Oroklini News

VAT set to rise to 17% in march 2012

2012-02-12T22:18:00.001+02:00

Sadly the Ministry of Finance made a statement to remind the general public last week that VAT (so called value added tax) will rise by 2% from 15% to 17% as from the 1st of March 2012.

This rise along with other recent somewhat hidden stealth taxes is a Government reaction to pay off debt and thereby fill state coffers.

At least the VAT rise will not affect products and services whereby VAT is set at an already reduced rate of 5% and 8% respectively.

Overuse of antibiotics in Cyprus along with overcrowding in Hospitals generate fears about MRSA

2012-02-12T21:58:00.001+02:00

The Health Minister Stavros Malas recently stated that Cyprus suffers from one of the highest rates of multiple drug resistant infections, which appears to be a direct result of a high use of antibiotics on the Island. It transpires that after only Greece, Cypriot Doctors and health professionals distribute antibiotics liberally and as such much more so than any other country in Europe.

This reality generates fears about the dreaded MRSA, which is an international challenge, however In Cyprus, as the Island nation is the second worst offending country within the EU concerning the use of antibiotics, regardless of what additional actions are taken, MRSA will still pose significant problems.

Prevention is better than cure, hence the use of antibiotics must be minimised. In the past antibiotics were prescribed for all manner of things including a common cold or flu. Antibiotics should only be used where an infection is involved that the body’s own immune system cannot deal with.

Although Hospitals do feature air-filter systems and the Government is trying to improve the way patients are moved around hospitals, the situation is still alarming regarding MRSA. In particular, crammed public hospital conditions (over capacity) are making things worse..”

A number of patients have contracted MRSA in the past few years, however the real numbers are somewhat unknown, as the Health Ministry does not actually presently collate statistics concerning MRSA-related deaths, as the EU does not currently request this information.

If MRSA is detected early it can be treated with alternative antibiotics, which are likely to work. This however comes as no comfort to the general public or the families of past victims that contracted MRSA from a Hospital in Cyprus. There are even a number of cases whereby people caught something worse than what they went into Hospital with in the first place. This makes some people skeptical to visit Hospital when taken ill, which generates its own set of concerns.

In a world of every man for himself, it seems the best advice is to go private and avoid the use of antibiotics wherever possible.

Lost 12 year old eventually found in Oroklini

2012-02-09T23:29:00.004+02:00

A Greek Gypsy girl residing in Oroklini went missing from her home on Monday 6th of February and was eventually found back in the village on Tuesday 7th February around lunch-time.

The girl who is reported not to attend any local school, appears to have run away from her home without telling anyone or leaving clues.

It transpires that a family took in the 12 year old in as the girl told them she was an orphan and begged for shelter and protection. Meanwhile the worried parents from Greece in synergy with the Police desperately searched for girl who was eventually returned to the relieved parents, after the family that gave the 12 year old shelter contacted the Police.

A 2 year old baby boy tragically dies in a Pyla Nursery

2012-02-09T22:02:00.002+02:00

A baby boy aged 2 from nearby Pyla village sadly died this week after suffering what is understood to be a heart attack while sleeping at the village’s communal nursery.

The boy named Theodosis Anastasi was looked after by childcarers throught the whole day, while his parents attended to their work. The baby apparently turned black in his sleep at around 4pm. The father was notified and he rushed to the Nursery to pick him up.

The baby was eventually taken to the Larnaca general hospital and pronounced dead on arrival, to the shock and horror of the parents.

A Police investigation is already under way and statements from the staff at the Nursery has been sought. Moreover, evidence from the room in the Nursery where the baby was kept has been obtained.

Some unconfirmed reports indicate that the baby’s condition may have been hereditary. The autopsy will no doubt determine the exact reasons behind the the tragic baby boys death.

It seems that this is the first incident of its kind, which the Nursery has encountered since inception some 2 years ago. The Nursery has cared for as many as 60 children on occasions and at this juncture it cannot be established whether the child-carers could have saved the baby’s life with proactive actions. Moreover, whether they received the appropriate training to take life saving actions for such situations.

Oroklini's natural wetlands are becoming a thriving wildlife haven

2012-02-04T01:33:00.000+02:00

Birds of a feather are flocking together in Oroklini in more dramatic numbers this winter than usual, in part attracted by the heavy rainfall experienced across Cyprus. In essence, this situation has turned Oroklini's natural wetlands into a thriving wildlife haven.

