CPH POST 9-29 November 2018 by The Copenhagen Post

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NEWS Lonely Planet names capital as top travel city of 2019

NEWS

Cold war, warm heart Video game inspired by parents who were spies

NOOOH! YOU’RE NOT MY FATHER 4-5 US leaves Syria in the shade

BUSINESS The Danes have never had it so good, but ….

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Europe’s Wilbur Wright Danish aviator flew with no knowledge of Kitty Hawk

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Other European countries give Middle Eastern nationals the most residence permits, but not Denmark

S CITIZENS received the highest number of residence permits granted in Denmark in 2017, according to Eurostat. Americans accounted for 11.7 percent of the permits issued with 4,359, followed by India (4,125) and Ukraine (3,156).

falling for permits issued to citizens from countries outside the EU. While the number of permits issued in the EU over the past year rose to 3.1 million – approximately half a million more than in 2015 – Danish figures remained fairly constant at 37,000. Poland led the way, issuing 683,000 first-time residence permits – 22 percent of the total in the EU – followed by Germany (535,000) and the UK (517,000). Sweden with 130,000 issued the sixth highest number.

Standing out DENMARK stands out compared to several other EU member states, where the highest number of residence permits were given to refugees from Syria and Iraq. And again bucking the trend, Denmark has also seen numbers

Mixed reasons DESPITE the US finishing top, there was a fairly even spread when it came to the reasons for Denmark issuing residence permits. The majority were familyrelated, while about 29 percent were related to education and 28 percent for work.

LAURA GEIGENBERGER

Worst in Scandinavia

Wozniacki has arthritis

THE DANES are only the fifth best non-native speakers of English, according to the latest EF English Proficiency Index – just three years after finishing top. They now trail Sweden, Netherlands, Singapore and Norway. Apparently Danish men are better at speaking English than Danish women – a trend not seen in any other European countries.

CAROLINE Wozniacki has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She waited until her elimination from the WTA Finals to confirm the condition, as she did not want to give her opponents an edge. The tennis star has also signed a deal with a Singaporean firm to launch her own cryptocurrency token – the first such contract signed by a female athlete.

Beating Brexit

Main suspect caught

MORE DANISH companies are moving part of their production to the UK, reports Berlingske Tidende. Goods produced there for the UK market will not be hit by tariffs and the companies – primarily in food and life sciences – have invested 185 billion kroner in the UK since 2017, reports Danmarks Nationalbank. A new government site, um.dk/brexit, offers guidance to companies.

THE WOMAN suspected of embezzling 111 million kroner from the Danish state, Anna Britta Troelsgaard Nielsen, 64, was arrested in an apartment in Johannesburg on Monday – less than a week after the arrest of a suspected accomplice at the South African city’s main airport. Working at Socialstyrelsen, it is believed Nielsen involved three others in her deception.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK ON A VISIT to take part in two onstage Q&As with Mikkel Kessler last week, Mike Tyson said he was surprised Danes left their infants outside on the street to sleep. Presumably Tyson was too busy preparing for his 1997 world title fight against Evander Holyfield (eargate) to notice that a Dane was arrested in his home city of New York for leaving her daughter outside a restaurant in a pram.

Noma menu is bollocks NOMA’S autumn menu is gamefocused, but with none of your classic Danish favourites. The line-up includes the genitals of a sea cucumber, a complete duck’s head using the tongue as a spoon, a tartare composed of a reindeer heart, and a soup made from broth and fermented squirrel. The 20dish menu costs 2,400 kroner, and with wine an extra 1,350 kroner.

Dispute over Bakken plans

Who exactly wants to live in a top travel destination, asks citizens association as visitor numbers continue to climb CHRISTIAN WENANDE

HE LONELY Planet travel guide has named “cool” and “unstoppable” Copenhagen the world’s top city to travel to in 2019, placing it ahead of Shenzhen (China) in second place, followed by Novi Sad (Serbia), Miami and Kathmandu. “New-Nordic Noma has gourmands swooning with its new digs, urban farm and groundbreaking Scandinavian menus. The city’s booming street-food scene is smashing it on Refshaleøen, where a former shipyard is now rebooted food and craft market Reffen,” the guide stated. “Amusement park Tivoli Gardens is beating the winter blues with a new February sea-

Salvation at hand for parched ‘Lakes’ from city’s groundwater BEN HAMILTON

FROM NOVEMBER 28, the city districts of Nordvest, Valby and Islands Brygge will have extensive three-hour parking zones, thus putting off commuters from parking for free as close to the city as possible, often depriving locals of parking space near their homes. The locals can apply for a licence that makes them exempt from the new rules. Editorial offices: International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 Copenhagen Denmark

New mayor named ALTERNATIVET has named Franciska Rosenkilde as the new deputy mayor for culture and leisure after she received 97 of 188 votes at a party meeting. The 42-year-old, an educated geologist who ended up working as a chef, replaces Niko Grünfeld, who stepped down after a couple of scandals.

Pickpocketing central All the ‘Lonely’ people: where do they all come from?

son, while waste-management centre Amager Bakke has jaws dropping with its rooftop ski slope and hiking trails.” Regulations needed HOWEVER, not everyone is impressed. Citing an unwelcome 74 percent rise in tourist numbers over the last decade, the Foreningen Københavns Beboernetværk (FKBN) citizens association claims city residents have had enough and that many

are leaving. It has called for regulations like the ones in cities such as Barcelona and Venice, where the influx of tourists has exploded in recent years, claiming that the needs of Copenhagen residents are always put second. FKBN was founded in 2016 with a view to tackling the noise pollution generated by the city’s nightlife and the increasing number of events being held across the city.

Water, water everywhere – so top it up with that!

HIS SUMMER, Copenhagen’s lakes and ponds experienced massive water shortages, losing an unprecedented 90,000 litres of water every hour through evaporation during the drought. Worst hit, or at least most visibly, were Copenhagen’s famous ‘Lakes’, where water levels shrank dramatically. Still in late October, large sections of the lake beds remained exposed – both a serious eyesore and a source of unpleasant odour. However, all of this could be

New parking zones

ONLINE THIS WEEK

MILJØPUNKT NØRREBRO

THE MUNICIPALITIES of Lyngby-Taarbæk and Gentofte are of a divided opinion whether the Bakken themepark, which straddles the pair, should be allowed to build new, higher rides and restaurants. Lyngby-Taarbæk is in favour because it would create jobs. Gentofte isn’t because it believes the increased noise and light would distress residents.

Top city: Great for tourists, grates for residents PIXABAY

‘Ear what Big Mike said?

9 - 29 November 2018

avoided, contends the environmental foundation Miljøpunkt Nørrebro, as there is a huge water supply close at hand that could be used to top up the lakes and ponds and cool down the rest of the city: the rapidly rising groundwater. Structurally beneficial too “COPENHAGEN’S groundwater has been steadily rising in recent years – the extent of which is creating problems for the foundations of buildings in certain areas,” explained Fionn Murphy from Miljøpunkt Nørrebro to CPH POST. “Miljøpunkt Nørrebro has begun screening the feasibility of using this water, which surfaces through several natural springs,

COPENHAGEN accounted for 64 percent of all reported thefts in the first six months of 2018, according to Politiets Statistikbanks. The most commonly stolen items were cash, phones and bags. The police blamed the high number of commuters and tourists.

Flat sale smashes record A 287 SQM APARTMENT overlooking Nyhavn at Krøyer Plads in the city centre has sold for 28.5 million kroner – an alltime Danish record. Claus Borg & Partner estate agents reported a lot of interest in the property.

Split the city up! FOLLOWING on from a similar proposal made by former Venstre minister Søren Pind in May, another party member, Jan E Jørgensen, has argued that Copenhagen Municipality should be split up because it has become too big and bureaucratic to exploit its full potential.

Not a drop to see

Mounted for posterity

as a resource to alleviate stress on our urban water bodies, in addition to combatting the problem of a rising water table.” Using the groundwater is a logical step, concluded Murphy, because “this water cannot be used for drinking and is seldom utilised for other purposes.”

ON OCTOBER 21, the minister for Nordic co-operation, Eva Kjer Hansen, and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, the chair of the Icelandic party Framsóknarflokkurinn, rode Icelandic horses through Copenhagen to mark the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the country’s sovereignty.

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9 - 29 November 2018

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9 - 29 November 2018

Unprepared for conflict in a world increasingly polarised by Mr President JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO/ROBBIN CRESSWELL

How America’s coddled youth are being misled by their parents and university administrations – if only they had played more as kids ROSS MCPHERSON

EVER BEFORE have so many eyes around the globe focused their attention on a US political event. The midterms on Tuesday were all set to be a pivotal moment in defining American politics, culture and society. Would they delve deeper into populism and continue the dismantling of US political orthodoxies, or would the house turn blue in defiance of those they believe to be their enemy? Whatever the result, it is clear that politics now permeates all facets of American society. Tribalism, polarisation and black and white thinking plagues America. The sense of social cohesion, community and personal responsibility that the 19th century French diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville once described as essentially American is all but gone. Today its people can barely talk to one another if they have differing perspectives. Good intentions NOWHERE is this dramatic shift clearer than on college campuses. Violent protests from ANTIFA and the alt-right erupt when a dissident speaks. The phenomenon of ‘groupthink’ is rampant. Students offer ultimatums to administrations. While accusations of racism, sexism and xenophobia against peers, professors and administrations become routine. These are confusing times for America’s youth. In their book ‘The Coddling of the American Mind’, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff argue that the behaviour of the students stems from parents with good intentions. They inadvertently prepare their children for failure by depriving them of free play – unstructured, voluntary, spontaneous, child-initiated activity with no adult intervention, which helps builds empathy, negotiation skills and self-esteem. Practice makes perfect THIS IS in direct contrast to Denmark, where the universities largely avoid such problems thanks to the laissez-faire style of

All work and no play makes little Sammy the boy who never grew up to become an uncle

the Danish upbringing. “Free play is unstructured and never led by adults,” contends Jessica Alexander, the European-based US co-author of ‘The Danish Way of Parenting’, a book focusing on the virtues of Danish parenting. “Children practise putting themselves into fight or flight positions and other stressful situations to see how much they can handle. Play helps children develop coping mechanisms, self-control and resilience, which has been proven to be a key factor in long-term happiness.” Haidt and Lukianoff believe the increasing demands of the American system and safety concerns are driving parents to overly structure their children’s time. Turning up the pressure THE PRESSURE on children not to play is growing. Since the 1980s, the admission requirements at the top universities have sky-rocketed while the number of qualified applicants has increased. Harvard’s acceptance rate, for example, fell from 20 percent in 1980 to just 4 percent in 2017. Most Ivy League establishments recommend that prospective students should start a sport and community service at the beginning of middle school and

stick with it through highschool. Playing a musical instrument is a plus. Additionally, prescribed homework has increased by more than 148 percent since the 1970s. The parents who enrol their children in numerous extracurricular activities to improve their chances mean well. However, this means less time to play and learn practical social skills. Fear of the unknown PARENTS might blame crime and the fear of their child being abducted or encountering violence. But crime has been steadily decreasing since the 1990s. Nevertheless, some states even prohibit unsupervised children from roaming the streets, thus limiting their opportunities for unsupervised play. All of this amounts to many US students starting university woefully underprepared. Used to their parents’ guidance, it’s no wonder that when interpersonal conflict arises, they call for administrative intervention. They begin to conflate natural anxiety with true threat, believing speech equates to violence and can cause ‘harm’ or threaten their ‘saftey’. This is only reinforced when the administrations cave in to ultimatums and respond to their disproportionate outrage,

implementing micro-aggression training and trigger warnings that serve to reinforce harmful patterns of thought. Conflict avoidance HAIDT and Lukianoff contend that a lack of free play teaches children to believe that conflict can only be harmful and doesn’t help you grow, that you should follow your emotions, and that the world is in conflict between good and bad people. The behaviour of the students, which is similar to that of PTSD sufferers, is often reinforced and justified by the rulings of the university administrations. This means students are being taught ways of thinking that teach them to be offended, hurt and outraged at small things. This, coupled with the social climate of tribalism, leads to a rather unacademic environment that stifles the students who want to seek truth and cultivate virtue. Free-range kids DANISH society, in contrast, provides an environment of trust and social cohesion that allows parents to be confident when leaving their children unsupervised. Young children can often be seen cycling along busy roads

or playing with older children – acts that could be considered negligence in some US states. Teens are also introduced to alcohol earlier, as the legal age to buy beer is only 16. Another parental ethnotheory common in Denmark is for students to take a year out between middle and high school at an efterskole, where they board – normally aged 15-17. And then after high school, students are encouraged to take at least a year, sometimes longer, to work and travel. All of this prepares the Danes for the challenging experiences that could await at university. The need to panic ONE COULD suggest that this is simply over-reaction: that the young American adults are just students who will grow out of it. But studies suggest that the damage is done in the child’s upbringing, and rising rates of anxiety, depression and suicide testify to how serious the problem is. The schemas built by parents and administrations teach students to perceive benign encounters as threatening, harmful or unsafe, creating artificial, visceral reactions to things that would otherwise require little thought.

