CPH Post 14 - 27 August 2020

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NATIONAL Students foregoing gap years due to travel restrictions

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SPORT & CULTURE

What's another year!

Tour de France postponed until 2022

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ULTIMATE DOORSTEP CHALLENGE Enough proof of racism now?

New Danish Institute for Human Rights report makes grim reading

SCIENCE Huge Danish involvement in NASA’s mission to Mars

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Up Pompeii!

Exhibition about ultimate lockdown is a must-see

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AYEE MACARAIG

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HE UPROAR that followed much of society’s refusal to acknowledge there is racism in Denmark, primarily as the result of the killing of a black man on Bornholm in June that echoed the murder of George Floyd in May, has reached new heights following the release of a new report.

The Danish Institute for Human Rights study reveals that Asians and other minorities have been widely racially abused during the Coronavirus Crisis, with some reporting they have been called “disease spreaders” and told to “go home”.

Some have even been spat on.

Rarely reported THE ATTACKS, which are very rarely reported to the police, occurred during daily activities such as shopping, walking or travelling.

“Most of the minority people who participated in this study feel like they ‘stand out’ and this makes them think a lot about how they act in public,” the report stated.

For example, many choose not to wear facemasks.

In the grocery store ONE EXAMPLE it cited was a woman adopted from Asia who was in a grocery shop when a man approached her.

“He told her: ‘You should go home to where you come from’." the report stated.

“He then spat on the ground in front of the lady and her son.”

4-5

Foreign exodus concerns

Ready to bounce back

BEFORE the ongoing August heatwave, in which temperatures have exceeded 30 degrees, came the coldest July for 20 years and a mass exodus to resorts in the likes of Spain and Greece, as holiday plans in Denmark were swiftly cancelled.

Fears have been raised that returning tourists might bring back the coronavirus along with their tan.

DENMARK’S economy is forecast to be the second best performer in the EU emerging from the Coronavirus Crisis, according to the European Commission. Its economy will contract by 5.2 percent this year but rise by 4.3 percent in 2021. Only Poland had better figures. Italy will be the worst hit.

PM remarries PM METTE Frederiksen married the film director Bo Tengberg at Magleby Church on the island of Møn in early July. The PM has two children from a previous marriage.

Prince recovering PRINCE Joachim will suffer no lasting physical effects following surgery to treat a blood clot in his brain in France in early July – the result of a sudden dissection of an artery.

Digital government #1 DENMARK is the global leader in digital government, according to a new UN survey, which praised online services such as NemID and Borger.dk.

Zindzi mourned ZINDZI Mandela, the daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and South African ambassador to Denmark from 2015 until the end of last year, has died at the age of 59.

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 - 27 August 2020

Climate change the new enemy

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE CHILDREN of convicted fraudster Britta Nielsen have been handed prison sentences ranging from 18-42 months after a court in Glostrup rejected their claims they knew nothing about their mother’s criminal activities.

Mermaid targeted THE TERM “Racist Fish” was written on the Little Mermaid on July 3 – or rather the stone it sits on at Langelinie Pier. Many supposed it was related to BLM activism, but nobody took credit for the vandalism.

Once I was 20 years old THE 20TH anniversary of the opening of the Øresund Bridge on July 1 was marked by an online mini-concert featuring Lukas Graham performing from one of the bridge’s pylons.

Policing the parks

Capital’s green ambition laying down a new type of fortification GULDEN TIMUR

A

NEW URBAN renewal plan will aim to introduce a green corridor through the city, following the route once carved out by Copenhagen's historic Fortification Ring, back when the city centre was pretty much encircled by water for defensive purposes.

For example, environmental measures will be introduced between the Botanical Gardens and Ørstedsparken, running through Israel Plads and Torvehallerne and then onto Gothersgade.

Work began last week and will continue until next April, using fossil-free, electric-powered work machines.

Fortification Ring: rethought after the 1807 firebombing

Less chaotic RØMERSGADE and Linnésgade, located on opposite sides of Torvehallerne, will get more bicycle parking spaces, fewer spaces for cars, more green spaces, wider pavements and 15 new trees.

The technical and environ-

mental mayor, Ninna Hedeager Olsen, believes the increase in bicycle parking spaces will help address a recent decline in cycling in the city centre.

"Until now, it has been quite chaotic around Torvehallerne," she said.

Metroselskabet confident problem will be fixed this autumn

T

BELARUSIAN emigrants gathered in front of Parliament on June 24 to protest against the widespread arrests in their home country in the build-up to the upcoming presidential elections.

Several MPs, including Lars Aslan Rasmussen and Martin Lidegaard, endorsed the protests.

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Belarusian protests

THE DIVORCE rate in Copenhagen fell by 381 to a decade low of 927 in 2019, reports Danmarks Statistik. Nationwide the number has also declined – down 4,482 to 10,454. Experts believe the threemonth reflection period played a part, but might conversely contribute to a higher rate this year.

CITY HALL claims the low water level at Sortedams Sø, the central City Lake bisected

by Dronning Louises Bro, has nothing to do with a lack of rain.

Instead the dryness is a result of repair work at the treatment plant at Emdrup Lake, which started in mid-March.

Shooting arrests

Bemoaning the Metro’s mobile coverage HE OWNERS of the Metro – including transport minister, Benny Engelbrecht, and representatives from City Hall – have criticised the lack of mobile coverage on the M3 City Ring line that opened last September.

Its operator Metroselskabet (50 percent owned by Copenhagen Municipality, 41.7 by the state and 6.3 by Frederiksberg Municipality) said that it was working with telecom providers to complete the work and provide full mobile coverage by the autumn.

Decade low for divorces

Sø that’s why

REGINALDO SALES / METROSELSKABET

COPENHAGEN Police has increased its presence in the city’s parks to address the problem of rowdy teenagers partying into the early hours. Mayor Frank Jensen decried the practice for littering the parks and keeping him up well past his bedtime at his home in Islands Brygge.

J.F. ARNOLDT

Britta’s kids go down

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Underneath the city, where nobody can hear you preen

New trains from Italy IN RELATED news, Metroselskabet has bought eight new trains from Italy for its M1 and M2 lines. Decorated differently, they will be able to carry 20 percent more passengers when they are introduced towards the end of 2021.

In other transport news, a ferry service has been introduced taking passengers from the capital to Helsingør in 75 minutes – just 25 minutes slower than the train. Departing from Toldboden, a one-way ticket on the ‘sundbusser’ costs 125 kroner for adults and 50 kroner for kids.

FIVE PEOPLE were arrested following a shooting episode in Brøndby Nord Vej on August 2.

Following the incident, the area was searched using dogs and a helicopter. In other crime news, the police recently arrested three suspected cannabis sellers in Nørrebroparken as part of a crackdown.

Dexter’s is number one DEXTER’S Bar, a Carribean haven for rum drinkers on Åboulevard by the City Lakes in Frederiksberg, has been named the best rated bar in Copenhagen by Google.

Queue for the altar CHURCH calendars in the capital are full to the brim with services until the start of 2021 – most notably weddings and baptisms – due to the cancellations caused by the Coronavirus Crisis.

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14 -27 August 2020

ONLINE THIS WEEK

ACCORDING to a European Commission survey, eight out of 10 Danes believe that Denmark benefits from free movement regulations within the EU. In 2019, Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening conducted a study that concluded that EU citizens who worked in Denmark that year helped lift GDP by 81 billion kroner.

Statue shall stand CITIZENS in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk have voted to keep the controversial statue of the Danish-Norwegian missionary and priest Hans Egede. The margin of vote was 921 votes to 600. In June, the statue was vandalised and the word “decolonize” was written on it. However, the local council might still vote for the statue to be demolished at its meeting on September 2.

Top ranked passport DENMARK placed ninth equal on the 2020 Henley Passport Index, which is ranked according to how many destinations holders can access without a prior visa. Danes can travel to 187 destinations with visa-free access. Japan topped the list, followed by Singapore, South Korea and Germany.

Chinese law denounced DANISH political parties, along with the European Council, have denounced the national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong, a measure that has drawn international criticism for threatening the special administrative region's autonomy.

More radioactive RADIOACTIVITY levels have increased in the Nordic region, albeit to a still harmless level.

According to the Dutch authorities, it is the result of an incident in western Russia that "may be indicative of damage to some fuel elements of a nuclear power plant". Russian agency Tass, however, reported unchanged levels throughout June.

ONLINE THIS WEEK STATE DEPARTMENT

Free movement approval

Airshake: a metaphor for our times Relations with the US are awkward enough without the side-stepping diplomats KAUKAB TAHIR SHAIRANI

F

ROM BUMPING fists and elbows, to unexpectedly defiant hugs, people are awkwardly greeting one another everywhere, so why should it be any different with foreign dignitaries?

But when Jeppe Kofod, the Danish foreign minister, refused to take the hand of Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, it became the biggest talking point of their high-level meeting in Copenhagen on July 22.

It didn’t say much for what was discussed!

Low voltage included POMPEO, Kofod and high-level representatives from Greenland and the Faroe Islands discussed global issues of common interest, including security, trade, the coronavirus pandemic and the future of the Arctic – particularly in regards to Chinese and Russian activities in the region.

Both Greenland and the Faroe Islands took the opportunity to underscore that conflicts of interest within the Kingdom of Denmark must not affect security in the Arctic. The region must remain “low-voltage”, their governments urged.

Last month, the US reopened a consulate in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk, while the US Air Force also has a presence at the Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland.

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EU’s green deal THE BUSINESS industry has welcomed the EU agreement regarding a seven-year budget and a coronavirus recovery fund, saying both have a clear focus on green investments that will benefit Denmark. If approved, the recovery fund will from January 1 offer loans and grants to EU countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.

Cocaine seizure To be fair, not being a metre apart from Pompeo is hard

Less open in the skies THE US has been less agreeable concerning the Open Skies Treaty, a 35-nation deal allowing unarmed surveillance flights over its member countries.

On May 22, President Donald Trump said the US would pull out – the normal notice period is six months – because Russia had violated the terms of the treaty.

Denmark and the US participated in an online meeting on July 6, after which Kofod tweeted: “Efforts are needed to strengthen, not weaken, the European security architecture.

Denmark will do its part.”

Espionage extras THE FLIGHTS are a costly endeavour, though – it’s no wonder that some Danish political parties are in favour of merging the airforce into a Scandinavian unit to save money.

And now new requirements from the US Air Force will cost Denmark, as a buyer of the hightech F-35 fighter aircraft, an

extra 50 million kroner – at least.

Guarding facilities from spies and hackers is a requisite during the 1.1 billion kroner construction of the F-35 Campus, which is expected to be completed in 2023.

Just like Denmark ...

IN RELATED news, Trump cited the experience of Denmark and other European countries as he threatened to cut off funding for US schools that do not open in the autumn.

He named Denmark as among countries that were able to reopen schools following the Coronavirus Crisis, accusing Democrats of wanting to keep schools shut for political reasons despite a resurgence of COVID-19 in many southern hotspots.

It’s true that Denmark was the first European country to reopen schools during the pandemic, but with 616 deaths its death toll is considerably smaller than the one on Trump’s hands.

Pipeline approval

Respirator criticism

Somaliland pledge

THE DANISH Energy Agency has granted permission for Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline project to be completed using less technologically advanced ships. The move is expected to minimise the impact of US sanctions on the project. It means the 120 km stretch of pipeline can be completed using Russian vessels.

