A sunny round of golf for dad this father’s day April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Cyprus Paphos.comments closed
This Father’s Day, why not treat Dad to a holiday where he can tee off in the sun at the luxurious Aphrodite Hills golf course in Cyprus.
Whether he sees himself as the next Tiger Woods or simply enjoys the sport, he is sure to appreciate the resorts facilities and perfectly manicured 18-hole championship golf course set in dramatic natural beauty and boasting exquisite views.
Specialist tour operator, Libra Holidays, is currently offering a great saver deal to the luxurious five-star Intercontinental Aphrodite Hills Resort in Cyprus where Dad can enjoy rounds of golf for free!
Book your holiday before 30th April and golf enthusiasts can enjoy 2 rounds of golf and then get an additional 2 rounds for free. This superb deal is on offer on all stays between 1st May – 31st October 2007.
In addition to the golf saver offer, guests can also pay for five nights but stay seven or pay for 10 nights and stay 14!! This offer is only valid for stays during June or July 2007 when booked before 30th April!
Libra Holidays offers seven nights b/b at the five-star Intercontinental Aphrodite Hills Resort from £726 per person. The price is based on two sharing a twin garden pool view room and includes return flights from Gatwick and transfers.
To book, visit www.libraholidays.co.uk
Morphou Mayor says puppet regime allocating property to Turkish settlers April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Cyprus Occupied.comments closed
The Mayor of Morphou Charalambos Pittas said that the puppet regime in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus is bringing settlers to the occupied town of Morphou, in an effort to reap political gains.
Speaking at the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, Pittas said that the occupation regime is using tricks and blackmail techniques, allocating land and properties not only to Turkish Cypriots but also settlers from Turkey, in order to prevent the return of the town to its legitimate citizens in case of a settlement of the long standing political problem of the island.
He noted that this information is derived from the Turkish Cypriot press, but also from Turkish Cypriots who are also concerned about the continuous arrival of settlers. Pittas further said that the municipality has launched a campaign to prevent this development with contacts with British MPs who will raise the issue at the British parliament and government.
”The answer of the British Foreign Secretary is that according to his information there are settlers in the extended area of Morphou, but that he is not aware if the land belongs to Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots,” Pittas said.
He also said that according to the British Foreign Secretary, the issue of properties can only be solved with a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. “This is unacceptable for us, because Britain, as a guarantor power and as a country playing an important role in the efforts to solve the Cyprus issue, can contribute in efforts to prevent this illegal settling,” the Mayor said.
Greece in new talks on the return of Parthenon Marbles April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Vote For Return Greek Marbles.comments closed
Greek and British officials will hold new talks in London next month on Greece’s long-running bid to reclaim the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum, the government said Thursday.
The announcement came as the London museum indicated it could lift its refusal to let the 2,500-year-old marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures, travel back to Athens, even as a loan.
Culture Minister George Voulgarakis said the May 4 meeting between culture ministry officials would be attended by museum representatives. A ministry official said it would be the latest in a series of UNESCO-sponsored talks, held every two years, that have so far failed to resolve the world’s most famous cultural heritage dispute.
On Tuesday, British Museum director Neil MacGregor said the marbles, which originally decorated the Parthenon temple in Athens, could “in principle” be lent to Greece, provided Athens renounced any claim to their ownership.
MacGregor told Bloomberg News that “there is no reason why any object in the British Museum, if it is fit to travel, shouldn’t spend three months, six months, somewhere else.” “The difficulty at the moment … is that the Greek government has formally, and recently, refused to acknowledge that the (museum) trustees are the owners of the objects,” he said. “Therefore, in law, the trustees could not possibly lend them.”
Voulgarakis said he read McGregor’s comments “with great interest … but this is not something official.”
The Parthenon temple on the Acropolis was built in honor of Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of the ancient city, between 447-432 B.C.
