Moments from the Global Diabetes Walk 2004 in Athens, Greece. I am standing by the finishing line, nearby Acropolis, proud of the achievement and the cool sweat shirt as a gift!  

Global Diabetes Walk 2004: Moments in Athens!

Finally the Global Diabetes Walk took place in 50 countries and about 500 cities worldwide. The number of people who took part internationally was about 37.000! Way to go to the initiative!
Moments of the Greek Walk that took place in Athens can be found at the: http://www.worlddiabetesfoundation.org/composite-700.htm

Global Diabetes Walk 2004: We Walked Together!

We walked in 485 sites total globally!The numbers of participants internationally were 9,486 according to the Walk statistics. Among them, 769 walkers gathered in Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece, at 12 pm on Sunday November 14, 2004 to walk for the World Diabetes Day that's been celebrated today all over the world. The Global Diabetes Walk initiative, organized by Novo Nordisk A/S and the World Diabetes Foundation in association with the local Diabetes organizations, lasted for 30 minutes, ending at the entrance of Acropolis of Athens. The aim of the event was to spread out the message to everyone that, by walking 30 mins per day, you can prevent serious complications in your health that stem from the modern way of living, thus leading to a better quality of life, especially to people who have diabetes! The latest updates of every country's event can be found at www.gwlk.info

www.mio-caro-diario.com!

Here's some interesting news for the bloggers worldwide:
Did you know that there are actually 10,2 million people around the globe who blog regularly? In addition could you imagine that members of this widespread community are well known personalities such as G.W. Bush, Barbra Streisand, John Kerry, Dominic Stross-Kan, Melanie Griffith and even the former Vice President of Iran? Well, think about the advantage of expressing someone's opinion when publicly is prohibited, such as the case is with people leaving in countries under conflict or in challenging political or social conditions... So keep on blogging!

Global Diabetes Walk - Let's walk together!

Quite recently I came accross an attractive leaflet about the first Global Diabetes Walk, which is to be held at the World Diabetes Day, throughout the world. The greek initiative is organized by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S, World Diabetes Foundation and greek ngo's for people with diabetes. The event will begin on Sunday, November 14, 2004 at 12 pm, at Syntagma Square in Athens and will last for 30 minutes.
The aim of the walk is to break the international world record on such an event. The record for this kind of group activity, is still kept in Singapore, for "The New Paper Big Walk 2000" when 77.500 people joined the walk. Besides the chance of breaking such a record, the event aims to raise awareness to a healthy lifestyle for a better control of diabetes and the prevention of serious conditions to the general population, such as diabetes.
For those who are interested in participating in the Greek Diabetes Walk, you can enroll either on the spot, at the day of the walk from 10:30 am and on or you can submit the registration form by e-mail at ttsa@novonordisk.com (related sites: www.novonordisk.com & www.worlddiabetesfoundation.org) Don't miss the chance of making the difference with your participation. See you all at the walk for diabetes on November 14!

Once in a lifetime experience!

Filled with pride and joy for finally making it to the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, I am now thinking to myself "I WAS THERE TOO!!!" in the historic moment of the Olympiad. I am wearing the official t-shirt of the Greek National Football Team that won the Euro 2004 championship past July, for bringing luck to the athletes that participated in the track and field competitions in the Olympic Stadium that I watched on September 26. (Thanx to my friend Chris D. that took these pictures during our visit at the Olympic premices).

Olympics 2004: A spectacular view

A spectacular view of one of the ponds at sunset, at the gateway of the grounds at the Athens Olympic Stadium! 

Minutes of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games! 

Athens' natural beauties (the answer)!

Well, these two recent pictures come from the main hall of the Botanical Garden in the outskirts of Athens, 9kms west from the centre, in the township of Haidari, close to the Bysantine Dafni Monastery. A free access facility to the public, hosts thousands of plants from all over the globe in special sections that are hosted in the area. The main hall is an arena decorated according to the Austrian gardening style, that's a pleasure in the sences to wander into it, in and out of the alleys. I bet you thought or heard that Athens was more or less a cemented city. See, this bit of heaven on earth, is within reach to anybody who loves nature and enjoys a well preserved park in the capital of Greece. Hope to see you taking a walk or just relax in the premices soon!

Discovering Athens' natural beauties...

Here's a test to all of you the nature lovers in Greece: Where do you think this picture was taken? a. In a park somewhere in Europe? b. In a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean? c. In a private estate of a tycoon? d. None of the above? (The answer follows... just think a little bit more please!)

