the tie3rd Issue of the 6th National Selection Conference of EYP Cyprus

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editorial(s)

Dear Delegates,As the session ends, we, as editorial supplements, are finally going to address you directly.

EYP is a great community of people in which you can meet again friends you make at previous sessions. Unlike usual friendships, you will find that you can have a blast with these people even months or years of not seeing each other.Surely EYP is ‘work hard, play hard’. You do have fun, but you also have a common goal, whether this is the newspaper, a resolution or even the session itself. Have a thorough read through the latest session paper of this session, reflect on the last four days and ultimately decide if you want to become part of the big EYP family. You have already taken the first step. We are all waiting for you.

Hollaback,

The Mamas, The Papas & The Clemens

Hey guys,

It’s us again. For the last time, we’re afraid. Although we suspect the journos may be jumping with joy that they will be freed from our impromptu press room concerts,, we both agree that this session will be missed.

As you read this, you could be having star-strewn dreams of pillows and bed sheets. Or you could be a little mad like some of us (cough, cough) and make a run for Guaba as soon as GA is over. The important thing to note here is that we hope that when you wake up tomorrow and look back on the past few days, it will be with font memories. We hope to see you again soon, whether in Cyprus or in any session across Europe.

Enjoy your much-awaited naps,

Elina & Teresa

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contentsGA banter

10 things you did not know about twins

asylum

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crossed legs

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people & power

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brainthoven

once upon a happy ending 22

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face off 24

i saw you 28

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GA banterThe day has come. Every-one has been working hard for today, where hours of teambuilding, committee work and endless discus-sions have produced some exceptional resolutions. To-day you will debate, argue and hopefully fight for your resolutions to pass.

Its 9am and the journos have moved towards the back of the Agios Athanasios thea-tre to observe the delegates and eventually drop dead on these fabulously comfy seats. The organisers are running around like crazy as per usual, carrying between 10- -15 bottles of water each. The president has tak-en his seat on the stage in the most God- -like manner and is gesturing to his two Goddesses Alison and Pashi to join him. The Chairs are explaining how to use the placards correctly like boss-es. Panayiotis, the teachers’ organiser, is trying to look useful by standing at the door and nodding awway at the teachers as they take their seats behind all the delegates and are flashing away with their cameras.

As everyone settles down, Chris taps the mic to get everyone’s attention and begins his opening speech

the session and wishing all the delegates good luck in the hope that we will see some interesting debates. We also have the privilege of having some distinguished guests here at the General Assembly. These include Mr. Kourris, Director of the Heritage School, and Nicky Papas. Marcos Pouliotis, a European Union official gives a speech on some of the pressing issues that Eu-rope faces, and particularly the economic crisis and the need for Cyprus to develop ties of solidarity with other EU Member States.

The committee on Environ-ment kicked off the first debate. A strong defense speech was given about how waste affects human health and is a great threat to the future of the world. Their aim is to create sus-tainable communities by using resources efficiently.

At coffee break I grabbed a few delegates and asked them what their first im-pressions of GA are. Andrea Nicolaou from FEMM was impressed with the active participation in the first de-bate, and with the fact that there were some good so-lutions, which resulted in a 64 -vote pass. She also

noted that there were sig-nificant improvements on points that were not originally so strong and that in conclusion it was the delegates’ participation which made a strong resolution in the end.

Maria Papadopoulou from SEDE also noticed how mo-tivated the delegates are and that they are coming up with some good ideas. Stephanie Poulengeris from ITRE likes the formal atmos-phere but expresses that it has made the delegates quite nervous. However, as the debate progresses and more points are raised, delegates relax and be-come more confident. She also noticed that because it takes a long time to get the microphones, the delegates have a lot of time of time to brood over the discussion, leading to some overthink-ing. She said that if things happened faster then peo-ple would be forced to think on the spot, which is after-all what debating is about. She is confident for her own topic, even it is at the end of the day.