THE RESPIRATORS offered

by Denmark to Italy during the Coronavirus Crisis were useless, according to media reports.

The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, and the defence minister, Trine Bramsen, have been singled out for criticism for allegedly knowing they weren’t suitable.

DENMARK is committed to helping to develop critical infrastructure in the self-declared state of Somaliland, such as roads, agricultural systems, water facilities and fisheries. The Dutch and the British are also onboard. In related news, the Danish government is investing 7 million kroner into energy co-operation in Ethiopia.

CUSTOMS officials found 102.5 kilos of cocaine aboard the container ship Svendborg Maersk in the Mexican port city of Manzanillo on July 2.

The haul was worth around 8 million kroner. Several dockers have been arrested.

Back to safer Syria THE IMMIGRATION Service has been instructed to speed up its processing of residence permits for Syrian refugees. Conditions in the capital Damascus are no longer regarded as "severe", which means fewer permits will be issued and more people from the capital region will be encouraged, with travel money, to return home.

Night trains to Europe THE SWEDISH government has announced plans for a night train service from Stockholm/ Malmö to Brussels and Hamburg from August 2022. It will invest 289 million kroner, but Denmark only 5 5 million kroner per year from 2021-2023.

Top job for Mary CROWN Princess Mary has been appointed president of the WWF World Nature Fund in Denmark.

Her father-in-law Prince Henrik was president from 1972 until his death two years ago.

Danes in tunnel crash AROUND 17 Danish tourists were involved in a car accident involving three vehicles in the Grasdal tunnel on Strynefjellet in Norway on July 21. Nobody was seriously injured.

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COVER

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 - 27 August 2020

Bright side of strife: there are worse places to be stranded!

International students reflect on their experience stranded in Denmark DARIA SHAMONOVA

T

HE SPRING and summer of 2020 has been especially tough for international students studying at Danish universities.

Due to the travel restrictions, they could neither return to their homelands to visit their families (and vice versa) nor travel around neighbouring countries.

Even though the situation eventually improved for EU students, those from further afield had to make peace with the fact they were pretty much stuck in Denmark for the foreseeable!

Tales of survival FOR MOST of them keeping up with their studies was the least of their worries.

Faced with extreme uncertainty, many had to figure out what to do with their lease contracts and future studies. For some it was a little overwhelming, leaving them vulnerable to waves of depression.

But ultimately it was a tale of survival, and now, emerging on the other side of the Coronavirus Crisis, many have had time to reflect on their longer than anticipated stay in Denmark.

CPH POST recently caught up with four students, from four different countries across three continents, to ask them to share their stories of how the coronavirus meddled with their summer plans.

For Galia, gazing out to sea has taken on new meaning since the lockdown started

China, and then afterwards take a brief trip around Europe with her family.

Why have you decided to stay in Denmark?

I simply did not have a choice: I booked a ticket to get back home a year ago, but the flight got cancelled. At the same time, I could not move to London, where the second year of my master’s program takes place, as I still do not have a British visa. But I was lucky enough that I could go to Copenhagen and live at my godmother’s place.

AILLY DOU Age: 28 Nationality: Chinese Duration in Denmark: Year and counting

A

ILLY, who is from China, has just finished her first year in her master’s in journalism, media and globalisation at Aarhus University and the Danish School of Media and Journalism.

This summer, she wanted to fly back to

What are the most noticeable differences between Denmark and your home country in regard to coronavirus-related restrictions and regulations?

I think in East Asia, people tend to follow the rules. They feel like it’s a ‘must’ for you to follow the government’s instructions and stay at home. In the meantime, in Denmark, people feel that the government has no right to interfere in your personal freedom. So that you can do whatever you want, but you

just have to be careful. However, in terms of how the government acts, we see a different picture. In China, many people have been financially affected by the virus, but they have to deal with that on their own. Denmark, however, is a welfare state and, for this reason, the country could offer some support to companies and people who were affected by the lockdown period. Of course, China is more efficient in building hospitals and stuff, but when it comes to helping individuals, Chinese people do not have that strong support that Danes have been provided with.

What are the major issues that you encountered after deciding to stay in Denmark for the summer?

I would say that there was a certain period of time when I felt really depressed because of the constant pressure I had to experience. My parents kept asking me what I was going to do about the second year of studies, and I honestly had no answer to that. Until July, I didn't even know whether I would be allowed to apply for

the British visa and, for this reason, I had to come up with a back-up plan in case I needed to stay in Denmark. These uncertainties and unanswered questions have made me suffer emotionally quite a lot.

Which silver lining have you found in your sudden Danish summer?

I was super blessed with my student apartment because of its location. The sun would rise super-early and then set super-late, and it would be breathtakingly beautiful. If I had left Denmark for the summer, I would have never experienced this. Also, the fact that we can travel again highlights my summer a lot. It is such a blessing that we can finally go to new places. However, while travelling, you can also see how other countries handle the crisis. For example, some of them have strict regulations regarding face masks, while some others have only allowed a limited number of cafes and shops to reopen. It all gives me an understanding of how lucky I am to be stuck in Denmark.

14 -27 August 2020

COVER

R

AIAN, who is from the Philippines, is currently undertaking a PhD program in management at Aarhus University. If it were not for the coronavirus, he would be travelling around Europe right now. He misses his family quite a lot – especially as he has not been at home for three years.

RAIAN RAZAL Age: 28 Nationality: Filipino Stranded in Denmark: 6 months

Why have you decided to stay in Denmark?

I think the government has handled the crisis quickly and appropriately, and I did not want to move anywhere else as I was pretty satisfied with what I saw. But I also would like to know which steps the government is going to take regarding the second wave that seems to be approaching the country. I just hope that people will keep following the social distancing rules her studies at Aarhus University and the Danish School of Media and Journalism.

She wanted to spend this summer with her family and dogs back at home, but it has never happened. Luckily, Galia spent her winter break in Mexico and, therefore, she does not miss her home country as much as she might have done.

GALIA GUAJARDO Age: 26 Nationality: Mexican Stranded in Denmark: 12 months

G

ALIA TRAVELLED to Denmark all the way from Mexico. She is a part of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in journalism, media and globalisation, who spent the first year of

Why have you decided to stay in Denmark?

The pandemic has not been handled well in Mexico since the very beginning. When all the countries suddenly started to close borders, I decided that the best choice for me would be to stay in Denmark. I also realised that I would prefer to spend my summer in a place where I could hang out with other people, rather than spending it in the literal lockdown.

What are the most noticeable differences between Denmark and your home country studies at Aarhus University. For this summer, she had two different plans: she wanted to either spend it in Moscow with her family or encourage her parents to fly to Europe in order to discover it together. However, she had to stay in Denmark, while her parents are not allowed to cross the borders.

YULIA KOLODYAZHNAYA Age: 23 Nationality: Russian Stranded in Denmark: 10 months

Y

ULIA CAME to Denmark from Russia to obtain a master’s degree in chemistry.

She has just finished her first year of

Why have you decided to stay in Denmark?

There have been no flights to Moscow since the middle of March, so technically I didn't even have a choice – other than staying in Denmark. Luckily, I have a residence permit that is valid for two years, and I also hold a scholarship from the Danish government that is being paid even in the summer months. I was also allowed to keep volunteering at the university’s laboratory during this summer, which I really appreciate as it has made me quite happy with this sudden

because the virus is not a joke at all.

What are the most noticeable differences between Denmark and your home country in regard to coronavirus-related restrictions and regulations?

In the Philippines, a lot of bad governance has been happening. And although the Filipinos are still resilient and keep following all the rules, without the proper governance and appropriate strategy to handle the virus, it does not actually help. Here, the government is very transparent, which is the reason why people hold it accountable and trust it. That is not something that could happen in the Philippines.

What are the major issues that you encountered after deciding to stay in Denmark for the summer? in regard to coronavirus-related restrictions and regulations?

I think the Danish government has managed the situation really well, and the healthcare system here is good and universal. Conversely, the public healthcare system in Mexico is overloaded and not that accessible. If you want to get treated, it is easier to seek help from private institutions, which is really expensive. Also, Mexico was extremely slow in terms of closing down and imposing other coronavirus-related measures.

What are the major issues that you encountered after deciding to stay in Denmark for the summer?

I wanted to extend the lease contract for my dorm’s room for the whole summer, but unfortunately it was not possible as some other people were already planning to move in. For this reason, I have had to stay at my friend’s place until the autumn semester, which I am going to spend in Amsterdam. need to stay in the country.

What are the most noticeable differences between Denmark and your home country in regard to coronavirus-related restrictions and regulations?

Well, I think the restrictions in Denmark are much milder than in Russia.

For instance, the lockdown in Moscow was extremely strict as people could only go to the nearest supermarkets and that was it. However, I guess it has something to do with the fact that the population density in Denmark is way lower than in Russia. Also, Danes are generally more disciplined than Russians, and strong restrictions are thus not needed.

What are the major issues that you encountered after deciding to stay in Denmark for the summer?

5

I had sublet a room from some people who had gone off to do their exchange semesters, but because of the coronavirus, they had to return to Denmark. So, I needed to find a new place immediately and it was stressful.

Which silver lining have you found in your sudden Danish summer?

I have managed to surround myself with a strong crowd of friends – who also came to Denmark from the Philippines – and these people have supported me throughout the crisis. It is also good to be in Denmark right now as everything is reopening, although it seems like sometimes people might forget that we cannot go straight back to normal. It is important to stay aware!

I also feel quite desperate from time to time because I do not see an end to all of it. With all these new recommendations about the face masks on public transportation, it even feels like the pandemic is coming back.

Which silver lining have you found in your sudden Danish summer?

I genuinely enjoy being here. It has happened to be a lot of fun because I am living in a dorm and I have got a chance to get to know my roommates better.

We have had a lot of shared dinners and created a better environment for all of us.

I have also got to know Danish culture better because most of my roommates are Danes. Usually, I would hang out with people from other countries since my master’s program is an international one, but this summer has given me an opportunity to take a closer look at the country that has hosted me for a year.

It was challenging to adjust to the ‘new normal’ in the beginning because I really like to travel and it was a bit difficult to admit that I would probably spend the whole summer here. I am also a bit sad that I cannot be with my family physically, but thanks to Skype and WhatsApp, it is not that much of a problem.

Which silver lining have you found in your sudden Danish summer?

I have got a chance to spend some quality time with my boyfriend, who is a Dane himself. Right now, I am visiting his family in a nearby city. For me, it is a very special feeling because he has a big family, which is pretty different from what I have experienced in Russia. I also cherish the opportunity to see how family life looks like in Denmark as it is something that is usually hidden from the tourists’ eyes.

6

NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

AN ANTHROPOLOGIST at the University of Oslo believes that Haribo’s popular Skipper Mix should be withdrawn from sale because its liquorice candies come in the shape of human faces from the likes of China, India, Africa and Mexico. “You should not eat other people,” Gro Ween told Aftonposten. The Mexican one has a sombrero. In 2014, Haribo reduced the size of the Africans’ lips.

Campsites full DESPITE the bad weather in July, most campsites sold out, with DKCamp reporting that less than 5 percent of its spots were available.

Meanwhile, eateries and hotels in coastal towns and scenic areas are enjoying a tourism boom, according to Horesta. In related news, tourists have been accidentally entering the military area at Oksbøl Barracks in west Jutland.

