The Copenhagen Post 03Feb - 09Feb 2012

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3-9 February 2012

Wondercool: February’s fab festival. Special section

3 - 9 February 2012

Taxing the risk: Debate over THEExpat Sporting POST COPENHAGEN SPORCPHPOST.DK TIN financial transaction tax Sunday SUNDAY G takes off INSIDE!

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The poor are always with us, but their numbers are growing thanks to policies that started under the centre-left governments of the 1990s

Ravaged by fire, KB-Hallen hopes to emerge as a modern event facility. But a looming historic preservation could force them back to 1938

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NEWS

What can we do for you?

Mayor Frank Jensen calls on Microsoft employees on the first leg of a tour to learn how the city can preen itself for foreigners

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SPORT

The surge is golden for handballers, who mount Europe’s throne after nearly crashing out of the European Championship in Serbia early doors

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Euro-sceptics resisting fiscal discipline compact PETER STANNERS

BUSINESS

A matter of apples and oranges?

Food price comparison exposing high Danish prices is unfair, businesses charge. Let’s have more competition, consumer advocates fire back

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9 9 771398 771398 100009 100009

Price: Price: 25 25 DKK DKK

Straying from legal limits on state spending would result in fines under new EU budget discipline deal. Critics argue against tying the country into the “bourgeois politics of austerity”

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HIS MONDAY European leaders took a step toward establishing a closer European financial union with strict fines for countries who do not take adequate steps to restrain their spending.

While the treaty is only compulsory for the 17 Eurozone members, Denmark and seven other EU countries not using the single currency have decided to sign up for the new regulations.

“I think the fiscal compact that was agreed yesterday is sensible for Denmark because it creates security about the European and Danish economies,” the Europe minister, Nicolai Wammen, wrote on his Facebook page. “Seventy percent of Danish exports are to EU countries, and almost 500,000 workplaces are dependent precisely on these exports. Therefore, the deal is of great importance for Danish businesses and workers.”

The new treaty, the fiscal compact, was designed to prevent Europe from developing another debt crisis by forcing countries to maintain stricter budgetary discipline.

The main points of the treaty limit countries to a structural deficit of no more than 0.5 percent of GDP and accumulated debt of no more than 60 percent of GDP.

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Countries that break these limits, and do not take the necessary action to bring their spending under control, can be fined up to 0.1 percent of their GDP by the EU courts. Countries using the euro will pay the fines to the bailout fund, the EFSF, while non-euro countries will pay to the common EU budget.

The new budgetary rules have to be enshrined in law by the parliaments of the countries that have signed up – so far all the EU member states bar the UK and Czech Republic.

The law will probably pass in Denmark after opposition parties Venstre and Konservative said they would support the coalition government.

But three parties – the far-left government support party Enhedslisten, the Euro-sceptic Danish People’s Party and the libertarian Liberal Alliance –

are opposed to joining the fiscal compact.

“There is no way we could vote in favour of it,” Nikolaj Villumsen, an Enhedslisten MP, told Politiken newspaper. “The financial compact forces countries to adopt a bourgeois politics of austerity that will just make the crisis worse, both in Denmark and in Europe. Helle Thorning-Schmidt was voted for by Danes on a platform of creating jobs, but this pact would cut back spending.”

Both Enhedslisten and Dansk Folkeparti also argue that Denmark loses sovereignty by having the EU watch over its budget, meaning that Danish participation can only be approved via a referendum.

Europact continues on page 7

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NEWS

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Week in review

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3 - 9 February 2012 Scanpix

We are the champions!

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK Danish hostage freed in Somalia raid Denmark European champion Still Adjusting | Two steps forward one step back in immigration tango Nation’s high consumer price levels set off debate Hip implant recall affects 600 Danes

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Budget proposals from the new government come under strong criticism as they seek to reduce funding to foreign aid, adult education centres and public housing.

FIVE YEARS AGO. The prime minister calls for an investigation into public broadcaster DR after charges that it manipulated information used in a documentary about Danish soldiers in Afghanistan.

Denmark’s win at the European Handball Championships was celebrated at Copenhagen City Hall, where a huge crowd gathered to cheer the team.

Pictured from left to right: Bo Spellerberg, Kasper Nielsen, Mads Christiansen, Lars Christiansen and Crown Prince Frederik. (See story on page 14)

the proud prince told the press: “She is beautiful and healthy. She resembles her mother.” He added that he is happy to have a daughter to join his three sons Nikolai, Felix and Henrik. The new princess, who will be named when she is baptised, is now tenth in line to the throne, replacing the queen’s sister, Benedikte.

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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First snowfall

AFTER weeks of unseasonably mild weather at the end of 2011, Denmark has finally received its first significant snowfall. In recent weeks, a cold front had been moving east from Siberia, bringing with it strong, fluctuating winds and overnight frosts.

But most of the country has been spared from any accumula-

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

tion of snow. That changed over the weekend when a warm front from the west reacted with the dry air from the east and caused several centimetres of snow. DMI meteorologist Jørn Thomsen said the country should expect more cold weather, forecasting temperatures as low as -15°C with variable wind speeds.

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

ANNA KARAS

Following the Danish Royal Family’s traditional practice, Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie showed off their newborn daughter as they left Rigshospitalet after being discharged from the maternity ward last week on Friday. The darkhaired girl slept soundly during her first public appearance, and

Scanpix

KELD NAVNTOFT

Princess pride

ONE YEAR AGO. Dozens of houses in Copenhagen’s suburbs are raided by police in an effort to seize weapons used by gangs. The raids follow recent shootings in the city.

Fashion Week

IN PREPARATION for Copenhagen Fashion Week (February 1-5), Stine Ladefoged readies models for her catwalk show at the Royal Academy of Music. Eva Kruse, the CEO of the Danish Fashion Institute and Copenhagen Fashion Week, is looking forward to welcoming more than 50,000

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expected attendees to the events being held around the capital.

There will be 2,400 exhibiting brands, five fairs and a record number of catwalk shows – 47 in all, which will showcase new styles created by designers from all over the globe. The next Copenhagen Fashion Week event will be held August 8-12.

Layout and design Justin Cremer Aviaja Bebe Nielsen Logo by Rasmus Koch

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The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

Hundreds left shaken by hip implant recall Authorities failed to inform all the affected patients of the danger, report media

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ome 600 Danish hip patients were the unlucky recipients of hip replacement prostheses that were later proven dangerous and recalled by the manufacturer. Some of those patients are still in the dark about the danger.

Between 2005 and 2010, almost 600 Danes received the ASR hip implant manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics. But in August 2010, the company recalled the prostheses, after discovering that the implants’ metal components were shedding miniscule metal shavings into the body during the friction of normal daily movement.

Research showed that the metal shavings could potentially cause joint, muscle and nerve damage, among other problems.

Unfortunately, approximately 93,000 patients worldwide received the implants be-

fore the company acknowledged the design flaw and announced its recall. Almost 600 of those patients are in Denmark.

“It was a design failure that frankly wasn’t picked up until they were implanted in thousands of patients,” doctor Kevin Bozic, an orthopaedic surgeon at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, told Arthritis Today magazine.

When DePuy Orthopaedics did recall the hip prostheses, the Danish medical agency Lægemiddelstyrelsen left it up to individual surgeons to contact their patients who received the implants and inform them of the situation.

Nearly 18 months later, however, some of those patients have still not been told that they are living with a health-threatening implant inside their bodies, reports Politiken newspaper.

“If we went out on every street corner and shouted that these prostheses are dangerous, a lot of patients would become very nervous,” Søren Mikkelsen, a head surgeon at Regionshospitalet in Silkeborg, told Politiken.

Regionshospitalet is the hospital where the most ASR prostheses were surgically implanted in Danish hip patients.

Mikkelsen told DR News that all 151 hip replacement patients who received the ASR prostheses at Regionshospitalet had been informed of the recall. He regretted, however, that it had taken the hospital months to contact everyone who might be affected.

“Half of them have been examined, and the rest of them will be. I hope we can examine everybody before we end up in a terrible situation where someone’s pelvis or hips are injured,” he added.

Dorthe Falkenberg is one of the hip replacement patients who received an ASR hip prosthesis at Regionshospitalet. Falkenberg was given the ASR implant in July 2010, just weeks before it was recalled.

But she says her surgeon never told her that it had been recalled and could potentially endanger her health. Falkenberg only learned that there was a problem after reading an article in the consumer magazine Kontant, she told the

Scanpix

JENNIFER BULEY

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Hundreds of Danish patients have not yet been informed that their hip implants are defective and were recalled by the manufacturer in August 2010

same magazine.

According to Kontant, British doctors and medical researchers began reporting problems with the ASR implants as early as 2007.

To date, seven of the Danish hip patients who received

the ASR hip prostheses have had them removed, and also received monetary compensation from the national patient insurance agency for their pain and suffering.

Symptoms that an ASR implant may be failing include

pain and difficulty walking, according to DePuy Orthopaedics. The company encourages anyone with an ASR hip implant to contact the surgeon for an examination, whether or not they have experienced discomfort.

Scanpix

Speedy introduction of injection rooms halted by government EMILY MCLEAN

EMILY MCLEAN Political foot-dragging means a permanent facility for drug users is unlikely to open before April

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The impact of pesticides used in farming will be used to determine a new tax, which has been suggested because Danish farmers have increasingly been using higher amounts of potentially harmful products

Tax proposed on pesticide use RAY WEAVER An end to voluntary reduction measures called for after use of agricultural pesticides spikes

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New REPORT from the national environmental agency Miljøstyrelsen disputes claims from the nation’s farmers that their increasing use of pesticides is not harmful to the environment.

The report shows that farmers have increased their use of pesticides by 11 percent over the past three years.

Damage to the environment caused by pesticides, however, has risen by 30 percent. The study calculates for the first time the degree of toxicity of the pesticides being

applied to the fields.

Farmers have been claiming that their increased use of pesticides has had a minimal effect because they are using milder and less harmful products. The report shows that farmers are actually opting for the most powerful agents allowed under the law.

The environment minister, Ida Auken (Socialistisk Folkeparti), is now calling for a tax on pesticide use.

“Agricultural pesticides have been far more damaging than many have believed,” Auken told Politiken newspaper. “A pesticide tax will reduce consumption and encourage farmers to choose less harmful methods.”

Researchers compiling the

report developed a method for measuring the impact of pesticides, which will be the basis for the pesticide tax. Auken said the tax on the most harmful pesticides will be higher.

“Voluntary agreements have not worked, so now we must get tougher,” she said.

Parliament’s 2004 Pesticide Plan encouraged a voluntary 20 percent reduction of the frequency of pesticides used on agricultural land. The report shows that rather than dropping, the usage increased by almost 30 percent.

The increased use of pesticides by farmers offset a decline in the use of chemicals by the public sector and municipalities, resulting in a zero net reduction overall.

RUSTRATIONS are high among supporters of permanent injection rooms for drug addicts. Last week on Thursday a proposal from the Liberal Alliance to legalise the facilities immediately was rejected by the government.

Despite a massive majority in favour of injection rooms, the government chose to delay the legalisation, stating that it needed more time to sort out the details.

It has pledged to present a proposal of its own in April, and to have the rooms established by 2013. And while the City Council has long been ready to open them, parliament must give its approval first.

Liberal Alliance health spokesperson Joachim B Olsen told Berlingske newspaper that the government’s lack of support for the proposal was unacceptable.

“This disappoints me and many others who have fought for the rooms. The government has had years to prepare, so it should have been in place from the start.”

To mark the discussion, the volunteers who operate the city’s mobile injection room visited the house of parliament to give inquisitive politicians a look.

Despite the presence of the volunteers and the mobile injection room, it wasn’t enough to change

Volunteers who staff the mobile injection room are ready to work

the minds of lawmakers who, according to founder Michael Lodberg Olsen, were “acting like kindergarten children”.

Olsen was impatient for the government to deliver on their promise to have permanent injection rooms established by next year.

“The government’s inactivity will cost 200 lives,” he said. “They are cheating the mothers and fathers of those drug users.”

There is also contention over where the rooms should go. At present, it’s agreed that two permanent rooms will be established in Copenhagen’s Vesterbro district.

But many residents are adamant that the rooms should not be located close to their homes.

Olsen doesn’t see the need for this discussion. He’s identified two suitable places that would not impose on residents’ properties.

“It could be so easy to convert the Meat Packing District’s health clinic and the men’s shelter on Istedgade into injection rooms.

Both places already have drug users standing outside and shooting up.”

Currently, the mobile injection room – a converted German ambulance – is Denmark’s only monitored facility where intravenous drug users can shoot up. Since its introduction in September last year, over 600 addicts have used the room.

Despite concerns that allowing addicts to shoot up would lead to an increased number of overdoses, mobile injection room staff said none of its users had done so.

In 2010, 273 drug users died in Denmark – an average of five deaths per week, giving Denmark one of the world’s highest mortality rates among drug addicts.

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Cover story

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

Up in smoke: Arena’s modernisation hopes may be lost in fire The future of Frederiksberg’s KB-Hallen is divided between those who would preserve it as a historic monument and those who would modernise it

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KB-Hallen before and after: the building’s owners, sporting association Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB), hope to modernise the classic Copenhagen concert venue after it was ruined in a fire in September 2011 (above). But plans to update its design might jeopardise the history and integrity of the structure, architects worry WIKIPEDIA

BATTLE between the past and the future is brewing around the rebuilding of Copenhagen’s storied arena KB-Hallen.

Badly damaged by a violent fire in September that saw parts of the 3,000-seat complex burn completely to the ground, some experts said at that time that the structure could not be saved. Already suffering under the constraints of its status as a historic building before the fire, the building’s owners, the sporting association Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB), had hoped the blaze would allow it to carry out what it says is a necessary modernisation.

However, at a meeting in December, Det Særlige Bygningssyn, which identifies buildings for preservation, decided that KB-Hallen’s classification as a historic structure means that the Frederiksberg icon should be rebuilt.

