Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/191652
40 maltatoday, THIS WEEK Cultural calendar for Maltaculture.com The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts is in the process of collecting data on cultural events that are scheduled for January, February and March 2014. Cultural/artistic event organisers are kindly requested to send details of activities scheduled for January, February and March 2014. Organisers are also kindly requested to send a three-line description of each respective event (preferably in English). Please clearly indicate date, time and venue of event. The write-up must be in Word format. All information should reach the offices of The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, 230, Republic Street, Valletta VLT 1116 (attention Ms Isabelle Gatt) or by e-mail on isabelle.gatt@maltaculture.com or by fax on 21233902 by not later than Friday, 8 November, 2013. MCCA does not guarantee inclusion of any material that it may receive after this date. More information may be obtained from Ms Isabelle Gatt, on telephone numbers 21 232515, 21 247913 SUNDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2013 Premieres of Maltese composers' works at the Manoel On Thursday 17 October at 20:00 in Sala Isouard, the Manoel Theatre presents the first of this season's Spotlight Concerts with clarinettist Lino Pirotta and pianist Gisèle Grima. The first half of the programme starts with short French works by G. Pierné, G. Grovlez and two pieces by F.Poulenc. The second half features two premières by local composers Ruben Pace (Fil-Qosor) and Alex Vella Gregory (Elegija fuq il-Belt Valletta) as well as Charles Camilleri's Four Greek Songs. The programme ends with the lesser-known ElCasot by D. Bimbi. Lino Pirotta is considered to be one of the most versatile clarinettists in Malta. He started his musical studies at an early age with the Peace Band of Naxxar under Victor Debattista. He later furthered his clarinet studies with various tutors in Malta, namely Carmelo Schembri, Joseph Magri and Freddie Mizzi. He studied harmony, counterpoint and orchestration with Carmelo Callus and his brother Manoel Pirotta. Lino is a fellow of the London College of Music and the Victoria College of Music in Clarinet Performance, and holds a Diploma in Clarinet Teaching. He is currently music director of the Peace Band in Naxxar, with whom he toured in Egypt, Canada and Italy. Last year he directed Karl Fiorini's Cantata 'L-ghanja tal-Paci' at the Manoel Theatre on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the same band. He also forms part of the Denner Clarinet Quartet, The Equinox Trio and Ebony Duo. Apart from frequent recitals with these Ensembles, he also performed abroad, namely in UK, Germany, and Paris. In 2007 he recorded Mouse in the Machine by Ru- ben Zahra, which was later released on CD. One of Lino's main objectives is to promote the clarinet repertoire of Maltese contemporary compositions, but feels as much at home with the standard Clarinet repertoire. Gisèle Grima merits her status as one of the leading Maltese pianists of her generation. She has rapidly established herself as a prominent performer and sought-after accompanist both locally and overseas. Her solo and chamber recitals have taken her around several venues in Malta, Sicily, Finland, Iceland, South-West France, Syria, Manchester, Edinburgh and London. All tickets are €10 with a 50% discount for students, under 25s and kartanzjan. To book: www.teatrumanoel. com.mt, bookings@teatrumanoel. com.mt or telephone 21 246389 FTZ holds second EuroScreen Symposium Some 35 stakeholders from the tourism and film industry met at Europa House on Monday, 7 October to discuss the way forward on strategies that capitalise on the film industry to attract tourists to Malta. Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and from the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security which is responsible for the Film Industry were present together with representatives from the Malta Film Commission, private operators in the tourism sector, film-service providers as well as the Malta Union of Tourist Guides. The symposium, which was organised by Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit, started with a video conference with a representative of the Lead Partner, Film London. Presentations by Jesmond Xuereb, Narcy Calamatta and Jean Pierre Borg were followed by an open panel discussion. Winston Azzopardi, a film service provider along with Pat Flores Martin from the Mal- ta Union of Tourist Guides and Susan Ronald representing the Malta Film Commission, shared their experiences and opinions on how Malta can kickstart its film tourism niche sector. The night was concluded with comments from Ramona Attard, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security, who promised her commitment to further study and assess the filmtourism sector. Julian Zarb, Director at the Ministry of Tourism, on his part also lauded the initiative and also promised to support the agenda to give film-tourism more importance in future decisions. FTZ will be organising a two-day seminar later on in October as part of the EuroScreen project when some of the international partners will attend. Interested parties who wish to be kept informed about EuroScreen may contact FTZ at euroscreen@ftz.org.mt Jean Pierre Borg, FTZ Project Manager for EuroScreen Glyphosate – approval process in EU 373. EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK Glyphosate was approved for EU-wide use in 2002 but the European regulatory agencies did not carry out their own safety testing, relying instead on data provided by the manufacturers. Most of this data came from industry studies, not from peer-reviewed science, and the original data are not available for independent scrutiny. The approval process was led by the German authorities and the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) is responsible for reauthorisation. When Monsanto applied to renew approval in 2010, the European Commission agreed to extend the existing approval by three years to 2015 to allow the company more time to prepare its application. The sparrowhawk (M: sparvier) is one of the less common raptors that migrate over our islands. As a raptor, it comes sort of midway between a falcon - small, long-tailed and agile - and a broadwing - with wide wings on which it soars almost as effortlessly as an eagle. The sparrowhawk's wings are rather short, though, but that's no disadvantage for this bird. Indeed these wings are perfectly shaped to allow these birds a high degree of agility as they dodge trees and branches with lightning reflex when in hot pursuit of small birds, homing in on them like relenteless heat-seeking missiles. You can't pull off such stunts with long wings, you'd collide with the nearest twig. Despite the name, by the way, it's not just sparrow that features on their menu, but all sorts of small woodland birds: tits, robins, finches, you name it. The process sets a level for "acceptable daily intake" (ADI), which for glyphosate is currently 0.3mg per kilogram of body weight. This is higher than the level recommended by some manufacturers of between 0.05mg/kg and 0.15mg/kg. An independent scientific review in 2012 suggested a level of 0.025mg/kg. The EU approval process only looks at studies on glyphosate, and not the actual formulation of the herbicide, i.e. what is used by farmers and gardeners. Some studies have suggested that the other in- gredients may combine with glyphosate to increase its toxicity. Researchers have warned that the focus on glyphosate underestimates the potential hazards. The 2002 approval process for glyphosate did not consider whether it could disrupt human hormone and reproductive systems. This has to be considered under the new rules. Endocrine experts have said a more precautionary approach is needed. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us www.foemalta.org. You can also support us by sending a blank SMS donation on 50618070 (€4.66) or 50619223 (€11.65). GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 275 Have you signed the REFERENDUM PETITION to BAN SPRING HUNTING? Please write to cashmalta2013@gmail.com. Thanks. Text Victor Falzon | Photo Raymond Galea Help garden birds stay healthy – Autumn is a good time to clean and fix bird feeders and tables before the winter months. Scrub with a 5% disinfectant solution to remove debris, which can harbour bacteria and parasites, and help keep your garden birds happy and healthy.