Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830) was recorded for the first time in Poland, in the city of Warsaw. This Nearctic species of the Flatidae family was introduced into Europe in the late 1970s and has expanded its range ever since. We provide data on the first record as well as briefly characterize the insect in terms of its diagnostic features, biology and potential harm to agriculture and the environment.

The present paper analyses the self-portrait of Isabelle Eberhardt emerging from the letters she wrote to three men: her brother Augustin de Moerder, her friend Ali Abdul Wahab and her husband Slimène Ehnni. The paper is divided into three parts. The first one discusses her desire of Orient, the second shows her will of annihilating herself and the last one focuses on the power of the desert which helps the writer to find the desired calm.