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25 November - 1 December 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 47

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NEWS

They’re historic, but they could soon be history. Manned public toilets face closing

3 NEWS

Limited disclosure More than half of Venstre’s MPs have decided to stand on principle by not voluntarily disclosing their financial information

NEWS

Outraged nursing mums are notorious for their social sway, but experts suggest they’re just insecure

10 CULTURE

Knitting nannies Handicrafts of the past coming back into fashion as designers link up with elderly knitters

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City Council will push parliament to legalise pot PETER STANNERS While Copenhagen City Council pushes ahead with a plan to allow the sale of marijuana, it is uncertain whether parliament would approve the measure

he legalisation of marijuana in Copenhagen came a step closer after the City Council voted last week on Thursday to investigate ways to decriminalise the drug. A committee has now been established to determine the best way to legalise the sale of cannabis, with special stores owned by the council presenting itself as the preferred candidate. The sale, consumption and cultivation of marijuana is illegal in Denmark,

all of which can be punished with warn- (Socialdemokraterne) – were blocked at the national level, but Rasmussen ings, fines or jail time. Despite this there is a strong black believes that this time around there is a market for the drug generating 1.5 bil- majority in parliament to support a relion kroner a year and controlled entire- write of the existing drug policy, which would be required for Copenhagen to ly by criminal gangs. According to councillor Lars Aslan move ahead with its plans. The proposal, however, faces an Andersen (Socialdemokraterne) taking control of this trade would benefit eve- uncertain fate after MPs representing a variety of political parties expressed unryone. “It’s better that the council distrib- ease with the idea. “We strongly urge Frank Jensen as utes cannabis and not criminals,” he said. “I hope we get the opportunity to the country’s former justice minister to try a new policy because we can’t just stop this crazy proposal,” Martin Geertcontinue the current prohibition strat- sen (Venstre), a former deputy mayor of egy with cannabis which is very out- Copenhagen, told the media. MP Ole Hækkerup (Socialdated.” Similar proposals have been put demokraterne) argued the proposal forth by the City Council in recent would have grave social consequences. “We don’t want to make it easier to years. All of them – including the most get hold of cannabis because then more recent, in January 2010 which received Organise a personal meeting the backing of the mayor, Frank Jensen people would use it and be worse off

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for it,” Hækkerup told Jyllands Posten newspaper. “If you look at people who use hard drugs, two thirds of them started with cannabis.” Jeppe Mikkelsen (Radikale) added that his party was uncertain of where it stood on the issue. “It’s well known that we have been for and against [decriminalisation] within the party,” Mikkelsen said. “Personally I’m not religiously inclined to keep the current model, but we haven’t discussed it yet so we have to look at the proposals and see where we stand.” A special committee will now investigate the best way to proceed with the decriminalistion of marijuana, but with parliament requiring its approval, and it not appearing in the common government policy, it make take some time before the issue is addressed by the government.

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Week in revieW

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25 November - 1 December 2011 Scanpix

Royals down under

The Week’s MosT ReaD sToRIes aT CphposT.Dk When in Copenhagen, wear a condom, swedes warn Legal marijuana gets one step closer Blonde bombshell! scandinavia’s global penetration is deep peT fears a Breivik inspired attack To Be perfectly Frank | Dirty old men?

FRoM oUR aRChIVes TeN YeaRs ago. New Venstre pM anders Fogh Rasmussen presents his innovative cabinet amid fears from abroad that a Danish shift to the right might endanger the national economy FIVe YeaRs ago. Consumers face a shortage of Christmas gooses, due to increased poultry restrictions, which were introduced as a reaction to the bird flu outbreak earlier in the year oNe YeaR ago. The Little Mermaid returns from shanghai, where it was on display at expo 2010. CoRReCTIoNs

Crown Prince Frederik (centre) and Crown Princess Mary (left) receive a gift from an Aboriginal elder prior to a luncheon hosted by Australia’s prime minister, Julia Gillard, in Canberra this week. The couple’s seven-day tour of the princess’s home country ends on Saturday

to prepare all food in one central location is expected to save 3 million kroner annually. Dich argued that the same principle could be applied at town hall itself, which serves lunch to permanent employees and councillors. “If we can serve this to our elderly, we can serve it to town hall employees,” Dich told news website SN.dk.

Denmark’s only english-language newspaper Since 1998, The Copenhagen Post has been Denmark’s leading source for news in English. As the voice of the international community, we provide coverage for the thousands of foreigners making their home in Denmark. Additionally, our English language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience. In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

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Euro-sceptical youth

IF IT WERE up to the youngest members of the centre-right, Denmark would no longer be a member of the European Union. A Berlingske poll found that the leaders of the youth factions of Venstre, Konservative and Dansk Folkeparti all suggest pulling out of the union and finding another forum for international co-oper-

President and Publisher Ejvind Sandal Chief executive Jesper Nymark editor-in-Chief Kevin McGwin Managing editor Ben Hamilton news editor Justin Cremer Journalists Jennifer Buley & Peter Stanners

ation, while the Liberal Alliance Youth support only the common market. Just ten years ago, those same parties were known as stalwarts of closer European integration, particularly Venstre. The shift has party members as well as EU experts blaming the party for not placing a higher priority on European affairs.

editorial offices: Slagtehusgade 4 – 6 DK 1715 Copenhagen V Telephone: 3336 3300 Fax: 3393 1313 www.cphpost.dk news Desk news@cphpost.dk 3336 4243 The CPH Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor. Letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

cOLOURBOx

LAWMAKERS on the Allerød Council could be getting a taste of their own medicine. After the council approved a plan to serve nursing home residents food prepared by a catering centre in nearby Hillerød, councillor Jørgen Dich suggested that councillors be required to eat the same meals after meetings. The move

cOLOURBOx

Egalitarian eating

In our Nov 4 article about tax loopholes for mulitnationals, we stated McDonalds does not pay corporate tax. According to a spokesperson the company has paid 75 million kroner in corporation tax since 2006.

Arctic ambassador

THE FOREIGN minister, Villy Søvndal, has announced he will name the first ‘Arctic ambassador’. No specific portfolio has been drawn up for the position, but Søvndal said an ambassador would work for Denmark’s interests at a time when climate change is opening up the region to investment in the mineral industry as

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well as possibly a new sea lane. The initiative builds on the Foreign Ministry’s 10-year Arctic strategy, released under the previous government earlier this year. Greenlandic premier Kuupik Kleist, one of the forces behind the strategy, said such an ambassador would strengthen Denmark’s presence in the Arctic.

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News

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25 November - 1 December 2011

how the city’s best kept secrets are facing the final flush

3 all Photos: EMIlY MClEaN

EMILY MCLEAN The cleanest toilets in town are under threat of being removed

VER THE course of a lifetime the average person spends at least one whole year using a toilet. So the question arises – how would you like your 12 months of lavatory dwelling to be spent? In a small, cramped cubicle with a distinct lack of toilet paper and a pungent smell of Shrek’s swamp, or in an elegant, well serviced room with four-ply paper and soap that smells like grandmother’s rose garden? Each year millions of people in Copenhagen choose the latter option by visiting one of the six cityrun toilet facilities. Located at Amagertorv, Israel Plads, Vesterbrotorv, Nyhavn, Rådhuspladsen and Trianglen, these staffed toilets can boast being the cleanest and best serviced loos in the city, not to mention the most historic. As with all good things in life though, four of these distinctive landmarks may soon be closed and replaced with a few automatic toilets in a bid to help the city’s Technical and Environmental Committee save 20 million kroner. Amagetorv toilet service attendant Latfre Bakir feels the money issue could be approached through raising the cost of using the toilets. Officially it already costs two kroner to use the toilets (although men don’t need to pay to use the urinals), but Bakir said people are willing to pay more. “I’ve been asking people if they’d

There won’t be much longer to wait in line for these public toilets at Amagertorv, where the wooden doors and shiny fixtures were built in 1902 and regularly attract tourists

be prepared to pay five or six kroner instead and everyone has said ‘yes’.” One such patron of the toilets was Inge, who felt that money shouldn’t be an issue. “I would pay five kroner to relieve myself here. There are no other toilet facilities nearby and certainly none as clean and nice.” City councillor Lars Dueholm (Liberal Alliance) argued closing the toilets would be a loss for the city. “Without the toilets people end up relieving themselves on street corners and other inappropriate places, creating a terrible mess and a

horrible smell. Additionally the toilets are crucial for the city’s tourists, many of whom come off cruise ships and spend the whole day here.” Those opposed to the proposal have begun a petition in order to keep the flushing treasures. Emerging from the underground Amagertorv restroom, two teenage girls who said they used them on a regular basis agreed that the petition was “a great idea and it would be extremely sad to see these wonderful facilities closed”. Through the other side of the wall, a men’s toilet attendant, who

asked to remain anonymous, said replacing the toilets with a modern automatic alternative won’t save money. “It’s unlikely people will even use the automatic toilets because they are scared they’ll get locked in,” he said. Dueholm emphasised the fact that the toilets have become a tourist attraction, as well as a part of Copenhagen’s cultural heritage that should be preserved. “Take the one that’s on Amagertorv, for example. It was built in 1902 and tourists regularly drop by just to admire the wooden interior and brass locks,” he said.

Dueholm added that the toilets are also an important part of the city’s image. “If tourists find the city has clean public restrooms they’re more likely to remember Copenhagen in a positive light, which is great for the city’s image abroad.” The issue of the public restrooms is likely to be on the city council’s agenda at their meeting on 12 December. Until a decision is reached, though, residents and tourists alike can continue to spend part of their ‘toilet year’ using one of the city’s luxurious lavatories.

helmets on in the land of the Vikings Rise in home break-ins ColoURBoX

AMY CLOTWORTHY high rates of sex-related diseases have health authorities urging caution

REPORT released this week by the Danish board of health, Sundhedsstyrelsen, and the Swedish safe-sex institute, Smittsskyddinstitutet, shows that nine out of 1,000 Copenhageners have acquired chlamydia, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in the past year. The report, published on behalf of the city of Malmö and Sweden’s Region Scania, has prompted two Swedish safesex organisations to warn Swedes travelling to Copenhagen that having sex with Danes is a risk. In recent years Danes have developed a higher incidence of HIV and other STIs than their neighbours over the Øresund Bridge. In a press release about the chlamydia report, Emma Skarpås, from the Swedish sex information association Riksförbundet för Sexuell Upplysning, also said that Denmark tops the list as the source of ‘foreign HIV infections’ in Scania. And last year, while discussing rising rates of HIV infections, professor Jens Lundgren, from the Copenhagen HIV Programme at the University of Copenhagen told DR News: “There have never been so many people with HIV in [Denmark].”

JENNIFER BULEY Burglary is on the rise on both sides of the storebælt, leading to police launching a new text message hotline, among other initiatives

swedish officials advise visitors crossing the Øresund Bridge to protect themselves

Copenhagen is the closest big city to Scania, and is a popular weekend nightspot for many Swedes. But many tend to forget that Denmark has different national laws regarding sex; for example, it is legal to solicit and purchase sex, and people are not legally required to inform sex partners about their STI status. Ultimately, this means that anyone having casual sex in Copenhagen should take care to protect themselves. In response to the chlamydia report,

Jack Lukkerz, a social worker from RFSU, said: “Our advice to Swedes in Scania is that it’s no problem to have sex in Copenhagen as long as you remember to use condoms.” Bjarne B Christensen, the secretary general of the Danish family planning association Sex & Samfund, told Berlingske newspaper that he hoped the warnings would lead to an increased focus on safe sex, rather than on regional fingerpointing.

OLICE in northern Zealand and eastern Jutland are reporting an extraordinary rise in the number of house break-ins in recent months. Last weekend alone police received 130 separate reports of residential break-ins and stolen goods from houses or apartments in the suburbs north of Copenhagen. The same trend of a dramatic rise in residential break-ins has been reported in Aarhus this year. A study by the Østjyllands Politi revealed a 26.5 percent rise in the number of house thefts between the first half of 2010 and the first half of 2011. Authorities in Aarhus said the trend was especially vexing, because more police were already on special assignment to deter the burglaries. “We are already making a big effort to reduce break-ins, but we have nothing to show for it,” police superintendent Mogens Brøndum told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Police in northern Zealand were also nonplussed by the sharp rise in break-ins.

“To my recollection, I can’t remember that we have ever had so many break-ins at private residences,” Henrik Suhr, a spokesperson for Nordsjællands Politi, told public broadcaster DR. Nordsjællands Politi has implemented a special text messaging number to make it easier for people to report suspicious behavior.

I can’t remember so many break-ins at private residences The residents should send a text message to TRYK POLITI. The police will contact them by mobile. Alternatively, residents can also phone the police by dialing 1-1-4. As of Friday the hotline had already produced one arrest based on information from a witness. Police on both sides of the Storebælt Sound are urging people to quickly report any suspicious burglary activity, so that the culprits can be caught. Police also advise property owners to lock their doors and windows to make it more difficult for unwanted guests to enter.

news

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25 November - 1 December 2011 ScAnPix

Former tax minister evades inquiry JENNIFER BULEY Missing minutes and ex-minister’s “confidentiality” claim cast more shadows on Tax Ministry scandal

ALL PHOTOS: ScAnPix

OLITICIANS from parties on both the left and right are calling on former tax minister Troels Lund Poulsen (Venstre) to step forward and reveal what he knows about why a top Tax Ministry official was involved in a personal audit of the prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Socialdemokraterne), and her husband Stephen Kinnock in the summer of 2010. At the time, Thorning-Schmidt was the leader of the opposition and widely predicted to beat then-PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Venstre) in this September’s general election. Five times in the summer of 2010, Poulsen’s right-hand man – the Tax Ministry’s top civil servant, Peter Loft – met with Erling Andersen, the director of the Copenhagen division of tax authority Skat, to discuss the opposition leader’s audit. By law, the Tax Ministry is not allowed to get involved in personal, ongoing tax cases – let alone a personal audit of the government’s biggest rival. Loft wrote in an email to Politiken newspaper that he got involved because Thorning-Schmidt’s audit had some “principle aspects” – meaning it could set a legal precedent. But several independent tax lawyers said that was highly unlikely. “There is nothing legally precedent setting with this case,” tax lawyer Søren Aagaard told Politiken. Public law professor Claus Haagen Jensen from Copenhagen Business School described Loft’s interference in Thorning-Schmidt’s tax audit “really egregious”. The current tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen (Socialistisk Folkeparti), has asked both Loft and Andersen for formal written explanations of the unorthodox meetings. Various politicians have also asked Poulsen to explain how the ministry’s top-ranking permanent employee came to be involved in Thorning-Schmidt’s audit. But Poulsen has refused to comment, claiming “confidentiality”.

