CPH Post 12 February - 25 March 2021 by The Copenhagen Post

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Language schools are thriving in this age of online learning, with many students now preferring virtual classes to in-person participation

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Denmark beginning, the Baltic country has much to celebrate

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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 24 ISSUE 02 12 February - 25 March 2021

INSIDE Alfredas Pliadis

LOCAL

Reptilicus reborn City Hall backs housing plans, but will they be newted?

NATIONAL How Daddy’s girl went to Dubai in disgrace

3 SPORT

Repeat world champs Hands down, Denmark is the best team in the world

YOU LOTS, DENMARK

This plan is an island 210 billion kroner project will be the most expensive in Danish history

Then there is Lynetteholmen, the proposed city island district in the capital’s harbour, which is scheduled to be completed by 2070. And don’t forget the Holmene business district, nine proposed islands off the southern coast of Amager, which could be finished by 2040.

Crowded in the capital FIRST there were Trekroner Fort, Flakfortet and Middelgrundsfortet, three artificial islands respectively built in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries to protect Copenhagen Harbour.

Huge energy for project WELL, soon they could be joined by the world’s first energy island. A majority in Parliament last week approved financing for the 210 billion kroner project. Located about 80 km into the North Sea, the project will be the most expensive in Danish history. The state will own the majority of the energy island, which could eventually power 10 million homes.

SPECIAL SECTION Our readers recall their love stories for Valentine’s Day

9-16 OPINION

Half-empty or half-full? Architects of our gloom are gone, but the fallout remains

17-20 PRINT VERSION ISSN: ONLINE VERSION ISSN:

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BEN HAMILTON

ITH 406 ISLANDS, Denmark is never going to match its Nordic brethren. Sweden, Norway and Finland lead the world with 267,570, 239,057 and 178,947 respectively each! But steadily, it is catching up, one by one.

4-5

You’ll never be PM!

Mink compensation

INGER Støjberg said Venstre leader Jakob Ellemann-Jensen would never be PM as she stood down as his deputy. She faces an impeachment trial in the future for illegal decisions she made as a minister.

A 18.8 BILLION kroner compensation deal has been agreed for the mink industry. Meanwhile, a citizens' proposal wants PM Mette Frederiksen to be impeached for her illegal order to cull 17 million mink in November.

It’s been mighty cold COLD TEMPERATURES have been ripping through Denmark of late and, by the time Friday is out, it will most likely have had an ice week – an entire seven days of permanently sub-zero temperatures. It’s been the coldest period since the Beast from the East struck in the late winter of 2018.

Kids back at school THE COUNTRY’S youngsters (grades 0-4) returned to school last week – the first of the coronavirus restrictions to be lifted. More changes could take place on March 1.

Least corrupt DENMARK remains the least corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency International. However, its weak anti-bribery laws and Danske Bank were criticised by the report.

Most common names ANNE AND Peter are Denmark’s two most common names, reports Danmarks Statistik. However, neither are popular choices for new-borns. The average age of either is 51!

LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Amager Fælled plans newted?

ONLINE THIS WEEK A NEW PROPOSAL backed by the municipalities of Frederiksberg and Copenhagen will remove half of the Bispeengbuen overpass. This means one of the two concrete bridges will be torn down, resulting in two lanes on each side, instead of the current three. The proposal also promises new green areas. A previous 200 million kroner proposal was thought too costly.

Graffiti menace COPENHAGEN Municipality spends 234,948 kroner annually on removing illegal graffiti from Assitens Cemetery’s iconic yellow walls. In response, it has set up various legal walls for street art in Nørrebro. Meanwhile, many continue to debate whether the graffiti is vandalism or art.

Stopped shooting MALMÖ experienced far fewer shootings and explosions in 2020 compared to previous years. The total tally was 20 and 17, compared to last year’s 34 and 36 respectively. The authorities credit Project Sluta Skjut (stop shooting) for the decrease.

City Hall may have approved the housing project, but the country’s largest conservation and environmental organisation looks likely to intervene BEN HAMILTON

N THE 1961 Danish film ‘Reptilicus’, the country’s answer to Godzilla ravaged Copenhagen on the silver screen. Now, 60 years later, a relative of the reptilian beast is causing havoc in the capital's biggest nature area, Amager Fælled, where it is threatening to derail the multi-million Vejlands Kvarter residential housing project, which City Hall this week approved and renamed ‘Fælledby'. Revealing emails POLITIKEN has accessed emails shared by project developer By & Havn and main investor Pension Danmark, and

IF YOU’VE got a fever, no need to fear, as Glostrup Municipality has hired a party bus, complete with disco lights and revolving ball, to serve as a mobile coronavirus test centre at local workplaces, schools and institutions to entice the local residents and workers. It could end up being the difference in you staying alive. All together now: “I will survive.”

Complaint probable DANMARKS Naturfredningsforening has already noted that the plans to protect the newt

Men in Black demo gets ugly as PM effigy goes up in flames

PS WERE swift to condemn an anti-lockdown demonstration on January 23 at which an effigy of PM Mette Frederiksen, bearing the message “She must and should be killed”, was hung up and set alight. The justice minister, Nick Hækkerup was concerned that the burning at Julius Thomsens Plads by Forum in Frederiksberg

“mirrored movie scenes in which somebody has been lynched”. “It's a little too much like what happened in Washington DC 14 days ago, and we should not take inspiration from that,” added Konservative MP Naser Khader. Here come the MiB DEMONSTRATIONS organised by a Facebook group called Men in Black have been held every Saturday since new year, and each time the police have made arrests. The demo on January 23

Daycare cost query VENSTRE has argued that parents should be exempt from paying for daycare at institutions in Copenhagen that are currently closed. It is believed the Citizen’s Representation’s council will soon make a ruling.

Thought to be car bomb POLICE are invesigating a case of attempted murder in Gladsaxe after a suspicious item, possibly a car bomb, was found attached to a vehicle belonging to a 51-year-old biker with ties to the Bandidos gang in mid-January. The authorities destroyed the object on the spot.

They prayed to Godzilla?

aren’t good enough, and that it is likely to officially complain. That could signal a significant delay to a project that has already seen off human protests. But now, it looks like the developers might have met their match in the form of a tiny reptile the size of a child’s little finger.

Mob getting medieval on Mette BEN HAMILTON

Saturday night fever?

it would appear the plans, which involve building 2,000 homes, are likely to be postponed because the great crested newt, an endangered species, is a resident in the area. The newt uses several water-holes located in the proximity of the site, which are considered vital to its breeding and future survival on the island. Postponement likely THE PROJECT is due to start in May, but now it looks likely it will be postponed until 2022. An internal email sent by a By & Havn project manager last April conceded: “I think we should expect to receive a complaint, no matter what we choose [to do about the newts].”

ONLINE THIS WEEK FREJ PRIES SCHMEDES

Overpass progress

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

12 February - 25 March 2021

attracted at least a thousand people, and again police claim that known members of the city’s football hooligan community were present. An estimated 100 people engaged with police on the night. Eske Vinther-Jensen, a public affairs adviser, has told DR that those in attendance are a “mix of corona deniers, vaccine opponents, conspiracy theorists, alternative health professionals and fierce critics of the government's handling of the Coronavirus Crisis”.

Mayor rejects proposal MALMÖ’S mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, opposes Region Skåne’s co-financing, co-owning proposal for a possible transport connection between Helsinborg and Helsingør, which would involve the governments of both countries. Reepalu has emphasised the importance of connecting the two cities, but believes building it through loans.

All shine on THE COPENHAGEN Light Festival will be lighting up the capital for the rest of the month. Don’t miss out on exhibitions such as ‘Interactive Trampolines’ and ‘Bridge over Bubbled Water’. Find out more at copenhagenlightfestival.org.

New electric buses COPENHAGEN is set to receive 46 new electric buses in February. They will be used on lines 6A and 7A. It is part of an overall target for Zealand to convert all of its 1,300 buses by 2030.

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12 February - 25 March 2021

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Goodbye Dubai, Hello Hamburg

VENSTRE is backed by 13.0 percent of the nation – its worst result for 20 years, according to the latest Voxmeter survey. At this rate, Konservative (12.0) could soon take over as the bloc's leading party. Meanwhile, it is rumoured that the former chair, the ex PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen, intends to start his own party.

Student support PARLIAMENT will consider a citizens’ proposal to give gymnasium students more leeway heading towards their summer exams. The proposal, which grabbed the necessary 50,000 signatures in just 16 days, suggests all B subjects (typically taught for two years) and C subjects (one year) should be removed as exams.

Female circumcision risk THE EUROPEAN Institute for Gender Equality estimates that 2,000 girls in Denmark face the risk of being circumcised. The majority are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants from Female Genital Mutilation-practising countries such as Somalia, Iraq and Iran. Additionally, 37 percent of all asylum-seeking girls are at risk.

Chinese talks THE FOREIGN minister, Jeppe Kofod, has spoken with the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, for the first time in two years. They discussed several issues, including global development, strategic partnerships, human rights, and the possibility of Kofod visiting China once travel restrictions are lifted.

Sustainability leader

Holidaying at home ONLY 22 percent of Danes will holiday abroad this July, according to a YouGov survey carried out for Danske Bank, which claims the nation spent less than 10 percent of what it would have normally done on travel in January. Domestically, Sol & Strand reports that bookings for weeks 27-33 have doubled compared to the same time last year.

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Venstre’s huge slump

INTERNATIONAL

"Never mind the view, have you seen the Danish newspapers?!"

Government bans flights from UAE resort over fears many were using counterfeit coronavirus tests to re-enter Denmark BEN HAMILTON

T STARTED with a girl explaining to the media why she was taking a holiday in Dubai. Swiftly a few surprised laughs became a national scandal as confirmation came that thousands were doing the same. The PM made her displeasure known, and then as news broke that the resort is a COVID-19 breeding ground, most notably for the South African variant, and that many are obtaining counterfeit test results to return home, the government imposed a ban on flights that ended up lasting over two weeks. Some stayed partying, others came back via Hamburg and got the train or drove – helped by a complete absence of police checks in the early hours. Again, the government was unhappy, as random checks shouldn’t mean non-existent, it said.

All well with Daddy’s Girl ALVA MADSEN, the girl at the centre of the Dubai debacle who dared to break the people’s curfew, is the star of the DR3 show 'Fars pige' (Daddy’s girl). Still, many admitted that she looked quite fetching in her black bikini in the Dubai sun – just the tonic for furious masochistic trolls to launch those fingers into overdrive. “First of all, I was a little tired of the weather at home,” she told DR. “You can get depressed when you lack sunlight and I came to the conclusion that I was at no greater risk of being infected here than in Denmark, where there are so many private parties.”

The Danish après-ski loving brigade have illegally entered Austria to enjoy its slopes, confirmed Helmut Mall, the mayor of the Sankt Anton ski resort in Tyrol, to DR. On social media there are even guidelines on how to circumvent the entry ban. And back in Dubai, rich holiday-makers are jumping the vaccination queue on 500,000 kroner package tours that include a week in the sun courtesy of travel agent Knightsbridge Circle.

More than one villain ALVA ISN’T the only Danish villain at large, as hospital executives are abusing their privilege to skip the vaccination queue, according to the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority. However, several have since argued there were spare jabs that needed to be used right there and then.

New rules in place AS OF FEBRUARY 7, anyone entering Denmark must take a COVID-19 test and self-isolate for ten days. Failure to comply will result in a fine of 3,500 kroner. While the British variant is expected to account for 80 percent of new infection cases in Denmark by March, the government is also wary of the South African mutation. As of last weekend, five cases have been detected, and it is said to be more contagious than the British variant.

‘Unfit’ parent revision

Donor opt-out pressure

Kerry in the house

Loose trailer issue

THE GOVERNMENT is aiming to make it possible to forcibly remove children from ‘unfit’ parents before they are born so they can return home to an adoptive family immediately upon birth. As the current law stands, children are removed from parents six hours after birth and consent is required. This affects 180-200 children in Denmark every year.

