Last night the delegates were treated to a wonderful ‘uni-form’ themed party, which took place on the Bosphorus

boat. Th e party was a true suc-cess, and a great way to mark the end of resolution writing.

Doctors, chefs, prisoners, nurses and football players were

scattered across the boat, enjoy-ing the beautiful views the Bos-phorus off ered. Dancing to the latest hits on the dance fl oor, or re-enacting the classic Titanic scene, delegates and offi cials made the most of this unique party location.

It was clear that a lot of ef-fort had been put into last night’s outfi ts. However, there were some stand-out group costumes: the nuns and the female UK delega-tion of beautiful rugby players.

Th e ladies, managed to look glamorous despite sport-ing traditionally unfl attering at-tire! A quick mention must go to Cherif the Sheikh who conquered us all with his exotic Arabian ac-cent and dance moves, remaining in character all night.

Th e prize for the most random costume of the night would go to Goofy-the-chef, and his giant green hat. A curious combination of elements, resulting in a very original outfi t.

It was defi nitely a fun and energetic night for all. Now preparations must commence for the Farewell Party which will not disappoint.

ANNA BORRELLI’M ON A BOAT

The pinnacle of every session is General Assembly (GA). Explaining GA may appear to be stating the obvious, but

the experience at an IS contains myriad of elements which are diff erent from a national session. From its fails to successes, this GA will be an unprecedented ex-perience, but how to get the most out of it?

GA can be long, and only has a few short breaks. Bringing what you think will be crucial for your survival is vital. Th is defi nitely includes large quantities of water to cool you down during the heated debates. But be careful not to spend your entire break in the large queues for the rest-rooms.

Getting a good night’s sleep before GA is essential to provide you with suffi cient energy to participate fully in the debates.

No matter how comfortable the seats are and how undetectable you feel in such a big venue, the risk of being spotted napping by the board or the distinguished guests would be humiliating and disrespectful. A way to tackle this issue is making the most of our Red Bull sponsors whenever possible.

Although you have all been selected to come here and have debating experience, there is always room for improvement. Repeatedly asking “How are you going to implement this?” or “Where are you going to fi nd the money?” can get tedious and make the debate ineffi cient. Do not worry; just enjoy the infi nite funds of EYP.

Aim for the perfect GA, but expect some mistakes. We fore-see at least one delegate that will

trip on the way to the podium, spill coff ee on someone, or forget their speech. Try to remain in high spirits and bear in mind you might be next in line.

On a more serious note, to have the most fruitful GA, we en-courage you to fl ick through the resolution booklet earlier and get at least a rudimentary knowledge of each topic. Always be ready to give a direct response or ask constructive questions to develop the discussion.

Also, the topic article booklet distributed by the Press Team along with the fi rst issue of ‘Th e Clash’, off ers background infor-mation on the topics for debate.

Ultimately you delegates make or break GA. As the main actors, it is up to you to make the last part of the session the best it can be.

ALI MURAT GALI AND ALEX NOMPILAKIS

LET THE GAME BEGIN!

THECLASH

4

Earlier this year the Greek Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance approved of a new law which would expand the

offi cially state-recongnised dis-

ability categories to include pae-dophilia, kleptomania, gambling, pyromania, fetishism, exhibition-ism and voyeurism.

Th e new categories range from fi ft een to thirty fi ve per cent in rankings for disability allowances.

Th is level consists of awards for medical assessment and higher fi nancial assistance than some people who have received organ transplants or diabetics who

require insulin shots on a daily basis.

Th is caused uproar amongst offi cials and public opinion. Th e National Confederation of Disabled People characterised the action as “incomprehensive”.

More specifi cally, its leader, Yan-nis Vardakastanis, who is blind, warned that the proposal could create diffi culties for disabled Greeks who are already facing benefi t cuts due to the country’s fi nancial crisis.

Following immense public dis-content and reaction, incumbent Minister Yorgos Koutroumanis was forced to stall the imple-mentation of the regulation and establish a new Special Scientifi c Committee which is to adjust the law before bringing it back to Parliament for a vote.

Solidarity strikes in the most unusual places. In reac-tion to its national fi nancial crisis, Greece has founded an

increasing number of self-help groups. One such group is in Th essaloniki, where food is be-ing exchanged for the price of a theatre ticket.

Th e imposing temple of cul-ture, hosting the National Th eatre of Northern Greece, is about to open its curtains for the next season of plays between March and April 2012. Th ese plays will be performed by actors from the Social Th eatreshop.

