Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/673696
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 MAY 2016 40 This Week The ruff belongs to a large group of birds known collectively as waders, and we get a decent selection of waders visiting our shores (literally) while on migration. Most make a brief stopover to rest and feed, then resume their journey north (in spring) or south (in autumn). The ruff is one such intercontinental commuter, and it is a regular visitor at wetlands like Għadira, Is-Simar and Salina. As waders go, the ruff (M: girwiel) is medium-sized, with typical slender wader body shape, with long legs and long bill, both excellent tools if you're in the business of walking around in shallow water rooting out worms from the mud or sand. To understand why a ruff is called a ruff you need to see the male in full breeding plumage, when he grows this spectacular mane- like mass of feathers round his neck, making him look a bit like a lion. Unfortunately ruffs don't nest in these latitudes but further north right up into the tundra, so we rarely get to see them in their full courtship regalia. Pity. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 407: BEE SURVEY: Please take a couple of minutes to fill out our short survey about bees and pollinators here! - http://www.foemalta.org/links/bees Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti 504. RUFF Craftsmanship is our heritage A campaign is currently underway to save a house beside the Cit- tadella in Gozo, attributed to Guze' D'Amato, known as the architect responsible for the Xewkija and Ghajnsielem parish churches. This house boasts a treasure of interior details of the highest design, and craftsmanship which has led to such a splendid built example. We often tend to forget that such craftsmanship is a valuable part of our heritage. While schedul- ing buildings ensures that they are preserved for future generations to admire, we need to ask why the age of a building or the period when it was constructed become such an overly important factor. The artisa- nal skills such buildings exemplify are equally as important. Visiting St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta leaves most people in awe of what has been described as the most beautiful floor in the world. Not just because the marble used is valuable, or old, or from a time far behind us in history, but more so because of the skills that many craftsmen had developed in transforming stone slabs into such delicate tapestries of patterns and symbols. To begin with a raw slab, draw a design onto it, cut out deli- cate pieces and backfill these with further colours and textures, hardly leaving a visible seam but creating a visual sensation for our eyes: such craftsmanship is part and parcel of Malta's heritage. A visit to the numerous family vaults at the Addolorata Cemetery paints an equally fascinating pic- ture. Here we can appreciate how something as basic as iron is forged and transformed by skilled trades- men into iron gates which look more like elaborate lace curtains than pieces of metal. To take a piece of iron, heat it, hammer it, bend it, reshape it together with countless other pieces to create the work we see: that is excellence. It is impor- tant to remember that the work process is an art in itself, and as budgetary and time constraints sel- dom lead to the commissioning of such pieces of art today, we should focus on saving these examples as a part of our heritage, as a reminder to ourselves and our children that such skills are a part of this nation's legacy, even if we do not see them much implemented today. The Villa Alhambra in Sliema gives an example of how skilled artisans were able to transform mere stone into the most spectacu- lar Moorish design details. Crude stone, quarried, arranged and cut by able hands, to create a facade which intrigues our sense of beauty and sophistication. All this under the able instruction and guidance of a skilled architect or designer. The results we see today are therefore the culmination of several trades and committed workmanship unit- ing an elegant design to craft. We need to acknowledge the brilliance underlying such built examples. To go back to the initial example in Gozo ¬– we have before us a building which was designed with the utmost care and attention to detail. Be it the facade, the propor- tions of its rooms or the sweeping staircase, all are the result of a blend of various trades coming together to create a sense of space, move- ment and grandeur. The crafts- men commissioned to transform D'Amato's designs are certainly worthy of praise. Not only is it im- portant to protect such masterpiec- es from falling into ruin, or worse yet, wilfully demolishing them, but we must also acknowledge the ar- tisanal craftsmanship which went into such marvellous creations. As with any piece of art, it is the skill and craftsmanship with which it was created that is the benchmark of its value, more than its age. This is part of our national heritage just as much as any fine Baroque inte- rior. Things to know about Climate Change 2 – We are the problem. And the solution In the past the climate has changed without human influence – in the most recent ice age, for example. Natural cycles are still happening, but more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are causing extra changes. And the overwhelming majority of scientists say humans are to blame for this. The tiny minority who question the science tend not to be scientists. Some are journalists; some are paid by fossil fuel companies. So, yes, we humans are the problem. But that means we can do something about it. Jorg Sicot Villa Alhambra was built in the 19th century in a style reminiscent of Moorish Spain