By Engin Dervişağa……..
For this Vox Pop show, I went to the fascinating Old Round Tower in Girne High Street to talk to Svetlana Ziuzina who manages this fascinating gallery of art, photographs and local handicrafts.
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Vox Pop on BRT Television 02/07/17 with Svetlana Ziuzina
By Engin Dervişağa……..
For this Vox Pop show, I went to the fascinating Old Round Tower in
Girne High Street to talk to Svetlana Ziuzina who manages this fascinating gallery of art, photographs and local handicrafts.
Svetlana Ziuzina was born in Berdiansk in the Ukraine and graduated from the Art and Design State Academy in Kharkov. She has lived and worked in Kyrenia, North Cyprus since 1996 and is an acomplished artist and has had several solo and joint exhibitions internationally and locally.
Her beautiful paintings are created using favourite media oils and watercolour, and she expresses her philosophy and ideas using vibrant colour and a modern style.
To see examples of Svetlana’s work please click here
My interview with Svetlana will be screened on Sunday 2nd July at 15.00pm and it will be repeated on Tuesday 4th July at 18.30pm so do tune in to join me on my show, Vox Pop on BRT2 Television.
To go direct to BRT2 TV to watch these shows by live streaming on your PC at Cyprus local time click here and select the BRT2 channel in the viewing screen.
If you wish you can also watch a number of my past Vox Pop shows which can be selected for viewing by clicking here
For Radio Lovers do also tune in and join me on BRT Radio on Saturday at 19.00pm for my programme Top Twenty which is compiled by DJ Bora and this show is repeated on Sunday at 15.00pm. We are transmitting this on 6.150 MH/z. Short-wave, 87.8 and 105 FM Stereo.
You can also tune in to live streaming of this radio show on your PC by clicking here and select FM105 Bayrak International.
For those local readers who have interesting hobbies or interests who think it could make an interesting subject for my Vox Pop TV show, do please send me a message.
Vox Pop on BRT Television 21/05/17 with Svetlana Ziuzina
By Engin Dervişağa……..
For this Vox Pop show, I went to the fascinating Old Round Tower in Girne High Street to talk to Svetlana Ziuzina who manages this fascinating gallery of art, photographs and local handicrafts.
Svetlana Ziuzina was born in Berdiansk in the Ukraine and graduated from the Art and Design State Academy in Kharkov. She has lived and worked in Kyrenia, North Cyprus since 1996 and is an acomplished artist and has had several solo and joint exhibitions internationally and locally.
Her beautiful paintings are created using favourite media oils and watercolour, and she expresses her philosophy and ideas using vibrant colour and a modern style.
To see examples of Svetlana’s work please click here
My interview with Svetlana will be screened on Sunday 21st May at 15.00pm and it will be repeated on Tuesday 23rd May at 18.30pm so do tune in to join me on my show, Vox Pop on BRT2 Television.
To go direct to BRT2 TV to watch these shows by live streaming on your PC at Cyprus local time click here and select the BRT2 channel in the viewing screen.
If you wish you can also watch a number of my past Vox Pop shows which can be selected for viewing by clicking here
For Radio Lovers do also tune in and join me on BRT Radio on Saturday at 19.00pm for my programme Top Twenty which is compiled by DJ Bora and this show is repeated on Sunday at 15.00pm. We are transmitting this on 6.150 MH/z. Short-wave, 87.8 and 105 FM Stereo.
You can also tune in to live streaming of this radio show on your PC by clicking here and select FM105 Bayrak International.
For those local readers who have interesting hobbies or interests who think it could make an interesting subject for my Vox Pop TV show, do please send me a message.
Alistair’s “Random Rambles” (46)
By Kathy Martin…
Written March 2015
The weather – is the climate changing?
Now that March has (just) arrived, we (in the TRNC) have been able to enjoy a couple of sunny days after a drab, rainy and cloudy February. During February (especially towards the end of the month) we, that is ourselves and various friends, frequently muttered “this is the coldest and wettest February in living memory”! As my lovely wife has been keeping records of the weather on a spreadsheet for a number of years I was able to check whether this statement was true or not.