Former tax minister Poulsen (above) has refused to talk about why subordinate Loft (below) interfered with the prime minister’s audit

“The most I can do is approve of the [current] tax minister’s decision. I have only a single interest, and that is that all of the details in this case come out,” Poulsen wrote in an email to Berlingske newspaper. But Poulsen’s rationale failed to convince other politicians – even those in parties allied with Venstre. “It has to do with Troels Lund’s own actions in the matter, so I have a very hard time imagining how he should be subject to confidentiality,” Ole Birk Olesen, the Liberal Alliance tax spokesperson, told Berlingske. “Troels Lund Poulsen should explain his role and that of the Tax Min-

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istry in the audit. He has a moral duty to do so since he was the minister and his decisions affected all citizens,” Olesen continued. Instead, last week Poulsen said that if Thorning-Schmidt would publicise her tax claims, then he would comment on what she publicised. Ironically, Poulsen himself refused to do just that in 2010, according to Jyllands-Posten newspaper. In November 2010, it was revealed that when Poulsen was environment minister he accepted a Rolex watch worth 68,000 kroner from the king of Saudi Arabia. He was challenged to release his tax claim and prove whether he had declared the gift. He refused. Socialdemokraterne political spokesperson Magnus Heunicke urged Poulsen to be forthcoming about what he knows about the Tax Ministry’s involvement in Thorning-Schmidt’s audit. “I would just say to Troels Lund that he can count on it all coming out one day, so it doesn’t do him any good to hide,” Heunicke said. Dansk Folkeparti tax spokesperson Dennis Flydtkjær said it was not enough that Loft and Andersen were writing their own explanations of the meetings that took place. Flydtkjær said that an external, independent investigation was called for. He added that if he were tax minister, “Peter Loft would be gone now.” In related news, it now appears that no minutes were taken during the five meetings between Loft and Andersen about Thorning-Schmidt’s audit – an unusual situation, according to an expert in administrative law. “In general, it’s unusual if notes are not taken in meetings about relatively important subjects,” Copenhagen Business School professor Claus Haagen Jensen told the tabloid Ekstra Bladet. After obtaining Andersen’s diary under a freedom of information request, Ekstra Bladet found that there were no notes taken during the five meetings. “If factual information that could be important comes out in a meeting, then it should be noted. That’s clearly stated in public law,” he added. Andersen has promised to explain why notes were not taken during the meetings.

Parliament’s president Mogens Lykketoft wants MPs to publish their financial information so voters can have a transparent “picture”

Mps duck disclosure JENNIFER BULEY Majority of Venstre and Liberal alliance Mps refuse to share information about their financial interests

ARLIAMENT’S procedural council has asked all 179 members of parliament to provide a brief outline of their private economic interests on parliament’s website in the name of transparency. Are they members of any boards of directors? Do they have large shareholdings in any companies? Do they draw a salary from a private company or public organisation? In short, do the politicians have personal financial interests that could become conflicts of interest? The vast majority of MPs have complied with the financial disclosure, and their information can be found on their personal pages on parliament’s website. But the MPs who have not complied overwhelmingly come from just two centre-right parties: the two largest opposition parties, Venstre and Liberal Alliance. Out of Venstre’s 47 MPs, 32 have neglected to provide the requested information. Out of Liberal Alliance’s nine MPs, seven have not given theirs. In total, 48 MPs have failed to come forward with the information about their private financial interests, and 39 of them come from Venstre and Liberal Alliance. The remaining nine are scattered across the ten other political parties. While furnishing the information is voluntary, the poor showing of transparency from Venstre and Liberal Alliance has raised eyebrows among both politicians and academics. “It’s striking that so many in Venstre and Liberal Alliance won’t add to the transparency. It creates the suspi-

cion that they have something to hide,” the Socialistisk Folkeparti’s political spokesperson, Jesper Petersen, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Parliament’s president, Mogens Lykketoft (Socialdemokraterne), who is also chairman of the procedural council, underscored that the purpose of the project is simply to give voters a forthright “picture” of parliament’s personal economic interests. “The picture isn’t conclusive when so many aren’t participating,” Lykketoft said. Peter Munk Christiansen, a political science professor at the University of Aarhus, said it was noteworthy that so many in Venstre and Liberal Alliance had refused to comply. “It looks like they are making it a matter of principle, but that could turn out to be dumb, because it gives the impression that they have something to hide,” Christiansen said. “I don’t think they’re up to anything mysterious. But if you agree that candour is a good idea, it looks strange that they won’t take part,” Christiansen said. A leading Venstre politician – the former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen – was behind the move in March 2005 to publicise the financial interests of ministers and their spouses on the website of the prime minister’s office. That makes it all the more ironic that so many Venstre politicians are now refusing to comply with the voluntary financial disclosure. One of those MPs is the previous prime minister, Venstre chairman Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who told JyllandsPosten he was not complying with parliament’s financial transparency project because there should instead simply be a level of trust between voters and politicians. “We’re not interested in that administrative rigmarole,” he said.

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25 November - 1 December 2011

PETER STANNERS politicians question whether we would be better off if the state were the dealer

HRISTIANA’S open marijuana trade has been a massive draw for both tourists and Copenhagen residents looking to indulge in the illicit drug in a permissive environment. Despite a tough crackdown by police in 2004 to clear the area, the dealers are now back on the streets. The return of the open market is an indicator of the continued viability of the marijuana trade, a market which is entirely controlled by criminal gangs who share an estimated 1.5 billion kroner in earnings. A gang war in Nørrebro that broke out in 2008 between immigrant groups and the Hells Angels is thought to be related to the control of this lucrative trade after it was forced out of Christiania. Perhaps in response to this, the City Council has been pushing to legalise the sale of marijuana in the city. The council’s vote last week on Thursday, which would pave the way to establishing up to 40 state-owned dispensaries, is the second attempt in two years to experiment with state-sanctioned marijuana shops. The experiment is far from becoming a reality, however, and Thursday’s vote simply sent an application to the Justice Ministry requesting the city proceed. A similar request was proposed in 2009, but despite broad support in the city council, it was shot down by parliament. At the time, it was the ruling Venstre and Konservative parties who refused to support the measure, fearing that legalising marijuana products would encourage more young people to use a drug that has associated mental health risks. “I’ll say it plainly: Venstre is against legal hash,” Kim Andersen from Venstre told Information newspaper in 2009. “It’s a slippery slope that will bring

young people into danger because we know that those who smoking hash have a high risk of developing mental illness, and that it often leads to hard drug abuse.” The link between mental health issues and the frequent use of marijuana is well documented. The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK states that regular marijuana users are twice as likely to develop a psychotic episode or longterm schizophrenia than non-users. One question being asked is whether state-sanctioned marijuana dispensaries would cause more people to start using and thereby lead to large numbers of people suffering mental health issues. A 2004 article entitled ‘Legalisation of Marijuana: Potential Impact on Youth’, published in the American journal ‘Pediatrics’, seems to indicate that this would be the case. After comparing the risk of punishment in the US against drug use in the population, the article showed that users were less likely to take a drug when it was more high risk, suggesting that removing the risk of punishment by legalising marijuana would lead to more people trying it. This is the scare scenario that Denmark’s national politicians are keen to avoid. And yet there is evidence from countries that have decriminalised marijuana that points in another direction. Portugal famously decriminalised the possession of all drugs in 2001, a move praised as being highly successful in a study by American thinktank the Cato Institute in 2009. “While drug addiction, use and associated pathologies continue to skyrocket in many EU states, those problems – in virtually every relevant category – have been either contained or measurably improved within Portugal since 2001,” the study concluded, adding that Portugal has witnessed a decrease in drug use while use in the rest of Europe sky has rocketed. Statistics from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction support the Cato Institute’s

Photo: Pamela Juhl

Could legalising pot clean up the rot?

The City Counsil has establised a commission to investigate the best ways to legalize marijuana

findings. Their latest statistics show that Portugal has one of the lowest lifetime prevalence of marijuana usage in Europe, (11.7 percent), while Denmark has the highest, (32.5 percent). The Netherlands has had a slightly different experience. Marijuana use did increase after its initial decriminalisation in 1976, though a paper published in the British Journal of Psychology, argued this was less to do with decriminalising marijuana and more to do with its commercialisation This, they explain, is because “legal commercial interests are likely to weaken regulatory efforts”. Though ultimately the study finds that “the primary harms of marijuana use […] come from criminalisation”. Despite this, increased consumption of marijuana by Danes would probably lead to more people being put at risk of mental health issues. And according to Inger Chercka, the project manager at the addiction treatment organisation Blå Kors, the effects of marijuana addiction can be severe; especially on young people.

“Hash is a very big problem, tens of thousands of young people smoke it,” Chercka told The Copenhagen Post. “Most of them just think it’s fun and that they can’t get addicted. Most do manage to stop on their own, but there is a small group who stay addicted because they are self-medicating their own mental illness.” Chercka added that the decision to legalise marijuana in Copenhagen would make the drug more readily available to vulnerable young people. “I’m worried that legalising hash might send the signal that it’s not as dangerous as it really is. People need to know that it’s really dangerous and affects the brains of growing adults. We need to have fewer hash smokers so I’m nervous about the plan.” With this in mind, the unwillingness of MPs to support Copenhagen’s plan is understandable – no-one wants to be responsible for legalising a drug that ends up harming people. Statistically, however, individuals are far more likely to face problems with alcohol than with marijuana. The Dan-

ish board of health, Sundhedsstyrelsen, calculates that there are approximately 7,500 marijuana addicts in Denmark. And with an estimated 32.5 percent of Danes having smoked marijuana at least once, that means 0.4 percent of the population who have ever tried it become addicts. This compares to the 400,000 Danes considered to have a problem with alcohol – almost 10 percent of Danes over 15 years old. Voters seem to back the Copenhagen experiment. In a recent Ekstra Bladet poll, 86.6 percent of respondents answered that they supported the proposal. While that poll did not ask people’s reasoning, a 2009 editorial in newspaper Politiken gives some good reasons to proceed. Legalising marijuana would give the state a cut of the 1.5 billion kroner generated on the black market from its sale. “Politicians should quickly legalise hash so that the police and social workers can concentrate their efforts on helping maladjusted youths. The ban has become more dangerous to society than hash itself.”

Let us light-up: smokers voice their support for legal pot

Danish pot smokers are not put off by the threat of fines

PETER STANNERS Marijuana users speak to the Copenhagen post about what legal smoking would mean to them

ANNABIS users have a variety of reasons for supporting the City Council’s proposal to legalise the drug, but taken together, their arguments paint a picture of a society already largely tolerant of marijuana and users unafraid of punishment.

Rebecca* is a student in her early 20s. She smokes marijuana regularly and hardly ever drinks. Growing up, her parents knew of her habit but thought as long as she was doing well in school, it didn’t matter. Her father, a successful doctor, also smokes marijuana. She doesn’t feel that legalising marijuana will make people more likely to take it up – she found it exciting as a teenager precisely because it was illegal. “I was taking more risks as a kid, but now I’m more conservative. I

used to smoke it outside pretty much everywhere. Now I just smoke in my apartment. And anyways, even if I did get caught, I would only have to pay a small fine.” Rebecca buys her marijuana from a dealer in Christiania, though she would prefer to buy it from a legal source so the state could collect taxes on it. “I definitely worry about the fact that it’s scary gangs who are providing it. But I don’t think about it, I just want to buy. Everyone smokes weed, my dad’s a doctor and he smokes. You can be a weed smoker and be talented and successful. Why’s drinking legal? It’s got worse side effects.” Jacob* is a graphic designer in his 20s from northern Copenhagen. He has smoked cannabis since he was a teenager but never really felt it was particularly risky to buy. “I might have thought about it when I had it in my pocket. But it’s not a serious criminal offence; you’re not killing anyone so it doesn’t get treated that way.” To Jacob, selling marijuana in state controlled shops would be ideal. “The important thing in regards to mild recreational drugs like weed or alcohol is to detach them from the

harder drugs. By legalising them you separate it from cocaine and ecstasy, so someone buying alcohol at an early age isn’t offered the harder drugs. The main point is to differentiate between them.” Henrik*, in his early 30s, is a promoter and events planner. He didn’t start smoking until his early 20s, though it wasn’t out of fear of punishment. “I’m not put off by the penalties. I’m not afraid of them and I’ve never been caught. I know very few people who’ve ever been caught by the police anyways. “Smoking weed is completely fine; people don’t really care. There are some places where it’s expected, and some places you know you shouldn’t, but generally it’s completely tolerated. In a way it’s almost already legalised because it’s out in the open in Christiania and no-one does anything about it.” He acknowledged that there were risks associated with smoking marijuana, but argued that the tax revenue it generates could be used to fund treatment and prevention. Rebecca also said she thought marijuana could be a dangerous drug for some, but argued that criminalising it had hardly prevented its widespread

use.

“I think that it can probably act as a gateway drug, not for me but for others. I would say I’m an addict, but I still have a job and go to school and manage to balance everything, even though I smoke weed every day. But there are a lot of people who can’t manage the balance and they need to be given help, not treated like criminals.” Alan*, a former marijuana user in his late 20s, agreed with Rebecca. “I had to stop because I was become increasingly paranoid and insecure – even in the days after I used it. A state-controlled sale could have brought me closer to experts who could have helped me.” But Alan argued that criminalisation is not the best way to protect vulnerable people. “Ultimately, there’s a lot of ordinary things that people can develop addictions to like sex, computer games and work. Marijuana will always be available and just because a small portion of people develop side effects, it doesn’t mean it should be a criminal act.” *All the names in this story have been changed.

