A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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The new conventional wisdom on Cyprus?
Posted March 26, 2013 by Politis
The papers were full of analysis on the heels of the EU-Cyprus agreement Monday. Not surprisingly, after some of the hyperbole, there came reflection. The deal, it appears to some, was not as bad as it might have been, and not as bad as it has been made to appear. Hugo Dixon writes in Reuters, […]
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Citizen election monitoring in Kenya
Posted March 2, 2013 by Politis
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 […]
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What are Greece good at?
Posted June 7, 2012 by DW
By David Wisner There is good news and bad news this week from the birthplace of democracy. On the one hand, according to findings from the European Values Study published by Tilburg University in Holland, more than 80% of those polled in Greece showed support for a democratic regime. This is clearly the highest average in the […]
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Saying of the day: 6/9/13
Posted June 9, 2013 by Politis
“When police attack peaceful protesters, when protesters attack property, everyone loses.” — Livy Merchant
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One click off
Posted June 4, 2012 by pdcadmin
By Kathryn Lukey-Coutsocostas* Globalization has us readily accepting goods from other lands into our homes. But can countries absorb imported citizens just as easily? Whenever I join the crowd to criticize a line-jumper in a queue in Greece, someone inevitably tries to muzzle me with the classic insider-outsider putdown: “You’re not Greek.” Apparently, only locals […]
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Open Government, E-Government, and Government 2.0
Posted January 8, 2014 by Politis
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 […]
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A public service announcement on uninsured vehicles
Posted March 10, 2016 by Politis
Is your vehicle currently insured? A penalty of 250 euros will apply for any uninsured vehicle the next few days, as soon as the cross check will be made by the Greek Ministry of Finance, since yesterday, was published the relevant law. If your vehicle is not then insured within two months, further penalties will […]
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It’s our right: I think I’ll vote
Posted May 3, 2012 by pdcadmin
In this week’s installment of “It’s our right,” college student Iliana Sansi, who is eligible to vote for the first time in her life, deliberates whether she wants to exercise this right on May 6. The last three weeks we’ve been witnessing confusion all over Greece that mostly deals with the coming elections on this Sunday. Political […]
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Saying of the day: 6/20/13
Posted June 20, 2013 by Politis
“J’ai mal à la Grèce.” Angélique Kourounis
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Civic Work, Civic Lessons
Posted October 25, 2013 by Politis
Civic Work, Civic Lessons explains how and why people of all ages, and particularly young people, should engage in public service as a vocation or avocation. Its authors are 57 years apart, but united in their passion for public service, which they term “civic work.” The book provides unique intergenerational perspectives. Thomas Ehrlich spent much […]
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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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The injustice of the Greek justice system
Posted April 2, 2013 by Politis
Politis asked EU law expert Anna Maria Konsta for her comments on a recently published review of the Greek justice system compared to other EU member states. Here are her remarks. “Even if these data date back to 2010, they are still indicative of the inefficiency of the Greek judicial system. In Greece, it takes […]
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Around the town: 3/28/13
Posted March 29, 2013 by laura
This weekly feature offers a glimpse of what is happening in and around Thessaloniki. Compiled by Laura Strieth. Fri 29th March- Hugo Race- A prolific and visionary performer, Hugo Race, will be performing music from his latest album, Fatalists. Drawing inspiration from all his travels, he has created a mix of rock ‘n’ roll, soul, […]
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One Billion Rising
Posted February 11, 2013 by laura
On February 14th, the American College of Thessaloniki and the Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service will join the One Billion Rising in solidarity with and outrage at violence against women. This Thursday from 1-2pm in Effie Common, New Building, you are all being called to take “The Walk of Honor: put yourself in […]
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Oversight of Cyprus banks: how it should work
Posted March 20, 2013 by Politis
Clive Crook has this to say about the proposed legislation to tax depositors in Cyprus, an idea he labels as “stupid.” “You want bank bondholders to be concerned about the safety of their investment, so that they exert some discipline over the banks, and you want small depositors to rest easy about the safety of […]
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How geeks are taking over government
Posted June 14, 2013 by Politis
A very matter-of-fact clip in today’s Guardian on how open source technology is helping the British civil servants keep up with their work load — through the creation of “compelling digital services for government.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iahpVvPkCf4
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LOL Greece
Posted May 6, 2015 by KK
By Krysta I took a look at an article in LOL Greece a few weeks ago. I was a bit busy at the time and this guy’s articles are huge! I think this website is pretty decent, if not more than that. The articles this guy writes are pretty balanced, he seems to be giving […]
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Now comes the hard part
Posted July 15, 2015 by DW
It was in the wee hours between November 4-5, 2008. The news was filtering in that Barack Obama had defeated John McCain in the US Presidential election. If you were a Republican, and had experienced George W. Bush’s historic reelection in 2004, you were crestfallen. Congressional Republicans had just been routed again to make matters […]
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Occupy Barbie Dream House
Posted May 18, 2013 by Politis
By Politis A group of activists have been protesting the opening in Berlin of the European Barbie Dreamhouse, a new theme park which the protestors are calling “pink hell.” In an interview in Deutsche Welle, the leader of the “Pink Stinks” movement, Stevie Schmiedel, described their action as follows. “Basically we have a press stand […]