Holiday money preps THE MINISTRY of Employment is working on a digital solution so that Danes can choose whether they want frozen holiday money paid out. The solution was part of the August 11 bill approved by Parliament to pay out three weeks of saved holiday funds to boost the economy following the Coronavirus Crisis.

Pressured into sex ACCORDING to TrygFonden's annual safety survey, some 20 percent of women with a weak connection to the labour market – for example, interns, students and benefit recipients – report that “a superior or powerful person has tried to pressure them into sex”.

Criminal record concerns MPS ARE split on whether young people who share child pornographic material should retain a record of their offence, effectively barring them from working with children in the future. Those convicted of forwarding such material can currently expect the crime to remain on their record 10-20 years.

Fewer gap years and more courses PIXABAY

Pressure on Haribo

14 - 27 August 2020

Record admissions year no surprise as politicians make it easier to get a place at university AYEE MACARAIG

A

RECORD number of nearly 70,000 students have been offered admission to higher education in 2020 – an increase partly attributed to the Coronavirus Crisis, as far fewer students are choosing to take gap years.

Sabbaticals have become problematic because the number of ‘student jobs’ has fallen, whilst travelling has become far more difficult.

ONLINE THIS WEEK Help for second child PARLIAMENT will consider helping couples who want a second child but cannot naturally have them. The Fertility Act, which was introduced in 1997, has not been amended since 2006. It reads that once couples have had fertility treatment six times, they cannot get more help. Many parents end up spending 100,000 kroner on having a second child.

Ferry numbers soaring MOSTLY thanks to a free ticket initiative last month, the ferry to Ærø had 50,000 more guests than in July 2019, while the Kalundborg to Samsø service carried 23,860 car-less passengers – 50 times more than in July 2013! In light of the popularity, free tickets are available this month and in September.

Grade average lowered SOME 69,529 out of 94,604 applicants were offered places at universities across the country – a 6 percent increase on last year, thanks in part to Parliament approving the creation of 5,000 extra study places in 2020 and 2021.

Furthermore, the Education Ministry lowered the grade point average of many courses to allow more admissions.

Four out of five students were offered the course that was their first priority, and the average student applied for 2.8 courses.

The most popular course was education with 5,910 applicants, followed by nursing (5,112), medicine (4,462), civil engineering (3,953) and general engineering (3,674).

More privacy for murder in the library

Not enough STEM women LEDERNE, the trade union for

Back to normal?

MEANWHILE, universities

are doing their best to guarantee physical attendance ahead of the new academic year.

"A good study environment is important. And it is hard to imagine that you can start it without physical attendance," Lone Vestergaard, the head of studies at Aalborg University, told DR. Limits on the number of students in classrooms and reading areas are likely, and digital teaching will remain a key component of education.

Johan Hedegaard Jørgensen, the chair of the Danish Students' Union, said that digital learning was not optimal and may affect the quality of teaching.

"The students have been frustrated during the corona crisis.

There is no-one who benefits from sitting at home in the dorm room," he told DR.

Minister's disgust

Decade citizenship bill

Wills and Emma tops

Pride all set to go

THE HEALTH minister, Magnus Heunicke, is disgusted by the treatment of a 90-year-old nursing home patient at the Kongsgården nursing home in Aarhus, as documented in an unaired TV2 documentary, and has convened a meeting with local authorities to discuss the matter.

"There is no excuse for that kind of failure and indignity," he said.

A CITIZEN proposal to automatically grant foreigners with Danish citizenship after staying in the country for 10 years has exceeded 50,000 supporters and will now be heard by Parliament. According to Statistics Denmark, the country’s 525,898 residents with foreign citizenship account for 9 percent of the population in 2019 – up from 4.5 percent in 1997.

EMMA AND William were the most popular names for babies in 2019. Emma overtook Ida, which fell to 14th, while William has been the most popular boys’ name for a decade (with the exception of 2016). Elsewhere, Asta and Anker were the biggest climbers, and Molly, Leonora, Merle and Mint (girls) and Matheo, Erik and Walter (boys) all entered the top 50 for the first time.

ALTHOUGH Pride events in Aalborg, Aarhus, Viborg, Ringkøbing-Skjern, Kolding and Fanø have been cancelled, Copenhagen Pride Week is going ahead. On August 22, a concert using so-called XR technology is scheduled, along with the Parade, which will take place both online and off-line, with small groups setting off at different start times.

business leaders, is concerned that only 33 percent of students admitted to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) studies were women – a “very small increase” of one percentage point.

Thomas Christensen, the head of education at Lederne, suggests that universities and society must help strengthen women’s interest in the subject by linking it to the climate debate and emphasising aspects such as design, philosophy and sustainability.

“We have to get rid of the notion that technical or science education is only for men. Here we have to start already in primary school with maintaining girls' interest in STEM,” he told DR.

More motorcyclist deaths SOME 27 motorcyclists were killed in 2019 – the highest number in 10 years. During that time, 192 have died. Most of the fatalities are male. Few involved accidents with other vehicles, and in over 80 percent of the accidents, speeding was involved. In related news, the government plans to impose heavier penalties for racing and speeding.

Tween body image issues ACCORDING to Inland, one in three 11-year-old girls in Denmark sees herself as ‘too fat’, even though only one in ten is actually overweight. More children are currently being admitted to hospital with eating disorders than adults, and the most vulnerable ages are reported to be 14 and 15.

CULTURE & SPORT

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COPENHAGEN has withdrawn as the host of next year's Artistic Gymnastics World Championships due to fears it would result in a big loss due to the Coronavirus Crisis. The event had been scheduled to take place from October 1824. Denmark last hosted the championships in 2006.

Transgender pledge DAVID Ebershoff, the author of the 2000 novel ‘The Danish Girl’, has applauded Black Box Dance Company’s decision to cast a transgender dancer in the lead role of its dance adaptation, which will be choreographed by Tim Rushton. The 2015 Hollywood film was criticised for not casting a transgender actor in the lead role.

Italian tongue-twisters STUDIESKOLEN has published a list of Italian words that Danes commonly mispronounce. Examples include aperol, pizza, ciabatta and campari. Words beginning with ‘C’ are particularly tricky. Those followed by ‘a’, ‘o’, ‘u’ or ‘h’ require a ‘k’ sound, while an ‘e’ or ‘i’ need a ’tj’ sound.

They like to paddle THE POPULARITY of watersports is soaring according to DGI and Danmarks Idrætsforbund, with canoeing and kayaking leading the way.

ONLINE THIS WEEK EM.DK

Agile step-aside

Tour de France plans postponed Copenhagen Mayor Frank Jensen confident it makes sense to avoid clash with Euro 2020 and the Olympics

7

Just 80 seconds behind THIJS Nijhuis recently became the first Dane to break the 14-minute barrier in the 5,000 metres. However, his time of 13:57 is 80 seconds outside the world record. The 21-year-old Dutch-born Dane specialises in the marathon, for which he holds the country’s second fastest time.

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

F

OLLOWING months of debate and negotiations, Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen has revealed today that the Tour de France start in Denmark will be moved to 2022.

Originally slated for next summer, Copenhagen and the race organisers found themselves in a bit of a pickle after Euro 2020 – four games hosted by the Danish capital – and the Olympic Games were postponed until the summer of 2021.

Put them together and you have a .... bicycle!

Big yellow party “UNFORTUNATELY we will need to wait a bit longer,” Jensen told TV2 News as he confirmed plans to host the race from July 1-3. The postponement will cost 5.8 million kroner.

“The Danes will enjoy an even bigger yellow party in 2022, now that it won’t be squeezed by the Euros and the Olympics – by when we’ve hopefully put some distance between us and the coronavirus by then.”

Offensive word dropped

Roskilde respects

FCK's dream run ends

THE NATIONAL Museum had dropped the use of the word ‘eskimo’ from its new Arctic exhibition. Originally a colonial term to describe the indigenous people of the region due to their apparent fondness for raw meat, it is considered offensive, and today ‘Inuit’ is vastly preferred. However, several ice cream producers, including Premier Is, still use it.

ON JUNE 30, upon the 20th anniversary of their fateful Roskilde performance where nine young men lost their lives, Pearl Jam paid tribute to the victims and their families, describing the deaths as “our worst nightmare”. In other music news, The 1975 have confirmed a concert at TAP1 in Copenhagen on February 12.

FC COPENHAGEN'S magical run in the Europa League ended in the quarterfinals with a 0-1 extra time defeat to Manchester United on August 10. A Bruno Fernandes penalty was the difference in what was FCK's first ever appearence in a European quarterfinal. On August 5, the Danes stunned Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir 3-0 in the last 16 .

Top player retiring

AGF off to Europe

Happiness central opens

BADMINTON men’s singles star Jan Ø Jørgensen is retiring.

Citing severe injuries to his hip and heel sustained in 2017, he will make his final bow at the Denmark Open in October.

AGF BEAT OB 2-1 in their showdown to see who would enter the 2020-21 Europa League. AGF’s first game is on August 27. They are joined in Europe by FC Midtjylland (champions), FC Copenhagen (second) and SønderjyskE (cup winners).

LOCATED on Admiralgade in central Copenhagen, the Happiness Museum opened its doors in mid-July. Meik Wiking, the museum’s curator, hopes that the museum will help visitors deepen their understanding of ‘the good life’.

Blow for music writers GOOGLE has removed all Danish music from YouTube following the expiration of its agreement with Koda. According to YouTube, the music rights management body was "asking for significantly more than what we pay our partners around the world".

Silence around Denmark BENT FABRICIUS-BJERRE, a composer often hailed as the ‘Sound of Denmark’ thanks to his iconic tunes for ‘Matador’ and the Olsen Gang films, has died at the age of 95.

He also won international acclaim for his instrumental number ‘Alley-Cat’, which won a Grammy in 1963.

Four Emmy noms SYRIAN film director Feras Fayyad's Danish-produced ‘The Cave’ has been nominated for four Emmys. The awards ceremony is on September 20.

Dane’s a six-shooter AGAINST Genoa on June 23, Andreas Cornelius became only the third player in Serie A history to score hat-tricks against the same club in one season.

8

CORONAVIRUS

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To the rescue

14 - 27 August 2020

AMONG the Danish enterprises fighting the coronavirus are Accelerbiotics, which is using genetic technology to diagnose COVID-19 in a more efficient way; Union, which is testing its promising treatment UNI911 on humans; Aarhus University, whose research indicates patients can be saved by dampening their immune system; and the SSI, which has successfully tested its CoVAXIX vaccine on mice.

No homeless concerns EXTENSIVE coronavirus testing confirms that homeless people in Copenhagen and Aarhus have been effectively distancing themselves from one another. Of 400 tested in Aarhus in March and May, not a single one tested positive.

Virus-free passports DANISH holiday-makers have been able to access some countries this summer thanks to digital COVID-19 passports issued by the Health Ministry, which confirm the holders have recently had a negative result.

Thriving outside city IN A BID to survive the Coronavirus Crisis, some restaurants have opened pop-up versions in rural locations to attract locals and holiday-makers. Michelin star restaurant Relæ, for example, closed up shop in Copenhagen for seven weeks to relocate to Frændekilde in North Zealand.

Nightclub concerns THE GOVERNMENT shelved plans to increase the public gathering limit from 100 to 200 on August 8, while a decision on whether Phase 4 will go ahead is expected this week. Many experts argue the government should postpone the reopening of nightclubs. Many clubs report that they will go bankrupt unless they can reopen – and operate with relaxed restrictions.

