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10 reasons why you can’t resist Cyprus

admin 16/01/2017

Cyprus is by many characterized as a paradise on earth. Some people claim that this is the island of Love, while some others refer to Cyprus as the island of Beauty. Below are listed some of the key reasons why Cyprus can act as an absolute temptation for both locals and foreigners.

1. Because Love has its origins in Cyprus

Cyprus, is the original birthplace of the goddess of Love, the beautiful Aphrodite. The goddess is thought to have stepped ashore on the island by making it her mother country. Until nowadays, Cyprus is considered as an ideal place for honeymoon and marriage events, especially when it comes to romantic couples who choose to spend their special moments in the homeland of Love and Beauty.

2. Because Cyprus and Beauty are inextricably linked

As the birthplace of the most beautiful goddess, Cyprus is the island of exceptionally beautiful areas, full of vivid colors and spectacular landscas. The famous Petra tou Romiou, Aphrodite’s birthplace, along with other famous crystal clear beaches act as a perfect temptation for everyone who wants to spend moments of recreation and relaxation by the beach. Aside from its beaches, Cyprus is also famous for its mountainous beauties, the picturesque little traditional villages and the scenic countryside areas spread all over the island.

3. Because the Sun is itself in favor of Cyprus

In Cyprus, hundreds of sunset landscapes are spread across the entire island every day, acting as a true source of inspiration for any photographer or anyone who is romantic enough to be able to appreciate the beauty of such a scene.

4. Because Summer and Cyprus have an almost all-year agreement

At the same time, it is indeed true that the majority of the days in Cyprus, all year round, are sunny and smiling. It is not uncommon to hear people confessing that the main reason for visiting or living on the island is because of its sunny character, which is without any doubt irresistible and tempting.

5. Because the ancient character of the island is indeed special

When walking along the island, someone comes across different signs of ancient, medieval and modern history of Cyprus: Neolithic settlements, mines from the Bronze Age, palaces from the period of Kingdoms, Hellenistic theaters, Roman temples, Byzantine churches, medieval abbeys and Ottoman baths. Cyprus History counts more than 10,000 years of existence, with ancient monuments and archeological sites being spread across the island until nowadays.

6. Because Cyprus has the “wine of the kings and the king of the wines”

It is not accidental that the Guinness Book of World Records has officially recognized Cyprus Commandaria wine as the oldest named wine in the globe, since according to a legend, King Richard the Lionheart of England was so passionate about Commandaria wine that during his wedding, in 1191, he distinguished the particular wine as “the wine of kings and the king of wines”.

7. Because Cyprus is the island of no-distance

If you find yourself in Cyprus, you should never worry that you will ever be late. In the worst case scenario, you can have a delay of approximately two hours, since the largest distance from one corner of the island to the other is approximately 240 kilometers. Imagining that you locate yourself in Ayia Napa, then the distance to the rest of the areas in Cyprus could easily be characterized as…close! More specifically, you would need 8km to Protaras, 41km to Larnaca, 80km to Nicosia, 107km to Limassol, 147km to Platres, 175km to Paphos and 210km to Polis/Latchi.

8. Because Cyprus added one of the best dairy products in the world list of cheeses, the famous Hallumi

Hallumi cheese is probably the saltiest cheese around the world. Thousands of people from all over the world are endless Hallumi lovers. The particular dairy product was originally made in Cyprus and is considered until nowadays as the key traditional product of the island. Needless to mention that today Hallumi can be found in numerous hyper- and supermarkets around the world, as the people who once taste it become addicted to it instantaneously!

9. Because who can resist the Cypriot hospitality?

Hospitality, accompanied by authentic smiles and friendly faces, is what characterizes Greek Cypriot people. It is indeed true that until recently, many people in Cyprus had their main doors unlocked, because everyone was welcome and they themselves were and will always be ready to show their authentic hospitality, which makes everyone feel automatically at ease.

10. And because the temptation of a table full of Cyprus meze is simply irresistible 

“Let’s go for a Cyprus meze”! This is definitely one of the most famous phrases you can hear if you find yourself in Cyprus. You simply have to make a reservation at a traditional tavern and you will surely enjoy the numerous delicious meze dishes that decorate the table. Chances are you will want to eat more and more!

A big thank you to all HeartCyprus fans for the photographs they shared and some of which have been used for the purposes of the current article. All information about Commandaria is retrieved from http://www.commandariawine.com/.

