A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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Saying of the day: 2/27/13
Posted February 27, 2013 by DW
“What does a congressman do? He works a lot and produces little. That’s the reality.” — Tiririca (Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva), Brazilian Congress
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Bazaar Ευθύνης
Posted April 21, 2013 by Politis
By Politis The third annual Philanthropic Bazaar (Bazaar Ευθύνης) took place this past weekend at the Thessaloniki Regency Casino. Some thirty non-profit charities and NGOs working with needy and handicapped children took part in the event, which also featured live music. children’s games, and food. The event was staffed by volunteers who are otherwise employed […]
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Research on automobile infotainment system safety
Posted April 7, 2014 by Politis
The team at Navideck have created an online survey to determine the relative safety of infotainment systems in cars. While this is a start up and Politis does not endorse commercial products, we have posted occasional public service announcements on the issue of automobile and driver safety, and are similarly inspired in this instance. The […]
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Waiting for a leader: a post-leftist appraisal
Posted October 7, 2013 by KK
A review by Krysta Kalachani of Alain Badiou, “Greek anti-fascism protests put the left’s impotence on display,” The Guardian, October 3, 2013. Here are my first thoughts but one has more to say. This is no ordinary article: one must read it carefully. There are some interesting views there, while one can find counter arguments […]
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Event of the week: Anatolia Christmas charity drive
Posted December 7, 2012 by laura
On Dec 19 the Anatolia Christmas charity drive will take place. Volunteers will be collecting food with a long shelf life (packaging must be intact) and personal hygiene products and household detergents (used and half full items can be donated). There will be collection points throughout campus, look out for the collection bins with signs […]
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Yes? No? Vote, and stay engaged
Posted July 3, 2015 by DW
We have an expression in the US. “Vote early and often.” Lest you think I am encouraging you to commit voter fraud, I actually have something else in mind. If you vote when young you are likely to continue to want to vote whenever you have the opportunity. Make it a habit. Just look at […]
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In search of a Greek social contract
Posted February 24, 2012 by DW
By David Wisner I’ve been thinking a lot about the American Declaration of Independence. Let me explain by way of an anecdote. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s long-time business associate, is blind in one eye, owing to complications in a cataract operation. As Alice Schroeder tells the story, Munger never blamed the doctor, instead accepting responsibility […]
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Here’s to your health
Posted April 14, 2015 by DW
I recently found myself obliged to spend some time in a public hospital. Aside from the obvious benefits to my health, it was a most revealing experience. Ihave no complaints about my treatment. The rather negative opinion I had formed previously about this particular hospital, based largely on the impression of utter chaos and lack […]
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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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Criminal matters
Posted October 30, 2013 by DW
By David Wisner There has been a lot of talk recently, both in Greece and in the US, about criminal behavior at the highest levels of political life. In the US, one party has allegedly sought to blackmail and extort the government in the recent standoff over the shut down of the federal government. Here […]
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Inspiration Exchange
Posted May 16, 2012 by PR
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Youth and public service: satisfaction and peril
Posted April 8, 2013 by DW
We share two poignant reminders of the lure — and challenges — of engaging young people in public service. In Afghanistan, a young American foreign service officer, Anne Smedinghoff, was the victim of a suicide car bomb attack which also took the life of four others. According to a story in today’s New York Times, […]
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Absurdities
Posted January 20, 2014 by M P
By Maria Patsarika First, our ministers make earnest declarations that in order for smog percentages to diminish, people need to return to the use of oil for heating purposes. I’m sure it crossed all people’s minds: are they nuts? With such high oil prices, who can afford to buy it? And, surely, people would rather […]
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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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Greek Election Coverage 2012
Posted May 5, 2012 by PR
Hellenic Elections Election Central 2012 Rolling coverage by the team at the Dukakis Center of elections in Greece, France, and Serbia. Monday 23:34 No comment. Tuesday 01:05 Griechenland its unregierbar. Tuesday 00:27 Wealthy Frenchmen are taking their money and running. Maybe they will find some Greeks who left early to avoid the new taxes. Tuesday […]
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The Athena project to reform Greek universities: creating a new generation of citizens?
Posted February 3, 2013 by Politis
Politis posted yesterday a note on the potential of online course delivery to revolutionize the face of university teaching in the years to come. Here in Greece the focus is on reform of the existing system. According to a report filed in Greek Reporter, the current government’s Athena project is aimed at both upgrading and […]
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We want out
Posted January 31, 2013 by Politis
As reported yesterday in Greek Reporter, as many as One Greek in three would consider leaving Greece, as the economic situation becomes ever more dire. They report, “The startling statistic came from a a survey carried out on primary and secondary school pupils by the Children’s Ombudsman. Out of 1,211 pupils from 22 schools around […]
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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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Saying of the day: 3/31/13
Posted March 31, 2013 by Politis
“Obama is very possibly a world-historical political figure, and until those who oppose him come to grips with this fact, they will get him wrong every time.” — John Podhoretz
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Macropolis
Posted November 6, 2013 by KK
By Krysta Kalachani Now on to the Macropolis site. I just read a couple of texts there. It is a pretty good effort to show an ecumenical picture (καθολική εικόνα) of Greece’s political, economical, and social life in the context of the crisis, and not only. It shows they have a few serious experts writing […]