While few would argue that the light-blue functionalist building that hosted the country’s first and only Beatles concert in 1964, as well as its first sex show in 1969, is of historic significance, those who used the building before the fire say that the constraints of a historical renovation will make the building all but unusable in the future.

The problem is one of historical accuracy. Should Det Særlige Bygningssyn get its way, KB would need to rebuild the building as closely as possible to architect Hans Hansen’s original 1938 designs, including the colours, materials, fixtures and entrances.

Community leaders and politicians alike have gone on record saying that the strict requirements would render the imposing structure on Peter Bangs Vej more of a museum than a modern event facility.

“If you return the hall to the way it looked when it opened in 1938, it will not meet the regulations for 2012,” said Frederiksberg mayor George Glenthøj. “The hall must meet today’s requirements.”

The city and the club are afraid that the commission’s suggestions will prevent KB-Hallen from hosting the calibre of rock concerts that have been a large part of the venue’s history since the 1950s. In addition to the Fab Four, the sounds of generations of musicians, ranging from the Rolling Stones to Lady Gaga, have echoed in the hall’s expanse.

Niels-Christian Holmstrøm, chairman of KB, said that even before the fire, the building’s age gave it increased trouble competing with newer venues.

“We needed more handicapped access, better concessions, bigger doors for

loading equipment in and out, a better backstage area and modern changing rooms. We are worried about having to rebuild the building if it will cost many times as much to preserve designs from 1938 – before rock and roll was even invented.”

Holmstrøm said he wants KB Hallen to return as a modern arena with a main auditorium that can be adapted depending on the requirements of the show or arrangement.

In a message on the facility’s website dated December 21, Jørgen Holmen, the club’s general manager, said that KB had prepared a draft for the building commission that respects preservation but adds what he called “necessary features and regulatory requirements for the construction of a building the size of KB-Hallen”.

Holmen said KB-Hallen must meet 21st century environmental and energy standards, and that he was looking forward to “constructive discussions” with the building commission.

Professor Christopher Harlang, of Det Særlige Bygningssyn, said KB’s plans, however, would violate the history and integrity of the organisation’s building.

“It is our job to defend our national treasures. Those who own and use buildings don’t always agree with our decisions, but KB-Hallen is one of the most distinctive buildings of the early modern period, and we must take care to preserve it.”

Harlang believes that careful restoration of the venue’s original qualities will be a large part of its appeal.

Det Særlige Bygningssyn falls under the auspices of the Culture Ministry, and Michael Aastrup Jensen, an MP for Venstre, has asked the culture minister, Uffe Elbæk (Radikale), to explain the commission’s requirements.

“I cannot see the logic in rebuilding the building in such a way that it could no longer be used for the same types of activities it has been used for in the past,” said Jensen. “We need to see if the minister chooses an old-fashioned building or a new facility than can be enjoyed by sports and exhibition visitors. There is no sense in leaving KB with a building they cannot use.”

The Ministry of Culture is expected to make a decision on the building commission’s recommendations in February.

But rather than choosing a winner and a loser, representatives from the ministry said it hoped the two sides could come to a compromise.

“We’re not dogmatic,” Mogens A Morgen, of the Ministry of Culture said, “I’m certain that this is going to be an exciting building that incorporates new functions, but it’s extremely important that it also maintains the spirit of the old KB-Hallen.”

SCANPIX

RAY WEAVER

Online this week Housing prices falling – again SIGNS OF LIFE glimmered in the market for owner-occupied flats (ejerlejligheder) and summerhouses in October and November 2011, when average sales prices increased by 1.3 percent.

It was a slim improvement in a year that saw dramatic losses in the housing market. But the bad news was a continued decline in the average sales price for single family homes, which dropped by 2.1 percent in the same period,

according to Danmarks Statistik.

On the whole, 2011 was bearish for the housing market. Sharp price declines were the rule, with prices for single family houses dropping by 8.5 percent on average, while prices for owner-occupied flats and summerhouses fell by 3.5 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively. Housing prices on average have dropped 21.4 percent since the height of the housing bubble in 2007.

Doctors: Early deaths need explaining

PET releases report on terrorist targets

DOCTORS are lobbying the government for mandatory autopsies of all individuals under the age of 50 who die unexpectedly – both for the sake of science and out of consideration for their families.

The rule change is supported by the Danish medical association, Lægeforeningen, and several other medical organisations which are calling for autopsies of people who die young. It is not currently known what proportion of young

DENMARK remains a “prioritised terrorist target”, according to a report released on Tuesday by the domestic security agency PET. The report is the first of its kind publicly disclosed by PET, and it comes after the conviction in Oslo on Monday of two immigrants charged with planning a terrorist attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in re-

deaths are autopsied but regional councils, which operate hospitals, want this investigated. “Relatives can benefit from knowing if the death is a result of an undiscovered heritable illness and researchers can also benefit from it,” said Ulla Astman (Socialdemokraterne), head of the health committee for the national association of regional governments. The appeal has been sent to the parliament’s health committee.

taliation for the Mohammed cartoons. Organisations or people with connections to the Mohammed cartoons remain a particular target for militant Islamic terrorists, according to PET, which claimed that “solo terrorists” – single individuals working alone – have become more common, even as the Al Qaida terrorist network has become weaker.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

PETER STANNERS

OECD urges tax cuts

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The Organisation for Economic Development argues that high tax rates stifle entrepreneurship and competition

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UT TAXES, reform welfare, increase competitiveness and make students pay to attend university.

These were some of the recommendations outlined by the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) in its economic survey of Denmark released last week.

The OECD took as its starting point Denmark’s slow recovery from the financial crisis of 2008, stating that while the Danish economy showed some strengths, it still faced several challenges to stimulate its relatively poor economic growth.

One of the OECD’s main concerns was Denmark’s high tax burden, particularly the top level of tax (topskat)¸ which it thinks should have a higher threshold and discourages entrepreneurship, making Denmark a less attractive country to foreign skilled workers.

The OECD recommended that the burden of taxation should be switched from labour to property, which might help fend off future housing booms.

Implementing a property tax once the housing market has stabilised could also offset the diminished wealth redistribution caused by reducing the top levels of tax.

The report also stated that a lack of competition has created some of the highest consumer prices in Europe – a situation that is not helped by Denmark’s relatively ineffective competition authorities who are unable to directly prosecute and impose fines.

On the issue of welfare, the OECD commended the low level of poverty as brought about through the welfare system, but worried about the increase in the already high level of public spending during the economic crisis.

The OECD singled out disability benefits as being too generous – often higher than an individual could get from work – and suggested that integrating different benefits could produce a system that would make work pay.

The Danish education system was also in the firing line. Notably, the OECD criticised Danes’ insistence on keeping smaller high school class sizes as being too costly and having a limited effect.

Furthermore, the OECD noted the low performance of children with immigrant backgrounds despite the high expense of the nation’s broad and inclusive educational system.

A suggestion that is unlikely to be popular among Danish university students involves moving the university system towards a fee-paying model, with a student loan scheme that encourages students to finish within a certain time.

Danish students often chose fields where business demand is low, decreasing their employment options. Making students pay for their education would encourage them to choose fields based on their income and employability at the end of their studies.

On a final positive note, the OECD praised Danish efforts to use investment in green energy to help stimulate growth, but recommended that Denmark invest in a range of green energy solutions and lobby for tighter EU emissions targets. (PS)

Margrethe Vestager (right), the minister for economic affairs, has argued that there is little sense in introducing a financial transaction tax unless it is implemented globally

The enormous burden of a tiny tax PETER STANNERS While supporters of the European Financial Transaction Tax argue it could raise money for investment in society and discourage risky trading, some feel it could cripple our suffering economies

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FTER THE financial crisis of 2008, European economies were plunged into recession.

Thousands lost their jobs and social welfare was cut as austerity began to bite. But the financial institutions – widely blamed for causing the crash due to their risky lending and trading practices – were bailed out using taxpayers’ money and banks continued to award themselves enormous bonuses.

The unfairness of this scenario resounded loudly across Europe. Traders needed to give something back.

But how?

One solution could be a financial transaction tax (FTT), more commonly known as a Tobin Tax or Robin Hood Tax by campaigners in the UK. The basic idea is to generate money from the financial services industry by placing very small taxes – usually less than one percent – on the sale of certain financial products such as securities, bonds and derivatives.

The European Commission (EC) – which published a report last September outlining the impact of introducing an FTT– estimates that up to €57 billion could be raised through their proposed model, money that could be reinvested into society while discouraging the risky trading behaviour that helped bring about the financial crisis in the first place.

But while public support for the measure has been growing, the Danish government remains hesitant to support it. Last week, both prime

minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and the economy minister, Margrethe Vestager, expressed concerns that an FTT would dampen growth and lead to thousands of lost jobs across Europe.

Vestager justified her position using numbers supplied by the EC in their report in September. They admitted that introducing an FTT in Europe could lead to a drop in growth of up to 1.76 percent. From this, Vestager extrapolated that 400,000 people could lose their jobs, including 5,000 in Denmark.

But according to the EC, Vestager’s take on their impact assessment was not balanced.

“When we see the type of figures that have been in the Danish press lately, we see that our Impact Assessment is being read completely out of context,” EC spokesperson Emer Traynor told The Copenhagen Post.

“When assessing the impact of the FTT in a balanced way, we must also take into account the effect that the new revenues will also have on growth and jobs. So, if the revenues are intelligently recycled into the economy, for instance by investing them in public services, then there would be no negative impact on growth and jobs at all.”

Traynor added that an FTT would also correct the financial service industry’s tax advantage, due to their VAT exemption, while also disincentivising risky behaviour on the markets.

“We believe that the FTT will encourage the financial sector to redesign their business models so that they are more focused on the real economy, which has not always been the case over the past decade,” Traynor said.

But even if an FTT is introduced, there’s no guarantee it will raise any money. Traders can simply move out-

side of the EU, destroying the market the FTT was supposed to tax. Because of this, many argue that an FTT only makes sense if it is global.

“It’s a general principle that if you tax something, and people can move away from the tax, then often people do,” Vestager, told The Copenhagen Post. “The more easily you can move away from tax, the more risky it is to tax it. That’s the reluctance now.”

High-frequency traders – who employ rapid turnover rates when buying and selling stocks to make a profit – will probably be most affected by an FTT, but they are not the only people whose livelihoods will

It’s important to note that normal pensioners are likely to be affected be affected. According to the Danish Banker’s Association, Finansrådet, Danish pensioners could lose up to five percent of their savings as a result, leaving them about 700 kroner a month out of pocket.

“High frequency traders will see a drop in trading. But what’s important is that normal pensioners will be affected despite the fact that they might only trade once or twice a year,” Morten Frederiksen from Finansrådet told The Copenhagen Post. “If the government has a problem with some kind of trading, they ought to directly regulate against it. What they are doing here is too broad and will hit the man on the street and that’s the problem.”

Both Frederiksen and Vestager also challenge the EC’s view that the financial sector is under taxed – at

least in Denmark. A payroll tax was levied on the financial services industry in the 1980s to redress the advantage gained by their VAT exemption.

And Vestager goes on to argue that additional costs have already been placed on banks due to the strict reforms – such as increased capital requirements – they were forced to adopt after the banking crisis.

“We think we could have a more healthy financial sector by making sure that they have high quality capital that can absorb losses,” Vestager said.

The FTT has placed politicians in a tricky position. With money so tight, recouping it from the industry widely blamed for putting us in this position, seems both a sensible and politically popular move. And yet society is deeply dependent on the services and jobs that banking and finance provide – a tax risks upsetting the balance.

There seem to be three options.

Firstly, Europe could push for a global FTT that would be undermined if one country decided to opt out.

Secondly, don’t adopt an FTT and try and find another way to regulate the financial industry that will both raise funds and mitigate a future crisis, but without affecting its profitability.

Thirdly, introduce an FTT and raise tens of billions of euros to reinvest in society. It’s a risk, but perhaps no more of a risk than many traders took with our own economies before the crisis. And even if it did put some traders out of a job, as Financial Times columnist John Plender put it, there might be a silver lining.

“A tax on financialisation might well kill off high-frequency trading,” Plender wrote in September. “If this reduces employment a bit in the city of London, so be it – it will release people into more socially useful activities.”

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

Peter Stanners Denmark’s rising level of poverty stands in stark contrast to its European neighbours with falling numbers

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ENMARK has witnessed an increase in the number of people living below the poverty line, according to new figures released

by Eurostat.

The figures show that 7.9 percent of the Danish population now lives below the poverty line, up from 4.0 percent in 2001.

Many European countries have seen a decrease in the number of poor, with Norway cutting its rate of poverty from 7.2 percent in 2007 to 6.1 percent today.

According to Morten Ejrnæs, a lecturer at Aalborg University, the increased level of poverty is the result of governmental policies dictated by the belief that individuals are to blame for being poor.

He said the policies were the result of conscious political decisions to “make the least well-off poorer”, and dated back to 1999 and the government of Socialdemokrat PM Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. Those policies were continued during a decade of rule by the centre-right Venstre-Konservative government.

“This is the reason we have seen more and more poor people,” Ejrnæs told Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper.

Ejrnæs pointed to the decision by the former governments to introduce less generous forms of welfare ben-

efits, such as reduced kontanthjælp and starthjælp, which used reduced benefit payments as an enticement to encourage unemployed people to find work. After coming to power at the end of last year, the Socialdemokraterne-led government abolished these so-called “poverty-inducing” benefits by the centre-left.

Eurostat has used the OECD definition of poverty, which refers to someone who has less than half the amount of disposable income after tax than the average person. In Denmark, you are poor if you have less than 8,450 kroner left each month after tax.

This relative indicator of poverty has been criticised by many as being an unreliable indicator of wealth – the Danish poverty line would be far higher than the Romanian poverty line, for instance.

And looking at another indicator of wealth, material deprivation, the Danes seem to be doing very well.

According to Eurostat’s figures from 2008, only 10 percent of Danes could not afford an annual week-long holiday away from home, compared with 37 percent of Europeans.

But while the poverty line is relative, Finn Kenneth Hansen, researcher at the Center for Alternative Society Analyses, argued that it still a good indicator of rising levels of inequality.

