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NEWS

Employment minister backs off suggestion to fast-track immigration for nurses and teachers

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NEWS

Sperm bank pulls out In response to new legislation, the world’s largest semen provider will no longer service Danish clinics

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NEWS

Winter’s travail When most people get a fine, they pay it. Megan Coogan is not like most people

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SPORT

Unexpected Xmas present Footballer baffled after reading about the purchase of his transfer rights ... in the sports news

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Best wait for spring until we do another ‘happy’ survey

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Student grants in government’s crosshairs RAY WEAVER Reform on the way could lead to reductions in funds available for continuing education

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HE AMOUNT of time students can spend getting their degree could be cut if plans submitted by a government education panel are adopted.

Although government leaders say that no concrete decisions have been made, a reform package set to be introduced in the spring could well feature cuts to the SU student grant programme as a centrepiece.

Several models have been suggested

by the committee, and most pointed to reducing the number of years students can receive SU so that it matches the amount of time it should take to complete their programme. Currently students can receive an extra year of SU. The government is also looking at cutting funding for those students who switch back and forth between courses and schools in order to extend their SU benefits. Other proposals include limiting SU payments to the school year, instead of year round, as under the current system, and differentiating SU amounts based on study programmes.

Although a poll released last week indicated that the majority of Danes are against making cuts to the SU

programme, sources in the Education Ministry told Politiken newspaper that “nothing was sacred” when it comes to trimming SU’s 17 billion kroner annual price tag in order to kick two billion kroner back into state coffers each year.

A spokesperson for the opposition Dansk Folkeparti (DF) said the government was on the wrong track.

“It makes no sense just to kick students out of school,” Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl, a DF spokesperson, told Politiken newspaper. “The government would do better to examine the system and culture of higher education.”

The idea is to save money by getting students through school more quickly, but Jacob Ruggaard, the head of student

union Danske Studerende Fællesråd, thinks any SU cuts would be bad.

“Trimming the extra year of study would be counter-productive,” Ruggaard told Politiken. “It would force students who are already behind to work even harder.”

Ruggard said students are already moving through the system faster than in years past.

The minister for higher education, Morten Østergaard (Radikale), declined to comment on any possible changes in SU the cost of which has nearly doubled in ten years.

The increase is due in a large part to

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SU cuts continues on page 5

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Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

CPH Post Word of the Week:

11 - 17 January 2013 THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Hovedbestyrelse (noun) – Executive committee. Where you heard it: In coverage of the chaos surrounding Fredericia’s mayor, Thomas Banke, and his battle with fellow Venstre members who kicked him out of the committee Scanpix / Liselotte Sabroe

Good work rewarded

Police admit using Google translation in terror investigation was mistake As thousands risk losing benefits, 10,000 jobs go unfilled Christian Values | Time to earn your foreigners, Denmark Actress’s death leads to spike in cancer vaccination requests Afghan death was first time Danish elite soldier killed overseas

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Copenhagen’s newly revised terror laws lead to the arrest of three men implicated in jihad operations abroad.

FIVE YEARS AGO. Copenhagen installs CCTV cameras on Strøget and in Nørreport in effort to reduce crime.

Journalist Asbjørn With from Nordjyske Medier was awarded the prestigious Cavling prize last week for his extensive coverage of Rebild Council’s repeated failures in cases involving sexual abuse, forced removal and help to the handicapped

in 2011, only 20,862 did so without taking a break. The rest have been delayed by an average of more than two years. The education minister, Christine Antorini (Socialdemokraterne), said that the findings were distressful and that guidance procedures for young students need to be changed.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Skål to 2012

For beer fans, 2012 was a banner year. Beer drinkers were treated to 756 new beers on the Danish market during the course of the last year according to numbers from Beerticker/Beerticker PRO. The new brews set a record, besting the 647 new beers that were introduced in 2008. While powerhouse Carlsberg may mar-

President and Publisher Ejvind Sandal

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Additionally, our English language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience.

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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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Editor-in-Chief (responsible under the Media Liability Act) Kevin McGwin

News Editor Justin Cremer Journalists Peter Stanners, Ray Weaver & Christian Wenande

ket itself as “probably the best beer in the world”, it is far from the only beer available in Denmark.

In the past decade alone, 4,645 new beers have been introduced to the market. In 2012’s recordsetting year, eleven new breweries popped up nationwide, bringing the total to 132, including five on the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

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Only one third of students graduate from university without taking at least one sabbatical period, according to a new study carried out by business sector lobbying groups Dansk Industri and Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd. The study indicated that of the 61,094 students who earned a degree

Colourbox

Scanpix / Camilla Rønde

Slow students

ONE YEAR AGO. The Danish warship Absalon rescues 14 Iranian and Palestinian hostages being held by Somali pirates.

C20 record

The Largest stocks on the C20 index closed Tuesday at 517.98, setting an all-time record. Tuesday’s performance bested the previous record set in October 2007, which was before the global economic crisis took hold. But Michael Kongshaug, the chief analyst for Danske Bank, warned against taking

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Tuesday’s C20 performance as a sign that the crisis is winding down. He said that it was an indicator of just one business’s success. “Novo Nordisk is so big that it alone has a weight of over 40 percent of the index,” Kongshaug told Ritzau. “The company is doing fantastically and is pulling the rest of the stocks up with it.”

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

11 - 17 January 2013

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Peter Stanners Municipal programmes to get immigrants and refugees into work make sound economic sense according to the immigration minister

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around 32,000 kroner a year per immigrant while Aarhus pays 49,836.

Aarhus Council spokesperson Hans Halvorsen argued that the discrepancy is due to Randers having more jobs that require unskilled labour and are easier to fill.

And in Copenhagen, where the City Council pays out 45,214 kroner per immigrant per year, spokesperson Kaj Over Christiansen argued that the figures do not take into account the fact that fewer immigrants are given early retirement benefits.

“Many councils place immigrants and refugees on early retirement. We don’t,” Christiansen told Ugebrevet A4. “We try to activate them, and that costs more.”

The study acknowledged that some councils could reduce their financial burden by offsetting the costs to the state. For example, councils are responsible for paying out the lowest cash welfare benefit, kontanthjælp, to unemployed immigrants. Paid work placements are covered by the state, however.

With such varying success rates between councils, and hundreds of millions of kroner on the line, the immigration minister, Karen Hækkerup (Socialdemokraterne), said councils needed to improve their integration programmes.

“Integration programmes are working really well in some councils and less well in others [and] I am dedicated to ensuring that their efforts are improved,” Hækkerup told Ugebrevet A4, adding that improving integration in the workforce makes good socioeconomic sense. “[The problem] is not that we are using too much money, but rather that we are not getting much out of the money we spend.”

As benefits run out, 10,000 jobs go unfilled Poor connection between private employment agencies and companies results in unfilled vacancies

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espite a national unemployment rate of six percent, some 10,000 vacancies went unfilled in the autumn of 2012, according to a survey of 14,000 workplaces by Arbejdsmarkedsstyrelsen, the national labour market authority. The positions were available across a wide variety of trades, including construction, cleaning and cooking.

“It is sad to see that thousands of jobs cannot be filled when there are more than 160,000 people who are unemployed,” Henrik Bach Mortensen, from employer’s association Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening (DA), told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “The employment system has failed the labour market, and we need to get to the bottom of where the failure is happening.”

The news comes as reforms of the unemployment system will see thousands lose their benefits in the coming months, and Mortensen said companies’ inability to hire underscored the problems they face getting in touch with potential employees.

“These are not jobs for rocket scientists or other highly specialised people,” he said. “We are talking about cleaning jobs and other work requiring relatively basic skills that many of those needing work have.”

The survey did not explain how the vacancies were advertised or whether they were posted at employment agencies, in newspapers or online.

“It is not right that at a time when we are fighting to find jobs for the unemployed who are about to fall out of the benefits system, there are 10,000 vacancies that were not filled,” Verner Sand Kirk of A-kassernes Samvirke, which represents the na-

tion’s unemployment insurers, told Jyllands-Posten.

Kirk criticised the survey for being a “half study” that failed to uncover the cause of the problem. He worried that it could have consequences for the nation’s unemployment system.

The employment minister, Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne), said it was both “sobering and paradoxical” that the 10,000 vacant jobs were not earmarked for unemployed workers about to lose their benefits.

“Employment agencies should help the unemployed while at the same time meeting the needs of Danish businesses,” Frederiksen told Jyllands-Posten. “In 10,000 cases, the connection between the two was not good enough.”

Frederiksen called it a “fundamental problem” that the long-term unemployed were not being sent to companies that needed employees. (RW)

Christian Wenande

The government is looking to reform various schemes that contribute to the recruitment of skilled foreigners

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n the face of mounting criticism from unions, foreign teachers and nurses will no longer be given preferential treatment when immigrating to Denmark to work. The move by the employment minister to strike the two types of positions from the so-called ‘positive list’, a list of fields that are suffering from a lack of qualified applicants, comes after they were included in the most recent update, despite high levels of employment in those two professions.

Frederiksen said the updated list should be changed since it contained professions that did not need to attract foreign applicants.

“There are always professions that require professionals from abroad – even during a crisis and when we have high employment.

But I don’t believe that school teachers and nurses fit that bill at the moment,” Frederiksen told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “I believe that it is essential that we recruit the right people.”

Labour unions pointed out that the two professions were added to the list at a time when

The employment minister said that Denmark isn’t lacking nurses

every tenth teaching position had been slashed, and that 500 nurses had been forced to look in Norway for work in a bid to avoid unemployment.

In addition, foreign nurses and teachers coming to Denmark to work often find that landing a job is next to impossible, despite their vocation being listed as facing a labour shortage.

The positive list, which was introduced after the previous Venstre-led government came to power in 2001 as a way to help attract applicants in fields lacking Danish applicants, is updated twice a year on January 1 and on July 1. The current list contains 37 professions, and compared with the July 2012 update, 33 professions have been dropped while 20 new ones have been added, including teachers and nurses.

The Socialdemokraterneled government has promised to reform the various schemes that facilitate the recruitment of skilled foreigners, though it has not been decided when the reform will take place.

Dansk Sygeplejeråd, the national nurses’ union, was delighted that Frederiksen planned to review the list, calling it “grotesque” that three types of nurses had been included.

“I commend her for reacting as she did, and it’s good sense that has prevailed,” Anni Pilgaard, a spokesperson for Dansk Sygeplejeråd, told Jyllands-Posten. “I think that we should cut it from the list immediately. After all, it’s been there for a week, and there is no reason to discuss it further when the evidence is right there for all to see.”

Peruvian mother granted right to work Peter Stanners

Peter Stanners

ouncils could save over 600 million kroner a year by getting more immigrants and refugees into work, work placements or education, according to a new study carried out by Ugebrevet A4 for LG Insight.

The study shows that the cost of immigration varies widely across Denmark, but that huge savings could be made if less successful councils managed to emulate the more successful ones.

“In a time of resource scarcity, there are councils that are managing to keep their integration efforts at a high standard,” Lars Larsen from LG Insight told Ugebrevet A4. “It shows a good business sense because getting immigrants and refugees into work lowers the councils’ welfare expenses.”

Danish councils spent 2.5 billion kroner in 2011 on cash benefits for unemployed refugees, immigrants and their descendants. In Lemvig, the most efficient council, the annual cost per immigrant was 22,204 kroner, whereas Aarhus Council paid out 49,836 kroner per year per immigrant.

The high costs were closely related to the proportion of immigrants who remained out of work after six months of receiving unemployment benefits.

In Lemvig Council, where 17 percent of immigrants found work after six months of unemployment, spokesperson Mette Lund said that their success is

down to keeping immigrants active and maintaining close contact with employers so they can get immigrants into work quickly and efficiently.

“They are deployed immediately, preferably at businesses or in training,” Lund told Ugebrevet A4. “If they are unemployed for more than three months, they lose the belief they can [get a job] and they become unmotivated.”

Lemvig’s initiatives match recommendations by KORA, the research agency for Danish councils, for maximising integration.

These recommendations include placing integration high on the political agenda, prioritising getting immigrants into work, ensuring a close co-operation between council employees who work with immigrants, and maintaining good contact with businesses that hire immigrants.

KORA also identifies the use of work placements (virksomhedspraktik) and jobs where the salaries are partially covered by the council (løntilskud), as particularly effective tools for getting immigrants into work.

“Business-orientated activation is especially effective with this group because many immigrants are initially unfamiliar with the labour market,” KORA spokesperson Hans Hummelgaard said.

The success rate of councils also varied upon the background of the immigrants. Ugebrevet A4’s analysis showed that immigrants from war-torn parts of the world have a considerably harder time finding employment than those arriving from stable countries with health economies.

But despite the fact that both Randers and Aarhus councils housed many immigrants from troubled areas of the world, Randers still only pays

Colourbox

Better integration could lead Government backtracks on ‘positive to massive savings for councils list’ inclusion for teachers and nurses

The government is looking to reform various schemes that contribute to the recruitment of skilled foreigners

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lavia Oregon, a 36-year-old mother at the centre of an immigration scandal, has been given the extraordinary right to live and work in Denmark while her application for family reunification is being processed.

Oregon, originally from Peru, has lived in Denmark for the past decade after first moving here as a student. She has since graduated from Aalborg University and married a Danish man, with whom she now has an 18-month-old son.

Despite her clear connection to Denmark, Oregon was told she would have to leave the country by January 12, after the Immigration Service rejected her application to have her green card extended in November.

After the initial media uproar, the Immigration Service announced that Oregon could remain in Denmark while her family reunification application was being processed – which could take a year – but that she would be unable to work.

But on returning from a Christmas holiday, Oregon and

Oregon’s dispensations are rare, and she says she thinks all families should be entitled to the same rights

her husband, Jens Andersen, came home to a letter from the Employment Ministry stating that she would be allowed to work after all.

“We could hardly believe our eyes when we opened the letter,” the couple wrote in an email to The Copenhagen Post.

“There is no doubt that the media attention saved our family at the last minute. We are very grateful towards everyone who has helped draw attention to the clear absurdities we faced.”

The couple added that the latest news was gratefully received after their nerve-wracking and stressful battle with Immigration Service.

“We are incredibly relieved by the unusual decision that

gives us a new deadline. Our thoughts are also with the many other families that risk in 2013 losing their opportunity to live in Denmark because of the unfair rules.”

Oregon’s two dispensations will allow her to remain in Denmark with her family and work, which is unusual given that people ordinarily cannot live and work in Denmark while they are having an application for family reunification processed.

Oregon and Andersen argued that all families in their position should be entitled to the same rights and that they would now start to lobby politicians.

“We hope that they will agree that the rules need to be changed,” they wrote.

4 Emotionally compromised or happy with their lot?

Cover Story

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

11 - 17 January 2013

Copenhagen Media Center

Helen Dyrbye Denmark has regularly topped the happiness charts for 40 years, but isn’t that slightly odd for a country where smiling at a stranger in the street prompts your son to ask: “Do you know them, Mummy?”

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ith its well-functioning democracy, guaranteed childcare, free healthcare and sandy beaches, it’s no wonder Danes consistently rank highly in international happiness surveys.

The first ever World Happiness Report, which was commissioned for the UN Conference on Happiness in April 2012, also ranked Denmark first, but some are now questioning whether this happiness fluctuates with the seasons.

For some, like Susanne Rieneck Pedersen, a normally bright, friendly receptionist at the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Center for Biosustainability, the winter gloom “is like a huge wet blanket”.

“Even I get sad when it’s dark when you leave for work, dark when you get home and occasionally grey-on-grey in between. I miss seeing the blue sky high above.”

Few Danes would argue with that.

In fact, in medical circles it is referred to as seasonal affective disorder – abbreviated as SAD – a condition that causes people to feel tired, stressed and unhappy. In the study ‘Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Global, Biocultural Perspective’, Barry S Whitehead summarises 30 cases in 17 countries worldwide. Denmark’s rate of SAD is beaten only by one region of the US and Russia. And while the average worldwide SAD rate is a modest 5.77, in Denmark it is 12.4.

But how can SAD Danes be so happy?