– See more at: http://www.heartcyprus.com/blog/ten-reasons-you-cannot-resist-cyprus#sthash.uFHaZ5pz.dpuf

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Πάνω απο 51,000 οι άνεργοι της Κύπρου

admin 17/10/2016

Πάνω από 51 χιλιάδες οι άνεργοι στην Κύπρο- Απογοητευτικά τα νούμερα – Δείτε αναλυτικά όλους τους πίνακες ανά Επαρχία- Φύλο- Μορφωτικό Επίπεδο

Του Αντρέα Πολυκάρπου

Η ανεργία είναι ένα θέμα το οποίο απασχολεί τόσο τους ίδιους τους άνεργους όσο και το κράτος το οποίο βλέπει ότι παρά τις προσπάθειες μέσω της ΑνΑΔ όσο και μέσα από τα υπόλοιπα προγράμματα ο αριθμός παραμένει ψηλός.

Συγκεκριμένα, σύμφωνα με στοιχεία των Επαρχιακών Γραφείων – τα οποία δημοσιεύει η Στατιστική Υπηρεσία- ο αριθμός των εγγεγραμμένων ανέργων μέχρι και το τέλος του Σεπτεμβρίου του 2016 έφτασε τις 34.007.

Aν, όμως, μετρήσουμε και τους μη εγγεγραμμένους ανέργους το πσοστό ανεβαίνει το 12,1% (51.070 άτομα). 

Σε σύγκριση με το Σεπτέμβριο του 2015 υπήρξε μια σημαντική μείωση στους εγγεγραμμένους ανέργους γύρω στο 11,4% (4.358 άτομα).

Αναλυτικά 

ΦΥΛΟ

ΓΥΝΑΙΚΕΣ                                    

  • Κάτω των 20 – 137
  •   20-24      -2.489
  •    25-29      –  5.121
  •   30-39     –  9.093
  •    40-49    – 6.223
  •    50-59     –  7.537
  •    60-64        – 3.213
  • 65 και πάνω   –  194

ΑΝΤΡΕΣ

  • Κάτω των 20- 48
  • 20 – 24   –   942
  • 25 – 29   –  2.172
  • 30 – 39  –  4.243
  • 40 – 49 –  2.874
  • 50 – 59  –  4.211
  • 60 – 64  –  2.183
  • 65 και πάνω –  128

Σύμφωνα με τα πιο πάνω στοιχεία η ηλικιακή ομάδα 30-39 στις γυναίκεςπαρουσιάζει τη μεγαλύτερη ανεργία (9.093) ενώ η ηλικιακή ομάδα κάτω των 20 στις γυναίκες παρουσιάζει το χαμηλότερο ποσοστό με 137 άτομα.

Στους άντρες η ηλικιακή ομάδα 30-39 παρουσιάζει τα υψηλότερα ποσοστά ανέργων (4.243) και η ηλικιακή ομάδα κάτω των 20 παρουσιάζει το μικρότερο ποσοστό με 48 ανέργους.

Σε σύγκριση το ποσοστό των γυναικών είναι μεγαλύτερο με 17.206 ενώ στους άντρες οι άνεργοι φτάνουν τους 16.801.

Επαρχία 

Στη Λευκωσία οι εγγεγραμμένοι άνεργοι φτάνουν τις 12.343 χιλιάδες, στη Λάρνακα ο αριθμός των ανέργων φτάνει τις 5.954, στην Πάφο τις 4.025, στην Αμμόχωστο τους 987 και στη Λεμεσό τους 10.698.

Γίνεται επομένως αντιληπτό ότι το μεγαλύτερο πρόβλημα το αντιμετωπίζει η Λευκωσία  με την Αμμόχωστο να έχει τους λιγότερους άνεργους το Σεπτέμβριο του 2016.

Ασφαλώς, όμως, και τα ποσοστά πιθανώς να αλλάξουν αφού μέχρι και τον Οκτώβριο λειτουργούν οι ξενοδοχειακές μονάδες οι οποίες και απασχολούν πολύ κόσμο των παραλιακών περιοχών της Κύπρου.

