CPH Post Newspaper: 10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

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SPECIAL EDITION

Christmas is upon us, so it would be rude not to let you know about the countless opportunities for fun this December

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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 24 ISSUE 15 10 Dec 2021 - 6 Jan 2022

LOCAL

Women in charge Six out of the seven city mayors are female

2

NATIONAL

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Unwelcome guest: Xmas is very much in corona’s hands

4 SCIENCE

We feel unwelcome, claim expats

Is AI racist?

It discriminates against young, non-white men, claims research

6

REVIEWS Let's get physical! This year’s Crazy Christmas show is highly recommended

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2446-0184 2446-0192

C

OPENHAGEN is the fourth hardest city in the world to move to as a foreigner from abroad, according to the 2021 Expat City Ranking, the latest report from InterNations, which this time assesses data collected in 57 global cities.

Broken down into sub-categories, it ranked poorly for Local Friendliness (54), Feeling Welcome (53), and Friends & Socialising (56).

Some 63 percent find it difficult to make new friends, compared to a global average of 32 percent, and 37 percent are unhappy with their social life (25).

A whopping 41 percent describe the local population as generally unfriendly towards foreign residents (18).

Good for urban life STRONG scores for the quality of urban living (9), urban work life (7) and happiness levels (77 percent) were enough for Copenhagen to finish mid-table in 30th position overall, 13 places ahead of Stockholm.

Copenhagen has a winning work-life balance, as 88 percent are satisfied with their working hours (compared to 66 globally), and 82 percent are happy with the balance (66).

And it ranked first for the sub-category affordability of healthcare, with 86 percent viewing it positively (61).

Kuala Lumpur, Malaga, Dubai, Sydney and Singapore made up the top five, and Rome finished last, with Milan not far behind. (BH)

Ants off the Noma menu

Three fatal shootings

THE INCLUSION of ants on the Noma menu, often in dishes such as beef tartar and jumbo shrimp, no longer lives up to the European Union directive regarding ‘novel food’.

It stipulates that all foods not eaten in the union before 1997 need special approval before they can be sold. No wonder Gordon Ramsey voted for Brexit!

THREE fatal shootings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – in Nørrebro, Rødovre and Frederiksberg respectively – have raised fears that a new gangland war is erupting and that it won’t be long until a member of the public gets hurt. “We fear that at some point it will hurt the innocent,” the incoming mayor, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, told TV2.

Winter hits

Are bank charges legal?

DENMARK has been pretty cold recently. A snowstorm hit the west of the country on December 1, causing close to 30 people to spend the night in the Aalborg branch of IKEA. Around 30 cm of snow fell in the region – the most to hit Denmark since 2018 – but more like 5 cm in most other parts. Since then, temperatures have hovered above freezing.

LAWYERS from the Consumer Ombudsman have cast major doubt on the banks' right to charge negative interest rates, reports TV2. Jyske Bank started the practice earlier this year, and then several other banks followed suit, lowering the taxable amount every time. As things stand, negative interest is payable on all savings of over 100,000 kroner.

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Six out of seven isn't bad, Ma'am

ONLINE THIS WEEK Even sprinkling THE MEN’S toilet in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Copenhagen is now gender-neutral. Some 80 percent of the building’s visitors are female, and long queues at the toilets were a daily occurrence.

Fortunately the men’s toilets did not have urinals, explained the faculty’s operations manager, Nicolaj Brinkmann, to TV2.

Fall in burglary rate THE VESTEGNEN burglary rate plummeted 25 percent over the first nine months of 2021, according to police in the western suburbs of Copenhagen. The fall was the equivalent of 363 fewer households being burgled.

Dedicated to poet A MONUMENT designed by Kaare Golles to honour Danish poet Inger Christensen has been unveiled at Hjalmar Brantings Plads in Østerbro, close to where he lived for more than 30 years.

New Netto is greener

CORRECTION IN OUR November 26 edition we published two serious errors in our interview of Princess Eleonore-Christine af Schaumburg-Lippe (Romania magazine, page 2). We seek to clarify that the princess has never worked for the Danish Navy, and neither has she set up her own company in Romania.

•

COPENHAGEN Police has introduced two visitation zones to stem an escalating conflict in the gang environment. One is in Brønshøj, and the other includes parts of Nørrebro, Nordvest and Ydre Østerbro.

KARAKOZ YDYRYS

F

ROM DECEMBER 1, six of the seven Copenhagen mayors will be women, along with 31 out of the 55 elected councillors.

Of the seven, only Jakob Næsager (Konservative), who has replaced Jesper Christensen (Socialdemokratiet) as the mayor overseeing children and youth matters, is a man.

The trend can also be seen in Frederiksberg, where there are more women councillors than men for the first time in the enclave's history: 15 out of 29.

Enhedslisten steps up ENHEDSLISTEN will have two mayors – reward for winning the most votes in the November 16 local election.

Crocodiles travel in style

Clockwise from the top left: CLS, MN, LB, SHA, KVM, SMW

Leading candidate Line Barfod is the new mayor for technology and the environment, replacing retiring Enhedslisten colleague Nina Hedeager Olsen, While secondary candidate Karina Vestergård Madsen is the new social services mayor, replacing Mia Nyegaard (Radikale), who becomes the new culture and leisure mayor in place of Franciska Rosenkilde (Ålternativet).

The revolving door ALSO CONTINUING, but in the same departments are the mayor for healthcare and the mayor for employment and integration: Sisse Marie Welling (SF) and Cecilia Lonning-Skovgaard (Venstre).

Sophie Hæstorp Andersen has replaced her Socialdemokratiet colleague Lars Weiss as lord mayor.

This all means the total makeup has changed, as the blue bloc has increased its representation from one to two mayors.

Goodbye to a city centre legend Musician Yul Anderson’s passing mourned

Y

UL ANDERSON, the American musician who became a resident of Copenhagen in 1983, has died at the age of 63.

He was a distinguished musician who specialised in gospel, blues and soul, Alive on the streets BUT AS well as performing concerts and writing his own

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Visitation zones

Only one man among the new line-up of Copenhagen mayors

FACEBOOK/YUL ANDERSON

A RENOVATED Netto has opened at Godthåbsvej 195 in Vanløse with a new direction for the supermarket: a special focus on fruit and veg.

Editorial offices: Holbergsgade 24 kld 1057 Copenhagen Denmark

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

music, he also enjoyed playing on the streets.

A regular on the CPH POST listings page in years gone bye, his love of street music is credited with transforming Købmagergade.

In it for the music HE FAMOUSLY told media he did it out of his love for music, not money.

As a builder of bridges through music, he was fittingly a nominee for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. (KY)

Founded in 1998

by San Shepherd All rights reserved Published by cphpost.dk ApS. Printed by Dansk Avistryk A/S

CUSTOMS officers got a huge surprise at Copenhagen Airport whilst inspecting a package recently. Not only did a fair number of insects crawl out, but they also discovered two crocodile heads and several dried fish heads.

Fierce fire at pet shop A LARGE fire broke out last week at the Maxi Zoo pet store on Gammel Køge Landevej in Valby. One person was treated for smoke inhalation and extensive damage was sustained by the building.

New cut for building EXTENSIVE renovation work is being carried out on a building on Glentevej in Nordvest near Nørrebro Station, formerly the home of Copenhagen's hairdressing school.

Once completed, the 10,386 sqm property will be available for rent.

Dangerous dog attack

Yul be missed!

TWO DOGS attacked a group of students at Tårnby Gymnasium in Amager last week. None of the students were seriously injured and one of the dogs has been destroyed.

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CRAZY CHRISTMAS 2021 P R E S E N T E D B Y VIVIENNE MCKEE

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NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

THE GOVERNMENT'S budget for next year focuses on core welfare, the green transition and a balanced economy.

Highlights include free dental care for 18 to 21-year-olds, 1 billion kroner for the health sector this winter, 1.3 billion kroner for green initiatives, funding to ensure a ceiling of 26 children in classes in grades 0-2, and axing tax-deductible home improvement provisions.

Home-testing sales soar THERE'S been a huge demand for coronavirus home-testing kits since the health minister, Magnus Heunicke, plugged them. Most of the pharmacies contacted by DR recently had sold out or were close to doing so. It is believed companies ordered a lot with their Christmas parties in mind.

Young + no jab = hospital UNVACCINATED young people are filling the majority of hospital beds set aside for COVID-19 sufferers, according to TV2. On its visit to Hvidovre Hospital recently, they accounted for seven out of every ten patients with corona. One doctor, Oli Dalsgard, said it was “deeply frustrating because you know that people might have avoided this”.

Mink SMS saga continues THE MINK Commission is seeking permission from PM Mette Frederiksen and three other officials to ask the Defense Intelligence Service if it can recover deleted text messages from their phones, reports BT. To go ahead, permission from the individuals is required.

Drink driving crackdown THE POLICE launched a huge drink driving crackdown last week. They will most particularly be trying to catch revellers returning home from julefrokost office lunches over the three weekends in the build-up to Christmas. Checks will also be carried out on Sunday mornings.

The speed at which omicron spreads across Denmark will determine future restrictions, but can the rising vaccination rate limit its damage?

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

New budget confirmed

Christmas is in corona’s hands

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

KARAKOZ YDYRYS

S

INCE NOVEMBER 29, facemasks have been required on public transport, in taxis, in retail and healthcare circles and when visiting a face-to-face service, such as a hairdresser.

Corona passes are required in education spheres, in language schools, when visiting elder and social care spheres, and at indoor and outdoor venues with capacities of 100+ and 1,000+.

The lifespans of the PCR and antigen corona passes have been cut to 72 and 48 hours respectively.

Omicron incoming WHETHER more restrictions are introduced will most probably depend on how quickly the new omicron variant spreads. A surge over the weekend means that 398 people in Denmark have already got it.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 6,324 people had been infected in the last 24 hours, while 465 are hospitalised. On Monday afternoon, a new record of 7,146 was recorded – presumably the result of a large number of tests following a weekend of Christmas parties.

According to experts, omicron is more contagious, more harmful and more likely to be spread to previously infected people, but less likely to kill you.

Countries are rapidly put-

Almost every household has had one by now

ting one another on red lists – it remains to be seen whether internationals based in Denmark will be able to travel ‘home’ for Christmas.

Green light to jab kids THE AUTHORITIES continue to invest heavily in getting the country vaccinated and, as of Tuesday afternoon, 78.4 percent have had their first jab.

Press conferences and tighter corona pass regulations in the workplace (see page 12) have had an effect, but the biggest impact has been caused by the green light to vaccinate all children aged five to eleven.

Following Pfizer’s approval for the age group by the European Medical Association, the EU and Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority rapidly acceded.

Recent infection figures suggested the age bracket in Denmark is the most prone to becoming infected, and many pass corona onto their parents.

sailing in Greater Copenhagen.

The Capital Region, overwhelmed by the demand that has seen some parents told there are no available times until December 21, has reached out to GPs, and 175 have already responded affirmatively out of a possible 600 in the region.

However, the region cautions that interested parents should not bombard their GPs with enquiries, in case they disrupt the doctors’ normal practice, and instead should consult their GP’s website.

Similar agreements are likely to be struck for the other regions, the PLO doctors association and Danske Regioner inform DR.

Slaying a goliath THOR WIND Farm has won the tender to construct the offshore wind farm Thor Havvindmøllepark – once it starts producing electricity in 2026, it will be the nation’s biggest. It will be the first such project completed without state funding in Denmark. The state will receive 2.8 billion kroner when the farm begins to produce energy - for an estimated 1 million households.

