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CPHPOST.DK 7 - 27 Feb 2020

LOCAL High stress levels = low burnout rate. Really?

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SPORT

Sun sets on Woz’s career Little Miss Sunshine goes out with a few tears in Oz

9

HERE COMES THE PRIDE Call it a Chinese cartoon crisis?

It’s early days, but how much financial damage will this Jyllands-Posten drawing cause?

BUSINESS Green ambition of giants not matched lower down the ladder

12

HOTEL REVIEW

Like ‘The Shining’ – but nice A winter seaside escape offers a parallel universe to savour

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BEN HAMILTON

W

HO KNOWS how many billions of kroner a decision by Jyllands-Posten to post an inflammatory cartoon on January 27 might end up costing Denmark in terms of lost revenue.

The Chinese Embassy in Denmark was outraged when it saw that the satirical drawer Niels Bo Bojesen had replaced the five stars on its country’s national flag with images of the Coronavirus.

And the reaction across social media, in the international media and politically has so far been pretty immense.

Boycotts and bullshit GRANTED, nobody has set fire to a Danish embassy – like in early 2006, months after Jyllands-Posten published its infamous Mohammed Cartoons – but already Danish brands are feeling the brunt of being boycotted in China.

Additionally, like in 2005 when the reaction from the Arab World was initially muted, many are fanning the flames.

In China Daily a column claimed that a Danish merchant brought smallpox to the USA in 1634, leading to 95 percent of the 'local Indians' being wiped out.

With no apology coming from JP or government – PM Mette Frederiksen underlined it was the media’s right to exercise its freedom of speech – this latest cartoon crisis looks set to rumble on.

4-5 Blame it on the Arctic

Perfick for pensioners

DENMARK’S warmest ever January was the result of its proximity to the Arctic and more seawater lying between the two land masses as the latter melts. Seawater is considerably warmer, which explains why the average temperature was 5.5 degrees. So far this winter, there hasn’t been a single ice day – a period of 24 hours with constant sub-zero temperatures.

DENMARK is the second best country to retire in, according to an index compiled by UK chairlift firm Handicare. Finland finished first, and the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Spain completed the top 10. The index assessed parameters such as the quality of healthcare, life expectancy, happiness, and the pension age.

Right bus, wrong route!

Low asylum rate

THE 1A BUS line in Copenhagen is protesting against itself – talk about being hoisted with its own petard. Advocates of the old service, which was rerouted and rescheduled following the opening of the Metro City Ring in September, have taken out an ad on the new 1A line, which means the buses are showing ads stating “Give us back the old 1A route!”

ONLY 2,700 people sought asylum in Denmark in 2019, according to the Immigration Ministry. Down from 3,559 in 2018 and significantly fewer than the 21,316 who applied in 2015, it was the lowest rate since 2008.

The approval rate was 57 percent – down from 85 percent in 2015, although it was not as low as 2017, when the rate was just 36 percent.

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

7 - 27 February 2020

Converse city: Low burnout, high stress

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE NORTHERN extension of the M4 Metro Line, offering services to Orientkaj and Nordhavn, will open on March 28. In other transport news, DSB has decided to close Skovbrynet, a regional station west of Lyngby primarily used by passengers wanting to catch an S-train at Farum.

Burglary central DRAGØR has the highest municipal burglary rate, according to Danmarks Statistik. In 2019, there were 24.7 per 1,000 households.

Rudersdal, Hørsholm, Gentofte and Allerød completed the top five. In other local news, the city’s decision to move its refugee centre from Valby to Nordvest has been criticised, and a new vision for Nuuks Plads in Nørrebro has been unveiled.

Skiing favour

Conflicted findings suggest Copenhageners are pampered BEN HAMILTON

C

OPENHAGEN has a low burnout rate, according to a SavvySleeper study carried out in 69 cities in 53 countries.

High stress levels BUT WHILE it had the fifth lowest rate, the number of stressed employee reviews filled out was still high – some countries were unable to provide data, presumably because such things don't yet exist! – exceeding those in table-topping Tokyo even.

For example, 25-28 percent of north Zealanders used their health insurance to help alleviate stress-related illnesses in 2018,

according to Kantar Gallup.

The findings suggest Copenhageners are pampered.

Workplaces applauded BUT EXCELLENT workplace conditions scored Copenhagen highly.

It performed slightly below

average for mental health disorder and substance abuse prevalence, but commendably for anything involving them not working many hours over the year.

Copenhageners also did well in terms of getting a full night’s sleep and spending a limited amount of time commuting.

Copenhagen fifth in one study, while Denmark tops another CHRISTIAN WENANDE

T

THE COST of building the University of Copenhagen’s new Niels Bohr Building, which is scheduled to open this summer (four years later than originally planned), has risen from 1.6 to 3.6 billion kroner, reports DR. In other building news, Copenhagen Municipality has ruled that all canal tour ticket booths in Nyhavn should be removed.

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Sky-rise costs

Racing to be with the family by 16:15 is stressful

Among the world’s best for families HERE’S a good reason so many Danes return home from abroad to raise a family – and the proof could be found in two mid-January reports.

Following on from Denmark finishing top of the US News and World Report's ‘2020 Best Countries to Raise Kids’ rankings, Copenhagen finished fifth in the world's most family-friendly ratings compiled by the German moving company Movinga.

Key string help COPENHAGEN Airport is copying an initiative used at Gatwick in the UK that gives people with disabilities or disorders a key string decorated with sunflowers, so the staff can adjust their instructions and raise their patience levels.

Cleared of rape

WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN/MALTHE ZIMAKOFF

COPENHILL, the ski slope complex on top of an incinerator often referred to as Amager Bakke, is in contention to win the sports building of the year award, Årets Idrætsbyggeri. KB Hallen, restored after a fire in 2011, is also in contention along with Helsingør Stadium and Holbæk Sportsby. The winner will be revealed on February 26.

NEEDPIX.COM

New Metro opening

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Dissecting the popularity: zoo trips are always welcome

Country first, capital fifth DENMARK finished ahead of Sweden, Norway, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and Austria.

Meanwhile, Copenhagen only trailed Helsinki, Quebec, Oslo and Munich in rankings that rated 150 cities. Stockholm, Reykjavik, Calgary, Montreal and Gothenburg completed the top ten.

A 31-YEAR-OLD man convicted of raping a woman in the bed of Ninna Hedeager Olsen, the Copenhagen mayor for technology and the environment – as they lay alongside Olsen and one other woman – has been acquitted at Østre Landsret.

All four were Enhedslisten members and they had been drinking heavily.

Gang appeal against ban COPENHAGEN City Court has ruled that the Nørrebro gang Loyal To Familia (LTF) is an association and therefore can be dissolved. The ruling has been appealed to Østre Landsret. An administrative order issued by the government banned the gang in September 2018. In related news, the trial of two men accused of murdering former gang member Nedim Yasar in late 2018 is ongoing.

China’s outrage at statue THE CHINESE Embassy has asked City Hall to withdraw a permit for the erection of an eight-metre sculpture outside Parliament from January 23 until April 2021. Jens Galschiøt’s work depicts the protests against China in Hong Kong. The embassy claims the “offensive” sculpture presents “misleading” facts and could be “detrimental to Danish-Chinese relations”.

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INTERNATIONAL

7 - 27 February 2020

ONLINE THIS WEEK

THE INTERNATIONAL Citizenship Index compiled by italiandualcitizenship.net has ranked Denmark as the world’s seventh best nationality. The top six were Iceland, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands. Had parental leave not been included, Denmark would have finished joint top with Ireland. Only one non-European country made the top ten: New Zealand in tenth.

Least corrupt again FOR THE second year running, Denmark has finished top of the Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual assessment carried out

by Transparency International of how corrupt a country’s public sector is. Tied in first was New Zealand, followed by Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Singapore. However, Denmark has been steadily dropping points since 2015.

Healthiest in world COPENHAGEN is the healthiest capital city in Europe, according to a study carried out by Treated.com. Finishing ahead of Vienna, Bern, Helsinki and Berlin, the Danish capital ranked second for quality of life, low CO2 emissions and numbers who walk or cycle to work, and third for the quality of its drinking water. It was also praised for spending 10.35 percent of its GDP on healthcare.

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Seventh best nationality

High alert as coronavirus creeps near No documented cases in Denmark yet DOMINIE MCINTOSH

A

T THE TIME of going to press, there had been no confirmed cases of coronavirus on Danish soil. A Danish national currently in hospital in Belgium has been cleared of having the virus.

Three more false alarms THE PATIENT and ten other Danes were on a China to Denmark flight (a joint European operation with stopovers in France and Belgium) on February 2, and two others were placed in home quarantine for two weeks after landing at Roskilde Airport at 01:00 on the following day. On Tuesday they were given the all-clear.

All eleven were evacuated from the Hubei Province, where the virus originated at a fish market in the city of Wuhan in late 2019, and last week four others were also transported away from the ‘danger zone’ without incident.

Six other Danes are believed to still be in the Hubei Province.

Huge quarantined area THE EVACUATIONS were made possible after lengthy discussions with the Chinese authorities, who have been reluctant to let anyone leave what is effectively a huge quarantined zone containing around 11 million people.

dAnCe WitH Me

3

Latvian mother’s struggle A LATVIAN citizen currently in custody in Denmark, accused of trying to abduct one of her two daughters from the South African home of her abusive husband, has been pleading for the re-adjudication of her extradition to South Africa – but neither the Latvian nor the Danish authorities have shown any interest in her case. On January 15 protests were held in both Latvia and Denmark in support of Kristīne Misāne.

Left-bloc anger It's going to be a busy month or two in the lab

Observers have compared the settlements to ghost towns.

The Danish Foreign Ministry sent a team out to the stricken province in late January, and permission was eventually granted, although the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s official standpoint would appear to be that nobody can leave.

Neighbourly cases A WEEK earlier, the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority said it was well prepared to tackle the coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

However, this was before cases started popping up all over the world – and already there have been several false alarms in Denmark and nearby Malmö, along with confirmed cases in Germany (12), Sweden (1) and Norway/ Finland (a Chinese tourist who visited both countries).

Two specialised departments have been set up at Hvidovre

Hospital and Aarhus University Hospital.

All flights cancelled SAS HAS cancelled all flights to Beijing and Shanghai until the end of the month and suspended sales until March 15.

Refunds and rebooking possibilities are offered to all affected passengers, but Hong Kong will be serviced as scheduled.

In related news, Danish Crown has closed its new meat-producing plant in China just six months after its opening.

Over a thousand dead AS OF WEDNESDAY, the virus has killed almost 500 people and infected over 24,000 more in 28 countries.

Most of the deaths have occurred in mainland China, but there have been fatalities in the Philippines and Hong Kong.

LOVE LOSS LONELINESS LAUGHTER – REFLECTIONS TROUGH A WOMAN’S MIND

THE GOVERNMENT’S leftbloc allies have strongly criticised the hardline stance on Danish-born foreign fighters, which enables the authorities to access property without a warrant. In one case, the term ‘police state’ was used. Not only has the government ruled that the fighters and their children are unable to return to their homeland, but they are also effectively outlawing any contact with them.

Danish model concerns THE EUROPEAN Commission has said the introduction of its minimum wage for the EU will not affect Denmark. EC senior vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis promised collective agreements would “be allowed to continue”, but Danish MPs are sceptical. Some 21 out of the 27 EU member states have statutory national minimum wages. The Danish model covers about 80 percent of workers.

A DRAMA BY

PETER ASMUSSEN ON STAGE

SUE HANSEN-STYLES DIRECTED BY

SOLBJØRG HØJFELDT

28th FEB – 21st MAR Vesterbrogade 150 København V

4

COVER

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

7 - 27 February 2020

Copenhagen Fashion Week leaves us with an aftertaste of hope

YULIYA KURYAN

M

Y FIFTH season covering Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) has left me with the impression that the fashion industry is on the brink of actual change.

Sustainability is in fashion ON THE very first day (Jan 29), several of the world’s leading media (The Guardian, Vogue UK, Vogue Business) named CPHFW the most sustainable fashion week in the world.

Diversity and Equity SINCE the Swedish Fashion Council cancelled Stockholm Fashion Week last August, several Swedish designers have begun presenting their collections to Copenhagen.

Selam Fessahaye, a Swedish-Eritrean costume designer, left an unforgettable mark on the Danish runway. Her show was significant for its diversity and absence of racial and body stereotypes.

“As a black woman in Sweden, everything I do is political,” says Fessahaye.

The models came out wear-

The reason for this bold statement was a three-year action plan unveiled at a press conference just before the official opening show. At first, the reaction in the press room was one of suspicion. There was justified concern that these statements of intent end up as unread paperwork – neither followed through with nor acted upon.

This time around, the Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2022 is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and includes rather specific requirements for brands.

Specifically what this means is that in order to show at CPHFW, brands have to use at least 50 percent-certified organic, upcycled or recycled materials – and only sustainable packaging by 2023. Another important requirement that the Action Plan dictates is that brands must stop

destroying unsold clothes.

With these requirements the biggest fashion week in Scandinavia is setting the bar high, and its organisers are positioning themselves as pioneers, pushing the industry towards an environmentally-conscious agenda that’s already sweeping the globe.