COVER

9 - 29 November 2018

The elephant in the room every time a Dane meets an American CARE2 PETITIONS

Some might regard talking about Trump as an ice-breaker, but for many US visitors it feels like a chilly reception ANNACLAIRE CRUMPTON

T USED to be mild curiosity when Danes met Americans for the first time. The election of George W Bush certainly raised a few eyebrows, and maybe the Bill Clinton cigar episode too, but most Danes remained true to their inclination to avoid confrontation at all costs, limiting their conversation to ‘where are you from’ and ‘how are you enjoying Denmark’. That was before the elephant entered the room. Now, there’s only one topic of conversation on Danish people’s lips when they encounter Americans: the election and continued belligerence of US President Donald Trump. In the same way Brexit has started to dog many Brits, for Americans in Denmark, Trump’s election has been a game-changer. Travel warning MAYBE it would be different if Trump reserved all his hostility for the Democrats, but he doesn’t: he spreads it around liberally. In July 2018, when responding to a journalist’s question about America’s greatest enemies in the world, Donald Trump answered: “I think the European Union is a foe – what they do to us in trade.” Now nobody’s suggesting Denmark should install a fourminute warning system. The truth remains that America’s greatest trade and military allies lie on the European continent. Denmark, though small, continues to be one of America’s most trusted friends. Stretching nearly 220 years, the two countries share the longest unbroken diplomatic relationship in the world, according to the Museum of Danish America. But the impact of Trump’s election cannot be denied, with Danes taking a particular interest in The Donald. And the White House’s recent report claiming Denmark was a socialist country will have done little to persuade them that the president views them favourably. It has gotten to a point when American universities are even going as far as warning their

Now we know why Nelly the Elephant packed her trunk and trundled back to the jungle

students before coming abroad that Danes will constantly ask about Trump. Colorado State University, Tulane University and the University of Minnesota are among the programs that inform their students before sending their ducklings across the Atlantic. Tell them you’re Canadian A TYPICAL conversation today tends to begin with an American admitting “I’m from the US”, to which the Dane says “Trump, eh?” or “How do feel about Donald Trump?” – often accompanied by a raised eyebrow or a cheeky smile. It has got to a point that many Americans are not disclosing their nationality. In the bars on Vestergade where many US students gather to hit Copenhagen’s nightlife, the word “Canadian” is used more frequently than you might expect. “Just tell them you’re a Canadian – that works for me,” advised North Carolina native Cierra Gibel, a student from Dickenson University But it isn’t always this easy. Maureen Harrison, who studies law at Georgetown University in Washington DC, recalled how she visited youngsters at the SFO

of a Danish school (grades 0-3), where she was greeted right off the bat by the second and thirdgraders asking questions about Trump. “Yeah, Danes ask about that all the time – it can often be the first topic of conversation,” she said. “People who have never been to the US and don’t go to school there cannot fully understand US culture. It’s natural to have that curiosity about it.” Minnesota native Katie Anderson, who studies music and English at St Olaf College, has had similar experiences. “It’s the first thing that people ask about,” she said. “That was the first thing my visiting host family asked too.” Trump would appear to have made Danish people better informed about US politics. Many students remark that their crosscultural interactions are often initiated by Danes who bring an incredible amount of political knowledge to the fore. But in such conversations, the students feel they are often defending their nationality. A healthy interest DORTE Marie Ammegard, a Danish teacher at the Danish

Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) program who has previously studied in the US as a guestscholar at Brown University, doesn’t think the Danes are trying to be offensive. Essentially, she says, they are earnestly trying to learn and are perhaps more comfortable talking about the subject than many Americans who prefer to dance around the political bonfire. “The cross-cultural perspective is important; to have knowledge-sharing is a way to create dialogue and understanding,” she said, adding that it is understandable that there is concern about Trump’s “decisions made in relation to trade, being allies, and worldwide conflicts”. Nevertheless, she is confident most Danes can distinguish between Trump and other Americans. “One thing is the president, and the other thing is the American people,” she concluded. Trumpism in Denmark DENMARK, on the other hand, is enshrined by the American political left as the perfect example of social-democracy. They are impressed by a welfare state that includes a universal

healthcare system, legislation designed to equalise wealth distribution and an enviable infrastructure. Nevertheless, there are concerns – most notably with the policies pursued by the integration and immigration minister, Inger Støjberg, of which many are introduced to appease rightwing party Dansk Folkeparti, without whose support the government could not hold a majority. Anderson recalls how a fellow student asked Støjberg at a recent meeting if she would compare herself to Trump – one could say the boot was on the other foot for a change – to which the minister replied absolutely not. Anderson was unconvinced: “I’m not sure how her policies make her any different if not worse than Donald Trump himself.” Ahead of the US midterm elections on November 6, interest in Trump and US politics has again been peaking in Denmark, hopefully combined with a realisation that not every American over here necessarily wants to single-handedly take the blame for his election, policies and bilateral negotiations.

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK RÅDET for Sikker Trafik has issued a reminder to drivers to turn on their rear lights now that the majority of commuters are driving home during twilight or darkness. According to its survey, 70 percent have encountered cars that have not turned on their rear lights in dark or foggy conditions in the last three months – up from 63 percent in 2016.

Pepper-spray concerns FEARS are growing that plans to legalise the use of pepper spray by people defending themselves on their property will lead to an increase in violence. The police and anti-crime organisation Det Kriminalpræventive Råd have condemned the plans, arguing it will make it easier for criminals to access them, and that homeowners might spray themselves using them in confined spaces.

Wedding restrictions THE GOVERNMENT intends to tighten up the law on foreigners marrying in Denmark, which has this year led to an unprecedented number of wedding applications in the municipalities of Tønder and Aabenraa, with both town halls reaching a point when they could not accommodate any more. It is believed many are trying to fraudulently obtain residence in the EU.

Death a great equaliser RESEARCH carried out by the University of Copenhagen asserts that the difference in longevity between rich and poor people in Denmark has never been shorter. A man considered to be well-off can expect to live 2.4 years longer than a poor man – down from 3.5 years in 2013. One of the reasons for the fall is that income levels tend to fluctuate.

What happened to good old Lars Jensen? He’s been overtaken by new Danes who have unique names, work 30 hours a week, embrace American culture and still live with their folks

ARS PETER Jensen is a model citizen. The 45-yearold works 37 hours a week, adequately reads and writes, lives in his own flat with his wife and 2.1 children, mixes well with both women and men, and is heavily sceptical about the Americanisation of Danish society. Sure, it annoys him that 51 people share his name, and that’s just on the telephone number database krak.dk, and that youngsters today work peculiar hours, eat too many hamburgers and mostly shun newspapers – his favourite form of relaxation. But this is Denmark – it’s never going to change, right? Doubling up TODAY, 97 percent of newborns have unique names. Not only are parents choosing rarer christian names, they are also picking two family names, sometimes going back four or five generations to find a ‘middle name’ that will make them stand out. Double-barreled names are also in the ascendancy as parents choose to fashion a surname out of both of theirs. In 1982, the name law was changed so that the last name of the mother and father were equal, which meant that both genders could choose the other’s last name in marriage. The latest name law from 2005 further expanded the possibilities and today couples are free to pick all the last names that a member of the two families have had within the last four to five generations. Shorter week SHORTER working hours

LARS JENSEN

Rear-light reminder

9 - 29 November 2018

might be with us quicker than you think. In late October, Alternativet MP René Gade embarked on a fortnight of working 30 hours a week (down from his normal 50 hours) as an experiment with a view to forming policy. He promised to only answer emails once a day, use his mobile solely for texting, SoMe and speaking, stick strictly to agendas, and agree his calendar in advance. Boys like their toys THE GENDER gap is widening as children today have a much more conservative view of gender roles and spend far too little time together, reveals a survey carried out by Center for Ungdomsstudier. While boys tend to hang out in the digital sphere – for example, playing computer games – girls are more inclined to stop attending out-of-school activities with their classmates earlier. Still living at home COMPARED to some other cultures, Danish youngsters might be keener to move out of their parents’ house at a reasonably early age, but over the past nine years the number of young Danes moving back in has increased by 12 percent. According to Danmark Statistik, there were 31,000 ‘back-to-the-folks’ moves among 15-29-year-olds in 2017 – a trend particularly buoyed by the male population, which accounted for 17,500 of the moves. The age group with the highest share of moves back home was the slightly older 24 to 25-year-olds, and 75 percent of the moves overall are undertaken by young people who had lived away from their parents for under two years.

ONLINE THIS WEEK Hit in the pocket MANY DANISH firms have severed ties with the Padborg-based company Kurt Beier Transport following revelations it was only paying its Filipino and Sri Lankan drivers 15-20 kroner per hour and accommodating them in squalid containers. A police raid near the German border found 200 truckers living in ghastly conditions. The truckers were hired via a Polish sub-contractor.

Dexit support waning A rarer breed these days

Less literate IS OUR digital society, and tendency to prefer photos and videos to text, making us worse at reading and writing? New figures from the Ministry of Education reveal that when it comes to reading, children’s grades have dropped from an average of 6.8 in 2016 to 6.5 in 2017 and 6.0 today, reports Altinget.dk. This is despite the various school reforms introduced over the last few years that have included longer school days. The education minister, Merete Riisager, has called the figures “critical”. Hello Halloween DANISH children are more likely to celebrate Halloween than ever before. Some 42 percent of Danes with children under the age of 13 will take part in a Halloween activity. Of these, two-thirds decorate their homes and one-half buy special costumes. “We can see that a large proportion of families with children buy goods to mark Halloween – especially items such as pumpkins, confectionery, decorations and clothes,” said Dansk Erhverv consultant Matthias Vesterdal. Amongst the general population, just 16 percent celebrate.

Not overly spooky

Projects all at sea

Rare turtle theft

Prisons to close

DENMARK is only the 35th spookiest country in the world, according to the Paranormal Geography rankings compiled by Premium Tours, which assessed four categories: haunted locations, UFO sightings, horror movies and mythical creatures. The US finished top followed by the UK and Ireland, but was surprisingly only equal fourth for UFO sightings.

NONE OF the government’s development projects to bring more tourists to the Danish coast, whilst generating growth and local jobs, have come to fruition. Announced in October 2015 with some fanfare, water parks, resorts and a safari park were among the ten proposed projects to benefit from a lifting of rules that prohibit building within 3 km of the shore.

THREE rare Burmese star turtles were stolen from Randers Tropical Zoo on Sunday. Staff reject the theory that they could have escaped themselves, even though the theft occurred at the indoor zoo in broad daylight. The zoo had plans to breed the rare species, which has not produced offspring in captivity for five years.

NAKSKOV and Maribo prisons in Lolland will close on November 9, meaning the island’s police force will have to drive an additional 100 km when they need to detain a suspect. The resident inmates, meanwhile, will be relocated to Storstøm Prison on Falster. The decision was made due to the falling number of prisoners.

A NEW POLL from TV2 suggests Danish interest in a ‘Dexit’ referendum is waning. The poll involved 1,279 Danes, and 26 percent said they were interested in a referendum, while 68 percent said they were against the idea. The remaining 6 percent were indifferent. This is a 12 percent decrease from 2017, when 38 percent of Danes supported the option.

Unis call on Vestager A GROUP of European universities, including all eight of Denmark’s, have sent a letter of complaint to Margrethe Vestager in her capacity as EU Competition Commissioner in the hope she will investigate the high cost of publishing scientific findings, reports Videnskab.dk. This often means the unis have to pay to access articles their own researchers wrote.

Georgian asylum concerns THE NUMBER of Georgian asylum-seekers has quadrupled this year, jumping up from 75 in 2017 to 303 applicants so far in 2018. The figures place Georgia behind only Syria and Eritrea. Concerns have been expressed that many are criminals – claims echoed by Germany and Sweden, which then threatened to tighten travel visa privileges.

Russian ship confusion THE DANISH Defence has nixed an Information newspaper article claiming that the Russian vessel, Sparta III, had sailed in Danish waters without notifying the authorities of its hazardous cargo. The mistake was probably down to there being two systems for shipping information registration – one open to the public and another only accessible to the authorities.

NEWS

9 - 29 November 2018

Denmark distances itself from dubious duo PIXABAY

Visit to Saudi Arabia cancelled, and ambassador to Iran recalled

www.cis.dk

WO MAJOR revelations – one that gripped the world and another, although less reported, which was particularly pertinent to Denmark – have ensured it has been a busy fortnight for several members of the city’s diplomatic corps. Almost unprecedented THE SAUDI ambassador was the first to be called into the Foreign Ministry to give an explanation following the realisation that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the regime, was murdered at his country’s embassy in Turkey on October 2. The murder led to the Udenrigspolitisk Nævn foreign policy committee cancelling a planned visit to Saudi Arabia, which would have included a meeting with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. TV2’s political editor Anders Langballe remarked that it was unusual for a visit of this kind to be cancelled. “It says a lot about the seriousness of the situation. This is a clear signal from Parliament,” he told TV2. September 22 explained AND THEN the Iranian ambassador was asked for an explanation after the PET intelligence agency confirmed that his country planned an assassination on Danish soil on September 28.

Trouble on the road ahead

The intended target was the head of the Iranian nationalist insurgent group Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz – most probably in retaliation for an attack on a military parade in Iran on September 22 that ASMILA described as “heroic”. A Norwegian citizen with Iranian heritage was arrested on October 21 and charged with taking part in making preparations for an assassination. He has maintained his innocence so far and will remain in isolation until November 8. The foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen, condemned the plans as “completely unacceptable” and swiftly recalled the Danish ambassador to Iran – a move rarely exercised by Denmark. Initially, the September 28 incident, which closed down much of the country’s transport network, was blamed on a fleeing driver who had been smoking cannabis. (CPH POST)

Yuan some water?

Circular economy approach

TRADE talks are at an advanced stage between China and Greenland. The country biggest and third biggest oil companies, China National Petroleum Corp and China National Offshore Oil Corp, are interested in exploring the Arctic island for oil, possibly from 2021, while the Greenlandic government wants to export water taken from its melting inland glaciers to China.

THE GOVERNMENT has agreed with the World Economic Forum to support a transition to a global circular economy in its bid to fulfil the UN’s climate goals. Working closely with the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), the agreement will enable the Danish public and private sector to create sustainable, greener production loops.