Funky end of lollipop MANY VACCINE-SCEPTICS are deliberately infecting themselves with COVID-19 so they can qualify for a corona pass once they have recovered.

TV2 interviewed a woman who shared a lollipop with an infected friend, but failed to catch it!

TV2 sexism failures A NEW TV2 documentary has exposed widespread sexism at the TV broadcaster. TV2 has apologised for the past failures exposed by 'Metoo: Sexism behind the screen', in which eleven current and former employees share their experiences.

Wolf gets new mate

GPs to the rescue HOWEVER, the drive to vaccinate the kids has not been plain

Realistic goal MICHAEL Bang Petersen, a researcher specialising in people's behaviour during corona, does not think more than 70 percent of the nation’s 5 to 11-year-olds will get vaccinated.

Only 73 percent of those aged 12-15 have so far had the jab.

"It will be difficult to get there,” he said. “We know that the willingness decreases with age.”

Pregnancy hazardous

Greenlandic measures

Shared car option

SOME 11 out of 31 seriously corona-stricken women lost their unborn babies between June and November, according to a Sundhedsstyrelsen report.

Being pregnant worsens corona symptoms – particularly if you are unvaccinated. Sundhedsstyrelsen concludes it is safe to get pregnant as long as you are vaccinated – preferably in the second or third trimester.

GREENLAND has introduced new restrictions that require the presentation of either a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test to access public places and travel within the island. Facemasks are also compulsory. The new rules will apply until March 6. At present, 66 percent of the population have been vaccinated, while 71 percent have received the first vaccine shot.

COPENHAGEN Police has noted a huge escalation in the number of people caught drink driving whilst using a shared car – to the extent that officers are instructed to pay more attention to the cars than other vehicles. Once revellers have a few drinks in them, explain the police, all best-laid plans often go astray.

Maybe the atmosphere’s too good to leave early, or the thought of sleeping in a sofa bed not comforting.

THE SUNDHEDSSTYRELSEN health authority would like to carry out more inductions. It therefore intends to lower the limit on how long a woman should remain pregnant in a bid to carry out an additional 5,500 every year.

A LONE female wolf has most likely been joined by a male wolf at Skjern in southwestern Jutland, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Since January last year, the Danish-born female wolf has lived alone in the area.

Induction pledge

SAS rethink SINCE October, wearing a mask on SAS aircraft in Scandinavia has not been a requirement.

However, that changed on Monday.

INTERNATIONAL

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Naval forces kill pirates in firefight

ONLINE THIS WEEK MARK HARKIN

Denmark condemned DENMARK has been widely criticised for paying 39.8 million kroner to the UK in 2013 to take in 23 Afghan interpreters under its employment, reports Berlingske.

The deal involved 11 interpreters who already wanted to travel to the UK and 12 others who had been denied an entry visa to Denmark. One asylum expert told the newspaper the deal was “ totally incompatible with our traditions of humanitarian aid”.

Exporting asylum problems IN RECENT months, 28 Syrians and their families denied asylum in Denmark have ended up in other European countries, such as the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Sweden and France. Niels-Erik Hansen, an immigration lawyer who represented three of the Syrians before the Refugee Board, contends that Denmark "exports its asylum problems".

Suing the ministry ONE OF the Islamic State (IS) women in the al-Roj prison camp in Syria is suing the Immigration Ministry in connection to the respective minister, Mattias Tesfaye, having her Danish passport revoked and her citizenship stripped in 2019. In 2014, the woman travelled to the IS caliphate with her husband, who was later killed in a US drone strike. The 31-year-old is a mother of two children.

ASEAN upgrade

Accord with China THE FOREIGN minister, Jeppe Kofod, visited Hangzhou on November 26 to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss Danish-Chinese relations. The result is the 'Green China-Denmark Joint Work Program', which will see the pair co-operate in areas such as fighting climate change, the green transition, the environment, water, agriculture, food safety, health and maritime affairs.

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The Esbern Snare has been well deployed

No sailors on Esbern Snare injured in skirmish with motorboat BEN HAMILTON

D

ANISH naval forces killed four pirates during a firefight off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea on November 25.

Personnel on the Esbern Snare, a Danish frigate, returned fire at a “suspicious looking” motorboat carrying eight passengers.

In the ensuing firefight, five of the assailants were hit – four fatally. No sailors on the Esbern Snare were injured.

Did not heed warning THE FRIGATE had sent a Seahawk helicopter to warn off the motorboat, but the occupants

did not heed the advice.

Danish personnel further observed that the boat was carrying equipment generally used by pirates. The Esbern Snare then fired warning shots and the pirates returned fire directly at the frigate.

It is believed the Frømand Corps were involved in the firefight and that they ended up boarding the pirates’ vessel.

The motorboat sunk after the firefight, and the four remaining occupants were taken aboard the Esbern Snare.

Most dangerous in world AN INTER-MINISTERIAL group will now assess whether the actions of the Danish personnel adhered to strict practice.

The Esbern Snare has been deployed to the Gulf of Guinea

due to increased piracy in the region. Last year, there were an unprecedented 130 hijackings in the area – 95 percent of the global total.

At any given time, there are 30-40 Danish-operated ships in the Gulf of Guinea.

PM’s coincidental visit

BY CHANCE, PM Mette Frederiksen and Venstre leader Jakob Ellemann-Jensen were visiting nearby Ghana at the time of the firefight, and they had even been scheduled to visit the frigate.

The pair met Ghanaian leaders to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Criticism of Denmark in local media was fairly fierce following the firefight.

DENMARK upgrading its relations with the ASEAN peace and co-operation treaty and organisation that encompasses 650 million people in Southeast Asia. The enhanced collaboration ensures that Danish interests in trade security policies in the region will flourish.

No to Aussie miners A MAJORITY of the Inatsisartut, the Greenlandic parliament, has voted against plans for Australian company Greenland Minerals to mine a mountain in Kvanefjeld.

It was argued that it carried the risk that toxic materials – such as uranium and thorium – could be released into the atmosphere.

Aided into Pakistan DENMARK helped 21 individuals out of Afghanistan and into Pakistan in late November. Some 13 arrived in Copenhagen on November 24 and the remainder were expected to arrive later in the week.

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SCIENCE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

Artificially intelligent, inherently racist PIXABAY

CO2 capture support

ONLINE THIS WEEK

DTU HAS joined the newly-established Novo Nordisk Foundation's CO2 Research Centre at Aarhus University to supply enzymes that can efficiently absorb CO2 from the air and store it in solid form.

It’s the world's first dedicated research centre on CO2 capture and the work combines chemistry, life sciences and systems analysis.

Huge water impact DTU ENVIRONMENT and Aarhus Vand are conducting biological and economic analysis on a new district in the Jutland city, where they plan to build a two-line water system: one for drinking and another that recycles rainwater for toilets and washing machines. Preliminary results show that the approach is both cheaper and more sustainable.

Insulin prize awarded TO MARK the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, the Novo Nordisk Foundation has honoured Professor Thomas Pieber of the Medical University of Graz in Austria with its Diabetes Medicine Award. The 2 million kroner prize will help fund his development of a new insulin pump – a device type-1 diabetes patients use to supply insulin via a catheter, which needs to be changed every two to three days.

New doping test device ANTI DOPING Denmark has created a new device to test the blood of sports people. The device takes a drop of blood from the shoulder of an athlete. Dissimilar to other commonly used methods that take urine or blood samples, the practice is quicker and friendlier.

Major fungal discoveries SOME 16 new fungal species have been found on Danish soil, reports Videnskab.dk. In collaboration with a Spanish peer, a researcher at Statens Naturhistoriske Museum discovered all 16.

The pair have also observed a further 166 species that have never been seen before in Denmark.

Aboriginal tip-off RESEARCHERS at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a particular flavonoid in an Australian plant used in traditional Aboriginal medicine that appears to reverse chemotherapy resistance. Specifically it is examining the flavonoid’s interaction with ‘SN-38’ – the active substance in the drug irinotecan, which is used to treat an aggressive form of lung and colon cancer.

Investigator award

A meeting of minds, providing they're the minds of white men

A new study regarding online language prediction models reveals that they discriminate against young, non-white men LENA HUNTER

T

ALK OF artificial intelligence tends to fall into two camps: that of an interconnectedness that streamlines every aspect of human life – or a dystopian HAL 9000-type technological singularity in which “I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that,” is the last thing we hear before the machines take over and turn us into fleshy slaves.

Right now, we’re in the grey zone of prototypes, so some of our forays into AI are less than perfect. Take language prediction models. They’re used in everything from Google searches to legal cases, but a new study by researchers at China’s National University of Defense Technology and the University of Copenhagen shows they have a systemic racial bias.

Deeply ingrained tech THE LANGUAGE models under the microscope were ELECTRA, GPT-2, BERT, DistilBERT, ALBERT and RoBERTa. If you’re wondering why so many are called ‘Bert’, they’re all offshoots of the original ‘Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers’ – a type of

machine-learning technique developed by Google in 2018.

To give an idea of how prevalent these models are: at the end of 2019, BERT had been adopted by Google’s search engine in 70 languages. By 2020 the model was used in almost every English-language search query. This is the technology that fills in the gap in the search bar when you type “Why am I so ___?”

The study in detail THE STUDY measured the models’ performance differences across demographics in so-called English-language ‘cloze tests’ (fill-in-the-gap tests). Since the cloze task is how BERT systems are trained, researchers were able to evaluate the models directly.

Some 3,085 sentences were completed by 307 human subjects asked to fill in the most likely word based on their experience. They were sorted into 16 demographics according to age, gender, education and race. The ‘fairness’ of the language model responses was measured by whether the risk of error across any two demographics was roughly equal.

The results showed a systemic bias against young non-white male speakers. Older, white speakers were also poorly aligned. Not only do the models learn stereotypical associations, they also learn to speak more

like some than like others – in this case white men under the age of 40.

Why is it important?

We already know that BERT is an integral part of our online navigation system, so users who do not align with the models receive unequal results and opportunities.

When GPT-2 was announced in February 2019 by San Francisco technology company OpenAI, James Vincent of The Verge described its writing as "one of the most exciting examples yet" of language generation programs.

“Give it a fake headline, and it’ll write the rest of the article, complete with fake quotations and statistics. Feed it the first line of a short story, and it’ll tell you what happens to your character next,” he said.

The Guardian called it “plausible newspaper prose”, while journalists at Vox mused that GPT-2 may be the technology that kicks them out of their jobs. A study by the University of Amsterdam even found that some participants were unable to distinguish poems generated

by GPT-2 from those written by humans.

The upshot should be better training, argue the researchers at the University of Copenhagen, so the models more accurately represent the diversity of users.

SIVAGOWRY Rasalingam Mørk, a PhD student at Aarhus University, has been awarded the American Heart Association’s annual Young Investigator Award for her research on visitation, transport and mechanical circulatory support for patients who suffer cardiac arrests.

Mystery of microplastics A ROSKILDE University study is investigating how plastic becomes microplastic under Danish weather conditions. It will use sensors to monitor typical waste items – cigarette butts, water bottles, disposable cutlery, plastic bags etc – during their exposure to Danish climate conditions.

Arctic data released DMI HAS made freely available the result of its four-year Arctic-climate study CARRA (Copernicus Arctic Regional ReAnalysis). The detailed meteorological data pertains to Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard and the areas in and around the Barents Sea, looking specifically at the effect of climate change in the Arctic region.