Recent headlines reflecting a Gallup World Poll release from 19 December 2012 claimed that Latin Americans were the world’s happiest people. Is that because the poll was published in the depths of winter?

Vancouver-based John Helliwell, the co-editor of the World Happiness Report and co-director of the ‘Canadian Institute for Advanced Research programme on social interactions, identity and well-being’, explained that it has to do with questions that apply specifically to ‘yesterday’.

The Gallup World Poll measured the prevalence of different emotions people said they felt the previous day.

Denmark’s top ranking in the World Happiness Report applies, he said, to overall life evaluations, but Danes are never near the top when it comes to to questions such as ‘Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?’

It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s gloomy. Yet residents of Denmark consistently find themselves at the top of international ‘happiness’ rankings

“Life evaluations are more strongly related to differences in factors wellestablished as sources of subjective well-being – having someone to count on, sufficient income levels, absence of corruption, good health and a sense of freedom to make key life decisions.”

Helliwell quickly established that the recent Gallup survey showing Denmark at number 16 for the previous day’s emotions still ranks the country as the leader for more meaningful life evaluations. However, it also emerged that the Danish survey was conducted in the late spring, so the winter blues were not a contributory factor.

Initially, Helliwell was sceptical about seasonal fluctuations. “We have looked for seasonal patterns and find them absent in life evaluations and uneven and small for emotions,” he said.

However, after comparing the 2007 Danish participation in the Gallup World Poll, which took place

The happiest people on earth?

Everyone knows it – even Oprah.

Danes are the happiest people on Earth, or so they say anyway.

Over the next few weeks, The Copenhagen Post will take a look at the ‘happiest’ designation and attempt to decipher what is real and what is myth when it comes to happiness in Denmark.

Next week, we catch up with Lars AP, the man who has made it his mission to make Danes be nicer to each other.

in December of that year, with those in the preceding and following years, which all took place in the spring or summer, he reached an interesting conclusion. Though 60 percent of respondents reported feeling happy the day before, with no significant difference between the December poll and those in the spring or summer, the proportion of Danish respondents who reported feeling sadness the previous day was 19 percent in the December 2007 poll, compared with 14 percent in the spring and summer polls – a modest but statistically significant difference.

So where does that leave the Danes?

Slightly sadder in winter but generally happy with their lives, though perhaps not as cheery about it in public as you would expect. And behind closed doors?

As Helliwell explained: “Plenty of experimental evidence now suggests

Life evaluations are more strongly related to differences in factors well-established as sources of subjective well-being that singing together, and laughing together, are hugely effective sources of happiness.”

So while outsiders may find it tough sitting through hours and hours of speeches and songs at Danish weddings, confirmations and birthday parties, it appears that there may just be method in their madness.

Online this week Bankruptcies increase in December

Minister: increase education to keep people off welfare

Actress’s death leads to spike in cancer vaccinations

The number of bankruptcies in December represented a 34 percent rise on the previous month, but as a whole, 2012 ended with slightly fewer bankruptcies than 2011. According to new numbers from Statistics Denmark, 582 companies when bust in December compared to 435 in November.

The government is currently drafting plans to reform the welfare state’s last financial safety net, kontanthjælp, in order to reduce its cost and the number of people who rely upon it. But getting people off kontanthjælp is complicated, and the government has already backed down from its ambition

The untimely death of actress Mira Wanting due to cervical cancer has spurred women across the country to get the vaccination that can prevent the illness. Appointments to get the HPV vaccination, which is offered for free to women up to the

The numbers were adjusted for normal seasonal fluctuations.

In total, 2012 saw 5,456 Danish companies go bankrupt – slightly fewer than the 5,468 that went belly-up in 2011. Of those that went bankrupt in December 2012, a record 79 percent of them had no registered employees.

to cut three billion kroner a year from the kontanthjælp bill by 2020. Instead, Employment Minister Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne) on Sunday announced that the government’s reform would focus on preventing young people from ever having to depend on it in the first place.

age of 27, have increased tenfold since Wanting’s death on December 22. “There is a noticeable increase in demand that can only be due to the increased media attention following her death,” Karsten Østergaard, the head of vaccination service DLVS said.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

news

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

11 - 17 January 2013

Screenshot: Fagbladetwebtv / YouTube

Justin Cremer Four individuals charged with human trafficking for forced labour, document forgery, and fraud in case involving exploited Romanian cleaning workers

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ollowing a police raid in Helsingør early on Monday, four individuals have been charged with human trafficking in connection with the exploitation of a Romanian couple.

The trade union magazine Fagbladet 3F, which shined a light on the systematic exploitation of Romanian cleaning workers last year, reported that police arrested eight people in a Helsingør apartment in the early hours of Monday.

Four were charged later in the day: a 39-year-old man, his 43-year-old common-law wife, a 20-year-old son and a 28-yearold male family member. All have Serbian roots.

They are charged with human trafficking for forced labour,

In a video posted by Fagbladet 3F, one of the arrestees can be seen being led out of his Helsingør apartment by officials

document forgery and fraud.

The four arrestees are accused of forcing two Romanians to work under “slave-like conditions”, according to the report from North Zealand Police.

According to multiple reports from Fagbladet 3F, for over three years the Romanians were forced to work as cleaners for up to 12 hours a day at 16 different

locations in northern Zealand.

They were given a salary of just 3,000 kroner a month, although that money was funnelled into an account that the Romanians could not access.

The Romanian couple, a 53-year-old man and a 50-yearold woman, lived in the balcony of their employer’s apartment, which also served as the employ-

er’s closet and housed a freezer and various pieces of furniture that the Romanians were not allowed to use. The couple told Fagbladet 3F that the arrested parties seized their identification papers and used them to set up false bank accounts without the Romanians’ knowledge. Debit cards from that account were used by the arrested parties to pay various bills.

The employer was a subcontractor for Denmark’s second-largest cleaning company, Forenede Service, which was also the company accused by Fagbladet 3F in January 2012 of exploiting of Romanian workers. Fagbladet 3F reports that Forenede Service co-operated with police in their investigation.

The four individuals arrested all maintained their innocence.

While admitting that some of the details in the case were correct, they said that they were merely trying to help the Romanians, who spoke no Danish.

The arrests mark the first time that a case of forced labour has led to the arrest of alleged exploiters in Denmark.

Report: School funding system favours private schools colourbox

Christian Wenande Some private schools that accept a large number of children from disadvantaged homes qualify for more funds than public schools

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openhagen’s school funding model makes it possible for some private schools to receive more funding from the city than some public schools, a new study concludes.

The study, compiled by the centre-left think-tank Cevea, found that private schools receive, on average, up to 41,000 kroner per student annually, while public schools get an average of 39,000 kroner per student a year, even though private schools are officially only supposed to get 72 percent of the amount public schools receive.

Niels Egelund of Aarhus University told Information newspaper that the findings in-

The education minister hinted at changes to the funding model

dicate a widening gap between rich and poor.

“The social distortion prevalent today is the gain of rich kids and the detriment of the poor,” Egelund said.

One of the problems, according to Egelund, is that pri-

vate schools are compensated according to the same model as publicly-funded schools. In Copenhagen, schools get more funding for pupils from disadvantaged families, and if private schools accept more such pupils, their subsidies surpass the fund-

ing of some public schools.

The education minister, Christine Antorini (Socialdemokraterne), had previously rejected making changes to the current subsidy model, but she indicated that changes may be on the way after all.

Cevea looked at subsidies given to public and private schools with comparable student populations, but Kurt Ernst of Danmarks Privatskoleforening, which represents private schools, argued that the way it was presented was misleading.

“In the calculations, they’ve highlighted individual schools and individual councils, but on a national level, private schools receive far fewer subsidies and there is a huge focus on how councils distribute funds to their public schools,” Ernst told Information. “Copenhagen has a system that is good for them, but they might not do things that way in other places.”

Scanpix / henning bagger

Raid leads to human trafficking charges

A boat used by the suspected smugglers is removed from the harbour

Suspected Norwegian drug smuggler killed by police Some 250 kilograms of cannabis were found in the boat used by suspects, who shot at police

A

suspected drug smuggler was killed on Sunday night after an exchange of fire with police in a small northern Jutland harbour.

The police had received a tipoff that the three smugglers were going to use the harbour and, as the men arrived at around 9pm, moved in to arrest them.

The men attempted to flee, however, and fired upon the police. One policeman – a specially-trained member of the domestic intelligence agency PET – was hit in the groin, and in the returning fire, one of the suspected smugglers, a 49-year-old, was shot in the head and killed.

Another suspected smuggler, a 36-year-old, was hit in the chest but is now out of danger, while the third man, a 27-year-

SU cuts continued from front page

a growing number of students choosing to go on to higher education.

Lars Andersen, the head of AE, a left-leaning think-tank, said the increase should be welcomed by decision-makers.

“It is a good sign because it shows that more people are trying to educate themselves,” Andersen told Politiken. “It costs more in SU, but higher education pays

old, was arrested.

Some 250 kilograms of cannabis was found in the men’s boat that had arrived in the harbour from Norway. All three men are thought to be Norwegians, though police have yet to formally identify them.

The men had chosen a small harbour on the northeastern coast of Jutland, Albæk, which is located about 20 kilometres south of Denmark’s most northerly town, Skagen, a popular tourist destination.

An upcoming investigation into the shooting incident will be carried out by the independent Politiklagemyndighed. The body was created on 1 January 2012 to investigate cases surrounding the actions of police officers.

This will mark the first time that Politiklagemyndighed will get involved in a case in which a police officer shot and killed someone in the line of duty. (PS) for itself in the long run.”

Business leaders, however, argued that the money could be spent more effectively – particularly at a time when most other areas are facing cuts.

“Costs are going to continue to rise until 2020, whern we expect 10,000 more in higher education,” Jannik Schack Linnemann, the education policy manager for the national chamber of commerce, Dansk Erhverv, told Politiken. “SU needs to be adjusted to eliminate wasted years and payments to those students who still live at home.”

The 39-year-old Jægerkorpset sergeant was helping to train a special Afghan police unit when killed by an explosion

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he death of 39-yearold Jægerkorpset special forces sergeant René Brink Jakobsen late week onWednesday night in Afghanistan marked the first time a Danish elite soldier has been killed in an international conflict.

Jakobsen was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on patrol with his unit, Task Force

7, in the Helmand province late inthe night of January 2. Despite receiving immediate medical aid, Jakobsen was unable to be saved.

“We have lost one of our very experienced soldiers,” General Major Agner Rokos, the head of the military command, Hærens Operative Kommando (HOK), said in a statement. “It is a hard blow for all of us and especially for the soldier’s family.”

The death of Jakobsen, who leaves behind a wife and three children, served as a stark reminder that Denmark remains engaged in the now eleven-yearold War in Afghanistan. It was the first time since September

2011 that the Danish forces had suffered a casualty, and the 43rd death since Denmark deployed soldiers to Afghanistan in 2002.

With a history that dates back to 1785, Jægerkorpset has existed in its current form since 1961. It consists of around 150 soldiers who are specially trained and educated to carry out reconnaissance and combat tasks on land, sea and air, according to HOK. Jægerkorpset soldiers are based out of the Aalborg Air Base.

The head of Jægerkorpset, Claus Wammen, told DR News that the elite soldiers are currently training a special Afghan police unit.

Hærens Operative Kommando

Afghan death marks first elite soldier fatality overseas Justin Cremer

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

11 - 17 January 2013

She fought the law, and the law lost Woman’s successful court appearance to decrease her cycling fine reveals police’s willingness to tally up infractions where possible

M

egan Coogan doesn’t back down easily. So when a policeman fined her 1,700 kroner for cycling on the pavement, Coogan refused to just take the fine without question.

“It was all so sudden,” recalled Coogan. “The policeman came out of nowhere and started throwing all sorts of article violations at me. I thought I was getting arrested and having my rights read to me.”

Coogan, who is half Irish and Australian but grew up in Denmark, was charged 700kr for cycling on the pavement (article 49, section 5), but on top of that, she was also charged with ignoring traffic signs and protocol (traffic law article 4, section 1), which amounted to a total fine of 1,700kr. It all sounded a little extreme.

“Yes, I did cycle on the pavement,” the 19-year-old admitted. “But I didn’t ignore any traffic signs in the area [of Ny Theatret]. Mainly because there weren’t any there. That’s when I started to question the other 1,000kr fine.”

As a result, Coogan called the police to seek further clarification as to why

she had been fined 1,000kr for ignoring signs that didn’t exist. Eventually, after being put through multiple channels, Coogan was informed by the police that article four did not apply to her situation and she was advised to take the matter to court.

“That clarification gave me confidence,” she said. “So when the fine arrived in the post, I immediately called the number given to dispute the fine.”

Whether the 1,000kr fine was fair or not, a police spokesperson insisted that police, in any situation, are within their rights to fine any traffic violations without limit.

“Fines can very easily run into their thousands if multiple traffic laws are broken,” an on duty police constable explained at the HQ of Copenhagen Police. “There’s no limit to how high the total fine can go.”

Coogan, however, insisted on her innocence and was quickly given permission to take the matter to court. After notifying the court of her appeal, she was given a time and place at Copenhagen City Court where the matter would be put before a judge within two weeks.

“Appearing in court was quite intimidating,” she said following the judgement last week on Friday. “The judge looks down at you from that high bench that lies in the middle of a big room with a record keeper on the right, and the state prosecutor on the left.”

However, the situation seemed to

Bjarke Smith-Meyer

Bjarke Smith-Meyer

“It was about principle,” Coogan said of her decision to challenge the police. “Forget the money. I just wanted to prove my point.”

resolve itself quite quickly, as the state prosecutor even questioned the 1,000kr violation after reading it aloud.

“I hardly had to say anything,” Coogan said. “Article four had been overturned without a word, and the judge smiled at me and said: ‘Well, that was easy’.”

Coogan still has to pay the remaining 700kr for cycling on the pavement or face four days in prison. She intends to pay the fine, but insisted that the money means very little to her now that the matter has been settled.

“It was about principle,” she said.

“Forget the money. I just wanted to prove my point. Everyone told me that resistance is futile, but if there’s an injustice, you have to tackle it head on.”

While Coogan may have felt she was falsely accused, the police have insisted that any fines that are handed out can always be questioned and taken to court.

“We won’t go into specific court decisions,” the on duty policeman said.

“But it’s up to the plaintiff to take the matter further if they disagree with the

charge at hand. We just do our jobs. If you disagree with a fine, we encourage you to take the matter before a judge.”

Coogan’s victory might be a small one but, as she pointed out, it is also proof that citizens can question authority figures if they feel subjected to injustice.

“Yes, it’s a long process,” Coogan explained. “But it isn’t a painful one.

We’re lucky enough to live in a society that gives us the right to stand our ground and demand an explanation.

And to have that and not use it is basically criminal in itself.”

DR criticised for fudging reality Danish sperm bank Last week, public broadcaster ‘guessed’ the content of a speech it had already read and put ‘protesters’ in place outside a courtroom

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ublic broadcaster DR is under fire for a pair of decisions that have cast doubt on the legitimacy of its television news coverage.

In the first incident, DR hosts Ask Rostrup and Klaus Bundgård Povlsen spent time ‘guessing’ the content of PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s televised New Year’s address, even though DR – like all media outlets – had access to the speech hours beforehand.

The speech itself was recorded two days prior to its broadcast and journalists had their hands on the content at least eight hours before it was aired to the nation. Nevertheless, DR1’s coverage in the run-up to the speech featured Rostrup and Povlsen acting as if they were giving their own professional analysis of what themes the speech might contain.

Rostrup defended the move as “a bit of theatre” carried out in deference to the viewers and in order to honour the speech’s embargo.

“A few years ago we told viewers that we had read the speech beforehand,” Rostrup told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

“But most people found it incomprehensible that we said we had read the speech, but could not reveal what it contained because of the embargo.”

But political analyst Jens Ringberg, who was featured on DR Update ‘guessing’ the content of the speech, apologised outright for misleading viewers.