The London museum owns large sections of a 160-meter marble frieze, sculptured in relief, and 17 statues that originally decorated the upper part of the all-marble temple. These were stolen in the early 19th century, when Greece was still part of the Ottoman empire, by British diplomat Lord Elgin.
Greece argues that the works were illegally removed and should be exhibited together in a new museum at the foot of the Acropolis hill, due to be completed this year.
The British Museum counters that the collection was legally acquired, properly looked after and is open to visitors free of charge.
A graffiti competition April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Arts Events Cyprus.comments closed
A graffiti competition urging applicants to submit their ideas centring around the themes of identity, difference and equality has been launched.
The winners of the UNDP-ACT competition will be invited to illustrate their design in front of a live audience on May 5 in the Ledra Palace area of Nicosia, as part of the International Civil Society Fair: Open Voices – Active Citizens. The graffiti will be exhibited for three months after the Fair.
The competition is open to individuals and groups. No previous experience is necessary and all materials including spray paints will be provided on the day.
To enter, interested parties should complete the application form downloadable at www.undp-act.org and send a drawing, painting, photograph or jpg of the idea, along with the form to: UNDP-ACT Graffiti Competition at either of the two following addresses:
Programme Management Unit
UNDP-ACT, P.O. Box 21642
1590 Nicosia, Cyprus
Applications can also be sent via e-mail to nilgun.arif@undp.org or marina.vasilara@undp.org. The closing date for receipt of entries is April 27.
Group unveils bold plans for new Cultural Centre April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Architecture Cyprus.comments closed
British architectural firm Hopkins Architects yesterday presented their winning design for the Cyprus Cultural Centre, set to grace the capital by the turn of the decade.
The centre will be used for the performing arts, showcasing national and international performances of music, dance, opera, ballet and theatre. It will be built opposite the Finance Ministry, in an area that has been reserved as a major cultural zone.
With a main performance hall with a capacity of 1,400 seats, a secondary hall of 500-capacity for chamber music, jazz concerts, world music and the spoken word, and an outdoor theatre suitable for larger scale concerts of up to 2,000 people, the centre promises to be nothing like Nicosians have seen before.
The project has been budgeted at £50 million, or 80 million euros. In the shape of a square, the grand structure features a VIP lounge, exhibit space for artists, restaurants, and huge vertically sliding doors that will open up onto a square. It will also double as a conference centre.
The presentation was made by British architect Andrew Barnett. The competition for the design was launched last October, with some 60 leading architectural offices from around the globe entering. The list was then narrowed down to eight.
Hopkins Architects are a practice known throughout the world for works such as the Glyndebourne Opera House, the Royal Academy of Arts and the new buildings for the British Parliament. Head of the company Sir Michael Hopkins received the 1994 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture along with his wife.
The runners-up were renowned Austrian firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, who have received a number of awards for their work, including for the design of the Chicago Athenaeum in 2005.
The decision was taken unanimously by a high-calibre international jury presided by former Commerce Minister and Town Planning head, Michael Colocassides. Other jury members include the former music director of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy, established architects Charles Correa and Theocharis David and the former Chief Executive of the Sydney Opera House and current chief of the South Bank Centre in London, Michael Lynch.
The competition had been proclaimed by the Cyprus Cultural Foundation (CFF), created in 2005 and assigned the task of creating a Cultural Centre in Nicosia. The centre would place Cyprus on the world cultural map, CFF President Kikis Lazarides pledged. “We aspire to having a building of the arts that will bestow a new dimension to the life of the Cypriot people,” he said.
According to Lazarides, the choice of Hopkins Architects was taken by unanimous decision, which picked the British firm’s proposal for its “ingenuity, elegance, dynamism and harmony with the surrounding area.”
An architect described Hopkins’ work as simple and functional. “They are known for the simplicity in their design, but in a positive way,” commented Mark Hellicar, with Chrysanthou architects in Nicosia. And he described runners-up Himmelblau as “extremely interesting architects” who had an excellent reputation for high-tech work and for paying great attention to detail.
