athanatOs01.04.11. /Αθάνατος/ n. [From Greek ‘immortal’]

2 Athanatos

In the beginning there was …

Hesiod scratched his beard. You couldn’t be wise in those days if you didn’t have a beard. If you have a beard to-day however you’re either a tourist, old-fashioned or a fool. They hadn’t invented electrical razors then see so they let the damned thing grow. So Hesiod started writing: “in the beginning there was chaos”. Well of course there was chaos. And then there was Space. And this space carried the sperm of everything which today consists of our universe. Prologues are a little boring but you can’t avoid them. In all their tediousness we can’t just go on with a paper without an editorial. We need to give the prod-uct a form, a truth. Well, the kind of truth one will find in an EYP paper. Homer lied. He said that first there was the Ocean who married Thetis. But Homer was romantic a poet and was allowed to say what he liked. He would probably have won the Nobel Prize with all those thousand words…But we all know that Chaos was first. Welcome to Greece. We hope you will find your space to express yourselves and your romanticism…

Prometheus & Aesop LLUIS STAMOS

3Athanatos

Democracy - making ofBoaz “Οδυσσέας – Odysseus” Manger explains it better than History Channel

Before Athens was ruled through a democratic system it was ruled by an oligarchic system. A relatively small elite of nobles, the eupatridae (literally “well-fathered”), was in full control. They ruled through a council that took most of the decisions including the election of archons, the executives who governed and practised law. The archons became a permanent part of the council after serving their term, thereby keeping the circle firmly closed. Even during these times there was already a popular assembly, but access to it was limited to rich middle-class citizens and the pow-ers of the assembly were very limited.

In these days the city-state of Athens was steadily expanding over the neighbouring area of Attica. The city grew to encompass most of the sur-rounding towns and became one of the largest and wealthiest city-states on mainland Greece. We can safely say that the general population felt oppressed by the rule of the eupatri-dae. All political power was gathered in their hands, which meant that the vast majority of the population had no influence at all in the political process. Furthermore, the eupatridae owned most of the land and loaned it to citi-zens to exploit. If citizens failed to pay the mortgage they could be enslaved. And so, around the 7th century BC, social unrest has spread through the entire city-state of Athens prompt-ing the council to devise a plan to stay in power. After plans to stay in control by implementing a more strict law failed they appointed Solon to revise the constitution.

Solon made the first democratic reforms; he divided the population

into 4 classes based on wealth instead of birth and gave every class the right to participate in the popular assembly. He also granted the popu-lar assembly a voice at the selection of the archons. Furthermore he broke up the large land estates and imple-mented a law that made sure no one could become enslaved because of debt. Lastly, he freed trade and com-merce thus sprouting a new rich merchant class. However, public offices still remained exclusive to the upper classes. Although revolu-tionary, Solon’s reforms proved to be inadequate to quell the unrest and a benevolent dictator seized power.

It wasn’t until 80 years later that Cleisthenes firmly implemented the democratic system we still know today. He gave every citizen, regardless of wealth, a voice in the govern-ment. No longer were public offices restricted to the upper classes. He also implemented a system by which a council of 500 was democratically elected to govern Athens on a daily basis. Furthermore, he gave the pop-ular assembly even more power and invented “ostracism”, a system that allowed the assembly to banish indi-viduals who gained too much power.

The system Cleisthenes implemented was perfected by Pericles who intro-duced payment for public office, truly making the position available to everyone regardless of wealth. Pericles led Athens into a golden age in which wonders such as the Parthenon were constructed. The Athenian democracy under Pericles is still an example to our modern democracies and as such, Athens is known as the cradle of democracy.

4 Athanatos

Got any

In this era of globalisation it is often easy to forget how significant an individual is. It is easy to feel small and even easier to feel unimpor-tant. But, let me conclude before even having started: your voice does matter. All around the world young-sters are active and show that our generation is the generation that cares. The generation that cares-

without a hidden agenda, without mixed interests, and simply cares because wrongs need righting. Mass youth action has helped to liber-ate Egypt and Tunisia, and has now caused the international commu-nity to stand by the people of Libya.