“I knew very well what she was going to say, so it was silly to use the term

abandons home market

DR / Bjarne Bergius Hermansen

Justin Cremer

Despite the popularity of Danish sperm, a new set of laws may mean that couples have to travel abroad to get semen

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DR’s Haagerup called the faked demonstration “embarrassing” and “reprehensible”

‘I think’,” Ringberg told Jyllands-Posten. “It was a mistake on my part and I would like to apologise.”

The editor of DR’s TV Avisen, Johan Engbo, also admitted that the station made a mistake.

“It of course isn’t right that we pretended something was real that was not,” Engbo told Ritzau. “It is a relevant criticism, and we’ve had a subsequent internal discussion about it.”

But while DR was still dealing with the blowback over the New Year’s speech, the broadcaster then made a decision that was “reprehensible” and “far worse”, according to DR’s news director Ulrik Haagerup.

On January 2, the evening’s 6:30pm and 9:30pm broadcasts of TV Avisen aired footage of angry demonstrators outside the Hjørring Courthouse, where former employees of EBH Bank and Sparekassen Himmerland face charges of stock manipulation.

The demonstrators, however, were driven to the courthouse by a production company that is making a documentary for DR. The producers outfitted the protesters with signs and

directed them on how to behave for the cameras.

In an internal memo obtained by Jyllands-Posten, Haagerup said that TV Avisen owed its viewers an explanation.

“We aired it as if it was reality,” Haagerup’s memo read. “Now we can see that it was a constructed reality.

That is of course completely reprehensible. And now we need to air corrections and a segment in TV Avisen [the following night] about how it could have gone so wrong.”

“I don’t think I have ever experienced anything so embarrassing and reprehensible as this, when a private production company, which does indeed work for DR, staged a demonstration in front of a public courthouse,” Haagerup said in a statement on Friday.

“It goes against both DR’s own ethics and common journalistic decency.”

DR is a public broadcasting corporation funded by direct licence fee payments whose amount is set each year by parliament. The fees, which grant access to television, radio and the internet, stood at 196 kroner per month for each household in 2012.

arhus-based Cryos, the world’s largest sperm bank, has announced it will no longer supply Danish fertility clinics as new legislation now requires sperm banks to ensure that donors father no more than 12 children conceived in Denmark.

The new legislation was designed to prevent inbreeding and the possible spread of disease.

“We cannot ensure that a donor is not used for more than 12 children,” Cryos head Ole Schou told Berlingske newspaper. “It is like asking Lundbeck [a maker of anti-depressants] to ensure that doctors do not over-prescribe medication or Carlsberg to guarantee that young people do not drink too much beer.”

Under the old law, the limit was set at 25 children fathered by a single donor, and the language was less stringent, saying “where possible” – the law placed the burden on fertility clinics, not the sperm banks.

“Clinics buy sperm in large quantities and keep it frozen for years, and we cannot control how often they use it,” said Schou. “Many clinics do not report pregnancies back to us, and there are also individuals who purchase sperm over the internet for home insemination, so it’s completely out of our hands.”

The new law limiting the number of children per donor to 12 also applies to foreign couples who come to Denmark to be treated. Karin Erb, the head of the Dansk Fertilitetsselskab, which repre-

sents fertility clinics, regretted Cryos’s decision but understands why the company took the step.

“They have been put in a nearly impossible position,” Erb told Berlingske. “It is one thing to reduce the number of children fathered by a donor in Denmark, but to have it apply to the number of treatments carried out here is something else altogether.”

Erb said that many foreigners come to Denmark for treatment, and that it would be impossible for Cryos to monitor how the sperm it supplied was being used.

The Copenhagen-based European Sperm Bank (ESB) was also unhappy with the new regulations and was considering following in Cryos’s footsteps, according Peter Bower, the company’s general manager.

Erb said that even if ESB continues to supply Denmark, patients will feel the result of Cryos’s decision.

“Monopolies are always bad,” she said. “It is good for patients when there are several suppliers in the market. I am afraid that Danish couples will now have to go abroad to get semen like they have had to do for a long time to get an egg donation.”

Erb said that the new rules have “created a new problem” that could wind up leading to a shortage of donor sperm.

Cryos sells sperm to 70 countries that can be purchased from both anonymous and non-anonymous donors. Exports of Danish sperm have long been a commercial success because sperm donors in Denmark – unlike in many other countries – can donate sperm anonymously. (RW)

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OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Probably the happiest in the world?

Given the conflicting information, characterising Denmark as the world’s happiest place may be just as misguided as labelling it as the worst place to live

11 - 17 January 2013

Banning prostitution a way to control women’s sexuality

I

F YOU WERE to dream up the perfect country, you’d probably start with someplace warm. Then you might add a nation of colourful, ebullient people. And finally, depending on your economic philosophy, you might throw in a low tax rate.

And regardless of what your country looked like, you probably wouldn’t put it at the far northern edge of Europe. But despite what Denmark’s geographic location and national character would lead you to believe, the country consistently ranks as not just one of the best places in the world to live, its people are also among the planet’s happiest.

That’s something that often perplexes not just foreigners living here, but many Danes as well.

Although it’s a good bet that those most baffled by the results were here in the winter, the question may be a lot more complicated than just the bipolar nature of the Danish seasons.

Take for example the 2012 New Economics Foundation study showing that Denmark, in fact, ranks 116th globally when you take into account not just people’s sense of well-being, but also lifespan and impact on the planet.

Denmark’s ranking in traditional happiness and quality of life polls is often accredited to its safe, egalitarian society, “where few have too much, and fewer have too little”, as the popular description goes. (No-one says it publicly, but we also suspect that a surplus of attractive people may also play a role.) Yet, it is worth questioning whether this type of ‘happiness’ comes at a cost. Other statistics show Denmark also tops some less flattering lists such as suicide rates, anti-depressant use and alcohol consumption. That’s hardly the behaviour you’d expect from people filled with joie de vivre.

How does it add up? Scholars don’t know for sure, but there is some evidence to indicate that people’s perceptions of how happy they are has to do with their expectations. One review of survey results found that Danes just didn’t expect as much out of life as others; it took less to make them happy.

And, in addition to seasonal fluctuations in moods, the way people are asked may make a difference. Those who know Danish will be aware that if Danes are ‘happy’ they can be glad(cheerful) or lykkelig (fortunate). They can also be tilfreds (satisfied) with their lives.

While it’s worth trying to understand the reason for country’s consistently high rankings – be it hygge or singing or social welfare – we suspect that the real reason might be that they are simply happy that they aren’t overly happy.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

JAMES GILES

T

HE RECENT decision by the Danish government to not proceed with effectively banning prostitution should be welcomed by anyone who values women’s autonomy and equality (Sex purchase ban gets dropped, The Copenhagen Post, November 19). From the beginnings of human history, people have tried to control women’s sexuality. Laws designed to restrict women’s sexuality can be found in many cultures: laws forcing women to wear veils, headscarves or burkas; laws disallowing women to wear make-up or to go out in public without a male family member; laws forcing women to undergo virginity tests or to hide away when they are menstruating; laws restricting women’s access to birth control or abortion; and laws restricting women from earning money from sex. All of these laws and regulations have one thing in common: namely, the attempt to remove a woman’s freedom of choice over her own body and own sexuality.

Those who want to make women’s sex work illegal try to argue that they are doing it for women’s own good. But that is the same assertion made by those who require women to wear headscarves, undergo virginity tests or not go out in public without a male family member. These laws

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tempting to make other women’s prostitution illegal can thus easily be seen as an attempt to limit a rival female’s sexual behaviour.

Of course in the Danish case, the groups who are advocating to make prostitution illegal are trying to make the buying of sex illegal, not the selling of sex. In this case it might give the appearance that it is the customer of the sex worker who is being controlled rather than the prostitute herself.

But this is neither here nor there; for in the wider picture, the result is the same: namely, the outlawing of prostitution. Indeed, outlawing the buying rather than the selling of sex looks very much like a cover-up. That is, it is an attempt to hide the fact that the ban is merely one more attempt to control a woman’s right to decide her own sexuality.

The expected reply to this is to point out how women prostitutes are often exploited and abused by both their employers and customers, how illegal immigrants are sometimes coerced into prostitution with threats of turning them over to the authorities, and so on. Consequently, the argument goes, outlawing prostitution would save those in prostitution from this sort of treatment.

The difficulty with this reply, however, is that none of these problems are problems with prostitution in itself. Rather, they are problems stemming from the government’s inconsistent treatment of prostitutes and the marginalisation of prostitution as a legitimate profession. Thus, in Denmark it is legal to be a prostitute, and prostitutes, like anyone else, are expected to pay taxes. Yet prostitutes are not entitled to protection under employment legislation or to unemployment benefits. Not only is this inconsistent, but it sends the clear message to everyone (includ-

ing those who would exploit prostitutes) that prostitutes are looked down upon by the authorities and not deemed to be worthy of society’s full protection. It is no wonder then that those involved in crime move in to take advantage of prostitutes.

What has created the criminal environment that often surrounds prostitution is therefore not the nature of the profession, but rather a lack of government protection for those in the profession. The same thing could happen with any profession. Thus, were taxi drivers or hairstylists looked down upon by the authorities and denied legal protection or unemployment benefits, criminals would quickly move in to take advantage of the situation and exploit them. The answer, then, would not be to make the purchase of a taxi ride or a haircut illegal, but rather to give taxi drivers or hairstylists the same respect and legal protections as anybody else. In the same way, the answer is not to make the purchasing of prostitution illegal, but rather for the government to afford prostitutes the same respect and legal safeguards as any other workers.

In her recent New Year’s address PM Helle ThorningSchmidt said that freedom, equality, and safety were the fundamental values upon which the Danish community is built.

If this is true, then the government should uphold these values in their treatment of prostitutes.

Prostitutes should have the freedom to pursue their authorised profession, equality with other workers, and the safety provided by the full protection of the employment laws.

The author is James Giles is an lecturer in philosophy and author of ‘The Nature of Sexual Desire’

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too are purportedly designed for a woman’s “own good”. It does not, however, take great powers of perception to see that making it illegal for women to not wear headscarves or go out alone are little more than ways of controlling women and their sexuality. But if it is obvious that these laws are merely methods of controlling women’s sexuality, then it should equally be obvious that making it illegal for women to earn money from sex is also merely a method of controlling women’s sexuality.

One thing that has made it difficult for some people to see this is that many of the groups who are trying to make sex work illegal in Denmark are women’s advocacy groups. This gives the impression that outlawing sex work must be for women’s own good. This is because it would seem that women’s advocacy groups would naturally want what is best for women. The problem, however, is that one does not need to be a man to oppress a woman. Women can also oppress women. The well-known anthropologist Mary Douglas has shown how women in certain cultures use cultural rules surrounding menstruation – for example, being confined during menstruation – to oppress other women and to attempt to limit a rival female’s sexual behaviour. Could it be that those women who are trying to stop other women from engaging in prostitution are doing the same thing? It seems clear that many women, even in Denmark, do not like the idea of their partners having sex with other women. Prostitutes are clearly women who are sexually available for any man, including the partners of the women who want to make prostitution illegal. A woman at-

Good! Now they shall just drink themselves to unconsciousness every Friday and maybe have random, unprotected sex under the influence if they don’t weave out of the cycling lane and have an accident on the way home.

Comparatively healthier.

Loroferoz By website Queen warns against trying to achieve “perfect life” Well said, Mrs Queen: don’t try to have a perfect life, this is only reserved for people who make billions of kroner to do zero work by birthright, like you. It is really mind-boggling how such a primitive, anti-democratic, parasitic institution is still tolerated in so many European countries.

DanDansen By website There seems to be a problem with either logic or mental health in Denmark: tax the hell out of those who bother to work, just to keep Carina, Robert and Tania on their sofas and the

Royal family in their posh digs.

Where are the socialists when you need them? (Oh yeah, they were all busy kissing the queen’s ass ...)

Thorvaldsen By website

tem, but rather vulnerable to global market changes.

Thorvaldsen By website

Instead of putting a negative spin on the queen’s words, I choose to view them as helpful advice. We should learn to be happy and grateful for what we have and what we have achieved, instead of always seeking and pining for our notions of ‘perfection’ or attempting to live up to other people’s ideas of what we should be or have. If we can look at ourselves and our lives in a positive manner, the hardships we face are often more bearable.

Nicole Grzezeskowiak By website

Look out, I see a tree tax looming.

Mythirdotheralias By website

PM’s policies financially sound, say economists 3F is stuck in the old management-labour rhetoric from 100 years ago. Poul Erik Christensen is not smart enough to see that times have changed and that Denmark is not an isolated sys-

Aggressive tree disease could cost millions

Dangerous stolen fireworks beginning to surface The police only found anything here through tip-offs and found nothing by doing their job. I’d also like to know how the police were attacked with fireworks, felt so threatened that they pulled out firearms, and yet no-one was arrested? Seriously? Can the police here actually start catching criminals and not just being a waste of space and money?

Shufflemoomin By website I wonder if they checked the hands and clothes of the suspects for nitrates. No, that would require forensic science. Why the hell are pyrotechnics of this order and magnitude even made or available in Denmark? And no

facility security where they were stored? These are bombs, and if the wet ones were unstable, they probably contain phosphorus and are the equivalent of incendiary bombs.

SNCO By website New wolf sightings in Jutland My fear is that Danes, particularly farmers, will do the ‘American thing’ and shoot the wolves as pests, rather than adapt to their renewed presence. Let’s hope that cooler heads prevail.

Tom By website Long-running international custody dispute headed for the high court I experienced this hell for six months in Denmark over the same issue. Thank goodness for the Hague convention on parental abduction, as my daughter was returned to me in Ireland.

I hope this little boy will be returned to his mother and he will also still be able to see his father.

Jade Dunne By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

Battle of the bests

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Still Adjusting

BY JUSTIN CREMER The CPH Post’s news editor, Justin Cremer, is an American who has lived full-time in Copenhagen since 2010. Asked often if he likes it here, his usual response is “It depends on the day.” Follow him at twitter.com/justincph

VERYONE knows by now that study after study has declared Copenhagen the best city in the world. We’ve racked up distinctions like ‘smartest city in Europe’, ‘best quality of life’, ‘best city for cyclists’ and, of course, Copenhagen is the capital of the ‘happiest nation on Earth’, to name but a few.

But Copenhagen doesn’t have a monopoly on ‘best of ’ tags. As fate would have it, I am currently wrapping up an extended stay in another ‘best of ’ city: Fort Collins, Colorado, which was Money magazine’s 2006 pick for best place to live in America.

So, just how do these ‘best’ cities match up? I’ve decided to put it to the test in a variety of categories that aren’t meant to be all-inclusive, but rather touch on some of the differences that have struck me over my three months back in the US. Let’s begin.

The environs (natural): Look to the west from any spot in Ft Collins and you’ll be greeted with the sight of the Front Range foothills, with the beautiful Horsetooth Rock looking down upon the city. Hop in the car, and I’m snowboarding at some of the best

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resorts in the world in just a couple ofhours. Copenhagen may have a lot going for it, but it doesn’t have this. Winner: FTC. FTC 1, CPH 0 The environs (manmade): For all of the natural beauty of Fort Collins, and its cosy Old Town area, in some ways it is still a typical American city.

Sprawl and endless commerce in the form of strip malls, fast food joints, bright signs and big box stores. Not particularly charming. Winner: CPH. FTC 1, CPH 1 Weather: Look, almost any city is going to beat Copenhagen here, particularly during the winter months.

November temps in Colorado hit what would be a ‘hot’ summer’s day in Copenhagen and I’ve had three months of sun – glorious, glorious sun. Winner: FTC. FTC 2, CPH 1 Value and convenience: Among all those fancy titles given to Copenhagen is one that means far more to my daily life: consistently ranking as one of the most expensive cities in the world. Plus, the shopping hours are short and the stores are small with limited options.

Another clear winner for the homeland.

Winner: FTC. FTC 3, CPH 1

The locals: While Danes may rank as the happiest people in the world, they’re hardly the friendliest. How refreshing it has been to have spent the last few months being greeted by strangers with a smile, a wave or even – gasp!

– an impromptu conversation. Yes, sometimes it seems fake, but usually it’s not. And anyway, I’ll take less-than-authentic warmth over genuine coldness.

