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Live Coverage of the GA
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Cigarette Break
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A Typical Greek Part II
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Editors' Feature
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Neutrinos
Editorial
Featured stories
What’s inside...
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Committee Articles
After two days without showering (for Alex at least) and less than nine hours of sleep over three days, we have now arrived at the last day. It is of course a bit sad since we have had such an amazing time. Go home and get some sleep because that is exactly what we will be do. The editors, Johan and Alex (and Randolf) Over and out
See you on the other side By: Philip Dyson
So you have done it - you have survived two days of gruelling pressure and excitement. You have got through, even though it may feel that you have only really just begun. Well, you are right to think this; it is just a beginning. EYP is a multifaceted universe in which to submerge yourself and this, the 24th National Selection Conference of EYP Greece, is your open door to explore it. Now you will have the chance to participate in other sessions, and not just as a delegate. After only a few sessions, you should be able to become an organiser, chair, or journalist at one of over 150 sessions a year to choose from. Keep this in mind if you begin to suffer from EYP’s most contagious and debilitating disease... Post-EYP Depression (PED) is a common phenomenon among EYP members. The people who suffer from this ailment enjoy EYP sessions so much that it is almost like a fix of a drug that they cannot do without. This addiction can be very detrimental to health, from a combination of hard work and little sleep. After a session, these participants fall into a dark depression, reclining to their beds and spending hours looking aimlessly at the hundreds of pictures of the session loaded onto Facebook. Slowly, this feeling recedes in the face of the normal world outside EYP, usually helped along by the prospect of attending another session. If you yourself begin feeling the trauma of PED, know at least that you are not the only one, so don’t be alarmed! Farewell for now! Hope you enjoyed the session!
Memorable quotes from the 24th Greek NSC By: Bruce Willis and Katerina Alexaki
Most of you will remember for ages to come the different things said in the committee but we will remind you some of (what we considered to be) the best! “Silence! I kill you!”- Seems like the IMCO II committee might have a terrorist problem in their room. While conducting our survey during the coffee break we were informed that a person suddenly shouted this line during the Abigail game! That awkward moment, when after a whole day of discussing and then finally resolution writing, you say, “What’s the point we are working on again?” “IMCO I, we are the coolest! Hey! Hey!” - Some committees of this session feel so bonded and energetic that they have created mottos that are often heard during the committee work. Apparently, IMCO I is one of those. Meanwhile AFCO found a brand-new energiser. It includes shouting at the top of your voice and spilling water out the window while it is raining. “I’m an AFCO and I’m not tired, and I’m gonna get it wet out there!” “Funky Frog!” – Many of you probably know already two of the most famous EYP songs, Funky Chicken and the Little Frog. As it turns out, ITRE I decided to combine those two songs when Jorg, who as we know isn’t really fond of the Little Frog song, entered their room. What happened next? Well, that’s a whole other story! Meanwhile, in the heat of the discussion in the ITRE II committee, the topis was extended beyond the EU, or even neighboring continents: “We need a defense system against what... Martians?” The answer is still being sought, as are the logics of a defense system as a whole. “Smile and do not fake it!” - Alright, have you ever experienced this awkward moment that you have to smile but no actual smile comes out so you have to fake one? If not, lucky you! If yes, you totally know how ITRE III felt when they voted on a rule that says people of the committee should smile but not fake it! “Go to the GA with my cat!” - The committee on Culture and Education seems to be having lots of funny moments during the committee work. While trying to show delegates what ‘Brainstorming’ means using the example of the word ‘cat’ the chairs were faced with really random quotes such as the one above or ‘Kill the cat!”,”Make my cat murder another cat!’ and so on! “Amalgamation” - Sofia Zafeiriou. Speaks for itself.
Is it true that they are nervous- Because they appear way too comfortable! EMPL By: Bruce Willis
At the end of teambuilding all the delegates in the committee on employment and social affairs (EMPL) discussed how they felt before the games, after the games, and what they expected from the session. They said that in the beginning they were feeling nervous about… just about everything (!)-making friends, being heard by the committee and knowing what to wear, say and do, to name but a few. They definitely did not appear nervous to me- that’s for sure! Would a nervous person volunteer to lie down only to be lifted by 12 adolescents’ pointer finger? Run at full speed through hands that would be lifted at the last minute? Pass an orange and bottle with his knees and neck to a person of the opposite sex at a body-distance so close that you can hear them
breathing? I don’t know if these games made them act fearlessly and made them feel more confident, or if they just weren’t shy and nervous from the beginning, but they are one great team and they said it about themselves that first night. But committee work is a long, harsh, and nerve-racking journey- despite their current beliefs … Did they get through it as one team, or as many lost souls? It appeared as if the committee work day seemed slightly harder than they had expected. With Pia and Aspa guiding the discussions however, what could go wrong? The answer: time. Time went wrong. As all committees, EMPL was pressed for time, falling behind schedule by 50 minutes, at as early as 11:15. They kept discussing, moving up the rate of talking, and were behind schedule
by only 40 minutes by 2:40. They had heated discussions; some raised voices, some stayed calm, others abstained from speaking altogether. But they always (with guidance from Pia and Aspa of course!) worked with patience and respect towards their fellow delegates (maybe with an exception or two). The final question that shall be raised, is: How will we leave? In high spirits? In fond memory? In shame? The answer to this, can only be found in perseverance, and in discussing with each other in the future- whether in another EYP session or not. Thus, follow through- it will be worth it guys!