Viral reproduction study A STUDY by the universities of Copenhagen and Uppsala in Sweden looking at the properties of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the current pandemic, has identified a ‘peptide-inhibitor’ that can prevent 90 percent of the reproduction of viruses during their hijacking of the body’s own proteins to make new genetic material. A further 22 coronaviruses are being investigated.

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SPORT

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Knockout dreams alive for all teams

THE DANISH men’s national football team are the favourites for the 2021 sports name of the year award, the Årets Sportsnavn, which will be revealed on January 8. Among the other 14 nominees are world number one badminton player Viktor Axelsen, Tour de France runner-up Jonas Vingegaard and Olympic gold medallists Anne-Marie Rindom (sailing) and Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv (cycling).

Kjær hailed at ceremony DENMARK and AC Milan defender Simon may only have finished 18th in the running for the Ballon d'Or this year, but for some moments he was the centre of attention during the ceremony last week. Chelsea legend Didier Drogba hailed Kjær for his handling of the Christian Eriksen situation during Euro 2020, drawing applause from the audience.

Meanwhile, Pernille Harder came seventh in the women's award.

DBU vocal about Qatar DBU HEAD Jakob Jensen has condemned last month’s arrest of two Norwegian reporters looking into the conditions of foreign workers at 2022 World Cup construction sites in Qatar.

The authorities claim the two journalists were trespassing. The football body has vowed to step up its efforts to demand better human rights in the host country. Its shirt sponsors have been asked to replace their logos with critical messages.

Expensive Eriksen CHRISTIAN Eriksen earns the second-highest salary in Serie A, according to Calcio e Finanza. He is apparently paid 55,770,000 kroner a year. However, he has not played this season following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020. Players with pacemakers are not permitted to play in Serie A, although Inter is working on a solution.

Familiar footballing name!

ON 21 NOVEMBER, Roony Bardghij made history at FC Copenhagen by becoming the club's youngest debutant at the age of 16 years and six days and then the Superliga's youngest scorer just seven days later. The young Swede is one of the three youngest players in the history of the Superliga. Jeppe Kjær, who made his debut for AC Horsens on his 16th birthday, is the youngest.

Viktor again VIKTOR Axelsen continued his good run of form by winning the Indonesia Open for the first time in his career. He beat Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 21-13, 9-21, 2113 in the final of the Super 1000 tournament. The win pushes the Dane to the top of the BWF World Rankings ahead of Kento Momota of Japan. Denmark now has three players in the top 10 in the world, thanks to Anders Antonsen (3) and Rasmus Gemke (10).

ONLINE THIS WEEK FACEBOOK/RANDERS FC

Strong favourites

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

Huge win for ladies

Knockout football beckons for FCM and FCK in 2022, but will they be in the same tournament?

FC Copenhagen are definitely in the final 32 of the UEFA Conference League, with FC Midtjylland likely to join them. Can Randers and Brøndby make it four?

BEN HAMILTON

S

OME SUPERB results in Europe on November 24 mean Denmark are closer to achieving the goal of reaching the top 15 of the UEFA coefficient rankings.

Currently ranked 18th, the final group games on December 9 could see Denmark overtake Greece in 15th place.

FCK top group FC COPENHAGEN have qualified for the knockout stage of the UEFA Conference League by topping Group F. A 1-2 home defeat to PAOK in their third game threatened to derail their bid, but they got back on track with an impressive

win in the return fixture.

On November 24, the Copenhagen side went 2-0 inside seven minutes on their way to beating Gibraltarian part-timers Lincoln Red Imps 4-0 in a stadium just a stone’s throw from Africa.

FCM still with a mountain VICTORY away at Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets on December 9 will secure FC Midtjylland passage through to the final 32 of the Europa League following a 3-2 defeat of Portuguese rival SC Braga thanks to a penalty deep in stoppage time.

Failure to advance will be difficult for FCM to accept given that they have only lost one of their five games so far. But will their failure to beat Ludogorets at home in their opening game, the Bulgarian side’s solitary point of the campaign, come back to haunt them?

A draw for FCM, who sit third with eight points, one

adrift of Braga and two behind Crvena zvezda, will most probably not be enough, thus placing them in the knockout stage of the Conference League.

Still in contention RANDERS finally have a win to go with their four draws following a 2-1 victory against CFR Cluj.

A win away at group winners AZ Alkmaar will assure them safe passage, as they now stand in second, a point ahead of Jablonec, who travel to CFR Cluj in their final game.

Back in the Europa League, Brøndby lost 1-3 to Lyon and only have two points from five games, five points adrift of second place.

However, if they win away at third-place Sparta Prague in their final game, they will overtake them and qualify for the knockout stage of the Conference League.

THE DANISH women's national team took a big step towards qualifying for the World Cup next year by beating Russia 3-1. Both teams had maximum points before the match and the win sees the Danes move three points ahead. The group winner qualifies directly for the tournament, which will be co-hosted

by Australia and New Zealand.

Coveted in the US MAGNUS Møller, 18, has received 12 offers to play American football at US universities. An offensive lineman for the Triangle Razorbacks, he has impressed with his physicality (208 cm, 135 kilos) and his vision. Among the offers he is considering are bids from Illinois, Cincinnati and Fresno State.

A decision is needed this month.

More handball hosting THE NATION'S handball teams will have home advantage for the 2026 (men) and 2028 (women) European Championships, as they will co-host the tournaments with Sweden and Norway. Denmark is also co-hosting the 2023 (women) and 2025 (men) world championships.

Experience a world under the seven seas and enjoy a close encounter with majestic hammerhead sharks and elegant rays at Northern Europe’s largest and most modern aquarium.

Get your tickets at www.denblaaplanet.dk

10 CULTURE Staying with the same-old sci-fi slush THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

I

T WAS TV2’S turn to present a brand new julekalender, the annual festive television show that from December 1-24 will close down kitchens and play areas all over the nation, as mothers and children gather for their daily dollop of Danish ditziness.

Not every julekalender toes the favoured formula of fantasy meets family fun, but this year’s edition, 'Kometernes Jul', looks like a safe bet.

Two children participating in a twoweek astrophysics camp (it sounded feasible on the page) are accidentally teleported away to the distant Planet 9 (someone alert the estate of Ed Wood; Ed: that was Plan 9).

It’s a race against time – after all, they’ll miss Christmas Eve on a distant side of the universe – to reunite them with their families.

Schedule not as rigid SCREENED at 20:00 every night, a sizeable proportion of the nation tune in – it used to be pencilled into the notebooks of all burglars as a good time to steal garden play equipment.

But now with streaming, families are choosing their own time to settle down (working late is no longer an excuse, Dad!), although the late release time does force their arms somewhat.

That won’t bother most children, as kids aged 5-12 tend to commit themselves to a televisual marathon every evening to consume a whole load of julekalenders from yesteryear as well.

Five a night is average TV2 CHARLIE is broadcasting 'The Julekalender' (20:30), the inspirationally named classic from 1991; DR1 is screening its 2014 edition 'Tidsrejsen' (19:30), a show so popular it spawned its own Christmas market; and DR Ramasjang the 1989 family-pleaser 'Nissebanden i Grønland' (17:00, streamed from 18:00).

Promoting zeppelins TØNDER KOMMUNE/THØGERSEN & STOUBY

BEN HAMILTON

ONLINE THIS WEEK TV2

This year’s julekalender TV show follows a safe recipe: a fulsome mix of fantasy meets family fun

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

They always look surprised!

Note that none of them clash with this year’s main TV2 offering. The domain of the julekalender is a strictly no ratings battlezone.

TV2 Play is also streaming the 1995 edition 'Alletiders Nisse' – elfish fun featuring the immortal Pyrus – while TV2 Zulu has this year’s adult julekalender: 'Natholdets Julekalender 4'.

Lionsgate eats up rights LIONSGATE has bought the rights to make an English-language version of 'Retfærdighedens ryttere’ (‘The Riders of Justice’) a popular 2020 Danish film starring Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas. The film’s Danish screenwriters Nikolaj Arcel (‘En kongelig affære’) and Anders Thomas Jensen, who is also the director, have been hired to work on the English version.

Crash landing A GLITCH resulted in the new HBO Max series 'Kamikaze' being aired in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Spain without any warning regarding its suicide-related content, although one has since been added to the end credits. As the title suggests, the main character tries to kill herself by crashing a plane into the desert – one of several suicide attempts.

Love letter to the barista AFTER the Danish version sold out in next to no time, it became clear to author Anja Olsen: she had to write an English-language version of her book dedicated to coffee in Copenhagen. The result is CoffeCopenhagen, a love letter to baristas in the Danish capital, which includes reviews of 55 coffee spots around town.

DENMARK will from January 1 have its first German minority mayor since 1946. Jørgen Popp Petersen from the Schleswig Party will take over the reins of power in Tønder Municipality. But curiously, he has already made a notable public appearance: to publicise ‘Zeppelin Tønder’, a forthcoming 350 million kroner experience venue dedicated to, of all things, World War I zeppelins. The 5,000 sqm centre is scheduled to open in 2028.

Incoming inspectors TEN MUSEUMS – Billund Kommunes Museer, Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, Furesø Museer, Gammel Estrup Herregårdsmuseum, Greve Museum, Kongernes Samling, Museum Skanderborg, Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket, Ribe Kunstmuseum and Struer Museum – can expect quality assessment checks in 2022, according to Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen, the palaces and culture agency.

This box is the shit ARCHAEOLOGISTS from Museum Nordsjælland have discovered a medieval latrine in excellent condition during excavation work at Sct Anna Gade in Helsingør where a basement is being renovated. A wooden box, which in olden days would have collected faeces, was discovered. It is believed it dates back to the time of Christian IV (1577-1648).

What's it living in 'Hel'?

HELSINGØR Municipality is collaborating with its Swedish counterparts in Helsingborg across the Øresund on a new artistic endeavour that will monitor how local residents are feeling about their lives, reports News Øresund. The result will be a massive light installation.

Splendour of smørrebrød ‘THE BOOK of Smørrebrød’ by Ole Troels has been translated into English - great news for international fans of the Danish open sandwiches.

CULTURE REVIEWS

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

11

You’d be crazy not to tell your friends about it This year’s Crazy Christmas Cabaret was two years in the making and the evidence was in the script!

T

ELL ME About It’ didn’t just have a surprise ending that perfectly paid tribute to it being the 40th anniversary show, but a whole load of twists more akin to an M Night Shyamalan film, just without the dead people everywhere.

Stinging satire WHEREAS most CCC renditions are historically set and well researched, the setting for this romp was the criminal underbelly of 1980s Miami – an era the writers clearly had a whale of time in (the decade, not the decadence) and it really showed!

The jokes about the period setting were better than average (the obligatory Trump appearance, but as a younger man, for example), and for the majority of the audience, this was a long wallow in welcome nostalgia, remembering a corona-free, less technology-driven time when we were, dare we say it, a little bit happier.

The jokes about early mobile

phones being heavier than a wise guy with concrete shoes went up like a helium balloon.

And just as welcome was the biting satire, with both Mette Frederiksen (lightly but adroitly) and Danske Bank (heavily with a sledgehammer) on the receiving end.

Viva Vivienne EQUALLY impressive were the performances. As happy as Vivienne McKee obviously was to see everybody after a two-year break, she quickly fell into character in what must be her bravest performance for years.

Whether she was laughing at her age, or laughing it off with abundant sexiness, her turn as Lola (there’s a song right there) the nightclub hostess was disarming, but it was as tried crowd favourite Dr Bent van Helsingør that she gave a performance for the ages.