Interestingly, a total of 12,093 pink flamingos were spotted in Cyprus during December 2011, considerably more than the 3,500 spotted in 2010 and the most for a decade. This fact has also impacted on the numbers seen in Oroklini. Most flamingo's however, can be observed next to the nearby Larnaca airport in and around the salt lake areas.

From an Island-wide perspective, the Game Fund reported the following in December 2011...

Overall 21,160 birds were spotted in total for Cyprus December 2011 (the most since 2004).
4,558 ducks of different species were spotted in Cyprus December 2011.
Over 1,000 coots were spotted (black water birds with a white stripe on their forehead).
The salt lakes in Akrotiri and Larnaca featured the most bird sightings with 7,452 and 10,389 respectively.

The wetlands of Oroklini attracted 1,428 birds overall. This statistic includes the largest amount of the small duck garnagey ever recorded in one wetland in Cyprus.

Relics from a church in Oroklini burgled

2012-02-04T01:04:00.002+02:00

A 19-year old Ukrainian boy was arrested last week in Larnaca on suspicion of stealing church relics. The arrest of the suspect occurred following the discovery of a wooden box containing church relics from the ‘Metamorfoseos tou Sotiros’ church in Oroklini was found in his home.

The Larnaca Police was led to the relic search after a rapid response team (MMAD) found a small quantity of drugs on the suspect, and a 21-year-old man he was with, whilst on patrol, prompting them to search their properties.

The church burglary was reported on he 31st of January 2012 by the sacristan of the church, who stated that burglars broke into the reception hall and stole 3 bronze candlesticks from the baptismal font and a wooden box containing various relics and food.

This theft demonstrates the disrespect of some elements of youths today and the fact that no location is safe.

Watching TV Abroad

2012-01-19T23:11:00.000+02:00

Times have changed significantly for Expats living abroad in the 21st Century. This would never be more true with watching TV in Sun. Once upon a time in the 90's the nearest we could get to BBC was the World Service on Radio.

Then came the Satellite dishes abroad hung from balconies and roof tops, Pirate decoders and the possibility to watch the somewhat outdated BBC Prime or other free or accessible programs from the skies. Some Expats even created a Sky set-up with a huge dish to capture the service. Over the years the dish got bigger and the picture less reliable, as attempts to scramble satellite signals in general deterred people living abroad to go the satellite route.

Today the full range of BBC programming is available on BBC I-Player through the Internet, which is of course the future. This includes Catch Up TV and even LIVE. Even all BBC Radio shows are available from the same Player. ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have a similar service and NBC, CBS and others are available from the US. In fact most countries are offering a similar service.

There is sadly a snag, as such services are only available for people viewing from the home country; BBC in the UK for example. Many Expats figured out a work-a-round however via a VPN (Virtual Private Network), which is a kind of tunnel that transports the user to appear as though they are in the home country. VPN's were used to great effect during the uprisings of the Arab Springs.

Here below is in our view one of the best Companies offering the TV Abroad service...

View TV Abroad

The legality of such services is somewhat a grey area. The websites claim it is perfectly legal, but perhaps BBC and other channels have a different idea. Either way no-one to our knowledge has been taken to court as yet and if the legal course was pursued an awful lot of people around the world would be affected giving negative Press to the TV Channels.

Either way if you are an Expat wishing to see the latest dose of Eastenders, Coronation Street, Dragon's Den, Strictly Come Dancing, X Factor or even Doc. Martin, then all you need is a good Internet connection and a decent Laptop.

Happy Viewing!

Increase in road deaths by 18% caused by a irresponsible, compulsive, over-fast and wreck-less driving mentality

2012-01-19T23:00:00.003+02:00

It will come as no surprise to the average expat that in 2011 Cyprus saw an increase in road deaths by as much as 18% with with the national death toll reaching a shameful 71.

Mindful of this this the Cypriot authorities are calling for more safety measures in order to curb the number of road accident fatalities in addition to casualties or all types. Alkis Kyriakou (Head of Nicosia Traffic) went onto state that such new measures should be particularly focused on slowing down speeding motorists and stopping drink and drug drivers.

The new proposals are actually based on EU recommendations and include:

30 km speed limit (presently 50km in Cyprus) in all residential areas and on all single-lane roads.
A zero blood alcohol limit for professional drivers and beginners (first 2 years).
Installing alco-locks on commercial passenger and goods transport vehicles as a rehabilitation measure for drivers with more than one drink-driving conviction.
Eye tests for drivers every 10 years, and every 5 years for those over 65.
A ban on the manufacture, distribution and import of systems which notify drivers of traffic checks like radar warning and laser jamming contraptions, or even navigation systems that automatically signal traffic checks.
Narco-testing for suspected drug drivers (may feature a vote in parliament in the next few months).

Apparently, motorists caught driving under the influence of drugs will face a maximum fine of €3,500, up to 2 years imprisonment and licence suspension of up to 12 months.

Whatever eventually happens the irresponsible, compulsive, over-fast and wreck-less driving mentality that regularly takes place in Cyprus on a daily basis.

Mud down the mountain

2012-01-19T22:29:00.003+02:00

It seems that every winter when it rains mud slides mixed with rain water disperse into the streets of Oroklini Village. This dirty water finds it way into complexes, gardens and sometimes even inside houses.

When heavy rains grace the village, complexes like Oroklini Hills 5 seem to receive more than their fair share of mud, which builds up along the perimeter of the complex.

There seems to be no solution to this, hence local residents can only hope that it does not rain too much in the village in the future and that all villagers are spared from the effects of climate change.

Blackouts in Oroklini affect locals

2012-01-16T23:26:00.001+02:00

Residents of Oroklini suffered 2 consecutive Blackouts over the weekend, both of which occurred in the evening and towards the early hours of the night.

The first happened on Saturday around 23:00hrs and lasted for approximately 4 hours. The second was even worse which inconveniently took place at around 18:30hrs and went on until at least 04:00hrs.

Clearly there are technical issues at the Dhekelia Power Plant which provides the energy for Oroklini, Pyla and Dhekelia itself. Meanwhile Livadia and Larnaca was largely unaffected.

What rubs salt in the wounds of the local residents is that the Electricity Board is charging higher than ever prices for power in a time of austerity and over a relatively cold (in Cyprus terms of course) snap. Many residents had to throw away items in the freezer and some electrical appliances were damaged due to a voltage surge.

If one asks for reasonable compensation from the Electricity Board for loss of food and damage to electrical items they will all but laugh at you. Its getting tougher by the minute to live in Cyprus.

Cyprus is downgraded to a "Junk Credit Rating"

2012-01-14T13:33:00.000+02:00

As predicted the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) carried out a mass downgrade of the euro zone countries the outcome of which caused France and Austria to lose their formerly top-grade Triple A (AAA) rating.

This news whilst somewhat expected is set to yet further complicate efforts to solve a complex 2 year old EU debt crisis. The only saving grace was that Germany, the bloc's largest economy, retained its triple A status.

All in all no less than 9 of the 17 members of the euro bock experienced downgrades to their credit ratings. France and 4 more countries had a one-notch clip while Portugal, Italy, Spain and Cyprus were cut by 2 notches.

For all intense and purposes Cyprus has now what can be best described as a "Junk Rating" from the S&P.

The S&P went on to state that of the 16 countries reviewed, all except Germany and Slovakia possess a negative outlook, which suggests that yet more downgrades are likely in the coming years.

The UK maintains its Triple A status and as such their is a trend of Expats returning to the mother land. Our village Oroklini is a classic case!

DFRMO Cyprus & Rescue Service, Christmas Fire Safety.

2011-12-19T14:50:00.001+02:00

On the 1st day of Christmas.

Check your Christmas tree lights conform to the British Standard. Always use a residual current device (safety device that can save lives by instantly switching off power) on outdoor electrical equipment.

On the 2nd day of Christmas.

Never place candles near your Christmas tree or furnishings.

On the 3rd day of Christmas.

Make sure your family and visitors staying for the festive period know what to do in an emergency. Make a fire escape plan.

On the 4th day of Christmas.

Decorations can bum easily-don't attach them to lights and heaters.

On the 5th day of Christmas.

Never overload electrical sockets. Take special care with Christmas lights. Always switch Christmas lights off and unplug them before you go to bed.

On the 6th day of Christmas.

Celebrate Christmas and New Year safely. The risk of accidents, especially in the kitchen, is greater after alcohol is consumed.

On the 7th day of Christmas.

Most fires start in the kitchen-never leave a cooker unattended.

On the 8th day of Christmas.

If you are planning to celebrate with fireworks, store them in a metal box, read the instructions, never go back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of water nearby.

On the 9th day of Christmas.

Make sure cigarettes are completely extinguished before going to bed.

On the 10th day of Christmas.

Check the battery in your smoke alarm every week and use Christmas as a reminder to clean it and remove dust.

On the 11th day of Christmas.

Keep candles, lighters and matches out of the reach of children. Never leave burning candles unattended.

On the 12th day of Christmas.

Take the time to check on elderly relatives and neighbours this Christmas-make sure they are fire safe.

Emergency number: 112

Christmas Extravaganza at Shanels

2011-12-19T14:49:00.002+02:00

Special Offers:

Bio Sculpture Nails 20Euro.
Half Prices Pedicures.
Cut and Blowdry Free Treatment.
Colour and FREE Blowdry.
20% off full set hi-lites.
25% off all Fudge products.

Valid from:
December 1st - 31st.

Telephone: 97751198

Anexartisias 28, Oroklini.

Opp. Car Park, Near Voreas.

Families disrupted as teachers strike

2011-12-13T10:16:00.000+02:00

Workers in the wider public sector will go on a three-hour strike today across the board, excluding emergency services, in protest against new austerity measures proposed by the government.

The majority of public servants belonging to unions SEK, PEO and PASYDY will strike from 9am to 12pm, and plan to gather outside parliament to show their anger at the government’s plans to implement a two-year freeze on increases in wages and the cost of living allowance.

Education unions, OELMEK and POED, will begin their strike an hour later, at 10am, forcing parents to pick up their children early. Teachers announced that they cannot guarantee the safety of children who are left behind during the strike as teachers will leave the schools to attend rallies across the country.

In Nicosia, strikers will hold a demonstration outside parliament where debate begins on the package of measures. In Limassol, they will meet outside the Administrative Building, while in Paphos and Paralimni outside their respective municipalities. Larnaca strikers have been called to hop on the bus and join demonstrators in the capital outside parliament.

Ports and airports will operate normally, as will hospitals while for other essential services, skeleton staff will remain in place. The government doctors’ union head Vaios Partasides said all doctors will work as normal today, as will wards, surgeries and the emergency rooms of public hospitals. However, during the three-hour strike outpatient centres will be missing nurses and administration staff, effectively making it impossible for doctors’ present to do their work.

A spokeswoman for the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) said all phone and internet services will run as normal though customers wishing to pay their bills or get a crew out to fix a fault can expect not to be served during the three-hour strike. The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) released a statement saying that the unions will provide the necessary staff to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electricity between 9am and 12pm.

The EAC’s call centres and on-call crews will also be working during the strike. The Education Ministry called on parents and guardians to ensure they pick up their children before the strike to avoid any problems regarding the safety of the children.

Deputy head of secondary teachers union OELMEK, Eleni Semelidou told the Cyprus Mail that teachers in secondary schools will strike from 10am until 1.35pm, when schools effectively close. Teachers have called on parents to arrange for their children to leave the school at 10am as staff cannot guarantee their safety. Arrangements have been made for buses to turn up at schools at 10am instead of 1.35pm.

For primary schools and nurseries, POED head Fylios Fylaktou said the strike will start from 10am and finish at 1.05pm, when they normally close. “Parents will come and collect their children, as the teachers can’t stay at the schools,” said Fylaktou.

Asked what would happen if some parents were unable to arrange for their children to be picked up and taken somewhere at 10am, he said: “Parents will find a way, they’ll send a grandparent or something. We’ve done this before and didn’t have any problems.”

Regarding the 14 ‘all-day’ schools operating in the ministry’s pilot programme, teachers will leave the schools early at 1.05pm instead of the usual 4pm. For the 160 schools that offer voluntary afternoon care for children who wish to stay until 4pm, these will resume operation at 1.05pm, after the strike.

Fylaktou said the union left it up to the discretion of the heads of the nine schools for children with special needs as to whether they had the means to take part in the strike. One parent, Monica Theodoulou, whose child is in the third class of primary told the Cyprus Mail: “Both my husband and I work. Our lives are stressful enough without us having to deal with nightmare logistics.”

Source: cyprus-mail.com

Woman robbed co-op to pay partner’s debt

2011-12-13T10:13:00.001+02:00

Police have detained a 38-year-old woman and her partner, 21, in connection with the robbery of a cooperative bank in Larnaca last Friday. The woman, a German national, was arrested on Saturday, on suspicion of stealing €5,000.

Both suspects have been remanded in custody. In last week’s robbery, the woman, who had left her face uncovered, was able to get the cashier to hand over the money by implying she was armed with a gun, while never actually revealing the weapon.

She at first told police she had been threatened into robbing the cooperative by an unknown person who told her to drop the money off at a specific location where it was picked up. The woman did not give up her Bulgarian partner but he was arrested on Sunday after investigators found €1,390, thought to be part of the money stolen from the bank, in their house.

Police said it appeared he had been pressuring the woman to find money so that he would repay a €2,000 personal debt. After the robbery, the woman gave the money to her partner but did not tell him where it came from, police said. She was forced to do so when police published her photos, taken from the bank’s security cameras.

Police said the man then suggested that if arrested, she should tell the authorities she was being threatened by an unknown individual. The couple told police they had spent most of the money on the 21-year-old’s debt and Christmas shopping.

Soource: cyprus-mail.com

Elections drawing to a close

2011-12-13T10:10:00.003+02:00

Everything is in place to ensure the December 18 municipal elections run smoothly the head of the election service Demetris Demetriou said yesterday.

“The final results of the elections are expected to be announced by 10pm local time (8pm GMT), while the results of the local community elections are expected on Monday morning,” said Demetriou. According to Demetriou the total number of registered voters is 546,110 out of which 12,343 are citizens from EU member states.

Most of the citizens from EU member states are Greek and British with the number of voters from Greece at 4,382 and 4,639 from Britain. Most of the EU citizens live in the Paphos area. All Republic of Cyprus citizens as well as those of other EU member states aged 18 years and over, who normally reside in Cyprus, have the right to vote in the local elections.

According to Demetriou, there are around 12,000 new registered voters in these elections. The number of voters in Nicosia are 38,923, in Limassol 64,163, Larnaca 34,924, Paphos 17,746, Famagusta 31,031, Kyrenia 2,396 and Morphou 6,648. The ballot papers for all municipalities will be pink and for communities in the republic grey. For Kyrenia's communities the colour will be navy, for Famagusta brown and for Nicosia yellow.

Source: cyprus-mail.com

Restaurant review: 1001 Persian Nights

2011-12-13T10:07:00.002+02:00

I love Middle Eastern food. My fascination with this region came when I briefly had an apartment in the Arabic sector of old Nicosia; it was here that I became passionate about the enchanting smells and taste of Lebanese cuisine. So, after putting off a mental appointment with a Persian restaurant in Larnaca for the past year, I finally visited last weekend.
1001 Persian Nights, near the Oroklini seafront, is well known for its lively music and belly dancing. However, once you are inside it becomes apparent that it has a less-than-enticing ultra plain interior, but it is slightly brightened up by a fountain and set of plastic flashing disco lights – so don’t worry about pressing your best cardigan when visiting here – it’s truly local style for those who seek good food and company.
Thankfully, what’s lacking in décor is made up for in actual human warmth, as the waiters and waitress are exceptionally polite. Sadly, I have bemoaned before that it has become apparent that friendly service at many Larnaca restaurants is on the brink of extinction, so when I receive it I’m left enchanted.
In a restaurant where Persia is the key, it was such fun to be treated to a background selection of melodies from English, Arabic and Greek singers on the music system – I imagine the owner was looking for a “we aim to please everyone” mix.
In typical Iranian style, the starters offer a whole range of aubergine based dishes, however purely out of curiosity I choose the beautifully named Kookoo Potatoes – a mix of scrambled eggs and potatoes fried into a bahji-type ball. That got proceedings off to a really super start (€2.99). The kookoos had a wonderful spicy kick and sat perfectly with the delicious freshly baked bread.
The menu isn’t too far from Lebanese, but the flat naan bread, at just €1.50 a piece, was especially impressive, it had no traces of fat or grease on it. The baked bread in many restaurants tastes like it was cooked in the same oil as your dinner many months before. But here, the naan dipped in fresh houmos was beautiful.
I have come to the conclusion that bread, which is so widely offered in Cyprus, does not make a good opener to a meal. As I get older and rounder, I always feel full before the main course, swearing that I’ll never order a starter again.
There’s so much delight in Persian food, with its herbs and dried fruits, delicately spiced meat and grain and nut salads, it’s amazing how little we see of it here in Cyprus.
With that in mind I was mildly disappointed when the mains arrived at the table.
Expecting to continue as we had begun, I ordered the lamb kebab (€9.99), which in short was a skewer of marinated, diced, tender lamb fillet served with a small mountain of pilau rice, a cooked tomato and surprisingly three roast potatoes. Sadly, there were no green peppers, herbs or dips with the dish leaving my expectations of a Persian treat dashed. That said, what was on the plate was nice – no complaints. It’s good value, but I want to see a wider range of dishes.
As I mentioned above, weekends see the restaurant packed with expats, tourists and those locals who have become hooked on the taste of the Middle East and the live music and dance shows. The atmosphere is not shouty and drunk, it’s fun and friendly.
All together the meal for two, including starters and two bottles of beer came to €33. Not bad. Salem - no question, we will be back.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALITY Iranian food
WHERE 1001 Persian Nights, Larnaca – Dhekelia Road
CONTACT 24 648001
PRICE From less than €20 per head

What happened to the Christmas Decorations?

2011-12-11T02:35:00.001+02:00

The "Good News" is that the awful Lime Green Christmas trees of Oroklini have not reappeared! For your interest see our article of one year ago Christmas 2010.

The"Bad News" however is that they have not replaced with anything else! The public Christmas decorations or Oroklini reflect a sign of the times in Cyprus with potential austerity measures looming and rapidly increasing electricity bills.

Clearly the local council appear to be cutting back and may have been forced to. Besides how else could they pay for that wonderful new administration building,

Some local Companies have made an effort, although it seems that they have all been Shopping at the same place, as most business entrances like the Bakery, So Easy and more besides display 2 bright white Christmas trees.

Lets trust that there will be more Christmas cheer in the parties that will take place around the village in Lithos, the Only Bar and other establishments.

Flamingo Beach Hotel-Weekly Events

2011-12-08T09:52:00.000+02:00

Every Monday:
"You are invited to put on your dancing shoes." Afternoon Tea Dances, 15:30-18:00. Everyone is welcome with or without a partner.
Price: 5 euro only.

Every Wednesday:
New international Evening with a mix of Russian, Greek and Arabic music and dance performances and Nargiles(shisha), Mediterranean BBQ buffet.
Price: 12 euro only.

Every Friday:
Cyprus Night with Live music, dancers and traditional Cypriot food.
Price: 12 euro only.

Every Saturday:
Tex Mex BBQ Traditional Texas Style BBQ with the flavour of Mexico, you can enjoy country music and test your skills in Line dancing and Karaoke.
Price: 12 euro only.

Every Sunday:
Flamingo Beach Hotel, has perfected the mouth-watering Carvery Lunch, using only the finest, most nutritional and ganuinely authentic ingredients! Onland12 euro p.p Meal & Dessert. Sunday 12:30 - 3 a.m.

Contact Details:
Tel: 24828208 - Fax: 24656732
Address: 152 Piale Pasha Avenue, Mackenzie Beach, 6028 Larnaca.
e-mail: flamingohotel@cytanet.com.cy - website: www.flamingobeachcyprus.com
Facebook Page: Flamingo Beach Hotel

Christmas & New Year at Flamingo Hotel

2011-12-08T09:51:00.000+02:00

Come and celebrate Christmas & New Year at the Flamingo Beach Hotel

Christmas Eve 24th December:
Festive buffet dinner with Live music, games, hot mulled Wine and mince pies.
Price: 35 euro p.p.

Christmas Day 25th December:
Breakfast with Santa Claus. Price: 7 euro p.p.
Full Christmas Carvery lunch. Price: 25 euro p.p.
Light Finger buffethedinner. Price: 10 euro p.p

Boxing Day 26th December:
Breakfast only. Price: 7 euro p.p.
Cravery lunch. Price: 15 euro p.p.
Buffet dinner. Price: 10 euro p.p.

New Year's Eve 31st December:
Gala Dinner & dance with Live music. Price: 35 euro p.p.

New Year's Day 1st January:
Carvery Lunch with Live music. Price: 25 euro p.p.

Shrinking lake - disappearing mountain

2011-12-05T13:21:00.001+02:00

For years I have been trying speaking to the local council about the state of the hill in Orkolini. Every time it rains, tonnes of mud come down with rain water into the streets, gardens and sometimes even inside houses.

The other day a visitor I met walking on the hill said to me: "I have been coming to this place for years and it seems to me the lake is getting smaller and they are building around it. And the hill roads are becoming very dangerous to walk and drive on." Seeing is believing.
Otherwise it's a very beautiful place.

Lithos Bar & Grill

2011-12-01T10:36:00.001+02:00

Lithos Bar & Grill now fully renovated.
Christmas Special.
Christmas Day buffet with Ben-Does-Buble plus new Year's Eve buffet and Disco with free Shot BOTH for only 50euro.
Booking before the end of November.

Live Events with buffet from 8-9,50euro.
Best BBQ Spare Ribs in Town.
Full English breakfast with tea, coffee or juice 5.95euro.
Full Menu available with Take Away/Delivery.

Happy Hour

7 Days a week 10am - 7pm open until late
KEO 2euro/pint
Amstel 1.80euro/pint
Coctails 2euro
House Wine 2euro/glass

Tel: 99790678
17 Anexartis Str. Oroklini

JJ's Lounge Bar & Sports Bar

2011-12-01T09:39:00.001+02:00

Come and join us for great music and entertainment for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve celebration parties.Please call for details.

All sports availale in Ful HD on all Tv's Sky Sports, OSN & AD TV.
Full coverage of Premier League Footbal, F.A. Cup, Champions League Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, F1 etc..!
Friday Karaoke 9pm till late.

HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 5pm-8pm
Pints from 1.70euro, Bootle Beer from 1.50euro, Local Spirit and mixer 2.00euro, Coctails 5.00euro Buy 1 get 1 free.

16-17 Galaxias Street 3 Oroklini, Dhekelia Rd, Larnaca Opp'
Princess Hotel, tel: 99924999/99128881
web: www.jjsloungebar.com
e-mail: info@jjsloungebar.com

Larnaca Street Art - Graffiti or Art?

2011-11-30T14:48:00.001+02:00

Graffiti is the appearanceof any type of public markings in the form of simple written words or drawings to elaborate wall paintings, the inscription of images or letters scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property, usually public buildings or walls. The origins of graffiti can be traced back to ancient times including the Roman Empre and Ancient Greece.

Graffiti originated in ancient Italy and the term graffiti referred to inscriptions and figure drawings found on sculptures and walls of ancient ruins throughout the catacombs of Rome. In 1851 grafitti was found in ruins at Pompeii, preserved for over two thousand years under volcanic ash. Numerous examples of this old Roman custom were found and translated into love notes, magic instructions, insults, signs of political campaigns, caricatures and quotations from literature. Whereas today Romans consider graffiti as a form of urban art, many Westerns consider it as vandalism unless property owners give consert to the graffiti artists.

It was not only the ancient Greeks and Romanswerthat produced grafitti, but also the Mayans at the site of Tikal in Guatemala, the Vikings left grafitti in Rome, vandalism grafitti was found at Newgrange Mound in Ireland and Varangian scratched his name (Halvdan) in runes on a banister in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople. It's not known when exactly the word grafitti was first used to describe an art form and it is still a hot topic of debate among historians. We do know that the word grafitti was used in English as early as 1851 with regard to runic inscriptions in Orkney.

In 1873 it was used with regards to the Greek poets when they spoke of the Grafitti of Pompeii, which gave us the Italian word of it. The word graffiti is a plural word derived from the Italian word "graffito", which refers to works of art created by scratching a design on the surface. The word "sgcraffito"is also related to the word graffiti as it is a method of scratching through a layer of paint to reveal another pigmented layewr below. Although originally from the Italian language, the main roots of the word "graffiato" (to scratch) and of course the English word "graphic" are in fact delivered from the Greek word "graphein" meaning "to write".

Today the word graffiti has also avolved to include artistic vandalism. So is it Art or just pure vandalism? Because graffiti is a style of art made on both public and private surfaces and prevalent in low income areas of cities, graffiti art is often considered an act of vandalism, which is a punishable crime because most of the time, the art is administered without the consert of the property's owner. Spray paint and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials and there are so many different types and stylesforgraffiti in this rapidly developing art form. The value of this art form is highly contested, detested by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

The first known example of 'modern' graffiti exists in the Ephesus, an ancient Greek city that is now in Turkey. Today one of the most popular forms of graffiti is known as tagging, which is used to put a 'name tag' on public areas and is thought to be used by some gangs to mark territory. Tagging originated in New York in the 1960's when an American Greek called Demetrious used permanent markers to write his nickname "Demetraki" followed by the number of the street on which he lived, 183rd Street in Washington Heights, Tagging "Taki 183".This was also the inspiration for the 1985 film "Turk 182".

Similarly in the 1970's a mail carrier in New York made a goal, to ride every bus and subway in New York. He wrote his name and courier identification number, Vic 156, to mark each bus and subway he too. Others began to follow suit and tagging grew more prevalent, larger, and much more elaborate. Tagging as graffiti moved from buses and subways to walls and all types of outdoors areas. Since the emergence of Hip Hop inthe South Bronx the first graffiti artists of the Hip Hop movement carried on the tradition of voicing concern of the plight of America's inner city masses by painting their messages in city locationsfor all members to see.

Today graffiti still remains part of Hip Hop, street and gang culture, while crossing into the mainstream art world with renowned exhibits in galleries throughout the world. Unlike domestic art, street art is for the public to enjoy and totally free of charge. In London, it has made the career of artists such as Banksy, who is now an international name on the art scene recently exhibited in Germany. In Cork you can enjoy the detailed pieces of Irish artist Connor Harrington, and in the states the lifelike pieces of the well known graffiti artist "The Mac" from the San Fransisco Bay area.

Like Rome, Larnaca has its very own street art. Graffiti has matured here and this wonderful art has been adorning our town with flamingos in Ermou Square and the roundabout towards the airport. In the past the street art has been destructive with 'tagging' and political slogans, but these spaces have now been transformed and the walls available for graffiti have become much admired and hailed as a good media for young artists to channel their creative energy.

Lat year Dhekelia Road saw the erection of of large canvases depicting examples of wonderful graffiti art, with Larnaca as the subject matter. The graffities was made by a group of students who aim to turn this stretch of road into 'an open air gallery'. The work, which depicts Larnaca's rich history and culture, has also inspired street artists to decorate two car parks around the Finikoudes area.We get to enjoy the beautiful graffiti and what a pleasant surprise it is when you enter the car parks, one behinf the 'Bailey's' Irish Bar and the other one at the top of Finikoudes. All the winning art pieces of Dhekelia road can be seen on the Larnaca Tourism Board : (Official site:www.larnakaregion.com).

Source: larnakanews

The Only Bar and Café, Oroklini, Larnaca

2011-11-25T17:01:00.000+02:00

If you walk down the main street of Oroklini you’ll see a cozy little place wedged between a house on one side and a side street on the other, The Only Bar and Café.

Oroklini has grown over the last few years and The Only Bar and Café seems as good a representation of the new town as anything. The place itself is quite modern but tidy wooden interior details add a touch of homeliness to the overall experience. As you enter you will face an immediate choice of indoor or outdoor seating with around 100 seats in total plus plenty of standing space in and around the bar.

The staff are friendly and quick and the seating is comfortable and spacious. A variety of drinks are available and daily happy hour kicks in from 4pm to 7pm with all draughts and spirits at only €2 each. A good food menu is also offered featuring pork chops, pizza and kebab among other dishes. The solid recommendation is Dafne’s Secret Recipe Marinated Chicken Kebab. Don’t miss any Tuesday night either, which is officially Barbeque Night, the offer is a Souvla meal plus one drink for just €6.

After mingling a bit with other customers, I was quickly made aware of the dual entertainment value of the bar. Apparently as accommodating as the establishment is in terms of atmosphere and physical appearance, the added spice comes from the owner, George. Spontaneous was the word that came up most with the regulars!

In terms of décor and layout there is a tinge of the traditional bar setup mixed in with a neo modern café vibe. A pool table and several giant TV screens will tend to your recreational and sporting needs respectively and the many different characters make sure that there is never a dull moment.

The Only Bar and Café is great to visit with the family or as a group of friends, either way it can cater for both.

The Only Bar and Cafe
Where: Oroklini, Larnaca
Contact:
Price €10 pp food and drink

Source: cyprus-mail.com