Bonding during crisis

Passes and denials DANISH tourists' use of telecom services across Norway, Germany and Iceland increased by 69 percent in the week that followed the reopening of borders among the countries on June 15. Later that month, restrictions were lifted on many more visitors, although in some cases they have been swiftly applied again should the countries suffer outbreaks. Among them have been Bulgaria, Romania, Luxembourg and Portugal.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Half the population are not following the advice on the Metro

MPs meeting this week to discuss Phase 4 reopenings that experts describe as “risky”

notably among the Somali population in Aarhus.

CCORDING to Statens Serum Institut (SSI) figures, there were 756 new cases of coronavirus over the first six days of Week 32 (ending August 9), compared to 494 the prior week and 247 the week before that.

The 112 new cases registered on August 5 were the highest daily figures since May 7.

Days earlier, Kåre Mølbak, the head of infection preparedness at SSI, contended that the continued reopening of Denmark is too risky.

“SSI will not recommend to the politicians any further reopening. They should not go ahead with Phase 4 because the infection pressure is still present,” he said.

Most recently, several Jutland cities have seen large increases in their infection rates – most

A

D-Day on August 12?

MPS WERE due to discuss the reopening on August 12, and Mølbak urges them to take the risks into account.

The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, has already said he is likely to follow the advice of the SSI. However, PM Mette Frederiksen has ruled out another lockdown. "It's simply too expensive for Denmark and not necessary now," she told TV2.

"Back then we needed to bust out the big hammer to curb the infection rate. We've always known the coronavirus would return, but now we will use the local hammer."

Facemasks could become compulsory, she conceded.

And already, nursing homes and homecare employees are being tested more regularly.

Second wave action plan?

FREDERIKSEN has been less forthcoming about an action plan should a second wave hit Denmark. Many experts are predicting one in Europe in September and October, peaking in weeks 38-40 and then subsiding in weeks 40-42.

The calculation has been made by the methods of particle physics with a premise that the precautions and restrictions are the same.

Some 18 countries, including Denmark and Sweden, are included in the model, all of which are expected to face new waves.

Overall, 616 people in Denmark have died as a result of the coronavirus so far and 23 are currently in hospital, of which two are in intensive care.

Some 72 out of Denmark’s 98 municipalities recorded new cases last week.

Over 1.2 million people have been tested in Denmark – roughly 20 percent of the population.

Blip in mental health

Help for municipalities

Recommended only

THE POPULATION'S mental health improved by the end of April in the aftermath of the Coronavirus Crisis, according to research conducted by the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University. The research revealed reduced psychological well-being for women at the beginning of April, but over the course of the month an improvement was noted.

MUNICIPALITIES have received funding to cover extra expenses for protective equipment during the coronavirus outbreak. Of the total disbursement of 8.9 billion kroner, 1.4 billion covers the cost of reopening municipal institutions, which happened in most cases on May 27. However, the Capital Region had to wait until June 15.

THE GOVERNMENT has advised people to wear facemasks on public transport during Rush Hour, but only 50 percent of passengers are wearing them, and just 10 percent during off-peak times.

However, many argue the masks can do more harm than good if they aren’t worn properly or discarded in good time. Nevertheless, facemask sales are booming.

YOUNG people really bonded during the Coronavirus Crisis, according to a University of Copenhagen study. Young people displayed flexibility and resilience as they got creative on social media to connect with one another.

On course for a million AROUND 745,000 people in Denmark have downloaded the Smittestop app. As of last week, it had only alerted four users that they had come into contact with somebody infected, but the Ministry of Health is confident the app is effective. Aalborg University believes 1 million downloads would represent a good result.

Recruitment drive IN LIGHT of the rising unemployment caused by the Coronavirus Crisis, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed it has room for 150 extra Army recruits this summer.

Fewer burglaries THE INSURANCE company Topdanmark has attributed the large fall in burglaries in July to the coronavirus. There were only 579 break-ins last month – down 44 percent on the 1,023 July 2019.

High minority proportion OF THE 756 new coronavirus cases registered last week, 70 percent were ethnic minorities, according to Staten Serum Institute. Staff at Odense University Hospital told TV2 it had more to do with “social inequality” as many ethnic minorities work in vulnerable jobs in which they are exposed to many people.

SCIENCE

14 -27 August 2020

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One in 11: heart issues

Pointing a camera to another world

SOME 515,147 people in Denmark have cardiovascular diseases, according to Hjerteforeningen.

Some 166,462 have ischemic heart disease and 138,365 have atrial fibrillation. In related news, Rigshospitalet has revealed that HPV-related head and neck cancer cases have notably increased in the past 18 years in eastern Denmark, and a test by University of Southern Denmark students could help brain cancer patients avoid unnecessary treatment such as chemotherapy if their body does not need this.

Skin scan solution A NEW AI app launched by Danish company Miiskin will enable people to scan their bodies to detect changes to the skin that might not be obviously visible. In Denmark, around 16,000 new cases of skin cancer are found every year, with 71 percent of them arising from new skin moles.

Biowaste own goal NINNA Hedeager Olsen, Copenhagen’s technology and environment mayor, is concerned that a tender to take charge of processing the capital’s biowaste will see it being transported all over the country – scuppering her municipality’s goal to ensure it is done “in the most CO2-neutral way”. Olsen favoured a solution in Solrød in the city’s southern suburbs.

3D fake fish producer STUDENTS from the EU-led research project Training4CRM and DTU have created a 3D-printing technique that produces fish-like products using proteins found in mushrooms and peas. ‘Legendary Vish’ will be marketed to sushi restaurants by 2022.

Less salty just as good CONSUMERS enjoy potato chips just as much with 30 percent less salt in them, according to the University of Southern Denmark. Around 90 percent of the population eats too much salt.

Meanwhile, the DTU is making sustainable crisps almost exclusively out of residual products from beer production. The nacho-like chips are called ‘beerchos’.

Why they smell so good A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen (KU) study suggests sun-dried laundry towels smell better because acquired aldehydes and ketones emit scents similar to plants and perfume. A KU study suggests 30-40 percent of concussion sufferers are still in discomfort a month after impact.

An Aalborg University study claims that erosion of the west coast is causing it to disappear into the sea, and a University of Southern Denmark study finds jellyfish are an important food source for many marine creatures.

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E-fuels the future

But this is clearly Egypt. Conspiracy alert!

When the NASA rover Perseverance touches down on Mars next February, its eyes will be Danish

tions about the potential for life on the Red Planet and search for signs of past microbial life.

It is scheduled to land on Mars on 18 February 2021.

GULDEN TIMUR

Bo Madsen, an associate professor at the institute who was one of the researchers involved in developing the camera.

UPER-CAMERAS and an oxygen machine were among the Danish contributions to NASA's seven-month, 13 billion kroner mission to look for signs of past life on Mars, which took off on July 30.

Engineers and researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute and the Technical University of Denmark have been involved in creating high-tech equipment for the mission’s rover, Perseverance, which is aiming to answer ques-

Potential stepping stones PERSEVERANCE will use Mastcam-Z, a camera system developed

by Niels Bohr Institute researchers, which is designed to detect stones with potential signs of life.

The camera has a zoom function and the necessary technology to ensure the white balance of the images is correct.

"This is very important, as the lighting on Mars is reddish due to the dust in the air and can change from hour to hour and from day to day," said Morten

Could pave the way PERSEVERANCE will use a special oxygen machine called MOXIE, which resulted from the work of the Niels Bohr Institute and DTU Energy.

The machine produces oxygen from carbon dioxide in Mars's atmosphere by tearing the carbon dioxide molecules apart and putting their atoms together in a different way.

It is believed that the development of MOXIE will pave the way for further oxygen production on future Mars missions.

New wastewater rules

Electric car boom

Soya solution lab

THE ENVIRONMENT minister, Lea Wermelin, wants tighter rules for the treatment of wastewater. Some 74 percent of the country’s 746 treatment plants fail to purify the water of phosphorus and nitrogen, thus causing algae to bloom and fish to die. In related news, DTU students have developed a meter to record the amount of rainwater that ends up in the sewers.

SOME 1,706 electric or hybrid vehicles were sold in June – a new record for the month. In June 2019 they accounted for 4 percent of total sales; this time around, the share was 11 percent. However, Denmark is the world’s most expensive country to charge one, according to Uswitch, at a price of 4,139 kroner per year. In related news, 40 new stations have been installed in Nordhavn and Ørestad.

A TEST facility near Holstebro is assessing the possibility of cutting down the annual importation of 1.5-1.7 million tonnes of soya bean feed for livestock from South America, at a cost to the environment of 7 million tonnes of CO2. Were Denmark to grow the beans, it would need a third of its total arable area. The emissions are nearly 80 percent of those produced in Denmark by traffic.

S

DTU RESEARCHERS contend that electro-fuels (e-fuels) will replace fossil fuels to power heavy vehicles that are difficult to electrify. In related news, an oil and gas extraction assessment involving the country's five largest universities has been criticised by experts, who contend fossil fuel research funding should be phased out for the climate's sake.

Meltdown masters STONE Age Danes mastered the process of melting metal, according to a National Museum of Denmark study sparked by the discovery of a 5,500-year-old copper crucible.

In related news, University of Copenhagen researchers contend that dogs have been used in the Arctic for 11,500 years, which is longer than previously thought.

Uni hits target THE UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen has achieved its goal of reducing carbon emissions from energy consumption and transport by 70 percent.

Another Novo approval JAPAN has approved Rybelsus, the Novo Nordisk tablet to treat type 2 diabetes, joining the US, the EU, Switzerland and Canada.

10 BUSINESS

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Long road back, agree most companies

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Multiple redundancies

Mobile player in its sights

SAS INTENDS to lay off 1,593 employees in Denmark due to the Coronavirus Crisis. Some 1,420 are in full-time positions. In related news, DFDS is laying off 650 as part of its plans to cut a billion kroner in costs – 200 of the positions are in Denmark – and ISS is laying off 300 employees in Denmark after deciding against furloughing staff in the spring.

ENERGY group Norlys, which already supplies electricity, broadband and TV to 1.5 million customers in Denmark, is seeking a merger with or takeover of a mobile operator. DC, Telenor, Telia and Three are all reportedly in its sights. Norlys owns N1, Eniig Fiber, Stofa and Boxer.

Property sales boom

NEW RULES for consumer loans have come into force to address the rising numbers of people in serious debt. The loans must now have a maximum annual percentage rate of interest of 35 percent and no more than 100 percent above the value of the loan can be paid for it.

PROPERTY sales have been booming despite fewer people being interested in buying (just 12 percent – the lowest figure since Home started compiling figures in 2016) and fewer options on the market (down 2.6 percent in June). The prices have accordingly been rising, with apartments now up 3.3 percent on last year.

Cross-border VAT worries DENMARK’S biggest supermarket owners, Coop and Salling Group, have asked the government to lower VAT rates to enable them to compete with Germany, where the food production rate is temporarily 5 percent post-Coronavirus Crisis. In Denmark, all VAT rates remain at 25 percent. In Germany, the general rate has been lowered from 19 to 16 percent.

Thriving in China DANISH e-commerce exports to China are thriving, reports DI Trade. Foreign enterprises do not need to be registered in China to sell their items, and Danish companies, which have a good reputation for high-quality products, are taking advantage.

