ECOCLUB Blogs™

Chitral -- Tourism Corporation Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (TCKP) sponsored festival of indigenous cuisines and the evening musical show was organized through the arrangement of Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) on March 21, 2011, in Chitral town. The slogan of the day was ‘our culture is our identity; its protection is our need’. The objective of the activity was to protect and promote the traditional food of Chitral and to link the same with tourism industry for the economic empowerment and welfare of women—who are normally involved in cooking at household level—in the entire region. It is to be noted that the young generation has almost had forgotten the names and tastes of their cultural cuisines, which means they could disappear very soon without adding economic incentives and linking it with tourism industry. This was the overarching objective of the event. The food festival implemented in collaboration with Girl Guides—a voluntary organization of young school students in Dolomoch, Chitral town. The event was planned, monitored and supervised by community representatives and judges. The cuisines showcased on the occasion i.e. shoshp, chhira shapik, ghara, shoshpalaki, chamborogh, sanabachi, mol and lazhek were cooked at household level. They were highly appreciated and categorized in respect...

Competition of cooking traditional Chitrali cuisines and evening cultural music will be organised on March 21. The activity is organised through the support of Sarhad Tourism Corporation and will be implemented by CAMAT. It must be noted that STC and CAMAT signed MoU and the former provided financial support for the activities of 2011-12. The purpose of the activity is to promote the indigenous cuisines and to link it with tourism industry in guest houses to be sumplemented by traditional music.

  Opening the ITB Travel Trade event in Berlin today, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai's speech indicated a slight progress (verbal at least) in the organisations positions, recognising the 'environmental imperative' and the need for a 'fairer' and 'more sustainable growth'. However, no relevant key proposals were put forward, and as expected, there were no criticisms against the business as usual approach of unreformed (beyond token CSR tricks) international tourism oligopolies, there was no differentiation between more appropriate tourism types, means of transport, management and ownership structures (such as community ownership) no mention of climate change and of the direct contribution of aviation to it, tax and pension evasion and the offshore nature of whole tourism sections. There was of course continuing admiration for ever higher tourism numbers, unsustainable mega-events, and the cliche about the contribution of Tourism to global 'employment', without any reference to stagnant working conditions and declining worker rights. The full speech can be found at: http://www2.unwto.org/sites/all/files/pdf/sg_itb_speech_2011_en.pdf

  Washington DC, March 14, 6:30 - 10:30 pm: Historic Food Routes of Crete, Greece Lecture at the Embassy of Greece by Donald Haggis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, “Farming, Feasting and the Foundations of the Early Greek City.” Lecture followed by a 4-course dinner at Mourayo Restaurant. Program coordinated by Nikki Rose, Professional Chef-Author and Founder of Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries. http://www.cookingincrete.com/CCS-Donald-Haggis-Lecture-Greek-Embassy-2011.html

How would you like it if the government suddenly informed you that the rubbish of a 3 m. city would soon be deposited next to your house in a small town (Keratea of Attica), where you and your forefathers have been living off agriculture for the past hundreds of years, and – to add insult to injury – the precise spot contains important ancient ruins (citadel of Ovriocastro) also provoking the ire of archaeologists who together with the locals have filed an official protest with UNESCO (see http://issuu.com/antixyta/docs/keratea-unesco ) This is the case in Keratea, a formerly peaceful town, in a still surprisingly pristine, wine-growing and sheep-herding area, close to the new Athens international airport. Everyone from the mayor, to the priests, to the most disinterested, otherwise apolitical/conservative citizen is up in arms, and the unpopular government has sent in semi-military riot police to defend the sub-contractors bulldozers from being burned. A violent cat and mouse game involving police tear-gas attacks and beatings has been taking place day and night for the past two months with the scenes not very different from the uprising in North Africa. If an increasingly authoritarian government was not so dependent on (i.e. traditionally funded by)...

Hypatia, March 415 AD, famous Greek mathematician in Alexandria, Egypt, torn to pieces by an intolerant Christian mob. Hypatia 2011 AD, a refurbished 19th c neoclassical-style mansion temporary home to 267 north African hunger strikers in Athens, Greece, facing death and an indifferent and intolerant administration. Ancient Greece worshipped Xenios Zeus, the all-powerful god who was also the protector of all travelling strangers. Modern Greece worships the all-powerful god of Tourism, protector of travelling strangers, as long as they have a visa, cash and the ‘right’ passport. Instead of planning border walls to block the weakest link of the inevitable Globalization, the Greek government should do the decent and smart thing and fully legalise all migrant workers, some of which already have been working for 15 years building roads, olympic venues, picking up strawberries from greenhouses full of chemicals, taking care of the elderly and the very young, and last but not least doing menial jobs in Tourism, NOW. There can be no compromise on human rights. The hunger strikers, in their 33rd day without food now, are certainly not about to compromise either. Any delay can be fatal,  and this means big fires in a flammable city already very angry...

To all our southern neighbours, rising up for freedom and justice, with whom we share so much and the deep blue Mediterranean sea: the last poem by Yiorgos Seferis (Nobel 1963), written during another Spring 40 years ago, when Greece was under a military dictatorship, an optimistic poem stressing that the unjust sooner or later get what they deserve... "Epi Aspalathon" (On Thorny Brooms) Sounio was stunning on Announciation day it was Spring again few green leaves fallen around the rusted stones red clay and aspalathi flashing their big thorns and yellow flowers further away the old columns strings on a harp still resonating Serenity... What may have reminded me of that Ardieos? A word in Plato, I believe lost in the mind's canals the name of that yellow bush is still the same In the evening, I found the passage "they tied him hands and feet", it says "they threw him down and skinned him they dragged him away and tore him apart on the thorny aspalathi then took him away and threw him down the Tartaros (Abyss) like a rug"   Thus, in the Underworld, he paid for his crimes, Pamfylios Ardiaios, the wretched Tyrant. (my amateur translation, apologies)...

    There is a survey at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/447600/4211fd636617, as part of my master research study at Estonian University of Life Sciences. It is a first attempt to learn about online behaviour of existing and potential visitors to Estonian national parks. I am happy to share a report with everyone who will take a survey.

  You'll enjoy this October conference with the world's leading bear researchers http://www.bearcaregroup.org/  Situated in Banff National Park, you'll also get the chance to see bears in their natural environment. I'll be speaking too!

PESHAWAR: The Wildlife department has sold permits for hunting of four Kashmiri Markhors (wild goat with spiral long horns) under the Trophy Hunting Scheme. "We have sold permits for the current hunting season, starting from December to March, to an outfitter, Shikar Safari Club," informed Chief Conservator Wildlife Department Saeeduz Zaman while talking to this news agency on Tuesday. He revealed that four permits have been sold at a total value of $2,86,000. Giving further details, Saeed said, two permits were sold for hunting Markhor in Tooshi Shasha game reserved in Chitral for $80,500 each. Similarly, one permit was sold for $70000 in Gahirat game reserved in Chitral while the fourth one was sold for Kohistan district (Kaigah Game Reserve) for $55,000. The chief conservator said sale of these permits were made through auction. The department sought bids from hunters-outfitter for hunting of 10 Himalayan ibexes and four Kashmiri Markhors. "Advertisements were floated in the press and also put on websites of international organisations dealing with wildlife for attracting maximum number of hunters, he added. After completion of bidding process, permits were given to the highest bidder, Shikar Safari club. He informed that in the current year no bid was received...