A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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A world that doesn’t shame your heart…
Posted February 12, 2013 by KK
By Krysta Kalachani “I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free.” “And what is the highest command? Deny all consolations-gods homelands, ethical, truths – and be left to conjure, with only your power, a world that does not shame you heart … take upon any responsibility…” — Nikos Kazantzakis Sometimes I cannot seem […]
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A humanitarian crisis
Posted February 22, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Alex Politaki European societies typically assume that humanitarian crises only take place in the aftermath of natural disasters, epidemics, wars or civil conflicts.That such a crisis could happen in a European country, especially one that is a member of the European Union, seems out of the question to many of us. And yet a […]
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The new conventional wisdom on Cyprus?
Posted March 26, 2013 by Politis
The papers were full of analysis on the heels of the EU-Cyprus agreement Monday. Not surprisingly, after some of the hyperbole, there came reflection. The deal, it appears to some, was not as bad as it might have been, and not as bad as it has been made to appear. Hugo Dixon writes in Reuters, […]
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The injustice of the Greek justice system
Posted April 2, 2013 by Politis
Politis asked EU law expert Anna Maria Konsta for her comments on a recently published review of the Greek justice system compared to other EU member states. Here are her remarks. “Even if these data date back to 2010, they are still indicative of the inefficiency of the Greek judicial system. In Greece, it takes […]
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You can lie, but you cannot hide: the Freedom of Information Act Machine
Posted July 22, 2013 by Politis
Politis likes this: a machine, “open and free to anyone,” which uncovers the most deviously hidden government secrets. More from Billy Gallagher at TechCrunch: “The Freedom of Information Act Machine, an open online platform that automates Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, launched on Kickstarter two days ago and has already surpassed its funding goal. At […]
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The enemies of public broadcasting
Posted June 11, 2013 by DW
By David Wisner As luck would have it, I happened to log on to Facebook today just around the time that two transplanted Athenian acquaintances commented on news reports announcing the imminent closure and restructuring of the Greek public broadcasting service ERT. The one, a retired diplomat who hobnobs with foreign investors and rails day […]
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Administrative reform and the Greek parties
Posted June 4, 2012 by pdcadmin
By Konstantinos Bouas The ongoing administrative reform effort is one of the most critical issues of concern for administrative science in Greece. Considering the longstanding structural weaknesses of the public administration, as well as the explicit commitments of the Greek State deriving from the Memorandum, it is easy to realize the urgency of immediate and effective […]
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What to do about getting the story out and getting the people organized
Posted April 10, 2013 by Politis
By Maria Kalogeroudi Two speakers with a common concern: acting against racial prejudice. The one, a journalist, the other, a community organizer. Meet Damian Mac Con Uladh. Damian is an activist journalist who used to work for Athens News. He explained what an activist journalist is: a journalist for whom the boundaries between personal and […]
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No justification for violence and discrimination
Posted April 7, 2014 by pdcadmin
By Ioanna Konstantinou Having lived the Indian reality from within, I have come to know that discrimination is based on numerous and often interrelated aspects such as religion, caste, ethnicity, disability, social status and gender. Discrimination against women is systemic and gender-based violence is pervasive and perpetrated with impunity. The fact that Indian women face […]
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Live Blog: Greek election coverage 2012, round two
Posted June 16, 2012 by PR
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Double standard on immigration?
Posted July 17, 2013 by Politis
By Alyssa Olivo Coming from the United States, immigration isn’t a new issue for me. The US is filled with plenty of people from other countries. Grab five people off the street in New York and ask them where they’re from, you’ll probably get five different answers. The real issue is illegal immigration. Some come […]
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Waiting for a leader: a post-leftist appraisal
Posted October 7, 2013 by KK
A review by Krysta Kalachani of Alain Badiou, “Greek anti-fascism protests put the left’s impotence on display,” The Guardian, October 3, 2013. Here are my first thoughts but one has more to say. This is no ordinary article: one must read it carefully. There are some interesting views there, while one can find counter arguments […]
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The youth factor
Posted November 19, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Jiya Pinder Stability — economic, political and social — is a state that most countries strive for, any of the three aspects can offset or compromise the next, making national stability difficult to achieve for any government. In democratic societies and in societies in transition, “youth” play an essential role in maintaining stability. As […]
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Of civic rites of passage
Posted March 12, 2014 by Politis
Eric Liu posed an interesting question in the Atlantic yesterday. “… what if a rite… existed for everyone in America, attached not to a specific faith tradition but to a national creed of values, political traditions, and pro-social character? What if we created a civic confirmation experience that was both constructive and common to all?” […]
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Global occupy
Posted April 13, 2013 by Politis
By Politis David Graeber offers an insightful excerpt from his book The Democracy Project in today’s Salon on media coverage of the Occupy Wall Street. Why, he asks, did the US mainstream media “eventually began treating the occupation as a major news story.” His answer has both a peculiarly US and also a potentially profound […]
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A dark vein of intolerance
Posted January 13, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Ginger Gibson While continuing to identify as a Republican, former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday criticized the GOP for a series of racist attacks against President Barack Obama. “There’s also a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party,” Powell said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “What do I mean by […]
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Democracy: reinvented
Posted December 13, 2012 by DW
By David Wisner I’ve been looking for an adjective with which to describe this recent op ed article by Bill Keller in the New York Times. Curious, perhaps. It’s not quite a celebration of a certain place where democracy has flourished. Hardly, in fact. On the other hand, as a test case, South Africa, does […]
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Bazaar Ευθύνης
Posted April 21, 2013 by Politis
By Politis The third annual Philanthropic Bazaar (Bazaar Ευθύνης) took place this past weekend at the Thessaloniki Regency Casino. Some thirty non-profit charities and NGOs working with needy and handicapped children took part in the event, which also featured live music. children’s games, and food. The event was staffed by volunteers who are otherwise employed […]
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How to design a new government
Posted September 27, 2013 by Politis
With all the talk of public sector reform in Greece these days, it would not be surprising if a casual reader might ask, what alternatives are there to the current state of affairs? Where might one start to look? Fear not, Google has an answer. It is called Constitute. It works, too, according to a recent […]
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Livebloging and streaming at ACT
Posted April 10, 2013 by PR
Live streaming by Ustream