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CPHPOST.DK 1 - 14 October 2021
LOCAL
Nightlife ban for crims Tough action in bid to cut out vandalism and use of weapons
2
FEATURE Put on your goggles: the future of art is here
4 CULTURE
So this is (a Danish) Xmas How John and Yoko wound up dancing around the tree in early 1970
WE'RE ALRIGHT SAID FRED
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Why vaccination rates are stalling BEN HAMILTON
BUSINESS FEATURE Catching up with Denmark’s answer to Richard Branson
12 LIFESTYLE
How to be good! New section launches with a focus on beauty and food
16-17 PRINT VERSION ISSN: ONLINE VERSION ISSN:
2446-0184 2446-0192
O
RIGINALLY it was July, then August and briefly September. But then we bought a whole load of vaccines from Romania. The country’s full of anti-vaxxers, apparently, but we weren’t complaining, as we switched our vaccination completion date back to August – now with young teens (ages 12-15) onboard. But in hindsight, the Romanian episode should have been a warning, as Denmark has somewhat stalled at 75.9 percent of the entire nation having their first jab. Only the problem isn’t anti-vaxxers – they’re a minority – it’s what the Danish media like to refer to as ‘indvandrere’: immigrants and their descendants.
Cultural differences? ACCORDING to Statens Serum Institut (SSI), only 38.8 percent of people with Somali heritage in Denmark have been vaccinated, along with just 40.7 percent of Lebanese and 45.2 percent of Syrians. Apparently myths are circulating among many ‘indvandrere’ that the vaccination can make you infertile. Others believe it will make you chronically ill, and others that it will change your DNA. “The virus is colour-blind. Everyone can be infected. So get vaccinated. It's not dangerous,” pleads Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority. SSI estimates herd immunity will only become effective once 90 percent of the entire population is vaccinated.
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Best for digital life
Finally three stars for Noma
VPN SERVICE company Surfshark has ranked Denmark top of its 2021 Digital Quality of Life Index. Denmark ranked first for Intern Affordability and Electronic Infrastructure and also performed well for Electronic Government (6), Internet Quality (9) and Electronic Security (12). South Korea, Finland, Israel and the US completed the top five.
DESPITE being the best restaurant in the world four times, Noma has never had three Michelin stars … until now. Previously, Geranium was the country’s only three-star restaurant. Meanwhile, Kong Hans Kælder has made the step-up from one to two. In total, Denmark has 27 recognised restaurants: two with three stars, seven with two and 18 with one.
Cycling pundit’s tragic death
Best in world for cycling
CHRIS Anker Sørensen was killed whilst cycling in Belgium, where he was due to comment on the World Championships on TV2, on September 18. He was only 37. In 2012 he was the Tour de France’s most combative rider after continuing the race despite losing several fingers in a crash. He won one Grand Tour stage – in the mountains of Italy in 2010.
COPENHAGEN is the best city to ride a bicycle in the world, according to the Cycle Cities Report compiled by money.co.uk, which placed it ahead of Estonian capital Tallinn and Amsterdam. Affordability was a major factor, and it hit expensive Copenhagen hard, but it benefited from having mostly flat cycle lanes and well informed cyclists.
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LOCAL
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
Banned from nightlife zones
ONLINE THIS WEEK COPENHAGEN’S 2022 budget focuses on green initiatives, with plans to increase the number of electric car charging docks, reduce speed limits, and deter commuters from driving to the edge of the city, parking for free and cycling the rest. Additionally, it prioritises the safety of children walking to school and improving sports facilities.
Against butt plug statue PLANS to place a statue, which residents have described as an anal sex toy, at Christmas Møllers Plads in Amager are on hold. Residents are also concerned ‘The Gate to Amager’ will ruin their view and clog up space already congested by visitors to the nearby Netto.
OPPOSITION is mounting to plans to pedestrianise Sankt Kjelds Kvarter – the so-called Klimakvarteret in Østerbro – over fears it will create almighty traffic jams.
Couples retirement home COPENHAGEN Municipality is investing in a new retirement home for couples in Østerbro – the country’s first. Some of the rooms will provide enough space for the resident’s partner to visit. It is due to open in 2023.
Bird-proof bins CITY HALL’S Technical and Environmental Administration is placing protective wiring on the bins to stop birds from looking through the rubbish for food.
Convictions for weapons possession, and even vandalism, can earn you a ban from popular evening choices for revellers LENA HUNTER
O
N SEPTEMBER 14, Copenhagen Police established four ‘nightlife zones’ where individuals with a recent conviction for vandalism or possessing/using weapons are banned. The four zones cover areas around Gothersgade, Vestergade, Vesterbrogade and Kødbyen. Entering bars, bodegas, clubs and restaurants in the zones, or just “moving around”, between
ONLINE THIS WEEK
DF favours referendum DANSKE Folkeparti would like to see the public consulted via a referendum about construction plans earmarked for Amager Fælled. DF would like a referendum held on the same day as local elections on November 16.