How about a Dragon Tale? By: Achilleas Platanitis
Once upon a time, many years ago, in a strange and faraway land called ITREtopia, there was this really small and quiet village called “ITRE 1”. The village had its own inventive handyman, Nick, its trusty craftsman, George and its open-minded scholar. It had its own musician, Marialena and four very beautiful young ladies, Eva, Irene, Vicky and Angelica, that charmed others with both their words and presence. But most importantly, it had a bank. A Knowledge Bank, where everyone had access, and a clever and trust-worthy keeper, Ariadni, who had her mind set to protect and expand it. Their lives were settle (and rather boring if you ask me) until one day two strangers appeared in the village. A smart, energetic, young apprentice witch called Chrysa and her wise, long-bearded mentor, Luka. All they asked for was company in their long, tiring journey which they used to refer to as “session”. The group of elderly that ruled ITREtopia, called the European Youth Parliament decided that they should go, with the task of finding renewable energy sources to power their vil-
lage. On their first few days, the sorcerer along with his apprentice casted a spell on the villagers called “Teambuilding” which had as an effect a large amount of hugging and infinite love amongst the villagers. But as the magicians knew, that was what would mostly help them through the rough times that were coming up ahead. One of those days, the team encountered a really amusing and funny frog. The frog taught them his song, and they liked it so much that they even taught that to the next generations of ITRE 1 villagers (so if you ask the people in that committee they’ll probably sing it to you, rather loudly.! ) Actually, the frog told them that in order to fulfill their quest, they had to find something called “a resolution” hidden in a dragon cave somewhere in the mountains. The only way to do that was to get to the cave and defeat the legendary Dragon of Egoism and Rude Personalities (also known as Derp) in an epic battle called “the GA”. After, overcoming Derp, they could give the “resolution” the
European Parliament and they would help them make the solutions to their problem, real. As soon as he found out, Luka the wizard initiated a magical process called “Committee Work”. This process helped the villagers prepare themselves for the battle. And they stuck to it, no matter what intrusive creature stood in their way (jury members, organizers and a very weird one called “a journo”). What the Villagers found out during Committee Work, was that Derp had an ability. He became stronger when people around him where selfish and rude ,but he also became weaker in the presence of kindness and cooperation. That was exactly what the brave and clever group of villagers used to gloriously defeat the dragon and acquire the resolution. The conclusion of our story is that it took just a small group of people, to defeat the dragon of their own egoism and their own personal conflicts in order to present to you, the European Youth Parliament, their resolution on how to power your own village with renewable sources of energy. ITRE 1 Rules!
Creative United Lively Team (CULT) By: Katerina Alexaki
Team work is at the heart of great achievement John Maxwell
How should the further steps to accomplish the mobility of students and academic staff, the main goal of the Bologna process, look like? This subject has been troubling the Culture and Education committee the past two days. But let’s take it from the start! During the first day we had teambuilding. The delegates had to walk blindfolded, pass the orange, lift people using only two of their fingers, combine ideas and use their imagination! At the end of the day the committee bonded so well that they were actually hard to separate! Even after such a tiring day, they were all up for new challenges.
Day two finally came and the delegates started working on their topic. There were conflicts, frustration, confusion and lots of anxiety in the beginning but none of the delegates was willing to give up! A bit of Brainstorming, some post its and the golden rules of the committee helped everyone get a more clear idea of how to deal with the matter. Everyone was so well informed that they kept adding things till the very last moment! However, time is a lifelong enemy of every committee at every session and so it was for the CULT committee. The delegates had a hard time keeping up with time
management, yet in the end all of the hard work paid off. Always full of energy and up for co-operation they started discussing on the matter. Compromise and respect for each other were two of the main values the delegates agreed upon. Rea, Syrmo, Natalia, Julia, Thalia, Theo, Alexandra, Thomas, Vasiliki, Isabel and Asteris are the 11 most awesome delegates you will ever meet! Of course, nothing would have been done without the help of the two wonderful chairs of this committee Bircan and Meni! Great job everyone, keep up with the hard work and hopefully we’ll see you next year!