Greece still top destination for Cypriots April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Tourism.comments closed
Out of nearly one million trips taken from Cyprus last year, 60 per cent were holidays, with Greece still being the main destination for Cypriot tourists, the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTA) said yesterday.
At a news conference to announce this year’s annual ‘Taxidi 2007’, ACTA chairman Akis Kelepeshis said 55 exhibitors, including travel agents, airlines and foreign hotel owners would participate in the this 10th exhibition at the State Fair.
“The exhibition has a dual purpose,” said Kelepeshis. “On the one hand it informs the travelling public about offers that are available to them and on the other it is used by exhibitors to determine trends so that they can readjust their programmes to new choices and preferences”.
Some 12,000 visitors are expected to attend Taxidi 2007 from April 27-29. Kelepeshis said Cypriots continued to travel widely in 2006. There were in total 932,000 trips taken out of the island of which 600,000 were clearly for holidays. Around 400,000 from the total number of trips were taken to Greece and 260,000 of those were holidays, Kelepeshis said. He also said long-haul destinations were still popular as were Eastern and Central Europe plus countries neighbouring Cyprus. “The list of destinations is continuously growing,” said Kelepeshis.
Revenue from outgoing tourism was £330 million in 2005, the latest figure available. Kelepeshis said in the last five to six years Cypriots started to make up their own holiday packages from the internet. “Year after year this number is growing,” he said.
Asked about the recent and future increases in airport charges per passenger, Kelepeshis said any increase in charges was an unwelcome development especially when there was an increasing movement towards going abroad. But he said he did not think outgoing tourism would be hugely affected.
“Cyprus is an island and people have to go by plane or by ship,” he said. “But of course any increase is a negative development. There is a lot of opposition from European tour operators and the effects of this will be noticeable”.
Airport taxes definitely contribute to the problem,” said Thassos Katsourides the general manager of ACTA. “We have studied the issue in depth and things will be very difficult for 2007”.
ACTA also took issue with the delays in the CTO’s strategic plan citing the length of time it was taking to implement it. Katsourides said it began as a one-year plan from 2000-2010. “Nothing was done until 2003,” he said. “Then it became a new plan for seven years,” he said referring to a revamping of the blueprint that year.
Last summer it was decided to look at the plan again and CTO brought in Irish experts to point out some weaknesses and come up with solutions. The new version of the plan is still pending.
Taxidi 2007 will be open from 5pm-10.30pm on Friday April 27, on Saturday April 28 from 4pm to 10.30pm and on Sunday April 29 from 10am-1pm and from 4pm to 10.30pm.
Swimming > for your fitness plan April 19, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Aquatics, Health & Fitness.comments closed
Modern competitive swimming dates back to the 1896 Olympics when swimmers swam in a port in Athens, Greece.
Swimming can be a good compliment to an overall fitness plan. Because it’s an aerobic sport, swimming should be done for at least 20 to 30 minutes. For a more mentally stimulating workout, rest for 10 to 20 seconds every 25, 50 or 75 yards, a method known as interval training. A workout utilizing all four strokes, freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, trains all muscle groups. Swimming for an hour can burn up to 1,000 calories.
For the non-swimmer, there are other aerobic activities that can be done in the water. Grab a kickboard, a tombstone-shaped piece of floating foam, hold it with your arms stretched out in front and kick away. Not only does using a kickboard keep your head out of the water, but if done for at least 20 to 30 minutes the exercise works your legs and cardiovascular system. Interval training can also be done with a kickboard.
Aqua jogging is a great way for people who like to run to get in the water. Use a flotation device to stabilize yourself while you mimic the motion of running in water that is too deep to stand in.
If you don’t know how to swim, find someone to teach you. Also, keep your expectations within reach. Interval swimming is a good way to accomplish your goals without getting too tired.
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