Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 890. Mediterranean slant-faced grass- hopper OF the two dozen or so grasshopper species that occur in Malta, the slant-faced grasshopper (M. ġurat rasu twila) is easily the weirdest looking. True to its name, its head is propped in a sort of perpetual forward tilt, like someone glued its chin to its neck! Also, its face is rather bulbous and its antennae look like thin elongated leaves. But for all the eldritch looks and large size (females can grow to 8cm, making this one of our biggest insects) it's distinctly hard to spot in its grassland habitat. Its long thin body and cryptic green-grey- brown colours match perfectly the grasses on which the animal lives and feeds. But once you spot it you will marvel at the trouble this species has taken to vanish while in full view. Oh, and (like other grasshoppers) it's harmless, so let's stop scaring our kids with this silly 'jagħtik is-sikkina' business! THE STORY OF PLASTIC: Documentary screening + panel discussion THE STORY OF PLASTIC is a searing exposé revealing the ugly truth behind plastic pollution and the false solution of plastic recycling. The Story of Plastic presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our cur- rent global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it exacerbating climate change. From the extraction of fossil fuels and plastic disposal to the global resistance fighting back, The Story of Plastic is a life-changing, Emmy-winning film depicting one of the world's most pressing envi- ronmental issues. Join us for a documentary screening and panel discussion of plastics and its impacts on our lives, climate change and human rights on Fri- day 17th November between 5:00 pm and 8:00pm at the KSU Com- mon Room at the University of Malta. Drinks and light refreshments will be served, do not forget your reusable cup! Victor Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 773: Register via https://foemalta.org/event/storyofplastic/ Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Don't miss this Rediscovering Abos On 22 November Place: Tarxien Parish Church In the Roman Catholic liturgy the readings for the first 'Matins Nocturne' of the triduum sacrum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) consist of the lamentations of Jeremiah, or portions of the Old Testament prophetic book of the same name. Often the lamentations are sung, which is why, along with the great responsories, they are musically the most important texts of 'Tenebrae'. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Glenn Miller Orchestra On 18 November Place: Mediterranean Conference Centre Music has the extraordinary power to carry us across different eras! The legendary worldwide BIG band orchestra, the World-Famous GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA! TWO CONCERTS IN A SINGLE DAY AT THE MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE CENTRE IN VALLETTA AS PART OF THEIR "BEST OF" TOUR. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK More than 50 years after The Beatles broke up, the band have announced the release of their "last song". Called Now And Then, it is based on a 1970s demo recording by John Lennon, and was completed last year by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr. Richard Roundtree, a US actor best known for his starring role in the Shaft film franchise, has died aged 81. He died at home in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon with his family by his side, his manager Patrick McMinn told The Hollywood Reporter. Sir Paul teased the song in a BBC interview this summer, saying AI technology had been used to "extricate" Lennon's vocals from an old cassette. His death comes after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.