The Copenhagen Post

Receiving packages can cost you a fortune

Five years on and Jagtvej 69 is still a burning issue

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9 - 15 March 2012 | Vol 15 Issue 10

Charlottenborg exhibition bares it all

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NEWS

Marriage laws need an “update” to make divorce quicker and easier, social affairs minister says

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NEWS

English earlier?

Schools are considering teaching English to kids as young as six, saying it gives them an edge

5 NEWS

Fired up!

The return of Uganda’s infamous ‘Kill the Gays’ bill puts Danish financial support in question

Fans’ behaviour at Superliga opener gets politicians hot under the collar

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COMMUNITY

Minister defends controversial sugar tax proposal

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Critics argue a sugar tax would increase the consumption of unhealthy artificially sweetened foods

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HE GOVERNMENT is hoping to reduce the amount of sugar Danes consume by taxing sugar in a manner similar to last year’s introduction of a saturated fat tax.

Defending the proposal on Monday night on public broadcaster DR’s news programme ‘Deadline’, the acting health minister, Pia Olsen Dyhr, said that the sugar tax would encourage Danes to move to healthier foods while also raising money that could be invest-

ed in the public health system. ment would have to commission a study Questions remain, however, over to see if consumers would really simply whether the tax would lead people to seek out artificially-sweetened products simply consume more products contain- if sugar were taxed. ing artificial sweeteners, which some Further criticism of both the sugar studies have demonstrated can cause and fat tax was aired by Joan Preisler, diabetes and increase the risk of stroke. a health consultant for supermarket “There seems to be a portion of society group FDB. who become hungry from experiencing a “People won’t immediately change sweet taste without sugar entering the their habits. Meat will still be the focus bloodstream, and that could make people of their meal, and by not cutting down eat more of the wrong food to tackle the on that, they simply end up with less hunger,” Arne Astrup, a professor in nutri- money to buy the healthier food,” Pretion at Landbohøjskole, said on the pro- isler said. “The people who are the most gramme. “There are also studies that show in need of becoming healthier are going an increased risk of strokes from consum- to be hit hard by this tax and are not going these artificial sweeteners.” ing to become healthier.”

Dyhr said she could notOrganise respond to a personal Dyhr admitted that it was problemmeeting these allegations and that and the governaticathat the people who suffered the sit in on class.

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greatest health risks associated with the overconsumption of sugar and fat were also society’s poorest. But she added that the taxes would prove an opportunity for consumers to find healthier alternatives in their diet – by buying chicken instead of sausages, for instance.

“We need to get to the core of the issue, which is that we have a health challenge in Denmark, not only with tobacco and alcohol, but also with sugar and fat and we also need to exercise more,” Dyhr said. “If we just sit around and don’t do anything about it, the statistics will show that Danes will continue to die earlier than their neighbours.”

Critics of both the sugar and fat

Sugar tax continues on page 5

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Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

9 - 15 March 2012 Coloourbox/Boris Maslard

Pain at the pump

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK US snubs out legal cigar transaction Still Adjusting | In defence of the Danes 1,000 strong: Don’t ACTA fool Police vow to jail 300 gang members in 2012 Cycle faster, live longer

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Denmark opens its first ballet school for boys.

FIVE YEARS AGO. Police look on as demolition crews tear down the former Ungdomshuset youth centre.

ONE YEAR AGO. The Confederation of Danish Industry calculated Copenhagen commuters spend an average of 29 minutes travelling to or from work and could save four billion kroner a year if they cut their travelling time by five minutes.

Petrol prices equalled an all-time high on Monday when a litre of petrol reached 13.39 kroner at Statoil, due largely to growing tensions with Iran

thing else over the past ten years,” Ekstra Bladet tabloid’s editor-inchief Poul Madsen told Politiken newspaper. “There is not much left to discuss in the integration and Islam debate, which has been going at full throttle since the end of the 90s,” Fatih Allev, the head of the Danish Islamic Center, wrote in Politiken.

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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Quotas

The European Union is closer to introducing mandatory quotas for the number of women on company boards. Currently, only one in seven board members at Europe’s largest companies are women. “It is no secret that in countries where there are legal quotas the figures have grown substantially,” the EU justice

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

commissioner, Viviane Reding (pictured), said. A Danish Chamber of Commerce survey taken in connection with the discussion of quotas indicated that men are more interested in management positions than women, while 52 percent said that “interested in management” is a statement best attributed to men.

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

Scanpix/keld navntoft

In 2006, the peak of the Mohammed cartoon crisis, the national newspapers wrote an average of 14 articles a day on Islam and integration. Five years later, that number has halved, figures from Infomedia show. “Clearly people have had enough of Islam and integration, since we’ve hardly talked or written about any-

Scanpix/Georges gobet

Colourbox

Enough

CORRECTION Contrary to last week’s sports section, Hassan Bashir plays for Svebølle not Hellerup IK

Royal drama

Ballet dancers and actors at the Royal Theatre mistrust the management and have gone to the board of directors with their complaints. In July 2011, an internal report revealed that ballet dancers had problems with both the Royal Theatre’s managing director, Erik Jacobsen, and particularly the Royal Ballet’s artistic

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director, Nikolaj Hübbe, who was accused of rage, harassment and cocaine abuse. But the ballet dancers’ union dismissed the complaint, and management promised to improve. But after the recent round of lay-offs and a complete lack of improvement from management, the dancers are reported to be close to revolt.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

9 - 15 March 2012

PM signs fiscal compact treaty

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ENMARK joined 24 of the EU’s 27 members to ink the union’s fiscal compact last week on Friday at the European Council’s spring summit in Brussels.

The UK and the Czech Republic were the only two EU member states not to sign the treaty, with Ireland promising a referendum before their parliament adopts the measures that will implement stricter limits on budget deficits and government spending.

After signing the treaty, PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt agreed with Herman van Rompuy – who was re-elected as president of the European Council the night before – when he stated that the treaty was a “step in the right direction”.

“We have just completed a very important task,” Thorning-Schmidt told journalists. “We have tried to get the EU through the crisis. But while we might not be through it yet, we have done our part to ensure that Greece can get through the crisis and to ensure that we never again arrive at a situation where one country’s economy affects the others so greatly.”

The treaty will come into force once 12 of the 17 Eurozone countries ratify the measures as special ‘budget laws’ in their respective parliaments.

The treaty was only compulsory for

PETER STANNERS Broad political backing for limiting the number of offenders who are granted early parole, especially those convicted of violent crimes

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OLITICS makes strange bedfellows, as the old saying goes.

Danish politics has rarely seen a stranger combo than the group assembled for the announcement that one billion kroner is to be made available annually to improve public transportation nationwide.

An unlikely trio of finance minister Bjarne Corydon (Socialdemokraterne), Enhedslisten (EL) spokesperson Frank Aaen and Danske Folkeparti (DF) spokesperson Kristian Thulesen Dahl stood side-by-side last week on Thursday and announced that the three parties have agreed on a plan to spend one billion kroner each year to improve public transportation. The proposal was the government’s compromise for dropping its controversial plan to impose a congestion charge (betalingsring) for entering Copenhagen.

Corydon said the goal of the proposal is to make it cheaper and easier for commuters to choose public transport over using their car.

“Those that already use public transportation deserve better and less expensive services, and we need to reduce pollution and congestion by encouraging more people to choose public transport,” Corydon said.

The money will be raised by raising taxes and tightening regulations on car

The finance minister said that the plan needs to make public transport more attractive than driving a car

leases and demo vehicles. It has been suggested that the funds be split equally between lowering the prices of bus, train and Metro tickets and investing in improvements to the system, though nothing is yet set in stone.

It is also not clear how the windfall will be divvied up across the country.

Some are calling for equal distribution, but Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen said major metropolitan areas like his city have the greatest need for relief.

“Everyone agrees that congestion and air pollution in Copenhagen is a problem,” Jensen said in a press release.

“Metropolitan areas face greater challenges so it makes sense to focus investments here.”

The goal is that commuters across Denmark will see lower ticket prices starting in 2013. (RW)

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OLITICIANS across the spectrum are demanding that fewer inmates should be released on early parole, and that individuals convicted of violent crimes should serve at least two thirds of their sentences.

The move arrives after the victim of an attempted murder, 29-year-old Malene Duus, wrote an article for Politiken newspaper in February that stirred up a heated debate in the national media. Duus asked whether it was fair that while she had yet to fully recover or receive any compensation for the attack – which left her as a partial invalid – the ex-boyfriend who assaulted her had been released from prison after serving less than half his sentence and was now working in a bakery owned by celebrity chef Claus Meyer.

Politicians are now lining up to demand stricter rules for the early release of prisoners, with the legal spokesperson for opposition party Venstre, Karsten Lauritzen, urging a greater balance between the rights of an offender and the feelings of a victim when considering the offender for release.

“People should serve at least two thirds of their sentence before they can be released on parole,” Lauritzen told the tabloid B.T. “We have to think about the victims, and society needs to

Finance minister has joined forces with Dansk Folkeparti and Enhedlisten to propose plan to improve public transport

COLOURBOX

Political push to restrict early parole

Political adversaries team up on transport plan

SCANPIX/JENS NØRGAARD LARSEN

Deal a step in the right direction, Thorning-Schmidt says, but sceptics have sovereignty concerns

discipline.

Many voices have also argued the treaty does little to stimulate growth and help draw Greece out of its hellish depression that arrived after having to implement several waves of austerity measures in order to secure EU bailout funds and so avoid defaulting on its loans.

“Ask the people”: Dansk Folkeparti thinks that the fiscal However, Greece’s pact infringes on sovereignty and requires a referendum spiralling debt – in Eurozone countries, though countries part a result of the country’s deliberwith their own currency, such as Den- ate attempts to hide the true extent of mark, have signed up, amongst other its borrowing problems – contributed reasons, to send a clear message to the greatly to the decision by European financial markets that they are serious leaders to tighten government borrowabout maintaining balanced budgets. ing practices in the first place when it Several political parties have argued threatened to “infect” the rest of Euthe treaty would infringe on national rope and bring down the euro. sovereignty and would require a referenThe European Central Bank (ECB) dum before the measures are adopted. is doing its part, however, and late last But legal experts at the Justice Min- week released almost four trillion kroistry determined this would not be the ner (€530 billion) of low-interest loans case, much to the disappointment of into the banking sector. the Euro-sceptic Dansk Folkeparti.

“It’s very rare that the ECB makes The far-left Enhedslisten also ar- decisions today that affect tomorrow,” gued that the treaty’s focus on budget Thorning-Schmidt said. “What the ECB discipline meant that future govern- has done is allow banks to lend to small ments would be forced to follow auster- and medium-sized businesses and it will ity policies and would also prevent them make a difference. A more stable Greek from using deficit spending to stimulate economy will also make a difference.” growth.

The signing of the treaty and Van There is growing uncertainty about Rompuy’s re-election were not the only how the mechanisms are supposed to items on the agenda, as Serbia was fioperate for punishing countries who nally granted full EU candidate status fail to uphold the strict rules on budget after Romania dropped its objection.

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Offenders in Danish prisons can be granted parole after less than half their sentence

avenge on their behalf.”

Ole Hækkerup, the legal spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, supported Lauritzen’s statement.

“The prison service needs to take greater consideration of the feelings of the victim before giving people with long sentences for assault the opportunity to leave prison after only serving half their term,” Hækkerup told Politiken newspaper.

In 2004, the former Venstre-Konservative coalition government determined that prisoners who fulfilled certain criteria could be released earlier from prison. Since then, almost a thousand prisoners have been released before two thirds of their sentences have been completed.

Politiken also revealed that Duus’s

assailant, the 43-year-old Frenchman Frank Sakskik, hasn’t actually been released from prison on parole – his application for early parole was denied – but had received clearance to leave prison to work and was still otherwise serving his sentence.

“People who receive sentences of six years are often considered ready for work clearance outside the prison before they are ready for parole,” Bodil Philip, the governor of Ringe Prison, told Politiken.

Lauritzen admitted to Politiken that he mistakenly thought Saksik had been paroled, but added that he still wanted to restrict the possibility of prisoners leaving jail early under any programme.

Liberal Alliance, Dansk Folkeparti and the Konservative also support tightening parole guidelines.

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COVER STORY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

9 - 15 March 2012

Fireworks and arrests kick off Superliga season SCANPIX/HENNING BAGGER

CHRISTIAN WENANDE Politicians want football clubs to pay for extra police presence after arrest of 24 fans at Sunday’s FC Copenhagen-Aalborg match

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RRESTS, fires and lastminute goals featured as FC Copenhagen kicked off its spring season on Sunday. Dozens of fans were arrested in violent clashes, and the game itself suffered from delays caused by crowd trouble as the league leaders escaped from Aalborg with a 1-1 draw after both teams scored in the last moments of the game.

But it was the action in the stands and on the streets that has attracted all the attention, due to the arrest of 24 in incidents that occurred both before and after the match.

Following the game, both clubs were highly critical of their respective fans’ behaviour, and despite the Danish Football Union (DBU) initiating disciplinary cases against both clubs, the issue has now transcended the pitch and sparked a political debate.

Michael Aastrup Jensen, a spokesman for the opposition party Venstre, told the newspaper Berlingske that football clubs should be made to contribute more to the extensive costs involved in providing police protection during football fixtures.

“We have to come to terms with the fact that the police spend an increasing amount of resources fighting the troublemakers at football games. As a result, we need to look at alternative payment methods now to force the football clubs to clean up their ranks,” Jensen said.

The Policemen’s Union supports the idea of football clubs footing part of the bill – referring to the Swedish model, where football clubs pay 920 Swedish krona an hour per policeman during high-risk matches – as an incentive to come up with ways to reduce the number of police needed.

“When we have to devote hundreds of officers every weekend to maintain order and security at football games, the rest of the Danish population will naturally see a waning police presence in the rest of the country.”

Responding to “we are the champions” chants from Copenhagen fans, Lars Lynge Jakob-

When the game is the sideshow: Fan antics sole the spotlight at Sunday’s match and have led to political pressure to get hooliganism out of the game

sen, the Aalborg sports director, referred to them as “champions of idiocy”, but at the same time contended that the football clubs can only do so much.

“I feel completely powerless. I really can’t see how I can solve this. It’s easy for politicians to sit there and comment, but they should really be contacting the football clubs and helping us solve this problem. The game was delayed because we spent extra time frisking the fans. They still managed to smuggle fireworks in.”

Both the Radikale (R), a member of the governing coalition, and the opposition Konservative (K) have dismissed any notions of the football clubs having to pay for the police presence, indicating that this will

only lead to a slippery slope, as Jeppe Mikkelsen (R) explained.

