Printing & copying machines

77 Great Estates uses and recommends Rex Rotary printing/copying machines distributed in Malta by Advanced Telecommunications Systems Co Ltd.  Kindly find hereunder an extract from their website.

In Malta, Advanced Telecommunications Systems is a distributor partner of Ricoh International who is a leading provider of Total Document Solutions.

Ricoh International selects quality partners for the delivery of solutions, services and product to the customer. Working in partnership delivers mutual benefits – trust, respect and shared reward. Together we provide professional support and innovative technologies to respond quickly and effectively to customers’ requirements.

Advanced Telecommunications Systems offer an advanced range of multifunctional products (MFPs) that combine the functionality of advanced digital copiers with those of network printers, network scanners and faxes. With the significant advantages of network connectivity and the flexibility of the MFP’s combined options, our company is capable of matching all clients’ needs; from the simplest to the most sophisticated with a single, reliable and high quality package every time.

RICOH Rex-Rotary’s advanced, colour enabled printers’ combine high performance black and white printing with the added benefit of colour, supporting the increasingly popular use of colour in the office to achieve creativity and high impact results time and time again. Designed and built for the demands of the busy office, these versatile printers deliver high quality and reliability with a competitive cost per copy to any demanding workgroup or individual environment. In addition to Rex-Rotary’s colour enabled printers, a comprehensive range of high performance black and white printers and print-led multifunctional devices add another dimension to the full reach of our customer driven solutions.

RICOH Rex-Rotary’s range of Copy Printers incorporate advanced duplicating technology which offers fast, high quality and high volume image duplication solutions to help users manage their printing requirements. RICOH Rex-Rotary’s Copy Printer product range currently offers varied use of paper sizes and paper types along with resolution choice from 300 dpi to up to 600 dpi, all at an exceptional speed of at least 135 pages per minute.

RICOH Rex-Rotary’s range of mono laser printers are designed and built for the demands of the busy office. With outputs of up to 95 pages per minute and a wide range of paper handling options available, Rex-Rotary’s printers bring high performance, quality and reliability to any demanding workgroup or individual environment. In addition to RICOH Rex-Rotary’s stand-alone mono printers, a comprehensive range of print-led multifunctional devices adds another dimension to the full reach of our customer driven solutions.

RICOH Rex-Rotary’s range of scanners is designed for the office workgroup environment, offering unprecedented information sharing. The machines allow scanning of multiple A3 and A4 pages at speeds of up to 86 pages per minute in both black & white and colour.  They also come with a range of connectivity options for networks or PC; and software solutions offering unique functions such as archiving and forms management.

RICOH Rex-Rotary offers a variety of software solutions to augment its hardware product range to help customers improve work processes, enhance efficiency and ultimately improve profitability. Its software solutions encompass five key areas including network print management and control; document and information management; document distribution, forms management; and workflow solutions.

For the Data Center, In Plant, Print-for-Pay and Commercial Print markets, Ricoh Rex Rotary offers a range of mono and color Production Printing Systems. You can rely on our technology to keep your business ahead.

For trade enquiries, kindly contact:

Advanced Telecommunications Systems

Tumas Fenech Street

Birkirkara BKR 2551

Malta

Tel: +356 21 484 445/6

Fax: +356 21 484 440

Vacancy: Property Negotiators Wanted

77 Great Estates’ Sliema branch situated at 213, Tower Road, Sliema, Malta (EU) is presently recruiting property negotiators.

77 Great Estates’ property portfolio consists of luxury residences and high street commercial properties for sale and to let. The job will entail the inspection of such properties in Malta and the negotation and conclusion of property deals for and on behalf of our international clients.

The ideal candidate should have a good grasp of English and knowledge of other languages will be considered as an asset.  He/she must be computer literate.

A professional training course will be offered by 77 Great Estates in addition to support from our dedicated staff and qualified leads.

77 Great Estates’ mission is to succeed through hard work, determination, efficiency, effectiveness and honesty. We offer an attractive commission rate together with benefits including use of company mobile and company car – terms and conditions apply.

To apply, kindly forward your CV via email on carl@77GreatEstates.com.