“If everyone gets richer from one year to the next, then the relative poverty line also moves up, and those who fall under that line are considered poor even though they are earning more,” Hansen

SCANPIX

Poverty levels rising, Eurostat figures show

Expanded oversight and digital tools expose hundreds of unregistered businesses

I

Eurostat said that only 10 percent of Danes suffer from deprivation of material goods

told Kristeligt Dagblad in 2010.

“But if residents who were the worst off got their fair share of society’s general economic growth, then you would also expect a fall in the number of those earning under the relative poverty line – and that just hasn’t happened.”

A debate about poverty was reignited last December by Özlem Cekic from the Socialistisk Folkeparti (SF), who wanted to introduce a definition of poverty in Denmark to better tackle the issue.

Several organisations have expressed support for the poverty definition. Jann Sjursen from the social welfare organisation Rådet for Socialt Udsatte argued that a definition of poverty would allow

more targeted action towards society’s most marginalised members.

“The big problem with not having a poverty line in Denmark is that every time new numbers are released by different organisations and institutes, we start talking about whether the numbers really describe poverty,” Sjursen told the Ritzau news bureau, adding that there were many people in Denmark who were marginalised and poor.

“Some people live on the edge of our society. While some simply don’t have a foot in the job market, there are also people who have addiction problems or psychological illnesses that make their lives difficult.”

One in three cabinet members are not Church of Denmark members JENNIFER BULEY Non-believers in the cabinet threaten national church, says opposition

F

OR THE first time in Denmark’s history, a significant number – nearly one third – of the government’s ministers are not members of the state church.

Out of the 23 ministers in the leftof-centre Socialdemokraterne-RadikaleSocialistisk Folkeparti (S-R-SF) government, just 16 are members of the Church of Denmark, also called the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, or simply Folkekirken. In the previous, right-ofcentre Venstre-Konservative (VK) government, by comparison, every single minister was a church member.

“For me, it’s a personal decision. I don’t believe in god, and I don’t think that you should be a member of the church if you don’t believe in god,” the defence minister, Nick Hækkerup (S), told Ekstra Bladet tabloid.

The finance minister, Bjarne Corydon, is another cabinet member who is not a member of the national church. “I have

Danish churches are emptier because membership has dropped significantly

great respect for the church, but I’m not a believer. Therefore, I don’t think I should be a member.”

Even the church minister, Manu Sareen (R), admitted in October, just after assuming the post, that he is a religious “doubter”. Sareen is still a member of the church, but he admitted that he had come close to leaving it, in protest against the ban on gay church weddings.

Working to change the legislation

Illegal foreign companies in spotlight

and give homosexuals the right to wed in the church is Sareen’s first, ongoing project as church minister. The proposal has met with strong disapproval from a majority of the clergy, although most of the general population have expressed support for gay marriage in numerous opinion polls.

Less than five percent of Danes now attend church services on a weekly basis, but 80 percent are official, tax-paying members.

Members pay a supplementary tax for

the upkeep of the state church. In 2011, this amounted to 5.9 billion kroner. However, in practice all taxpayers in Denmark – including non-members – pay for the state church, because it also receives a state subsidy equal to approximately 130 kroner per year for every single taxpayer.

Church membership has dropped significantly in the past few decades, and discussions about whether Denmark should separate its church and state, as Sweden did in 2000, have become more frequent.

MPs from Dansk Folkeparti (DF), the far-right party that was an essential ally of the minority VK government, expressed dismay at the secular face of the new government.

While the government has proposed legalising gay marriage in the church, it has not proposed a separation of church and state.

“It would be nicer if it was people who cared about the church who were trying to change a few things,” DF’s Søren Espersen said. “But when we have a government filled with people who aren’t church members, it makes you wonder if we’re about to see the church torn to pieces.”

N THE second half of 2010, the work inspection authority Arbejdstilsynet found and reported 67 cases of foreign firms operating illegally and undercover in Denmark. In the second half of 2011, they discovered 138 cases – twice as many.

The reason for the doubling, according to Hasse Mortensen, the director of oversight at Arbejdstilsynet Zealand, is that they began using an electronic registration system called RUT that allows investigators to cross-check the foreign companies with other departments like the tax authority Skat and the police.

“We have really prioritised RUT registration because it enables us to carry out inspections, and it also lets Skat keep its eye on the companies,” Mortensen said.

The digital registrations also enable Arbejdstilsynet to compare the various building companies’ claims regarding specific jobs. Discrepancies can point out cases where companies may be trying to cheat the system.

Foreign companies with employees working in Denmark are required to register with Arbejdstilsynet. The penalty for not doing so is 10,000 kroner for the foreign company and an equal fine for the person or firm that hired them.

As Arbejdstilsynet does not have the authority to give fines, the police issue and enforce them on their behalf.

Representatives from the builders’ association and the largest labour union for tradesmen expressed approval that the government was getting serious about cracking down on foreign firms operating illegally. But they doubted that a small fine would stop the illegal business.

“A 10,000 kroner fine isn’t going to stop someone who can earn a million on a project,” said Peter Hougaard Nielsen, the chairman of 3F Byggegruppen, Denmark’s largest union for the building trades.

Hougaard estimated that as many as half of the foreign construction companies operating in Denmark are unregistered and possibly using cash-in-hand labour.

He further surmised that half of the companies registered with RUT were cheating the system in other ways – for example, by naming false sub-contractors or not paying labour taxes.

Hougaard emphasised that to make companies play by the rules, the police, Skat and Arbejdstilsynet have to work together.

The government has set aside an additional 65 billion kroner to crack down on various kinds of fraud. A new commission to improve RUT registration compliance and oversight is part of that plan. (JB)

Online this week Nation’s greatest traveller makes final voyage BJARNE Lund-Jensen was a school teacher, author and amateur actor from the island of Funen. He was also a globetrotting traveller extraordinaire, who had visited 190 countries over the last four decades before dying last week of a heart attack at the age of 63, announced travellers’ organisation De Berejstes Klub. At the time of his death, Lund-Jensen was just six short of visiting the 196 countries

recognised by the club. In order to be counted as having visited a country, a traveller must have been there for at least 24 hours, according to the club’s rules. It is possible that another Dane could have visited more countries than Lund-Jensen, but no-one ever disputed his claim, or his Guinness World Records confirmation as the most travelled Dane.

Lund-Jensen was still an active traveller at the time of his death.

Denmark signs anti-piracy agreement

Valby apartment fire leaves residents homeless

DENMARK has signed the controversial anti-piracy ACTA agreement along with 21 other EU countries and Japan. The Anti-Counterfeiting and Trade Agreement will create a tighter legal framework for tackling violations of copyright and intellectual property. But the secrecy surrounding the agreement, combined with worries about its potential to censor the internet, have led to large scale protests.

ABOUT 200 people in the Valby district have been left homeless after a fire ravaged their apartment building Tuesday afternoon. The blaze gutted three of the building’s eight stairwells and left another heavily damaged. No-one was injured in the fire, the cause of which has yet to be determined. Investigators, however, said they will be

The EU, which has been party to ACTA’s negotiations, has pushed for more transparency, though the US was hesitant to publish any details. What ACTA could mean for ordinary internet users is not entirely known, but there are concerns about the decision to make internet service providers monitor the activity of users and disconnect them if they are merely suspected of harbouring copyright infringing material.

focusing on the building’s new roof, where the fire appeared to break out and where damage was heaviest. Emergency accommodations for the displaced residents were made by the city’s emergency social services department. Fire officials said they were uncertain whether the damaged portion of the building could be repaired.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

Europact continued from front page

EU experts asked by the Ritzau news bureau, however, stated that they thought the new regulations would neither inhibit Denmark’s sovereignty nor violate Denmark’s euro opt-out.

“My immediate reaction is that a referendum won’t be likely even though this will have to be decided by lawyers at the Justice Ministry,” EU expert Peter Nedergaard from Copenhagen University told Ritzau.

A majority of Danes seem to support joining the fiscal compact, according a Gallup poll, with 57 percent responding that the country should join and only 27 percent answering that it should not.

At Monday’s meeting, European leaders also agreed on a new package to stimulate growth and youth employment.

Among the proposals are plans to increase the number of apprenticeships and improve the single market by reducing bureaucracy and paperwork for small businesses operating across borders.

These topics are high on the Danish presidency’s list of priorities, and Wammen expressed satisfaction that they were tackled at the meeting.

“It sent a very clear message about creating jobs and economic growth in Europe,” Wammen wrote on Facebook.

“The EU also expressed a desire to push forward the same reforms for the single market that we outlined in our program for the Danish EU presidency – reforms we think are vital for getting Europe back on track.”

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Mayor aims to draw more foreign workers to city EMILY MCLEAN A visit to Microsoft was the mayor’s first stop on a tour of area businesses with lots of foreign employees

C

OPENHAGEN mayor Frank Jensen (Socialdemokraterne) met with foreign workers last week at the Microsoft Development Centre in Vedbæk to discuss what the city can do to attract and retain skilled workers from abroad.

The visit was part of an initiative that will see Jensen, along with representatives from the Copenhagen Business Task Force, travel around the area to similar companies in the coming months.

Denmark, according to numerous rankings, is among the most desirable cities to live in for foreigners, but Copenhagen hopes to use the lessons it’s learning to identify how to make it easier for companies to attract and retain foreign workers.

“We have approximately 1,000 new residents coming to this city every month, so there is strong growth potential here,” Jensen said.

Microsoft was chosen as one of the first stops on the mayor’s tour due, in part, to its high percentage of foreign employees. About a third of the 500 people working at the company’s Vedbæk campus come

from other countries.

One of them, Ed Martinez, from the US, said that Denmark needs a more bi-directional focus: “In the queen’s New Year’s address, she asked, ‘What can you do for Denmark?’ I would like to see her add, ‘What can Denmark do for you?’”

Martinez emphasised the need to create more incentives for Danes to join expat groups. His point being that it can be hard to break into the tightly knit Danish society.

Linda Wendelboe, the spokesperson for the Microsoft Development Centre, said the company is aware of the challenges its foreign workers face, and it tries to help them by providing information about international schools, expat groups and other support networks.

She added that the company continuously reviews the services it provides foreign employees, and was considering whether it needed to provide more company information in English.

Another Microsoft worker, Bogdana Botez, from Romania, had similar sentiments about receiving important information in Danish as opposed to English.

“I always receive healthcare check-up reminders in Danish.

More foreign women would take advantage of the service if it was in English,” she said.

Botez added that it was impor-

Companies like Microsoft have a large proportion of foreign workers, now they want to make them feel more welcome in Denmark

tant to represent nationalities like hers in a positive light.

“Most Romanians here are highly qualified people who want to make a difference, but a few bad apples spoil our reputation.

We need initiatives in place to help those Romanians who aren’t as fortunate as I am, so they don’t end up living on the street because they can’t find employment.”

Started last year, the Copenhagen Business Task Force was cre-

ated as a way to shore up the city’s reputation as a good place to do business. In contrast to its strong placing in quality of life surveys, Copenhagen lags behind competing cities when it comes to attracting new investments.

Task Force chairman Leif Beck Fallesen, the former editor-in-chief of the financial daily Børsen, said the mayor’s initiative was a good way to build on the Task Force’s efforts.

8

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

KB-Hallen shouldn’t be made a victim of its own success

Time to debunk the myth of the helpless African

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N A WORLD that’s always looking forward to the latest upgrade or the next sequel, it’s refreshing to know there are people out there who can stop us before we eradicate our past in the name of progress.

In that respect, Det Særlige Bygningssyn deserves our respect for making sure that we still have examples of the buildings that were modern when our grandparents were our age.

But there’s a difference between protecting our history and condemning us to live in the past. Preserving KB-Hallen as a living museum for generations to come does just that.

In their quest to preserve the physical structure, the architectural experts have overlooked what made KB-Hallen special: what went on inside.

Essentially an enormous Nissen hut (better known to Americans as a Quonset hut), there was nothing special about the appearance of KB-Hallen. To be honest, it’s something of an eyesore. The memories that were made there, however, were some of the cultural reference points of late 20th century Denmark. The facility had hosted everything from a Beatles concert to boxing prize fights.

And, as fate would have it, when the building was gutted by fire in September, it was preparing for the annual Sex Expo, an event it began hosting in 1969, the year such events became legal.

But the black and white images of young rock stars and the seedy menagerie the sex show had become underscored that KBHallen’s heyday had passed. Anyone who had ever been inside the building understood why: narrow doors, dark corridors and 1930s-era seating belonged to a bygone era, not an arena capable of attracting today’s headliners.

As KB-Hallen fights against being burdened by its past, it’s worth noting that it isn’t the first building trying to shake off the ‘historic’ label. Other prominent institutions, most prominently Aarhus University in 2010, have tried to duck being declared as such, fearing the logistical and financial burdens of being forced to maintain property in its original state.

One of the exciting things about architecture is when modern people can find a way to incorporate historic structures into their daily lives. We are fascinated when Roman bridges still carry traffic, when Gothic churches continue to inspire, and when architecture from the 1920s appears modern.

But, sometimes something historic, as important as it might be, isn’t compatible with modern life. Fortunately for Det Særlige Bygningssyn, Demark has not one, but two open-air museums dedicated to the preservation of our architectural heritage. Either would be far better suited to a historically preserved KB-Hallen than its original location in the heart of a city that, through no fault of the building’s owners, has moved on since 1938.

BOLETTE CHRISTENSEN

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HERE’S NO shortage of prejudices about Africa: inept and unable to help themselves; immobilised by famine; stuck in a quagmire of corruption, dictatorship and ethnic conflict.

But, there are good reasons why we should disabuse ourselves of these prejudices. In the first place, they give a distorted picture of the peoples of an entire continent. Secondly, because our prejudices blind us to the opportunities there are in Africa.

This autumn, Børnefonden completed a survey of African youth together with our partners in Child Fund Alliance. Nearly 2,000 children between the ages of 10 and 12 from 17 African countries were interviewed, and the results show a generation of Africans that is anything but helpless.