“It’s about precedence really.

What’s next then? Will the bars that serve the fans before the games also have to pay?”

Hooliganism is not widespread among Danish football fans, but steps have been taken to prevent it entirely, including fan registration and the mandatory bussing of away fans. Fingerprinting has also been mentioned as a possible solution.

The justice minister, Morten Bødskov (S), told Berlingske that high-risk games could also be moved to earlier times to stem the violence.

“Playing games earlier in the day means troublemakers can’t consume the same amounts of alcohol and the po-

Police spend an increasing amount of resources fighting the troublemakers at football games lice have an easier time controlling the crowds.”

The fans themselves have been critical towards the steps, and FC Copenhagen fan group FCKFC argued that law-abiding fans should not have to suffer because of a few unruly types.

“These developments are

dangerous for the future of Danish football. Firstly, it’s stereotyping all the fans as criminals, and secondly it creates a pall of fear around the culture of attending football games. Additionally, it is understandable that free citizens don’t want to have to take a bus, which may leave miles away from where they live, just to watch a football game.”

Fans affected by bussing requirements have begun boycotting matches in response to the measure. Supporters of archrivals Copenahgen and Brøndby have been among the most vocal opponents of the bussing requirement. When the two teams last met in November, only a handful of Copenhagen fans made the trip to Brøndby, and Brøndby fans say

a similar action is likely when the two clubs meet in Copenhagen on April 5.

Fortunately, crowds remained civil at the other football games played over the weekend as Brøndby, Lyngby and Horsens all secured wins, while Aarhus club AGF and secondplaced FC Nordsjælland battled to a 1-1 draw. Monday evening saw Odense’s OB squander a two-goal cushion as Silkeborg escaped with a valuable point from Odense.

More football action Who will man the goal for Denmark at Euro 2012?

See page 14

ONLINE THIS WEEK Ammonia threat hinders Kødbyen development

National birth rate lowest since 1988

Terror suspects to stand trial in April

AN OLD ammonia-driven cooling system underneath Copenhagen’s historic meat packing district, Kødbyen, is causing business owners and party promoters to lose revenue. A group of eight business owners in Kødbyen have been prevented from opening shop for more than nine months, while the city’s environ-

ACCORDING to the national board of health, Sundhedsstyrelsen, just over 59,500 babies were born in Denmark in 2011, some 4,000 fewer than the year before. The numbers of births have been decreasing over the past few years, but last year’s birth rate is the lowest since 1988. Mogens Christoffersen,

FOUR SWEDES living in Denmark will stand trial in April on charges of attempted terrorism for their plan to attack the staff of Jyllands-Posten newspaper in December 2010. According to prosecutors, the four men were planning to walk into Jyllands-

mental team assesses the risks of a dangerous ammonia leak.

The estimated 12,000 tonnes of ammonia under Kødbyen are harmless as long as it remains contained in the copper pipes that used to cool the district. But if one of those pipes should leak, the flammable and toxic ammonia would pose a grave threat.

an independent researchers, said that the financial crisis has potential parents putting off starting families. “They don’t feel secure in their jobs and are nervous about the economic situation, and so they do not want to bring children into an uncertain world,” Christoffersen told metroXpress newspaper.

Posten’s Copenhagen office and go on a shooting spree as a retribution for the 2005 Mohammed drawings. Prosecutor Svend Ulrik Larsen said the suspects aimed “to seriously frighten the population” and destablise the nation. A verdict is expected on June 14.

READ THE FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

news

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

9 - 15 March 2012

Teaching English early gives kids a bilingual edge, proponents say

colourbox

Ray Weaver

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Sugar tax continued from front page

taxes have argued that they are stealth taxes designed to prop up the state’s finances in times of economic hardship.

The sugar tax may also lead to an exodus of Danish workplaces, as businesses who produce sugary products have said they will struggle to continue to turn a profit in Denmark and will seek to move their operations to cheaper countries abroad.

One such company is Fynbo foods, who told online newspaper Den Korte Avis that 60 employees at a jam factory near Hjørring risk losing their jobs as a result of the tax.

“If a tax of this level is introduced it will definitely affect demand and thereby employment,” Fynbo’s quality manager, Richard Fynbo, told the newspaper.

While she didn’t address the effect on employment, Dyhr added that the sugar tax was important for changing the Danish diet for the better.

“We know levies work. We have seen with the water levy that Danes use much less water, and the same with energy and other areas,” she said. “We know they are a good instrument and we want to use them to make sure Danes eat less sugar because it’s bad for their health.”

Under the plan, some traditional subjects would be optional

Many students are now taking English lessons as early as the kindergarten class

start in English have more linguistic awareness, and that helps them become better readers,” Graugaard told JyllandsPosten newspaper.

The education minister, Christine Antorini (Socialdemokraterne), is not completely onboard with the plan. She prefers the traditional method of students waiting and starting English a bit later.

“English education works fine when it is started in the third grade,” she told JyllandsPosten. “If a school wants to start earlier, that is up to them, but we do not want to make it compulsory.”

The former education minister, Troels Lund Poulsen (Venstre), had discussed the idea of implementing English in public schools from the first grade, but Antorini said she would not follow through on that plan.

She said schools should focus more on the core subjects like Danish and mathematics.

Niels Egelund, a professor at Aarhus University and an expert in the national school system, disagreed with Antorini, saying that children are ready to learn a foreign language as early as the age of six.

“It is a bit negative to suggest that children should wait

until the third grade,” he said.

“By the end of kindergarten, children have already learned many English words from video games and films.”

Egelund believes if children start to absorb a language from an early age, it will be easier for them to learn and will help them develop critical-thinking skills.

He added, however, that teaching very young students requires a different approach and special materials.

“It is absurd to think that one can just take old material from the upper grades and use it in kindergarten class. They need plenty of songs, games and rhymes.”

Easier divorce rules proposed Minister calls for dropping the waiting period required for couples to go their separate ways

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ocial affairs minister Karen Hækkerup (Socialdemokraterne) is calling for an “update” of the nation’s marriage laws that would make it easier for couples to divorce.

The way the law is currently written, a 500 kroner fee and a separation period of six to 12 months is usually required of couples looking to split. Faster divorce is only possible in cases of violence, bigamy, child kidnapping or adultery.

“The marriage laws are out of date and should be modernised,” Hækkerup told Politiken newspaper, adding that the revision would come in conjunction with changes already planned for this year that will give homosexuals the right to marry.

Before any changes are made to the law, Hækkerup said she would consider the opinion of decision makers and the public.

She suggested, however, a compromise solution where couples could choose between an immediate divorce without a separation or a slower process including therapy and counselling, Divorce counsellor Mette

Kevin McGwin

anguage development is a major milestone for any child, and a growing number of children in Denmark are now tackling not only one, but two languages as early as the kindergarten class, the first year of school (six to seven-year-olds).

The Ministry of Children and Education reports that since gaining permission to begin early English education in 2010, 45 public schools have added it to their curriculums. Several other councils say they will allow their schools to start teaching English to the kindergarten class next autumn, and many of the country’s private and independent schools have taught students English from their very first school day for the past five years.

Research suggests that when very young children learn a second language, it increases listening ability, memory, creativity and critical thinking.

Michael Graugaard, the headmaster of Gummerup School, agrees. His school has been teaching English to the kindergarten class for the past five years.

“Students who get a head

Scanpix/Søren Bidtsrup

Get ‘em while they’re young: Children learning English as early as age six

5

Hans Christian Who? Parliament debates education priorities Ray Weaver While government argues teachers should have more freedom, V says not knowing Danish history is “a real threat”

S

hould students in public schools in Denmark be required to learn about Christian IV? Or Hans Christian Andersen? Or is it up to the individual teachers of history and literature to decide the curriculum in their classrooms?

Those questions are being raised once again in the latest showdown on education, with the Socialdemokraterne (S), Socialistisk Folkeparti (SF), Radikale (R), Enhedslisten (EL) and Liberal Alliance (LA) on one side and Venstre (V), Konservative (K) and Dansk Folkeparti (DF) on the other.

We should not micromanage classrooms from Christiansborg If you thought the marriage ceremony dragged on, just wait until the divorce proceedings begin

Haulund said that current laws are based on what she saw as the state’s antiquated ideas about family and morals.

“There is this idea that the nuclear family is the only right thing, that divorce is bad, and for that reason it should be hard to get divorced,” Haulund told Politiken newspaper.

Haulund added that although she felt it was better when couples worked through their issues without divorcing, she did not think the state should interfere in personal decisions.

Governing coalition member Radikale and the far-left Enhedslisten agree with the sug-

gestion. Socialistisk Folkeparti, which also sits in the government, is onboard as well, provided attempts are made to discourage hasty divorces.

Tom Behnke, a spokesperson for the opposition Konservative, said his party was against changing the law.

“It undermines and denigrates marriage. Marriage should not be entered into lightly. It is something deliberate and important between a man and a woman and based on Christian traditions.”

Of the nearly 15,000 couples divorced in 2010, 78 percent were required to sit out the waiting period. (RW)

The public school curriculum, including the so-called ‘kanonlister’ – lists of people and topics that school children are required to know – was established under the previous government.

Upon leaving the ninth grade (children aged 15-16), students were expected to have knowledge of 25 different points of history and have read the works of 14 different Danish authors. The instruction is designed chronologically, so students learn different parts of the curriculum at different grade levels.

The current government and its partners, however, believe that the curriculum is too restrictive and want teachers to have more freedom in the classroom.

“We should not micromanage classrooms from Christians-

borg,” Troels Ravn, S’s education spokesperson, told JyllandsPosten newspaper. “Teachers should have the freedom to educate without being restricted by mandatory lists.”

Ravn emphasised that S felt that the lists contained “relevant and good material” but that they should not be required, and that teachers should be free to include other writers and historical events.

V spokesperson Karen Ellemann said her party disagrees with dropping the current curriculum.

“Students are cheated and society’s values are weakened if a thorough knowledge of our own cultural heritage is not taught in school,” she said. “This is a real threat.”

Ellemann said that V would immediately reinstate the old curriculum if they regain political power.

A recent study revealed that many teachers could not answer some of the questions that their students were required to know.

The chairman of the Danish Teachers Union, Jens Raahauge, argued that the study’s results were not valid.

“Individual teachers taught different parts of the curriculum at different times and shouldn’t be expected to know the answer to every question,” he told Politiken.

Raahauge expressed concern over abandoning the required course of study and believed the change will require a significant restructuring of how teachers are educated. He was a member of the 2005 committee that developed the old curriculum’s compulsory literary section and said that before the rules were established, teachers were failing to teach classic Danish literature.

Ravn is not concerned that will happen again.

“There are still targets and required knowledge for each subject. We have nothing against lists suggesting academic content,” he told Jyllands-Posten.

“The question is should they be voluntary or compulsory.”

6

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

9 - 15 March 2012

Five years after building falls, still nothing forgotten Peter Stanners

Peter Stanners Ungdomshuset supporters still harbour feelings of betrayal over decision to tear down home

O

n 1 March 2007, heavily-armed police stormed and evicted the residents of the squatter residence Ungdomshuset, sparking riots that led to the arrests of over 700 people and damage amounting to at least 14 million kroner. Five days later, the house at Jagtvej 69 was demolished.

The land on which it stood still stands bare, as developers contemplate how to use the empty plot without falling victim to reprisals.

Since the early 1980s, Ungdomshuset (‘the youth house’) was the site of a bustling community of art, music and politics connected to the anarchist scene. The often uncompromising nature of its residents, the Ungerne (‘the youths’), polarised public opinion. Their reputation was not helped after a group of people with ties to Ungdomshuset confronted Pia Kjærsgaard, the leader of the far-right Dansk Folkeparti party, on Nørrebrogade in 1998, forcing her to seek shelter in a bank until the police could escort her away.

After the demolition of Un-

Supporters took to the streets last week on Thursday, five years after Ungdomshuset was tore down

gdomshuset in March 2007, demonstrations were held every Thursday to demand a new home. In July 2008, the Ungerne were eventually handed the keys to their new building in outer Nørrebro at Dortheavej 61.

But the ‘new’ Ungdomshuset never really developed the same following, and the Ungerne still carry a grudge at losing their original home. Put up for sale by the City Council in 1999, the house landed in the

hands of the radical Christian sect Faderhuset, which turned down three attempts by a foundation representing Ungdomhuset’s users to buy it back in the months before it was demolished. It seemed to be a conscious attempt to cleanse Nørrebro of the anti-establishment, anti-fascist, anti-sexist and antihomophobic youths.

Last summer, American street artist Shepard Fairey was commissioned by the council to produce a number of murals

across the city. One of the sites was the bare wall beside the empty lot at Jagtvej 69. His fourstorey painting, which included a dove, the word ‘Peace’ and the number 69, was quickly defaced with paint bombs. Artists from the Ungdomshus community painted over the lower portion of the mural several days later with a depiction of a battle scene of riot police, bearing the motto: “Intet Glemt, Intet Tilgivet” (“Nothing Forgotten, Nothing Forgiven”).

Five years after the eviction,

a banner bearing the same motto was carried by several hundred supporters as they marched from Dortheavej last week on Thursday, past the empty lot at Jagtvej 69 before heading to Folkets Park in Nørrebro. Speaking to The Copenhagen Post, some march participants and members of the Ungdomshuset community explained that the pain of being abandoned by the council meant they could never forgive.

But Jonas Olsen, a 37-yearold long-time member of the Ungdomshuset community, was philosophical.

“I can never forgive that they took away the most democratic house in Copenhagen,” Olsen said. “It’s a scandal that they tore it down when we had a historic right to it.”

“But by tearing down my favourite place in the world, it made the council realise that they needed to give kids places to go.

And now there’s never been as many free spaces in Copenhagen where artists and young people can go and express themselves.

Before, everything was concentrated in Ungdomshuset,” Olsen said. “But if it were up to me, we would still have 69 and not have had all the riots.”

At that point, a voice shouted over the chattering and punk music that some of them were heading back to Jagtvej 69.

“We’re going home!” the voice called.

Police break up Anti-Nazi protestors

T

he decision by Venstres Ungdom (VU) – the youth wing of the largest opposition party – to invite Holocaust denier Daniel Carlsen for a debate in Copenhagen led to a confrontation between police and over 100 agitated anti-fascist activists on Tuesday night.

The activists attempted to block the building’s entry and in the ensuing confrontation, police drew batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. At least two activists and one policeman were injured. One person was arrested.