Seven days of thrilling racing

from timesofmalta.com

On the morning of October 20, 2012, the Saluting Battery, high up in Valletta, signalled the start of the 33rd Rolex Middle Sea Race.
A record entry of 83 yachts from 19 countries started the 606-mile race witnessed by thousands of spectators crowded along the bastions overlooking the Grand Harbour.
The Slovenian Maxi, Esimit Europa 2, was to take line honours for the third consecutive year. However, it would be seven days before the last yacht would cross the finish line.
It was on day four that the 100-ft Maxi, Esimit Europa 2, crossed the finish line at 01:13.15 CEST. Jochen Schümann showered the Maxi crew with champagne dockside at the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
“That was a tough one,” explained Schümann. “We got caught up by Ran and Stig in the first parking lot at Stromboli but it was by no means the last.
“Our goal was line honours and it was impossible to relax during any part of the race.
“We are delighted to have taken line honours and finish off a great season in style.”
It was nearly seven hours before Niklas Zennstrom’s JV 72, Ran ,crossed the finish line, setting the bar for the rest of the fleet to better after time correction. Ran put in a magnificent performance to lead a highly competitive Class 1 and lay claim to an overall win but overall victory was to escape them.
In the early hours of day five, a massive thunderstorm and torrential rain engulfed Malta. Nick Lazos and Periklis Livas’ Farr 52, Optimum 3 Aspida reached the finish line at 03:00 to lead Class Two and the Rolex Middle Sea Race overall.
However, the Greek team’s tenure on this extraordinary race was very short-lived. At 04:18 Eddie De Villiers’s Welbourne 46, Hi Fidelity, completed the race to take the overall lead.
In driving rain with thunderbolts lighting up the bastions, the South African crew looked astonished to find out that they were hot favourites to win the overall prize.
“We didn’t have a clue how well we were doing until we finished, it is unbelievable,” exclaimed Hi Fidelity’s owner, Eddie De Villiers.
“The crew have been absolutely fantastic, I cannot give them enough praise. This has been one hell of a race, we have had just about everything thrown at us.
“Coming through the Comino Strait there was a terrific amount of thunder and lightning, it was all around us and the wind touched 37 knots.
“To come through the finish and find out that we have such a great result is amazing!”
By the afternoon of day five, it became clear that none of the yachts still racing could better Hi Fidelity’s corrected time and the latter were announced as the overall winners.
The team from South Africa became the ninth different country to provide a winner of the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy joining yachts from Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In the early hours of day six, Josef Schultheis’ and Paolo Semeraro’s Xp44, XP-ACT, crossed the finish line. The team had come close to beating Hi Fidelity but had to settle for a win in Class 3 and third overall.
XP-ACT had three Maltese crew on board. However, Artie RTFX, with an all-Malta crew, became the first Maltese boat to cross the finish line and win Class 4.
Artie RTFX co-skipper Christian Ripard spoke dockside: “We did our best, it was a great race and everybody did a great job working really hard but we just kept on getting stuck in patches of no wind, which was very frustrating.”
On day 7, the Rolex Middle Sea Race came to a fairytale conclusion for the Irish Two Handed team racing Dinah.
There were emotional scenes at The Royal Malta Yacht Club as Irish sailors Barry Hurley and Andrew Boyle sailed home in their 35ft yacht to win the double handed class, finishing just 25 minutes inside the time limit after seven days of tense racing.

Under starter’s orders… the Mdina Grand Prix

from timesofmalta.com

It was pedal to the metal as the Mdina Grand Prix got under way yesterday with the Mtaħleb Hill Climb.
A convoy of classic cars left the Hilton in St Julian’s at 8.30am, turning heads across the island as they sped towards Mtaħleb for the start of this year’s event.
There were more than enough classic vehicles taking part to rev the engines of vintage car lovers, including eight Bugattis, a 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C and a convertible Porsche 356.
Many of the participants have come from overseas especially for this popular street race, now in its fourth year.
The action continues today with the Mdina Glass Concours d’Elegance, which will once again be held in the Silent City’s Cathedral Square.
Live classical music and car owners in period outfits will add to the festive atmosphere.
Tomorrow morning’s practice will take place on the 2.2-kilometre track below the Mdina bastions: an exciting circuit featuring fast straights and demanding corners. Drivers will be timed in the afternoon to determine the winner.
The race climaxes on Sunday with 80 cars vying to take the chequered flag first. Participants will have two runs in the morning and two in the afternoon to determine who will be spraying the champagne on the final podium.
Demonstration runs by classic motorbikes and supercars are also expected on Sunday.

Pictorial homage to autumn

by Lino Bugeja, from timesofmalta.com

The Ramblers’ Association recently launched its autumn programme, designed to include the unique natural characteristics of the Maltese Islands and enormous cultural and archaeological heritage scattered over the countryside.

