Want Some New Films from Norway?

It's a good time to be in NYC if you enjoy international literature and cinema. The PEN World Voices Festival got under way on Monday and includes events with over one hundred writers from forty nations.

And starting tomorrow (a special holiday in the Absinthe home office), the Film Society of the Lincoln Center will be presenting a program of new films from Norway.

Very cool.

But, unfortunately, we will not be there. We will be here.

InsideOut Literary Arts Project

We'll stray a bit from our usual subjects to encourage your participation in this important cause:

Support the InsideOut Literary Arts Project in Detroit by contributing to the challenge grant program through the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Beginning August 18th, the Foundation will donate a dollar for every two dollars donated to InsideOut.

Read what Peter Markus has to say about the great work of the InsideOut Project.

Advice for Obama from Europe

In the Financial Times a week ago, Tyler Brûlé, the editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine (a personal favorite), offered president-elect Barack Obama a few suggestions, including:

6) Media. All US news outlets should devote 30 per cent of their pages or airtime to overseas news and views.
7) Scale it down. Small should be positioned as truly beautiful:­ the new administration should champion small businesses, smaller-scale living and smaller calorie intake.

Good suggestions, though I'm less enthusiastic about his comments on the big 3 automakers: "... Detroit should be left to wither. Yes, there'll be job losses and the state of Michigan will need to rethink what it wants to be (a province of Canada perhaps?) ..."

Monocle

The London-based magazine Monocle is quickly become one of my favorites and, if you're not familiar with it, is definitely worth checking out. The current issue is "devoted to building better cities, neighbourhoods and residences" and ranks the top 25 liveable cities in the world. Only a few US cities are on the list and they might not be the ones you'd immediately think of. The number one city? Tom Kennedy's Copenhagen. I'll just have to plan a visit soon.

Do you think Detroit warrants a mention? Well, how's this: "A bad example of neighborhood planning is Detroit, Phoenix, or any American suburb." Not too much to argue with, really.