Graffiti–tagged, charred, and crumpled remains of steel carriages of Hellenic Train Intercity No. 62 and another freight train lay on the rails of the Athens-Thessaloniki railway on February 28th, 2023. The intensity of the flames and the gruesomeness of the carnage that awaited the families of the 57 victims epitomized the scale of the tragedy […]
Tag: greece
Armchair Classicism, the Politics of the Past, and You
Watching the House impeachment proceedings the week after the January 6th, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol, I found myself baffled by the face mask worn by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14). It read MOLON LABE in blood-red letters, a phrase adapted from the Ancient Greek μολών λαβέ, meaning essentially “come and take [them].” According […]
The M-word
Macedonia, Greece, or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia? Depending on the name you choose, you’ll be taking sides in an ongoing debate that began in 1991. Since Macedonia declared its independence, its neighbor Greece has refused to recognize its constitutional name. Who would have known that countries have identity crises just like us? Greece alleges […]
Stranded
This piece introduces a series addressing several issues I saw during my time at a refugee camp in Samos from June-August 2017, including mental health, children in the camp, criminal justice, the asylum process, and more. For anyone interested in supporting the refugees and Samos Volunteers, the situation on the island is getting worse every […]
We Need to Talk About Sovereign Debt
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, a key figure in sovereign debt restructuring. Featured image source: World Economic Forum. A brief summary of sovereign debt crises. Sovereign debt crises occur regularly and often violently. Take the example of the latest prominent debt crisis in Greece. Major markets in the US and in Europe were […]
Wasteful Stadiums
The Manaus, Brazil World Cup stadium cost $300 million to build. Source: Brasil.gov The 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted in Brazil has been the most popular one yet. One Brazilian channel attracted a whopping 42.9 million viewers for a single game, the largest global sports viewing audience this year. The ESPN World Cup coverage even broke […]