Exhibition shows face of Europe's youth

From Deutsche Welle

What does Europe's youth look like? What do Europe's young people want? What are they afraid of? In Berlin, a photo exhibition shows 100 portraits of young people from seven countries. 

He could be a referee: black knee socks, black shorts and a sports jacket, a strong young man with dark hair and round face. He looks like he's about to walk, appearing relaxed yet slightly skeptical.

His name is Daniel. He was born in 1989, but definitely looks older. "High school student," reads the photo caption. And that's all we learn at first.

Photographer Edgar Zippel keeps the viewer guessing as to which country his 100 subjects, aged 18 to 24, come from: Moldova, Poland, Iceland, Great Britain, Portugal, Italy, or Germany.

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Christopher Papakaliatis on Europe, the film industry, success

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyu2YPEU6Pg



In his first ever interview in English, Greek writer, director, and actor, Christopher Papakaliatis talked to New Europe's Alexandros Koronakis about the European TV and Film industry, its role in cultivating a European Identity, and what it takes to succeed. 

The interview was recorded at Odette en Ville in Brussels on March 3, 2013. 

Video editing by Christos Mavridis

10 indicators that he (or she) is just not that into you (or vice versa)

I'm often confronted with a question that goes something like this (as posed indelicately by a gentleman at AWP, of all places): Why on earth do you publish a magazine of European art and writing in the U.S.?

Usually I fumble over some polite response when the simple truth is that I publish Absinthe for the opportunity to read the awesome writers we feature. We publish great authors who should be translated and read but obviously Absinthe is not everyone's "cup of tea" and that's fine. Go read ... (ok, I'll keep that thought to myself).

So, with the imminent publication of Absinthe #15 (a great issue, I might add) let me suggest 10 indicators that you just might not be that into Absinthe (or vice versa):

1. You order a side of freedom fries with that burger

2. You’ve never read (or written) a manifesto

3. You think Titanic or Avatar is the greatest film ever

4. You think Oulipo is the name of an Oompa Loompa

5. You think Ingmar Bergman starred in Casablanca

6. You think everyone should just learn and speak English, dammit

7. You would never watch a movie that makes you read subtitles and think people who do are snobs

8. You hear mention of Dada and think of your father

9. You can’t name a single magazine or newspaper you read to inform your view of the world

10. You think Glenn Beck is the greatest living author

What would you add to this list?

The Rise of European Morosité

At World Affairs, Alan Johnson writes about the rise of the far-right in France and Europe in light of a recent survey putting Marine Le Pen ahead of Sarkozy and Martine Aubry in the polls.

He attributes the seductions of the far-right in Europe to a state of "European morosité," which he describes as "a collective and quite spectacular sullenness and gloominess about a world that has irrevocably lost its lustre. Morosité can turn to inchoate anger ... "

What are the causes of European morosité?

[It] can be traced to the trauma of two world wars and the associated political barbarisms and intellectual nihilisms that caused those conflicts and flourished in their wake. It is not just that our young were lost but that they butchered each other as swathes of our philo-tyrannical intellectuals cheered them on ... morosité is also the result of the gulf that has opened up between mainstream politicians and voters in recent decades about three revolutionary changes: economic globalisation, political integration, and mass immigration. Each has unsettled citizens, melting into air all that was solid, but each has been placed beyond polite discussion by the political class and the mainstream media. Anxieties are routinely pathologised.

It will always be comforting for some to hear simplistic solutions with little nuance.

The Sex Trade in Europe

Today is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and at the Huffington Post there's an interesting blog by Ambassador Swanee Hunt and Lina Sidrys Nealon describing efforts to end sexual slavery in several European countries:

After years of parliamentary debate, in 1999 Swedes passed the Sex Purchase Law, which criminalized buying and decriminalized selling sex. This placed the emphasis on the buyers, while allowing women to seek help without being fined or deported. In five years, the number of prostituted women in Sweden dropped 40%. Today, the government estimates that less than 400 women are trafficked into the country, while in neighboring Finland it's 17,000.

and apparently...

Sweden has inspired a trend. Norway recently made it illegal for its citizens to purchase any sex acts anywhere in the world. And Britain's Home Office just introduced a new law making it an offence to pay for sex with somebody who is "controlled for another person's gain," including pimps, traffickers, and drug dealers who force addicts to "turn tricks" to repay them.

You can read the post in its entirety here.

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?) ..."

Obama and Europe

Arianna Huffington writes about criticism Barack Obama has been receiving because of his popularity in Europe (where a June poll in the Telegraph revealed “a striking level of anti-American feeling” and over 65% of those polled in Italy, France, and Germany indicated support for Obama).

Why wouldn’t we want the President of the United States to be liked and respected by the leaders and peoples of other nations, particularly those of our allies in Europe? One might think that increasing a sense of good will toward Americans and the U.S. would be beneficial to our long-term national security, among other things.

(By the way, I can’t help but wonder which candidate they prefer in McCain’s favorite European "country": Czechoslovakia.)