Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/281887
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 23 MARCH 2014 THIS WEEK 30 MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE MARCH 27 Spotlight Concert Concert at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta. The recital features works from the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. Although it was quite late in the 20th century that the viola started achieving recognition as a solo instruments, there are nonetheless works written for the instrument before this period. Two such works are Glinka's Sonata and Enescu's Konzertstuck. The program also includes Schumann's Fantasiestucke, originally composed for clarinet and piano and Franck 's Violin Sonata, both to be performed on the viola. Starts at 20:00. Bookings: 21222618, bookings@ teatrumanoel.com.mt. MARCH 30 Music and Steel Festival Music festival of rock, ska, tribal, new folk and pop featuring Tribali, Airport Impressions, The Rifffs, Red Electrick, The Crowns and The New Victorians at the Malta Shipbuilding, Marsa. The first band hits the stage at 19:30 and the last one at midnight. Entrance is free. APRIL 10-12 Aural Pleasures Concert of bawdy music from Broadway and West End musicals at St James Cavalier, Valletta at 20:00. Organised by the Wembley Store Boys. Featuring: Justin Mamo, Steffi Thake, Joseph Zammit, Tezara Camillieri, emceed by James Ryder, with a special guest appearance by Katherine Brown, and accompanied on the piano by Angele Galea. Directed by Joseph Zammit. APRIL 11-13 Rock the South Third edition of the music festival taking place at Zion Reggae Bar, Marsaskala, starting at 18:00 on April 11 and 12; 14:00 on April 13. Featuring a variet y of musical genres, from rock, punk and indie to hip hop, pop, folk, acoustic singer-songwriters, ska and Dub. Apart from the bands, the event will also feature a 'Battle of the MCs'. In addition, two bands – Dripht and Troffa Ħamra y Los Mechones – will be officially WHAT'S ON Rookies Music Marathon All-day music marathon at Rookies Bar, Bugibba. Final day today. Featuring WaterWings, Deflecto, Lucy's Last, Milk Mi Noticeboard and Juno and the Wolf. Proceeds go to Mission of Mercy, based in Brazil. Adult Entertainment Comedy by Elaine May, staged at St James Cavalier, Valletta from 20:00. Directed by Marylu Coppini with music by Louiselle Vassallo. Cast includes: Isabel Warrington, Stefan Cachia Zammit, Stefan Farrugia, Katherine Brown, Kate de Cesare and Philip Leone Ganado. The play is rated 18+. Tickets are at €20. Bookings: 21 223200, bookings@ sjcav.org. Festen Stage adaptation of the acclaimed Danish film, produced by Masquerade Theatre and taking place at M Space, Msida (opposite Junior College). UK director Stephen Oliver directs a script by David Eldridge. Cast includes: Manuel Cauchi, Amanda Conroy, Andre Agius, Steffan Cheriet Busuttil, Elektra Anastasti, Bettina Paris, Colin Willis, Victor Debono, John Marinelli, Tina Rizzo, Erin Stuart Palmier, Antonio Rocco and Francis Nwobodo. Tickets are at €15 for March 14, €10 for March 12, €17 all other shows. Bookings: www.ticketline.com.mt. The play is rated 15. Arsha Our & Kinemastik present TG Gondard Film screening and party organised by Kinemastik Malta at British Legion Bar, Melita Street, Valletta from 18:00. Featuring French DJ TG Gondard, supported by local acts Xahx, Moth of Ages and Sonitus Eco. Entrance is at €6. WHAT'S ON TODAY Every spring bird lovers await the return of the migrants, birds ying in from Africa on their way home to nest. One specially awaited bird at Ghadira nature reserve is the Little Ringed Plover, and the rst birds have nally appeared. It's a small shorebird, but the Little Ringed was the species that certied the Ghadira wetland restoration a success story when a pair nested there and added a new species to Malta's breeding birds. That was 1995, and since then three or four pairs (but up to eight) have returned every single year and nested in this tiny bird haven. Little Ringed Plovers (M: Monakella) are not in the complicated-nest building business: they nd a safe bit of shingle on one of the small islands in the lagoon and deposit their eggs straight on the ground. Once the chicks hatch, the parents rigorously protect them from other birds, with much piping, chasing and threat postures. By autumn the family business is over and parents and their edged young y to winter in Africa. Quiet returns to Ghadira Text and photo Victor Falzon 396. LITTLE RINGED PLOVER 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 298: FRESHEN UP YOUR CARPETS – Need to freshen up and remove odours from carpets or rugs but don't want to resort to chemical products? Simply sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda, leave for a couple of hours or overnight, then vacuum. The latest round of trade negotiations between the EU and US on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) ended last week with public disapproval growing stronger than ever. After another week of talks there is no more transparency about the content of the deal, and new evidence to suggest big business lobby groups are being given privileged access to the negotiating teams – including business-dominated events, and meetings between chief negotiators and business groups. Civil society groups are highlighting the dangers of a controversial investor rights clause which would give foreign companies the right to sue governments. If included in a deal, the 'investor-state dispute settlement' mechanism could threaten the ability of states and local authorities to take preventative action to protect public health and the environment, for example by banning risky extraction technologies such as fracking. In the EU, growing controversy has forced the European Commission to announce a public consultation on the investor rights clause. Powerful multinationals, including agri-business, are currently lobbying for the deal to lead to weaker safeguards, under the guise of 'regulatory coherence', on issues related to food and chemical safety, and GM crops. Corporations are trying to dismantle important health and environmental regulations by arguing that they are trade barriers. For example, this trade deal could force European consumers to accept risky genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and meat laden with growth hormones and drugs. It could also undermine European efforts to combat antibiotic resistance; a situation which is creating a public health crisis. EU-US trade: secrecy and privileged access Troffa Hamra