We expect all committees to follow ENVI I’s footsteps and all debates to be similarly vibrant

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by Susannah Karatzia

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10The phenomenon of twins has always caused fascina-tion and intrigue. I am sure you have all met one or the other pair of twins so far. Yet I am quite certain that beyond the striking simi-larities you initially observe you do not have more in-depth knowledge of what it means to be a twin. So here I, myself a twin, present you with some interesting facts about twins that might have never crossed your mind.

Most people are familiar with fraternal and identical twins but, in fact, there are seven different kinds of twins: identical, fraternal, half-identical, mirror im-age twins, mixed chromo-some twins, superfecun-dation, and superfetation. Those other than fraternal and identical are however very rare.

There is a scientific defini-tion for the study of twins called Gemellology. Impressive, huh?

It is considered that twins think alike. This might be the case since identical twins have almost identi-cal brainwave patterns and usually a similar up-bringing. This can explain how twins think and act alike.

While fraternal twinning can be genetically predisposed, identical twinning is random.

Twins can develop their own language. When a twin is mimicking the incorrect speech of the other twin then they speak in the same way. What sounds like a foreign tongue is actually a result

things

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about twins

you did not know

I would also like to quick-ly elaborate on the social aspect of being a twin. Stereotypes and pre-conceptions are fre-quently encountered by twins. From an early age, parents seem eager to dress their twin children in identical outfits or in other ways emphasize their similarities. These actions automatically mean that twins are perceived as one and the same person. This is a huge mistake and can eventually be harmful to a child’s psyche. Through-out their lives, these perceptions do not fade.

of cognitive development. This phenomenon is called Idioglossia.

Oddly enough, statistics about twin births are quite symmetrical. One third is fraternal twins, one third is identical twins and an-other third is male/female fraternal. Of the identi-cal twins male/male and female/female twins are equally distributed. The same goes for fraternal same sex twins half of which are male/male and half female/female.

One in 250 pregnancies results in identical twins.

22 per cent of twins are left handed.

During the Second World War, the German doctor Joseph Mengele ran cruel experiments on Auschwitz inmates, on twins mostly, since he wanted to unveil the mystery behind this phenomenon. Most of them did not survive the experimental procedures or were killed.

Identical twins share the same DNA but different fingerprints.

From my own experience, I am constantly told the same things: that I look alike with my twin and that it does not make a differ-ence if someone fails to distinguish me from her be-cause apparently “you are the same person”. People need to realize that twins, despite how close and iden-tical they might seem, are two completely different persons that have differ-ing tastes and personalties.

by Anastasia Liopetriti

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asylum

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There are alarming trends in the treatment of asy-lum seekers and refugees, as well as of irregular mi-grants in all parts of Eu-rope. Is it really a “hospita-ble” environment that can provide them with a better life? Are criminals treated the way they should be or do they get immunity due to immigration? Whether or not immigration rules are applied depends on how strict watches are in each EU countries.

Firstly in most of the EU countries immigrants are taken care of. Housing, funding and job hunting are secure to be supplied, as happens in Cyprus.

There are some immigrants who change their names when they are given asy-lums and continue their lives life without any real background check. They could be criminals, but when they migrate to a foreign country, they auto-matically become respect-ful citizens. This is some-thing that should be taken into consideration.

Starting with the security

issues, governments now upheld these, with ever more extensive border patrols being carried out, trying to deter the entry of migrants into their territory. Migrants, including asylum seekers, who do manage to irregularly enter Council of Europe member states are often criminalised, locked up in prison-like conditions, and expelled as quickly as possible – even to countries where they risk persecution and tor-ture. Irregular migration is however not a criminal act and irregular migrants also enjoy certain rights under international law, which need to be respected.

On the other hand, atten-tion must be paid to the most vulnerable groups in Europe today. That is im-migrant children, who are often denied basic health care and education, and run the risk of being ex-ploited by traffickers and smugglers.

Furthermore, the commissioner of each country of the EU must work on the protection of the human rights of

migrants and to ensure that undocumented mi-grants and their children have the right to basic health care and education. He promotes their right to protection against arbi-trary detention, as well as their right not to be sent to countries where they risk ill-treatment and torture.

