A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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Saying of the day: 5/20/13
Posted May 20, 2013 by Politis
“Men with guns I’m used to. But kids without books, teachers or classes for a long time — that’s trouble. Big trouble. “ — Thomas Friedman
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Right, left, and Nixonian
Posted May 14, 2013 by DW
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 […]
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Honest Abe
Posted November 4, 2013 by DW
“Honesty is a virtue.” Not only in the realm of the proverbial, but also according to classical ethical theory. How often do we ascribe this virtue to contemporary politicians? Do we celebrate our national heroes, our great statesmen and women, for their dedication to the truth? I saw the film “Lincoln” some months ago and […]
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How do you learn?
Posted May 20, 2013 by Politis
Coursera has published this nifty learning map on their Facebook page. What does it represent? “Mindmaps, lecture notes, quiz cards are just a few ways that Courserians study and reinforce course material. Learn more about what these are and how you can utilize them based on your learning style.”How do you study, they ask? Might […]
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Female, Aboriginal, Educated, and Idle No More
Posted January 20, 2013 by DW
A great story published in today’s Globe and Mail focuses on the driving forces behind Canada’s Idle No More movement. They call themselves an “indigenous rights revolution” aiming at honoring and fulfilling Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. The movement is the brainchild of four women, which, as Friesen writes, is “one of […]
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The perils of democracy
Posted February 1, 2013 by Politis
Politis posted excerpts earlier today from a Council of Europe report on domestic threats to democracy in Greece. Below a short article taken from Portside giving a left-of-center take on the same question. “There’s a new smog hanging over Greek cities this winter: an acrid cloud of wood smoke that burns the back of the […]
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Women and politics: new rules
Posted January 23, 2013 by Politis
Joan Walsh, commenting in Salon on Hillary Clinton’s Senate hearing today notes that “Clinton stood up to the raging bulls with grace and fire of her own… After [which] she was lectured and hectored by guys who don’t quite measure up to her and never will.” Okay, so Salon is a liberal paper and one […]
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Europe – Crisis without End?
Posted April 20, 2013 by Politis
By Politis This past week the Municipality of Thessaloniki has hosted a unique Franco-German initiative, in collaboration with the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe, a Dutch-registered NGO based in Thessaloniki with outreach throughout the Balkans. Academics, journalists, practitioners, and above all university students have gathered in Thessaloniki to continue their ongoing series […]
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Giving up the ghost
Posted July 26, 2015 by DW
It was a metaphor that was not uncommon in earlier moments of the crisis, that of Greece as a patient on life support. The notion of a sick man of Europe has a long pedigree after all. It has come back with a vengeance now, most recently in the form of a commentary by Maria […]
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Saying of the day: 2/22/13
Posted February 22, 2013 by Politis
“It is my heartfelt conviction that in Germany more Europe does not mean a German Europe. For us, more Europe means a European Germany.” — Joachim Gauck
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A public service announcement for owners of uninsured vehicles
Posted April 6, 2013 by Politis
By Fotinie Efstratiadou A law pertaining to uninsured vehicles has recently been passed in the Greek Parliament and will enter into force on April 15, 2013. The law concerns owners of vehicles that will be found to be uninsured through database cross examinations conducted by the National Information Systems of the Greek Ministry of Economy, […]
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Is there an EU education gap?
Posted May 8, 2013 by Politis
Anders Aslund, the author of a report on the root causes of the eurozone crisis published on the website of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, argues that “[t]he most overlooked common problem of the four Southern European countries—Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece—is that they are all hampered by little education and the poor quality […]
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Center right, center left: the original
Posted March 24, 2013 by Politis
“The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue. Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach. As the only Washington, DC-based think tank that actively promotes bipartisanship, BPC […]
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Vote for Angie!
Posted September 9, 2013 by Politis
Fears in Germany that conservative voters may abstain from voting in the coming German national election. Their response: erotic dancers. Would the picture of this semi-nude performer inspire you to vote?
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Skateboard civil society
Posted May 11, 2013 by Politis
By Politis A wonderful story here by Sam Jones in last Friday’s Guardian about a group of skateboarders in Britain who have organized themselves to preserve their skateboard park. So called “Long Live Southbank,” the effort is focused on gaining recognition of an undercroft of the central London arts complex as village green, a community […]
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Citizenship for All Children
Posted February 28, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Christina Flora Immigrant children living in Greece made their case for citizenship on Feb. 27 at a news conference held at the offices of the Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers, under the title Citizenship for All Children. “We claim citizenship for all children. They are our children, children who live at the […]
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Using your voice
Posted October 30, 2016 by Politis
By Jayde Ashante Hansen I’m not sure words can begin to explain how I feel, being an American citizen, and failing to register to vote. All year I’ve been thinking about this opportunity, after all, it’s my very first opportunity to vote for the president of the United States. I won’t have this opportunity for […]
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Why is competitiveness important?
Posted May 31, 2013 by Politis
Economists and others have stqated repeatedly that Greece needs to become more competitive to remain within the eurozone. We are rarely told why. Here, Stefan Garelli of IMD explains the meaning of competitiveness in this clip marking the release if the IMD’s 2013 World Competitiveness Ranking.
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Austerity cuts Greek household income 38%
Posted February 8, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Andy Dabilis “The severity of Greece’s crushing economic crisis and austerity measures demanded by international lenders has drastically cut the incomes of more than 90 percent of Greek households, with an average drop of 38 percent. The startling numbers that illustrated how bad the crisis is for most Greeks, apart from politicians, the rich […]
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Sharks in the Aegean?
Posted April 13, 2013 by pdcadmin
By Livingston T. Merchant For one who loves Greece, at least the way it was five years, or even better, before it entered the candy shop of the Euro zone, there is nothing at all in the news to cause optimism about the future. The country is being systematically destroyed by very clever people who […]