"Copenhagen Fashion Week is the cultural and commercial meeting place of the Scandinavian fashion industry,” contended Cecilie Thorsmark, the CEO of CPHFW. “This gives us an enormous responsibility and the potential to create impactful change in the industry at large. By taking this direction, we are going from being a traditional event to being a platform for industry change."

ing hyper-sleeved jackets, giant coats, and voluminous dresses.

Complex textures and materials, Eritrean jewellery from Fessahaye's mother and grandmother – every detail came together on the runway.

Each minute of the show paid tribute to the women who fought alongside the men for the liberation of Eritrea against the Ethiopian Army. These roots and traditions are the basis and inspiration for the work of this designer.

Despite being at the beginning of her career, she has already been named the Swedish fashion miracle. And we are not questioning that for a minute.

young women at an official CPHFW event.

The girls arrived from Dublin to share their story of success and the importance of disability fashion. At the age of 25, Ailbhe Keane created ‘Izzy Wheels’ as her final year project at the National College of Art and Design.

She was inspired by her sister Izzy, who was born with spina bifida and remains paralysed from the waist down. Nevertheless, the younger sister always had a strong passion for fashion and as a child decorated her wheelchair with flowers and ribbons.

Ailbhe’s school project went viral after the girls shared it on social media. People from all over the world started sending them messages of support and inquiries about where they could buy these fashionable wheel covers.

That was the breaking point at which the sisters started their online store, which today ships to 35 countries. Izzy and Ailbhe have already worked with notable artists including Timothy Goodman, Steve Simpson, Lucy Tiffney and Callen Schaub.

“Izzy Wheels empower

Can’t stand up? Stand out!

SISTERS Ailbhe and Izzy Keane could be introduced in many different ways, be it Forbes 30 Under 30, Irish multi-award-winning entrepreneurs or pioneering disability fashion brand owners.

“These two founders of ‘Izzy Wheels’ encompass all of what we celebrate: creativity, ingenuity, leadership, care, and entrepreneurship,” explained Irish ambassador Adrian McDaid as he met the

No clothes, no models THE DANISH brand Carsel uses 100 percent natural

ALL PHOTOS UNLESS STATED: COPENHAGENFASHIONWEEK.COM

A show without models, a boycott of brands burning unsold stock, and a triumph of art prints and checked patterns.

Yuliya Kuryan reflects on the Autumn/Winter edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week and relays its most important events

materials and the labour of female prisoners from Peru and Thailand. Carsel opened this season of the fashion week in thought-provoking fashion – without models and without clothes.

Carsel explained the idea of the show on Instagram: “We think that fashion weeks are more important than ever, but we need to change the conversation and the format.”

After a short film about fashion insights and ways to put the industry on a greener track, the guests were asked to step up onto the catwalk. Influencers, buyers, photographers and journalists were left walking the naked-white catwalk to reflect on the sustainability of their own wardrobe as well as the impact that they, as consumers, have on the industry. Thank you, Carsel, for that opportunity to reflect.

wheelchair users to make a statement about themselves – it transforms a person's wheelchair into a friendly object rather than something purely functional,” proclaimed Izzy, the 'Izzy Wheels' brand ambassador.

The mainstream impact of

the brand was seen last year as 'Izzy Wheels' collaborated with one of the world’s most powerful women in plastic: Barbie. Fans of the doll can now accessorise Barbie’s wheelchair and get the same cover for their own fullscale wheelchair.

COVER

7 - 27 February 2020

Sticking to his old aesthetics, the designer still keeps an eye on the future.

Some 95 percent of his extraordinary collection is made from sustainable materials, and all of the jackets and coats are made from recycled PET bottles.

So what should we wear in AW20?

IN GENERAL, the Copenhagen stage is not for buzzy labels that live and die quickly. Most Scandinavians appreciate slow-living, and most of the Danish brands gravitate towards timeless pieces that will stay in vogue for a while.

Most of the participants in CPHFW are brands that have relied on gradual, ‘anti-hype’ growth. However, there were several new ideas on the catwalk that you might want to consider for your wardrobe in AW20.

Black leather BLACK hides from head to toe? Yes, please. The dark robust material was widely used by Malene Birger and Ganni. Soeren Le Schmidt with his usual geometric aesthetics suggested pairing a black buttoned leather dress with your favourite army boots.

Art-inspired INSTEAD of just wearing a piece of fabric, wear a story.

Look to Stine Goya and her collection ‘On Air’ capturing the ‘building-wrap’ essence of artists Christo and JeanneClaude. True to the Stine Goya DNA, hand-painted prints transmit the artist’s architectural vision directly onto the garments.

1970s WE ARE already in love with the bright comeback of the 1970s vibes. Danish designers are suggesting we stick with this trend for another season – even if the cold weather does eventually come. Wide-collar shirts, peasant blouses and a splash of checked patterns – wear it all and don’t forget to release your flower power!

YULIYA KURYAN

Pink elephant in the room HENRIK Vibskov’s AW20 show took place at an old factory where trains used to be repaired and manufactured. Sipping beer and cider, guests found their seats along the catwalk.

Before the show had even started, a line-up of surreal pink bathtubs donning elephant-trunk like taps left everyone in anticipation. As the music kicked in, we saw dancers appear from inside the bathtubs.

This ‘living scenery’ was a lovely artistic accompaniment to the show, which was appropriately named ‘Please Remove Before Washing’.

The creation of spectacular and surreal universes is Vibskov’s signature style. The same can be said for his vivid prints. For autumn and winter one of the designer’s central ideas was wrapping yourself in beautiful patterns. The standout motifs were green and mustard-checkered as well as red and navy running-water.

As a top layer Vibskov uses deconstructed suits and outerwear. The assembled image is complete with a knitted sweater worn instead of a scarf and a sink (see top right) worn instead of a bag.

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6

NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

ONLY 409 teenagers aged 15-19 became mothers in 2018, according to Danmarks Statistisk – less than a tenth of the 4,708 who gave birth in 1973 when registration began. Furthermore, the percentage of 19-year-old mothers, and mothers aged 15-17, has climbed from 48 to 59 and fallen from 23 to 11, respectively.

Frederiksberg fulfilled FREDERIKSBERG Municipality has the most satisfied citizens in Denmark, according to the European satisfaction surveyor EPSI Rating. It topped the rating with 75.8 percent, ahead of Rødovre (74.1), Syddjurs (73.1), Thisted (72.5) and Frederikshavn (71.8).

The national average was 63.5.

Muslim marriage failings NO JUDICIAL body in Denmark has the right to dissolve a Muslim marriage if the husband does not want it, according to a new report by the National Center for Welfare Research and Analysis that reveals that many women in such a position are subjected to violence by their husbands and family.

Gays can donate blood FROM MARCH, gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood, providing they haven’t had sex with another man during the previous four months. Homosexual men were banned from donating in 1988 due to fears they would spread the HIV virus.

Steak sarnie supreme RASSES Skovpølser in Skanderborg has retained first place in the ‘Denmark’s Best Steak Sandwich’ rankings compiled

by De Brune Riddere. It picked up several prizes, including one for the best sweatiest onions.

No alternative to it ALTERNATIVET has named Josephine Fock as its new leader.

She officially replaced Uffe Elbæk at an extraordinary party congress on February 1. When pronounced, Fock’s name sounds a lot like ‘fuck’.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Liberals call for hard drug legalisation PIXABAY

Fewer teen mums

7 - 27 February 2020

Follow Portugal’s lead, urges Alternativet, and allow users to possess narcotics for their own personal consumption ROSELYNE MIN

T

HREE POLITICAL parties support legalisling the consumption of drugs such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine, providing drug-takers only use the narcotics in their possession for their own personal consumption.

Alternativet has been the most outspoken party, and its suggested policy has the support of Liberal Alliance and Enhedslisten.

“Despite our ban and hard line on drugs, we see more and more young people using them,” Sikandar Siddique, the spokesperson for judicial issues for Alternativet, told TV2 News.

Learning from Lisbon, liberal parties are taking a lead

report from the Centre for Substance Research (CSR) revealed that 24,600 young people aged 15-25 have taken cocaine in the past month – double the number in 2014.

The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, told DR he will consult the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority regarding how “we can learn from other countries”.

According to CSR figures, 24,500 are addicted to illegal drugs – up from 20,000 in 2014.

stance since the cartridges first became an issue in 2018. They have always opposed a widespread ban.

SU rates soaring IN 2018, THE state paid 513 million kroner in SU education benefits to foreign students – up from 88 million kroner in 2013, the same year the EU made its ruling that students from the union, Norway and Switzerland had the same rights as Danes – providing they worked 10-12 hours per week alongside their studies.

Abuse investigation THE GOVERNMENT has green-lighted an investigation into possible failures and abuse suffered by children and adults at state facilities between 1933 and 1980 in Livø and Sprogø. At the end of that period, responsibility passed from the state to the municipalities.

The government is committed to owning up to any mistakes and to apologising where need be.

High cocaine usage THE PROPOSAL came as new

Laughing gas rethink THE NUMBERS are set to soar, as it will soon be no longer legal to sniff laughing gas cartridges to get high.

New legislation will make it illegal for under-18s to buy the nitrous oxide cartridges, which are most commonly used in siphons to produce whipped cream for coffee and desserts.

And it will be illegal for anyone to buy more than two of the eight-gram cartridges at the same time.

Only Liberal Alliance was believed to be against the bill.

Other right bloc parties, including Venstre, have softened their

Snus and nonsense IN RELATED news, five times more Danish youths consume the Snus powdered tobacco every day than in 2014, according to the National Institute of Public Health – up from 1.9 percent of high school boys to 11.3 percent, while the number of female users has jumped eight-fold.

Taking Snus, which is bought on the black market but still legally sold in Sweden, is more popular than smoking, which only 8.9 percent of the boys do on a daily basis And woe betide any teachers at FGU Østjylland being caught smoking or drinking a soda during school hours, as they will be fired if they’re caught three times.

The post-upper secondary school, which helps students get the necessary grades to go to university (like a crammer in the UK), wants its staff to act as role models for the students, who are also not allowed soft drinks.

Anti-Semitism action

New dialect in Aarhus

Childless and alone

Grief leave support

FOLLOWING a wave of anti-Jewish acts in November, PM Mette Frederiksen has promised a crackdown on anti-Semitism, which will involve raising awareness of the problem and the better protection of Jewish institutions. The state also intends to incorporate a new official definition of anti-Semitism, which the authorities will have to adhere to.

THE UNIVERSITY of Aarhus has detected a new dialect in the city in which speakers use four ‘typical word positions’ instead of the more normal three, thus rendering a more concise delivery.

‘Aarhus West’ may be spoken in a part of the city predominantly populated by immigrants and their descendants, but it is not an ethnolect like ‘Perkerdansk’.

THE NUMBER of Danish men who live alone without children has shot up by almost 50 percent over the last 30 years from 533,000 to 753,413, according to Danmarks Statistik – compared to 725,000 single women without kids. In 1989, there were 58,000 more single women. Single men on average die seven years earlier than their co-habiting counterparts.

THERE is a broad political majority in favour of addressing the work leave conditions for parents who lose a child before their 18th birthday. Currently, only mothers who give birth to a dead child, or parents who lose a child before they reach seven months, are eligible for 14 weeks of grief leave.

Many bereaved parents are forced to take sick leave as a result.

Following Portugal SINCE Portugal decriminalised drugs in 2001, the number of heroin abusers in the country has fallen from 100,000 to 25,000, and drug-related deaths have also plummeted, according to EU figures.

Last month, the Norwegian attorney general proposed a similar change to the law, stating that the country’s current policy has not had the desired impact.

“We look to countries like Portugal, where the number of abusers and deaths have dropped in the wake of drug decriminalisation,” added Siddique.

Oil right dilemma THE GOVERNMENT is weighing up the financial cost of not issuing any more North Sea oil drilling rights, which would result in the extraction stopping in 2050. All its left-bloc allies want the drilling to stop. Denmark earned 8 billion kroner in 2018 from the North Sea – down from 36 billion in 2008.

Tower on back foot THE CONSTRUCTION of a 320-metre high tower in the central Jutland town of Brande to house the fashion company Bestseller, which would have been visible 50 km away, has been put on hold. The permit issued by the local municipality expired on January 1. Bestseller is owned by one of Denmark's richest men, Troels Holch Povlsen.

7 - 27 February 2020

ONLINE THIS WEEK

DR ANNA Grynnerup, a Danish doctor, has spoken out against Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness and lifestyle company Goop, accusing it of promoting alternative treatments that can be harmful.

She told TV2 it was concerning that Netflix had given her a platform to peddle her “very dubious” health tips on the new program ‘The Goop Lab’.

Nature’s soothing hand NATURE has a healing effect on our bodies and minds, according to a three-year study by the University of Southern Denmark carried out in ten municipalities. 'Health in Nature' focused on kids with special needs, the chronically ill, lonely elderly people and citizens suffering from stress, anxiety or depression.

Hands-on ambition UNIVERSITY of Southern Denmark researchers have developed Ropca Ultrasound, a scanner that measures the amount of arthritis in a patient’s hands.