We’re not sure the doctor has ever been sodomised before, but it gave him nuance beyond even the wildest expectations. And the satire was relentless.

McKee’s age was referenced in the show’s best scene: a recollection of a character’s first love, which effortlessly went from wry voiceover

LONDON TOAST THEATRE

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to ‘Lady and the Tramp’ to silent movie mode, interspersed with the best lines of the night.

Loveable lads OVER THE last two to three years, McKee has increasingly grown dependent on the energy of two young actors to drive the action – Jefferson Bond and Kevin Kiernan-Molloy – and again both were in riotous form.

This time around, Bond chiefly played the leading man, and his was a more sedate performance than normal, inhabiting mostly Anglo accents with assurance. For Kiernan-Molloy, this was a chance to showcase all manner of vernacular, sexuality and psychosis, and he was brilliant at whatever he tried.

Arguably his funniest moment came during the 1980s diva tribute, stretching out in his leotard to Katrine Falkenberg belting out Olivia Newton John’s ‘Physical’.

Without a doubt, the best musical number of the night, and Kiernan-Molloy didn’t say a thing. But if you have the gift to make an audience laugh …

Spaghetti weirdness NOT ALL the musical numbers

Westwood and Kiernan-Molloy bang on form

were knockouts, though. ‘Eat it’ Christmas Cabaret for quite a while. wasn’t funny when Weird Al Yank- For once it really delivered what it ovic sang it either, and the spaghetti promised on the tin about satire.

Its star was in her element, all elements were plain weird.

The opening song and dance her faithful troops – Falkenberg routine was also poor: a clumsy (tireless), David Bateson (makes it way of introducing every actor look so easy), Andrew Jeffers (great from the very start that only timing), Bennet Thorpe (joyous as succeeded in dwarfing the stage. Sonny Crockett) – were on song, Falkenberg has a lovely sing- and her young charges were bursting voice though, and the band ing with energy. were really on the money this With such vivacity, it’s hard year, adding to the hilarity with to imagine this show won’t go their sound-effects – most no- on to outlive us all. tably the post-coital squelch in CRAZY CHRISTMAS CABARET relation to The Dame. It sounded uncomfortably life-like. ongoing, ends Jan 15, Tue-Sat 19:30, Sat 15:00, Sun 17:00; Glassalen at Tivoli, Cph V; 185Long live the CCC ALL IN all, this was the best Crazy 410kr, londontoast.dk

Why 'The Nutcracker' is one of the ultimate Christmas magic moments ELLA NAVARRO

C

HRISTMAS is all about the traditions and who you choose to enjoy those traditions with. It’s about the little moments that build up to the big night, and as each one passes, the Christmas spirit grows. One of those undoubted traditions is attending 'The Nutcracker' ballet at the national theatre’s historic Gamle Scene in Kongens Nytorv.

You might have seen it a few times and think why bother again? But every time is a different experience, because that’s the magic of 'The Nutcracker': from its fantastic choreography

by George Balanchine to sublime music composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, it generates Christmas cheer among everyone who sees it.

The holidays wouldn’t be the same without this ballet, which funnily enough was created by Tchaivosky as a back-up plan.

While he was writing the opera ‘Lolanta’, the management of the Mariinsky Theatre suggested he write a ballet as they were afraid the opera he was writing wouldn’t sell enough tickets. Sometimes the best things in life come from unexpected circumstances!

A ballet for all ages LAST FRIDAY was the re-premiere of the show, and the room was packed with people of all ages, as this is a show to enjoy

with the entire family.

In the first of the two acts, so much is going on that it’s impossible to know where to look.

It’s conceivable that you could decide to focus on the mischief of the children one year, and then the adults the next, and have the experience of watching two different ballets.

But as well as the children perform – it’s hard to imagine there’s a ballet that offers as many parts to young performers as this one – the undisputed star of the first act is the majestic Christmas tree, first ingeniously spied through a keyhole by the children and then made to look ten times bigger and further away thanks to scenery designed to deceive our perspective.

Waltzing the night away THE SECOND act is by far my favourite. The stage transforms into an enchanted wonderland of colour. Sitting on their thrones overlooking a permafrost in front of a huge confectionery jar, the central character Marie and her prince are entertained by a host of different acts, seemingly from every corner of the world.

There are Spanish, the Arabian (an outstanding performance

by Eleonora Morris), Chinese and Russian dances – but each with the same flavour … of Christmas, of course.

My absolute highlight was ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ – nothing can beat this exquisite music or the choreography. But also worth highlighting is the performance

of the versatile Holly Dorger as the Dewdrop. She shines in her role as the flying fairy. She was recently seen in the Frank Sinatra-inspired ‘Come Fly Away’ in a sexy femme fatale role, so her transformation into angelical dewdrop for the night is all the more revelatory.

Whether it is already a tradition, or one you will add to your list, we truly recommend you make 'The Nutcracker' one of your Christmas moments this year.

THE NUTCRACKER ongoing, ends Dec 22, daily performances Wed-Sun; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 55-805 kr, kglteater

THAT THEATRE COMPANY

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12 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

THOMAS Woldbye, the CEO of Copenhagen Airport, is optimistic about the future despite the hardships of the pandemic. If anything, the absence of customers has given the airport more opportunity to improve its facilities in its bid to remain a significant air travel hub. “The pandemic has intensified fierce competition between Europe's airports to attract routes and rebuild,” he said.

Restaurants need help THE RESTAURANTS and hotels trade association Horesta contends that employees with COVID-19-infected children should get monetary help. Its spokesperson Mona Juul tells TV2 that it is too challenging without any financial help. In many industries, it is possible to work from home, she points out, but not in the restaurant trade.

Land tax variations THE AVERAGE land tax paid by homeowners, which is determined by the property’s value, ranges from 3,000-35,000 kroner a year according to the municipality, reports Danmarks Statistik. Reudersal (34,716), Hørsholm (31,181) and Lyngby-Taarbæk (26,725) topped the rankings, while Morsø, Vesthimmerland and Vejen averaged around 3,000. The national average has grown by 2.4 percent in 2021 to 10,417.

Companies can demand a corona pass

ONLINE THIS WEEK CORONASMITTE.DK

Airport undaunted

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

New legislation introduced on November 26 gives employers green light to make it a requirement KARAKOZ YDYRYS

T

HE GOVERNMENT has given businesses the green light to request their staff have a corona pass.

It was made possible thanks to a tripartite agreement that the government, employers and trade unions entered into early last month, and it became law on November 26.

Failure to take a test when asked to by an employer could cost you your job, the new law states.

Employment up again EMPLOYMENT in Denmark increased for an eighth month in a row in September, this time by 13,000 jobs, of which restaurants and hotels accounted for 4,000, reports Danmarks Statistik. However, Nykredit chief economist Palle Sørensen tells Erherv+ that labour shortages could cause an overheating of the economy, which will lead to companies needing to raise their prices to meet wage demands.

Good for builders!

Without it, you could lose your job

among those to so far make it a requirement.

Many onboard SCANDIC, Vestas, Danish Crown, Ambu and Dagrofa have already confirmed their employees must comply with having corona passes.

The municipalities are swiftly doing the same. Horsens, Randers, Skanderborg and Varde are

Unhappy with rules SOME CORONA-STRICKEN people are not happy with the development, as their corona pass will be invalid for 14 days following a positive test, thus barring them from returning to work.

This also applies to those without symptoms, even though they can end their self-isolation seven days after the positive test. Those with symptoms can re-enter society 48 hours after the illness has passed.

In such cases, employers have the power to overrule the legislation.

Danish Crown bullish

Ransomware hits Vestas

Water recycling in space

DESPITE a significant fall in the price of pork and the coronavirus, Danish Crown's annual revenue increased by 5.3 percent to 2.3 billion kroner for its 2020-21 fiscal year. Executive Jais Valeur attributed the gains to a focused effort on strengthening its position in northern Europe.

DANISH wind turbine giant Vestas has confirmed to DR that cybercriminals have been blackmailing the company for money. Previously, the company had confirmed being cyber-attacked. The company does not want to disclose which group is behind the ransomware attack.

THE EUROPEAN Space Agency (ESA) has given the Danish Aerospace Company (DAC) 5 million kroner in financial support to develop a full prototype of a future water purification system for space. One aspect includes turning urine and condensate into drinking water.

DENMARK is the world's tenth best country for construction workers, according to a Workwear guru study. While workers got the sixth highest annual salary, at 45,295 US dollars, its high cost of living and accident incidence rate hurt its ranking. Still, it finished above Norway (14) and Sweden (27). Switzerland topped the ranking and Yemen was last. World Cup host Qatar was not included in the survey.

Lentils and chickpeas SOME 16 farmers from Lolland are entering into a collaboration to produce lentils and chickpeas.

Five of the farmers have already enjoyed success producing Danish-grown quinoa.

Builder goes bankrupt CONSTRUCTION company Barslund has gone bankrupt after a string of heavy losses. Founded in 1980, it specialised in excavation work and had almost 500 employees.

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

BUSINESS OPINION

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

Been expecting you!

ONE-SIXTH of the population went to the cinema to see a film they had been waiting to enjoy for nearly two years.

Fans drank martinis and queued up at cinemas dressed as 007, quoting their favourite Bond lines in ‘British’ accents.

The networking and partying around the British Bond theme demonstrated a close link between the British and the Danish cultures.

It proved to be an excellent basis for doing business with each other.

For Bond, it's a short trip in Little Nellie

Emboldened eyes!

OUR RELATIONSHIP is not just about off-shore wind power.

For example, I learned that the UK is a significant supplier to the Femern Belt Fixed Link Project, which will become the world's longest immersed tunnel for both vehicles and trains when it opens in 2029.

This trade has been achieved

by using excellent working relationships to understand the requirements and map them to the UK's capabilities.

It is so much easier to do business if the parties understand each other well. The UK and Denmark have a strong foundation that I look forward to building on in 2022.

Happy New Year.

Strength in Sweden THESE figures are remarkable.

In a time of crisis, life science has once again – as was the case during the financial crisis

– proved to be a resistant and resilient industry that continues to provide valuable presents under our common Christmas tree, contributing significantly to health, wealth and employment.

An important but sometimes neglected element of this success is the Danish-Swedish Medicon Valley perspective and how southern Sweden actively contributes to the success of Danish life science.

More than 800 highly-educated life science professionals commute to Denmark to work in Danish life science companies. On top of that we have Swedish-based healthcare professionals working in the hospitals.

They are an important part of the raw material that keeps the engine running – particularly in a situation where everyone is talking about the current and future shortage of labour.

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

ANISH life science is thriving! In the Capital Region and Zealand Region alone, more than 40,000 individuals are now employed

D

In the ascendancy IF WE INCLUDE the Swedish half of the Danish-Swedish Medicon Valley region, the number is closer to 50,000. Some 25 Danish and seven Swedish life science companies cover 86 percent of the total employment, and these 32 growth drivers employ 4,000 more people than five years ago.

Meanwhile, Danish life science exports earned a record 140 billion kroner in 2020 – 7 percent growth from the previous year.

Additionally, the number of life science-related patent applications is also on the rise again.

PIXABAY

in the life science industry.

Green fingers!

NOVEMBER gave us COP26 in Glasgow, which moved us closer to achieving the new zero targets, even though the agreement was diluted in the closing moments of the conference.

The main event and side-meetings provided further opportunities for Danish and British companies and officials to work on sustainable energy solutions and build on our combined wind farm experience in the North Sea. This is big business and while we tend to take note of the big players such as Ørsted and Vestas, there are hundreds of Danish and British companies involved in the complex construction and operational supply chains generating revenues and creating jobs on both sides of the North Sea.