Free Software for the MS Office users!

For all of you the computer geeks who like to enhance the Microsoft Office features, take a closer look at the http://www.openoffice.org which offers for free download an application compatible to the 95+ editions of the Microsoft Office and a rich database for programmers and pc users as well. Openoffice.org is an non profit organization dedicated to spread computer applications to everybody without cost. It is worth the try!

Για όσους από τους χρήστες ενδιαφέρονται να "κατεβάσουν" το πρόγραμμα αναβάθμισης του Office στα Ελληνικά, επισκεφθήτε τη σελίδα http://el.openoffice.org/ όπου θα βρείτε την εφαρμογή με ελληνικά δεδομένα και υποστήριξη.

CNN apologizes to Athens for all the Games' rumors!!!

At last CNN decided to post an apology for the biased behaviour of the network during the preparations for the now late Athens 2004 Olympics! Greece is a small country in terms of population and financial figures, but it has always been a great nation which provided the world with principles such as democracy, philosophy, arts & sciences etc which now lie as foundations for the Western civilization! Please find the relative article of CNN at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/writers/08/29/reilly.letter/index.html?/cnn=yes and enjoy reading their "signomi" to the Greeks!

Fairwell to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games!

For all of you the Olympic Games fans around the world, here's a cute animated screensaver with mascots Phoebus and Athena, as a free download from the official site of the Athens 2004 Olympics. Download it at: http://www.athens2004.com/files/screensavers/mascot_2004.zip and keep the memory of the 28th Olympiad alive at your desktop!

She Walks In Beauty
By Lord Byron (1788 – 1824) English Romantic Poet

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Για τον Πύρρο Δήμα που τίμησε την Ελληνική Ψυχή!

Πύρρο, ύστερα απ' τον σημερινό συγκλονιστικό αγώνα στους Ολυμπιακούς της Αθήνας, νιώθω την ανάγκη να σ'ευχαριστήσω για τα 12 χρόνια που σηκώνεις ψηλά την Ελληνική Σημαία και μαζί της το ανάστημα μας. Δεν θα ξεχάσω τα ρίγη υπερηφάνιας που με κατέκλυσαν το 1992 όταν στη Βαρκελώνη στέφθηκες Ολυμπιονίκης, αλλά και κάθε φορά που εκπροσωπούσες τη χώρα μας επάξια και μας έκανες να νιώθουμε σαν απόγονοι του Ηρακλή με τα κατορθώματα σου. Σήμερα, απέδειξες ότι η ψυχή σου μπορεί να κινήσει και βουνά με το μεγαλείο που διαθέτεις! Σ' ευχαριστώ που για μια ακόμη φορά τα δάκρυα που κύλησαν στα μάτια μας ήταν η σπονδή σ'έναν Έλληνα που αγωνίζεται για τα ιδανικά της πατρίδας. Είσαι ισάξιος του Σπύρου Λούη στο μέγεθος των επιτευγμάτων σου. Η γενιά μας είναι περήφανη για το λεοντόκαρδο αγόρι απ' τη Χειμάρρα. Εύχομαι η πορεία σου ν' αποτελέσει παράδειγμα για τους επόμενους Έλληνες Ολυμπιονίκες.

Paradise Found!

Hey! This isn't a picture from an island in the Carribean Sea! It's actually a spot at the cascades in the town of Loutraki, Greece!!!

One Moment In Time

Sunset at the Corinthian Gulf, Greece. Dedicated to those who still dare to dream! Marialena

Let the Athens Olympic Games of 2004 begin! Minutes from the Opening Ceremony on Friday 13th. 

The birthplace of the Olympics - Ancient Olympia, Greece 

Travelling to Greece - Crete

In case you ever wanted to visit the beautiful island of Crete in Greece, then I hope you find this article of mine useful as a reference:
http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/60/Vacation_To_Crete.html

Safe travels to all of you, Marialena

The 1st Int'l Word Relay - Be a torch bearer!

Hello everybody!
The Olympics are finally back in their birthplace and ready to start on the 13th of August. I came accross a very interesting campaign regarding the first international relay about the word "flame" and it is pretty amazing how many people have taken part in it so far. So, I suggest you gave it a try but just putting in your name to stay in history. Check it out at: http://www.asprilexi.com/wordrelay.htm
Let the Games begin, Marialena