessinsider.com/experts-blast-donald-trumps-nuclear-proliferation-statements-2016-3, retrieved 2/4/2016

6http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/03/trump-foreign-policy-adviser-220853, retrieved 2/4/2016

7http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2016/trump_change, retrieved 2/4/4016

1http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/9-outrageous-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-latinos_us_55e483a1e4b0c818f618904b, retrieved 2/4/2016

2http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/donald-trumps-call-to-ban-muslim-immigrants/419298/, retrieved 2/4/2016

3https://news.vice.com/article/donald-trump-just-referenced-his-penis-size-in-a-nationally-televised-debate, retrieved 2/4/2016

4http://time.com/4247397/donald-trump-waterboarding-torture/, retrieved 2/4/2016

5http://www.businessinsider.com/experts-blast-donald-trumps-nuclear-proliferation-statements-2016-3, retrieved 2/4/2016

6http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/03/trump-foreign-policy-adviser-220853, retrieved 2/4/2016

7http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2016/trump_change, retrieved 2/4/4016