The researchers’ company Ropca Holding is confident of getting the funding to bring the product to the market in two years.

Erosion check IT IS NOW possible to check how much of Denmark is being eroded by the sea and wind via new data provided by the Sentinel-1 Denmark satellite, which is available free of charge via SDFE.

The electric avenue is perilous PIXABAY

Paltrow pooped

SCIENCE

But ultimately cheaper and, of course, greener!

E

LECTRIC cars are cheaper, but more likely to sustain damage – whether it's in an accident or a scrape whilst parking.

Tesla leading the way TESLA cars are more likely to sustain a prong than any other brand, according to a Politiken survey ivolving Denmark's largest insurance companies, Topdanmark, Tryg and Codan.

Damage has been sustained in 1,500 incidents involving Telsa cars over the last two years.

Green ... and sometimes mean

claims that electric cars are 50 percent more likely to sustain damage.

Marginally cheaper RISING electricity costs make it only slightly cheaper than a petrol or diesel car: 3.58 kroner per km for an electric car (300,000 kroner + in value; for a car that will travel at least 100,000 km over a five-year period) compared to 3.73 for a regular car, according to fdm.dk data for 2020.

In general, it is now cheaper to be a car owner in Denmark, as expenses have fallen 2-4 percent over the last year.

of electric cars if it is serious about cutting CO2 emissions, according to researchers, who advocate more information and longer test-run periods.

A recent Nordic study concluded that car salespeople were poorly informed about electric cars.

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ONLINE THIS WEEK More endangered THE DANISH Rødliste, a list of all the country’s endangered animals, plants and fungi, now includes 13,276 species – up from around 1,300 in 2010. The total represents around a third of all species and includes around 4,500 endangered animals.

Seawater heating SEAWATER will eventually heat the homes of the 12,000 residents on Aarhus Island, a new district in the Jutland city. A pump and tank system, which reacts to changing pressure and temperature via pressure chambers, opened in January, with 11 more expected to follow.

More information!

IN RELATED news, the government needs to further push the sale

Interrailing is back!

IN OTHER transport news, last year saw the highest number of interrailing tickets sold since 1991, as 13,439 Danes acquired the pass – up 27 percent from 2018, and over four times the 3,022 who used the pass in 2004. In 1989, 27,237 Danes went interrailing.

Travel agencies are increasingly offering train journey holidays in response to the demand from consumers. (BH)

EU bans aplenty

Vegan ban rescinded

Testing on animals

Pollen season early

THE EU Commission has followed Denmark’s example and banned thiacloprid, a pesticide commonly used by Danish farmers and fruit growers to eliminate insects on various berries and cabbages. In related news, the government is taking extra steps to protect consumers from high exposure to cadmium, as new EU rules from 2022 won't be as tight as Danish ones.

COPENHAGEN Municipality has changed its guidelines to permit the serving of exclusively vegan meals at its daycare institutions. Vegan lunchboxes have been discouraged since a 2015 report questioned whether they were nutritionally sufficient. In related news, a team from DTU claims it has produced a 100 percent vegan yoghurt using just soya milk and two plant-based ingredients.

A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen team have helped to establish a possible link between genetic variations and atrial fibrillation after running tests on zebrafish. In related news, a University of Southern Denmark team have demonstrated that the peach-fronted parakeet has an advanced ability to co-operate when finding food, and DTU researchers are striving to develop the world’s thinnest lens for glasses.

THE POLLEN season began in January – a full month ahead of schedule and the earliest start since 2007 – with the emergence of alder and hazel.

New owner woes ELECTRIC cars are 20 percent more likely to sustain damage.

Many of the accidents take place at home or parking – often because the driver is caught out by how quickly they accelerate.

Norwegian insurer Protector, which operates in a country where there are lots more electric cars,

Salt intake rises CONSUMPTION of salty foods has increased by almost 10 percent over the past decade.

Some 90 percent eat more than the recommended maximum of 5-6 grams per day. Only 10-20 percent of the intake comes from salt added at home.

Award for green guru SELINA Juul, the Russian-born founder of food waste organisation Stop Spild Af Mad, has been named 2020 European of the Year by Reader's Digest.

8

CULTURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Depth charge

Bananas over cake DESPITE the complex ingredients that go into the creations on 'Den Store Bagedyst', the banana cake is the nation’s favourite, according to Arla. Its Karolines Kitchen recipe has been the most sought-after since 2014.

Terror strikes again DR’S LATEST drama series, ‘Når støvet har lagt sig’ (when the dust has settled), which premiered on February 2, deals with the build-up and fallout of an attack at a Copenhagen restaurant (which is really dimly lit – even by Nordic Noir standards).

BENJAMIN QUARCOO

TRINE Dyrholm, the country’s answer to Meryl Streep, won an eighth film acting Robert award in January. Her film ‘Dronningen’ dominated, winning nine awards. At the Bodils on February 29, Dyrholm will be bidding to win her seventh film acting statuette.

Debit Distortion PIXABAY

Wild-hair hangovers

Trine keeps on winning

Benjamin is back FRUMPERINO

ONLINE THIS WEEK

THE DANISH Entertainment Orchestra has again won the International Classical Music Award in the 'Symphonic Music' category following a triumph in 2015. Politiken applauded them for being “like Beethoven with hangovers and wild hair in the morning”.

7 - 27 February 2020

Explores the murky depths

New horizons for Benjamin?

How many will cough up?

‘INTO THE Deep’, a documentary about murderer Peter Madsen that will premiere on Netflix later this year, missed out on the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, despite impressing audiences. Some noted that it was more impactful than most of the horror films at the festival. Shot by Copenhagen-based Australian director Emma Sullivan in the aftermath of the killing, it is produced by Denmark’s Mette Heide, who made the Netflix doc ‘Amanda Knox’.

LAST YEAR’S 'X Factor' runner-up Benjamin Rosenbohm – a former student of CIS, Rydgaards and SceneKunst, whose parents are German and Madagascan – has qualified to compete in the Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish Eurovision qualifier, on March 7. He will perform alongside fellow ‘X Factor’ finalist, Tan/Tanne from the girl group Echo.

2018 runner-up Jamie Talbot, who has a British father, is also competing.

COPENHAGEN City Hall has approved Distortion’s plans to charge guests 180 kroner to access five large pay-for-entry party zones in Nørrebro and Vesterbro – the two street party nights that attract a combined crowd of over 200,000. The zones will encroach far more than in previous years. “Copenhagen’s city space belongs to Copenhageners and they shouldn’t be excluded in this way,” complained Ninna Hedeager Olsen, a deputy mayor, on Facebook.

La Traviata

Old Times

Manwatching

««««¶¶

«««««¶

TBC

ANY PRODUCTION of this powerful, emotional journey must do justice to its emotional zenith and nadirs. The pairing of soprano Gisela Stille and tenor Francesco Castoro in the first act, where the emotional focus is the flowering of a new love, was disappointing. Much better were the second and third acts, where the performance is far more accomplished and therefore emotionally confident.

Meanwhile, the Royal Danish Opera Chorus performed with distinction – especially during the party scene at Flora’s house. (BG)

THIS MUST rank as one of the sexiest ever adaptations of Harold Pinter’s work. It’s a notable achievement given the multi-interpretative nature of the 1971 play has seen many theatre groups give it a wide berth. While most productions are rather dry, HIT's at Krudttønden was the opposite: wet with excitement, it really hit the spot. The electricity was palpable as one of the characters luxuriously put on a pair of panties, and things promise to get even more intense when it moves to a circular stage at Matrikel1 from February 5. (RM)

THERE are no reservations, so it is first come, first seated once the doors open at 19:30 ahead of a 20:00 start at Dexter’s Bar on February 6. The organisers of this one-off performance are charging ‘pay what you decide’ as three unrehearsed male actors (including comedian Adrian Mackinder) read out thoughts of female heterosexual desire at its most raw. It made its premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2015, and the reviews have been orgasmic, and the performances multiple, ever since. (BH)

READ THE REST OF THESE REVIEWS AT CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Bodes well for future GLORIA Biograf recently opted to extend its screening of the South Korean film ‘Parasite’ with English subtitles from one to two weeks. The gamble bodes well for future films being shown with English subs.

Princely sum BIDDING closes on February 9 on the Bruun Rasmussen website for the 900-record collection of Prince Henrik. The entire collection, which is mostly folk and classical, must go to one bidder.

Disney dropping in THE DISNEY + streaming service is launching this summer.

Subscriptions will cost around 50 kroner a month – barely half of what competitors Netflix and HBO Nordic charge.

Lord of the screen 'BENDTNER og Philine', a show featuring the luxurious exploits of Bendtner and his girlfriend Philine Roepstorff, will premiere on Discovery Network’s on-demand service Dplay this spring.

Smoke on the harbour DEEP PURPLE are playing at Royal Arena on September 29 in addition to their appearance at Skovrock 2020 in Aalborg on June 25. In related news, US stand-up Louis CK is playing at Royal Arena on May 23.

SPORT

7 - 27 February 2020

Little Miss Sunshine calls time on career

her sights: a course at Harvard Business School and raising awareness of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease she has been battling since 2018.

BEN HAMILTON

C

AROLINE Wozniacki, 29, bowed out of the Australian Open in the third round, losing 5-7, 6-3, 5-7 to Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, thus bringing to an end the career of one of Denmark’s most successful ever sports people.

The adulation from within the world of tennis – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic together made a farewell video – said it all, as the sport has lost one of its warmest personalities.

The tears on Wozniacki’s face after her defeat, as her father Piotr held her arm aloft at the scene of her one and only grand slam triumph, were of joy, not sadness.

She has new horizons in

Piotr’s last grumble SINCE winning the junior version of Wimbledon in 2006, Wozniacki has carried this nation’s dreams on her shoulders, and finally two years ago she won the elusive major it so badly craved.

For 67 weeks from 2010-12 and briefly in 2018, she was the world number one, and for a decade she has been one of the most famous female sportspeople on the planet – a testament to her strong personality as well as talent.

And the world will miss her father as well. Only last month, Piotr complained how his daughter had been overlooked for the Female Player of the Year

Sweet success in Oz in 2018

award handed out by the Danish Tennis Association – an award she has won eleven times.

Clara Tauson, who in 2019 advanced several hundred places up the world rankings to as high as number 265, was preferred to Wozniacki, who in contrast struggled last year, winning only one tournament – her 30th and final title.

FACEBOOK/CAROLINE WOZNIACKI

Cheerio cheery Caroline!

ONLINE THIS WEEK

9

Inter business already

Brøndby fans see red

CHRISTIAN Eriksen has already played twice since moving from Tottenham Hotspur to Inter last week in a deal worth around 150 million kroner.

Eriksen, who had less than six months left on his contract, notched up 69 goals and 89 assists in 305 games.

BRØNDBY fans are reportedly horrified that Red Bull might be eyeing a stake in the Superliga club – particularly as the energy drink giant has a track record of introducing its branding. BIF chairman Jan Bech Andersen has denied any contact with the company.

Ebbe and flow

Badminton final woe

FORMER Brøndby and Schalke 04 striker Ebbe Sand will assist Danish coach Åge Hareide at Euro 2020 this summer following the departure of Jon Dahl Tomasson. Sand has signed a short-term deal as Hareide’s contract expires in July.

ANDERS Antonsen lost in the final of the Indonesia Masters to local favourite Anthony Ginting.

A round earlier, the badminton star had knocked out his compatriot Viktor Axelsen.

Toft top of the lot

FOUR DANISH men recently set a new national record for rowing across the Atlantic.

'Row for Veterans' completed the 4,800 km journey in 37 days to raise funds for former Danish service people.

WITH 43 percent of the 18,548 votes, Denmark’s Sandra Toft has been voted the best female handball keeper in the world for 2019 by Handball Planet.

International theatre schools for 4-18yr olds Fre e t r i a l d ay – B o o k n o w s c e n e k u n s t s k o l e r. d k

Across the Atlantic

10 BUSINESS FEATURE THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

7 - 27 February 2020

Danish startup program sends off the entrepreneurs of tomorrow

SOMA BIRÓ

F

IRST ON stage we have a company I like to tease a little bit because one of their competitors was sold recently for 3 hundred million dollars. But I’m hoping that they will exceed that by the end of this year.” At this point, Eythor Jónsson, the Icelandic startup guru, began to raise his voice at a steady pace, boiling over into a shout: “So please welcome, the founder of Kray Technologiiiiieees, Maxim Surdu!”

There was a clap, but the clap was short. These entrepreneurs are not superstars … yet.

Though, Maxim Surdu was kind of a business superstar back in Russia. He used to be a top executive at the country’s largest IT company, Merlion, which has a turnover of 6.5 billion US dollars annually. But he left the company and began to invest in startups.

The climax of Growth Train “AT KRAY, we are developing drone crop protection technology that could be the start of a new agricultural revolution. Let me tell you why, how and what we do” Surdu said and he was off to the races, presenting in front of investors as well as his fellow entrepreneurs. His pitch along with those of eight other entrepreneurs were the culmination of the 7-week accelerator program Growth Train. For those unfamiliar with the concept, an accelerator program helps entrepreneurs develop their startups to new heights – it’s a gym for your company.