Th e novelty is that, for fi ve of

these representations, people will be able to pay for their tickets with food, which is later distrib-uted between six charity and welfare organisations in the city.

In a land where €10 for a ticket is considered too dear, this initiative is intended to ease the fi nancial distress of the popula-tion through art. You can now see the plays in exchange for pasta, bread or potatoes.

Th e artistic director, Giannis Rigas, explains the initiative: “(But) this isn’t charity, it’s a fair exchange: food for theatre. And it’s also a nice way to bring people back to the theatre: put it back

where it belongs, in the middle of the community.” He, like everyone else in this project, is a volunteer.

ALEX NOMPILAKIS

Th essaloniki: Th e National Th eatre of Northern Greece charges food instead of money for tickets.

Th e proposal could create diffi culties for disabled Greeks who are already facing benefi t cuts due to the country’s fi nancial crisis

SABINA CRISANGREEK FOOD FOR THOUGHT

GREECE SUBSIDISING PAEDOPHILIA?

THECLASH

5

The Israel-Palestine confl ict has been a feature of international politics since Israel’s recogni-tion by the UN in 1947. Two

wars, two intifadas, nearly thirty peace proposals and numerous negotiations later, it seems we are still far from a lasting solution.

Finding a resolution for this confl ict has proven to be ex-tremely diffi cult and each side has legitimate aspirations. So far the focus has been on solving issues such as borders, security, refugees, settlements and Jerusa-lem. However, this approach has missed an underlying problem: fanaticism.

Fanaticism manifests itself in the inability to compromise and intolerance of opposing views. It is fanaticism –not religion, poli-tics or bureaucracy– which is the greatest threat to lasting peace in the Middle East. Future peace attempts failing to deal with this issue are unlikely to get beyond the negotiation table.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ current refusal to resume negotiations “until Israel halts all settlement construction and accepts the 1967 border lines” is a prime example of fanaticism and the inability to compromise. A similar approach is exhibited by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objection to halting settlement building. Th ese atti-

tudes demonstrate the stalemate which has marred the Middle East Peace Process for decades. Th e question of how to cure fa-naticism remains.

Past eff orts to combat fa-naticism have oft en erroneously nurtured it. To prevent this from reoccurring, future solutions need to try and foster the ‘good’ rather than remove the ‘bad’. Th is necessitates a policy which creates and maintains grass-roots empathy amongst the Israeli and Palestinian youth.

By funding eff orts to increase mutual understanding through youth exchange programmes,

inter-cultural dialogues, and sports camps, it is possible to prevent fanaticism taking hold of future generations.

Recently we have seen Arab states be shaken to their core by youth-initiated demonstrations and democracy movements. Th e Israeli-Palestinian struggle also provides an opportunity for young people to bring about change.

However, these local groups need educational support and funding. More organisations are also needed. Such groups should have similar goals to those of the

EU Partnership for Peace Pro-gramme. Th at is, the provision economic support for local and international civil society along-side initiatives which promote peace and tolerance between Israeli and Palestinian youth and work to build confi dence amongst them.

Encouraging eff orts which nurture empathy is the means to peace. Th is should help cre-ate large numbers of Israelis and Palestinians who are willing to see their two states peacefully co-exist, thereby creating the right atmosphere to reach a solu-tion. Whether this be achieved

through the democratic pro-cess or in ways akin to the Arab Spring demonstrations, such action would force politicians and governments to recommence negotiations and hopefully fi nd a lasting solution.

It must be remembered that achieving peace is a long process. Whilst curing fanaticism amongst the Israelis and Palestinians may take generations, stability and peace are incentive enough.

CALEB MORELL

Any future peace attempt failing to deal with the issue of fanaticism will not get beyond the negotiation stage. A policy which fosters empathy at the grass-roots level amongst Israeli and Palestinian youth is needed.

Th e Israeli-Palestinian struggle also provides an opportunity for young people to bring about change.

WAGING PEACE: FIGHTING FANATICISM IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

THECLASH

6

The collapse of the Soviet Union shift ed the political landscape of the world. Today that seems obvious, but at the

time most international relations theorists did not know that one of the world’s superpowers was about to collapse. International relations theorists oft en struggle to make accurate predictions. Nonetheless their most recent forecast is a statement too oft en considered self-evident: China will become the next superpower.

When looking at its econ-omy, one could soundly argue that China is well on its way to becoming superpower. Th e Chinese economy continues to grow whilst the rest of the world is caught in the whirlwinds of a seemingly endless recession. Where western currencies are struggling, the Yuan remains strong - even if artifi cially so - due to the fi scal policy of the Chi-nese government.