And We Thought the EU Couldn’t Get More Strict By: Philip Dyson
Over half of the land area within the EU is used for farming, making it one of the most important factors in European politics. The EU has to try and ensure food security, quality and maintenance of the countryside. To do this, stringent legislation is put in place – in forms such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Unlike other sectors, such as education, defence, transport, health care, or social security, national governments have surrendered much of their control over agricultural policy in favour of giving competencies to the EU. Because of this, the EU spends about 55 billion Euros a year on the implementation of its agricultural policy. New products that enter this mar-
ket undergo thorough testing before being given approval, more so even than pharmaceuticals. And so comes the ominous presence in our food markets: Genetically manipulated (GM) crops. GM crops are a controversial topic with many possible advantages as well as many possible risks. Throughout the course of Saturday, IMCO I has strived to balance the advantages and risks of GM crops. While the EU appears to be extremely strict on the use of GM crops and demands rigorous testing before the authorisation of a new crops and products, IMCO I, however, finds that the EU does not go far enough to ensure an absolutely risk-free production of
GM crops. They ask, for example, for the EU to extend the current labelling system. This seems strange, as only recently the persistence of the EU in making correct labelling was exemplified by their announcement that, contrary to what was once held as common knowledge, there is no conclusive proof that water can hydrate you. Because of this, water companies cannot advertise this seemingly obvious benefit on their water bottles. The EU is rigorous, looking meticulously to ensure that every last detail in advertising and products is safe and correct. And yet, IMCO I wants more research and more safety.
Power to the People AFCO By: Emil Bremnes
Taking on a topic questioning the extent of power belonging to European citizens, the members of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) was a shining example of how power should be divided equally upon the individuals of a group during committee work. From the very beginning, during team building, there was a notable chemistry between the members of the committee. It is uncertain if this chemistry emerged as a result of the fun and bonding games their chairs, Irem and Ilias, had planned for them, or as a result of some sort of spiritual aura encircling them. Regardless, it unquestionably seemed as though it helped a great deal during committee work since the members of the committee were able to cooperate brilliantly.
Here’s a short summary of some of the crazy stuff that happened during committee work: George took an arrow to the knee choosing to sit on the floor in order for his companions to feel more comfortable (for instance those wearing skirts). Even though the delegates were seated while debating, opinions were so strong that both Eva and Elizabeth sometimes would stand up and use a great deal of body language to express their beliefs. Chris and Eirini were really good at “pass the orange” (Something you’re not telling us?), Myrto had an enormous folder filled with huge amounts of sources (Well prepared!), and Sofia must be crazy in love seeing as she always started laughing whenever anyone asked her: “Honey, do you love me?”
To tell you the truth, I have never witnessed a committee so good at listening to each other, taking in all the details their partners lay in front of them. It made it possible to have a discussion without the chairs (or journo) needing to interfere a lot. Naturally there were disagreements, but because the group of delegates felt so comfortable with one and other they managed to come to consensus on most topics. They alternated writing down clauses and moderating the debate, which was really admirable to watch. To sum it up, AFCO took their session topic into practice Saturday and was a perfect model of what democracy is all about, which also is a very significant part of the EYP. Best of luck to AFCO and all the other committees in GA!
IMCO II delegates fight for data security, privacy and innovation opportunities by: Eva Tsoukala
Ten lovely people forming a lovely committee? Yes, this is the right phrase to describe Dunja and Gio’s delegates. All of these teenagers are ambitious to resolve the problem of the non-existent privacy on the Internet, especially due to cloud computing, and to increase motivation for the youth by using the Data Protection Directive. To start with, on Friday, from afternoon to evening, the delegates got to
know each other quite well by playing teambuilding games. Due to the fact that everybody was so disappointed about the fact that it’s December and it’s not snowing yet, they improvised a snowball fight by throwing paper balls with their names and preferences at each other. Then they had another type of fighting, streetfighting, which was pretty fun as well. Later on they played “pass the orange”, which turned out hilarious, as it always is, and the “Ninja Game”. Finally, they took some time to play “Zoom” and succeeded in placing the cards in the right order, which means that there was a high level of understanding and communication among them. Later on they discussed on the “Story of Abigail” and made a decision altogether, by respecting each
other’s opinions and stating their own opinion in a polite and friendly manner. All in all, the committee became bonded and ready to go further. Yesterday, during the committee work, the committee members expressed some very interesting opinions. After hours of brainstorming and talking, the IMCO II delegates finally managed to come up with their final suggestions for the committee’s topic. Alarmed by the fact that data protection on the Internet is not adequate, especially when it comes to cloud computing, they gave some clear solutions to the problem. “Whenever a company has to change something regarding an individual’s personal data, they should ask for the individual’s permission first in order to do so. Additionally, when a company changes its privacy policy, people should be informed about this as well”, the delegates said. Also, in order to inform people about current legislation on Data Protection, the EU should introduce special leaflets so as for
Internet users to get to know the rights they have in case their personal information is violated. But the truth is that the existing legislation is not enough. IMCO II encourages the reinforcement of the Internet protection legislation, in order to prohibit certain companies (social networking companies, software companies, etc.) from exploiting the internet users’ data. Finally, advanced encryption and safety programmes should be introduced, while at the same time maintaining the overall functionality of the Internet and cloud computing. Finally, delegates suggest that data be stored in multiple storage units in order to protect it from damage that could occur through hacking. All in all, Gio and Dunja’s committee is a committee that cooperated very well. The delegates made it to discuss and debate on their topic properly, and so, their resolution has to pass. Good Luck IMCO II!