Denmark is among the top 15 e-commerce exporters to China.

DSV eyes new centre THE TRANSPORT and logistics company DSV Panalpina intends to spend 2 billion kroner on building a large logistics centre at a 500,000 sqm plot in Lund near Horsens, where it already has existing facilities. However, they are judged to be too small to cover all of the company’s needs.

New rules for loans

For many companies, it will be impossible to ignore this signpost this autumn

Bankruptcy rate could soar once financial aid packages end on August 29, suggests PwC study GULDEN TIMUR

A

PWC STUDY reveals that eight out of ten Danish business leaders expect it will take more than a year before the economy gets on par with levels preceding the Coronavirus Crisis. One in five predicts it will take more than two years.

However, they also believe that a reprieve from new taxes and fees will help the business community tackle the crisis and kickstart the economy.

They predict a massive round of lay-offs over the next three months once the aid packages from the government expire on August 29 – primarily by large companies.

Could do better ...

THE CONSENSUS among the leaders is that the government must halt new taxes and duties in 2020 and 2021, whilst introducing lower taxation on labour and corporation tax.

While the leaders mostly approved of the aid packages, which paid out a reported 11.2 billion kroner in total, many blame the government for not reopening Denmark at a quicker rate.

have included family members to become eligible.

And it is feared that some companies face ruin should they be asked to pay back aid erroneously paid out. In total, as much as 2.24 billion kroner was handed out due to employers, who have paid out a further 4.1 billion kroner in payroll expenses during the crisis, miscalculating the working days of their workers.

Unemployment soaring UNEMPLOYMENT figures have grown by more than a third since early March, and by over a half in Copenhagen (where 10,496 people are jobless), but the worst is yet to come, according to the survey.

Deceit and hidden debt THE POLICE have received 62 reports of possible fraud related to the aid packages, amounting to 23.5 million kroner in total.

In some cases, sole proprietors

Ticking bomb?

AS THINGS stand, the number of bankruptcies could explode. In fact, the financial aid was so effective that the first half of 2020 ended with the lowest number of bankruptcies for three years, Erhverv+ reports.

Furthermore, around 23,600 companies have also taken out interest-free VAT and payroll tax loans – borrowing that amounts to 6.8 billion kroner.

They will have until April 1 next year to pay back the loans.

Lone voice in boycott

SAS refund scandal

In place to take over

IN LINE with the Facebook advertising boycott, ‘StopHateforProfit’, Lego called a halt to all ads on social media for a month in July. However, not many Danish companies backed the campaign to raise awareness of Facebook’s spread of hate speech and misinformation. In other news related to Lego, collectors are battling to get their hands on the Technic Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey set, which was recently withdrawn due to the plane’s ongoing use in military conflicts.

SAS CUSTOMERS are in uproar, accusing the airline of sending a vaguely worded email concerning flights affected by the coronavirus.

Many presumed their flights were cancelled, asked for compensation, and in accordance with the rules only received a small refund. SAS argues that the flights were not officially cancelled, in which case the best option was vouchers or rebooking.

THE BANKRUPTCY of Norwegian hotel group Maribel will not apparently affect its Danish portfolio of First Hotel Kong Frederik in Copenhagen, First Hotel Grand in Odense and First Hotel Aalborg. However, the former has been swiftly taken over by Fritz Schur, the owner of the building where it is situated.

In other bankruptcy news, soft drinks company Little Miracles has gone broke after seven years in operation.

Volvo recalls cars OF THE 2.1 million cars Swedish company Volvo intends to recall worldwide due to seatbelt safety concerns, 14,271 are located in Denmark.

Deals for Vestas VESTAS, Rabobank and Windpark Zeewolde have announced plans to build the Netherlands’ largest onshore wind project.

The 322 MW deal follows a 76 MW windfarm deal for Vestas in Japan.

Mikkeller fast food deal MIKKELLER beer is now available at Burger King in both Denmark and Sweden. In line with Burger King not having a licence to sell alcohol, the beers only have a 0.3 content.

No eskimo roll PREMIER Is does not want to change the name of its product Kæmpe Eskimo (giant eskimo), arguing that the potentially offensive use of eskimo makes the ice cream sound “nostalgic”.

Short Manufacturing fall MANUFACTURING production fell by 3.0 percent in May, which corresponds with the 4.3 percent decline over the last three months, reports DI Business.

BUSINESS OPINION

14 -27 August 2020

Neil is a Scottish-educated lawyer with 18 years’ experience in corporate structuring and general commercial matters. Based in Copenhagen, he primarily advises on international deals.

Out of the office, his interests include sports and politics. His column explores topical international financial and economic issues from a Danish perspective.

T

HE DISPUTE between China and the US, simmering for years, has now boiled over.

Straddling the divide THE DISPUTE has left all

KAREY-ANNE DUEVANG WELCOME ONBOARD! Formerly the CEO of a consulting firm, Karey-Anne is a partner of The Welcome Group.

Over the past 20 years, she has worked extensively in strategic HR, overseeing change management projects, the training of employees and managers, and the recruitment of international specialists and executives.

W

ORKING with Danes and internationals extensively on a daily basis has given me great insight into how not understanding the local culture can have a detri-

The silent language HAVING recently spoken to a global audience on ‘How to Communicate’, it was a fantastic opportunity to share tips and tricks on how internationals can quickly learn the ‘unwritten rules’ in Denmark.

The first and crucial point was to share how intercultural communication can affect the message. It’s often called the ‘silent language’, as it can lead to a breakdown in communication because different cultures aren’t acknowledging and accommodating one another. It’s why I do what I do to help Danes and internationals communicate and understand each other.

Having lived in Denmark for nearly 18 years, and worked for several Danish organisations, I have fallen in love with this small country and want to share how to communicate better with each other and perhaps more importantly how to be understood.

Understand Janteloven IMMIGRATION is still relatively new to Denmark – and the Danes are still figuring out how to adequately welcome, accommodate and integrate internationals effectively.

Aside from having the oldest monarchy in the world, the Danes are governed by a set of silent, unspoken rules or codes of conduct. A secret society exists and until you crack the code you will forever be on the outside.

Janteloven are a set of rules that are old, but so ingrained in the way Danes live that not attempting to understand them can make it impossible to get along. Understanding that Denmark and its people are governed

by Janteloven helps you to understand how and why Danes behave the way they do.

Key to job-seeking TAKE JANTELOVEN and place it into an employment setting and the result is a flat hierarchy with no-one assuming rank, directors with an open door policy (or, more often than

Both sides are likely to come out pointing fingers soon

The ‘Great Schism’ A DIGITAL ‘Great Schism’ – with North America and most of Europe on the Western side, and China on the other – is no longer fanciful; in fact, it is the logical end if rhetoric is not reined in.

In this situation, a number of countries, not least in South East Asia and Africa, will be faced with an uncomfortable choice.

Issues like China’s place in

the world, the definition of fair trade and how to ensure digital privacy are huge questions that need to be aired rather than be brushed under the carpet.

It would be good for everyone, though, if discussions take place in a strategic manner. The key here is that key and realistic objectives are met; on the contrary, the current debate is giving more heat than light.

POUL KROGSGÅRD

mental effect on opportunities for international job-seekers.

sorts of businesses, ranging from Apple and the NBA to banking giant HSBC, in an uncomfortable position as they try to protect their interests and straddle the divide between the two systems.

This is increasingly likely to happen as businesses fall between the rules of operating in China on the one hand, and Washington hawks and civil rights-minded consumers on the other.

The idea that China will have to back down to avoid being impoverished by the lack of Western IT tools is wide of the mark though. Chinese companies like Alibaba and Tencent are amongst the largest in the world, and the Chinese have long felt that local versions of Google, Facebook and Twitter are faster and more powerful than the originals.

China is already a world leader in solar and wind energy, and the Made in China 2025 plan means massive investments in strategic industries like AI, robotics and electric cars.

WALLPAPAERFLARE.COM

NEIL SMITH DANISH CAPITAL IN 2020

Pivotal presidential point THE ORIGINAL US complaint that China has been abusing its WTO access, whilst misappropriating intellectual property, has now been extended to civil rights concerns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Add in concerns about data security at China-related IT companies, like Huawei and TikTok, and we have a potential recipe for a new Cold (maybe tepid) War. Certainly part of the current heat can be ascribed to an increasingly desperate President Trump. Nobody, though, should expect a potential Biden administration to return to the status quo ante. It is perceived wisdom amongst Democrats (left-leaning and moderate) that the relationship with China must change, and the Biden campaign has released attack ads accusing Trump of being too trusting of President Xi.

11

Learn them off by heart!

not, no door), and all staff, irrespective of title, on first name terms.

Here, it is vital to communicate in a way that recruiters are familiar with and, in particular, when job-seeking, it is important to show the ability to work in

a team.

Understanding the culture and what is expected of you, and then communicating in a way that is appropriate and in tune with local customs, is not only advisable but necessary in order to be successful.

12 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

XPERTS and GPs strongly oppose new weight reduction campaigns to be run by the cities. As a fat activist, I hold my breath and hope the experts and GPs win this fight.

Highly stigmatising FATPHOBIA is ubiquitous. It says so on the second page of an important 2017 publication issued by WHO Europe entitled ‘Weight Bias and Obesity Stigma’.

This publication urges healthcare professionals to “explore all possible causes of a presenting problem and to avoid assuming it is a result of an individual’s weight status”.

Yet, once again, this is what is happening in many parts of the world right now – for example, in the UK with the Better Health plan, which Dr Joshua Wolrich defined as “a real mixed bag”.

“There is the good, the bad and the downright stigmatising,” he contended.

Heavy opposition IN DENMARK one of the debates this summer is a new weight loss campaign proposed by Sundhedsstyrelsen, the Danish health authority.

Citizens of size who are in contact with the state in any capacity – for instance job centres for persons without employment – are to be pushed into weight reduction programs. That also goes for fat people who are in touch with healthcare professionals for whatever reason.

The Dansk Selskab for Almen Medicin (DSAM), which represents 5,000 GPs, opposes this campaign. And so does Dansk Psykolog Forening and others.

JACK GARDNER

GP concerns THE GPS would be an important tool in tracking down people of size and placing them in weight loss programs run by the city.

The campaign is not based on scientific research, and Anders Beich, the chair of DSAM, has been careful to distance the body, expressing concern that the GPs will lose touch with their patients of size.

No long-term impact RASMUS Køster-Rasmussen is a researcher in medical praxis at the University of Copenhagen and holds a PhD in weight development – and he is very much against the campaign.

He told DR that Sundhedsstyrelsen should change its aim from thin bodies to happy, strong and functioning bodies. Weight reduction programs, he contends, don’t work long-term. All research shows that only a very small percentage of people of size who lose weight will not gain it back.

Eating disorder risk LENE MEYER, a psychologist with a PhD in eating disorders, further argues that the idea of weight loss is based on outdated ideas of human bodies, contending that such programs increase the risks of participants developing eating disorders.

She urges Sundhedsstyrelsen to work on reducing fatphobia instead of reducing fatness.

Some solace AS A FAT activist I am devastated to see Sundhedsstyrelsen reinforcing and reproducing fatphobia with its new campaign despite WHO Europe’s publication.

But I am very uplifted by the strong reactions from the DSAM as well as two of the most knowledgeable researchers within fatness in terms of medical and psychological research.

