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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 21 ISSUE 02 26 January - 22 February 2018

NEWS Survey suggest cycling averts thousands of premature deaths 2 HISTORY

The festival of fun Like most harmless festivities, Fastelavn’s back story is murky

RAINBOW LAG?

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Family reunification made easier … for Danes COMMUNITY Opting for whiskey, our shot choice got more risky

13 INOUT

Pain of clones Ian Burns’ latest play considers humanity’s ethical minefield

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Unpopular criteria to be axed in wake of long-standing criticism, but it will now be even harder for foreigners CHRISTIAN WENANDE

L

ED BY THE immigration minister, Inger Støjberg, the government has proposed making family reunification easier for Danes … while making it more difficult for foreigners.

Scourge is scrapped THE STATE wants to replace ‘indflytningskrav’ (‘moving-in criteria’) with new conditions applicants must live up to in order to obtain the reunification.

This will involve the scrapping of the infamous ‘Tilknytningskravet’ – criteria that relations have to satisfy in order to move to Denmark.

WORLDWIDE VISA SERVICES Assistance with visa to: Russia, Brazil, China, Cuba, India, Australia, Ghana, Sudan, Saudi Arabia USA, Vietnam and many more.

The Tilknytningskravet has long been a scourge of Danes living abroad who wish to bring their foreign spouses back home to Denmark.

Four out of six INSTEAD, applicants will need to fulfil four out of six new criteria for approval, of which one must be the compulsory passing of level three Danish.

For those already here seeking reunification, they must have been employed or self-employed for at least five years in Denmark, or have had at least five years of education in Denmark.

In order to be admitted into Denmark, applicants will either have to speak reasonable English or pass Danish at level 1, have been in full-time employment for three out of the last five years, and spent at least one

year in higher education.

‘Ghetto’ blasted BUT THE new conditions will make the process even more challenging for people who are not already integrated.

For instance, in future it will be impossible for people who reside in vulnerable neighbourhoods, or ‘ghettos’ as they call them in Denmark, to be granted family reunification.

“We need to ensure that the people who are family-reunified in Denmark actually become integrated and will contribute to society,” Støjberg told JyllandsPosten newspaper.

Right-wing party Dansk Folkeparti is naturally pleased with the proposal, as is Socialdemokratiet, but other parties such as Radikale are against the move.

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Tax instead of TV licence DR DIRECTOR-GENERAL Maria Rørbye Rønn has conceded that the media licence might need to be replaced with a tax that ensures richer people pay more. Ahead of negotiations for a new media agreement, which will start in 2019, she said it was “unfair” on young people – particularly those who don’t live in bedsits and have to pay the full 2,527 kroner themselves.

Four partial Danish noms TWO DOCUMENTARIES co-produced by Danish companies have been nominated for Oscars: ‘Last men in Aleppo’ and ‘Strong Island’. Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen has been nominated for ‘The Shape of Water’, as has Swedish film ‘The Square’, which stars Danish actor Claes Bang in the lead role, as Best Foreign Language Film.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK ‘OPERATION Nordlys’ (Northern Lights) – a huge police effort to combat the Christiania cannabis trade, which led to 83 people being sentenced to nearly 220 years in prison – is now turning into a legal nightmare. A judge, two public prosecutors and several witnesses are accused of malpractice, raising the possibility that many of the sentences will be quashed.

Jetski verdict appealed THE STATE prosecutor has appealed the city court verdict to sentence the jetski rider responsible for the deaths of two US students in May 2017 to two years. Elisabeth Boserup argues the 25-year-old’s actions should be treated as if he was driving a car, suggesting four years would be more appropriate when the case reaches the high court.

Noma on (fish) course

Meningitis case dropped COPENHAGEN Police has confirmed it will not be continuing its investigation into a doctor at Rigshospitalet accused of negligence in relation to the death of a 16-year-old boy caused by meningitis in January 2016. Patients safety association Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed reported the case to police last year.

Editorial offices: International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 Copenhagen Denmark

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Peter Madsen could face life in prison after prosecutors accuse him of “prior planning and preparation”

P

ETER MADSEN has been charged with murdering the Swedish journalist Kim Wall aboard his submarine last August, the Prosecution Service at the Copenhagen Police Department confirmed last week.

Madsen is accused of “prior planning and preparation,” and the charge sheet further speculates that he cut her throat or strangled her.

Madsen claims her death was accidental, and he denies murder.

Prosecutors want life PROSECUTORS will ask for life imprisonment at his trial, which is scheduled to start on March 8 and conclude on April 25.

Additionally, they will request his sentence is served in safe custody on advice received

The murder charge has probably wiped the smile off all their faces

from the Medico Legal Council on January 15.

Earlier in the month, Madsen waived his right to appear before a judge who could theoretically release him, thus agreeing to another four weeks of custody.

Further charges OTHER charges include the “indecent handling” of a corpse – primarily related to his dismemberment of Wall’s body, which he has admitted to – and “other sexual relations

than intercourse of a particularly dangerous nature” with Wall.

Madsen has also been charged with two counts of severely violating the Act on Safety at Sea, with the recommendation that his submarine, Nautilus, should be confiscated and destroyed.

Meanwhile, a fund set up in September by the parents of Kim Wall in the name of their daughter, which will be made available to ‘brave female journalists’, has already raised a million kroner.

(BH)

Cycling averts premature death – study COPENHAGENIZE

NOMA’S head chef René Redzepi has insisted there will be no delays ahead of the reopening of his restaurant on February 15. Fully booked for the whole of 2018, the menu will change seasonally from fish to vegetarian to game. The 2,250 kroner-ahead spring fish menu includes cod sperm and sea cucumbers.

Submariner charged with murder HASSE FERROLD

Cannabis case crumbling

26 January - 22 February 2018

A half-decent network makes a big difference, reports ISGlobal

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F EVERY major city in Europe had adequate cycle paths, it would avert 10,000 premature deaths a year, according to a study by the Barcelona institute for global health, ISGlobal.

A half-decent network would encourage 24.7 percent of a city’s population to cycle to and from work, claims the study.

Copenhagen’s network encourages 45 percent to get in the saddle.

The most to gain THE STUDY, the first to establish a connection between cycling and improved health,

Lot less fun than London COPENHAGEN is the 16th most fun city in Europe according to a new index from Oliver’s Travels. However, its score of 26 was a long way short of the top three of Rome (73), Paris (78) and London (104). Barcelona, Prague, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, Milan and Lisbon completed the top 10, while Stockholm finished 20th.

Flushed with pride?

ROSKILDE Festival is replacing its portaloos with 25 toilet ‘islands’ connected to running water and electricity. Additionally there will also be more urinals.

The festival hopes the new set-up will persuade revellers to stop pissing against the fences.

Grenade scare AN OLD hand grenade was found in a recycling shed in Christiania on January 8, according to Copenhagen Police.

Experts from the Armed Forces were called to remove it, at which point they established it was not armed.

Embassy in shutdown THE STREET outside the US Embassy in Østerbro was cordoned off on January 10 after the address received a suspicious package. Dag Hammarskjöld Allé was closed from the Lakes to a block down from Østerport Station.

Premature deaths averted, but not early senility

concludes that “the advantages outweigh the harmful effects of air pollution and traffic accidents”.

The study, which used data from 167 European cities, was

part of the PASTA (Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches) project.

It identified the three cities with the most to gain as London, Rome and Barcelona. (SG)

Shooting in Næstved THE TRUCE declared in the Copenhagen gang war hasn’t stopped all the shootings. A 23-year-old man ended up in hospital with gunshot wounds on January 7 after an episode in Næstved in southern Zealand.

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26 January - 22 February 2018

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WELCOME HOME

Since 2004, we’ve worked to cherish that special feeling of ‘home’. Without boasting too much, we can say we’ve succeeded rather well. Today, we are Denmark’s largest housing agency. We rent everything from the small, one-room flats in town to the 500 sq metre villa on the coast. Furnished or unfurnished. On a monthly or yearly basis. We know for sure that a new existence away from familiar surroundings requires tranquillity on the home front. That applies whether you are the landlord, who is moving on – or the tenant who just wants to settle in comfortably.

It’s all about making you feel right when you step inside the door.

Welcome Home to Denmark’s largest housing agency housingdenmark.com

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COVER

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

26 January - 22 February 2018

LGBT sports: Fabulous for friends, but a means to an end?

Certainly not, say the Black Swans, a field hockey side in Copenhagen who value an environment in which they can truly be themselves LIZA BUCCHIN

I

T’S A BIT chilly for a LGBT parade, but that hasn’t put Pride Copenhagen off from organising a week of indoor festivities and culture next month.

There might be less bare flesh on display, but these guys and gals will once again be displaying pride with a capital P at a party with an equally big member from February 5-11.

But as the winter edition of Copenhagen Pride continues to grow in popularity in the capital of a country well known for its progressiveness – as close to a LGBT utopia that is possible to hope for in this current climate – it’s worth asking whether there will be a day in the future when people might feel there isn’t a need for LGBT events.

Nowhere might this be more logical than in the world of sport, where LGBT clubs are increasingly emerging and even forming their own leagues.

LGBT sport is a big deal in Copenhagen. It hosted the World Outgames in 2009 and it is currently campaigning hard to organise EuroGames in 2021, which would be held together with the prestigious WorldPride as a mega event called Copenhagen 2021.

But would LGBT sport exist in a utopia?

Fear of (bodily) fluids SPORTS club Pan Idræt was created in 1984 to offer a safe athletic environment for people of all gender identities, backgrounds and sexual preferences in response to an exclusion of homosexual men from mainstream swimming clubs due to a fear they might transmit AIDS. Furthermore, it offered an alternative activity to frequenting bars and clubs at a time when Copenhagen’s LGBT community was in danger of being limited to the nightlife scene.

The club quickly grew, and today it encompasses 25 different teams with over 900 members. Its achievements are well recognised. It won a national award for sports club development in 2015 and was

named sports club of the year in Copenhagen in 2016.

While the core membership consists of gays and lesbians, an increasing number of transgender people are beginning to enter the league in search of an environment in which they can be comfortable about who they are.

Just like an expats club CLUB MEMBER André Duarte from Portugal, a 33-year-old field hockey player, has no doubt that the future of LGBT sports looks solid, and that there is a very real need for it.

“I think we are very far away from a reality where LGBT people can be 100 percent carefree about their sexual orientation while playing sports,” he told CPH POST. “We just want to be able to be ourselves – at least for these couple of hours a week – and practise sports with other likeminded people without having to worry about what people might say or do if you mention or share your sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Aside from giving its members an environment they can enter without the fear of prejudice, the clubs also exist as a support system in much the same way as other clubs might do for expats, contends Duarte.