Their answers show that African children have a clear idea of what they want to be when they grow up: two out five want to be teachers or doctors, and nearly

half want to attend post-secondary school.

There’s no denying that Africa suffers from famine. And it’s true that the continent has enormous problems with poverty, lack of jobs and poor infrastructure. But, it isn’t true that Africa’s children are stuck in a quagmire.

They want to make something of themselves.

The children participating in the study were among the world’s poorest. They live in areas where the next meal can’t be taken for granted – yet neither distribution of food nor better health initiatives top their list of priorities.

They yearn to be educated.

Asked what they would prioritise if they were allowed to be president or prime minister for a day, more than half answered that they would improve their countries’ educational systems. Education was four times more popular a priority than food distribution, which was the top priority of 13 percent, and ranks third overall.

A poll initiated by the Danish NGO, ‘The World’s Best News’, published in Politiken newspaper on 15 November 2011, revealed that Danes have an antiquated view of how things are going in the developing world. “Danes’ understanding of the developing world is stuck in the 1980s,” the results of the poll concluded.

We need to change this. At a time when Denmark should be looking for new markets and growth opportunities, we can’t afford to let our distorted image of reality let us overlook an entire continent.

While Europe was hibernat-

ing last year, Ghana, for example, was growing at a rate of 10 percent. Africans are trading with China. China trades with anyone, and when growth in Europe declines, growth moves on to the new markets of the BRIC countries and to Africa.

In times past, slow growth in Europe was a catastrophe for the impoverished countries of Africa. Today, they couldn’t care less, because there are plenty of other countries to trade with. The sooner we realise that Africa is a continent on the move, the better the chances are that Africa could wind up saving us.

There is light ahead. In the countries of western Africa where Børnefonden works, there is a company known far and wide.

This Danish company is called Fan Milk, and it owes its success to a combination of Danish dairy know-how and Ghanaian demand for dairy products.

The company exports dried, surplus milk from Denmark to western Africa, where it is used to make yoghurt and ice cream, a process that saves transport and labour costs. Fan Milk began operating in Ghana in 1960 and today has expanded to seven countries in the region.

Earlier this month, Danida Business invited Danish businesses and NGOs to meet to discuss potential markets in developing countries. And the development minister, Christian Friis Bach, is shaking up the way Denmark looks at developing countries. No longer are they first and foremost recipients of aid – they are equal partners.

There are a number of institutions out there to help Danish companies break into the market in developing countries. One of them, IFU, in 2010 was involved in 700 partnership projects in 85 countries. This is an opportunity the nation’s companies need to latch on to.

At the same time, companies also need to be better at using NGOs to serve as bridge builders to allow them to reach markets that are linguistically and culturally different from Denmark.

Børnefonden has been active in Africa for more than 40 years, and we know the young people who will be working in tomorrow’s jobs. We, and organisations like us, can provide Danish companies with local knowledge and we can help tailor educational programmes to suit the needs of Danish businesses.

Denmark has the knowledge, and it has the experience.

Our study shows that Africa’s young people know what they want, but they lack opportunities. Investing in African jobs is the best thing we can do for them – and for ourselves.

In a globalised economy, it’s important to accept that one country’s progress is another one’s success. There’s no room for prejudice if you want to be on the winning team.

The author is the director of Børnefonden (ChildFund Denmark), a sponsor-funded development organisation helping 70,000 children, families and communities in the world’s poorest countries.

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Two steps forward, one step back in immigration tango I’m in a similar, non-life or death situation regarding immigration – I’ve applied for an extension of my Green Card visa. This extension is only good for a year; however, I’ve been informed that the processing time at the moment is well over a year. Even to my non-mathematically inclined brain, this hardly seems to make much sense. In the meantime, they’ve assured me that I’ll of course be able to work (and pay taxes) and go about my life like normal – except for the fact that if I want to leave the country, I have to waste another day of my life at the immigration services applying for a re-entry permit and there’s of course the small detail that I can’t get married while my residence affairs are being handled. My Danish partner and I were planning on getting married in May, which is a month and a half after my original visa expires. We’ve paid a whole lot of money in deposits, and our friends and family have booked their plane tickets to attend a wedding that may or may not happen. Needless to say I’m a bit frustrated.

Jen Hunt By email

As a permanent resident and homeowner who has now chosen to go back home to the US, I find myself in a somewhat confusing situation for which there do not seem to be any answers, particularly from this idiot government. After I have been out of Denmark for 12 months, I lose my permanent residency.

By Danish law, as a non-resident non-citizen, I am not allowed to own Danish property. But I already own Danish property.

My house, which is currently worth less on the miserable Danish housing market than what I have in it, cannot be sold unless I want to take a huge financial bath. So what happens when my permanent residency runs out and I still have this house?

Tom By website I am currently on a one-year probation for failing to renew my familiesamforing (family reunion) contract. The laws for this scheme have changed five times in the last eight years, and are about to be changed again. ziggedwhenishouldazagged By website I find your story very relatable to other foreigners I know in Denmark. People do their best

to come and live and work here, but the government continues to make you jump through so many hoops, and try to deny you on any technicality they can, that it’s not surprising that many feel as if they’re not wanted here.

I’ve heard plenty of Danes say that foreigners aren’t welcome.

Maybe we should just all take the hint?

Shufflemoomin By website Langeland wants to let foreigners buy holiday homes “But if we abolish the rule across the country I’m afraid that attractive natural areas and summerhouse areas will all be bought by wealthy foreigners within two weeks.” Yeah, because wealthy foreigners are just so desperate to own property in Denmark. I can see it now, the jet-set flitting between all the great summer destinations, from the Bahamas to the French Riviera, from Saint Tropez to The Hamptons, and then a relaxing ten days in Blokhus, Nordjylland!

John By website Nielsen’s suggestion is actually a very good idea and should be adopted over all of Denmark.

The law preventing foreign own-

ership is just another EU opt-out that has backfired.

Tom By website Racist network to hold rally in Aarhus Real concern about the Islamisation of Danish culture is not addressed here; typical of a sorry liberal mind-set in Denmark.

Instead, the focus is on making those who have the guts to express serious concern for their culture appear as racists..

Steve Graham By website Well, they chose a good location, I got to give them that.

There will be many supporters, no doubt. Luckily counter protest plans are already underway. I hope rational Danes can be motivated to turn up and counter this disturbing message.

HeidiakaMissJibba By website It’s quite hypocritical that Danish officials are acting surprised.

One simply has to go to any AGF match to see all the skinheads waiving their ‘white pride’ flags.

DanDansen By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

9

To Be Perfectly Frank

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

Law and disorder HANS ANDERSEN

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F YOU were to ask me what I remember most clearly about the early 1980s in Denmark, I’d have to say the bitterly cold winters. But apart from that, something else sticks in my mind: the traffic – or the lack of it – and the orderly way in which it was managed.

And I don’t mean just the infrastructure such as traffic lights and roundabouts, but the serious adherence to the letter of the law.

One morning, my then wife and our nine-year-old daughter decided to cycle down to the petrol station opposite Bellevue Beach for some milk. Rather than cross Kystvejen twice, they chose to use the cycle path on the left-hand side of the road and were duly spotted by a motorcycle policeman and given a strict talking to. On another occasion, one of my nephews, who was staying with us at the time, was similarly stopped for a minor traffic offence while out on his paper round at some ungodly hour of the morning.

In fact, the pedantic way in which people appeared to revere the traffic regulations was indeed both impressive and irritating. There was a time during the 1980s when English Sunday newspapers became available at some of the larger S-train stations, but you had to be there early to get one. So I was in the habit of driving to Hellerup Station at around 8am on Sundays. Kystvejen in those days was completely deserted at that hour on a Sunday morning, except for my car – and a man walking a dog. I could swear I met him every single time. I would approach the traffic lights where he waited, he would press the little button, the lights would duly change, I would duly stop, and man and dog would duly cross the road. He could have waited for the only car on the road to pass and just crossed with no problem, but no!

Them were the days: believe it or not, but this horse and cart is just about to get caught by a 1980s speed trap

So fast-forward 30 years and what do we find? A lot more traffic, yes, and a lot more cynicism among road users. And I mean all road users – motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, whatever.

The previous apparent respect for the law has been replaced by a fast-growing degree of disrespect. At the same time, there is an almost total lack of police presence on the streets. The occasional patrol car is all that reminds one that

In fact, the pedantic way in which people appeared to revere the traffic regulations was indeed both impressive and irritating

there are any police at all in Denmark.

How often have I witnessed some traffic infringement and watched with incredulity as a police car swept by, the occupants often seeming to be more concerned with swapping jokes than doing what I would consider to be police work.

So what has in fact changed? Two recent quotes in the national press gave me a clue. The first was a reaction to

the increase in fines for traffic infringements: that it was unfair to be fined 700 kroner for using a mobile phone while cycling on a deserted path. In other words, the law should be open to interpretation depending on the circumstances. That’s not my understanding of how the law should work! And who does the interpreting?

The other quote in question was the police themselves declaring that they were “quite satisfied” with the level of traffic policing. Well what else would they say? If I wasn’t accountable to anyone I might also assess my own work as satisfactory. But raising the fines is not going to make one ounce of difference to the way people behave if they don’t get caught and fined! And it doesn’t help that there is no peer pressure to obey the law: nobody says a word or honks a horn despite being subjected to appalling (and downright dangerous) driving, thus giving tacit approval to such behaviour. (Oh I’m forgetting, of course, that horn honking is illegal unless absolutely necessary!).

So what do we deduce from these glaring differences over the last three decades? That the current generation is less law-abiding than previous ones? I would prefer to suggest that what appeared to be respect for the law was in fact a fear of being caught doing something wrong. Remove that threat and people revert to the norm, which here in Denmark is often an insistence on doing what one wants to do if one can get away with it. A lack of social pressure to accept the moral difference between right and wrong, combined with a poor level of enforcement of the law, will naturally lead to disorder if not downright anarchy, and no amount of legislation by parliament will reverse that.

CPH POST VOICES

‘MACCARTHY’S WORLD’

‘THE LYNCH REPORT’

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

‘STILL ADJUSTING’

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.

English-Australian theatre director Stuart Lynch has lived in Copenhagen since Clinton impeached his cigars and writes from the heart of the Danish and international theatre scene. He is married with kids and lives in Nørrebro. Visit his Danish theatre at www.lynchcompany.dk.

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

10

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

JENNIFER BULEY

SCANPIX

Petrified poo designated national treasure ‘Pinging’ for porpoises JENNIFER BULEY Government takes steps to protect Denmark’s endangered marine mammals with acoustic net alarms

Rare stone of homely origin offers up clues to Bornholm’s ancient history

A

A

Measuring 4cm and bearing holes made by prehistoric flies (shown right), the little poo can tell paleontologists a lot about the Bornholm of 140 million years ago

and contains minute burrowing holes from the larvae of an ancient species of fly.

The gravel pit itself is the remains of an ancient lagoon.

Bits of fishbone and scales in the ‘poo stone’ confirm that its maker was a fish-eating animal – quite possibly a turtle. However, the scientists are not ruling out that it might also have come from one of two species of dinosaur that roamed the area around the lagoon in the Cretaceous period – although, they were not known to fancy fish.

“The holes from the insects show that the excrement was excreted on land. Later, it probably got buried in the sands of the lagoon, where it was preserved for all time,” said Nielsen.

The lagoon sands that preserved the natural treasure are

not found anywhere else in Scandinavia, report geologists from the Natural History Museum.

In fact, the Bornholm sands are identical to a type of sand found

far south in present day Italy – evidence supporting the theory that the Bornholm landscape lay, far to the south 140 million years ago.

COLOURBOX

140 MILLION-YEAROLD turd from Bornholm has been given a prestigious ‘national, natural treasure’ status (danekræ) by paleontologists at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

“Fossil excrement doesn’t grow on trees,” paleontologist and University of Copenhagen assistant professor Arne Thorshøj Nielsen told the Ritzau news bureau, explaining the rarity of the find.

Nielsen added that the ancient excrement “can give us a glimpse into what life was like in Denmark 140 million years ago” – which is why the little hunk of ossified fasces has been given the special status reserved for natural history objects of unique scientific significance.

Paleontologists Niels Bond from the University of Copenhagen and Jesper Milan from Østsjællands Museum have conducted the scientific inspection of the brown-hued, tubularshaped natural treasure.

It was discovered last year in an old gravel pit on the island of Bornholm and measures a little over four centimetres long by two centimetres in diameter

Bornholm

Due to its extreme eastern location, Bornholm’s geology differs from that of Denmark proper

LL FISHERMEN using nets in Denmark’s Storebælt Sound will now be required to use a ‘pinger’, an underwater acoustic alarm attached to the net, to prevent endangered porpoises from getting entangled.

The new law comes into effect this summer and will apply to recreational as well as commercial fishermen.

“What we know – from the European Commission, among others – is that pingers are effective at reducing the bycatch of porpoises, and they are considered the best tool for guarding porpoises against getting trapped in nets,” the food minister, Mette Gjerskov (Socialdemokraterne), told Politiken newspaper.

Unlike whales and dolphins, porpoises are the only cetaceans found in Danish waters year round. Some 55,000 porpoises live in the seas surrounding Denmark. Nevertheless, they are severely endangered.

A recent study of the porpoise population in Denmark’s inner waters – including the Storebælt Sound and the fjords – revealed that the population

dropped from around 28,000 to just 11,000 in one decade.

Making matters worse, several thousand porpoises are accidentally trapped each year in fishing nets, where they end up drowning, according to the environmental research group Danmarks Miljøundersøgelser.

The government and environmental groups hope that unnecessary porpoise deaths will be drastically reduced once the new pinger law comes into effect this summer in the Storebælt Sound.

Based on experience in the North Sea, where pingers are already required on fishing nets and lines, researchers believe that porpoises have learnt to avoid areas where they hear the acoustic alarms.

“It’s fantastic that the new government has opened it up again after the previous action plan was shelved for six years under the old government,” said Greenpeace scientist and marine biologist Hanne Lyng Winter.