Although China is one of the largest economies in the world its fi nancial markets remain under-

developed. Th e biggest problem appears to be China’s lack of openness to foreign investors, which makes the Yuan an unat-tractive vehicle for international trade. It should also be noted that the US owes large portions of debt to China: on average every

US citizen owes $2,000 to China.Even though China itself

receives aid, it invests large amounts of money in Africa. It has adopted a smart strategy when it comes to developing countries by buying vast areas of land and investing in Africa’s infrastructure. Th is can be con-trasted to the West, who alternate between throwing money at African governments which lack the institutions to use the money effi ciently, and attaching strict conditions to aid.

Admittedly China has its political motives, yet it does

not require human rights to be respected as a criterion for receiv-ing aid and investment. China itself is not a democracy and thus it does not require others to be. In the West, we view democracy as if it were chocolate: we expect everyone to like it, and are sur-

prised when someone does not. Th e current superpower, the

US, feels the need to assert its dominance by spreading its ideol-ogy of democracy and liberty. At least superfi cially, its foreign policy is motivated by these ide-als. Chinese culture diff ers from this fundamentally. Th ey do not feel the need to prove themselves, they are already confi dent in their own superiority.

I cannot see China taking a similar role to the US, simply because they do not feel the need to push their own political system on others. If other countries do not want to be like China it is their loss.

Everyone expects China to take over from the US as the new superpower of the world, but the question of whether China is even willing to take up this role is rarely asked. Perhaps the world should, in Derek Scissors’ words, “not expect to crown a new global leader but prepare for the absence of one”.

SAGA ERIKSSON

Th ey do not feel the need to prove themselves, they are already confi dent in their own superiority.

Will China seek hegemony? It is oft en presumed that China will become the next superpower, but is this really the case?

CHINA’S FREE WILLTHECLASH

7

I need you”. Th e chorus of last year’s Eurovision winning song “Running scared” by Ell and Nikki, representing Azerbaijan.

Th is means the contest this year will be held in Baku, in a country which only joined Eurovision a

year ago and is a new member of the EYP community. But how did we get here? How did a country like Azerbaijan come to win and hence host Eurovision?

Voting in the contest is two-fold, there are juries in all forty-two participating countries and then there are votes from the public - of course voting for one’s own country is forbidden. How-

ever, that does not stop political motives from aff ecting voting behind the scenes. Th e political landscape of Europe is refl ected in who receives twelve points from whom.

Even natives of winning coun-

tries admit that perhaps their country’s performance was not the strongest in the competition. When reading out the perform-ers for Romania, the UK, Ger-many and Finland, there were some strong reactions. Several members of the press team were not particularly proud of their representative. Countries vote

for several diff erent reasons, but apparently talent is not always amongst them.

It seems that most of the time neighbouring countries vote for each other, but this is not out of mere politeness. Underlying po-litical and economic motifs lurk in the background. Take the case of Russia and the former Soviet countries, such as the Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia. United by a shared history, a similar language and culture, certain countries have stronger relationships with each other. With this histori-cal and cultural heritage comes political baggage. Georgia, for example, is still very aff ected by Russian politics. Only a few years ago we saw these two countries

35 European Associations and Organisations27 Member States

over 250 people1 Session

“Bridging cultural divides” is not only our motto but also our goal, and what better way to explore this than travelling between Europe’s landmarks

within the lines of Th e Clash

TERESA STADLER AND SAGA ERIKSSON

Th e grand design behind the Eurovision song contest and how voting is used to show alliances.

On the surface we all love each other, behind the scenes it’s a political game of chess.

EUROPE EN TOUR

BEHIND THE SCENES

THECLASH

8

on the verge of war. Th e Eurovi-sion is an opportunity to show solidarity in a more subtle way.

Another example very close to us here is Cyprus, who inter-estingly enough gets votes from Greece, but not from Turkey. Th e political tensions are obvious and reveal themselves by voting for a singer rather than being dis-cussed in public.

Th e song contest is, without a doubt, a light-hearted and fun way to bring Europe together. But ultimately, it is a competi-tion and very clearly illustrates where the allegiances of diff erent Member States lie. On the surface we all love each other, but behind the scenes it’s a political game of chess.

It is not only politics which

aff ects how countries vote, even though the EU is a free trade area and the Eurozone share a curren-cy. Neighbouring countries tend to be economically interdepen-dent. Finland performs a large portion of its trade with Russia, a non-EU country, but nonetheless highlights the role of economic relationships when it comes to voting. Another interesting ob-servation is how immigrants tend to stay loyal to the countries of origin, an example being Roma-nian workers in Spain, and the Turkish population in Germany.

