By David Wisner “The European Union is the new sick man of Europe. The effort over the past half century to create a more united Europe is now the principal casualty of the euro crisis. The European project now stands in disrepute across much of Europe.” So read the opening lines of a new report […]
This one’s rich. According to todays Chicagoland blog in the Chicago Tribune, “Republican voters are suggesting the 2nd Congressional District replace one felon with another after picking ex-convict Paul McKinley as the candidate to run for the seat recently ceded by former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.” Jackson pleaded guilty last week to misusing campaign […]
The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service and The Anatolia School of Business cordially invite you to attend the 2nd Business and Politics Forum Entrepreneurship in Greece: Looking at the big picture Thursday, December 11, 2014, 18:00- 21:00 Thessaloniki City Hall (Ground Floor) Speakers: Anastasios Tzikas, President of the Board, TIF […]
The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development has just released data on poverty and inequality for all OECD mamber states in the form of some 315 charts, including one interactive chart on income distribution and poverty.
The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service and Ianos Bookstore Cordially invite you to a presentation of Greek Urban Warriors: resistance and terrorism 1967-2014 by John Brady Kiesling Athens: Lycabettus Press, 2014 Monday, March 2, 2015, 7 PM Ianos Bookstore, Aristotelous 7, Thessaloniki Moderator: David Wisner The event will take place […]
Greece’s position in Deloitte’s 2013 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index is outright depressing. In terms of current competitiveness and of projected rankings for 2018, Greece is dead last among the 38 countries surveyed (1/10 for each category, ten being the highest ranking possible). China tops both lists.
Herewith a special warning for owners of motor vehicles with Greek license plates, especially those living abroad, about the penalty they may receive for uninsured vehicles, i.e., in storage during the winter months. The insurance cancellation date has recently changed, from one month after the most recent renewal, to noon on the actual renewal day. A […]
2012 World Map of the Index of Economic Freedom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2012_World_Map_of_the_Index_of_Economic_Freedom.PNG).
Election day is nigh upon us. With this in mind, there are three dimensions to the question I have been thinking of asking: Who wants to run, who wants to vote, and who wants to govern. In May 2014 the Dukakis Center examined an apparent inflation in the number of candidates running for local and […]
GoodNews is a collection of good news related to or coming from Greece, to “whoever contributes to Greece and its citizens, whatever makes life in their country unique and drives it forward.” Their goal is to launch a “revolution of goodness.” The page exists in Greek and in English. The site has lots of categories, […]
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 […]
Ralph Nader has suggested that the 2016 US presidential election may be dominated by self-financing independent third party candidates. “Here’s what I think is going to happen… We will have the usual Green Party and libertarian parties in 2016. But there are some mega-billionaires who are seriously considering running third party… Mayor Bloomberg almost did […]
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 […]
I read a tongue-in-cheek article by the wags at Reform Watch Greece some weeks ago which got me thinking about one of my favorite Balzac stories, Cesar Birotteau. The middle class has been decimated, so the argument goes, the principal victim of the sovereign debt crisis. Depending on one’s reading, the Greek bourgeoisie has been […]
By Dimitrios Machairas “Man is a political animal”, said The Philosopher some twenty-four centuries ago in a stroke of insight and conciseness… One might expect that, after all this time, humans would have mastered their egotistical instincts, perfected their political systems, and optimized the promotion of the common good through collective governance. Unfortunately, we are […]
By David Wisner Byzantine: …excessively complicated and detailed… (Oxford English Dictionary) I went to my local mall this past weekend. Malls are interesting places to observe human behavior, and it strikes me that they may be seen as microcosms of the state. A mall is at once a symbol of affluence and symptom of globalization. […]
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 […]
This weekly feature offers a glimpse of what is happening in and around Thessaloniki. Compiled by Laura Strieth. Thu 11th April- Geneva Jacuzzi- An LA-based songwriter, musician and visual artist who is known for her unique style of synth driven pop recordings, theatrical stage personas and retrostyle video art. Her videos and live performances portray […]
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 […]