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, […]

Findings from a recently published report by the Pew Research Center on digital politics in the 2012 US general election. Should we look for signs that this is the future face of European electoral politics too? 1. Digital Politics:Pew Research findings on technology and campaign 2012 Aaron Smith Research Associate Pew Research Center @pewinternet, #SMWdigitalpolitics […]

Der Spiegel has a story according to which professional clowns in Germany are up in arms regarding a comment made by the leader of the German opposition, Social Democrat Peer Steinbrück, comparing Italian political figures Silvio Berlusconi and Beppe Grillo to clowns. “A circus clown is no fool who can be placed on the same […]

Politis is interested in citizen activism round the world, not only in Greece. We report here about an interesting article in Deutsche Welle on a grass roots initiative aiming to monitor the upcoming election in Kenya, using a platform developed by a company called Ushahidi. Ushahidi calls itself a “non-profit tech company that changes the […]

A group of Hellenes in London have announced their intention to circulate the following petition and then submit it to the current Greek government, with a view toward raising awareness regarding what they call a rise of fascism and racism and the erosion of democracy and civil rights in Greece. At the time of publication […]

Excerpts from an article by Helena Smith in today’s Guardian about the projected sale of a privately owned chain of islands in the Greek Ionian Sea. “The suitor is one of the world’s wealthiest men; the location happens to be the eurozone’s poorest country. But in an unlikely coming together of economic circumstances, the emir […]

Is Greece an emerging market? Strange as it may seem, an American firm named Russell Investments believes so. Is this good news? In an analysis by Mat Lystra and Ryan Naranjo entitled Greece: Reemerged, explains in detail the reclassification. But lest one think that this is good news for the Greek economy, the inverse is […]

A lead editorial by Gideon Rachman in today’s Financial Times tends to dismiss the gloomy scenarios shooting out of Europe in the aftermath of the Italian general election last week. Are we headed toward a reprise of the European 1930s, when political extremism on both right and left was a prelude to war of one sort […]

Ζητούνται Γελιολόγοι στην Ελλάδα του σήμερα, όχι άλλοι Γελωτοποιοί…  By Fotinie Efstratiadou Τις προάλλες, η οχτάχρονη κόρη μου ντύθηκε αστυνομικίνα στο καρναβαλίστικο πάρτι του σχολείου. «Μαμά, εσύ τι θα ντυθείς;» με ρώτησε. Σκέφτηκα… «Γιατρός», της είπα.   Μου φάνηκε εύκολο.  Θα απευθυνόμουν στους γνωστούς μας στο φαρμακείο για τα απαραίτητα.  Πράγματι, οι συνεργάτες ήταν πρόθυμοι και […]

This weekly feature offers a glimpse of what is happening in and around Thessaloniki. Compiled by Laura Strieth. Thu 7th Mar- A Social History of Yoga- Mr. Nikos Dimitriadis invites everyone to join his ‘Religions of the World’ class at ACT as they learn about the history of Yoga.  During the session, Ms. Spyridoula Bakoyianni […]

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 […]

The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service Cordially invites you to attend a Dukakis Lecture Featuring Dimitris Katsoudas Former Secretary General for European Affairs, Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs PHOENIX OUT OF THE ASHES? HOW GREECE CAN RECOVER Monday, March 11, 5 PM, ACT New Building Conference Room The lecture will […]

By Dimitrios Machairas [H]ow are we to interpret the insistence on the part of Greece to accept, at whatever cost for the last three years, almost all the measures that have been imposed by its international lenders and the EU to rescue the country from default and remain in the Eurozone? Is it an indication […]

“A growing body of experimental research is finding evidence suggesting that, to some degree, political inclinations and ideological leanings may be tied to innate factors like a person’s biology, physiology and genetics.” So reads the conclusion of a recent article in Politico. Politis has run stories like this for a couple months, now. It all […]

Matthew O’Brien says in this month’s Atlantic, “No, the United States will never, ever turn into Greece.” What he means is that, contrary to the view of certain economists, the US will never “spend itself into bankruptcy.” According to the popular wisdom O’Brien seeks to debunk, “too much public debt makes markets nervous. Nervous markets […]

By Ruth Sutton Bicycles carrying kilos of fish… rock concerts. the world’s biggest sandwich… art made out of packaged food, NGO network building… 2nd hand designer clothing… online platforms for volunteering solutions… taxis and potatoes… ethical hairdressing salons… professional internships… Youtube playlist? Coffee shop eavesdropping? Twitter madness? No, all of the above and much more […]

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”  — Marcus Aurelius

According to a poll published in Roll Call, 95% of members of the US House of Representatives say they get a sense of personal accomplishment from their work as legislators. 89% claim that they are performing an important public service. The sample was small, however: 194 House members were selected randomly, but only 25 responded. […]

By Maria Patsarika I read an article by Thanasis Skokos in Protagon yesterday about corruption. Actually, it is one of the many articles out there discussing the extent to which politicians who have misused power and public funds are now confronting justice and people’s outrage. Laying responsibilities on the financial side of things is a […]

By Laura Strieth A group called NoMines N. has posted the following petition regarding a project to mine for gold in the vicinity of Ierissos, on the third foot of the Halkidiki region. The campaign “calls for citizens all over the world to raise their voice in condemnation against the development of mining activities and […]