The average midday temperature, according to our rather amateurish records, during February this year was 16c, whereas in 2011 it was 14.8c and 2012 it was 15.2c, so it wasn’t actually the coldest February in living memory!
OK, I appreciate that readers who live in countries with a colder climate may think that temperatures in the region of 15 degrees centigrade are (almost) acceptable for a summers day, but all buildings and furnishings here are designed for the (almost guaranteed) nine months of warm or hot weather!
To analyse the impression that February this year was the “coldest in living memory”, I must put it into perspective. Firstly, we had snow, yes, on two previous occasions we have seen the peaks of the mountains to the south of our flat covered in a “dusting” of snow, but this year we had snow falling outside our flat!
Admittedly, the ground was too wet and warm for it to settle, but we have never seen this phenomenon here before!
Secondly, and this will possibly be a more graphic comparison, February this year compared with February 2014.
This year we had 10 rainy days, 7 sunny days, and, (rather obviously), 11 cloudy days.
Last year we had 4 rainy days, 17 sunny days and therefore only 7 cloudy days.
So I leave it up to you to decide if our climate is changing or not?
Recently, part of my ramble was about the recent provocative and aggressive attempt by “the West”, (America, NATO and the EU), to successfully de-stabilise the Ukraine, which was governed by a democratically elected (but pro-Russian) government.
Now, (shock, horror!), the UK press has reported that Russian military aircraft have been “spotted”, twice off the southern and once off the western coastlines of Britain. The “hawks” in the Ministry of Defence have demanded that trees must be cut down, so that the last remaining squadron of Sopwith Camels can have the struts between the lower and upper wings replaced, and that all British households must donate all of their aluminium pots and pans, so that a Spitfire or two can be put back into service!
Seriously folks, if these aircraft had “suddenly” appeared, then, yes`, there would be cause for concern, but I am sure that they were “tracked” by (say) Scandinavian radar stations before entering or even nearing “British” airspace.
I appreciate that, with late 20th/early 21st century technology an aircraft can be built to be “invisible” on radar, but I believe that the aircraft involved in the scary Russian “invasions“ were propeller driven “bears”, a NATO designation, which would surely have been continuously visible on both civilian and military aviation radar screens.
While I accept that even an ageing “bear” aircraft can deliver a bomb or missile, what tactical or strategic advantage would Russia gain from “nuking” a Western/EU country? Indeed, if Russia had seriously been intent on delivering a devastating hostile attack, surely it would have used more modern and sophisticated equipment to do so?
Face up to it, Britain, (and presumably other EU countries); poke a stick into a hornet’s nest, and you will get the response that you deserve!
I believe, three “straight A” girl students have travelled from the UK to Syria to be “Jihadi brides”. Apparently they did so after being “groomed” on their “twitter accounts”. I don’t know anything about “twitter” except that I understand that it is a social network system, not dissimilar to Facebook, and I assume that “groomed” is newspeak for “brainwashed”.
Brainwashing is, of course, a science, but to be successful in forcing someone to do something against their nature, surely this is only possible under “laboratory conditions”. Therefore, rather like (as I understand), a person under hypnosis won’t do anything that they wouldn’t do if fully conscious, in my opinion the underlying want or desire must have already been present in these “groomed” girls.
The mention of “girls” above leads rather neatly into the next part of my ramble. By the time this ramble is published, this year’s International Working Women’s Day (March 8th) will have passed. I am not a misogynistic male chauvinistic pig, but I question why have it?
On this day men (and also presumably women) are meant to celebrate love for women and show respect and admiration for their achievements in the home as well as in politics, industry and commerce.
My question is not that these emotions and feelings shouldn’t be shown, but that surely they should be displayed on a daily basis throughout the year!
After all, neither my wife nor I have ever had to wait for St. Valentine’s Day (February 14th) to come round before we can say that we love each other!
Recently my wife and I re-watched that excellent (in our opinion) film “Mississippi Burning”. For the information of any readers unfamiliar with the plot, it is a film that condemns the racist actions of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960’s against the black population in a small town in (rather unsurprisingly!) the State of Mississippi in America.