More Rohingya aid

Maersk sailors seized

THE GOVERNMENT has donated another 50 million kroner to the efforts of the UN World Food Programme and Red Cross to assist the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya persecuted in Myanmar, taking the total given since last year to over 400 million. An estimated 900,000 have fled to Bangladesh with around 730,000 based at the Cox’s Bazar camp.

SOME 11 sailors serving on the Maersk-chartered ship Pomerenia Sky are missing after it was attacked on October 24 by pirates on its way to Onne in Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea. Eight of the sailors are Polish, two from the Philippines and one from Ukraine. The ship is owned by the German shipping firm Peter Döhle Shiffarts.

More dynamism needed

Aid for Afghanistan

THE 70TH Session of the Nordic Council kicked off last week in Oslo with a strong focus on regional security, freedom of movement, the future of democracy and better co-operation over legislation.

DENMARK is donating 308 million kroner in aid to help support the police and defence forces in Afghanistan. The funds signal an extension of an ongoing deal until 2020.

Before long, you’ll belong Settling into a new country can be challenging – especially for the nonworking spouse. We know, from studies and from experience, that a successful posting depends on the happiness of the entire family – and our school is home to a very active, warm and welcoming community. Our PTA offers a wide range of opportunities: newcomers network, Spring Fair, Halloween, Yoga, Activities Fair, Wine and Cheese Evening, Dads’ Club and Ladies’ Night Out. Dedicated parents coach our sports teams, run our boy scouts and serve on the school Board. At CIS the whole family finds a place to grow roots and make friends. So to quote one of our parents: “I came for the job, but we stayed for the school.”

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE DTU is tackling the costly problem of ‘leading edge erosion’ – the damage to turbine blades caused by raindrops, which tends to necessitate repairs every five years. In related news, the government is investing an additional 7 million kroner into efforts to develop and modernise Ethiopia’s renewable energy sector, extending its original deal until the end of 2020.

War on squishies THE GOVERNMENT is clamping down on toxic toys such as squishies, by making it easier to fine retailers who sell them and for the public to report them. This summer, a report from the Miljøstyrelsen environment and food authority recommended parents get rid of 12 squishies that were found to include too many chemicals.

In Denmark, bog-standard is as good as new MUSEUM OF SOUTHWEST JUTLAND

Only raindrops?

9 - 29 November 2018

The discovery of 248 Viking Age coins in tip-top condition is a find as extraordinary as the Tollund Man

T’S HIGHLY unlikely that they’ll find Jimmy Hoffa in a bog centuries from now. But if they do, he’ll most likely be perfectly preserved. The anaerobic environment of a bog, and its high concentration of tannic acids, means organic material can remain unchanged for millennia. Bodies over a thousand years old have been found with their hair, organs, and skin all intact. In Denmark, the Haraldskær Woman and Tollund Man are two such examples.

Viking card winnings? AND THE same is true of coins, apparently. A cache of 248 minted over 1,000 years ago was recently discovered in Ribe in west Jutland, and thanks to their bog dwelling they look like they were produced yesterday. Minted in the early 9th century, the dawn of Viking dominance in northern Europe, only ten such coins have been found worldwide until now, according to Claus Feveile, the curator of the Museum of Southwest Jutland. “This is an exceptional find that represents a quantum leap in our understanding of minting. They are Danish coins and clearly minted for the purpose of being implemented in Ribe,” Feveile told DR. “This completely shifts our understanding of how we used to mint and the process of coin production.”

It was the coin they discovered, not the finger!

the early 900s was their production of tar on an industrial scale, reports Videnskab.dk. A number of large depressions found in Sweden in connection with roadworks have been investigated, and it has been established they date back to 680-900 and were used to produce large quantities of tar. Viking ships needed tar to make them watertight, and according to the archaeologists, some of the depressions could hold up to 300 litres, which would have been enough to caulk a whole fleet of ships.

In Canada and Argentina, the immigrants lived in small local societies often centred around the Protestant Church, and it is believed that gave them a cohesion and social network that made speaking Danish relevant.

Boys of the Black Stuff IN RELATED news, Swedish archaeologists have put forward a theory that the secret behind the success of the Vikings since

Fluent in Argentina DANES were still travelling in heavy numbers almost a millennium later, and a University of Copenhagen linguistic research project, ‘Danish voices in the Americas’, reveals that the descendants of emigrants to Argentina around 125 years ago are still able to speak almost fluent Danish. In contrast, Danes who moved to the US lost their ability to speak Danish over the course of one or two generations, but similar results to those observed in Argentina were also found in Canada.

Sport supplement concerns

Bone disease ignorance

Tastiest but flakiest

Carbon storage negligible

AROUND 5 percent of the adult population has experienced side-effects after taking sports nutrition supplements, according to a DTU study. An estimated 16 percent of 15 to 55-year-olds take the products, which means approximately one in three users are affected, experiencing side-effects such as palpitations, chest pain and sensory disturbance

SOME 77 percent of Danish women aged over 60 have little to no knowledge of osteoporosis, a bone disease that primarily affects females, according to a UCB global survey that included 4,000 Danes. The result was the second-lowest percentage of all the surveyed countries. The disease affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide, and around 280,000 people in Denmark.

THE ‘FILIPPA’ is Denmark’s tastiest apple, agree many experts, but very few get to experience it because it is a poor match for modern consumerism. Its fragile physique doesn’t fit the conditions provided in the greenhouses favoured by Danish supermarkets, and a network of 18 gene banks spread across the country do their best to ensure its continued survival.

A STUDY that involved Aarhus University suggests that sustainable forestry makes a negligible contribution to fighting climate change. Even if the carbon capture and storage of European forests was maximised, the effect would be small. Instead, the researchers advised, forests need to adapt to climate change conditions such as more fires, higher wind speeds, drought and pests.

DENMARK is in support of a new EU proposal that aims to ban plastic items such as disposable plates and cutlery, whilst introducing a number of other initiatives geared towards reducing the use of plastic – hopefully from 2021. It is believed the law change will reduce the amount of plastic pollution littering Europe’s beaches by 17 percent.

Future protein focus THE ENVIRONMENT and Food Ministry has launched a new action plan to revolutionise the food system and provide sustainable, healthy protein choices. The ministry would like to replace one-third of imported proteins with local alternatives. Mussels, insects and seaweed were included on a list of potential future protein food products.

Most milk in Europe IN 2017, THE average Danish dairy cow produced 9,600 kg of milk – the highest output in the EU, according to Eurostat, and up from 6,800 kg in 1998. Cows in western Europe generally outperform their eastern counterparts. In related news, Danish and Dutch pigs were the least resistant to antibiotics according to a nine-country survey – testament to the sector reducing its usage.

Worst Nordic cancer nation

Nazi list published IN OTHER history news, the association of Danish genealogical researchers, Danske Slægtsforskere, has published part of the so-called Bovrup Archive – a 1940s list of the members of the DNSAP, the Danish Nazi Party. However, 22,000 names have already been lost to history, and only 5,265 names from the archive will be made public at this time – individuals who have been dead for at least a decade. Up until now, it’s been next to impossible to establish who was a member, as all of the reliable membership lists had long gone out of print. The Bovrup Archive was started by party leader Frits Clausen, a native of Bovrup, and in 1945 it was copied and published in book form by members of the Danish Resistance who were angry that a lot of ex-Nazis seemed to have escaped punishment. (CPH POST)

Danes back plastic ban

ONLINE THIS WEEK

DENMARK has the highest rate of cancer in the Nordics (230 per 100,000), ahead of Norway (193), Sweden (185) and Finland (173), according to Danmarks Statistik. Lung cancer is the biggest killer, followed by bowel, prostate and breast. Concerning the latter, women reduce their risk by 8 percent for every child they have before the age of 28, according to Statens Serum Institut.

Deadly long-term guest NEW INFORMATION reveals that warnings about a potentially hazardous pesticide residue in drinking water have been ignored for over a decade. The Miljøstyrelsen environmental authority has admitted to being warned about the chemical desphenyl chloridazon as far back as 2007, reports DR. The residue was steadily left between 1964 and 1996

Great to be eight! DENMARK wants to be accepted into the Digital 7 Network, a co-operation of the world’s most digitally-advanced nations using technology to improve the lives of the public. The government recently introduced 22 new digital initiatives under the umbrella ‘World-class digital service’. The D7 nations are Canada, Estonia, South Korea, New Zealand, Israel, the UK and Uruguay.

Regulating food imports A NEW AGREEMENT is in the pipeline for the regulatory authorities to carry out checks on online companies to stop the sale of illegal and unregistered foodstuffs, as well as items sold through Facebook, blogs and apps. The internet is continuing to widen Danes’ options to buy unregulated items.

NEWS

9 - 29 November 2018

Trumpeting of fake news and Cold War rhetoric draws Danish ire

VER SINCE Bernie Sanders lauded Denmark and the Nordic countries in 2016 as “a model for his vision of an ideal American future”, socialism has been under attack in the US. In August, Fox News host Trish Regan compared the socialist dystopia of Denmark to Venezuela, making various claims about how the country is uncompetitive as a result. And now, the White House has published a new report that shines an unfavourable light on Nordic socialism. Embellished gibberish THE REPORT ‘The Opportunity Costs of Socialism’ found that the living standard in the US was 15 percent better than in Denmark and the Nordic countries, and that even poor American households enjoyed better living standards than the

average person living in a Nordic country. The report also questioned whether a free university education like the one Denmark offers its citizens was worth it, claiming that Americans were more likely to attain higher education. There was no mention of the 32 million adults in the US who are illiterate, or the millions of Americans who either can’t afford to get an education or are saddled with student debt upon graduation. Timing everything THE AUTHORS also brought up the failures and hardships endured in communist China and the Soviet Union, contending that embracing socialism would cripple the US economy and negatively impact the average American. Experts suggested that the timing of the report, just ahead of the midterm elections, was not a coincidence, and a string of Danish politicians, including

PIXABAY

Denmark critical of dubious White House report and unsettling disarmament threat

PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen, were quick to rubbish the report. See you outside? IN A POST on Facebook, Rasmussen professed himself ready “at any time” to take an argument with Trump over which country has the best social model, pointing out that unlike the US, Denmark has managed to strike a good balance between freedom and community spirit. However, he did admit that one area where the US could beat Denmark was at praising themselves. Here we go again TRUMP had already been in the Danish spotlight after he indicated in a recent campaign speech that he wants to do away with the INF treaty – an agreement signed between the US and Russia to limit intermediate-range nuclear missiles In a written comment to TV2 Nyheder, the Danish foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen,

The White House: fast becoming a symbol of fake news and tans

regretted the move, pointing out that the treaty has played a major part in disarmament and the stability of the region. The minister expects the treaty will be on the agenda at NATO’s meeting in December. “It would be a significant challenge if once again we have an intermediate-range missile arms race in Europe. That is something that Denmark would be very much affected by,” added

Samuelsen. The original agreement was signed by President Ronald Reagan and his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev. It was seen as a big step towards normalising East-West relations as it forbade both Russia and the US from deploying intermediate-range missiles. Since then, both countries have accused each other of violating the treaty. (CPH POST)

ADVERTORIAL

Worth leaving the office for! ESPC conference confirmed at Bella Center in late November Europe’s leading SharePoint, Office 365 and Azure conference is coming to Copenhagen next month

ROM NOVEMBER 26-29, more than 2,000 professionals will gather at Copenhagen’s Bella Center for the European SharePoint, Office 365 and Azure Conference (ESPC). Now in its seventh year and hosted for the second time in Denmark, this four-day event includes more than 150+ expert sessions from Microsoft-certified MVPs, MCMs and the very best in the field. There will be nine full-day tutorials, six inspirational keynotes and more than 80 exhibitors. Three tracks THE PROGRAM is organised across three tracks – Developer, IT Pro, and Business – with topics relevant whether you are all in the cloud, on premises, or combining capabilities in a hybrid environment. There are also extended sessions on the broader Office 365 landscape as well as Azure development. You can see the

newest developments in SharePoint and learn best practices from the field. This year’s program acts as a guide to help attendees navigate the technology that is going to enable organisational change. More than ever, every organisation is a software organisation. New models EVERY month sees examples of traditional practices and models being radically improved by applying the power of technology to rethink how patterns and practices function. Organisations need to adapt these technologies to best fit their value models, their customers and their work styles to achieve these breakthroughs. SharePoint, Office 365, and Azure provide extensive honed tools to support organisational change, but we are all called upon to tailor and adapt these tools to achieve the best outcomes for ourselves and for our organisation. Keynote draws ON TUESDAY November 27, Microsoft’s corporate vice president Jeff Teper will open the

conference, delivering a keynote on ‘Content Collaboration in the Modern Workplace’. Teper leads the team responsible for Office, SharePoint & OneDrive. The keynote stage will be a major draw this year with Dona Sarkar, Arpan Shah, Paula Januszkiewicz, Vesa Juvonen and Jennifer Stirrup giving expert insight into topics such as SharePoint, Microsoft 365 & The Modern Workplace, Office 365 Solutions, AI, Cybersecurity, Azure and running your own insider program. ESPC18 will feature over 120 speakers from across the globe including 81 MVPs, 16 MCMs and 19 RDs – the very best speakers in their field presenting on key topics. A unique opportunity WITH OVER 800 companies and sponsors attending you have a unique opportunity within Europe to meet with global leading solution providers and network with some of the biggest brands in Europe – all working on the same projects and dealing with the same challenges as you are. The best SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure knowledge in the

Jeff Teper addressing the auditorium at the opening Keynote of ESPC17

world will be in Copenhagen. Don’t miss it! The conference, which began in Germany in 2011, has travelled through Scandinavia to Spain and most recently to Dublin in 2017. “We felt it was time to bring it back to Copenhagen,” said general manager Tracy O’Connell. “Our delegates were calling for it to be in Copenhagen. There is such a thriving tech scene here, plus it holds such

an appeal to people who want to experience the fun and social side that happens alongside big conferences like this. With all this in mind Copenhagen was the ideal place to bring the community together.” Further information THE FULL program is available online at sharepointeurope.com, and a limited number of tickets are available at sharepointeurope.com/pricing.