Getting to know the ECON committee by: Ileana Lazea
Enthusiast. Committed. Optimist . Noble. This is what the profile of a Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs’ delegate stands out for, at this Greek National Selection Conference! The story of ECON began 2 days ago within the same context as that of any of the other committees’. “Once upon a chilly December evening, at Vasiliadis Highschool in Thessaloniki, seven Greek students met for the first time...”. Teambuilding was the first step towards getting to know each other. It was the time when we were introduced to Eleni, John (Giannis), Konstantina, Marilena, Panagiota (Giota), Tim (Efthimis) and Zaphiro. Little by little they realized that they had many similar hobbies, such as surfing the Internet, eating sweets, and of course,
out of all, the common denominator was the wish to change the world by having a say in solving the current economical turmoil society is facing.
All in all, I believe this session has been a useful chance for them to prove how smart, daring and moreover, how able to get the most out of the challenging EYP environment: be it Therefore, they started commit- in terms of knowledge or new tee work in a note of optimism, friendships, they are. being of course deeply motivated by the research they have As for me, I must confess this been preparing for a long time session represented a nice exand which helped them gain an perience. I was impressed by important insight on the diffi- the ECON’s devotion towards cult topic they were to work on. identifying and solving the problems on the basis of the Their great communication committee topic frame. The skills proved to be extremely fact that they also managed to helpful during the critical brain- bond as a team in such a short storming and debating phases. time was also a proof of their Compromise, although hard to flexible social abilities, which reach, sometimes, was in the makes me conclude expressing end achieved through both the strong feeling that I shall deep analysis of the potential later meet with these new EYsolutions and strong arguments Pers at other sessions. meant to increase the persuasive defense/attack strategy prepared for the General Assembly.
ROCKING AROUND ITRE 3! by: Evgenia Faraza Innovative, Tremendous, Respectful, Energetic multiplied by 3 gives us… ITRE 3! Does the EU seek for a solution in the distribution of funding in research? Does it want a knowledge-based economy? It can ask the 9 bright young people of ITRE 3 for the way to achieve it! 7 beautiful ladies (Duchesses) and 2 gentlemen (Musketeers), accompanied by two dynamites-chairs (Leo and Dimitris) are the noble members of this committee. Everything began on a freaking frozen evening in the school yard. There were frozen smiles, frozen hands, frozen feet but warm hearts. After they passed the slow-motion version of getting to know each others’ names and smashed an orange, they broke the ice (literally and metaphorically!) by speed dating and playing two truths and a lie. Through this game, new Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christies of tomorrow were discovered! They found almost all lies in no time! And
this was just the beginning of the marvelous achievements of the committee. As the time went by, the bonds and the trust between them were strengthened through games such as human knot, drunken bottle and human corridor. And guess what? No orange was smashed! The next day was the most crucial one. Committee work time! The 9 Master Chefs came prepared with many ideas and the chairs smoothly tried to adjust everyone to the conversation step by step. They had 60 seconds of fame a la Leo, where everyone had to talk for that long and they were stopped by our buzzer-chair Dimitri, who by the way “hates hands” (so never raise your hand again in the committee!). Then they created an imaginary 5-year-old to whom they explained terms such as flagship institute, scientific research, etc. They even used the example of a factory of cookies to explain what the GDP is! That is how creative they are! From crea-
tivity they went to a very heated discussion about their issue. Although it was a rather challenging one, they managed to cope with it and write a very well-structured resolution. And not only that, their presence in GA was exceptional. They passionately defended their resolution and raised interesting questions that enhanced the fruitful debate. After the GA finished, I believe that they weren’t relieved. They were quite disappointed, because they were eager for more EYP action! As I can see from their faces they had a blast these 3 days! They laughed, they played crazy games, they danced, they shouted, they were concentrated and effective when they had to. But the most important, they were a team, one fist. They felt the spirit of EYP and they lived every moment. They have definitely left their mark in this session and in EYP! ITRE 3, ITRE 3 IS THE TEAM TO BE, HEYYYY!!!