These actions were carried out with, at worst, either the full support of the “white” community, or at best, its passive acceptance of the goings-on.
Recently there have been other films that have high-lighted the fact that “good old USA” only became “the land of the free” to all of its population, irrespective of skin colour, within living memory.
These “apologist” films include “The Butler”, “12 years a Slave”, “Selma” and “The Help”.
While I am impressed and pleased that “the modern generation” has been informed or reminded that some parts of America were recently as racially bigoted (if not more so) than the much maligned apartheid South Africa at that time, the cynic in me wonders if these would have been produced if the American electorate had elected a “white” president?
Just a thought!
Meanwhile, back in dear old Blighty, I understand that the national government is soon going to introduce a law that allows motorists a 10 minute “free” period of grace after the expiry of a time limited permit before a parking fine can be imposed by the traffic wardens of the local councils.
This, according to the rather fubsy Local Government Minister, Eric Pickles, will end the “war against motorists”!
Pardon? Does this mean that motorists (obviously a protected species) who are incapable of returning to their cars within (say) sixty minutes after paying (say) one pound will be allowed 70 minutes, an increase of something around 16%?
Extrapolating this “free” 16%, will the government also introduce legislation which will allow shoppers to arrive at the check-out with £100 worth of purchases in their trolley, but only pay £84 because the check-out staff are “waging war” on the purchaser? I don’t think so!
There is, of course, another thought that has sprung to my brain, the local councils, having potentially “lost” revenue from parking fines, will simply increase to cost of parking from (say) one pound an hour to one pound twenty pence!
Next blog will continue with Alistair’s rambles
These rambles were written by Alistair initially for the “The KibKom Times” then “The KibKom Forum”
Alistair’s “Random Rambles” (44)
By Kathy Martin…
Written February 2015
In Britain the anomaly exists that a television viewer in Britain is obliged to pay for a service that he/she may not want, before being able to access a service that he/she does want!, such as a commercial TV channel!
While we lived in the UK we had a “Sky box” and paid a subscription fee to access the Sky TV programmes This payment to Sky was, of course in addition to the (BBC) TV licence fee, but we seldom (or never) watched ) BBC as the Sky TV package was tailored to our viewing tastes.
Why doesn’t the BBC grow up, cast off its “stick in the mud” attitude and face up to the fact that the public are prepared to pay for what it wants, but not simply what the BBC thinks that it wants?
Logically, to me, this enforced BBC licence fee payment means that the multitude of the general public of TV licence payers are, in effect, the employers of the BBC management and staff.
As such, surely it is they, rather than the comparatively small number of politicians in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, who should make decisions as to how the BBC is run and financed?
How about a referendum as to whether the BBC should continue to be funded by the licence payers (whether they watch BBC or not), or should it become a “commercial” service, or (to my mind the most logical) become a “subscription” television service channel (as is Sky TV)?
The report also mentioned that Lord Grade was also concerned that the BBC may not be able to make ends meet if the legislation was changed.
Good heavens, is he worried that the BBC wouldn’t be able to “cut its cloth according to its means”?
Also, at the risk of upsetting traditionalists, what would happen if the BBC did become bankrupt and cease operations? I admit that the BBC is an historic and iconic organisation, but in today’s world there are many other organisations throughout the world that produce both audio and visual programmes of equal, if not superior quality.
Now elections, both in the recent past and in the near future.
Firstly, Greece….
The electorate of that country has put into power the (far-left) Syriza party, led by Alexis Tsipras now the prime minister. The platform of Syriza is that it will “immediately” end the austerity that Greece and its population has had to endure after the bailout by the “troika” a couple of years ago, after Greece went bankrupt.
The mother-in-law, of an English ex-Pat of our acquaintance, is Greek and she has lived in Athens all her life. According to him, she (and her deceased husband) paid their taxes in full accordance of Greek law.
However, she, and others of her ilk have now been forced to live in abject poverty and unable to feed themselves properly, nor heat their houses during the winters.
Apparently the total unemployment in Greece is 25%, while this figure rises to 50% of youths of working age under 25 years old! I can, therefore, see the attraction of electing a party that promises “jam today” rather than “jam tomorrow”, or even some years in the future.