If there truly is a conspiracy behind the Eurovision song con-test voting procedure, we should be able to predict who is most likely to take home the title this year. Some sources have pre-

dicted those most likely to win in Baku are Sweden, Italy or Serbia. Sweden has made a bold political stand by taking the fi rst steps to eradicate gender related pro-nouns ‘hon’ and ‘han’ and replace them with neutral ‘hen’ to create “Euphoria” as the title of their song implies. Italy and Serbia have until May to announce their political strategies to the general public.

THECLASH

9

SO

APP

RO

VAL S

OS

O

The argument about whether Turkey should join the Euro-pean Union has raged for over 45 years.

In 1963 Turkey signed an As-

sociation Agree-

ment, there-by tak-

ing its fi rst steps

towards an accession to the EU. On the 14th of April 1987 Turkey offi -

cially sent in their

appli-cation for

member-ship, and the actual

negotiations started in

October 2005. Th e road has been

a long one and does not seem to take

Turkey closer to the end goal of EU membership. It is almost as if someone is adding bricks to the road Turkey is walking.

Too big, too poor and too

Muslim. A rather extreme argu-ment against Turkish member-ship. Yet, religious discrimina-tion should not have a role on the political agenda. Neither should the fear that power politics would shift should Turkey join the EU. It is time to realise the reciprocal advantages of this candidacy.

Turkey can play a signifi cant geopolitical role. Th e country is strategically placed between the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia. Turkey serves as a protect-ing wall between two confl icting parts of the world. Furthermore, it has the capacity to bridge the distance between the Islam states and Christian Europe.

If this were not enough, Turkey is experiencing a growth which rivals that of any other Eu-ropean country. Whilst much of Europe experiences an economic crisis, the Turkish economy is developing as never before. As the food queues were increasing on Greece’s streets, the Turkish income per capita doubled in only nine years.

Th e issue of Western Europe’s ageing population is also a factor to be considered. Youth is seen as the force behind development. In Turkey, fi ft y per cent of the population is under thirty years old. A statistic which could help to rejuvenate the EU.

Today, the EU relies on Rus-

sian energy supplies. With Turkey as a Member State, Russia’s oil monopoly would come to an end. Other than the benefi ts of the Nabucco pipeline operating from 2013 onwards, Turkey would be a transit route for oil and energy supplies from the Middle East and central Asia. Th is could help bypass the political problems affi liated with Russia’s current dominance.

One of the arguments against Turkish accession is fear it would bring new defence and security issues into the EU. Turkey has, however, acted as a defender of European interests since the Cold War. European and Turkish troops have cooperated in sev-eral missions, including many in Afghanistan. Turkey is also at the

front line in the war on terrorism, demonstrating the existence of shared security goals.

Turkey has great credence as a prospective Member State, once all required chapters of the Ac-quis Communautaire have been adopted.

NOURA BERROUBA

Turkish membership off ers the EU an opportunity to revitalise itself and ensure the EU remains relevant.

It is time to realise the reciprocal advantages of this candidacy.

THE CLASHTHECLASH

10

DISA

PPRO

VAL

DISA

PPRO

VAD

ISAPPR

OVA

Over the last decade the Euro-pean Union has expanded at a rapid rate. Given the failure of some current member

states to live up to their obliga-tions of membership, now does not seem an appropriate time to consider Turkish membership. Th e accession of Turkey, a pre-dominantly Asian country with high inequality and instability, would only serve to exacerbate the EU’s current problems.

A project which arose from war and destruction, the EU has international respect and impor-tance as a common voice for the promotion of peaceful democ-racy. Th e accession of Turkey would endanger this by bring-ing several confl icts and areas of tension inside the EU. Moreover, there is the underlying ques-tion of whether Turkey is even in ‘Europe’. Many consider this potential Member State a bridge too far.

Th e various struggles and sources of tension in the Middle East are likely to be brought within the EU’s borders should Turkey become a member. With a background of fatal instability and injustice in Syria, current is-sues concerning Iran, the Kurdish confl ict at the border with Iraq, and the continual issues over Israeli-Palestinian peace, it is diffi cult to see why the EU would

want to bring such diffi cult is-sues into its defence and security remit.

In addition, the Turkish gov-ernment has still not recognised the autonomy of Cyprus, an EU Member State. Unless this issue is resolved, it is seemingly impos-sible for Turkey to join the EU.