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

25 November - 1 December 2011

How foreigners could save the welfare state

SCANPIX

JENNIFER BULEY Importing educated immigrants is a money maker for Denmark, new economic research shows

Most Muslims in Denmark rejected the Salafists’ call for Sharia Law Maersk, which has been exploring the waters of the North Sea for oil and gas, says the state is profiting handsomely

High price of oil costing nation dear Peter stanners The Danish government has lost out on 75 billion kroner in oil revenue since 2003, calculations show

He STATE’S share of profits from oil and gas exploration in the North Sea is worryingly low, an environmental policy think tank claims, and has called the climate and energy minister for the current deal to come under re-evaluation. The deal was introduced in 2003 by the previous government and is due to run out in 2043, though the climate and energy minister, Martin Lidegaard (Radikale), has declared that with the steep increases in oil prices, the current deal does not necessarily redistribute the profits fairly. “The elevated oil prices and the altered tax arrangements mean that we find it natural to revisit the deal to ensure that the state’s taxation is robust in relation to the new circumstances,” Lidegaard told the press this week. According to Jyllands Posten newspaper, the Danish state earned 185 billion kroner between 2004 and 2010 while the oil companies earned 88 billion after tax – a phenomenally high profit margin of 60 percent. Lidegaard’s declaration received mixed political responses, with Venstres’s tax spokesperson, Torsten Shack Pedersen, telling Politiken that the government was heading into dangerous territory. “They are some very serious and dangerous thoughts,” Torsten Shack Pedersen (Venstre) said, adding that a new tax arrangement in favour of the government could have negatively affect the earnings and jobs the oil industry provides. “This is just a case of [the government] looking for places where they can increase taxes,” he added. Far-left government ally Enhedslis-

ten (EL) responded positively to the news, however, arguing that the current deal has been cheating the state out of billions of kroner a year. “It’s money that we desperately need,” EL climate and energy spokesperson Per Clausen said. “We now expect the government to work out a plan on how increased taxation on oil will ensure more money for next year’s budget.” Oil and gas exploration in the North Sea is controlled by the Dansk Undergrunds Consortium (DUC), which is owned by Maersk, Shell and Chevron. Responding in Politiken newspaper, representatives from Shell and Maersk argued that the state is already profiting handsomely from the current taxation deals. “You could say that it’s a gold mine for the state,” Shell spokesperson Regitze Ree said. “Every time we earn a krone, they earn two. Is that not okay?” And while Maersk would not reveal their numbers related specifically to North Sea oil and gas exploration, the company did declare that in 2010 the total AP Moller-Maersk tax bill for all its operations amounted to 9.5 billion kroner. “Higher oil prices have meant higher earnings, and so higher tax payments that have benefited both business and the state,” Maersk wrote in a statement. Maersk added that while it intends to co-operate with the government’s reevalution of the deal, it did not want the current deal to be changed. The right-wing Dansk Folkeparti supports Maersk’s position. MP Henrik Thulesen Dahl, speaking to public broadcaster DR, argued that raising taxes on oil companies was a measure borne of envy. “But we are open to creating incentives for getting more oil out of the ground, which will benefit both companies and the taxman.” The claim was made in a study carried out by environmental policy think tank Concito, which was headed by

Lidegaard until he took office earlier this year. The organisation argues that a dramatic increase in the price of oil since the 2003 deal, from $20 a barrel to over $100 a barrel today, has meant oil companies are reaping much higher profits than were initially imagined. The government has consequently not earned as much money as it should, while the after tax profits of oil companies from North Sea oil are five times what an average Danish company makes. “Concito’s collected appraisal of the 2003 deal is that the increase in the state’s portion of the income to 60 percent between 2004 and 2012 does not give an optimal income to the state, especially given the rapid increases in oil price,” the think tank wrote in its report. Concito also criticised an unusual compensation clause in the 2003 deal in which oil companies would be compensated should an existing tax on hydrocarbons be raised. “The compensation clause is the real economic scandal,” Concito chief economist Frans Clemmensen said. “Legal and economic experts were warning against it when it was proposed in 2003. It’s very unusual that a government would attempt to make it impossible for future governments to change taxes.” The 2003 deal decreased the hydrocarbon tax from 70 percent to 52 percent, and Concito argues that the effect of the higher tax rate would be especially noticeable when oil prices are high, like they are now. In 2001 a commission, which was set up by a Social Democrat-led government to establish how to revamp the taxation of oil pumped from the North Sea, recommended a model in which the state – which actually owns the oil – would get up to 84 percent of oil revenues when oil prices were extraordinarily high. According to Concito, had that happened, it would have generated an additional 75 billion kroner in tax revenue.

OLLOWING years of strident debate about whether immigration will be the death of Denmark’s welfare system, the irony is that certain immigrants could soon be seen as its saviours. Facts presented in a just-released research study show that highly educated immigrants – whether they come from developed ‘Western’ countries or under-developed ‘non-Western’ ones – are putting far more money into the state’s coffers than they are taking out. The Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) study – which is co-funded by Microsoft and Dansk Industri (DI), an association representing more than 10,000 Danish companies – is the first of its kind to measure Denmark’s net profit from highly educated foreign workers. Its conclusions are drawn from data from 3,500 highly-educated foreigners who were working in Denmark in 2009. A highly-educated foreigner was defined as someone with an advanced degree – a doctor, lawyer, PhD, MA, or MBA, for example. The average highly-educated foreigner (not to be confused with ‘highly-skilled foreigners’, a term that specifically refers to those enjoying three-year tax breaks) who comes to Denmark with a partner and children, stays for eight years and puts an extra 1.9 million kroner into the state’s coffers – even after using the schools, hospitals, and other social benefits – the study concluded. By contrast, the average highlyeducated foreigner who comes to Denmark without children stays for six years and leaves the state with an extra 900,000 kroner in its treasure chest. The researchers compared how highly educated ‘non-Western’ immigrants stacked up against their ‘Western’ counterparts in purely economic terms; they found that where the immigrants come from makes little difference. More significant are their areas of expertise. While all highly-educated immigrants are more ‘profitable’ for the state than Danes, according to the study, immigrants with advanced degrees in the humanities contributed less than those with advanced degrees in the sciences. Foreign technical experts, like engineers and architects, fell somewhere in the middle. Furthermore, the average newborn Danish baby will end up costing the state more than he or she con-

tributes in cold hard kroner, while a highly-educated Dane who goes to school, works, and retires in Denmark is still less profitable for the state than a highly-educated foreigner who arrives already educated and leaves before retirement, according to the study. Highly-educated foreigners use public childcare and health services at approximately one-third the rate of Danes, and they are also just one-third as likely as Danes to be involved in a crime or to use the criminal courts system. At the same time, the study found, highly-educated foreigners pay significantly more in taxes each year than the average Dane does; the highly-educated ‘non-Western’ immigrants paid roughly 16 percent more than the average Dane, while the ‘Western’ ones paid roughly 32 percent more. The study also showed that highlyeducated foreigners were less likely than Danes to draw on public welfare benefits. Besides paying higher taxes while using fewer public services, highly-educated foreigners also have a disproportionate effect on business growth at the firms they work for. Studies from 2010 and 2011 cited by CEBR have shown that Danish firms that hire foreign experts see higher rates of growth than firms that only have Danish experts on staff.

Our need for highlyeducated immigrants isn’t going to shrink. How can we be attractive to them? Jan Rose Skaksen, an economics professor from Copenhagen Business School, and one of the CEBR study’s authors, told Berlingske newspaper that the data surprised even him. “It has now been demonstrated – and I am in fact really amazed – how large a profit the highly educated [foreigners] yield,” Skaksen said. DI’s CEO Karsten Dybvad hoped the study would motivate the government to look closer at the visa rules. “Our need for highly-educated immigrants isn’t going to shrink in the future. How attractive we can be to them as a country has become a measure of our global competitiveness,” Dybvad said. “The government would do well to consider the rules quickly.”

Online this week PET fears a Breivik-inspired attack in Denmark FOUR MONTHS after the attacks in Norway by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, the Danish domestic intelligence agency, PET, has warned a similar attack could happen in Denmark. Jakob Scharf, the head of PET, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper that there are concerns in Denmark and several other Eu-

ropean countries. As a result, PET is expanding its efforts to counter extremist groups, including increased internet surveillance and tightened controls on purchases of fertiliser that can be used to make bombs. PET is also planning to improve the police’s preparedness and their capacity to respond quickly to terrorist attacks.

Thorning-Schmidt ‘a bridge’ between EU countries PRIME Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week to discuss Denmark’s role as the head of the EU when it assumes the presidency in January. Merkel believes that ThorningSchmidt is well-placed to “build a bridge” between the countries that use the euro and those that

do not. Merkel also said that Denmark’s status as a euro outsider should not diminish the prospect of a successful Danish EU presidency. Thorning-Schmidt believes the economic malaise sweeping through Eurozone countries should be the main priority on the agenda at the European Union summit on December 9.

Tax debt sets new record DENMARK’S tax debt is skyrocketing. As of September 30, individual taxpayers and companies owed a total of 57.2 billion kroner to the government. Between 2009 and 2010 the tax debt grew by 3.6 billion kroner, from 49.9 to 53.3 billion. Debt increased by the

same amount in just nine months this year, reports Avisen.dk, based on Tax Ministry figures. The tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen (Socialistisk Folkeparti), will continue to put pressure on those who owe back taxes – be they individuals or companies.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

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OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

Legalise it, part two Cities: The most important engines for growth

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

JASPER CARLBERG

EGALISING pot, we wrote in this space back in July 2009, would have two obvious benefits: generating revenue and dragging a shady business out into the light. Nearly three years later those arguments remain stronger than ever – the state is running at a deficit and the flare-ups between the gangsters that deal the stuff have become routine. Unfortunately, despite the change in government, the message coming from parliament also remains the same: no. We still support legalising cannabis, but with this proposal, the third of its kind since 2007, apparently doomed to failure as well, it’s time to begin asking some critical questions about the practicalities of the idea, and whether it’s not legal pot that MPs have a hard time swallowing, but hazily formulated proposals. If any government were to agree to legalising cannabis, it would be this one. In office for less than two months, it has already shown itself to be vastly more progressive than the Liberal-Conservative alliance that rejected the two previous legalisation proposals. Specifically on the drugs front, the Socialdemokraterne-led government has already expressed a willingness to allow for the creation of injection rooms, where IV drug users can shoot up in a safe, clean environment. However, why a party with a progressive attitude towards drugs can be against legal pot may say more about the proposal’s delivery than its content. A closer look at the proposal passed by the City Council last week reveals clear goals – influence the consumption, better information about the effects of cannabis, faster help for addicts, limit the number of people graduating from cannabis to hard drugs and limit drug-related crime – but a total absence of suggestions for how any of this could happen. By not putting forth specific ideas for how legal cannabis would be sold, regulated or taxed, the Socialistisk Folkeparti, which tabled the proposal, makes it easy for opponents to reject it as the pie-in-the-sky dreams of ageing hippies, dopey potheads and unrealistic Christiania sympathisers, rather than a serious plan for preventing drug abuse, stopping crime and earning money. One of the most basic questions the proposal leaves untouched is how the cannabis would be sold. Would it be limited to chemists, who would have the authority to register purchases? Or would city-licensed dispensaries suffice? Would a successful pilot project lead to the general sale of cannabis in the same manner as cigarettes, tobacco and painkillers? There are strong arguments in favour of legalising cannabis. But there are also strong arguments against. Most of the arguments on both sides can be applied to any manner of natural substance – be it pot, alcohol or caffeine – but given the legal bias against cannabis, winning the war for this drug will require a clearly stated strategy for every aspect of its legalisation, not some half-baked proposal.

FRANK JENSEN

OPENHAGEN’S residents and the companies headquartered here can look forward to another year with their mayor as the head of Eurocities, an interest group representing 135 European cities with a total of 120 million residents. The goal of the presidency will again be to ensure that cities have a say in determining the EU’s agenda, because just as Copenhagen is Denmark’s engine for growth, Europe’s cities are the engines of growth for the EU. It is cities that generate the exports that will secure our prosperity in the years to come. Europe’s cities play a decisive role in a global growth competition that’s currently being led by cities like Shanghai, Bangalore and Singapore. The numbers are clear – cities generate growth: 75 percent of the world’s population lives in cities, 85 percent of GDP is created by cities, and 90 percent of jobs are created in cities. In Denmark, for example, 20 jobs are created outside Copenhagen each time 100 jobs are created in Greater Copenhagen. Promoting urban growth is not the opposite of promoting rural growth. The two go hand in hand. Investments in cities benefit the country as a whole. This is something that is important for me, even though I am the mayor of the nation’s capital

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will have easy access to research institutions and open up the door to collaboration with researchers and students. The area will feature new hothouses for innovation and the research park COBIS. With a total investment of 5 billion kroner in Rigshospitalet, the Panum Institute and the new Niels Bohr Science Park, the foundation has been laid for an internationallyorientated knowledge village at North Campus. The development will see the university open itself up towards area businesses, and North Campus will become attractive to foreign students, researchers and companies. The new commercial district will be integrated into a lively and diverse part of the city, serving as a hub in the Øresund region’s Medicon Valley, one of Europe’s key growth clusters. The type of collaboration practised by Medicon Valley should serve as a model for Copenhagen and the rest of Europe’s cities. Cultivating new commercial opportunities, areas of collaboration, and partnerships is something cities need to do to strengthen their position globally. Holding the presidency of Eurocities makes it possible for Copenhagen – in partnership with the Greater Copenhagen Regional Council, the city of Malmö, the Øresund region or Hamburg – to broaden collaboration with major companies and research institutions throughout Europe. International co-operation can help us establish new strategic relationships. Discussions about urban development cannot be limited to the local or regional level. The benefits of globalisation include inspiration, vision and making international contacts. These are benefits we need to draw on! Fortunately, businesses in Copenhagen – and in Denmark as a

whole – are ready to do so. This was something I had confirmed first hand this past week, when I travelled to Sydney and Melbourne as part of a major trade delegation that included representatives from 50 prominent Danish companies. Both cities are aiming high when it comes to cutting carbon dioxide emissions, and on a national level the Australian government recently implemented a carbon tax. When it comes to green export opportunities, the land down under is rich in opportunities, and it knows to look towards Copenhagen for inspiration. Sydney is in the midst of switching from coal power to wind, solar and geothermal, and its planned district heating plant will be modelled on Copenhagen incinerators to generate heat, cooling and electricity. Copenhagen is well out in front in the area of trash-to-energy: currently, 60,000 homes in the city receive their heat this way, and 120,000 their electricity. I hope that we can inspire Sydney and Melbourne to invest in Danish solutions and create jobs here. We need to work to promote the solid growth rates Copenhagen needs if we are to maintain our standard of living and employment levels. Our goal is an average growth rate of 5 percent. If we’re going to reach that goal, we need to export more, and we need to attract more foreign companies and employees. We can’t afford not to go green – and why should we, when we know our green ideas have already spread to the other side of the planet? The author is the lord mayor of Copenhagen. In 2010, he was also elected as president of the Eurocities Network.