“We showed that there are many who believe that it’s fundamentally wrong that Venstres Ungdom validates Nazis by inviting them to meetings,” one demonstrator, Steffen Sørensen, told left-wing news portal Modkraft.

VU’s chairman, Morten Dahlin, countered that totalitarianism and extremism is best fought through democratic means such as debate rather than through violence.

Carlsen, 21, is the leader of far-right group Danskernes Parti and has expressed sympathy with Hitler and argued that the Holocaust is communistic propaganda. (PS)

Uganda’s anti-gay bill puts Danish support in question EU pressures Denmark on reefs Colourbox

Christian Wenande Parliament is split over whether to cut the 300 million kroner in aid to Uganda

U

ganda is in danger of losing critical Danish development aid as a notorious anti-gay bill returns to its parliamentary agenda.

The development minister, Christian Friis Bach (Radikale), has come under intense fire for his perceived lenient stance on the discrimination and intolerance being promoted by Ugandan officials. Bach told Politiken newspaper that financial threats are ineffectual and outdated, and that the best course of action is to maintain a presence in Uganda.

“The proposed law is simply unacceptable and we must do what we can to ensure it fails to pass. The best way to handle this situation is not to threaten to leave, but rather to threaten to stay,” he said.

Denmark’s financial support is of vital importance to Uganda.

Between 2010 and 2011, Denmark was the third largest donor to the country.

The anti-gay bill, also ominously referred to as the ‘Kill the gays’ bill, was first introduced in Uganda in late 2009. The bill would make homosexuality a crime punishable by death.

Threats of financial repercus-

Denmark was the third largest donor to Uganda from 2010-11

sions and sanctions helped to quell the bill then, but it has now popped back up on the Ugandan political agenda.

Søren Pind (Venstre), the former minister of development, was adamant that the Danish position must be clear and uncompromising.

“I informed Uganda last year that consequences would be severe if that bill passed,” he told Politiken. “There must be a clear outcome here. We simply cannot operate in a place where it is legal to kill homosexuals simply because they are homosexuals.”

The controversy surrounding the bill follows in the wake of violence against several prominent activists in Uganda. Last year, David Kato, a leading gayrights activist, was murdered in Kampala and tensions have once again forced gay advocates, such as award-winning activist Kasha

Jacqueline Nabagesera, to flee to neighbouring Kenya.

The persecuted homosexual communities in Uganda already face stiff fines and lengthy jail sentences. Although discrimination against homosexuals is a massive issue in Uganda, local campaigners, such as Frank Mugisha from Sexual Minorities Uganda, maintain that it is important that Danish aid to the embattled nation should not be cut.

“I don’t support slashing the support to Uganda due to discrimination of homosexuals,” he told Politiken. “We need it.

Give us the aid, but ask Uganda to work on their human rights efforts.”

The Danish gay community also voiced support for continuing the aid to Uganda, saying that cutting aid could just add fuel to an already dire situation.

“I am not a supporter of

threats to leave, because this is a double-edged sword,” Richardt Heers from the Danish Association of LGBT explained to Politiken. “The missing aid could easily have consequences for the poor, agricultural groups or the handicapped. As a result, the homosexuals in Uganda could be blamed and face further prejudice.”

In a country where the national media has published a list containing the names and addresses of supposed homosexuals, along with an appeal to arrest them, it is clear that an escalation to outright violence is far from unrealistic. The former minister of foreign affairs, Per Stig Møller (Konservative), said that something must be done.

“It must be made clear that the aid will be under threat,” he said. “It has to sting, or else it will have no effect.”

Bach has agreed that potential ramifications must be severe, and that involving the EU will assist in applying further pressure to Ugandan officials, citing the Cotonou agreement, a partnership agreement between EU and developing countries.

“I believe that all the EU members will be on board so we can intensify the process,” he told Politiken. “[The Cotonou Agreement] is a subject that will definitely be discussed. There must be consequences if that law is passed.”

E

nvironmental organisations have warned that the Danish sea floor is not being adequately protected from dangerous fishing practices such as trawling and dredging, and experts are now arguing that only a total ban would allow marine ecosystems to recover.

One of the ecosystems most at threat are boulder reefs that can be home to tens of thousands of marine species. But the boulders have been exploited for many years for use in sea walls and harbour defences, reducing the extent of these fragile habitats to a fraction of their former extent.

Danish boulder reefs were included in the European Commission’s (EC) Natura 2000 list of the EU’s protected environmental areas, though trawling and dredging is still allowed near them – practices that experts argue should be banned outright.

The EC last week chastised Denmark for not doing enough to protect sea floor habitats in Natura 2000 areas, threatening legal action unless commitments were upheld.

Responding to the call, the fisheries minister, Mette Gjerskov, said action needed to be taken and that she would delay handing out mussel-dredging permits in the Lillebælt waterway for three weeks while the government examined the issue.

“The former government

took their time identifying marine areas to be covered by Natura 2000 and making plans for them.

Now we are ready for banning trawling and dredging on both bubble and boulder reefs,” Gjerskov told Politiken newspaper.

Greenpeace welcomed the decision, but argued it had been a long time coming.

“Today it is completely legal for trawlers to drag their heavy nets right through a boulder reef that the government had otherwise selected as an area worthy of protection” Greenpeace fisheries correspondent Hanne Lyng Winter wrote on the organisation’s website.

Lyng criticised the government’s decision not to ban trawling outright, a practice Greenpeace argues can wipe out life on the sea floor. According to Politiken, only the boulder reefs protected as Natura 2000 areas will be protected with 240 metre buffer zones from trawling and dredging.

She said that the buffer zones would not be very effective, would be difficult to enforce, and would create small protected pockets on the sea floor – a practice the EC advises against.

Lyng conceded that the government’s efforts were a first step in the right direction, but added that much more needed to be done to help Denmark’s marine wildlife recover from overfishing. (PS)

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8

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Peaceful Ungdomshuset march shows value of treating kids like adults

9 - 15 March 2012

Integration or Connection?

F

ive years after the physical destruction of the anarchist hangout Ungdomshuset, the first urge is to try to find some place to pin responsibility for the ensuing rampage that did 14 million kroner worth of damage to buildings and cars in the Nørrebro district.

But while it’s important to identify a cause in order to prevent similar events from happening again, it’s also important to ask why last week’s commemorative march went off without incident – and why fewer people (500) attended than were arrested (700) during the original riots.

Few who witnessed the violent outbursts in 2007 would have predicted this would have been the case, but it shows that giving disaffected groups a place of their own helps to prevent further outbursts of frustrated anger.

For the young people associated with Ungdomshuset specifically, it shows them that the city is serious when it comes to offering them creative outlets for a youthful energy that experience has shown can just as easily manifest itself into destructive acts.

The impetus to engage the young people, culminating in them being given a new building to use as a hangout, wasn’t so much the demonstrations themselves – Copenhagen is certainly no stranger to public displays of dissatisfaction – but the depth of their anger. Once the fires of consecutive nights of rioting had burned out, the young people moved on to holding weekly demonstrations for an entire year until the city gave them a new Ungdomshuset to call their own.

When that happened, critics shook their heads and said that acquiescing in the face of violence opened the door to similar tactics being used each time someone wanted something. But those critics should have also considered whether the violence of the method used to evict the young people – a commandostyle raid by anti-terrorist police dropped in by helicopter – also influenced the way they would approach adults.

It could be argued that instead of caving in to a tantrum, the city chose to treat the Ungdomshuset group like adults by giving them a building of their own and emphasising that it saw the existence of an Ungdomshuset, wherever it was located, as normal.

That may not have done anything to get the young people to forget or to forgive the way they were treated, but that apparently hasn’t prevented them from taking an adult attitude towards the issues that are important to them. It’s hard to imagine this would have been the case if they were still out on the street burning cars.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

TENDAI TAGARIRA

I

have been living in Aarhus for about seven months now and at this stage I am more acquainted with the city and some of its social issues than when I first arrived. One of the issues I have come across a little more often than any other issue is that of ‘integration’.

A good friend of mine told me quite early in my stay in Aarhus: “You can never be integrated in Denmark unless you speak Danish fluently and adopt their values.”

I have been told this similar remark by several other friends as well, including Danes and foreigners alike. But is it true?

Now I shall begin by telling you about Africa. You may be wondering why Africa? You see dear friend (I hope you don’t mind me calling you a friend), many years ago white colonialists settled all over Africa and many of their descendents live in Africa peacefully to this day. They have never really learned to speak the local indigenous languages nor have they adopted the indigenous values, yet they are pretty much ‘integrated’ and live quite happily and comfortably in Africa.

On the contrary, it was the African indigenous inhabitants who were forced to ‘integrate’ and adopt European culture, religion and certain ‘values’. This happened in all African countries.

Now, according to Wikipedia, integration in social science means “the movements of minority groups, such as ethnic minorities, refugees and the underprivileged into the mainstream of societies. Members of the minority groups thus gain full access to opportunities, rights and services available to members of the mainstream.”

Of course when I look at this definition in the context of colonialism, I am forced to turn this definition upside down into what I can call ‘disintegration’, or ‘divide and rule’.

Why am I saying this? Well that’s the underlying issue in my social research. Is integration perhaps ‘disintegration’?

I dislike the term ‘integration’. I think that people should be ‘connected’ instead. When people are connected they will work together effectively despite their racial, social, cultural or religious differences.

I have met a fellow African brother who told me he sent over 40 job applications about half a year ago and he is still waiting to hear anything. Now, this brother, who I shall call ‘James’ is quite an intelligent guy from central Africa and he speaks good Danish as I understand it.

But, you see, James doesn’t drink beer. He has lived here for some time now and he has a handful of Danish friends.

He always tries his best to make new friends and so he puts up with smoke-filled bar rooms and drunken patrons while he gently sips Coca Cola at the bar, waiting to crank up a conversation with anyone. This is his primary strategy of networking as he has understood that generally when Danes are a bit tipsy, they tend to be less shy and more open. But is this a good strategy for integration?

I think there are other things a little more important than learning to speak Danish that are

crucial to an effective stay here in Denmark.

1. Learning the Danish mentality. This is important because every society has a certain mentality and its ‘values’ are mere reflections of this mentality. From my observations Danes like everyone to appear equal and this I understand is because of a theory called Janteloven. Understanding this is of paramount importance.

Danes are also very trusting of one another, so if you earn a bad reputation with a few, chances are, you are screwed in many other circles because news and gossip spreads like wildfire. I have also observed that Danes like to put things in boxes, quite literally and figuratively. Try to understand in which ‘box’ your Danish colleagues put you in. Are you just a bar friend, a close friend, a poor African etc? Danes from my perspective like to define things, and therefore if they can’t define you, they will often distance themselves. So one has to help them in this process.

This is why they always ask ‘foreigners’: “So what are you doing in Denmark?” A question I am sure most foreigners have come across.

2.Working around the Danish mentality is the key, because then if you are a foreigner you won’t be frustrated if Danes behave in a certain manner. I often am frustrated as well, but am learning to simply say to myself: “That’s just how it is here; you gotta work with it somehow.” Frustration because of failure to understand Danes leads to many isolating themselves. Never isolate yourself.

3. In Denmark it pays to drink beer. Trust me on this.

Beer is the palm oil with which social interaction is oiled.

4. Participating in voluntary activities of associations and charitable or cultural events is of paramount importance.

Danes don’t meet people and greet them on the street. So in order to meet the Danes, one has to participate in many events where networking takes place over beer and food.

5. The biggest secret as I have come to understand for accessing opportunities in Denmark is a good network. Your network is your net worth.

Without a good network you are primarily screwed. Danes as I understand would rather not go through piles of CVs when they can simply ask their colleagues if they know someone who can fill the vacancy. This is because Danes trust each other, so if a Dane refers you, chances are you will be hired. That is just how it works here as I come to understand it, and simply learning to speak the language and values and hoping for a miracle is not good enough (although it’s an added advantage to learn the language as well.)

Now I have come to the end of my article and I would like to conclude by saying that induced integration is social, cultural and moral imperialism. I think this world will be better off getting connected through openness and friendliness.

Due to space constraints, this article has been edited. The full version is available at cphpost.dk.

Tendai Tagarira is a Zimbabwean author currently living in Aarhus and was the first persecuted author to be housed here under the ICORN cities of refuge programme.

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facebook.com/copenhagenpost Join us on Facebook and Twitter to be updated on current news and debate the issues that matter to you.

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Russia denies Danish election observers We were rather disappointed to read unsupported allegations in your newspaper that the Russian Embassy has denied Danish observers visas to Russia. It is a far cry from truth for no election observers from NGO SILBA (Support Initiative for Liberty and Democracy) have turned to the Russian Embassy. There was a group of the youth who wanted to participate in the seminars arranged by the Russian political party Jabloko. The Russian Embassy explained to them what papers they should have provided to the embassy so that it could issue visas to them. However, the embassy could not do that on the basis of the direct letter of invitation from Jabloko they have submitted to us. This is clearly stated in the agreement between the Russian and Danish government on the facilitation of the issuance of visas to the citizens of Russia

and Denmark. We suggested that they apply to either the Russian Foreign Ministry or Federal Migration Service for a proper invitation.

Unfortunately, misinterpretation of those details resulted in unsupported accusations in some Danish media that the Russian Embassy was motivated by political reasons dealing with the visa issues of these young people. We believe that if media want to be impartial, they should have clarified the issue with the embassy.

Thus we expect that you find it possible to print the position of the Russian Embassy as well.

We would also like to add that Russia has long negotiated with the EU for visa-free trips for the citizens of Russia and the EU member states, which would greatly facilitate connections between people. The issue, as you probably know, is delayed by the EU. Teymuraz Ramishvili by website (Russian ambassador in Denmark)

Still Adjusting | In defence of the Danes The comments are the most interesting part, precisely because they’re not the boosterish ‘everything is wonderful’ stories that have got so tiresome. CPH Post readers’ comments have helped me think again about life here.

Reading their stories made me care again after being disengaged for many years.

Mark Stevens By website I would guess that most of the regulars here would diagnose me as a suffering from severe bitter foreigner syndrome (BFS) and in my case Justin, it took at least 14 years to set in-so it appears to be a slow growing tumour.

Personally, I don’t think I have full-blown BFS, but am rather at odds with the way Danish politics is being run. And since a very significant portion of my earnings support the Danish political process (aka The Holy Welfare State), I

take the political process rather seriously. I find it, however, difficult to be taken seriously as a foreigner in DK unless I parrot the patent, socialist party line that all is wonderful in DK, and that Danes are the world’s übermensch, which is not always my opinion, but is often the theme of CPH Post articles.