Winner: FTC. FTC 4, CPH 1 Kid-friendliness: Our temporary house in Ft Collins is just a short walk from three quality playgrounds, but the same could (almost) be said about our home outside of Copenhagen. My kids’ daycares in Ft Collins have been wonderful, particularly my five-year-old’s preschool, where he has learned much more than he does in his largely freeplaybased Danish daycare. Yet, they seem overly structured and too much like a factory when compared to their Danish counterparts. Plus, the gunning down of 20 young children in a Connecticut primary school really affected me. While the odds of something like that hitting me personally are minuscule, there is no doubt that they are higher in the guncrazy US than in Denmark. Winner:

CPH. FTC 4, CPH 2.

Getting around: Another reason Copenhagen gets the nod in kid-friendliness is the sheer amount of time my kids are in a car in Fort Collins. While it is better than most US cities in that it has bike lanes and an extensive trail system, I was sick of being behind the wheel less than one week after being back Stateside.

I’ll take the bike/train combo anytime.

Winner: CPH. FTC 4, CPH 3.

Verdict: So, what does this prove?

Absolutely nothing, of course. Although I’ve spent the last three months living in Ft Collins, I’ve still been working for a Danish company with a Danish holiday allowance and, more importantly, a Danish approach to the work-life balance. If this were a fully-fledged return to the American rat race, the scales could have easily tipped the other way.

But of course it should come as no surprise – to myself or anyone else – that the familiarity of America would win me over on this extended return trip. And while I admit to a certain trepidation about returning to Copenhagen, at least I’ll be coming back to the greatest city in the world. Or so they tell me.

bought this yawn (gab in Danish) of a book about an S&M contract between the heroine, an unlikely virgin in her 20s, and the hero, Mr Grey, rich, manipulative and just plain unpleasant. A kind of Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre, except Rochester is fascinating and Grey is unutterably dull and spends most of his time grasping his “essentials” and, we are told, “kneading her breasts gently, taking no prisoners”. What is she? A lump of dough. An army insurgent? No prisoners? Ultimately who cares? “Gab!” At least 50 of them.

Fifteen million American women have bought the book, but then they probably spend their weekends watching their men polishing their huge weapons – and then going out shooting with them. Four million English women have bought it, but they probably need to have something to do while their partners are clamping their mouths around pints of beer down the pub saying: “I’m taking no prisoners tonight!”

French women buy the audio book and listen to it while they cook dinner for their husbands who are lounging on the

chaise lounge moaning on about the TV news. But Danish women? They are some of the most gender-equality obsessed women on the planet. They don’t just try to break through the glass ceiling, they smash it and build a lead roof in its place. So what on earth do these smart independent women make of dumb and dominant Mr Grey when he growls in his scantily-dressed girlfriend’s ear: “I want you to become well acquainted, on first name terms if you will, with my favourite and most cherished part of my body” and then later compliments her by saying: “Well done Miss Steele, you get an A in oral skills.”

There is nothing even faintly erotic in this book. It takes the “tit” out of “titillating” and puts the “b” into “anal”.

There is something I did notice though, which might make sense to a lot of women, Danish or otherwise.

Grey includes in the list of demands in his sexless S&M contract: “The submissive will eat regularly to maintain her health and wellbeing.” There it is! The magic word! Food. “’As much as I’d like to take you

here and now, you need to eat,’ he mumurs against my lips. ‘We know what we want,’ his mouth twitches with a small sexy smile. ‘Two portions of buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and bacon on the side.’”

And so he goes on, chapter after chapter, forcing food into her. Many women would find this truly erotic and certainly a great way to become submissive. “Oh I didn’t want to, but he forced me to eat five chocolate cupcakes and lick up all the double-thick whipped cream!” And if this is the case, when better to read this fruity book than at Christmas? “Oooooh! Yes! Yes! More sauce! More caramelised potatoes!

Mmm … Bring on the ris a l’amande and the marzipan and ... and ... I’m nearly there ... YEEEES!” Come to think of it, the authoress EL James is not exactly a skinny ‘Sex and the City’ girl. She looks like the sort of woman who, when taking a break from scribbling naughty nibbly bits about breasts and legs, shoves a chicken into a microwave oven and then sits in front of it and shouts: “ HURRY UP!”

Fifty shades of gab

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Crazier than Christmas

BY VIVIENNE MCKEE Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. Over the last 30 years, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

AM PROBABLY one of thousands of women around the globe who received the erotic bestseller ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ as a present at Christmas. It has now been translated into 37 languages and labelled “the fastest-selling novel for adults of all time”. I got it from an enthusiastic English girlfriend who admits to having a bit of a weight problem. Not an irrelevant fact, as you will discover later. “Ooh Vivienne,” she said. “You must read it! It’s like ‘Sex and the City’, only more so!”

Now while those skinny women in ‘Sex and the City’ are not my idea of erotic, I thought I’d better find out what all the fuss is about. Instead of being ‘unputdownable’, after reading about 100 so-called ‘erotic’ pages, this book quickly became ‘unopenable’. Nevertheless, not one to be defeated, and knowing that some of my girlfriends have read all three books by now, I struggled on until page 400, by which time it was safe to say that the only thing turned on in my bedroom was the lamp.

What puzzles me most, though, is why over 50,000 Danish women have

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INTERNATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

Smørrebrød in the Big Apple: restaurateur acclaims the next sushi An expat in New York has followed her dreams to open the city’s first ever Danish restaurant

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EW YORKERS were introduced to smørrebrød, the traditional Danish lunch of rye bread topped with cured meats and pickled vegetables, in early November as the city’s first Danish restaurant, AamannsCopenhagen, finally opened in TriBeCa. Delayed a year by building regulations and Hurricane Sandy, the founder and owner, Sanne Ytting, was thrilled to finally unveil her little piece of Denmark.

She describes the restaurant as “100 percent Danish”, comprised entirely of Danish design from the furniture down to the cutlery, which were donated by various Danish brands who wanted to contribute to Ytting’s vision. “It has been so touching to feel this sense of community: that people wanted to help me make this happen,” she said.

Ytting began pursuing the idea two years ago, leaving the comfort zone of her music therapy profession to realise her dream. “I had a need to show Americans what we stand for,” she said. Having no experience in the restaurant industry, Ytting partnered with Danish restau-

rateur Adam Aamann early on, who reinvented the lunch-time staple of smørrebrød at his namesake deli and restaurant in Copenhagen. “I wanted to have an authentic Danish food concept,” Ytting explained. “And Adam’s name just kept coming up.”

Aamann conceptualised the menu, but he won’t lend his culinary talents to its actual preparation, as he will remain based in Denmark. Instead, he has trained Ytting’s chef, Carl Kristian Frederiksen, and has personally ensured the quality of the kitchen’s locally-sourced and organic ingredients. “Everything we do is home-pickled, home-stirred, and homemade,” said Ytting.

The menu boasts refined and healthier versions of the classic sandwiches along with traditional dessert dishes like koldskål and the notoriously unpronounceable rød grød med fløde (and, of course, over Christmas, Ytting’s team stirred up pots of glögg and mounds of æbleskiver).

In addition to serving Danish food, Ytting plans to showcase Danish culture by inviting artists to exhibit their work on her walls, musicians to perform and authors to lecture. “This will also be a cultural space,” she stressed when sharing her hopes for the restaurant. And not just for New Yorkers to learn about Denmark, as the bistro will also serve as a source of comfort and meeting place for Scandinavians

PHOTOS BY MARTA S MCADAMS

MARIA EILERSEN

The TriBeCa eatery will also feature artwork and music from Danes living in the city that never sleeps

and Danes living in the city.

That it took this long for a Danish bistro to open in one of the world’s culinary capitals leaves Ytting wondering. “We have so much to offer from Denmark,” she said. “And yet that truly authentic Danish feeling where you can get a slice of rye bread and a piece of Danish culture – that didn’t exist here.”

That said, the world is beginning to take notice of Den-

mark’s culinary offerings, thanks to Noma’s international acclaim and the rise of New Nordic cuisine. Aamann brought the modern take on Scandinavian flavours to New York with noted chef Mads Refslund when they revamped the former southern American menu at ACME and New Yorkers looking for a quick bite can reopened the downtown try traditional Danish smørrebrød

restaurant in 2012. Three Danish chefs now serve traditional Danish food in London at the Madsen restaurant, and the official website of Denmark claims other Danish restaurant chains are expanding to Australia and Sweden. The Royal Cafe owns branches in Tokyo and Beijing, selling both old-fashioned pastries and ‘smushi’ − a bite-size fusion of smørrebrød and sushi.

The country’s new position in global gastronomy also has Danes rediscovering the flavours of their heritage – a trend that is evident in the selection of traditional products in Danish supermarkets. The introduction of foreign cuisines in the 1970s scorned smørrebrød as old-fashioned, but as Danish chefs reclaim the traditional kitchen, the hand-held meal is regaining its popularity. The Danish Agriculture and Food Council contends that this renaissance of conventional Danish food has far from peaked. “I think we have only seen the beginning,” said council leader Mette Gamicchia.

Ytting has high hopes for the Danish kitchen on an international scale. “People laugh at me, but I think smørrebrød will be the new sushi,” she said.

“There may be a slight learning curve, but if clumsy Westerners can learn to use chopsticks and savour raw fish, it’s feasible that the world is open to eating pickled beets and liver pate.”

Al-Khawaja loses final life sentence appeal

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Human rights activists in Bahrain have their life sentences upheld and can now only be saved by a royal pardon

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ANISH human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is among 13 activists who have exhausted all their opportunities for release after their convictions were upheld by the Bahraini appeals court on Monday.

The activists were among 20 who were sentenced for their roles in the 2011 anti-government protests that called for increased human rights and greater freedoms for the Shia Muslim majority.

The government, run by the Sunni Muslim royal family, responded to the protests by initiating a brutal clampdown with the help of troops from neighbouring Sunni states.

Al-Khawaja and seven others were given life sentences after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the state − sentences that remain in place despite strong international pressure on the Bahraini government.

Al-Khawaja’s 110-day hunger strike, which ended last May, also proved ineffective in securing his release.

According to the BBC, the men’s lawyers said it was their last chance to have their sentenc-

es overturned or reduced.

Stinne Lyager Bech from Amnesty International told state broadcaster DR that while the court’s decision was expected, it was still disappointing.

“It’s a shame and a scandal that his sentence Abdulhadi al-Khawaja can now only have his has once again sentence commuted by a royal pardon been upheld by the Bahrain court,” Lysager said.

“He shouldn’t be sitting in jail; who has also been tortured,” he’s done nothing more than Søvndal wrote. “Together with peacefully fight for democracy the countries that support Denmark’s position, including the and human rights.”

Lysager added that the in- EU and the UN, we will examine ternational community should further options that could lead to continue to place pressure on the the release of al-Khawaja and the Bahraini government in order to other human rights and democsecure the release of the human racy advocates in Bahrain.”

Dozens have died and rights activists. A pardon by the Bahraini king remains the last around 3,000 people have been arrested by Bahraini authorities option for the activists.

The foreign minister, Villy due to the uprising, including Søvndal (Socialistisk Folkeparti), doctors who were punished for said in a press release that he was treating injured protesters.

Al-Khawaja fled to Denmark also disappointed by the appeal court’s verdict and that Denmark in the 1980s and was awarded would continue to support the political asylum because of the plight of al-Khawaja and the oth- persecution he faced in Bahrain for his human rights work. He er jailed human rights activists.

“It’s important to highlight took on Danish citizenship in that we are talking about a Dan- the 1990s and returned to Bahish citizen who has been sen- rain to continue his work in the tenced for speaking out in his early 2000s following some postruggle for human rights, and litical reform in the country.

SCANPIX / AHMED JADALLAH

PETER STANNERS

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

11

Fifty-seven ambassadors! We’re going to run out of Ferrero Rocher!

BY HASSE FERROLD

The queen’s reception for the city’s diplomatic corp at Christiansborg Palace last week on Thursday was once again a well-attended affair. In total, 76 different countries were represented, and there were 57 ambassadors present

Benin’s ambassador Arlette Claudine Kpedetin Dagnon Vignikin didn’t have to wait long to greet her majesty – she was ninth in the queue

Among those in attendance were (left-right) Israeli ambassador Artur Avnon and Bulgarian ambassador Valentin Poriazov ...

Before being presented to the queen, in much the same fashion as a wedding, the ambassadors waited in line along three walls of the palace’s lavish ballroom. Waiting here (from left-right) are Dutch ambassador Eduard Middeldorp and his wife, Ivory Coast ambassador Mina Balde Laurent, Estonian ambassador Katrin Kivi, German ambassador Michael Zenner and his wife, Namibian ambassador Daniel Smith and his wife, Bangladeshi ambassador Gousal Azam Sarker, and South Korean ambassador Byung H Kim

Among those giving addresses were the Mexican ambassador Martha Bárcena, the current dean of the diplomatic corp

Moroccan ambassador Raja Ghannam, Finnish ambassador Maarit Jalava, Polish ambassador Rafal Wisniewski and his wife, and French ambassador Veronique Bujon-Barre ...

Bárcena succeeded Nicaraguan ambassador Ricardo Alvarado, who is now based in Finland. Posted here in 2002, he is this country’s longest serving ambassador

and Canadian ambassador Andre Francois Girou and his wife, Georgian ambassador Nikoloz Rtveliashvili and Togo’s ambassador Essohanam Comla Paka

Present with their partners were Australian ambassador James Chilean ambassador Juan Salazar Sparks ...

Choi ...

Luxembourg’s ambassador Gerard Philipps and ...

And last but not least, Russian ambassa- US ambassador Laurie S Fulton ... dor Mikhail Vanin ...

Burkina Faso’s ambassador Monique Il- Hungarian ambassador Francis Szebényi ... boudo ...

Greek ambassador Alexandros Couyou ...

Ukrainian ambassador Mykhailo Skuratovskyi

and Serbian ambassador Vida Ognjenovic

12

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Tuesday was a sad day for the diplomatic corp of Copenhagen. A reception in Rydhave at the Danish parliament marked the departure of the popular US ambassador Laurie S Fulton, who is returning to her homeland to resume her career as a high-level lawyer. Standing in front of a portrait of her Danish great-grandfather (bottom left in the painting – see right) Fulton bid farewell to (left picture, left-right) South Korean ambassador Geun-hyeong Yim, Greek ambassador Alexandros Couyou, Benin’s ambassador Arlette Claudine Kpedetin Dagnon Vignikin, Dutch ambassador Eduard JM Middeldorp and Georgian ambassador Nikoloz Rtveliashvili; (centre picture) Irish ambassador Brendan Scannell, Swiss ambassador Denis Feldmeyer, Estonian ambassador Katrin Kivi and Armenian ambassador Hrachya Aghajanyan; and (right picture) Canadian ambassador Andre Francois Girou, Vietnamese ambassador Lai Ngoc Doan, Israeli ambassador Artur Avnon and Lithuanian ambassador Vytautas Pinkus

Ambassador Fulton was also present, last week on Thursday, at the American Club’s gala dinner at Sølyst. Pictured here (left-right) are Jeanne-Käthe Remillard of the American Club, NATO general secretary and former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, American Club president Spencer Oliver, Fulton, who has been made a honorary member of the club for life, American Club vice-president Erik Nørgaard, and Rasmussen’s wife, Anne-Mette

COMING UP SOON

CTC Auditions for The Importance of Being Earnest VerdensKulturCenter, Nørre Allé 7, Cph N; Mon Jan 14 & Tue Jan 22 at 19:00; contact nathaliebessonnet@yahoo.fr Always dreamed of making your acting debut? Now’s your chance! The auditions for the Copenhagen Theatre Circle’s spring production of Oscar Wilde’s ’The Importance of Being Earnest’, which is being directed

by Jens Blegaa, will begin next Monday. Roles are available for all ages, ranging from 18 to 65.

The production will run from April 17-27 at Krudttønden in Østerbro. Contact the director’s assistant, Nathalie Bessonnet, as soon as possible for more information or to request a preferred audition date.