Apparently Greece wants either to totally default on (already agreed by the previous governments) repayments on the loan (which will be best for Greece), or renegotiate the times and amounts of these repayments.
Both the Greek prime minster and finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, have been “doing the rounds” of some of Europe’s politicians and financiers. The only reaction appears to be sneering sartorial comments on the fact that they don’t wear neckties!
Having for a long time been of the opinion that a necktie is the most useless and pointless part of a “gentleman’s” apparel, I find that I am on the side of the Greeks!
However, I wait with great interest the outcome, especially as Greece is reported that it needs to “find” £5 billion by the end of February to stay afloat financially!
My personal opinion, without going into the reasons why Greece needed a bailout, is that both politically and economically the European Union and the “Euro zone” are now caught between a rock and a hard place.
Should the political and financial powers in the EU refuse to bend and “stand by their guns”, (plan “A”) Greece will certainly have to exit the Euro zone, and, also, (almost certainly) the European Union. Although who will be able or willing to finance the logistics and infrastructure for Greece to return to the drachma is a moot question!
On the other hand, should these powers “bend” and either write the debt off, or adjust the re‑payment times, (plan “B”) then not only will the creditors become somewhat miffed, but so will the tax-payers in the “northern” countries of the European Union!
If Europe adopts the above “plan B”, then the other Mediterranean countries involved in the “PIGS” bailout (Portugal, Italy and Spain) will demand similar relaxation of the terms to their re‑payment terms.
Should “plan A” be adopted these countries, especially Spain, who will have a general election in a few months, may well look to being “forced” to leave the European Union and (especially) the Euro zone.
I personally believe that a united Europe with a single currency is essential to the future prosperity of Europe. However, the existing “one size fits all” rules, regulations, policies and procedures is essentially flawed.
Therefore, whatever catastrophes happen in the immediate future, in the long-term, workable rules, regulations, policies and procedures will hopefully be put into place.
After all, the USA consists of 50 or so countries (states) that all have a single currency. Similarly, the UK consists of 50 or so shires/counties that also have a single currency.
While on the subject of elections and, by definition, legally elected governments, I am next going to head a considerable distance north to the Ukraine.
A civil war has been going on in that country since April 2014 between factions that have been described as “Russian-backed rebels” and Ukrainians. A “peace deal” has recently been hammered out by, and between, the political leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
I am not going to prophesy whether or not this peace deal along with a truce/cease fire will be effective when this article is published, I simply want to let my readers know about what is (in my opinion) the cause of this conflict.
Until recently, there was a democratically elected (note those two words “democratically elected”!) government in place, led by President Yanukovych. This government was “pro-Russian” as the majority of Ukraine’s electorate are “pro Russian”. Unfortunately, for the thousands of Ukrainians, killed in the recent conflict, this did not suit the “West”!
America, along with a power-hungry NATO, and an expansionist European Union wanted the Ukraine to be a “Western” country!
Therefore, to further this end, after years, if not decades of political and economic machinations, at the end of 2013 people such as American senator John McCain and politicians in Europe, including British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, set about to de-stabilise the pro- Russian democratically elected (those two words again!) government in the Ukraine.
Therefore, by definition, the Russian “rebels” are not rebels, but freedom fighters for what used to be the legitimate government of their country!
Naturally, to cover up their corrupt and nefarious policies and procedures, the European politicians have quietly “airbrushed out” their involvement!
Still, continuing with the subject of elections, most readers are probably aware that there will be a general election during May in the UK.
Unless anything either calamitous or miraculous happens, the outcome will almost certainly result in a coalition government. While it may not be enough to get an outright majority, below is a policy that may gain a number of votes…..
- “Vote for “X” Party and we will increase taxes”!
- Confused?
- Read on!
- “We” will increase taxes by a penny in the pound.
- However, to effectively combat crime and increase the peace of mind of the population, we will put more “bobbies” back on the beat.
- To improve the health and well-being of the nation we will re-open the recently closed Accident and Emergency wards and ensure that there are sufficient beds in hospitals etc!