“It’s the same as an Irish rugby club in Tokyo for Irish expats, or a ladies-only yoga class,” he continued.

“People like to be around those with the same interests/backgrounds and in safe spaces – it is just human nature. I see it as a good thing, as long as they exist for positive and inclusive reasons.”

Fierce, Fabulous, Friends DUARTE plays for the Copenhagen Black Swans, a Pan Idræt field hockey team of expats and Danes committed to building community and social inclusion.

As well as locally, it competes in PinkHockey, a global community for LGBT field hockey players that come together to compete in tournaments all over the world, sometimes in Olympic stadiums in cities such as Barcelona and Sydney.

Travelling together is an obvious highlight for the Black Swans as it is an opportunity to bond as a team and party and play with a global community.

The team is run predominant-

BLACK SWANS

Partying hard and playing fierce

ly in English due to its diversified participants and admired by many other organisations for its positive energy and superior teamwork.

Its motto, ‘Fierce, Fabulous, Friends’, suggests it is a fun place, and I attended training to find out for myself.

The first thing I was struck by was the overwhelmingly open atmosphere and a relationship between teammates that is truly heartwarming.

Every member has their own nickname and there is a social event (picnic, dinner, party etc) every week.

Up close with Big Mama CHATTING on the sidelines, the trainer, Esben Shane (nickname ‘Big Mama’), explained that “we aim to be the best team at being a team – on and off the pitch.”

Shane plays an integral role in making the team a family, whether it is as the social event organiser – on average, they have one a week, including picnics, dinners and parties – or cheerleader or confidant.

It is obvious that his presence acts as a glue holding this family tighter together.

“Being far away from your family and friends is hard as it is. Being gay and introvert makes it harder for me to open up and make friends,” commented Duarte.

“So with the Black Swans I can practise a fun sport, stay in shape, and build a sense of belonging and camaraderie that I couldn’t find anywhere else.”

Room for improvement THE BLACK Swans are paving the way towards creating meaningful inclusive spaces that enhance the quality of life and health of a wide range of people.

It is a team dedicated to lessons and relationships built on and off the field – an inspiring example of how to promote societal cohesion through athletics.

While this team appears to be a huge success, the need to build such a community suggests the surrounding athletic culture has much room for improvement – in Denmark and across Europe. As English FA chairman Greg Clarke admitted in 2016: “It would be impossible for a gay Premier League player to come out.”

Recent research by Stonewall Charity revealed that 72 percent of supporters at live sport events have heard anti-LGBT insults yelled during a game in the last five years, and that 22 percent of young fans deem this homophobic language ‘harmless banter’.

Although Danish badminton star duo Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl came out last year, their relationship was kept a secret for eight years.

The lack of players that come out of the closet in mainstream leagues combined with dangerous sporting event atmospheres creates a threatening environment for LGBT sports people.

Denmark has further to go in terms of creating an environment where people do not feel the need to be separate to be comfortable.

• Currently training indoors (Mon 19:30-21:00; Falkonergården Gymnasium, Sønderjyllands Alle 25, Frederiksberg), the outdoor season (Mon 18:00-20:30; Valby Idrætspark) starts in March • New players can try training three times before they must make a decision about joining.

An annual membership costs 1,040 kroner. All playing abilities are welcome. Equipment can be borrowed at first, but buying your own is eventually necessary • The team travels abroad once a year to participate in the world tournament Pink Hockey. This year the destination is Paris • Social trips include teambuilding days in February and May, a skiing trip in March, and of course Copenhagen Pride in August • Find out more on Facebook, Instagram or via the hashtag #CPHBlackswans. Contact the club via hockey@panidraet.dk or 3022 5073

CPH WINTER PRIDE • Taking place from February 5-11, most events are based at Studenterhuset (Købmagergade, CPH K) • Entertainment at the venue includes performances, debates, talks and workshops • Highlights include a performance by spoken word artist Sylvia Thomas and a rope bondage workshop • Elsewhere, Arken is hosting two exhibitions, and the big party is on February 10 at Pumpehuset

NEWS

26 January - 22 February 2018

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE FOREIGN minister, Anders Samuelsen, travelled to Canada this month to participate in a meeting concerning the ongoing precarious situation in North Korea. “The meeting will help send a clear message to North Korea that we won’t accept their continuing and numerous breaches of UN resolutions,” he said.

Failure will cost you ACCORDING to new language school guidelines, failing a module will hit students in the pocket in the future. A new voucher scheme sets out a fiveyear period in which to complete the entire six modules free of charge. But there is no room for failure, and there also stiff penalties should the student fail to follow the enrolment rules.

No smoking at home!

A NEW PROPOSAL for the municipalities would ban smoking for its employees during working hours, regardless of where they are. This would include on the way to and from work, or when they work at home. A recent Megafon poll revealed that 40 percent think all workplaces should be smoke-free, while 79 percent backed smoke-free schools in a Kantar Gallup poll.

Stolen painting recovered A PAINTING valued at 10 million kroner, which was stolen from Ølstrup Church in west Jutland in 2014, has popped up in northern Germany. ‘Middag i Emmaus’ was painted by Emil Nolde in 1904. Criminals submitted the painting to local police as part of an amnesty arrangement once they realised it was stolen property.

More jets deployed LAST YEAR, the Air Force deployed its F-16 fighter jets 37 times in response to Russian aircraft approaching Danish airspace – nearly double the 20 times the jets were deployed in 2016 and on a par with the high frequency of air challenges in 2014-15. However, the defence minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, cautions that Russia poses no threat to Denmark.

STEELSERIES

North Korea concerns

Eyes on the screen, but don’t share The whole world is talking about Danish teenagers, but they wouldn’t know as they’re glued to their game

H

ALF THE country’s teenage boys grab their joystick every day. A fair proportion of them could soon have a criminal record. Even more are called Nielsen. And to cap it all, they’re the weaker sex.

This past fortnight has enabled us to build a fairly vivid picture of the modern male Danish teenager – apt as there’s nothing they like better than keeping their eyes on the screen.

This is what we do!

SOME 96 percent of male Danes aged 13 to 19 say they play computer games, according to Medieudviklingen 2017, the latest consumer habits report published by DR Medieforskning.

And 49 percent play daily – chiefly at the expense of conventional TV, with 43 percent of the age group never watching it, compared to 16 percent five years ago.

Gaming is the activity the boys are most likely to disconnect from their smartphones to fully concentrate on. Nevertheless, they still find room for leisure activities, homework and YouTube.

Girls also play games in reasonably heavy numbers. While 5 percent play every day, some 50 percent say they play computer games, and the report also found that 10 percent of women aged over 50 play every day.

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ONLINE THIS WEEK Rats love warm winters A NUMBER of municipalities have reported a significant spike in rat sightings – among them Odense (up 29 percent), Copenhagen (41), Esbjerg (45), Aarhus (90) and Stevns (200). The authorities blame the recent mild winters, which fail to kill many of the rodents, and the public for leaving seeds and oats out for birds. Aalborg, meanwhile, is giving owls a trial run in Østre Anlæg park to see if they can make a difference.

To be fair, a lot more people watched that Facebook video

quickly whistled around the whole world.

The majority of those charged with distributing child pornography have shared the video a couple of times, but there are some who have shared it hundreds of times.

Those found guilty face conditional sentences of around 20 days in prison, while the conviction will go on their criminal record for at least two years.

They will also spend at least ten years on the child offence registry – which would bar them from working in jobs in which they interact with children.

With 64 percent, the island of Læsø has the highest share of people with surnames that end in ‘-sen’, while immigrant-heavy Ishøj, with 29 percent, has the lowest.

Viral video, viral story AS SURPRISING as the figures might be, they can’t compare with over 1,000 Danish youngsters being charged by the police with sharing a sex video involving a 15-year-old girl and several boys. The news

Niels would be proud CLOSE to 50 of those accused are probably called Nielsen. There are now 249,088 nationwide – 1,300 more than the number of Jensens, which it overtook at the beginning of 2017.

About 9 percent of the Danish population is named either Nielsen or Jensen, which has been dropping in popularity as many opt for double-barrel versions, or their mother’s maiden name.

Partly for this reason, and also due to immigration, the share of Danes with surnames that end in the ‘-sen’ suffix has fallen from 62 to 47 percent over the past 25 years.

Women more resilient HERE’S something Brigitte Nielsen could have told you in the 1980s when she was thumping Sylvester Stallone down to size: women are the stronger sex!

Or at least throughout history, they have proven to be more resilient during catastrophes.

Researchers from the Max Planck Odense Center and the University of Southern Denmark studied historical life expectancy data relating to disasters like the Great Famine of Ireland (184549) and discovered that when the mortality rate is high, women live longer than men, and the same is true of babies and children.

Before the Great Famine, each gender had a life expectancy of 38 years, but this tumbled to 18.17 for men, but only down to 22.4 for women.

And this trend was found everywhere. In fact the researchers only found one case in which men survived more than women: the slave trade in Trinidad in which male slaves had a higher value and therefore more effort was put into keeping them alive.

Rise in conflicts

Denmark is great – BBC

Terror a serious threat

THE NUMBER of young people looking for safe haven with RedSafehouse to flee honour-related conflicts has risen from 88 in 2008 to a record 307 last year. The organisation operates two hidden locations nationwide. Counselling group Etnisk Ung, which has seen a quadrupling of cases, and the state police, Rigspolitiet, concur that it is a growing problem.

DENMARK has been named by the BBC as one of the six best governed countries in the world.

The BBC assessed criteria such as progressive social policies, trust in government, minimal corruption, an effective justice system, and a tendency to spearhead educational and medical initiatives. New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Chile and Botswana were also included.

ACCORDING to PET’s Centre for Terror Analysis report, terrorism remains a serious threat to Denmark. The threat primarily originates from militant Islamists born out of the conflict against Islamic State. Attacks involving simple and quicklyplanned actions by radicalised people in Islamic environments are deemed the most likely.

Circumcision debate ÖZLEM Cekic, a former MP, has sparked a national debate by writing a short story about circumcision that will be studied by 178,000 pupils this year.

Many object to how it compares the ritual to ceremonies such as baptism. Cekic said she wanted to give teachers a tool to promote more understanding.

Some 87 percent of the population believe circumcision should be banned.

US air base clean-up DENMARK has promised Greenland it will clean up its abandoned US bases at a cost of 180 million kroner over the next six years. Most of the WWII bases include runways and buildings. Meanwhile, Aarhus University has granted public access to its Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring database, which contains information about the Arctic collected over the last two decades..

