Anastasia

12/12/12

A few years ago, an American friend of mine invited me to a dinner party on 9/12/2005.  Although I couldn't understand why she had sent out the invitations so early, I replied that I would be unable to attend because December 9th was a Friday and I finished work at 9:30 pm. Funnily enough, September 9th 2005 was also a Friday but school started on Monday 12th and I would be able to attend in September! Today is,  undoubtedly, the last date consisting of identical figures and the last time American and European dates can't be confusing. At least, now I know that in American dates the first figure stands for the month, the second for the day and the third for the year.

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, 12/12/12  marks the end of times and the beginning of a new cycle of evolution for planet earth, humanity and the cosmos. To my mind, this is only  a one-time date in our lifetime and so far nothing dramatic has happened in my part of the world!

Here are  12 interesting facts about number 12:

1. According to Greek mythology, there were 12 Olympian gods.

2. Also according to Greek mythology, there are 12 labours of Hercules.

3. There are 12 days of Christmas. The Christmas song Twelve Days of Christmas came from the traditional practice of extending Yuletide celebration over the twelve days, from Christmas Day over to Epiphany Eve.

4. Force 12 on the Beaufort Wind Scale corresponds to the maximum wind force of a hurricane.

5. The human body has 12 cranial nerves.

6. Most calendar systems have 12 months in a year.

7. In English, twelve is the number of greatest magnitude that has just one syllable.

8. Both the Western and Chinese Zodiac have 12 signs.

9. A new day starts with the stroke of 12 midnight.

10. The number of function keys on most PC keyboards is 12 (F1-F12)

11. Twelfth Night is  a comedy by William Shakespeare.

12. There are 12 inches in a foot.

Information collected from Wikipedia

Eleven Things You Should Never Put In A Dishwasher

You don’t know what you got until it’s gone, right? Once you get used to the convenience of a dishwasher, your life is total chaos without it. Here are some helpful tips to keep your dishwasher working well by avoiding loading it with the wrong stuff.

You have a great working dishwasher and you want to keep it that way. After it is installed and you’ve read your instructions manual, be on the alert for hazards that you should avoid putting into the dishwasher. This will keep your dishwasher – and your stuff – working well and safe.

1. Wood

This includes salad bowls, chopsticks, wooden spoons, and cutting boards. Wood will crack and swell in your dishwasher, making it difficult to use.

2. Cast-Iron Skillets

These items rust and the iron chips in the dishwasher. Leave these to be washed separately in the sink and avoid using harsh chemicals on them. This is one dishwasher mistake you want to avoid.

3. Formal Dishes

Your expensive china will get worn with repeated washings. You also don’t want to take a chance on chipping it, either. The dishwasher is no place for fine china and your best dishware.

4. Copper Pots and Pans

Copper dents in the dishwasher and should be cleaned elsewhere. To keep your copper looking it’s best, hand-wash with a soft cloth.

5. Knives

Harsh detergent can cause scratches and nicks on the blades of knives. This not only damages them, but dulls them as well. By avoiding this mistake, you will keep your dishwasher working well.

6. Crystal Glasses

Crystal is especially vulnerable in the dishwasher. Food particles can etch them and heat can lead to cracking. It’s better to hand-wash these items and dry them off with a soft, lint-free cloth.

7. Insulated Mugs and Containers

Buyer beware! These items have a vacuum seal which will be destroyed if water seeps in. Avoid this action if you want to keep them working well.

8. Brass Items

Brass should never be put in the dishwasher. The hot water will remove the natural protective layer that forms on brass and leave them dull and wore.

9. Delicate Glasses

Thin, delicate glassware should not be put in the dishwasher. The water pressure alone is enough to shatter them. Reserve these for sink washing.

10. Nonstick or Anodized Aluminum

The coating on this bakeware will wear out and break down with dishwasher use. Basically, it will no longer be non-stick. Avoid this mishap and soak these in the sink.