Thorvaldsen By website There are still things that irritate me about Denmark, but I am one of those Brits who has perfected the art of complaining. It did take me about five years to settle in, but now I am in my sixth year here, I feel that I fit in more, and am noticing fewer and fewer differences.

Now I just need to get hold of decent cheddar and a regular supply of Weetabix!

Anj Lawrence By website Try Føtex for Weetabix, amazingly enough they do have them!

Djeep By website

MIKE HOFMAN

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

9 - 15 March 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?

Lingua Danica or Lingua Franca?

T

HOSE OF YOU who are more-or-less regular readers of The Copenhagen Post cannot have failed to notice the burgeoning of exhortations to learn Danish that now festoon these hallowed pages. There have of course always been ads for Danish lessons, but of late they have mushroomed to the extent that they now appear throughout the Post, often filling entire pages. There is clearly money in the business, reflecting a substantial rise in the numbers of foreigners coming to Denmark

Even the sign to The Little Mermaid – perhaps the only place of interest in Denmark known to tourists – is only in Danish to work or study. One of these ads goes so far as to suggest that its method of teaching is so effective that the next time you read a newspaper it could be a Danish one. Remembering how long it took me to master

the language sufficiently to be able to understand the Danish press, I’m not sure that isn’t bordering on the misleading. In any case, it’s downright cheeky: encouraging the readers of the paper you’re advertising in to read something else instead!

On the face of it, of course, it’s quite reasonable and understandable that services should be offered to help people learn the language of the country in which they live (albeit perhaps temporarily). All things being equal, that is. But the fact is that all things are not equal.

According to Politiken newspaper, all 305,000 foreigners who came to Denmark in the last five years to study or work were met with information from their kommune written exclusively in Danish. Their tax return was in Danish, as was information on schools and kindergartens and on how to use the NemID system and the Borger.dk website – “your gateway to the public services”.

Even the invitation to their first Danish language course was in Danish! So the (largely private) business community, which needs to attract foreign expertise, is stymied by a public service sector that doesn’t see the need to communicate effectively by using a language that newcomers to the country can understand.

WWW. MORMORANDME.COM

The excuse of course is the usual one: a lack of resources.

It’s used every time there’s criticism that can’t otherwise be rebutted with a good explanation. But I firmly believe in the good old English proverb: ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way.’ The fact is there just isn’t the will, political or otherwise, to make things easier for nonDanish speakers in Denmark.

Witness, for example, the lack of signage in anything but Danish. As Politiken also notes, even the sign to The Little Mermaid – perhaps the only place of interest in Denmark known to tourists – is only in Danish. That surely can’t be because of a lack of cash!

“What?” I hear you say.

“No political will to welcome foreign students, workers and tourists? We hear nothing but that from the government and the Copenhagen authorities.”

This is true, and a lot of money is no doubt thrown at this noble cause, but public proclamations of intent and what actually happens are notoriously fraught with contradiction.

The fact is that for some, the integration mentality is so ingrained that any thought of using a foreign language is almost anathema. It is apparently unthinkable that people coming to live in this country for three years or so should not make an

effort to learn the language and ‘integrate’.

There are of course always newcomers who will embrace an opportunity to learn more about the society they find themselves in. But equally there are those who expect they will be able to communicate adequately, if not in their own mother tongue, then in some major language – a lingua franca – which is usually English. For these people, struggling to master a minority language (and a difficult one at that) that will be of no use to them in the future is close to futile. It’s like being invited to join a club, only to find that you will not be considered a full member until you have undergone certain rituals à la Freemasons and been considered suitable.

If Denmark really wants foreigners to come here and enjoy its lille smørhul, then it needs to prove that it does by welcoming them wholeheartedly rather than giving them the impression that they are just something to exploit. ‘Them and us’ doesn’t work in the modern world, and certainly not in a western European democracy with (albeit qualified) membership of the EU. More on this next time, and perhaps with just a hint of a silver lining …

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

9 - 15 March 2012

Post Danmark / Lars Schmidt

The tax man cometh Tax season is officially upon us, but fret not, back taxes can wait until next year

I

“You want me to pay HOW much to get my package?”

Handled with care – and scrutiny Stephanie Kinch Packages shipped from outside the EU often come wrapped in red tape

A

hand-knit baby blanket and some old magazines cost Frances Jørgensen nearly 500 kroner this year after a muddle with postal authorities.

The American’s mother gave the package a high value on customs declaration forms due to its sentimental value, and as a result it was assessed a fee of about 500kr, which Jørgensen had to hand over in order to receive the package. Another package from Jørgensen’s family and friends was inspected and assessed a fee as well. Now, she’s fed up with the process.

“I’ve basically told everyone to stop sending anything to me of any value,” she said.

Navigating the postal and customs rules for goods imported from non-EU countries is difficult, and one misstep can cost hundreds of kroner in duties and taxes.

Jesper Bremholm, who heads up the international mail centre at Post Denmark, said that a detailed customs declaration on packages coming into Denmark helps assure that goods arrive without trouble. A customs declaration should include the price and description of items in the package. It helps if new items also have an attached receipt and used items should have signs of basic wear and tear.

“It’s very important that the declaration is correct,” Bremholm said. “We often experience that the declaration has a value of 250kr, but the goods inside of the package are worth 1,000kr.”

The system for actual taxation on goods sent into Denmark is complex. Here are some basic rules: • Gifts sent from individuals are tax-free if they have a value of less than 340kr. A gift can only be received from a private person, not from a company.

• If the gift is worth more than 340kr, 25 percent VAT is charged.

• Gifts over 1,150kr are also charged a duty. Gifts between 1,150-2,225kr are charged a flat 2.5 percent, and those valued above that have a duty assessed based on the type of item. Shoes and clothes, for example, have a 12 percent duty. Headlights for your car have a 4.7 percent duty.

Books and magazines are not charged a duty.

• Items bought from companies or online retailers outside the EU are free if they are worth less than 80kr.

Above that, 25 percent VAT is charged. Items worth more than 1,150kr that are not gifts are also charged a duty.

• Adding to VAT and duties is a 160kr assessment fee charged by Post Danmark.

It’s a complex system to say the least, and after adding it all up, many foreigners have found that it doesn’t pay to buy outside of Denmark.

I’ve basically told everyone to stop sending anything to me of any value When American Angel Greer Hjarding had two American-style keyboards shipped from the US she ended up having to pay more in taxes, duties, and fees than the cost of one of the keyboards. The entire process took over a month.

“When people talk about how glamorous and glorious it must be to live the life of an expat they are missing out on stuff like this,” she said. “We have to go around the world and back again just to get two simple keyboards.”

Lorry Fach-Pedersen had similar trouble when she ordered towels from a US company when she moved to Denmark from the US in 2007. The towels were worth 500kr, and by the time they arrived at her new home in Herlev, they were assessed a tax fee of approximately 400kr.

What Fach-Pedersen didn’t know at the time was another loophole in the tax law: if you’re shipping your own items to yourself they are tax-free. Had she shipped her own towels, she wouldn’t have paid a duty.

“It’s very important that we can see that these are your own goods and they are used,” said Bremholm.

While many posters on the Americans in Denmark forum on Facebook noted that they have increasingly had their packages inspected, destroyed, and taxed over the past three months, Bremholm claimed that the rules for taxation of goods and Post Denmark’s procedures had not changed. To avoid unnecessary hassle, he suggested a clearly marked customs declaration form, a receipt attached to the outside of the package, and a package that does not contain any of the following: • Food: Food can’t be imported to private people in Denmark. Packages with food in them will be destroyed.

• Weapons: Weapons, as well as weapons supplies and parts, cannot be imported.

This includes pocket knives.

• Medicine: While medicine can be imported to Denmark, it is a very complex process and packages must be first inspected and approved by health authorities before being sent to a private customer.

For others, the best way to avoid taxes, fees, and headaches has been to stop getting packages altogether. For Jørgensen, paying 500kr for old magazines and a baby blanket was the last straw.

“I’ll just be better about bringing things back with me when I visit in the future to avoid the extra cost.”

A full list of duty rates can be found at bit.ly/AB1pvm (link in Danish).

t can be a bit of a lottery when you get your annual tax return from national tax authority Skat. A blessing or curse — depending on whether you owe or not — the annual tax return gets emotions going, as people often walk a tightrope when they budget for the year.

However, if you are one of the unfortunate third of citizens who have tax money to pay back, there is good news. According to Skat official Henrik Kähler, you likely won’t have to pay it back until 2013.

“If you can’t pay your back taxes and the amount is less than 18,300 kroner, we collect the money through monthly payments starting in 2013,” he told metroXpress newspaper. “As well as paying your taxes for income attained in 2013, every month we will take a 12th of your back taxes from the previous year out of your wages” If the amount owed is over 18,300 kroner, it must be repaid through the months of September, October and November of this year. It is also possible to pay smaller back tax amounts this year to avoid paying interest in the future.

Historically, the release of the annual tax return is a great technical burden for Skat, contributing to the release of the returns already last week on Friday, three days early. By Sunday, 1.7 million people had already logged in to see their annual tax return. Kähler hopes that the system won’t be

overloaded this week.

Give that manoeuvring through the tax jungle can be a formidable challenge in any language, it can be consoling to know that Skat has a significant amount of information available in English on its website.

Kähler also highlighted a few pointers for handling the potentially daunting task of submitting your annual tax returns.

• Deductions: It is up to you to submit any deductions you may have. The vast range of deductions available include work-related expenses like commuting, child-related expenses like alimony, and deductions on stock losses.

• Income: It is essential to declare all avenues of income.

This could be anything from rent obtained through a lease, profits made from shares, inheritance and even poker winnings. Basically, any kind of income has a good chance of being taxable.

• Be prepared: One useful habit to get into is to be prepared and update the amounts as they occur in next year’s self-assessment.

• Important dates: Up until March 15 it is possible to alter figures in your tax return to avoid an incorrect amount being imposed upon you.

This date is also the cut-off for the payment of arrears, which is overdue debt previously accumulated that will count against any tax surplus you may be expecting. Additionally, May 1 is the deadline to make final changes to your annual tax return from the previous year. (CW)

140 armed gang members arrested outside court

A

rmed gang members, many wearing masks and bulletproof vests, attempted to disrupt the trial of two men allegedly connected to a biker gang, leading to the mass arrest by police of 140 people outside the courthouse in Glostrup on Tuesday.

The crowd threw objects at police, who used batons and pepper spray to take control.

Three knives, a dart, a screwdriver, two hammers, two crowbars and six wooden clubs were discovered discarded by the gang members. A search of nearby cars also turned up bulletproof

vests and clubs.

“We were well prepared for the situation,” Michael Kristiansen, of the Vestegn Police, wrote in a press release. “We will not accept this sort of destructive behaviour at trials.”

All but five were released later in the day, with four now facing charges of assaulting a police officer and one for threatening the life of an officer.

Before they were arrested, gang members attempted to make their way into the courtroom where two men are accused of a gang-related shooting in Ballerup on February 14. (PS)

Online this week Denmark ranked number one in clean technology

Grisly murder not a random act, police say

Tivoli: Summer’s Friday hang-out?

The Global Cleantech Innovation Index, compiled by the CleanTech Group and the World Wildlife Fund, ranks Denmark as the country currently providing the best conditions for cleantech (eco-friendly) technology. Israel, Sweden, Finland and the US complete the list’s top five. A total of 38 countries were assessed,

A 22-year-old man was found dead on Saturday afternoon in a wooded area near Rødvig, south of Copenhagen.

Hansen was last seen alive on Friday as he left home to walk his dog. When he failed to return home, relatives immediately began to search for him. Hansen, who hails from the town of Ste-

Tivoli released its Fredagsrock (Friday’s rock) line-up last week. Starting from April 13, Copenhagen’s most enchanting venue will host a concert every Friday night until September 21. Made up of mainly national acts, the line-up also

based on 15 indicators relating to the manufacture and commercialisation of cleantech start-ups.

The study measured the potential of each country - in relation to its economic size - in order to produce entrepreneurial cleantech start-up companies and commercialise clean technology innovations over the next 10 years.

vns, was found lying next to his vehicle by a jogger at the end of a small road in the woods with his dog locked inside. Police are convinced that Hansen was not killed at random, but that he had some outstanding business with someone. His girlfriend told the tabloid Ekstra Bladet that he was meeting someone that evening.

includes Swedish pop sensations The Cardigans (June 8), Danish classic rock acts D-A-D (June 1) and Kashmir (June 15), Aussie stoner-rockers Wolfmother (June 22), and last year’s Dansk Melodi Grand Prix winners A Friend in London (July 13).

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

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Hollywood had the Brat Pack, Copenhagen has the Art Pak PHOTOS: CLIVE THAIN

WORDS BY MIKE HOFMAN

The Art Pak group, consisting of eight international artist who all live and work in the Copenhagen area, exhibited their works at City Hall on February 18 – an event attended by an estimated 300 people.

Here are seven of the nine contributing artists - the other two were too busy sipping their wine apparently- (from left to right) Patrick Stack, Don Johnson, Iven Gilmore, organiser Ed Kowalski, Eira Pryce, Erik Møller Andersen, Nina Nørgaard Kristiansen and Damon Hope.

The world-famous City Hall pancakes, eagerly enjoyed by all.

Irish painter Patrick Stack came to Denmark for the women, which is also one of his favourite subjects for his paintings (especially, it would appear, their bottoms).

“I’ll put my wine away so I won’t look like an alcoholic,” said Britain’s Tim Jones, who shows Danish street scenes and architecture in his paintings via a new point of view, experimenting with light, shadows and reflections.

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Always looking at the comic side of things, Iven Gilmore is a British professional illustrator, photo-montage maker, cartoonist, animator, journalist and writer. Oh, and a musician, children’s entertainer and actor.

Among the onlookers was The Copenhagen Post’s very own columnist Frank Theakston, who is no short of fans himself following his appearance in the Copenhagen Theatre, Circle’s Christmas, pantomime ‘Cinderella’. Talking of which, Frank is directing the next CTC production, ‘The Good Doctor’, in April.

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ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

(UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)

Babaylan Danmark organised an event called ‘A Glimpse of Filipino Culture’ on Saturday at Munkegårdsskolen in Gentofte, to which Danish au pair families and Danes in general were invited to learn more about Filipino culture. Among those in attendance were (left-right) Gentofte mayor Hans Toft, Babaylan DK chairperson Judy Jover, Babaylan DK secretary Ana Lindemhamn, Babaylan DK auditor Lemy Gaddi, Babaylan DK’s founding chairperson Filomenita Høgsholm, and the Philippines consul general Povl Krogh.