It is easy to forget that an individual voice can make a difference, but the past can be a source of inspiration. At the Earth Summit of the United Nations in Rio in 1992, it was not a politician or a university professor that silenced the world and made us rethink our actions, but a twelve year-old girl named Severn Suzuki who spoke about injustice, inequal-ity and environmental issues. She travelled over five thousand miles to

share a simple message: “At school, you teach us how to behave in the world. You teach us to respect, to share, to not be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?”. This message startled the world and for years it was known as the speech that silenced the world for six minutes. This example depicts the strength and ability in all of us, if we dare step outside of con-ventional boundaries and speak up for what we believe in.

However, it is not always about huge speeches for the entire world to listen to, nor about the liberation of a country. During the Cold War, ten year-old Samantha Smith decided to write a letter to the newly appointed leader of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov, ask-ing why the relationship between the United States of America and the Soviet Union was so bad. Her letter was not only answered, but she was later asked to join peace negotiations in Japan. Similarly, Anne Frank made a deep impression on the world through her diary which recounts hiding from Nazis during the Second World War. This famous diary is still today one of the most read books around the world and seen as one of the most important works about the Holocaust. The message is sim-ple, honest and effective: stay close to what you believe in and act on those beliefs. By doing so, you are making a difference. By doing so, you do matter.

“ ” We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same .Marianne Williamson, 1992.

change?

Maybe you won’t g o o n t o become a United Nations’ Youth Representative like the Dutch EYPer Dirk Janssen. Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t go on to fight for equal rights in your country of origin, like Swedish EYPer Rebecca Farkhooy in Iran. Maybe you will. But remember that as long as you voice your hon-est and pure beliefs about what you think is right, you will be heard and you will matter, so do not hold back. Inspire!

Tim “Λερναία Ύδρα - the Lernaean Hydra” Keegstra believes you can make a difference

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EYP sessions are so hectic that it is a rare luxury to get to work out in the middle of a session. You can eas-ily make up for this by having a good laugh every now and then. Laughing has shown to strengthen your cordial muscles, thus helping you stay fit.

Laughing releases numerous health-enhancing hormones that for example strengthen your immune system and help fight stress. Many of the hormones’ effects have to do with making you feel better about yourself and the people around you.

Smiling lifts you into a good mood and makes you think of upcoming chal-lenges in a more lighthearted way. The situations ahead of you seem a lot less threatening and more posi-tive. This is to be kept in mind when preparing for your speech in GA.

Smiling and laughing are known to be extremely contagious. Bursting into laughter or raising a smile is a foolproof way to lighten the atmosphere. Being happy your-self and treating other people in a friendly way is a sure way to make them happy too. In the middle of Committee Work, when everyone is all stressed-out and ready to smack each other, be the one to raise a smile! The others will follow your lead.

Being an agelast is a foolproof way of alienating people. Contrariwise, a smile on your face makes you look prettier, attracts people and invites them to come talk to you. Smiling will maximize your chances of making friends at the session and perhaps finding that special someone.

It is often claimed that it takes 43 facial muscles to frown but just 17 to smile. I’m sorry to tell you, but this argument is false propaganda. According to experts, you need use one less muscle to frown, the cor-rect numbers being 12 for smiling

and 11 for frowning. Does this mean we should wear frowns and all be agelastic? Research claims not; the effects of smiling and laughing are undeniable. Here are five good reasons to raise those mouth-corners of yours and start to laugh!