These include a vast array of wayside chapels and folk art in very remote pathways.

The 20 organised walks – held on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays – provide panoramic and scenic routes through some of the finest and most exhilarating green spaces on the islands.

These include the rolling hills of Mtaħleb; the rugged coastline at Xrobb l-Għaġin and Għajn Tuffieħa; Torri Falka, Gomerino and Il-Qallelija − a vast expanse of shaft graves probably Roman where the fragrance of thyme on the garigue fills the air; and the Binġemma Ridge, which is a fine viewpoint on the western side of The Victoria Lines.

The urban historical trail takes ramblers to the Three Cities, Valletta and Floriana, where they will not only taste the history and culture of these places but also visit the beautiful gardens adorning Floriana.

Other exciting walks are the Manikata, Għajn Żnuber and Ras il-Waħx walk, with its rich texture of ecclesiastical and natural interest characterised by various giren (corbelled huts) of all shapes and sizes. The pathway leads to the rugged cliff face of Il-Qammieħ in the distance.

The Gozo Mystery Walk, on December 22, is a one-day trek exploring the fantastic coastline punctuated by fertile valleys.

The marathon walk along the length of Malta, on December 29, brings the autumn programme to a close.

What a sunbather!

Largest solar-powered boat arrives for brief tour of the island – timesofmalta.com

When Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed around the world in the 16th century, he left Spain with 280 men aboard five ships.

Only one ship and some 20 men would make it back. And while sailing techniques have evolved considerably, taking to the high seas remains a resource-hungry endeavour.

Unless you are one of the five crew members aboard the MS Tûranor Planetsolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, which earlier this year made it around the globe without expending a single gram of fuel.

The 100-foot catamaran is covered with more than 500 square metres of high-efficiency solar panels, which are connected to two electric motors found in its hulls.

Everything aboard, from its navigation system to coffee machine, is powered by the sun’s rays. Malta’s beating summer sun meant that the boat was generating more energy than it could store, captain Eric Dumont explained.

He was reluctant to say how much the boat cost to build, although the Guinness Book of Records puts its cost at a whopping €15 million.

Resources Minister George Pullicino paid the boat and its crew a brief visit yesterday morning. As he admired the feat of engineering, Dr Pullicino drew parallels with the increased uptake of solar-generated electricity by Maltese households.

The majestic boat arrived in Malta on Saturday as part of a brief Mediterranean tour. It will be making brief stops in Balluta Bay, St Paul’s Bay and Għadira Bay on Thursday before docking overnight at Mġarr, Gozo.

It will then leave Maltese shores on Friday morning, gradually making its way back to its home berth in Monaco, where it is expected to undergo a revamp based on the lessons learned throughout its round-the-world voyage.

I love you Malta – grazzi, says Laura

from timesofmalta.com

Italian star who has sold over 45million albums across the world performs some of her greatest hits at a sparkling concert in Ta’ Qali where she got a warm welcome

Italian singer Laura Pausini returned to the Maltese islands to give yet another show-stopping performance on Wednesday night.

Numerous fans packed the open-air grounds at the MFCC, in Ta’ Qali, to welcome back the artist who had given a successful concert here in 2009.

The singer performed some of her most popular hits such as La solitudine and Strani amori and numbers from her latest album, Inedito.

Video projections and costume changes complemented the performances.

The artiste showed her warmer side as she interacted with the audience continuously during the one-and-a-half-hour show. She also dabbled in Maltese, telling the crowd “inħobbokom” (I love you) on a number of occasions and “grazzi ħafna” (thanks a lot), among other phrases.

“It was a fantastic show,” said one fan, “despite some minor hitches”. The concert began about half an hour late because of some lighting problems. “This left the stage somehow dark,” according to the concert-goer.

Ever since winning the 1993 edition of the Sanremo festival with La Solitudine, Pausini has sold over 45 million albums throughout the world, winning three Latin Grammy Awards.

She is not only loved in Italy but also Spain, France, The Netherlands and as far away as South America.

Her latest world tour, titled Inedito like her latest release, is directed by Marco Balich, creator of the Winter Olympics’ ceremonies in Turin in 2006 and the inauguration of the Juventus stadium last summer.

The set was designed by Mark Fisher, who has worked with Pink Floyd and U2.