While in the second photo are Babaylan’s dance troupe, who performed dances from the indigenous tribes of Mindanao. Photos: Babaylan DK.

The American Chamber of Commerce organised another Meet the Leaders event on Monday, this time featuring Denmark’s defence minister Nick Hækkerup, at the Radisson Blu Royal hotel in Copenhagen.

Among those in attendance were: (left-right) the hotel’s general manager Roy Kappenberger, US ambassador Laurie S Fulton, Hækkerup, and AmCham chairman Kim Østrup. Photo: Pamela Juhl

In the build-up to the one-year anniversary of the Japanese tsunami on Sunday, the Japanese Embassy is holding several events to mark the catastrophe. The first of these was a charity concert for the victims at the ambassador’s residence last week on Friday. Pictured on the left is Japanese ambassador Toshio Sano with the musicians. And on the right, the ambassador can be seen admiring the work of artist Yoshiki Nakahara, which he painted to commemorate the loss of life.

Crown Prince Frederik was an esteemed guest at the opening of ‘Per Kirkeby and Greenland: The Secret Reservoir’, the Danish artist’s latest exhibition, which runs until September 2 at Ordrupgaard.

DATING THE DANES

True, the Antipodeans hate being mistaken for one another and rarely agree on anything, but they are well-known for speaking their mind, so who better to ask for an opinion on dating Danish men than New Zealand’s Emily McLean and Australia’s Jessica O’Sullivan, two tough-talking girls who might have to kiss a lot of frogs to find their prince. After all, nobody ever said Dating the Danes was going to be easy.

EMILY MCLEAN

W

HEN I FIRST arrived here I met a guy at a friend’s party who I instantly liked. He was fun, cute, and knew that a ‘kiwi’ was not just a person but a large brown bird. So I asked him out. Granted I didn’t use the ‘date’ word but I thought it was obvious – any situation past 8pm at night that involves a man and a women getting together with the intention of having a good time is a date.

Period. Not so according to the Danish rules of courtship.

Four months later, after films, drinks, a double date, a bit of hand holding under the guise “let me help you so you don’t slip on the ice” (funny that the ‘ice’ lasted for a kilometre) and I’m thinking this is going great ... I knew perfectly well we weren’t a couple, but I definitely thought we were on the way to something. So after much frustration one night when my flirting techniques were really getting me NOWHERE, I said the three forbidden words in the Danish Dating Dictionary: “I like you”. From the look on his face you’d think I’d said: “I love you”. He was in shock.

Needless to say he thought we were “just friends”.

You see, the Danish rules state that unless explicitly stated no man or woman is your date/love interest/boyfriend/ girlfriend/partner until explicitly stated. Until then you should feel free to act as openly as you like: flirt as much as you like even if you have no intention of follow-

“I like you”. From the look on his face you’d think I’d said: “I love you”. ing through, spend long-drawn out periods of time together sharing your most intimate secrets, introduce them to your parents, and bring them back cute trinkets whenever you travel.

The line between friendship and dating here is horribly messed up. The fact that Danish men (and women) pursue purely platonic relationships with the opposite sex has meant their dating culture suffers badly.

So here’s the big mistake I made here: I tried to play the

Danish dating game according to New Zealand rules: if we like someone we ask them out (heaven forbid) out loud, we flirt with the objects of our affections and not with our friends, and we consider the opposite sex a thing to ‘date’ not to ‘befriend’.

The Danes didn’t accept them. Most Danes consider a solid friendship as the only way to start a relationship – the thought of an ‘awkward’ date or blunt comment like “I like you” is way too much for them to handle.

Most Danes I know have hooked up with half their friends and dated about a quarter of them. Furthermore they don’t consider it weird (quite the opposite) to shamelessly flirt to the point that any normal human being would consider it a sign they’re into you.

My advice to any foreign woman here is to forget whatever rules you thought applied.

Here in Denmark it’s a whole new ball game. There are no fouls, no outs, no red cards and of course no rule books. While much of the time I would like to hand out red cards to Danish men – I can’t – although I can try to twist the game in my favour.

JESSICA O’SULLIVAN

A

FTER ARRIVING in this country late last year with a fellow foreigner and subsequently being unceremoniously dumped, I set out to explore the dating world of Denmark. What I found is a jungle of good-looking, usually well-spoken, trendy metrosexual men who are eager to impress a foreign heart.

What I also discovered, unfortunately, is that on the whole Danish men fall under one category. They’re boring.

Now whilst I don’t hail myself as some kind of guru on the subject, this is a thought that many a foreign girlfriend has echoed.

My first date with a Dane still to this day stands out in my mind.

It all began when I was working at a wedding. As I moved around the bar serving drinks, I was drawn to this good-looking, slightly big-nosed man who appeared to be intent on attracting my attention. He seemed forthcoming and interesting, and when he asked if I’d be interested in coffee, I thought why not – little did I know that he was only interesting after he’d had a thousand gin and tonics.

Later in the week we met at the predetermined place and from the get-go I was faced with a very different man from the one I’d said yes to. As we walked towards the coffee place I was nearly knocked over when his hand flew across and hit me in the chest. As we continued I discovered that he wasn’t actually trying to cop a sneaky feel (it would have been

He left me with the parting line: “Perhaps I can oil your bike chain sometime.” better than the truth), but that he was actually holding me back from the road to ensure there wasn’t any traffic coming.

Now whilst I was perplexed by this and secretly thinking: “I’ve been crossing roads alone for quite a few years now,” I let it go and shrugged it off as a cultural mishap.

Once we’d settled in at the coffee shop, where he’d booked a table, we began to talk or rather I began to talk. Quite rusty at the dating game, horror start-

ed to set in. Was I talking too much, and is that why he isn’t talking? But once I’d stopped, he didn’t really start.

He proceeded to tell me that he was 27, a banker, well-off and yet, despite not being too bad to look at, I couldn’t do anything but stare at my watch as the minutes slowly ticked away. After a rough start, things began to look up as he proceeded to tell me he’d read a bit about Australia as he knew I was from there.

This initial excitement only lasted two seconds before I saw the notecards come out of his pocket. Ohh yes, he’d prepared talking points. Now whilst I’m all for a man who wants to take an interest in my home country, Australian immigration facts don’t exactly get my motor running.

After this I decided it was time to head off, and it was as I climbed onto my bike that he left me with the parting line: “Perhaps I can oil your bike chain sometime.”

After recomposing myself, I felt there was nothing left to say except: “Not to worry, I do that myself already,” and with that I cycled off into the cold Copenhagen night with thoughts of a better day and hopefully a better date to come.

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The sanctuary where human contentment is the order of the day DAVE SMITH The American owner of a Frederiksberg yoga centre is a chef who provides food that’s good for the body and the soul

D

ENMARK HAS a reputation for having some of the happiest people in the world, but does happiness always come from within? Not in the case of Jack Davis, the American co-founder and owner of Yogacentralen (YC), a yoga centre in Frederiksberg that brings contentment to all who frequent it.

Davis founded YC with his Danish partner Peter Huber as a sanctuary for body, mind, and spirit. Bilingual and accessible, it hopes to contribute positive energy to the lively pulse of the surrounding community. This authentic and grounded space is home to a broad range of yoga styles, traditions, teachers and levels - there’s something for everyone.

YC also embodies a sanctuary for the belly: food that’s good for the body and the soul. Davis, a professional chef, serves fresh, homemade vegetarian meals after selected weekly classes and workshops. Practitioners can enjoy classic dishes that have been imaginatively re-created or try something new and innovative. Whatever the season, Jack’s dishes are healthy, colourful, and delicious, prepared with the most important ingredients: mindfulness and love.

YC understands that healthy food is as important as yoga practice, and

that the choice of food directly affects wellbeing. YC therefore supports a conscious, healthy, holistic lifestyle from top to toe, and it has plans to introduce demos, workshops, and cooking classes for those wishing to incorporate yoga principles into their diet and eating lifestyle.

“Food and yoga are interlocked in many different ways,” says Davis. “I particularly love how both cooking and the practice of yoga are both a science and an art form - that with a devoted attention feeds both the body and soul.”

Most yoga studios in Copenhagen are focused on a single style of yoga and teach only that style. But people live very different lives and have very different requirements. While all yoga styles seek to balance body, mind, and spirit, they go about it in various ways. Yoga, being universal, is truly owned by no-one and no style is better than the other; it is a simple matter of personal preference.

YC accommodates this need for variety, offering different styles, courses and workshops tailored to different age groups, body types, and those suffering from health-related conditions such as stress and obesity. YC is the only studio in Scandinavia to offer yoga classes for the blind and deaf.

YC is a platform for the teachers to teach from a variety of yoga traditions, and they are given the freedom to run their own classes independently and to apply their own personal touch to them.

Classes range in size, offering both large room workshops and classes and smaller, more intimate sessions where teachers

can provide even more individual focus and tips for proper alignment. Yoga styles range from faster flowing classes, to slower, restorative sequences. Some of the many yoga styles available include Dynamic, Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, Tara, Shadow and Kundalini.

“At Yogacentralen, the sky’s the limit,” enthuses one of the teachers, Ulla Elena Nielsen. “There is a sense of unity and there are no pretentious rules on how anyone should be. We are able to teach from our own experiences and allow our personalities to shine through.

All of the teachers are experienced, passionate and come from a range of experience – this itself gives me a spark.”

YC wants to offer the best opportunity for practitioners to find a teacher they can relate to and a style that furthers their own personal growth.

“Yogacentralen is my second home!” reveals Sze Huei Yek, a YC student.

“I feel very welcome there. The teachers know their stuff and are really approachable. You can choose from different types of yoga if you want and meet many different people from all walks of life - especially at the dinner table. It’s a place where you can feel comfortable no matter where you come from - although the best thing is how wonderful the food is!”

New customers are welcome to take advantage of an introductory reduced price, and beginners are welcome to contact us with any questions. Consult the YC website, www.yogacentralen.dk, for more information.

Jack Davis, clearly at home in the kitchen

ICC welcomes its new pastor

COMING UP SOON

DAVE SMITH

Audition for new sitcom For a new sitcom in the making, Xinxin is looking for English speaking actors/actresses. Auditions are being held on Saturday March 10. If you’re interested, send an email to xinxin@ xinxin.dk, enclosing personal details and two photos.

With extensive experience in the US and Guatemala, Reverend Ronald Rentner is the ideal choice to take care of a parish made up of 25 different nationalities and various christian denominations

T

HE INTERNATIONAL Church of Copenhagen (ICC) celebrated the installation of its new pastor, Reverend Ronald Rentner, a week last Sunday.

Leading the service was Reverend Arden Haug, the European representative for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), while the bishop of Copenhagen, Peter Skov-Jakobsen, attended on behalf of the Church of Denmark (the Folkekirke).

With a strong Lutheran heritage, the ICC remains independent from both the ELCA and the Folkekirke, but as Aileen Itani, chair of the music and worship committee, explains, it welcomes their support.

“ICC’s congregation is made up of Danes and expats from all over the world, hailing from many christian denominations,” Itani said. “But the support of these churches lends our pastor a professional net-

The rather tall Reverend Ronald Rentner addresses his congregation with Reverend Arden Haug and Reverend Peter Skov-Jakobsen looking on

work and legitimacy that benefits both him personally and, through him, the congregation generally,” Established in the late 1950s by American Lutherans living in the city, ICC is the oldest English-speaking ecumenical congregation in Copenhagen. ICC regularly ministers to worshipers from over 25 countries with a variety of different christian backgrounds including Lutheran, Orthodox, Baptist and Anglican.

Drawing on its Lutheran roots, the ICC provides Sunday worship that reflects the diversity of its congregants and also offers midweek bible studies

and programmes for children.

According to Pastor Rentner, the ICC is an example of what the church expects to be at its best.

“People from around the world gather here,” Rentner said. “Instead of being separated by differences, they are drawn close by faith. People from the widest possible worship traditions in the christian family learn here from each other. We are united by god’s good news. It is a model for the church to come.”

Pastor Rentner is joined by his wife Vonnie. They have also served churches in California, Nevada, and Guatemala.

Dutch film screening in Valby Nordisk Film Kinografen, Mosedalvej 14, Valby; Fri 9 March, 18:00; tickets: 50kr, register at film@dndv.dk; www.dndvfilm. wordpress.com NDVfilm and the Dutch Embassy in Copenhagen cordially invite you to the screening of ‘Jungle Rudy’, a film by Dutch director Rob Smits. Due to the limited capacity of the cinema, it’s necessary to reserve your seat by sending an email to film@dndv.dk.

Capoeira Meeting Copenhagen Korsgadehallen, Korsgade 29, Cph N; Sun 11 March, 13:00; free adm, www.capoeirameeting.com Capoeira Meeting Copenhagen has grown to become the biggest capoeira event in Scandinavia and takes place from March 8-11. For those interested in capoeira and Brazilian culture, you can attend a free trial lesson on the last day of the event.

There is no need to sign up just make sure you wear some loose-fitting clothes.

CTC improvisation workshop VerdensKulturCentret, Nørre Allé 7, Cph N; Tue 12 March, 19:00; free adm; www.ctcircle.dk This improvisation workshop leads you through a range of activities designed to get you out of your shell and get performing. They will wrap up the evening at around 21:30 and head to a local bar afterwards for a few drinks. Check www. meetup.com for more details.

Photowalking in Copenhagen Kongens Nytorv metro station; Sun 11 March, 15:00; free adm; www.meetup.com Photowalking is the act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures. They start at the Kongens Nytorv metro station and move towards Christianshavn. The only rule is to take pictures that have yellow, green and/or red colours in them, which will make sure you focus on colours rather than taking random images.

Start your own business Københavns Erhvervsservice, Njalsgade 13, Cph S, Wed 16:00; free adm, www.expatindenmark.dk At this meeting arranged by Københavns Erhvervsservice, you’ll learn all the essentials needed to your own business in Copenhagen. Check www. expatindenmark.dk for how to sign up.

Celebrate Holi with IDD Peder Lykke Skolen, Brydes Allé 25, Cph S; Sat 19 Mar, 16:30; free adm (only members); info@ indiansindenmark.com Celebrate the traditional Hindi spring festival ‘Holi’ with IDD (Indians in Denmark) where it is customary to throw scented powder and perfume at each other. Dinner is available for 50kr – a reservation is necessary and should be made by sending an email to info@indiansindenmark.com. This event is for members only, so remember to sign up before you go.

Round-table with EPWN DEFAP, Frederiksgade 21, Cph K; Thu 15 March, 18:30; www. europeanpwn.net/copenhagen The European Professional Women’s Network offers a range of forums for discussion and professional development opportunities. Their round-table events are targeting smaller groups and more interactive participation, allowing for deeper levels of discussion and understanding. The first roundtable of the year will be focusing on ‘positive psychology’.