Growth Train, based in Lolland-Falster, is focused on businesses in food and agriculture technology. During the course of the program, participating com-

ALL PHOTOS: SOMA BIRÓ

Startups from all over the world gathered in Lolland-Falster for the seven-week Danish startup accelerator Growth Train: some of their products might just change our lives

panies get to learn about a range of topics including business modelling, design thinking, customer development, growth hacking and strategic communication.

“We’ve taken all the elements and disciplines you’d normally do for a 6-month or 8-month program and compacted it into seven weeks,” explained Christiane Paaske-Sørensen, the head of the program.

The agriculture drone BUT BACK to Surdu, whose pitch continued on Demo Day with “as you know, the world population is growing fast and by 2050, food production will increase by 50 percent. So famers need to be more productive.”

Surdu’s startup offers a tool to achieve just that: a drone. An agriculture spraying drone. It flies one metre above crops at 100 km/h and cuts operational costs of current spraying methods by 90 percent.

For Surdu, the journey that brought him to Denmark started in Ukraine with his cousin, Dmytro Surdu the co-founding CEO and CTO of the company: “He and his team are crazy about drones. They started with the idea of delivery drones. But I told them: ‘Guys, competitors will be too far ahead. You better figure out something new, something unique.’” Then, in 2015, Dmytro went to London for the WEB Summit – a technology conference – with a drone that was able to fly for four hours.

There, they met farmers from Canada and the US: “They explained the pain of obsolete and expansive spraying technologies to Dmytro and were like: ‘So, if you guys can fly for four hours, couldn’t you do spraying for us?’ And, you know, my cousin accepts every challenge you propose to him: if you tell him ‘You can’t do that,’ he’ll respond ‘Why?’ and then go ‘No, no, no, I’m doing it.’ So he came back with the idea of making a drone for spraying.”

From Russia with inspiration: Maxim Surdu wasn't one to drone on

Investor origins BUT WHO is Maxim Surdu, this balding, bearded and friendly Russian guy with good posture who invests in his engineer cousin’s drone start-up and moves to Denmark for seven weeks to participate in an accelerator program? His origins story is one of a skilled young programmer from Moldova: he moved to Moscow at the age of 16 and studied at the Moscow University of Electronics and Technology. After realising that he couldn’t meet all of his basic physical needs with the money that a PhD made back then, he began working on the Russian version of GPS – Glonass – as a programmer. But he soon quit.

It hit him, like it hits so many of us at one point or another – it was time to impress women: “I wanted to have a girlfriend, I wanted to be able to take her to a fancy restaurant, you know, all these things. That’s a man’s story.” So he became a sales manager for an IT company: “At that time, in the USSR, you could only earn money by selling something. Since we were professional in computers, we decided to sell computers and systems.” He kept climbing the business ladder and didn’t stop until he reached the highest peaks of Merlion.

The show THE PITCHES were preceded

by presentations from Eric AlanRapp (partner at Vækstfonden), Steve Kim (Growth Train alumni and partner at the South Korean company Livecare Technologies, which has recently opened an office in Denmark, using it as an entry point to the EU market) and Sissel Hansen (CEO and founder of Startup Guide). The final speech was given by Kim Rahbek, founder of Sticks’n’Sushi and chairman of Business Lolland-Falster.

A new type of sweet THERE was also a break before the pitches began and some extra time after the last speech – for networking and eating. Pastries, drinks and even ice cream – a new kind of ice cream. It tasted delicious, though it wasn’t made with regular sugar: it contained sugar derived from the nectar of the palmyra tree. I was encouraged to try it by Kristina Locke, the half-British, half-Danish founder and CEO of SugaVida.

“I had a series of chronic issues: bronchitis, then another chest infection, and I eventually ended up with chronic fatigue.

This led to my journey to India. I started with yoga and got into Ayurvedic medicine. I got to know India extremely well – I actually ended up writing a travel book, and I kept hearing about this wonderful, amazing sugar from the palmyra tree. I started consuming it and I felt better. I thought I had to get this

product out to the west so everybody here can benefit,” Locke told the crowd in her pitch on Demo Day. Ancient medicine AFTER trying the SugaVida ice cream, I sat down with her to discuss this new ingredient.

“It’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine for over 5,000 years.

We harvest from the trees that grow in southeast India. It’s a highly sustainable production: no trees are ever cut down. Also, palmyra trees are very drought resistant. They don’t need a lot of water and are self-sufficient. As we become hotter climates and have less water, it can survive.”

She continued, laying out the health benefits of the product: “It has a low GI (glycemic index) and keeps your blood sugar very stable. It’s also very rich in vitamins – including all B vitamins – and minerals.” The SugaVida website elaborates on these claims, asserting that it is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, supports digestive health, helps you sleep better, increases energy and even increases lung capacity.

If all of these claims are true, this ancient medicine might just make us healthier – just by switching sugars.

Customer journey WHEN I asked her about participating in Growth Train, Locke highlighted the customer

BUSINESS FEATURE

7 - 27 February 2020

journey exercise as one of the most memorable assignments of the program. “Looking at who your customer is and fine-tuning them and how they arrive at your product – what you want them to think, experience and feel. My customer is female, typically between 40 and 60, getting to that stage in life when she’s feeling a bit more tired, getting a few aches and pains. So she’s going ‘Okay, now I need to take proactive steps for my health and wellbeing.’” Locke told me that this imaginary customer guides the way they market everything. “We have to start somewhere. We build one successful customer journey, and then we can start looking at another one.”

SugaVida is already on the market in the UK. Networking THOUGH you might think so, Demo Day wasn’t really the time when investments cropped up for Growth Train participants. Meeting with Christiane Paaske-Sørensen almost a week after the final event, she revealed “There haven’t been any investments at this point.”

Fortunately for our heroes, the same cannot be said about the weeks preceding Demo Day, when investments and collaborations did, in fact, materialise as networking was an integral part of the program – with local and global companies alike.

Mapping the weeds ONE SUCH collaboration was between Maxim Surdu’s Kray Technology and the Danish agriculture technology company Agrointelli. According to Surdu, “Agrointelli is developing weed maps that would allow you to spray only the areas that have more weed. Their plan was to employ a drone, take a lot of pictures of the field, analyse them and detect the weeds. But the problem was that when the drone approached the crops at a distance of one metre, it produced a downstream that made the leaves tremble. So the pictures were not clear enough to

detect what type of weeds those were. Then they switched to using a quadricycle with a camera at the back. But that needs you to go through the fields, which not every farmer will allow, since you’ll be hitting the crops.”

“Then, a mentor at Growth Train introduced us to the people at Agrointelli. We fly above the crops and our downstream is significantly smaller than that produced by regular drones because often we only use the propellers to lift 20 percent of the weight of the drone.”

Approval ACCORDING to Paaske-Sørensen, participants also met with universities and scientists. “We know that half the companies have products or services that require documentation, so it’s important for us that they also get introduced to research centres that can help them get that stamp of approval saying ‘this is legit, this thing works.’”

The history of Growth Train SO, WHY make such an accelerator program in southern Zealand? Growth Train began in 2017 with the aim of increasing the international outreach of Business Lolland-Falster, which exists mainly to support local businesses. “We also thought: could there be innovations within food production that we could use in our local companies? That’s another motivator – to find inspiration,” explained Paaske-Sørensen.

Since BLF is funded by the government, Growth Train is non-profit. “Other accelerator programs are often heavily backed by investors and venture capitalists. They put the money in and they get their share. Ours is a little bit different. We don’t take equity,” explained Paaske-Sørensen.

The Growth Train initiative is part of an effort to make the entire region more appealing – especially with the upcoming tunnel that will connect Germany and Denmark through the Fehmarn Belt. “It’s only

11

gonna be an hour to Hamburg and an hour to Copenhagen, which makes the area attractive to a lot of commuters – they don’t need to be paying a ton of money to live in one of those big cities, they can settle here.

An easy halfway between all the different places.”

Two new programs THIS YEAR, Growth Train is launching two new programs on top of their seven-week accelerator: Go-2-Market and Scale-Up. Go-2-Market is the step to take after the seven-week accelerator. This program lasts for six months and, as its name indicates, it aims to help businesses enter the market. Some of the topics covered by the program are brand building, value proposition, market position and market entry strategy.

The Scale-Up is an accelerator aimed at small but already established businesses. It helps companies looking to scale up through consulting, global distribution, financing, operation scaling, buyer meetings and financial exit.

Both programs will start accepting applications in the first half of 2020. For more, see growth-train.dk.

The Danish startup scene IF YOU’RE wondering whether you should give it a try with your business in Denmark, you’re probably curious how the Danish market is for developing startups. Paaske-Sørensen has an answer: “It’s a perfect market to launch a startup – because it’s manageable to test out your product or your service in this type of market. It’s small and it’s also very critical – meaning, you actually get a lot of critical feedback, which is good when you’re trying to start out.”

“But I would like to see more places active in helping these entrepreneurs – mainly to navigate local rules. This is one of the things I want to make a little more noise about next year. So that they get to the right business developers or business support organisations. And so

Locked in and delivering: Kristina Locke

they know that those services are free. I get asked all the time what it’s gonna cost and I’m like, you know, it’s free. And I still see a lot of entrepreneurs, both Danes and foreigners, who pay for private consultants because they just don’t know.”

The Puerto Rican entrepreneur THERE is one more person who needs highlighting. He’s the guy who introduced me to Maxim Surdu, Kristina Locke and the Growth Train program itself. Donald Goff Molina III – a young Puerto Rican expat.

If you’re an avid reader of CPH POST, you probably saw him in our November 15 issue: I interviewed Donald in relation to the Greater Copenhagen Career Program – a course aimed at helping internationals enter the Danish labour market. That was the first time he told me about his startup: MadFind.

MadFind (a play on the Danish word for ‘food’) is essentially an app in which you’ll be able to share and reserve discounted or free items – including food, clothing, electronics and anything else that eventually goes to waste – allowing you to save both money and the planet. It’s a sustainability marketplace in your pocket that doubles as a barometer, tracking your contribution to CO2 emission reductions.

A little different MADFIND was an exception among the rest of the Growth Train companies. This was the least developed startup of them all: “They were really at the be-

ginning stage when we started.

Everyone else was in-market or at least had a prototype. But we accepted them because they are located in Denmark so it’s easy for us to continue working with them,” Paaske-Sørensen told me. “Also, Donald knew the theories behind entrepreneurship and running a business, because he has an MBA from CBS, where he studied under Eythor Jónsson, the managing director of Growth Train. But, excluding MadFind, we did have a common denominator for the companies we chose. The minimum limit was that they needed to have some kind of a proven business.”

A Polish food sustainability consultant (also Donald’s girlfriend), an Indian business guy, a Namibian programmer, a Portuguese programmer and a Venezuelan advisor – himself a Growth Train alumnus with the catering business CaterUs – are some of the people who make up the MadFind team. CPH POST will be following their journey, exploring the lives of these young internationals who came together here, in Denmark, at Growth Train, out to change the world.

The MadFind series kicks off in February at cphpost.dk.

A total of nine entrepreneurs pitched their startups on Demo Day, the final event of the Growth Train accelerator program, on 6 December 2019. We zoom in on Kray Technologies, Sugavida and MadFind but the others are worth checking out too: Agrynex, CaterUs, Hindsholm Grisen, Ponko, SEAT, and Wellcrop Europe.

12 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

LARS LARSEN Group, which owns the likes of Jysk, posted a record pre-tax profit of 3.7 billion kroner for 2019 on turnover of 34.7 billion kroner. In related news, Novozymes fell short of expectations as its revenue edged up to 3.73 billion kroner, and PostNord Danmark is still struggling, although its 91 million Swedish kroner loss was an improvement on the 420 million it lost in 2018.

New job slowdown DURING the first 11 months of 2019, the average monthly increase in employment was 2,600, compared to 4,100 in 2018, according to Danmarks Statistik.

Dansk Industri’s deputy general-secretary Steen Nielsen is concerned by the slowdown.

Maternity bill of health A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen-led study examining the cost of maternity leave for Danish companies concludes that the negative impacts are so small that they can hardly be measured.

Companies effectively compensate for the lack of employees, the study found.

DFDS on course CONSTRUCTION has started on the new 300 million kroner, five-storey DFDS headquarters at Marble Pier in Nordhavn.

It is located close to UN City and the DFDS ferry terminal.

Designed by PLH Architects, it will house 700 employees and open in 2022.

War on the Blackstones THE GOVERNMENT is legislating to close the door on short-term housing speculators, such as Kereby (formerly Blackstone), which want to acquire affordable housing. Among the measures are time limits on increasing rents, green incentives and energy demands, rental caps, and a ban on offering tenants money to leave.

Climate action: stepping stones but footprints PIXABAY

Lolly for Lars Larsen

7 - 27 February 2020

Smaller and medium-sized companies are not doing enough, despite the efforts of the likes of Pandora, Ørsted and the Danish government CHRISTIAN WENANDE

A

LMOST a third of Danish companies are doing nothing to curb their climate footprint, according to a report compiled by Global Compact Network Denmark (GCND) in collaboration with Arla.