PARAGWGH:
from the general to the specific OR: The production of AFET’s resolution
by: Mirja Kuhlencord When reading about Ferzat Jarban on a website of the socalled “Committee to Protect Journalists” I stop feeling like a stressed and exhausted session journalist as I did before. It’s hard for me to imagine his situation and I guess that none of us really can. Jarban was a local cameraman in Al-Qasir, Syria. According to the website, the freelancer provided Arabic news networks with videos of political demonstrations culminating in clashes with the regime. Just one month ago, in November, he was seen being arrested due to filming such a demonstration against the Syrian government. One day later, he was found dead, mangled and with his eyes cut out. The political motivation for
this is regarded as confirmed. Despite the fact that it was the first case of a reported journalist’s assassination in Syria in years, it doesn’t make the circumstances any better. These circumstances and in particular the situation of opponents to the Syrian government were discussed at this session by AFET, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, having the beloved vice-president Mara Ntona (alias Maradona) as their chairperson. As one can easily see, AFET had to face a really crucial, demanding topic. They had to be united as a committee, they had to fight together for reaching their goal: A powerful resolution. What made them strong was the development they un-
derwent over the two days of teambuilding and committee work. When I first saw them, everyone was rather sceptically looking at each other. One day later, I felt like meeting another group. After having not been with them for a while, I wondered what had happened during my absence. Not as individuals, but as a group, they gave me a warm welcome and then had an opening ceremony for committee work. Following a few short speeches and having declared this particular part of the session as open, they continued even more sincerely than before, reading out their topic – standing and all together. I have to admit that I felt a bit like
in church. Was that phase of Committee Work like the baptism of their “baby” – the AFET resolution? Or was it rather like their own baptism as “kittens”? I don’t know. What I do certainly know is that they all contributed to the growth of their baby-resolution: They fed it with information; they discussed it’s “clothing”, the operative phrases, and they tried to make their resolution fulfil everyone’s expectations. Supported by lovely post-its shaped like flowers as well as energisers like the “Banana Song”, they came up with elaborate solutions for this challenging question. They definitely ended up being very proud “parents”, ready to protect and defend their resolution during General Assembly.
passed too quickly and that, despite all the nerves it sometimes cost, they really love their grown-up kid. AFET’s delegates will definitely have a great bunch of incredible memories to take home with them. It is okay to feel sad, but knowing that it is time to move on. There are more sessions to come and more resolutions to be written. There are more topics to be discussed and more problems to be solved.
Afterwards, on Sunday evening, they will hopefully go home feeling like real parents sayIn the end, there are also more ing goodbye to their child old people like Ferzat Jarban. He is enough for leaving home. Par“just” one example among the ents who realize that time had many others who were killed
because of political motives. Let’s continue being aware of these dire situations like AFET was with their resolution! Goodbye and see you soon!
Space(wo)men on Earth ITRE II by: Dimos Papadimitriou Teambuilding, the first day of the conference passed. Committee on Industry, Research and Energy II successfully coped with human knots, jellyfishes, jumping on the hands of their fellow committee members. After getting through the earthly matters, it was high time they skyrocketed over the stratosphere. So, boarding on their spacecraft with Lavrentia and Adam in the cockpit, they were bound to get the session to an extraterrestrial level. As young Europeans and, mostly, EYPers, it was also clear that the European dimension would be their basic area of concern during this trek of discussions. As a matter of fact, EU has plans towards discovering the unknown space outside our earthy residence. For instance, there are the European Space Agency (ESA), a body devoted to space research, the Galileo project, which could possibly make a considerable competent to the US-based GPS technology, which depict the potential of the Union to further progress on space innovations. It’s not a monopole however; China, Japan, India are some examples
of countries which, after making firm steps to either manned or unmanned spacecrafts, are currently raising high expectations concerning lunar or other expeditions. Now is the moment of truth for ITRE II: Should EU opt for a competitive (yet expensive) presence in space studies or head for a more compromising attitude with other countries’ respective space projects, given the financial frugality of modern times? With post-its roaming in the room to all directions, it was soon obvious that delegates had shiny, bright-as-stars ideas. The 8 well prepared individuals raised the chances for a fruitful and productive dialogue. On a paper sheet entitled “ITRE II IDEA BANK”, various viewpoints were stated; New methods or equipment could be the needed factors towards a dominance of EU space projects, although this would premise good amounts of investments. Furthermore, rumour has it that the committee also consulted some Japanese pdf articles from the internet to spy on Japan’s space movements.
Obstacles that occurred during this “star trek” were then finally tackled. Under the meticulous guidance of the two capable pilots, the committee was safe from any space attack. From that part, Dimitra, Eleni, Fotis, Maria A., Maria I., Natasa, Thanos, Vaso were able to come upon concrete resolution clauses, which will be dynamically presented to all of us as soon as ITRE II takes the floor in GA. Have a great time guys, rock the General Assembly and see you there!
Earthquake predictions 101: Animals by Achilleas Platanitis
It is a known fact that, five minutes before the tsunami in Thailand there were elephants witnessed crying. And that one month before the big earthquake that happened in Thessaloniki in 1971, mice fled the city. If these are not enough, snakes were seen leaving their holes, mid-winter before a massive earthquake in Haicheng, China in 1975. So, can we say (or at least assume) that animals are able to sense disasters before they strike? A group of scientists, led by Friedman Froyd, geophysicist from NASA and Rachel Grant from the Open University of Britain, conducted a research on a group of frogs that lived in a small lake near L’ Aquila, in Italy. The scientists studied the behaviour of approximately 100 frogs that lived near the lake and confirmed that all of them left the area before a large earthquake happened. Then, an article was published by them on the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and, according to the BBC, they believe that studies on animals should be used as an accurate and effective way of predicting earthquakes. What the article said, was that right before an earthquake, the surface of the Earth where the quake is about to strike is subdued to major tectonic forces and as a result charged particles are released into the atmosphere. These particles interact with the water of the lakes nearby and slightly change its chemical substance. For example, in some cases, water is being changed to hydrogen hyper oxide (H2O2) making the average harmless pond, toxic to most of the living creatures inside it. Animals are highly sensitive to these changes and that is what makes them flee or have unnatural behaviour before an earthquake. The scientists believe that in combination with - Honey, was that you moving, or some further research, studying animal behaviour in should we take that as a sign for an areas with high earthquake ratios can really help us earthquake? predict earthquakes and protect ourselves from their devastating effects.
