Animal Testing
By Christina Tsakiri The use of animals in scientific and medical research is a subject about which people hold strongly contrasting views. It is a debate which elicits very strong emotions: animal rights activists have resorted to trespass, violence, death threats and hunger strikes in their mission to end this practice. In this essay I will consider both sides of the argument. Usually, every debate has its positive and negative sides. I will start with the positives. Firstly, animal testing helps producing many vaccines and other drugs, like penicillin, and thus, save many human lives. Another important aspect to note s that animal testing helps to ensure the safety of drugs and many other substances humans use or are exposed to regularly. Also, animals (and animal testing) are really helpful for education, for surgeons to experiment on and researchers! On the other side, in animal testing, countless animals, save experimented on, and then killed after their “use”. Others are injured and will still live the remain of their lives in captivity. Another negative on the issue of animal testing is the price. Animal testing generally costs a lot of money as the animals must be fed, housed, cared and treated with drugs or a similar experimental substance. The unfortunate aspect is that money of these animals are received tests for substances that will never actually be approved. There is also the argument that the reaction of a drug in an animal’s body is quite different from a reaction in a human. The main criticism is that some people believe that animal testing is unreliable. And of course animal testing causes pain and kills a lot of animals that are used during all the researchers. While there are numerous positive and negative traits of animal testing, the ethical aspect overshadows both of them, which means that emotion may be the ultimate determining factor in whether a person believes the benefits of animal testing outweigh the problems associated with the practice. |
How does nature impact us?
By Sileia Tsakanika In a study of 20,000 people, a team led by Matthew White of the European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter, found that people who spend two hours per week in green spaces were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don’t. After reading that report, I took the decision to visit the park closest to my house every day after school for the following month, to see if it had an impact on me. As soon as I got there for the first time, I was struck by a fresh breeze in my hair. It didn’t take long for me to start smelling the distinctive smell of firs and pines. It had just stopped raining, the sky was still a tad cloudy and the weather was quite chilly. This daily walk became something like my little ritual for the next month. I got so used, addicted someone might say, to the feeling of having accomplished this once impossible-for-me task, the freedom, the peace that came with the walk, that I haven’t stopped it ever since (it’s been 3 months!). This walk taught me -and still is teaching me- a plethora of things, like how to appreciate moments to myself more, where I can think about my day and analyse, maybe correct a couple of things about me or my behaviour, or how to have a habit and maintain it. That hour of walking has also improved my physical health, making me have more stamina. In conclusion, nature plays a vital role in one’s life. We need to protect it no matter what and appreciate it. Going for a walk in a park or a forest every now and then does nothing but benefit us physically and mentally. |
Happiness - An Important Aspect of Our Lives
By Sileia Tsakanika “What is happiness?” is a question humans from all socioeconomic backgrounds have been trying to answer. Everyone seeks happiness; almost every action and goal are motivated by the desire for happiness in our lives. But what makes us truly happy? According to the Oxford Dictionary, happiness is the state of feeling or showing pleasure, but if I’m being honest, it is so much more than that. Happiness is a fulfilling and electrifying feeling. It makes you want to freeze time, stay in the moment, and try to remember everything as vividly as possible. Philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and even economists have been trying to define it. Hundreds of thousands of essays have been written, a lot of research has been conducted, songs have been sung, and still, happiness is something complicated. There are multiple factors to one's happiness that change from individual to individual. Those factors include mental health, social/personal relationships, health, income, freedom, etc. According to an annual study, Norway is considered the happiest country in the world. All of these are equally important to a stress-free, happy life. Is pursuing happiness a worthwhile goal though? When someone has a worthwhile aim, you have something to motivate you, to make you want to be the best version of yourself. Having a sense of direction automatically makes you happier, it gives you “meaning” in your life. Happiness is not a series of fortunate events as most people tend to believe. According to researchers, happiness can be achieved after spending time in discomfort. Happiness can be truly appreciated only after living without it. Setting and meeting small goals, indulging in small pleasures, and finding purpose as mentioned before, can all help to maintain a considerably happy life. To sum up, happiness is a complicated and multidimensional feeling. It can be expressed and defined differently, but ultimately, it’s equally important to every living creature. (Eudaimonia is a Greek term variously translated as happiness, welfare, flourishing, and blessedness.) |
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The tradition of Saint Barbara
by Marianna Kaltsidou, Maria Kolsouzidou, Ioanna Eleftheriadou, and Christina Lale The park of St. Barbara is located in the center of our town, Drama, Greece. It is greatly acknowledged as the ornament of Drama. Even though the park is popular itself, the story behind it, is far more interesting. According to the tradition, when the Turkish occupiers tried to demolish it to build a mosque in its place, the church was covered in water and thus was saved. The inhabitants believed that it was a miracle and for this reason they still honor the memory of St. Barbara on 4th December, lighting candles on makeshift boats floating on the lake, creating a stunning backdrop. |