Μορφωτικό Επίπεδο

Αναφορικά με το μορφωτικό επίπεδο, οι άνεργοι της ομάδας Μέση Γενική Εκπαίδευση παρουσιάζουν το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό ανεργίας (12.742) ενώ το χαμηλότερο βρίσκεται στην ομάδα Χωρίς Μόρφωση (119).  Υψηλό ποσοστό ανεργίας παρουσιάζει, επίσης, και η ομάδα με Ανώτερη Εκπαίδευση (11.078).

  • Χωρίς μόρφωση  119
  • Στοιχειώδης Εκπαίδευση 6.840
  • Μέση Γενική Εκπαίδευση  12.742
  • Μέση Τεχνική Εκπαίδευση  3.228
  • Ανώτερη Εκπαίδευση  11.078
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The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World

admin 29/07/2016

What makes an effective leader? This question is a focus of my research as an organizational scientist, executive coach, and leadership development consultant. Looking for answers, I recently completed the first round of a study of 195 leaders in 15 countries over 30 global organizations. Participants were asked to choose the 15 most important leadership competencies from a list of 74. I’ve grouped the top ones into five major themes that suggest a set of priorities for leaders and leadership development programs. While some may not surprise you, they’re all difficult to master, in part because improving them requires acting against our nature.

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Demonstrates strong ethics and provides a sense of safety.

This theme combines two of the three most highly rated attributes: “high ethical and moral standards” (67% selected it as one of the most important) and “communicating clear expectations” (56%).

Taken together, these attributes are all about creating a safe and trusting environment. A leader with high ethical standards conveys a commitment to fairness, instilling confidence that both they and their employees will honor the rules of the game. Similarly, when leaders clearly communicate their expectations, they avoid blindsiding people and ensure that everyone is on the same page. In a safe environment employees can relax, invoking the brain’s higher capacity for social engagement, innovation, creativity, and ambition.

Neuroscience corroborates this point. When the amygdala registers a threat to our safety, arteries harden and thicken to handle an increased blood flow to our limbs in preparation for a fight-or-flight response. In this state, we lose access to the social engagement system of the limbic brain and the executive function of the prefrontal cortex, inhibiting creativity and the drive for excellence. From a neuroscience perspective, making sure that people feel safe on a deep level should be job #1 for leaders.

But how? This competency is all about behaving in a way that is consistent with your values. If you find yourself making decisions that feel at odds with your principles or justifying actions in spite of a nagging sense of discomfort, you probably need to reconnect with your core values. I facilitate a simple exercise with my clients called “Deep Fast Forwarding” to help with this. Envision your funeral and what people say about you in a eulogy. Is it what you want to hear? This exercise will give you a clearer sense of what’s important to you, which will then help guide daily decision making.

To increase feelings of safety, work on communicating with the specific intent of making people feel safe. One way to accomplish this is to acknowledge and neutralize feared results or consequences from the outset. I call this “clearing the air.” For example, you might approach a conversation about a project gone wrong by saying, “I’m not trying to blame you. I just want to understand what happened.”

Empowers others to self-organize.
Providing clear direction while allowing employees to organize their own time and work was identified as the next most important leadership competency.

No leader can do everything themselves. Therefore, it’s critical to distribute power throughout the organization and to rely on decision making from those who are closest to the action.

Research has repeatedly shown that empowered teams are more productive and proactive, provide better customer service, and show higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment to their team and organization. And yet many leaders struggle to let people self-organize. They resist because they believe that power is a zero-sum game, they are reluctant to allow others to make mistakes, and they fear facing negative consequences from subordinates’ decisions.

To overcome the fear of relinquishing power, start by increasing awareness of physical tension that arises when you feel your position is being challenged. As discussed above, perceived threats activate a fight, flight, or freeze response in the amygdala. The good news is that we can train our bodies to experience relaxation instead of defensiveness when stress runs high. Try to separate the current situation from the past, share the outcome you fear most with others instead of trying to hold on to control, and remember that giving power up is a great way to increase influence — which builds power over time.

Fosters a sense of connection and belonging.
Leaders who “communicate often and openly” (competency #6) and “create a feeling of succeeding and failing together as a pack” (#8) build a strong foundation for connection.
We are a social species — we want to connect and feel a sense of belonging. From an evolutionary perspective, attachment is important because it improves our chances of survival in a world full of predators. Research suggests that a sense of connection could also impact productivity and emotional well-being. For example, scientists have found that emotions are contagious in the workplace: Employees feel emotionally depleted just by watching unpleasant interactions between coworkers.