In an attempt to fight abu-sive asylum requests, states undermine the rights of genuine asylum seekers, who are frequently de-tained and unable to ac-cess fair and efficient asy-lum procedures. In addition to the above, there are then criteria which must be applied for legal immigra-tion to the EU.

Helping people in need and making them feel comfortable in the country they migrate is encourag-ing. Preserving the right to be an immigrant with asylum helps people stay united. It is however only fair that the citizens of the host country remain pro-tected and safe.

by Christiana Karamalli

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awkward turtle

Being awkward is what EYP subliminally stands for. Awk-wardness breaks the ice and gives you a chance to laugh or cry with your fellow team members. We have all been in a situation where ‘awk-ward’ was awkward. Where you felt like melting right on the spot and evaporat-ing. Moments, in which you just wanted to curl up on the floor or hide in a corner and stay there until it was all over. EYP is the hot spot of all things awkward so hop on the awkward train with-out falling over.

In the first moments in the pressroom, awkwardness sparked some great laughs. ITRE’s journo Marie Poupi-nel from France began shouting at some teachers leaving the hotel because she thought they were del-egates trying to escape and “they looked really small”.

The next awkward story I heard was quite the classic. The editor Elina Mantrali(s) thought the editorial assis-tant, Clemens Rawert, was actually a girl from France right until reading his introduction mail.

After hearing these offi-cials share their strange moments, I found out that delegates were luckily even more awkward. There is nothing more discom-forting than teambuilding games in which a delegate you have just met has to kiss you where hopefully you have only been kissed metaphorically before. Ari-ana Poulengeris from ENVI II was given a memorable kiss on her derriere. Andre-as Malekos from ECON had an incident involving the wake up calls. After being woken up, he made his way to open the door and calm

the organiser down but as soon as he had opened the door, he slumped into the cupboard next to the door. And finally the most recent-ly awkward situation we can all relate to happened last night at EYP’s Got Tal-ent where two delegates decided to do a duet. That was until Lisa from ECON stopped playing the piano midway, ending the song quite early. However, the crowd managed to keep the spirits up by cheering them off the stage.

So, I hope that now you can cherish your awkward moments because there is nothing like them. Embrace these situations because without them, laughs would not be shared, friendships would not be strengthened and memories would not be made.

by Joune Kawas

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elephant mania

After listening to heated debates about resolution writing and committee top-ics, I decided to ask the del-egates and officials about more pressing matters. Topics about cell fusion and ageing populations are not as impressive as the topic chosen to ask the delegates and officials during coffee break. When asked, del-egates and officials gave very creative answers and some answers that make you wonder.

Starting off with Paula from ITRE, her response was dark as she claims she would like to stamp on people she hates. . I hope nobody gets on Paula’s bad side. Anoth-er delegate decided to keep it nice, simple and very fun as she would like to squirt things if she ever became

an elephant. Moving on, a more serious response to the question came from Erina from AFET where she would like to drink panadol if she ever became an el-ephant. I am still unsure as to why she has related pan-adols with elephants, but to each his own! Stephanie from ITRE has also given a very interesting answer that makes me wonder if she heard the question correct-ly. She would like to ‘Suck stuff’.

After hearing these peo-ple’s responses I was eager to ask more people. Dimi the chair of ITRE gave a very detailed description of what he would do first. Firstly, he would buy a suit, a mono-cle and a top hat fitted for an elephant. Dressed and ready he would then go to

a tea shop where he would drink tea. Other replies to the question included a lot of trunk related ones where people would like to slap themselves in the face with it, slap others with it or just drink water out of it. Anna from ENVI I gave a simi-larly detailed answer as she claims she would eat me. I am truly flattered by that and maybe one day when she turns into an elephant it could happen.

Moving on, Adamos from ENVI II decided to answer his own question which was “If you turned into a banana, what would you do first?” and he claims he would try to squash himself. A beautiful organiser by the name of Demetra answered my initial question by stat-ing she would climb a tree.