Winter added, however, that getting trapped in nets was not the only threat to porpoises in Danish waters. Over-fishing could also be starving them out, she suggested.

The government has proposed creating a group of marine scientists, fishermen and NGOs to put together a plan to protect the porpoises and better comply with the EU nature conservation rules, Politiken reports.

AmChAm’s 2012 super Bowl pArty: register Now! vs.

Date: Feb 05, 2012 Time: 22:00 to 04:00 Venue: Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Ørestads Boulevard 114-118

Watch the New England Patriots battle the New York Giants for the Super Bowl title! Win some fantastic prizes at this year's Squares Pool, including two roundtrip airline tickets to the U.S. on Iceland Air or a weekend for two at Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers 25th floor suite, with breakfast, dinner, wine and a Tesla Roadster rental!

Event features: • • • • •

All-you-can-eat Super Bowl buffet Live TV feed on big screens One free Budweiser Beer for each participant The Squares Pool (Win 2 round trip tickets to the U.S. on Iceland Air or a weekend for two at Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers 25th floor suite with breakfast, dinner/wine and a Tesla Roadster rental!)

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Price: DKK 350,- per person (Corporate tables (10 seats) are available for DKK 3.250,-) Note: Drinks are not included, but available for purchase (cash or Dankort).

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Why go home to sleep when you can just go upstairs?

Discounted room rates at Crowne Plaza for this event: 825 DKK for a double room (including breakfast). Visit www.amcham.dk and go to our “Event” page for more details.

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

PHOTOS: HASSE FERROLD

11

Holiday fair fast becoming the diplomat’s guide to the globe

WORDS BY BEN HAMILTON

Why bother with the travel agent, when you can go to Bella Center’s Holiday Fair in January, particularly now so many of the city’s embassies attend to give you first-hand information on why their country should be your destination of choice in 2012. Pictured here are some of the assets underlining why Egypt is both Africa and the Arab World’s most popular tourist destination.

The presence of the embassies is a result of a popular initiative set up by Bella Center, International Club Copenhagen and the dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mexican ambassador Martha Bárcena, which gives the diplomats the chance to set up a stand free of charge - and the numbers are increasing every year. Pictured here are (left-right) Bella Center’s project director Malina Hye, Pia Allerslev, the deputy mayor for culture who delivered an address, Israel’s deputy head of mission Dan Oryan, Swiss ambassador Viktor Christen, Bárcena, Bolivian ambassador Bishop Eugenio Poma, and Canadian ambassador Peter Lundy.

The leopard skins were out in force at the South African stand, along with the embassy’s representation led by its ambassador Samkelisiwe Mhlanga (second right).

Another African ambassador delighted to take up the offer from Bárcena (right) was Burkina Faso’s Monique Ilboudo (left). Formerly the Republic of Upper Volta (until 1984), did you know that the country’s name means ‘the land of upright people’. Answers on a postcard about where ‘the land of uptight people’ is.

Following Bárcena on her tour of the stands, we next encountered Iranian ambassador Morteza Damanpak-Jami.

Albanian ambassador Arben Cici was at hand to explain his country’s tourism possibilities, its fascination with Norman Wisdom and whether there’s any truth in the claim the country wanted to crown a former world long jump record holder its king in 1920.

Given its size, the Mediterranean island of Malta is incredibly (some might say disproportionately) popular with Danes as a holiday destination, but they’re an uncomplacent bunch as its charge d’affaire Deborah Attard Montalto proved by attending.

The Former Republic of Macedonia and Canada rarely meet each other on the sports field, but that didn’t stop the European country’s ambassador Asaf Ademi (right) welcoming his North American counterpart Peter Lundy (left) to find out why more and more tourists visit his homeland every year.

The ambassador of Bolivia, Eugenio Poma, is a bishop and while his chair at the stand was probably more colourful and feathery than he’s used to, it was the right height.

Portuguese ambassador João Pedro Silveira de Carvalho was only too happy to share a few tips (or should we say tipples) about what his country has to offer with the Bella Center’s project director Malina Hye.

Mexico is the tenth most popular destination worldwide, and the third most soughtafter outside Europe, and its ambassador Martha Bárcena was at hand to show off some of the unique qualities that make her country such a hit with visitors.

12

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

(UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)

Last week on Friday was Auschwitz Day, which was commemorated by a number of events across town, including an official ceremony at Tivoli to pay respect to the estimated six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust during the Second World War. Pictured here are (left-right) David Silberklang, an acclaimed historian from the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem, German ambassador Michael Zenner, Israeli ambassador Artur Avnon, the deputy mayor of culture, Pia Allerslev, journalist Mette Holm, who is well known for her work bringing the perpetrators of the Cambodia genocide to justice, and author Steve Sem-Sandberg, whose latest book is about the Lodz ghetto in Poland.

The Chinese Embassy hosted a Spring Festival Concert on Saturday at the Royal Academy of Music to mark the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. Pictured here are (left-right) the embassy’s charge d’affaires Gu Hui, the Danish Cultural Institute secretary general Finn Andersen, and the embassy’s cultural attaché Li Jinsheng.

The Egyptian scientist and Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail was in town on Friday to present a lecture at the Panum Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

Here he is (centre) pictured with Egyptian ambassador Nabil Riad Habashi (right) and the ambassador’s wife (left).

‘The Essence of Colour’ is a new exhibition at Arken that opened on Saturday in conjunction with the queen’s ruby jubilee because the artist is none other than her majesty herself. It runs until July and features many of the monarch’s impressionistic canvases and decoupage works.

COPENHAGEN RENAISSANCE

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t Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

Our community editor, Victoria Steffensen, lives in Hellerup, the home of so many international schools, families, companies and embassies, and undoubted heartland of the expat scene. And although her kids don’t go to an international school and she couldn’t tell you where her closest embassy is, Victoria proves your home is where your heart is – in her case, in Hellerup.

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Denmark’s only English-language

Issue 44 4 - 10 November 2011 | Vol 14

HOME SWEET HOME IN HELLERUP

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ISRAEL

7 - 20 NOVEMBER 2011

FROM SCHÜTZ TO GEIST 1600-1700 Early German Baroque Music

STANNERS

Dane unable to obtain family girlfriend reunification for his Thai Catch-22 says residency rules are a

KIDS ON YOU BETT FILM TTH HEE CHILDR ER BELIEVE IT BU STER! EN’S M

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Exploiting ‘fat tax’ Supermarkets are scamming guise their customers under the of the new national ‘fat tax’ NEWS |

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OVIE FEST IS

Is now the time to join the euro, or to run like hell? new National coach Morten Olsen’s job in the contract will keep him Cup. until after the 2014 World

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Warrior Jesus from How Christianity borrowed Jesus Norse mythology and branded the to woo as a tough guy in order pagan Vikings

HISTORY | 19

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A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the

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Danes abolished, saving some 525,000 mobile and of students. Moreover, stuwith business laptops (VK) govern- the number vious Venstre-Konservative no longer pay administrative phones 3,000 kroner per year. major points: dents will Master’s students look forment. Here are a few of the Not everyone, however, can the state’s fees, and prospective course tuitions Families: VK limited and junk (bør- will have prerequisite ward to a cash infusion. Smokers monthly child support handouts fam- paid. The government will also fund higher on their per food lovers will be taxed necheck) to 35,000 kroner corporations state-supported internship abolished, 1,500 more vices, while international SRSF plans ily. That limit has now been will get positions. will also see higher tax bills. families creation: many job that of and number and meaning Infrastructure by closing a AN YOU HAVE your cake ts. The government will be in- to raise revenue wisdom larger child benefi Some 17.5 billion kroner going back nearly 20 years eat it too? Conventional fertility treatments and infrastructure tax loopholes corporations budg- will also pay for vested over two years in that allowed international says no, but with their first as a new rail line between power, voluntary sterilisations. to escape paying corporate Folkeparti projects, such et plan since the shift of a project to in Denmark Welfare: VK and Dansk Copenhagen and Ringsted, erne-Radikale(see more on page 15). specialised welfare prothe new Socialdemokrat motorway, erosion taxes in the coalition (DF) introduced ts widen the Holbæk All told, the spending increases Socialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) Jutland’s west that reduced the cash benefi along minister the orts grammes as eff big as Those programmes protection renovations to public hous- new budget are not appear to be giving it a shot. the new for new immigrants. coast, and economy and interior, Margrethe Many of the elements of eliminated and going Helle Thorning- of the to be re- have now been would like. She noted that state ing. Prime minister ‘kickstart’ Vestager (R), budget – which is expected all residents in need of the deficit for 2012, Schmidt has said that these ursday – will forward leased in its entirety on Th will receive the same welfare projects will create 20,000 new jobs VK under-reported to spend more. But a time when support making it imprudent increase state spending at The Danish ConstrucEU’s finanincreased. But benefits. research: from 2012-2013.

Denmark will still meet the the budget deficit has despite Higher education and predicts 10,000. come from recial responsibility benchmarks, one billion tion Association where the money would The unpopular ‘mulUniversities will get an extra Tax break:meeting deficit, she added. costs as- a personal mained a mystery.

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by VK will be the larger over two years to cover kroner introduced tax’ items timedia budget increase A number of the new a predicted and sit inin on a class. by the pre- sociated with full-time MBA at CBS reinstate spending cuts made management general one-year The ip, and real-world experience. focuses on leadership, entrepreneurshhear how the MBA can giveprogram diverse and ally meeting internation personal a most Organise Scandinavia’s Join your career a new dimension. r 17:30-19:00 17th Novembe Thursday 3815 6022 or callfull-time MBA at CBS focuses on E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk Skills.

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AVE YOU ever felt a band has told me that they didn’t little daft when a Dan- use week numbers when he was ish person has asked you young, and in fact he doesn’t what you’re doing in say, use the system much now. That week seven? Yes? Well don’t wor- could be because it has taken a ry, you’re certainly not alone. I’ve long time to catch on in Denlived here for over ten years, and mark too, or it could be because I still don’t know when week 19 he comes from Jutland, and eveis … or week 32 for that matter. ryone knows that ‘those modWe’ve already booked our sum- ern fangled things’ take a long mer holiday and I know it’s in time to catch on the other side the first two weeks of July. But do of Storebæltsbroen (I write that I know which weeks those are? sentence safe in the knowledge Nope. Do I care? that my husband Not really, but it is unlikely to ever is beginning to read my column!) bug me when our The Danish Danish friends ask I write that week numbers are which weeks they officially based sentence safe in the on ISO number are.

Howe ve r, ‘the offiknowledge that my 8601: while there are cial international many things that husband is unlikely standard covering we do much betthe exchange of ter where I come to ever read my date and timefrom (cats eyes column related data’. This on the roads, for standard states: one), there are “Week 1 is the definitely a few I think Danes week with the year’s first Thurscould teach the rest of us, and day in it”, and could also be deI have to say, this week number scribed as “the week with January malarkey is precisely one of those 4 in it”. things because they’re actually I should mention this will be quite useful. my last community column. I’m The numbering of Danish leaving, in fact, because of a longweeks started in 1973. My hus- term project of my own - to see if

you can really ever be fully integrated into Danish society when you come from abroad. I’ve been milling around too long almost exclusively in the expat environment (much to my enjoyment, I should add), but I’ve finally come to realise I will be in this country for some time - at least until my children leave school. I think I need to get myself a job in a Danish environment, with some real-live Danish colleagues. With that in mind, I’ve decided to go back to Sprogskole and get my Studioprove, so that I can study at a Danish college ... in Danish!

Mad? Maybe, but I’m going to give it a go. I’ll get back to you in five years and tell you the results of my investigation.

In the meantime, here’s some simple advice on how to enjoy the rest of your stay in Denmark: • If you have time, learn some Danish. It helps to show you’re willing!

• Don’t expect Danes to be overly polite. They’re not.

• There are nice Danes and not-nice Danes, just the same as everywhere else.

• And do yourself a favour by buying yourself a Danish calendar with the week numbers printed on!

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

Teaching its students that business has a soul CLAUDIA SANTOS Searching for new ways to challenge yourself professionally? CBS’s full-time MBA programme might be just the boost you need

T

HERE ARE so many courses to choose from these days. It can be overwhelming deciding which direction to take, not to mention which fancy new course will look best on your CV. But after spending a whole day at CBS, it’s hard to believe that many can compete with their full-time MBA. Having spent the best part of my academic life in international settings, I welcomed the opportunity to check out a genuinely international MBA programme, which attracts on average 80 percent of its applicants from overseas.

When I arrived at CBS at 8:45am I received a warm welcome from Lee Milligan, the admissions manager, who made sure I felt comfortable and ready to spend the day observing his beloved MBA programme. He introduced me to Alejandro Espejel García (or Alex, as he is known by his peers), a student from Mexico City, who was to guide me throughout the day.

As I entered the classroom, I felt at ease. The atmosphere was just as I hoped: welcoming, relaxed, and humorous. The set-up was modern and practical, and the students seemed in good spirits, sitting in their comfortable chairs, socialising and waiting for the lecture to begin.

There were name-tags placed in front of most, displaying a wide array of nationalities and cultures.

“I think that the international profile of the programme is definitely one of its biggest assets,” enthused García. “We have all been working in industries where we have a lot of interac-

tion with different countries and cultures, so being able to gather here – and have a class where roughly 90 percent come from a different country – gives us the opportunity to really expand our horizons and understand different cultures.”

The professor, John Hayes, the author of the book everyone had in front of them (‘The Theory & Practise of Change Management’), was just as welcoming and equally energetic.

His teaching style was academic yet relaxed, allowing the students to challenge, comment and discuss. “Here we are dealing with strategy, leadership, culture, ethics and social responsibility,” continued García. “So there’s no right answer – that’s something that we have learned. There’s no black and white – it’s more about the grey, and understanding the shade of that grey.”

By the end of the first hour, I was wishing my professors had been more like Hayes, as even though business is not my cup of tea, I found myself enjoying the lecture and its dynamics. The students constantly shared their personal experiences, while keeping to the context of the subjects being discussed.