NEUTRINOS: faster than the speed of light by Bruce Willis
Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. This is a concept that forms a cornerstone of our understanding of the universe and the concept of time- it is also what Einstein’s theory of relativity states. Neutrinos have been the focus of the OPERA’s (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus) experiment for the past three years and the speed of these particles have been measured 15,000 times as they travel from Cern to Gran Sasso 732km away. Neutrinos are constantly produced from the nuclear reactions within stars, and have a negligible mass - if any at all making them very hard to study. These particles were measured to travel at 60 billionths of a second faster than the speed of light. This experiment will be redone by different teams in order to be verified, but if accepted as true can have implications as large as changing the order of cause and effect in our daily lives. Can you imagine something happening faster than you can see it, and thus before it “happens”?
Neutrinos may offer solutions as to why there was more matter than antimatter in the big bang. Proving that neutrinos are faster than light, we may have discovered what form the unknown mass of the universe is in. It is estimated that the observable mass within our universe is approximately 20%, while the rest we know exists due to effects it has on the objects we can see. Thus if neutrinos are proved to travel faster than the speed of light, then the last century of physics was based on false assumptions, and the next century will be full of new doorways.
Can you imagine something happening faster than you can see it, and thus before it “happens”?
Chronicles of a meeting part III By: Dimos Papadimitriou and Ileana Lazea
The sun rose above the venue on the next day. We find Plato and Aristotle sleepless, for they have been reading the resolutions and planning the GA strategy the entire night. Many speeches have been rehearsed and both our delegates formed an opinion on every topic. However, anxiety and nervousness were still in the air, so they had a hard time preparing themselves for the time they would be standing up in front of the conference crow Soon enough the committees gathered under the guidance of the chairs that led them through the whole event. After the first speech, the fear of the podium moment grew for them. Stressed
delegates were fidgeting on their seats, hitting nervously their feet on the GA floor. The murmur was lingering above their heads as resolution presentation started. Some delegates were conspicuously asleep on the backs of others, dressed in tuxedos. Others were raising placards to the board, expressing their true devotion to them plus their will to take the lead with speaking up. (Rumour has it that committees whose resolution would pass, would be joyfully pizza dancing.) -I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict, proposed Plato after finishing his remarks on the presented resolu-
tion. -It is just that we should be grateful, not only to those with whose views we may agree, but also to those who have expressed more superficial views; for these also contributed something, by developing before us the powers of thought, added Aristotle to summarise the GA procedure. Despite the fact that the session came soon to an official end, those ideas remained intact and inspired more and more people. This accepted, we, Ileana and Dimos, were able to present this story to all who now hold Thessalogia in their hands.
I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict,
It is just that we should be grateful, not only to those with whose views we may agree, but also to those who have expressed more superficial views; for these also contributed something, by developing before us the powers of thought
Despite the fact that the session came soon to an official end, those ideas remained intact and inspired more and more people. This accepted, we, Ileana and Dimos, were able to present this story to all who now hold Thessalogia in their hands.
Editors’ Feature By: Eva Tsoukala
“WOW, THE EDITORS ARE SO HOT!” That was the first thing that the journos heard when they asked random people about their opinion of Alex, Johan and Randolf. As you might already know, they’re the ghosts of the pressroom; they actually do nothing but reading, writing, editing, drinking coffee, reading, writing, editing and drinking coffee again.
But who are those guys anyway? Let’s introduce them in an alphabetical order:
Alex Nompilakis is a lovely nineteen year old sociology student from Athens, who has been EYPing since 2008. He plays the role of the journos’ mom. He’s hardworking and quite strict sometimes, but on the other hand he’s really patient when it comes to journos not being on time or not handing in their articles on time. He’s open to casual conversation and he’s made it clear that in case that anyone has a problem - any kind of problem, be it a love problem, a friendship problem, or a session problem - they should address him so he can help solve it. He’s the person energising the team due to the fact that he always smiles no matter how serious things are. You’ll find him in the pressroom, as mentioned before, or he might be playing ping-pong in the basement, with Randolf and Johan.