There are limited numbers so sign up quickly at www.europeanpwn.net/copenhagen to be sure to get a seat.

MIKE HOFMAN

14

sport

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

9 - 15 March 2012

Will Sørensen’s howler come back to haunt him ahead of Euro 2012? ben hamilton Keeper’s phantom leap in 0-2 defeat to Russia was reminiscent of Devon Loch’s jump in the 1956 Grand National

T

homas Sørensen’s ‘miss’ is well on its way to becoming viral, as football fans all over the world shake their heads in wonder at the Danish keeper’s bizarre attempt to save Andrey Arshavin’s shot that led to Russia’s second goal in their 2-0 win at Parken last week on Wednesday.

Much to the relief of Arsenal’s fans, the Russian forward was recently loaned out to Zenit St Petersberg. He had only scored twice all season, and not since October. So it was always going to be ‘one of those goals’, and Sørensen, 35, obliged with the kind of phantom leap not seen since Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.

One down after four minutes, Denmark improved as the first half progressed, with Simon Poulsen, Nicklas Bendtner and Simon Kjaer all coming close to an equaliser. And with time running down on the clock, and aimless Arshavin on the ball, they looked a good bet to finish the half just one goal in arrears.

Jens Dresling/AP

But they hadn’t banked on wobbly Sørensen, who was making his 100th appearance for the national team. Sure, Arshavin’s shot from outside the area was powerful, but it was straight at the Dane and only moved a little in the air. Still, Sørensen saw otherwise and jumped to his right, clean missing the ball in the process.

Russia, undefeated in ten games, never faltered in the second half. The closest Denmark came to scoring was through substitute Tobias Mikkelsen, who was impressive in what was only his second start for the red and whites.

“I’d rather this happened now,” Sørensen told uefa.com following the game. “We needed to put more pressure on Arshavin, who easily got the chance to shoot. Of course, this doesn’t change the fact I should have saved it. We lost the ball and I couldn’t see the ball behind Simon Kjær, but that’s just how it is.”

Sørensen, instead, preferred to look ahead to Euro 2012. “Somebody told me there’s 100 days to go before the tournament starts,” he continued. “We need to be careful not to get our hopes too high.

There is still a long way to go. We have a good, long time to prepare so it will be completely different at the Euros.”

However, his gaffe and another similar one for his club, English Premier League side Stoke City raises some seri-

The look on Sørensen’s face says it all - but if you thought that was bad, check out the footage of Devon Loch (see inset) via our website.

ous questions about who should start in goal against the Netherlands on June 9. With Anders Lindegaard, 27, in fine form for Manchester United (before an ankle injury sidelined him in late January for six weeks), national coach Morten Olsen faces a tough decision over the coming months.

Meanwhile, the ladies’ international team got off to a disastrous start in the Algarve Cup in Portugal, losing 5-0 to the US in their opening match of an annual tournament that is widely consid-

Denmark could do was finish bottom of Group B with a worse record than the fourth-placed team in Group A, and then lose to the runner-up of Group C to finish tenth.

But in the end Denmark beat Norway 1-0 in their final game to set up a fifth/sixth place playoff game.

Denmark have participated in every Algarve Cup since it started in 1994, finishing second five times, and in the top four ten times, but they have never managed to win.

ered as the most prestigious in the game after the continental and world cups.

Denmark trailed 2-0 at half-time after conceding a goal in injury time, and then held out for half an hour before capitulating in the final 15 minutes.

And things didn’t go that much better in their second game on Friday in which they lost 2-0 to Japan, who went on to beat the US and top the group.

The 12-team tournament has a peculiar format that gives every participant a final placing. Heading into the cup, the worst

Factfile | Who will be Denmark’s keeper at Euro 2012?

Alastair Grant

www.goal.com

Jens Nørgaard Larsen

Scanpix/ Jens Nørgaard Larsen

Scanpix/ Jens Nørgaard Larsen

Thomas Sørensen

Anders Lindegaard

Jesper Christiansen

Stephan Andersen

Kasper Schmeichel

Age: 35 Caps: 100 Club: Stoke City Career highlight: Played at 2002 and 2010 WCs

Age: 27 Caps: 12 Club: Manchester United Career highlight: Signing for Man United

Age: 33 Caps: 11 Club: OB Career highlight: Danish keeper of the year, 2005-07

Age: 30 Caps: 8 Club: Évian Career highlight: Started three 2010 WC qualifiers

Age: 25 Caps: 0 Club: Leicester City Career highlight: 2007 Danish under-21 Talent

As one of the most respected keepers in England over the last 14 years at firstly Sunderland, then Aston Villa and now Stoke City, Sørensen took the gloves many thought impossible to fill from Peter Schmeichel, and he is now even closing in on his 129-cap haul.

Absolutely Sørensen’s biggest rival.

Before injuring his ankle in late January - he is expecting to return to action imminently - he had managed to wrestle the number one position away from David De Gea, and at one point went five Premier League games without conceding a goal.

Sørensen’s unused understudy at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, Christiansen’s are the reliable hands Morten Olsen has turned to over the last decade. As the first choice for FCK for four years from 2005, his club career started to stumble somewhat after he lost his place to Swedish stopper Johan Wiland in 2009.

Good form for Brøndby rewarded him with the chance to replace Thomas Sørensen in three 2010 World Cup qualifiers, including both pressure cooker games against Portugal. After beating them 3-2 away, Andersen produced a mammoth performance to keep them at bay in a 1-1 draw at Parken in September 2009.

No longer a promising prodigy who is the son of a legend, Schmeichel is now 25 and still playing his football in the second tier of English football. Called up to the national squad for the first time last year, he has yet to win a cap – a far cry from his four clean sheets in seven games in the EPL in 2007.

Sports news and briefs Free tickets for FCK!

Viddy well for Vedel

Lotus sign up young talent

Best in the world

Indian deal for Vikings

Raw deal for Danes

FC Copenhagen are offering free tickets to fans following the less than cordial spring season kickoff on Sunday. The initiative is to show that football and fan culture are about the love of the game and not the violent scenes the unfolded in Aalborg. FCK will be hosting SønderjyskE on Sunday afternoon at 4pm. Get your free tickets at www.sammenhold.fck.dk.

Danish golfer Line Vedel shot a final round 74 to finish 16th equal in the World Ladies Championship held in China last weekend. Tenth at the halfway cut thanks to rounds of 71 and 70, the 23-year-old was already six shots behind the leaders and failed to mount a challenge over the weekend. Meanwhile, fellow Danes Malene Jorgensen and Julie Tvede missed the cut.

Following on from Kevin Magnussen’s promotion at Formula One team McLaren, another young promising Dane has been signed up – this time

by Lotus. Marco L Sørensen, 21, will this year compete for the Team Lotus Junior Team in the World Series 3.5, with F1 testdriving a possibility in 2013. Lotus were keen to emphasise how Sørensen had succeeded “solely because of talent”.

Mikkel Hansen has been named the 2011 IHF World Player of the Year – the first ever Dane to win the handball honour since it started in 1988.

Voted for by fans, media and an IHF panel, Hansen received 31 percent of the votes, ten clear of his next nearest rival, last year’s winner Filip Jicha of the Czech Republic. During 2011, Hansen helped Denmark to the final of the World Championships.

Danish First Division club FC Vestsjælland will exchange knowledge and expertise with the Indian I-League outfit Shillong Lajong, following Anglian Holdings’ acquisition of stakes in both clubs as part of its diversification into the global game. The multinational’s Indian owner is keen to improve football in his country and hopes the Vikings’ expertise will help take Lajong’s game to “the next level”.

Handball’s ruling body, the IHF, has confirmed that Denmark will enter the Olympics as one of the bottom seeds. Originally a top seed after finishing in the top four at the 2011 Worlds, Denmark were demoted for winning the Euros, joining the other winners of the continental championships. Complaints ensued but the IHF has held firm, even though two of the top seeds have not yet qualified.

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

9 - 15 March 2012

Report: state’s share of oil too small Independent report argues that the government’s share of profits from North Sea oil should be higher

Novo Nordisk hit with US overtime lawsuit

COLOURBOX

PETER STANNERS

RAY WEAVER Pharmaceutical giant hit with class action suit – its second within a year

T

HE GOVERNMENT has a fair claim to a greater share of profits from North Sea oil, a report from independent organisation Det Miljøøokonomiske Råd argued last week.

The report echoed calls from politicians and the think-tank Concito for the government to renegotiate the 2003 deal, which set their share of the North Sea oil profits.

“The state should earn a greater share of the income from the resources than is currently the case with the current rules,” the report states, adding that the oil is owned by the Danish people, who ought to be making a greater profit from the limited resource.

The 2003 deal ignored the recommendations made in 2001 by the ‘hydrocarbon committee’ formed to advise the government on the best method of taxing North Sea oil.

While they suggested an effective tax rate of 84 percent of profits, the result of the deal means that the state currently takes home 71 percent of the profits – much lower than the Norwegian state’s 85 percent return on its share of North Sea oil.

According to Concito, the state has missed out on 75 billion kroner by not following the committee’s recommendations.

New figures released by Det Miljøøokonomiske Råd reveal that Maersk has made 67 billion kroner in profit from North Sea oil since 1994.

The report does not indicate how much more money the government could have earned from a higher tax rate, though it does make it clear just how profit-

F

it draws attention to the “problematic” compensation clause in which the DUC companies can demand to be reimbursed from lost earnings if the deal is altered before it runs out in 2042.

The compensation clause has been the focus of some attention, not only because it is unique – no other industry has made such a clause with the government – but because it seems to undermine the state’s inalienable right to demand taxes.

The government has established a committee to examine whether it would be possible to raise the taxes, though Maersk has categorically refused to renegotiate.

“We do not see the basis for renegotiating the North Sea deal,” Maersk’s head of public affairs, Anders Würtzen, told JyllandsPosten newspaper last December.

“The deal lives up to what the parties discussed during negotiations in 2003 – negotiations that were long and thorough.”

According to MP Pernille

BUSINESS NEWS AND BRIEFS Ice cream wars heat up THE ICE CREAM van business Hjem-is is facing some serious competition from newcomer Viking-is, according to Politiken newspaper. By the end of the month, eight Viking ice cream vans will hit the streets in eastern Denmark, including most of Zealand and Lolland-Falster, but not yet in Copenhagen.

OR THE SECOND time in less than a year, Novo Nordisk is facing legal action in the US over its alleged failure to pay overtime to its sales representatives.

On Monday, a US law firm filed a $70 million (395 million kroner) lawsuit in a federal court in New York against the Bagsværd-based pharmaceutical maker on behalf of current and former sales representatives in the states of New York and New Jersey.

According to a statement released by the firm, the class and collective action complaint has been filed on behalf of two plaintiffs and current and former sales representatives.

Steven Wittels – a lawyer for Sanford Wittels and Heisler, LLP – said Novo Nordisk is violating employee rights in a lust for profits.

“Novo Nordisk has systematically trampled on its dedicated employees’ rights to be paid for their overtime work,” said Wittels. “It misclassifies its sales representatives as salaried

Oil companies say they see no reason to change the current deal before it runs out in 2042

able the business is for the three oil companies operating in the North Sea – Chevron, Shell and Maersk, who work together as the Danish Underground Consortium (DUC) – that negotiated the 2003 deal with the former government.

According to the report, between 2004 and 2010, the DUC companies earned an annual pre-tax yield of 60 percent of their investment, and 24 percent after tax – triple what average businesses earn.

The report contributes to numbers released last December that showed that the DUC earned 88 billion kroner from a 150 billion turnover in the same period.

Oil companies were profiting much more than was expected after the spectacular rise in the price of oil from 22 dollars a barrel in 2003 to over 120 dollars a barrel today.

Det Miljøøokonomiske Råd finds that while there is a case for renegotiating the 2003 deal,

Alcohol pill shows promise This is despite an injunction from Vestre Landsret forbidding Viking-is from copying Hjem-is’s routes and franchise model. The Nestlé-owned Hjem-is’s 35-yearmonopoly on operating ice cream vans was broken a year ago, so now they have to face the competition from the ice cream brands Frisko and Ben & Jerry’s.

A NEW PILL that helps to reduce alcohol consumption is under development at the medical company Lundbeck. The pill is not intended to lead to abstinence, only a lesser intake, and over six months tests show that the pill has reduced the consumption of the test patients by two thirds.

Rosenkrantz-Theil (Socialdemokraterne), the government is not yet ready to say whether it will demand a renegotiation.

“Our investigation of the deal will be completed by autumn,” she told public broadcaster DR. “Before that is complete, we won’t make a decision. We are talking about amounts that are so large that it’s important to turn over every stone instead of making hasty decisions.”

employees exempt from the benefits of federal and state overtime laws, when they are not exempt at all.”

Wittels said that there was “something rotten” about a company that earned more than $3 billion (18 billion kroner) in profits in 2011 and at the same time refuses to pay its employees for overtime.

Lawyer Deborah Marcuse accused Novo Nordisk of not living up to its “own self-professed ideals”.

“Novo Nordisk’s annual reports tout the company as being highly ethical and sensitive to the needs of its employees,” Marcuse said. “But this is a case of protesting too much. Novo Nordisk willfully deprives its sales reps of overtime pay, notwithstanding the requirement of the law and Novo’s bulging cash coffers. Our lawsuit is designed to remedy this injustice.”

Novo Nordisk reported total 2011 sales of more than 66 billion kroner ($10 billion) and an 18 percent annual profit increase.

The company had no immediate comment.

A Californian law firm filed a suit against Novo Nordisk in July on behalf of sales representatives who also alleged that the company failed to pay them overtime.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

So you’ve seen our events and been impressed, but you can attend as a non-member so there’s no reason to consider joining, right?

Except...

You don’t get to come to our Christmas Reception You pay 125 – 350kr for each event you attend You are peripheral to the network – would you refer business to someone you don’t know??

Wouldn’t you rather...

Make an active contribution to BCCD? Attend seminars and on the way home meetings free of charge?

Attend lunches and socials either at cost price or free of charge?* Profile your business, news and events via our website and newsletter (1200 subscribers and growing)?*

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

5.78

5.49

7.33

0.07

0.18

0.81

6.06

8.75

5.52

Buy

6.30

5.94

7.56

0.07

0.21

0.85

6.26

9.11

5.78

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

Date: 7 March 2012

15

*Membership benefits vary by membership category.

If you would like to know more about Corporate, Small Business or Individual membership of BCCD,then please contact Nina Norheim: Nina@bccd.dk or call +45 3118 7558.