García later explained that Hayes is not an exception, as the CBS full-time MBA programme is blessed with professors of high calibre and dedication. “All of the professors are very well prepared; they know their field and they are experts in the subjects,” he said.

“One thing I have discovered and enjoyed is that they are not here to just give you a lecture and expect you to take notes; they become moderators in discussions between the class members, so we learn 50 percent from them and 50 percent from each other.”

Kai Groves, a student from the US, agreed. “I really like the way that they have done the programme here because there’s a wide mix not only of the students, in terms of nationalities and experiences, but also how the professors are really international

13

Kai Groves from the US, an avid fan of the MBA programme

as well,” he said. “We have had Danish professors, a professor from Kazakhstan, and the professor we have now from the UK [Hayes]. Also, a couple of our professors come from the US, so everybody comes from all over.”

The quality of the staff seems to be a standard that is universally maintained. “I’m always impressed by the quality of applicants that the MBA attracts,” observed Professor Hayes.

But it’s not all fun and games on the CBS full-time MBA programme. I had a chance to chat with several of the students, and their passion and determination was clear, though not expressed in the typical ‘cut-throat’ way often expected in the business world.

“You have to be on top of your game pretty much all the time. It’s a lot of work but the rewards are amazing,” contended Groves.

“And because the class size is kept so small, you develop these really close relationships, and you aren’t just a number, you’re a person. The entire programme is focused on developing people individually and through group work, so that you can go out and become a leader for change and be able to do what you want in the world. It really equips you in a short amount of time.”

García expressed similar feelings. “It has exceeded my expec-

Professors from various countries around the world came to teach in a truly international environment

tations on many levels,” he says.

“The programme is incredibly well organised, the quality of the lectures is really outstanding, and the class members are very well selected, in a way that we really complement each other.”

The dedication was palpable, as well as the camaraderie. I believe Groves described it best: “Those of us that have been a part of the programme are really enamoured by it and we just want the whole world to know about it.”

I left CBS feeling impressed and happy for the students on the programme. There was no doubting the sincerity of García when he described the MBA as “an excellent platform that can

Alejandro Espejel García (Alex), a student from Mexico City, helped guide the author during a day at the MBA programme held at CBS

help professionals who have the drive to achieve greater goals than they have done in the past, and to attain the skills they need to be outstanding professionals and leaders”.

CBS (Copenhagen Business School) offers a one-year MBA (Master of Business Administration) pro-

gramme aimed at ambitious business professionals – both Danish and international – starting in September each year. The highly respected programme selects 50 applicants per year and has earned a spot in the Top 100 of the Economist full-time MBA rankings of 2011. For more information, visit www.cbs.dk.

COMING UP SOON Pre-Valentine cocktail party Radisson BLU Scandinavia Hotel & Casino, Amager Boulevard 70, Cph S; Fri 10 Feb, 14:0004:30; tickets 275kr, 2694 7723 or bukloddenmark@yahoo.com The Filipino group BUKLOD and Casino Copenhagen invite you to their pre-Valentine party at the Casino Ballroom.

The night features a live Danish band and DJ Ernesto. Tickets include casino entrance, entrance to the party (20:0004:00) with a welcome drink, and cocktail/finger foods. It’s also possible to make a donation to the typhoon victims from the Philippines. MØ Super Bowl Party Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Ørestads Boulevard 114118, Cph S; Sun 5 Feb, 22:0004:00; members’ price 350kr, corporate table (for 10) 3,250kr, drinks not included; sign up at www.amcham.dk The yearly highlight for all American football fans is coming closer, so sign up now and spend Super Bowl night in great company, as AmCham Denmark and the Danish American Football Federation (DAFF) are inviting you and your friends to their 2012 Super Bowl Party.

The event includes an all-youcan-eat Super Bowl buffet, a free Budweiser beer, a live TV feed on big screens, and the possibility to win two return tickets to the US. You also have the chance to spend the night at

the hotel at a special ‘football’ discount. MØ Living the dream Damco International A/S, Dampfærgevej 21, Cph Ø; Tue 7 Feb, 18:30; 150kr, register at toniheisterberg@cis.dk or at www.europeanpwn.net/copenhagen Julie Hastrup, a successful crime author of three bestsellers, is delivering a talk to the European Professional Women’s Network about “living the dream”. The mother of two and 43-year-old journalist had dreamt about writing crime novels all her life, but a promising career at public broadcaster DR, along with starting a family, made the dream fade away. However, after giving birth to her second child, she realised that although she had a fantastic job, she still wanted to live her dream. She took the chance, put it all on the line and succeeded. MH Statskundskab - Danish political system SUND, Blegdamsvej 3B, Cph N; Mon 6 Feb, 19:00; 800kr The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic outline of Danish politics and the Danish political system to all interested parties. During this course, they’ll discuss both historical and current political developments in Denmark; the characteristics of the Danish political system at local, regional and central levels; its political ori-

gins; what challenges it faces; and how it differs from the political systems in other countries in Europe in general, and Scandinavia in particular. MH AirBnB party Odd Fellow Palæet, Palæet Bredgade 28, Cph K; Sat 11 Feb; free adm; www.bit.ly/airbnbcph AirBnB is an online service that matches people seeking vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations with those with rooms to rent. Because of their recent milestone of 5 million nights booked, they’re throwing a “huge party” on Saturday 11 February with DJs spinning, music blasting and drinks flowing. MH Theatre workshop Lynch Company, Dansens Hus, Pasteursvej 14; Cph V; Thu 16 Feb–Fri 17 Feb, 10:00 & Sat 18 Feb, 12:00; 700kr, register at mail@lynchcompany.dk; www. lynchcompany.dk Performance group Lynch Company presents a three-day intensive performance workshop, combining theatre, dance and psychology. The workshop will culminate in a 150-minute performance as part of the Vildskud Festival in August. If you want to participate, write to mail@lynchcompany.dk, enclosing a covering letter and your CV. The registration officially closes on 3 February. MH MALENE ØRSTED & MIKE HOFMAN

14

sport

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

Handball heroes complete unlikely turnaround to become masters of Europe Mikkel Hansen underlines his status as one of the world’s most outstanding players with four goals from as many attempts in the final ten minutes

D

It was an exhilirating moment as they lifted the trophy in front of a crowd of mostly muted Serbs

defeat of Germany to seal their place in the semis, in which they saw off Spain by a single goal.

Denmark’s gold medal follows a silver in the World Championship this time last year in Sweden, where they lost to France in the final, and a gold in the European Championship in 2008.

And as an added bonus, the win means Denmark have qualified for this year’s London Olympics. The women’s team, meanwhile, will need to come in the top two in a six-team qualifying event in May to join them.

CLAUS FISKER/Scanpix

espite looking like a lost cause heading into the second group stage of the European Handball Championship, Denmark embarked on a winning streak, culminating in a 21-19 defeat of hosts Serbia last Sunday to lift the trophy – their second in four years.

Denmark never let go of an advantage they held over the Serbs from the second minute. And early in the second half, they actually held an 11-7 lead, although this was quickly reduced to 1110 in just four minutes. In the end, they had to endure an incredibly tense final ten minutes as their opponents threatened to draw level - time and time again reducing the deficit to just one goal – and they probably would have failed had it not been for their star player.

Cometh the hour, cometh Mikkel Hansen, who produced a heroic performance when it mattered most to see Denmark home. As Serbia kept on threatening to draw level, it was Hansen the Danes turned too, and he didn’t let them down, firing in four goals from

four attempts in the 50th, 52nd, 54th and 59th minutes to maintain his side’s two-goal lead.

It was a vital effort against a previously unbeaten Serbian side, playing without a key player who had suffered an eye injury during the team’s fiercely fought semi-final against perennial rivals Croatia, who were equally clinical in front of goal. And with ten minutes to go, playing with a man advantage, they had looked the most likely winners.

But in the end they hadn’t reckoned on Hansen and it was he – after a dramatic goal from Rasmus Lauge Schmidt, who picked up his own rebound to blast a throw past the Serbian keeper in the 56th minute – who sealed the win with a breakaway effort with just 20 seconds on the clock remaining.

In all, Hansen scored nine goals from 13 shots in the final to finish the tournament with an overall 45 goals in eight games, placing him third on the goalscorers chart, a position that would have been higher had he not started the tournament in such inauspicious fashion.

With Hansen out-of-sorts in the opening games, Denmark qualified for the second group phase carrying two losses (after losing to Serbia and Poland) and knew they could not afford to lose again or they would be out. Wins over Macedonia, Germany and Sweden followed, but it still took an unlikely Polish

CLAUS FISKER/Scanpix

Ben Hamilton

Mikkel Hansen (left) played a blinder, scoring four goals in the last ten minutes

Qualification for 2015 gridiron world cup a realistic goal for national side Keegan Dresow Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday will once again be a well-watched TV spectacle as more and more Danes take an interest in a sport they are perfectly suited to play

A

s the National Football League readies itself for Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday between the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers – the de facto American sporting holiday of nachos, pizza, and beer – an evergrowing number of Danes will join the party. Although still a fringe sport in this country, its countrymen and other Scandinavians have had a historically significant impact on the sport, and the future of gridiron in Denmark is bright.

The current upswing in popularity of the sport in Denmark is largely attributed to the ‘Zulu effect’, named after the TV station that started airing NFL games more than a decade ago.

However, even before the sport took hold, it enjoyed a small yet loyal following in Denmark.

The Danish American Football Federation (DAFF) traces its origins to the late 1980s and has grown exponen-

tially since the first Mermaid Bowl (the Danish equivalent of the Super Bowl).

The DAFF now counts over 3,500 members and approximately 60 clubs, exhibiting growth that suggests that an even bigger explosion in popularity might be forthcoming. The Mermaid Bowl is now televised, which can only add to the popularity of the sport in Denmark.

Denmark is already ranked in the top 15 in the world, and with the 2015 International Federation of American Football Senior World Championship taking place in Stockholm, Denmark has an opportunity to show its prowess close to home, providing it qualifies for the 12-team tournament. Only four will come from Europe, and with Sweden guaranteed a spot as hosts, Denmark faces an uphill battle to crash the continent’s top tier of Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland and Great Britain.

While it is often remarked that the tall, strong, and athletic Danes have the perfect attributes to play sports more physically demanding than handball, their mental capabilities are often overlooked. As a nation, they are more likely to fight with tenacity and less likely to feign injury than many of their European counterparts. While not determina-

tive, this suggests a national identity of toughness that is an essential element of gridiron. Perhaps these traits are, in fact, more suited to American than European football.

If you are interested in watching a game, go and check one out in Denmark, where you can see the speed and physicality of the game the way it is supposed to be played – without the commercial breaks of the NFL. Those commercial breaks can slow the game to a grinding halt, and it isn’t hard to see why the NFL has had trouble expanding to a European market that isn’t accustomed to watching sporting events with such interruptions.

If you want to try playing the game, check out your local DAFF club on Super Bowl Sunday. Many of them are planning ‘rookie’ days, which will provide you with equipment, coaching, and a chance to play. You might never look back.

Enjoy the Super Bowl for all of its glitz and glamour and million dollar commercials, but also know that the international landscape is there for the picking. If Denmark embraces the sport, there is no reason to believe that they cannot excel. In a sport requiring strength, toughness and efficiency, Denmark might just be a perfect match.

Factfile | Norse influences in American football •

•

One of the most historically significant coaches in the history of the sport was Knute Rockne, a native Norwegian. Rockne’s exploits are well documented.

Born in Voss in 1888, he moved to Chicago at a young age, and eventually turned Notre Dame University football into one of most iconic sporting symbols in America. He revolutionised several aspects of the sport - from the pre-snap shift to the forward pass – and still has the highest winning percentage of any major college or professional American football coach, winning 102 games, losing only 12, and drawing five. When he died in a plane crash at the age of 43, President Herbert Hoover called his passing “a national loss”, and King Haakon VII of Norway attended his funeral.

The Minnesota Vikings were named to reflect Minnesota’s status as a centre of Scandinavian culture in America. Certainly, the image of the historical Vi-

•

•

•

king – powerful and dominant – translates perfectly to American football.

The most well known native Dane in American football remains Morten Andersen. Born in Copenhagen and raised in Jutland, Andersen was a star youth athlete in Denmark before using his powerful left leg to embark on a 25-year NFL career. Noone in NFL history has scored more points or played in more games.

Many Americans with Danish roots have made their mark as players. This ranges from Merlin Olsen, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams, to Greg Olsen, the ultraathletic tight end currently playing for the Carolina Panthers.

It doesn’t take long to find a Danish surname when watching American football, whether it be in the NFL, or in the traditionally Danish-rich major college teams in Utah, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Sports news and briefs Woz one, now four

Betting’s always risky

Seven-medal Olympic goal

Bjørn back on song

Pakistan eyes Danish talent

Wozzilroy wedding odds

Caroline Wozniacki has fallen three places in the world rankings to number four following her elimination from the Australian Open last month at the quarter-final stage. Aussie Open winner Victoria Azarenka is the new top seed, followed by Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova.

Many users of the gaming site Bet24, one of many to be granted licences to operate in Denmark this year, have been notified that their passwords, phone numbers, email addresses and birth dates might have been stolen. However, those who have set up accounts since 31 October 2009 are apparently not at risk.

Team Danmark has set itself a goal of seven medals at the Olympics, the same number it won in 2008. Overall, it believes it will be in contention to win 20-22 medals, but that seven was a “realistic” expectation. Badminton, cycling, handball, rowing, sailing, swimming and tennis were picked out as their best hopes.

Thomas Bjørn finished third equal at the Abu Dhabi Championship, which ended on Sunday. He shot a third round 65 to storm up the leaderboard on Saturday, followed by a 68. His compatriot Thorbjørn Olesen led the tournament at the halfway stage, but fell back over the weekend to finish eighth.