A CITIZENRY proposal that aims to make organ donations something that one needs to opt out of, instead of sign up for, is almost halfway to getting the 50,000 signatures required to be heard by Parliament. The proposal would apply to everyone born in Denmark to at least one Danish parent. The vast majority of EU countries are opt-out.

IN HIS new role as special presidential climate envoy, 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry was among the attendees at a virtual meeting concerning the climate on January 22, which was organised by the Danish foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod. Kofod emphasised how the meeting underlined the strong standing of Danish climate diplomacy.

THERE have been nine recorded cases of loose semi-trailers on freight trains since the Great Belt Bridge train accident in 2019 that killed nine people. The incidents all stem from DSB Cargo, which accounts for about half of freight traffic on Danish rails. Now the company is looking into the new cases and will review them in an upcoming audit.

DENMARK will be a ‘Global Theme Champion’ in the upcoming UN General Assembly on sustainable energy. It will lead the preparations along with Brazil, Columbia, India and the UK.

Release Navalny! EU PRESIDENT Charles Michel and the foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, are both demanding the immediate release of Putin critic Alexai Navalny in Moscow. Kofod contends the arrest was both predictable and unacceptable.

Congrats to you both PM METTE Frederiksen took to Facebook to congratulate Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th president of the USA, along with Kamala Harris on becoming the country’s first female vice president.

Language test deadline FOR THOSE seeking to take the official Danish language tests, March 8 is the last chance to sign up for Prøve i Dansk 1, 2 and 3, as well as Studieprøven. To sign up, contact a language centre near you.

New consent app A NEW APP invented in Denmark enables users to give their consent to sexual intercourse - a legal requirement since January 1. Using iConsent, which is free to use, two consenting adults simply swipe. However, some are questioning whether the app might be used to send inappropriate requests.

No aid for Myanmar DENMARK has ceased all aid to Myanmar following the military coup that displaced its leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

COVER

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 February - 25 March 2021

Life after efterskole: how the world opened up for Miss England finalist

BEN HAMILTON

HEANNA Cartier would appear to have it all. She’s young, beautiful and charismatic, and right now the 17-year-old from Oxfordshire in England is busy preparing for the finals of the Miss England beauty pageant. But appearances can be deceptive, and that has always been a problem for Rheanna, as many people choose to assume she has had it easy and go out of their way to make life hard for her. Her confidence hides a troubled past that compelled her to leave England in 2018 to attend an efterskole near Viborg in Denmark.

Maturity and empathy THE PROBLEMS at school started with the growth that invariably comes with puberty. She stood out from the crowd and became an easy target for older girls to target. On one occasion, a boy deliberately sliced open her hand with a knife during a class, and the teachers did next to nothing to defend her. In fact, she was the one who ended up getting punished. Having now attended efterskole in Denmark, she credits

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ALL PHOTOS: RHEANNA CARTIER

Beauty pageant contestants are known for scraping the barrel for things to say, but for Rheanna Cartier, that isn’t a problem, as aged just 14 she attended a boarding school near Viborg, which she credits with changing her life

her experience with making her far more mature and empathetic than before – qualities that she contends are sorely missing among English school-children. A future Miss World? RHEANNA’S story has been doing the rounds in the English media, and who knows: perhaps more English children will follow her example in the future. In the meantime, she has Miss England to look forward to, and potentially Miss World. It would be an apt ending to an arc that began with her seeking a more worldly perspective in little old Denmark. Can you remember the first time you heard about a Danish efterskole, and what was the context? I had really bad bullying in school and my mum was so stressed about what to do that her Danish friend Rikke recommended I should go to an efterskole. My mum talked with me and I instantly wanted to go. We ended up choosing Skals Efterskole. Were you surprised you could attend a boarding school in Denmark for a year, and that compared to British private schools, it is not that expensive? Yes, private schools in my part of England can be very expensive. Nevertheless, as the child of non-residents, you didn't qualify for a subsidy. Do you remember how much it cost

Before Denmark things looked bleak for Miss Cartier, but now her future is crystal clear

in total for the year. I think we end up paying 10,000 pounds [back then, around 100,000 kroner]. How would you compare the teachers and your fellow students to what you were used to in England? The teachers in Denmark treated me more like an adult which made me grow and made me ready for the real world. I think in England the schools discipline students too much, which causes behavioural problems and makes them unhappy. I remember in my English school I had to wait outside a

lesson for half an hour because I forgot my pen. In Denmark they would probably tell me to bring it next time, but they would never make me miss out on learning. The students were nice and respectful to people. My amazing Danish friend Maja helped me so much because after my time in English schools I needed help. She helped me to mature and made me a better person. Also in England, students have to wear uniforms and I really enjoyed wearing my own clothes in Denmark as I felt more mature. In general, I always felt positive during lessons in Denmark, but in England it

felt so negative because most of my teachers had a negative attitude. In Danish schools, a huge emphasis is placed on empathy and teamwork. Could the English system learn from this? The English system could really learn from this. Bullying in England is a major problem and something really needs to change. English schools don’t have a proper system in place for bullying. Teachers heard people shout horrible names and they didn’t even report it or acknowledge it, and I was only 13 years old at the time.

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12 February - 25 March 2021

Did your year at the Danish efterskole fit in with your studies in England, or did they make you take an extra year to replace the one you'd missed. They fit in with my studies because Skals Efterskole did an international IGCSE program, which is the exam we take in the UK. Did you learn much Danish; what was your favourite expression? I tried to learn as much as possible. I had a really good Danish teacher called Anna; the lessons were so fun and she was my favourite teacher. I think my favourite expression was ‘Vi ses’. BULLYING You credit your experience at the efterskole with giving you confidence and raising a self-esteem that had been battered by bullies at English schools. How did it succeed in doing that, and how has it impacted the life you're leading today?

It made me mature and also fixed my behavioural problems. I didn’t like the person I had become due to attending schools in England, and Denmark changed me for the better. Some of our readers won't know how bad it can get, as bullying is much rarer in the Danish system. Could you give us some examples of what you were subjected to? I would be excluded from everyone; people called me vile names. It wasn’t just a group of people, it was lots of groups. I was only 13 years old at the time. The people who called me names were 14-17 years old. A boy got a knife out in a textiles lesson and slit my hand. I would have fights daily. We have a thing in England called isolation and the teachers made me sit in a small room from 8:30-3:05 at a desk against the wall in complete silence. I was put in there most days. When I returned from Denmark I didn’t go back to English schools but

a group of five people assaulted me. They hit me over the head and kicked me and videoed it. Why do you think bullying is less common in Danish schools? In England if a student doesn’t fit in, people bully them and the mentality is to follow the example like sheep. People fear being different or expressing themselves because people will bully them. As a young woman, you might be better equipped to focus on the difference between English and Danish women, and why one group might be more likely to bully. I feel like in Denmark women have lots of friends, whereas in England they tend to have one group and they don’t mix with other people.

it on your CV? It’s a big talking point in interviews. I think interviewers pick me because they are intrigued by it and they want to know more. Also because I was only 14 at the time that I moved, they are really impressed by it.

it through so far? I made it through the first round, and then I was placed in the wildcard round. The second round was a public vote and third based on interviews by a judging panel, and then I got into the finals.

Your story was picked up by the owner of the Daily Star and Daily Express, so it appeared in both newspapers, but don't you think the British tabloid press must bear some of the responsibility for face-to-face and social media bullying, and particularly the bullying of women, in Britain today? I think bullying is a problem in all areas. Not just in school but in the media and workplace, so I think something large-scale is needed to combat it.

Do you plan to cite your efterskole experience if you make it to the round in which you speak about what makes your tick? Are there any causes you plan to cite? It will always have a place in my heart for Denmark because it truly transformed my life, and I will always promote it. Regarding causes, I really want the English school system to change and to help combat bullying.

SINCE GRADUATION How much attention has your year in Denmark received? For example, when somebody sees

You're competing in Miss England in July. How did that journey start and how many rounds have you made

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If you had to include a Danish sentence in your speech, what would it be! Vær den forandring, som du ønsker at se I verden (be the change that you want to see in the world).

SCIENCE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

A MASS screening of groundwater in Denmark has shown traces of the harmful chemical trifluoroacetic acid. While it is not considered a health risk to the population, it is recommended that all municipalities examine their drinking water to be safe. A high concentration was recently found in German rainwater.

Puberty link to parents GIRLS whose parents split up early tend to enter puberty three months earlier than average, according to a Aarhus University study of 16,000 children aged 11-18. The study defines ‘early’ as the parents never living together, or splitting up when the girls were very young. Over the past century the average age of girls reaching puberty has fallen from 17 to 13.

Dinosaur’s adroit anus A DANISH-LED research team has successfully reconstructed a 'Psittacosaurus dinosaur’s multi-functioning anus, gaining an exclusive sneak peek into their sex life and reproductive functions. According to Jakob Vinther, the lead author of the study, it functioned as both a pee hole and feeding hole – so like a Swiss Army penknife, he told vindenskab.dk.

Afghan water search A PROJECT collaboration between the DTU and Kabul Polytechnic University will use satellite data to uncover water resources and purify them in Afghanistan. Currently climate change, poor infrastructure, conflicts and political unrest pose a challenge to finding and purifying water in Afghanistan.

High wire drone act A TEAM of researchers from the Mærsk McKinney Møller Institute have developed a new intelligent drone that can check high voltage wires. When the drone runs out of power, it recharges itself in a magnetic field around the wire. Today, there are 7,000km's worth of such wires hanging over Denmark, and their maintenance is risky and expensive.

Coronavirus vaccination program on course to finish by June 27 despite supplier delays

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Groundwater fears

Corona jabs: age before duty

12 February - 25 March 2021

BEN HAMILTON

N RESPONSE to the recently announced vaccination delivery delays by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and recently-approved AstraZeneca, Denmark's nationwide strategy has been altered to prioritise the protection of self-sufficient citizens aged above 85 before healthcare workers. Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority, explained to Politiken that old age is the crucial determining factor in the face of COVID-19’s severity, so this age group needs to be protected as soon as possible. Over 75 percent of care centre residents have been administered their second vaccination jabs, as have half of frontline health workers.

“We’ll get you before you get the jab, Doctor”

ulation by June 27, although Statens Serum Institut concedes it is too early to tell. The majority of the population – the 3 million people under the age of 65 who neither suffer from a chronic illness nor work in a front-line healthcare job – can expect to receive their first jabs between April 12 and May 23, and their second by June 27.

one in the Nordics – and close to 2 percent were fully vaccinated. Leading the way are Israel (65.83) and the UAE (44.63), with the UK (18.86) and US (12.68) third and fourth.

Still on course IT IS NOT thought the vaccine delays will affect Denmark's plans to fully vaccinate the pop-

Israel the world leader AT THE time of going to print, 5.84 percent of the population of Denmark had received their first jab – ranking the country eighth in the world and number

Vaccine study ongoing AN ONGOING study carried out by researchers from Rigshospitalet, Herlev, Gentofte and Nordsjælland hospitals will assess the effectiveness of the vaccines being administered in Denmark. The key questions will include: how long are the vaccines effective, can a vaccinated person carry the coronavirus, and do they work?

Dog adoption rise

The secrets of wood

Was there a meteor?

ACCORDING to the Danish Kennel Club, the number of dog adoptions rose by 10 percent during the 2020 lockdown periods. People have more time to care for their pets, the club contends, whilst cancelled holidays have inspired many others to adopt during these times. Adoption rates have been in freefall since the financial crisis of 2008.

A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen research team have created a method to see how wood is formed from the inside. Potentially, the research could be used to create stronger building materials and alter growing patterns to increase a tree’s ability to accumulate biomass, thus resulting in a slowdown in the CO2 emission rate.

THE UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen has determined that the Maniitsoq Crater in Greenland, which was previously believed to be the oldest of its type, is in fact not a meteor crater. A 2012 hypothesis showed how the area was shaped by the shockwaves of a meteor, but researchers contend that they can explain its origins by ordinary geological processes.

