ecoclub.com/blogs - news & views from ecoclub.com members

vitamins or vita-mines?

Latest research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that antioxidant supplements such as vitamins A and E, rather than prolonging life, may “significantly increase mortality" while there was no evidence for any positive life-prolonging effect of vitamin C either. And as soon as the ink on the journal article dried, a cacophony of eminent scientists boosted by vitamins and vitamin manufacturers, started claiming just the opposite.

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kalo taxidi

Gatakos, 2000-2007since this morning "Gatakos", the ecoclub catis exploring the big garden.we thank him for the joy he gave us,sitting patiently by the mouse & laptopGatako kalo taxidi! - bon voyage.

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Viriathus

Viriathus, leader of the Lusitanians (now Portuguese) and previously honoured as "a friend of Rome" was executed/assasinated on Roman orders. When the perpetrators came to collect, the Roman consul Servilius Cipianus ordered their execution saying: "Roma proditores non pendit" (Rome does not pay traitors). With the death of Viriathus, Lusitanian resistance waned and Lusitania was romanized and lost its language.As Karl Marx wrote “Hegel remarks somewhere that all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He has forgotten to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor's_justicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viriathus

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on International Migrants Day

We are all descendants of migrants. Many of us migrate during our lifetime, even for short periods. There are no illegal human beings. Yet, many 'worry' about the 'problem' of 'illegal' migration. They are scared by people who are seeking a better life, at the same time that they are hiring them, for peanuts and without medical insurance, to clean their homes, offices and cars and babysit their children. Others have no moral problem, but still want to 'integrate' migrants by force, to interfere with what clothes they should or should not wear, to teach them history, a new language, to ensure that they enjoy from day 1 the same rights and privileges as old citizens. In effect, they may be creating in the short term as many obstacles as those who oppose migration. It is a difficult topic. Ideally, we should be able to do away with borders, but the precondition for this is a world without wars, with 'liberty, fraternity and equality'. A world which today seems at least as distant as in 1789.Related Website: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/events/migrants/

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the cradle of computerocracy

Modern greeks are more or less laggards in the EU in terms of computer use, rather opting for the great outdoors. Not so for our ancient forefathers, as the 2,100 year old 'Antikythera mechanism' has now been confirmed as the world's earliest computer: "The level of miniaturisation and complexity of its parts is comparable to that of 18th century clocks."http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1960316,00.htmlhttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/...E933C9C66E22E65

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award misthake

Quiz: in which major travel awards the winner in one of the categories was a subsidiary of the award sponsors? Shurely shome mishtake? But who cares, they take turns winning awards.

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babel

A great movie, Babel by the new, great Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, in another powerful screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga (The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) In a way, a hymn to globalisation, a criticism on borders and their dehumanising influence, the plight of immigrants, the anti-terrorism hysteria, urban loneliness and the sometimes surreal position of tourism in all these. A must see!

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"always follow up", "never too late"

Just received an evaluation form for a conference I had attended er,  four years ago.One of the questions asks 'what did you expect to gain from our conference'Honestly? Er, I don't remember.

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per capita punishment

Interesting rank:http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_pri_...ners-per-capitaOne can spot at least 8 picture perfect tourism destinations in the top 20!And how about the alternative "Happy Planet Index" which attemps to show "the relative efficiency with which nations convert the planet’s natural resources into long and happy lives for their citizens". Some of the same tourism destinations are up there too! Strange, except if a jail is considered an efficient use of space. No wonder, who is at 2nd place, most happiest: Colombia. Hmmmhttp://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm

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100% nationalist holidays

On a nature tour operator's website, I came across a sticker saying"100% (country name) owned & operated, click for 100% verification"I wonder how the 100% (why not 1000%) verification is performed. Does one has to sing the national anthem backwards? Do you get to shoot any enemies?Inoccuous but still ugly & dangerous nationalism.

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