10 NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

The Woman in Black

La Boheme

Defeat for fan trios



THIS TEAR-JERKING opera is sung in Italian with Danish subtitles, but otherwise the performers’ body language and emotionally-loaded solos fill the language gaps. Accentuated by costumes true to the opera’s time period, it bursts at the seams with operatic talent such as Cristina Pisarou and Niels Jørgen Reis. While the standout among the tastefully rendered sets is the first act’s, a cafe at Christmas that looks like something out of a Hollywood movie. (AC)

“TURN ON your smartphones and keep an eye on your screens all the time” is probably not what an audience is expecting to hear, but this is no ordinary ballet despite the technique, skyhigh leaps and jumps, beautiful costumes and joyful classical music. This new show from Corpus feeds off how technology has taken over our lives, taking us on a journey to encounter the otherwise disembodied character of the internet. It asks thoughtprovoking questions and mostly succeeds. (LG)

THE STANDOUT piece of this ‘ballet for everyone at an affordable price’ – a trio of performances intended for both beginners and old hands – was the final act, ‘Daddy Loves Sugar’, a heavy, dark contemporary piece by Danish Royal Ballet company member Oliver Starpov, which held everyone in awe. On a breathtaking set, its perfect combination of body movements, fluidity and the raw muscle of the entirely male cast had the audience on the edge of their seats from the very start. (LG)

Bendtner and Bille show

Minnows dominate

Paint the town pink!

NICKLAS Bendtner has been sentenced to 50 days in prison for assaulting a taxi driver on September 8. However, he will not go to jail until his appeal has been heard His club Rosenborg has decided to keep him on. In related news, another Danish striker, Nicki Bille has been arrested for allegedly threatening a person on Strøget with an airgun. His club Lyngby has terminated his contract.

THE MINNOWS dominated the Nordic Council Prizes with Iceland (film and literature), the Faroe Islands (children’s and youth literature) and Greenland (environment) all picking up gongs. Of the major Nordic states, only Norway (music) was triumphant. Iceland’s Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, the winner of the literature prize, rubbed it in by quoting ‘Hamlet’ in her acceptance speech.

P!NK HAS confirmed a concert at Casa Arena in Horsens on August 7. Also announcing Danish dates are Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges (Bremen; May 1), Bon Jovi (Sønderborg; June 11), Mark Knopfler (Royal Arena; June 15), Thundercat (Store Vega; Dec 12), Godsmack (Den Grå Hal Christiania; March 21), Disturbed (KB Hallen; May 3) and Aminé (DR Koncerthuset; Feb 2).

Community before cash

Has love affair cooled?

Recalling the Troubles SCREENSHOT

ICC

THE EUROPEAN Court of Human Rights has ruled the Danish police were within their rights to hold three football fans for over seven hours, which prevented them from attending a 2009 national game. It brings to an end an action the fans had previously lost in the city and high courts. In related news, three Danish fans have been banned from national games for two years and fined at total of 65,500 kroner for throwing their beers at rival supporters during the 2018 World Cup.



Saturday, we’re in love THE CURE have confirmed they’ll be giving the final concert on the Orange Stage at next year’s Roskilde Festival, joining a line-up that includes Travis Scott and Scarlett Pleasure.

 THIS CLASSIC Danish ballet, originally staged by August Bournonville in 1842, is transported again to 1950s Italy as directed by Federico Fellini, where we encounter leggy blondes, Vespas, a sleek Italian man with a shirt opened low and greasy hair, and an actual live dog. Director Sorella Englund draws upon her experience in video to make full use of the stage and background screen, as the dancers interact with beautiful scenery and communicate using silent movie gestures. (MZ)

ONLINE THIS WEEK Randy’s on board MARK O Madsen, the Danish Olympic wrestling silver medallist from Rio 2016, is linking up with the legendary Randy Couture in his quest to make his mark in the Mixed Martial Arts arena.

Taking flight in NFL TECHNOLOGY developed by radar company Trackman has been used during an NFL game. The technology, which measures the flight of a ball in the air, has already been used in golf.

Kasper’s new Ajax deal

Dead poet’s comeback INTEREST in English-language versions of Tove Ditlevsen’s poetry is growing following the publication of three of her works by British Penguin Books. Ditlevsen, who spent a fair part of her adult life in psychiatric wards, took her own life in 1976 at the age of 58.

BALLET

HENRIK STERNBERG

ONLINE THIS WEEK

BALLET

Napoli HENRIK STERNBERG

THIS PURPOSEFULLY precise Gothic horror story leaves a chilling impression on its audience, painting haunting pictures that will last long in their minds after the curtain call. That Theatre Company’s production is suspenseful from the very beginning – particularly with its portrayal of the title character, as the captivated audience never know when she will next show up. Horrifying and thrilling, with engaging performances, the play is guaranteed to make you jump with fright. (WM)

MODERN DANCE

Dans2Go CAMILLA WINTHER



OPERA

MIKLOS SZABO

THAT THEATRE COMPANY

THEATRE

9 - 29 November 2018

REVIEWS Ghosting

Proud of their success

Mmmh, decapitated Kagemand

‘Bloody Sunday’ among films

IMPROV Comedy Copenhagen has celebrated two years of turning the comedy into a mainstream artform within the heart of Copenhagen. With a solid community of improvisers, eight teachers and more than 1,000 enrolled students, the ICC has spent the last two years cherishing improvised theatre under a multicultural setting, bringing together more than 30 nationalities. Kasper Jacobsen, who quit his job as an engineer to fully dive in, attributes the ICC’s initial success to the way it has prioritised nurturing the community over revenue. (Pamela Jacquelin-Andersen)

‘THE GREAT British Bake Off’ may have inspired one of Denmark’s most popular programs, but it hadn’t returned the compliment until this October, when it held its first ever Danish Week. Danish co-host Sandi Toksvig set the challenge, and the Guardian, the country’s biggest Danophile (since ‘Forbrydelsen’ in 2011), could not resist supplying a live text feed. But has the newspaper, like a well-seasoned expat, started to become a little cynical of all things being Danish being good? “Who knew Danish baking was so fecking tough?” asked one online commenter. (BH)

HISTORIANS tend to disagree when The Troubles started, or indeed how to accurately describe the three-decade conflict that revolved around the constitutional status of Northern Ireland and the UK’s decision to station British military forces there in 1969. Most agree, however, when The Troubles ended. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 brought to an end a conflict that claimed the lives of 3,500 people, of whom 52 percent were civilians. And now 20 years later, a special film festival at Cinemateket, running from November 6 to December 22, will recall the conflict. (BH)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

STRIKER Kasper Dolberg, 21, has extended his contract with Ajax until 2022. He has scored 36 goals in 85 games since joining in 2015.

Clara soars up rankings CLARA Tauson, 15, is now the world number three after jumping seven places up the junior world tennis rankings following a dominant win at the Osaka Mayor’s Cup in Japan.

Hand-some favourites THE DANISH men’s handball team are 9/4 favourites to win the upcoming World Championships in January. France are 3/1.

NEWS

9 - 29 November 2018

The daughter of two Danish Military Intelligence operatives has drawn on her childhood to create Cosmic Top Secret, a wonderful new gaming experience that hits the shops on November 14 MARK WALKER

OU CAN now discover some of Denmark’s darkest military secrets – without getting arrested. They’re wrapped up in this weird and wonderful gaming experience by a daughter whose parents, unbeknownst to her, were employed by Military Intelligence. Spies like us A STEADILY growing trend in video games is autobiographical storytelling – an approach that has produced both fun and emotionally substantial results. Cosmic Top Secret, a new release from the Copenhagenbased indie developer Klassefilm, is certainly continuing that trend

COSMIC TOP SECRET

The spies who love me

GAME

with a uniquely visual eclecticism (for example, characters are frequently made of cardboard that ravels, rolls and unravels accordingly), elevating this interactive 3D sandbox story into an entirely atypical gaming experience. Layer by layer, the game delves into the Danish state’s anti-communist efforts, simultaneously revealing the impact of secret service life on a small family unit. Spymaster of the house TRINE Laier is a graduate of the directing course at the National Film School of Denmark. She posits herself at the centre of the game as ‘T’, an inquisitive, terrier-like protagonist who relentlessly trails her father with endless questions about his secret-life: Was he a spy? Despite Trine’s central role, this is, of course, the story of her parents – particularly her father and the shadowy world he inhabited. And over the seven-year de-

Father was about to answer when he noticed there was more than one bug in the room

-velopment period, she had qualms telling his story. Our kind of traitor “I HAVE had guilt-stricken nights where I woke up asking myself whether I’m misusing my parents’ story. I do think I treat them, and the rest of the characters, with nothing but love and respect, but nevertheless the thought of staging myself, my friends and family as characters in a video game is provocative,” Laier told CPH POST.

“Despite the serious setting, Cold War and all, I really wanted to promote the loving and humorous interactions that of course exist between my parents and I. It is important for me that the users of the game themselves come to think about their relations with their own parents. Or indeed their children.”

Trine organised a meeting between her parents and the Danish military intelligence to discuss what secrets could and couldn’t be exposed. To find out the answer to that quandary, you’ll have to play the game when it’s released on November 15 …

A view to an edit AS WITH the familial secrets, some consideration had to be given to the release of state secrets, as the game does include real case files.

Cosmic Top Secret is garnering outstanding praise on the festival circuit and will be available on most platforms including iOS, Android and Steam.

ional t i d a Tr enu m h s Iri and s Irish al beer n atio iz n r e b qu int u p htly g i n aelic Fort G / o Angl on TV All ts spor y tore ing s e Thre s boast l ise gina prem ning ori stun atures fe

Nørregade 43-45, 1165 København K www.the-globe.dk

12 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

9 - 29 November 2018

Prosperous and employed, but sorely lacking labour PIXABAY

Great for doing business

ONLINE THIS WEEK

DENMARK is the third best country in the world to do business, according to the 2019 World Bank’s Doing Business report. It finished behind only New Zealand and Singapore, ranking first for Trading across Borders, fourth for Dealing with Construction Permits, sixth for Resolving Insolvency, ninth for Paying Taxes, 11th for Registering Property and 14th for Enforcing Contracts.

FREDERIKSBERG councillor David Munis Zepernick has called upon all Danish municipalities to cut their ties with Danske Bank due to the unethical nature of their money-laundering. In related news, Danske Bank’s Q3 profits fell by 50 percent to 2.5 billion kroner, and new allegations claim Nordea has laundered 1.5 billion kroner through 527 accounts connected to a Finnish branch.

Fewer money exchanges THE NUMBER of money exchange agencies has fallen sharply over the past two years, according to Finanstilsynet figures reported by Politiken. Only 19 of the 70 agencies in business two years ago still operate. Some have been unable to satisfy new legal requirements and procedures, from detecting shady transactions to providing special training for their staff.

'A' grade for pensions DENMARK has the second best pension system in the world, according to the 2018 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, finishing just behind the Netherlands – the only other country to get an A grade – but a long way ahead of third. Denmark has been advised to raise household savings, reduce household debt, better protect divorcees, and raise the retirement age.

KFC to quadruple outlets FRIED chicken takeaway chain KFC will increase the number of its Danish outlets from nine to 34 over the next year. It noted that it sees “great potential” in Denmark, where it has set itself a target of increasing its turnover from 60 to 500 million kroner a year.

Shell offloads subsidiary SUBJECT to regulatory approval, Royal Dutch Shell is selling its subsidiary, Copenhagen-based Shell Olie-og Gasudvinding Danmark, for 1.8 billion US dollars to Norwegian company Noreco.

Novo confirms lay-offs NOVO NORDISK blamed a strong dollar and a 2 percent dip in Q3 revenue for its decision to lay off 1,300 by the end of the year.

Municipality threat to bank

Carlsberg enjoys good Q3

Socialdemokratiet, DF and SF have removed the bridge

Opposition to government’s plans to ease work permits a blow to plans to increase workforce

ROSPERITY levels in Denmark are at a record high, according to the Business Ministry. The country’s Gross National Income (GNI) per citizen has risen by 0.5 percent every year over the past decade. In 2017, it stood at 55,220 dollars, placing it eighth in the world. Only Switzerland, Norway, Luxemboug, Qatar, Iceland, the US and Ireland had a higher rate, with Sweden back in 10th and Finland in 14th place. Encouraging business “DENMARK must continue to be competitive and easy to run a company in,” said Rasmus Jarlov, the business minister. “It’s the companies that create growth and prosperity for us all, so the government will continue to ease the business sector of administrative burdens.” The ministry’s report underlines the need to continue focusing on digitalisation and new technology – not only in Denmark, but

also in the international markets, where growth potential is estimated to be particularly strong. Opposition to plans ACCORDING to Danmarks Statistik, the employment rate rose by 6,500 to 2,760,000 in August, with private firms creating 5,300 jobs – the 65th consecutive month of increases. Some companies are struggling to finding labour – a situation that has not been helped by the news that Socialdemokratiet, Dansk Folkeparti and Socialistisk Folkeparti intend to oppose government plans to ease work permits from 12 countries. None of the three parties want to be part of lowering the minimum wage required to acquire a Danish work permit from 418,000 to 330,000 kroner a year for citizens coming from China, India, the US, Russia, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Thailand and Malaysia.

to 29-year-olds out of work, according to an analysis of Danmarks Statistik data by Ledernes Hovedorganisation (LH), the trade union for business leaders. For the population as a whole, the figure is just 3.9 percent, and LH contends that young people need to pick their education more wisely. “Neither the young people or employers are well served by a course that can’t be used immediately when a person is finished,” said the union’s head analyst Kim Møller Laursen. “So all educational courses ought to be fine-tuned to a much higher degree to suit the needs of the labour market.”