Fish foetus answers

Tender to build Thor

Wolf protection

AARHUS University has received 2.5 million kroner from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to study the hearts of zebrafish foetuses in a bid to reveal the genetic cause of cardiac arrests sustained by young people. In related news, cod in the eastern Baltic Sea are on their last legs, according to a DTU Aqua research project, but they could bounce back in 15 years if conditions improve.

A TENDER is ongoing to see who will build the 15.5 billion kroner Thor Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Thorsminde, which when completed in 2027 will power 800,000 homes and be the nation’s biggest. It will surpass Kriegers Flak, which opened last month in the Baltic and will eventually power 600,000 homes. Its Swedish constructor Vattenfall faces competition from Ørsted and four others.

THE DANISH Environmental Protection Agency believes that nine of the country's 24 protected wolves have disappeared. New recommendations are being formulated to stop their illegal killing. In other animal news, razorbills and guillemots have been spotted in several ports in north Jutland, and five killer whales were recently spotted off the shore of Skagerrak.

Heading the commission DENMARK will lead the International Energy Agency’s global green energy commission, which will aim to identify and solve social issues arising from clean energy transition. The climate minister, Dan Jørgensen, will chair ‘Our Inclusive Energy Future: The Global Commission on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions’, and PM Mette Frederiksen will be the patron. The first meeting is expected in mid-March.

Obesity link to cancer A UNIVERSITY of Southern Denmark study concludes that obese people are more likely to get cancer. Obesity makes cancer cells more aggressive, which enables them to spread easier in the case of breast cancer. In Denmark there are approximately 5,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer annually.

Breastfeeding benefits A ODENSE University Hospital study underscores the importance of breastfeeding, as it helps to protect babies from infections in their first year of life – an affliction that causes a quarter to end up in hospital. Breastfeeding reduces this risk by half, demonstrates the study, and could very well keep toddlers infection-free until they are three.

Couch potato bomb BENTE Klarlund, a leading doctor attached to Rigshospitalet, warns that Denmark is sitting on a couch potato timebomb due to the cold weather and lockdown. “It is a huge experiment with our health,” she told TV2. “In just two weeks [of inactivity], you lose muscle mass and get more fat around the organs, more fat in the blood and are closer to getting diabetes.”

Apple tree pest here APHIS, a pest that sucks the nutrition out of apple tree leaves and disrupts their photosynthesis, has been found for the first time in Denmark. How the pest got here is currently unknown, but it can present trouble for apple tree growers in the future.

SPORT & CULTURE

12 February - 25 March 2021

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Hands down, the best in the world

ONLINE THIS WEEK DANSK HÅNDBOLD UNION/FACEBOOK

And another THE THOMAS Vinterberg film ‘Druk’ (‘Another Round’) has furthered its Oscar credentials with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The winner will be announced on February 28. Vinterberg will be hoping for third time lucky after failing with ‘Festen’ (1999) and ‘Jagten’ (2014). Danish films not made by Vinterberg have a good record: three wins from six noms!

Flee like Parasite FOLLOWING some stunning reviews, Jonas Poher Rasmussen's animated documentary 'Flugt' ('Flee') won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, while another Final Cut for Real film, Camilla Nielsson's 'President', also picked up an award. Neon has already picked up the US rights to distribute 'Flugt' for which Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Riz Ahmed will voice the leads. Neon previously distributed ‘Parasite’.

Danish disaster in details AN EXHIBITION dedicated to Denmark’s worst maritime disaster, the sinking of the DFDS vessel SS Norge disaster in 1904, is opening at the end of February in Stornoway, the Scottish island port that many of the survivors reached after days at sea. Of the 627 who died, 92 were Danes and 225 were Norwegians. The Copenhagen-New York service had two stops in Norway.

Name change opposed OVER 2,500 people have signed a petition protesting against the decision by the Kvindemuseet museum’s board to change the name of the Aarhus establishment to 'KØN – Gender Museum Denmark'. In defence of its decision, the board said: “Museums do not stand still. We are created out of a movement and we stay in motion.”

Pilou’s poor choice PILOU Asbæk features in Mikael Håfström’s new film ‘Outside the Wire’, which made its worldwide premiere on Netflix on January 15, but his Oscar-worthy performance as a Russian militia boss couldn’t stop the film from being universally panned. On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored just 35 percent.

Our Daddy IT TRANSPIRES that the subject of 'Daddy – mit liv som husfar', a documentary short (it is over 50 minutes long!) recently nominated for a Robert, is Brendan Cooney, an American expat who used to write for our entertainment section InOut. The director Lars Emil Leonhardt, who filmed Cooney on and off for six years, commends him for providing a “non-Danish view of our small country with a self-irony that he must have picked up here” as he navigates fatherhood.

Publishing shocker Looks like Mikkel Hansen (red headband) had a rival look-alike this time around

Denmark defend their Men’s World Handball Championship title in style

Some might say it was easier this time, as almost all of their group games were double-digit walkovers. But that was poor preparation for their first tight contest, which came in the quarters where they got one hell of a fright against the hosts Egypt. Despite leading 16-13 at half-time, they needed penalties to prevail. A chance for history in 2023 IN A TIGHT final against upstart neighbours Sweden, the Danes came out on top 26-24. World star Mikkel Hansen scored seven goals for the Danes,

but it was keeper Niklas Landin who was the big hero of the night, making several big saves to deny Sweden in the second half. Spain, who Denmark defeated 35-33 in the semis, beat France for the bronze. Denmark is just the fourth country to repeat as world champs, joining Sweden (195458), Romania (twice: 1961-64, 1970-74) and France (2009-11 and 2015-17). No country has won three times in a row, but the Danes will get the chance in the 2023 edition, which will be co-hosted by Sweden and Poland.

DR schooling channel

First men only show

White House beckons

DR HAS opened a channel on DRTV dedicated to home-schooling. ‘Ramasjang homeschool’ broadcasts from 08:00 to 14:00 every weekday. The content, which is mainly aimed at children aged 4-8, includes subjects such as nature, history and mathematics, whilst also encouraging movement. It can also be streamed via DRTV.

DISCOVERY has this month started shooting a Danish version of ‘Prince Charming’, the American reality show in which a gay singleton looks for love. It is believed that ‘Prince Charming – DK’, which will be shot at a Danish country retreat and screened over the summer, will be the first Danish reality dating program to exclusively feature men.

AHEAD of learning that her TV series ‘The Undoing’ has earned four Golden Globe noms, Susanne Bier confirmed she is preparing to make ‘The First Lady’. It would appear that each episode will focus on a former president’s wife. Viola Davis has already signed up to play Michelle Obama, while Michelle Pfeiffer will portray Betty Ford.

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

WO YEARS ago, Denmark embarked on a Men’s World Handball Championship campaign in search of their first title. They opened the tournament in 2019 by beating Chile ... and they haven't lost a world championship game since. Not only did they go undefeated to win in 2019, but they managed to do the same again in 2021 in Cairo.

THE PUBLISHING industry also has a #MeToo problem at its heart, according to a recent report that has unearthed 30 stories of unwanted sexual attention from mostly would-be authors and translators who responded to the survey. Over half, 18, took place in the last decade, and in total 70 people took part in the survey.

Netflix classes IN COLLABORATION with four Danish film workshops (known collectively as Fonden Filmtalent), Netflix will run masterclasses on making TV series in Denmark in a bid to unearth more talent. The deadline to enlist on Serieskolen, which will be conducted over Zoom, is February 28. Applicants need to submit an idea for a TV series. In June, three teams will receive 100,000 kroner plus equipment to make a pilot.

Back of the head A FIRST glimpse of ‘Margrete den første’ revealed nothing but a brief history lesson and the back of a head – whether it was Trine Dyrholm’s, who is playing the lead, was unclear. The film’s English title with a Game of Thrones echo: ‘Margrete – Queen of the North’. It is expected to hit cinemas this summer.

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Most sustainable ØRSTED ranked second on the 2021 Global 100 Index of the world’s most sustainable corporations with more than 1 billion dollars in revenue, behind French company Schneider Electric. Also in the top 100 were Vestas (21), Chr Hansen (24), Novozymes (36) and Novo Nordisk (98). In related news, Dansk Industri predicts that Joe Biden’s new climate policy is a golden opportunity for Denmark, should the US president get funding from Congress.

Tragic mine investors PKA PENSION and PFA Pension had both invested 25 million kroner in the reportedly negligent co-owners of the Chinese gold mine where 22 workers were trapped for two weeks, reported Danwatch. Eleven were rescued and ten died in the Hushan mine near Qixia in the Shandong province of eastern China, where an explosion blocked the entrance on January 10.

Used car sale record IN TOTAL, 440,000 used cars were registered sold in Denmark last year – a new record and significant increase on the 380,000 sold in 2019. At the same time, new car sales fell by 12 percent to 199,000. In related news, 7.2 percent fewer citizens took to the road last year, but 1 percent more trucks.

More webshops TECH GIANT team.blue has reported a 20 percent rise in the number of Danes opening webshops in 2020.

Plenty of room for optimism Exports only slightly down, employees better off and industries hard at work LUKE ROBERTS

TOUGH last year worldwide saw exports of Danish goods and services in 2020 fall by 9 percent compared to 2019, according to Danmarks Statistik – a figure corresponding to 111.5 billion kroner. However, growth of 3.3 percent in November provides reason for optimism. The sharp decline – driven by the coronavirus pandemic – hides otherwise positive trends, according to Nykredit's chief economist, Troels Kromand Danielsen, with order backlogs in the export industry already close to what they were before the pandemic. "It is heartening for the industry and, with the ongoing roll-out of the vaccines worldwide, it is looking good for Danish exports," he told BT. "But there will be bumps in the road."

Las Olsen is positive the industry is in better shape than it was last spring, owing to the avoidance of a total shutdown of the sector. "This time, it seems that they have avoided shutting down this industry. It is now mainly affecting restaurants, shops and travel, which were already hard hit, and which do not import as many goods from Denmark," he told BT. "However, it is far from irrelevant because it means, among other things, that our exports in the form of foreign tourists in Denmark have continued to sink completely."

has risen (up 2.1 percent) faster than inflation (just 0.4 percent) – an increase of around 7,200 kroner a year for the average family, according to Dansk Erhverv.

Springing back DANSKE Bank chief economist

Heavy job losses THE NUMBER of long-term unemployed people in Denmark has doubled due to the corona restrictions, which have forced many job centres to close down and resulted in internships and wage-subsidised jobs being suspended. Labour market researchers are worried about the current tendency, stating that the longer people are unemployed, the harder it is for them to find a job. For the employed, it is mostly good news, as the average salary

Help with VAT concerns MEANWHILE, the new help package to support Danish businesses through the lockdown will have a budget of 170 billion kroner. It includes loans for taxes and deferrals to VAT, and all companies founded before November 1 are eligible. Previously the cut-off was March 9. The package aims to protect jobs, and a survey of Dansk Industri members suggests that far fewer companies are furloughing staff during this lockdown. Together they sent home 23,000 workers, compared to 48,000 in Week 19 last year. The government is planning to set up a VAT loan scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises. This means that companies currently looking forward to paying double VAT on March 1 will have access to a loan so that payment is deferred.

New low for Danske

Jumping on GameStop

Posting profits for fun

A STRING of negative media coverage has seen the public opinion of Danske Bank dive once again, according to a Voxmeter survey that places it last among Denmark's biggest banks. The bank lost 22,000 private customers over the first nine months of 2020: 1.3 percent of its total customer base.

MANY DANES have invested in GameStop amid the massive increase in share sales driven by Reddit. According to Nordnet, 5 percent of all recent trades in Denmark were in GameStop. Experts warn that even though the scheme is set to cause losses for big investors, it can also cause trouble for smaller ones in the long run.

POSTAL carrier PostNord made a 1.3 billion kroner profit in 2020 on the back of substantially more purchases made online during the lockdown – up from 200 million kroner in 2019, which was its first profit in decades. From March, around 1,500 of its delivery points will be open over the weekend.