SCHENGENVISAINFO.COM

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UST SIX and a half weeks after the film's release, 1,000,000 tickets for the latest James Bond movie, ‘No Time to Die’, had been sold in Denmark.

13

Follow the stars ... they're aligning for the region

Action needed!

THERE are, of course, about 100 life science professionals travelling in the other direction, and these crucial commuters have experienced a lot of difficulties in recent years – especially during the lockdown.

Some have faced the risk of double taxation from both the Danish and Swedish authorities, as the tax regulations neither facilitate remote working during lockdowns due to the pandemic nor the fact that the border has been closed for a longer duration of time making the daily

commute increasingly difficult.

All I want for Christmas is for Danish and Swedish decision-makers to come together to address the list of challenges for cross-border commuters in the region.

During a recent visit, Annas Hallberg, the Swedish minister responsible for Nordic collaboration, expressed a willingness to investigate the matter and her Danish counterpart, Flemming Møller Mortensen, accepted the challenge.

Hopefully, we will soon convert all the talk into action!

14 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

2022 is around the corner

W

E HAD HOPED that 2021 would be the year when vaccines got the better of the pandemic. Oh well, here’s looking at you, 2022.

More of this, less of that IN DENMARK we are not afraid anymore, but also not complacent. Another mutation, this time Omicron, and there’s this feeling that it’s starting all over.

More tests; more distancing.

No Xmas parties; no travelling to exotic beaches. The tourists are disappearing, and so are our chances of going skiing later this winter.

We expected to be back to normal, but really we’re far, far away. If anything, 2021 has confirmed that this is the new normal. The pandemic is here to stay for a long time with mutations, booster vaccinations, travel restrictions as far as we can see in 2022.

Nowt to rattle the cage BUT LIFE must go on. Nicolai Wammen, the finance minister, has just landed a budget law deal with the support of the red bloc.

There are no dramatic initiatives, rather a sensible deal with the five left-wing parties providing the necessary 90-seat majority.

The blue parties were not consulted but will probably vote in favour because they had little better to offer.

Konservative was pushing a tax relief agenda, but nothing came of it. Likewise Venstre and its push for more individual freedom and a more agile policy on foreigners who want to work and integrate here.

While Dansk Folkeparti has a bitter pill to swallow: most of

REVD SMITHA PRASADAM

Living Faith

the Danmarks Radio cutbacks it fought so hard for have been rescinded.

The budget is in place, and the economy of the kingdom is sound.

Splash leaves ripples MEANWHILE, the government faced an issue in the Bay of Guinea after a Danish warship shot dead four pirates and captured another four.

There are more than 50 Danish cargo ships in the area at any given time, so it’s good that these pirates were stopped. But now we have the problem of what to do with the culprits.

No country wants them, so either they will be put back out to sea or brought to justice in Denmark. The latter would create a lot of political noise – particularly if they end up one day as Danish citizens.

Given that the government is getting blamed for sending the warship without international backing, the whole story illustrates the need for more international legislation and execution. Maybe we can spearhead that development. Then some good will have come from it.

So merry Xmas to you all and a happy new year as well.

Remember: keep on expecting the unexpected.

Ejvind Sandal

L

Born in India, adopted by Wales and England, Smitha (chaplain@st-albans.dk) is the priest of St Alban’s Church.

Recently appointed Honorary Canon of the pro-Cathedral in Malta for outstanding work in Copenhagen and for bettering the cause of racial justice in the Church of England, she has travelled widely, working in advisory and advocacy capacity on matters of liturgy, vocation and social justice

IGHTING candles, making mince pies, trimming the tree and singing carols … each of us has our own traditions leading to Christmas: the festival of unimaginable gift.

A season of hope ADVENT is the season of expectation and hope. An encouragement in the church’s calendar to set things in order.

Thinking of end times in the context of the present time gives us grace to repent, reimagine, rejoice – to reach out and embrace others, and especially those in need.

It is the start of the church’s New Year and yet no other faith begins their New Year in the startling way Christianity does.

We begin at the end by considering death and judgement, heaven and hell. Why? Because we are retelling the first coming of Christ in history and anticipating his second coming at the end of time.

“But who can endure the day of his coming?” the prophet Malachi, so beautifully translated in ‘Handel’s Messiah’, asks.

A harsh justice IN A YEAR of freak weather and Covid multiplication, senseless fatalities and mass migration, we have been forcibly reminded of our interconnectedness and vulnerability. Climate change is rapid, intensifying and seemingly irreversible, and vaccine poverty and new variants render all at risk.

Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Justin Welby in a joint statement ahead of COP26 declared: “We stand before a harsh justice: biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and climate change are the inevitable consequences of our actions, since we have greedily con-

Support the source of untold inspiration

sumed more of the earth’s resources than the planet can endure.”

St Alban’s Church is reaching out with a virtual Advent Calendar (accessed via our homepage st-albans.dk) to raise awareness and funds for agencies across Europe who are actively supporting people whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by climate change.

Inside the church CHURCH is the people – and each day a different person from Denmark and the Diocese tells stories of Life, Hope, Home and Light.

Church is also the building – and this Christmas we invite you to come into church and see the stable. Experience the rich heritage of Anglican music and worship through Carol Services, the Children’s Nativity (come dressed as your favourite Christmas story character!) and more!

Peer inside to see the baby born in squalour, forced to flee as a refugee when a toddler, with nowhere to lay his head as an adult. And yet he is the King of Creation. Rooted on Earth, in awe of heaven we marvel, for Jesus’s birth is no small wonder.

Think of St Alban’s on any day of the year and immediately the mind’s eye sees the spire towering high in the Copenhagen skyline,

which it has graced for the last 135 years, inspiring worship by generations past and present.

Think of St Alban’s at Christmas time and you are drawn to the stable and that wondrous story of Emmanuel, God-withus, the Prince of Peace.

Spire not stable THIS YEAR, we’re saying: “Spire not stable!” As we try to espy singing angels and strange stars, we notice that the very spire erected to point people to God has become porous and needs repair. Urgently.

It will cost 4 million kroner, and this season I invite you to make a gift to St Alban’s Church. Pay it forward, whether it is to honour the memory of a loved one, a special occasion you marked here – a wedding, a baptism, or a funeral – or perhaps for no reason other than the goodness of your heart.

As we maintain cherished Christmas traditions and offer a welcome space to hundreds this festive season, we will be mindful of climate change and catastrophe, along with our duty to share the good news of Jesus Christ whose birth shook the foundations of the world.

We want to tell it now and to the generations to come. Be inspired. Be stable. Be blessed.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

OPINION

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

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A Dane Abroad

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS

Born and raised in Denmark and a resident of New Zealand for over 14 years, Kirsten has lived a pretty nomadic life since her early 20s. A physiotherapist, yoga teacher and keen home cook, she is passionate about food, good living and natural health.

Email her at kirstenlouise@protonmail.com

Dreamin’ of a lite Xmas THIS CONVERSATION blew my mind. How many more people share her views and secretly dream of a less traditional and expensive Christmas, more

Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE PIXABAY

H

ERE WE go again! Christmas time – with its markets, presents, ‘julekalender’, lights, cold hands and sniffly noses, decorated streets and shops, dreams of snow but realities of sleet, alcoholic tendencies, and drama about where to spend the big evening on December 24 – is upon us again. As well as some increasingly absurd spending.

Spending like Rockefeller WITH INCREASED prosperity comes increased consumption.

According to a 2019 report from Dansk Erhverv, Danes now spend a dizzying 9.2 billion kroner on Christmas presents and food annually – a number that has been steadily rising since 2007. It’s a far cry from the earliest Christmas traditions from the 1800s, when presents were generally inexpensive things – so small that they could be hung on the tree.

I recently spoke to a lady from Funen about her family’s Christmas spending habits, and she was pretty forthright with her opinion.

“It’s grotesque,” she exclaimed flatly. “Miles of gift wrapping and ribbon, enough food to make you vomit, and millions of trees felled – just for this one night. It’s sad.”

Surprisingly, she went on to reveal a secret desire to break free of the anticipation-filled traditions: “I would love Christmas to be about inviting strangers, who don’t have anywhere to go, into my home, and to just give them a lovely evening together and listen to their stories.”

15

IN 2 ISSUES

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS IN 3 ISSUES Let's tone down the excesses

grounded in community spirit and being together, rather than wishlists for the latest iPhone?

Apparently, quite a few.

According to a TV2 survey, a whopping third of participants wish for a different Christmas. But we keep doing it and, seemingly, spending more money on it too.

Santa’s unsustainable!

IT SEEMS we are experiencing a clash of values. On the one hand, consumerism and the Coca Cola Santa Claus are still going full steam ahead, enthralling us with irresistible fairy-tales and the continuous reminder that Christmas is all about shopping – presents that we keep feeling obliged to buy and reciprocate, partly due to age-old social mechanisms.

On the other hand, we have this growing awareness of the environment, finite resources, sustainability and pandemics that have the power to knock the bottom out of our economy and threaten livelihoods. Seen in this light, the typical ‘smorgasbord-style Christmas’ seems almost obscene.

A total recalibration IS IT NOT time to bring back

some of the older values of kindness and spending time together whilst retaining the joy of Christmas?

We need to face it: Christmas is long overdue a sustainability overhaul. Together we can bring back genuine (and cheaper) values based more on our animation, rather than inanimate objects, while still enjoying a good time that isn’t necessarily steeped in excess.

It would certainly mean a recalibration of our expectations.

But we need brave souls to pave the way and insist on trying out a different Christmas.

Casting aside consumerism WHEN I was living in New Zealand, I eventually found out how completely liberating it was to let go of all the, in my view, somewhat hardcore and ingrained Danish traditions.

I let go of the heavy food and truckloads of presents and expectations, instead opting for a barbie of sausages and drinking champagne. It needs to be experienced to be believed!

So, if you are dreaming of a different Christmas, then let’s go! You may find kindred spirits who are just waiting for someone else to make the first move.

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA IN 4 ISSUES

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD

Englishman in Nyhavn JACK GARDNER IN 5 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Green Spotlight SIBYLLE DE VALENCE

16 LIFESTYLE: BEAUTY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

W

BARBARA MENSAH ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL London-born Barbara Mensah, a professional international makeup artist for 12 years (and lash stylist for four), relocated to Copenhagen in 2017, where she is the owner of the Barbara Mensah Beauty Studio. The cosy, chic studio provides a welcoming, comfortable space for clients to spend their time getting glammed and pampered for all special occasions.

ITH CHRISTMAS around the corner, it’s a good time to celebrate the women in your life with some of these thoughtful, stylish and dependable gift ideas that anyone – whether it’s your lover, wife, girlfriend, mother, grandmother or daughter – will be sure to appreciate.

When choosing a gift or stocking filler for Christmas for the special lady in your life, it’s all about being creative, thinking outside the box and, most importantly, being considerate rather than going for the bling bling items seen on Insta, which they will probably never use after opening.

It’s been a tough year for most of us, so presenting a thoughtful gift will surely prove to her that beautiful endings can complete the most horrid of times.

GOING AU NATUREL NATURAL Deodorants are a must-have for the woman who wants to go green. Natura Nordic was founded by a husband and wife inspired by the popularity of natural cream deodorants in Australia, their home for three years. The owners felt the Danes were missing out on this amazing product and decided to create their own brand of natural cream deodorants. Natura Nordic offers four different deodorants: two vegan and two that contain beeswax – each with its own distinct and beautiful scent. They are soft and smooth in texture, making it easy to apply.