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and the network of European cities. When cities grow, so too does their resource consumption. Growth and energy use have always followed each other closely. In the EU, 80 percent of energy is used in cities. Cities consume resources and emit carbon dioxide, but they can also be a part of the solution by coming up with new ways to address climate change. In Copenhagen, we are fortunate to be able to say that our own green solutions have inspired other cities to prioritise green growth. Together with representatives from the Danish state and our international partners, I visited Brazil and Australia in the past year to encourage them to call on Copenhagen when the time came for them to put their green ambitions into reality. Copenhagen’s green sector businesses are a growth spurt of Chinese proportions. Between 2004 and 2009, a time when most industries experienced a moderate growth rate, the city posted a 12 percent growth rate in this area. Greater Copenhagen as a whole saw explosive growth in the volume of greentech exports – fully 77 percent between 2004 and 2009. Green exports were worth 18 billion kroner to Denmark. By way of comparison, social welfare technology and IT contributed 7 billion kroner and 9 billion kroner respectively to the economy. These figures only serve to underscore the importance of capitals and other cities when it comes to creating growth in the years to come. Copenhagen is also off to a good start in its efforts to attract investment and highly skilled workers. Among the draws for entrepreneurs and foreign life science companies is the investment being made to develop the University of Copenhagen’s North Campus. Companies working in the field

To the untrained eye this is the most ridiculous piece of legislation ever dreamed up. And its purpose? To enable the mollycoddled post people to stay in their vans/on their bikes/on the footpath to deliver mail. Oh yes, not to mention that thousands of pensioners will have to walk to their newly-sited boxes in all weathers. Oldjanus By website The big winner is Post Danmark. They raise their prices 40 percent and within a year of that outrage force homeowners, at their own expense, to move their postboxes out to the street. Next on the list of winners are the young terrorists who blow our postboxes sky high on New Year’s Eve every year. Now it’s even easier! The losers: you and me. Miket By website Well we’re gamblers, so we’ll not bother moving ours, and see if the post woman stops delivery. Given we’re rural and down the end of a public track, I’m hoping

she’ll not worry about walking about eight feet from her van. She has no qualms about opening our door without knocking to dump parcels on the floor, so she can’t be too bothered about procedure. Nebs By website Actually, this law is smart, long overdue and, of course, all about saving money. All postal services in the Europe and North American are facing massive budget short falls because they cannot reduce their infrastructure and operating costs as quickly as demand is falling ... or they have outright failed to do so. This new law will create more efficiency in the postal system so that one letter carrier can deliver to more houses and thereby allow a reduction in staff, either by natural attrition or layoffs. The fact of the matter is that electronic communications have put old-fashion mail delivery on the fast-track to obsolescence. Why should we stick to out-dated levels of expensive service, when the system can no longer sustain them and the demand is shrinking? JFD By website

Dirty old men Frank, how true! Good manners are definitely at a premium. There is no longer any period of ‘mystery’ during which a couple explore each other’s personality and enjoy the sheer tension of it all. It’s wham, bam but not even a ‘thank you’. Oldjanus By website Not so sure that the art of flirting has disappeared. As a man over the age of 40, if you don’t look like George Clooney, you have to be aware that your flirtatious behaviour and coy looks no longer cut it with those half your age! Stick to your own age group and perhaps you may find that the art of flirting is still alive and minimise the risk of being regarded as a dirty old man! Pete By website

in the form of electricity and oil is used through the whole manufacturing process, and also during the ‘productive’ life of a windmill, does that all add up to ‘free’ energy? I somehow have doubts. Djeep By website Two of the farms neighbouring my mother in law have wind turbines - the noise is not a problem. I would also rather have to see wind turbines than have smoke and the waste from fossil fuel plants. And if we were really that bothered by tall structures, we would have to be against cell phone towers also. Sontaron By website Blonde bombshell!

Offshore wind energy

As a rule of thumb I believe blue eyed blondes burn in the sun, and brown eyed blondes don’t burn as much. Grandad By website

How much energy is used in their production, and until they are operational, on land or at sea, and afterwards when they need servicing and repairing. Energy

But what eye colour produces that glowing orange tone so beloved by women here and on Jersey Shore? Heidi aka MissFuzzy By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

‘MacCarthy’s World’ BY CLARE MACCARTHY Clare MacCarthy is Nordic correspondent for The Economist and a frequent contributor to The Financial Times and The Irish Times. She’ll go anywhere from the Gobi Desert to the Arctic in search of a story. The most fascinating thing about Denmark, she says, is its contradictions.

Corresponding to fact But this would be incorrect. I personally know the vast bulk of these journalists, and believe me, they cover the entire right-left spectrum of political sensibilities. The variety is as marked as it is in any representative cross-section of public opinion in any other developed democracy. These journalists come from every corner of the planet (almost, we’ve got nobody from the Antarctic) and they report back to editors and readers of everything from small-circulation special interest journals to global financial and business newswires and newspapers. On the basis of interests, adherences and political perspective, any common denominator simply does not exist. But we do have rather a lot in common, not least our dedication. We work hard and given that the nature of the foreign correspondent’s lot is to be the eyes and ears of his editor abroad, we are uncommonly committed to getting our facts right. The buck of accuracy stops with us. Should we get something wrong, our own reputations and careers are on the line. We have minimal margin for error because we can never be temporarily demoted to the backwaters of a news organisation and made to compile sports statistics or cover dreary court cases while the dust settles. The reason we cannot be shifted sideways from the frontline of foreign reporting within our organisations for a period is that the bulk of us have developed pretty deep roots in this country. We’re here to stay. We’re married (some of us multiple times à la façon Danoises), have children, have Danish friends, are members of local clubs and communities, and speak the language. Along with our colleagues in the Danish media, we are also

SCANPIX/ JENS NØRGAARD LARSEN

REVEALING survey this week of 66 Denmark-based foreign correspondents by Politiken probed the state of this country’s reputation abroad over the last ten years. In an age where reputation often seems to be all, where image is carefully managed and soft power of all hues plays an increasingly important role, this was a timely survey. In rounding off the decade of centre-right government, it was all the more well-timed. The correspondents’ verdict on the reputation-management capabilities of the VK+O administration was scathingly clear cut: failure. According to the correspondents, the previous government ran a ten-year master class on how to run your reputation into the ground. A full 79 percent of the journalists said that the Danes came to be viewed by their readers and listeners back home as more xenophobic under VK+O rule. And 58 percent of the respondents said that Denmark’s reputation became much worse or worse during the period. One lone respondent out of the 66 held that it had improved. Countering any suggestion that journalists are by nature a pessimistic bunch who will invariably seek the dark side of a story, the survey also revealed a bracing optimism: Some 67 percent expect Denmark’s general reputation to improve under the new prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and a whopping 73 percent believe that the stigma of xenophobia will diminish in the years ahead. Coinciding as it does with a decisive shift in political power from the right to the left, it would be tempting to assume that the journalists’ answers were directed by inherent leftist sympathies.

Claus Hjort Frederiksen’s comments were deluded, to put it mildly

among the heaviest consumers of newspapers and other media that you could possibly find in Denmark. Contrary to a widespread notion, we did not just swoop in on the last plane to make snap judgements and compose quick stories on whatever topic is galvanising our editors back home in New York, London, Brussels or Beijing. A lot of us have been in Denmark for 15 or 20 years, some for 30 years, and a few for more than 40. That said, fleets of foreign-based specialists are habitually parachuted

in en masse for special events like the forthcoming Danish EU presidency. But this is a relative rarity. By and large, the day-to-day hardscrabble of covering Denmark is done by a hardworking cohort of permanent residents. Which is what makes Claus Hjort Frederiksen’s response to Politiken’s reputation survey all the more amusing. Frederiksen, you might recall, was a leading light of the previous centreright administration, as well as one of his own Liberal party’s most active strategists. (He ended up as finance minister

and left behind a gaping budget deficit for the new government to deal with.) Frederiksen’s facile and perfunctory response to the survey was that we had confused open debate with xenophobia. “Those journalists in your survey are obviously not accustomed to the sort of open and free debate we have in Denmark,” he told Politiken. Dear Mr Ex-minister: you are quite mistaken. We are more than adequately conversant with Danish norms. And free debate? Why this very column is a prime example thereof.

CPH POST VOICES

‘SO SAYS CELIA’

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

‘STILL ADJUSTING’

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

Celia Thaysen is a British love refugee who landed on these shores six years ago. With below-par Danish, a tendency to tardiness, and a fondness for Marmite, she spends her time fumbling her way through unfamiliar territory as a working mother-of-two with a house in the ‘burbs.

English by nature – Danish at heart. Freelance journalist Richard Steed has lived in Copenhagen for nearly five years now. “I love this city and want Copenhagen to be a shining example to the rest of the world.”

A proud native of the American state of Iowa, Justin Cremer has been living in Copenhagen since June 2010. In addition to working at the CPH Post, he balances fatherhood, the Danish language and the ever-changing immigration rules. Follow him at twitter.com/justincph

Born in 1942 on the Isle of Wight, Englishman Frank Theakston has been in Copenhagen 32 years and is on his second marriage to a Dane. Frank comes from a different time and a different culture – which values are the right ones today?

10 NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

Myths of modern motherhood: Mama mafia and magical mums Who rules the roost? Some pushy mamas may just be feeling insecure

ECENTLY, a Copenhagen café – a former mecca for new mums and once voted the ideal barselscafé – caused outrage among mothers and women when it banned breastfeeding so as not to offend its other customers. Once the dust settled on the debate, it seemed that most people were fine with nursing in public (77 percent of Danes, according to a survey by Analysinstituttet Cantinet) as long as etiquette and consideration were used. In a conciliatory gesture, the café opened a ‘breastfeeding lounge’ to appease the angry mob, some of whom personally attacked the café manager. The militant mamas who emerged to fight this cause brought to mind a larger band of mothers. Sometimes referred to as the ‘mama mafia’, the barnevognsmafiaen (pram mafia), or by other similarly derogatory terms, these mothers think they have the right to do whatever they want because it is ‘best for baby’. Experts on any babyrelated topic, they impose their views on other mothers believing that their way is the only way, whether it’s breastfeeding, homemade organic food or baby yoga. “It’s like the Wild West on the narrow pavement; nobody gives an inch when they parade with their strollers,” said Julia Lahme, the mother of seven-week-old Sofus and author of ‘Where did I leave my baby?’ – a book about her experiences as a new mother – describing how the pram mafia own the streets of Østerbro.

Once, Lahme revealed, she was even stopped and berated by a complete stranger who’d read her blog and thought she was letting other women down by not taking maternity leave. Helen Lang Hansen, a health visitor who set up www.netsundhedsplejerske. dk to help parents on children’s health and development, said in her experience, most mothers don’t go to extremes, and do in fact understand that there are many ways to be a good mother. Psychologist Kisser Paludan wasn’t sure. “I think we just pretend to be more tolerant of these things because we should be, but in reality I don’t think we actually are.” Neither Paludan nor Hansen believed a mama mafia exists. But Paludan agreed that some mothers adopt this kind of behaviour. “Often, it’s down to insecurity about their values,” she explained. “New mothers can often feel insecure, and to make up for this, some channel their energies into convincing others that they are doing the right thing and start judging others.” “Too often these days, people just adopt the values they see in books, magazines and on television,” continued Paludan. “You need to find your own values and feel comfortable with these; once you know what is important to you, it becomes easier to accept other people’s values.” Hansen saw the challenge as being an overload of information. “Women are very well-informed and seek out information to make the best choices for their children. However, it can be hard to sort through everything and it’s only natural to feel unsure that you’ve made the right choice.” Paludan suggested another reason for why many feel less secure in their values.

CELIA THAYSEN

Taking baby out for a stroll along the streets of Østerbro is a primo activity for members of the ‘mama mafia’

“It’s hard for the modern Danish woman,” said Paludan. “They don’t have role models. Things have changed so much in the last 40 or 50 years, and many women don’t want to do things the way their mothers did. They are lost and on their own trying to figure things out.” “There is nothing but ideals,” lamented Lahme of the pressure on women to conform to societal ideals of motherhood. “We are definitely not free to choose anything. We have to breastfeed. We have to love every part of parenthood, even the boring bits.” It’s understandable then that mothers feel a large burden of expectation and also face peer pressure to conform.

“It’s a norm in society that having children is just wonderful. In many ways, it’s a taboo to speak out about how hard it is being a mum,” said Paludan. “And if you can’t live up to the norms you believe society has set, you start to judge others, because it’s too painful to look at yourself.” Lahme had a theory, explored in her book ‘Truths from a Liar’, that women often lie to themselves and to others in response to the pressures put on them. She suggested that all mothers lie – the most common being that women are biologically pre-programmed to get through whatever hardship they face as a new mother. “I think we don’t want to feel alone with the experience of having a hard time,

yet we don’t want everyone to know how hard it really is, since we are lucky and privileged to be mothers in the first place.” So the mama mafia doesn’t exist and neither does the perfect mother. But the pressures faced by new mothers – to live up to the ideal of being the perfect mother, and that motherhood should come naturally and easily – are real. With few role models to inspire them, it is no wonder that many new mothers feel insecure, leading them to overcompensate and defend their actions. Maybe the focus needs to shift towards debunking the myths surrounding motherhood rather than reinforcing unattainable goals and a vicious cycle of failing to live up to those high standards.

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community

The CopeNhageN posT CphposT.Dk

25 November - 1 December 2011

a celebration of difference â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in school and across the world Photos: Iona scott & words: vIctorIa steffenen As the autumn weather began to spell gloominess for the rest of us , the staff, parents and teachers of Rygaards Skole in Hellerup were still in the mood to party. United Nations Day is an annual celebration at Rygaards, where all those associated with the school celebrate the large number of nationalities enrolled there, against the backdrop of the fantastic multicultural world we live in. As part of the festivities, children brought dishes originating from their home countries, and all students, from both the Danish and international sections of the school, were able to come and feast at the multicultural buffet.

Revathi Bharadwaj (India), Ajanta Deb (India), Que Anh Dang (Vietnam) and Krista Espeskog (New Zealand) joined in with the spirit of the day, by dressing in clothes from their countries. We guess New Zealanders dress pretty similarly to Europeans!

Just in case all the foreign food on offer confused some of the guests, a cake proudly reminded us which land the party was taking place. Namely, Denmark

The hall was soon full of children enjoying the wonderful array of tastes on offer

A great variety of dishes were on offer, from every corner of the globe. The students from the US didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let us down and were able to provide the necessary condiment from North America: Heinz Ketchup

Que Anh Dang from Vietnam was there to help serve the food

Parents were always on hand to to assist with the difficult decisions of what to choose

Both the international and Danish children in the school had Flags were hung all over the hall, symbolising the international nature of the day and the to eat, so it was necessary to have allotted times for each high number of different nationalities enrolled in the school itself class, and an orderly queuing system!

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Slovenia celebrated the 20th anniversary of its national day on November 10 There were 161 weddings on 11 November 2011 to take advantage of all the luck with a concert at Skt Thomas Kirke. Pictured here are the Slovenian ambasthat comes with the elevens – whatever that might be, given the Twin Towers were sador Bogdan Benko (centre) and his wife (far right), and between them, It may be a bit late printing this picture of J Dag, which this year took place on Friday Novem- attacked on September 11, and that the Madrid bombings and Japanese tsunami both musician Dalibor Miklavcic, who plays the pedal harpsichord. ber 4 at 20:59, but you know what they say about the length of the celebrations – the pics took place on March 11. A couple from Oslo even managed to tie the knot at 11:11 – lucky them, although this isn’t them! must have got delayed in the post.

Bogforum celebrated its 20th year, and its final year at Forum, with another well-attended event that included the participation of Israeli memory The Japanese ambassador Toshio Sano held a celebration at his residence on expert Eran Katz (centre), whose powers of recall included being able to The Christmas Seal has been unveiled for another year, and this year’s design for our festive stamps November 10 to mark the birthday of the Japanese emperor. Pictured here are remember a certain photographer’s name. Pictured here with him are two is very much inspired by the kravlenisser, the cut-out elves you see everywhere. Pictured here at the (left-right) Indian ambassador Ashok Kumar Attri, Sano, and Sandeep Sander, relative newcomers to this page: BCCD president Mariano Davies (left) and launch at City Hall is city mayor Frank Jensen and Crown Princess Mary. While the seal’s foreign Danish the managing director of change management consultants ChangeWIN. Dan Oryan (right), the deputy head of mission at the Israeli Embassy. ambassador this year is Hollywood beautician Ole Henriksen (below).

