German philosopher Juergen Habermas spoke at the Catholic University of Leuven last week to an audience that included students and Herman Van Rompuy, current President of the European Council. Habermas entitled his lecture “Democracy, Solidarity and the European Crisis.” What Europe needs, he said, “is solidarity and a cooperative approach that results from a shared […]
Herewith a special warning for owners of motor vehicles with Greek license plates, especially those living abroad, about the penalty they may receive for uninsured vehicles, i.e., in storage during the winter months. The insurance cancellation date has recently changed, from one month after the most recent renewal, to noon on the actual renewal day. A […]
This weekly feature offers a glimpse of what is happening in and around Thessaloniki. Compiled by Laura Strieth. Thu 11th April- Geneva Jacuzzi- An LA-based songwriter, musician and visual artist who is known for her unique style of synth driven pop recordings, theatrical stage personas and retrostyle video art. Her videos and live performances portray […]
Tips from an article in today’s New Scientist on how to resist the efforts of governments to encroach on their privacy. “… for citizens who want to guard their privacy, there are a number of options. Apps like Silent Circle and RedPhone can already encrypt your calls and send them over a data connection or […]
In mid October Thessaloniki will be hosting the WOMEX World Music Expo. This is a great privilege for Thessaloniki as it will bring a lot of artists and great talents from around the world to Thessaloniki and it will also set up more production and music sales networks for the city. For those of you […]
By Krysta So a boy of African descent living in Greece has sought and been granted asylum in Belgium. I don’t think that there is anything new in this article that we have not yet discussed a million times regarding Greece’s very frustrating and problematic status on questions of human rights, discrimination, and as part […]
By Maria Patsarika The world of video-gaming is usually discussed in these controversial terms: does it promote violence or is it simple entertainment, in the same way that films are? I discussed this issue in depth recently with a group of college students, over a series of presentations that they had prepared on the subject. […]
Ahead of the Thessaloniki European Youth Capital 2014 year, the British Embassy in Athens is organising a debate at Thessaloniki Municipal Council Hall on Wednesday, 13 November 2013 at 4.30, open to the public. Four young speakers from UK and Greece, Natalie Robinson – UK Young Ambassador, Sophie Rodgers – UK Young Ambassador, Ioannis Konstantinidis […]
The story of one man’s quest — and a politician’s no less — to modernize the “most modern” of America’s cities… “Citizenville is the story of how ordinary citizens can use new digital tools to dissolve political gridlock and transform American democracy. As social networking and smart phones have changed the way we communicate with […]
Herewith the manifesto from Personal Democracy Media, conceived as a “hub for the conversation already underway between political practitioners and technologists, as well as anyone invigorated by the potential of all this to open up the process and engage more people in all the things that we can and must do together as citizens.” […]
By David Wisner Politis has pointed this phenomenon up before. Newsworthy Grecians can no longer hide behind the figurative distance between Athens and the rest of the world, or the relative inaccessibility of the Greek language outside Greece. Two examples since the beginning of December suffice. Stephen Grey, who spoke at the Dukakis Center on […]
The right to vote for and stand as candidate in legislative and municipal elections for women was secured on 28 May, 1952, through law 2159, which gave women equal rights to men. Women did not vote in the elections of November of that year, however, because the electoral rolls had not been yet been brought […]
By Politis Is there a global explanation for the rise of so many disparate protest movements across the globe since 2008? John Kay thinks so in his column in today’s Financial Times. “The financial crisis of 2008 was a failure of both an economic system and a political system. The inability of democratic politics to […]
“You should love responsibility. You should say, I and I alone am charged with saving the earth. If it is not saved, I am at fault.” — Nikos Kazantzakis
Την Τετάρτη, 20 Νοε 2013, στις 18.00, στην αίθουσα πολλαπλών χρήσεων του Δημαρχείου Θεσσαλονίκης το Πανελλήνιο Παρατηρητήριο Οργανώσεων της Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών και ο Ευρωπαϊκός Όμιλος Εδαφικής Συνεργασίας (ΕΟΕΣ) «ΕΥΞΕΙΝΗ ΠΟΛΗ – Δίκτυο Ευρωπαϊκών Πόλεων για τη Βιώσιμη Ανάπτυξη» με την υποστήριξη του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης, οργανώνει την, ανοικτή σε όλους, «Πανελλήνια Πλατφόρμα Ενεργών Πολιτών». Η […]
By David Wisner If I were a photographer, I would take portraits of individual sitters. I would try to capture one’s eternal youthfulness, and yet simultaneously project the whole of one’s temporal experience. As I write these lines, I find myself thinking also that I might be able to discern the countenance of their personal […]
In this post we publish the responses of a group of young Greek voters to the question, “How will you feel when you go to vote in Sunday’s elections?” It is perfectly certain for a responsible and thoughtful citizen that his right to participate in politics by voting is not so simple. In a democratic […]