1

2

3

4

5

Work out

Hormone Dose

Positive perspective

The atmosphere

Approachability

by Sini “Ελένη της Τροίας Helen of Troy” Ventelä

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Three waysto approach fellow delegates, by Alexandre “Περσέας – Perseus” Narayanin

Selected at your National Sessions, you probably know the names of your delegation, but not of other delegates. Therefore, you will need to be com-municative and if you want to get to know as many people as possible you will maybe even have to make the first step towards others. The easiest way would be to say “Hi” or “Hello” without any-thing else. If you are a talkative person, you will continue with a topic. But if not, this could lead to some kind of awkward silence neither you nor your counterpart knows how to deal with. To avoid this situation, I recommend a moderate form of physical contact which will quickly form an unconscious bond between the pair of you. There are three main ways of doing this: you can shake the person’s hand, kiss them on the cheek or hug them.

The handshake: you don’t need to be afraid to use this method, it’s the most formal one, not to mention the safest. There are no

misunderstandings involved, and you can’t do anything wrong unless you have extremely sweaty palms. The only thing you need to remember is to release your acquaintance’s hand after a few seconds.

The cheek kiss: The main choice for most southern-European coun-tries. The first danger that arises is that neither you nor the other person knows how many times you actually need to kiss. There might be a rule at your school or in your region but believe me, this kissing business can

be really disturbing. If you are on the fence, just go for the kiss and wait to see what happens. Worst case scenario, you will do something wrong and you can start a relaxed conversation about this exact topic. Smooth moves!

The hug is friendly but safe, and a good option for almost any situation. Little tips on how to hug: the hug shouldn’t be too weak but neither a hug that lifts your fellow del-egate from the floor. A strange phenomenon which is emerg-ing in religious America is the “side-hug”, invented to keep the intimate parts away from each other during a hug. This newspaper strongly condemns such behaviour

and urges you to stick to the full-frontal hugs we know and love.

Everyone has their own ways of com-munication, but remember, the first impression is the most important one. Have a great session, com-municate and create new bonds!

In certain regions of the world, as in Asia,

direct eye contact it is consid-ered to be very rude; however eye

contact in Europe is a capital element of communication. You should try to find the right amount of time to look

into someone’s eyes. If you stare it might be disturbing.

7Athanatos

to approach fellow delegates, by Alexandre “Περσέας – Perseus” Narayanin

In the chimpanzee world, you greet a close friend

by placing your fingertips between their teeth. This shows your ultimate trust in him

Don’t forget to wear your name tags!

8 Athanatos

e-DelegatesConor “Ηρακλής – Hercules” Hamill interviews three of you on the topic of e-Democracy

It’s no mystery that with the vast amount of parliamentary mate-rial online today, e-democracy has become an essential approach to heighten civilian involvement in governmental issues and acts as a platform for capturing the engage-ment of people politically. As a way of delving deeper into the subject and wanting to get a better understand-ing of the potentially “astroturfing” issue, I interviewed Ireland’s Ronan O’Connor, France’s Guillaume Bodson and Spain’s Anna Recasens to see what they had to say on the matter.

Without a doubt, the core benefit of e-democracy is the involvement of people politically and it’s through this action where other benefits for political parties, such as support and reliance, derive from. Guillaume feels, through the benefits of e-democracy, it “also obligates the government to be more honest with it’s population because if not, the government risks a lot.” However, when one’s national government is constantly being criti-cised for “not doing anything”, has it taken advantage of the accessibility of e-democracy? I’m inclined to agree with Ronan that, “the Irish Political system has been dragged kicking and

s c r e a m i n g

into the technological age” and as it has taken very little advantage of the power of online media it is apparent that networking is the approach they should take to secure political engagement. “We should move towards networking, taking advantage of the internet for commu-nication and for voters to voice their opinions, not solely as a billboard for political parties.”. Also agreeing with Ronan, Guillaume envisions that “the creating of a parliamentary network, channel, are some tries of the govern-ment to show their willingness of being more straight with the population.”

Considering whether governments target specific groups of people through e-democracy, Anna points out “it’s quite clear that nowadays e-democracy focuses on the young people, who are generally both more familiar with new technologies and less participative in the democratic process.”. Yet Guillaume feels, speak-ing in particular about the French government “I don’t think there is a precise target group to this, how-ever the consequences are that the population has a tendency to criticize every governmental decision, even if the laws are essential to them.”