Cheap for cigs DENMARK is the second cheapest EU country in which to smoke when the price is compared to other household expenses. Only Luxembourg is more affordable. Some 22 percent of Danes over the age of 15 smoke – a slight increase over the last year.

Another preacher banned MAZIN Abdul-Adhim has been added to the government’s list of banned preachers. The Canadian is the 12th to be included, and he will be provisionally banned from entering Denmark for two years before his inclusion is reconsidered.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK DANISH wind turbines set their ninth record in 10 years in 2017, producing 43.4 percent of the country’s electricity needs – a long way ahead of Portugal’s 24 percent. In related news, DTU has launched an EU-wide tender for a new supercomputer to make computational fluid dynamic calculations in the field of wind energy, and Donald Trump’s climate advisor, Vincent DeVito, has visited Esbjerg to learn more about Danish wind energy.

Help for diabetics A NEW FREE app called LIVA has been made available by Copenhagen’s Center for Diabetes to make it easier for diabetics to monitor their blood sugar level and other vitals. Developed by the team behind NetDoktor, SlankeDoktor and Sundheds Doktor, it is tailor-made for Danish diabetics.

Copenhagen is the 12th municipality in Denmark to use the app.

Leaders in clean-air tech THE FOOD and environment minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, is spearheading a new strategy dedicated to making Denmark a global leader in clean-air technology. It aims to double the export of clean-air tech by 2030 – a market currently worth 7 billion kroner – while reducing air pollution around the world.

GPs not prescribing dope MANY DOCTORS are refusing to prescribe medicinal cannabis despite it now being legal to do so as part of a four-year trial that started on January 1 with 22 million kroner of funding. Most doctors are citing a matter of principle, and medical association Dansk Selskab for Almen Medicin has advised doctors that prescribing it could compromise their safety.

VR help for dementia RESEARCHERS from DTU and IT firm Pactor are developing a new virtual reality tool that stimulates brain activity among people with dementia.

The tool helps sufferers train their short-term memory and speech capabilities. Trials are ongoing at two elderly centres in Ballerup Municipality.

Holding back on the sprinklage

CC

Record year for wind

26 January - 22 February 2018

Whether it’s sugar or water, too much is a bad thing

Spider species overload DANISH researchers have discovered another 18 species of the pelican spider in Madagascar’s rain forest, bringing the number of known species up to 90, reports Videnskab.dk. The first pelican spider specimen, which is named due to its abnormally long neck, was discovered in the mid-1800s.

E

VERYTHING in moderation – we don’t need doctors to tell us that. But everyone knows somebody who drinks six litres of full-sugar soft drinks a day, with the Grim Reaper for company. The graveyard is full of morons.

Circulation like Carrie’s PEOPLE were surprised when Carrie Fisher died, but then again, she did drink 16 cans of Coca Cola a day. And now a new study by the department of nutrition, exercise and sport at the University of Copenhagen has highlighted the danger.

For the purpose of the study 12 healthy men ingested 225 grams of sugar per day, after which researchers tested their blood circulation while they were sitting down and kicking out with one leg. After 14 days, circulation in the leg had been reduced by 17 percent.

The study authors claim the findings underline how sugar narrows our blood vessels, thus affecting their ability to distribute blood effectively.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Some monumental prats consume a mountain every day

Love via an algorithm

antibiotics, so their children can heal quickly and they can return to work.

WITH A capability similar to a computer in a recent episode of ‘Black Mirror’, researchers at DTU have created an algorithm that takes all our particulars and helps us find a love match. The algorithm, which uses data taken from thousands of successful relationships, will feature in a new DR3 series, ‘Koden til kærlighed’ (the code for love).

Testosterone issues LIKEWISE, the over-consumption of Ibuprofen – a popular over-the-counter drug used to alleviate pain, fever and inflammation – can be harmful to men’s testosterone production, according to a Danish-French research project.

Last year researchers demonstrated that taking Ibuprofen increased the chances of a cardiac arrest by 31 percent.

Avoiding asthma TOO MUCH of the same thing can be bad for babies as well.

A varied diet, and at least six months of breastfeeding, will help them to develop their gut microbiota and avoid getting asthma in later life.

Research by Dansk BørneAstma Center shows that the development of the bacteria is essential if the child’s mother is asthmatic.

Some 87 percent of children with asthmatic mothers and underdeveloped gut microbiota develop asthma by the time they are five.

Anti-idiotics QUICKLY learning from their mistakes are the nation’s doctors, as the number of children under the age of five administered antibiotics has fallen by 33 percent since 2007.

Nevertheless, far too many kids are still being prescribed the drugs in connection with middle ear infections, even though they are the cause of a viral infection.

In fact, Sundhedsstyrelsen reports that only 5 percent of the treatments work, while 7 percent will experience side-effects.

Additionally, the doctors claim parents often demand

Failing those with stress IF ONLY we could suffer from stress in moderation. Workplace stress affected 23,175 people in Denmark last year – a more than 50 percent increase on 2010.

According to research from the University of Copenhagen, only 23 percent are still employed at their place of work four years after their illness is reported. Of those who leave, the majority were fired and still unemployed two to four years later.

However, one welcome boost is the news that the government intends to amend the Working Environment Act so that the Arbejdstilsynet workplace authority can interview employees about their mental health without their boss present.

Too wet for croquet AND FINALLY, 80 out of the country’s 98 municipalities had more rain than expected in 2017 – the tenth wettest year since records began in 1874. The result is no more space left for water in the ground.

“Rising sea levels are a very big problem in the long-term, but increasing rainfall will hit us sooner. It’s a problem we may have turned a blind eye to,” Jørgen E Olesen, a professor at the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, told DR. “In west and north Jutland, the water level is so high on the fields that crops aren’t harvested and there are fields where it’s impossible to sow. The groundwater level is simply way too high.” (BH)

Boost for health data

Old organs just as good

Leprosy prevalent

A 2018-2022 GOVERNMENTAL strategy will further digitalise the health sector to better involve patients and share more knowledge. Among the initiatives are apps to contact GPs and digital journals for expectant mothers. In other digital news, Irish company Aqua Comms has unveiled plans to considerably strengthen Denmark’s sub-sea fibre-optic network connection to the US.

ORGAN donors are getting older. Last year, 29 percent were 70-plus, up from 22 percent in 2016, according to the Health Ministry. Experts attribute the trend to people living healthier for longer, pointing out that organs such as the kidney and liver have a lifespan of 120 years. As a result, doctors are harvesting fewer accident victims and more elderly victims of brain-related disorders.

AN EXAMINATION of 311 cadavers taken from Øm Churchyard in mid-Jutland reveals that 15 percent showed signs of leprosy. An expert told Videnskab. dk that the sufferers would have lived with “restrictions on their freedom”. In other news, DNA has established that Scandinavia was colonised twice 12,000 years ago: first by southwestern Europeans and then by huntergatherers from the east.

Battery a game-changer A LA-BASED, Danish-born designer is working on a luxury electric car with a top speed of 257 km/h, which can go 640 km without recharging. Central to the design of Henrik Fisker, a former chief designer at BMW and Aston Martin, is a battery scheduled to be ready by 2020, which will be chargeable in one minute and contain 2.5 times the amount of energy of a lithium ion battery.

Disposed to diabetes RESEARCHERS at several universities have discovered a specific gene, which if not active predisposes some Greenlanders to obesity and diabetes. Forty-three percent of a 5,000 sample group studied with the inactive gene had diabetes, compared to 7 percent of those without the gene.

In total, 4 percent of the sample group had the inactive gene.

Plastic strategy hailed THE FOOD and environment minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, has hailed the EU for its longawaited plastic strategy, which aims to reduce waste and encourage recycling. However, Larsen remains frustrated at the lack of specific information about microplastics and their environmental effect, which he claims is inadequate for making informed decisions.

NEWS

26 January - 22 February 2018

ONLINE THIS WEEK TOTTENHAM midfielder Christian Eriksen and Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen are the 29th and 100th most valuable footballers in the world, according to the CIES Football Observatory, with respective price-tags of 98.4 and 50.2 million euros. In other football news, FCK midfielder Mads Bidstrup, 16, has been linked with a 10 million kroner move to Red Bull Leipzig, and Kenneth Heiner-Møller is the new coach of the Canadian women’s team.

Shut it, jackass THE HOLLYWOOD star Hugh Jackman has attracted the ire of the Danish badminton world number one, Viktor Axelsen, for claiming badminton is the easiest Olympic sport because the training and games aren’t as tough as other sports.

Axelsen invited Jackman to Denmark to play him, claiming he would beat the Australian actor conceding an 18-0 headstart.

German culture exchange DENMARK has started a two-year cultural exchange with Germany to develop its relationship with its neighbour, which it regards as an important economic, political and like-minded partner.

Denmark will optimise already established artistic platforms in Germany and be afforded better branding.

Iggy Igniting Tinderbox AMONG the big names confirming appearances in Denmark this year are U2 (Royal Arena, Sep 29), Patti Smith (Heartland Festival, May 31-June 2), and Iggy Pop (Tinderbox, June 28-30) where he will join a line-up including Depeche Mode, Alanis Morissette, Wiz Khalifa and Skunk Anansie.

Not a stellar year A NEW REPORT from Idan reveals that the number of top-eight finishes in Summer Olympic Games disciplines fell by 25 percent in 2017 – the worst showing by Danish elite sports people since 2010.

On-court glory beckons for some, while others look set to bask in the limelight thanks to their artistic achievement

T

HIS TIME next month we could be reflecting on one of Denmark’s best ever months in sport. And the world of culture could have plenty to crow about as well.

Woz close to Oz glory DENMARK could wake up on Thursday to the news that Caroline Wozniacki has made it through to the final of the Australian Open, where she will hope to be third time lucky on Saturday morning and at last win a grand slam title.

Wozniacki, 27, who faces unseeded Elise Mertens in the semis, nearly went out in round two after she trailed the world number 119, Jana Fett, 1-5 in the decider and had to save two match points.

Third title for men?

ONE DAY later on January 27 it could be the turn of the Danish men’s team in the final of the European Handball Championship, providing they see off either France, Croatia or Sweden in the semi on Friday.

An unexpected loss to the Czech Republic was just what the Danes needed to discover their ‘A game’, and wins against Spain and Germany have emboldened their belief they can add to their 2008 and 2012 titles.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI - TWITTER

Two Danes in top 100

Stage set for something special?