12 February - 25 March 2021

ONLINE THIS WEEK Novo on song PHARMA giant Novo Nordisk saw its profits rise by 127 billion kroner in 2020 – an 8 percent rise. Enzymes producer Novozymes, in contrast, experienced flat organic growth as revenue fell by 3 percent to 14.0 billion kroner. The energy group Ørsted, meanwhile, is on course for an operating profit of 18 billion kroner, according to its latest projections.

Vestas job losses VESTAS has confirmed of the 220 employees it will make redundant, once its integration of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind is complete, the majority are based in Denmark.

Fewer foreclosures THANKS to a favourable housing market in Denmark, homeowners struggling with outstanding loans were probably able to sell before it came to a foreclosure last year. In total, there were just 2,112 forced auctions – the lowest number since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008.

Nemlig expanding ONLINE supermarket Nemlig has invested hundreds of millions of kroner in an enormous new distribution centre near Aarhus. The site is expected to cover around 30,000 sqm, create 1,000 jobs, and open in 2022. The pandemic has allowed the retailer to expand greatly in the past year, with the last financial year seeing a 45 percent growth in revenue to 2.1 billion kroner.

VALENTINE'S DAY

12 February - 25 March 2021

Love is for the way you …

To mark this year's Valentine’s Day, 22 CPH POST readers share the stories of how they met and fell head over heels ORSOLYA ALBERT

OVE IS magical, and love is all around. We celebrate love on Valentine’s Day, but really love is every day. But this time, let it be you, our readers, who tell us what love is. We compiled a selection of 11 love stories that couldn’t be more different, yet are all the same. A simple yet extraordinary story of how two people found each other, grew together and how much they love each other. From the modern days of dating apps, through travelling or getting to know someone from only two blocks away, all these stories tell us the course of many lives tied together by compassion and love.

TED AND LOUISE

E MET IN September 1973. I was 20 and Ted was 24. He was applying for jobs at the company where I worked as a service personnel secretary. I helped him to complete the employment forms. His address was only two blocks from where I lived. His family had lived there for many years, but we had never met. I was attracted to his sense of humour and his eyes. He smiled with his eyes. A week later he asked me out for

Ted and Louise in 1974

a date. I already had a date. He suggested that I should cancel and go out with him instead. He was very persuasive. I cancelled and we went on our first date. After our second date we were talking about getting married. Asking my father for permission, we got engaged at Christmas and were married in September 1974. The following years were busy, working and raising two wonderful sons. We have six beautiful grandchildren and a strong connection to Denmark through family. Our eldest son lived in Denmark with his wife and four children. We have visited them often over the years and have enjoyed many of Denmark’s traditions whilst exploring the

country. Happy and healthy, we bought a convertible and are having fun. This year we celebrate our 47th anniversary and look forward to many more.

BARBARA AND NICK

E MET ON an app where he clicked on me first, I clicked right back. We started to talk through messenger and decided to meet up. He lived in Herning and I was still living in Aalborg. We agreed that he would come to Aalborg, but he didn’t! At the time he said his car broke, later he confessed that he drank a little too much with friends

Erika and Jonathan

so couldn’t drive, which we still laugh about. Luckily, I had a voucher from FlixBus so I went to Herning to meet him instead. It was absolutely awesome, it felt like we had known each other

for a long time. There was really no awkwardness or weirdness! We started to chat middle august, a month later we become a couple. November 14, we got happily engaged and in December I moved to Herning so we could start our lives together. So, everything happened in 5 months, we matched online, met in person, got into a serious relationship, got engaged and moved in together. And we couldn’t be happier!

ERIKA AND JONATHAN

M Ted and Louise a little more recently

Barbara and Nick

Y NAME is Erika, from Italy, and I was studying at university in 2004 when the tsunami hit in Asia. I took a chance, and I went to volunteer in Sri Lanka as a disaster

10 VALENTINE'S DAY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 February - 25 March 2021

context of the pandemic. 2020 required me to move through and surrender in order to love bravely. I grieved future plans with loved ones abroad, a job, and a new normal full of restrictions. In doing so, I gained and expanded, blending a new family full of memories and freedom in the present. Click. click. click.

RADOSLAVA AND CHRISTIAN

Stina and Jim

relief aid. There I met Jonathan, a French guy that lived in Denmark and was there for the same purpose. He opened the doors of the place where the volunteers have stayed and helped carry my bags! My English was very poor, yet we still managed to have fun and talk. We fell in love and decided to move to Denmark in the summer of 2005 together. He learned Italian and I learned English and Danish. I dropped out of university and changed everything. I started university in Copenhagen, and we have been together ever since. We got married in 2015. Before having our kids, we spent one year in South Africa but decided to come back to Denmark pregnant with our first child. Now we have 2 beautiful children, Lily who’s 6 years old and Tristan who’s just a month old.

STINA AND JIM OVE DIDN’T bring me to Copenhagen, but it found me here amidst the

pandemic. Jim and I met on a Tuesday night towards the end of 2019, when walks around the lake were novel and not the default. We were both expats living and working in the city – he as a Swedish architect and I as an American in product at a startup. We had biked on Dronning Louises Brø and clicked a heart on Happn after. Our lives were in transition at the time, so we became friends. Swan watching walks around the city turned into coffee. Coffee turned into dinner. Dinner turned into flowers or plant clippings. A text became a call. A call became a letter. Space for love expanded unbeknownst. It was May during Denmark's first lockdown that it first clicked. We drove to Møns Klint. I couldn’t tell you the exact moment I knew I loved him that weekend. But I looked over and saw a person that I wanted to share life with. In July, a second click. I met his daughter Pil. It's hard to imagine the relationship beginning outside the

HE FRIES and the floofs” In the spring of 2017 Radoslava (aka. The fry) was swiping through a dating app in search of ... whatever. The fun of modern dating was over and the thought of “getting to know” someone new was tiring. She kept on swiping, mainly because it became a habit or a social activity with my girlfriends. One way or another Christian (aka. The other fry) swiped right on me. The reasons are long forgotten now. He initiated the communication with a smartsy line, forgotten as well, but the present shows it worked! One text led to another, then a date, and some more. The relation started to look more like a relationship. Nicknames such as "the fry/fries" became a reality. In my defense, he came up with it. At some point we moved in together and adopted our first floof: a male cat named Bam: annoying but hella lovin’. A second one entered our lives a year later: a much less annoying female named Chloe. 4 years later our days go by with a lot of food, love and arguments about where the socks are supposed to be. I know we sound like any other couple but what makes us "spicey" is our obsession with the floofs. Assuming the neighbours know us as that “weird cat people”, because who else would be taking their cats out for a walk?

I Radoslava and Christian

Keri and her Pizzaman

the bar to return with the next round of drinks flew out of my head. It was a warm, February night in my hometown Wellington (New Zealand), the kind that makes you wonder why you would want to live anywhere else in the world. “Where are you from?” I asked Pizzaman, going in with the big questions first. The alcohol encouraging me fearlessly in my line of questioning. My money was on he was from either Germany or The Netherlands. A smile, possibly a grimace, moved over his face as he replied, “Denmark.”. An image of pastries and a pint-sized mermaid statue immediately jumped into my head. “Ahhhh, Denmark. Been there, done that,” I said, or so I thought having visited the land of the Vikings many years earlier. “Good pastries. Not sure about the brown bread and herring thing, though. But come and meet my friends so we can

KERI AND ...

DIDN’T even know he was a Dane. I saw his pizza first. It lured me in with its crispy crust, as all thought of my friends waiting for me on the other side of

Beata and ... two weeks of bliss

swap travel stories. It was a typical friendly Kiwi invitation that he seemed genuinely shocked with. Nevertheless, he followed and that was all it took to send me on a journey towards a life in Denmark (as well as a lifetime of trying to correctly pronounce the Danish word for bread). Ten years later I’m still trying to work out how to live with a Dane. An entertaining scenario I decided to share in a book called ‘Nothing Like a Dane’ (available soon) it’s a snort inducing tale of what it’s really like living with a Dane (and the dangers of pizza).

BEATA AND ...

TANDING outside the airport, looking at my watch for what feels like the hundredth time. Minutes are dragging by and my stomach fills up with the flutter of butterflies' wings. I am nervous but excited. Head filled with “what ifs”, best and worst scenarios. I haven’t seen you in over five months. What if you remember it dif-

VALENTINE'S DAY

12 February - 25 March 2021

ferently? What if we don’t have it anymore? And then one second I feel my heart about to explode in my chest. You’re there and I’m running before I realize what’s happening. You drop your bags and hug me so tight all the tension goes away. Our eyes lock and it’s like no time has passed. We have two weeks before you have to go away and the wait begins once again. Two weeks of just you and me. Two weeks for adventures, for exploring places and experiencing as much as we can. When I’m alone, it doesn’t feel right. I question everything, wonder why and get tired of phone calls with no touch or closeness. When we’re together, I feel whole again. Everything falls back into place. As William Shakespeare once said: “The course of true love never did run smoothly.” Going through bumps on the way are worth the destination at the end. The pandemic turned lives upside down. But it hasn’t changed what I feel for you and it hasn’t changed the way you look at me. A lot has changed. But not between us.

ANGIE AND TRYGVE

EN AND a half years ago, on a backpacking trip from Canada to Costa Rica, I scored one of the last hostel beds in San Diego (this was during the summer, so hostels were pretty much full). When I opened the door to the hostel, there stood 20+ tall, tanned, blonde, blue-eyed Scan-

time with him. After staying in the Netherlands for 2 months I came back to Denmark and we took the risk of living together. It must’ve been love! And after two years of living together, Marcus proposed a marriage. He proposed where we first met, it was spring. Then we got

TO GRANDMA WITH LOVE No wonder you were born on Valentine’s Day. You are a woman of love, we’ll never forget.

Liesel and Marcus

dinavians who were looking to start their semester at SDSU and were told to start their adventure at the Banana Bungalow hostel. I was stunned (cheerleader effect, I guess?). I then proceeded to checkin and head to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich for dinner. There, I literally bumped into Trygve. A Bornholmer-Dane, on an exchange from DTU – we went to the bar crawl that night, I couldn’t pronounce his name for the life of me, but the rest is history. Today, we live in Copenhagen with our 18-month-old daughter Robyn.

ILDIKÓ AND KASPER

UR STORIES started in October 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. I was single for a long time, so my friends recommended a dating app for me to try. At first, I was sceptical, but I thought I can’t go out or do other things where I can meet new people, so why not? After I downloaded the app, I came across Kasper. We had

talked a lot and then we agreed to meet. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible for us to meet for a while because both of us were busy. But finally, we managed to meet. The first date, however, was a little different. When we met, my roomie had to assemble an Ikea piece of furniture, so when Kasper arrived, the first thing that happened on the date was that he had to help with that. It was a little strange as he did not get much time to talk to me and it took three hours before they had finished. Despite that, it went just fine in the end, and we ended the day with a lot of wine and watched a funny movie to compensate for having to read through an Ikea manual most of the evening. Subsequently, we continued to meet with each other, and today we have been together for over four months. We both hope, we can gather more furniture together that brought us both together in the first place.

Grandma, what you felt for us, how you cared and what you did. You showed how huge one’s heart can be, when it's filled with love and only love. Because you knew love is pure, love cures it all. And when a new tomorrow dawned, you always chose to see the beautiful things in this world, like your green, green garden. Or the little birds that sat outside. How you talked to them, Grandma, I will never forget. You were so wonderful, so strong, so gentle, so warm. And most of all, and that impresses me still, no matter what happened in life. You chose love, you are love. For good.