At work and at play Isabelle Valentine’s husband works at a video game company and gets to play at work. She also wanted to play for a living so she started the Montessori International Preschool. She moved to Frederiksberg in May 2008 where she lives with her young family.

A National Geographic photo exhibition, which marks the moment that the world’s population climbed above seven billion, finished at City Hall on Saturday. Among the guests at the opening were Crown Princess Mary (second left) and Copenhagen’s deputy mayor for culture Pia Allerslev (centre), and to her left, Christian Friis Bach, the minister for development co-operation.

HEN I decided to open my preschool a few years ago, I was not sure what type of educational curriculum I should implement; I wanted to make it an exciting environment that parents would want their children to be involved in. My son went to a Montessori nursery school in London before we moved to Copenhagen, and this experience literally changed him. Within six months of attending the school, he became more articulate, played in a more experimental way, developed a deeper awareness of his peers, and generally seemed more open and curious about whatever and who ever he encountered. I give all the credit to the Montessori method. After all, it is the single largest pedagogy in the world with over 22,000 schools on six continents and in 110 countries. So it must be doing something right. Even Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, retrace their creative beginnings and self-motivation to their Montessori schooling years. Despite this, the Montessori educational approach is not very well known in Denmark. Most foreign parents or

Danes who have lived abroad have either ity was high for a while, and Denmark heard of, experienced or know someone even had a Montessori teacher-training who attended a Montessori school. centre. But it closed in 1989 and awareness of Montessori Whereas most Danish parslowly disappeared ents hear of Montessori from the local confor the first time when I sciousness. All of speak to them about what this while more I do, Denmark’s Nordic and more Montesneighbours have a large Why is this? Did sori establishments number of Montessori something happen were being opened establishments, with Sweat a rapid pace elseden having the most fer- along the way that in the world. vour for the method. In gave Montessori a bad where It seems very strange Denmark, there are two to me that it is not Montessori establishments name? Or did people more established in with certified AMI teachDenmark as many ers (Association Montes- not fully understand sori International) – The its amazing impact on of its principles seem to match the Little Montessori School in Lyngby and my own, children’s education? Danish ones, especially regarding soMontessori International Preschool, in Copenhagen. A few other cial awareness and freedom. In any case, I completely embrace Danish institutions have the Montessori Montessori, and I have given myself name but they do not use the method. Why is this? Did something hap- the challenge of popularising this edupen along the way that gave Montes- cational method in Denmark again so sori a bad name? Or did people not that parents can witness their little ones fully understand its amazing impact happily growing and developing a real on children’s education? Its popular- love of learning.

CommuNity

The CopeNhageN posT CphposT.Dk

25 November - 1 December 2011

shield eludes city’s gaelic football side – four would have been greedy

They gave it their best shot, but in the end, it wasn’t to be

SeamuS macSorley Copenhagen gaa finish runners-up in european shield to end a three-year reign of dominance

fter three consecutive years as reigning champions, Copenhagen GAA have relinquished the coveted Shield trophy to the new champions, Amsterdam GAA. They went down battling earlier this month in the final european tournament of a long season in Limerick, the european Capital of Sport for 2012.

Copenhagen got off to a flying start with a comprehensive victory over the new kids on the block, the french side Niort. Notorious slow starters, the Danish club got off to a flyer and none more so than forward Sean Coogan, with 2-2 to his name. (In gaelic football, a shot under the bar, a goal, is worth three points, and a shot over the bar, a point, just one, so a score of 2-2 is eight points in total.) Next up were Scandinavian neighbours and close rivals Gothenburg, and everyone was expecting a closely fought affair. The Swedish outfit have had the

upper hand in recent years and Copenhagen captain John Lambert urged his charges to double their efforts in this encounter. Unfortunately the Danish side never managed to settle in this match and, despite going into a two-point lead just after the break, were unable to press home their advantage. Gothenburg rallied and, inspired by a rather fortuitous late goal, ran out winners by a two-point margin. Now the Danish side had their backs up against the wall and were up against the fancied Belgium B side. Nothing less than a victory in this game would

CoMINg Up sooN Spousecare Bollywood Dancing Søndermark Skolen, Hoffmeyersvej 32, Frederiksberg; Sat 26 Nov, starts 14:00; tickets 50kr; register before 22 Nov by emailing info@spousecare.dk

Join Spousecare for their last Bollywood dancing session of the year with the professional dance instructor Sateja Bhalekar. everybody is welcome, so even if this is new to you, there has to be a first time for everything! This is about having fun, meeting new people - both Danes and other expats - and getting some good exercise all at the same time. JS Café Philo meet-up

Café Retro, Knabrostræde 26, Cph K; Sun 27 Nov, 19:00

With the theme ‘In a consumerist society, saving is treason’, the Café Philo meet-up group will discuss the self versus the collective. Questions posed to participants to ponder include ‘Are some types of selfishness actually virtuous?’ and more. Discuss with each other and challenge others while opening up to new ideas and outlooks. JS Expat in Denmark: Christmas beer November social

Avenue Hotel, Åboulevard 29, Frederiksberg; Wed 30 Nov, 18:00-23:00; must register at www.expatindenmark.com

‘tis the season to be jolly! Get into the holiday spirit a bit early

how to keep your professional information, data and log-on details safe and secure from threats of espionage and potential damage to an organisation’s assets. The agenda includes professional lectures, a panel debate, coffee breaks and networking. JS

Poetry and Pints meet up

Marriott Hotel, Kalvebod Brygge 5, 1560 Cph V, Sunday 11 Dec, 14:0017:00; free adm

following on from the success of its Children’s festival, The Copenhagen Post is teaming up with expat in Denmark and Spousecare to organise a children’s Christmas party at the Marriott hotel for our readers, our fellow internationals and all their families. Make decorations at the eden Art workshop table later father Christmas wil be turning up with some presents - providing they’ve been good, of course. JS

Cyber-physical security, data theft and log-on security seminar

At the knitting club you can swap gimmicks and experiences with like-minded people who share your passion for wool and yarn. When your work is all tangled up, there is always a helping hand to sort out the knots. If you are more into crotchet, you are welcome as well. eK

expat in Denmark invites you to a professional network seminar for the financial sector and It professionals. Come learn

kevin

peter

Ben

Dima

Family Christmas Party

Copenhagen Theatre Circle’s monthly meet-up is back again with ‘poetry and pints’. This time everyone is welcome to come along and perform some sort of work, whether it is a piece of poetry, a short skit or a reading. feeling shy? You are welcome to sit in the crowd and watch until you feel the urge to get up and act in this informal and low-pressure atmosphere. The group will also discuss upcoming ideas and welcomes the free flow of banter. The location offers a wide range of beers and whiskys. JS

Finanssektorens Hus, Amaliegade 7, Cph K; Tue 29 Nov, 15:30-18:00; sign up at www.expatindenmark.com

Anyone interested in coming along and giving gaelic football a try (there are male and female teams), please contact info@cphgaa.dk.Copenhagen GAA are always on the lookout for new members, and whatever their nationality, they will always get a warm welcome from a very international group of players.

MoVeMBeR UpDaTe

with expat in Denmark’s November social. With Christmas beer and the famous glögg, everyone involved should be in high spirits and ready to socialise. Invite your family, friends and colleagues to a cosy and interesting evening at the Yellow Lounge where there will be DJs and an overall relaxed atmosphere. JS The Bishops Arms, Ny Østergade 14, Cph K; Thu 1 Dec, 19:00

be enough to send them through to the quarter-finals. The well-drilled Belgian side were frustrated time and time again by the battling Copenhageners. A superb sideline point by Phil Murray inspired the team and Coogan was at hand to whip over a late match-winning point. A narrow 2-2 to 0-3 victory for the men from København. The doom and gloom of the previous defeat was forgotten and Copenhagen GAA were now in the hat for the quarter-finals. The team everyone wanted to avoid at this stage was the Amsterdam side, who had won the last three european

tournaments and were unbeaten in 2011. Copenhagen hadn’t done themselves any favours by losing to Gothenburg and were pulled out of the hat with the Dutch champions. The game got off to a cagey start, before Amsterdam started to put some scores on the board. Copenhagen missed theirs and were always playing catch-up against a fit and fast-moving side. The Dutch side ran out convincing winners on the scoreboard, despite the best efforts of the Copenhagen lads. Over the course of the tournament there were some notable displays for the Copenhagen side. Lambert, the captain, led by example and put over some fine scores. Thomas Bering, rory Lehmann, and Mark hassett were solid in defence, ‘human dynamo’ Kenny Grogan never stopped running in the middle of the park, and up front Sean Coogan showed some fine scoring form. The team can be satisfied with their victory over the Limerick tournament winners Belgium B and their runners-up medals in the european Shield overall. Copenhagen will now enjoy a welcome break until the spring of 2012, when they will begin to plot the downfall of the new champions Amsterdam and attempt to wrestle the silverware back.

Knitting Club Bibliothekshuset, Rodosvej 4, Cph S; Tue, 15:30-17:00; free adm; www. bibbro@kff.kk.dk - last of the year

e’re entering the final stretch and our moustaches are starting to really come into their own. Dima’s fair hair does make his hard to spot, whereas Kevin’s is positively taking over his face.

The standings this week have hardly changed. Kevin, Peter and Dima all remain of last week’s totals of 250 kroner, 800 kroner and 0 kroner respectively while Ben has slipped 12 spots down the leaderboard to 38 despite having

raised an impressive 2,061 kroner. to help us on our way and sponsor us, please head to the Movember website and search for Ben hamilton, Kevin McGwin, Peter Stanners or Dima Paranytsia.

SPORT

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

Viva the Divas! The ladies national skydiving team permanently on cloud nine TOM SCHAD They might live in one of the worst countries in the world to practise aerial acrobatics, but the Danes managed fifth in their first international tournament

I thought: ‘Okay, well maybe we should do something about this – maybe we should actually practice next time.’” They contacted the Danish Parachute Foundation and received permission to represent Denmark in international skydiving competitions. Together, Cooper-Jensen and company formed the first women’s national team in Denmark’s history: the Danish Divas. The Divas compete in a discipline of the sport called four-way formation skydiving, which involves a 35-second sequence, in which the four divers complete as many separate formations and manoeuvres as possible, being videotaped from above by a fifth jumper and given to judges on the ground for scoring. As you could imagine, co-ordinating these jumps between four divers – and making sure that everyone falls at the same speed – is no easy task.

amount of training that needs to get in there.” Against these odds, Cooper-Jensen believes that the team could finish in the higher end of the top 10 at the World Championships in Dubai next winter. The Divas still have plenty of time to train and believe the generosity of a few spon-

sors could make all the difference. Even without training, Cooper-Jensen

knows that she is still capable of achieving her number one goal for this entire process. “Laughter,” she said, smiling once again. “Nothing’s any good if you don’t enjoy it.” And enjoy it she will, just as she has for the last 33 years. Whether the Danish Divas make it to Dubai or not, her office will always be a cloudless blue sky.

Danish Divas Kathrine Pontoppidan, Vibeke Birke, Birgitte Fisher Sode and Katie Cooper-Jensen are seeking sponsorship for the world championship in Dubai

SPORTS NEWS AND BRIEFS Not FCK’s day BRØNDBY on Sunday won Denmark’s biggest league fixture, beating fierce city rivals FC Copenhagen 2-1 at home thanks to an 81st winner from Thomas Rasmussen. Only 10,803 spectators – a record low for the fixture – watched the game, which provided only Brøndby’s fourth victory of the season and leaves

them still tenth in the 12-team Superliga, while FCK’s lead at the top has been cut to four points by FC Nordsjælland. There are now only two games remaining until the Superliga’s winter break. The last round of games will be played on December 5, and action will not resume until March 7.

Rookie called in

Steady progress

Cyclist cleared

THORBJORN Olesen, the world number 173, has replaced the injured Thomas Bjørn (#33) in the Omega World Cup in China, which tees off on Thursday 24 November. Olesen will partner Soren Hansen (#31) in the fourday, two-player team event, which Denmark has never won, but finished second in ten years ago.

DENMARK’S under-21s side drew 1-1 in Macedonia last week, leaving them second in their group, three points behind Serbia but with a game in hand. The four best secondplaced teams will also qualify for the next European Under-21s Championships, which is in Israel in 2013.

THE NATIONAL Sports Federation doping committee last week cleared Alex Rasmussen of missing three doping tests in 18 months, meaning the cyclist, who was suspended in September ahead of his country’s hosting of the World Championship, is free to compete for his new team, Garmin-Cervelo, and to participate in the Olympics.

