It was the most visible sign of the post-war division of Europe and Germany after the horrible crimes of nazism. It was the result of cold war, super-power pressures and dirty tricks, in a peculiar situation where there was a free-market, freewheeling, bright-lights enclave, West Berlin, in the heart of an austere, 'socialist' country. It was also a symbol (of the failure and the defeatism) of a state that gradually had less and less to do with socialism and more to do with policing and monitoring its citizens: the loathed Berlin Wall that over 5,000 succeeded to climb, and 136 or more tragically failed, murdered for no reason by guards 'following orders'. It's fall 20 years ago was not seen then by ordinary people seen in the pictures celebrating, and it is not seen now, as a cold war triumph for capitalism (indeed western leaders such as Thatcher had pleaded with...

a great article by a great author, Arundhati Roy, on a relatively unknown topic,the long battle for the green heart of India, pitting corporate mining interests against tribes,and special forces against insurgents:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...ists-green-huntthe big question is, would a community-owned, genuine, ecosocially just tourism be a feasible, peaceful way out of the circle of violence?

In two otherwise not connected rulings, the European Court of Human Rights decided in a landmark ruling that the display of the christian cross in Italian schools, violates human rights, while an English Judge ruled that Green beliefs should enjoy legal protection, meaning employees can sue for unfair dismissal if their corporation fired them as a result of their strong oppinion on their employers impact on the environment. There is an irony somewhere in all this. Is Green becoming the new religion to replace the old one? Should it become a religion? Ideally it should not, as religions demonstrably & historically have killed far more than they have 'saved'.

A video received from ECOCLUB.com Lodge Members Pousada El Nagual, near Rio de Janeiro

Italy receives tens of millions of foreign visitors every year.This is what they may be seeing, if they visit the historic port city of Messina in Sicily:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8291187.stmA - by account of their on-camera statement' anti-immigrant 'national guard' patrolling the streets, which is 'legal', and comprised of 'volunteers'. The creation of such street patrols was a measure passed through parliament in July, proposed by a far-right party which is a government partner, and it was heavily criticised at the time by the Vatican, the Opposition and Human Rights groups. The same party had even proposed segregated trains in Milan!A chilling reminder of how fascism gained strength as a movement under a previous global financial crisis in the 1930s. And a wrong, far-right turn, at a key crossroad of the Mediterranean.The irony, lost in history, being that Messina was created by foreign settlers back in the 8th c. BCE.But if city authorities do...

The Mediterranean, sunny climate gives plenty of opportunity for a philosophical mood, especially in the early part of a summer afternoon, after a glass of vino, which as we all know contains veritas - particularly the red variety. So, I was thinking...how difficult would it be for a municipality to create, own and operate free hotels? Imagine that there would not be any private hotels and that the laws of 'free competition' and the sort, would not forbid it. Accommodation would be free, as long as guests spent a minimum amount of time in the village, and purchased a minimum amount of traditional, locally-made products (rather than tacky imported souvenirs) dined in restaurants, again all owned and cooperatively operated by the municipality. The municipality would determine, each year, through direct democratic procedures, the number of visitors they would like to host, so that they would not overrun the village. You would...

How lucky are those living in relatively small and not so powerful states...When some big and powerful (?) ones will not allow their citizens to search online and learn what happened on this day, 20 years ago. "Ignorance is Strength"? Does anyone really believe that a hybrid system which is fast becoming the very opposite of the classless and stateless society, combining capitalist exploitation, rising inequality & corruption, environmental degradation, labour abuses, lack of press freedom, internet bans & monitoring, and minimum right to protest and nationalism - can last for ever? The above sadly applies to various degrees to most if not all places on earth. Because not enough people have had enough of being ruled/interpreted/exploited/represented and have not yet realised that there is is no real need for a compromise or choice: individual liberty and common ownership/mutual aid. There cannot be one without the other! If you have realised...

As the old adage goes tourism is like fire, it can cook your food, or it can burn your house down.But it was not tourism, but probably pro-mining interests, that burned down the house of eco activist Stefanos Kollias in the village of Kaloskopi in the Mt Giona area of Central Greece, on Sunday night (March 30). Kollias, originally from Athens, has been campaigning against the further expansion of bauxite mining in this largely pristine area. A few days ago he had tried to legally block an environmental impact assessment study conducted for a large mining company. This is the second time in recent months his house is set on fire. A campaign is underway to rebuild his house see here for details (in Greek)while protests are also planned.Next time you think of consuming a multinational soft drink or beer packaged in an aluminium can, remember that it is created and...

(Editorial in Issue 100 of ECOCLUB, International Ecotourism Magazine) QUOTE“The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor—not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules” – Albert Einstein, Why Socialism? , Monthly Review, May 1949 No one really knows how long this latest systemic crisis may last or how it will end - hopefully not in tears, not like the 1929 one. But it does present a unique opportunity: it can help reveal the resilience and the necessity of small-scale, sustainable tourism, family & community-owned, and prove the unsustainability of mega-resorts, in particular all-inclusive, condo hotels and golf, the funders of which are getting weaker by the...

Diane was a hotel housekeeper in the Niagara Falls area of Ontario, Canada. When she tried to start a union in her hotel, she was fired. Following action by UNITE HERE, she was re-hired by the hotel, however harassment has not stopped.More details:http://www.istandwithdiane.ca/index.php?op...id=44&Itemid=59Related Report:http://www.niagarahotelworkers.ca/download...otel_Sector.pdfFrom Unite Here's website:UNITE (formerly the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees) and HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union) merged on July 8, 2004 forming UNITE HERE. The union represents more than 450,000 active members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America.UNITE HERE boasts a diverse membership, comprised largely of immigrants and including high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of UNITE HERE members are women.