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| SUNDAY • 29 JULY 2018 maltatoday 13 HERITAGE Malta is giving the public a rare opportunity to see the Etruscan Urns in the national collection which are normally kept in storage. These urns will be displayed in a temporary exhi- bition at the National Museum of Archaeology. The national collection includes artefacts which were excavated locally and others which were do- nated to the museum throughout the years. In the case of the latter, not all originate from Malta, and due to space restrictions are not chosen for permanent displays. Heritage Malta's ethos is to be ac- cessible as possible and at times, artefacts such as these are dis- played in temporary exhibitions. These four urns, one lid and one front piece were stored together with a typewritten plaque with the donor's name, Mr Francesco They were accompanied with a note stating that they were prob- ably imported to Malta in the 19th century. These urns were commonly used by the Etruscans who flourished along the Italian coast just north of Rome between the 8th and 1st Centuries BC. The Etruscans, who both in- humed and cremated their dead until the end of the 1st Century BC, were renowned for produc- ing this type of memorial from the late 4th Century BC. The Etruscans deposited ashes in a range of containers, cinerary urns being one of them. The Etruscans seem to have been also the first to invent the custom of reproduc- ing figures on the lids of ciner- ary urns, an influence which was later taken up by the Romans. The Etruscans interacted with both the Greeks in Southern Italy and the Romans in central Italy, and the imagery on these urns showed that exchange of ideas flowed freely between artists of these cultures. These urns will be on display at the National Museum of Ar- chaeology till 23rd September. Admission to the exhibition, dur- ing normal opening hours of the museum between 9am and 6pm, will be free of charge. THIS week, Victor Manduca officially launched his book 'The Absolutely Empty Book'. Manduca's book which fea- tures empty pages, is intended to make readers, or rather, journallers, to write down their goals and plans, and document them as they suc- ceed. The journal can be used for different individual experi- ences, creating a space for in- novation and expression. "Write about your dreams, and, if you like, your night- mares. Start your autobiog- raphy or write a biography about someone who deserves to have one. Prepare a thesis on world peace that works and begin to implement it in your own life . Write all your thoughts and feelings," Man- duca wrote on the book's dust cover. "The Absolutely Empty Book" has been published so that tomorrow's writ- ers, artists, poets, and even rocket scientists, can begin their own book and may one day start publishing their own work. A believer that 'journal- ing' has many benefits, Man- duca has made a lifelong re- solve to encourage people to complete their own Empty Book and published 'the Abso- lutely Empty Book' in English and 'Il-Ktieb Battal' in Maltese to be used as a platform for creativity. Through various initiatives a good number of schoolchildren have already started to use the books and 'fun' workshops with the chil- dren are being organised to encourage the children to take on this wonderful experience with their 'own' book. CULTURE ENVIRONMENT Not a joke, this really is an animal: a marine crab in fact, and an increasingly common one. It is a beautiful creature, mostly red brown with yellow highlights at the joints and spots of sky blue here and there. So it's not exactly cryptic, but nonetheless the sally lightfoot (M. granċ teftiefi) is shy and quickly retreats among the boulders if you venture too close. For all its beauty, however, this crab can become a headache – you see, it's an alien, and that's never good news in nature. It is native to the Atlantic but has somehow – by accident or deliberate release – found its way into our waters. First recorded in Malta in the early 2000s, it has since settled and bred prodigiously. We still don't know what impact it is having on our marine fauna, what I know is that every single one I see while snorkelling always seems to be vigorously plucking and eating short alga from the rocks. It is hard to believe that such a voracious army suddenly appearing on the scene is not affecting our sealife. Friends of the Earth Malta sup- ports the introduction of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme (BCRS) that the Min- istry for the Environment, Sus- tainable Development and Cli- mate Change has proposed and has submitted recommenda- tion to make the scheme more effective. Since the return scheme will operate by charging a deposit, this deposit fee is important as an incentive for consumers to return the containers. FoE Malta has given the following recommendation with regards to the deposit fee and also pro- vided views on enforcement to ensure that no party takes ad- vantage of the scheme. Deposit for each bottle should be more than 10c. A rate of 25c per container, or higher, is more adequate since it will in- crease return rates of contain- ers. This is especially true when considering tourists and visi- tors in Malta who would need a further incentive to trade their time for a deposit return. Hav- ing a higher deposit charge will also introduce a value for mate- rial resources that go into the production of the container. This in term may lead to higher recycling rates in the future, if this scheme is paired with an educational campaign. Further monetary incentive should be given to people who opt for refillable containers. For example, a consumer who is us- ing a reusable container can pay a deposit of 20c and get a return of 25c. The cost of such a meas- ure can come out of the money collected through the Beverage Containers Refund Fund. It is important to ensure that hotels, restaurants and cafes do not take advantage of this scheme. 619. SALLY LIGHTFOOT Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 522: : Find out more and take our plastic free pledge: http://foemalta.org/plasticfreepledge Text Victor Falzon Photo Desirée Falzon Victor Manduca released his journal 'The Absolutely Empty Book' Etruscan urns on display at the National Museum of Archaeology FoE Malta proposes a more comprehensive Beverage Container Refund Scheme (continued) week, Victor Manduca officially launched his book 'The Absolutely Empty Book'. Manduca's book which fea- tures empty pages, is intended to make readers, or rather, journallers, to write down their goals and plans, and document them as they suc- ceed. The journal can be used for different individual experi- ences, creating a space for in- "Write about your dreams, and, if you like, your night- mares. Start your autobiog- raphy or write a biography about someone who deserves to have one. Prepare a thesis on world peace that works and begin to implement it in your own life . Write all your thoughts and feelings," Man- ing' has many benefits, Man- duca has made a lifelong re- This publication is an initiative by Victor Manduca who was born in 1969 and lives in St Julian's, Malta. School gave him a passion for the arts, a few sporting medals and a lot of friends. Following school he has been through three jobs, fathered four children and held four 'one man' exhibi- tions, primarily in gurative painting, pen and ink drawings, clay and recently an exhibition of under- water photography. He is married to one wife with whom he is still madly in love. He scuba dives, plays squash, football, cooks and is doing his best to nish the book about 'snorkelling in the Maltese islands' which has been in progress for far too long. His children forbid him to play guitar and sing. A believer that 'journaling' has many benets, he has made a lifelong resolve to encourage people to complete their own Empty Book and published 'the Absolutely Empty Book' in English and 'Il-Ktieb Bat- tal' in Maltese to be used as a platform for creativity. Through various initiatives a good number of schoolchildren have already started to use the books and 'fun' workshops with the children are being or- ganised to encourage the children to take on this wonderful experience with their 'own' book. Cover : Pierre Portelli ©2016 create your published so book and may yourself, be crea- astonished but will take his/ the book. who has been can in turn fullling for absence not of may settle but an invitation implanted embryos