MaltaVoice

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Valletta

Our beloved country... cradle of the Neolithic Age, host of various cultures and traditions, home to the majestic Knights of St. John, mighty bouncer of the French invaders, partner of the invaluable British Empire and a most courageous and prestigious WWII survivor ... now has to put up with the odds of daily worries and chores.

As reported on various local papers, Maltese bakers may stop making the traditional Maltese loaf, better known as "Il-Hobza tal-Malti". The mouthwatering Maltese speciality has been consumed for hundreds of years by little and old alike especially by little ones at school or by the seaside during this hot season of the year. Our culinary tradition is at risk unless an agreement is reached with the government to increase their subsidy on bread or, alternatively, hike the price per loaf by 2c (Euros 0,05) following a hefty rise in the price of flour. The price of a sack of flour soared by Lm1.60 a few days ago. Mr Micallef, from the Bakers' Cooperative, said yesterday that as suppliers had the right to increase the cost of their product, bakers should also have the right to cover their costs and earn a living.

Hobza

A few days ago a similar incident happened in our neighbouring country, Italy. The price of grain and flour has raised so quickly that Roman citizens have threatened to boycott all flour-based foods on September 13. The rise has also effected bread, pasta, water and electricity, milk and schoolbooks. They also requested that there should be an immediate 5% reduction in pricing and they declared that on September 13, all squares in Italy will distribute free milk and bread.

Why is it that these things are never done in our country?

With a scorching heat of a constant nearly 40 degrees celsius, it is becoming very difficult to breathe and work. Nobody is seen walking in the streets at this hour of the day as everyone is sheltered from the blazing sun. Kids, who usually adore summer for the loads of ice-creams consumed and long days out swimming or building sand castles at the beach, are now asked to remain inside, do as little exercise as possible and drink loads of water. This heat is really getting worse every year and it is very saddening to take a look at what is happening around us in the heart of the Mediterranean. Flames are surrounding us and it is very evident that pyromaniacs, not heat, are the firestarters.

The Mirror, an influential British paper, reports that stranded Greek villagers were airlifted to safety yesterday as the forest fire death toll hit 63. Although residents in Frixa, Western Peloponnese, were saved, around 11 were feared trapped in Aigialia, further north. Police are quizzing 32 arson suspects and a £680,000 reward is on offer for information. Some 18 nations are helping Greece fight fires that have raged since Friday. At the same time, further west, other people are trapped in a Sicilian inferno as more flames are threatening the heart of Sicily. 

Let's just pray for a spit of rain!

Malta, the tiniest country with the biggest heart! That was music celebrity Enrique Iglesias's tribute to our homeland. There is a stream of truth in his words but living in this country also shows a great heap of contradictions in many different areas and aspects of one's life. Well, I guess like any other country around the globe.  

I am sure that most of you don't even know where Malta is. That is the greatest disadvantage of living on a tiny piece of land. It's kind of tiring but at the same time amusing when a Maltese goes abroad and has to explain where Malta actually is. For those of you who are still frowning at their total lack of geographical knowledge or those who have realised that they actually need a map brush up, here is a small clue:

Malta's location

Malta's satellite map by NASA

The fish-like island is a densely populated country comprising an archipelago of four islands, Malta, its sister island Gozo (called Ghawdex by the locals), Comino which is the intermediate island and Filfla, the spit of land at the south west part of Malta, which originally was part of Malta but later eroded and cut off the mainland. However, you can find detailed information about this on various website like Wikipedia. All it takes is just a click and a sharp interest.

As we going along, I wish to share with you what actually goes on in this island ... things you'll certainly won't find by googling around.