Only 62 percent of Danish companies are active in reducing their climate footprint, while 24 percent of Danish companies believe the government’s goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 70 percent by 2030 is realistic.

Little customer demand SMALLER and medium-sized companies lack the knowledge, tools and economic incentive, claims GCND head Sara Krüger Falk. Additionally, there is a lack of customer demand for them to change.

“We won’t reach our common climate ambitions if we don’t get the smaller companies on board,” she warned.

Enough notes to play 'The Last Post'?

Holding (2), Novozymes (6), Vestas (37) and Novo Nordisk (71) also in the top 100.

Both companies have pledged to be carbon-neutral in their operations by 2025. From 2020, Pandora’s crafting facilities will only use renewable energy, while Ørsted wants to become the first major energy company to attain net-zero emissions.

Some, like SuperBrugsen, compound their footprint by having the leaflets produced in Poland.

The Norwegian outfit Rema 1000 is currently the only one in Denmark that produces a leaflet that adheres to the strict paper recycling and other environmental standards endorsed by the Nordic Swan label, reports DR.

Seriously, supermarkets!

THE SUPERMARKET chains could be doing more – particularly in regard to the weekly promotions leaflets they produce.

Government on board THE GOVERNMENT has been supporting the green transition by actively encouraging the private sector to invest in sustainable energy infrastructure, and last summer the pension industry pledged to invest 46 billion euros by 2030.

Months earlier, the Netherlands issued the first ever green bonds, and Danish pension funds ended up buying 10 percent of them at a cost of 45 billion kroner.

A similarly high level of interest is expected should the government – which has been in talks with Nationalbanken since November – follow suit.

Among the brainiest

More teens working

Lay-offs abound

DENMARK has a high number of Brain Business Jobs, according to a European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform report. It ranked third behind Switzerland and Sweden, ahead of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the UK and Germany.

Almost 9 percent of the workforce have knowledge-intensive occupations – double the share in southern Europe.

ALTHOUGH the proportion of employed people aged 13-17 has decreased over the last decade – from 38.2 to 32.8 percent up until 2018 – there has been an increase since 2015, according to Danmarks Statistik. Broken down, more girls tend to have jobs (34.4 vs 31.3 percent), and west Jutland has the largest percentage (43.9) and Copenhagen the lowest (26.6).

WHEN DANFOSS closes its factory in Kolding in 2022, it will lay off 335 employees, reducing its workforce to 110.

Elsewhere, the insurance and banking firm Alm Brand intends to cut 120 jobs, and IT infrastructure firm Atea plans to cut 67 jobs as part of a streamlining effort. Its boss Morten Felding recently departed following a corruption scandal.

A strong example MANY OF the big companies are setting a good example – among them now are jewellery firm Pandora and energy provider Ørsted, which Corporate Knights recently named the most sustainable company in the world, with Chr Hansen

Crisps and cement EVEN THE most unlikely companies are making an effort: cement producer Aalborg Portland (AP) and crisps producer KiMs chips.

AP is busy working out how to cut as much chalk as possible out of production, while KiMs has opened a store in Odense that exclusively sells ranges nearing their expiry dates.

ONLINE THIS WEEK SAS easing transition AS PART of SAS’s transition from the A340 to A350 aircraft, it has signed a deal with Willis Lease Finance Corporation regarding the leasing of the engines on the outdated planes, which are all about 18 years old. In other airline news, Ryanair is opening a daily route from Copenhagen to Manchester on March 30. SAS (15 a week) and EasyJet (11) also offer services on the route.

Secrets of their success A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen researcher has been investigating the key to the success of Henokiens, an association of family-owned companies continuously operating for more than 200 years. Professor Morten Bennedsen concludes that; a continuously relevant industry, well-preparedness for generational changes and focusing on competences are the key ingredients.

Founder dies THE FOUNDER of Denmark’s largest optician chain, Louis Nielsen, died on January 20 aged 75.

Nielsen opened his first optician's in Aalborg in 1978, and in 2005, the company was taken over by the British company Specsavers.

Fewer hours please SOME 382,000 workers want to work fewer hours, according to a Danmarks Statistik study – a sixth of the workforce. The 3544 age bracket are the most keen to cut their hours, and 89 percent of the total were full-time workers. Meanwhile, around 190,000 yearn to work more.

Trillion kroner club NOVO NORDISK’S value has risen to 1 trillion kroner – for only the second time (the first was in 2015) in the pharmaceutical company’s history. In true tabloid style, BT marked the milestone by calculating every citizen in Denmark would need to throw 171,600 kroner into a kitty to match the total.

7 - 27 February 2020

BUSINESS OPINION

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

Crucial to society THE VALUE of Danish life science exports surpassed 100 billion kroner a couple of years ago, while the number of people employed in the sector continues to grow.

Together, this has generated an increase in national income through revenues, salaries and taxes to the point that society has grown to depend on the life science sector as a crucial source of income.

While the short-term metrics of this success are clear to most, many decision-makers fail to realise to what extent continued investment in education and in-

Youthful drive IN THE future, we cannot rely on innovation and growth to come primarily from the big well-established companies – primarily from their senior executives and scientists.

A very significant and probably growing part of future innovation and growth will – hopefully – be generated by some of the hundreds of Danish life science start-ups and SMEs, along with the young, bright people they already do employ and will employ in the future.

Success in life science and any other knowledge-driven industry is clearly based on more than money, laboratories and good intentions. Reviewing the last 20 years and then attempting to look forward, I would emphasise one major change that in my view is

Gareth (gareth@bccd.dk), who has a passion for creativity and innovation in business, has been the CEO of the British Chamber of Commerce in Denmark since the start of 2017. Gareth has a background in management consultancy working for Price Waterhouse, PwC Consulting and IBM, and he also teaches at Copenhagen Business School.

No initial change SO IS BREXIT the end of the Brexit process? In reality, it is just the end of the beginning. On February 1 the transition period began, and it will run until the end of December 2020, unless both parties agree to an extension. Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, has already said he won’t ask for an extension.

During the transition period, the UK and the EU have agreed to carry on as if the UK was still in the EU. The UK will remain in

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Mind over Managing

We're Welcome – Honest!

Economics Explained

UK-DK TRADE

Danish Capital in 2019

Global Denmark

Substantial optimism EVERY year, we hatch new generations of life science students – many of whom have an impressive entrepreneurial spirit and global outlook.

When looking at the number of spin-outs from Technical University of Denmark and other universities in the region, or when following the power and diligence of an organisation such as the student-driven life science organisation Synapse, there is reason for substantial optimism.

In some cases, we even see energetic students with CEO titles, which testifies to a mindset and level of ambition rarely seen 20 years ago.

Strategy is everything!

The US management consultant, educator, and author of several books, Peter Drucker, made us aware that “culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

It bodes well for the implementation of the national life science strategy that we have been able to change the culture in Danish life science over the last two decades, resulting in a new generation of innovative, impatient and curious professionals.

the single market, and the customs union will continue to pay contributions to the EU. People will still be able to move freely. What has changed is that the UK will no longer be represented in Brussels.

Busy year ahead AT THIS stage, we don't know what form the final trade agreement between the UK and the EU will take. The UK will be negotiating simultaneously with other countries around the world, including the USA and China.

Eleven months is not a long period in which to reach an agreement, and there is a significant distance between the opening positions.

Prepare yourself for countless references to the Canadian model, fishing rights and level playing fields. There is still the

GARETH GARVEY

the most important of all.

This is the change of culture and mindset among young life science graduates – the individuals who are the future of the industry.

PIXABAY

A

T MIDNIGHT on 31 January 2020 CET, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union. At the same moment, roughly 18,000 British citizens living in Denmark ceased to be European citizens In the UK many celebrated and many mourned.

novation are the leading metrics of future success.

PIXABAY

S

TRATEGY, you may think.

And you are right. Danish life science has come a long way since the beginning of the millennium business-wise and, even more importantly in the long run, culture-wise. Along the way we also got a strategy.

13

A pandora's box of treats has been opened

possibility of a ‘No-deal’.

Seek advice!

THERE are still many unknowns, but most businesses now have plans. These plans reduce the risks, so keep them up to date.

The businesses that do not yet have plans should be getting on with it. Make use of the guidance available from the UK government, Danish ministries and industry bodies, including the British Chamber of Commerce.

Contact us if you need help.

IN 4 ISSUES

Startup Community

Union Views

Friend not foe COMPANIES need to be aware that many British citizens living and working in Denmark have concerns – often based on social media rumours. Check that they (and you) are aware of the advice being given on the UK.gov site and by the Danish Foreign Ministry (available in English).

So the UK is no longer part of the EU, but Britain and Denmark have so much in common and so many shared interests. Let’s make sure that we continue to build on our existing relationships and seize the new business opportunities.

IN 5 ISSUES

Fit For Business

Give Yourself a Chance

14 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

7 - 27 February 2020

Brexit not Daxit

M

ONTY PYTHON could not have given better entertainment than the live TV from the UK’s House of Commons over the past month.

Safer all round THE DANES are proud of their iron lady Margrethe Vestager, who like a superhero battles the monopolists, tax evaders and other immoral players with fines so big that it will hopefully have some impact on them.

A small country is simply much safer in a coalition with others and one cannot deny that Europe has been a much safer place to live and trade.

There have been setbacks.

The ridiculous border controls in southern Jutland and with Sweden are an ongoing example of how money and resources are wasted for the sake of calming the right-wing opportunists.

Coronavirus concerns THE LAW that prohibits the wearing of face-masks in pub-

Spectrum shifts ON THE home front, there has been an interesting development in which two of the parties have been siding with the opposite end of the political spectrum.

While Dansk Folkeparti is gravitating towards becoming one of the government’s support parties, Radikale would appear to be increasingly leaning towards the blue bloc, as it recently sided with them against proposals to protect occupants of rented flats against greedy capital funds.

It was a significant breach in the left-bloc solidarity that supports the government.

Climate action needed STILL, it was a mere trifle compared to the climate issue. And over the next few months, we will all be holding our breath in expectation that effective political action will finally be made.

But inactivity aside, nothing is really that rotten in the state of Denmark – particularly compared to some other countries in Europe.

Danremain! (ES)

Englishman in Nyhavn Jack escaped Brexit Britain in October 2019 to forge a new life in Copenhagen. In this column, he outlines the challenges expats face when integrating into Danish life. Jack (jacksgard@gmail.com) co-hosts the comedy podcast ‘Butterflies on the Wheel’, which is available on all major podcasting platforms

R

MIKAEL COLVILLE-ANDERSEN

Pro-union united BREXIT is a fact, but to what end? Are we going to see a Norwegian or Swiss model or what?

The EU has not seen anything like it before, and the likelihood is that it will never happen again.

The Danish population has with disbelief observed how a divided population and a divided country is now celebrating that they have got their country back.

The Danes have had a wake-up call. Now more than 70 percent support the EU membership, and less than 20 percent are against membership.

Not that any opposition to the EU has any idea regarding what they would do if they left.

lic is the same. Are we going to criminalise people wearing face masks to protect themselves from the Coronavirus?

We have learned in recent weeks how the virus is rapidly spreading – up 20 percent during the 24 hours prior to publication – and now thousands of people are getting it and hundreds are dying.

Up until now it’s been infecting people at the same rate as a bout of seasonal flu in Denmark, but it would be interesting to learn more about how people are recovering – as the media’s coverage has so far been disproportionately focused on death, not life.

JACK GARDNER

ECENTLY, I had a bike crash that was entirely my own fault. Therefore, I have decided to publish a Comprehensive Catalogue to Cycling Carefully in Copenhagen (CCCCC).

1/ Stay in the cycle lane SINCE you ask, my high-speed disaster occurred after straying from the well-demarcated, physically-separated cycle lane onto the road.

Why did I do this? Was it a thrilling attempt to generate endorphins? Or a Psychiatric Delusionary Episode (PDE) in which the subject believes they have become vehicular? We may never know, although it will be debated by scholars for centuries.

A bus appeared behind me.

Panicking, I sped up in the hope I might mount the kerb and jump back on. The sheer force of my legs propelled me from anywhere between 15-170 km/h.

I jumped. However, it had been raining. “In Copenhagen?!” I hear you cry –YES, don’t interrupt me.

Down I went, sliding forward on what felt like the World’s Shittiest Slip-And-Slide (WSSAS). My body was unscathed. My jeans took the damage.

This experience remains hard to discuss. And, yes, I am weeping as I write this because … those jeans were Levis. One minute they were there … durable. The next … gone. It’s my fault. Oh God – It’s All My Fault (OGIAMF).

2/ Stay in your lane ONCE ON the cycle path, generally stick to the right-hand side.

The left hand is only used for overtaking and Really Quick Legends [RQL], such as myself I guess.

But from someone who has

Left lane bellend (LLB) alert!

a reputation here as a Left Lane Legend [LLL/ Triple L], I just want to say there is absolutely no shame in spending your entire journey in the right-hand lane, with all your other slow pathetic baby friends.

When overtaking, you might think it’s a good idea to check behind to see if anyone is approaching to avoid crashing. However, Copenhagenites are averse to such behaviour. Therefore, in order to Be A True Copenhagener Or Copenhagen King [BATCOCK™], it is crucial that you blindly and violently swerve into the fast lane, preferably wearing noise-cancelling headphones.