“If you turned into an elephant, what would you do first?”

As you can see, the responses to this question were very intellectual and rational and proved that these delegates have been brainstorming all day. So thank you all for an-swering my question and I hope one day you’ll all become elephants and your dreams

will come true.

by Joune Kawas

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CROSSED

“We have the power to change things. We do not want to remain in the kitch-en, but we can have our say in politics,” this was recently proclaimed by Isabelle Ameganvi calling on all Togo-lese women to rally against the dictatorship by withholding sex. The Battle of the Sex[es] still wages on in the 21st cen-tury.

It is an ongoing struggle aiming to defeat outdated stereotypes, coun-teracting the halo of discrimination that pervades amidst a male-dominated world, with the aim of achieving greater equality and affirming rights communally shared. Let us take a moment to reflect on the place we assume for our-selves, the role we play, the rights we hold in our European countries where democracy prevails and the

privileges of dwell-ing under the pil-lars of equality are widely recognized. It surely is utopian to say that gender inequalities have been entirely put to rest – dispari-ties are still virulent, nurturing a gaping gulf between men and women which is to be narrowed. In our patchwork societies, where traditions differ and varied conceptions of a balanced gen-der participation and representation exist, the flawed figure of democracy and a liberal society are put into light amidst the different degrees of gender equality.

In a time of global political combus-tion, where calls for democracy echo worldwide, the need for social and political change is undoubtedly visible in countries gov-erned by dictators. Mass demonstra-tions, self-immola-tions and civil wars

have been sparked off in Africa – clear indicators of the desire and willpow-er summoned to subvert the abusive system. Minority uproars reflect the lack of fairness and justice that plagues their daily lives ulti-mately lending true momentum to

democratic change in order to over-come the inequali-ties that have crip-pled them for so long.

Effectively, Musso-lini’s “war is to man as maternity is to woman” comes to mind when thinking about gender

“O God, that I were a man!”

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LEGS

men see us as rascals”.

Having to resort to a week-long sex strike as the sole apparent alternative capable of upgrad-ing their status and improving political participation clearly mirrors how des-perate this outcry is. For any political movement to be successful in Af-rica it must speak to African people at large. Sex is an instrument. Thus women have been using their body as a battlefield - it is becoming a common way of civil disobedience in recent years to achieve political goals and agitate change. Values have been trampled, dignity and integ-rity stripped away, human rights abused and discrimination fostered by Togo’s Gnassingbé’s dic-tatorial regime, which has remained in power through rigged elections.

The impact of a long - lasting regime built on repression and corruption is genu-inely disastrous, plunging the major-ity of the popula-tion into misery. The ultimate goal of empowering women is not only ethically, but also economically beneficial in the long run as it leads equal rights and the way towards and equity – milestones of democracy. If obtained, the country will have achieved political stability and social enhancement which constitute the foun-dations for sustainable devel-opment and growth in all fields.inequalities along-

side traditional stereotyping. This conditioning of women to fulfil their domestic role has stirred widespread disapproval. Gender inequalities have long kept women from any form of political activism and the voicing of

their claims -a sheer violation of human rights. Moreover, let us recall snippets of Lysistrata, a re-nowned Greek play which underpinned women’s inferiority, bemoaning “There are a lot of things about us woman that sadden me, considering how

- Much Ado About Nothing, W. Shakespeare

by Marie Poupinel

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outside the bubble...As you have all been su-per busy and absorbed in teambuilding, committee work and partying I am sure you are all a bit be-hind on what is happening outside the EYP world. This update will fill you in on some current issues and events.

Space Legend DiesNeil Armstrong, the American astronaut who was the first hu man to walk on the moon

died on the 25th of August. He underwent surgery to relieve blocked coronary arteries but died following complications from the procedure. His first space flight was the NASA Gemini 8 mis-sion in 1966. His first step on the moon was in 1969 when he said, “The Eagle has landed.” Once setting his left boot on the surface at 2.56am UCT he said, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind”.