7

ONLINE THIS WEEK Brits hail great Danes DANISH youngster Lasse Abildgaard has endeared himself to thousands of Liverpool and Everton fans by raising over 5,000 kroner for a foodbank initiative in the city. Not to be outdone, Huddersfield Town defender Mathias ‘Zanka’ Jørgensen spent a similar sum buying every away supporter a Christmas pint on their visit to Southampton on December 23.

First for Kingslayer Can Woz avenge years of being called a grand slam failure?

Arts Hour on Tour’.

The line-up includes film director Lone Scherfig, crime author Jussi Adler-Olsen, comedian Omar Marzouk and actress Birgitte Hjort Sørensen.

The program will be repeated on January 29 at 10:00.

Warming up winter IN WHAT is becoming a busy month (see INOUT details on pages 16-18), it’s questionable whether you’ll have time to visit Tivoli, which is marking its 175-year celebration in 2018 with a new winter season from February 2-25.

Tivoli has also confirmed plans to stage the marching of its biggest ever parade (from May 1), which will feature a contribution from the World Disney World Resort, and a big birthday party on August 15.

few changes, as Trine Dyrholm and Nikolaj Lie Kaas have once again received acting nominations.

Carrying our hopes FEBRUARY 9 will see the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where Denmark’s biggest medal hope, the speedskater Elena Møller Rigas, will be the flag carrier.

Denmark has assembled its second largest-ever squad – 15 entrants spread across curling (10), speedskating (3), alpine skiing (1) and cross country skiing (1) – in its bid to add to the solitary silver medal it won in 1998.

At liberty to boast?

AND FINALLY, the Berlin Film Festival (Feb 15-25) will premiere the first two episodes of DR’s much talked-about drama series ‘Liberty’, which has been selected for the Berlinale Series Section.

Set in Tanzania, the Sunday night drama series tells the story of two expat Scandinavian families in the late 1980s. A January 25 press screening should reveal whether it is worth tuning in.

(BH)

The best of Danish SHOULD they lose, you can always drown your sorrows in the knowledge that the world loves Danish culture – specifically the BBC World Service, which at 16:00 on January 28 will be airing a Copenhagen episode of its monthly radio program ‘The

Highly animated TWO DAYS after Tivoli’s opening, the Danish film industry will be in attendance at the Roberts, where a cartoon, ‘Den utrolige historie om den kæmpestore pære’, is in contention to win Best Film for the first time in 11 years.

Elsewhere, though, there were

DBU under the cosh

Better month for Zentropa More weak than strong

AMNESTY International Danmark has criticised the DBU for sending a combined under-21/ league national team to Abu Dhabi for its winter training camp. The organisation said the Danish FA trip indirectly supported an oppressive regime, using facilities built by poor migrant workers who live and work in appalling conditions.

The Danish side lost to both Sweden (0-1) and Jordan (2-3).

LARS VON Trier, 61, has won the Sonning Prize – an annual honour bestowed by the University of Copenhagen to an individual who has proven to be an asset to European culture.

Meanwhile, his film company Zentropa has been cleared by the working environment authority, Arbejdstilsynet, following nine allegations of sexual harassment.

Co-founder Peter Aalbæk has accordingly returned to work.

DEBUTANT Danish director Nicolai Fuglsig’s Hollywood film ‘12 Strong’ has received a respectable score of 59 on aggregate site Metacritic. The war film is set in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. Meanwhile, ahead of its international release, Per Fly’s English-language thriller ‘Dobbeltspil’ (‘Backstabbing for Beginners’) has received mixed reviews from the normally partisan Danish media.

HC ANDERSEN never made it. And neither did Queen Alexandra, the Danish consort of Edward VII, although his mistress Alice Keppel did! But the Kingslayer is made of sterner stuff, and on Monday it was confirmed that Nikolaj CosterWaldau has become the first Dane to be featured on a British Royal Mail stamp as part of a series saluting the TV series ‘Game of Thrones’.

Rufus on a roll REALITY TV star Rufus Gifford, the former US ambassador to Denmark, has raised half a million US dollars from 100 contributions in his first 45 days running for Congress. Running for Massachusetts Third Congressional District, he has enlisted several Barack Obama 2012 re-election campaign veterans.

Saturday night beckons ‘WHIGFIELD’, almost 24 years on from her mega hit ‘Saturday Night’, will compete with nine other acts on Saturday February 10 at Gigantium in Aalborg to earn the right to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest. She now performs under the name Sannie Carlson and lives in Milan.

ARoS takes top spot AROS AARHUS Kunstmuseum saw off Louisiana as the most visited museum in Denmark in 2017. With 700,000 visitors, it attracted 40,000 more. Trailing home in third was Statens Museum for Kunst with 335,000, marking a 26 percent decline on 2015, its last year of free admission.

8

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Ups and downs ELECTRONICS company Bang & Olufsen has made a quarterly pre-tax profit of 53 million kroner – a 34 million kroner improvement on last year.

In other finance news, shares in jewellery company Pandora fell 12 percent after it released disappointing projected sales figures for 2017, which were partly blamed on a weak US dollar.

Consortium concerns STATE legal advisor Kammeradvokaten has issued a warning about two Italian companies in a consortium that is the preferred contractor to build the new bridge over Storstrøm connecting Zealand and Falster. The contract has not yet been signed, but it cannot be offered elsewhere without the risk that Denmark will have to pay significant compensation.

SU loan recovery plea

Relocation with help from globally-minded locals Globally Local doesn’t just help customers settle, it ecourages them to integrate BEN HAMILTON

A

PROFESSIONAL on his first day of work unsure of the country’s corporate etiquette; a spouse negotiating a new land without friends; and an equally lonely boy and a girl on their first day of school unsure of how to behave in class and at leisure.

It sounds like the start of a Susanne Bier movie, but it is in fact the situation faced by millions of relocating families every year across the world, so it’s no surprise to note the recent proliferation of companies that specialise in helping them to settle.

The Charlottenlund-based company Globally Local, though, goes one step further. To successfully settle, it contends, the family should be encouraged to integrate.

To achieve this, it not only holds back the waters of the Red Sea to assist them, it brings the Promised Land towards them to meet them halfway. Integration is a two-way street after all!

Relocating state jobs

A VOXMETER survey has named Nordea as Denmark’s worst bank. In particular, respondents took issue with Nordea making arbitrary decisions, providing bad experiences, and being associated with tax havens.

Fewer pigs slaughtered SOME 17.3 million pigs were butchered in Denmark in 2017 – almost a million fewer than in 2016 and the lowest number since 1992. Nevertheless, most pig farmers made a profit.

Banned director mystery

READ THE FULL STORY AT CPHPOST.DK

Engineer shortage

It’s a bogland out there

Sign away your troubles

He came to save the village

THE GOVERNMENT has revealed plans to relocate thousands of state jobs out of Copenhagen to other areas of Denmark as part of its ‘Better Balance II’ plan to generate growth outside the capital.

The biggest move comes from the environmental authority Miljøstyrelsen, which will move to Odense with its more than 400 employees. Overall, some 4,000 jobs are on the move. “We wish to create a Denmark that is better connected and which has a better geographic balance, so we’re once again moving state jobs out of Copenhagen and into other parts of the country,” said Sophie Løhde, the innovation minister. (CW)

COMPANY directors can be banned for a period – typically three years – if a court finds they acted with gross negligence in connection with the company going bankrupt. In some cases it could be racking up grotesque expenses with any company prepared to give them credit – not dissimilar to the age-old organised crime practice – with no personal liability for the debt accrued. The rules at present governing bankruptcy came into force on 1 January 2014, but they seem to have had an unintended consequence. In only one year, the number of top executives who have been banned has doubled from 898 to 1,832. (SG)

BIG CONSTRUCTION and tech companies in Denmark are finding it increasingly difficult to find the highly-skilled workers they will need in the future.

They are particularly short of skilled engineers. According to an Engineer the Future survey, Denmark’s current shortfall of engineers and natural science workers will rise from 4,000 to 10,000 by 2025. “It’ll mean that some of the tasks will be completed abroad and it’s not in our interest that we don’t have those jobs in Denmark,” Thomas Damkjær Petersen, the head of Engineer the Future, told Berlingske. (CW)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Fast-track gentrification THE PKA pension firm intends to invest 350 million kroner in the Aarhus district of Gellerupparken. The plans will develop 188 homes by 2020 in a bid to attract high earners and reverse trends such as the high unemployment and crime rates.

Driving getting cheaper A RESTRUCTURING of car taxes in recent years has pushed down the price of car ownership, according to the latest True Cost to Own report. Owning an Audi A4 is 16 percent cheaper than in 2015, while a VW Golf has become 9 percent more affordable.

Fewer Danes in the red THERE are now only 212,161 Danes registered on the RKI as being unable to pay their bills – a fall of 3.4 percent from last year, and 9 percent since 2014.

Experts attribute the improvement to credit evaluations being tightened following the financial crisis.

Pizza chain heading over PIXABAY

Nordea is worst bank

Working with the Danes “MY MISSION is to help make Denmark a more dynamic and inclusive place to live and work. I believe to do this we need to create a society in which Danes and expats can inspire each other in order to help Denmark reach its full potential,” explained Globally Local managing director Thomas Mulhern to CPH POST.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Mulhern, himself a US expat married to a Dane, is the former international department head at Institut Sankt Joseph Copenhagen, where he created the first fully Danish/English bilingual school program in Denmark.

And his partner, Anita Mayntzhusen, is a psychologist who specialises in the field of relocation.

Using tailored and unique solutions, Globally Local’s approach means they are just as likely to work with the Danes involved in the integration. It could be a teacher at the children’s school, an official at a public institution, a co-member at a leisure club, and most particularly the recruiting company.

“We work with your company on providing a work culture that helps to internationalise Danes, while meaningfully integrating expats and global Danes,” added Mulhern.

“Our services help to reduce costs associated with turnover, while simultaneously enhancing the retention of global talent within an organisation.”

RM MEDIA LTD/NICK YOUNGSON

Novo knocked back NOVO NORDISK has failed with a 19.4 billion kroner offer to buy Ablynx. The Belgian biotech company said the offer did not recognise its future earnings potential, although it offered a 43.9 percent premium on its value. Ablynx’s shares have since significantly risen.

Recruitment, relocation, retention RELOCATION is a serious business for Danish employers anxious to recruit foreign specialists with knowhow they can’t find in their own country.

Recruiting them is costly, so retaining them is high on their agenda.

And it does not end with the employee, as an unhappy spouse or withdrawn child can derail the relocation in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes giving the family the tools to succeed isn’t enough – they need hands-on help.

Globally Local’s consultants open doors that their clients would not have found on their own accord, ensuring what’s waiting behind is receptive, internationally-minded and open to adaptation.