3/ Hand signals JUDGING by how much they do it, indicating is the single most Danish thing ever – more so than Liquorice, Marzipan or Elves [LiqME] combined. For any southern Europeans reading: indicating is when a vehicle operator signals to other road-users that they intend to change direction.

The most uniquely Danish hand signal comes whenever they want to stop. At this point, you raise either arm with a flat hand

level with your head, as if giving an awkward high-five. Keep that elbow tucked though. I once saw someone extend their hand fully above their head and, while I admired their commitment, they looked like they were giving a poorly judged, fly-by Nazi salute.

4/ Infraction protocol THIS IS the most important rule. Obviously, given that there are over 12 billion cyclists in Copenhagen, you will constantly see people making errors. Your reaction is critical.

Just after you have passed them, you MUST look down and shake your head – in as dismissive manner as possible. An Exasperatedly Raised Eyebrow [ERE] is a nice touch, but not essential.

What is essential is that the guilty party feels your disgust.

After all, if no-one sees a Danish tree fall in a Danish forest, does it fall Danishly? Likewise, if you shake your head at a newcomer making an innocent mistake, and no-one sees you do it – are you still a patronising prick?

It Doesn’t Even Bear Thinking About Really, So Exhibit Headshaking Obviously, Loyal Enforcers! (IDEBTARSEHOLE).

OPINION

7 - 27 February 2020

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SIBYLLE DE VALENCE

Crazier than Christmas

Green Spotlight

VIVIENNE MCKEE

Sibylle is a French journalist, columnist and author who writes for a variety of French, English and Italian language-publications, specialising on the green transition. Having lived and worked in San Francisco, Milan, Berlin, Rome, Calgary and Paris, she speaks five languages. Follow her on Instagram at sibdevalence

Green superpower IN THE 1970s, when the oil crises hit Denmark very badly, the country was 99 percent dependent on foreign oil.

Measures to save energy were introduced such as car-free Sundays – at a time when the cycling infrastructure was close to non-existent. White crosses were painted on the roads where cyclists had been killed, and there were demonstrations.

The pragmatic and agile nation responded fast: and soon bikes had taken precedence over cars. This was the beginning of the Danish green transformation, and in 1991, Denmark built the world’s first off-shore wind farm. At that time, it was far from being a lucrative business. Only a political vision could support such an expensive transformation, but those investments have turned out to be extremely healthy.

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD KALLERNA

W

HILE I was standing on top of Amager Bakke, I felt like Copenhagen’s green transition was unfolding before me.

Paradigm parallel turns AN OLD paradigm involving the former incinerator being dismantled was vanishing in front of my eyes while a new paradigm was taking over with an array of windmills and the state-of-the-art waste-to-energy plant I was standing on.

In the old paradigm, I wanted to be as far away as possible from a plant burning trash: it’s dirty, it pollutes, it’s noisy and it’s smelly.

But in the world of clean technologies, it had suddenly become a destination, and I was skiing on top of two gigantic furnaces.

15

Straight Up

IN 2 ISSUES

ZACH KHADUDU

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN IN 3 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER Humanity's slope to oblivion musr be levelled

Green solutions lab IN 2020, SUSTAINABILITY measures around the world take inspiration from Scandinavia.

And this is only the start, as Denmark has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030, become 100 percent independent of fossil fuels by 2050, and for Copenhagen to be carbon-neutral by 2025.

The targets are extremely ambitious. “We no longer have low-hanging fruits to pick as we picked them 30 years ago,” contends Dan Jørgensen, the minister for climate, energy and utilities.

We therefore need to change the way we produce, consume and transport ourselves. Basically, the way we live.

Doesn’t need to be hard FIGHT for and not against a nicer environment, a more liveable city and a better life. All studies show that nature makes us happier.

The CopenHill roof park, for example, is expected to spread its biodiversity by pollinating the once grimy industrial area. It’s a power plant that is also a park.

This is an illustration of what Bjarke Ingels, the Danish architect behind its design, calls hedonistic

sustainability: “Sustainability that improves the quality of life and human enjoyment”.

We are all contributing to climate change in our daily lives.

When we shop, unsustainable goods are still cheaper than sustainable counterparts. But cheap is expensive and tasteless.

Initiatives like GrimBox give hope for a new paradigm, making “food boxes with ugly-by-nature and surplus organic fruit and veg that don’t fit retail beauty standards”.

Create the future HOW ARE we going to reach the ambitious target? Well, each one of us has a role to play to create the kind of future we want. Creativity starts with a great ‘what if?’.

And here’s an easy one to begin with: what if business people had annual quotas on air travel? Would videoconferencing suffice? Or sending a full-sized hologram, like French politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, who appeared at seven different locations at the same time during his 2017 presidential campaign?

It was a reminder that we all need to change our behaviour – even politicians.

Living Faith REVD SMITHA PRASADAM

An Actor’s Life

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IAN BURNS

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS IN 5 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

Join the chat WWW.CPHPOST.DK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/COPENHAGENPOST WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/CPHPOST WWW.TWITTER.COM/CPHPOST

16 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ABOUT TOWN

7 - 27 February 2020

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

The queen was the guest of honour at the opening of Rigshospitalet’s new Nordfløj wing, which will open in two phases this year and provide specialised treatment. She was joined by Sophie Hæstorp Andersen (centre), the chair of Region Hovedstaden. The occasion provided a first glimpse of some of the artworks that adorn the new wing, including works

by Olafur Eliasson, Erik A Frandsen, Malene Landgreen and Eva Schlegel

Crown Princess Mary and the former prime minister, Helle ThorningSchmidt, were among those in attendance at Deloitte Huset on January 31 for the awarding of 2020 Women’s Board Award 2020 to Anne Louise Eberhard. Thorning-Schmidt recently got a new job as the chair of the UN panel on tax evasion and tax havens

Latvian PM Arturs Karinš (centre right) visited House of Green Copenhagen, the showroom for green technologies at Industriens Hus, on January 31 as part of a visit to the country for talks with PM Mette Frederiksen. Among those in attendance was Latvian ambassador Alda Vanaga (centre left)

Jeremy Thomas-Poulsen and Dina Rosenmeier – the director and main star of the ongoing HIT production ‘Old Times’, which will continue at Matrikel 1 until February 15 (see page 21) – were among the guests at the Roberts film awards ceremony at the Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center on January 26

Hundreds were in attendance at the opening ceremony of the Hunan Chamber of Commerce in Denmark at Royal Cuisine, a Chinese restaurant in Østerbro, on January 18

The new ambassador of Algeria is Rachid Meddah. Merhba!

7 - 27 February 2020

COMMUNITY

17

To mark its Republic Day, the Indian Embassy held a flag hoisting ceremony in its grounds on January 26. Among those in attendance were Indian ambassador Ajit Gupte (centre left) and Søren Gade (second left), an MEP who is a member of the European Parliament’s India Relations Committee

Austrian ambassador Maria Rotheiser-Scotti (third right) was the proud host of a screening of ‘Born in Evin’ at Cinemateket on January 30, the opening film of a week-long festival, Docs & Talks: Film and Research Days, which is organised by the Danish Institute for International Studies

The month-long Copenhagen Light Festival opened with a bang at Dansk Erhverv on February 1. Among the guests were Jesper Kongshaug (left), an expert in the field

Nepalese ambassador Yuba Nath Lamsal (right) hosted a reception at Asia House on January 15 to get Visit Nepal Year 2020 off to the best possible start (learn more at cphpost.dk)

18 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

OUT AND ABOUT

ROSELYNE MIN

I

NTERNATIONAL House CPH greeted new residents from around the world at City Hall on February 4 at its annual Welcome Reception. Running from 17:00-19:00, the event saw a great turnout, with almost every seat filled.

Franciska Rosenkilde (top left),

7 - 27 February 2019

the deputy mayor for culture and leisure administration, opened the event, extending her welcome to newcomers with a humourous speech.

Showing her understanding that creating a community in a new city is often very difficult, Rosenkilde jokingly suggested that

this is particularly true in Denmark, where “people tend to avoid both eye contact and small talk”.

She advised newcomers “to use Copenhagen actively” to mitigate this.

Rosenkilde concluded her speech by asking guests not to be hurt by how “closed or silent or

maybe even stubborn [Danes] can appear”. To the amusement of the audience, she reassured them that “it has got nothing to do with you, it’s got everything to do with the ten months of rain and darkness we have in this country”.

The event concluded with a musical performance. Guests were

then given the opportunity to mingle over a glass of fizz and City Hall’s famous festive pancakes (centre right, from left to right; Chris Spiteri, Alexia Spiteri, Victor Amary and Martyna Rebeczka; and right, from left to right: Anais Aidi and Victoria Bell).

co-founders Russell Collins and Christina Anthony, SceneKunst specialises in teaching drama, singing and dance. Expanding slowly, it now has 23 schools at six locations and over 800 students Following the design of their

international schools in Hellerup and Østebro, Vesterbro will offer a ‘mini school’ for 4 to 6-yearolds and a ‘main school’ for 7 to 18-year-olds. SceneKunst invites those interested in joining their community and potentially this summer’s musical production

of ‘Guys and Dolls’, to secure a place at one of its free trial days on February 22 and 29 in Vesterbro. Simply email info@ scenekunstskoler.dk.

The school prides itself on watching its students develop and thrive, and there have been

many happy patrons. Praising the school for “help[ing] [their] small guy to open up”, one proud parent thanks the organisation for providing a “foundation” that will help their son “throughout his whole life”.

DOMINIE MCINTOSH

DOMINIE MCINTOSH ALL PHOTOS: MARK THYRRING

S

CENEKUNST is opening a new international performing arts school in Vesterbro and launching its first international summer camp.

Established in 2008 with a “vision to change lives through theatre” according to its

CTC

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The Copenhagen Theatre Circle invites all-comers to a play reading where there are lots of different roles up for grabs. Test your versatility and meet new people – people are free to come and listen if they want (Feb 17, 18:30-21:00; The Globe, Nørregade 45, Cph K; free adm)

Learn about healthy and sustainable climate-friendly diets at the ‘Transforming Global Food Systems Under Climate Change: Achieving Zero Emissions’ event.

Registration is required via Eventbrite (Feb 25, 10:0016:30; Festsalen, University of Copenhagen; Nørregade 10, Cph K; free adm)

Copenhagen English Comedy Nights is back – at a new venue, the Admiral Hotel – this week with comedians Stephen Carlin, the creator of ‘The Headset Set’, and Rahul Kohli from iZombie. Pencil in March 12, April 7 and May 14 as the next four dates! (Feb 6, 20:00; Toldbodgade 24-28, Cph K; 220kr, billetto.dk)

PIXABAY

EMI SUZUKI

PIXABAY

Science & Cocktails is back with the ‘The Science of Laughter’. Why do we laugh? Which animals laugh?

What does laughter mean? How do our brains respond to laughter? (Feb 8, 18:30-23:55; Den Grå Hal; Refshalevej 2; Christiania; Cph K; 120kr, billetto.dk)

COMING UP SOON

Lean how to make Japanese food in this fun-filled class hosted by vegetarian chef Emi. Choose between the classes on Omurice (omlettes) and Katsu curry and then hang out afterwards and drink green tea (Feb 9, 13:0015:00 & 17:00-19:00; Vesterbrogade 20, Cph V; 200kr)

For some bizarre reason the Cinemateket fortnightly fixture ‘Danish Films in English’ is showing two mostly English-language films: ‘Breaking the Waves’ (1996) and ‘Cutterhead’ (2019) (Feb 9 & 23, 14:15; Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 80kr; dfi.dk) VALMIRA DJONI

HOTEL REVIEW

7 - 27 February 2020

19

Pure escapism in the land of salubrity, summer spectres and saucerers Havnegade 37, Bandholm, Lolland; room for two with breakfast: 1,360kr, with fourcourse dinner & wine pairings: 3,680kr; bandholmhotel.dk BEN HAMILTON

T

HE ENDURING popularity of TV2 series ‘Badehotellet’ reminds the nation of how much they loved to be beside the seaside in more innocent times.

Long before the days of Spies package tours, Danish families would aspire to spend a few days at a jolly coastal hotel – like the Marienlyst Strandhotel in Helsingør, for example.

And when Svinkløv Badehotel burned down recently – it was like the nation had lost a favourite aunt, such is their affection for the coastal buildings.

It’s almost as if there’s a collective nostalgia in Denmark, regardless of whether you personally experienced it.

Sun’s always shining WALKING through the various dining and lounge areas of the Bandholm Hotel in darkest winter made me feel like the caretaker in ‘The Shining’.

On every wall, photographs told of a thousand occasions – faces from a multitude of eras stared back and for an eerie second or two I sensed I had company.

Off-season hotels are in this way haunted by their other half: the summery, warmer version when conversely they’re just as empty during the day but bursting with life in the morning and evening.

Located on the island of Lolland a 90-minute drive south of the capital, it’s the ideal weekend away break – regardless of the season.

On the occasion of our visit, the rain was lashing down, and high winds were racing across the waters of Lindholm Dyb – it was positively bracing.

