Say you are an eager entrepreneur seeking to launch you own business. In the past, says Alexis Papahelas of Kathimerini, you might have faced “tailor-made amendments, biased legal and standards committees, and odd circulars were all mobilized in an effort to erect obstacles in the path of people outside the loop who wanted to enter […]
Speaking recently in Ankara at a Greco-Turkish forum dedicated to tourism, the current mayor of Thessaloniki, Ioannis Boutaris, suggested that he felt a feeling of kinship with Turks, acknowledging among other things the important monuments in his city dating from the Ottoman occupation of Greece. “I feel myself to be a brother with the Turks, […]
A few weeks ago the Dukakis Center hosted Reuters investigative journalist Stephen Grey, whose articles on cronyism and corruption in the Greek banking sector roused the ire of local media outlets, to the extent that he was accused of being on the vanguard of a new Frankish invasion. Politis has commented on more than once […]
“So what does it mean when a company institutionalizes altruism? It means more students are mentored and tutored, more afterschool programs funded, more books read, better grades and test scores, and more poor families helped.” — Julia Wade (Domus Kids)
By David Wisner “No one,” writes David Hawkings in his blog in today’s Roll Call, “expected Obama would get to a second term and find his legislative agenda suddenly frozen in the face of a bipartisan wave of comparisons to Richard Nixon.” This is precisely what has happened right, left, and center after the revelations […]
By Maria Patsarika Is there a second chance for democracy, as Nikos Marantzidis claimed in Protagon last week? For one to be able to identify a positive orientation for populism in politics is a fresh, however risky, perspective on democratic renewal. When this is accompanied by concrete suggestions, however, the argument becomes even more robust […]
“At least he [Erdogan] is leaving us some crumbs. The previous bastards never gave us everything.” — Turkish supporter of the AKP
The Republican Main Street Partnership, a Washington-based group that has promoted moderate GOP lawmakers and policies, will remove the word “Republican” from its title and welcome center-right Democrats in 2013, Yahoo News has learned. The organization’s board of directors voted Tuesday morning to scrap party identification from its title and be known simply as “The […]
Students and faculty from Anatolia and ACT, and the Dukakis Center took part in two clean up activities in Thessaloniki on the weekend of June 9-10, 2012. First, a group of volunteer citizens helped clean up the beach behind the Hondos Center in the Florida shopping center, part of a city-wide initiative led by Thessaloniki […]
By Ian Kehoe In these unprecedented times in Greece, it is more important than ever to question the purposes and outcomes of social projects and institutions in order to make sure we are really tackling the underlying causes and behaviours that led us to this crisis. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in alternative […]
We rarely equate paying taxes with citizenship these days, although it is certainly one of those old-fashioned obligations we associate with residing in a certain place. French actor Gerard Depardieu (by the grace of God born a Frenchman, has now been offered Russian citizenship (along with the Belgian citizenship he sought a short while back […]
About Do you have multiple cell phones? Take your ipad to the beach on vacation? Ever find it hard to get through a conversation without posting an update to Facebook? Is your computer always on? We increasingly miss out on the important moments of our lives as we pass the hours with our noses buried […]
Athens (April 8, 2013) — Erroneous press reports have appeared overnight suggesting that the U.S. Consulate General in Thessaloniki is closing. As the Consulate announced on February 15, certain U.S. citizen consular services and notarial services will be provided only on a periodic basis in Thessaloniki from the end of May onwards. Those services will […]
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 […]
A relief fund has been created by the Serbian government for anyone who wishes to support victims of the terrible flooding in Serbia. Thank you for taking note and sharing this information with your friends and acquaintances.
By David Wisner “Phew, that was tough,” is the initial impression left behind by Nick Malkoutzis in his comment in the pages of today’s Kathimerini English edition. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, now. “And like that… poof, the crisis is gone. More bailout loans approved by the Eurogroup, a sovereign rating upgrade from Fitch, […]
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 […]
The Greek office of the World Wildlife Fund is circulating the following open letter with regard to pending legislation regarding potential private development along Greece’s Aegean seacoast. …/… Αγαπητοί φίλοι, Με κομμένη την ανάσα παρακολουθούμε τις τελευταίες εξελίξεις που αφορούν το νέο σχέδιο νόμου του Υπουργείου Οικονομικών για τον αιγιαλό. Ίσως έχετε ακούσει το θέμα […]
By David Wisner Last week I was invited to attend a seminar organized by a well-known network marketing company. I do not collaborate personally with this company, but I know of it and have been curious to observe how their corporate philosophy resonates in crisis-stricken Greece. The keynote speaker was an American who has been […]