Pakistan’s Serbian national football coach Zavisa Milosavljevic is looking for talented players in Denmark to boost the country’s flagging form. His side are ranked a lowly 179 in the world and have never qualified for the Asian Cup, let alone the World Cup, which it entered for the first time 24 years ago.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is offering 7/2 about Caroline Wozniacki marrying her golfer boyfriend Rory McIlroy in 2012. If she does, hopefully the union will last longer than her relationship with coach Ricardo Sanchez, which Ekstra Bladet claims has ended after just ten weeks.

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

3 - 9 February 2012

15

Nation’s high consumer price levels set off debate COLOURBOX

RAY WEAVER Chamber of Commerce argues that report showing Denmark’s groceries to be twice as expensive as Sweden’s is “worthless”, while consumer advocacy group says politicians need to act on high prices

T

HE DANISH Chamber of Commerce says that an investigative report last week by freesheet 24timer is bogus. The paper ran a front page story alleging that a trolley full of groceries cost half as much in Sweden as it does in Denmark.

The chamber called the paper’s conclusions “worthless”.

The 24timer analysis compared prices between Bilka in Denmark and the Swedish warehouse store Gekås.

“The prices they reported have nothing to do with actual price differences between Denmark and Sweden,” Geert Laier Christensen, an analyst with the chamber, said. “They chose random goods from a very specific shop 200 kilometres from Copenhagen.”

Christensen said that a report from the Nielsen Institute shows that when measured over six months, the price for everyday

Eurostat statistics show Denmark is well above other European countries when it comes to consumer prices

groceries in Denmark is actually lower than in Sweden.

“If you compare real prices, sales and selection, you get a completely different result than just randomly choosing products,” he said.

Henrik Hyltoft, the chamber’s marketing director, said that 24timer was engaged in questionable journalism.

“Stories like those 24timer has published over the last few days cause irritation and confusion in the industry,” Henrik Hyltoft, the chamber’s marketing director, told The Copenhagen Post. “The Danish media should not be engaging in this kind of bottom-of-the-barrel journalism.”

Martin Salamon, from the

consumer advocacy organisation Forbrugerrådet, however, disagreed with the chamber’s conclusions.

“Consumer prices in Denmark are too high and politicians need to address the problem,” Salamon said on the organisation’s website.

“Consumers can also affect quality and prices by ‘voting

SAS loses six billion kroner on Spanair PETER STANNERS Scandinavian Airlines’ 10.9 percent stake in Spanair rendered worthless after airline files for bankruptcy

S

AS HAS lost six billion kroner on airline Spanair after it filed for bankruptcy on Friday – 4.9 billion from its purchase and 1.4 billion from the bankruptcy.

Spanair cancelled all of its

flights after the bankruptcy declaration, leaving thousands of passengers stranded over the weekend and even more with worthless tickets, although there is hope that credit card purchases of Spanair tickets might still be refunded.

SAS’s losses in the company are not expected to affect the service of its own flights, however, but shareholders should expect the company to post a large deficit this year.

After Spanair filed for bank-

ruptcy, SAS’s management released a profit warning stating that SAS would be writing off 1.4 billion kroner on Spanair, and that liquidity will be reduced by between 160 and 250 million kroner.

SAS owns 10.9 percent of Spanair but its stake is now effectively worthless. Sture Stølen, head of SAS group investor relations, told check-in.dk that the new losses come from writing off loans and debts for the Spanish airline.

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

5.79

5.49

7.33

0.07

0.18

0.81

6.04

8.73

5.55

Buy

6.32

6.93

7.56

0.07

0.20

0.85

6.24

9.08

5.81

with their Dankort’. If they continue shopping at places charging high prices for poor quality goods, things will not improve.”

Higher taxes and wages are often cited as being causes of higher prices in Denmark.

Rasmus Kjeldahl, Forbrugerrådet’s director, said that higher costs are only part of the problem and that the greater issue is a lack of competition in the Danish marketplace.

“We have heard the supermarket’s explanation about taxes and fees time after time, but it simply does not work any more as the only explanation for the high prices in Denmark,” Kjeldahl told 24timer.

Kjedahl said his group was confused by the lack of interest on the part of politicians in what he sees as a serious problem.

“We are talking about a lot of money, and it would be good for everyone if there was more competition.”

Per Østergaard Jacobsen, a consumer lecturer at Copenhagen Business School, agreed that grocery prices are too high in Denmark and pointed to the massive amount that supermarkets pay for advertising as a big part of the reason.

“Retail marketing in Denmark has increased significantly

over the past five years,” Jacobsen told 24timer. “They send out significantly more flyers.”

Jacobsen said that suppliers spend seven billion kroner annually on flyers and other ad campaigns for supermarkets, and those costs are paid for by consumers.

Suppliers also finance millions of kroner worth of discounts offered to supermarket chains on items like computers and CDs by raising the price on groceries and other daily necessities.

Statistics from the European Union’s Eurostat show that grocery prices in Denmark are not only higher than those in Sweden, they are the highest in the entire EU. The idea that it costs less to shop in Sweden is not a new one. Some will recall the online shopping website prissmart.dk that appeared in 2009 promising to deliver goods “at Swedish prices” to customers throughout Denmark. The company purchased products at lower prices in Sweden and trucked them into Denmark. Danish supermarkets questioned the legality of the enterprise and customers complained about the poor quality and service. The company apparently shut down early in 2010 and their website no longer exists.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

Whisky tasting, 10 February 2012

BCCD are organising a whisky tasting evening on Friday 10 February, where you will have the chance to meet other BCCD members and their partners in a more relaxed setting, while sampling some of Scotland’s finest.

Whisky experts from Whiskymessen will guide you through the tasting of 7 different Single Malts from a bottler in Perthshire called Signatory: • • • • • • •

Glendullan Blackadder Raw Cask Glenlivet Signatory 46% Smoked! Islay Single Malt 50% Kilchoman Islay 46% Bunnahabhain Adelphi Islay Cask Strength Glendronach Balvenie 12

There will also be tasting maps, and Highland Spring Water available to help you make the most of the evening.

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

Date: 1 February 2012

BUSINESS NEWS AND BRIEFS Unemployment dropping

Sick leave extended

Banks tops in handouts

FIGURES from Statistics Denmark show that the amount of unemployed workers fell by 1,100 from November to December, leaving 160,500 people still out of work, or about 6.1 percent of the work force. Unemployment numbers also dropped between October and November, suggesting a trend underlying the statistics.

THE AILING chairman of AP Møller-Mærsk, Nils Smedegaard Andersen, is not scheduled to return to work until April. Andersen underwent heart-valve surgery shortly before the new year, and doctors have now recommended he take more time to recover than initially expected.

NEW FIGURES from the European Commission put Denmark near the top of the list for using state support for its banks – a policy proscribed by the EU. The comparative numbers suggest that Danish banks are among the EU’s worst at weathering the economic crisis without bailouts from taxpayers, reports Ugebrevet A4.

Price: 350DKK inc MOMS for Members and their guests, or 400DKK inc MOMS for non-members.

Location: Copenhagen Marriott Hotel, Kalvebod Brygge 5, 1560 København V NB: You will not be able to drive after the evening, so please make sure you arrange alternate transport home. The nearest train Station is København H. Alternatively you may wish to take a look at the special offers at the Marriott on our website.

Non-members are very welcome. Please contact BCCD or go to www.bccd.dk for further information

If you would like to attend then please send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58 • official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

16

THE COPENHAGEN POST THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE

PARTNERS:

3 - 9 February 2012

SPOUSE: Momina Bashir Awan FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: MBA (Degrees Assessed by Danish Agency for International Education).

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CONTACT: rita.vaz.paulo@gmail.com, Tel: +45 2961 9694 SPOUSE: Jawon Yun-Werner FROM: South Korea SEEKING WORK IN: Healthcare, Hospitals, Elderly/Child Care (in Greater Copenhagen Area).

QUALIFICATION: B.A. in Nursing, Masters in Public Health. I am AUTHORIZED to work as a Nurse in Denmark. (have Danish CPR and work permit).

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IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SASS Statistical Software CONTACT: cuteago@yahoo.com +45 30 95 20 53 SPOUSE: Ying Yuan FROM: China SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Medical Degree & Master in Human Nutrition.

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IT EXPERIENCE: I am experienced in Statistical software SPSS and MINITAB, Nutritional software NetWISP/WISP. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese, English and Danish.

CONTACT: yuanying118@hotmail.com, +45 31 36 92 58 SPOUSE: Debjani Nandy Biswas FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Would like to join in kindergarten, School teacher in English, official work in English.

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CONTACT: www.stephaniekinch.com or http://dk.linkedin.com/in/stephaniekinch SPOUSE: Katarzyna Szkaradek FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Mental hospitals, voluntary(Ngo) organisations, kindergartens, nurseries, babysitting QUALIFICATION: Ma in Psychology (2008), post graduate studies in psychotherapy (4th year/ 5 year).

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From January 2010 till August 2010 I worked independly in private practice. For the last 2 years (January ,2009 -October, 2010) I worked with children (also with special needs -Autism, Asperger, Down syndrome etc) and their families as a psychologist. My duties included organizing games, monitoring children’s development , consulting teachers and parents where appropriate and providing individual therapy. For the last 10 years I was member of NGO organisation and I was a volunteer in Israel, Italy, Portugal and Romania.

LOOKING FOR: Internship in mental hospitals, part –time or full time jobs in kindergartens, nurseries, job as a babysitter, voluntary job in hospitals.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English–advance level (C1), Danish – (module 3 /module 5), Polish-native speaker IT EXPERIENCE: MS Windows, basic MS Office, Internet.

CONTACT: szkasienka@gmail.com tlf. 50828802 SPOUSE: Himani Kanwarpal FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Århus/ Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Completed Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and communication in the 2005 EXPERIENCE: I worked with Dell International Services India for 1 yr and 5 months as a Technical support agent. Thereafter, I was with SAP Labs from March 2007 till June 2011, where I worked on functional topics like SAP SCM F&R, SAP IS- Retail and SAP SCM APO DP. The profile mainly comprised of customizing and configuring SAP systems and also testing various scenarios. I also conducted training on functional topics and SAP’s automation tool called eCATT. LOOKING FOR: Full Time, part time, intern etc.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, learning Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: Worked with SAP Labs for 4 yrs and 3 months and have functional experience with modules like: SAP IS Retail, SAP SCM F&R, SAP SCM APO DP. Worked with DELL International Services as a Technical Support associate.

CONTACT: himani.kanwarpal@gmail.com SPOUSE: Isaac P Thomas FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: East Juthland preferably Århus QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science).

EXPERIENCE:Process Consulting, Quality Assurance, CMMI, ISO, Quality Audit, Process Definition, Software testing, software development, data analysis, best practice sharing, quality gap analysis LOOKING FOR: Process Consulting, Quality Assurance, CMMI, ISO, Quality Audit, Process Definition LANGUAGE SKILLS: Danish beginner, english, malayalam, hindi tamil.

IT EXPERIENCE: 8 years experence in IT Industry in software quality assurance, software quality control, software development.

CONTACT: isaacpthomas@gmail.com, +4552225642 SPOUSE: Clotilde IMBERT FROM: France SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen Qualification: Master of town planning and development and master of urban geography (Paris IVSorbonne) EXPERIENCE: 5 years in field of town planning and development: - Coordinator in urban project in a semi-public company: supervised a major urban project in Paris area (coordination of studies, acquisition of lands, worked with Planning Development of the Town Council, architects, developers to define the master plan and implement the project...); - Officer in research and consultancy firm (urban diagnosis, environmental impact assessments, inhabitants consultation...).

LOOKING FOR: a job in urban project field : planning department of Town Council or consultancy firm in town planning, environment and sustainable development, architecture firm, real estate development company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: French (mother tongue), English (professional usage), Spanish (basic), Danish (in progress).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, Abode Illustrator, AutoCad (basic), PC and Mac. CONTACT: clotilde.imbert@gmail.com

THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE 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: 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: 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: S.M. Ariful Islam FROM: Bangladesh SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: PhD student (2nd year) in Language Policy and Practice in Aalborg University, MA in Bilingualism, MA in English Linguistics, BA in English.

EXPERIENCE: 18 months as a University lecturer in English in Bangladesh. Taught advanced grammar, four skills (listening, speaking, reading & writing), ELT courses, Second Language theories, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics.

LOOKING FOR: A position of English teacher/lecturer in English Medium Schools, Colleges and Universities.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Bengali (mother tongue), English (second language), Danish (fluent), Hindi and Urdu (Spoken) and Swedish (basic).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: Mail: ariful@id.aau.dk, arif401@yahoo.com, mobile: +45 42778296

PARTNERS:

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: Monika Sysiak FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen / eastern Zealand QUALIFICATION: Master degree in Environmental Engineering from Cracow University of Technology. Major in Water Supply, Sewage and Waste Treatment and Water Quality Protection.

Completed one semester in Environmental Engineering at Engineering College of Aarhus.

EXPERIENCE: Internship during studies in designing water supply systems and sewerage systems.

LOOKING FOR: Graduation programme, internship, training, part time or full time job related to mymqualifications.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (mother tongue), English (fluent), Danish (starting).

IT-EXPERIENCE: AutoCAD, MOUSE DHI, MS Windows, MS Office.

CONTACT: EMAIL: monikasysiak@gmail.com; phone: +45 50 43 70 43 SPOUSE: Sarah Andersen FROM: United Kingdom SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: BA Honours Design Management.

EXPERIENCE: Creative and versatile Project manager with experience of working in both agency and client environments on projects including; digital, print and event management. Worked with a range of international clients, including Panasonic and Disney. Previously employed by NMA Top 100 Digital Agencies and D&AD Awards in London. Able to manage projects from concept to production and to meet tight deadlines.

LOOKING FOR: Digital Project Manager or Event Production Manager (full, part time or freelance) LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (native), enrolled for Danish language class.

IT EXPERIENCE: Office, Project, Visio, FTP and CMS. CONTACT: www.sarahandersen.net for portfolio, CV and contact SPOUSE: Dolon Roy FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Sjælland QUALIFICATION: Masters in Science(Chemistry), BEd. (Teacher training course).

EXPERIENCE: St. John Diocessan School February-May 2005, Kolkata, India. The Assembly of God Church School April-May 2006, Kolkata, India. Disari Public School June 2006-October 2007, India.