ParalympicsThe Paralympics have com-menced and involve athletes with a range of physical disabilities including blindness, amputation and mobility

dis ability. The Paralympics are taking place between the 29thof August and the 9th of September in London. It was officially announced that 2.1 million tickets were sold for the event. On the 29th whilst you were preparing to come to EYP, the Opening Ceremony took place at the Olympics Stadium with “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare being the theme. However some wrong medals have already been awarded. A scoring system error led to the medals mistakenly being awarded to the wrong athletes in the wom-an’s combined discus event. A new medal ceremony has been scheduled for Saturday.

Hurricane IsaacThousands of people have fled the area of south-eastern Louisiana and New Orleans in the attempt to move away from Hurricane Isaac which is travelling at speeds of 130km/h towards the American coast. The center of the hurricane was estimated to be 65 miles south of New Orleans. Devastating effects include a backward flow of the Missisipi River, power cuts and mass flooding. The hurricane has already caused 24 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Billions of dollars were spent on preven-tive measures against hurricanes after ‘Katrina’ in 2005 but there is significant doubt whether they will work this time around.

bySusannah Karatzia

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extr

ador

dina

ryco

mpe

titi

ons

One’s imagination has no limits as proven by some extraordi-nary competitions humanity has achieved to come up with.

Let me start with the tasty Gravy Wrestling competition of the United Kingdom. Gravy is commonly known as the essential sauce for the typically British ‘Sunday Roast’. British people seem to love gravy so much, that having it from one Sunday to another is not enough for them, which is why they invented ‘Gravy Wrestling’. This wild competition is now celebrating its 5th anniversary with the 2012 World Gravy Competition taking place in

be emphasised that this is a very serious competition. Laughing is judged by its loud-ness, length, content, style and infectious quality. The winner takes home 100 000 baht (ap-proximately 2500 EUR). Did it catch your attention now? However, the competition has high standards with a laugh lasting 12 minutes and 26 sec-onds at a booming 110 deci-bels being the world record. If you are willing to participate I advise you to practice first and give it your best laugh.

Last but not least is the Sauna Endurance competition. This contest takes place in a country

Lancaster,UK. The rules of the competition are rather simple. Contestants must wrestle in the gravy for 2 minutes and are being rated by audience applause, and various different moves. All contestants should wear a fancy dress, since there is a prize for the best outfit of the day. The World Gravy Wrestling Championship is all about raising cash for charity whilst having some fun at the same time.

Next on the list is the laugh-ing competition in Thailand. I believe that the title is pretty self-explanatory. Forget about the global economic crisis, en-vironmental disasters and food shortages- it is time to have a laugh. Nevertheless, it has to

that lacks sunshine most time of the year. Finland has achieved to find a decent solution to this problem by introducing the Sauna Endurance competition. The Sauna World Champion-ships are held every August in Heinola, Finland. The competi-tion tests to see who can stay in a hot, sweltering sauna the longest. The starting tempera-ture of the sauna in the Cham-pionship is 110ºC and this heat is increased every 30 seconds. The 2003 champion Timo Kau-konen holds the world record with an impressive endurance of 16 minutes and 15 seconds. If there is anyone who says “I survived the Cypriot summers, surviving a sauna is no big deal for me” then you can go along and try to be the next Timo

Kaukonen.

The moral of the story is that there is a competition for any-thing and everyone nowadays. And who knows maybe one day you will want to give it a go.

by Rifat Koseouglu

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When you are young, you are naturally equipped with a certain passion to change the world and never be dis-honest. As time progresses, the thirst for power and money can however turn someone into a completely different person. They be-come traitors to their own ideals.

In this passionate period young people fight for hu-man rights, morality and anything that goes against their ethical beliefs. Later in life these people get lost in the pursuit of becoming rich and powerful. These incentives let them cheat, steal and kill.