CARLSBERG cashed in on a great summer as Q3 profits soared to 17.6 billion kroner – up 9 percent on last year. In related news, over the first nine months of 2017, Ørsted’s operating profit soared 14 percent to 10.8 billion kroner, transport firm DSV’s profits rocketed 37 percent to 3.06 billion kroner, and PostNord’s loss more than doubled to 854 million kroner.

Google Pay launched DIGITAL payment solutions Google Pay has launched in Denmark where it will provide competition to market leader MobilePay and Apple Pay. Nordea and Jyske Bank have taken on the free service, which is tailor-made for android phones.

SKAT reports progress

Slip in consumer confidence IN RELATED news, national consumer confidence fell by 18 percent in September, according to a monthly survey conducted by Danmarks Statistik. Experts believe the drop has been partly caused by the ongoing money-laundering scandals of both Danske Bank and Nordea, along with the recent seizure of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. (CPH POST)

AT LEAST two US pension funds – of a total 306 funds, companies and banks involved in the tax refund swindle that defrauded the Danish coffers out of over 12 billion kroner over a three-year period from 2012-15 – have agreed to pay the SKAT tax authority the funds they obtained, along with signing an exchange of information pertaining to the case.

Test blow hits pharma giant Airport well prepared

Excellent at delegating

LUNDBECK shares plunged 30 percent in late-October as news broke of its new schizophrenia treatment’s poor phase 3 test results. Lundbeck, which has lost an estimated 4 billion dollars, will now pin its hopes on its new Parkinson’s treatment. In related news, Genmab’s new treatment for leukaemia and multiple myeloma passed its phase 3 tests with flying colours.

DENMARK ranks number one for its workforce’s “willingness to delegate authority”, according to the 2018 World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, which rated Denmark the tenth most competitive country out of 140. It praised Denmark’s highly-skilled and flexible labour market, good workplace environments and healthy corporate cultures.

THE KØDBILEN.DK meat delivery service has installed the country’s first meat dispenser in Lyngby, with plans to open 50100 more over the next year or so. The 24/7 dispenser can hold 400 kilos of meat.

Bucking the trend MEANWHILE, the unemployment rate amongst young people is rising, with 7.7 percent of 25

THE RECENT spate of airlines going bust has prompted Copenhagen Airport to draw up contingency plans for almost all routes, reports Berlingske Business. Should an airline go bust, the airport has a list of others that could take over the routes. It constantly monitors aviation fuel prices, passenger compensation costs and the financial markets to stay ahead of the curve.

First meat dispenser

Arla continues with cuts ARLA PLANS to lay off 140 employees – mostly from its headquarters in Aarhus – as part of its ongoing three-year saving plans.

BUSINESS OPINION

9 - 29 November 2018

TINY MAERSCHALK LIVING IN AN EXPAT WORLD Belgium’s Tiny Maerschalk, who has worked for the International Community networking platform since its foundation in 2008, knows how it feels to settle in a new country. Dedicated to improving conditions for new arrivals, here she shares her insights about the business issues that mean the most to internationals in Denmark.

GO GLOCAL for everyone GO GLOCAL is the perfect symbiosis of the local and the global. Nowadays it is difficult to separate these two terms because they continuously affect each other – so why not take advantage of the many benefits the concept brings to the table? GO GLOCAL is a project that strives to unveil Aarhus as an attractive career destination by contributing to the internationalisation of the city and supporting the many international entities that

SØREN BREGENHOLT THE VALLEY OF LIFE As the chairman of the Medicon Valley Alliance – the gold-labelled Danish-Swedish life science cluster organisation – Søren will address current trends and challenges in the sector.

Room for optimism TO KEEP the growth engine running in the long run, we need to invest in research and innovation today, tomorrow, next month and next year! China invests heavily in life science, and as the sector becomes more innovative, it will likely become a strong competitor in the longer term.

Be proud and win a prize SO IS THAT it? No, of course not! You have the chance to win a prize! At a ceremony on 30 January 2019, an elected jury will bestow an award to a company or organisation that makes great efforts to integrate international employees. Additionally, the recipient of a second prize will be chosen via an online poll in which everyone has the chance to nominate themselves, another person, team or organisation. Fortunately, there is much room for continued optimism, as it is not without reason nor pride that we refer to Medicon Valley as Scandinavia’s leading life science region. Medicon Valley is one of Europe’s ten largest life science research clusters according to CWTS Leiden Ranking. In 2018 Sweden and Denmark were among the innovation leaders in the EU, with Medicon Valley ranked among the very most innovative regions in the EU. Patently sturdy IF WE LOOK at an indicator such as life science patent applications to the European Patent Office, Denmark and Sweden registered an increase of 15 and 6 percent from 2016-2017. Denmark made 643 applications – its highest number since 2010. Since patents are one of the crucial preconditions for commercialising innovation in the

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You need to take the rugby ball out of the string bag first

I know that the act of nominating yourself is not very Danish because of the famous ‘Jantelov’. However, it is crucial to recognise all the efforts that inspire others to make a true difference for all internationals. So hang on to your cultural heritage and be proud of your accomplishments! Local, national, global GO GLOCAL will present many different communication activities before and after the ceremony,

which is why I am very much looking forward to sharing the many stories and experiences from different expats, accompanying spouses, international employees and ethnic minority citizens in my city. These people inspire others to become more engaged with the internationalisation of our society. This initiative should not be limited to Aarhus – its reach should grow and inspire others throughout the country to acknowledge the absolute need to GO GLOCAL. PIXABAY

ROM A LIFE science export perspective, Swedish and Danish exports to China are on the rise. In 2017, they increased by 45 and 16 percent to 7.882 and 8.64 billion kroner respectively. China is now the second biggest market for both countries, overtaking the US to marginally trail Germany for Sweden, and behind only the US for Denmark, with Germany third. The obvious conclusion is that export-driven growth in life science will to an increasing extent depend on the demands of the growing Chinese markets.

call Aarhus their home. Besides highlighting the huge advantage of having international qualifications and diversity, GO GLOCAL inspires companies to increase their recruitment of international employees. This benefits our society as it creates a more culturally open-minded labour market, which has a positive effect on the recruitment of ethnic minority citizens.

ERHVERV AARHUS

T IS NO secret that I love my job – mostly because I get to do something very close to my heart and experiences. Improving conditions for all expats, and promoting the internationalisation of the society we live in, is the very essence of my everyday life. Therefore, I am very proud to be part of the newest initiative in Aarhus: GO GLOCAL.

You don’t need to be Sherlock to figure this one out

life science industry, the rise in applications bodes well for longer term growth and our ability to serve the Chinese market. All the pieces in place AS DOCUMENTED in the recently published State of Medicon Valley analysis (download free of charge at bit. ly/2yLxCtH), the region has all the pieces needed to become the most vibrant, attractive life science cluster in Europe. To fulfil that potential, we

need a dedicated effort to put the pieces together, including continued industry support from regional and national politicians. If you look at the current national life science strategies, there are only some indications that the governments have carefully explored the potential of aligning their strategies around the strongest life science cluster in the Nordics. This, therefore, is one of the few pieces still missing. But fortunately it will be easy to find if you go looking for it!

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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

9 - 29 November 2018

REVD SMITHA PRASADAM

Greed, sex and vanity ruling the world

HE MORAL compass we trust to steer us to a better world has been showing increasing amounts of deviation.

Gospel according to greed GREED may be the answer. If the trick works once then the greedy spread the gospel between them and billions disappear from different governments. It seems that the scam involved astronomical amounts and the missing funds are now being digitally tracked. Few operators can survive with their honour intact if they don’t set about reimbursement. Not all the money will come back; it will be interesting to see how much of it does. More control THE LESSON from this is that we need more international policing in the financial sector. To supplement this we hope more whistle-blowers will come forward. The tax scam and money-laundering scandals have been disclosed through the help of brave staff members. The Panama Papers revealed another example of greed amongst the rich. Hopefully, our trust in fair play will be restored, but discipline comes through control, as the Germans like to say.

Brave not brazen VANITY is one of the biggest drivers of human folly. We see politicians air proposals for austerity against immigrants in ridiculous detail – just to attract a little fame. Now that we are closing in on the next general election, we will see more attempts to attract attention through ridiculous lawmaking proposals. The wish to be re-elected is understandable, but it would be nice if the forming of governments happened based on the respect of the electorate and not just political fatigue. We need brave politicians to argue for the liberalisation of cannabis, like they’ve done in Canada, to bring an end to the gangs fighting for market control. One only needs to look at the line of taxis outside Christiania every night, waiting for frequenters of Pusher Street to emerge, to appreciate the folly of it all. The forces of law and order could then fully focus on white collar crime, from which the amounts of money being made are increasing. (ES)

Born in India, adopted by Britain, Smitha (chaplain@ st-albans.dk) is the new chaplain of St Alban’s Church. In the UK, along with being a Church of England priest, she travelled Europe working as an English teacher, trainer and examiner. Smitha continues to work in an advisory and advocacy capacity at a national level on matters of liturgy and social justice HASSE FERROLD

Standard practice LATELY, international banks have engaged in dubious transactions through which they have drained the Danish state coffers of billions of kroner using a tax return swindle. Even Denmark’s biggest law firm admits it has advised clients on the technique. Partners have resigned or been fired. It is a complete mystery how the high-profile executives believed they could annually withhold tax return. Stranger still is that they could establish formal ownership of shares in double-tax treaty regimes without real ownership.

Living Faith

Supreme scrutiny UNLESS too much discipline and control is being exerted in the bedroom, of course. Our moral compasses tend to flicker wildly at such matters, and the ‘Me Too’ movement has uncovered the risks inherent in human behaviour between the sexes. Most recently, an accusation from the distant past disrupted the appointment of a Supreme Court judge in the US. We will never know what happened, or if anything happened, but it was surprising to see how the whole world was gripped by the accusations. It goes without saying that sexual violation and harassment are completely intolerable. But retrospective claims take us into dangerous territory – a grey area with 50 shades of complexion.

Dinesen’s sister Karen Bllxen lived ‘out of Africa’, and he’ll look out of Churchillparken

S THOMAS Dinesen’s bust was unveiled, I stood in admiration of the humanity and heroism that led to his Victoria Cross award. Peace always possible A MOVING tribute from his grandson showed the whole person: how a young man, just 26, ran out alone five times in one night to put enemy guns out of action. I was privileged to stand together with Queen Magrethe, the British, Canadian and French ambassadors, members of the Black Watch in whose regiment he served, war veterans and civilians to honour the life of this distinguished Dane outside St Alban’s Church in Churchillparken. Two days later, on the global stage Oscar Romero was canonised for his refusal to be silenced in condemning the murder and torture, poverty and injustice inflicted on his beloved El Salvador by its ruling regime. Their examples remind us that every nation bears the scars of hatred, but in each blooms the possibility for reconciliation and peace. We need to exorcise cruelty and extol the holy if we are to live a hopeful future. No country is exempt. Honouring their sacrifice AT ST ALBAN’S Church on

Sunday November 11 at 10:30, in the year that marks the centenary of the end of World War I, we will give thanks to God for all who sacrificed their lives for us. We will honour their bravery and selflessness in the service of humanity and the eternal quest for peace. WWI is a byword for disproportionate military slaughter. Lest we forget that in the ‘war to end all wars’ help came from the whole British Empire. We will remember Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and Muslims standing shoulder to shoulder with Christians and people of no faith in a common cause for peace. The British effort was the effort of the Commonwealth. Our collective conscience and memory recalls these stories in a country where the ‘Danish Scheme’ helped the repatriation of thousands of British prisoners of war. As we tell of those who fought for liberty, we will remember the impact on those left at home and pray for those caught in contemporary conficts. We will cleanse the dust of ages to cool the angry heat of the bruises and scars we bear. We will seek God’s forgiveness, which is total and irrevocable. Only in embracing that pattern, can we be liberated from the burden of the past and embrace a future of

hope. Imagination and emotion can help us on the path to a just society, radical grace and a peace that passes all understanding. Advent soon upon us “THE LAMPS are going out all over Europe” are the words we remember better than the Biblical exhortation to be ready. Readiness … preparedness … are not for the coming of the enemy but of God, and soon it will be time to swap the pumpkin lights for Advent candles counting down to the coming of God’s kingdom of justice, mercy and peace at Christmas. God has intervened in our messy world – not with some celestial armed force but with the forces of human love. When so much today threatens, degrades and barters with human life as if men and women were merely statistical fodder, we celebrate that God chose to take on human life, investing it with a value it cannot find in itself, initiating a process of salvation whereby even the most inveterate warmonger might be transformed if he or she but glanced at the nakedness of God’s love and the magnitude of risk. In the name of the Prince of Peace whose Advent we await, I bid you to “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”.

OPINION

9 - 29 November 2018

IAN BURNS

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A resident here since 1990, Ian Burns is the artistic director at That Theatre Company and very possibly Copenhagen’s best known English language actor thanks to roles as diverse as Casanova, Shakespeare and Tony Hancock.

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This version of Jason and the Argonauts finds the golden fleece sitting on Trump’s head

VERY DAY we seem to hit a new all-time low in political life.

