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Not long ago, we were searching for the origins of the English word understand. It is one of those words that everybody knows and almost no one questions. But the question is obvious - what does standing beneath or at a lower point have to do with comprehension? Well, we could tell, for example, that in standing below something you could perceive/observe its roots and thus meaning. Of course, many interpretations can fit here. Today, we will see one Ancient Greek word that has some to do with the opposite of under-standing, that is the term epistemology.

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With the tourism industry on a high bounce following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, many holiday-goers are looking for ways to travel more responsibly and sustainably. But the annual surge of visitors at resorts and destinations can create environmental headaches for people living in the locality.

Following two years of restrictions and with pent-up demand, millions of Europeans are packing suitcases and flocking to airports to jet off for relaxing getaways. And for many people planning a holiday, responsible travel has become a significant consideration.

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Simone de Beauvoir  

Arguably, the most influential female philosopher of the 20^th century – Simone de Beauvoir – is a world-renowned French writer, social theorist, activist, and wife of Jean-Paul Sartre. She is one of the most important figures in the theory of feminism, famous for her 1949 treatise The Second Sex, which is a detailed analysis of women's oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism. Simone wrote mostly novels, essays, and biographies, but also philosophical, political, and social studies monographs. Some of her most notable novels are She Came to Stay (1943) and The Mandarins (1954). Beauvoir won the 1954 Prix Goncourt, the 1975 Jerusalem Prize, and the 1978 Austrian State Prize for European Literature.

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1. "But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs and adjectives in a speech, sneaking in behind the thing itself,into the pure present, making us sad or teaching us vicariously..."

2. "I sometimes longed for someone who, like me, had not adjusted perfectly with his age, and such a person was hard to find; but I soon discovered cats, in which I could imagine a condition like mine, and books, where I found it quite often."

3. "Memory is a mirror that scandalously lies."

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Climate change is destroying heritage sites across Europe and globally. Ancient historical landmarks could disappear completely unless swift action is taken to protect them from environmental damage, researchers are warning.

Future generations may never get to explore streets conquered by medieval knights in Greece, city quarters built by the Islamic empire in Spain, 10th century cliff-top castles in Slovakia and many other historical wonders in Europe.

Floods and rising temperatures are already damaging ancient buildings, said Angelos Amditis, project coordinator of a project called HYPERION which is helping major sites in Greece, Italy, Spain and Norway, adapt to the impacts of climate change.