LIESEL AND MARCUS

Ildikó and Kasper

ARCUS and I met through a dating app last spring 2018. We agreed that this is just a “summer fling” because I’m moving to the Netherlands after six months. When I met him, I thought what a typical Dane: blue eyes, tall and not that blonde. I guessed it was love at first sight. We spent the whole summer together until the day I had to move. It was difficult for us to part ways, we have spent too much time together but no regrets, it was great spending

Linda and Hansi (Grandma)

married last October 2020, we only invited his parents and two brothers because of the restrictions on gathering then we had a photographer and we spent the whole evening with pizza and wine. We never thought that we would become Mr and Mrs Krebs. Too often you had to feel great pain, and still: you took the pain, pulled it close to your heart and let the sorrow turn bright. You made good out of life, no matter how hard. This was beautiful. This showed me who you are: A woman of love, we’ll never forget. I told you I was moving abroad, to Copenhagen, not that far. You smiled and said: “Take your heart with you”. I did and took yours with me too. Now I am here, and missing you, your voice, your smile. But when I look outside the window, I see the trees, the leaves, the birds. and I see you – singing your songs. And I listen to you. Like you listened to them in your green, green garden. Grandma, you are a woman of love, we’ll never forget. A love poem to my grandmother Hansi * 14/02/1934 † 19/06/2020

12 VALENTINE'S DAY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 February - 25 March 2021

Matador, je t'adore! You hold a monopoly on all our hearts Despite every other Dane owning a box-set of the country's most beloved drama series, millions would tune in for another screening of their beloved all-time favourite SOFIE GRAVERS JACOBSEN

OME COMFORTS are obvious: chocolate, warmth after a cold day spent outdoors, the presence of a docile cat. And then others are less easy to understand – these tend to be the ones that people are remembered for: the film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Simon and Garfunkel. And in Denmark, you can add the TV series ‘Matador’ to this list. Amazingly popular FIRST aired by DR1 between 1978 and 1982, it has been screened on Danish television’s main channel eight times. In 2012 on the occasion of its sixth screening, a poll revealed that nearly 2 million Danes – approximately 40 percent of the nation – would happily watch it again. And indeed, an amazing 3.6 million viewers tuned into the airing of the series finale in 1985, a record for a country that only had a population of 5 million at time, which is all the more remarkable given that this was a repeat screening. So what’s all the fuss about? Top talent FIRST of all, it’s an incredible

concoction of artists producing possibly their finest ever work. Matador is forever associated with its director Erik Balling, a giant of Danish film and television, who besides Matador is best known for making the 1956 Oscar-nominated film ‘Qivitoq’ and creating and directing ‘The Olsen Gang’ series. But the brains behind the series was Lise Nørgaard, the creator and co-writer. Nørgaard, who is now 103, is a cherished Danish journalist, author and screenwriter whom had previously created and written ‘Huset på Christianshavn’ (19731977), another hugely popular TV series, which was also directed by Balling. And don’t forget the cast. Over its 24 episode-run, the majority of Denmark’s well-known theatre and cinema actors of the era appeared in the series – in most cases, in what turned out to be career-defining roles. Likewise, the Matador music composed by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, the creator of memorable tunes like ‘Alley Cats’ and ‘The Olsen Band’, is iconic. Thematically strong AND THEN there is the overriding theme: snobbery. Matador is set in the fictional town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. The story is set in motion by the arrival of Mads Skjern and his young son, Daniel. Mads, undeterred but not unhurt by the less than warm welcome he receives from the established families in Korsbæk, persists with his ambition to open a clothing shop. The ‘head of the town’, the

“Everyone’s forgotten their facemask. What are the odds?”

banker Hans Christian Varnæs, mistakenly remains loyal to the inept local clothing shop owner, rather than following his common business sense, and refuses to lend Mads any money. Using family money, Mads opens a rival shop, and as the series progresses, he gradually takes over the town. Extremely humourous THE SERIES is extremely humourous, extracting comic gold from characters who represent every social step of the ladder, and their moves up and down this ladder. One of the many memorable lines from the series is ‘av min arm’ (literally translated as ‘my arm hurts’), which is the Varnæs’s nurse’s only response to any information she receives. When Maude Varnæs complains that her youngest daughter is very slow at learning to speak, her sister wryly remarks: “She is very good at saying ‘av min arm’.” This is a classic example of how the authors manage to subtly and humorously show that the daughter is neglected by her parents and the result is an obvious lack of speech. Deals with the Occupation THE TIME period is also cru-

cial. Matador is set during a pivotal moment in Danish history that many of the original viewers could still remember clearly. The lengthy Nazi occupation, in particular, is enormously interesting to viewers. The series pays faithful attention to the development of fashion, interior design, and cultural trends, and it provides a great introduction to the everyday life of Danes during the 1930s and 40s. This may help explain why every fourth grownup in Denmark has watched the series at least four times. The best ever episode? TO A NON-DANISH audience, however, the response is often subdued. Many give up after the first couple of episodes (normally a present from a new Danish relative) because they find it, at first glance, provincial (it is set in a town) and predictable. But in reality, many fans agree that it is the characters’ unexpected actions that make the series so endearing – in short, the characters behave like real people not caricatures. For example, Maude Varnæs, the wife of the chief executive Hans Christian Varnæs, in one of Matador’s most compelling episodes, surprises everyone

by taking responsibility in the face of very real danger to do the right thing. Up until that moment, her solution to most difficulties, small as they may be, has been to announce: “I will go and have a lie down.” But upon hearing the news that the Nazis are going to deport the Jewish population, she drives one of her husband’s Jewish bank assistants to a member of the Danish resistance. It’s an unexpected act of bravery by an unintentionally amusing character, who we had assumed was not at all brave. Still remembered fondly IN RECENT years there have been no signs that the show will fade in the public’s imagination. In 2015, the themepark Bakken opened a 2,500 sqm, 100 million kroner area dedicated to the series called ‘Korsbæk’. Primarily an area for restaurants, several of the show’s locations have been faithfully recreated. In 2017 and 2018, DR produced a podcast hosted by Cecilie Nielsen to accompany yet another screening of the series, and the first two episodes are the most downloaded in Danish history. Another screening took place last year, and ‘Matador’ will no doubt be on again soon. Like good wines, it matures with age.

VALENTINE'S DAY

12 February - 25 March 2021

Life without it would pull the rug out from under the entire nation

Aye, there’s the rug

Rugbrød, the staple of the nation's diet for centuries, is an integral ingredient of its collective consciousness. Today, it is equally at home in simple rustic food and New Nordic Cuisine LONE TVEDEGAARD MCGUIRE

OU DON’T need to know much about this country to know there are three things a Dane will invariably miss while abroad for a long period: leverpostej (liver paté), saltlakrids (strong salt liquorice) and rugbrød (rye bread). The Danes believe that rugbrød is one of Scandinavia’s gifts to humanity. They champion it as being healthy, hearty, moist and just lovely, and possibly the best way ever to fully appreciate rye as a crop. Rugbrød is to Denmark what pumpernickel is to Germany. It has a somewhat milder taste

compared to its German counterpart, and many foreigners who have tasted the two actually prefer rugbrød. But still, many foreigners are a little baffled by the Danes’ love of rugbrød and tend to pigeon-hole it away with their other ‘special’ food habits. After all, it is loved so much here that they eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just last week, it was revealed that liver pate on rugbrød is the most preferred weekday dinner, with most Danes eating it at least twice a month. This country’s corn RUGBRØD, or at least some kind of bread made from rye flour and sourdough, has been the single most important source of nutrition throughout Danish history. We do know that it was widely consumed throughout the Middle Ages, including in

the late Iron Age and the Viking Age. Until the late 19th century, rye was the country’s corn. It is a hardy crop perfect for the Danish climate. Wheat, in contrast, suffers in cold weather, so wheat bread could only be made using imported wheat and was costly. So until recently, like every expensive food, it has been the preserve of the upper and middle classes. Best served hunky? UNTIL the 18th century, the typical peasant started his meal with a portion of spoon food, for example porridge or mush, and then followed it with rugbrød with some kind of topping – something like sild (herring) or flæsk (salted pork). The rugbrød was normally served without butter, but if money allowed it, it could be eaten with onion dripping. At that time the bread was probably very rough; baked with unsifted flour, it would be lumpy, sour and quite often musty. Rugbrød was therefore more commonly eaten in big hunks, not slices, to complement a meal. Older generations today fondly recall growing up eating rugbrød and savouring the big hunks and how they would make the crusts more bearable by adding lard and salt.

Best since sliced bread IT WAS not until the industrialism of the country in the late 19th century, which brought with it sliced bread, that the Danes started eating rugbrød as an open-faced sandwich (smørrebrød). Slices of rugbrød were spread with butter, margarine or lard and topped with various forms of cold meats, and smørrebrød quickly became a national food mostly eaten at lunchtime and on special occasions. It heralded a heyday for rugbrød, during which time the average Dane ate three slices a day, but also saw a decline in the numbers of people baking their own bread as they increasingly started buying it from the baker. It wasn’t until the 1960s that baking rugbrød became common. While it remains popular, consumption has halved over the last 20 years as sandwiches, pizza and other fast food have gained in popularity along with wheat bread − particularly franskbrød and toast bread. Do as your parents say! THE DECLINE is hardly drastic, though. Most Danes have grown up eating the rugbrød, and it is such an integrated part of their culture that many parents still insist their children eat it and fret if they don’t. It is mostly unthinkable among parents that any child can grow up to be normal without eating rugbrød. Or some teachers, as a controversy last year proved. In that instance a Danish teacher scolded minority pre-schoolers

for eating the ‘wrong’ kind of bread. Although the rest of the world has grown up just fine without this superfood, rugbrød is both nutritional and healthy. Wholegrain rugbrød is high in dietary fibres − something most people don’t get enough of. Grains with a high content of fibres reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and provide the body with a stable blood sugar level. On top of that, rugbrød makes you feel full for much longer than white bread and is packed with vitamins and minerals. Finally, it is low in fat. So no more excuses for not tucking into this little slice of Danish food history. Poor man’s plate to rich man’s palate IF ANYTHING, rugbrød has a bright future. While the average Dane eats less of it than he used to, the upper and middle classes, who since 1850 have shunned it in favour of wheat bread, are returning to it in droves as rugbrød has fast become a trendy and exciting ingredient used in New Nordic Cuisine. Two of its biggest advocates are gastronomic entrepreneur Claus Meyer, a co-founder of the restaurant Noma, and René Redzepi, Noma’s head chef. Meyer uses rye bread in tapas, while Redzepi serves øllebrød (traditional Danish porridge made from dark rugbrød) with cloud berries for dessert. So from being a poor man’s food, rugbrød has emerged as a star of New Nordic Cuisine.

14 VALENTINE'S DAY The Danish instrument of love THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

’VE COME to notice during my time here that the humble bike is much more to a Danish man than just his means of transport. It’s his right-hand man when attempting to court women. Handed a flat sausage THE BIKE serves many functions. Most notably, it’s an intimate form of transport when shared. That manoeuvre involves holding, squeezing, grabbing and pulling in a plethora of ways merely to stay on the thing … which is where my story begins. It was a night of pølser and pilsner with ‘Hans’. I arrived for the date on my own bike, but he was bikeless – some excuse about a fladt dæk. Assuming he was speaking English, I was perplexed at how a ‘flat dick’ could prevent him

from remedying his situation. Hands-on treatment AFTER three hours in Østerbro, I was keen to relocate. Knowing Hans lacked a bike (not to mention forward-thinking), I compensated and asked the following: “Well if you like, we can both ride my bike to Vesterbro?” “Are you sure,” he replied. “Yes,” I said, semi-confidently, wondering if I was going to end up doing the pedalling. Turns out I didn’t end up pedalling, but I soon wished I was. Our journey consisted of me on the back, my arms wrapped tightly around him, changing my hold every 20 seconds as he continuously changed gears. Let’s be honest: to get a girl to wrap herself that tightly around you, after only a few hours, is a feat only the ‘bike’ can achieve. He knew that – and so does every Danish man.

