By Theoni Theodoropoulou and Maria Kollyrou (B Class)

Nowadays, it is fact that most of the teenagers want their independence. They want to leave away from their home while some others prefer leaving with their family.

First and foremost, young people who stay with their families don’t have to care about the cleanliness of the house For example they don’t have to cook for themselves, do the washing up or iron their clothes. Additionally they don’t need to worry about bills because parents take care of everything. Last but not least they never get homesick or miss their family as they always have their attention paid to them.

On the other side of the coin, living away from your parents it is an important step in the transition from dependent childhood to independent adulthood. It offers you total independence but at the same time a lot of responsibilities. Additionally it helps people become more mature, better-organised and self sufficient, as they have to take care of house, manage their monthly money and pay their own bills.

Furthermore, they can invite their friends to their house anytime they want and listen to music at a high volume without having to stand their parents telling them to turn it down. Finally communicate with many people with different ideas, opinions and learn many different cultures from them.

Taking all the above into consideration, we tend to believe that living away from parents when you are a teenager is better than living with them, because you learn to undertake responsibilities and become an independent person in the society.

By Eirini Skoura, Athanasia Siganou & Agia Stasinopoulou

Blond or blonde, or fair hair, is a hair colour characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of yellowish color. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish «strawberry» blond colors or golden-brownish («sandy») blond colors (the latter with more eumelanin). On the Fischer–Saller scale blond color ranges from A to J (blond brown).

Etymology, Spelling, and Grammar

The word «blond» is first attested in English in 1481 and derives from Old French blund, blont meaning «a colour midway between golden and light chestnut».It gradually eclipsed the native term «fair», of same meaning, from Old English fæġer, causing «fair» later to become a general term for «light complexioned». This earlier use of «fair» survives in the proper name Fairfax, from Old English fæġer-feahs meaning «blond hair».»Blond», with its continued gender-varied usage, is one of few adjectives in written English to retain separate masculine and feminine grammatical genders. Each of the two forms, however, is pronounced identically. American Heritage’s Book of English Usage propounds that, insofar as «a blonde» can be used to describe a woman but not a man who is merely said to possess blond(e) hair, the term is an example of a «sexist stereotype [whereby] women are primarily defined by their physical characteristics.» «Blond» and «blonde» are also occasionally used to refer to objects that have a color reminiscent of fair hair. Examples include pale wood and lager beer. For example, the OED records its use in 19th century poetic diction to describe flowers, «a variety of clay ironstone of the coal measures», «the colour of raw silk», and a breed of ray.Coined in 15th century, blond or blonde (derived from Anglo-French word blunt) originally meant just the light auburn. Since 1822, it is being used to mean people with hair of that color.The blonde stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two aspects. On one hand, over history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable. On the other hand, a blonde woman is often perceived as making little use of intelligence and as a «woman who relied on her looks rather than on intelligence. The latter stereotype of «dumb blonde is exploited in blonde jokes.

Dumb blonde

The notion of «dumb blonde» has been a topic of academic research reported in scholarly articles and university symposia, which tend to confirm that many people hold to the perception that light-haired women are less intelligent than women with dark hair. There is no evidence to support this perception, which raises the question of its origin.

A possible explanation is that attractive women have less pressing incentives to cultivate and demonstrate their intellect in order to ensure their future, since attractiveness is an asset as well. The validity of this explanation is corroborated by its applicability to a similar pervasiveness of «dumb athlete» stereotype. The dumb blonde stereotype (and the associated cognitive bias) may have some negative consequences and it can also damage a blonde person’s career prospects. According to psychological research, hair color is a relevant trait in the perception of an individual’s intelligence and overall ability. In a study by Kyle and Mahler (1996), the researchers asked subjects to evaluate photographs of the same woman with brown, red, and blonde hair in the context of a job application. After making sure that the hair color in all three conditions was rated as looking “natural” (not dyed) in a pilot study, participants in Kyle and Mahler’s study, both males and females, were asked to rate the applicant’s capability based on the photograph for an accounting position.The researchers found that the blonde-haired applicant was rated as significantly less capable than her brunette doppelganger. In addition, participants designated the female applicant’s starting salary as significantly lower when she was depicted as a blonde than when she was shown with brown hair.

The question that remains, then, is why is it that blondes are generally rated as less competent than those who have other hair colors? One theory focuses on the feminization of blonde hair, which can be seen by the overwhelming association of the dumb blonde persona with females. This idea draws on the stereotype that females have a lower psychometric intelligence than males. In fact, dumb blonde jokes are overwhelmingly female-specific: according to an extensive search in various publications and on the Internet, about 63% of dumb blonde jokes are directed exclusively at females (compared to less than 5% that directly referenced dumb blonde men). Consequently, blonde-haired individuals – regardless of if they are male or female – may be viewed as less capable because they are regarded as more feminine and thus less intelligent.Many blond actresses have played stereotypical «dumb blondes», including Judy Holliday, Jayne Mansfield, Carol Wayne and Goldie Hawn, best known as the giggling «dumb blonde», stumbling over her lines, especially when she introduced Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In «News of the Future».In the American sitcom Three’s Company the blond girl (originally Chrissy played by Suzanne Somers, and later Cindy and Terri) is sweet and naïve, while the brunette (Janet played by Joyce DeWitt) is smart.In Mexico, Aida Pierce and, later, Sheyla Tadeo, were often cast as «dumb blonde» characters on television and film; these included Pierce’s nurse characterization, and Tadeo’s Zoila Delgadillo (in Cero en conducta) and Nachita, the housekeeper (in La Juala).