11. Enameled Cookware

This bakeware is especially prone to chipping. Keep these clean by hand-washing, avoiding harsh scrubbing, and always dry with a soft cloth. This will keep your dishwasher working well.

via www.steadyhealth.com

I wish I had come across this website a few years ago. I wouldn't have destroyed my set of expensive steak knives or my crystal glasses which cracked. The ones which survived cracking and etching have lost forever their sparkling shine. Ah well, we live and learn!

Guiness World Records - Daredevils

I'm not really a TV fan but ,the other day, the Greek show on Guiness World Records caught my eye. I was shocked at what people can do in order to gain a place in the Guiness World Records! I was so impressed that I surfed the Internet to find out more. Here's what I stumbled upon:

Sir Hugh Beaver - an Englishman - was the creator of the Guiness Book of Records.  In November 1951, Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, went on a shooting party in North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. He became involved in an argument: which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the Golden Plover or the Grouse? That evening at Castlebridge House it was realised that it was not possible to confirm in reference books whether or not the Golden Plover was Europe's fastest game bird.

Beaver thought that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in the 81,400 pubs in Britain and in Ireland, but there was no book with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove popular. He happened to be correct.

Beaver’s idea became reality when Guinness employee Christopher Chataway recommended University friends Norris and Ross McWhirter, who had been running a fact-finding agency in London. The brothers were commissioned to compile what became The Guinness Book of Records in August 1954. A thousand copies were printed and given away

After founding the Guinness Book of Records at 107 Fleet Street, the first 198 page edition was bound on 27 August 1955 and went to the top of the British best seller lists by Christmas. "It was a marketing give away - it wasn't supposed to be a money maker" said Beaver. The following year it launched in the USA, and sold 70,000 copies. Since then, Guinness World Records has become a household name and the global leader in world records. The book has gone on to become a record breaker in its own right, with sales of more than 100 million copies in 100 different countries and 37 languages, Guinness World Records is the world’s best ever selling copyright book.

 

Having watched the video above I was simply amazed by all these crazy things people are willing to do for just a single moment of fleeting glory: driving a motorcycle through a tunnel of fire was described as "the raw courage of a man".  And here are some other recent records such as most bees on a human being, highest stackline walk (what a daredevil that man was!), world's smallest waist, world's biggest wave surfed. I'm not a daredevil as I don't think taking risks is doing something intelligent or great! But when I was 18, back in 1976 when I first met Alkis, he talked me into posing on the edge of a cliff in Fribourg , Switzerland, just to have our photograph taken!!

Alkis and me posing for a photograph at the edge of a cliff in Fribourg, Switzerland - Aug 1976

But Alkis had broken a kind of record a few days before. He had climbed Fribourg's tallest bare tree!  Such a pity it wasn't the world's tallest biggest bare tree!

Alkis climbing Fribourg's tallest bare tree - August 1976

What's the most dangerous or adventurous thing you have ever done? 

Women in Cyprus

Kleri Angelidou is a well known philologist in Cyprus and an awarded writer and poet. She has served as a Minister of Education and Culture in Cyprus and as a Member of Parliament. Kleri is an honorary member of the International Women’s Association and she is also the Honorary President of the Greek Language Association and the Lions Club Arsinoe.Kleri Angelidou has been awarded with an honorary PhD by the University of Athens and also by the University of Middlesex, London.

Greek Cypriot women have seen a gradual change in their role as players in the economic revival of the country since the Turkish invasion in 1974. This has been achieved through their increased participation in the island’s economic activity, the updating of family and labour law, the public awareness of women’s issues and the government’s policy for the promotion of gender equality. The contribution of Cypriot women in the overall development of the country is evident:

• Women’s share in the total labour force rose from 30% in 1976, to 37% in 1985 and 44% today
• 62.1% of all women aged 15-64 years are integrated in the labour force
• 31% of Greek  Cypriot women over 20 completed tertiary level  education compared to 29% of Greek Cypriot men

But there is still a long way to go when it comes to gender equality in the workforce:

• Only 14.4% of high posts are held by Greek Cypriot women
• While women are paid an average of 17.4% less per hour than men across the EU, the gap for Greek Cypriot women is 24%

Cyprus is essentially a male society. Patriarchy, the social system in which a male is the family head and primary authority is still very much alive. This is probably due to the political conflict that prevails on the island. The island’s institutions, represented mainly by men, have been focused on the Cyprus issue since 1974, marginalising thus any other important issues such as women’s rights and gender equality. As a result, Greek Cypriot women still have a long way to go through before claiming their liberation from a system which traps both genders.