Research project work Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen University, March-July 2009.

LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time work teaching in primary,secondary or higher school level (Chemistry, Mathematics, Science).

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Bengali, Danish (modul 3/modul 5).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft office.

CONTACT: dolonroy2005@yahoo.com. Mob: +45 60668239

SPOUSE: Isabel Douglass FROM: USA SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: My lessons are organized, fun, and based around your individual needs! My role as your private tutor is to provide you with the information you need, to keep you on schedule with your educational goal, and to provide lessons that fit your learning style. In addition, I aim to keep you excited to learn by introducing interesting material such as news articles, movie clips, and song lyrics.

EXPERIENCE: 5 years of experience.

LOOKING FOR: English Teaching LANGUAGE SKILLS: Native English Speaker CONTACT: isabeldouglass@gmail.com Phone: 60653401 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: Lena Schulz zur Wiesch FROM: Berlin, Germany SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen and Capital Region.

QUALIFICATION: Cand. scient. pol. from the Humboldt-University Berlin and London School of Economics.

EXPERIENCE: Seven years work experience from the German Parliament (EU-consultant) and as distinguished research associate at the Humboldt-University (urban planning). Strong analytical and inter-cultural skills. Team-worker.

LOOKING FOR: Jobs in consulting, public administration, politics, NGOs, international institutions or companies.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English, Spanish, French, Danish (all fluently).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Office, CMS. CONTACT: lenaszw@web.de

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.

Biotech Job Vacancies Ferring

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Global Regulatory Affairs Manager, Global Regulatory Affairs Sourcing Specialist

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Lundbeck Personal Assistant Experienced Toxicologist – Non-clinical development of Biologic ASP.NET developer Market Analyst Regulatory Affairs Manager Process Specialist – Sourcing Development

Leo-Pharma Business Objects Data Warehouse Specialist for Corporate IT Business Intelligence Group Head of Department - Global Regulatory & Medical Information Experienced Publication Manager with a great business understanding needed Head of DMPK and Safety IT Application Specialist for SAP HR application Senior Patient Innovation Manager Junior/student assistant to Corporate Sales Force Excellence – 6 months contract Corporate Trainer, Corporate Training & Development

For more information, deadlines and other job vacancies visit our webpage www.cphpost.dk/jobvacancies Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

18

culture

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

Claudia Santos What do a Danish bodybuilder, a pro-Putin activist and a US billionaire’s family have in common? Brilliant Danish filmmaking, according to the world’s leading independent film festival

Ruang Rungruang

Trio of home-grown films take Sundance Festival by storm

D

enmark has won three awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which revealed its 2012 roll of honour over the weekend in Utah. The haul included the gong for best director of an international feature film, which was claimed by Mads Matthiesen for his debut ‘10 timer til paradis’ (Teddy Bear).

The award could not have been better timed for Matthiesen, one of five Danish nominees at the festival, as his film came out at Danish cinemas last Thursday.

Starring real-life bodybuilder Kim Kold, the film follows the story of Dennis, a 38-year-old bodybuilder who lives alone with his mother, whom he shares an interesting relationship with. Hoping to find love, Dennis decides to try his luck in Thailand.

The other Danish winners, Lise Birk Pedersen’s ‘Putin’s Kiss’ and Lauren Greenfield’s ‘The Queen of Versailles’, won the awards for best photography in

Dennis (Kim Kold) is a 38-year-old bodybuilder who had never found love until he visited Thailand

the international documentary category (Lars Skree) and best director in the US documentary category respectively.

“I am very surprised and proud to win this award”, Matthiesen told Det Danske Filminstitut, which provided support to all three of the award winners.

Matthiesen last visited Sundance in 2008 with his short film ‘Den-

nis’, on which ‘Teddy Bear’ is based, and he noted that “Sundance has in many ways been where it all started.”

‘Putin’s Kiss’ enjoyed its world premiere in the main competition at Amsterdam’s IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival), while the Danish premiere took place on January 19. The film follows Masha Drokova, a

Russian woman who works for a pro-Putin youth organisation.

‘The Queen of Versailles’ is a Danish/US documentary coproduced by Denmark’s Mette Heide. It was the opening film of the festival. Depicting the rise and fall of an American billionaire’s family, the film is an exploration of the realities involved in achieving the American Dream.

Meanwhile, Mads Brügger’s ‘The Ambassador’ about the shady dealings of diplomacy and Omar Shargawi’s ‘1/2 Revolution’, an eye-witness account of the Arab Spring in Cairo, were well received, but failed to win awards. Shargawi’s film was originally going to be about Egyptian street kids, but then he got caught up in the events that changed the

Magnet Releasing

Who is ... Clement Kjersgaard?

DR/Bjarne Bergius Hermansen

victoria steffensen He is a journalist and TV presenter.

Where will I have seen him?

He is currently presenting his aptly-named series ‘Clement Sondag’ on DR1, in which he interviews people currently in the news. It airs on … you guessed it … Sunday evenings.

Nicolas Winding Refn shooting his film ‘Bronson’

“Who? You’re winding me up” ben hamilton ‘Drive’ director turned down by British cult sci-fi series ‘Dr Who’

Y

ou would have thought the success of cult hit movie ‘Drive’ had opened doors for Nicolas Winding Refn, but not at the BBC, reports Shortlist, a British entertainment website.

According to Refn, he expressed an interest to the UK’s state broadcaster last year about directing some episodes of ‘Dr Who’, a long-running sci-fi series that is one of the BBC’s most profitable exports.

“I would have loved to direct ‘Dr Who’ but they didn’t want me — they turned me down last year,” he told the website.

Refn then went on to reveal how he also fancied directing another cult British sci-fi series,

this time from the late 1970s and early 80s.

“Maybe if they revive ‘Blake’s 7’, I could do that,” he said. “I love it. It’s great. That could be fun to update.”

Refn is no stranger to British cinema and television. In 2008 he directed the acclaimed ‘Bronson’, a biopic about a career prisoner who takes pride in being known as ‘Britain’s most dangerous man’, and in 2007 he filmed an episode of ‘Marple’ – so the BBC’s disinterest is a mystery, indeed, that even St Mary Mead’s finest might have trouble solving.

Although it might have something to do with a live interview Refn gave in September about ‘Drive’ on the BBC’s flagship breakfast programme in which he said: “Violence is very easy to work with because it’s a bit like f**king”.

But I don’t speak Danish, so I doubt I’ve seen him.

You might have seen him whilst channel hopping, and he’s instantly recognisable.

How so?

He has a rather pronounced bottom lip.

I thought that was Jens Olaf Jersild.

No, that would be the man who discusses political issues after the news on Thursday evenings.

But he has remarkable lips too.

That’s right. It seems that DR – in a bid to not fall foul of any discrimination rules – has chosen people whom would, without doubt, be consigned to the realms of radio presenting in the US or the UK. Good for DR, I say!

I totally agree with you.

Is he any good?

He’s very good. He asks his guests questions that other presenters might shy away from. In fact he told B.T. tabloid that he finds most other television boring be-

world forever.

And also in hot demand at Sundance was Danish actor Thure Lindhardt (‘Brotherhood’, ‘Angels & Demons’), whose performance in Ira Sachs’ drama ‘Keep the Lights On’, a drama that follows a ten-year gay romance between a German and an American in New York, is earning plaudits from viewers and critics alike.

The Copenhagen Post text 45 Quick Crossword No 382 No 382

cause journalists are simply too polite. He received last year’s Publicistprisen, an award for contribution to the media world, presented by the National Press Club of Denmark.

What’s his background?

He’s a bit of a clever clogs. In 1994 he graduated from the United World College in Hong Kong, after which he went to no less than Oxford University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics and economy! Not content with that, he went on to get a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Copenhagen!

Has he interviewed anyone famous?

Aside from the many ‘famous’ Danish people, he has also interviewed John McCain, Madeleine Albright and Desmond Tutu.

Family??

Yes, he has a son of seven, whom he showers with attention (says he). However, his record as a boyfriend isn’t so good, having walked out of the mother of his son, when the child was just a month old!

Down

Across 7.

8.

9.

10.

12.

15.

18.

19.

21.

22.

Unconcealed (5) Voter (7) Go before (7) Nimble (5) Colony (10) Irritate greatly (10) S. American dance (5) Caretaker (7) Stern (7) Chooses (5)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

11.

13.

14.

16.

17.

20.

Self-satisfied (10) Discourage (5) Inflamed eye-lid (4) Up-to-date (6) Deteriorating (8) Hits (7) Undertaking (10) In a job (8) Serious (7) Din (6) Adhere (5) Absorbed (4)

Post Quick Crossword No 381 Across: 7 Origin; 8 Compel; 10 Besides; 11 Title; 12 None; 13 Topic; 17 Spoil; 18 Solo; 22 Antic; 23 Thought; 24 Paltry; 25 Quiver.

Down: 1 Combine; 2 Dissent; 3 Finds; 4 Contain; 5 Spite; 6 Alter; 9 Associate; 14 Spectre; 15 Forgive; 16 Contort; 19 Happy; 20 Still; 21 Bogus.

Denmark through the looking glass The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

3 - 9 February 2012

19

The day the graphics died: how Ib touched his country deep inside Anyone who learnt the alphabet reading ‘Halfdans ABC’ will mourn the passing of its illustrator Ib Spang Olsen last month

T

enduring union to fellow artist Nulle Øigaard. One of his children, Lasse, is a film director and in 2005 started to film a documentary about his father, ‘Det er med hjertet man ser’ (You see with your heart), which was recently shown on DR between Christmas and New Year (and is downloadable at dr.dk/nu). The film is an honest portrait of a man who made a drawing a day for many, many years.

Olsen’s position as his country’s most successful and beloved illustrator became even clearer after his death. “It was you, Ib, who brought colour into my childhood. Rest in peace,” said one commenter on Politiken newspaper’s website the day after Olsen’s death.

It was indeed the day the graphics died.

ib spang olsen

Look away now kids! Examples of Olsen’s more adult work

Marie Hald/scanpix

Forlaget Carlsen

he man who coloured in the childhoods of most Danish people alive today is dead. The multitalented Ib Spang Olsen, who recently passed away at the age of 90, was one of Denmark’s most noted storytellers – but he is probably best known for his drawings in ‘Halfdans ABC’, a book that most Danes growing up over the last 40 years have used to learn to their alphabet.

He belonged to a new generation of illustrators – together with Egon Mathiesen and Svend Otto S – who were highly inspired by Soviet picture book art and had a tendency to include political issues in their work.

But while his talent was a vast palette of nuances, it is for his work in children’s books that he is best remembered.

Most bookshelves in Danish playrooms and children’s rooms will contain at least one book with his illustrations or scribblings – and the admiration was mutual as Olsen was particularly fond of telling stories to children.

Olsen was born in Østerbro, Copenhagen in 1921, and his upbringing was a modest one. Nevertheless, it was a time that resonated with him, and throughout his career he returned to his childhood memory bank for inspiration for his humorous and often borderline grotesque pencil drawings of everyday life, be it alley cats, playing children or hard-working mothers in kitchen windows.

Olsen’s colourful life as an illustrator began in 1942 as a paper cartoonist at trade union publication SocialDemokraten – today’s Aktuelt – in the Hjemmets Søndag section. This marked the beginning of a very busy

career, in which he did around a drawing a day for publication in newspapers, books, and comics, and also for TV and posters.

While his talent was one that couldn’t be taught, he did find time to study, attending the Copenhagen Art Academy and the Graphic School from 1945-1949, and his career actually included a spell as a teacher, at Bernadotteskolen from 1952-1961. He was very much a freelancer!

While Olsen’s preferred working method usually included a pencil, he also used plenty of other different drawing techniques. He used zincography until the end of the 1950s, after which he started using heliographics that made it possible to print the original graphic in book prints and offset. He used his knowledge of different techniques to work in a broad range of different picture genres, from natural observations to book illustrations. And while Olsen is mostly known for his illustrations, he also tried his hand at making ceramics and sculptures, and other indoor furnishings.

His work was rewarded with several prizes, amongst others the HC Andersen Medal for his drawings, the Ministry of Culture’s children’s book prize three times, and also Gyldendal’s children’s book prize in 2008. You can see some of his work in his gallery that’s placed in one of the small pavilions that encircles the King’s Garden in Copenhagen. Here you can also buy a broad selection of his works.

As Olsen grew older, his production lessened, although he still remained active until the end. Meanwhile, he had other things to occupy his time. He was the chairman of the Ministry of Culture’s working group about children and culture from 1982-1990, and a member of the Academia Council, which is part of the Royal Danish Art Academy.

He also had four children – Tine and Tune from his first marriage, and Lasse and Martin from his second and

Forlaget Carlsen

Malene Ørsted

Illustrator Ib Spang Olsen, who has died at the age of 90

Halfdans ABC is beloved the country over for Olsen’s illustrations and Halfdan Rasmussen’s nonsense rhymes (see top photo) for each letter of the alphabet

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

t r o p s a y a l p o t t Wan

e l p o e p w e n t e e and m

while you’re in Denmark?

Come to Expat Sporting Sunday on February 12 and try what the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI) has to offer you and your whole family.

All activities are free!

You can try: ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

Rough & Tumble Panna Table Tennis What is Your Body Age? The Great Outdoors Yoga for Teens & Adults Yoga for Kids Ultimate Frisbee Roller Board Hockey Bhangra Pilates Rugby Union & Touch Rugby ACT (total body training) Shooting Gallery Fun & Games Capoeira

Register for these activities & learn more at www.cphpost.dk

Expat in Denmark

Everyone is welcome! Come and spend an exciting day full of activity and amusement, and meet some of the local sports clubs that you can join.

What: Free sports activities for everyone – adults, teens, tweens & kids When: Sunday, February 12, from 10.00-16.00 Where: DGI-byen, Tietgensgade 65, 1704 Copenhagen V (next to Central Station) Arranged by DGI and The Copenhagen Post in co-operation with Expat in Denmark

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