This is the perfect gift for the woman in your life who’s conscientious about what goes into her body.

SHEA’S WORTH IT ORIGINATING from Africa, where it has been used by women and children for thousands of years, shea butter is a girl's best friend.

Sourced from Vitellaria Paradoxa, an indigenous African tree, Barbara Mensah’s organic and unrefined shea butter is made using traditional methods, and this particular brand has become a huge hit all over Europe and the world: it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Any woman in your life will be over the moon with this organic nourishing body butter, which can be used on the body, hands, feet and elbows. Deeply soothing, it repairs dry, itchy, cracked and sore skin - revealing a healthy natural glow. The best part is that it fights fine lines, wrinkles, scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. Now tell me which woman doesn't want this!

Natura Nordic; naturanordic.com

Barbara Mensah Organic Shea Butter from Ghana; Barbaramensah.dk

ENGRAVED FOR ETERNITY MONICA Matera is an Italian designer and hand engraver based in Copenhagen who collaborates with luxury brands such as Dior and Armani to personalise special gifts. Her designs are done free-hand and can be made on different surfaces, using different fonts and styles to fit your requirements.

Her one-of-a-kind designs will make your loved ones feel even more special.

CAPTURING A MAGIC MOMENT SURPRISE her with a priceless memory: a photoshoot designed just for her. A portrait is a tangible recollection designed to stimulate both incredible memories and emotions. It’s the most enjoyable and appealing form of documentation. The unique nature of modern day photography as a gift to your loved one is a special way of storytelling. This is a few hours where it’s all about her, where she gets to dress up, put on makeup and do her hair and pose to her heart's content.

Monica Matera; Instagram: ideacurva

Copenhagen Photographer; cphphotographer.com

LIFESTYLE: FOOD

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

CLAIRE TSANG TASTE-BUD Claire Tsang (clairesmile.com) was born and raised in Hong Kong, moved to the UK in her late teenage years, and then moved to Copenhagen to finish her education in visual communication, where her spontaneity has earned her the title ‘Slasher’. Not only is she a graphic designer (@clairesmile_dk), but she also works as a party planner, Zumba instructor (FB: Zumba Fun Claire) and podcaster (@ omg_itsstillwednesday)

Æ

BLESKIVER are apple slices if you translate the Danish directly into English … which is a bit confusing. Danish is already not the easiest language, and in this case the translation is not even remotely close!

Tis the season Æbleskiver – which are in fact slightly cardamom-spiced, ball-shaped pancakes – are a traditional Danish delight found everywhere during the Christmas season.

Well, actually supermarkets start to stock them from November! However, some cheeky Danes will tell you that’s too early, as we need to follow the calendar to eat certain foods. Æbleskiver are best served warm with icing sugar and jam on the side for dipping. It’s a must during the Danish Christmas, but when I ask around where to get the best ones, no-one seems to be able to answer.

So, I decided to try out all the different brands, so you don’t have to!

Best in test!

BEFORE I stuffed myself, I decided to NEXT ISSUE

give you some fun facts (see factbox), but in truth, maybe it wasn’t the best of ideas.

All that history made me sleepy, which is probably not the best preparation for a taste test ... or perhaps it was the gløgg.

I bought five different brands of æbleskiver from different supermarkets: Naturli – vegan IT IS DEFINITELY missing some creamy flavour but had a slightly stronger citrusy aroma that was a welcome surprise. 3/5 Salling organic NOTHING special … 2/5 Irma organic FLUFFY, spongy and moist, whilst stronger on the cardamom. Irma keeps its quality along with higher prices. 5/5 Jensens original ONE BITE … that’s it. Didn’t want to waste anymore of my quota of Christmas food intake. 1/5 Rema 1000 gluten-free SINCE it is gluten-free, the texture is very different, but this is my favourite of all of them! It is light and fluffy, and you can eat many without feeling too stuffed. It is just a wee bit higher on the calories. 5/5 Full time!

THAT’S enough æbleskiver for me this season!

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas filled with delicious food, warm gløgg and æbleskriver.

IN 2 ISSUES

ORIGINS OF THE ÆBLESKIVER The origin of the sweet Danish treat is unknown. The first documented mention, sometime in the 1700s, refers to æbleskiver as apple slices mixed with flour and egg, which were fried in the pan.

There are a few legends, though, like this one, which I think Danes made up because they’re so proud to be descended from the Vikings! Apparently the warriors invented æbleskiver to treat themselves to some pancake-type food after a battle.

They’re round because they used their shields to cook them.

Curious fillings When the apples disappeared from æbleskiver is unknown, but there are poems and stories from the mid-1800s that refer to apple-filled varieties, suggesting that some were already dispensing with the fruit.

Today, they still make them with apples in some southern parts of Denmark.

They’re also sometimes filled with prunes and therefore are more like Berliner pfannkuchens. In Norway they have ‘munker’, which are rather similar.

Savory beginnings In fact, it was the Saracens who lived in the province the Romans called Syria – not to be confused with modern-day Syria – who are credited with creating the original ‘apple slice’. From Syria, the Crusaders brought the ingenious baked goods back to France – sometime in the 13th century.

Originally, the apple slice was a kind of snack bought from hawkers at the door or small stalls on the street. The form we know today – the sweet delicacy – only emerged in earnest when sugar began to be imported in the 18th century.

Sisters of flatulence In French, modern day æbleskiver are known by many names, including Bugnes de Lyon, Roussette de Strasbourg, Merveille de Gascogne, Bottereau des Chrentes and Oreillette de Provence. Either way, they were made like Danish æbleskiver in earlier times, with different types of fruit or fruit puree as a flavouring. Later came the icing sugar.

In French, the original dough blobs fried in oil are also called ‘pet-de-nonnes’ (nun farts). Legend has it that a group of nuns were preparing dinner when one of them let go of a huge fart. The others laughed and in the giddiness one of the sisters dropped a blob of water-baking dough into a pan of hot oil. In priories and other such establishments, æbleskiver are called ‘nun sighs’ … for understandable reasons.

IN 3 ISSUES

IN 4 ISSUES

Style Stil

Building Green Habits

Ed Talk

Dating the Danes

Mental Kinda Health

Up the Alternative Alley

What a Wonderful World

Copen' with the Kids

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAIRSMILE

17

18 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ABOUT TOWN

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

Hans Hermansen, the CEO of CPH POST, was among the guests of Thai ambassador Sirilak Niyom at a reception at the Marriott Hotel Copenhagen on December 2 to mark the Thai National Day

Colombian ambassador Ana Maria Palacio Calle (centre left) was among the guests of Romanian ambassador Alexandru Grădinar (centre right), the dean of the diplomatic corps, at a reception at Sølyst on December 1 to mark the Romanian National Day

Ambassadors Leo Herrera-Lim (Philippines), Sang-jin Park (South Korea), Dewi Savitri Wahab (Indonesia), Sirilak Niyom (Thailand), Pooja Kapur (India) and Pham Thanh Dung (Vietnam) were out in force for the Asia House Autumn Ambassadors’ luncheon on November 25, where former Danish environment minister Connie Hedegaard, who is now the chair of EU Commission’s Mission Board on Adaptation to Climate Change, was the guest speaker

Among the diplomatic corps present at the event One Day with Indonesian Coffee, Fruits, and Floriculture (ODICOFF) at the Talent Garden Rainmaking in central Copenhagen on November 26 were (left-right) Cypriot ambassador Iacovos Giragosian, Indonesian ambassador Dewi Savitri Wahab (the proud host), and Saudi Arabian ambassador Sahal M Ergeosous and his wife. Guests at ODICOFF sampled Indonesian food and coffee

Among the exhibitors at Art Nordic, which ran for three days from November 26-28 at Lokomotivhallerne, was Doortje Hefting, a Dutch artist very much in touch with nature

Three days later than planned due to illness, the cast of the latest Crazy Christmas Cabaret instalment ‘Tell me about it’ enjoyed a stellar premiere at the Glassalen theatre in Tivoli on November 19. Vivienne McKee’s show, which this year is enjoying its 40th anniversary, runs until January 15. Check out our five star review on page 11

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

COMMUNITY

19

Rotary devices the world over confirm it’s a century for prestigious København club

It is fitting that a reception to mark the 100th anniversary of the København Rotary club took place in the build-up to Christmas, as Rotary’s primary mission, since its creation in 1905, has been to advance goodwill and peace around the world through humanitarian services

The special guest at the event on November 27 at Odd Fellow Palæet was Princess Benedict, the sister of the queen, who was greeted by the current København Rotary president Pia Allerslev, the former Copenhagen mayor for culture (2008-13) and children and youth affairs (2014-17)

Among those present were Rotary member Christian Eugen-Olsen, the queen’s master of ceremonies from 1990-2012

Rotary member Susanne Frank, the head of VIP & Customer Service at Copenhagen Airport, was also presented to the princess

Retired lawyer and long-time Rotary member Ejvind Sandal, one of the coowners of the Copenhagen Post, was among the guests ..

And also present was Morten Messerschmidt, the deputy leader of Dansk Folkeparti, and his partner, the singer Dot Wessman

20 EVENTS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

Raadvad Fabrik Xmas Market Tivoli Market

Nyhavn Christmas Market

Xmas at Bakken

Anglican Christmas

Dec 11-12, 11:00-17:00; Raadvad 40, Kongens Lyngby Organised by the Raadvad Fabrik association of workshops, this is one of the few arts and crafts markets taking place beyond the first week of Christmas. Specialising in textiles, fabric prints, weaving, ceramics, bronze, granite, carpentry, prints, graphics, drawing and painting and more. Enjoy gløgg and æbleskiver in the Bronze Workshop.

ongoing, open Sun-Thu 11:0019:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-20:00; Nyhavn, Cph K; markedskalenderen.dk Swing by the charming harbour and taste local treats whilst listening to traditional Danish Christmas hits.

ongoing, ends Dec 22; Dyrehavevej 62, Klampenborg; free adm; bakken.dk For the fourth time, Bakken is opening its doors to celebrate Christmas, inviting all the generations to a 'celebration of hearts'.

Dec 24, 12:00 & 23:30, Dec 25, 10:30; St Alban’s Church, Churchillparken 11, Cph K; st-albans.dk You can join St Alban’s Church to celebrate Christmas Eve at its Children’s Carol and Nativity Service at 12:00 or the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at 23:30. On the 25th, they celebrate with a Christmas Day Sung Eucharist starting at 10:30.

And in the build-up, don't miss the Christmas Carol Service (Dec 12, 16:00, Dec 13-14, 19:00) and Christingle Service (Dec 16, 10:30).

All services are held in English.

Qvintus Xmas Market Dec 12, 11:00-17:00; Refshalevej 110A, Cph K Qvintus is a creative office community populated with photographers, clothing designers, artists, architects and game developers, so this is a unique opportunity to source goods from their worlds. Everything from clothing and handicrafts to unique knitwear, prints, bags, plaids and pillows. And the gløgg and æbleskiver are free until they run out!

Copenhagen Zoo Market ongoing, ends Dec 31, opening times vary, most days 10:00-16:00; Roskildevej 38, Frederiksberg; 195kr; zoo.dk Copenhagen Zoohas shipped in half a million Christmas lights, 900 Christmas trees and Santa himself. Take a trip on the train, feed the farm animals, sing Christmas carols with Popsi & Krelle, and skate between the panda and penguin enclosures.

ongoing, ends Dec 30, open Sun-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-23:00; Vesterbrogade 3, Cph V; 135 kr, tivoligardens.com Thousands of twinkling lights, 70,000 baubles, countless decorations, pine branches laden with snow, and Santa and his reindeer await visitors. The market’s 60 stalls will be filled with decorations, snacks, sweets and hot drinks.