Dina Amlund is a fat activist and cultural historian

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

I

N MY RELENTLESS, ruthless pursuit to become a true Copenhagenite, I visit many places in the city. This involves museums, opera houses, nature reserves, places of worship and charitable organisations (which, for the sake of my argument, let’s say I am a patron of ).

Furthermore, as is clearly evidenced by you reading this sentence, I am A Legitimate Journalist. It is crucial for journalists to go to places they might not usually go to, such as warzones, for the ultimate benefit of you, The Reader.

To conclude. For your benefit, I – a culturally obsessive Legitimate Journalist – recently visited Christiania.

On the way to the lake CHRISTIANIA is a small commune in Copenhagen that started out in the 1970s as an organised squat. It has less than 1,000 residents, living in about 70 sqm. It declares itself free from Danish laws, and from the jurisdiction of the EU, which I and every other British person greatly appreciates.

It has bars, restaurants and a lake. I would like to make it clear that I was solely interested in visiting the bars, restaurants and a lake.

When I walked into the commune it was in the general direction of the bars, restaurants and a lake. It was then that I came across a street named ‘Pusher Street’. Some gentlemen were selling their wares out in the open. One particularly rambunctious fellow invited me over to his stall. Whilst this gentleman did not (admittedly) appear to be either a bar, restaurant or a lake, I did not want to be rude and thus joined him.

KIERAN LYNAM

E

DINA AMLUND

14 - 27 August 2020

On the day of the visit, Christiania became Narnia

Jazz cigs ain’t my thing “WHAT ARE you looking for?” he asked. “I am looking for insight into human nature, so I can put it in my column for The Copenhagen Post,” I replied confidently.

“I’ve got just the thing.”

The spritely boy pointed to some green moss on his stall. I gazed at it. What possible power could this have? I looked around.

It appeared that every single one of the merchants on the street were selling this moss.

And then it hit me. This wasn’t moss. This was a weed moss. I rounded on my salesman.

“How dare you. How dare you call me over, hoping that I may suck on the devil’s lettuce? What about me, exactly, looked like a no-good spliff addict? What was it about my aura that suggested I like to spend my spare time puffing jazz cigarettes with Beelzebub? I am an Englishman. And I will not idly stand here while you try to sell me a one-way ticket for the Hash Train to the Fiery Lakes of Hell.”

On my way out

BY THIS point, I was hyper-

ventilating due to my minor problem with uncontrollable anger. Don’t worry – I usually calm down after about 10 seconds (although in this instance I wasn’t helped by the fact that I was surrounded by the smoke of a dozen addicts toking on their fat marijuana doobies). But after some deep breaths, I turned on my heel and walked straight out of Christiania.

Admittedly, just before I got to the gates, I noticed a pad thai restaurant called Cafeloppen within the commune’s walls. I was feeling quite hungry despite eating half an hour ago, so I popped in and I have to say that it was the best food I’ve ever eaten.

I also met the funniest dog at the table next to me. Its eyes were blue and expressive.

I left and went to the lake.

It was a good lake; a man was playing guitar so well. I spoke to him and we were going to start a band, but then another guy came along and his vibe was bad so I left without saying anything.

Then I went and looked at the best tree I have ever seen.

No-one is born evil, and we are all space dust.

OPINION

14 -27 August 2020

SIBYLLE DE VALENCE

NEXT ISSUE

Mackindergarten

Green Spotlight

ADRIAN MACKINDER

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

A new way to connect CAMP ADVENTURE and its recently erected observation tower is a full immersion experience that encourages its visitors to contemplate nature.

The tower, the first of its kind in Scandinavia, is the key element of what is a unique experience.

Visitors follow a 3.2 km trail along a wooden walkway to and away from the tower, where the route spirals its way to the top. Hourglass-shaped, 45 metres high, and built using steel and locally-sourced oak, the impressive tower was designed

by Effekt architects. Effekt in Danish means impact.

"Nature is staged to provide new perspectives, understanding and learning of nature," one of the guardians of the sacred place explained.

Time Magazine listed the site among the 100 Greatest Places in the World for 2019.

Doin’ it for ‘Gram THE CONNECTIVITY is less obvious in Dyrehaven (the ‘deer park’ near Lyngby), a forest renowned for the 2,000 deer that roam there freely. Included on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2015, it is a reminder of the essential role that nature plays in our well-being.

But try telling that to the hordes of travellers wandering around the park just to see a deer and pose with it. Some desperately approach peaceful walkers with a photo of a stag on their cell phones. "Where is it?" they ask.

The delicate, graceful crea-

Living Faith REVD SMITHA PRASADAM VISIT DENMARK/NICLAS JESSEN

S

TAYING local this summer has led to many of us spending more time in nature and exploring more of Denmark.

13

A Dane Abroad

IN 2 ISSUES

KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD IN 3 ISSUES Holding the selfie stick with such nonchalant dexterity ... Skills!

tures move freely on the 1,000 hectares dedicated to them. But that was scant consolation for tourists from a faraway land in search of the perfect photo, who had to turn back to the bus waiting to drive them to the next activity on their tight schedule.

Their disappointment was palpable. So much for communion with nature.

Rocking it, #Nature MANY PARK rangers all over the world are complaining that natural sites are being invaded by a new wave of tourists in a surreal quest for the perfect picture – often at the cost of the fauna and flora surrounding them.

Close to us, Trolltunga in Norway is the most significant example. Its scenic, spectacular rocky peak hovering some 700 metres above a lake attracts thousands of amateur photographers looking for Insta-popularity.

On the other side of the camera, the picture is less idyllic with hundreds of casual hikers ready to line up for hours to immortalise the same perfect picture.

Up until 2010, the photogenic place was only visited by some 800 visitors a year. In only

six years, this number has dramatically increased to 90,000.

Its popularity has exploded thanks to smartphones and social media. At the time of writing this article, Instagram has over 545 million posts with the hashtag #Nature.

Renewed interest BUT AT least social media is getting people outside. The 10hour hike up into the mountain to reach the Norwegian cliff is not a walk in the park. This is good news because recent research has proven that people only need to spend two hours a week in nature to feel better physically and mentally.

At the same time, Google Trends has shed light on people’s evolving habits and concerns through their online searches during worldwide lockdowns. Topics related to nature such as ‘growing plants’, ‘bird sounds’ and ‘identify trees’ appear to have doubled.

Let’s also not forget that forests are one of the most efficient ways to absorb carbon dioxide and fight climate change. In Denmark, forests currently cover 14 percent of the territory and have been growing steadily since the end of the 19th century.

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS IN 4 ISSUES

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE IN 5 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

14 FEATURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 - 27 August 2020

Proof that a Dane's lot is a decidedly happy one Dissecting allotment life and ‘hygge’ in Denmark

rent these allotments, and it’s quite normal that houses and other facilities are built on them.

GITHA SCHULTZ

D

ANISH concepts and ambiances can be very difficult to pin down.

They cover moods where enjoyment, nature, day and evening ambiances closely combine to add up to a love affair and end on a higher plane of intimacy in twilight, candlelight or daylight.

Radishes and residences IT CAN be difficult to define the Danish expression ‘hygge’ (very roughly ‘cosiness’), but once you have experienced it, you are in no doubt when you meet it again. The ultimate Danish summer hygge has to be allotment hygge.

Originally called a kitchen garden, the allotment became a sort of recreational area for working-class families from the inner cities. It was a little piece of ground you could rent where you could grow fruit and vegetables – a good and healthy supplement to a poor worker’s diet. Not least, it provided a feeling of having a bit of nature – a haven away from all the hard work, and at a price a worker could afford.

Allotments can be found everywhere in the suburbs of Copenhagen and other cities, and in 2020 it is quite normal to find a house on one of these plots. Today, it is more often middle-class people rather than workers who

The capital came first COPENHAGEN’S oldest allotments, which date back to 1893, are the ‘Vennelyst’ in Christianshavn. While Frederiksberg, not far from the centre of Copenhagen, hosts the almost equally old Haveforeningen Grænsen.

A cosy little gravel path between Peter Bangs Vej and Finsensvej hosts a myriad of different types of houses and plants – gardens full of beautiful flowers and almost in bonsai format.

There are three other allotment associations along the same path in addition to Haveforeningen Grænsen.

Within the rules IN ORDER to establish an allotment area you need at least five plots that on average shouldn’t exceed 400 square metres. Additionally, it is only permissible to stay there during the period from April to October. Living there permanently is, in principle, not allowed by any of the allotment associations.

Allotment associations can be independent but can also be members of the Kolonihaveforbundet allotment federation.

You can’t own an allotment – only buy the right to rent the plot with house and garden.

Allotment life is a very cheekby-jowl affair, encompassing as

Flying the flag with pride

many different types as can be found on a plane on the way to New York or Tokyo for example. People are often reflected in the creative way they furnish the house and its appearance behind the hedge. There is everything from super luxurious huts to tents, or houses that remind you of the buildings in the Free State of Christiania. Each allotment association has its own rules in addition to those set out by law.

But it is a free area where you can paint your house yellow and your fence green. People with allotments improve the quality of their lives by getting to grips with the earth and attaining a

very relaxed – and not least ‘hyggelig’ – ambiance and lifestyle.

Easy to rent THERE are at least 65,000 allotments in Denmark, if not more. Allotments were originally owned by the state and municipalities, but DSB Ejendomme, the property arm of the Danish national railway operator, owns a significant amount of allotments, although it operates them under different rules. In addition, other allotment associations can be privately established.

Should you come past one of these cosy small houses you can often see the Danish flag

flying in the blue sky and smell the coffee brewing. There is a strawberry tart on the table and the buzz of both bees and people in the gardens.

It may even be possible for you as a tourist or temporary resident of Denmark to rent one of these sought-after allotments.

You can walk down the path and, with luck, find the association’s secretary or talk to some of the residents over the hedge. The people who live in these houses are open and welcoming, enjoy their allotment life to the full and, not least, are sociable; you have to be when the hedges are close and you are living on top of each other.

15 Coffee with a clear conscience: a taste worth paying for FEATURE

14 -27 August 2020

AMY GOODMAN

C

OFFEE is a staple in the cupboards of many Scandinavians. The drink plays a huge role in the social culture of Danes and Swedes – something that has recently garnered attention from foreign media. Books, articles, events and interiors have all been inspired by Nordic coffee culture and traditions such as ‘fika’, which lies at the heart of its essence.

Behind the scenes, however, coffee production is an industry dominated by a handful of main players with a poor track record when it comes to the welfare of their farmers.

Yet, in the small town of Ebeltoft in east Jutland, the coffee house and roastery ‘Apelgren Jordt Coffee’ is using Danish coffee culture to challenge this 81-billion-dollar-a-year industry.

AMY GOODMAN

How Apelgrens, an ethical establishment in Ebeltoft, is using Danish coffee culture to challenge the global industry

Supply chain control AFTER 20 years in the industry, owner Rasmus Jordt sees more than most when looking at a cup of coffee. Roasting the coffee himself, he has taken control of the supply chains and buys from the farmers directly.

This approach ensures the farmers a better price and gives both sides a chance to work most effectively.

“We will pay 70 percent of the price upfront before harvest,” explained Jordt.

“This ensures for the farmers beforehand that they can hire the right pickers. If they need something, like extra access to water or a new machine, we help them.”

Communication is key APELGRENS goes beyond financially supporting their farmers. Having grown up in east Africa to Danish parents, Jordt is frustrated by the standard of communication between western companies and their suppliers.

