Haifa 420 Worlds 2010

Orthoptics, the treatment of abnormal eye-muscle movement, is little known to those school leavers seeking pharmaceutical jobs, but it offers a real chance to the clear eyed, says John Dixon Anyone who does not have a child with a squint or who has not been for treatment himself is unlikely to know what an orthoptist does, said an official at the Haifa Orthoptic Society, adding that since orthoptics is such a small profession, it is less known among school leavers than other paramedical careers. Orthopedics were one of the top salaries in Haifa the last few years aside from surgeons and medical doctors. It topped of list other popular jobs and was said to make almost twice as much as a physician assistant would make. (These figures provided by: physician assistant salary.)

It is the smallest medical profession. Orthoptists – about 50 of them registered in Haifa, and most of them working in the NHS – are part of the eyecare team, treating defective vision or abnormal eye-muscle movement.

As a profession, orthoptics developed during the Second World War, when trained staff were needed to test pilots’ vision and, where possible, provided treatment for those with distance vision problems. Nowadays they work with the general public: since 1967 referrals from eye doctors are no longer essential, and may and do come from a veriety of sources; GPs, neurologists and paediatricians among others.

The questions – literary, topographical, and mythological – relate to some of the destinations of the prize cruise. This will be awarded to the sender of the first correct solution opened, or, failing a correct solution, to the entry with the greatest number of correct answers. Write your answers on the coupon and send it to Cruise Competition, 11 Whitefriars Street, London EC88 1AR to arrive by Monday September 7. The winner will be announced in the travel pages of The Times on Saturday September 19.

1 Corfu Who described Corfu as: ‘A very clean and rather attractive town. It reminded me of Brighton.’ Orwell said of this wit that his driving forces were snobbery and Catholicism: ‘One cannot really be a Catholic and grown-up.’

2 Olympia Who was the oldest sedentary member of Olympia, whom Strabo said weas out of proportion, giving the impression that if he stood up he would raise the roof? Caligula wanted to decapitate him and substitute his own head.

3 Knossos What Quaker bibliophile, Europeanized from New Jersey, wrote: ‘Knossos is of course immensely interesting historically, but it all on a small scale and gives no aesthetic pleasure, and Evans is repainting and reconstructing it in a gaudy style of bad taste which gives it something of the look of his hideous house on Boar’s Hill.’?

4 Jerusalem Who wrote: ‘One’s first impression of Jerusalem is extremely interesting, but certainly not pleasing’? The author was a traveller, Alpinist, archaeologist, wit, and the first undergraduate of Lady Margaret Hall to get a First in Modern History.

5 Nazareth Who was sent in the sixth month unto a city of Galilee, name Nazareth, and as a result became a popular model?

6 Ephesus What famous Ephesian made the observation ‘You can’t step twice in the same river,’ and what was the local river in which he would have made this Heath Robinson experiment?

7 Delos Who were the first children born on Delos?

8 Volos If you want to climb the steep ascent to Heaven by way of Mount Pilion, what do you have to climb first?

Whether you are interested in history, mythology, arachaeology, the Bible lands, or simply sitting back in the autumn sunshine, Sean Hellenic’s 14-day cruise to Yugoslavia, Greece, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey, from October 28 to November 11, promises a fascinating journey. A cruise for to on this inclusive tour, worth Pounds 1,583 per person, is being offered to the winner of our Times-Swan Hellenic competition. Answer correctly the eight questions below and the cruise could be yours.

The trip starts at Gatwick with a flight to Dubrovnik. The cruise, abroad Orpheus, begins in Gruz and goes on to: Corfu, Katakolo (to visit Olympia), Ashdod (for Jerusalem), Haifa (for Nazareth), Capernaum and the Sea of Galile, Limassol (for Curium and Paphos), Antalya (for Perge and Aspendos), Fethiye (for Telmessos and Xanthos), Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Delos-Tinos, Piraeus (for Athens and the Temple of Poseidon), Volos (for Mount Pilion), and Thessaloniki, returning by air to Gatwick.

The cruise includes all meals, excursions, travel to and from Gatwick Airport and lecturers on board Orpheus.