MILJØSTYRELSEN

THE GOVERNMENT has asked for help from the European Commission to recover SU loans issued to foreign students who have since left Denmark. As of 2016, they owed 426 million kroner. The five worst offenders are students from Germany, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and the UK.

26 January - 22 February 2018

PIZZABAKEREN intends to expand into Denmark in the near future. Norway’s biggest takeaway chain has 160 pizzerias in Norway, ten in Sweden and one in China, with plans to also expand into Spain and Ireland.

‘Faceboook’ for transport MAERSK has teamed up with IBM to create a dominant platform for the transport industry – like Amazon has done for retail. Already, the likes of General Motors and Proctor & Gamble have signed up.

Brexit blow to fishing ACCORDING to a report by Aalborg University, between 272 and 844 jobs will be lost in the fishing industry when Brexit comes into effect.

Moaning loads at work MORE THAN three out of four Danish workers feel they have to interact with moaning colleagues, according to a Wilke poll – and this has a negative effect on the listener as well as on productivity.

HISTORY

26 January - 22 February 2018

9

Kids not the only ones up to mischief at Fastelavn in years gone by Ahead of the feastday on February 11, we recall how whole communities enjoyed a day of high jinks to celebrate the end of winter ahead of the onset of a lean Lent

became so well integrated, that Protestant priests and bishops had no way of preventing it.

There were no longer any rituals about fertility, other than some extremely heavy drinking.

ALEXIS KUNSAK

All about the procession IN THE countryside, the most important part of Fastelavn was the procession, or parade, of townspeople going from farm to farm on horseback and by foot, enjoying the hospitality of all their neighbours. Unmarried men rode horses borrowed from local farmers, and unmarried women decorated the horses and put together masquerade outfits for the benefit of their favourite men.

Participating in Fastelavn was an important local event, because if the town disapproved of one of the farmers, the procession would not visit them.

Author Meir Goldschmidt was born in 1819 to a Jewish family in Copenhagen, and he described his family’s attempt to join Fastelavn after his father bought a farm in Valby. “Our gate stood open like all the others, but the procession did not come to us at all. We children felt the shame that fell over our farm, so deep that we stood and cried behind the gate posts, and just dared to look at the festival that seemed to be for all the others, only not for us.” It could take generations to learn the customs and fit into the society of a small town.

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ERRIBLE stories circulate around the traditions behind Fastelavn, the beginning of the carnival season.

Some claim it began as a pagan holiday when the peasants celebrated fertility by getting dead drunk, wearing outlandish costumes, killing cats trapped inside barrels and ripping off the heads of live geese. And the only thing they agree about is that today fastelavnsboller are special treats filled with jam or cream and drizzled with melted sugar.

However, the true story of Fastelavn involves both the devil and the church, the farmhands and the priests, and shows that traditions were spread throughout Europe with their own regional variations. A cat was not always slaughtered in cold blood after being beaten out of a barrel for sport. Sometimes it was only chased out of town.

A last blow-out before Lent BEFORE the Reformation in Denmark in 1536, the country was a Catholic nation and celebrated Lent. Fastelavn was the last celebration before the 40 days of fasting. In old Danish this festival week was called fastelag, which meant ‘et muntert lag før fasten’ or ‘in good company before fasting’.

The older word is still used in Swedish. Modern-day Fastelavn continues to fall between February 1 and March 7, depending on the religious calendar, which sets Easter Sunday based on the cycle of the moon and Fastelavn 40 days prior.

After the Reformation, the ruling Protestant priests were not thrilled with Fastelavn, which was essentially the adults’ time to run wild. By this time, however, the costumes and games had become a fixed tradition before Lent, even though the celebration pre-dated Christianity in Denmark. In pagan Denmark there had been a festival heralding the coming of spring and fertility, before the Catholics coupled it in with their own holidays. Afterwards Fastelavn

Let the games begin GAMES were an integral part of the holiday, usually including athletics races and riding games.

In Valby in the 1830s it was popular to play ‘stick the straw man’, in which riders with lances went around in a circle trying to stab a straw man and lift him up on the point of their lance.

According to Goldschmidt, the straw man was “dressed up as a Turk in blue and white colours, with a red turban, gold brocade and glass beads”.

In Skåne and other parts of eastern Denmark, it was common to dress the straw man up as a Prussian. Many towns liked to change the games from year to year, sometimes challenging riders to collect rings or grab the neck of a goose, while it was hanging upside-down. The neck of the goose was coated in

THE FASTELAVN SONG Boller op og boller ned boller i min mave hvis jeg ingen boller får

Pocahontas has come to kill the cat

soap, and the rider had to rip the animal’s head off the body, so the event was both challenging and gruesome.

Beating the barrel IN THE Middle Ages, cats were often killed as a representation of the devil at work or the cause of any number of misfortunes.

Up until the early 1800s in Denmark, it was common to trap a black cat inside a barrel for Fastelavn, which was then hung up over a main street in town.

The game was to beat the cat out of the barrel with wooden bats or sticks, either on foot or on horseback. When the barrel broke, the cat would fall out and be killed or chased out of town.

There was also a great prize in some towns for the person who broke the barrel. He, or his father if the winner was a boy, would not have to pay taxes for the whole year. Later the cat was replaced by a cardboard cat or a doll.

This tradition has continued into the modern holiday, where children break a small barrel by taking turns with a wooden bat, but only confectionary and toys fall out. Another old game that lives on involves participants with their hands tied behind their backs trying to eat a Fastelavnsbolle or roll that is hung up by string at mouth level.

This sounds easy, but the soft cream-filled buns are not tied up because they will not hold – only the firmer rolls can withstand this game.

Kids are in charge TRADITIONS and games at Fastelavn were also influenced by the Dutch, some of whom settled in Amager in 1521. King Christian II invited farmers from the Netherlands to settle in Denmark and show others how they could get the thin soil near the ocean to grow many kinds of vegetables. The project was a success and the town they settled in was known as Hollænderbyen. Today the same town, now called Store Magleby, hosts riding games, the breaking of the barrel and other traditional Fastelavn events in connection with Amager Museum.

Above all, the holiday today is one mainly celebrated by children. They beat the barrel during the day,

så laver jeg ballade (Rolls up and rolls down rolls in my tummy if I do not get any rolls then I will make mischief ) and then in the evening they dress up in costumes, go doorto-door asking for confectionary or money, and eat sweet pastries – not dissimilar to what many children do on October 31. And sometimes, just like at Halloween, they even play tricks – like the ones referred to in a poem for Fastelavn, which became popular in the 1930s (see above) – so if you hear that knock on the door and the cupboard (or wallet) is bare, you might consider pretending you’re not in if you don’t want a nasty fright coming in through your letterbox.

10 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

26 January - 22 February 2018

kind of people work here?”

This will enable you to build a starter image of the job, because this is a two-way street – an interview is just as much about you interviewing the company to see if it is the right fit.

Does the glove fit?

FIRST off, familiarise yourself with the key words associated with the position. Check the ad and the company’s website, product pages and LinkedIn profile – one of your contacts might even work there. Find out about the work culture and what the best stepping stones might be.

Ask yourself “How is my performance evaluated?”, “What is the biggest value that I will be delivering?”, “How do they celebrate success and team work?”, “What happens when someone makes an error?” and “What

ABC: easy like 1-2-3 THE FIRST 30 seconds are also crucial as the interviewer’s attention will quickly wane, so make sure your first answer isn’t too lengthy.

Find a way to include your key words in your first answer, and then make sure you reiterate them with examples in later questions.

Try thinking in threes, as research suggests this is the most effective number. Start your answer with a summary in three points, and then reiterate each point with an example.

Starting with a summary makes the interviewer’s job easier, increasing the chances they will like you and remember you. Furthermore, you’re already providing value by saving them time, and time is money.

IVANKA RUSKOVA CPH CAREER Ivanka (Vanya) Ruskova is a senior business analyst with experience in IT, investment banking and the service industries. She currently works with graduates entering the job market in Denmark, offering extensive CV and application assistance, personal coaching and counselling. For more information and bookings visit: cphcareer.com N MY LAST article I addressed how preparing for an interview both physiologically and psychologically is as important as getting to know the company and preparing yourself for tough questions. But good preparation is pointless if you don’t execute and make a good impression.

Early Rejser Adam is a nanny, a multi-sports fanatic and a budding ultra runner. He was faster off the mark than his fellow Brits, quitting England for Denmark moments before they voted to stay out of Europe. When he isn’t caring for kids, screaming at a screen or tearing up his feet, he writes unsettling poetry and prose.

PIXABAY

I

Man in the mirror IT MIGHT sound like a risk, but asking the right kind of questions will increase your chance of being remembered, as it will make the interviewer think and dig into their own perspective.

Research shows that interviewers will always remember how you made them feel, rather than what and how you said it.

To make them feel positive, it is of course essential that you give the right kind of answers in a manner that is pleasing to the interviewer. Adding a smile to their face is always a sign of success, so make sure you practise smiling a lot yourself, and if that means a lot of work in front of the mirror, then ‘Fake it till you make it!’

Remember, the mirror is always your friend when you prepare – it might make you rethink some of your facial expressions.

ADAM WELLS

If it’s got legs, the Danes will love eating it, so Adam should probably start running now

O

F THE COUNTLESS people I have met since moving from the UK to Copenhagen, perhaps a dozen could tell you something about me that you won’t have learned by the end of this paragraph. Ask even these enlightened few to do so and, as with the countless many, the most common nouns to come out of their mouths would be ‘vegan’ and ‘runner’.

Chasing rainbows BEFORE I came to Denmark I was neither of these things that define me. I ran occasionally, but not enough for anyone, or my cardiovascular system, to notice.

I was a vegetarian, but with over a million others in the country – and a growing consensus that they need to eat – there was always something on the menu for me.

As such, ‘vegetarian’ was unlikely to be one of the first words anyone used to describe me, as people only really notice what you’re eating if you’re eating nothing at all. During my first months in Copenhagen, ‘Nothing at all’ became something of a catchphrase for me. I used it as a question when restaurateurs told me there was nothing vegetarian on the menu. I used it

as an answer when my girlfriend asked what I had spent so long shopping in Netto for. And I once used it as an escape from an exchange with a baffled waiter who asked again: “What do you want on your smørrebrød?”

These early struggles were of course partly fed by my ignorance of where to go, and the short-term result was that I didn’t. Today, 18 months later, I would have an easier time dining out if I hadn’t made things harder by going vegan. Not just because I know where to go, but also because I could now go where I couldn’t before.