Traditionally, the expected primary role for Greek  Cypriot women has been to get married and have children and all other achievements were perceived as secondary. Nowadays, Greek-Cypriot women are split when asked if they believe that their social role is different from men’s.

Greek Cypriot women do not talk much about themselves, what they want and their achievements. This is due to gender socialization, which promotes the norm for women to speak very little about themselves and when they do, to be judged as inappropriately showing off. Another reason related to women’s socialization is that women are expected to listen rather than speak, and to focus on caring and serving the needs of others, especially their children.

While many Greek  Cypriot women work outside the home, they are usually expected to fulfil the traditional domestic roles of housewife and mother. Even when these women have full-time jobs, they usually expect little help from their spouses or male children.  To my mind , they are to blame up to a certain extent. Most Greek Cypriot women  often forget that apart from children, they have a husband too. This may account for the increase of divorce in the last 20 years.

It was Mao Zedong who first wrote: “ Women  hold up half the sky.”   

What's the status of women in your country? What are their hopes and aspirations?

Pet Dogs - Man's Best Friend?

The average dog causes three family rows a week - as owners argue over where it can sleep and who should take it for walks, a survey has found.

Arguments over who should walk the dog are among the dilemmas that cause friction Photo: AP

10:01AM GMT 10 Jan 2012

A study shows 'man's best friend' can also be his worst enemy, triggering nearly 2,000 family arguments during its lifetime

Spats range from disagreeing about who should take the dog for a walk, feeding them too many treats and what to do with them when holidays loom.

Nikki Sellers, Head of Pet Insurance at esure, said: ''Owning a dog is not dissimilar to having a baby.

''Round the clock care and responsibility throughout a dog's life can become tiresome for any pet owner but should never be overlooked.

''Maintaining a dog's physical health through exercise plus regular stimulation to avoid them running riot around the house should at least help avoid some arguments.

''A healthier dog may also lead to fewer costly trips to the vet too but for advice on how to look after a dog properly, owners should seek professional help.''

The study also revealed one quarter of owners regularly argue about where the dog should be allowed to go in the house with beds, upstairs or sofas causing most rows.

One fifth of families frequently argue whose turn it is to clean up the mess in the garden, while one in ten disagree who should clear up the carpets should they be soiled.

Disciplining the dog is one of the biggest causes of arguments - as 18 per cent of couples often fall out because one is accused of being too harsh on the dog.

A further 15 per cent of families often row about who should be training the dog, while one in ten people get annoyed if the dog is 'humanised'.

Other arguments about the dog include who chose to buy it in the first place and how much has been spent on the dog.

They're also likely to cause unrest if they damage the children's toys or chew the family's shoe collection.

The study also revealed while the majority of family arguments are more likely to be about the children than the family pet, 14 per cent of owners reckon they row about the dog more than their children.

Incredibly, in 17 per cent of households the dog disputes have got so bad one member of the family has slept in the spare room, while a quarter of those polled have been known to storm off after things got too heated.

In fact, 26 per cent of dog owners have at some point considered getting rid of their beloved dog after a bust-up.

via www.telegraph.co.uk

Divorce - A Blessing or a Curse?

Photo Credit

Not as long as 20 years ago, divorce was rare in Cyprus. If a married couple had problems, they'd talk and search a solution or they'd compromise for their children's sake. In the last five years or so, divorce rates have rocketed in Cyprus! One in three file for divorce and this tends to affect older ages as well. The other day, someone came to the school to repair something. His mobile phone rang. He said:"Sorry, it's my wife." (He meant his ex wife).