Good with his hands SECONDLY, bikes are a perfect vehicle for showing off your manliness. Danish men love nothing more than displaying their limited range (after all, many of them don’t have cars to fix) of handyman skills on the bike. I’ve never forgotten how one such Dane ‘fixed’ my family’s entire set of bikes when he visited my home in New Zealand once. After half-heartedly suggesting to him we could cycle into town, but that our bikes were not in good order, he saw this as his golden opportunity. But Hans was handier OUT CAME the oil, the bike pump and the spanner, and off came his shirt. He pumped up the tyres, adjusted the seats, oiled the chains, tightened the brakes and, well, you get the idea. The debacle con-

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EMILY MCLEAN

12 February - 25 March 2021

Handy/randy around a bike

tinued for an hour, and he didn’t just fix two bikes, he did all six. The thing is: it looks cool and impressive when a man effortlessly unfreezes my bike lock or pulls my handle bars back into shape, but this was way too over the top. Needless to say, he got the boot. But Hans on the other hand – I did hold onto him for a few more months. First published in September 2012

ISABELLE VALENTINE

T ONLY seems like yesterday that we packed away our Christmas decorations. We just had Fastelavn and across the world people have just celebrated Mardi Gras and the start of Lent. And no sooner had that ended, we had Valentine’s Day! Its meaning today IN MY FAMILY, Valentine’s Day has a different significance as it is our family name and that of my extended family-in-law in England. We joke that every day at our house is Valentine’s Day. At our preschool, we had the children make Valentine cards for their parents as we do for all similar events such as Mother’s Day, Easter etc. But what does Valentine’s Day really mean to us? Is it really about showing some tenderness and spoiling your loved one? Or about showing your secret infatuation for someone you

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Our Valentine's Day admire from afar? Or is it all just a huge marketing exercise and only about spending money? Hubby’s choccy WHEN WE lived in Japan, we discovered a different Valentine’s Day altogether. ‘Barentain Dei’ (on the same day and to be pronounced with a Japanese accent) is a day when Japanese women give chocolate not only to their partners and crushes, but also to their male colleagues! They have a term called ‘giri choco’, meaning ‘obligation chocolate’, because social pressure and etiquette is such that they cannot avoid forking out for a large amount of chocolate on February 14. My husband needed to explain why he returned home with such gifts. Fortunately they weren’t from his fawning female office workers, but purely given because this is how things are done in Japan. Men have it easy BARENTAIN Dei is then fol-

Family pack of chocolates for the Valentines

lowed exactly a month later by White Day on March 14. This is the day when the men give the chocolate, but they only have to do it selectively to just a lucky few. So somehow the men do not need to give as generously as they receive! This tradition has been enormously successful for Meiji, a big Japanese confectionery company, but needless to say that some of the charm and romance is lost through all this obligation.

Whether your name is Valentine or not, Valentine’s Day should be no different to any other day of the year. We should always appreciate our loved ones and take the chance to spoil them once in a while. But if you did go out on a date on February 14, I hope that you had a lovely time. And thank you for celebrating our day in your own way! First published in February 2013

VALENTINE'S DAY

12 February - 25 March 2021

Copenhagen Light Festival

Valentine Paint Night: Cup of Love

Tantric Date Workshop

ongoing, ends Feb 27; Copenhagen; various locations; free adm The festival presents both Danish and international light artists and designers. During the festival, architectural lighting, art, design, and installations will add a different aesthetic and expression to the winter season in the city spaces of Copenhagen. (OA)

Feb 14; online; free adm Join this step-by-step lesson on how to sketch and paint a cute Valentine painting. Suitable for spending quality time with your loved one, no previous painting skills are required. Get your canvas, brushes and paints ready and find the details of the event at Vicki Jean Wilson Art’s Facebook page. (OA)

Raw Grooves

Immense Festival

Feb 20; online; free adm Missing the feeling of going out and dancing until the sun rises? Then this online club experience is for you. Let Basement CPH take you on a journey through house and techno music, right in your home. Find out more about it at their Facebook page. (OA)

Feb 27; online; free adm This festival serves as the pre-edition of its original counterpart expected to take place this summer. The event will be filled with magical music experiences and many surprises. To learn more about the event visit Immense Festival’s Facebook page. (OA)

Feb 28; online; free adm The event might be held after Valentine’s Day, but it is no excuse to skip out on love and passion. This special one-day online course is for both couples and singles who are interested in learning how to deepen love, intimacy and attraction. For more information check out Natha Yoga Center’s Facebook page and join this steamy session on love. (OA)

Tips and Tricks: Job Searching in Denmark

STEM Virtual Career Fair

Feb 24; online; 175kr Calling all women in academia! This event is for you, if you have been struggling in the Danish job market and are looking for tricks and tips on how to enter the workforce. Hosted by three acclaimed academics, this event will surely help your journey. Learn more about the event at Career Denmark’s Facebook page. (OA)

Game Night, February Feb 19; online; free adm Join this digital game night, where snacks are delivered directly to your door when you sign up! Kick back your heels and play the classic boardgames online over Zoom. Find more information at KBH Frikirke’s Facebook page. (OA)

Feb 24; online; free adm The STEM VCF is an all-online event for all recent and soon-tobe graduates. You will have the chance to connect with organisations orientated around the EU and ask specific questions. So, don’t miss this perfect opportunity to network online and take the next step in your career. For more information visit Graduateland’s Facebook page. (OA)

Online salsa footwork with Elena Feb 13; online; 40kr Feeling bored and restless at home? Join this online footwork exercise through Afro Cuban movements. Everyone is welcome, regardless of training levels. Find out more at Maykel & Elena’s Facebook page. (OA)

Bake fastelavnsboller Feb 14; online; 50kr Bake the traditional Danish ‘fastelavnsboller’ pastries with your kids, all the while supporting a traditional children’s parade in Mariager. A professional chef will guide you through the baking process, but please note the event is advertised in Danish. For more information, visit Mariager’s Børnefest’s Facebook page. (OA)

Suvi Toolbox

Copenhagen BlaBla Language Exchange

Feb 20; online; 350kr This ToolKit workshop is all about seeking ways and methods to be a belly dancer and a teacher, and what it could mean in the Nordic context. In the online workshop you will be provided a rich body of material regarding how you can work further in your dance career. Learn more about the event at Mavedanseren Linnea’s Facebook page. (OA)

March 4; online; free adm The event aims to mix up languages and connect people everywhere. They always start with English and the local language (so Danish). The people are then split up according to the languages they wish to speak. So, get your best language skills ready and join this event online. Find more information at Blabla Language Exchange’s Facebook page. (OA)

We Run Copenhagen: Virtual February Challenge Feb 11-28; Copenhagen; free adm Feeling sporty in the lockdown? Time to challenge yourself! Join this virtual running challenge around Copenhagen and compete with others. The routes vary between 6 and 10km in different neighbourhoods. You get your own race number, which you can print out to make yourself feel like you are in an actual running competition. To those completing the challenge, a hefty prize is in sight if they are lucky enough! Learn more about it at Sparta Løb’s Facebook page. (OA)

16 VALENTINE'S DAY Flower power: Insist on fair trade this Valentine’s Day! THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Time to rethink the roses for romance approach and show some sensibility for sustainability ORSOLYA ALBERT

E KNOW, we’ve all been there on Valentine’s Day. Flowers, a card and chocolates, dinner at a restaurant, some pampering at the spa, and maybe even some lingerie: it seems like a fair trade for a romantic evening. At the very least, your partner should smile, provided you didn’t buy the lingerie at a discount supermarket. But beware, shoppers, as there’s a purchase decision on February 14 that could scupper your hankering for a ‘fair trade’. And the clue is in the name. Time to speak up DANES might be famous for purchasing ecological products, but this logic doesn’t seem to apply to the roses they buy. Now, the organisation Fairtrade is encouraging consumers to demand sustainable flower choices. The coronavirus has disrupted many purchasing habits in Denmark, so according to Fairtrade this is the perfect opportunity for its people to change the way they are buying their flowers. After all, the past year has shown that consumers are willing to pay more for luxury items. However, only 5 percent of the flowers currently on sale in Denmark are labelled as Fairtrade. This has to change, and consumers also have to speak up for the change to happen. Sweden ahead ON THE other side of the bridge, Sweden has a completely different approach to ecolabels and flowers. Of the annual 100 million roses sold in Sweden, more than half are labelled Fairtrade. In the online shop sphere,

12 February - 25 March 2021

most of them have already switched to sustainable bouquet options. According to Camila Erika Lerbeg, the head of Fairtrade Denmark, this could be the future here as well. There is a market for pricier ecoitems, but it is down to Danish consumers to let the shops know that they are interested in switching to these types of flowers. Not just a label FLOWERS sold in Denmark mainly arrive from the Netherlands, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Even when you factor in the air travel, the flowers labelled as Fairtrade from east Africa still have 5.5 times less greenhouse emissions than those grown in The Netherlands. The difference comes from the energy required to heat the greenhouses, as opposed to the natural heat of east Africa.

“That’s right. I bought you an entire greenhouse”

12 February - 25 March 2021

BUSINESS OPINION

LESLEA PETERSEN JUST SAY IT AS IT IS A Brit married to a Viking who landed on Danish shores 13 years ago, Leslea is the communications director of TWG-EmployMe. With over 20 years’ communications experience in both the business & not-for-profit sectors, Leslea is passionate about coaching professionals & businesses in effective communication.

Easing the panic IF YOU are dealing with all of this and looking for a job, then the situation can feel even more overwhelming – it’s easy to panic. We offer a Free Employment Hotline, and although it’s only a 10-minute call, it’s an opportunity for encouragement and advice that can make a big difference to your job search. I regularly talk to people who have been looking for work for a long time and I often hear: “I have done everything, but nothing works.”

Beware of ‘rookie’ errors “LOOKING for new opportunities” or “MSC graduate in

No drawbacks SO HOW can Danish society break down these self-erected barriers that stand in the way of authentic integration and global mobility? The short answer is to launch a national bilingual education movement, just as the Dutch have done. To integrate fully into Denmark, one needs to cultivate Danish skills, but this does not need to be at the expense of one´s English competencies. To be international in Denmark, one needs to cultivate a global perspective, but this does not need to occur at the expense of participating actively in the Danish society. Studies show that students attain the same levels of proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening as students in monolingual programs. IN 3 ISSUES

Economics Explained

Union Views

Welcome Onboard!

Startup Community

Get Your Biering’s

Danish Capital in 2019

GLOBAL DENMARK Thomas Knudsen Mulhern is the administrative director of Globally Local, a consultancy firm that specialises in internationalisation in education. In addition, Thomas is the former international department head at Institut Sankt Joseph in Copenhagen.

OLLAND Municipality will open its doors this August to Denmark´s first ever internaNEXT ISSUE

Credible connections OVER HALF the people I talk to on the hotline, or work with on a 1:1 basis, have less than 50 connections and wonder why they have no visibility in the job market. Do yourself the biggest favour

Stay stuck in the middle!

and build credible connections within Denmark so when that ideal job is posted, you have already made connections in that organisation. As soon as you post anything in the public domain, you have launched your personal brand, so own it, communicate what job you want clearly and give yourself every opportunity. Here to help!

families into a straight choice between a Danish or an international school.

Many benefits OVER 50 years of research has demonstrated that students participating in bilingual education – in which the curriculum is equally split between Danish and English – have an enhanced ability to ignore irrelevant information, improved memory function, a greater awareness of the nature of language itself and impressive inter-cultural skills. Bilingual education is certainly not a new idea, as the Netherlands alone has around 150 bilingual schools with instruction both in Dutch and English. Denmark, however, does not regard it as a viable alternative to standard monolingual education and this has forced many expat, Danish repat and multicultural IN 2 ISSUES

THOMAS MULHERN

economics looking for a career start”, or something similar, as a job title on LinkedIn are all too common. But I don’t know one recruiter or hiring manager that uses those phrases in their search for a new employee. Call yourself what you want to be and do some research in the type of job title that reflects your skills and experience. If you are a fresh graduate, then look for a title that reflects an entry-level position. The other big mistake is that job seekers treat LinkedIn like Facebook – if they don’t know the person, then they don’t accept a connection request!

