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.

Gene mutations unique to Cyprus

Cyprus Mail reports:

TWO Cyprus-specific gene mutations that increase the likelihood of breast cancer have been identified by the Institute of Neurology and Genetics.

The genetic changes – in genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 – “haven’t been found anywhere else in the world – not even Greece,” said head of electron microscopy and molecular pathology Kyriacos Kyriacou.

This reminded me of a DNA testing and profiling company 23andMe. Apparently, their prices decreased significantly since the last time I checked.  Now it is much more affordable with the price of $99 + 1 year commitment to $9/month or a $399 once off.  It used to be around $2000 if I remember correctly.

Total lunar eclipse

If you are reading it minutes after I post, then don’t lose precious time – run outside and look at the Moon.  Today you have a rare opportunity to observe total lunar eclipse.  If you are, and you probably are, late, then consider the illustration below.  Since I don’t possess all the necessary skill and equipment to make a photograph, I turned to my mad drawing skills.

Feel free to reuse the image as you wish, and please ignore all the scientific inconsistencies – I am not much of an artist and I had limited time.  After all, space bodies involved in this phenomena are moving fast.

Interestingly, even Google search is tracking the movement of the shadow.

 

World largest statue planned for Cyprus

Cyprus Mail reports:

WHAT MIGHT be the world’s tallest statue is being planned at a Russian backed development off the coast of Limassol.The 135 metre statue of an angel named The Kind Angel of the World is being planned at Monagrouli, about 20km from Limassol.The development is being planned by a Russian foundation, the International Club philanthropists and Patrons of Europe and will include a conference centre for 1,300 delegates, a ‘presidential’ convention centre for 300 delegates, a theatre and banqueting hall. It will also include a number of cafés and restaurants.

Just to put this thing into perspective:

The statue itself will rise 135 meters from the ground, and visitors will be taken up via lifts. Inside, or atop, the head of the Kind Angel a restaurant/café will offer spectacular views.Currently the world’s tallest statue is the Spring Temple Buddha in China, which is 128m high. New York’s Statue of Liberty is 93m high.

This sounds like an ambitious project which, when completed, will provided a much needed boost to Cyprus tourism.

 

On free education

Cyprus Updates points to several studies, one of which indicates how much money people in Cyprus spend on compensating the poor quality of public education.

In Cyprus, tutoring consumed €111.2 million in 2008, of which €30.5 million was for children in primary schools, and €80.7 million was for students in secondary schools.

For me, it reminds and aligns with many of those things Sir Ken Robinson discusses in his talks.  The world is changing very fast and education system should keep up with these changes.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U]