Regarding ‘astroturfing’, a PR tactic used in politics in which actors are paid to display overt and apparently unprompted support for a par-ticular policy, could the purpose of e-democracy be used negatively by manipulating our opinion on govern-mental issues? Anna feels that “Due to the anonymity offered by the web it’s much more easy to manipulate the public opinion, and this fact should be kept under control by a specialised, independent organisation to avoid demagoguery”. Ronan agrees, “with the right investment and safeguards, we can develop strategies to mini-mise the effect of such a problem”.

We understand ‘astroturfing’ isn’t the only problem associated with e-democracy; other dangers such as computer hacking etc. still exist online. On the question of whether or not the future of e-democracy is a safe one, Anna suggests the concept of e-democracy “needs time to get adapted to our society and vice versa.” Ronan recognizes that “governments will need to be one step ahead of the constantly advancing technology.”.

I believe, considering how fast tech-nology continues to grow, that in the near future, e-democracy will have succeeded in involving more people politically. As Ronan reas-sures us, “e-democracy moves our democracy towards the discus-sion of the issues, not on which politician has the nicest smile!”.

9Athanatos

Froth and

BubbleZeynep “Πηνελόπη – Penelope” Yavuz recounts how e-democracy freed her

however, I was raised to define my own words, not to let people define them. Luckily, in the 21st century, that was not the only option. With a bunch of other columnists, we decided to post our vetoed articles on an internet blog. To my relief and amazement, my messages were being recognised; students began to con-gratulate me or criticise my articles. I even welcomed the critics because my articles were initiating discus-sions; I could have never imagined that the students who seemed to have no interest in what is going on in the world would be so worked up about my articles. I sensed change in the air; students were starting to discuss issues. My bubble was leaking air!

When you have two apples and share one with your friend, you will have one apple each. When you have two new ideas and share them with a friend, you will each have two ideas. My experience in Cairo on 28th of February showed me how power-ful e-democracy truly is and can be used as a weapon to burst the bubble surrounding us. Only when people realise the bubble surround-ing them and embrace e-democracy as a weapon to fight it, will a bottom to top change take place and a new generation which treats new opinions not as commodities but as ideas which grow by sharing will be created.

I live in a bubble. It is not like a plastic bubble. It is abstract and invisible; thus hard to realize. It has been created by common assump-tions people have; assumptions so deeply ingrained into the human mind that make them impossible for people to realize that they have them.In the bubble I live in, high school students should not be involved in politics and question deci-sions made by the government.

After the military coup in Turkey in1980, publishing political opinions different to those of the government was banned in schools. Thirty years later, I was struggling with the same ban as a columnist. Most of my school magazine articles were changed by the editors or vetoed by the prin-cipal. I felt like I was choking in all the ideas I couldn’t tell people. It was the first time I realized the bubble surrounding me, making me una-ble to move, breath and even think. In my bubble, democracy, sharing opinions and any kind of political process, were alienated from ordi-nary people. Decisions were made by the representatives - in other words, the “powerful people”. Then I asked the question, how can I eradicate something which is not even visible?

I could choose to show, not tell, and work in subtle ways in my articles;

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“The charm of the session lies in the free time, when we can all relax a bit and get to know the other delegates. That’s the part I’m most looking forward to.” Daniel Garcia Lidon (Spain)

“I hope that the Athens 2011 will be a posi-tively unforgettable experience and that I’ll be introduced to new cultures.” Heidi Sjöblom (Finland)

“I think the greatest part will be getting to know a bunch of new people from all over Europe. Plus Greece seems like a beautiful country, so I am really excited!” Victoria Sophia Haraldson (Sweden)

“My secret weapon in Athens is my smile.” º Constantina Christou (Cyprus)

“I hope that in Athens 2011 we wil l prove that we are not as “good for nothing” as everyone thinks” Mrs Demiri (Teacher, Greece)

“In the session I’m most looking forward to the PEOPLE. Everyone and anyone.” Maria Kristiina Prass (Estonia)

“I think that the magic of different people meeting each other, sleepless nights (probably) and colorful new experiences are going to make Athens so special.” Ieva Pastare (Latvia)

“On a scale of 1 to 100 my excitement level is 99. It’s not 100 because the potatoes arent the same as in Ireland” Lee Moran (Ireland)

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Delegates from The Netherlands

Delegates from Spain

Delegates from Belgium

12 Athanatos

The Nike shoes you wear, the Starbucks coffee you drink, the Ajax kitchen detergent you use or the Hermès bag you wish you had; they all have something in common: they all have a an often-unnoticed ref-erence to Greek mythology in their name or logo. Nike was the winged Goddess of Victory who could run and fly at incredible speeds and has now given her name to a sports’ equip-ment company. The Starbucks logo sports a two-tailed Siren. Ajax, the brand of a kitchen detergent and the name of a Dutch football team, is the name of two heroes from Homer’s Iliad. The name of the great messen-ger of the gods strongly resembles the name of the high-quality brand Hermès. The examples are infinite; we constantly use symbols referring to ancient history to make our text more flamboyant, our speech more refined and our life more colourful.

Greek mythology is ubiquitous in today’s society and we come across symbols from ancient Greece every other day. Not just names and logos but paintings, poems, comic strips and other literature may have a deeper meaning or thought behind them, beyond the obvious. Notice this, and a great number of stories may be revealed. For example, I was standing in the Terrace Room at the Stockholm School of Economics looking at a painting picturing 21 characters that played an important part in Swedish economic history and capitalism in general. In the midst of Karl Marx and Marc Wallenberg I saw the four-headed goddess Hecate embodied by four tycoons from the 50’s. After this discovery and the following dis-cussions, I also found out that the school’s emblem includes a caduceus, a stylised version of the staff car-ried by Hermes. It is made up of a

pole entwined by two serpents with a winged helmet representing Hermes on the top. The caduceus is often used as a symbol of commerce – suitable for a business and economics schools.

The discussions about the paint-ing and the emblem eventually led to a guy taking his shirt of to show a gigantic tattoo on his right arm figuring symbols of three differ-ent Greek gods and goddesses. To him, the three symbols did not just embody the commonly accepted meaning but they also had a less obvious meaning, they represented different parts of his life and he told me a long story about the tattoo.

A symbol acquires a created meaning in order to romanticise and embel-lish the world. Its purpose might be to unite people or it may have a different meaning to each indi-vidual. Nonetheless, the painting, the emblem and the tattoo figuring various Greek symbols, whatever the meaning, all carried a story, just as Nike and the Starbucks Siren most probably do. When I opened my eyes and observed all references to Greek mythology in my surroundings I had a track of stories retold to me, making my life much more colourful. So open your eyes, search your surround-ings, and you will discover things you might have never expected!

Katarina “Αταλάντη – Atalanta” Warg sees Greek symbols everywhere

Plato loved brands

“A Swedish poet once founded a society called “Bacchi Orden”. They worshiped Bacchus, the god of wine and in order to become a member of the order one had to have, at least twice, been seen publicly lying dead-drunk in the gutter.”

13Athanatos

Stalkers Inc.Gen “Κυρήνη – Cyrene” Shorthouse wonders how many bald old men are browsing your holiday pictures right now”

Stalker. Definition: a person who is slightly too interested in the life of another and pursues this interest ‘stealthily’. In some extreme cases, this can apply to multiple unaware others. Yet here is where your hid-den secret is to be revealed as yes, this definition applies to each and every one of you. We are all stalkers, or to be more precise, Facebook stalkers.

Before arriving at the session, you will most likely have looked up your chairs, journalists and future com-mittee members on Facebook (if you haven’t, where have you been?). Perhaps flicked through some of their profile pictures, their interests and found out where they are from. That lingering look of mutual recog-nition on the first day is a sure sign of a fellow stalker. Just to reassure you, there is absolutely no shame in this. We all had that little moment of panic when Facebook suddenly introduced their Stalker App, and the following thought ran through our minds: “that guy/girl whose

profile I look at a few too many times a day for it to be classified as just casual browsing, is now going to find out that I am obsessed with them”. Luckily for all mankind, this app wasn’t quite sophisticated enough to reveal the full extent of our problem.

In the age of e-democracy, it is now possible to find out almost all basic information about a person with-out actually ever having met them. Whilst in some ways this is a bless-ing, it also needs to be addressed with due caution. Making opinions of oth-ers based on appearances, hobbies or cultural stereotypes can lead to mis-conceptions and unfair judgements. Through EYP it has become appar-ent to me that first impressions are nearly always wrong and are never maintained for a long period of time.

Hopefully, you will not only have taken time to investigate the peo-ple you will be spending the next ten days with, but have also looked into the topic you will be discussing and

forming a resolution about during Committee Work. Arriving prepared and already with some ideas in mind is almost necessary to you feeling com-fortable within the discussions and GA. I would also urge you to strongly consider what it is you would like to gain out of the session, whether it is to meet a wide variety of new people, have your say on current European issues or even just to sample some delicious cuisine at Eurovillage!

Yet ultimately, preparation can only get you so far. Be spontaneous, innovative and creative and don’t be afraid to have your say. Many of those innocent people whose profiles you have unwittingly been trawl-ing through might ultimately end up becoming lifelong friends. But maybe don’t go telling everyone on the first day that you know their whole life story, family members, favourite movie, band, TV show etc….we stalkers don’t stalk and tell.

14 Athanatos

EU InstitutionsAlex “Αχιλλέας – Achilles” Proctor offers basic information for any aspiring EYPer

Sound complicated?The EU’s accountability as a demo-cratic union is often questioned due to its complicated forms of governance.T h e 7 3 6 - m e m b e r E u r o p e a n Parliament is the only European institution affected by direct democ-racy. Each Member State’s citizens elect their own country’s Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during the European elections that occur every five years. The MEPs are not in the Parliament to represent their country’s opinion but their own. The European Parliament started out as a discussion forum in 1952 but has now devolved into a legislative insti-tution that is entitled an opinion on 90% of all decisions made in the EU. The Parliament has seven differ-ent political groups that the MEPs divide into according to their politi-cal beliefs and is led by the President of the European Parliament. It gath-ers in Strasbourg and Brussels to discuss and come up with solutions - just like we do here in the European Youth Parliament. The European

Parliament controls the Union’s budget and chooses the President of the European Commission.

The European Commission is said to be the most powerful governing body in the EU. Until 2009 the Commission was the only institution allowed to take initiative on EU legislation and it still is the only executive institution in the EU. Thus, it is in the position to choose what the EU makes decisions on. It still is the institution that ini-tiates the most but the Lisbon treaty now makes it possible for citizens to instantiate a legislative proce-dure if backed up by enough people. The Commission consists of one Commissioner per Member State and they are chosen by the President of the EC and the European Council. Each Commissioner has their own portfolio: for example one commissioner con-trols Climate Action while another controls Regional Policy. In the year 2014 the number of Commissioners will be reduced to only two thirds of the Member States having a

Commissioner from their own coun-try. Commissioners are supposed to aim for what is best for the entire EU and to not be influenced by their gov-ernment’s opinion, but I think that, sadly, this does not always happen.

The European Council became an official institution of the EU after the Lisbon Treaty. The Council gath-ers each Member State’s head of state or government - usually prime min-isters, but for example France has its President represent the country. Also, the President of the Commission and the High Representative take part in the European Councils meetings. The Council decides on the direction the EU takes; it defines EU’s policy agenda. The European Council meets at least twice every six months and is led by “the President of Europe”, the President of the European Council. He is to chair each meeting and make sure the decisions made in the Council go through also in the Commission. The European Council is said to be the Union’s “supreme political authority”.

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Welcome to Paradise

“Justus “Χίμαιρα – Chimera” Goteman documents modern Greece’s economic struggles”

Welcome to Greece. Welcome to a country that, in recent days, has undergone a strange metamorpho-sis. Many of us first think of Greece as the Greece of the past: the cradle of democracy, the birthplace of phi-losophy, the ideological navel of the Western world. Hellenic art popu-lates museums worldwide. Debaters everywhere strive to emulate the rhetoric talents of Demosthenes or Solon. The Magna Graecia is mar-velled at as one of the first cultural colonies, testimony of the great-est civilisation in ancient times.

Things are looking a bit different these days. As a global financial cri-sis of obscene dimensions strikes, the grand nation of Greece has suddenly found itself caught in its very own pandemonium. Months of agonising through an existential crisis have revealed profound hitches in the seemingly pitted tapestry of Hellenic heritage. They also underline the problems Europe is faced with. Can we sustain or even advance our dream of a united European community while preserving the riches of diversity?

As you approach the shores of the Saronic Gulf and set-

tle down in a city that has shaped Western culture as

much as it has recently s h a k e n W e s t e r n

financial markets, it is important to be aware of

the dire conditions of life in modern-day Greece. It has cost Greece almost four times as much as the EU aver-age to finance itself in the last year. Greece has recently been chastised, put

in a group disparagingly referred to as the PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain). It has been threatened with expulsion from the common-currency regime and with a forced return to the drachma, a daunting regression of Greek economic devel-opments. Meanwhile, the immense rescue efforts of the EU taking the form of ever-increasing emergency facilities have not come without strings attached. The conditions for support are harsh. They have left the Greek democracy, its institutions and citizens under immense pressures to reinvent and outperform them-selves. A painful change of habits, the immense fiscal pressures, the physical and financial privations are, in turn, threatening to break apart this nation.

Greek culture has made many of us what we are today. Greek mythol-ogy and its colourful depiction of the diversity of human character have inspired everyone from Goethe to Ibsen. The stories of Odysseus, the Archimedean geometry, the speeches of Pericles, the strategic talents of commanders like Leonidas, Plato’s Academy; all these have had a pro-found effect on our lives and continue to do so in our educational systems. Let us not forget our responsibilities. Let us work on the quarrels rippling modern Greece, let us resist the tor-rents to abandon this nation of the Greats. Let us fight the destructive forces greed and lack of virtue have imposed on our current polis to erect a perpetual throne for Greece in the European Olympus of our times. Like so many times before, tomorrow’s Europe must begin in Greece again.

16 Athanatos

One day, Zeus was minding his own busi-ness when his thoughts were interrupted by a beauty passing by. Women were a great passion of Zeus’ and this beauty was Angelina Jolie!Sadly, she rejected his advances and this made Zeus’ anger blazed and his desire to punish mor-tals burned bright. He ordered the God-Smith Hephaestus to mix land and water and create a beautiful girl in the image of Angelina Jolie. The Goddess of love Aphrodite gave her irre-sistible charm. Zeus’ daughter, Athena, weaved wonderful clothes for her, just like those from Chanel, Gucci and Versace. And Hermes gave her sly wit and resourcefulness. This woman was named Pandora. Once created, Zeus gave Pandora to Prometheus’ brother Julian, who couldn’t resist her: after all, he had been look-ing at Angelina in magazines for a long time…

Julian was the owner of a big, heavy box. This box contained centuries’ worth of dirty secrets.If this box were to be opened, it would cause a great deal of misery and misfortune. He just told Pandora to stay in the kitchen and never touch the box. But curious Pandora opened the lid of the evil box and Wikileaks was set to work. Secrets and mysteries scat-tered around the world and led to outrage and discontent among people. In the past mor-tals used to live in a happy world, unaware of dirty mysteries and secrets, but now eve-rything was surfaced and they finally realized what a nasty and muddy world they lived in…

Now when Italians meet they all go crazy

The Poles all like to hug each other tooThe Czechs invented "hi"

and “see you later"While the English shake your hand and say "how do you do"

Now watch out for a Frenchmen or he'll kiss you

The Spaniards go for "hola" and "Olé!"But in the land of the EYP, brain-

storm in the committeeWhen you meet an EYPer “let’s

hug” is what he'll say

“”

The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.” George Orwell (1984)

by Irina “Ανδρομέδα - Andromeda” Gadaeva

17Athanatos

Wake up and smell the olives with your tour-guide Panayiotis “Άδωνης – Adonis” Ataou

… and to your left … is Athens 2011! The session’s first destination on this experience is Loutraki. A town approximately 80 km west of Athens, known for its abundant natural springs, Loutraki is an ideal place for delegates to begin their journey into Athens 2011, the 66th International Session of EYP. Whilst staying in Loutraki you shall begin teambuilding and there is no doubt that the fresh spring air will breathe a new born life and bond into your committees which will pave the way to your successes during the ses-sion. Who could possibly resist the therapeutic thermal spa air and this luscious, hilly location? Delegates will remain in the forests of Loutraki dur-ing committee work, where they will be able to work on their resolutions in the peaceful tranquility this location offers. From the quiet, natural moun-tains of Loutraki, the session will then move on into the buzz and culture of Athens for the General Assembly. The city of Athens is packed full of entertainment, leaving its visitors spoilt for choice. From a travel back in time to the Parthenon to a quick cab ride to the Villa Mercedes club for a dance or two! However, during our stay in Athens, delegates will be going through the most testing time of an International Session which is the General Assembly. You will be staying in the Titania hotel where you will be able to enjoy and con-centrate on writing your excellent

speeches in the comfort and conveni-ence of a hotel room. The action and debating of the General Assembly will be held in a more than fit loca-tion in the form of the Old Parliament House of Athens. This building wit-nessed some of the most chaotic and significant events in modern Greek history, such as the assassination of the former Greek Prime Minister, Theodoros Deligiannis, in 1905 (don’t worry I think they’ve cleaned up all the blood!) or the declaration of the Republic in 1924. For those of you who will somehow find time between the busy schedule of speech writ-ing for GA or for those staying a day or two extra, the metro is a great way to get around the city. Some stations to get off at and explore include Syntagma, Monastiraki and Omonia. Athens is packed with tra-ditional taverns and restaurants, boasting a wealth of great and inter-esting dishes; ranging from saganaki and souvlakia to mayiritsa and the ameletita (“unmentionables”)! How many daring delegates will be going to taverns and finding out exactly which “unmentionables” are served? Or perhaps we may be lucky enough for them to appear at Eurovillage? Something that delegates must drink during the farewell party, when celebrating the passing of their reso-lution, is the traditional Greek drink of Ouzo, which needs no introduction!

Hello/ Goodbye

Please

Thank you

Kebab

Shots

What are you doing

tonight?

Γειά σας (Yia sas)

Σε παρακαλώ (Se paragalo)

Ευχαριστώ (Evharisto)

Γύρος (Yiros)

Σφηνάκια (sfinakia)

Τι θα κάνεις απόψε? (Ti tha kanis apopse)

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GRANNY TRANSLATES

18 Athanatos

La

you

t: Llu

is Solervicens, Stam

os Tah

as, Adrian

a Díaz M

artín-Zam

orano, E

zgi Ince.

Articles: P

anayiotis A

taou, Irin

a Gadaeva, Ju

stus G

oetteman

n, Soph

ie Debru

nn

er Hall, C

onor H

amill, M

ikaela K

antor, T

im K

eegstra, B

oaz Man

ger, Alexan

dre Narayan

in, A

lex Proctor, G

enevieve Sh

orthou

se, Sini V

entelä, K

atarina W

arg, Zeynep Y

avuz.

Illustra

tions: L

iva Kreislere, Stam

os Tah

as, Con

or Ham

ill, Sini V

entelä