Despite its secular constitu-tion, the Turkish government frequently failed to protect the most essential human rights. Society in the rural areas of East-ern Turkey is still dominated by the conventions of radical Islam: women are discriminated against in education, work and family life. Furthermore there is the is-sue of honour killings. With the torture of security forces, writ-ers and journalists imprisoned for political reasons, the Turkish state is far from complying with the standards of human rights and the rule of law necessary for EU membership.

With divisions within the country between the European metropolis of Istanbul and the underdeveloped rural Turkey, the majority of the Turkish popula-tion is afraid of the EU. Th ey view it as a threat to their social and religious conventions and heri-tage.

Also, the well-established structure of the EU itself would be overthrown. With a popula-

tion of seventy million, Turkey would gain a dominant stand in European institutions. Th is and the clash of political infl u-ences with Germany, France or Britain could threaten the EU’s eff ec-tive decision making capabilities.

For now, European integration must be re-alised by cre-ating unity in the minds of its citizens. Th e EU should look to resolv-ing the prob-lems within its border before expanding and bringing in other complex issues. An accession of Turkey would not only display a ques-tionable extension of ‘Europe‘, but would also endanger the politi-cal stability and peace within the Union.

An economic and cultural gain or a threat to political stability? Should Turkey be granted accession to the European Union?

ULRICH JOHANNES VOLKER

Human rights violations, cultural rift s and the proximity to confl icts: Turkey is endangering Europe‘s international capacity.

THECLASH

11

Immigration, integration and second generation immigrants are words thrown around with a lack lustre approach across

Europe. It seems these ideas have lost any sort of true meaning, and have become stock phrases which are simply brushed over and replaced with prejudices based upon generalisations and stereotypes. It is true that these stereotypes are oft en backed up by the behaviour of the majority of these second generation immi-grants; hanging out in big groups, aggressively approaching women, and intimidatingly loitering on corners. But what about those

second generation immigrants who have in fact made the eff ort to integrate and assimilate the culture of their host country?

Th ese integrated young peo-ple, who are simply born of im-migrant parents, suff er on a daily basis from the prejudices around them directed at those second generation immigrants who fi t the stereotype. Th ey could be

called “exceptions to the rule”, in the sense that they are educated, respectful and in some respects have shed their immigrant label. Th ey have assumed the identity of their host country nationals, while balancing this with a com-pletely separate cultural home life.

Th is article will discuss the second generation Indian popu-lation in the UK and the second generation Gypsy population in Italy. It aims to highlight the extreme views and open racism towards these two groups, whilst equally defending those who have taken used their initiative and

resources to integrate fully into a society so removed from that of their parents’ generation.

In the UK, a diffi culty faced by young Indian people is liv-ing under the strict rules of their parents, oft en highly religious but always very conservative in regards to socialising with the opposite sex. When outside the family home, they are immersed

in a completely westernised view of these ideas- one where sex be-fore marriage is oft en accepted as the norm and arguing with your parents, an everyday occurrence. Whereas in a typical Indian household, answering back is simply taboo.

A problem created when these diff ering worlds collide is that it forces integrated young people, or at least those who are trying to integrate themselves, to choose one over the other. Th is oft en leads to secrecy, distrust and isolation from the people in one of the worlds. Either, a resent-ment forms towards the family, regarding the social aspect of the migrant culture, or a sense of em-barrassment ensues when in the real world with natives. It is im-possible to solve this issue unless an understanding can be reached between both sides, where both cultures are assimilated into an Indo-British union.

Although in the UK this union can be achieved in tolerant areas, the story for the Gypsy popula-tion in Italy is a very diff erent one. Let us take a case study of Mirko, a 22 year old gypsy from a site in Siena who now works as a painter. Th ree years ago he was

MONIKA GHOSH AND SARA RINALDI

An in-depth look at diff ering perspectives on the integration of second generation immigrants in Italy and the UK.

A problem created when these diff ering worlds collide is that it forces integrated young people, or at least those who are trying to integrate themselves, to choose one over the other

A TALE OF TWO SECOND GENERATION

IMMIGRANTSTHECLASH

12

the typical Italian stereotype of a Gypsy: fi ghting, stealing and drug dealing. He became involved with an Italian girl, Laura, who asked him to change his ways. Over their eighteen month relation-ship she forced him to choose the Italian way of life and reject his Gypsy roots.