There’s been a marked increase in the availability of meat-free products in Copenhagen, both on menus and supermarket shelves. Netto, for example, now sells vegetarian minced meat, as does every other Dansk Supermarked store. And even McDonald’s has launched an option, the ‘Homestyle Veggie’ burger – a big improvement on the dry bun with a wet piece of lettuce inside, which they gave me when I last visited.

Getting butter all the time MY INTEREST in this bona fide veggie burger wasn’t tied to

a desire to eat one, but rather to the cultural shift it symbolised, although there is still a long way to go. While McDonald’s was rolling out its first vegetarian burger in Denmark, it was introducing its second vegan version in Sweden. The McVegan has also been added to the menu in Finland, but it’s no surprise they feel the Danes have no appetite for the same.

When I tell a Dane I’m vegan they respond with comments that question my sanity or masculinity. When I try to order something vegan from a Dane, they ask questions that comment on their ignorance of the concept, such as: “What about chicken?”

In a sandwich shop last week I resorted to slowly stating “I don’t eat animals or cheese”, but when I unwrapped the sandwich at home it was nonetheless stuffed with mozzarella.

Perhaps if I ordered in Danish my chances would improve, but the closest Duolingo has come to teaching me a relevant phrase: has been: “The vegetarians don’t eat children.” And I’m convinced that if I actually used this phrase while ordering, I would unwrap my sandwich at home to find a small child inside.

OPINION

26 January - 22 February 2018

VIVIENNE MCKEE

Crazier than Christmas Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. Over the last 34 years, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

Straight Up

11

NEXT ISSUE

ZACH KHADUDU

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN IN 2 ISSUES

LONDON TOAST THEATRE

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD IN 3 ISSUES

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

Fashion Jam Where else were we going to encounter German accents as funny as David Bateson’s?

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OU’RE GOING to do an English panto here in Denmark? Well don’t expect us to shout ‘Hooray’ and ‘Boo’. Danes are far too shy.”

Everyone said this to me when I started the Crazy Christmas Show 35 years ago.

And the audiences were indeed astonished to see ‘the fourth wall’ crumble in front of their eyes and actors inviting them to come onstage and take part in the action. But gradually, over the years, they embraced the craziness and have come in ever-increasing numbers.

Determined decision

BY MY 25-YEAR anniversary show, I was being told that I was an “institution in Denmark”. It takes a long time to get recognition in this country, but it was even more incredible because the London Toast Theatre performs in English and I am a non-Dane.

The audiences, or ‘toasties’, now bring three generations of family to the shows and Facebook has ensured that their reviews are more significant for our success than any newspaper or critic’s star-rating.

This year, after our open-

ing night, I announced that it would be the last Crazy Christmas Show. I have been busy writing, directing and acting in the show for 35 years and my creative energy is harnessed, not just during the four-month rehearsal and performance period, but over the whole year. I wanted to accept fresh challenges here and abroad.

Rebel-rousing reaction THE STORM that hit following this announcement was, to say the least, overwhelming. Within minutes of it going public, we were dealing with a tsunami of messages, emails and comments on Facebook, including: “Don’t leave us”, “Save Christmas”, and “Take this to a government level – this is our core welfare!”

I remained firm in my decision, believing the storm would soon pass and we could disappear gracefully into theatre memorabilia. But this was not to be. And soon whole audiences were chanting “One More Year” at the end of the show.

One fellow even asked if he could propose to his girlfriend at the show because she was an ardent fan and was distraught

at our news. Such a proposal, he claimed, would be a family memory forever.

Reluctant resolution PEOPLE came up to me and said: “You can’t imagine how much we will miss you. It’s become a tradition.” And that is the key to it. The Danes are reserved compared to other nationalities and rarely show passion for anything – but they will fight to keep their traditions intact, whether it is Fastelavn, Skt Hans Aften and the one thing more important that hygge: ‘Julehygge’. And my crazy English show is now considered a part of that special Christmas season.

People come to the magical Julemarket and, after schnapps and sild, they enter Glassalen Theatre and smile as actors come over and chat to them and encourage them to join in the fun.

During the show, they lustily shout “Hooray” and “Boo” at the top of their voices with grannie and the kids.

So, after 35 years, as an almost integrated Dane, I bow to tradition and Crazy Christmas will go on. Godt Nyt År and may the hygge be with you in 2018!

JENNY EGSTEN-ERICSON IN 4 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

Do you want to learn to play the piano or even the violin but don’t have time to leave the house? No stress, more fun – I can teach you at home.

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12 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

26 January - 22 February 2018

ABOUT TOWN

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

On January 9, it was Parliament’s turn to host a reception for the Diplomatic Corps, and once again there was a healthy turnout. Technically the hosts of the event (left) were Pia Kjærsgaard, the speaker of the house, and Ivory Coast ambassador Mina Balde Laurent, the dean of the diplomatic corps, who both gave speeches. Kjærsgaard was then among the Parliamentarians welcoming guests (centre left) such as Pakistani ambassador Zulfiqar Gardezi.

Also in attendance were (centre right: left-right) US ambassador Carla Sands, US deputy ambassador Laura Lochman and, UNOPS executive director Grete Faremo; and (right: left-right) Israeli ambassador Benjamin Dagan and his wife, Hungarian ambassador László Hellebrandt, Brazilian ambassador Carlos Paranhos, Ghanaian ambassador Amerley Awua-Asamoa, Laurent, Kjærsgaard, Burkina Faso’s ambassador Maria-Goretti Agaleoue and Benin’s ambassador Eusebe Agbangha

Slovakian ambassador Boris Gandel welcomed former PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen to his national day 25th anniversary reception on January 17 at the embassy, where he was presented with a special award of honour

Actress Dina Rosenmeier, a familiar face at House of International Theatre in Huset, was among French ambassador Francois Zimeray’s guests at the French Embassy’s New Year reception on January 11

Catalonia’s former president, Carles Puigdemont, wasn’t arrested when he visited on January 23 despite Spain’s insistence he should be. He met Danish MPs at Parliament and took part in a debate at the university

Ivory Coast ambassador Mina Balde Laurent (left) and South African ambassador Zindzi Mandela (centre) were among the guests at the Danish Africa Society’s New Year reception at Asia House on January 8

Estonian ambassador Mart Volmer was present as Bulgarian ambassador Roussi Ivanov made an official speech at Europe House on January 11 to mark the transfer of the EU presidency from Estonia to Bulgaria

Several ambassadors were present at Nordatlantens Brygge on January 11 to join the head of the Greenlandic government, Kim Kielsen (in light blue), at the island’s New Year reception

Esben Hanefelt Kristensen has opened an exhibition of his work, ‘Adventure & Fantasy in Great Paintings’, at Galerie Knud Grothe in Charlottenlund. It continues until January 28

Lene Espersen, the former foreign minister, was among those at the premiere of ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ at Copenhagen Cinemaxx on December 12

Esteemed British actor Ben Kingsley was in attendance at the premiere of Danish director Per Fly’s new film, ‘Backstabbing for Beginners’ (‘Dobbeltspil’), at the Imperial on January 16

COMMUNITY

26 January - 22 February 2018

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

13

OUT AND ABOUT

T

HE CITY’S Irish pubs were well represented at the Tullamore Dew 9-Ball Pool Invitational, a 16-team tournament at Pool-Pub Copenhagen in Nordvest on January 7.

Among those in action were (top row: left-right) Jim

from Kennedy’s, Gus from the Dubliner, Keiran from the Irish Rover, Brian from the Globe and Gareth from the Downtown Dubliner.

But only one team could prevail through the group stage and eight-team knockout, and this year the trophy

belonged to the Shamrock Inn (centre row), the capital’s oldest Irish watering hole.

After losing their opener to the Globe, the Shamrock team – (centre: left-right) Johannes Maan, Keith Norris, Stuart Rattray and John Tan-

swell – remained adamant they could win, knocking the Globe out in the semis after John (right), the player of the tournament, potted the nine-ball off the break.

Their opponents in the final, Kennedy’s (bottom right), also took them to a

MAPUA.EDU.PH

There are currently four English-language book clubs being run via the Books & Company platform, with meetings on the second and last Tuesday of the month, and the first and fourth Monday (Books & Company, Hellerup; register via erika@booksandcompany.dk)

The CTC’s Open Stage event welcomes all-comers to perform on stage, whether it’s drama, poetry, storytelling, singing, dancing, magic - but no gaming! Nobody wants to watch you play Counter Strike (Feb 16, 19:00; Café Cadeau, HC Ørsteds Vej 28, Frederiksberg; free adm)

Enjoy English-language comedy presented by CPH POST columnist Adrian Mackinder. The February edition of Copenhagen’s English Comedy Nights includes Irish standup Sean McLoughlin (Feb 8, 20:00; Dubliner Downtown, Ny Østergade 14, Cph K; 110kr, 190kr for two, billetto.dk)

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

HASSE FERROLD

CLIVE THAIN

As is the norm every year, the Dubliner will be celebrating Burns Night with whiskey, haggis and dancing on the tables – which is obligatory to the Proclaimers. Tickets cost around 200 kroner (Jan 25, 19:30; Dubliner, Amagertorv 5, Cph K; thedubliner.dk)

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COMING UP SOON

decider, and it was that man John again who rose to the occasion with an amazing multiple ball plant to pot the nine out of sequence.

Fortunately for Kennedy’s, there was plenty of Irish coffee to drown their sorrows.

