A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
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World Homeless Day 2014
Posted October 10, 2014 by Politis
Purpose The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an ‘international day’ provides. How To Make a Difference educate people about homeless issues […]
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RIP Loukakinos
Posted October 9, 2014 by Politis
Photo: Thanasis Tsalikis
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Citizenville
Posted August 4, 2014 by Politis
The story of one man’s quest — and a politician’s no less — to modernize the “most modern” of America’s cities… “Citizenville is the story of how ordinary citizens can use new digital tools to dissolve political gridlock and transform American democracy. As social networking and smart phones have changed the way we communicate with […]
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Do we want our politics to be nimble?
Posted August 3, 2014 by Politis
In an article published this past weekend on TechCrunch, Michael Papay and David Timby ask what politics cannot work at the swift pace that contemporary business, aided by developments in information technology, can. In this high political season (the 2014 mid-term elections) “there’s not much constructive debate,” they lament, “and political gridlock has become the […]
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The future of Democracy in Europe and beyond
Posted June 27, 2014 by Politis
“The Future of Democracy in Europe and Beyond” Fourth Annual Dukakis International Symposium Municipal Council of Thessaloniki July 1, 2014 6-8 PM Under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service, American College of Thessaloniki and Southeast European Studies at Oxford, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford Program […]
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Public service: commitment and payback
Posted June 20, 2014 by Politis
By Brian Newby I’m blessed to be in a job that truly feels like it matches against my skills. There are many facets to overseeing elections, from public relations to candidate relations, from high-tech to situations that require a human touch, from logistics to statistics, and everything in between. I have a hard time considering […]
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Pictures at an exhibition
Posted June 9, 2014 by DW
“Would you vote for me? Exhibition of photographs State Museum of Contemporary Art — Warehouse B1, Port of Thessaloniki June 5-21 The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service was launched in 1999 to provide a forum for young people to explore the meaning and scope of public service in the contemporary […]
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Would you vote for me?
Posted June 2, 2014 by Politis
Advance notice, for immediate release The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service is commemorating 15 years of public service initiatives this spring with a Festival of Civic and Urban Culture, consisting of a series of events conceived to celebrate different aspects of citizenship in the city of Thessaloniki. The next in […]
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Relief fund for victims of flooding in Serbia
Posted May 17, 2014 by Politis
A relief fund has been created by the Serbian government for anyone who wishes to support victims of the terrible flooding in Serbia. Thank you for taking note and sharing this information with your friends and acquaintances.
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Environmental activism
Posted May 12, 2014 by Politis
The Greek office of the World Wildlife Fund is circulating the following open letter with regard to pending legislation regarding potential private development along Greece’s Aegean seacoast. …/… Αγαπητοί φίλοι, Με κομμένη την ανάσα παρακολουθούμε τις τελευταίες εξελίξεις που αφορούν το νέο σχέδιο νόμου του Υπουργείου Οικονομικών για τον αιγιαλό. Ίσως έχετε ακούσει το θέμα […]
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What is public television?
Posted April 26, 2014 by Politis
Politis attended an interesting three-day event in Thessaloniki on the future of public television, organized by Filios Stangos and friends at TV100, Thessaloniki’s municipal TV station. Two interventions caught our attention during the session dedicated to the theme “Economic crisis: the challenges on public television.” “As long as you serve the public interest, you are […]
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Lessons from a shipwreck to a shipwrecked country
Posted April 25, 2014 by M P
By Maria Patsarika This is not an easy piece to write. The tragic April 2014 ferry accident in South Korea, better deserves a an expression of humble, silent sympathy with the mourning families. Watching the story unravel on the news these days, however, one image kept coming back: inside the gymnasium, where the relatives […]
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Look who’s running! (journalists and politics)
Posted April 23, 2014 by Politis
Politis asked Maria Patsarika, Krysta Kalachani, and David Wisner to comment on a recent article on tvxs.gr by journalist Stelios Koulouglou, a candidate for Syriza for the European Parliament. How compelling are Mr Koulouglou’s arguments likely to be among Greek voters? What does the inclusion of several journalists on the lists of the political parties […]
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Why is the Greek crisis over?
Posted April 10, 2014 by DW
By David Wisner The international news is awash with stories of Greece’s return to the bond market. It is fashionable again for Greece to be in the headlines. The “success story” line is ubiquitous. As Hugo Dixon writes in Reuters, the Greek rebound is “astonishing.” Why? First, it is important to acknowledge that the discerning […]
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Stitching up the laws
Posted April 10, 2014 by KK
By Krysta So a boy of African descent living in Greece has sought and been granted asylum in Belgium. I don’t think that there is anything new in this article that we have not yet discussed a million times regarding Greece’s very frustrating and problematic status on questions of human rights, discrimination, and as part […]
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No justification for violence and discrimination
Posted April 7, 2014 by pdcadmin
By Ioanna Konstantinou Having lived the Indian reality from within, I have come to know that discrimination is based on numerous and often interrelated aspects such as religion, caste, ethnicity, disability, social status and gender. Discrimination against women is systemic and gender-based violence is pervasive and perpetrated with impunity. The fact that Indian women face […]
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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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NGOs and learning the ways of the world
Posted March 30, 2014 by KK
By Krysta This story is a little old already, but I am reading about the Greek ngos. I have two experiences of how ngos and think tanks work in Greece… dyed “blue” or “green” or whatever color pays… not the unbiased work I thought they would be doing, but I guess it was part of […]
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Vandalism and oppression
Posted March 30, 2014 by Politis
Tasoula Karaiskaki has a commentary out in this past Saturday’s Kathimerini English edition relative to the incidence of graffiti in downtown Thessaloniki, partly celebrating the centenial of the founding of Aris football club. This is a subject that has attracted a lot of commentary in the press and on the social media. Excerpts from the […]
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Independence day, for whom?
Posted March 25, 2014 by DW
Politis found this note on Facebook today. Apparently citizens were discouraged from attending today’s Independence Day parade in downtown Athens. “When the public cannot be trusted to celebrate their country’s independence, what independence is it, exactly, that they have to celebrate?”