CYPRUS has drawn up plans to take in up to 200,000 refugees from the fighting in Syria, where the crackdown by government troops against opposition forces has intensified in recent weeks.
While the figures are a worst-case scenario, the number is equivalent to a quarter of the island’s population, a huge burden at a time of economic upheaval.
Category: Cyprus
I live in Cyprus for many years now. It is a beautiful little island in Mediterranean Sea. It features warm weather for most of the year, sea, very kind and hospital people, plenty of jobs in IT industry, good food and plenty of alcohol, stable currency, and more. It’s really a nice place to live if you can handle small towns and villages. It’s also a great place to raise the kids.
Not much happens here. It is a quiet and simple place. Yet, when something happens or when I write about it, I post it to Cyprus category.
The Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats
By following comments at Chris’ blog, I came across the fascinating story that I haven’t heard before – the story of The Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats.
The Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats is regarded as a sacred cat haven in Cyprus, as it’s name has been linked to felines for almost 2,000 years.
The original monastery was built in 327 AD, by Kalokeros, the first Byzantine governor of Cyprus, and patronised by Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. At that time, a terrible drought affected the whole of Cypus, and the entire island was overrun with poisonous snakes which made building the monastery a dangerous affair. Many of the inhabitants left their homes and moved off the island, for fear of the snakes, but Saint Helena came up with a solution to the plague – she ordered 1,000 cats to be shipped in from Egypt and Palestine to fight the reptiles.
In the following years, the cats did their duty, hunting and killing most of the snakes in the Akrotiri Peninsula, which soon came to be known as the “Cat Peninsula”.
26 years is a long time
Cyprus Mail reports:
AFTER spending 26 years in jail for killing two people, Andreas Aristodimou, aka Yiouroukkis, yesterday became the first lifer to be released on parole.
[…]
The board said the testimony before it had convinced them that Yiouroukkis was a changed man.
“The very serious offences committed by the applicant and generally his criminal record do not escape our attention,” the board said. “On the other hand, it is a real fact that the applicant has been in prison since January 16, 1987… ample time to punish all that he has done.”
That got me thinking on how long of a time 26 years actually are.
- I was almost 9 years old when this guy went to prison. That’s a second grade or so.
- My brother was almost 2 years old. And he just got married a couple of month ago. Wow!
- My parents were still married.
- We all lived happily in the USSR. Which, by the way, was still at war with Afghanistan.
- Spyros Kyprianou was the President of Cyprus. Until 1988. Then there wer George Vasiliou, Glafcos Clerides, and Tassos Papadopoulos. Now Dimitris Christofias is almost done.
- Cyprus was still using Cyprus Pouds, not Euros.
- Cyprus wasn’t a member of European Union. In fact …
- There was no such thing as European Union in 1987! The European Union was established in 1993.
- The Internet was in its infancy, and the Web wasn’t even invented yet.
- The mobile phones weren’t mainstream by any means. Cyprus Telecommunication Authority (CYTA) launched its mobile telephony services in 1988.
- The biggest release in the movies was probably Oliver Stone’s “Platoon“. James Cameron’s “Aliens” were about to hit the screens. And people were definitely waiting for it after Cameron’s “The Terminator” a couple of years before that.
- Kurt Cobain was still alive and Nirvana was just an idea.
- The World Trade Center towers were still standing and we haven’t heard the term “war on terror” yet.
The list can go on forever, of course. But that’s not the point. The point is in how drastically the world has changed in the last 26 years. I know, that people in prison can communicate with others, have access to mass media, and do, sort of, know what’s going on on the outside. But that’s not that same as living through all that. Just image hearing about all these things for 26 years and then coming out and seeing it with your own eyes!
I remember going on a trip to Russia, visiting my home town back in 2006. That was only about 9 years since I was there last, and I had weekly phone calls with some members of my family and friends, I had access to news and images online for all that time. And still, when I went there, it blew my mind how much the place has changed. People have grown up and started families. Trees got older. Buildings were raised and demolished. A million of tiny little details changed. Not to mention that my own perception of that place has changed. And that was only 9 years. I can’t really image how it would have changed in 26 years.
Once in a while, I find myself in a conversation about prison time and isolation. Something along the lines of “you’d rob a bank for a few million, hide the money, get caught, go to prison, come out in about ten years, get your life back and enjoy the money”. Or something else like that. Sounds simple, even almost makes sense. Now that I look at the list above, I realize that it sounds so simple, because the talk is about a future. As in you would know what you are missing. Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the next ten years and if these years will be worthy of sticking around. But if one would look back at the same amount of years, then it’s a totally different story. At least for me, those years are full of fun and cherished memories that I wouldn’t miss for the world!
Now, back to the original story. Andreas Aristodimou missed the last 26 years of his life because he was in prison for murdering two people. He was sentenced to life in prison. So not only he could have missed me more than 26 years, he could have stayed there forever. And he is just around 50 now. That sounds horrible. On the other hand, he got out and he has his life back. Sort of. Those two people that he murdered, they are gone for good. They missed the last 26 years too. But there is no way to bring them back.
Saxo Bank opens an office in Cyprus
Saxo Bank is a well known name for anyone who’s associated with Forex. Today I was driving to the Limassol Income Tax Office, past the new KPMG building, when I noticed the new sign of Saxo Bank on the second floor of that building. I was a bit surprised. Sure, I’ve heard the rumors that it was coming, but nothing more. I don’t follow Forex news too much, but I’m sure I would have heard of it.
A few hours later, during the lunch break at the office, while catching up with the news, I noticed the announcement in Cyprus Mail.
SAXO Bank, the specialist in online trading and investing, yesterday announced the opening of its new office in Cyprus which will provide Cypriot investors access to international financial markets.
The office – the Danish bank’s 22nd — is located in Limassol and will serve as a regional business centre covering the whole of Central and Eastern Europe.
I think now we can officially call Limassol – the capital of the Forex industry.
Switched at birth, reunited 27 years later
Cyprus Mail reports a fascinating story of two girls being switched at the hospital right after birth. The mistake was eventually discovered by one of the girls. That later led to a reunion of children and parents. Read the full story, it’s well worth it.
The tests, reportedly carried out at the Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING) showed conclusively that Maria was not biologically related to her parents. By digging around and asking the right people, Maria managed to get the details on her counterpart, and repeatedly tried to become her friend on Facebook, the online social site.