Most of us have heard of how power corrupts. The question is why and how does power corrupt lead-ers? Leadership is at its core all about power and influence. Leaders use their power to get things done. A leader can use his power to benefit others, but can also gain from it personally. The obvious problem is power held by one individ-ual, being abused for per-sonal rather than commu-nal gain. Often one person gains at the expense of the people he represents. Then again, it is not a secret to to anyone that close fol-lowers of these leaders enjoy some benefits as well.

Leaders can also become “intoxicated” by power - engaging in wrong behav-iour simply because they can get away with it. This negative side of control is used by most people that possess power, the more they focus on their own egocentric desires the less they are able to see the perspectives of others. Furthermore, there are in-dividual differences. Some people are simply hungry for power and prone to use their influence to subjugate others.

In order to stop corruption from spreading further, we should unite and demand our rights. No crime should

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go unpunished. No immunity should be granted to someone just because he holds a power-ful position. If someone is found guilty, he should be penalised.

The significance of the tragic incidents that hap-pened last July in Limassol, Cyprus at Mari Naval Base to this topic should not be underestimated. . Thirteen people died and many oth-ers were injured, physically and psychologically, due to an explosion of hundreds of army bullet fillers. A lot of young soldiers, caring brothers and loving fathers never returned. A year has passed and no victim’s

relatives received justice. No one in power took the blame. No apologies were given. What it boils down to is that people in power have control over a lot of things that happen in a country. People on the top of this pyramid must be ready to protect, never betray, their followers. Every time someone talks about people in power one should familiarise themselves with what kind of ideology these people follow and who these people benefit in their decision-making. Keep an open mind and never stop to question what happens at the top.

people & power

‘When morality and the law no

longer represent the same val-

ues - how do we choose?’

by Christiana Karamalli

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The EYP experience, apart from its educational and fun char-acter, gives EYPers special traits and knowledge bound to stick with them for their whole life.

you know you are in EYP when…so,

You know that a chair is not just an object to sit on

You know how to make the perfect circle

You know the difference between a pony and a big fat pony

You answer “I love you but I just can’t smile” to any loving comment

You have at least one ac-quaintance to spend some time with in most European countries

You can survive a whole session without sleeping

You can pass an orange, a bottle or a coin without using your hands

You do not feel “at home” when at home anymore

You are not afraid of jellyfish

You know the difference between a train and the train of love

You have your own col-lection of welcome packs, badges and wristbands

You are familiar with the majority of European airlines and airports

You can greet people and swear in multiple European languages

You know that coffee breaks do not have any coffee

You wonder why people in public do not wear name badges and colorful t-shirts so as to identify them

You have been on a bear hunt

You cannot explain PED to your friends

Your most frequent and uncured illness is PED (Post EYP Depression)

You enjoy drinking water only when itis served by an organizer

You know how to peel, chop, shake, eat and go bananas in the middle of the road

You know that moose are great, big and love juice

You know what one should feed birdie num num

You get moved whenever you listen to “Imagine” by John Lennon

You have met Mamas and Papas, from Mamas and Papas Productions

by Danae Tselou

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m a t c hm a k e r

Matchmaking is the process of matching two people together, usually for the purpose of marriage. In some cultures the role of the match-maker was and is professionalized. In this session, in order to maximize its success, we decided not to commune our intentions. After exhaust-

ing research we came to the following conclusions:

Teresa - ChrisOur beautiful editor and the president of the ses-sion share an endless love for cats. We suggest that, after they get to know each other better and if it works out between them, they adopt the tiny kitten we found yesterday at the lobby of the hotel.

Alexia (FEMM) - Tasos (ENVI 1)These sixteen year old del-egates have a great rela-tion with the element of water in common. Namely, Alexia loves wind-surfing and Tasos is a water-skiing and wakeboarding fan. We bet that a walk on the beach would be very pro-ductive for them.

Anna (ENVI 1) – Markos (ITRE)These two delegates might be united either by their love for music or by their

common sports activities. They both enjoy playing basketball. In addition, Anna plays the piano and Markos the clarinet. We would strongly advise them to be very careful when playing basketball as they may injure their hands and so have to live with-out playing their favourite instrument for a while.