Pantomime Exhibition Sat 10:00 at Øbro Jagtvej Bibliotek, Jagtvej 227, Cph Ø & 11:30 at Østerbro Library, Dag Hammarskjölds Allé 19, Cph Ø; free adm The Copenhagen Theatre Circle is teaming up with Østerbro’s libraries this weekend to bring a pantomime twist to the classic tale of ‘Aladdin’. Children can marvel at the crazy costumes and bright colours and test their knowledge of the story in a competition for tickets to ‘Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp’, while adults can enjoy the dialogue’s double meanings and subtle jokes. And as any true pantomime dictates, expect the audience to participate themselves.

BabySigning in English Kulturhuset Islands Brygge ‘Undergrunden’, Islands Brygge 18, Cph S; every Wed, 13:00-14:00 from Jan 23 to Mar 20, not Feb 13; 795kr; ten places available; www.babysigning.dk Join the rest of Copenhagen’s international babies for eight sessions of singing, signing and instrument playing to teach them simple signs to use at home. This class will teach up to 80 signs, using pictures and toys to illustrate meaning and stimulate your child’s speech development. The songs will include welcome and activity numbers, as well as nursery rhymes in addition to signing.

Water Efficiency & Climate Change Seminar European Environment Agency, Kongens Nytorv 6, Cph K; Tue Jan 15, 16:00-19:30; email event@ bccd.dk or sign up at www.bccd.dk Clean water is a natural resource vital for life on Earth and for the well-being of our societies, but in many parts of Europe, water is coming under pressure, as it is increasingly exploited and polluted. Environmentally-concerned expats now have a chance to discuss the future of Europe’s water resources and how to use them more efficiently. The European Environment Agency is teaming up with the British Chamber of Commerce to organise this seminar, which will include presentations by the EEA’s experts and speakers from BMW, Swiss Clean Water, Rambøll and Unilever.

The Serbian Embassy last week on Friday hosted a wine event organised by importers Dragana and Jan Nilsson – pictured here with Serbian ambassador Vida Ognjenovic – who are confident the eastern European country can regain the excellent reputation it held before the communist era. In the 19th century, Serbian wine was in such high demand, it was even exported to France

Meet up at Charlies Bar Charlies Bar, Pilestræde 33, Cph K; Thu 17 Jan, 17:30; no sign-up necessary Get to know other members of the British Chamber of Commerce in Denmark and unwind after a long day in the cosy atmosphere of Charlies Bar. The meeting is informal and no signup is required, so simply drop by for a drink and a chat. Other members of the secretariat and Chamber of Commerce board will also be present.

Mindfulness course for expats MBSR Course, Nansensgade 47 st th, Cph K; eight-week course on Wednesdays 18:30-21:00, starts Jan 18; 4,500kr; contact Carina Lyall at kontakt@mindfulground. dk or 3142 4404; www.mindfulground.dk Stressed-out expats now have a chance to reclaim their inner peace of mind with a new mindfulness course in English.

A course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can help aid you in decision-making abilities and increase your awareness and perception. Participants will be introduced to Hatha yoga, communication and other awareness exercises during the eight-week course.

The course is 26 hours long overall, and the price includes training materials and an additional all-day silent workshop on Sunday Febuary 26.

JESSICA HANLEY

The peculiar looking instrument before you is a Chineses fiddle named the erhu, which was the star of the show at The Art of Erhu’, a recital given at Asia House, by musician Liang Lingling, with support from Björn Roslund on the piano, which was organised by the Danish-Chinese Association

INSPIRATION FROM THE SPIRE

Jonathan LLoyd is the Anglican/Episcopal priest in Denmark. You can find him on your way to the Little Mermaid at St Alban’s Church, Churchillparken. This may seem like a little piece of England complete with its distinctive spire and statue of Sir Winston, but it gathers people from across the globe plus hundreds of tourists each week. Jonathan has lived in Copenhagen for nearly four years and loves the place.

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EW YEAR is a time for reflection. One of my reflections is wondering what it is in the Danish culture that makes Danes go wild for fireworks? The billions of kroner spent on explosives each New Year is a pretty big figure. I love to watch well-organised firework displays, such as the one at Tivoli. But I am less comfortable with rockets coming sideways along the pavement, mortar blasts ruining our nights’ sleep, and the dogs and cats of our city being petrified. Perhaps a people who are usually rather reserved need a time to get a bit wild and explosive? But at what cost? A friend of mine had a rocket crash through her top floor apartment in Copenhagen, whiz across the floor and explode in her kitchen.

If we manage to avoid being hit by a firework, New Year is a good time to look back and forward. Last week, I led the funeral of a special woman called Sally.

Arriving in Copenhagen in the 1960s, she married a Dane. In those days there were not many Brits here, and it was frowned

on to be employed if you were life. We don’t have a very good married. Sally helped to set up PR image of unity. And in Rus‘The Young Wives Group’ at St sia, the leader of the Orthodox Alban’s Church to offer support Church supports Putin publicand friendship to other newly- ly, and when three young womarrived Brits who had married en known as Pussy Riot sang a Danes. The group went on for song in Moscow’s cathedral to the next half century, even when protest against this, they ended the word ‘young’ was pushing up in jail. the description to its limits.

Although a frail and often Sally was a good friend to many broken vessel with many failand is part of ings, the Christhe living histian Church tory of remarkcontinues to be able women at an important St Alban’s.

If we manage to avoid and transformI also find ing place in the New Year a being hit by a firework, lives of many. time to think New Year is a good time On Tuesday 22 about relationJanuary, about ships and how to look back and forward 700 people will we work towalk between gether – or not. The bewilder- six churches in Copenhagen as a ing thing about the Christian living symbol of the striving for Church is that we preach unity unity between Christians, localand reconciliation, and yet at ly and globally. It is called Kirkthe same time, the churches are evandring and starts at 18:30 disagreeing with almost every- at St Paul’s Church in Nyboder thing that is possible − whether and ends at about 21:00. Do it is women bishops, gay priests, come along and walk with us. It marriage, contraception, abor- could be your New Year resolution, or even the meaning of tion in action.

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

13

Revisit an old China for genies, treasure troves and magic lamps BEN HAMILTON If you loved Copenhagen Theatre Circle’s pantomime of ‘Cinderella’ last year, you won’t want to miss ‘Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp’

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O CHILD should be denied the right to scream “Oh no, it isn’t” or “He’s behind you” a hundred times in a row at a man dressed up as a woman who looks like a man. Prohibition of this sort is cruelty to animals ... sorry children. It’s the rite of passage of every kid growing up in Britain, it’s called pantomime, and thanks to the Copenhagen Theatre Circle (CTC), it’s quickly becoming an annual tradition!

So what is panto? Or maybe a more apt question would be: what isn’t it? As a combination of music, comedy, drama, dance, interaction, family fun and storytelling, it’s an extravaganza that encompasses every genre of the theatrical spectrum. Rather like Pixar cartoons, it can be enjoyed by both children and adults for different reasons, it truly is a memorable occasion rich in festive spirit that your kids will thank you for, and there’s nothing like it in this country.

For starters, children are invited to be as vocal as possible. With other

forms of theatre (let’s face it, you’re doing well if you manage to persuade them to come), there’s always the danger they’ll start fidgeting or screaming out at inopportune moments.

With panto, ADD behaviour is positively encouraged, from singing along to the songs to shouting at the performers. For example, when the villain enters the stage, the children are encouraged to boo him. And if he’s hiding, plotting some dastardly act behind the backs of the good characters, they need to warn them! And they must remember to cheer the hero and the good fairy, say ‘Awwww!’ every time they hear a sob story, and to remain vigilant in case some sweets are thrown into the audience.

And while there’s a wide range of humour on display – from slapstick for the kids to some rather saucy double entendres for the adults – it’s also a very visual experience.

The

costumes are colourful, imaginative, and outlandish – guaranteed to make the little ones chuckle, especially when they realise that the dame is a man.

From

laughing at the pantomime animal (normally a horse, played by two people in a single costume) to trying to out-sing the other half of the theatre, it’s a fun-filled night out for the entire family.

These days you can find pantomime in many countries – Australia, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar, Malta, Cambodia, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, USA, and Spain – mainly thanks to the efforts of expats like the CTC, so it

was high time that Denmark director Barry McKenna. This got its own, and in late 2011, year’s show is packed with singthe CTC performed the success- ing and dance numbers, once ful ‘Cinderella, Where there’s a again ‘colourful, imaginative Will there’s a Way!’ during the and outlandish’ costumes and Christmas season. This year it’s scenery, and a talented cast – perfect for chasmoved the show ing away those dates to JanuJanuary blues! ary, which is the traditional panFor a full preview tomime season So we decided to do of The Copenhain the United the pantomime in gen Theatre CirKingdom. cle’s pantomime “After an in- January. That way ‘Aladdin and ternal review of Wonderful last year’s show, everyone could have a his the feedback we relaxing holiday with Lamp’, please see the InOut section got from the actors and pro- their families or travel of www.cphpost.

The pantoduction team and be ready for the dk. mime premiered was that it was at Krudttønden too much to re- show theatre in Østerhearse, perform, build sets etc in the run-up to bro on January 9 and will conChristmas,” explained CTC’s tinue (with performances from Wednesday until Friday, 19:00 chairman Frank Theakston.

“So we decided to do the weekdays, 15:00 weekends) until pantomime in January. That 27 January. Tickets are available way everyone could have a re- from www.ctcircle.dk. Student laxing holiday with their fami- discount tickets are available on lies or travel and be ready Wednes- day 16 and Thurs17 January at for the show. The d a y 19:00. On these CTC is a community

theatre group and almost everyone involved in the show is volunteering, so it was important that we keep the troops happy!”

And don’t be fooled by the Disney version of Aladdin. “The original story from The Arabian Nights is set in China,” says its

days, bona fide students can buy tickets for 120 kroner on presentation of their student card at the box office. The box office opens at 18:00. And on Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 January, meet the cast of Aladdin after the show and take pictures of and talk to your favourite characters.

14

Sports

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

11 - 17 January 2013

Christian Wenande As more teams resort to the tactic of transferring player rights to private investors, the country’s football association warns a ban may be on the way

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hen Mads Albæk was browsing through some sports news just after Christmas, the 22-year-old footballer stumbled across some disturbing news ... about himself.

Albæk, a promising midfielder who has played 127 senior matches for the Superliga club FC Midtjylland since his debut in 2008, read that his transfer rights, and those of six of the club’s other players, had been sold to a group of investors in order to stave off financial ruin. No-one had bothered to ask if Albæk was interested.

“It’s quite unpleasant to be

www.facebook.com/mads.albaek

Selling footballers to investors a form of slavery, DBU says

Mads Albæk celebrated Christmas unaware he was among the presents

sold from one day to the next without being informed about it at all. Honestly, I feel like a commodity in a supermarket,” Albæk told Politiken newspa-

per. “I don’t know where I stand, and I have no idea whether it is the club or the investors that decide whether I am to be sold if an offer comes.”

In addition to FCM, Super- the clutches of people that they liga clubs AGF, AaB, Esbjerg, normally wouldn’t touch with a Silkeborg, Brøndby, Viborg and ten-foot pole,” Thomas Lindrup, HB Køge have all had players a former footballer and head of owned by thirdSpillerforeninparty investors. gen, told PolitikDansk Bolden. Lindrup also spil Union (DBU), indicated that the Danish footSpillerforeningen ball association, I feel like a would discuss likened the ma- commodity in a the issue in depth noeuvre to slavery during its next and said it is look- supermarket meeting later this ing into banning month. third-party ownerIn Albæk’s ship in Denmark, as is the case case, the investor group deal in the UK and France. means that his new unknown “At a minimum, we must owners have secured a 75 perdevelop clear and restrictive cent stake in all future income rules that shed light on how that his sale may bring. It also these contracts are put together,” means that FCM won’t have to Allan Hansen, the head of DBU, sell their players cheaply to avoid told Politiken. bankruptcy.

Player union SpillerforeFCM has readily used the ningen was up in arms over the third-party investor schemes to revelations. raise the required funds to stave “The players, in worst-case off bankruptcy. The transfer scenarios, could easily end up in rights of more than ten of their

most promising talents have been sold to investors, garnering them nearly 30 million kroner.

Despite the criticism, Claus Steinlein, FCM’s sporting director, argued that selling transfer rights to investors did not affect whether the club would sell players overseas, and that the Albæk situation only occurred because the club was unable to contact the players because the deals were secured during the Christmas holiday period.

“I can understand why people on the outside wonder about these deals, but we’ve been struggling financially for a while now and these investors have helped a lot,” Steinlein told Politiken.

In addition to Albæk, FCM has sold Santiago Villafane, Petter Andersson, Marco Larsen, Pione Sisto, Mads Pedersen and Erik Sviatchenko to the investor group. FCM has also adjusted its profits from a significant loss to a profit of three million kroner.

Christian Wenande From the swimming and volleyball Euros to a monster sailing year, Danish shores will play host to a number of international championships

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ast year was a solid one in regards to Denmark hosting sporting events.

The Giro d’Italia kicked off in Denmark for the first time ever, table tennis legends flocked to Herning to take part in the European Championships, while FC Nordsjælland’s ill-fated Champion’s League adventure saw the likes of Juventus and Chelsea travel to Danish shores.

Nevertheless, if you missed out, and you’re chomping at the bit this year to get out there and see some quality sports, fret not, because 2013 is ready to oblige, hosting seven European Championships and a handful of World Cups and World Championships.

“2013 will be a good and comprehensive sports event year in Denmark,” Lars Lundov, the head of Sport Event Denmark, promised The Copenhagen Post newspaper.

“Events will be staged indoors and outdoors, and we will also find events that could become game-changers within the world of sport. We have put effort into adding value to these international events.”

HEADLINERS: European Short Course Swimming Championships Jyske Bank BOXEN Arena, Herning; Dec 12-15 Yes, it might be in December, but there is still a lot to look forward to here. The Danish swimming team has been very successful in the past two Euros and it will be interesting to see if they can carry on the tradition now that their successful coach Paulus Wildeboer has left for Australia. Aside from the Danish stalwarts like Lotte Friis, Jeannete Ottesen and Rikke Møller Pedersen, plenty of other European stars will be at hand to dazzle the crowd.

Men’s Volleyball European Championships Venues in Odense, Herning, Aarhus and Copenhagen; Sep 2029; www.eurovolley2013.dk The men’s European Champi-

onships in volleyball will be cohosted by Denmark and Poland at the end of September. Teams from all over Europe will battle it out in three tough qualification rounds to make it to the final round – only 16 will succeed. The championships will be played at six fantastic arenas.

The semi-finals, bronze medal match and final will all be played at Parken.

Featuring the air rifle, air pistol and running target competitions.

SECOND BILLING:

ALSO ON THE CARD:

Sailing Various competitions across Denmark; July & August A massive year beckons for sailing enthusiasts in Denmark.

The country will be hosting four major championship: the 49’er and 49’er FX European Championships (Aarhus, July 2-8); the 29’er World Cup (Aarhus, July 28-Aug 3); Europa-class skiff race World Cup (Sønderborg; July 29-Aug 11); and the IASF Match Race Nations Cup Grand Final (Middlefart; August 6-10).

Kayak World Cup (marathon distance) The Regatta Course, Lake Bagsvaerd, Copenhagen; Sep 20-22; www.canoemarathon.dk The paddles will be working overtime in September when the Kayak World Cup takes place in Copenhagen. The men have to paddle 30.1 kilometres, the women 25.8.

2013 BWF Denmark Open Super Series Odense Stadium/Sports Centre; Oct 14-20; www.badminton.dk Once again, the cream of the crop will be congregating for one of badminton’s six major tournaments.

European 10-metre Shooting Championships Stadium Arena Fyn and Hall A, Odense Congress Centre; Feb 25-March 3; www.ech2013.dk

World Cup Trampoline & Tumbling Final Odense Stadium/Sports Centre; April 10-May 10; www.dgf.dk Back flips, summersaults and a mix of strength and grace will be on display as the world’s top gymnasts converge to battle it out in Odense.

www.european-herning.dk

Country’s courts, waters and ranges prepare for invasion of sport

Royalty, both Danish and British, will be out in force for the equestrian

European Dance Championship NRGi Park/Arena, Aarhus: April 20 “You’re such a great dancer, Tony” is one line that springs to mind here. They’re hot, they’re tanned and they smile like it’s going out of business.

combining the grace and etiquette of the old-school equestrian values.