For a businessperson wanting to escape the big smoke for some respite or an author seeking in-

PHOTOS: BEN HAMILTON

BANDHOLM HOTEL

spiration for their next book, it’s a wonderful way to recharge.

Cosy like Christie ENTERING Bandholm Hotel was like opening the portal to another world – a smaller version of Bertram’s Hotel, if you’re familiar with the Agatha Christie novel.

Bertram’s, like Bandholm, longs for a past that might not have even existed – and everything about the check-in had a yesteryear vibe, as the cheery, wise-cracking receptionist welcomed us in (his Irish counterpart in Christie’s novel is swiftly murdered, I recall).

From the creaky floors, to the ornamental lamps on bedside tables not built into walls, to the physical room key – even the Great Northern in Twin Peaks uses cards these days – it’s pure escapism.

And with the wind whistling Wagner outside, it was hard to resist the urge for a pre-dinner nap. Besides, we had reservations at nearby Bandholm Wellness.

Just over half a kilometre’s walk from the hotel, the health centre is like a Buddhist temple, and our hosts for the night, Naomi and Eric, while not priests, had Xen-like temperaments and hand skills to match.

Following a relaxing spa, it was time for a massage, as strong hands brought relief to weary muscles and urban-life hyper-tension. Eric the Viking (did I mention he had big, powerful hands?) is particularly knowledgeable about the human body, and the available services are accordingly varied, offering both therapeutic and clinical options.

Delighted at dinner ANY SUGGESTION the dining room might be a bit empty on this rainy night were immediately quelled as we took our seats at a charming table by the window.

Ambience levels were at a high, not least thanks to a family enjoying a birthday party on the adjoining table – and the sommelier got off to a splendid start by serving us a splendid 2008 champagne.

In fact he didn’t put a foot wrong all night. Every dish, in a sense, was a marriage of two sauces as the wine pairings beautifully accentuated the rich flavours of the food on our palates.

From the light, foamy delight of the lobster and pumpkin (it was that time of year!) soup to the drippings that accompanied the confit of chicken, it’s hard to recall a meal that brought so many intense flavours.

Breakfast bliss BREAKFAST the next day, as we woke up to panoramic, wind-swept, ocean expanses, was another memorable affair.

Everything was homemade!

From the hazelnut chocolate spread to the delicate pastries and enormous chunks of granola, we had the sense of a higher being looking over us as if the food itself was charmed.

There was barely anyone else with us to enjoy the feast – maybe they’d set off earlier for a day at the nearby Knuthenborg safaripark – but it was with great contentment that we appreciated the solitude.

Soon we would be back in the bright lights of the city, courtesy of our affordable car rental (GoMore), but the memories of our night at Bandholm will live long in the memory.

So thank you, Cheeky Checkin Chappy, so long, Sommelier Smarty-Pants Saucerer, cheerio Eric the Viking, and here’s to you, the gods of nature, for ensuring it was an unforgettable experience.

20

EVENTS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

7 - 27 February 2020

A Column of Fire March 1-29, Sat & Sun 15:00; Bellevue Teatret, Strandvejen 451, Klampenborg; 350-450kr, discounts for under-25s, bellevueteatret.dk Following on last year’s success with the Danish public, ‘A Column of Fire’ is returning to Bellevue Theatre to take audiences back to Elizabethan times in this Danish musical adaptation of Ken Follett’s medieval novels.

The subtitles are shown on your smartphone or tablet through the free app thea dogood. (VG)

Carmen ends Feb 15; Operaen, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 155-945kr; kglteater.dk; in French with DK subtitles The sultry señorita is back – directly in fact from the Royal Opera House in London!

Georges Bizet’s classic opera − full of steamy Spanish passion, eroticism, raucous stage scenes and familiar songs that will have you swaying on your haunches − was first performed in Paris in 1875 and it’s been wowing audiences ever since.

The Visit Feb 19-March 21, Mon-Fri 20:00, Sat 17:00; Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, Cph Ø; 175kr, teaterbilletter.dk This is the world premiere of a play based on an extraordinary true story. Set in 1857, it relates how HC Andersen visited Charles Dickens’ home and ended up staying six weeks. His limited English led to monumental gaffs, misunderstandings and odd adventures. Marvel at how the eloquent men got on without a means of verbal communication!

Dance with Me Feb 27-March 21; Black Horse Theatre, Vesterbrogade 150, Cph V; 40-205kr, teaterbilletter.dk Peter Asmussen’s monologue about loneliness, longing and love is being performed in English for the first time. Sue Hansen-Styles plays a woman abandoned by her one true friend for her best friend.

Alcohol is now her only anchor.

This is a poignant testimony to what loneliness does to a human being as well as a heartwarming story about the human need for love and inclusion. (RM)

Sweeney Todd Feb 14 & 22; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 155-755kr, kglteater.dk Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway hit musical is coming to Copenhagen for two nights only. The full-blooded show, one of the darkest musicals ever written, has been performed all around the world – and now it’s the Danish capital’s turn. Welsh actor David Kempster is appearing as Sweeney Todd for the performances, with Alissa Anderson appearing as Mrs Nellie Lovett. (VG)

Ballet de Luxe ends April 4; Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 105-655kr, kgl.dk Whether you are a true ballet aficionado who has seen almost everything, or a curious beginner with healthy enthusiasm, you can relax and look forward to this ballet.

In what was one of George Balanchine’s last works, the choreography pushes the ballerinas to the limits of their physical abilities. (RM)

Craig Costello ends Feb 22; Eighteen, Slagtehusgade 18c, Kødbyen, Cph K; free adm US contemporary artist Craig Costello is opening a solo exhibition at Eighteen. Come and peruse Costello’s minimal, experimental, intellectual and primal artworks. According to the gallery, his work “is all about equilibrium: surface, movement, paint, application and reaction”. (RM)

Old Times ends Feb 15; Matrikel 1, Højbro Plads 10, Cph K; 175kr, teaterbilletter.dk HIT presents Harold Pinter’s conflict-charged erotic play. A steamy re-interpretation of a classic love triangle, with an exciting international cast: Andreas Lyon, Jana Pulkrabek, Dina Rosenmeier, Camilla Søeberg and Tom Hale.

Find out what happens when love and lust turn to brutal jealousy.

The performance is in English.

I Feel It In My Bones ends Feb 22; V1 Gallery, Flæsketorvet 69-71, Cph K; free adm V1 Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition by John Copeland from New York. I Feel It In My Bones, a follow-up to last year’s The Birds at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, consists of 15 oil paint paintings in various sizes.

Vibrant brush and line work renders figurative, abstract, earnest, precise, ambiguous, disarmingly loose artwork. (RM)

Hot Pink Turquoise ends May 17; Louisiana, Gl Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; 130kr, louisiana.dk What’s the brightest thing in the dark? The audience will be able to find the answer when visiting Ann Veronica Janssens’ exhibition during the darkest time of the year.

Her artwork transcends borders between artforms:. But one thing is ultimate: light. Who knows?

You might get the shot for your 2020 Instagram profile pic! (RM)

Winter in Tivoli ends Feb 23; Vesterbrogade 3; 130kr, tivoligardens.com For the second year, Tivoli is opening for a special winter season to breathe life into cold and miserable February.

CPH Asian Film Festival Feb 9-16; various times and locations; caff.dk Enjoy Denmark’s very first Asian Film Festival this February. Find the full program at caff.dk. (VG)

CPH VinterJazz Feb 6-29; various times and venues; jazz.dk Celebrating its 20th year, Vinterjazz will include more than 600 concerts at 120 venues. (VG)

CPH Dining Week Feb 7-16; various locations; diningweek.dk Treat your loved ones to an extraordinary culinary restaurant experience during Dining Week – now in its 10th year. (VG)

Cocktail Week Feb 7-16; various locations; two for 111kr; cocktail-week.dk Copenhagen’s best cocktail festival is back to shake your evenings. Visit the website to find your favourite bar. (VG)

Pub Quizzes Feb 12 & 27, 19:30; The Globe, Nørregade 43, Cph K; 30kr; 5 PT March 2, 19:30; Kennedy’s, Gammel Kongevej 23, Cph V; 50kr; 4 PT The Globe winners get 1,000 kroner and at Kennedy’s 800.

For City Lovers Feb 7, 14:30-19:00; Stormgade 18, Cph V; free adm Mark the date! The Museum of Copenhagen is reopening with some fabulous historical exhibitions. (VG)

Kids’ City opens Feb 7; Danish Architecture Center, Bryghuspladsen 10, Cph K; 60kr, billetto.dk Discover a sensory universe with houses upside down, giant chairs and a bicycle snake. (VG)

Visual Storytelling Feb 9, 18:30-21:00; Founders House, Njalsgade 19D, Cph S; 70kr, visualagency.org Develop your presentation skills by mastering visual storytelling at this workshop. (VG)

Swap Shop: Winter Edition Feb 9, 11:00-15:00; MellemRummet, Ravnsborggade 11, Cph N; free adm Refresh your wardrobe sustainably. Collect your preloved clothes and swap them with others! (VG)

HISTORICAL MUSICAL POV International

Berlingske

Politiken

Ungt Teaterblod

Scenekanten

Mortenbuckhoj.dk

Voksenlivsstil.dk

Iscene

Kr. Dagblad

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Sceneblog

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Kop Kultur

By HØG · AAGAARD · SVANEKIER

MARCH 1-29

SH S LI E S G ITLEND EN BTWEEK SUON

A Column of Fire

ON STAGES

7 - 27 February 2020

BEN HAMILTON

T

HE PROBLEM with most Danish surnames is that they don’t lend themselves well to being eponymous. The ‘sen’ is final – like a death ‘sen’tence. Adding anything extra sounds like you’re stuttering like Otto in A Fish called Wanda, when he introduces himself as a CIA agent called Harvey Manfren-Jensen.

Only two Danes gave us eponyms: the poet Johan Ludvig Heiberg, from whom we got Heibergian, and more recently Inge Støjberg, who offered up Støjbergsk – not a compliment, particularly in regards to cake.

So Danish playwright Peter Asmussen is up against it in the company of British literary heavyweights Charles Dickens (Dickensian) and Harold Pinter (Pinteresque), but who knows!

Maybe, if more of his work is translated, they’ll use his name to describe the kind of deep-felt, poetic unloading of the heart that his work is known for.

How does Asmussen-ian sound? Like the made-up name of a CIA operative? Or something pertaining to mouse arseholes.

You see – it’s a tough gig.

Dance of destiny “THE CHALLENGE for us was to keep the soul of the text intact and find a vocabulary that was both faithful and contemporary, without losing the poetry,” explains Sue HansenStyles, the founder of Why Not Theatre Company, who this late winter is performing Asmussen’s monologue about loneliness, Dance with Me (Feb 27-March 21; Black Horse Theatre, Cph V; 205kr, teaterbilletter.dk).

The opening night will be the first time the work has been performed in English – and in general, much of Asmussen’s work remains in Danish, with a few notable exceptions: his play The Beach, which was performed at Krudttønden in 2013, and his contribution to the scripts of

English-language films Breaking the Waves and Bridgend.

Dance with Me couldn’t be better timed, as it deals with the theme of loneliness – a problem endured not only by old people, but also the young in the age of social media, which both the queen and PM highlighted in their new year speeches.

Given his continued relevance – Asmussen died in 2016, aged just 59 – Hansen-Styles is hopeful his legacy will get bigger: “I don’t think his works are easy – they are challenging and therefore possibly not every producer’s choice – but I really hope ours isn’t the last time he will be played in a language other than Danish.”

For Hansen-Styles, in the sole role as a woman betrayed by her best friend who runs off with her husband, performing on her own will be a first.

“It’s probably one of my greatest challenges in theatre to date,” she confides. “I imagine the toughest thing about a monologue is the lack of support from other actors – on and offstage. I will soon find out!”

Dickens debut ASMUSSEN was a year older than Dickens when he died, but those were different times. And in The Visit (Feb 19-March 21; Krudttønden, Cph Ø; 175kr, teaterbilletter. dk), the team from That Theatre are taking us back to 1857 to the very home he lived in.

In what will be a world premiere, director Barry McKenna and lead actor Peter Holst-Beck have penned an imagining of what it was like when HC Andersen came to visit and ended up staying for six weeks.

It’s unclear how much English he learned during the experience, but for the purpose of the play he will quickly develop a reasonable comprehension after some initial gaffs, misunderstandings and oddness.

Co-starring as Dickens is That Theatre artistic director Ian

Burns, and he is looking forward to linking up with McKenna again, as well as close confidant Andrew Jeffers, a regular in his productions over the years.

“Because we know each other so well we can take short cuts during rehearsals, which have been a lot of fun so far,” he enthused, adding that he is optimistic Holst-Beck will be a hit.

“I think Peter is going to be a funny, charmingly-irritating HC, and that we’ll get a chance to see his vulnerability and a glimpse of the fantasy world he lived in,” he said.

Without giving too much away, there is more to the tale than meets the eye, and despite Dickens being “delighted” when Andersen finally leaves, they reach an accord when they stand up for one another following some harsh criticism in the press.