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tional public school. Its bilingual program will make it only the third school in Denmark to offer such a model from grades 0-9.

All about networking NETWORKING is key in Denmark in finding a job and LinkedIn is the best way to create visibility and make connections in organisations that would be a great fit. It’s the perfect media for a recruiter to find you and get to know more about you, so you need to clearly communicate what job you want and who you are – maximising every opportunity. I usually connect with the hotline callers on LinkedIn and can see straight away where an individual isn’t optimising their profile, which will make a real difference in their job search. Often it’s the same rookie mistakes and ones that can be addressed quickly.

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HE EXTENSION of the restrictions in Denmark means home-schooling a tween and working from home continues in our house – any other parent out there wishing they had a teacher qualification just to help their child with maths? Utter frustration daily.

An international school with a difference

Additionally, they develop the same appreciation and understanding of the host culture and community as students in monolingual programs. Value-added MANY FAMILIES find comfort in the stability that comes with knowing that their children will transition nicely into a program if/when they leave Denmark. For those who do stay, it is important that the Danish language and cultural immersion that comes with being part of the rich Danish pedagogical tradition is IN 4 ISSUES

Fit For Business

Give Yourself a Chance

maintained. Bilingual education offers the potential for families to meet both of these objectives. Bilingual education, and its underlying core principles of simultaneous integration and internationalisation, can overcome the either/or dilemma that faces many Danish, expat, Danish repat and multicultural families. It is truly value-added education – and a model that is now offered in both private and public schools in Denmark. Will the model keep spreading as it has throughout other European countries? Only time will tell. IN 5 ISSUES

The Valley of Life

UK-DK Trade

18 OPINION New normal beckons THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Time for major change SINCE it is a pandemic, the combined and, to some extent, co-ordinated effort of science has been mobilised and in record time produced vaccines that will now have to prove themselves. However, experts have told us this could happen again in another shape and form in a world where there will soon be 8 billion people and who knows how many animals. To sustain the new normality, we will have to change our habits permanently. Handshakes and hugging are out – namaste is the new cordial salute. World travel will be greatly reduced as governments err on the side of caution, as no vaccine will offer 100 percent protection. And office landscapes will be reduced in size and capacity since home workplaces have been so productive. Our small kids (ages 6-10) are now back at school. If for no better benefit, they learned to handle their laptops and the parents got them a crash course in homework assistance. We are hoping for news about their elder siblings, as frustration is widespread among teenagers, the group in society who have suffered the restrictions of movement the most. More like blue flock IN THE meantime, in the world of politics everything is moving at a great pace … away from the

blue bloc. The PM is consolidating her grasp of power because her opponents are not really a bloc anymore, but rather a flock without determination and leadership. Closer to home, government support party Radikale is suffering due to the loss of some of its most prominent MPs, not least the chair Morten Østergaard who had to resign his leadership and seat due to #MeToo allegations. His replacement, Sofie Carsten Nielsen, is busy repairing the damage and not going anywhere. Venstre has lost its hothead Inger Støjberg to Rigsretten (the Court of Impeachment of the Realm), but she didn’t leave quietly, doing her best to further unsettle chair Jakob Ellemann who has had to sit back and watch Konservative take over as the largest blue party, according to the latest polls. But bar the possibility of another #MeToo or two, we can probably predict a year with little political turmoil. Climate: now is the time THE ISSUE of climate change does not wait. With the US re-entering the Paris protocol, big decisions will be made – and costly ones too. If people are now as scared of global warming as they are of corona, the government should be able to implement the necessary measures to reduce CO2 emissions. This will necessitate another fight with the farmers to stop them using second-class land and reducing animal production. Also transport will require new standards. Electric cars will prevail, but the PM’s claims that she can pursue impactful green policy at no cost to welfare might be a hard nut to crack since transport taxes are a major contributor to state finances. (ES)

STEPHEN GADD

Straight, No Chaser An Englishman abroad, Stephen has lived and worked in Denmark since 1978. His interests include music, art, cooking, real ale, politics and cats.

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YEAR AGO we were at ease with the world, but then came the virus and it changed everything. We are now about to come to terms with it. Vaccination and the lockdowns may hopefully do the trick. By midsummer we will be back to normal, provided that no evil mutations pop up and change the game. Or at least the new normal.

12 February - 25 March 2021

NEW YEAR and a new beginning – at least that’s the accepted wisdom.

Always half-empty BUT WHEN it comes to this kind of thing, I’m very much a ‘glass half-empty’ man. Bitter experience has taught me not to get my hopes up too high; I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed. A recent case in point: on the cusp of the new year the media was full of pictures of smiling pensioners getting their corona jabs and I must admit to being swept along in the optimism of the moment. Was there really a light at the end of the tunnel? Would things soon return to normal? That hope has been somewhat dashed by the news that vaccine deliveries are now being significantly scaled back. With new and more infectious strains of corona emerging, the new year could well be a rerun of 2020. At the end of the day the government aid packages will probably manage to salvage a good portion of the retail trade, but culture has been extremely hard hit. A lot of venues will probably go under and a great many creative people have lost their livelihoods. Brexshit? BREXIT has now happened and we’ll soon see whether it is ‘oven-ready’ or half-baked. Already, residents of Kent are up in arms about being turned into a gigantic lorry park. The county formerly known as ‘the garden of England’ has become ‘the toilet of England’ due to roads and lay-bys being littered with bottles of urine and excre-

Sometimes there’s simply too much going on

ment discarded by lorry drivers in long queues waiting to cross the Channel. And woe betide you if you try and take a ham sandwich over the border – the new rules are strict on food imports. The Guardian recently reported “Britons buying from EU websites hit with £100 customs bills” – a far cry from the ‘tariff-free trade’ promised by Boris Johnson. Still, that’s par for the course from the man who campaigned on the lie that leaving the EU would free up 350 million pounds per week for the National Health Service. Not MAGAnanimous ONE GENUINELY optimistic thing that has happened is that ‘Agent Orange’ has been forced to exit stage left. Right up to the end it was maximum drama queen mode, and Trump’s puerile temper-tantrum in flying to Florida instead of having the good grace to admit defeat and hand over power in a dignified manner just about says it all. Let’s hope the change in the power balance in Congress will result in impeachment this time – if only to prevent him from running for office again.

So (not)Me TRUMP’S primary legacy seems to be the knocking of further nails into the coffin of the democratic process, aided and abetted by the right-wing press and an increasing number of people who get their entire ration of news from unverified sources on social media. Like rats deserting the sinking ship, Fox News, one of Trump’s main cheerleaders in his idiotic conspiracy theories and refusal to accept the legitimate result, finally turned on him. Twitter also closed his account – after letting him rant uncontrollably and lie repeatedly for four years. They may think this gets them off the hook, but 2021 is a good time to take a long, hard, critical look at social media and the damage it is doing to our institutions and way of life. This won’t be easy, as Rupert Murdoch, Mark Zuckerberg and their ilk have almost unlimited economic power, transcending national borders, and they will fight tooth and nail to preserve it. But the nettle must be grasped, if only to avoid another Trump.

OPINION

12 February - 25 March 2021

KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

Straight Up

A Dane Abroad

Limp numbers WHAT ON earth is going on here? Research has long shown a correlation between the mother smoking and decreased sperm quality in the male offspring. However, despite the number of babies being exposed to smoking during the gestation period being hugely reduced in recent decades, the average sperm quality of Danish males remains poor. Something else is clearly contributing significantly to these changes. A 2018 study by Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen found that out of a sample of 6,000 males only 20 percent had optimal sperm quality. That is a shocking result, and it should be a cause of great concern as they highlight a massive issue with male reproductive health in our society that appears to be largely unaccounted for. Rough deal for girls VISIT a fertility clinic, and it will invariably be women you see entering the doors, even though poor sperm quality is the main contributing factor in close to 50 percent of all couples seeking out fertility treatment. At present, no treatment is available to treat infertile males, so despite a woman having great reproductive health, it is still she that must undergo the fertility intervention in 100 percent of all infertility cases.

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS PIXABAY

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ZACH KHADUDU

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. Follow her on Instagram @kirstenlouiseyoga. OME 40 PERCENT of Danish men have significantly reduced sperm quality. Their collective count has sagged by more than half in the last 40 years. On a world scale, Danish men now sit at the very bottom of the ratings when it comes to reproductive health.

IN 2 ISSUES

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE IN 3 ISSUES Too many men are running on empty

This in itself is shocking. Despite being relatively common, fertility treatments are notoriously tough on a woman’s body. The complete lack of treatment options for infertile males is causing an awful lot of healthy women to undergo lengthy invasive hormonal treatments and surgical procedures, which could be avoided if we could figure out how to treat male infertility. Something rotten WE ARE dealing with a large undiagnosed problem that greatly affects both men and women in this country. And on top of this, according to Professor Tina Kold Jensen from Environmental Medicine at Syddansk University, more men are being diagnosed with testicular cancer. She is adamant the cause is environmental and blames industrial chemicals in our environment, food, clothing, electronics – everywhere in fact – for disrupting hormonal balances. Despite appearing to be a world leader when it comes to producing organic foods, the damning statistics regarding male reproductive health in Denmark tells another story, which requires us to urgently review our practices: namely farming/chemical practices.

A low priority? ACCORDING to Fleming Møller Mortensen, a member of Socialdemokratiet who is a health and prevention spokesperson, there is nothing wrong with Danish research in the field. It has been thriving, as of late, reaping rewards for its work. However, the last government reduced research budgets significantly. “It is appalling that an area of research, where Denmark has long held a pioneering position, does not have a longterm plan for ongoing research,” despaired Mortensen in 2017. In any case, at present, the unfortunate numbers show no sign of changing anytime soon. In a country that relies heavily on tax-paying citizens to oil the welfare wheels, and birth rates in decline for decades, it doesn’t take a scientist to work out this is a drastic situation. Unless we figure out what is affecting our men to this degree, and create a cure that doesn’t simply push more women into unnecessary fertility treatments, we will have a serious situation on our hands in years to come, unless we prioritise this issue now.

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Green Spotlight SIBYLLE DE VALENCE

20 GUEST OPINION THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ITH THEIR refusal to repatriate around 30 Danish IS children from the Kurdish-controlled refugee/prison camps al-Roj and al-Hol in Syria, the justice minister, Nick Hækkerup, and his colleague, the foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, are not only breaching the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Denmark has signed, but they are also gambling with national security. Blind to rights THE OFFICIAL explanation for not repatriating the children is that their parents are a security risk. Furthermore, it is argued that since the parents have turned their back on Denmark and joined IS, the children have lost any right for protection from Denmark. The fact that the children have rights on their own is ignored. The children did not turn their backs on Denmark, but now Denmark is turning its back on these Danish children.

EING BRITISH in 2021 can be a gloomy affair. Confined to our homes, cut adrift from the EU, and barred from most of Europe thanks to an ultra-contagious mutation, the reality of our island existence has rarely bitten so hard. The sweeping arrival of a deadly pandemic could scarcely have been imagined, and yet with fitting symmetry it coincided with Brexit: a crisis all of our own making. It has left many young Brits – at least those fortunate enough to claim dual EU citizenship – plotting an escape. As a London-based graduate, with a Danish girlfriend soon heading home, it’s a tempting option. The pandemic has put the brakes on any move for now, but the opportunity is irresistible: Copenhagen is calling.

return to Europe appears to be an ill-founded assumption in an increasingly globalised world. But is this a wise national security strategy?