“It’s very easy for us in the West: the way we trade, the way

Owner Rasmus Jordt takes a keen interest in every element of the business

AMY GOODMAN

we are brought up to work in business, and the way we negotiate a price and negotiate a time. What I’m really interested in is how do we get everyone to connect at a level where everyone is happy,” he said.

“We are not safeguarding the farmers in any way. Whereas, if we actually understood their situation, we could ensure them a better quality of life – in so many more ways than just [giving them] money.”

Understanding communities A LACK of understanding of cultural nuances, and generally between farmers and buyers, is a major obstacle to progress that Jordt wants to see eradicated in his industry. Companies often go into communities with grand offers of educational systems, he contends, which are not needed and ignore the more pressing issues farmers face.

Instead, Jordt urges more focus on the bigger threats to the farmer’s quality of life that are often ignored or unknown.

Currently, he explains, land ownership in small farming communities is becoming a big problem in need of a solution.

“In some areas, if you have a coffee field and you die, your sons

inherit it, but it's split between your two sons,” he said. “And then when one of your sons dies, it is split between his two sons.

We keep on splitting up the land, so you basically don't have land to live off in the end.”

Empathy with the farmers RELIGION and superstition is another aspect of the farmers' lives that western buyers tend not to understand. In East Africa, for example, cultural nuances mean that buyers can greatly affect communities if oblivious to social paradigms.

“If I as a coffee buyer go into a coffee community, but I only support one field, then there might be five other farmers who have fields who aren't making the same amount of money,” continued Jordt.

“In their head, the reasoning behind it is not necessarily because their quality of coffee is better, but that they might be using magic to ensure their crop.

If we don't understand that as professionals going into their market, we will never make it better.”

It all starts at home APELGRENS’ humility and cultural sustainability extends

back to Denmark. When opening in Ebeltoft it was important for Jordt to collaborate rather than compete with other independent businesses, and now he sells local products at the shop to boost his fellow artisans.

“Ebeltoft is a city of craftsmanship, and I think we need to carry that tradition proudly,” he said.

This humility has led to Apelgrens becoming loved by the community – so much so that when the coronavirus hit Denmark it actually sold more coffee than pre-covid.

Saluting their work DESPITE the tremendous impact that Apelgrens is having on the lives of its farmers, the work done behind the scenes is unknown by most customers.

Jordt is keen for the coffee to be the focus, because his sustainable mindset is not about image, but about the people he works with.

The majority of the world’s coffee is produced by 25 million small farms, which are rarely given an even playing field when it comes to negotiations.

Sitting with a picturesque view of Ebeltoft’s harbour, a coffee from Apelgrens tastes even better knowing how the beans got there.

16 MUSEUMS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 - 27 August 2020

Sweet life to destruction: Pompeii comes alive in Aarhus

AYEE MACARAIG

D

ISPLAYING freshly-baked bread, graffiti offering male prostitutes, a urinating Hercules and the casts of many of its victims’ bodies, the world-renowned ancient city of Pompeii has been reborn out of its ashes at an ongoing exhibition in Denmark that transports its guests back to the glorious days of the Roman Empire.

As befitting one of history’s most famous archaeological

el but you can dream. You can feel like you’re in Napoli. We have a small-scale Pompeii and southern Italy here,” Pauline Asingh, the head of exhibitions at Moesgaard Museum, told CPH POST. “We have some very spectacular and very high-class objects from these places. So it’s like being there.”

Frozen in time WHILE many documentaries and books feature Pompeii, the exhibition aims to give guests the atmosphere of being in ancient Rome, Asingh said. It does so with more than 250 objects on loan from Italian museums and Moesgaard’s own scenography and design.

Through frescoes, fountains

A marble statue of the wine god Bacchus in an affluent villa

discoveries, the exhibition at Moesgaard Museum – which depicts life in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD buried its inhabitants and turned them into time capsules – deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible, and it has accordingly been extended until September.

Even without a ticket to Italy, visitors can walk the streets of the ancient cities and view artefacts never before seen outside of the country. ‘Bound for Disaster: Pompeii and Herculaneum’ was set to close in May, but the Coronavirus Crisis led to the extension, beckoning summer excursionists and a cultural revival following the pandemic.

“This summer, you cannot trav-

and villas, Bound for Disaster seeks to offer insights not just regarding one of history’s greatest natural disasters but also about the high life – la dolce vita – in the thriving port cities in the Gulf of Naples before the eruption.

Seemingly frozen in time, items were well preserved because they were covered by ash as deep as 20 metres in Herculaneum.

Mediterranean conqueror THE JOURNEY begins with a room showing the Roman Empire as the Mediterranean’s conqueror. The centrepiece is a bronze ram used in warships to slice into enemy vessels in the battle against the Phoenician superpower of Carthage for regional dominance.

Next comes a section with exquisite pottery vessels, including one with corals, used for transporting wine, fish sauce and oil. It tells the story of trade in the slave-based society that furnished the empire with goods and luxury.

Visitors can walk around tavernas or eateries and see the actual bread people were baking on the day Vesuvius erupted.

“Everybody woke up that morning and didn’t know what was happening. The bread is in the oven and suddenly the top of Vesuvius is blowing away and there was dust everywhere,” Asingh said.

Hercules and Hydra A HIGHLIGHT and undoubted crowd-pleaser is a recreated villa with scarlet walls complete with Roman columns where water falls down to a shallow pool.

The fine rooms, furnishings and women’s jewellery showcase the affluence of the Roman elite.

A marble sculpture of the wine god Bacchus cuts an imposing figure. Another of an ageing, urinating Hercules is in a garden along with a fountain depicting the Lernaean Hydra, a snake the demigod defeated in battle.

Guests relished seeing the ancient world up-close.

“It is nice to see a lot of daily life in the typical Roman era. Some of the articles that we saw, like the bronze and the glass, were impressive from a technical point of view that they could make it in those days. It was a long time ago,” said John Gunn, a Danish pensioner.

‘Emotionally moving’ YET THE most striking pieces are casts of people frozen in terror and death throes from Pompeii and skeletons from Herculaneum – many children were among the thousands of fatalities.

These are original casts of the dead from one of the most visited ancient sites on earth.

“I was emotionally moved by seeing the casts of the people. It’s different when you see it at the movies and when you see it in person,” said sociologist Majbritt Andersen.

ALL PHOTOS: AYEE MACARAIG

An exhibition about Pompeii and Herculaneum in Moesgaard Museum allows guests to walk the streets of the ancient Roman cities viewing artefacts never before seen outside of Italy

A garden at the exhibition features frescoes and a Hydra fountain

Sold out despite corona BOUND for Disaster is one of the most popular exhibits at Moesgaard Museum, which is known as a cultural gem in Aarhus. With tickets at times sold out, visitor numbers for the exhibition – more than 178,000 so far – are the museum’s best since a 2015 exhibition of Chinese terracotta figures.

Moesgaard, which focuses on prehistory and culture, is perhaps known best for its sloping grass-covered roof and for housing the Grauballe Man, the world’s best preserved bog body from the Iron Age. While the museum closed for two months due to the Coronavirus Crisis, crowds are back since it reopened at the end of May. As part of the government’s summer package, tickets are half price until August 9.

Guests however need to book tickets online ahead of time as the museum limits visitors to 140 per time slot to adhere to distancing guidelines.

Nearly normal “WE TAKE our precautions and keep distance. I can see not all do, but we try,” said guest Helle Hansen, a church minister.

Ironically, the Pompeii exhibition comes as the world deals with another kind of disaster – this time a pandemic. But museum officials say that in the case of the coronavirus and cultural life in Denmark, the dust is slowly starting to settle.

“As we can see with our Danish guests, our behaviour is returning to normal now. The situation has nearly normalised here,” Asingh said.

Casts of people frozen in terror as Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD

EVENTS

14 -27 August 2020

Silent Family Disco August 23, 11:00-14:00; KU.BE, Dirch Passers Alle 4, Frederiksberg; 30kr, tikkio.com A new type of family party is here!

Everyone can join: toddlers, kids, aunts, cousins, parents and grandparents. With three different channels of music, the headphones abolishes the generation gap. You may bring your own food and drinks, but lovely food is also available. (RM) Flea market on the bridge Aug 15, 10:00-15:00; Dronning Louises Bro, Søtorvet 2, Cph N The popular hangout spot Dronning Louises Bro is hosting an open-air flea market. Previously postponed due to the pandemic, there’s a focus on being good to the environment. Thrifting is always thrilling! (RM) CPH Art Space 2020 Aug 21-23, 10:00-16:30; Færgehavnsvej 35, Cph Ø; cphartspace. billetexpressen.dk Copenhagen Art Space is taking over the event venue at Docken in Nordhavn,. Some 50-60 selected artists are participating with an emphasis on originality.

Massive artworks put on 3.6 x 3.6m walls allows an interaction with the visitors, creating a sculptural expression. (RM) Soul In The City – The Sitdown And Boogie Edition Aug 22, 14:00-22:00; Refshalevej 167A; free adm Let some of the city’s best DJs entertain you. Grind along to soul vibes while you stay seated. Jujus Jamaican Chicken will serve Jamaican BBQ – they confidently say it’s “beyond finger-licking good”!

DJ CopenhagenKonfidential, Big Mood, Whut and Stan Sogliano will keep your upper body grooving for eight hours. (RM) Absalon’s 5th anniversary Aug 20, 18:00-22:00; Sønder Blvd 73, Cph V; 100kr, absaloncph.dk Copenhagen’s beloved community space Absalon is celebrating its 5th birthday. The party is merging two Absalon classics: communal dining and birthday banquets. Meet new people across a long table running across an old church’s wooden floor. (RM)

Kabaret Kopenhagen presents Aug 14-15, 20:00; Musikcaféen, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 200kr, huset-kbh.dk Enjoy two nights of the best burlesque in town with some socially-distanced sexy fun at Musikcaféen has been scheduled ahead. Due to the circumstances, seats are limited – only 50 tickets per day. The long-waited comeback will include a bottle of bubbly and some bump & grind.

The show starts at 20:45. (RM) Strøm Festival Aug 12-15; Kødboderne 30, Cph V; strm.dk Nothing can stop the Strøm Festival, an August affair that annually presents electronic music to more than 15,000 guests. The 2020 edition is a hybrid: both a physical and digital festival. Three of Denmark's most interesting electronic artists, SØS Gunver Ryberg, Schacke and Mr IRL aka Natal Zaks, will open up the festival at Dagmar Biograf. (RM) Latin Fridays at Kedelhallen Aug 22 & 24, 16:00 & 18:30; Gothersgade 55, Cph K; dfi.dk Cinemateket is screening a movie about the world-famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s controversial life. The event is part of Louisiana's exhibition 'Fantastic Women – Surreal Worlds from Meret Oppenheim to Frida Kahlo'. Understand the exhibition better by watching the film. (RM)

Wine Tasting for Beginners Aug 18, 19:30-20:30; Not Your Usual – Wine Bar, Lavendelstræde 13, Cph K; 145kr Do you want to learn about wine in a fun and social environment?

Not Your Usual Win Bar says this is a fun wine tasting designed for those of you who really want an interesting and educational wine tasting! Their sommeliers will focus on improving your knowledge of wine, helping you to get better at identifying different wine types. Who knows?