Dangerous dalliances BEYOND the indelible impact both Dickens and Pinter had on literature, both of them did have rather well-documented affairs – although the Victorian’s remained hushed up until the death of his last remaining child in 1933! To be fair, his mistress was a master of deceit as well – when she eventually married, she told her 25-year-old husband she was 23. She was in fact 37!

Pinter’s affair, with British novelist Antonia Fraser, ended in them marrying, but they were not romantically involved when he wrote Old Times (Jan 29-Feb 2; Krudttønden, Cph Ø & Feb 5-15, Matrikel1, Cph K; 175kr, teaterbilletter.dk) in 1971, despite the love triangle it depicts.

During the first run of the House of International Theatre production at Krudttønden, Dina Rosenmeier co-starred with Andreas Lyon and Jana Pulkrabek, but for the second at Matrikel1, she’ll be joined by real-life husband and wife, HIT regular Tom Hale and wellknown Danish actress Camilla Søeberg (Manifesto).

FILIP ORESTES

A pint of dicks? Why names are important!

21

HITs the spot: Dina Rosenmeier, Tom Hale and Camilla Søeberg

For Rosenmeier, herself a well-known Danish actress who after a stateside spell is increasingly favouring English-language productions, the casting of Søeberg is a real coup, but the retention of Jeremy Thomas-Poulsen as director is again HIT’s trump card.

“Jeremy has such a gentle way of directing – he is acutely aware of the potential he can pull out of his cast and he has an unmatched ability to push past our boundaries,” she said.

“I have come to trust him to the extent he can guide me to do things I never previously would have imagined. For example, in this Pinter play I have to sing quite a few lyrics from various songs. Singing absolutely terrifies me – yet with his guidance I am now overcoming this fear.”

Thomas-Poulsen, meanwhile, is relishing the chance to take another stab at Pinter following the success of The Lover with Pulkrabek and Hale last year.

“In this adaptation, we’re focusing on the intimacy of the relationships and exploring the characters’ sexual pasts and present desires,” he revealed.

“Pinter wrote characters who are not lofty poetic creatures, but creatures of the earth, of dirt and sex, of pleasure and pain.

We’re exploring Pinter’s universe through the emotional context of three people who desperately need each other physically.”

Rosenmeier concurs. “It is no accident that Pinter is one of the most important playwrights of our time and the themes of Old Times are all universal,” she said.

“Everyone will relate to some-

thing within the relationships of the characters.”

Danish demand ELSEWHERE, HIT are welcoming two Italian guest performances in March – Bluff

by Panda Project and Stil Belinda by PK-Rummet – and then staging three international guest productions, along with a new HIT production (yet to be announced) in May. The Copenhagen Theatre Circle’s spring production is a pair of one-act comedies by Anton Chekhov: The Wedding and The Proposal (April 11-26, Russian Cultural Centre, Vester Voldgade 11, Cph K), and is it again holding its Fringe Festival (May 14-16; ctcircle.dk).

Copenhagen Stage (May 28-June 6; cphstage.dk/en) is returning to take over the city’s stages for ten days.

And finally, A Column of Fire with English supertitles (March 1-29, Sat & Sun 15:00; Bellevue Teatret, Strandvejen 451, Klampenborg; 350-450kr, discounts for under-25s – email karenelisabeth@bellevueteatret. dk) is the latest of Ken Follett’s medieval novels set in the town of Kingsbridge (this time set in the Elizabethan Age) to be given the musical treatment.

A Danish team of writers started adapting them in 2016 – and they’re proven to be a huge success with the Danish public.

You would have thought an English version would make sense, but sometimes – with the likes of Asmussen – you simply need someone brave enough to get the job done.

22 Move over Donald Trump ... blonde is the new orange ON SCREENS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

7 - 27 February 2020

BEN HAMILTON

L

EGALLY, platinum, atomic even! They’re fun, ambitious, gentlemen prefer them, and INXS claimed they’ll drive you to suicide. Big in the 1930s (Jean Harlow), the 1950s (Marilyn Monroe), 1970s (Farrah Fawcett-Majors) and 1980s (Heather Locklear), and now they’re back.

Australia’s to blame. Nicole Kidman’s hit the bottle – not in the normal Hollywood sense – to team up with Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Margot Robbie and Toni Collette to give us quite a quintet, and the parts keep on popping up.

Blonde is the bomb IT HELPS if you keep on depicting the lives of American news anchors – whose eternal blondness is written into the Constitution.

Just last year, Watts portrayed Gretchen Carlson in The Loudest Voice, and now Kidman is portraying her in Bombshell (64 on Metacritic; Feb 27). With Robbie and Charlize Theron lending their fair curls to the film, this is the blondest promo since the first season of Vikings.

Following in the trail of Russell Crowe’s Mr Blobby depiction of Roger Ailes – John Lithgow does his best, while Malcolm McDowell is a malevolent Rupert Murdoch – it’s been more popular with the awards than audiences. The same can’t be said of Birds of Prey (Not Released Worldwide; Feb 6) in which Robbie, certifiable blonde, reprises her role from Suicide Squad to show us another shadowy corner of the DC Extended Universe.

Far more genteel is the British countryside setting for Emma (NRW; March 5), a big screen Jane Austen adaptation more in the vein of Love & Friendship than old school Sense & Sensibility. In the title role, Anya Taylor-Joy, snooty blonde, is less cuddly than the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Alicia Silverstone. It looks promising, but how many more times (there were three in 18 months in the mid1990s!) can we revisit this story?

Talking of old tales, The In-

The days of outfoxing these blonde bombshells are definitely over

visible Man (NRW; Feb 27) sees Elizabeth Moss, kickass blonde, stepping into the shoes vacated by Elisabeth Shue in Hollow Man 20 years ago. That’s right, the ability to make oneself invisible is no longer worth a whole movie, and Vizzy has gone rogue again in what is described as an extremely loose adaptation of the HG Wells classic.

Underwater (49; Feb 27) is more than a mild rip-off of Alien.

Set 10 km beneath the surface of the Pacific, Kirsten Stewart, bottle by blonde and nature, takes on the Ripley role – we’re only presuming all the male characters die first, but it’s a safe bet, right?

And finally, to complete our sextet of blonde leading ladies we have All the Bright Places (Netflix; Feb 28) starring Elle Fanning, wispy blonde, who in recent years has overtaken sister Dakota in the same way that Elizabeth Olsen overtook the bratty twins. Fanning grew up on film, playing the younger-selves of her sister on the likes of I am Sam. Oscars missed this hidden gem SEAN PENN’S disappeared, but friend and collaborator Terrence Malick certainly hasn’t. This month’s pick, A Hidden Life (78; Feb 13), is a little like The Sound

of Music. Rolling hills – yes! Three hours long – yes! An Austrian who doesn’t want to fight for the Nazis – yes! Music – no! Cast entirely with European actors, including the late Mikael Nyqvist (Mikael Blomkvist in the Millennium saga) in his last ever film, Malick gives us another profound, deeply-felt work to place alongside The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life.

Malick could have some competition in Horse Girl (Feb 7, Netflix) starring the likeable Alison Bree from Glow as a quirky, quickly-going-wacko kind of gal.

But we won’t be recommending The Gentlemen (51; Feb 27), sadly. How can we put this? You know when Snatch came out and we kind of shrugged and said it’s okay but not as good as … well, if this was Snatch, we’d be hailing it as the film of the year. Guy Ritchie so sorely needs a hit after so much shit, but this isn’t it.

Completing this month’s film releases are Fantasy Island (NRW; March 5), which reimagines the 1970s TV series with the dwarf from Don’t Look Now, Krudttønden (NRW; March 5), a Danish depiction of the 2015 terror shootings, Sonic the Hedgehog (NRW; Feb 13), which should have

stayed on a permanent vacation on PlayStation, Call of the Wild (Feb 20) in which Harrison Ford teams up with a CGI dog to make the worst buddy-doggy film since Turner & Hooch, and To All the Boys: PS I still love you (Netflix, Feb 12), which is all gimmick, no substance.

We’re okay with it IF WE HAD to recommend a TV series it would be US coming-ofage series I Am Not Okay with This (Netflix, Feb 21), which like The End of the F***ing World is based on the work of comic book author Charles Forsman.

Likewise, the Italian-English series Zero Zero Zero (HBO Nordic, Feb 14) is a cocaine-trafficking drama based on a novel

by Roberto Saviano, the author whose works have spawned the highly acclaimed mafia film and series Gomorrah. Gabriel Byrne, Andrea Riseborough and Dane DeHaan are in the cast.

Among the returning series we’ve got Kidding (S2; Feb 10), High Maintenance (S4; Feb 8), My Brilliant Friend (S2; Feb 10), Strike Back (S7; Feb 15), and Bad Banks (S2; Feb 19) on HBO Nordic, and Better Call Saul (S5

– penultimate season; Feb 24) and Narcos Mexico (S2 – S5 overall; Feb 13) on Netflix.

Netflix won’t let up with the brainstorming sessions though.

We have Locke & Key (Netflix, Feb 7), which looks like somebody has read some Narnia books and dreamed up a series set in the wardrobe house in the time it took for Lucy to be seduced by a fawn, while we’re guessing Gentefied (Netflix, Feb 21) started with the title and worked from there: So it’s a mixed-gender couple, she used to be a he, he used to be a she, her hipster neighbourhood used to be a slum, and he lives in Østerbro etc.

Fast-made shows are becoming the norm, and Variety questions whether McMillions (HBO Nordic, Feb 4) could have been more artfully made. Despite dealing with an unbelievably engrossing story about a nationwide scam, which many refer to as the ‘Monopoly-game heist’, Variety found that the tone was all “snideness and contempt”, like it was elbowing the viewer in the ribs and asking them “Do you believe these people?”

Kind of reminds me of blondes being cast as airheads. But not anymore, ladies!

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST, BAKING, TECHNICAL SERVICES, EUROPE, NOVOZYMES A key role in understanding customer needs and be responsible for initiating and leading technical activities to regional and global key accounts.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Lyngby 24 February 2020 Marcelo Pedras, mrpe@novozymes.com

PARTNER MARKETING MANAGER, MAPSPEOPLE

You will proactively support our channel strategy by developing and executing marketing activities and campaigns with both our sales team and directly together with our partners globally.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen or Aarhus When filled Jaana Westenius, jawe@mapspeople.com

COMPUTER VISION SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, TRACINNOVATIONS APS You will be involved in all parts of the software development life cycle, from planning and design to implementation, profiling, and testing.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Ballerup When filled Stefan Glimberg, +45 61 66 89 69

To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact: info@englishjobdenmark.dk or call 60 70 22 98.

For more information about what we can offer: https://englishjobdenmark.dk/

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

ACCOUNT SECURITY OFFICER (51217080), DXC TECHNOLOGY This role is responsible for assuring that the compliance of cyber services and security obligations are met for any delivery to the account and client.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen 12 March 2020 jobs.dxc.technology

PR DIRECTOR, KAYAK

The PR Director, EMEA, is responsible for the strategic development, planning, management and execution of PR projects and campaigns across KAYAK and its portfolio of brands in EMEA. Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen When filled www.kayak.com/careers

AML CONSULTANT, SAS

We see a growing interest in the market in using AI, analytics and data to detect and prevent money laundry and fraud.

Would you like to join us in the quest of combating financial crime?

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen or Aarhus When filled global-sas.icims.com/

INTEGRATION DEVELOPER (R&D SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT), 3SHAPE

The team is looking for a new Integration developer who can build the framework for future integrations and data sharing.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen When filled careers.3shape.com/jobs

FINANCIAL SPECIALIST WITH STRONG IT SKILLS, FOSS

As Financial Specialist you will be responsible for coordinating financial changes to our SAP solution and participating in our ongoing Sales Force implementation.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Hillerod When filled Ann Andersen, ann@foss.dk

PROGRAM MANAGER (6 MONTHS CONTRACT), TRUSTPILOT

You will drive the end-to-end design, development, and delivery of key Product development initiatives within the department and across the company.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen When filled business.trustpilot.com/jobs

SENIOR REGIONAL SALES MANAGER (22421BR), SYNOPSYS

Must be highly motivated with proven sales in software licensing and security services with demonstrated experience selling to software development teams, security teams, CISO and C level executives in Enterprise organizations.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen When filled sjobs.brassring.com

SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER, VESTAS

The key focus is developing and maturing the commercial & technical value proposition and ensuring Vestas´ energy solutions can capture these in the context of the energy transition.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Aarhus 28 February 2020 Hanne Rewaldt, HAREW@vestas.com

EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE WORKSHOP

Location: Odense & Copenhagen 19/20 February from 11:00-13:00 This workshop is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of gaining employment in Denmark and covers networking in DK; CV & Cover letter tips and suggestions; and how to create a great LinkedIn profile.

Contact:

info@the-welcomegroup.com

Working together with internationals and companies to better understand the needs of one another.

The Welcome Group has created this page and provides additional services, including an online community supporting employment for internationals on Facebook.

Danish will look fantastic on your lips

Kiss bad language learning goodbye We have been teaching foreigners the beautiful language of Danish for more than 40 years. So, if you are looking for high-quality learning, outstanding teachers and fast progression, Studieskolen is the place to go. Right in the center of Copenhagen.

Choose from a variety of classes at Studieskolen.dk Check out how we look on SoMe