Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/373141
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 AUGUST 2014 40 THIS WEEK The Sea Squill is just now starting to ower. After a dry summer that seemingly sapped all life from its rosette of eshy green leaves, you'd think the plant had died. But suddenly and right out of the bare earth, this eldritch stalk appears, long and pale and leaess, grows a metre tall and then opens a plume of exquisite owers. That, of course, is the magic trick of bulb plants. Like a medieval castle, the Sea Squill grows its food in times of plenty ( = winter and spring), but with impending hardship (= summer) it draws all produce into its fortress (= the underground bulb), shuts all exits (= leaves) and survives on its stored goodness. Its other trick is to ower at just that moment when there's no other competing owers about, so it gets the attention of all the insects. Neat, huh? No wonder it can survive on poor soils. You come across it all over the country, even inland despite the 'sea' in its name. Mind you, how far from the sea can you really get here? Just under 6km, actually, which apparently is not far enough for our hardy Ghansar to miss the sea! 419. SEA SQUILL GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 321: DO YOUR BIT – Pick up litter to keep gardens and beaches clean when possible, and ask your family, friends, classmates and colleagues to do it together. When was the last time you noticed a bee buzzing around some flowers? Maybe you find them charming or annoying – either way, bees are incredibly important. They pollinate plants in gardens, parks and the wider countryside, including most of our wildflowers. Bees are a sign of how healthy, or otherwise, our environment is. Places that are good for pollinators are good for people too. What's finer on a warm summer's day than lying in a garden – fragrant with flowers and humming with bumblebees? We share bees' need for varied, natural green spaces and the essentials such places provide, which we often forget. Wild areas are great for bees and perfect for picnics, but they also help give us clean air and water. They're important if we're going to cope with a changing climate – natural spaces absorb excess water and heat, and can offer cool shade. From pub signs and town names, from Shakespeare to JK Rowling, from beehive hair-dos to phrases like "having a bee in your bonnet" – the bee has been a star for centuries. Pliny called honey the "saliva of the gods", while Chaucer was one of the first to use the phrase "busy as bees". The bumblebee has always been a source of special delight because of its portly features and furry bottom. Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist and Dumbledore (a Cornish word for bumblebee) in Harry Potter suit their names well. Busy Bees 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). Text Victor Falzon Photo Desirée Falzon 'Without Strings' brings hip-hop to Teatru Rjal ON September 6 and 7 at 21:00, Pjazza Teatru Rjal will be hosting 'Without Strings' a performance by Notik Dance Company, a profes- sional and established street dance and hip-hop dance company. "Classical ballet, neo-classical, contemporary and modern per- formances have become regulars with the Maltese theatre scene. Hip-hop and breakdance are gain- ing huge popularity amongst Mal- tese youths, and this is why I wanted to bring over a dance company with a difference, this is the first time a professional hip hop dance com- pany will be performing in Malta," said Brigitte Gauci Borda, Board Member at Pjazza Teatru Rjal. A three-day workshop between September 6 and 8 will be delivered by Bruno de Carvalho, Marcelo de Souza Moraes and Pia Sedlers. Dif- ferent styles such as Locking, Pop- ping, House Dance, Breakdance, Vogue and Dance Hall together with the actual steps of the performance will be taught. Emerging from the streets of America in the Bronx, the hip-hop dance genre is now being taught in dance schools all over the world, gaining a strong presence in various media, clubs, theatres and cinemas. For workshop bookings and more information call 7934 1755 or email brigittegauciborda@pjazzateatrur- jal.com.mt Performance tickets available from ticketline.com.mt, Embassy Cinema Valletta and Pjazza Teatru Rjal Valletta. Commemorative evening on the occasion of Victory Day A commemorative evening will be organized on the occasion of Victory Day, in Great Siege Square, Valletta on September 6 at 19:30. During this evening, which is organized by the National Fes- tivities Committee, it is custom- ary for a speech to be delivered. Since 1927, this has been deliv- ered by well-known personali- ties. In 1927, in fact, it was the national poet who delivered the speech. Since then, this task has also fallen to three former Presi- dents of the Republic. In 1966 the speech was delivered by Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, in 1972 by Dr Anton Buttigieg and in 1995 by Dr Censu Tabone. This year, the speech will be de- livered by Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci. Dr Schembri Bonaci is a senior lecturer in History of Art at the University of Malta. He graduated from the Univer- sity of Malta, the State Univer- sity of Kiev, the State University of Moscow and furthered his re- search at the State University of Milan. He specialised in law, philosophy and art. Apart from authoring a number of academic writings, he is an artist who has worked in Europe and beyond, and his works are exhibited in Malta, France, Germany, Italy and Australia. Between 1979 and 1986 he was chargé d'affaires at the Maltese Embassy in Russia, the first to be resident in Moscow. He was also a consultant for the first min- isterial department for climate protection (1987). He was a co- founder of the Theatre Studies programme at the University of Malta in 1990 and launched the rehabilitation project known as Strada Stretta. Apart from this, he set up Evenings on Campus at University in 1994. He has coor- dinated a number of internation- al conferences on history of art and other international confer- ences; the most recent was held earlier this year at Warburg In- stitute, University of London and was dedicated to Malta (Medi- terranean Crossroads). Apart from the commemora- tive speech, the evening will also include a performance by In Guardia re-enactors, poetry readings, dancing by the Brigitte Gauci Borda dance school, Do- reen Galea's choir and the par- ticipation of the Armed Forces of Malta. The climax of the evening will be reached with the wreath- laying ceremony by a number of distinguished entities and per- sonalities, including the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Opposition Leader.