 Blonde jokes

There is a category of jokes called «blonde jokes» that employs the dumb blonde stereotype. It overlaps at times with the jokes that generally portray the subject of the joke as promiscuous and/or stupid. Blonde jokes have been criticized as sexist by several authors, as most blondes in these jokes are female, although male variations also exist. Research indicates that because of this, men report being amused by blonde jokes significantly more than women do. Blonde jokes nearly always take the format of the blond(e) placing himself or herself in an unusual situation, performing a silly act because he or she misconstrued the meaning of how an activity is supposed to play out, or making a comment that serves to highlight his or her supposed lack of intelligence, lack of common sense, or cluelessness, or promiscuity.

 Varieties

Various subcategories of blond hair have been defined to describe someone with blond hair more accurately. Common examples include the following:

• blond/flaxen: when distinguished from other varieties, «blond» by itself refers to a light but not whitish blond with no traces of red, gold, or brown; this color is often described as «flaxen».

• yellow: yellow-blond («yellow» can also be used to refer to hair which has been dyed yellow).
• platinum blond or towheaded: whitish-blond; almost all platinum blonds are children. «Platinum blond» is often used to describe bleached hair, while «towheaded» generally refers to natural hair color.
• sandy blond: grayish-hazel or cream-colored blond.
• golden blond: a darker to rich, golden-yellow blond.
• strawberry blond, Venetian blond or honey blond: reddish blond.
• dirty blond or dishwater blond: dark blond with flecks of golden blond and brown.
• ash-blond: ashen or grayish blond.
• bleached blond, bottle blond, or peroxide blond artificial blond slightly less white than platinum blond.

(By Georgina Emmanouil, B class)

To begin with, scouts are an organization in all over the world where people from the very young age can take part. Scouts were made in 1912 from Baden Powder an American citizen. Scouts are supposed to teach people how to help other people in hard situations such as a fire etc

It is true that in our society word such as “help” are missing! Our children are growing up in a world where the most important thing is having money and a good job, so most children are living under the pressure of studying to succeed. As a scout, I’m inclined to believe that there are several reasons why someone has to join the scout club from a young age!

First and foremost, every child need to go somewhere during the summer to relax after the school exams! Scouts are the best solution! Every summer they visit for 10 days many places and they live in tents or in schools in every city or island they go! They own and excellent programme which not only include relaxing and swimming in the beach but visiting in many museums and learning about the traditions of each place! Moreover, taking part in a scout camping is very economical which means that in our days with the economical crisis many children can take part.

Apart from that, I would like to point out that scouts help children find new friends who can be there for them anytime they need them! It is commonly accepted that every child need to have by his side true friends to help him with his problems. Also, a child needs good friends to hang out with and relax, talk about their problems, etc…

Furthermore, during every year scouts learn a lot of thing that are very useful for their everyday life! Firstly, they learn first aid! They learn what they have to do when they hit the ground or when a fire break or when someone don’t know how to swim, etc. Secondly, they learn topography and how to making maps. This helps them find a way back when they get lost in a place. Thirdly, they learn other ways of communication such as morse code which help them communicate with someone when they are lost! It is easy enough for someone to understand how important this knowledge and experience is for a child who can know feel more confident about himself and know how to face thing in a calm way! He knows in every difficult situation what he can do to protect himself and others so he feels sure about himself and most of all safe!

Please, older people don’t cry! Scouts are here for every age! Anyone who is older than 18 years old can join the scouts’ club ethelontical and help younger people learn those important things! They can join them in their excursions, too. However, the most important thing is that they can find a place with true friends who will be always by their side!

(By Spilios Giannoulis)

  Mobile phones have become an essential part of our day today life. Teenagers are the majority of mobile phone users in the world.

Mobile phones offer an array of facilities and services. No doubt mobile phone is a need of the day, but teenagers have get into various evils and difficulties at a very early age. The facilities offered by mobile phones like SMS, MMS, video films, chatting and other application are used to a great extent could cause them addiction.

The addiction of teenagers to mobile phones and computers is affecting their education   adversely. The students in schools and colleges are using mobile phones all the time. They pay more attention to the facilities offered by these media and concentrate less in classes.

Mobile phones have become an inevitable part of life today. They lead to higher standards of living. But if misused, it can bring our standard down.

Finally, the concern of parents to keep in touch with their children and their security in society are behind their decision to get them a cell phone irrespective of their advantages and disadvantages. For all this reasons teenagers should use the mobile phone with limits.

(By Eleni Androutsopoulou, A class)

Occasioned by Russia-Ukraine conflicts…

Τhe twentieth century has already seen two world wars and many others between individual countries. The threat of war hangs over us all the time and is particularly acute in times of international crisis. War has disastrous effects on all countries, particularly on those which are involved on wars that go on for years. Civil wars, where people of the same country fight against each other, are also destructive.

In the two world wars, the countries involved lost an entire generation of young men. Those who could have contributed so much to the development of society were killed before they entered adulthood.

In addition to destroying generations of young people, war also destroys whole towns and cities and makes civilization take a step backwards. Instead of progressing, the world regresses. Time has to be spent on rebuilding cities and on rebuilding people’s hopes. The countryside is often damaged beyond all recognition. Innocent people are made to suffer because of the decisions of a small number of men. Normal life cannot continue: people suffer poverty, hardship and even starvation. People die because of man’s selfishness and greed, because of man’s aggression and desire for power, because of his mistrust of his fellow man.

Psychologically, war develops feelings of hatred for the enemy which can take many years to disappear. In these days when we are aiming to work together as nations for the common good, war merely drives us apart and encourages antagonism towards other people.

The suffering caused by war continues for many years after the war has ended. Many women are left to bring up families without their husbands. Soldiers are sometimes scarred for life, either physically or mentally. Countries struggle to create friendly relations but even in this situation, peace is sometimes simply an absence of war, precariously maintained in an atmosphere of treats and counter threats.