Th e problem with this ap-proach is that by suppressing this part of his heritage and blood, he was forced to distance himself and his relationship from those in his community. At the end of their relationship, however, Mirko chose to return to his roots, passionate, physical and very much misunderstood. Laura was also forced to keep this rela-

tionship a secret from her family and friends, all of whom would have been highly sceptical about him despite his good intentions and suppression of his Gypsy lifestyle.

Th is case study demonstrates the dangers of two very separate ways of life merging in a coun-try which is simply not ready to compromise. Th e constant battle against prejudices, although justi-fi ed by a large majority of Gyp-sies, were the only obstacle Mirko was unable to overcome. Th ese prejudices are the reason why he, and so many other, cannot successfully integrate and fi nd a balance between their origins and their current situation.

It must be stressed that this ar-ticle deals with minorities of sec-ond generation immigrants, the ones which strive to overcome stereotypes and make a good name for others of their origin. Th e vast majority, unfortunately, fi t the stereotype and justify the prejudices, thereby ruining the chances of people like Mirko from truly becoming a part of the society within the country in which they live.

THECLASH

13

When writing a committee ar-ticle it is easy to fall into the trap of writing the obvious. Originality is something we

strive for, otherwise the following could occur:

[Committee] began and

soon they were all familiar with each other through teambuild-ing. [Game] was hilarious when

[name] fell over. During com-mittee work [name] had a strong opinion about [topic] but luckily he/she was open minded and found a compromise. [Commit-tee] are truly amazing, and I’m sure they will succeed in GA.

Th e basic framework of a committee is the same, as shown above. However, it is the people within a committee which make it diff erent. You could compare each member to an ingredient, with teambuilding and commit-tee work the recipe, GA the main course and each chair the chef.

Th e analogy may be contrived but when asked about their favourite moments at the session, JURI answered:

Coff ee BreaksLunchDinner

So, as food was a major con-cern for them, it seemed only right to fi nd a food-y way to describe them.

Th erefore, to create your per-fect JURI

meal:

First take a few kilos of obscenely fast-talking-tongue-twisting Vasco, add my fellow London-born-Indian Nikita, stir thoroughly with a spoon full of Joune (for no other reason than it sort of rhymes...) and fold in a good helping of Hanna (again... at least it’s alliterative). Pour the mixture over a base of Marko, as it’s the only way to keep her quiet, and sprinkle a pinch of Margaux for a French twist. Beat in three ounces of Evelin and a pinch of Pepe, then roll out until smooth. Spread Kinga thickly, layering a good dollop of Dunja and Eirini on top. Finally, fi nish with a dehydrated piece of Federico (as he hasn’t managed to fi nd an acceptable coff ee yet) add a slice of pineapple and serve.

For that extra kick serve with a side of Love, he certainly adds a certain je ne sais quoi to this meal. Why? Because he can add something rather extraordinary to the mix. With his contortionist tricks, he was the talking point of our commit-tee dinner. His body is like Alice’s wonderland, but more the Johnny Depp version than the Disney one.

MONIKA GHOSH

His body is like Alice’s wonderland, but more the Johnny Depp version than the Disney one

Pineapples and freaky body-parts, the perfect ingredients for a pre-GA snack

A RECIPE FORDISASTER JURI

THECLASH

14

Led by the Aphrodite of this session, mademoiselle Ve-ronica Gleizer, the children of mummy and daddy went

smoothly through their days of puberty. Th e parents’ main task: spread the love.

Committee dinner proved an ideal opportunity to interrogate our children and we found out that a large number had already explored the playground of love. As Francesco, Charlotte, Ilir and Nick already have a special person in their home countries, they spared Cupid a couple of ar-rows. Stella, the main celebrity of

the committee and always in the spotlight, approaches love from a rather royal perspective. She has three Greeks waiting for her at home with grapes and wine. Even the open relationship status is represented in this committee by Zabeth from France.

In light of the session theme a rather special love story was discovered when Simonida told us about her personal life. At her nationals in Belgrade, Serbia, she went with other EYP-ers to a seemingly random bar. Th is bar turned out to be a classic case of serendipity, when Simonida met

James from the UK who was trav-elling across the Balkans. Wheth-er you believe in love at fi rst sight or not, these love birds have been together ever since. Travelling each month to visit each other, they are a living example of cul-tural divides being bridged.

Th ere is more to the love story of SEDE. Th ere are still some singletons amongst the commit-tee, so there is still plenty of work left for Aphrodite and Cupid. Th is means two of our children are now looking for a potential partner.

Name: Mihai, also known as ‘Papi’Profi le: Tall and very athletic. A great mind and a six-pack that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger jealous.Looking for: A hot stylish girl, preferably a natural blonde with blue eyes. She does not necessarily have to be Swedish or Norwegian.