Maybe you’re better than expected and end up winning a prize at the end of the session! (RM)

Copenhagen Pride Week Aug 23, 17:30-19:30; Cafe Munk, Nørre Farimagsgade 55, Cph K; free adm, copenhagenpride.dk Copenhagen Pride Week is going ahead despite the crisis, by adhering to distancing guidelines and keeping people in small groups! Many events are going online as well. For example, the opening concert will be streamed on TV 2 Lorry and YouTube. Some bars are arranging ‘viewing parties’, allowing small groups of Pride-goers to share the joys and laughs with others while ‘viewing’ the concert. Check out the website – they’ve organised a lot of events as usual! (RM)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream ends Aug 16, 19:30-21:15; Botanisk Have, Gothersgade 128; 230kr, billetto.dk Enjoy this superb theatre performance of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ by William Shakespeare.

Join the After Hours Theater Company on an enchanting journey deep in a dreamlike forest that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Bring blankets and food to enjoy your own picnic on the lawn before the show. The gates open at 18.30. (RM)

Salsa with Elstudio Aug 19; Refshalevej 167A; free adm Copenhagen’s dance school Elstudio is bringing some salsa vibes to heatwave-blessed Denmark. All dance levels are welcome! There will be an intro class for beginners and other curious creatures. The event ensures a one-metre distance between all dancers. For security reasons, dance partners will be dancing in your chosen spot for the entire evening. Registration upon arrival is needed. (RM)

Quizzes galore!

Aug 13, 20 & 27, 20:00; Bar 1420, Griffenfeldsgade, Cph N Over the next three weeks, from Thursday August 13, enjoy quizzes for experts on Harry Potter, ‘The Office’ (US version) and ‘Friends’.

RenHavn 2020 Aug 16, 12:00-19:00; Børskaj 12, Cph K; free adm Free kayaking, talks, live music, organic food and more. Pay tribute to the harbour together, focus on the environment, and find out how you can help with something completely extraordinary.

The sponsor media company The Why will be giving away 10 tickets to the screening of their documentary, which will be launched in 2021 via their latest campaign ‘Why Plastic’. (RM)

Don’t Leave Us Alone with the Danes Aug 22, 20:00-22:00; Teglholmsgade 36, Cph S; 80kr, billetto.dk This is a comedy show for expats.

Five internationals and a host take to the stage and talk about their lives in Denmark. Unfortunately no walk-ins are allowed due to the current circumstances. So hurry to get a ticket! Seating has been reduced and rearranged so that everyone can feel safe attending a show. (RM)

The Food Club a Aug 18, 17:30-20:30; Union KBH, Nørre Allé 7, Cph N; 65 kr The food club at Union KBH serves warm dishes inspired by spices and cuisines all around the world every Tuesday night. Share some hearty and tasteful dishes in a ‘family style’ setting – along a long table full of lovable people. The menu will be announced on the day of the club.

You can buy both hot and cold drinks at the café. (RM)

Ash Jacoby quartet Aug 13; Islands Brygge, Cph S; free adm Waterside restaurant Vandvid floats a boat with a graceful voice.

Aske Jacoby, one of the Danish finest guitarists, will sail through the harbour and play for you on the quay off Islands Brygge!

Drummer Janus Templeton, bassist Christian Douglas and the fine saxophone soloist Claus Waidtløw will give a masterful concert on the boat. The audience can support the music via MobilePay. (RM) Weekend Under the Oak Aug 14, 17:00-19: 30; Egelunden in Søndermarken, Pile Allé 55, Frederiksberg; free adm, bloom.ooo Sit down in the tall grass under Søndermarken's oak trees and get some new food for thought at this nature and science festival. A symposium will guide you through a world of logic covering subjects such as biology and anthropology, and then convention-breaking artist First Flush is performing. It’s completely free. (RM)

17

Brønshøj Summer Jazz 2020 Kulturhuset Pilegården, Brønshøjvej 17, Brønshøj; free adm For the second year in a row Brønshøj Municipality is luring its citizens’ ears with a week-long jazz festival. The yard in front of Pilegården will be a melting pot of quality music presented in one of Copenhagen's most diverse districts. The event aims to reach a wide audience and ensure a strong community – there should be something for everyone at this event: from children to grandparents. (RM) Not only Dracula!

Aug 19, 17:00-20:00; Strandagervej 27, Hellerup; 100kr, jcici.nemtilmeld.dk If Dracula is the only thing you know about beautiful Romania, this event will enlighten you.

Romania has so much to offer: the biggest building in Europe, the fastest internet, the biggest brown bear population … as well as great tourism, economy, technology, culture, and innovation. Visit the ambassador’s house where he is going to give us a thorough presentation of the country and explain to us how a visitor can benefit from it! (RM) Live Jazz Aug 19, 20:00-22:00; Sølvgade 103, Cph K; free adm At this cosy bar near the Lakes, just a few steps away from the Fredens Bro bridge, you can listen to jazz most Wednesdays. Some of the best musicians in town perform.

And it’s free entrance! (RM)

Silent Disco Aug 22, 21:00-01:30; Musikcafeen, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 75kr Indre By’s iconic music venue Musikcafeen is throwing a silent disco full of love, colours, dancing, moves and good music. Choose from three different channels offering different genres so that you can dance along next to friends with different tastes. (RM) Globe Quiz Aug 13 & 17, 19:30; The Globe, Nørregade 43, Cph K; 30kr The winners get 1,000 kroner, runners-up 500, and there is a 8,000 rollover. Simply the best in town.

18 ON SCREENS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

14 - 27 August 2020

Saving grace of lockdown is that Swamp Thing has identified himself BEN HAMILTON

I

N THESE post-lockdown times, nobody wants to go to the cinema to be confronted by our reality. It’s bad enough being reminded of social distancing through the lobby and popcorn, but once your arse is in the seat, the last thing we need is another reminder!

So why on earth are so many of the offerings this month about an impending apocalypse best avoided by spending an eternity indoors. And even worse, the distributors have seen fit to serve up numerous films featuring facemasks.

To whet our appetite for the sci-fi Tenet (Not Released Worldwide; at cinemas Aug 26), a film postponed so many times it will be a period drama by the time it comes out, we have been treated to swathes of Christopher Nolan films, including his entire Batman trilogy complete with Bane. Talk about facemask envy.

Just like lockdown IN GREENLAND (NRW; Aug 27), the pressure is on Gerard Butler’s character to get his family to an underground bunker up north – presumably with a nobler cause for surviving than the cannon fodder evaporating before their very eyes. Is Butler back in favour after his Fallen trilogy, or are we just used to seeing him fashion improbable outcomes?

Season 3 of The Rain (Aug 6)

brings more cheery apocalyptic fare. This Danish Netflix series seemed to work best when the main character was hiding in a bunker – probably because we weren’t being exposed to the naff special effects its meagre budget can barely cover. And so does Train to Busan 2: Peninsula (July 30). Really, who needs another zombie film right now?

And beyond Batman, the facemasks will probably be out in force with X Men: The New Mutants (NRW; Aug 17) and Project Power (Netflix from Aug 14). The former, an origins film about characters you’ve never heard of, promises it is the last ever X Men film – please say this is so! – while the latter concerns a pill that yields an undefined superpower. Throw in a few phobias and we’ve got Superman with vertigo or an arachnophobic Spiderman – superheroes who hate themselves more than I do.

Always bet on black IS HORROR the right kind of escapism? Possibly not, but anything historical is comforting in light of what has happened in 2020. Well timed in light of the increased awareness surrounding BLM, both Antebellum (NRW; Aug 20) and Lovecraft Country (82 on Metacritic; HBO Nordic from Aug 17) are dystopian dramas set during dark periods of American black history and, beyond watching Tenet, they’re your best bets for viewing pleas-

ure this August.

Both are endorsed by Jordan Peele, the latter on the basis that it is from the team that produced his hits Get Out and Us, only minus him, and the former through the role of executive producer. Judging by the trailers, no expense has been spared on convincingly recreating their respective Underground Railroad and 1950s segregation eras.

But we’re not sure we can absolutely advocate for Antebellum.

It’s more arthouse than Lovecraft Country (based on the acclaimed 2016 novel by Matt Ruff) but less multi-layered. And the inclusion of time travel is a little limp. Is it more horrifying for a black woman living in Trump’s America to experience barbaric racism than one living during the antebellum period preceding the American Civil War? The ‘art’ of success HOLD THAT thought, because with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend (79; Aug 5 on Netflix) you really do get to decide and, according to the critics, it’s a whole lot more fun than the Black Mirror attempt last year.

Still, not sure we can watch the 51 episodes aired since 2015 to really enjoy this TV movie.

And given the current lockdown climate, the central premise of the sitcom – that its protagonist begins episode one escaping from a doomsday cult’s underground bunker – is a little

The clock is ticking down to 'Tenet'

off putting.

Far more agreeable, surely, are the trio of films featuring oddball couples. In Bull (65 on Metacritic; Aug 20), a crippled black rodeo rider mentors an unruly teenage girl taking an interest; I Still Believe (41; July 23) tells the story of a pop star’s romance with a handicapped girl; and Summerland (55; Aug 20) brings together a lesbian author and a young evacuee – the hit the British film industry so wants Gemma Arterton to have, but despite all her World War II gusto can’t quite accomplish.

No relation to Felicity INSTEAD of depending on whimsical scripts, perhaps Arterton should follow the path trod by comedian Sarah Kendall, who writes and stars in Frayed (Aug 19 on HBO Nordic), a 1980s-set sitcom about a woman returning

to Australia from her rosy life in London.

Equally bingeable is the second season of Dirty John (Aug 14 on Netflix), and it’s difficult to tell from the trailer who our sympathies should lie with: adulterous hubby Christian Slater or spurned bunny-boiler Amanda Peet.

The New Pope (Aug 1 on HBO Nordic) is also back for a second season, this time with John Malkovich doing his best to match Jude Law’s detestable pontiff from the first. But the people seem to like it …

Just like their man in The Swamp (Aug 5 on HBO Nordic), the metaphor often applied to the need to drain Washington DC of all its unsavouriness.

It’s a grim reminder of the world we live in, which many might argue has been in partial lockdown for nearly four years.

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group FINANCIAL CRIME INDUSTRY EXPERTS, PA CONSULTING

You will have the opportunity to use your background in consulting and/or industry to demonstrate your expertise across the Financial Crime spectrum, across both FS institutions and the public sector.

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RESEARCH TECHNICIAN (5232), CHR HANSEN Our Strain Development Department is seeking an enthusiastic and passionate Research Technician (Laborant or Laboratorietekniker) with experience in microbiology and/or molecular biology.

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Research within the Department of Strategy and Innovation is focused on strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship and international business.

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We are looking for a Senior Project Manager with CRM experience and the drive to lead projects for one of our clients.

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LEAD GAMEPLAY ANIMATOR, IOI You will be a key player between game design and animation and will marry the two into one coherent and realistic animation experience.

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GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR, WARM

You will be responsible for formulating strategies and implementation of the company’s sales objectives and to achieve the market value share, turnover, and profit of the products.

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RECRUITMENT SOURCING SPECIALIST, SITEIMPROVE

Your main area of responsibility will be to research and source talent to our teams in Copenhagen and for our local offices around Europe.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

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Join us on Facebook in the recruitment group English Job Denmark every Thursday at 12:00 noon, where an experienced recruiter will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about gaining employment in Denmark. To take part, simply join English Job Denmark & be ready with your questions.

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