Always welcome

from timesofmalta.com

The superyacht Vava II, the 33rd largest in the world costing an incredible €127 million, sailed out of the Grand Harbour yesterday. It belongs to the richest woman in Britain, former Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli, and was a present from her Swiss husband, billionaire pharmaceuticals chief Ernesto. It has a fold-down beach club, a helicopter landing pad, four boats to ferry passengers to shore and a swimming pool which can be varied in depth to suit requirements of the guests who stay in luxury cabins. It costs around €300,000 to fill the fuel tank.

Vittoriosa to twin with St Tropez

from timesofmalta.com

Former French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot may not have descended on Vittoriosa in the 1960s, elevating it to an upmarket destination as the icon had done in St Tropez. But one of the Three Cities is benefitting from her celebrity influence many years down the line.

The French Riviera port in the south of France, associated with famous and wealthy guests, may appear to be worlds apart from Vittoriosa but the two cities are about to be twinned and the latter stands to benefit from the link to the exclusive St Tropez brand.

For the first time, the Côte d’Azur destination, often referred to as the “playground” of jet-setters, models and millionaires, has decided to twin with another port and chose the once neglected but recently regenerated Vittoriosa over others in Europe.

For its mayor, John Boxall, the twinning between the “smallest island in the middle of the Mediterranean, the smallest country in the EU, and one of France’s richest cities means a lot”.

Vittoriosa, he maintained, would automatically experience a quality leap in terms of popularity and the link was expected to “boost Birgu”, leaving an impact on its tourism, with the arrival of more superyachts in the marina serving to strengthen its economy.

“The yachting industry is big business,” Mr Boxall acknowledged, adding it led to even more regeneration. He was convinced the town, which already hosts luxury yachts and was still being upgraded, should benefit from the connection with the internationally known seaside resort and so should the country.

The twinning idea was born a couple of years ago through former Maltese Ambassador to France, Mark Miggiani, and Ambassador Pierre Clive Agius has continued in his predecessor’s footsteps.

The hook has been the prestigious regatta Trophée Bailli de Suffren from St Tropez to Malta, which has, since this year, ended at the Vittoriosa Waterfront and should be the yearly finishing line.

Although the two ports would not appear to have much in common, French Admiral Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez (1729–1788), who served with the Knights of the Order of St John, is a common denominator that has been capitalised on.

Thanks to the regatta and the consequent twinning, the two ports could take advantage of each others’ potential, be it history, or tourism, Mr Boxall said.

“Big names have already started arriving in Vittoriosa, thanks to the regatta, and more are expected in the future,” he continued.

While St Tropez enjoyed celebrity status, Vittoriosa – “the cradle of Maltese civilisation” – boasted the history, Mr Boxall pointed out. He was recently invited by St Tropez mayor Jean-Pierre Tuveri for the start of the regatta and to lay wreaths at the admiral’s monument.

The plan is to sign the twinning agreement in the fitting and newly renovated Auberge de France during Birgufest in October, which includes the Birgu by Candlelight event.

Night at the popera

from timesofmalta.com

Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja returned to his Floriana stage on Saturday night for a concert before thousands of people on the Granaries.
The annual concert by the internationally-renowned tenor is held every summer, bringing together pop and opera. The formula is a crowd-pleaser year in, year out.
This year’s line-up included the Neapolitan singer-songwriter Gigi D’Alessio and Irish heart-throb and former Boyzone lead singer Ronan Keating. Both performed duets with Mr Calleja. The 200-strong HSBC children’s choir also took part.
Among the best received numbers were Hallelujah, sung jointly by Calleja, Keating and the choir – which got an encore – as well as Because You’re Mine, You Raise Me Up and Brindisi.
Keating’s single When You Say Nothing at All, which was featured in the film Notting Hill and peaked at number one in several countries, got a huge cheer from the audience.
The choir was particularly applauded for its beautiful rendering of the Anvil Chorus, which kicked off the second part of the concert.
Several of the musical arrangements were made by Kevin and Paul Abela
Mr Calleja was also joined on stage by soprano Gillian Zammit and Amber, fresh from the Eurovision Song Contest where she was part of Kurt Calleja’s team.
The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra was directed by the internationally acclaimed conductor Steven Mercurio, who has collaborated with Mr Calleja on his new album, a tribute to opera star Mario Lanza.
The concert included a moving tribute to Lucio Dalla, who was in Malta last year shortly before he passed away suddenly.
The concert was organised by NnG Promotions and supported by HSBC, Vodafone and Allied Newspapers.