Johan Wallin is an awesome future medcine student from Stockholm, Sweden. He’s nineteen as well. If you think Superman is walking around, you’re not really dreaming. Johan looks like Superman in reality (rumour has it that his original name is Clark, but that’s not validated yet). He’s the severe guy of the pressroom. His role is that of the journos’ dad. He tries not to smile and to look absolutely serious, but deep inside he’s a hell of happiness. He’s an amazing dancer (you really should see him leading the journos while dancing the “Pizza Dance”) and he’s very funny as well (great jokes Johan, great jokes!)
Last but not least, you may have seen a super tall and handsome German guy walking around. His name is Randolf Carr and he’s 20. He studies International Relations in Germany and apart from being German, he’s also American (what a great Kansas accent, Randy!) On top of that, he can even communicate quite well in Greek (he’s actually very proficient at swearing in Greek, so don’t mess with him). He’s the editorial assistant and does most of the proofreading. This means, he has to check our spelling and grammar mistakes and correct everything. People would really think the journos are illiterate if he had not helped!
Now you know who the important people for the press team are. You’re impressed, aren’t you? It’s true that they’re awesome, and so is our newspaper!
Mr. Judge, may I prove my innocence with a brain scan, please?
Scientific development offers not only possibilities but also comes along with a difficult task. It is the need for properly applying new findings and knowledge to our world. Discoveries from today’s research have implications for our values and laws just as our ethical concepts create a normative basis for further study. These interactions between ethics and science need to be examined, discussed and issued – in an on-going process.
Let’s take a glance at neuroscience. Within the last decade a new field of inquiry was established, the so-called “neuroethics”. It is not a completely new area. Some individuals, especially philosophers, have already started asking questions of this kind over a century ago. However, nowadays, it gains more and more importance. Contexts and topics of neuroethical debates show why.
In recent discoveries, the aspect of truth plays a leading role. Modern analysis techniques such as brain scans enable us to link our behaviour to specific brain activity. Such methods are already implemented in order to find correlations between brain activity and intentional deception. In the US some enterprises offer the court to detect whether someone is lying or not. Will this be the case in Europe as well? “Mr. Judge, may I prove my innocence
Neuron
with a brain scan, please?” For now, it is surely too early to base decisions on such techniques. The methods are not sufficiently certain. But is it also that erroneous to consider the affirmations of such techniques in court? German scientists Hans Markowitsch and Reinhard Merkel outline in their new book on the future of neuroscientific discoveries that it should be a defendant’s right to have such brain scans despite their lack of reliability. Even a
barely meaningful piece of evidence might be more than welcome for the innocent. On the other side, the guilty will rather not take the risk of having a proof for his guilt. So: why not? Due to rapid progress in the field of neuroscience we have come to the point where it is essential to think about its possibilities and their consequences. It brings us back to fundamental questions. Progress is given, a revision of our values and laws
is required. Maybe it’s necessary to reshape them, maybe not. We need to safeguard or “refresh” our principles and rights by discussing them in new contexts. We cannot find out using answers to questions made in the past. We have to ask over and over again. Discussion is open.
Expert talks By: Eva Tsoukala and Dimos Papadimitriou
Yesterday evening, after committee work, expert hearing took place. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately because the main topic was physics, which most people hate), some of you don’t speak Greek. Well, that’s absolutely understood. Since the experts only spoke in Greek, we’re here to summarise what was said yesterday. Three willing to help both the delegates and the (greek) officials to understand their committee topic even better. Philomila Komninou , a material physicist, Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, a chemical engineer and Hariton Tompoulidis, an astrophysicist talked to us about their views on the field of Research and Development on European level. Among viewpoints, important issues concerning innovation progress were raised. It is not always easy to balance external subsidies from the private
sector with independent research carried out by scientists. More or less, subsidisation is not an issue that should be in all cases taken for granted. However, that fact should not intimidate young and promiscuous researchers who kick up their career in their respective fields of science. Drawing attention to natural sciences, the practical implementation of theoretical knowledge background should be stressed. Concerning this aim, the speakers added references to the efforts that are put by certain schools or universities to encourage people occupy themselves with science. All in all, the expert hearing stressed the importance of conquering further aspects of scientific research even in times of frugality. According to them, this is the only way for progress to take place.
A Typical Greek – Part II Based on a Greeks’ perspective
by: Evgenia Faraza and Achilleas Platanitis
Our friend Emil in the previous issue characterised Greeks in a very polite way (too polite if you ask us) from the point of view of a foreigner. But Emil spent only a couple of days in Greece and he didn’t get to see other characteristics of Greek people. Are you ready to witness the revealing of the real typical Greek person as we see them...?
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Greek people are really impatient drivers. They honk, curse and shout at every possible chance they get, without a reason, while driving and they never look at the STOP sign! Greek people don’t care. They may have no money, but they pay to drink 4 frapes and they buy 2 packs of cigarettes every day! They have a motto: “Halaraaaa” (stay cool and relax). That means: Have a coffee, take a walk in the city centre, feel no rush at all. That is why they do everything at the last minute (but be aware that their last-minute job is usually their best). Greek people talk too much. They speak faster than they think and they always have to have a say in everything. They do not need a psychologist, because they have their friends to count on, talk to, and solve any personal problem. Greek people have a weird diet. You can see them eating “gyros” at 8 o’clock in the morning, combining it with “bougatsa” afterwards and at night drinking as much as possible!