The federation accepted that the International Cycling Union (ICU) had failed to inform him about his third whereabouts violation until ten weeks after it happened – instead of the 14 days that is stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The ICU will now decide whether to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

WWW.WIX.COM/POPPE2/DANISHDIVAS#!MEDIER

ATE COOPER-JENSEN’S office is a cloudless blue sky. While the rest of society is packing lunches, she packs a parachute. While we’re on the Metro, she’s in a plane speeding 3,000 metres above Arizona, Thailand, Dubai, and Venezuela. And while we’re finishing some paperwork, she can be found strapping 10 kilos of lead to her jumpsuit because a regular fall just isn’t fast enough. “Skydiving: it’s the art of hurtling yourself at a planet and missing,” she said. Believe it or not, but jumping out of a plane is another day at the office for American expat Kate Cooper-Jensen, one of the world’s most renowned skydivers. The coach of Denmark’s new female national skydiving team holds 14 different world records across multiple disciplines and has jumped in six different continents (“I’m still waiting for the chance to go to Antarctica”). She has helped organise massive simultaneous jumps – with as many as 400 other people taking part – and notched a whopping 9,500 jumps in her career thus far. To put that in perspective, it’d be like jumping out of a plane once every day for over 26 years. In reality though, she’s been doing it much longer than that. This whole ‘jumping out of planes’ business dates back to her first year at The College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia, US), 33 years ago this month. Cooper-Jensen’s friends told her that they were going to go skydiving on Saturday and, like any adrenaline-craving teenager, she wanted to join them. She knew that she would never be allowed to jump out of a plane, and she was underage, so she forged her mother’s signature and went anyway. “I told her [about the jump] afterwards obviously; she had to figure it out eventually,” Cooper-Jensen said with a smile. She remembers looking down at the ground a couple of thousand metres below and being “insanely scared”. CooperJensen knew that she had a parachute on her back, she understood the mechanics of it all, but it still took a “leap of faith” to let go of that aeroplane and fall for the first time – and each of the nearly 10,000 times since. “When you’ve transcended that leap of faith, it’s like something breaks inside of you for the better,” she said. “I decided at that point that I would do 100 jumps and see what it was like, and of course I was hook, line, and sinker long before

that.” Today, Cooper-Jensen works as an independent skydiving consultant, organising events and instructing skydiving clinics all around the world. She met her husband, Carsten, at one such camp in Arizona and moved to Copenhagen as a result. Skydiving quickly evolved from a weekend hobby to a lifelong endeavour, and she has learned that the “leap of faith” mentality is not only applicable to when you’re plummeting towards the ground at 200 kilometres per hour. “It made it easier to do many, many other things in life,” the longtime California resident explained. “I’ve been insanely scared doing many, many things in life, but you just inhale and exhale deeply and think: ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’” Cooper-Jensen’s most recent leap of faith came last winter, when she and a past teammate spontaneously decided to put together a women’s team for a competition in Dubai. They recruited two other women, did a bit of individual training in a wind tunnel, and ended up taking fifth place without a single practice jump together beforehand. “I’d never even seen one of these women before,” she said. “But [afterwards],

The sport’s heavy hitters, including the United States and Great Britain, have nearly unlimited access to equipment, aircraft, training, and world-class coaches to practice these sequences. The French and Russian sides have already accumulated thousands of jumps together. Team Denmark, on the other hand, is comprised of an IT engineer, an anaesthetist, and an advertising employee. Two of them have kids and all of them have purchased their own equipment, which Cooper-Jensen said cost between $5,000 and 6,000 each. “We still haven’t jumped together, but we’ve been practicing. We have matching jumpsuits,” she said with a laugh. “What we really need to do is just get to a training camp.” Skydiving is a clear weather sport, making Denmark about the worst place on Earth to practice. Ideally the team would travel somewhere warm, like Spain or the southwestern United States, and nail down its timing with 100 jumps or so. For now, a lack of sponsors and the dreary Danish winter has left the Divas with limited options. They focus on visualisation, a cheap and effective training technique for any sport, and move through their formations on mechanical creepers once a month. “We want to make Denmark proud,” Cooper-Jensen said. “We have the talent, skill, and energy, but there’s a certain

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

Euro under-21s a financial success Crackdown on cash-in-hand customers

BEN HAMILTON Denmark’s hosting of the UEFA tournament in June generated 61 million kroner in tourism spending

ENMARK’S HOSTING of football’s European Under-21 Championship in June was a great success, claims a report released by Sport Event Denmark, entitled ‘Tourist Economic Impact Analysis and Evaluation’, which has given the country invaluable insight into its future prospects of staging international sports competitions. The study reveals that the total tourism turnover (TTT) of the tournament – which was

co-hosted by the Jutland cities of Aarhus, Herning, Viborg and Aalborg from June 11-25 and featured eight teams – was 61 million kroner, raised partly by 81,760 extra hotel stays in the country. The total attendance of the 15 games was 101,147 – a total of 72,247 fans (67 percent male, average age 30) who watched an average 1.4 games each. While only seven percent of the attendees were non-Danes, the international visitors accounted for 41 percent of the TTT. In Sweden in 2009, where the TTT was 44.5 percent higher thanks to a 163,196 total attendance, this share was only 16 percent. In June alone, 2,500 Danish and 7,712 international on-

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK The EU Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050 John MacArthur is Vice President CO2 Policy for Shell, accountable for developing and steering Shell’s global CO2 policy. His early career was in drilling and production engineering. He then took on a corporate strategy role, before becoming executive aide to Mr. Malcolm Brinded CBE, Executive Director of Shell Upstream International. Thereafter, John moved to the United Arab Emirates as strategy manager for the Middle East and Caspian region. He then led Shell’s joint venture operations in Egypt, before his current assignment. John represents Shell on the Board of the UK Energy Technologies Institute – an industry-government initiative that brings together projects to create affordable, reliable, clean energy for heat, power and transport. He hosts the Shell Springboard Awards, providing no strings financial awards to assist small businesses in the commercialisation of low carbon products. John also hosts Shell’s LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. An entrepreneur himself, John is Chairman of Nan Gall Energy Systems Ltd, which designs and manufactures innovative electronic instrumentation and tools for the global energy industry. Programme: 11.45 12.05 12.10 12.40 12.50 13.00

Registration and welcome drinks Welcome and introduction by Mariano A. Davies, President, BCCD Guest speaker – John MacArthur: The EU Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050 Questions and discussion Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director, BCCD Buffet lunch and networking

JENNIFER BULEY

BAX LINDHARDT

WWW.UEFA.COM

Christian Eriksen (left) was among the stars who lit up Denmark in June

line articles were written about the tournament, and there were an estimated 98 million total worldwide views on television, compared to only 85.3 million in 2009. “One of our objectives was to stage a fantastic championship on home ground and at the same time use the event as a platform for further major international football events in Denmark,” said tournament director Christian Bordinggaard of the Danish Football Association (DBU). “And I think we can say that we succeeded. This report is an important tool for us to highlight the many spin-offs generated by the event. It also provides us with useful information about our future event potential.” The report - which has been presented in co-operation with the DBU, and approved by the continent’s governing football body UEFA - draws attention to the financial benefit of using 800 volunteers, which it estimated to be 11.5 million kroner. “This under-21 event is an excellent example of how Denmark can be branded through sports events,” added Sport Event Denmark chief executive Lars Lundov. Referring chiefly to social media platforms, he commended the “impressive” media coverage.

Government says it takes two to tango when it comes to black market economy

F YOU’RE thinking about getting some under-the-table work done on the car or around the house, pay cashin-hand at your own risk. The government is promising to punish the patrons of black market services, as well their purveyors, in the future. The tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen (Socialistisk Folkeparti), says that from now on the tax authority Skat will hold the customers who procure black market services, along with the people who provide them, responsible for cheating the system. But Pedersen is offering an easy protection: pay for all goods and services with a Dankort debit card or by bank transfer. That way Skat has a record of the payment, and the full tax responsibility falls back on the person who got paid for the work. The government is suggesting, in any case, that Danes limit their cash payments to a maximum of 10,000 kroner. While paying more than 10,000 kroner in cash will remain legal, adhering to the limit ensures that the buyer won’t be culpable in a major case of tax evasion. It’s a simple enough sounding solution to a situation that is costing the state an estimated 50 billion kroner per year in unreported earnings and sales – almost three percent of GDP – but the majority of voters are still against it. Some 56 percent of those interviewed in a recent Rambøll/ Jyllands-Posten opinion poll opposed the measure to crack down on the customers in black money transactions. Even among the centre-left government’s own voters, only 44 percent supported the measure. Statistics point to an ethical double standard. Researchers from the Rockwool Foundation think tank reported last year that while most

The sign says it all: it’s time to come clean and give the taxman his cut

Danes disapprove of ‘cheating on taxes’ in principle, the vast majority, in fact, willingly participate in tax cheat schemes by contracting black money work. The reason – for both the buyers and the sellers – is to avoid paying the country’s whopping 25 percent VAT. In 2010, 52 percent of Danes interviewed for the Rockwool study reported that they had knowingly paid someone for offthe-books work in the past year; another 28 percent said they would have done so, had the need or opportunity risen. Meanwhile, just 20 percent said they had not and would not. On a scale of one to ten, where one equalled “not at all acceptable” and ten equalled “completely acceptable”, Danish voters in 2008-2009 gave ‘purchasing black money services’ an average score of 4.2, or somewhat less than acceptable, according to the Rockwool Foundation. Torben Tranæs, the Rockwool Foundation’s head of research, called it a type of “sophisticated morality” that the majority of Danes disapprove of black money work theoretically, or when it concerns other people, yet willingly engage in it when it affects their own wallets. “Most people still see themselves as good taxpayers, even though they contract under-thetable work,” Tranæs told JyllandsPosten. Statistics show that tradesmen, farmers and fishermen, and

Fact box | Black market for services The wealthiest Danes buy the most black market services. The percentage of households that paid for cash-in-hand jobs in the past year by annual household income: • 0-600,000 kr: 30% • 600,000-1 million: 42% • 1 million or more: 47% Over half of all people in Denmark contract black money services: • 52 percent bought black money services in

Date: Friday, 25 November Venue: Conference Suite on 1st floor, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Hammerichsgade 1, Copenhagen K

Non-members are very welcome. Please contact BCCD. If you would like to attend then please sign up online: www.bccd.dk, send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58

• official media partner

car mechanics and car dealers, are among those who do the most black money work in Denmark. At the same time, data reveal that the wealthier a family is, the more likely they are to pay cash for unreported work, according to the Rockwool Foundation. Adding to the complex picture of Danes’ relationship to the black market economy, the government reports that the number of people snitching on others for hiring workers off-the-books has skyrocketed. Since January 2011, the authorities have received more than 7,000 tip-offs on black money tax cheats – up 30 percent since last year. Four out of five of those tipoffs have been anonymous, but the vast majority have led to the collection of unreported taxes, reports Jyllands-Posten newspaper. So far, Skat has identified some 100 million kroner in taxes on previously unreported income from these tip-offs. The tax authority expects to uncover as much as 25 million kroner more in ‘black taxes’ before the year’s end. As an encouragement to pay over the table, the government has decided to continue until the end of 2012 the 15,000 kroner per person tax deduction for household help (håndværkerfradrag) introduced by the previous government. The tax minister has also promised to loosen the rules regarding tax-free favours among family and friends.

the past year 28 percent would, if the opportunity arose 20 percent want nothing to do with it

• • •

Highly educated people are less likely to work under the table. Twice as many men as women work under the table. The majority of black money work is done for friends, family or acquaintances.

• •

Exchange Rates Australian Dollars AUD

Canada Dollars CAD

Euro EUR

Japan Yen JPY

Russia Rubles RUB

Sweden Kronor SEK

Switzerland Francs CHF

UK Pounds GBP

United States Dollars USD

Sell

5.30

5.20

7.34

0.07

0.17

0.79

5.91

8.54

5.38

Buy

5.78

5.62

7.57

0.07

0.19

0.83

6.10

8.86

5.63

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

Date: 23 November 2011

THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE SPOUSE: TEJA PRIYANKA FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MBA in Finance and marketing , bachelor in Biotechnology. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Telugu(mother tounge), Hindi, English, Danish(biggnier). IT EXPERIENCE: Familier with Microsoft office(word, excel,powerpoint,access, ), photoshop. CONTACT: teja.priyanka.n@gmail.com SPOUSE: Pooja Nirwal FROM: New Delhi, India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen and Capital region. QUALIFICATION: Masters (M. Sc) in Environmental Science, +2 yrs of Exp. as Env. Consultant in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment. LOOKING FOR: Positions in Consultancies/Organizations/NGOs working in the field of Environmental Science (Climate Change, EIA, Env. Compliance Audits, Solid Waste Management etc.). LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in English, Hindi and Sanskrit, Started learning Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel). CONTACT: poojadahiya1@gmail.com, +45 503 904 60 SPOUSE: Shilpa Lingaiah FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and nearby areas of the mentioned cities. QUALIFICATION: PG Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (JSS University, India); Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (RGUHS, India). Danish agency for international education has assessed the above qualification and corresponds to Danish Master’s degree in Health Sciences. LOOKING FOR: Research related to health science, jobs in pharmaceutical industry or new challenging career opportunities. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English(fluent written and spoken),Enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian languages(Kannada and Hindi). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office. CONTACT: drshilpalingaiah@gmail.com Tel: +4552742859 SPOUSE: Francis Farias FROM: Venezuela (CPR number) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater København QUALIFICATION: Master in Spanish Studies from Universidad de Cadiz, Spain, as a Spanish Teacher and BA in Teaching English as a Second Language. Diplomas in Digital Photography (from Venezuela and Spain). EXPERIENCE: 7 years experience as a teacher of English and Spanish at JMV University. Academic translator (Spanish-English/English-Spanish) and freelance photographer. LOOKING FOR: Spanish language teacher, translator, interpreter, photographer. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (native). Basic Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: Office tools, Photoshop. CONTACT: carolina1928@gmail.com, +45 50814073 SPOUSE: Attila Simon FROM: Romania SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: International Welding Engineer (IWE/EWE), MSc in Welding Engineering, MSc in Flexible Manufacturing Systems, MSc in Quality Assurance of Metallic Structures. EXPERIENCE: 10+ years experience in designing and manufacturing railway wagons, buses, trolleybuses and their subsystems. More than 7 years international project management experience in these areas. More than 2 years experience in industrial trading and investments. LOOKING FOR: Transport, railway or welding related engineering job, also project management positions. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent speaking and writing), Danish (intermediate), Hungarian (mother tongue), Romanian (native speaker). IT EXPERIENCE: Several years experience working with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ProgeCAD and VariCAD. User level of Microsoft Office. CONTACT: attilon2@gmail.com; tel.: 28316752 SPOUSE: Miss Marta Guerrero FROM: Spain SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of English teacher for Primary Education. Bachelor of Psychologist for Education. EXPERIENCE: Over the past five years I have worked in a Primary School in Barcelona as English teacher for children from 6 to 11 years old. Moreover, last year I gained experience teaching Spanish, as a foreign language, in the UK. I also have some experience teaching adults. LOOKING FOR: Full time position as Spanish or English teacher in a Kindergarden, a Primary School or in a High School. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Spanish and Catalan (mother tongue). English (fluent speaking and writing). IT EXPERIENCE: A good user of all the basic computer knowledge (Word, Excel, Power Point,...) as well as blog and web publication and maintenance. CONTACT: martaguerrero13@gmail.com SPOUSE: Chia-Pei CHEN FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching in corporations, institutions or International schools. QUALIFICATION: A certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language. A degree in Social Science discipline. Continuously participation in training program (organized by Beijing Hanban of CHINA and CBS) to teach Chinese to foreigners in western context. Enrolment to distance Chinese teaching education system that keeps professional Chinese teachers resourceful. EXPERIENCE: I am a certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language to foreigners. And I have started teaching Chinese with English in my class for 2 years. I design suitable materials to teach Chinese with different phonetic systems (PinYin for China and HongKong, and Mandarin Phonetic Symbols for Taiwan) as well as to interpret differences between simplified and traditional Chinese characters. My past positions were Chinese language-related, such as: reporter, translator and social science researcher. Students who I taught before regard me as a sincere, discreet teacher who helps learners to progress in short time. LOOKING FOR: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese (mother tongue), English (Fluent), French (basic), Danish (beginner). IT EXPERIENCE: Word Office, SPSS statistic software, Basic Video and Audio editing, Blog writing. CONTACT: teacherchen@live.com, Tel: 25 81 65 18 SPOUSE: Dr Bev Sithole FROM: Australia SEEKING WORK IN: Social science research, project management, proposal writing and project evaluations. QUALIFICATION: PhD Applied Social Sciences; MSc Environmental Science; BA Hons Geography; Experiences in application of Participatory Approaches; Familiar with various project proposal writing frameworks. EXPERIENCE: I am an experienced social scientist with interdisciplinary training and am also an experienced participatory research, planning and evaluation practitioner. I have worked on governance of natural resources and community development issues in southern Africa and Northern Australia for over 15 years. I have been team leader on a number of research and evaluation projects. I spent more than five years managing projects and writing project proposals involving many organizations in the Stockholm Environmental Institute, Sweden and in the Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor, Indonesia and most recently at LIFE, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. I am an experienced communicator and facilitator. LOOKING FOR: Short term or long term work in research, project management or proposal. writing. Can deliver training in participatory approaches. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English IT EXPERIENCE: Basic computer skills. CONTACT: Telephone HP 27834333, Email: bev.sithole@gmail.com