CURTAINS CLOSED IF IN BACK GARDEN:

Equestrian Euros MCH Arena Herning; Oct 2125, www.european-herning.dk There won’t be any rodeo clowns or bucking broncos here. It’s all straight-laced horsemanship,

Beach Handball European Championships Randers Arena; July 4-14; www.dhf.dk What’s more insane? That there is such a thing as beach handball or that there’s a beach in Randers?

Sports news IN brief Woz awaits draw

World crown beckons

Kessler awaits deadline

Ultimate tick for Olesen

Youngster tipped for Villa

TV2 Sport relaunced

Caroline Wozniacki is ninth favourite (40/1 with Ladbroke’s) for the first grand slam event of the year, the Australian Open, which begins on Monday January 14. Having reached the quarter-finals last year, the world number 10 heads into the tournament knowing a failure to match that performance will probably see her slide further down the world rankings. The draw is due to be announced on Friday.

Denmark are the fourth favourites (5/1 with Ladbroke’s) to win the Men’s Handball World Championship, which begins on Friday January 11 in Spain. Denmark are in the same group as Qatar (game on Saturday), Russia (Sunday), Chile (Tuesday), Iceland (Wednesday) and Macedonia (January 18). The top four from each group then qualify for the final 16 knockout stage. The final is on January 27.

The Carl Froch camp have until Tuesday January 15 to complete their negotiations regarding the IBF super middleweight champion’s defence against the mandatory challenger, Canada’s Adonis Stevenson. Froch has made it clear that he wants to fight Mikkel Kessler, who narrowly beat him in 2010, but needs an IBF waiver to fight the Dane before the Canadian. Should the fight go ahead, it is expected to net each fighter 18 million kroner.

2012 Årets Fund winner Thorbjørn Olesen, 23, has signed a lucrative multi-year sponsorship deal with Nike Golf to use and showcase the manufacturer’s equipment. It means he has officially become part of Nike Golf ’s tour staff – a stable of players that includes Tiger Woods and 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.

“We know he will make a great addition,” Nike’s Mark Thaxton told media.

Frederik Sørensen, 20, a central defender who has made nine appearances for Bologna so far this season, has been linked

by Italian media to a move to Aston Villa, an English Premier League club currently rebuilding its team with a focus on youth.

Meanwhile, one of Villa’s local rivals, Wolves, has sacked its Norwegian manager Ståle Solbakken, the former coach of FC Copenhagen, after just five months in charge.

Following TV3’s takeover of TV2 Sport – which saw Modern Times Group, the Swedishbased owner of Viasat, acquire TV2’s 51 percent stake in TV2 Sport to become the sole owner – the channel was relaunched on Monday as TV3 Sports, promising viewers 8,000 hours of live sport over the next year. On February 5, it will be joined by TV3 Sports 2, taking Viasat’s total number of sports channels to five.

15 For many Danish papers, the writing is on the paywall BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

RAY WEAVER As the sales of print versions continue to plunge, the nation’s newspapers look for ways to earn money online

A

S NEWSPAPERS watched more and more of their subscribers opt out of the printed version in favour of accessing free content online, publishers hoped that the lost revenue would be made up via an explosion of online ads. But despite the long-running promise of media watchers that digital advertising revenues would, along with lower production costs, make online newspapers a succes, the number of ads on newspaper websites is actually falling.

Editors and publishers are now realizing they can no longer give the news away online.

“We are admitting that it is no longer a viable option not to take payment for online content,” Lisbeth Knudsen, the editor of Berlingske and head of Berlingske Media, told Politiken newspaper.

Starting in the spring, the Berlingske publishing group will roll out a payment model for its websites b.dk and business.dk.

The trend follows that of newspapers worldwide.

“In the US, over 30 percent of newspaper websites are now pay sites,” Knudsen said. “We have reached the point where we can no longer pay our staff and maintain quality without complementing our print revenue with digital resources.”

Other Danish newspapers –Jyllands-Posten, Kristeligt Dagblad, Information and Politiken – have either already put some sort of pay-to-read policy in place or have one on the way.

“It has become apparent to every newspaper over the past few years that the idea of financing quality journalism via ad revenue just does not hold water,” said Poltiken editor Bo Lidegaard.

Critics argue that Politiken and others could make more from advertising if they didn’t have a paywall, because far more readers would continue to reach for their smartphones, computers and tablets to enjoy the free content.

But Lidegaard argues that the current situation simply cannot finance quality content.

“It only allows for free news-

The leading Danish newspapers have all instituted some sort of paywall

papers and the kind of journalism they offer,” he said. “We want to be something different, and that forces us and every other newspaper in the world to sell online content in the same way that we sell print. “ Berlingske and Politiken are adopting the New York Times model for charging online readers, operating a somewhat porous paywall that allows readers a limited number of articles free per month. Once the limit is reached, the meter starts running.

The practice has proven to be an important source of income for the New York Times, even if only a small percentage of its millions of web visitors have actually paid to read an article.

Since introducing the wall in March 2011, nearly 566,000 digital subscribers have signed up for the Times or its sister publication, the International Herald Tribune.

The Time’s digital subscriptions amounted to about $92 million in revenue in 2012 – about 12 percent of the paper’s total $768 million in subscription revenue for the year. More importantly, the addition of digital subscription revenue – along with a boost in the cost of the print edition – will make 2012 the first year the Times has actually earned more money from its circulation than from advertising.

There are several other payment models being tried in the Danish market. The only common thread is that no-one is sure if any of them will work.

The problem with any payment model is that the daily news will still be available for free in any number of places.

Broadcasters like DR and TV2 have no intention of charging to use their sites, and Ekstra Bladet tabloid – whose website actually earns money – said that its web content will continue to be free.

Jyllands-Posten is attempting to attract readers by offering daily and breaking news for free, while analysis, background articles and the paper’s deeper, more specialised journalism is only accessible to those with a digital subscription.

“The important thing is that it is still possible to create unique journalism,” said Jens Nicolaisen, the digital director of Jyllands-Posten. “We believe that this model will help stabilise the print version of the newspaper.”

Nicolaisen said that JP would have to have “very, very many” digital subscribers to completely replace the print version.

“At the same time, we know that we can no longer base ourselves on a print model alone, so it makes sense to create a subscription form that cuts across media types,” he said.

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

5.76

5.62

7.36

0.06

0.18

0.85

6.06

9.03

5.61

Buy

6.29

6.07

7.59

0.06

0.20

0.89

6.26

9.39

5.87

Publisher Berlingske Lokalaviser, which handles seven local newspapers including Århus Stiftstidende and Viborg Stifts Folkeblad, realised in November that it had a virtual stranglehold on local news in mid-Jutland and decided to put all of its online content behind a paywall.

No free articles, no teasers, abso-

lutely zero access unless paid for.

The practice has cost the company about half of its web traffic.

At the same time, about 1,000 new subscribers have signed up.

Editor Dorothy Carlsen from Berlingske Lokalaviser said that people are more willing to pay for local news content that they cannot get elsewhere and

can design to suit their specific needs.

“I live in Bjerringbro and like to have news about the local political scene, the schools and local sports,” Carlsen told Politiken. “But I also want business news available on another local website under our umbrella, and being able to customise my own newspaper gives it a completely different value.”

Not every local news outlet is going the way of Berlingske Lokalaviser. Palle Høj, the editor-in-chief of Frederiksborg Amt Avis, which covers northern Zealand, said that his paper “has no intention” of adding a paywall.

“That also includes the websitesn.dk, which is run by Sjællandske Medier and includes the Frederiksborg Amts Avis, DAGBLADET, Sjællandske and a lot of hyperlocal sites for free weekly newspapers. There will be no paywalls on any of them,” said Høj.

Carlsen said that she does not believe that paywalls are the total solution to the challenges facing newspapers.

“We are going to need many income streams, and may well have to adjust the model as time goes on,” she said.

The Copehagen Post continues to offer its web content to readers free of charge.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

Planning for the future: how to use our water resources more efficiently Our economy and society relies on water. It is also clear we need water and nature needs water. How do we find the right balance? What does the future look like for Europe’s water resources? How do the policy maker and the private sector prepare for increasing and sometimes clashing demands?

We are aiming to bring together business/ environment expertise/ education / policy makers to consider this topic and hopefully present a broad link and a wider look with a practical and down to earth approach from production companies, users, and the future challenges for the entrepreneurs, under the key question ‘how are things going to develop’.

Programme: 16.00 – 19.30 • 16.20 Welcome and overview by Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director, European Environment Agency • 16.30 Presentations by EEA water experts Case studies to share experience and best practice on strategies and initiatives from industry and business: • 17.30 Ursula Mathar, VP for Sustainability and Environmental Protection, BMW Group • 17.45 Christian Nyerup Nielsen, Head of Climate adaptation and wastewater management, Rambøll • 18.15 Kim Weis Hansen, CEO, Swiss Clean Water Group • 18.30 Panel discussion moderated by David Stanners, Head of International Cooperation, EEA • 19.00 Refreshments and Networking

Date: Tuesday, 15 January 2013 Venue: European Environment Agency Kongens Nytorv 6 1050 Copenhagen K

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

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

If you would like to attend then please send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58

Date: 9 January 2013

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

16

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

SPOUSE: Erik Metzger FROM: San Francisco, CA USA SEEKING WORK IN: Drug & Alcohol Counselling QUALIFICATION: Masters degree in addiction counselling from Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies; Currently preparing for the IC&RC counselling exam.

EXPERIENCE: Drug & Alcohol Counsellor; Masters in Addiction Counselling from Hazelden Graduate School in Minnesota, USA, August 2012. Ten years of active work in various 12-step programs. I can meet with you and/or your family to develop a custom recovery plan; all ages welcome. Registered Yoga Teacher through: www.yogaalliance.org since July, 2010. I can supply yoga mats and supports; my apartment or yours! Teacher of business English with training from Berlitz, Virksomhedsskolen and Denmark’s Library School (Cand.scient.bibl., 2007). *All diploma’s and certifications available upon request LOOKING FOR: Part/Full/Freelance/Volunteer work at treatment center and/or outpatient clinic.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English: Native; Danish: Fluent verbal skills and intermediate reading and writing.

IT EXPERIENCE: PC and Mac – trained in many software packages and databases.

CONTACT: erikmetz@gmail.com SPOUSE: Malgorzata Tujakowska FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Aarhus and the surrounding area QUALIFICATION: Masters in Ethnolinguistics with major in Chinese and English, Chinese HSK and Business Chinese Test certificates, 2-year long studies at Shanghai International Studies University and National Cheng Kung University,Taiwan.

LOOKING FOR: Working for companies hiring Polish and Chinese employees, teaching Chinese, Polish, Business English, linguistics, translation and interpretation, proofreading, Chinese business and culture consulting, administrative work.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (native speaker), Chinese – simplified and traditional (fluent), English (fluent), German(intermediate), Danish (intermediate-currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: Tel:+45 28702377, m.tujakowska@gmail.com SPOUSE: Christina Ioannou FROM: Greece SEEKING WORK IN: Central Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MA in HRM London, UK. Bsc. American College USA. EXPERIENCE: Worked as a manager for 11 years in the retailing sector - fashion industry for a big international corporation. I had budget and personnel responsibility. I was in charge of the purchasing department.

LOOKING FOR: Any kind of industry.Not simply in fashion.Where I will apply my leadership, sales, communicative and purchasing skills.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Swedish,Italian, French, Greek IT-EXPERIENCE: MS Office CONTACT: EMAIL: christina_ioannou@yahoo.com, Tel: +46768435211 SPOUSE: Christina Koch FROM: Australia SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Drama, 1997 University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Experienced actor and voice coach for speakers, with parallel high level experience in written communications.

LOOKING FOR: Voice coaching for corporate presenters and speakers, Writing and Communications work, work in theatre organisations.

IT EXPERIENCE:Microsoft Office, Office for Mac. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English – Native speaker, excellent written and oral expression. German – good reading and listening skills. Spanish – fluent oral communication, good reading and listening skills. Danish – beginners level speaking and writing skills.

CONTACT: Christina@hermionesvoice.com, Tel: +45 52 77 30 93, www.hermionesvoice.com.

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: 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: Debjani Nandy Biswas FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Would like to join in kindergarten, School teacher in English, official work in English.

QUALIFICATION: B.A., M.A in English literature and language (American, European and Indian).

EXPERIENCE: Temporary school teacher in Bongaon, India and involved in social work (handicapped society).

LOOKING FOR: A possibility in getting practical experiences in kindergarten or any international school, official work (administration) in English, voluntary work also.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, little Danish (currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: Diploma in basic computer applications.

CONTACT: debjaninb@gmail.com, Tel: +45 50219942.

SPOUSE: Debasmita Ghosh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmachemistry specialization).

EXPERIENCE: 4 years in Clinical Research (Pharmacovigilance/Safety and Medical Coding) in a leading CRO (Quintiles) and 6 months experience as a lecturer for bachelor degree students in Pharmacy College.

LOOKING FOR: Job in pharmaceutical industry, CRO or any vocation suitable per qualification and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent written and spoken), enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian Languages (Hindi, Bengali, Kannada).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office Applications i:e Microsoft office word, excel, outlook, power point and tools, lotus notes, medical and drug softwares like micromedex and ISIS draw. CDM systems like ds Navigator-Medical coding tool and AERS database.

CONTACT: ghoshdebasmita@gmail.com, Tel: +4571488438 SPOUSE: Deepak Kumar Koneri FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: M.Sc in Electrical Engineering specialization in Embedded Systems (Jönköping, Sweden), B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Hyderabad, India).

EXPERIENCE: Worked as Electrical Distribution Design Engineer in Electrical Consultant company for more than 2 years. I was responsible from the start of design definition phase till the implementation phase of individual project.

LOOKING FOR: Full and part time job opportunity in Energy, Robust Electronics design, PCB Design, Thermal Analyst, Design & Modelling of power systems, power optimization, simulation and also in constructional, architectural consulting organization.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (Fluent), Hindi (Mother Tongue), Swedish (Basic) and Danish(Basic, Currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office (word, Excel, Power point, Visio), CFD (Mentor Graphics FloTHERM, FloVENT, Noesis OPTIMUS, Electrical CAD, Assembly Programming (PIC 16f77, 8086,8051), WireMOM, Telelogic SDL-99, C and VHDL. CONTACT: konerideepak@gmail.com, Tel: 71561151

PARTNERS:

11 - 17 January 2013 SPOUSE: Nitisha Sinha FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Masters in Geography and B.Ed EXPERIENCE: 4 years 3 months in teaching geography in schools for the middle to senior level.

I was also a foreign expat teacher and General Education Officer at Ministry Of Education,of Singapore in Singapore.

LOOKING FOR: Full time / Part time jobs in International School/Colleges/Universities to teach Geography.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi and Bengali ( reading, writing and speaking) IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with MS Office (Word, Powerpoint,) and Photoshop.

CONTACT: nitz84@gmail.com, Tel: +45 71496579 SPOUSE: Isaac P Thomas FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: East Juthland preferably Århus QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science).

EXPERIENCE: Process Consulting, Quality Assurance, CMMI, ISO, Quality Audit, Process Definition, Software testing, software development, data analysis, best practice sharing, quality gap analysis and “sharepoint” expertise.

LOOKING FOR: Process Consulting, Quality Assurance, CMMI, ISO, Quality Audit, Process Definition LANGUAGE SKILLS: Danish beginner, English, Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil.

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

CONTACT: isaacpthomas@gmail.com, Tel: +4552225642 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, master planning 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: Jik Boom FROM: The Netherlands SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Teacher EXPERIENCE: CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) see also Linkedin profile http://dk.linkedin.com/in/jikboom) LOOKING FOR: Work in the area of teaching (English), proofreading (English) and translation (English/Dutch - Dutch/English) LANGUAGE SKILLS: Dutch, English, French, German, Danish IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Powerpoint, Word, Excel) CONTACT: jikboom@yahoo.com, Tel: +45 42129175 SPOUSE: Jennifer Bouma FROM: The Netherlands SEEKING WORK IN: Egedal Kommune, Copenhagen 30 km.