BH

The St Andrew Society is also celebrating Burns Night with a supper that includes Scotch Broth, addressed haggis and whiskey (Jan 27, 18:00; Cirkel-Ordenen, Falkoner Alle 96, Frederiksberg; 475kr for nonmembers, st.andrew.society.dk@gmail.com)

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a menu curated by Madkastellet at the museum’s Egmont Hall. Niels Lan Doky’s band will make it a night to remember with music by Nat King Cole (National Museum, Ny Vestergade 10, Cph K; Feb 14, 19:30; 1,295kr) BH

14 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

26 January - 22 February 2018

New on the scene, or rarely seen, before her serene majesty

Photos: Hasse Ferrold Words: Ben Hamilton Media interest was perhaps higher than normal at the queen’s reception for the diplomatic corps at Christiansborg Palace on January 3, as US ambassador Carla Sands and French ambassador Francois Zimeray took questions on the way in. And once again the occasion gives us a chance at CPH POST to catch up with all the country’s new The regulars, the queen and the Crown Prince Couple, were there, along with the majority of the country’s heads of mission, as well as catching sight of rare visits by ambassadors ambassadors who queued up to be presented to her majesty – in this case the rarely seen Djibouti ambassador located elsewhere Omar Said, who is based in Brussels

Among the gentleman ambassadors attending alone were three newbies – Vesa Vasara (Finland), Gigi Gigiadze (Georgia) and Uğur Kenan İpek (Turkey) – along with the rarely seen Santiago Wins (Uruguay), who is based in Stockholm

Meanwhile, while Carla Sands (USA), Fatima Kamis Al Mazrouei (UAE), Aud Kolberg (Norway) and Maria-Goretti Blandine Agaleoue (Burkina Faso) are all based here, Ahlam Ali (Sudan) is based in Oslo

26 January - 22 February 2018

COMMUNITY

15

The new Denmark-based European ambassadors in attendance included Alexander Arzoumanian (Armenia), Ms Maria Rotheiser-Scotti (Austria), Radek Pech (Czech Republic), Andreas Meitzner (Germany) and Ms Janine Finck (Luxembourg)

The new Denmark-based Asian ambassadors in attendance included Ajit Vinayak Gupte (India), Yuba Nath Lamsal (Nepal) and Zulfiqar Gardezi (Pakistan). Ms Pema Choden (Bhutan) and Nabeel Al Dakheel (Kuwait) are based in Brussels and Stockholm respectively

Also in attendance was the rarely seen Francisco Gross Hernandez-Kramer (Guatemala), who is based in Stockholm, along with news ambassadors Ayman Alkaffas (Egypt), Benjamin Dagan (Israel) and Amerley Ollennu Awua-Asamoa (Ghana)

16 INOUT: ONSTAGE THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Feb 21-March 24, Mon-Fri 20:00, Sat 17:00; Krudttønden, Cph Ø; 165kr, concessions, teaterbilletter.dk; thattheatre.com; 60 mins; over-15s only NOT SURE whether it was good timing on behalf of Hollywood, but did you know that the film Multiplicity and Dolly the Sheep both came out in July 1996.

But the Michael Keaton vehicle failed to capitalise, paying the price for playing one of humanity’s most ethical minefields for laughs. Overshadowed by a lamb, young Dolly even robbed it of its sci-fi genre.

Fortunately for Caryl Churchill, she chose the more serious approach in her 2002 play about a neglectful father (Ian Burns) who chose to clone his disruptive five-year-old son Bernard after sending him away shortly after the death of his mother.

VINTERJAZZ & FROST Feb 2-25 & 4-25; various venues in CPH; jazz. dk, frostfestival.dk THESE TWO survivors of the February festival Wondercool offer a welcome distraction from what can be Denmark’s coldest and most boring month, but fortunately is always its shortest.

Vinterjazz – which burst into life in 2001 as an offshoot of the main festival – has this year assembled a line-up including Omar Souleyman, Marilyn Mazur and the Tyshawn Sorey Trio.

At Frost, meanwhile, the experience has always about the location – the more unusual the better.

At both festivals, shows have started to sell out, so best book your tickets now.

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE

Feb 21-March 4; Tue-Sat 19:00, Sun times vary; HIT, Huset 4th floor, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 150kr DIRECTOR Jeremy Thomas-Poulsen loves a curveball, and this time the audience can sit in the middle of the

MUSIC

The Charlatans Feb 19; Vega; 205kr Hailing from the era that gave us the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays, this indie band sprang to fame right at the beginning of the 1990s with ‘You are the only one’ and never looked backed. It was no surprise to see them still going strong come Britpop, as they pretty much invented the genre.

stage and fully immerse themselves in Christopher Durang’s 2012 Tony Award-winning dramedy.

This is not so much a tale of sibling rivalry but unravelling as Vanya and Sonia face a threat of eviction from their movie star sister Masha.

With HIT regulars Vanessa Poole and Dina Rosenmeier on board, another assured rendition looks guaranteed.

MUSIC

Kygo Feb 11; Royal Arena; 320kr Now an established global star with 69 billion views of his work (which sounds like a lot), the Norwegian producer, songwriter, DJ and musician Kygo (real name Kyrre GørvellDahll) is bringing his ‘Kids in Love Tour’ to Royal Arena.

Special guests include Gryffin, Blackbear and Seeb.

FORUMCOPENHAGEN.DK

Steel Panther Jan 31; Vega; 360kr Short of getting lucky and landing a ticket to Lady Gaga’s gig at Royal Arena, this must be your best chance of some glamour over the next month.

At first sight, they look like Spinal Tap, but then you’ll quickly realise this comedic glam metal band have bags more talent.

THEATRE

THE COME UP SHOW FROM CANADA

MUSIC

BATISTE SAFONT

Royal Theatre line-up All February; kglteater.dk Forced into picking three picks in February, it would have to be the ongoing Alban Berg’s dramatic opera Lulu (until Feb 20), the premiere of new Danish opera The Traveller (continues from Feb 3) and new Danish ballet The Vampire Revolution (Jan 27-Feb 10).

STUART SEVASTOS

CAMILLA_WINTHER

ARTS

Some 35 years later, Bernard (Rasmus Emil Mortensen) returns to confront his father, and it quickly emerges there might be more than one clone.

Churchill’s examination of human identity rings true with a modern age that arguably started with the birth of Dolly.

Eternal life, albeit through clones, is suddenly on the agenda. At a time when the world is increasingly our oyster, our destiny could no longer be ours to control.

“This contains more drama, and more ideas, than most writers manage in a dozen full-length works,” enthuses That Theatre’s founder, Ian Burns, who has recruited Helen Parry, his first ever drama teacher, to put him through his paces.

“Part psychological thriller, part topical scientific speculation, and part analysis of father-son relationships, this is a tremendous play: moving, thoughtprovoking and dramatically thrilling.”

HENRIK STENBURG

A NUMBER

26 January - 22 February 2018

BALLET

Swan Lake Feb 9; Forum CPH; 550kr Tchaikovsky died in 1893 believing he wrote a flop because the ballet’s premiere in 1877 was a fiasco. Today, Swan Lake is considered a classic and one of ballet’s most beautiful performances to behold. Witness the gripping story of unattainable love for yourself, all set to Tchaikovsky’s haunting music.

INOUT: EVENTS

26 January - 22 February 2018

Ongoing since Jan 19; various venues in CPH JANUARY 19 was a furious day in the Copenhagen art world with numerous new exhibitions opening around town, so it was pretty hard choosing just six for this issue (see Picasso Ceramics below).

The art of Henning Christiansen (Museum of Contemporary Art), who played a big part in the Fluxus movement, is often overlooked, but one decade on from his death, his visual artistry is being revisited, along with his sound art in Christiansen in High Seas.

Curated by Sadie Laska, the group exhibition I Am A Scientist (V1 Gallery) presents a complex representation of institutional, social, and personal values by 14 New York-based artists working in a variety of media. Perfect for lost souls!

PICASSO CERAMICS Feb 1-May 27; Louisiana, Gl Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; louisiana.dk PICASSO isn’t particularly well known for his ceramics, and this was by no means an early pursuit in his life, as he did most of his pottering about in his 70s and 80s, making as many as 4,000 works.

One of his motives for making so

Copenhagen Dining Week Feb 11-18; various restaurants; 215kr; diningweek.dk Run by Copenhagen Food Magazine, this is the chance to scoff down a three-course meal at a top-class restaurant for the bargain price of 215kr. But be quick to book, as tickets sell out fast, although there’s always Dining Week in Tivoli (Feb 2-8).

FEBRUARY FILM FESTS All month; various venues FIVE INTERNATIONAL film festivals are opening their doors in February: Void Film Festival (Jan 25-Feb 3), Night Terrors FF (Feb 7), Asian FF (Feb 12-18), Catalan FF (Feb 28-March 4) and Jewish FF (Feb 1521).

SPECTACLE

6-Day Race Feb 1-6; Ballerup Super Arena; from 150kr; 6dageslob.dk Join inebriated revellers tapping their feet to the oompah 6-day waltz as participants compete in pairs in this historic race to complete the highest number of laps in a specified time. In the old days, they had to make do with steep banks.

A NUMBER

by CARYL CHURCHILL

VOID is an international animated film festival aimed at adults that “celebrates animation as an art form that knows no limits”, while Night Terrors presents 19 short nasties from 10 countries including the US, the UK and Norway.

The AFF, meanwhile, is the first of its kind, the Catalan FF the sixth, and the Jewish FF its 20th.

Nearly all these films will have English subtitles.

ART KIDS

Winter Half-Term Feb 10-18; various venues Beyond what’s included in Museums Corner (page 18), there are two events clambering for your child’s attention. Disney’s hitting the rink in Winter on Ice (Feb 14-15; Forum CPH) and the youngsters are building bricks at Lego World (Feb 1518, Bella Center).

PIXNIO.COM

DINE

TOPART THEATRE

HARSHLIGHT_FLICKR

CPH Gin Festival Feb 16-17, 12:00-23:00; Lokomotivværkstedet, Otto Busses Vej 5A, Cph SV; 220kr Don’t try all 120 varieties of gin provided by the 30 participating exhibitors – that would be insane.

And be careful coming back from Cph SV in the early hours. Like they say about a decent G&T, don’t take any shortcuts!

many was ensuring that his work was affordable, and it wasn’t until his death in 1973 that prices started to rocket up.

Presenting 150 works from the period 1947-1964, images of women that the Spanish artist knew are a reoccurring motif, as is the Mediterranean culture of Picasso’s retirement home in southern France.

Plates, dishes, vases and particularly jugs feature prominently.

BILKA 6-DAGESLØBET FACEBOOK PAGE

PUBLICDOMAINPICTURES.NET

MAXPIXEL

THEATRE HISTORY DRINK

Matt Damhave’s first solo exhibition, Millions For Nonsense But Not One Cent For Entropy (V1 Gallery), tells the story of America’s first generation of the televised world. From student revolutionaries to suburban life, the New Yorker will reimagine the 1960s for you.

Interior, a solo exhibition by Todd James (Eighteen), breathes new meaning into still life. Chairs and tables, flowers and fruit, and the occasional nude woman are rearranged in 17 works to generate some serious contemplation.

Napoleon didn’t think much of the Italian island of Elba when he was exiled there in 1814, but German artist Fritz Bornstück has created a whole exhibition after spending last spring there. TEN (Galerie Mikael Andersen) features both paintings and ceramic works inspired by the island’s rich landscape.

GALERIE MIKAEL ANDERSEN

WINTER ART QUINTET

17

DRINK

Copenhagen Cocktail Week Feb 11-18; various bars; 100kr; cocktail-week.dk Debuting this year under the wing of CPH Dining Week, it’s not exactly the concept of all time, but it will appeal to thousands. Sup two delicious cocktails for a bargain price of 100 kroner – a saving of as much as 200 kroner. Seconds anyone?