PARTNERS:

SPOUSE: Malgorzata Tujakowska FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Aarhus and the surrounding area QUALIFICATION: Masters in Ethnolinguistics with major in Chinese and English, Chinese HSK and Business Chinese Test certificates, 2-year long studies at Shanghai International Studies University and National Cheng Kung University,Taiwan. LOOKING FOR: Working for companies hiring Polish and Chinese employees, teaching Chinese, Polish, Business English, linguistics, translation and interpretation, proofreading, Chinese business and culture consulting, administrative work. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (native speaker), Chinese – simplified and traditional (fluent), English (fluent), German(intermediate), Danish (intermediate-currently learning). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office. CONTACT: Tel:+45 28702377, m.tujakowska@gmail.com SPOUSE: Megan Rothrock FROM: California-USA,Via SEEKING WORK IN: Toy Design, Games Design, or Photography (Syd Denmark Jutland). QUALIFICATION: Associate Arts Degree: Corporate Communication, Design, and Commercial Illustration, with a background in animation. EXPERIENCE: Former LEGO Product Designer, LEGO Universe: Level Designer, European Bureau Editor Brick Journal Magazine. I have a strong knowledge of Toy and Gaming Markets. I am driven, enjoy solving daily challenges and I’m a strong communicator wanting to join a creative team of colleagues. LOOKING FOR: Part/Full time work in an innovative and creative . LANGUAGE SKILLS: English: native- Dutch: Excellent- Danish (currently in): Danskuddannelse 3, modul 3. IT EXPERIENCE: PC and Mac - Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dream Weaver, Director, Maya, 3D Studio Max, ML Cad, LD. CONTACT: megzter1@yahoo.com +4535140779 SPOUSE: Vadim Fedulov FROM: USA SEEKING WORK IN: Pre-clinical or clinical/ biotech or academia/ Copenhagen region (100km radius). QUALIFICATION: Ph.D., Biological Sciences (2008). EXPERIENCE: 5 years research experience in biotech and 6 years in academic settings. For full experience summary, please visit: http://dk.linkedin.com/in/drvadim. LOOKING FOR: Position in research, project management, writing, editing, teaching, or new challenging career opportunities. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (native), Russian (native), Danish (completed Module1 at Studieskolen). IT EXPERIENCE: Proficient in both Mac and PC OS, MS Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint etc.), StatView, Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator). CONTACT: fedulov@gmail.com and mobile tel: +45 41 83 36 60 SPOUSE: Heike Mehlhase FROM: Berlin, Tyskland SEEKING WORK IN: A job opportunity in Copenhagen (administrative position, research assistant or psychosocial care). QUALIFICATION: MPH, Master degree in Psychology, Lerntherapeutin. EXPERIENCE: Five years experience in psychological research andchild psychology. LOOKING FOR: Looking for: a position to expand my experience where I can use my excellent organisational, social and communication skills. LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (fluent), Danish (Module 2). IT EXPERIENCE: I am proficient in software such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software and basicgraphic editing programs (Microsoft Office, Open Office) plus statistical software (SPSS). CONTACT: heike@mehlhase.info SPOUSE: Chao Wen FROM: China SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Language teacher (German, Chinese. EXPERIENCE: Teaching Chinese as a foreign language by offering company-course for 2 years, in Germany; teaching Chinese to native speaker in private school for 4 years, in Germany; teaching German as a foreign language by offering private course; exhibition interpreter; translator. LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time in Aarhus, Language teacher, translator or interpreter. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese, English, German, Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: Windows, Open office, Powerpoint. CONTACT: wenlily80@googlemail.com, tel.: 48417526 SPOUSE: Hugo Ludbrook FROM: New Zealand SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen. QUALIFICATION: BA (1st Class Honours) in International Relations + BA in History and Religious Studies. EXPERIENCE: Have worked in a wide variety of organisations with focus ranging from the organics sector, to international development, to company directors, to work with the United Nations. LOOKING FOR: Research, writing, editing and/or communication work. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (Fluent), French (Good), Danish (Basic). IT EXPERIENCE: Strong MS Office, Outlook and Excel Skills. CONTACT: hugo.ludbrook@hotmail.com SPOUSE: Magda Bińczycka FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Sjælland QUALIFICATION: M.A. in philosophy, pedagogy ( postgraduated diploma) ,5th year of history of art ( Master Program). EXPERIENCE: Independent curator 2009 - present, art catalogues editor (English&Polish versions) 2009-present, art critic 2005-2010, art and English teacher for children 2005-2010, English tourist guide 2010, gallery assistant 2004/5 and 2009. LOOKING FOR: Job as a curator, coordinator, gallery assistant, event organizer, English tourist guide, art history teacher. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (proficiency), Danish (intermediate), Polish (mother tongue), German(basic), French (basic), Latin (basic). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Word advanced user). CONTACT: Tel: +45 41 44 94 52, magda.binczycka@gmail.com SPOUSE: Cindy Chu FROM: Hong Kong SEEKING WORK IN: Anywhere in Denmark. QUALIFICATION: MSc in Marketing from Brunel University (West London), B.A. in English for Professional Communication from City University of Hong Kong. EXPERIENCE: 4 years experience on strategy planning in marketing, project management and consumer research. I have 3 years experience working in global research agency as a project manager and a research executive for multinational marketing projects. I worked closely with marketing team for data analysis and delivering actionable insights. I am familiar with working with staffs and clients form different countries. I have also as a PR officer in a NGO for 1 year. LOOKING FOR: Jobs in project management, marketing and PR field. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Cantonese (Mother tongue), Mandarin (Native speaker), English (Professional), Danish (Beginner). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SPSS, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator. CONTACT: chocolate3407@gmail.com, +45 22 89 34 07

SPOUSE: Maihemutijiang Maimaiti FROM: China SEEKING WORK IN: Aarhus area, Denmark QUALIFICATION: M.Sc. In Computer Science, Uppsala University, Sweden; Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science, Southwest University. LOOKING FOR: IT jobs. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Chinese, Uyghur. IT EXPERIENCE: 1 year experience in Java programming and modelling in VDM++. CONTACT: mehmudjan@live.se SPOUSE: Jennifer Bouma FROM: The Netherlands SEEKING WORK IN: Egedal Kommune, Copenhagen 30 km. QUALIFICATION: Managers Secretary, hands on, reliable, structured, self reliant, social, teamplayer). LOOKING FOR: Secretary job. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Dutch, Danish, English, German, French, Italian. IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office ( Word, Excel), Outlook, SAP. CONTACT: jenniferbouma@ hotmail.com SPOUSE: Sadra Tabassi FROM: Iran SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master of Business Administration (MBA) LOOKING FOR: Any full time job related to my qualification field LANGUAGE SKILLS: Languages Fluent in English; Native in Farsi (Persian) and elementary level of Arabic. IT EXPERIENCE: Basic knowledge about computer (Windows), Office 2010 (Word, Excel, Power Point),Statistical software (SPSS) CONTACT: sadra.tabassi@gmail.com, Tel:+4550337753 SPOUSE: Isabel Douglass FROM: San Francisco-USA SEEKING WORK IN: Music Education QUALIFICATION: BA in Music. EXPERIENCE: 10 years of internationally touring performances and 7 years of accordion teaching experience. LOOKING FOR: I offer piano accordion lessons to individuals and small groups. In the courses students will learn a repertoire of songs ranging in styles including French musette, Argentine Tango, and Klezmer while strengthening there technique and understanding of music theory. Please visit www.myspace.com/isabeldouglass to learn more about me. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Native English Speaker. CONTACT: isabeldouglass@gmail.com Phone: 60653401 SPOUSE: Vidya Singh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen, Odense, Arhus, Aalborg or nearby areas. QUALIFICATION: Master in Computer Management, Bachelor of Science, Certified Novell Engineer, Microsoft Certified Professional. EXPERIENCE: Total 8 years (4 year in telecommunication as customer care + 4 year as HR recruiter consultant). LOOKING FOR: HR (Trainee/Assistant/Recruiter/consultant), Customer service, office work, IT LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi and Danish (currently learning). IT EXPERIENCE: MS-office, Hardware, Networking, Intranet and Internet. CONTACT: vidya.singh37@gmail.com, Mobile: +45 71443554 SPOUSE: Munawar Saleem FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MBA logistics and supply chain management (Jonkoping University, Sweden) M.Sc. Computer Sciences (Punjab University, Lahore Pakistan). EXPERIENCE: 4 years, Lecturer in computer sciences. LOOKING FOR:Full time or part time job in Logistics and Supply. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), Urdu (mother tongue), Swedish (Basic). IT EXPERIENCE: Proficient in MS Office (word, excel, power point etc.). CONTACT: libravision3@gmail.com, 71412010 SPOUSE: Mohammad Ahli- Gharamaleki FROM: Iran SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master degree in chemical engineering. EXPERIENCE: 5+ years as a chemical engineer in R&D oil/gas projects as a team leader or member in Iran. LOOKING FOR: A position in an Intrnational company to expand my experience and expertise. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Azeri (native), English (fluent), Farsi (fluent), Arabic (good), Turkish (good), Danish(beginner). IT EXPERIENCE: Professional (MATLAB, Hysys, Aspen plus, Auto Cad, others (Office, Minitab). CONTACT: mohammad_ahli@yahoo.com, (+45) 71 63 12 85 SPOUSE: Lillian Liu FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Marketing/Public Relations. QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Foreign Language and Literature (Major in English, and minor in French) EXPERIENCE: 5+ years of professional experiences in Marketing and PR. I am a dynamic and creative marketing communications talent with substantial international working experience in large corporation and in agencies, possessing Integrated Marketing Communication ability. Proficient in analyzing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision-making and formulating marketing communication strategies. Familiar with brand image build-up, channel marketing, media communication, issue management, etc. Possess in-depth understanding/knowledge of APAC market and Chinese culture. LOOKING FOR: Marketing jobs in Jylland. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mandarin Chinese, English, Danish, French. IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with Windows O/S and MS Office. CONTACT: sugarex@hotmail.com

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE WHY: The Copenhagen Post wishes to help spouses looking for jobs in Denmark. We have on our own initiative started a weekly spouse job page in The Copenhagen Post, with the aim to show that there are already within Denmark many highly educated international candidates looking for jobs. If you are a spouse to an international employee in Denmark looking for new career opportunities, you are welcome to send a profile to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible.

EMPLOYMENT

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

25 November - 1 December 2011

Biotech Job Vacancies Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Ferring Research Scientist, Early Stage Development Research Scientist (temp), Early Stage Development

Administrative Intern

Novozymes Recovery Scientist for Recovery Development Manager – Corporate FP&A, R&D

Leo-Pharma Corporate Public Affairs Manager

The Copenhagen Post is seeking an Administrative Intern to join our team in early January.

Novo Nordisk

You will be assisting with various tasks including administration, events and customer service-sales support.

Laboratory Technician / bioanalyst Principal Scientist – diabetes complications research Principal Scientist Cell Assay CMC Research Scientist, Screening Assay Specialist Specialist for Haemostasis Potency assays International HCP disclosure and risk advisor Organic Chemist, 12 month temporary position Study Director - Non-clinical Development Global Medical Advisor Clinical Supplies Coordinator Business controller for the staff areas Global Pricing Manager Global Health Economics Manager Victoza Senior Scientist – Diabetes biology and in vitro pharmacology Business Controller Senior Scientist Development DMPK Value Communication Manager

We are looking for a candidate who has completed or is currently pursuing a marketing-related or other relevant degree. You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and be able to work daily for approximately 20/25 hours per week. You should be an enthusiastic team-player with the ability to work independently at times. It would also be an advantage if you have a driving license.

InOut

The CPH Post Entertainment Guide August 19 - 25

Don’t miss this Dolly fixture

The internship is unpaid.

Forum: Thursday 20:00 Tickets 415 - 815 kr

page

Restaurant

Hercegovina Tivoli Croatian restaurant with a wide choice of national and international dishes. “Eat as much as you like” Live music and dance Tivoli/Bernstorffsgade 3 - 1620 - Copenhagen V

Free access to 65 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

See more at copenhagencard.com

Please send your application and CV to jeanne@cphpost.dk noting ‘Administrative Intern’ in the subject line. For more information please contact Jeanne Thames, jeanne@cphpost.dk, tel.: 3336 3300

For more information and other job vacancies visit our webpage www.cphpost.dk/jobvacancies

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Journalist Intern

Journalist praktikant

The Copenhagen Post is looking for an energetic intern to lend a hand around the newsroom.

Læser du journalistik, kommunikation, engelsk el. lign. og ønsker du at forbedre dit engelsk? Så kan The Copenhagen Post tilbyde dig muligheden.

You will primarily assist the news team by helping to maintain our website and helping with general newsroom tasks, but you will also get the opportunity to write general news items and cover community and cultural events.

The Copenhagen Post søger en dansktalende praktikant, til primært at hjælpe med research for engelsksproget artikler til både web og print.

In order to be considered, applicants must be able to use English at a professional level. Knowledge of Danish is useful, but not required.

InOut

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

The CPH Post Entertainment Guide August 19 - 25

Du skal kunne researche danske - og evt. engelske kilder og kunne skrive det ned i et sikkert engelsk. Du behøver ikke være fejlfri på engelsk – det skal vi nok lære dig – men du skal være vant til at bruge det. Du behøver heller ikke vide alt om det danske samfund, men du skal vide, hvor du finder informationer.

InOut

The CPH Post Entertainment Guide August 19 - 25

Prior experience in journalism would be beneficial, is but not expected - enthusiasm and passion for reporting the news are. Don’t miss this Dolly fixture

Don’t miss this Dolly fixture

Forum: Thursday 20:00 Tickets 415 - 815 kr

page

Croatian restaurant with a wide choice of national and international dishes. “Eat as much as you like” Live music and dance Tivoli/Bernstorffsgade 3 - 1620 - Copenhagen V

page

Free access to 65 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

See more at copenhagencard.com

Forum: Thursday 20:00 Tickets 415 - 815 kr

Restaurant

Hercegovina Tivoli

Du vil muligvis også få muligheder for at dække nyheds begivenheder og skrive artikler på engelsk.