Andriani (ENVI 1) - Savvas (SEDE)Savvas has no specific musical preferences, so we suppose that he will enjoy listening to Andriani’s fa-vourite pop songs. What will surely bring them close is their vivid interest in watching football games. And, as Andriani pointed out, “Go, APOELARA, Go!”

Andrea (FEMM) - Adamos (ENVI 2) If the popular saying “to love passes through the

stom ach” is found to be true, these two delegates are soul mates. When inter-viewed they both stressed their love for food. A day spent on eating pasta, An-drea’s favourite food, while listening to classical music seems like the perfect date. Adamos’ passion will cer-tainly be of great help.

Andreani (FEMM) - Tim (LIBE)Here comes one of our favourite couples. Their passion for horse-riding can and will provide great bonding material. We just hope that Andreani’s being one year older is not much of a problem for Tim.

Good luck finding your mate; we tried to save you some time!

by Danae Tselou

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brainthoven“Music makes me forget my real situation. It transports me into a state which is not my own. Under the influence of music I really seem to feel what I do not understand, to have powers which I cannot have.” - Leo Tolstoy

These are the words with which the influential Rus-sian writer, Leo Tolstoy, described music. While this description seems a bit of a writer’s fantasy, the truth about the effects of the different parts of music on our brain is even more remarkable.

Music is no simple busi-ness. It consists of many and more elements, some of them mainly perceived by the subconscious of the listener. The consistency of the beat and rhythm in general, the patterns used in melodies and even the volume of it actively chang-es the biochemistry of the brain, leading the listener to altered states of mind. In this way, music can help cure serious diseases, such as depression, by restor-ing the brains activity to normal levels. The num-ber of neurotransmitters (compounds in the nerv-ous system used to trans-fer signals),which are to a great extent responsible for the mood of a person, can be increased by listening to soothing music. By calming

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the mind, flat notes also assist in reducing anxiety and thus help to prevent cases of chronic anxiety, which can lead to insom-nia. Furthermore, music can boost learning abilities by making difficult tasks seem more pleasant.

Surprisingly, that is not all. Music has been proven to have other, even more crazy effects on a human’s mind and body. For ex-ample, by increasing the number of the aforemen-tioned neurotransmitters, music can set an end to addictions and even give a serious boost to your im-mune system. What is even more amazing is that music can help Alzheimer’s pa-tients to remember pieces of their past by engaging both hemispheres of the brain, creating brain activ-ity not achievable by any other means of psycho-therapy. You know the feel-ing of listening to a song which is connected to you emotionally? Well that’s because music also reacts with the part of the brain which is responsible for

long term memory, the hippocampus, retrieving emotions connected to it, in some cases even memo-ries you could not recover consciously. Another amaz-ing achievement of music is the restoration of the sense of balance and the decrease of muscle spasms in patients with Parkin-son’s syndrome. Remem-ber tapping on the floor whilst listening to some groovy music? Well, that is the mechanism utilised there, actually letting the brain go on ‘autopilot’ on its muscles, thus overcom-ing the mind block of the patient. Last but not least music can actually make you smarter. The mecha-nism behind this is still unknown, but listening to music (especially classical piano music like Mozart) will increase you IQ by at least 9 points for a short time after.

So guys and ‘gals’, take out those mp3 players while getting ready for the GA and do not be shy to rock some tunes when you feel exhausted or overwhelmed.

by Mark Merkouris

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once upon a happy ending

A modern day fairy tale

Once upon a time a happy young boy lived with his parents in the richest part of the city. He was seventeen years old and had all his life planned out. He would go to university to study architecture; he would rent a flat with his girlfriend from High School and live happily ever after.

He was not prepared for anything unexpected to happen. So when his parents took the car one morning he did not even get a last chance to talk to them because he was still sleeping.

A phone call woke him up and the next thing he remembered was taking a taxi directly to the hospital. From then on, he had to live with his only living relative left, his uncle. For him, moving out meant changing his perfect future plans and going hundreds of kilometres away.