• official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

16

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

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PARTNERS:

9 - 15 March 2012 SPOUSE: Jennifer Bouma FROM: The Netherlands SEEKING WORK IN: Egedal Kommune, Copenhagen 30 km.

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IT EXPERIENCE: AutoCAD 2011.

CONTACT: grandessodk@gmail.com, Mobile: 50110653 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: Brian McNamee FROM: Australia / Ireland SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Engineering and Diploma of Education from University of Melbourne.

EXPERIENCE: Six years teaching Mathematics at Zurich International School, previously worked in Telecommunications.

LOOKING FOR: Full or part time teaching position (available from July).

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (native) German (basic).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Geometer’s sketchpad, Autograph.

CONTACT: brian.g.mcnamee@gmail.com +41 79 362 83 67 SPOUSE: Rita Paulo FROM: Portugal SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Architect .

EXPERIENCE: I am an architect and I have experience in Project and in Construction Supervision.

In the past 7 years, I have worked mainly in housing, masterplanning and social facilities buildings.

My last employer was a Project and Construction company where I had the opportunity to complement my experience in projects together with construction related tasks, developing myself as a professional.

LOOKING FOR: Job in Architecture or Construction Company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Native Portuguese, Proficiency in English, Basic user of Spanish and Danish IT EXPERIENCE: Strong knowledge of AutoCad and ArchiCad. Experience in Studio Max, CorelDraw, Photoshop, Office tools.

CONTACT: rita.vaz.paulo@gmail.com, Tel: +45 2961 9694 SPOUSE: Lorenzo Albano FROM: Venezuela (with CPR number) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater København and Hovedstaden QUALIFICATION: PhD in Physics.

EXPERIENCE: I have wide experience as an university lecturer in physics, physics laboratory, mathematics and informatics. I have done research in theoretical quantum optics and quantum information. I have done research and development / programming of numerical methods applied to geophysical problems, such as tomographic inversion and wave propagation, independently and as part of multidisciplinary teams. I have participated in gravimetric and magneto metric geophysical surveys.

LOOKING FOR: Short and long term work in education in science and mathematics / research / scientific computing / oil exploration or other geophysical applications.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in Spanish (native), English and Italian. Basic Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: OS: MSDOS, Windows, Linux (Ubuntu), Solaris, incl. Shell scripting. Programming Languages: BASIC, ANSI C, C++, FORTRAN. Web: HTML, CSS, Joomla!. Typography: LaTeX2E. Software: Mathematica 7, MS Office and OpenOffice suites, several Windows utilities.

CONTACT: lorenzoalbanof@gmail.com. Tel: +45 50 81 40 73 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 and child 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 basic graphic editing programs (Microsoft Office, Open Office) plus statistical software (SPSS).

CONTACT: heike@mehlhase.info 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 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

EMPLOYMENT

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

9 - 15 March 2012

17

Biotech Job Vacancies Leo-Pharma

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Outsourcing Specialist, External Manufacturing Head of Section - Skin Inflammation, Department of Disease Pharmacology

Lundbeck

Project Intern

Specialist GCQA Systems

Novozymes Scientist

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The Copenhagen Post is seeking a Project Intern to join our team immediately.

COPENHAGEN RENAISSANCE

MUSIC FESTIVAL 7 - 20 NOVEMBER 2011

FROM SCHÜTZ TO GEIST

Early German Baroque Music 1600-1700 In commemoration of Christian Geist (c.1650-1711)

ISRAEL

Discovering Israel: Inside the Holy Land Special advertising section INSIDE!

Photo: Karsten Movang

Copenhagen Renaissance Music Festival Special advertising section INSIDE!

HOLMENS CHURCH

THEATRE OF VOICES

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4 - 10 November 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 44

MASADA

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Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk ILLUSTRATION BY PETER STANNERS

Resource & Systems Manager, Clinical Development Support (TEMP) Ethics Associate, Global Ethics Office(TEMP) Pharmacovigilance Database Manager, Global Pharmacovigilance

NEWS

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

6

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

NEWS | 3

SPORT

Get in or get out Is now the time to join the euro, or to run like hell?

4

National coach Morten Olsen’s new contract will keep him in the job until after the 2014 World Cup.

Novo Nordisk

14

A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the economy JENNIFER BULEY

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

HISTORY | 19

Project Manager / DFM coordinator Strategic Purchaser – Plastic Components and Raw Material Documentation Specialist – electronic submission R&D Sourcing Project Manager PostDoctoral position in biomolecular modelling procedures incorporating HX-MS data R&D Sourcing Project Manager Project Managers Project Manager in Global Mobility - maternity cover Mobility Project Manager Enteric coating specialist - Oral protein formulation

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You will be assisting with various tasks including general administrative duties, customer service/sales support, and event planning.

SRSF’s first budget will spend 17.5 billion kroner on infrastructure and abolish previous taxes and restrictions

C

AN YOU HAVE your cake and eat it too? Conventional wisdom says no, but with their first budget plan since the shift of power, the new Socialdemokraterne-RadikaleSocialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) coalition appear to be giving it a shot.

Many of the elements of the new budget – which is expected to be released in its entirety on Thursday – will increase state spending at a time when the budget deficit has increased. But where the money would come from remained a mystery.

A number of the new budget items reinstate spending cuts made by the pre-

vious Venstre-Konservative (VK) govern- the number of students. Moreover, stument. Here are a few of the major points: dents will no longer pay administrative Families: VK limited the state’s fees, and prospective Master’s students monthly child support handouts (bør- will have prerequisite course tuitions necheck) to 35,000 kroner per fam- paid. The government will also fund ily. That limit has now been abolished, 1,500 more state-supported internship meaning that many families will get positions.

Infrastructure and job creation: larger child benefits. The government will also pay for fertility treatments and Some 17.5 billion kroner will be invested over two years in infrastructure voluntary sterilisations.

Welfare: VK and Dansk Folkeparti projects, such as a new rail line between (DF) introduced specialised welfare pro- Copenhagen and Ringsted, a project to grammes that reduced the cash benefits widen the Holbæk motorway, erosion for new immigrants. Those programmes protection efforts along Jutland’s west have now been eliminated and going coast, and renovations to public housforward all residents in need of state ing. Prime minister Helle Thorningsupport will receive the same welfare Schmidt has said that these ‘kickstart’ projects will create 20,000 new jobs benefits.

Higher education and research: from 2012-2013. The Danish ConstrucUniversities will get an extra one billion tion Association predicts 10,000.

Tax break:meeting The unpopular ‘mulkroner over two years to cover costs as- a personal Organise sociated with a predicted increase in timedia tax’ introduced by VK will be

Cheering a Muslim as we do a Murderer!

FULL TIME MBA and sit in on a class.

abolished, saving some 525,000 Danes with business laptops and mobile phones 3,000 kroner per year.

Not everyone, however, can look forward to a cash infusion. Smokers and junk food lovers will be taxed higher on their vices, while international corporations will also see higher tax bills. SRSF plans to raise revenue by closing a number of tax loopholes going back nearly 20 years that allowed international corporations in Denmark to escape paying corporate taxes (see more on page 15).

All told, the spending increases in the new budget are not as big as the minister of the economy and interior, Margrethe Vestager (R), would like. She noted that VK under-reported the deficit for 2012, making it imprudent to spend more. But Denmark will still meet the EU’s financial responsibility benchmarks, despite the larger deficit, she added.

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Page 10

InOut The CPH Post Entertainment Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

KIDS ON FILM YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BUSTER!

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

THE CHILDREN’S MOVIE FEST IS HERE page

G9

The internship is unpaid but will offer the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.

BLUES w w w. c o p e n h a g e n b l u e s f e s t i v a l . d k

COPENHAGEN

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

See more at copenhagencard.com

SEPT. 28 - OCT. 2 · 2011

FESTIVAL

John Primer w. Nisse Thorbjorn Band [US/DK] Joe Louis Walker [US] | Holmes Brothers [US] Mud Morganfield w. Peter Nande Band [US/DK] Louisiana Red & Paul Lamb [US/UK] | Janice Harrington w. Kenn Lending Blues Band [US/DK] Keith Dunn Band [US/NL] | Johnny Max Band [CA] Delta Blues Band | The Healers | Shades of Blue Thorbjorn Risager | Troels Jensen | Alain Apaloo H.P. Lange | Mike Andersen & Jens Kristian Dam Tutweiler | Fried Okra Band | The Blues Overdrive Bluesoul | Grahn & Malm | Ole Frimer | Paul Banks Jacob Fischer Trio | Svante Sjöblom | Jes Holtsoe

See full programme: w w w.copenhagenbluesfestival.dk & w w w.kultunaut.dk

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

Please send your application and CV to jeanne@cphpost.dk noting ‘Project Intern’ in the subject line.

For more information please contact Jeanne Thames on 3336 3300.

accountant Description: Over the past decade the Equinor group has provided international tax advice, company administration, and accountancy services to an international clientele consisting of private individuals, corporates, and funds. We have an experienced team of lawyers, accountants, and corporate secretaries from five countries.

We are seeking a full time, experienced accountant whose primary role would be to assist with the preparation and finalisation of annual accounts for the holding companies we administer (assets typically include share capital, real estate, and aircraft).

the role woulD incluDe: • • • • • • •

Ongoing bookkeeping and accounting preparation using Navision Financials; Liaising directly with our international client base on accounting matters; Liaising with Danish and foreign auditors regarding the finalisation of accounts; Liaising with Danish tax authorities, the National Bank, Statistics Denmark, etc; VAT administration; Salary administration; Developing client accounting systems for our ever expanding client base;

Qualifications: Preferred applicants are cand.merc, HD or similar qualification in Accounting or Economics/ Finance and have extensive experience of accounts preparation and internal auditing.

The successful applicant with also be a proficient user of: • Navision Financials • Microsoft Office Applications, in particular excel Due to the international nature of our client base, an excellent competence in both written and spoken English is vital. Fluency in Danish will be useful, but is not a necessity. An experience and understanding of other cultures are also important in order to adapt and understand the needs of our clients.

Also of interest would be a working knowledge of French and Italian.

we offer: • • • •

The opportunity to work directly with a varied international client base spanning the globe; Being a part of a highly motivated, enthusiastic team of existing staff; An attractive salary package including pension and fringe benefits; Opportunities for ongoing professional development.

Please send applications to a.soerensen@equinor.eu no later than 16th March 2012 Frederiksgade 21, 1265 Copenhagen a.soerensen@equinor.eu Phone: +45 39166166

Rygaards International School Invites experienced, enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers, familiar with and experienced in British-style education, to apply for the following teaching position. Applicants should be lively, energetic and committed professional teachers. They must also be native English speakers. The job will be for April 2012.

Rygaards School has a Danish and an International English-speaking school each teaching its own separate curriculum. Rygaards International School consists of Key Stages 1 – 4 (Years 1 – 11).

Rygaards is a Catholic school founded in 1909 by the Assumption sisters.

The school has strong ecumenical traditions and welcomes applicants who are interested in actively supporting Christian values. It would be an advantage but not a requirement that the applicant be willing to teach in the Catholic Religion Programme.

The teaching position is as follows: • A secondary school teacher with a combination of the following subjects; English, Drama and Music. This is to cover a maternity leave.

Terms of employment in accordance with contract between The Ministry of Finance and LC (Teaching Unions) Applications should be addressed to The Board of Governors and sent by e-mail to: The principal of Rygaards International School, Charles Dalton, charles.dalton@rygaards.com. Information about the school can be obtained from our website www.rygaards.com

Closing date for applications: Thursday the 15th March 2012

18

culture

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

9 - 15 March 2012

Festival management allegedly made donation to local council in order to influence its decision to expropriate land for use during annual music event

T

he justice minister is being asked to look into a decision by Roskilde Council to expropriate 60,000 sqm of land for the use of the Roskilde Festival, after accepting a donation of two artificial football pitches worth 7.5 million kroner from the festival.

Keld Bjerregaard runs a plant nursery on the soon-to-be expropriated land adjacent to the Roskilde Fairgrounds, which he rented to the festival each year until recently.

But in 2010 Bjerregaard cancelled the agreement, citing his dissatisfaction over a decision by the council to re-zone the area as land designated for outdoor sports facilities and service areas for large events at the fairgrounds. The re-zoning allowed the council to expropriate the land “for the common good” and rent it back to the Roskilde Festival at a lower price than Bjerregaard demanded.

After cancelling the agreement, Bjerregaard, organised his own mini festival, Love Camp, with space for 5,000 guests, during the 2011 Roskilde Festival.

Roskilde Council has said that it attempted to purchase the land from Bjerregaard, but that it was forced to abandon the effort after failing to agree on the price.

The decision to formally expropriate two thirds of Bjerregaard’s 90,000 sqm property was put forward at a council meeting last week on Wednesday. Councillor Torben Jørgensen (Socialdemokraterne) said the measure would benefit all of Roskilde.

“We are not doing it to annoy anyone, but because it is important to us,” Jørgensen told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “By securing the land we will have better space for sports facilities and for the festival. Of course I appreciate that [the owner of the land] is angry and it is unfortunate that we were not able to agree on a price beforehand.”

The decision to expropriate the land has been criticised for directly benefiting the Roskilde Festival not long after it donated two football pitches to the city using profits from last year’s festival.

But Christina Bilde, a spokesperson for the Roskilde Festival – a charity that gives away its profits every year – said the festival’s management was “upset” by the bribery accusations.

“We have donated over 200 million kroner to causes locally as well as globally. We are very proud of what we support locally,” Bilde told Berlingske newspaper, adding that the deal to donate football pitches was made last September as a way to compensate the council for recreational space lost due to the expansion of a gravel pit.

Roskilde mayor Joy Mogensen (Socialdemokraterne) also denied any wrongdoing.

“These are two decisions that have been in the works for a long time. For it to be bribery there have to be clear conditions that it is in exchange for a gift and that is clearly not the case,” Mayor Joy Morgensen told Berlingske. “The law states that we are allowed to expropriate if it is in the common good. And there was one resident with whom we could not strike a deal despite lengthy discussions.”

Polticial party Liberal Alliance (LA) expressed concern that the council had abused its authority to expropriate the land.

From: Alt om MIkkel Hansen

Peter Stanners

Malene Ørsted

The Roskilde Festival might remain popular with thousands of revellers, but it’s a good guess that Keld Bjerregaard isn’t one of them

“In the past few years we have seen a slew of examples in which councils have expropriated private property for the use of golf clubs, shooting ranges and now a festival,” LA legal spokesperson Simon Emil Ammitzbøll wrote in a press release, adding that he wanted the justice minister to look into the matter.