Krudttønden Serridslevvej 2 2100 København Ø teaterbilletter.dk

Ian Burns

70 20 20 96

Rasmus Emil Mortensen

that-theatre.com

director Helen Parry

21 Feb – 24 Mar ‘18 Photo: Simon Dixgaard

18 INOUT: MUSEUMS CORNER THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

26 January - 22 February 2018

Winter time is family time KATHRINE MARIA AMANN

D

ESPITE the short days and dreary weather, winter is a perfect time to visit Denmark with children.

Copenhagen’s attractions are calmer than usual, so it’s great to stroll around a quiet museum

and avoid the long queues at popular attractions.

But make sure you wrap up warm when out exploring freezing but beautiful Copenhagen this winter.

Copenhagen Museums & Attractions

WINTER AT THE ZOO Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 32, Frederiksberg; open daily 10:00-16:00; 180kr, under-11s: 100kr; zoo.dk

W

HATEVER season you plan to visit the zoo, exhilarating experiences await you. The zoo is open every day of the year and the experi-

ence of the visit changes with the seasons. The behaviour of the animals changes depending on the time of your visit, whether it is a beautiful winter’s day with snow on the ground, or a late summer evening. During the winter holidays in February, the zoo offers lots of different daily activities for the whole family.

In the ZooLab you can learn more about the Arctic animals and create your own polar bear claw. And make sure you visit the Sami tent. Every day a bonfire is lit and you can learn about how the Nordic Sami people use bones, wool and skin to make clothes.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH SHARKS Blue Planet, Jacob Fortlingsvej 1, Kastrup; open daily 10:0017:00, until 21:00 on Mon; over-11s: 170kr, under-11s: 95kr; info@denblaaplanet. dk; denblaaplanet.dk

C

OMBINING stunning architecture with a unique location, The Blue Planet – The National Aquarium Denmark offers the chance to see some of the world’s most fasci-

nating animal species up close.

The aquarium endeavours to inspire guests to care for our beautiful blue planet through compelling storytelling. The aquarium – the largest of its kind in northern Europe – caters to all ages, offering both short bursts of adrenaline and lingering afterthoughts. Don’t miss the Ocean Aquarium, which contains 4 million litres of water and hundreds of sea creatures and

SAILOR FOR A DAY

M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Ny Kronborgvej 1, Helsingør; open Tue-Sun 11:0017:00, 110kr, under-18s free adm; info@mfs.dk; mfs.dk

D

ESIGNED by the internationally-renowned architecture company BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), the award-winning M/S Maritime

Museum of Denmark is built around an old dry dock. The architecture of the museum is iconic, guiding you through a continuous flow of spaces expanding across gently sloping floors at different levels before crossing the old dock. When you follow the sloping bridges down to the old dry dock and enter the underground museum you

sharks. Your heart may just skip a beat when you experience the speedy hammerhead sharks up close and personal. The encounter with the sharks starts with the story behind the big cities of the sea, the coral reefs, and then goes on to debunk the myths and mysteries that surround sharks.

will experience a whole range of exhibitions telling the story of how Denmark was once one of the world’s leading shipping nations. However the museum is not only for adults. Interactive games, temporary sailor tattoo stands and fascinating exhibitions ensure that children of all ages can channel their innersailor and have a great time.

IN HAMLET’S FOOTSTEPS Danish Museum of Science and Technology, Fabriksvej 25, Helsingør; open Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00 (open Mon during July); 90kr, free adm for under18s; tekniskmuseum.dk

T

HE MARITIME Museum is located at the UNESCO World Heritage site in Elsinore, just north of Copenhagen in a unique his-

torical context adjacent to one of Denmark’s most important historical buildings, Kronborg Castle. The inside of the castle provides us with a great sense of Renaissance and baroque royal lifestyles. Kronborg offers a wide range of experiences. Via your mobile phone, you can see the castle through a dramatisation of the life of a convict in the fortress. Kronborg also offers

lots of fun for children. Build your own castle in Lego bricks or climb around on a giant model of the castle. You can also take a tour of the castle in the company of Hamlet’s friend Horatio and hear the drama of ‘Hamlet’ as it could have played out in the famous Renaissance castle’s halls and corridors.

FOR MORE INSPIRATION FROM THE MUSEUMS, VISIT COPENHAGEN MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS AT CPHMUSEUMS.COM

ON SCREENS

26 January - 22 February 2018

19

Erasing Kevin: Even if it costs all the money in the world BEN HAMILTON

D

ID YOU know Jean-Claude van Damme was cast to play the alien in Predator, but was replaced during filming?

Some of his scenes survive, even though the creature he was playing was invisible. So he’s there in a not there kind of way.

He’s not the only one to depart a movie midway through the shoot. The most famous example is probably Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, although three other leads – Samantha Morton (Her), Harvey Keitel (Apocalypse Now) and Nicole Kidman (Panic Room) – run him close.

And now you can add Kevin Spacey to that list, whose postproduction replacement by Christopher Plummer as Jean Paul Getty in All the Money in the World (73 on Metacritic; released on Feb 1), a thrilling film about the kidnapping of the oil billionaire’s grandson in 1973, annoyingly means Ridley Scott will be releasing yet another director’s cut.

The winner is Tenko WHILE many are questioning a switch that will spare Hollywood the embarrassment of Spacey picking up award nominations, it’s worth noting that Plummer at 88 is much closer in age to the 80-year-old Getty. We can only hope they don’t take the same approach to music – Roger Daltry’s vocals on their own just wouldn’t be the same.

Given Hollywood’s tendency to make up for its crimes – Crash won on the race card, as did Moonlight – it’s a shame a film with an all-female cast isn’t in contention at the Oscars. Steel Magnolias or Thelma and Louise

would romp home – hell, even Mystic Pizza would win.

Beauty plays the beast NOT SURE I, Tonya (77; Jan 25) fits that agenda though, although it sure fits the category of ‘you couldn’t make this shit up’.

Ice skater Tonya Harding pays a heavy to break a rival’s leg so she can improve her finishing position from eighth to seventh at the Olympics. And then she avoids jail-time and takes up boxing.

Margot Robbie is winning plaudits for her performance, but a little like Charlize Theron in Monster, her casting (she coproduced as well …) underlines how you need to be über-beautiful to grab a leading role, even if it is as a plain-looking hick whose inner-ugliness knows no bounds.

It’s certainly not like Denmark where the leading actresses, Trine Dyrholm and Sofie Gråbøl for example, are so ordinary looking.

Gong central TIMOTHEE Chalamet wouldn’t have been your first choice to play the lead in Call me by your name (77; Feb 1), a romantic LGBT film written by James Ivory, who is still going strong at the age of 89, three years after the death of his partner (in both ways), Ismail Merchant.

Sorry, not because of his looks, but because he’s not Italian! But that’s Oscar-bait for you. Why cast a native actor when you can challenge an American and give them an award agenda. Chalamet, who is also under consideration for Lady Bird (out April 26), faces stiff opposition from Gary Oldman for his portrayal of Winston Churchill during World War II in Darkest Hour (77; Jan

25). But is he any better than Brendan Gleeson in the TV movie Into the Storm? They’ve added a zero to the budget and suddenly it’s Oscar-worthy.

Two other films with strong Oscar credentials, which all came out late in US last year (not in a Kevin Spacey kind of way), are also making their debut.

Given his dedication, Daniel Day-Lewis no doubt trained as a couturier to take on his role in Phantom Thread (91; Feb 15), a darkly romantic film by Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) set in the fashion world in 1950s London.

While James Franco (on a #MeToo precipice right now) has been warming up for his role as the world’s worst film-maker in The Disaster Artist (77; Feb 1) his whole career. Franco plays Tommy Wiseau, the Polish creator of The Room, a film regularly screened at Husets Bio for fans of bad films, who should check out some of Franco’s.

50 for the creator TALKING of complete tripe, Fifty Shades Freed (Not Released Worldwide; Feb 8) will complete the least needed trio since The Three Amigos, and the franchise flatulence continues with Maze Runner: The Death Cure (54; Jan 25).

We’ve got 9/11 to blame for 12 Strong (58; Feb 8) by debutant Danish director Nicolai Fuglsig, but the reviewers have been pretty kind, and the same is true of Pixar film Coco (81; Feb 8) – check kino.dk for Englishlanguage screening details.

Finally, Marvel Universe film Black Panther (NRW; Feb 15) is in safe hands with the talented Ryan Coogler, the

There’s life in the old dog yet, but is he award-worthy?

director of Creed and Fruitvale Station. It might sound like a questionable title – you wouldn’t call a comic book ‘Umkhonto we Sizwe’ (spear of the nation), would you? – but San Lee and Jack Kerby’s creation of the superhero predates the October 1966 founding of the Black Panther Party … by three months!

Nordic knows the score AS IT SHOULD be, given most of us are staying indoors for the foreseeable future, this coming month is a busy one for HBO Nordic.

Fans of Six Feet Under will be delighted to learn that Alan Ball’s new series, Here and Now (out Feb 12), sees him return to a modern America untainted by vampires (True Blood), which is seen through the eyes of a multiracial family that looks suspiciously similar to Angelina Jolie’s.

Not so sure we will be so quick to recommend its other new series, although AP Bio (Feb 2), a comedy about a teacher who enlists his students to help him get revenge on the people who have wronged him, does look like fun.

Britannia (just out) starring Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas, which is set in first century AD Britain during the Roman invasion, looks historically

implausible. While Canadian miniseries The Disappearance (Feb1) is yet another drama about a missing child.

Ricky on the rise ALSO COMING out (not in a Kevin Spacey fashion, because this is premeditated scheduling) in Denmark are S4 of Halt & Catch Fire (HBO Nordic; Feb 13), the British miniseries National Treasure (SVT1; Jan 29 & Feb 5, 21:45) starring Robbie Coltrane as a celebrity accused of sexual misconduct, and S7 of Homeland – on both DR and SVT in the week beginning February 12.

While over in the States, new releases worth checking out include The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (74 on Metacritic), Counterpart (75), Black Lightning (79), Corporate (77) and Black Mirror wannabe Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams (68).

Versace’s lover is played by singer Ricky Martin who came out in 2010 despite warnings it might damage his career – and it’s hardly been an audacious decade for him. But now his star is rising, unlike Kevin Spacey who just a year ago could have beaten off anyone he liked to land a part.

Hollywood sure is changing.

under the sun

DOCUMENTARY OF THE MONTH January 25th-31st experience the Russian guerrilla documentary ‘Under the Sun’. An eye-opening and fascinating exhibition of the world’s most isolated country: North Korea.

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

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