Business before beings ONE THING that seems to be a constant, however, is the falling value of a human life. Our leaders, it seems, would rather do business at all costs with murderers than make a moral stand. One example: the repellent and brutal disposal of one particular human life – that of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime. Why has this not opened the floodgates and led to businesses and governments cutting ties with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as quickly as Khashoggi’s body seems to have been severed and dissolved into acid by 15 ‘rogue’ henchmen? If we do nothing, then the message we send to the Saudi Arabians is that they can do whatever they like to anyone who criticises them and the rest of the world won’t condemn them, but instead will say: “Business as usual”. Has the value of human life really fallen faster than the value of many currencies? Sadly so it

seems, whether it is starvation in countries like Yemen, widespread homelessness or vulnerable people everywhere unable to get support for basic survival. Empire that struck rich AS I WRITE this the Disunited States of America is about to have its mid-term elections. Gangster Trump is fanning the flames of division with his now all-too familiar style. Probably the most depressing aspect of Trump for me is how he has such a large support base for his vileness. Whatever the outcome of these elections, the USA has years of self-examination to go through. Empires fade and die. Britain and the Vikings had their day. Maybe there is just no real substance to America’s empire other than the chasing of wealth for wealth’s sake, which is why we’re not really going to miss them. What will be the USA’s legacy? Some might say they were a counter-balance that stopped the spread of communism, but the spreading of democracy is a weak claim given the number of wars they’ve been in and continue to

be involved in. Today’s chants of nationalism provide us with awful echoes of the past. Surely we won’t allow this to happen again? Apathy, though, will give confidence to the racist and the bully. Hopefully, a new generation of voters – many of them target practice for lunatics with access to AK47s – will want the balance of power to change. Life before guns and profit could be a decent mantra. But, if the unthinkable happens and the Republicans gain seats at these elections, I think we’d better brace ourselves. Theatre of screams I DREAMT that I had a oneon-one chat with Trump and as he was leaving the room. I asked him what it was he actually wanted to achieve. His reply, as he fanned the door open and closed it, was: “It’s getting rather hot in here isn’t it?” Come in and see ‘The Woman in Black’ (that-theatre.com) if you want to experience how theatre can freeze your blood and make your heart pound. But this of course is only make-believe. Trump is real.

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ABOUT TOWN

9 - 29 November 2018

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

Austria’s national day on October 26 marks the date in 1955 when its government adopted permanent neutrality, so it has nothing to do with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on 3 November 1918 – a century ago last weekend. Among those celebrating the day at the residence of ambassador Maria Rotheiser-Scotti (centre right) on October 26 were Serbian ambassador Jasmina Mitrovic Maric (centre left) and Lithuanian ambassador Ginte Bernadeta Damusis (left)

The new Slovakian ambassador Miroslav Wlachovsky (second left) and Czech ambassador Radek Pech (second right) have co-hosted two events to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia, their former country. On October 22, they held a classical music concert at the Italian Cultural Institute in Hellerup, and then three days later a reception at Pech’s residence in Østerbro, where UAE ambassador Fatema Khamis Almazrouei (centre) was among the guests

Like Austria, Hungary also celebrates a date in the 1950s – marking the start of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 – although it also has a national day in March that marks the 1848 revolution. Ambassador Kristof Altusz welcomed guests to Sølyst on October 24 to help him celebrate

Among the guests of Turkish ambassador Uğur Kenan İpek at the celebration of his country’s national day at the Hellerup Park Hotel on October 29 were US ambassador Carla Sands. The occasion marked the 95th anniversary of the foundation of the republic

Algeria celebrated its national day at the Skovshoved hotel in Charlottenlund on November 1. Among the guests welcomed by the Algerian Embassy were Indonesian ambassador Muhammad Ibnu Said

Queen Margrethe attended the first day of rehearsals of Tivoli’s Christmas ballet The Nutcracker on October 30. The premiere is on November 23 and the run will continue until December 23

9 - 29 November 2018

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The diplomatic corps were out in force at the DTU High Tech Summit from October 10-11. Among those in attendance were (left-right) Indonesian ambassador Muhammad Ibnu Said, Serbian ambassador Jasmina Mitrovic Maric, Mexican ambassador Carlos Pujalte, Australian ambassador Mary Ellen Miller, Belgian ambassador Leo Peeters, South Korean ambassador Choi Jai-Chul, DTU dean Anders Overgaard Bjarklev and Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen

‘The Little Book of Hygge’ by Meik Wiking, the head of the Happiness Research Institute, has just been translated into many more different languages since its debut in Danish in 2016. English swiftly followed, and now the floodgates have well and truly opened. Lithuanian ambassador Ginte Bernadeta Damusis, Japanese ambassador Toshiro Suzuki and Dutch ambassador Henk Swarttouw were excited to get hold of a copy in their native tongue

Former heavyweight boxing world champ Mike Tyson held a press conference at Kødbyen on October 30 with Danish legend Mikkel Kessler ahead of their two-date ‘talkshow’ tour in Copenhagen and Herning, ‘History of Legends’

The adventurers from the exclusive Eventyrernes Klub were out in force at the National Museum on Culture Night on October 12 to mark the launch of a book that pays tribute to its 80 years of existence. One of its original members was Jacob Ellehammer (see page 19), the first European to fly

Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg was among the authors in attendance at the Copenhagen Book Forum at the Bella Center from October 26-28, where she presented ‘Mit lykkelige land’ (my happy country)

On October 29, Crown Princess Mary again fulfilled her duties as the patron of Julemærkefonden to unveil this year’s Christmas Seal at City Hall, pictured here with its designer, Peter Madsen (no, not that Peter Madsen)

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9 - 29 November 2018

OUT AND ABOUT

ALL PHOTOS :DAEN DE LEON

AST YEAR’S Copenhagen Conker Championship (CCC) was over shadowed by ‘Conker Gate’, when it was discovered that the winner had been playing upside down the whole time (the

conker was upside down, not the player). The final was therefore conceded to Tasha ‘Blue Arm’ Kapijimpanga (second right, on the right). Meanwhile, stern words were had with the CCC com-

mittee and judge to ensure this never happens again. This year’s games were a triumph. People have obviously been training hard throughout the off-season (what with I can only imagine).

The final was a tense, seemingly three-hour long match in which Liam ‘Furball’ Duffy (second right, with the winning conker, and right, his lucky ‘chest’nut) saw off last year’s winner. I’d like to thank the Co-

Toastmasters of Copenhagen is hosting the English-language ‘Humorous Speech Contest’ to coincide with the visit of the president of Toastmasters International. The more the merrier (Nov 14, 18:00; Hotel Skt Petri, Krystalgade 22, Cph K; free adm; toastmasters.dk)

Food is a medium to get closer to culture. Learn how to make Danish smørrebrød, the Danish open sandwich that is perfect for lunches, dinners and midnight snacks (Herluf Trolles Gade 9, Cph K; Nov 14; 09:00-13:00; 895kr, cphcookingclass.com)

Don’t miss this exclusive backstage Englishlanguage tour of Folketeatret The crystal chandeliers and the golden angels are to die for! There will be quite a few stairs so wear comfortable shoes (Folketeatret, Nørregade 39, Cph K; Nov 20; 17:00; 50kr, place2book.com)

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penhagen Post for their continued coverage of this exciting sport. Surely it’s only a matter of time until Ekstra Bladet catches on? See you all next year! EVENT ORGANISER JON NUNN

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Expand your network and stay in the loop with cultural and leisure activities in Copenhagen with the help of the IHC Leisure Guidance and Networking team (Huset-KBH, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K, Nov 28, 17:00-18.30, free adm)

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Do you wish to learn languages from all around the world and interact with people from different cultures? Broaden your horizons at Studenterhuset’s Language Cafe! (Købmagergade 52, Cph K ; Nov 17; 15:30-18:00; free adm)

Come out of your comfort zone and have fun by taking a free improv workshop. Learn the skills to survive with comedy in an unscripted world (ICC Theatre – Frederiksholm Kanal 2 Cph K; Nov 10, 17 & 24; 16:30-18:00; free adm)

Attend the book launch of ‘Copenhagen Food’ with its authors Trine Hahnemann and Columbus Leth and celebrate Scandinavian delicacies and recipes (Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; Nov 14; 19:00-21:00; free adm)

Laugh your hearts out with Germany’s Christian Schulte-Loh and Canada’s David Tsonos at the Copenhagen English Comedy Night (New Dubliner, Ny Østergade 14; Nov 15, 20:00; 110kr, billetto.dk)

Spend an evening of creativity, fun and verse in the company of Helene and Simone Bendix, the authors of ‘Paper Poetry‘ (Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; Nov 21; 19:00; free adm) MANEESH VENKATESH

HISTORY

9 - 29 November 2018

How Danish aviators soared with the Wrights before sinking into the Skagerrak

LAURA GEIGENBERGER

HE SEVENTEENTH of December 1903 was an ordinary day for JCH Ellehammer, a middle-aged watchmaker from Denmark. Despite his keen interest in engines and his private little experiments with flying machines, he had never heard of Orville and Wilbur Wright before.

Denmark’s pioneers THE BROTHERS’ exploits in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina – in which they managed to lift their engine-driven, heavier-than-air ‘Flyer 1’ into the sky for 12 seconds, travelling a distance of 36.5 metres, to record the first controlled and sustained flight made by a powered aeroplane in the history of mankind – were lost on Ellehammer. As far as he was concerned, he was still in the running to become the first person to fly, and his experiments continued in earnest. After all, the Wrights may have just laid down a groundbreaking milestone in the field of aeronautics, but it did not create much public excitement, which meant that when Ellehammer left the ground in his self-constructed aircraft three years later, he thought he was the first in the world to fly. In reality, he was the first in Europe. And in similar fashion to how Ellehammer overlooked the achievements of the Wrights, Danish contributions to the early history of aviation are often forgotten. Ellehammer, and then Alfred Christian Nervø and Robert Svendsen, would ensure that Denmark was an early pioneer when it comes to flying. First to fly in Europe JACOB Christian Hansen Ellehammer was born in Bakkebølle at the very southern tip of Zealand in 1871. As an apprenticed watchmaker and electronic engineer with an extensive knowledge of miniature devices, the principles of electricity and internal combustion engines, he was able to calculate the horsepower required to fly based solely on his observations of birds.

Ellehammer applied his findings to his self-invented design for a radial engine. Fitted into a semi-biplane, this engine would take him on the first ‘sustained’ flight made by a European. On 12 September 1906 he took off on the tiny island of Lindholm and covered a 42-metre distance whilst travelling 50 cm above the ground. But it went unpublicised, and two months later in November, the title of ‘first to fly in Europe’ was claimed by Alberto SantosDumont of Brazil, who piloted a kite-like contraption in front of a public audience on the outskirts of Paris and was hailed as the inventor of the aeroplane all over Europe. Nevertheless, two years later Ellehammer established a reputation for himself when he piloted the ‘Ellehammer IV’, the first aircraft to be flown in Germany, and he continued to play an active role in the development of European aviation until his death in 1946. He was particularly prolific in the area of rotating blades: in 1912, his self-constructed helicopter rose from the ground, and he also invested a motorised saw to use on pigs in a slaughterhouse. Flight school friends UNTIL he witnessed Ellehammer’s first experiments with aeroplanes, fellow countryman Alfred Christian Nervø had been an automobile and racing car enthusiast. Born in Copenhagen in 1879, this son of a restaurant owner worked as a sports journalist for Politiken for most of his career. After watching Ellehammer’s experiments in 1905 he became so fascinated in aviation that he bought himself a plane and enrolled in Mourmelon’s flight school in France. After obtaining an international pilot’s licence in early 1910, Nervø attempted his first flights at Kløvermarken, Copenhagen’s first airport, before embarking on his most famous journey – circling around the Rådhustårnet on 3 June 1910. At Mourmelon’s, Nervø met another aspiring pilot from Denmark by the name of Robert Svendsen, who would revolutionise aviation within his first half-year as a pilot. Not only did Svendsen set a new altitude record by flying 84

DANMARKS TEKNISKE MUSEUM

The first airborne European was a Danish watchmaker with an interest in engines, who had never heard of Orville or Wilbur

“Did you have to tell ‘Captain’ Ellehammer about the Wright Brothers just before we took the photo?”

metres above Kløvermarken on January 5, but he also became the first Dane to receive an international pilot’s licence ten days later. And then on July 3, he became the first Scandinavian pilot to ever fly a passenger. For his next record, Svendsen decided to try what no-one had ever attempted before: crossing the Øresund between Denmark and Sweden by plane. Starting again at Kløvermarken, he was witnessed landing south of Malmö in Limhamn on 16 July 1910, only four years after Ellehammer had made his first short hop on Lindholm. It was mainly due to Svendsen that Denmark was able to maintain its reputation as one of the leading countries in aviation during that decade. In 1911, the ‘youngster’ became the first to pilot a postal flight within Scandinavia in addition to winning 1,000 kroner for a 35-minute flight that covered a distance of 40 km. Headstart to the rest THE DANISH military also profited from Svendsen’s extensive experience flying ‘Glenten’, a Dania plane he reconstructed that was used as the country’s first military plane by the air force’s flight school between 1912 and 1913. But after several decades of development, the air force was grounded between 1940 and 1945 by the Nazi occupation, thus losing significant ground on countries actively involved in World War II and constantly

innovating to get ahead. By the time Denmark re-established its air force, introducing new planes and technology, it was playing catch-up using personnel with little experience flying and maintaining aircraft. It was hardly surprising, therefore, that Danish planes – military, commercial and private – were involved in a number of crashes in the 1950s, particularly given the overcrowded airspace in the wake of the war. Learning the hard way NEVERTHELESS, none of the incidents came close to matching the death toll of the worst crash in Danish aviation history. On 8 October 2001 at Linate Airport in Milan, Copenhagenbound Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686 collided with a business jet during take-off, killing all 110 people on board and 118 in total. Some 19 were Danes, along with 58 Italians, 20 Swedes and nine other Nordic nationals. The accident was blamed on thick fog together with inadequate safety systems, standards, and procedures at the airport. The disaster is not only the deadliest in Danish aviation history, but also in Italy’s. It took the record from Partnair Flight 394, a Norwegian charter that crashed into the Skagerrak on its way from Oslo to Hamburg on 8 September 1989, killing 50 passengers and five crew members. It is presumed the crash was caused by mechanical failure and poor maintenance. All of the pas-

sengers were employees of a shipping company on their way to participate in the launching of a new ship. Oslo was also involved in the third most deadly crash, when Hungarian Flight MA731 on 28 August 1971 departed from the Norwegian capital for Copenhagen and flew into a rain shower 8 km from the Danish coast. The storm caused strong clutter on the radar screen so severe that any contact with air traffic control became impossible. A sudden loss of control of the aircraft during its landing approach to Copenhagen Airport forced it into a steep descent, and it hit the water and broke up. Only three out of the 34 passengers survived, although one of them died three days later. Also at Copenhagen Airport, some 14 years earlier, Soviet plane CCCP-L1874, flying from Moscow to Kastrup, crashed into a chimney of the HC Ørstedsværket power station in Sydhavnen during its approach. Some 23 passengers and five crew members died. The accidents led to the country establishing an organisation to investigate aircraft incidents in 1979. AAIB, the Danish aircraft accident investigation board, was then replaced by AIB in 2004, which is responsible for all airspace over Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Just 98 years earlier, Ellehammer had been conducting backyard experiments. How he would have marvelled how far aviation had advanced.

