A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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Could citizenship ever be like surfing?
Posted June 27, 2013 by Politis
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New media and the future of journalism
Posted June 28, 2013 by KK
By Krysta Kalachani Let me bring to your attention a very interesting discussion (in Greek) about the new media and new types of journalism in the context ERT, as ERT was / is supposed to be. Worth watching, it tackles specifically the situation in the Greek media.
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Diaspora Perspectives
Posted June 28, 2013 by Politis
By Elizabeth B. Seliotes Bolling [Editor’s note: Politis welcomes Alaska-born Hellene Elizabeth B. Seliotes Bolling, who will contribute notes on the experience of a diaspora Greek during the crisis.] Being an American of Greek blood who grew up in Alaska but is living in Greece, I experience treatment from the older Greek generation that sometimes […]
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Saying of the day: 6/28/13
Posted June 28, 2013 by DW
“If history tells us anything, the fight against NSA secrecy is a winnable.” — Gregory Ferenstein, TechCrunch
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Is this what revolution looks like now?
Posted June 29, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Francis Fukuyama Over the past decade, Turkey and Brazil have been widely celebrated as star economic performers—emerging markets with increasing influence on the international stage. Yet, over the past three months, both countries have been paralyzed by massive demonstrations expressing deep discontent with their governments’ performance. What is going on here, and will more […]
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Is this the moment for national service?
Posted June 30, 2013 by DW
By David Wisner Michael Gerson had some interesting thoughts about an offhand remark made recently by retired US General Stanley McChrystal on service to the nation. McChrystal had expressed concern that only 1 percent of Americans serve in the armed forces, resulting in an unequal distribution of burdens and an unequal development of citizens. “Once […]
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Making sense of the suicides
Posted July 4, 2013 by Politis
By Alyssa Olivo As a New Yorker and visitor of Greece, my view on the crisis differs from natives. Our newspapers tell stories about riots in the streets and articles talk about austerity endlessly but the main question and concern is what’s going to happen to the euro. It’s rare I do not hear or […]
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Spying on Greece, too
Posted July 4, 2013 by Politis
By Alyssa Olivo Private documents leaked by United States National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, revealed the US has allegedly been spying on the Greek embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Greek United Nations mission. According to SPIEGEL, a German online newspaper, the US conducted online surveillance of European citizens and targeted buildings housing European institutions. The […]
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Big state
Posted July 8, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Jannis Papadimitriou Greece’s lenders have urged the country to reduce its excessive state apparatus. But few people trust that will be possible. Political clientelism and patronage have a long tradition in Greece’s administrative bodies. Back in the fall of 2012, the Greek coalition government under Conservative leader Antonis Samaras promised to lay off 15,000 […]
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Obviating political responsibility: violence and the left in Greece
Posted July 8, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Kostas A. Lavdas ‘Bigotry tries to keep truth safe in its hand With a grip that kills it.’ Rabindranath Tagore Hardly a day goes by without an analysis appearing in the international media on the rise of the extreme right in Greece. And rightly so. At the same time however the Greek left’s contribution […]
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Coming to grips with children trying to earn money on the streets
Posted July 11, 2013 by Politis
By Alyssa Olivo Even though I’m used to seeing homeless people begging on the streets of New York City, I’ve been surprised at the amount of children trying to earn money on the streets in Greece. I can count on both hands the amount of times I’ve had a child come up to me, play […]
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Would you swear an oath to the Queen?
Posted July 11, 2013 by DW
By David Wisner The Globe and Mail ran a story yesterday about “would-be Canadian citizens” who are up in arms about the oath of allegiance they must swear to the British monarch prior to earning full rights as citizens of Canada. The Citizenship Act requires applicants for citizenship to swear or affirm they will be […]
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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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Sinking in our own shit
Posted July 18, 2013 by DW
By David Wisner Here is something I had been thinking a lot about before it happened. We all want action to be taken to avert or resolve a crisis. We all want to believe that we can contribute our small part in the effort to clean up the mess we ourselves may be partly responsible […]
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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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How simple it is to know who’s who
Posted July 29, 2013 by DW
Fact checkers and vote counters are legion in the US. Here is site that prides itself for being up on the latest in IT developments. No hiding behind the anonymity of an electronic vote. At issue in this instance is an amendment to cut off funding the the recently divulged NSA spying program. Now, who […]
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Open data: what it is, what it is not
Posted July 29, 2013 by Politis
This clip, courtesy of The Guardian, provides a nice overview of the state of thinking about open data, which advocates argue will revolutionize political practice in positive fashion in the months and years to come. See for yourself whether you agree.
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Saying of the day: 8/1/13
Posted July 31, 2013 by Politis
“Greece – like Detroit but without hockey.” — Anonymous
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Extreme citizen action
Posted August 1, 2013 by Politis
Below the text of a petition to save the public toilets of the British city of Bath. One woman has pledged to occupy one of the toilets all day as a means of protest. Nearly 100 people have signed. …/… Dear Councillor Dixon, Please do not close our public toilets in Bath. Many people rely […]
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When push becomes shove: getting citizens to act in their own best interest
Posted August 1, 2013 by DW
It was originally called the “Behavioural Insights Team,” a team of British policy analysts who employed psychological research to persuade citizens in the most subtle of ways to pay their taxes on time, get off unemployment, or insulate their attic. Now Canada has created a “nudge unit,” whose mission is to “nudge citizens into acting […]