QUALIFICATION: Managers Secretary, hands on, reliable, structured, self reliant, social, team player).

LOOKING FOR: Secretary job.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Dutch, Danish, English, German, French, Italian.

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office ( Word, Excel), Outlook, SAP. CONTACT: jenniferbouma@ hotmail.com SPOUSE: Mohammad Ahli- Gharamaleki FROM: Iran SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master degree in chemical engineering.

EXPERIENCE: 5+ years as a chemical engineer in R&D oil/gas projects as a team leader or member in Iran.

LOOKING FOR: A position in an Intrnational company to expand my experience and expertise.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Azeri (native), English (fluent), Farsi (fluent), Arabic (good), Turkish (good), Danish(beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: Professional (MATLAB, Hysys, Aspen plus, Auto Cad, others (Office, Minitab).

CONTACT: mohammad_ahli@yahoo.com, Tel: (+45) 71 63 12 85 SPOUSE: Nina Chatelain FROM: Vancouver, BC, Canada SEEKING WORK IN: Midt - og syd jylland QUALIFICATION: BA courses in English and anthropology, certificate in desktop publishing and graphic design, internationally certified yoga teacher since 1999.

EXPERIENCE: Over 7 years experience as the assistant to the director (what would correspond to a direktionssekretær position) at an international university museum where i also was seconded to act as the program administrator – a project management internal communications role – for the museum’s major renovation project. I acted as the director’s right hand and the museum’s communications hub where I had daily contact with the visiting public, community stakeholders, volunteers and students. I have earlier worked as an editor and writer in various capacities, as well as a desktop publisher/graphic designer.

LOOKING FOR: An administrative role in a creative company that needs someone who can juggle a variety of projects and use excellent English writing and editing skills LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue) and Danish (fluent comprehension-studieprøven / university entrance exam).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office Package, PC and Apple, have earlier worked with various desktop publishing software, quick to learn new software and systems.

CONTACT: nina.chatelain@gmail.com, Tel: +45 29707430 SPOUSE: Simon Rigby FROM: United Kingdom (originally Scotland) SEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, Fyn or Sjælland (anywhere in Denmark).

QUALIFICATION: Secondary High School - 8 ‘Ordinary’ levels & 3 ‘Advanced’ levels achieved.

EXPERIENCE: Business Development, Sales & Marketing and Client Relationship Management specialist. 15+ years experience in securing ‘insurance and lifestyle benefits’ contracts with high volume and high consumer numbers within the Affinity Group Marketing sector from a wide variety of distribution channels including banks, financial institutions, large membership affinity groups and employers, credit card issuers and insurers. Highly accomplished and skilled at ‘low cost, high perceived value’ large scale marketing to B2B and B2C target audiences through both on-line and other direct marketing channels. Entire career spent in the banking, finance and insurance sectors the latter of which I have spent in the UK employment of 3 of the top 4 global insurance brokers.

A team player and a ‘people person’ with the skills and abilities to easily and comfortably interact with individuals at all levels. Natural problem solver who sees opportunities rather than obstacles.

Simplistic and structured approach to finding straightforward and practical solutions to problems.

LOOKING FOR: A job within an organisation (financial services or otherwise) where my Sales & Marketing and Key Account managerial skills and experience are fully utilised and where I can provide a sustainable and tangible long term contribution to my new employer as well as to my new country within which I have chosen to permanently live.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue); German (very good); French (good); Danish (basic, but currently enrolled on a ‘Danskuddannelse 3’ language course).

IT EXPERIENCE: Word - Advanced user. Powerpoint - Proficient user. Excel - Basic.

CONTACT: simon040561@hotmail.co.uk, Tel: +45 60 16 80 40.

SPOUSE: Geet Shroff FROM: Bangalore, India SEEKING WORK IN: Midtjylland / Copenhagen / Odense QUALIFICATION: Bachelor’s degree in Communicative English from Bangalore University, India.

EXPERIENCE: 8+ years of experience as Senior Copy Writer, Assistant Manager – Marketing Communications, Executive – Customer Loyalty & Communication, Customer Service Associate respectively. Through these years, I have developed content, handled complete marketing communications, organized numerous corporate (internal & external customer), private and institutional events ranging from 50 to 1000 people and also handling special projects that have included training & internal communication campaigns.

LOOKING FOR: A Corporate or Marketing Communication (Internal or External) position or that of a Copy Writer at an advertising agency or a corporate house. Also open to a position at an event management company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Danish (Beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, Adobe In Design CS3 (Basic).

CONTACT: geet_shroff@yahoo.co.in, Tel: +4550834024 SPOUSE: Chia-Pei CHEN FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching in corporations, institutions or International schools.

QUALIFICATION: A certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language. A degree in Social Science discipline. Continuously participation in training program (organized by Beijing Hanban of CHINA and CBS) to teach Chinese to foreigners in western context. Enrolment to distance Chinese teaching education system that keeps professional Chinese teachers resourceful.

EXPERIENCE: I am a certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language to foreigners. And I have started teaching Chinese with English in my class for 2 years. I design suitable materials to teach Chinese with different phonetic systems (PinYin for China and Hong Kong, and Mandarin Phonetic Symbols for Taiwan) as well as to interpret differences between simplified and traditional Chinese characters. My past positions were Chinese language-related, such as: reporter, translator and social science researcher. Students who I taught before regard me as a sincere, discreet teacher who helps learners to progress in short time.

LOOKING FOR: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese (mother tongue), English (Fluent), French (basic), Danish (beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: Word Office, SPSS statistic software, Basic Video and Audio editing, Blog writing.

CONTACT: teacherchen@live.com, Tel: 25 81 65 18 SPOUSE: Momina Bashir Awan FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: MBA (Degrees Assessed by Danish Agency for International Education).

EXPERIENCE: 4 years of wide experience as Human Resources Analyst in a USA based Pakistani.

Organization. Involved in Recruitment of IT personnel for outsourcing, Compensation and benefits planning, Wage analysis, Conduct Training and Development Seminars and Team building. One year of Experience in Telesales of Citibank NA., 6 months of experience in Customer Services in Telecom sector.

LOOKING FOR: Jobs in HR and Customer Services LANGUAGE SKILLS: English [Fluent], Urdu [Mother tongue], Hindi [Fluent], Danish [Beginner’s Level].

CONTACT: mominabashir@msn.com, Tel: +4571352387 SPOUSE: Magdalena Bogusz FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen, North Zealand QUALIFICATION: Master degree in Economy EXPERIENCE: 8 years of experience in purchasing and sourcing in Asia and Europe, knowledge of Chinese market, experience in export to Russia, and European countries. Organising exhibitions and business trips. Sourcing and purchasing for supermarkets chains stores.

LOOKING FOR: Position in import/export department in trading company – buyer/sourcing specialist/purchasing specialist LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (mother tongue), English (professional usage), Russian (professional usage), German (basic), Danish (beginner) IT-EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: EMAIL: magdalena.bogusz@interia.eu, Tel: 5178 1195 SPOUSE: Sucharita Reddy FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Anywhere in Denmark QUALIFICATION: Bachelor in Technology (Electrical Engineering) EXPERIENCE: 4+ years of professional experience in SAP ABAP & OO-ABAP programming for Material Management(MM), Plant Maintenance(PM), Document Management and Record Management System(DM/RM), Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), Sales and Distribution(SD) and Finance (FI) modules.

LOOKING FOR: Job opportunities in IT (technical or Functional),Consulting,Management or Business Field.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Proficient in English & Hindi. Danish(learning Intensive course) IT EXPERIENCE: SAP ABAP/4 technical skills include ABAP Programs (Dialog Programming, Standard and Interactive Reports), ALV Reporting, Smartforms, User Exit and Field Exit Development, Interfacing Data with external systems, Data conversions, Programming using BDC, ABAP/4 Workbench, Data Dictionary, Batch Job management, Workflows, Adobe Forms, Webdynpro, ABAP Objects CONTACT: sucharita17.reddy@gmail.com, Tel: 0045-5271184.

SPOUSE: Lorenzo Albano F. FROM: Venezuela SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen and Capital Region QUALIFICATION: PhD, MSc in Physics, BSc in Geophysics.

EXPERIENCE: Lecturer in physics, mathematics and informatics. Researcher in theoretical quantum optics and quantum information. Researcher / teacher / programmer of numerical/computational methods in geophysics, signal processing, tomographic inversion, wave propagation.

LOOKING FOR: Short and long term employment, in education of science and mathematics / research / scientific computing / geophysical applications LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in Spanish (native), English and Italian. Danish (Modul 3, DanskUddannelse 3).

IT EXPERIENCE: MSDOS, Windows 7/Vista/XP, Linux (Ubuntu), Solaris, incl. Shell scripting. BASIC, ANSI C, C++, FORTRAN. Web: HTML, CSS, Joomla!. LaTeX2E. Mathematica, MATLAB, MS Office/ OpenOffice, PhotoShop/Gimp CONTACT: lorenzoalbanof@gmail.com, Tel: +45 50 15 98 19 SPOUSE: Clémence Arnal FROM: France SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen; Region Sjælland QUALIFICATION: Wastewater/drinking water (processes and treatments, building design, water sampling and pollution rate measurement); environment protection (river basin management, waste management).

EXPERIENCE: Waste sorting representative (Office “Communauté du Pays d’Aix”, France); Leaks investigation on drinking water networks, Help to communes to deal with their drinking water system, Control operation of individual sanitation systems (Office “G2C Environnement”, France); Drinking water stations security: putting the Antiterrorist security plan in practice, employees security , Distribution network security: determining the cost of a network re-chlorination unit (“Drinking Water” administration of Aix en Provence, France).

LOOKING FOR: Water treatment assistant / engineer.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: French (mother tongue); English (Fluent); Danish (Prøve Dansk 3).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office; AutoCAD (basic); Mapinfo (basic).

CONTACT: clem.arnal@gmail.com, Tel: 23 34 63 22

THE COPENHAGEN POST 11 - 17 January 2013 SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE SPOUSE: Vidya Singh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus, Aalborg or nearby areas.

QUALIFICATION: Master in Computer Management, Bachelor of Science, Certified Novell Engineer, Microsoft Certified Professional.

EXPERIENCE: Total 8 years (4 year in telecommunication as customer care + 4 year as HR recruiter consultant).

LOOKING FOR: HR (Trainee/Assistant/Recruiter/consultant), Customer service, office work, IT LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi and Danish (currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, Hardware, Networking, Intranet and Internet.

CONTACT: vidya.singh37@gmail.com, Tel: +45 71443554 SPOUSE: Lillian Liu FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Marketing/Public Relations.

QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Foreign Language and Literature (Major in English, and minor in French) EXPERIENCE: 5+ years of professional experiences in Marketing and PR. I am a dynamic and creative marketing communications talent with substantial international working experience in large corporation and in agencies, possessing Integrated Marketing Communication ability.

Proficient in analyzing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision-making and formulating marketing communication strategies. Familiar with brand image build-up, channel marketing, media communication, issue management, etc. Possess in-depth understanding/knowledge of APAC market and Chinese culture.

LOOKING FOR: Marketing jobs in Jylland.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mandarin Chinese, English, Danish, French.

IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with Windows O/S and MS Office.

CONTACT: sugarex@hotmail.com SPOUSE: Jawon Yun-Werner FROM: South Korea SEEKING WORK IN: Healthcare, Hospitals, Elderly/Child Care (in Greater Copenhagen Area).

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

EXPERIENCE: 1O years of experience as a nurse and midwife from the prominent hospitals.

LOOKING FOR: Any healthcare related jobs (hospitals, clinics, elderly/childcare places). I am open to any shift or day.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Korean, Danish (Intermediate, in progress, Module 3).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SASS Statistical Software CONTACT: cuteago@yahoo.com, Tel: +45 30 95 20 53 SPOUSE: Katarzyna Szkaradek FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Mental hospitals, voluntary(Ngo) organisations, kindergartens, nurseries, babysitting QUALIFICATION: Ma in Psychology (2008), post graduate studies in psychotherapy (4th year/ 5 year).

EXPERIENCE: I am a highly motivated and creative individual with excellent communication skills.

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

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

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

CONTACT: szkasienka@gmail.com, Tel: 50828802

PARTNERS:

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK SPOUSE: Francis Farias FROM: Venezuela SEEKING WORK IN: Greater København QUALIFICATION: Master in Spanish Studies from Universidad de Cadiz, Spain, as a Spanish Teacher and BA in Teaching English as a Second Language. Diplomas in Digital Photography (from Venezuela and Spain).

EXPERIENCE: 7 years experience as a teacher of English and Spanish at JMV University. Academic translator (Spanish-English/English-Spanish) and freelance photographer.

LOOKING FOR: Spanish language teacher, translator, interpreter, photographer.

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

IT EXPERIENCE: Office tools, Photoshop.

CONTACT: carolina1928@gmail.com, Tel: +45 50814073 SPOUSE: Margaret Ritchie FROM: Scotland, UK SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: BA Business Administration majoring in Human Resource Management EXPERIENCE: Worked in the field of Education within a Scottish University. 12 years of experience.

Administrating and organising courses and conferences and also worked as a PA to a Head of School. Great communication skills.

LOOKING FOR: Administration work, typing, audio typing, data input. Can work from home.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mother tongue: English, very basic Danish IT EXPERIENCE: A good user of Microsoft Office package, access to Internet CONTACT: megmagsritchie@googlemail.com, Tel: 71182949 SPOUSE: Mayurika Saxena Sheth FROM: India/USA SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen & nearby areas, Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MCA, PGDMM(MATERIALS), B.SC (COMPUTERS) CERTIFICATIONS: CSTE, CSQA, GREEN BELT SIX SIGMA, TSP/PSP. EXPERIENCE: Eleven years of software development work/IT/BUSINESS experience with prestigious organizations (onsite and offshore): Microsoft, General Electric, Primus Telecommunications (AUSTRALIA), CitiFINANCIAL(USA), ISS and Imany.

LOOKING FOR: Full Time Job in IT, Management, Consulting or Business/Financial Field.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: ENGLISH fluent, HINDI fluent, DANISH AND SPANISH (Beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: Testing tools like Test Director, Quality Center, Access Server, Product Studio, Polyspace Analysis, .NET testing, Web Page testing, Electronic Appliances testing, development in Winrunner, ASP, HTML, JavaScript, VBScript, Jscript, Oracle, Cold Fusion, SQL, Access, COM/DCOM, MTS, Siebel as well as UNIX, Tuxedo, C, PL/SQL, VB.Net/ ASP .Net, VB.Net. C#.

CONTACT: mayurika.s@gmail.com, Tel: +45 7169 5401 SPOUSE: Anisha Kanjhlia FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Arhus in Teaching/Training/Administration/Media/Public Relations QUALIFICATION: Post Graduate in Advertising & Communication.

EXPERIENCE: 6+ years of professional experience in Training, Customer Service, Promotions, Brand Marketing, Content Analysis and Team Management. Strong experience in planning and executing initiatives. Extensive training experience and influencing skills that will assist me in building a high potential, motivated and an effective team. Hands-on training in soft skills like crucial conversations and people management Branch Manager & Head of Training for Cosmo Aviation Training School in New Delhi, India. Proficient in analysing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision making and formulating training strategies.

LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time in Aarhus.

IT EXPERIENCE: Comfortable with all the basic computer knowledge like Excel, Word, Power Point, Internet browsing.

CONTACT: anisha.feb@rediffmail.com, Tel: 4522305837

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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!

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

NEWS

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

6

Vil du være en del af en salgssucces på et af Danmarks mest spændende medier? Vi har vækstet konstant og er ved at implementere nye annoncemarkeder i en ny salgsorganisation. Du kan i et barselsvikariat i minimum et år være med til at styrke og præge dette team fra 1. februar 2013.

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.

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

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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.