20 TRAVEL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

9 - 29 November 2018

A taste of two cities: how Turkey’s rich heritage is rooted in its food ELLA NAVARRO

VERY TIME you have a kebab, did you know you’re eating a bit of Turkish heritage? Have you ever stopped to think where the recipe comes from? You might think of it as street or hungover comfort food, but you would see it differently if you visited Turkey, where you’d understand what a big role food has in its culture. Back to the roots LATELY it seems food has become a hot topic in culture worldwide. Before people would fixate more on objects or places as to what constitutes heritage, but now there’s a big focus on recipes and how people ate in the past – a movement that many refer to as ‘going back to the roots’. With a heavy emphasis on the use of local products and foraging to foster sustainability, in Denmark it started with Noma chef Rene Redzepi. “The whole idea of foraging, which has now become trendy worldwide, is something that has been done in Turkey forever,” explained Chef Mehmet Gurs, the half-Turkish, half-Finnish owner of Mikla Restaurant in Istanbul, which serves a fusion of Nordic-Turkish modern cuisine. “Even nowadays people living in Istanbul go on Sundays to the forest to pick mushrooms for example.” There is a strong movement to protect the legacy of Anatolian cuisine – the Asian side of Turkey, which comprises most of the country – and Gurs is one of its promoters, using suppliers from the region and learning how it used to be done. Aylin Oney Tan, a Turkish culinary researcher, concurs that it is all about Anatolia. “Everyone is talking about the roots of Anatolia: the seeds and grains of our past,” she contended. “Everybody is interested in learning from our roots because heritage in food teaches us a lot about our past. Food is about enjoyment, but also preservation.” In mid-October the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey presented the first episode of ‘Seeds’, a documentary series

tracing how seeds made their way from Anatolia to Europe. It traced the historic journey of wheat and barley seeds – crops that are often referred to as the founders of civilization. The richness of a culture and identity of a country has a lot to do with the history of its food, asserted Christian Berger, the EU ambassador to Turkey, in his speech at a mid-October gala in Istanbul. “We need to know where we come from to teach our children. This cultural heritage is not only in monuments, it is food, music and arts,” he said. Although, Scandinavia and Turkey are completely different in several aspects, there are also many similarities, contends Gurs – not least their natural approach to food. “For example, in the countryside in Sweden because of the harsh climate they do a lot themselves,” he said. “And food in Turkey is traditionally very natural, even in a big city like Istanbul where people still buy glass jars in the supermarket to make their own pickles and pastes at home.” Turks in Denmark MIGRANTS bring customs and traditions wherever they go, and food is a big part of who they are. Denmark is no different, as its modern diet has been heavily influenced by different food trends brought by immigrants. According to Danmarks Statistik, the Turks are the third largest immigrant group in Denmark, while 17 percent of all immigrant descendants in Denmark have Turkish origins, making it the largest group of descendants. It’s no surprise, as they moved here in large numbers half a century ago – a rate unprecedented in the history of Danish immigration. They were given a special dispensation to settle in the 1960s due to the high labour demand, and with them they brought their food traditions and slowly started to open different shops. The biggest concentration of Turkish food venues is in the district of Nørrebro, and the most common dish is the kebab, which has adapted to European tastes and proved to be incredibly popular. It’s fast, cheap and tasty, and often found on pizzas as well! The kebab is certainly a good

ALL PHOTOS: ELLA NAVARRO

From Istanbul to Gaziantep across the cradle of civilization, Anatolian cuisine is flourishing – and with good reason

Finnish chef Mehmet Gurs has brought Nordic fusion to Istanbul

example of how food fosters integration and participation in diverse cultural communities. First take an Istanbul espresso THERE is no better place to get a feel of where these influences come than the magical city of Istanbul, which overlooks the Marmara Sea, the Golden Horn and the Bosporus Strait – the natural waterway that unites the Asian side of Istanbul with the European side. “In Turkey everything is about food. You make friends over food. They invite you if they want to meet you: to take a coffee or tea at home,” explained Wilco van Herpen, a Dutch chef working in Turkey. Food contributes both tangible and intangible elements to cultural values and heritage through ingredients: through smells that are particularly characteristic of a place. But it also carries with it moments, anecdotes and stories. The Turkish kebab predates the proclamation of the Turkish republic about 250 years ago, according to Musa Dagdeviren, a passionate chef working in the district of Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul. More than a chef, he is a food anthropologist and a pioneer of reviving Anatolian cuisine. At his restaurant Ciya Kebab he serves kebab how it is supposed to be done – visit it and you must try the one stuffed with pistachios. When Dagdeviren opened his first venue, he wanted everyone

There’s no better place for sweets than Haci Bekir

The market in Kadikoy – well worth the trip on the ferry

TOP TIPS IN ISTANBUL - Take the ferry like the locals to Kadikoy, the hip area - Try lamb intestines at Sargin Kokorec - Eat a simit for breakfast – a Turkish bagel - Go to Haci Bekir for sweets - Take a stroll through the walking street, Istiklal - Buy the famous pickles and pickle juice at Ozcan Tursulari - Visit the Modern Art Museum of Istanbul - Visit Chora Museum - Visit the Egyptian spices bazar - In Pera, drink raki while eating like the locals do at Asmalit Cavit - Drink ayran (yoghurt) when you eat kebab

TRAVEL

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to eat kebab while listening to classical music. He had this idea of transforming a street food into something that could be eaten whilst discussing culture. Years later, after doing intensive research around Turkey, he opened a second restaurant, Ciya Sofrasi, where he revived old recipes from the different regions, thus keeping alive traditions that celebrate the cultural diversity that unites Turkish people. Among the dishes worth highlighting are: dizme manti (dumplings with spiced meat), oruk (small meat croquettes), ferdali kebabi, and the yayla yoghurt soup – each of which has its very own story. Another standout was keskek, a celebratory dish that is traditionally served at weddings, which Tan contends is the “the most democratic dish ever”. “Nobody can take the best part of the meat because you can’t see it in there,” she explained. “The privileged don’t get the best parts. Instead the community shares the food. Meat is sacrifice – a dish of gratitude to the gods and nature.” Slurped by Suleiman THE ASITANE Restaurant has orchestrated a similar revival with imperial Ottoman cuisine, resurrecting recipes that date back to the 15th century. “What we practise here is the Ottoman Palace royal cuisine. So the dishes are made with ingredients of a much higher quality – with complicated cooking techniques defined by multiple steps,” explained the restaurant’s founder, Batur Durmay. Durmay explained how the restaurant, which is named after one of the nicknames for Istanbul, researched the palace archives to look for the recipes and revive this heritage from the Ottoman era. They discovered over 380 dishes, and all the profits generated from the restaurant are invested into research and training young chefs and waiters. A warm almond soup from 1539 on the menu was served at Edirne Palace at the circumcision feast of two sons of Suleiman the Magnificent. Grated nutmeg and pomegranate seeds provided a sweet twist, and the delicious soup tasted like marzipan. For the main course, a melon was stuffed with minced meat, rice, almonds and currants – a reminder of how everything and anything could be stuffed in Ottoman cuisine.

And for dessert, it was Helatiye, a contemporary recipe that traces its roots back hundreds of years, along with Honey Halva – again from the 15th century – and ‘Antep’ pistachios. Gastronomic Gaziantep NO CULINARY visit to Turkey is complete without going to Gaziantep, a hotpot of traditional Turkish food. Name a well-known Turkish chef (Dagdeviren, for example) and they either grew up or studied there. The quality of the cuisine starts in the soil of a city where the entire community is part of the food process: from the butcher to the baker to the spice shop owners. So it is no surprise to learn that Gaziantep was one of eight cities in the world designated a City of Gastronomy by UNESCO in 2015. But there is so much more besides, as the city is as richly colourful and historic as its delicious dishes. Nestled between the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, where the first civilizations settled, Gaziantep is known by many as The City of Mosaics due to the many mosaics from the ancient Roman city of Zeugma excavated in the area, which are now displayed at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Its biggest attraction is the Gypsy Girl, which curiously resembles the National Geographic photograph of the Afghan Girl, complete with a Mona Lisa stare that follows you around the viewing area. Believed to be a dancer for Dionysus, nobody knows for sure whether it is a she or a he. More importantly than mosaics perhaps is its status as the

capital of baklava – in this case its reputation had preceded it with several recommendations to taste the best baklava in the world made from the most virtuous pistachios. On every Istanbul native’s to do list – including Tan, who edited the book ‘A taste of sun & Fire: Gaziantep cookery’ – the city, which many casually refer to as Antep, is a feast of food and flavours waiting to be experienced, even if it is just 99 km from Aleppo in Syria. Turkish delightful TRADITIONALLY on Sundays, Turkish families gather together with each one bringing a different dish made at home, and the kahvalti (breakfast) spread at Orkide Pastanesi celebrated this custom, offering plates containing vegetables, dips, olives, spreads, cheeses, jams and a basket of different warm breads (simit, pide). Divine-tasting rose and zucchini compotes were then trumped by a heavenly mix of honey from Hakkari with kaymak (white cheese). The secret of the honey lies in its production in the area of Hakkari in between the mountains where flowers grow from a soil full of rich minerals that allow the bees to produce a memorable honey. And the food kept coming to the table: whether it was the warm savoury pastries such as borek and yufkla; the crunchy and not too sweet, tissue-thin Katmer pastries filled with pistachios and cream, swirled by the chefs in the air, which are traditionally at weddings sent by the groom’s family to the bride’s

NEED TO KNOW IN GAZIANTEP - Flights to Gaziantep are about 90 minutes and depart every two hours from Istanbul. - Ali Bey Konagi or Anadolu Evleri are great places to stay with authentic and custom interiors. - Climb Gaziantep Castle for a fantastic view of the whole city - Visit Yemenicilik, the shoemaker that made 600 shoes for the movie ‘Troy’ - In the kitchen lamb is the meat most used and bulgur is the preferred grain - Yoghurt is a must in Gaziantep dishes. - Pistachio trees in Gaziantep flourish because of the ideal climate and excellent condition of the soil - Visit Lokus Ciger for gourmet kebab with lamb liver paired up with ayran (@lokuscigergaziantep) - At Yesemek, they make the nicest beyran, a traditional mutton and rice soup with garlic eaten traditionally by working men during breakfast - Buy ‘fingertip bread’ at a local bakery – they come out warm from the oven - Drink Turkish coffee at Tahmis Kahvecisi - Take home Antep pistachios from the bazaar

Intricacy at work as they make the fingertip bread at a Gaziantep bakery

Applying the final touches to the beyran at Yesemek

family the next morning to wish them happiness; or a salty dish revived from the old days in Antep that mixes walnuts, olives, meat and two fried eggs on top – often making use of leftover kebab, adhering to standards described by Chef Dagdeviren that nothing is thrown away. The dish recalled Chef Gurs’ explanation that: “Here everything is to the extremes. If it’s spicy it’s spicy, if it’s salty it is really salty, if it’s sweet it is really sweet. That’s the food here.” Best baklava in the world THEY SAY the best is always saved for last, and this came with the baklava at Gulluoglu, the oldest such shop in Gaziantep. Founded in 1871, the family-ran business is currently on its sixth generation. As the story goes, this Ottoman kitchen dessert was brought back by one of their ancestors from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, where he saw it sold on the streets. The baklava is made using phyllo pastry made in stone ovens with local ingredients such as pistachio, wheat and butter. It therefore tastes different to any baklava you have ever tried. The owner insists baklava should be eaten with the hand. Turn it upside down and check its shiny base, which means it’s fresh. You inhale the fantastic

smell and observe the fine layers of the pastry with the pistachio and then you are ready to dig in. Pistachios of the people GIVEN its popularity in the region, it’s no coincidence that a pistachio-shaped museum is being constructed to celebrate the history of this precious nut. “Pistachios have as much history as the history of humanity,” said Fatma Şahin, the metropolitan mayor of Gaziantep. “The secret of this is the quality of the soil, the sun and the labour. There is a story of the pistachios that emerged with a great struggle. We need to carry the blessings of this geography to the future as strong as possible. Pistachios are our most important product, our taste, our economy and the shining star of the region.” In Gaziantep food is at the core of everyday life. Every single dish is a handicraft: the result of toil, effort and time. By the time it reaches the table, it is a celebration. It’s something to consider the next time you eat a kebab or baklava on the streets of Nørrebro!