Greek people won’t let anything spoil their fun. Although they have to pay tons of bills and extra taxes, you will always see a smile on their face. Despite the economic crisis, everyone goes for shopping, coffee, a walk with their friends, to “bouzoukia”, to bars, etc. If you don’t believe me just take a look at the traffic in the city centre, especially on Saturday. All the entertaining places are full of people and you can never find a parking spot!
coffee cigarette break by: Randolf Carr 0.9 milligrams (mg) of nicotine, 12 mg of tar, 20 mg of carbon monoxide, 1.3 mg of hydrogen cyanide and diverse amounts of around 4000 further substances are what you inhale when smoking a cigarette. In Greece, thousands of teenagers do this every day. So many, in fact, that Greece has a higher percentage of smokers among its population than any other country in the European Union, also among youths. But why is it that in a time where the negative health effects of this “vice” are proven and publicised, so many youths still choose to start smoking? Why and how do especially Greek teenagers become smokers? And how do they view the smoking culture in this country? We wanted to investigate and surveyed an assortment of delegates from the session on their thoughts. The general attitude toward youths smoking, especially with non-smokers, is unsurprisingly negative. Non-smokers agree upon the fact that smoking is very hazardous – both to the smokers and also non-smokers around them, who cannot avoid the influence of the tobacco vapour. But even smokers here seem to view the popularity of cigarettes among teens critically. One admitted that smoking might just be a way to socialise and integrate into certain groups – but actually the wrong way. Popularity and a cool image are almost unani-
mously named by delegates as the reason to start smoking, while the advertisements of the big tobacco industry have practically no influence on that decision. Both smokers and non-smokers agree on that much. Compared to ads, the fact that all teenagers know friends or famous celebrities who smoke has a much greater influence. The smokers among the delegates we surveyed tended to disagree with the idea that teens smoke because of peer pressure, but stated that they smoke just for pleasure or to relieve stress. Many teens already start at 12 or 13 to try it as a “one time thing”, but then turn it into a habit. But why stick with smoking, when the media keeps reminding you how dangerous this habit can be? Even every single cigarette pack includes a message about the hazards. But no matter if smoker or non-smoker, all delegates agreed that these messages have no effect on smoking youths, because they are simply ignored. Delegates said that once a teenager has decided to smoke, messages like these wouldn’t make them change their mind again.
Since they usually don’t give much attention to anti-smoking propaganda, we asked smokers specifically if they ever even think about the health problems that they could get due to smoking. Most answered: Not really, not much. Non-smokers who we asked explained this phenomenon by saying that youths often consider themselves “invulnerable” and do not believe that these sicknesses can affect them. We even heard one smoker say clearly that he finds smoking worthwhile, even if it means the risk of an earlier death. Our survey resulted in some very interesting and engaging conversations with delegates, all of whom seemed acutely aware of the phenomenon of youth smoking and its importance. We found out that the higher percentage of smokers in Greece does not necessarily come from some difference in the mentality of Greek youths to others in Europe. In fact, many answers we received, both from smokers and non-smokers, seemed to reflect typical teen attitudes. In the end, as many delegates recognised, it is up to every one of us to decide what habits we want to embrace and what substances we want in our body and how we want them to get there.
Live coverage of the G.A By: Ileana Lazea
Honourable members of the board, dear chairs and guests, fellow delegates, After two days of entertaining teambuilding and hard committee work, time has come for the young Greek EYP-ers to give their best and amaze the audience with their resolutions. G.A., you are recognized! Starting up in an enthusiastic tone, although a couple minutes later than scheduled, (Einstein once proved that everything is relative, therefore, we can consider Greek timing on the list too!) the debate proved to be ardent from the very first resolution presented by our beloved members from the Committee on Industry , Research and Energy II. The Assembly continued with the following resolutions and we listened to strong arguments from proposing committees, firm objections from other participants and sometimes (too loud) approving murmurs from the audience. We also encountered a few technical issues when confronted with using the microphones, and later on we shouted all our stress out during the energisers. With all the tension lingering in the air, the G.A had up until now many moments of anxiety, but even more sparkles of courage. It is however true that in the end, the selection aim of the session proved to be a motivational one, as the devotion the delegates have been investing into writing the resolutions has reflected into a prolific result; now, after more than half of the resolutions have been presented, we are proud to state that almost all of them have successfully passed. Nevertheless, as the deadline for writing this article is getting closer, I cannot but conclude by wishing you all good luck throughout the rest of the procedure and of course, congratulating you for your entire performance during the session. Αντίο! ελπίζουμε να σας δούμε σύντομα!
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ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ ΥΠΟΥΡΓΕΙΟ ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑΣ, ΔΙΑ ΒΙΟΥ ΜΑΘΗΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΜΑΤΩΝ
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