Store Godthåb Market

Dec 12, 10:00-17:00; The Lab, Vermundsgade 40A + B, 1st floor, Cph Ø; free adm Stalls and activities for children and adults. Ceramics, clothes, accessories and handicrafts. Edible delicacies and hot drinks.

ongoing, ends Dec 23, open Mon-Fri 13:00-17:30, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00; Godthåbsvej 79, Frederiksberg Set in a cosy courtyard adjacent to a stable, this is one of the best markets to experience the gløgg and æbleskiver experience and source classic Danish Christmas wreathes.

Carlsberg Market

Højbro Plads Market

All weekends in Dec, 10:0017:00; Gamle Carlsberg Vej 11, Cph V; free adm The Carlsberg Brewery invites visitors to stroll through the historic setting of the old factory while sipping beer at the dozens of stalls selling Carlsberg merchandise. Probably the best Christmas market ever for Dad.

ongoing, ends Dec 22, open Mon-Wed 11:00-19:00, Thu 11:00-20:00, Fri-Sat 11:0021:00, Sun 12:00-19:00; Højbro Pl, Cph K; julemarked.nu In the heart of the old town, the International Christmas Market is based on the typical German Weihnachtsmarkt concept. The log cabins are imported from Tyrol and many exhibitors come from Germany.

Kitchen Xmas Market

Kongens Nytorv Market ongoing, ends Dec 22, open Mon-Wed 11:00-19:00, Thu 11:00-20:00, Fri-Sat 11:0021:00, Sun 12:00-19:00; Kongens Nytorv, Cph K; jul-i-kobenhavn.dk Ever since King Christian V – who still sits there on his horse – opened the square in 1670, its cobblestones have been the scene of all sorts of events. Visiting the Xmas market is like a trip back in time.

Kødbyen Xmas Market Dec 19-20, 10:00-20:00; Kødbyen, Flæsketorvet, Cph V Enjoy a weekend in the food district filled with churros and sandwiches as well as many Christmas dishes and treats.

And don’t forget to stock up on veg as well.

HC Andersen Market ongoing, ends Dec 21, Sun-Thu 11:00-19:00, Fri-Sat 11:0020:00; Nytorv, Hulgårdsvej 27, Cph K; julemarked.co Encounter enchanting cottages, tastes, smells and atmosphere.

Set up each year in honour of the writer Hans Christian Andersen, the stalls are all named after one of his stories.

Gospel in Vesterbro 11 Dec, 16:00, Eliaskirken, Vesterbrogade 49, Cph V, ???; folkekirken-vesterbro.dk A traditional Christmas concert with the Vesterbro Gospel Choir, soloists and a big band is organised in Elias Kirke, so that the whole church can swing. The choir sings under the direction of the charismatic conductor Lars Bak. An energetic event that gives way to the magic of Christmas.

Christiania Market Dec 9-20, 12:00-20:00; Refshalevej 2, Cph K; free adm; Christiania.org Head to the Grey Hall for craft activities, mulled wine and entertainment. The stalls sell handmade artwork produced by the freetown artists. There will be live music and stage shows every day: jazz, swing, Django Reinhardt, Balkan …

Catholic Christmas Sankt Ansgars Church, Bregade 64, Cph K; 24 Dec at 16:00, 24 Dec midnight mass at 23:30, 25 Dec at 11:00; sanktansgar.dk The oldest Roman Catholic church in Copenhagen celebrates Christmas.

Russian Orthodox Christmas services on Dec 28 & 29 and Jan 1 & 6; Bredgade 53, Cph K; ruskirke.dk The distinctive Alexander Nevskij church in the heart of Copenhagen will celebrate the birth of Jesus in Slavic languages and Danish.

Christmas at the cathedral Dec 11 & 16, 19:00; Roskilde Cathedral, Domkirkestræde 10, Roskilde; from 100kr; roskildedomkirke.dk Enjoy a Christmas concert featuring the Roskilde Cathedral Girls and Boys' Choir and a rendition of ‘Handel's Messiah’ by the Roskilde Cathedral Boys' Choir. (KY)

EVENTS

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

21

The Courettes

Bach Oratorio at Holmens

Handel's Messiah

Malou’s Christmas

MNBB at Xenon

Dec 18, 20:00; Råhust, Onkel Dannys Pl 7; 110-140kr This husband and wife Danish-Brazilian garage rock duo bring the house down wherever they take their early 1960s-inspired act. As one critic observes, it’s the “perfect balancing act between the garage rock of the Sonics and Phil Spector's girl group fantasies”.

Dec 14, 19:30; Holmens Kirke, Holmens Kanal 21, Cph K; 175 kr; holmenskirke.dk Jan Scheerer will conduct the Copenhagen Bach Choir and Originalerne Orchestra perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’. The 18th century work is composed of six acts related to Christmas, New Year's Day, the Sunday after New Year's Day and Epiphany. Other Christmas concerts include CBS International Choir (Dec 12, 16:00; Sanct Thomas Kirke), Sankt Annæ Girls’ Choir and Danish Chamber Orchestra (Dec 17, 17:00, Dec 1819, 16:30; Helligaandskirken) and the Danish Boys’ Choir (Dec 19, 19:00; Grundtvigs Kirke). (MR)

Dec 19, 21 & 22, 19:30; Holmens Kirke, Holmens Kanal 21, Cph K; 300 kr; holmenskirke.dk Conductor Sofia Söderberg presents the Camerata Chamber Choir singing ‘Handel's Messiah’ just in time for Christmas. Other performances to look out for include Copenhagen Oratorio Choir (Dec 15-16, 19:00; Helligaandskirken), Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Dec 10-11, 19:30; Holmens Kirke), and Grundtvigs Kirke Soloists Choir (Dec 16, 19:00; Grundtvigs Kirke). (MR)

Dec 19, 14:15-16:00; Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 85 kr; dfi.dk This 2020 film with English subtitles, directed by Claus Bjerre, tells the story of a complicated child who hates Christmas. Malou makes a pact with a fairy to run away from her adopted family, only to discover that her new home isn't so bad after all.

But a pact is a pact ... (MR)

Dec 20, 19:30; Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 215 kroner; huset-kbh.dk The Monday Night Big Band returns 20 years after its creation to give a Christmas concert. The event features jazz, swing and bebop in the style of Cole Porter or Duke Ellington. (MR)

Globe Quiz Dec 16, 19:15; Globe Irish Pub, Nørregade 43-45, Cph K; 40 kroner per person Game night’s on at this pub on Nørregade! Gather your four best-informed friends and secure a spot in the pub before they’re all gone. The winners will be awarded 1,000 kroner, and there are plenty of spot prizes too. (MB)

The Snow Queen ongoing, ends Dec 23; Tivoli Concert Hall, Vesterbrogade 3 Cph V; 220-630 kroner; tivoligardens.com In the heart of Tivoli, an adventurous classical ballet performance for the whole family will feature a new version of HC Andersen's fairy-tale. This is the one that Queen Margrethe designed most of the costumes and decorations for! (MR)

Sensory Immersion Dec 13, 16:45-18:15; Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 100 kr; dfi.dk Musician Tao Højgaard, aka Mute State, invites fans of Inger Christensen – one of Denmark's most famous literary figures – to an audio-visual concert inspired by ‘Alphabet’, her book of poems published in 1981. (MR)

Educational walk Dec 11, 14:00-15:30; Vor Frue Kirke, Nørregade 8, Cph K; 125 kr; fof.dk A tour to learn more about Danish Christmas traditions.

The Advent wreath, Christmas in the 1800s, Christmas carols … Kristina Junge Jørgensen will reveal the history of the festivities, and look back at the adventures of H.C. Andersen, Peter Faber, Grundtvig, Horneman and many others. The journey ends at the Nyhavn Christmas market. (MR)

Monster Improv Show Dec 10, 20:00; Teater Play, Strandlodsvej 7, Cph S; 85kr, teaterplay.billetexpressen.dk This is the final show of 2021 for 3For2, a monthly live comedy night at Amager’s Teater Play, which features three comedy double acts: If These Walls Could Talk (CPH POST columnist Adrian Mackinder and Sarah McGillion), Sir.Réal and Rebels In My Sight. Collectively they are six of the city’s best comedy performers, covering six nationalities, and they are all members of Inconspicuous, a growing network of live comedy events across the city. (MR)

Love (food) Actually Dec 15, 17:00-20:30, Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 215 kr; dfi.dk Watching ‘Love Actually’ - directed in 2003 by Richard Curtis - has become a Christmas tradition. But this time, Cinemateket proposes we also enjoy a cocktail, a dinner and a chocolate dessert in front of this feel-good movie. (MR)

Wine and Vinyl Dec 11, 20:30-23:00; Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 35 kr; huset-kbh.dk An event hosted by music expert Karim Pedersen that will merge a love of music, the origins of vinyl, high quality sound in a lively musical atmosphere and a great glass of wine. (MR)

Midnight Bath

Last Edition

Dec 10, 16:00-00:00; Sofiegade 15, Cph K; 375 kr, app.acuityscheduling.com; only for women Historical bathing house Sofiebadet in Christianshavn is hosting a relaxation evening for women that includes a sauna, natural wine from Husted, skincare and a live concert by pianist Mathias Holm. Slippers, silk towel and shampoo are provided. (MR)

Dec 16, 17:00-00:00; Café Engholmen, Borgbjergsvej 30, Cph SV; 40 kr, billetto.dk The last Gay Pop-Up Bar of this year will be in Sydhavn in collaboration with the podcasters Ghosts with Emotions. (MR)

Female Energy ends Dec 12, open daily 11:0017:00; Galleri 9, Falstersvej 9, Frederiksberg; galleri9.com Inspired by Copenhagen’s smoky bodegas, Lithuanian artist Lolita Pelegrime presents a collection of women’s portraits. (MR)

SmartphoneInterruptedSleep Dec 10, 11:00-12:00; Copenhagen Faculty of Social Sciences, Øster Farimagsgade 5, Cph K; sodas.ku.dk Learn about sleep disturbances caused by smartphones and the results of the SmartSleep study, which assesses the impact of night-time phone usage on sleep patterns and mental health. (MR)

Voices from the Block Dec 11, 15:00; Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 30 kr; over-7s only; dfi.dk Cinemateket is hosting the Voices from the Block festival in collaboration with Turning Tables Denmark. Focusing on the stories and dreams of young people from inner city areas, expect short films, music videos, documentaries and other creative formats. (MR)

The Nutcracker ongoing, end Dec 22, daily performances Wed-Sun; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 55-805 kr, kglteater Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the Nutcracker ballet choreographed by George Balanchine. It’s a classic enjoyed by generations of both children and adults. Watch the ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ and die happy. (KY)

Crazy Christmas Cabaret

Dec 18, 21:00-05:00; Volume, Enghavevej 80, Cph V; 168 kr; stayhappening.com Event producer Rave Volks is importing Italian DJ Regal's underground techno show. The so-called Acid Boy will perform alongside European greats such as Moog Conspiracy, Marina George and Mar Flores. (MR)

ongoing, ends Jan 15, Tue-Sat 19:30, Sat 15:00, Sun 17:00; Glassalen at Tivoli, Cph V; 185410kr, londontoast.dk The Crazy Christmas Cabaret 2021-22 instalment ‘Tell me About it’ will whisk you away to Miami for an evening of music, laughter, dancing, biting satire and cross-dressing. There’s plenty of Danglish humour to amuse both Brits and Danes. The show, and creator Vivienne McKee, are both national institutions.