BEST TURKISH FOOD IN CPH Baklava: Favorit Baklavici Gourmet with a Scandi twist: Mangal Kebab: Kebabistan, Kosk Kebab, Durum Bar, Ankara

22 INOUT: EVENTS THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

THEATRE

ALASKA.COASTGUARD.DODLIVE.MIL

THEMEPARK

THAT THEATRE

LITERATURE

STUDIO SARAH LOU

C HELÍE

ON STAGE SKÅNE

THEATRE

9 - 29 November 2018 THEATRE

Murder Most Horrid Nov 23, 19:30, Nov 24, 18:30; STPLN Malmö, Stapelbäddsgatan 3; 80kr On Stage Skåne presents an evening inspired by Agatha Christie, which promises “a night of murder, mystery, mayhem and M&M brownies”. The two-hour bill consists of an original drama by Christie, followed by a comedy inspired by her masterpiece ‘And Then There Were None’.

Authors’ Stage: Leila Slimani Nov 8, 20:00; Queen’s Hall at Black Diamond, Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, Cph K; 125kr, kb.dk Don’t miss this English-language discussion with French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani, whose second novel, ‘Lullaby’, landed her France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt after selling 600,000 copies. Slimani actively promotes women’s rights and French culture in Morocco.

Christmas at Tivoli Nov 17-Dec 31, open Sun-Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 11:0024:00; Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, Cph V; tivoligardens.com Tivoli is rarely shut for long – particularly when it’s still got the rest of its 175th year to celebrate. Just 13 days after closing the doors on Halloween, it is opening for Christmas. Don’t miss the firework festival at the end of the year.

The Woman in Black ongoing, ends Nov 24; Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, Cph Ø; 175kr; thattheatre.com Just five years after its last triumph with this Susan Hill chiller, That Theatre is back for its third outing, again with Ian Burns and Benjamin Stender in the main roles, with Barry McKenna at the helm (check out our five-star review at cphpost.dk). As That Theatre urges: “Don’t come alone!”

The Santaland Diaries Nov 27-29, 20:00; LiteraturHaus, Møllegade 7, Cph N; 150kr, tickets@houseofinternationaltheatre.dk The House of International Theatre presents David Sedaris’ comical tale of a slacker’s ill-advised decision to take on a holiday job as Santa’s elf at Macy’s department store. Down the Rabbit Hole’s Jeremy ThomasPoulsen directs.

Crazy Christmas Cabaret Nov 13-Jan 5; Tivoli Glassalen; tickets: 170-385kr, londontoast.dk A half-naked Russian president riding horseback, North Korean atomic bombs on stand-by and two years of the orange-faced American leader ... get in the mood for Christmas at Vivienne McKee’s Crazy Christmas Cabaret, which this year is called ‘Fogg’s Off’.

The Nutcracker Nov 23-Dec 23; Tivoli Koncertsal; tickets: 275-635kr, tivoli.dk Little Marie’s magical journey into the Land of Sweets accompanied, of course, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s iconic music, has become synonymous with the festive season. Tivoli’s version places the action firmly in the themepark, including cameos from a few famous faces of yesteryear.

Die Fledermaus Nov 24-March 3; Operaen, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 125-725kr, kglteater.dk Few satires encompass as many tiers of society as ‘Die Fledermaus’: from the nobility and nou-veau riche to servant girls and state officials. And it still has time to fit in an erotic journey of seduction, alcohol, love, betrayal and tears.

Dans2Go Oct 23-March 18; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 200260kr; kglteater.dk The pick of the three pieces is My Daddy Loves Sugar So Much He Eats It With His Nose, a new piece by Oliver Starpov that blew our reviewer away. Jiří Kylián’s Symphony of Psalms, which is set to music by Igor Stravinsky, is inspired by biblical texts.

Phantom of the Opera ongoing, ends March 31; Det Ny Teater, Gammel Kongevej 29, Cph V; tickets: 209-748kr, detnyteater. dk; in Danish The sets in this historically huge production are of a big, bold, garish themepark aesthetic and they ably show a considerable budget exploited to its bloated potential. The overall effect is an eye-popping gothic sweetshop. (MW)

Skagerak Denmark Nov 24, 11:00-18:00; Indiakaj 2 Cph Ø The Skagerak design company’s Xmas market is well known for its selection of teas and trees. It also offers small brands and passionate artists, who present an exclusive selection of crafts. (RM)

Bjælken Christmas Market Nov 11, 11:00-14:00; Bjælken, Bjælkevangen 71, Kongens Lyngby This cosy local Xmas market is perfect for picking up personal, handmade presents for your loved ones. Enjoy coffee and cake as you explore knitted clothes, jewellery, decorations and art. (RM)

Kunstforening Xmas Market Nov 17-18, 10:00-15:00; Skovlunde Kulturhus, Skovlunde Enjoy æbleskiver, beer and gløgghis at this local market. In 2017, 900 local people came to enjoy the festivities – some of which sold handmade crafts that are great for presents. (RM)

Danish Open Belly Dance Nov 9-11; Glostrup Hallen, Stadionvej 80, Glostrup; 220-370kr; danishopenbellydance.wordpress.com Enjoy dazzling performances by hundreds of bellydancers to enchanting music in their bid to be the best this year in several different categories of dance. (LG)

Hillerød Folk Festival Nov 10-11; Klaverfabrikken, Fredensvej 12A, Hillerød; 50-250kr; klaverfabrikken.dk Folk artists, such as Spanish duo Fetén Fetén and Swedish-Danish folk-band Spöket i Köket, offer a range of workshops on dance, singing and games. (LG)

CPH English Comedy Nights Nov 15 & Dec 6, 20:00; Dubliner Downtown, Ny Østergade 14, Cph K; 120kr at door A night of English-language comedy with headliners David Tsonos and Christian SchulteLoh (Nov 15) and Justin Panks and Dave Ward (Dec 6).

Poetic Sounds Nov 10, 19:30; Huset-KBH, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; free adm Siegmar Tonk, Jana Pulkrabek and Katrin Weisser are among the performers at this poetry concert to launch Move the North, a new cross-border-festival. Expect jazz, poetry-slam and songs.

An Evening with Stravinsky Nov 18, 19:30; DR Koncerthuset, Ørestads Boulevard 13, Cph S; 73-500kr; drkoncerthuset.dk The National Symphony Orchestra welcomes Dutch violinist Janine Jansen to perform Igor Stravinsky’s ballet composition ‘Le sacre du printemps’. (AC)

Teater Tapas Oct 28 & Nov 25, 16:00; Teaterøen, William Wains Gade 18, Cph K Artists stage 15-minute performances of any style/ genre in English, Danish or without words. Every monthly get-together tends to have its own theme. And yes, tapas are served.

Improv comedy nights weekly shows Wed-Sat 20:00, stand-up Sun 20:00; Frederiksholm Kanal 2, Cph K; 100-125kr The Byens Bedste winner Improv Comedy Copenhagen offers a staggering five English-language shows a week.

ON SCREENS

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Playing themselves: From in-joke to TV trope to any old bloke BEN HAMILTON

AS mime artist Marcel Marceau the first actor to play himself in a film, when he uttered the only line of The Silent Movie in 1976? Trick question, as James Caan, Liza Minnelli, Anne Bancroft, Paul Newman and Burt Reynolds all played themselves as well. But the answer is hell no, as there have been dozens of examples, and well in advance of the popular trope today – started by The Larry Sanders Show and seen in the likes of Curb your Enthusiasm and Extras – in which an actor plays an exaggerated, often crueller version of themselves for laughs. Cecil B DeMille played himself as an in-joke in Sunset Boulevard (1950), for example, with Buster Keaton also appearing in an uncredited role. Almost two decades earlier, Fred Astaire played himself in his very first onscreen appearance in Dancing Lady (1933) and three years before that another Fred, MGM movie director Fred Niblo, played himself in Free and Easy (1930). But even that isn’t the record! Spookily in 1912, back in the days when post-traumatic stress syndrome might earn you an hour off work, schoolgirl Dorothy Gibson played herself in the ten-minute film Saved from the Titanic. She wore the same clothes in which she was rescued in – just 29 days after its sinking!

You can’t dispute this creation WAS CLINT Eastwood’s decision to cast three US soldiers, who thwarted a terrorist attack on a French train in 2015, as themselves in The 15:17 to Paris (Netflix from Nov 7; 45 on Metacritic) any stranger?

In fact, Eastwood, who is rapidly becoming as prolific and inconsistent as fellow octogenarian Woody Allen, cast three other people as themselves: two other heroes on the day – a British IT consultant and a French-American professor who was shot in the back by the terrorist (not the same actor!) – and, perhaps most bizarrely, the professor’s mother. At a time when there’s talk of virtual screen stars putting actors out of work, is Clint’s recipe an even bigger threat? Well, the critics haven’t been kind, with only 24 percent decreeing the movie passable on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, the recreation of the attack received plaudits – and the beauty with Netflix, compared to the cinema, is that you can fastforward. Has Vikings lost the plot? EQUALLY macabre real-life events left their mark on the making of S4 of Narcos (Netflix from Nov 16) when a location scout was killed while exploring a rural area outside Mexico City. Having successfully switched from Escobar to the Cali cartel for an enjoyable S3, Narcos is heading north to tackle the Juarez Cartel – and quickly, it has to be said, at a time when most big series (a trend set by Westworld and copied by Game of Thrones) are no longer caving into the pressure to release a season every year. Vikings (HBO Nordic from Nov 29) has a different strategy, as its next season is S5B – a trend set by the final bow of The Sopranos, but not copied … until now. It did the same with S4, so this coming season is actually its seventh. A S6 (8 and 9) has already been confirmed, and there is talk of a spinoff series, Valhalla, featuring

backstories of characters killed off in seasons 1-5 (sorry, 1-7). But do viewers want this … as one of its appeals is that gruesome characters meet deserving fates. Viewers don’t want to see them living as immortals in a domain in which they can’t be killed. Thanks to its exciting action scenes and a bevvy of hunks and beauties, Vikings is understandably popular, but it shouldn’t kid itself it is an all-time classic worthy of a spinoff (think Better Call Saul from Breaking Bad). It’s not a patch on The Last Kingdom, of which S3 is being broadcast in the UK from November 18. Among the other series returning over November are crap university drama Clique (S2; HBO Nordic; Nov 10), US anthology affair Room 104 (S2; HBO Nordic; Nov 10), US historical drama Frontier (S3; Netflix; Nov 23), and the final season of House of Cards (S6; Netflix; Nov 2 – 62 on Metacritic), with Kevin Spacey erased from everything bar two seconds of the S5 recap. If the first episode is anything to go by, it’s failed to fill the ‘spacey’. Presumably Christopher Plummer was too busy. Never tiring of the Nazis IN THE Sound of Music, Plummer was busy evading the Nazis, and the US soldier protagonists in zombieWorld War II film Overlord (63; Nov 8) have the same problem – only this time, they’re the undead. It’s funny how adaptable the Nazis are. From locating archaeological artefacts (Indiana Jones) and winning WWII and taking over the US (The Man in the High Castle), to settling in Argentina (recent Netflix release Operation Finale won’t win any Oscars, but it’s polished enough to be recommended) or outerspace (Iron Sky), there’s no end

Marcel Marceau, Larry David and ... err ... Caren Bernsen from LA Law

to their talent for surviving. And this outing in post-D Day France is not even the first time they’ve turned up as cinematic zombies. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwand (Not Released Worldwide; Nov 15) has everything bar zombies, and that includes plenty of Harry Potter Universe references this time – particularly as Dumbledore (Jude Law) is one of the main characters. Continuity is assured thanks to director David Yates coming back for his sixth HPU film. It will need to hit one out of the quidditch park to catch Widows (88; Nov 22) as the film of the month, a Steve McQueen-directed movie in which the wives of a gang of thieves (led by Viola Davis) complete ‘the job’ their husbands (led by Liam Neeson) were killed trying to pull off. McQueen has substituted the humour of most heist films with substance, and the applause has been loud both sides of the Atlantic. The derision for Life Itself (21; Nov 22), from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, has been no less deafening. While the jury is out on the remake of Dario Argento’s hallowed 1977 Italian horror Suspiria (67; Nov 15), which has so far escaped that special type of scorn reserved for remaking a classic film badly.

Will Chris do a Costner? OVER IN Britain, they don’t like Yanks coming over to play their heroes (think Kevin Costner as Robin of California), and Chris Pine is the latest to don some chainmail and a medieval beard, tighting up to play Robert the Bruce in Outlaw King (58; Netflix; Nov 9). Orson Wells pulled off that trick, most notably as Falstaff in the excellent Chimes of Midnight, but he failed in his final hurrah, which was ironically a movie about an ageing director trying to complete his final film. They’ll love me when I’m dead (81; Netflix; Nov 2) recalls the madness of it all. Aspiring director Ben Stiller’s prison breakout series Escape at Dannemora (HBO Nordic from Nov 19) stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano in a love triangle. It sounds unconventional, but looks promising, Also look out for UK dark comedy Sally4Ever (HBO Nordic, Nov 12), which is from the same creator as Nighty Night, and US dramedy series The Kominsky Method (Netflix, Nov 16) starring Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas. The latter is set in the acting world, and features a regular in LA Law playing himself – neither for laughs nor because he is famous, proving it’s as commonplace in Hollywood as drugs and nepotism.

DOCUMENTARY OF THE MONTH

LE GRAND BAL

Every year – in an idyllic French countryside location – several thousand people come together to dance. For 7 days, they dance and loose the concept of time. See ‘Le grand bal’ November 8th-13th. We present some 50 films with English dialogue or subtitles every month. See what’s on at cinemateket.dk or visit us in Gothersgade 55

Wait, what!? You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t choose Studieskolen? Ask anyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where do you get the best Danish classes? We know the answer. We have been teaching Danish to foreigners for more than 40 years with great results. If fast progression, outstanding teachers and the best study environment is what you are looking for - go for the best. Go for Studieskolen. Find our new courses on studieskolen.dk/dansk Follow us /studieskolen