By Maria Patsarika “Θέλει αρετή και τόλμη η ελευθερία” – Andreas Kalvos “It is inevitable that the Greek people will go through hardships to get through the crisis… Inevitably some businesses will have to close down,” Giannis Vroutsis, Minister of Employment, has observed. This is the mantra of our times: a fashionable stoicism that makes […]

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 […]

By David Wisner I have asked myself this question over and over. So have many of my acquaintances, from what I can gather. Indeed, I began this line of inquiry barely a year into Greece’s sovereign debt crisis. American that I am, I asked the question from the point of view of the tax payer […]

Politis invited regular contributors Krysta Kalachani and Maria Patsarika to comment on two recent blog posts discussing revolution, by Christos Giannaras and Politis’ own David Wisner. Why all this talk about revolution now? Are we getting it right? KK: Why don’t you like it? Love it. One reason that you are not sure about it […]

By Diego Salas Freedom as natural right is what gives every person the capacity to live life the way they want to. This capacity is subject to numerous restrictions, of course. It has moral restrictions, legal restrictions, and, depending on where we’re located, many others. “Our rights end where the rights of others start,” is […]

It is said that people have many reasons for being amazed by Greece. Here are mine!   How long people stay at restaurants and cafes. At most places in America you receive your meal and the waiter stands by the table waiting for you to finish. As soon as you complete your meal you are […]

By Elias Kulukundis November 17 should be a national holiday. The courage of the unarmed students at the Athens Polytechnic led to the overthrow of the junta, and the day on which it, November 17, should not be a partisan political symbol that divides Left and Right, but a way for all Greeks to come […]

By Jiya Pinder Stability — economic, political and social — is a state that most countries strive for, any of the three aspects can offset or compromise the next, making national stability difficult to achieve for any government. In democratic societies and in societies in transition, “youth” play an essential role in maintaining stability. As […]

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 Franesca Kareivis I recently attended a debate in the Thessaloniki Municipal Council chamber organized by the British Embassy in Athens. It was an interesting debate, demonstrating that young people have power and should be active members of society. After the four featured speakers debated, the mayor of Thessaloniki spoke a bit about some problems […]

By Zaid Jilani A few weeks ago, the massive consulting firm Deloitte came to my public policy school – the Maxwell School at Syracuse University – to conduct what it called a “case challenge.” The students who participated were separated into groups and presented with a sample consulting challenge. At the end of the multi-day […]

By Franchesca Verendia Leaving for Greece from the US I was expecting plenty of things—good food, a nice view, rich history, and some beautiful weather. I was even expecting some initial culture shock. What I was not expecting were the long stares when I walked down the street, the second-guessing questions (“So where are from?” […]

By Krysta Kalachani I have been asked whether the Enri Canaj’s photographs of the darker sides of Athens are representative in any way of what is happening these days in Athens. I first saw them some time ago, in fact. I think I had posted a link on Facebook. I see that there is some debate […]

By Diego Salas The center of Thessaloniki, by Aristotle square, is normally tagged as a zone for tourists to avoid during times of protests. I had no idea what Greek protests would look like and I didn’t think realistically that they could be as dangerous as the ones in my country (Venezuela), so I went […]

By Simona Ramos As times in Greece are getting worse and new taxes place an additional burden on the backs of millions of Greek citizens there are many things to be said and even more to be done. Ironically, but it seems that Greece have moved directly from its golden age to its age of doom. […]

By Jiya Pinder Tensions have risen in Bangkok over the past few weeks, as anti-government “yellow-shirt” protesters have sought to remove democratically elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her cabinet.  The Protestors descended on the city center, popular TV stations, police headquarters and the government house in an effort to disrupt the capital city and […]

By Maria Patsarika Browsing a Sunday paper and a series of depressing articles on politics, one article made me think of the word “crisis” on a broader eco-systemic level, and also ponder the distressing consequences of our collective ignorance. Permissions for gold mining in Chalkidiki and protesters’ prosecutions are scandalous according to George Triantafyllidis, lecturer […]

By Diego Salas. I go to the restaurant next to the Hotel and the owner gives me a salad without me asking for it…oops, suddenly why not a glass of ouzo.  Assisting people is very important in order to progress and maybe that’s why Greece is where it is if we stick to a report […]

  By Diego Salas Things about Greece, Thessaloniki 1. Things I that I never thought I would encounter People in general have at least a basic level of English. Taxis are incredibly cheap. People treat you like a brother though you’ve met them only once. Ouzo as a casual Greek beverage. Greeks take hours to […]

The MPA program at the University of North Carolina has a really useful “Citizen’s Guide to Open Government, E-Government, and Government 2.0.”  They conclude that Open Government is here for the long haul. “Engaged citizens want clear, credible information from the government about how it’s carrying on its business. They don’t want to thumb through […]