He moved from living with a well established family to living with a poor, old man.

After a few months he saw with his own eyes what the real world was like. From

nine to five, he spent all his time working hard to earn a living. In only a couple of months he matured more than he had in years before. The boy eventually had to make sacrifices due to his changed situation. His girlfriend who he loved dearly, and he were torn apart by the distance, since she also left their hometown to follow her dream of becoming a fa-mous singer.

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from high school had moved into his city. The long distance could not stop her from being with him.

Several years after, he discovered that his girlfriend was the one who found his shoe in the middle of the street and accidentally found him while trying to hand back the shoe to its rightful owner. Finally the missing shoe found his pair.

by Laia Silva

“Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”

Albert Einstein

Even though his wish of becoming an architect did not vanish, he was conscious that without a lot of effort it would not be possible to achieve this goal. That is why he kept up the hard work day after day.

When he finally made it into University, he discovered a new world around him. Before, he did not have many friends where he lived now, not to say that he had no one. So when he got there, the friendly and inclusive atmosphere that surround

him was truly overwhelm-ing.

The first night he went out with his new friends, his euphoria made him clebrate more than he was used to. The next day he woke up with no memories whatsoever and, curiously, one shoe missing.

After a couple of days, when walking calmly to his house in the evening, he he saw a girl sitting in a bar near to his home that appeared familiar to him. He could not believe his eyes. His girlfriend

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faceoff

Next up is the press-team and we are proud to present our lovely Dutchman ‘Papas’ from Papas and Mamas productions. His awesomeness comes from birth so this is usually how you see him most of the time anyway.

The delegates have a very strong candidate for the title – the amazing Lisa Ayse Allison from ECON.I can guarantee you that there was no photo-shop involved in this photo. Lisa’ supernatural ability to twist her lips created this weird image for us.

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Savvas’s choice of this face comes from his love for ‘Bugs Bunny’. He is hoping that his ‘Bugs Bunny’ face will be chosen as the Weirdest Face of the Contest and make the Organisers team proud.

Finally the chairs team are represented by Andreas Hadjimitsis. Andreas is usu-ally a calm guy so this was an unexpected picture for us. It is said that Andreas went crazy in the ‘Hard Rock Party’ and his picture from the night was chosen for the Weird Face Contest.

And…the winner??

We want to thank all our candidates for their valuable participation. It was a very difficult call to make so we had a survey to determine the win-ner. We are proud to announce that the honourable Weird Face Contest of the 6th National Session of EYP Cyprus goes to... Lisa Ayse Allison. You have made the delegates proud Lisa!

by Rifat Koseoglu

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I saw you...

... with yor red hot pants acting cool, wearing your Ray Ban’s throughout the day. xoxo

... with that long black dress and I found you attractive.

... bathing in the swimming you pool on Friday at 3 am in the morning!

... doing Gangnam style!

... lying on top of us during teambuilding and en-joying it.

... drinking your frappe and playing games on your iPhone. You look just like Lorris (the actor) but I still like you.

... and I liked your long hair and you big smile. Then I saw you doing the water commercial and I liked you even more.

... with your face as white as snow, your lips as red as roses, shaking that booty and striking poses. Love

... driving around town with the boy I love! Pou pais kori mou! (“Where are you going my daughter?”)

... that is, Allison and Laura, picking each others’ noses. Eeeww!

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... waking us up on Friday morning. Your are so hot. xx

... taking pictures of the delegates at the registra-tion desk on Friday. You are really cute.

... sleeping during EYP’s Got Talent!

... ripping your pants in the front yard! Nice black and white boxers.

... and fell in love with your red hot pants. The sexy brunette from LIBE. xxx

... damn coin refusing to pass between us to the line’s end and embarrassing a whole committee for 40 minutes.

THE EYP CYPRUS WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF ITS GENEROUS SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS FOR THEIR VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN MAKING THIS SESSION POSSIBLE FOR ALL ITS PARTICIPANTS.

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