“It appears that expropriation has been the easy option for the Roskilde Festival because they didn’t want to pay the price that the landowner had

demanded. If that is the case, then it is an abuse of the rules about expropriation and has to be stopped.”

Speaking to Jyllands-Posten newspaper, landowner Bjerregaard said the case exhibits a clear conflict of interest.

“How could it possibly be legal for the council to receive such a large gift before making the decision. I don’t understand it. It’s a you-scratch-my-back-I-scratchyours relationship between the festival and the council.”

Shakespeare Unplugged

A

star is rising in the east, at Krudttønden theatre in Østerbro to be exact, in the form of Adam Brix, who following his success in last autumn’s ‘The Zoo Story’ has nailed it again with some wonderfully contemporary Shakespearean acting. Brix is Karl the barman in the play ‘Shakespeare Unplugged’, a brand new play penned by actor Ian Burns and director Barry McKenna of That Theatre.

Imagine entering an ordinary British pub where there are two bartenders - Karl and his colleague Signe (Vibeke Nielsen) – and two drunk Brits, Derek (Burns) and John (Andrew Jeffers), who are in their element pounding down beers while chatting to fellow punters. Only this time, the pub’s a stage, and the punters merely the audience.

The play officially begins with them yelling out “Eng-erland, Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land!” as a football match is about to begin, but the sensitive barman Karl, who’s neither enthusiastic about the game nor hooligans – a comment that only makes the Brits yell louder turns on the telly, though he would rather enjoy his book.

The plot revolves around the works of Shakespeare with a focus on the theme of love since the young and inexperienced Karl is miserably in love with the beautiful Rosalind. Only seconds after

turning on the telly the electricity goes out, and so the (unplugged) Shakespearean magic begins as Jon and Derek, being superior in the field of love and wooing – in their own opinion at least – take on the challenge of teaching the young Karl a few things.

The play takes you through several plays within the play in true Shakespearean style, and you have to watch your step as it jumps from play to play and scene to scene, of which some are more convincing than others. Talking as a true Shakespearean novice, it can be a bit difficult connecting all the dots, though some of them were obviously recognisable – even to Danes – like the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ scene between Karl and a mysterious woman on the TV. Recognisable or not, the different plays take the audience on a journey through the lessons of love: from unrequited love and vanity, to love from a woman’s point of view. But it isn’t until Brix dresses up like a woman towards the end of the show that they really hit the nerve of the audience with a scene (a play within a play within a play) from the comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

The love scene between Brix as the enchanting Thisbe and her lover Pyramus (Jeffers), who are separated by a wall (Burns), was something the audience really liked and – especially judging by the amount of giggling teenage girls – it was definitely the funniest part of the poetic mix of drunk people and poetry.

So overall, there’s something for everybody in ’Shakespeare Unplugged’, and as long they have Brix on board, they’re capable of anything.

Ben Hamilton Bodil best film and actor selections the same as the Roberts – what’s the difference again?

T

he organisers of Denmark’s answer to the Oscars (or is it the Golden Globes?) might reconsider renaming their awards after Lars von Trier, following yet another best film award for one of his movies – his seventh in all.

His sci-fi drama ‘Melancholia’ on Saturday night scooped the 2011 Bodil award for best film, adding to the Robert it won in early February. Nikolaj Lie Kaas likewise doubled up by winning the best actor award for his portrayal of Danish comic actor Dirch Passer in the film ‘Dirch’, while Lene Maria Christensen won best actress for her role in ‘En Familie’, her second Bodil in three years following her 2009 triumph in ‘Frygtelig Lykkelig’.

However, ‘Superclasico’, despite being short-listed for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars – it made the final nine but not the final five - missed out on the major awards, winning just one: the best supporting actress gong for Paprika Steen. While best supporting male went to Lars Ranthe, also for ‘Dirch’.

‘Winter’s Bone’ meanwhile won the Best American Film award – another peculiar decision following last year’s choice of ‘A Single Man’, although there was no Danish connection like the Roberts’ selection of ‘Drive’.

Since 1980, the Bodils have only twice mirrored the Oscars: ‘American Beauty’ in 2001 and

Scanpix/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Fine drop of winter’s ale A magnificent seven for Lars von Trier Malene Ørsted

Who is ...

Mikkel Hansen?

DRUX

Roskilde Festival accused of bribing council

No, not the drummer with boy band Hanson, this guy’s a Danish handball player.

So is half the population.

What’s so special about him?

From Helsingør and nicknamed the Hammer (every time he scores for his club AG Copenhagen, they play ‘U Can’t Touch This’ – an incentive not to score, you would think), like his father Flemming, he has played for the national side since the age of 20.

He’s just picked up the 2011 IHF World Player of the Year award – the biggest individual accolade in the game.

That’s impressive ... so how would I recognise him?

Besides his pretty smug expression, he has long and greasy hair quite similar to the Hanson brothers, who he might just be a distant relative of after all, as they supposedly have Danish roots.

He sounds like he’s cruising for a bruising.

Well, kind of, but he’s also quite big 196cm tall and weighs 96kg – so he’s not exactly the kind of guy you would want to piss off.

Von Trier, pictured here at Cannes last year, was the big winner at both the Bodils and the Roberts

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ in 2002.

The Bodils, which began in 1948, are voted for by the country’s film critics, while the Roberts, just 28 years old last month, are selected by the industry – namely the members of the Danish Film Academy. Many have questioned the wisdom of a small country like Denmark having two awards shows, particularly when the recipients are so often the same. A quick look at the three major categories (best film, actor and actress – the Bodils have no best director award) reveals that in the last six years, 12 of the 18 awards have been duplicates.

One film industry professional who believes the two award ceremonies should merge is Bo Ehrhardt, the co-founder of Nimbus Film, the producer of ‘Festen’ and ‘Flammen og Citronen’.

“It is a problem that a lot of energy is being used to produce

two award celebrations, while both organisations are struggling to make ends meet,” he told public broadcaster DR last year. “We should be only doing one big event a year - to create a greater identity and a stronger brand around Danish film.”

However, according to Jacob Wendt Jensen, the president of the film employees’ union, a proposal was recently put to his members to merge the two, and it was rejected.

“Nobody talks about the Oscars and Golden Globe merging together,” Mette Bubandt Aagaard of the Danish Film Academy told DR. As things stand, the likes of Von Trier can continue to look forward to more double triumphs. In addition to ‘Melancholia’, he has picked up Bodils for ‘AntiChrist’ (2009), ‘Dogville’ (2003), ‘Breaking the Waves’ (1997), ‘The Kingdom’ (1995), ‘Europa’ (1992), and ‘The Element of Crime’ (1985).

I see. Would I have seen him away from the handball field?

Probably. He’s quite attentionseeking and you could say that commercial opportunities are like passes from his teammates – he never misses one. So much so, it’s been a long-running joke with some radio hosts at P3, and probably others as well, because during a major championship his goofy face is everywhere.

What kind of commercials?

Pretty much everything from Intersport and Head and Shoulders to Oral B toothpaste.

Head and Shoulders – are they going for the greasy look now?

Apparently so. He does wash it in the commercial though, so maybe they’re thinking more about the before and after angle.

That sounds about right.

Anything else?

After playing for FC Barcelona for a while – who claim they “discovered” him – he’s back in Denmark playing for AG Copenhagen. He apparently missed the enthusiasm for the game over here, or maybe it was all those free male grooming products.

9 - 15 March 2012

Denmark through the looking glass The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

19

Who needed the Holy Land when they could fight a crusade on their doorstep? www.bialczynski.wordpress.com/

Sean Coogan

The first, the third, the last, the children’s … and now you can add the Danish, even if there were concerns over whether Denmark’s 12th century war with the Wends had any religious motivation whatsoever

T

Svantevit, providers of quality barbecue woodchips for centuries – guaranteed to give your meat a heathenly taste

as other Germans had done. Their decision made good financial sense.

Expeditions against the Wends were much easier to organise and considerably cheaper than joining the crusade to the Holy Land. It also opened the door to a future taxation of their defeated neighbours.

Alas, it did not go very well for the Christian forces. The Danes and the Saxons were unable to defeat the Wends and ended up negotiating a peace agreement. The Wends agreed to

release their prisoners and accept the Christian faith as their own, but almost as soon as the Saxons and Danes turned their backs, they returned to their pagan ways and escalated their attacks on the coasts of Denmark, which was once again embroiled in civil war.

But they hadn’t reckoned on Valdemar the Great, who became king of Denmark in 1157 after decisively ending the civil war in victory. He immediately launched an attack on the Wends, whose attack on Denmark had never stopped during the civil war, and over the next 15 years he completed approximately 20 expeditions against the Wends.

He joined forces with his old enemy Henry the Lion, the duke of Saxony, in a shaky alliance.

Rather than just guarding themselves against Wendish aggression, the two leaders expanded into the Wendish areas.

Henry the Lion was more successful, since he had a large

population that he could use to colonise the newly conquered areas. Valdemar, on the other hand, could not find Danes willing to accept the task of settling in the Wendish areas. It was simply too dangerous.

The Danish activity culminated with the historic conquest of the pagan stronghold of Arkona in 1168.

The fall of Arkona signalled the Danish conquest of the island of Rügen and is described in detail by the Danish chronicler Saxo. He described how King Valdemar and Archbishop Absalon (the founder of Copenhagen no less) had the pagan idol Svantevit destroyed. Not only was the big wooden idol chopped to pieces, they used the pieces as firewood and cooked the victory feast for the troops with it, whilst the pagan temple was stripped of its treasures.

The population of Rügen was then christened and the island remained under Danish rule until 1325, while the Danish church remained in charge of ecclesiastical matters until 1660.

To this day, Danish scholars are still arguing whether or not the Danish expeditions against the Wends were crusades. The motives seem to have been very mixed indeed. An example is the conquest of Arkona, which was characterised by pillaging and taxation of the area on one hand, but also the

building of churches and other religious institutions on the other hand.

Historians agree that the expedition of 1147 can rightly be called a Danish crusade as it was initiated by the Pope, who promised indulgence. But that is about it.

Some historians believe that all the Danish expeditions were crusades based on their claim that religious motives were the main reason for the expeditions. They believe that the Pope’s proclamation of a holy war as a universal principle was still valid after the Second Crusade (1147-49). Other historians, in contrast, point to the Viking-like manner of the expeditions and argue that Saxo only described the expedition in 1147 as a crusade, whilst the others were described as conquests driven by vengeance against the pillaging Wends. They believe that the religious motives were secondary and that the Pope gave up on the idea of a holy war outside the Holy Land after the fiasco of the Second Crusade, in which the christian forces failed to make progress in the Holy Land.

Regardless of the scholarly disagreement, the expeditions against the Wends led to a Danish heyday, during which the country succeeded in establishing itself as a dominant force in the areas surrounding the Baltic Sea – a supremacy that lasted until 1241.

Laurits Tuxen

Otto’s Gospel Book

hroughout the 12th century, Danish forces raided the northern coasts of Germany and Poland time and time again. The aim was to fight the region’s pillaging pagans, the Wends, a mixture of tribes that in turn attacked the Danish coastline with regularity – raids that were particularly unwelcome during a Danish civil war from 1146-57. Despite times of peace, trade and even intermarriage between the Danes and the Wends (Harald Bluetooth was indeed married to a Wendish princess), they were feared and hated by all in Denmark.

In 1147 Pope Eugene III declared the Second Crusade in an attempt to reconquer the Holy Land from the Muslims in the Middle East. Concurrently, holy war was also made a universal principle. This meant that any war waged against the enemies of god – such as the heathen Wends - was now viewed by the church as a holy war and would grant the Christian warriors divine privileges. The Danish Crusades were quickly proclaimed.

The warring parties laid down their arms and put the civil war on hold, so they could do god’s biding. They joined the princes and dukes of northern Germany in the fight against the heathens in their backyard. The Saxons had been granted permission to fight the Wends by a powerful abbot, Bernard of Clairvaux, rather than joining the Second Crusade to the Holy Land,

Off on the crusade armed with musical instruments and sports equipment – no wonder they kept on losing

Supreme rulers: a depiction of Valdemar the Great and Bishop Absalon, the 12th century’s answer to the Clintons

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

International Master in Leadership and Innovation in Complex Systems (LAICS) The LAICS Master centres on innovation and leadership from a ‘real-world’, practice-based and social skills perspective – it will enable you and your company to navigate in a complex environment and to establish the organisation, business opportunities and external relations you need in order to succeed…

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The whole package, so to speak. But the most important outcome of attending and graduating from the course is probably that we can’t stop looking for new opportunities wherever we go!’

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• ‘The LAICS Master has given me the courage to work with innovation in all its complexities. It has given me insight into what innovation actually is and the value it is creating. For me it was the belief that the physical space and architecture within the health service can contribute to a better functioning healthcare system. LAICS has given me tools for analysing and working with innovation processes as well as methods for strategic business development – which has resulted in the establishment of my own company.’

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• ‘The unique feature of the LAICS Master is that it is very practice-based and hands-on. We address real challenges at work and create tangible outcomes.

I have co-developed an innovation training course within my company which has already benefitted over 250 employees in Denmark and abroad. We have also created an innovation network for employees to air ideas and seek feedback. This has been extremely effective in terms of advancing the innovation processes – especially when facing resistance at middle-management level.‘ Ole Vilster, Senior Product manager, portfolio management & consumer intelligence, Nokia

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Company enrolments to date - amongst others: AU Hospital, Arkitema, Carlsberg Breweries, Coloplast, COWI, Danfoss, Danisco, DAC, DR, Danske Bank, DnB NOR, Dong Energy, DSB, E.ON Climate & Renewables (Sweden), Enterprise Support Centre (Russia), Falck, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, Husbanken (Norway), HL Architects, Holstebro Kommune, Ingeniørforeningen-IDA, If P&C Insurance (Norway), Justitsministeriet, Kaospilots, KMD, Maersk Olie og Gas, Nokia, Novo Nordisk, NRK Norge, Post Danmark, Polycom, Professionshøjskolen Metropol, Rambøll Informatik, Region Sjælland, Roche GMBH (Germany), Rockwool International, SCKK, SKAT, TDC, Telenord (Norway), Top Danmark, KU, University Hospital Lund (Sweden), Vestas.

For more information:

Hilde Bollen, Programme Coordinator +45 8715 1817 / hilde@laics.net / www.laics.net Visit the LAICS stand at the Open House on 20th March from 17.00-19.00 at AU/ Campus Emdrup (Copenhagen)

AU

AARHUS UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION