Gobsmacked

2012-03-25

Tobacco on sale at the Limassol General Hospital…..Absolutely stunned, gobsmacked, speechless…. (but did manage an email to the Ministry of Health)

Penny Douglas, Parekklisia

Where are we really?

2012-03-25

Yes, not even one week after CNN Sports placed Nicosia on the island of Sicily in its coverage of APOEL, no less than Aeroflot, Russian Airlines, have added Larnaca to its on-line route map and placed the city on the eastern side of…Crete. 

I am beginning to think that Cyprus has a big problem: nobody is quite sure where we are!

Daniel Merson, Paphos

Barking dogs driving us crazy

2012-03-25

As a former dog owner I realise the importance of discipline, and that is why the complete lack of it shown by a group of dog owners in the village of Ayios Tychonas is so frustrating.

For the last two years the problem with the dogs congregating in the streets and constantly barking is completely out of control. The previous mukhtar’s dog is constantly barking on the top of his roof waking up the whole village but I guess it doesn’t bother him so good luck getting any help there.

People are leaving their dogs at home all day unattended so of course all they will do is bark. If you can’t show some responsibility for your dog such as giving it some attention or walking it, then give it to someone who can.

Stamp out blatant solicitation

2012-03-25

Having reported the continuous soliciting, by a young girl, on Tombs of the Kings Road, I have decided now to put it in the papers and contact the government to complain of the lack of effort by the local police, to stop this activity. Three complaints of her soliciting have been phoned in to the 199 number and the local community police officer, but they have fallen on deaf ears.

EU booklet contradicts Cyprus’ policy on yellow slips

2012-03-25

With reference to all the confusion about the yellow slip which all non-Cypriots are required to have, I have been reading the ‘Welcome to the EU’ booklet by the European Commission Representative in Cyprus when we joined the EU. On page 21 it specifically states: “EU citizenship also means that wherever one goes in the EU, one cannot be treated differently than citizens of that country”. Therefore it would seem that we all need a yellow slip, Cypriots and non-Cypriots, or none of us do.

J Chamberlain (Mrs), Paphos 

 

 

Think twice before spitting into the wind

2012-03-25

With reference to Mr Clive Turner’s dim view on Wind generators (Sunday Mail March 18), in times gone by when wind mills were invented, I wonder if we have records of anyone attacking them for being unsightly and inefficient. 

Some of his anxieties are justifiable but his diagnosed death cure for the turbines is like ‘whipping the saddle instead of the horse’. Please allow my views in reply to each of his concerns. 

Units costing €1.5 million per Megawatt, makes him right to complain of the very steep price but the solution is to think ‘Israel wise’ and to ‘make’ our wants instead of depending on the easy alternatives. 

What is making us get into bed with Israel?

2012-03-25

I often wonder how our politicians arrive at their decisions regarding our relationship with other nations. Are these diplomatic decisions to enhance our relationships and worldwide standings oOr are they simply poor decisions made on the spur of the moment; like fads, or the “in thing” to do?

From bailouts to penalties: EU gets tough

2012-03-25

SOMETIMES the world of the European Union works in mysterious ways. Hungary has become the first EU country to be penalised for failing to reduce its budget deficit. Greece, whose economy and public finances are in a worse shape than those of Hungary, has not only been bailed out twice, but also receives much technical assistance to improve the effectiveness of its policies and reform its public administration. How can both be happening at the same time?

The answer is that they are the two sides of the same coin. The EU employs both sticks and carrots to induce its members to place their finances on a sustainable basis.

Greece should learn from California

2012-03-25

THE CRISIS in Greece is very serious. In the short term there will be little or no investment, with negative growth.  

Why? Because insufficient cost savings make it harder to meet payment schedules, and there is no stimulus for demand, from Sunday shopping, to straightforward infrastructure developments. 

What has Greece been doing wrong? Taking too long to act has made loans more expensive, has weakened asset valuations and has undermined confidence and increased fear. 

The terrible price of attempting to touch what we cannot not reach

2012-03-25

 

ALL THOSE trying to find an explanation for the lamentable mess that our economy is in should bear in mind that they will never reach the correct conclusions if they do not examine the matter within the context of our general bankruptcy as a country in all fields.

It is not possible to comprehend the different failures without looking at them together and searching for common causes. That, for example, the economy has been reduced to today’s disastrous state, on the brink of bankruptcy, is not unrelated to our political bankruptcy, which may have happened earlier, but, in essence, has the same causes.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.