Please send your application and CV, along with any writing samples, to: hr@cphpost.dk, noting “Journalist Intern” in the subject field. For more information, please contact Editor-in-Chief Kevin McGwin på 3336 3300.

IT kompetencer, især design og web, er en fordel, men intet krav. Restaurant

Hercegovina Tivoli Croatian restaurant with a wide choice of national and international dishes. “Eat as much as you like” Live music and dance Tivoli/Bernstorffsgade 3 - 1620 - Copenhagen V

Free access to 65 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

See more at copenhagencard.com

Ansøgninger, CV samt eksempler på tidligere artikler/opgaver på engelsk sendes til: hr@cphpost dk. Skriv venligst ”Journalist praktikant” i emnefeltet. For yderligere information, kontakt venligst Editor-in-Chief Kevin McGwin på 3336 3300.

culture

The CopeNhageN posT CphposT.Dk

25 November - 1 December 2011

No yarn, designers and grannies pair up for darn good idea colourBox

Peter stanners

ITH FEWEr young people to pay the taxes for the pensions of a burgeoning elderly population, our futures are not as secure as they used to be. Increasing the retirement age has been offered as one solution, but fashion designers have another idea: put them to work. In Denmark, the knitting skills of the elderly have become highly sought after, as their dextrous hands are being put to use to produce high quality socks and jumpers for the fashion conscious consumer. One group of knitters call themselves ‘Kaffeslabberas’, which means something like ‘chatting over coffee’. They formed in 2008 as an initiative led by designer Susanne Hoffman and have since grown from four to ten women meeting on Tuesdays to knit all sorts of different clothes at a retirement home in Copenhagen’s Amager district. The group have since worked with several prominent Danish fashion designers including

Nanna’s nimble fingers are being put to use by Denmark’s fashion elite

Henrik Vibskov, who designed tea cosies for the Kaffeslabberas to knit. Vibskov was educated at Central Saint Martins in London and is known for unconventional, peculiar and playful designs. Speaking in one of a series of videos that have been produced about the Kaffeslabberas, he explained how he enjoyed giving them the opportunity to use their skills. “It’s a really great project with these ladies who have so much experience over so many

years sitting and knitting, and not least the social side of it,” Vibskov said. “There are so many people all over the place that have craft skills and can make things and are motivated to. It’s just beautiful helping them to have their skills used. This isn’t mass production; it’s just a good project I think.” The less flamboyant, but equally esteemed designer Mads Nørgaard commissions socks from the Kaffeslaberas. Selling for 200 kroner a pair, they only receive a few every month and

‘The killing’ will mind its mouth Viewers of the second series of the popular Danish programme in the Uk will find that it reads a bit differently

Dr/ THomas maroTT

amy clotworthy

they quickly fly off the shelf. “They are so popular,” Anders Mortensen, a shop assistant at Mads Nørgaard’s Copenhagen store, said. “People really like the idea of some nice old ladies knitting the socks that then make their way into a fashion shop on the high street in Copenhagen.” And Mortensen could testify to the quality of the work. “I’ve got two pairs of socks and they’re amazing. They’re incredibly warm and the thought that a nice old lady made them is a nice feeling.”

Videos of the meetings between the women and the designers can be found at the Kaffeslabbernas Vimeo page.

The Copenhagen Post text 36 Quick Crossword No 373 No 373

ESPONDINg to a viewer complaint, the BBC has applied a different approach to its translation of expletives for the second series of the hit Danish television programme ‘The Killing’ (Forbrydelsen), reports British TV magazine The radio Times. The gritty police drama, which has received rave reviews from critics around the world and a BAFTA TV international prize this year, is known for its realistic, straightforward language. But a problem arose with the first series when the British company responsible for subtitling the show almost uniformly translated every level of obscenity as “fuck” - in fact, there were 25 percent more uses of the word than in the original Danish script. This prompted the BBC to send a memo to Voice and Script International (VSI) that stated: “going forward, the consensus here is that we should keep an eye on the number of expletives being added. Where there are a number of options of which word to use, err on the side of caution and use the less strong word.”

exact science. “The translator [has to put] some of their own voice into the subtitles,” he said. “Often, a direct translation would be awkward and stilted.” An official BBC spokesperson also said: “The important thing is that the subtitles represent the tone and sentiment of the dialogue as accurately as possible. At no point did the BBC ask for any strong language to be removed or toned down” in the second series, which made its debut last weekend. For now, whether the subtitles are more accurate and less ‘offensive’ simply remains to be read on screen.

victoria steffensen She is a Danish model, TV presenter and actress. Where might I have seen her? If you watch Danish TV, you might well have seen her presenting the show ‘Vild med dans’, the show that pairs professional dancers with Danish ‘stars’, and makes you wonder why the professionals get paid so well when just about anyone can learn to dance within a few weeks! Is she any good? Never seen the programme myself, but I’m told she’s very irritating. However, she’s well qualified for the role, having been a professional dancer herself. Where did Schaumberg-Müller get her break? In 2007 she got a part in TV2’s soap opera ‘2900 Happiness’. The show was pulled in 2009 because it was simply awful, scoring a pitiful 3 out of 10 on IMBD.

Never seen it. Where else might I have spotted her? She’s been in numerous adver4 Weighty; 8 Umpire; 9 Agr tising campaignsAcross: for 23 the bag reEffaced; Bruise; 24 Already. Down: 1 Outlive; Upstart; 3 Armad tailer Neye, so her face is2 often 17 Donate; 19 Covert. plastered all overful;their shop windows. She seems to be doing well in Denmark. Does she have her eyes set on a bigger audience? Indeed she does. She recently went to a casting for a role as a Bond babe. She wasn’t offered a role this time around, but Billed Bladet reported that she didn’t rule out the possibility of a role in a future Bond movie. Presumably she thinks she’s going to get better looking with age.

You have got to be flipping joking, the second series is fiddlesticks

Simon Chilcott, the editor of programme acquisitions at the BBC, said: “If there are suddenly lots more uses of the f-word in one episode, we have to check it’s consistent with the script and the rest of the series,” as well as the character’s personality. radioTimes.com’s source at VSI defended the subtitler’s work. “Translation is subjective to some extent; you have to use language that best fits the tone of the programme,” he said. “The Old Norse word ‘faen’ literally refers to the Devil, but can now also mean ‘bastard’, ‘shit’ or ‘fuck’.” Chilcott admitted that translating subtitles is not an

Bjarne Bergius Hermansen

Fashion designers tapping into the craft skills of Denmark’s elderly generation, adding a personal touch to high-end fashion

Other prominent designers and artists to collaborate with the group include HuskMitNavn and Vilsbøl de Arce. According to Michael Thompson, the founder of TøjProduktionsLab, a clothing consulting and specialist manufacturer, there are probably far more women out there with valuable skills. “That generation of women, many of whom lived in the countryside, were not allowed to be idle. They had to have a trade or skill, whether it being sewing, knitting or embroidery,” Thompson said. “My own mother-in-law, Bente Thomsen, is a ‘champion knitter’ and works from home for a knitwear designer called Christal Seyfert, who has a shop on Funen. There is a world of experience and talent in the older generation which is untapped.” A book about the collaborations between the Kaffeslabberas and Danish designers, including Henrik Vibskov, Mads Nørgaard, HuskMitNavn and Vilsbøl de Arce, is to be released by publisher gAD, which calls it “Denmark’s fist combined photo, knitting and conversation book”.

Who is ... Christiane schaumburgMüller

Across 4. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 18. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

Important (7) Referee (6) Stranded (7) Deadly (6) People (6) Changeable (8) Absurd (8) Energy (6) Unfold (6) Erased (7) Contusion (6) By now (7)

Down 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 19.

Survive (7) Parvenu (7) Fleet of warships (6) Contrive (8) Development (6) Sinew (6) To favour (8) Applause (7) Changed (7) Wicked (6) Give (6) Secret (6)

Post QuicktoCrossword Nopuzzle 372 Answers last week’s Across: 9 Put; 810adamant; Vigilance; 11 Recur; 10 13 Apparel; Punish; 1613beaten; across:11Acknowledge; short; 4 envelop; 9 recur; leer; 1114 manicure; more;18 14Imagine; star; 16 Ultimate; 17Tangerine; chic; 20 needs; 22 residue; 23 Deter. 19 Cadet; 20 21 Tan; 21 22 initial; Traditional. Down:21Cut; scarlet-runner; 2 orate; 3 tray; 64 Generated; entrap; 5 verdicts; 6 lacquer; 7 Perpendicular; 12 Down: 3 Never; 4 Wigwam; 5 Eclipse; 7 Appropriate; 8 Wellingtons; 12 Container; Promised; attire; 17 mutters; Desist; 19 15 Credo; 21 18 Tea.hoist; 19 Kind. 15 Stipend; 13

So what are her plans for the future? She has just begun hosting a new morning show at the weekend. The show, ‘Weekend, weekend’, will be a lot like the breakfast TV shows shown on weekdays. It remains to be seen if enough adults will be successful at wrestling the remote controls from their kids who will want to see their weekly dose of cartoons. Anything else? Schaumberg-Müller is soon to star in the main role in the Danish version of the hit Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical ‘Evita’. In August she can also be seen in Susanne Bier’s new film, ‘Den Skaldede Frisør’.

25 November - 1 December 2011

Denmark through the looking glass The CopeNhageN posT CphposT.Dk

From cleaning up the crumbs to careering around the chicanes

stevemcqueen.com

www.nimbusclubusa.com

even the most iconic motorcyclist of all time, steve mcQueen, owned one, although this was not it! www.nimbusclubusa.com

The model B came out in 1924. it had a top speed of 100 km/h and cost the same as a Ford model t

the engine and speed of the motorcycle resulted in the nickname ‘Bumblebee’, which PA Fisker infinitely preferred to the ‘stovepipe’. The basic design of the Bumblebee was also unique. The entire frame was built of flat steel bar stock and steel plate, riveted together, rather than welded. Anders’ idea was that if the bike was damaged in an accident, individual elements could be replaced rather than fixed. in the late 1930s, the Nimbus became the best-selling motorcycle in denmark. Approximately 1,000 bikes were built per year - around 20 percent for the danish military, while another large chunk was purchased by the postal service. Out of a total production of around 12,000, it is estimated that around 4,000 are still registered and running in denmark alone. in addition to the Nimbus Museum in Horsens, the motorcycles also feature in collections in other countries, including one in solvang, California. Nearby in seal Beach, California, the Nimbus Club UsA organises a number of other events, including charity rides and rallies.

“i founded the Nimbus Motorcycle Club of America more as a joke, back about 10 years ago,” explained kaj Pedersen, who has lived in the Us for several decades and is the association’s president for life. “An old school mate of mine from Thyborøn moved out to California about a year after i was transferred through work, and since he also had a Nimbus, i figured why not start the world’s smallest motorcycle club, two members strong. But since then the club has grown to about 85-90 members with about 100 Nimbus motorcycles.” Club members range from designers to professors and mechanics. One member in North Carolina owns steve McQueen’s famous 1939 Nimbus with a sidecar. “We ride a type of bike that is rarely seen – most bikes this age are either sitting in a display window or a museum somewhere. We get a lot of re-

spect for maintaining and riding these bikes, wherever we go,” explained Pedersen. All the Nimbus models are known as extremely reliable workhorses that continue to have available spare parts. in 2009 two Norwegians set out on a journey around the world on a Nimbus with a sidecar, a test of their mettle and the bike’s endurance. They blog continuously about their trip at www.kccd.no. At Nimbus Club UsA the group ride long distances for a variety of charity functions and events. “Most people find it hard to believe that anyone would actually ride hundreds of miles on a 60-70 year old Nimbus motorcycle,” said Pedersen. “Another common statement from onlookers is: ‘i have never seen or heard of a Nimbus, and here are five to six of them.’ Yeah, we do get plenty of looks wherever we go, and most of them positive.” www.nimbus.dk

long distance races by virtue of their reliability and gained a lot of publicity; however, each cost about as much how an engineer from Frederiksberg as a Ford Model T. in its first incarnaswapped vacuum cleaners for tion, the Nimbus never became a big motorcycles, and how his son gave seller and only 1,252 were produced the world a bike so iconic even steve before factory problems and the introduction of sales tax on motor vehicles McQueen owned one halted manufacturing altogether. This eder Fisker was the founder was a machine originally conceived in of Fisker & Nielsen, whose main the small, flat nation of denmark back products were vacuum cleaners. in 1915, when roads were unpaved and He had no previous interest or motor vehicles still made way for horseexperience in the production of motor- drawn wagons. cycles, and had never even taken a close Luckily PA Fisker’s son Anders follook until the day he spotted one parked lowed in his footsteps with more creaon the street. Fortunately for danish tive construction ideas. Anders had remanufacturing, this one (most probably ceived his first Nimbus in 1926 and was a Belgian FN) wasn’t much to look at. sorry to see them go its design so offended out of production in Fisker’s delicate engi1927. As a passionate neering sensibilities motorcyclist and civil that he decided he had engineer, he was able to build a better one. to convince his father By 1919 he was an old school mate of and the company producing the Nimboard members to bus Model A in Fre- mine from Thyborøn bring his own Nimbus deriksberg at Peter into producmoved out to California, design Bangs Vej 30. The tion in 1932. Father motorcycle became and since he also had a and son developed the popularly known as prototype together, re‘The stovepipe’ be- Nimbus, I figured why not sulting in the Nimbus cause of its huge frame start the world’s smallest Model C, which was backbone, which doumanufactured until motorcycle club, two bled as a gas tank. 1959. in 1924 the Mod- members strong. But since The 1934 Model el B came out with an C was the first proimproved front fork, then the club has grown duction motorcycle but elements of both feature a telescopic to about 85-90 members to models were markfront fork, beating the edly different from with about 100 Nimbus BMW r12 by a year. other motorcycles of Currently the most the time. in addition motorcycles. common fork comto the frame gas tank, mercially available, the bike used rear suspension, a drive the telescopic fork combines suspension shaft instead of unreliable chains, and with good manoeuvrability. But these one of the first ever kick-start systems early models didn’t have the benefit of designed for a motorcycle, which oper- hydraulic damping, leaving the front ated via the camshaft. The 746cc engine end bouncing down the road until the used a four-cylinder inline construc- weight of gravity eventually smoothed tion to maintain cruising speeds of 70 the way. kilometres per hour (km/h) and a top Nimbus used a number of different speed of about 100 km/h. The gearbox 746cc four-cylinder engines over the had three speeds and gear changes took years, including side-valve, inlet-overplace by hand. exhaust and overhead-cam versions, The Models A and B did well in either water or air-cooled. The hum of

alexis KunsaK

kaj Pedersen riding the hills of the santa Ynez Valley in California on his 1949 nimbus with aCaP sidecar

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