Acoustic Sundays

Infinite Deep

ends Jan 2, Sundays 15:00-18:00; Social Brew, Vester Farimagsgade 3, Cph V Acoustic Sundays are hosted by Jimmy, a songwriter inspired by Bob Marley and John Lennon.

Acoustic Sundays is an opportunity to strengthen human solidarity. The lunch and dinner includes Honduran coffee, beer and wine varieties. (MR)

ends Jan 16; Nikolaj Kunsthal, Nikolaj Plads 10, Cph K; 40kr CURATOR Christian Nørgaard had exclusive access to David Lynch's photo archives to make this exhibition. It’s tailor-made to fit in with the gothic style of Nikolaj Kunsthals Øvre Galleri og Tårn. The church tower dates back to the 16th century. (NJB)

Christmas at the Museum

Queer Xmas

Dec 11-12, 11:00-16:00; Land of Legends, Slangealleen 2, Lejre; from 65kr, sagnlandet.dk Land of Legends museum invites you to experience Christmas through the Viking and rural age. The open-air museum is a few kilometres west of Roskilde.

(KY)

Dec 16-18, 19:00, Lygten Station, Lygten 2, Cph N; 75 k HOSTED by Abby Wambaugh and accompanied by pianist Kristian Jørgensen, a variety of local artists will provide a cavalcade of stage performances. First come, first served. (MR)

The Dark Side of Techno

22 ON SCREENS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

The lottery of acting: for every loving feeling, hundreds end up lost

B

LINK AND you’ll miss it, but in episode 12 of the British classic sitcom The Office, a journalist turns up to interview David Brent. It coincides with the manager being told his services won’t be needed again as a motivational speaker.

It’s an inauspicious appearance by a 28-year-old jobbing actress in what is otherwise a brilliant scene: before she leaves she requests a photo of the crestfallen manager. Two lengthy pauses ensue as she waits for the flash on her camera to work and Brent slowly dies!

Well, two things have happened since then. Mobile phone cameras have come a long way.

And the 28-year-old has become one of the biggest stars in the world, winning one Oscar, an Emmy, three BAFTAs and three Golden Globes.

In fact, she has 84 wins listed on her IMDB page.

One of us, one of them OLIVIA Colman is extremely likeable, but if she had remained a bit-part character actress for her entire career, none of us would have batted an eyelid. In a way, she’s the male equivalent of Benedict Cumberbatch, who in an alternate universe is Stephen Merchant's body double, and the British equivalent of Frances McDormand.

Not particularly good looking, posh but with a Norwich accent, she’s one of ‘us’ who can be one of ‘them’ and humanise from within. Queens or maids, doting daughters or ruthless wives, it doesn’t matter, she’ll pick up a nomination.

This winter she’s coming to both the big screen and the small: in The Lost Daughter (Jan 27; Not Released Worldwide), for which she is the third favourite to win the Best Actress Oscar, and Landscapers (HBO Max since Dec 7; 79 on Metacritic) respectively.

The former, the directorial debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal, is a psychological drama based on a novel by Elena Ferrante (whose

pronouns really are he, she and they btw), while the latter is about an English couple suspected of a cold case murder.

Remember, she can make anyone likeable.

Lost: overdone like the series THE LOST Daughter sounds like a winner, but we’re not so sure about the lost bit – it’s becoming hackneyed. We had the boys, prince and in translation, so far so good, but things started taking a turn in the wrong direction via highway, in space, in Mancha, world, and City of Z. And now this winter, we’ve got three more - the other two being the miniseries The Lost Symbol (Jan 27) and the documentary The Lost Leonardo (Jan 27; 79). Being that the first is based on a Dan Brown novel and that his most famous book revolved around a hidden truth in a Da Vinci painting, they’re practically related.

You can’t quite place Ashley Zukerman, who plays a much younger Robert Langdon, right?

Well, he’s good at playing creeps who fly under the radar – like Shiv’s lover in Succession. And don’t worry, as this novel is set way before the events of The Da Vinci Code, so there’s less of the smugness inherent in getting the scoop of the millennium.

Does that honour belong to Andreas Koefoed, the Danish director of The Lost Leonardo, which tells the story of ‘Salvator Mundi’, a painting that broke the world record for the most expensive ever, but is only believed to be by the Renaissance master.

It’s been ‘lost’ since 2019 on its way to a Saudi culture centre.

All hail the contenders WEST SIDE Story (Dec 8; 85) has a similar story, as it was shot in the autumn of 2019. So in the end, Stephen Sondheim won’t get to see Stephen Spielberg’s remake of the 1961 classic he penned the lyrics for … unless this is what finally polished him off.

A whole host of other Os-

The map to this national treasure is a tricky one to follow

car contenders are also coming out, including fashion house biopic House of Gucci (Dec 2; 59) with Lady Gaga and Adam Driver; Driver again in slightly odd musical Annette (Dec 16; 67); comet destruction caper Don’t Look Up (Dec 9; Dec 24 on Netflix; NRW) starring Leonardo DiCaprio; and Lady Diana biopic Spencer (Dec 25; 76) starring Kristian Stewart.

Most eagerly anticipated among them is Guillermo del Toro’s latest, Nightmare Alley (Jan 27; 70), a horror starring Bradley Cooper. The film could give Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson a belated Hollywood break, but let’s hope he doesn’t get confused with Paul Thomas Anderson, whose latest, Licorice Pizza (Dec 9; 90), was touched upon in the November edition of On Stages.

Staying with other promising looking horror, Nitram (Jan 27) depicts the Post Arthur massacre in 1996 when a Tasmanian shot 36 tourists; Morbius (Jan 27) is a superhero meets vampire freefor-all from the ever-expanding Marvel universe starring Jared Leto and Matt Smith; while the poster of PIG (Dec 25; 82), depicting Nicolas Cage as the central character truffle forager,

is so horrifying there should be warnings on the cinema door.

Any other Guy … please LESS ANTICIPATED are a whole glut of not yet released sequels: Spiderman 3: No Way Home (Dec 16), The Matrix 4: Resurrections (Dec 22), Kingsman 3 (Jan 6) and Scream 5 (Jan 13).

And there are several films we’re hoping won’t spawn them: horrid looking female operative thriller The 355 (Jan 6; NRW) starring Jessica Chastain in what is basically a homage to Pulp Fiction’s Fox Force Five, while The Contractor (Jan 6; NRW) is the male version; Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas play a liberated couple in Deep Water (Jan 13), the film that probably liberated their relationship; and a regular Joe (Kevin Hart) gets confused with an assassin in The Man from Toronto (Jan 13; NRW) with unhilarious effect.

But they’re all Oscar contenders compared to Guy Ritchie directing Jason Statham in Operation Fortune: Rus de guerre (Jan 13). Run while you can.

Finally on Netflix, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God (Dec 15) revisits Maradona era Naples, while rehabilitation dra-

ma The Unforgivable (Dec 10; 42) starring Sandra Bullock is more Amanda Knox era Perugia.

Single all the Way (Dec 2) and Mixtape (Dec 3), meanwhile, are busy competing for schmaltziest offering of the Christmas period.

Head north for brilliance OVER IN TV land, returning series include Emily in Paris (S2; Dec 22) and The Witcher (S2; Dec 17) on Netflix; A Million Little Things (S4; Dec 13) and Dexter (S9; released) on CMore; and And Just Like That (S7; Dec 9) on HBO Nordic. If the latter does not look familiar, it’s because it’s a continuation of Sex and the City, but without Samantha.

Station Eleven (HBO Nordic; Dec 16) has a Cloud Atlas element, but with a post-apocalyptic twist. Looks promising, as does dysfunctional dramedy Moonshine (Dec 1 on CMore).

But are they TV gold? If it’s brilliance you’re after, you have to watch The North Water (dr.dk/ drtv; 74), an absorbing BBC miniseries about the doomed voyage of a 19th century Arctic whaler starring Jack O’Connell and a career best Colin Farrell, which DR2 described as “mastodontic”.

Don’t let it be the monster hit that ended up lost on you.

23

10 December 2021 - 6 January 2022

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

Recruitment Announcements PRODUCT MANAGER – RADARS, WEIBEL Why not play a central role in Weibel’s market and product plan. If you have technical and commercial radar experience, you could.

Location: Allerød Deadline: 31 December 2021 Martin Soedahl-Borresoe, Market Contact: Manager - Product Line Manager, +45 70 10 58 11

SENIOR MANAGER, MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS How about breaking ground for green transportation? Working with state-of-the-art engine control technology? Leading both people and innovation to growth? Then join us.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 21 December 2021 Brian Østergaard Sørensen, Contact: Head of R&D Two-Stroke, +45 24 62 07 22

FLOW CONTROLLER, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Your job will be to control the daily flows of materials and goods as they move from suppliers to our production and then further on to our customers. In this process, you will collaborate with all the different parties involved to ensure that you meet your KPIs and deadlines for production and deliveries.

Location: Ringsted Deadline: ASAP Søren Andersen, Supply Chain and Contact: Distribution Centre Manager, +45 28 99 15 37

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QUALITY ASSURANCE ASSISTANT, UNICEF

You be a key member of the Supplier Evaluation Unit with responsibility to support bids receipting, registration and management, support various elements surrounding vendor management and monitoring covering procurement and post procurement phases Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 16 December 2021 Louise Pedersen, Contact: lpedersen@unicef.org

DOWNSTREAM SCIENTIST WITH INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE, AGC BIOLOGICS

Would it energize you to work with manufacturing batches with modern downstream technologies?

Being responsible for delivering on all tasks related to manufacturing of customized projects to pharma companies, in a high quality and timely.

Location: Søborg Deadline: ASAP Trine Wolff, Manager, Contact: +45 41 37 79 30

CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT FOR STRATEGIC PROJECTS, DSV You will be responsible for designing and delivering change management activities such as communication packages, concept visualisations, training sessions, & user engagement activities.

Location: Hedehusene Deadline: ASAP Bjarke Vest Petersen, Senior Contact: Manager in Group PMO, +45 61 94 46 30

HOST, WILD KIWI PIES

Are you a natural good host? And do you like pie?

Then we need you. We’re currently searching for someone to welcome our guests and help keeping the café clean and tidy. Part-time role.

Location: Valby Deadline: ASAP info@wildkiwipies.com Contact:

BUSINESS APPLICATION SUPPORTER – COPENHAGEN, BANKING CIRCLE

Do you possess first class client support and communication skills, and are you able to comprehend and solve complex, technical matters easily in an entrepreneurial environment?

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Simon Scott Hansen from our Contact: People Team, +45 31 49 36 50

PROJECT MANAGER – GROWTH MARKETING, GOODIEBOX

The team is looking for a badass Project Manager of our Growth Marketing initiatives and ensure smooth day-to-day operation for all markets.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Marlene Rimmen, Contact: marlene@goodiebox.dk

VP ASSISTANT, DFP QA BA, NOVO NORDISK

You will be an active member of the management team interacting with both internal and external stakeholders. You will support the management team in a wide range of tasks including coordinating management activities, calendar planning, purchasing, reporting, budgeting, hiring process, planning of seminars, contributing to department strategy and organisational change management initiatives, and much more.

Location: Bagsvaerd Deadline: 2 January 2022 Anja Gøtø (ANGQ), Contact: +45 30 75 44 58

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