From a neuroscience perspective, creating connection is a leader’s second most important job. Once we feel safe (a sensation that is registered in the reptilian brain), we also have to feel cared for (which activates the limbic brain) in order to unleash the full potential of our higher functioning prefrontal cortex.

There are some simple ways to promote belonging among employees: Smile at people, call them by name, and remember their interests and family members’ names. Pay focused attention when speaking to them, and clearly set the tone of the members of your team having each other’s backs. Using a song, motto, symbol, chant, or ritual that uniquely identifies your team can also strengthen this sense of connection.

Shows openness to new ideas and fosters organizational learning.
What do “flexibility to change opinions” (competency #4), “being open to new ideas and approaches” (#7), and “provides safety for trial and error” (#10) have in common? If a leader has these strengths, they encourage learning; if they don’t, they risk stifling it.

Admitting we’re wrong isn’t easy. Once again, the negative effects of stress on brain function are partly to blame — in this case they impede learning. Researchers have found that reduced blood flow to our brains under threat reduces peripheral vision, ostensibly so we can deal with the immediate danger. For instance, they have observed a significant reduction in athletes’ peripheral vision before competition. While tunnel vision helps athletes focus, it closes the rest of us off to new ideas and approaches. Our opinions are more inflexible even when we’re presented with contradicting evidence, which makes learning almost impossible.

To encourage learning among employees, leaders must first ensure that they are open to learning (and changing course) themselves. Try to approach problem-solving discussions without a specific agenda or outcome. Withhold judgment until everyone has spoken, and let people know that all ideas will be considered. A greater diversity of ideas will emerge.

Failure is required for learning, but our relentless pursuit of results can also discourage employees from taking chances. To resolve this conflict, leaders must create a culture that supports risk-taking. One way of doing this is to use controlled experiments — think A/B testing — that allow for small failures and require rapid feedback and correction. This provides a platform for building collective intelligence so that employees learn from each other’s mistakes, too.

Nurtures growth.
“Being committed to my ongoing training” (competency #5) and “helping me grow into a next-generation leader” (#9) make up the final category.

All living organisms have an innate need to leave copies of their genes. They maximize their offspring’s chances of success by nurturing and teaching them. In turn, those on the receiving end feel a sense of gratitude and loyalty. Think of the people to whom you’re most grateful — parents, teachers, friends, mentors. Chances are, they’ve cared for you or taught you something important.

When leaders show a commitment to our growth, the same primal emotions are tapped. Employees are motivated to reciprocate, expressing their gratitude or loyalty by going the extra mile. While managing through fear generates stress, which impairs higher brain function, the quality of work is vastly different when we are compelled by appreciation. If you want to inspire the best from your team, advocate for them, support their training and promotion, and go to bat to sponsor their important projects.

These five areas present significant challenges to leaders due to the natural responses that are hardwired into us. But with deep self-reflection and a shift in perspective (perhaps aided by a coach), there are also enormous opportunities for improving everyone’s performance by focusing on our own.

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Reduced of Registered unemployed

admin 24/07/2016 0

 

Based on Statistical Services of the Republic of Cyprus, the unemployed persons, registered at the District Labour Offices on the last day of June 2016, reached 35.265 persons. Based on the seasonally adjusted data that shows the trend of unemployment, the number of registered unemployed for June 2016 decreased to 37.734 persons in comparison to 37.973 in the previous month.

In comparison with June 2015, a decrease of 5.611 persons or 13,7% was recorded which was mainly observed in the sectors of construction (a decrease of 1.262 unemployed persons), trade (a decrease of 848), accommodation and food service activities (a decrease of 786), manufacturing (a decrease of 725), public administration (a decrease of 527) and transportation (a decrease of 496).

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Reduced unemployment rate in January 2016

admin 19/02/2016 0

The unemployed persons, registered at the District Labour Offices on the last day of January 2016, reached 45.969 persons. Based on the seasonally adjusted data that shows the trend of unemployment, the number of registered unemployed for January 2016 decreased to 41.600 persons in comparison to 42.252 in the previous month. In comparison with January 2015, a decrease of 4.070 persons or 8,1% was recorded which was mainly observed in the sectors of construction (a decrease of 1.170 unemployed persons), public administration (a decrease of 1.009), manufacturing (a decrease of 683), trade (a decrease of 594), financial and insurance activities (a decrease of 398) and information and communication (a decrease of 278).

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