Although I hate people talking on the phone for personal reasons while at work, I told him that it was ok. When he hung up, he apologised again and went on to tell me this: " I'm 51 and my wife is 46, but we decided to get a divorce." Of course, as he opened up, I asked him why. He said their children were to blame. He insisted that they caused their parents to get a divorce. When I asked him how old their children were, he said they were 12 and 14! I was shocked!

Children are not to blame for their parents' divorce! They are not responsible for their parents' problems. But if a couple can't live together, regardless of the reasons why, it is much better for their children to get a divorce. However, both parents together should explain to their children that they divorce because they (the parents) have problems and assure their kids that they'll always have two parents.

To me divorce is a blessing if there are children. Children should be spared all this -  if not through compromise, through sincere parents who will take the time to talk to their children and explain why they are divorcing. .

And please let me repeat this:

No child is responsible for their parents' divorce!

Your thoughts are very welcome as always.

 

10 / 10 / 10

Next time we have such a fabulous date will be on October 10, 3010! Today, I will certainly not feel confused about the American way of writing dates!!! I've done some reading online and here's what I found about my favourite number 10.

  

1. Symbol of the matter in harmony - 4 + 6.
2. Represent the Creator and the creation, 3 + 7, the Trinity resting in the expressed universe.
3. For Pythagoras, 10 was the symbol of the universe and it also expressed the whole of human knowledge.
4. Sum of 5 + 5, the number 10 represents the two opposite current directions of the conscience: involution and evolution.
5. According to H.- P. Blavatsky, the 1 followed by 0 indicates the column and the circle, meaning the principle of the female and male, and this symbol would refer to the Androgyne nature and also to Jehovah, being at the same time male and female.
6. The zero in the form of circle is a symbol of unit, completing then the meaning of the number 1 to show that the number 10 contains all preceding numbers as a whole contains its parts.
7. Represent the first couple, the marriage: 1 = the man, 0 the egg fertilized by the 1. The ten gives the indication of a spiritual regression since the marriage is a consequence of the fall of the man.
   The number ten is regarded as the most perfect of numbers, because it contains the Unit that did it all, and the zero, symbol of the matter and the Chaos, of which all came out; it then includes in its figure the created and the non-created, the beginning and the end, the power and the force, the life and the nothing.
8. It represents the straightness in the faith because it is the first number "in extension" (of two digits), just as hundred and thousand, explains Hugues of Saint-Victor.
9.  According to Agrippa, "ten is called the number of all or universal, and the complete number marking the full course of life." Also he attributes to it a sence of totality, the achievement, the return to the unit after the development of the cycle of the first nine numbers.
10.  Represent the revelation and the Divine Law.
11. At the Mayas, it represents the end of a cycle and the beginning of another. The ten was regarded as being the number of the life and the death.

   
      In China, the cross represents the number 10 - as the totality of the numbers.

Number 10 Symbolism

What's your favourite number? 

Buried in Work With Some Ice Cream

The last week of May has been particularly hectic at work with all school exams scheduled between May 25 and May 28. I'm still working on the French beginners exam paper due tomorrow. I've edited it three times so far! On Tuesday, there was a slight problem as some of my Elementary kids turned up 2 hours later - that was the second exam session - while they were scheduled for Tuesday 2:30 pm not 4:30 pm! They're ten-year-old kids who only came on the right day but at the wrong time! And they had all studied so hard! Fortunately my eighteen seats accommodated everyone ...and the exams went on uneventfully!