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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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Vi udgiver en printet avis i 15000 eksemplarer hver uge, udgiver snart nye digitale medier, nye digitale annoncemarkeder og har et af Danmarks mest besøgte websites. Vi har adresse midt i Københavns Kødby og har et spændende internationalt arbejdsmiljø med engelsk som internt arbejdssprog. Du vil i det daglige både skulle vedligeholde eksisterende kunderelationer, opbygge nye kundeforhold samt være med til at opbygge nye markeder.

Vi søger en person som både behersker dansk og engelsk og som har erfaring med B2B markedet indenfor mediebranchen. Du tiltrækkes af en arbejdsplads med højt til loftet og frihed under ansvar. Du er resultatorienteret, praktiker og bremses ikke af modgang.

The CPH Post Entertainment Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

KIDS ON FILM YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BUSTER!

SPOUSE: Kamali Ganesan SEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, Denmark QUALIFICATION: IT engineer.

EXPERIENCE: LEGO systems.

LOOKING FOR: IT and Multimedia jobs.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Tamil, English and Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: 3 Years in LEGO systems.

CONTACT: anbukamali@gmail.com

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FROM: India

SPOUSE: Teja Priyanka FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MBA in Finance and marketing, bachelor in Biotechnology.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Telugu(mother tongue), Hindi, English, Danish(beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with Microsoft office (word, excel, Powerpoint,access), Photoshop.

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

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

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

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, Abode Illustrator, AutoCad (basic), PC and Mac. CONTACT: clotilde.imbert@gmail.com SPOUSE: Yelynn Kim FROM: South Korea SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Craftsman Cook, Korea Food,2004/Craftsman Bartender,2005/ Craftsman Cook, Japanese Food,2006(Certified by Human Resources Development Service of Korea).

EXPERIENCE: I’m educated and trained chef who can make Korean Japanese and Chinese food. I have strong cooking skills on healthy Korean food. But I think the food that I cook is not only tastes good and healthy but also should be art on a dish. I can develop and implement of new dishes for the menu. I’m experienced chef and can work under multifaceted and busy environment. I am accurate, fast and precise in my work and I’m also a flexible and stable person. I can do supervision of the kitchen in general, including control of cleaning, hygiene, stock and other ad hoc tasks.

LOOKING FOR: Chef LANGUAGE SKILLS: Korean(native),English(fluent),Chinese(good), Japanese(a little bit), Danish(currently learning) IT EXPERIENCE: MS office CONTACT: tilsat.jod@gmail.com SPOUSE: Chiara Rodighiero FROM: Siena, Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen or nearby areas, Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Ph.D. in Microbiology (Univeristy of Bristol, UK), Laurea (Degree) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (University of Padova, Italy), Project Manager Professional Certification (George Washington University, School of Business).

EXPERIENCE: 5 years as Senior Project Manager for Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.

Responsibility for managing multiple global projects at various stages of Research and Development. Experience coordinating activities within cross-functional teams and ensuring that internal research activities are fully aligned with project goals. Experience also includes managing a team of scientists, controlling research budgets and resource allocation. Also have experience working for Biotech (in United Kingdom) and academia (Harvard Medical School).

LOOKING FOR: Full time position in the Pharma/Biotech Industry in Research, Project Management or related fields suiting my qualifications and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian mother tongue , very good command of English and a working knowledge of French.

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Office package. Excellent command of internet and ability to find information on the web. Excellent command of word-processor and spreadsheet applications.

CONTACT: chiararodighiero@hotmail.com, Tel +39 348 790 7554 SPOUSE: Raffaele Menafra FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: A degree as Prevention techniques in Work and Workplaces.

EXPERIENCE: I worked 4 years in a rehabilitation clinic.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian (native), English, Danish (currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: menafra1@yahoo.it SPOUSE: Victor Bosie-Boateng FROM: Ghana SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: Master of social science (Development studies & International relations) from Aalborg University in Denmark EXPERIENCE: 5 years of wide experience working as a consultant to some NGO’s, a past JPO and intern at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Very organised and well abreast with project management, Good communication strategists, indepth study and understanding of climate change issues, Former teacher and teaching assistant at a university, well abreast with the use of the microsoft operating systems LOOKING FOR: Work as a consultant, assistant project officer, programme officer, development analysts, administrative officer. Also open to a position at an NGO, danida and other development oriented organisations LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), French (moderate), Dutch (moderate), Danish (Good) IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft word, excel, powerpoint, microsoft project and many more.

CONTACT: bosiem2001@yahoo.com Tel: 28746935, 53302445

THE CHILDREN’S MOVIE FEST IS HERE page

G9

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

Vi tilbyder en fuldtidsstilling med fast løn, provision, samt fleksible arbejdsvilkår. Vi har incitamentsordninger, hyppige sociale events, og du vil med udgangspunkt i barselsvikariatet have mulighed for at bygge din stilling op og præge den ud fra dine styrker.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

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

Interesseret? Kontakt salgschef Jørn Olling for spørgsmål eller send en ansøgning til jorn@cphpost.dk.

Vi indkalder løbende til samtaler.

WHY: The Copenhagen Post wishes to help spouses looking for jobs in Denmark. We have on our own initiative started a weekly spouse job page in The Copenhagen Post, with the aim to show that there are already within Denmark many highly educated international candidates looking for jobs.

If you are a spouse to an international employee in Denmark looking for new career opportunities, you are welcome to send a profile to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible. Remember to get it removed in case of new job.

18

CULTURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

This isn’t a ‘Hunt’ for an Oscar, producers of ‘Jagten’ say

T

HOMAS Vinterberg’s ‘Jagten’ (‘The Hunt’) has already won three awards from the Cannes Film Festival, another from the European Film Awards, and hordes of international acclaim – and the film hasn’t even premiered in Denmark yet.

While Nikolaj Arcel’s ‘En kongelig affære’ (‘A Royal Affair’) was sent off in September to battle for the best foreign language film Oscar and made the nine-film shortlist on December 21, ‘Jagten’ stayed under cotton wool, despite making its premiere at Cannes in May. Indeed, by the time it finally enjoys its domestic release on January 10, Denmark will become the 21st country to show the drama.

But while international internet film forums have been rife with speculation regarding the real intentions of delaying the domestic release, it would appear that the main objective of the late release is not the ‘Jagten’ for the 2013 Oscar, but its in-

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process has been filled with so many rumours about the delays all the way back to Cannes that I’ve long ago given up.”

Also speaking to this newspaper, the producers of the film denied the speculation, pointing to an explanation given in a press release.

“We’ve known from the very start that ‘Jagten’ had to open on January 10,” Sisse Graum, a producer for the film, said in the press release. “But after the great success in Cannes, we of course looked at whether we could move the [Danish] release forward.”

But according to Graum, the inclusion on the Biografklub Danmark 2013 list was the deciding factor.

“Biografklub Danmark has chosen ‘Jagten’, and we wanted the film included in the club,” Graum went on. “Therefore, we are now looking forward to January 10, when Danish cinemagoers will have the opportunity to see this film, which we are immensely proud of.”

Nielsen, meanwhile, is convinced that any motivations that may have determined the release date will soon be forgotten come January 10.

“It’s one of those cases where you have to say: this is just the way it is,” he said. “It’s just important that the Danish public supports the film. We’ve been waiting very eagerly.”

Who is … Ulrik Wilbek?

DR/BJARNE BERGIUS HERMANSEN

Filmmakers deny rumours they held back release date to boost their Academy Award hopes, instead citing their inclusion on the Biografklub Danmark list as the reason for the delay

submission in August, is a formidable opponent, ‘Jagten’ only had to delay its release by three months to avoid it, not seven.

The rivalry is somewhat reminiscent of the one in the late 1980s between ‘Babette’s Feast’ and ‘Pelle the Conqueror’, which contested several awards, including the 1988 Golden Globe, but crucially not the best film in a forShould Mads Mikkelsen have to make a best actor speech in February 2014, he will have forgotten working on the film eign language Oscar, which they respectively clusion as one of the seven films the domestic release date that won for 1987 and 1988. While on the Biografklub Danmark determines whether a film is eli‘Pelle the Conqueror’ was relist, which guarantees the club’s gible, and the release deadline is leased in 1987, it wasn’t until 200,000 members will pay to normally the end of September December so it became eligible see it. While the tickets are only or, as it was this year, in midfor the following year.

You can twist the half-price, it means many mem- August.

Still, the rumours persist.

According to the rules, only advantages and bers end up seeing films they “You can twist the advantagone picture can be submitted by wouldn’t have normally chosen. es and disadvantages 20 differBesides, according to the each country each year – and disadvantages 20 ent ways looking for a reason,” official rules of the best foreign while ‘En kongelig affære’, which Bo Nielsen, the CEO of different ways looking Henrik language film Oscar category, it was released in Denmark in the Danish Film Institute, told is not the US release date but March and chosen as Denmark’s for a reason The Copenhagen Post. “But the

PER ARNESEN

JESSICA HANLEY

He’s the coach of the men’s national handball team and acknowledged as being the most successful coach in Danish handball history.

Handball, isn’t that the game you play off the wall?

The team version is similar to basketball, but with a footballtype goal instead of a hoop and a backboard. The sport originated in Denmark, depending on who you ask, in 1896 in Ordrup, near Copenhagen, or in 1897 in Nyborg on Funen. The 2013 World Championship gets underway on Friday and the Danish side is one of the favourites to win.

A Danish world champion – that’d be something new.

Not for Wilbek, actually. In 1996, he coached the women

to Olympic glory, and then in 1997, he coached the women’s team to the World Championship.

Overall, he’s racked up 13 top-three finishes with the men’s or women’s squads in the World Championship, European Championship and Olympics.

Men’s and women’s teams?

Yes, after quitting coaching at the international level, he became a league coach, where he wound up leading his team to four national championships and a handball Champions League final. He then took over at the helm of the men’s national team.

How’s that gone for him?

No World Championship golds yet, but Denmark is due. They won bronze in 2007 and silver in 2011. They’ve also won the European Championship gold twice, in 2008 and 2012.

Yeah, but winning isn’t everything. What else has he done with his life?

He was a successful local politician, and he’s the author of

motivational books and gives lectures.

Ah, the obligatory off-season busywork.

Maybe, but he’s been a big hit with managers who can apply his philosophy that leadership is about motivating the player or the employee to want to do more.

So, he’s one of these ‘what do you feel like doing today’ types?

Actually, he says a good dusting down can be useful. The difference, he says, is not whether you tell someone off, but how and when. He describes an episode with the men’s team before a particular game, when he decided to dust them off at the start of the game, rather than during half-time, as he was expecting to have to do it. When he was done, he told them he didn’t want to have to repeat what he said. Apparently it worked.

Some gold dust would be nice.

Well, the team is favoured to finish in the top four, but if Denmark wins it will probably be due to his players wanting to win, and not being afraid of losing. As he wrote in his recent book: “I’m not the one taking the court, and I can’t singlehandedly motivate people, but I can inspire.”

DENMARK THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

11 - 17 January 2013

19

A bestseller across the world, and even here … after a few tweaks

Simonsen swapped den store Bastian (below) for Struwwelpeter (top right), but wisely decided to keep the Scissor Man (above)

LONE TVEDEGAARD MCGUIRE How a Danish part-time poet decided to improve the classic children’s book ‘Der Struwwelpeter’ by binning three of its ten stories and adding three of his own

T

HE WORLDWIDE success of the German children’s book ‘Der Struwwelpeter’ has baffled many since its release in 1845.

Its ten short story poems about children who test good behaviour boundaries and are punished for their misdemeanours, often with death, was aimed at the three to six-year-old market – a readership incapable of appreciate its rich irony. But yet it has sold millions and is today still regarded as one of the classics of our time.

But in Denmark, a second mystery endures. When the book was translated into Danish and published in 1847, three of the stories were removed and replaced by three new ones.

Did the writer, Simon Simonsen, a part-time poet and party compère, regard those stories as distasteful or perhaps inferior, or did he simply think that his additions were too good to not include?

Today few people associate children’s stories with hor-

ror and irony, but back in the day this was the norm, and in many ways ‘Der Struwwelpeter’ was simply following tradition.

While today’s movie studio conglomerates have Disneyfied most original children’s stories, the original fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, for example, were essentially folk stories about dangerous animals, trolls and witches that eat children – of which ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is a good example.

‘Der Struwwelpeter’, therefore, is a little like the original Grimm tales, but with unhappily ever after endings. The consequences of the children’s crimes are alarming: they lose limbs, are burned alive and often die – and it’s all described in graphic, often amusing detail. It’s enough to give the hardiest of children haunting nightmares.

The book was conceived by a doctor of all people. Heinrich Hoffman (1809-1894) wrote it for his three-year-old son as a critique of contemporary German society’s tendency to excessively moralise in children’s literature.

It is therefore a little ironic to note that it is exactly this sort of moralising that Simonsen indulges in. In Hoffman’s stories, the children misbehave. They lean back on their chairs, don’t look where they’re going, go outside in a storm, are scruffy, suck their thumbs, play with match-

es, are fussy eaters and are cruel to animals. But in Simonsen’s stories, which were originally published in 1847 as ‘Vær lydig, eller lystige Historier og moersomme Billeder for Börn imellem 3-6 Aar’ (Be obedient, or merry stories and funny pictures for children between 3-6 years old), the children are sinful, and the message is quite clear: if you’re envious, greedy or vain, this will happen to you.

In ‘Historien om Spejldukken’ (the story of the mirror doll), a vain girl looks in the mirror too much and ends up with a crooked mouth when the wind changes direction – not via the traditional method, but when the weather cock falls off the roof and lands on her face; in ‘Historien om Hanne i Maanen’ (the story of Hanne in the Moon) an envious girl wants to own everything she sees, including the moon, whose reflection she sees in a lake – she drowns trying to get it and ends up becoming the Woman in the Moon; and in ‘Historien om Rikke Slikmund’ (the story of Rikke with the sweet tooth), a greedy girl with a teeth tooth who ends up eating insect poison and getting a sore nose.

To make room, Simonsen removed the story of the wild huntsman. According to Torben Weinreich, a professor of

children’s literature, Simonsen couldn’t see the moralistic merit in the only one of Hoffman’s stories to depict a misbehaving adult: a huntsman whose gun is picked up by a hare who shoots back, causing the huntsman to jump in a well and the huntsman’s w i f e

to drop her coffee cup and scald one of the hare’s children. The story is pure nonsense poetry, not dissimilar to the work of Ed-

ward Lear, whose breakthrough book, ‘A Book of Nonsense’, came out in 1846.

And Simonsen also mysteriously removed the last two stories of ‘Der Struwwelpeter’: The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air’ (look where you’re going) and ‘The Story of the Flying Robert’ (Don’t go outside in a storm).

There are also other changes, most notably the decision to cast another character as the title character of the whole book. In German, Struwwelpeter, a short poem about a scruffy boy who does not comb his hair or clip his nails, translates into scarecrow, and in the English version, the translators were happy to keep this as the title, b u t named t h e character ‘Shock-headed Peter’, which became the name of a successful 1998 stage production of the book, written by

the cult band The Tiger Lillies.

But for the second edition of his Danish version (the original German book also had a convoluted title), Simonsen decided that the Danish translation of Struwwelpeter was misleading and not catchy enough, and he promoted Den Store Bastian (the great Bastian), the central character of ‘Historien om de sorte drenge’ (The story of the black boys), to the frontpage.

And it is this story that Simonsen changes the most, instilling the language with the moral undertone that Hoffmann distanced himself from, although the storyline is pretty much the same: Bastian (in the original St Nicholas, and in the English version, Agrippa), who is clearly a summertime version of the Father Christmas who used to bring gifts to the homes of the good children but spank the naughty children, reprimands three racists in Vesterbro for taunting a passing black boy (Simonsen uses a different term, of course, but it was the 1840s) and plunges them into a giant inkwell.

Funnily enough, two wellknown Danish authors, Flemming Quist Møller and Rune T Kidde, adapted the book in 1992 to depict misbehaving adults, returning the irony to the subject matter that the moralistic Simonsen had done his best to eradicate in his translation.

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