Name: ViolettaProfi le: A dark blonde Ukrainian beauty with angelic features. Very enthusiastic and a wonderful smile. Looking for: A real man who is adventurous, ready to have fun 24/7 and up for crazy adventures. Good looking men are always welcome.

SEDE may appear a threatening committee at fi rst sight, given their radioactive and destructive topic. However, if you enter their circle of trust you will be overwhelmed by the amount of love they actually spread. On

that note, my SEDE slogan is “Make love not war”.

CHARIF VAN ZETTEN

A NUCLEAR RECIPE FOR LOVE SEDE

THECLASH

15

What makes a group dy-namic? How can thirteen diff erent people come to-gether and present a united

response on a topic?Some believe in the power of

body-language, and bond over teambuilding. Others are more comfortable dancing on a hum-mer. Some believe that by open-ing up, they become vulnerable.

I believe in the power of words. I feel that no matter which

language we use, the power of speech can unite us. Th is led me to wonder whether the Commit-tee on Agriculture were using the dictionary to communicate.

What do “giraff e”, “elephant”, “the sun” or “amazing” have in common? Besides great person-

alities behind them, not much. When faced with a question like this, seemingly without an answer, you can learn more about yourself. As such, each member of the committee had to pick out a word that would best describe them.

“My word is door” - Why? Because they shut out the past and leave the future open. You can lock them and throw away

the key, or return through a door to reminisce.

“Dobri” - Th is means ‘kind’ in Russian. In a world with so many words, I fi nd the incredible, simple and honest approach to future gracefully disarming.

“Seagull” - inspired by the

power to face the crowd alone, can fall and rise thus being victo-rious.

“Geweldig” (amazing) - a modern version of Rapunzel, who wanted to let her hair grow as long as possible to rescue the drowning people from the sea.

Th eir words may be curious, weird, bright, spontaneous or risky, but AGRI has taught me how diversity can be unifying. Th ey have shown that by opening up, your own perspective is chal-lenged, that asking an uncom-fortable question can help create the best group dynamic.

If I were to pick a word it would be “attraversiamo”. It means to cross over. With AGRI we can cross over any bridge – whether they span countries, cities or minds…

SABINA CRISAN

Th ey proved that opening up shines a light on your own perspective of things.

Bonding over words of wisdom.

DO YOU AGRI-EE?THECLASH

16

Philosophers frequently ex-plore the idea of free will. Progressively, our society has found a widespread con-

sensus in the belief that we are aware of the decisions we make. We discern society’s restrictions on individual’s free will, but otherwise we consider ourselves autonomous.

Who is this ‘we’? We think of ourselves as an integrated entity and do not recognise the diff er-ences between our consciousness and that which is behind it. In the past few decades, develop-ments in neuroscience have al-lowed us to explore this subject.

Recent research by various neuroscientists has distorted our notion of free will. Th rough the use of brain scanners it has been discovered that our actions are in three steps, the fi nal one be-ing actual conduction. A second before, our conscious mind realises what we are going to do. Th is is believed to be the moment of decision making. However, the fi rst step, which is when our brain actually makes the deci-sion, occurs approximately seven seconds earlier. Th is means seven seconds before we are even aware of making a choice, our brains have already decided.

Th is idea faces criticism on the grounds of this theory’s plausibil-ity. Th e technical defi ciency is the fi rst and major concern, the precision and accuracy of mea-surements are relative to the ex-periment. Th us, more advanced

technology is a prerequisite to confi rm these results. Th ere is a bigger confl ict between the philosophers and neuroscientists. Th e former believe the experi-mental decisions cannot stand for the complexity of decisions in real life.

Th ese disagreements are further reinforced by the non-conformity of the defi nition of free will. Th e concept of free will was, and is, interpreted in countless ways, ranging from a non-physical soul directing the motives, to conscious decision taking. Th e confl ict is exacer-bated by a lack of understanding

between the diff erent viewpoints. One scientist has said: “We’re going to hammer on each other until we really understand the other person’s point of view, and convince one or other of us that we’re wrong”.

A profound and mutually ac-cepted opinion on the existence and meaning of free will is un-likely to be achieved in the near future. However, most scientists already consider free will to be an illusion. More tangible questions still need to be considered: How will our understanding of free will impact our society and the way we look at life?

BRAM VAN MELDERT AND ALI MURAT GALI

COGITO ERGO SUM?THECLASH

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Skinny jeans, American Ap-parel shirt, trendy scarf. Lennon walks nonchalantly into a Starbucks, orders a cof-

fee without looking at the waiter whilst texting on his iPhone. He sits into a sofa, takes out his Macbook Air and starts typing. An hour and a half later he’s still there, now holding a frappuc-cino in his hands. He’s writing the script for his fi rst independent (low budget, of course) movie, a remake of Pulp Fiction set in ancient Greece.

He calls the waiter and orders, “Can I have a bacon sandwich please?” Pauses. “Oh, but just make it without the bacon, I’m not in the mood for protein to-day, I have to write, you know?”. Th e waiter, a bit stunned, brings him the sandwich.

Once he’s fi nished eating Lennon takes out his Polaroid from his vintage leather bag and starts taking pictures of ashtrays.

In doing so, something horrible happens: a guy with his exact same American Apparel shirt walks in. Panic. He freezes, drops his camera and tries to avoid eye contact. He pretends not to care. But, really, he’s mortifi ed.

“I bought that shirt during my road trip across California, it was a limited edition” Th e thought of being mainstream makes him feel nauseous. His hands are shaking, he’s sweating and he considers taking off his shirt. He suddenly feels the urge to post on twitter: “ I just can’t stand hipsters, they’re so predictable”.

Lennon storms out of Star-bucks and whatsapps his friend Lola, a twenty two years old fash-ion designer.

Lennon starts riding his bike and quickly gets to an art gal-lery, where he meets Lola and her friends. It’s the opening night of a Chris Gallagher exhibition. Strawberry Martinis and Cham-

pagne are being served all night long. No food of course.

Lola takes off her black, thick-rimmed glasses to look closer at the painting in front of her. She stares at it. Aft er a long, deep refl ection with a lots of frowning, she comments:“ Dots and stripes are so 2008”.

Aft er a while Lennon and Lola go outside to smoke. A random guy approaches them and asks them for a lighter.

Hipster is a term frequently used to describe a subculture of young, recently settled, urban middle-class adults and older teenagers. Th e term originated in the 1940’s, when young, rebel-lious, white males began copying the jazz lifestyle of black musi-cians.

Today the term describes those who can be characterised by non-mainstream fashion and an alternative lifestyle without rules.

As this term spreads, ´hipster-ism´ has started to blend with mainstream culture. Th is creates a paradox with the defi nition of the movement, leading to criti-cism. Labelling a hipster as such is one of the worst things you could do to him, as he wants to be regarded as a separate indi-vidual, but despite his eff orts, he is conforming to a cultural trend.

ANNA BORRELL AND SARA RINALDI

Before we start dating I need to know if you’re into Pete Doherty

HIPSTERSTHECLASH

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I’m not an unreasonable person, all I need is a dry place to sleep and warm food in my stomach and I’m fi ne. Th ere are only a few things which get on my nerves and for some reason this session is full of them. I just can’t understand why they keep happening to me. It’s really not that diffi -cult to avoid them.

For example, why do you have to take your laptop out at security in the airport and then put it back in when everything was so perfectly packed? It has to be one of the most annoying things ever.

On another note, aft er a whole day of demanding committee work I quickly run to the reception to check Facebook. I’m not the only one. I go and sit next to a fellow delegate who is chatting intensely, tweeting like a madman, and simultaneously checking his emails. All I get is an exclama-tion mark over my Wi-Fi symbol which basically says “better luck next time”!

Whilst wrestling with the internet, I reach into my back pocket only to fi nd it smeared with something less than savoury – probably from one of those ducks. Energisers are bearable, but if rolling on the ground means my Armani jeans get ruined that is just not okay.

Also, how can chairs and journos expect us to jump around and do en-ergisers when there is always so much food around? When weighed down by fi ft y kilos of Turkish delicacies, a belly swollen to the size of my head, how can I possibly be expected to do anything except hop into a hammock and take a nap in the sun?

Complaining is simply in my nature. Whether for legitimate reasons or not, I can always fi nd something which annoys me. Perfection is simply a subjective concept, what makes others happy usually just winds me up.

It’s clear that my so-called ‘fi rst world problems’ might cause me an unreasonable amount of annoyance, but how bothered should I actually be about them? Obviously, my problems are real issues, there’s no doubt about that. However, are they in any way comparable to those faced by less privileged people across the world? Note to self: man up.

Jamie Lenge

BRAM VAN MELDERT, CHARIF VAN ZETTEN AND MONIKA GHOSH

Th e continuing story of an unfortunate girl, determined not to have any fun.

TOO SPOILED TO BETRUE!

THECLASH

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