Why leave? THE UK has hardly been a bastion of stability in the past five years, but in the past 12 months it has exceeded itself. The government’s disastrous pandemic response has left a creaking health service – chronically underfunded for many years – to battle one of the world’s highest death rates. Alongside that, a botch-job Brexit deal, negotiated at the eleventh hour, has left nobody satisfied and many facing economic hardship. There’s never an easy time to graduate, but an overcrowded job market exacerbated by a mismanaged pandemic and Brexit uncertainty is hardly fertile ground to seek employment in. And the reality is that whenever the pandemic is brought under control, the UK will find itself more isolated and alone than ever. Europe’s best and brightest students and entrepreneurs are

choosing to settle elsewhere, and given the choice why shouldn’t I? My girlfriend too had considered taking her MA in London, but why pay the astronomical post-Brexit fees for international students, when she can study for free in Denmark? My primary motivation for moving is to follow her, but the economic and political factors are hard to ignore. There is a clear and obvious disparity in both systems and expectations between Denmark and the UK, but the past year has also exposed a deeper and more worrying divide in basic competency of government.

Wrong on every level EXPERTS agree that the camps are breeding grounds for radicalisation, which is often analysed on a societal level, a group level and an individual level. On a societal level, the consequence of the Danish strategy will be that these children will grow up in a camp environment and in a camp culture in strong opposition to the outside world. On a group level, their upbringing will be left to primary caregivers defining themselves in aggressive and violent opposition to not only the regimes and the countries they are currently located in, but also the West and Western values in general. On an individual level, and on top of all that, we are now also giving these children strong psychological motivation. Grow up with a grudge IT WOULD be no surprise if some of these children grew up

The promised land? THERE is a common trope that Scandinavia, with its gloriously happy inhabitants, is a modern Nordic utopia. That image is probably misplaced, and I am under no impression that Den-

Don’t desert the children!

with the feeling that Denmark, and easily identifiable individual government ministers, had deliberately forsaken them. In my view, repatriation is not only the right decision from a humanitarian point of view, but also from a national security perspective it is the most sensible thing to do in the long run. Since his election in 2017, David has represented Radikale on the Frederiksberg Municipal Council. He is also the chair of the Safe and Alive Foundation.

mark’s streets are paved with gold. I know Denmark has its own issues, from social inequality to far-right politics and racism – but with good employment prospects, a stable economy, a well-functioning welfare system and an effective response to the pandemic, it offers an enticing alternative to life in post-Brexit Britain. Perhaps it’s the case that the grass is always greener, and it almost certainly is. But as soon as the pandemic makes it possible, that’s something I’ll find out for myself. Zachary Sweeney-Lynch is a British freelance writer and editor based in London. He writes about a range of topics from history to sport, travel and current affairs, and is a passionate (if limited) footballer. He has studied and worked in Berlin and Amsterdam, and he is currently planning a big move to Copenhagen.

PIXABAY

ZACHARY SWEENEY-LYNCH

Strategy based on hope THE DANISH Security and Intelligence Service (PET) has however concluded that the children are no security risk. As regards their parents, the security risk, of course, depends on how our legal institutions handle the individual cases. But in any case, Danish institutions and Danish society would be in the driving seat. This is a central point. If we go with the the Socialdemokratiet government´s so-called strategy and leave the children (and the parents) in the camps – as long as the Kurdish militia guarding camps agrees to do so and do not prioritise their already overstretched resources differently – the future will be more difficult to predict. This is a strategy based on nothing more than hope. It assumes that these former IS warriors, their wifes and traumatised children will never ever be released and, if so, never ever return to Europe or Denmark. It is essentially based on something which Denmark has next to no influence on. The assumption that none of these children would ever be able to

PIXABAY

DAVID ZEPERNICK

12 February - 25 March 2021

It’s taking flak daily

COMMUNITY

12 February - 25 March 2021

Inquiry-based learning: from where many children’s future careers stem How Copenhagen International School excels in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths ORSOLYA ALBERT

T COPENHAGEN International School, fun and learning are intertwined in order to grant the children the freedom to learn at their own pace. The model of inquiry-based learning has helped the school to raise children in order to fight for a more sustainable and just world. One of the areas Copenhagen International School excels in is teaching the subjects of STEM – science, technology, engineering and maths. They thrive to create knowledge by letting the kids experiment and have fun in their learning process. Two phases GENERALLY, the learning takes place in two phases. In the first phase, the children are encouraged to make observations and draw their own conclusions. The second allows them to further inquire according to their areas of interest. Naturally, the teachers are leading the learning, but this method grants the children the freedom to shape their learning curve and develop critical thinking skills among others.

All about inquiry USING the example of how third graders at Copenhagen International School learn about creating explosions by combining solids and liquids, we can truly get a glimpse at how exciting inquiry-based learning is. There are different types of inquiries, and they determine the role of the student and the role of the teacher. In a structured inquiry, the teacher sets the outcome as well as the procedure for the students. In the case of the explosion experiment, the teacher would say something along the lines of “Mix these liquids with these solids and see what your results are”. Whereas, with guided inquiry, the question might still be formulated by the teacher, but the students design the procedure. Here, the teacher’s question would be along the lines of “Which powder-liquid combination creates the biggest explosion?” This is also leaving space for the students to ask more questions, which also makes the inquiry more open. Real-life experiences CONTINUING with the example of the third graders, this also showcases a vital approach Copenhagen International School has taken when educating future generations. Fun is and should be an integrated part of the learning process. This makes the children more engaged and

consequently challenges them in a way in which they can feel rewarded and accomplished. Fun also fosters community, which is a pivotal point of the values of Copenhagen International School. The students learning together will feel like they belong to a community, and even when they encounter the unknown, they know they are in it together. This is a crucial skill to learn for them as the future citizens of our world. The STEM approach also facilitates fun learning in real-life contexts. Eighth-graders encounter a real-life scene from a surgery theatre when they are afforded the rare opportunity to dissect a heart or lungs. While seventh-graders are exposed to tasks such as investigating how to create sustainable packaging and reduce plastic waste at Christmas. Their suggestions have been sent to Magasin, proving the real-life relevance these methods have. Bringing nature closer STAYING connected to real life also means being connected to nature and understanding it from a young age. The magical campus at Nordhavn grants the kids an opportunity to observe nature at its finest. Using binoculars, they can watch as seagulls hatch their eggs just yards from their classrooms. This can then kick off a session regarding how and where the animals live in the

Science has never been this much fun

wild. This grants the opportunity to systematically teach the students about natural habitats, such as rainforests, savannahs and the ocean. By learning about all of these, they will be equipped to be the future citizens who actively work to protect these natural habitats of animals. Understanding nature can be crucial in a historical context too. Second-graders are learning about dinosaurs and already reflecting on the concept of time. It is explained when these ‘magical’ creatures lived and how they became extinct. Through a realistic understanding, these students can grasp concepts such as meteoroids and other ancient creatures. Sustainability is key LEARNING STEM is crucial

for children, and the unique way Copenhagen International School teaches it gives kids more than just knowledge – it could be the spark that puts them on their path to their future career. The school is actively advocating that education is not just about jobs and positions, but educating children for the society of the future. Being prepared to be a citizen of the future will naturally grant them the possibility to be ready for future jobs. But first and foremost, the goal is to create a just and sustainable world for all through the core values of Copenhagen International School. Teaching children the values of compassion, integrity, creativity, inclusion and growth will prepare them for the future and make sure they are successful in all walks of life.

22 ON SCREENS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 February - 25 March 2021

Gay and Gallic: Grab them and don’t let go

ROMISCUITY on the London gay scene, I would have said. Pretentious French cinema … I had enough of all that at university. But then I would have missed out on my absolute two favourite shows of this winter lockdown. With very slim offerings this February, you could do a lot worse than following my advice and checking out It’s a Sin on HBO Nordic and Call my Agent! (‘Dix pour cent’ in French) on Netflix. Not only are they laugh riots free of the ludicrously outdated beats of sitcoms of yesteryear, but they both also offer moments of genius worthy of Oscar Wilde. Given that he ended up dying in Paris, he would have loved them both. A sin not to watch it LGBT MEDIA has been busy comparing It’s a Sin to Queer as Folk, Russell T Davies’ first major TV series, but I think it’s more similar to his recent Years and Years – in that it’s brilliant, as opposed to brazen. When Queer as Folk was first broadcast in 1999, LGBT equality was severely lacking, and that may have blindsided many of its fans to its failings: namely that most of its annoying cast looked like badly dressed extras in The OC. Oh, and that it launched the career of Charlie Hunnam.

The first episode of It’s a Sin is joyous … no other word for it. Brilliantly evocative of the era, and packed full of unforgettable characters so well conceived they barely need to breathe awkwardly to make an impression, it really makes a connection. And when the impending disaster that is the AIDS epidemic starts to loom its head, you know it’s going to be one hell of a wrench letting go. 24 hours of pleasure MON DIEU! Call my Agent! already has four seasons, which is pretty much a day’s worth. It was made for lockdown. How come you’ve never heard of it, you may be asking, particularly as there are moments that will make you laugh, cry, root for the underdog and yearn for a summer job interning at ASK, the film star agency setting of the series. Well, maybe some critics initially thought it was an Extras rip-off, and they might have had a point: episode one isn’t much more than a shabby French version featuring washed-up actors flattered into the idea they’re still stars. But then it starts to surpass Extras, notably at the end of episode two, which offers a moment of sheer genius. It’s also striking how seriously ‘the stars’ play their roles (there’s none of the post-Ricky Gervais giggly wryness), and some of the situations the screenwriters conjure up are so unbelievable they must have

KEITH ALLISON

BEN HAMILTON

actually happened. This is not paradisiacal I HAD SIMILAR thoughts when I watched This Is Paris (YouTube) the other night. A lot of it was clearly staged (there was even somebody listed as the screenwriter) and I had to look up Miss Hilton’s toyboy boyfriend Aleks Novakovic to check he wasn’t a (really bad) actor. Paris dumps the ex-footballer/now influencer during a daytime DJing gig after he gets blind drunk. Hang on, say that again: Hilton’s a DJ and we’ve got techno during the day and a drunk boyfriend but no bar. All I know for sure, and there was no mention of this in the documentary, is that she was scraping the barrel so much in 2012 that she got a gig testing the dating abilities of the male contestants in the Danish version of Paradise Hotel. I know, you’re fuming that I brought her up … you’d thought you’d heard the last of her in 2005. But I’m telling you: apparently she invented social media, earns billions from selling cheap tat to insane-looking Korean people and, worst of all, was Kim Kardashian’s mentor. Mirth in the morgue FIGHTING over Kim’s crown, and corpse were she to suddenly die (perish the thought, but it does tend to happen when you stop working), are the stars of

We promise ‘It’s a Sin’ is better than what the title and promo suggests

Buried by the Bernards (Netflix; Feb 12), a reality show echoing Six Feet Under about a family of feuding undertakers. Elsewhere on TV land, we have three returning series on HBO Nordic – Snowfall (S4; Feb 25), Outlander (S5; Feb 17) and Loudermilk (S3; Feb 18) – the rather absurd looking Tribes of Europa (Netflix; Feb 19), and the biodoc Pele (Nefllix; Feb 23), which we hope doesn’t curse its subject like the last one did. Continuing with the morgue vibes, a number of fairly big films are opting to premiere on television, with Justice League: Part II (HBO Nordic; March 17) possibly choosing to jump before it's pushed, as it will reportedly kill off two more major characters (here’s hoping). Meanwhile, Malcolm & Marte (56 on Metacritic; Netflix; Feb 5)

is hoping for major award nominations for title characters John David Washington and Zendaya, but looks more like a televised play; Red Dot (Netflix; Feb 11) is a promising looking Swedish thriller, basically Phone Booth in an icy wilderness; The Way Back (HBO Nordic; Feb 10) sees working class hero Ben Affleck get his life back together as a college basketball coach; Chiwetel Ejiofor and Anne Hathawy argue their way through the corona restrictions before planning a heist in Locked Down (HBO Nordic; Feb 5); and News of the World (Netflix; Feb 10), perhaps the biggest release of the month, stars Tom Hanks as a Civil War veteran/surrogate dad/ travelling news reader in a western directed by his Captain Phillips helmsman Paul Greengrass. Grass … is always greener on the other side of the lockdown.

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group DIGITAL SALES & CLIENT ADVISOR, ASIA, SOPHIE BILLE BRAHE APS

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