In between exams I had some ice cream to cool me down and while savouring my rasberry, blueberry and vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, I googled ice cream! And here's what I found: Ice cream was invented in Italy. One theory says that the Grand Duke of Toledo was probably the first person to create and eat ice cream, something like the sort we eat now. This was meant to keep his drink cool with snow, you see, that was the only way in which they kept drinks cool in the 16th century. The Grand Duke of Toledo invented a mixture of boiling grape juice, which he poured over iced milk, and drank this in the middle of the night to get rid of his indigestion! He then tried mixing frozen milk and egg yolk, and there was the first ice cream! According to some other site (please forgive me for being too lazy or too tired to post the links), there's evidence that in England ice cream was served to the king in the year 1671.

Ice cream was a really fashionable food in 17th century England which was only fit for royalty and the very rich - something like foie gras and Dom Perignon today. Then in 1856, an Englishman called William Fuller invented an ice cream making tub and published a book on ice cream recipes. And in the 20th century, refrigerators made it possible for ordinary households in England and in the world to make and store ice cream for themselves. But no one could imagine then the evolution of ice cream in the 21st century - it's something like the evolution of technology - ipad for instance!

Nowadays, there's a trend for ....unexpected and revolutionary flavours, like cheese and onion ice cream, tomato and egg ice cream or ...tuna fish ice cream! To me that sounds rather dreadful, although I did try tomato and egg ice cream at a Japanese restaurant and hated it, of course! I'd rather stick to my all classic favourite ice cream flavour: pistachio and chocolate chips..or vanilla ice cream with Crepes Suzette! How about you?

Medical Negligence

It took five months for a Czech woman to discover the reason for her pain – doctors had left a foot-long medical instrument inside her abdomen.

It was only this month that doctors at a clinic in the south-eastern town of Ivancice discovered their colleagues had forgotten to remove the spatula-like instrument from the woman after gynaecological surgery in September.

A regional official apologised to Zdenka Kopeckova, 66, saying she would be compensated.Clinic head Jaromir Hrubes blamed "a series of individual failures" and said four employees had been punished. According to the country's CT24 news channel the woman, who complained repeatedly to her doctors about the pain, plans to sue.

via www.guardian.co.uk

How can a human life be measured in terms of compensation, apologies and a punishment of four employees? To my mind, the doctors who forgot the spatula in Zdenka's abdomen should be sent to prison. This is severe medical negligence that could have cost Zdenka's life.

Water...Water Everywhere?

Well...not everywhere! Due to a prolonged drought, there have been water cuts in Cyprus for about a year. Every household had water 3 times a week plus an extra weekend every month. The cuts were suspended during the holiday season and restarted soon afterwards. But owing to the heavy rainfall of the last few months with January being the rainiest month in the last ten years, there will be no more water cuts from now on! What a relief! I will no longer have to schedule my laundry or the dishwater on the days I had water!

Here are a few interesting facts about water.

1.Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of

water.
 
2.At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent

of an infant’s body weight.
 
3.A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48

cups) of water per day.
 
4.Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water

intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water

dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes

an imbalance of water in the brain.
 
5.Water intoxication is most likely to occur during

periods of intense athletic performance.
 
6.While the daily recommended amount of water is eight

cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in

the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item

provides some water to the body.
 
7.Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost

entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can

act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling

to necessary locations in the body.
 
8.Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a

neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.
 
9.Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid.

Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals,

and nutrients with it.
 
10.Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s

surface is covered with water.
 
11.Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in

aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
 
12.The earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium,

meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The

same water that existed on the earth millions of years

ago is still present today.
 
13.The total amount of water on the earth is about 326

million cubic miles of water.
 
14.Of all the water on the earth, humans can use only

about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such

usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers,

and freshwater lakes.
 
15.The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons

of fresh water every day.
 
16.The United States uses nearly 80 percent of its water

for irrigation and thermoelectric power.
 
17.The average person in the United States uses anywhere

from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the

toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this

water.
 
18.Approximately 85 percent of U.S. residents receive

their water from public water facilities. The remaining

15 percent supply their own water from private wells or

other sources.
 
19.By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body

has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
 
20.The weight a person loses directly after intense

physical activity is weight from water, not fat.

 
By Random Facts