Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514428
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JANUARY 2024 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 901. Meadow Pipit NOT all birds are spectacular. One rather ordinary looking custom- er is the meadow pipit (M. pespus), a very common winter resident in Malta. It's small, largely greenish-brown with pale, black-streaked underparts. It's a bird of open country like steppe, farmland, gar- rigue and grassland. Its drab livery is a vital survival strategy: despite being in full view, the meadow pipit is hard to spot on the ground unless it moves. It does move a lot, though, walking about to snap up worms and insects. Another give-away to the bird's presence is its characteristic pss-wss-wss-wss! call, the sound that gave it its Maltese name. It's incredible how these birds find sustenance in the windswept rocky places they live in. It's a hard life but, as with all nature, they are perfectly adapted to making the best of their habitat. YOUTHECO Project YOUTHECO is a 2-year Erasmus+ project that will support marginal- ized youth, such as NEETs and young women, in their re-skilling and upskilling towards the green economy. An open resource toolbox that comprises of non-formal learning on the areas of Forest-based care, Waste Reduction, Social agriculture, Energy supply, Urban green care, Ecotourism, and Green Entrepreneurship will be created. The project will train youth workers in the above-mentioned topics, who will then in turn train the youth. Five of those youths will be given the opportuni- ty of work shadowing placements in the green sector. This will increase NEETs and young women's green sector knowledge, and task manage- ment skills and gear them for future career possibilities. Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 779: All the resources created for this project (training modules) and open resource toolbox will be accessible online 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 Frank U Jien On 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 Febuary Place: Frank Portelli Studio Frank Portelli Archives presents 'Frank U Jien', its first project celebrating the life and work of modern art pioneer Frank Portelli, set in his old art studio. Curated by Andrew Borg Wirth and written by Maria Theuma, the new interdisciplinary piece showcases Portelli's work through a series of performances, giving audiences a unique opportunity to experience fragments of his personal archive. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Mischievous Carnival - Moveo Dance Company On 11 Febuary Place: Valletta Campus Theatre The Mischievous Carnival is an event like no other. It's a celebration of joy, creativity, and imagination. From the moment you step through the gates, you'll be transported to a world of wonder and whimsy. So don't hesitate – grab your friends and family, put on your most dazzling costumes, and come join us at the Mischievous Carnival. It's an experience you won't forget! A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Oppenheimer leads the nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, days after it triumphed at the Golden Globes. Christopher Nolan's film and Greta Gergwig's Barbie have four nominations, while American Fiction and and Killers of the Flower Moon each have three. ESPN has returned more than 30 Emmy statuettes after the award hosts uncovered a ploy in which some network employees used fake names to circumvent eligibility rules. The network has said the ploy was "a misguided attempt" to recognise on-air talent that were not eligible for certain categories. The winners are voted for by Sag-Aftra's membership of more than 119,000 actors. The awards won were reportedly re-engraved with the real names of the on-air personalities.