Fixerum on the move Tinder dilemma: do you fess up to petty vandalism?
midnight and 05:00 will result in a 10,000 kroner fine, while twice or more will result in 30 days’ imprisonment. Two years at a time CLEARANCE for the zones was laid on 1 July 2021, when a law was passed that makes it possible
to ban certain law-breakers during the night, even if they have served their sentence. The ban will be valid until 13 September 2023, but most likely extended. The police will also be able to introduce short-term zones for festivals and other major events.
Gang misperceptions in Nordvest SASCHA KOHLMANN
Traffic jam fears
• ATD S-L / FLICKR
Budget’s green focus
Editorial offices: Holbergsgade 24 kld 1057 Copenhagen Denmark
1 - 14 October 2021
Survey reveals that young residents believe a fifth of all late teens are affiliated. In reality, one in 50 are BEN HAMILTON
ITS FIXERUM has been providing a safe space for drug users in Vesterbro for over ten years, but now the operator of the mobile unit, Fixelancen, is heading to Nordvest.
Island deadline COPENHAGEN residents only have until October 6 to lodge objections to Lynetteholmen, a man-made island that is expected to be finished by 2070. Meanwhile, traffic lights and lanes will be tweaked in anticipation of 500 trucks delivering soil to the site for the next 30-odd years. The authorities want the trucks to favour Langebro over Knippelsbro.
Huge lake a step closer
A
STUDY carried out on behalf of Copenhagen Municipality among young residents in Nordvest reveals that most of them tend to overestimate how many gang members aged 15-18 are living in the city district. On average, participants estimated that 20 percent of the age bracket are in gangs (just 2 percent are), 50 percent spend most of their free time on the streets (9), and 51 percent are in education (76). Risked normalisation THE STUDY’S author, soci-
Your call: a card thief, a potential victim, or neither?
ologist Aydin Soei, was both vindicated and disturbed by the results. “This can constitute a risk factor in relation to the normalisation of gang membership,” he said. “If no efforts are made to improve the young people's self-understanding, myths and negative expectations can easily become a reality.”
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Undeserved bad reputation NINNA Hedeager Olsen agreed the prejudice is “contagious to young people's perceptions of themselves” and earning the area “an undeserved bad reputation and a stigma”. She warned that political action is needed to ensure “negative prejudices do not turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy”.
THERE are advanced plans to restore a lake in Søborg in the Capital Region municipality of Gladsaxe that has been dry since the late 18th century. Once completed, at a cost of 93 million kroner, it will provide the capital with 600 acres of nature where birds, animals and plants can flourish.
Metro disruption DUE TO maintenance work between the Frederiksberg and Vanløse Metro stations, a bus replacement service will be in operation until March 2022.
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FEATURE
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
Jacko’s naked … but this is the whole future of art laid bare
LENA HUNTER
H
UNTING the web and local art magazines, it’s difficult to glean what ‘Dead Star’, the latest exhibition by artist and gallery owner Eric Prince, entails. It’s no accident: Prince has kept it a closely guarded surprise. Visitors will enter a blank-walled gallery with nothing but a wireless VR-headset – the Oculus Quest Two – in the centre of the room. “Dead Star is a real-time, virtual reality art experience,” says Prince coyly. Jacko laid bare “PEOPLE are going to see the advertisement for ‘Dead Star’ with an image of an actual dying star – like a star in the sky – but really you'll see a dead floating human in front of you … and it's Michael Jackson naked.” The body is suspended, floating vertically “on the veil between life and death”, against a star-scape backdrop, with viewers free to approach and inspect it. It’s something of a mic-drop moment as far as exhibition previews go. But shocking as the reveal may be, Dead Star is not a shock-value show. “It’s a play on words and has a lot of poetry in it. Essentially, it's about love and the lack thereof, drug abuse and addiction. There’s all kinds of death in art.” And art in death, apparently. But if it’s not about shock, then why is he naked? “This is someone who has been overexposed by media coverage,” explains Prince. “People feel like they own this person. I’m making the viewerinto a ghoul.”
But wait, there’s more CONFRONTED with a dead, nude MJ, it might be easy to overlook the other feature on display. The platform running the VR – ArtXR – will be accessible during the show, ahead of its official launch. ArtXR is a curated, digital gallery for artists to freely contribute to, and the computing is all real-time. “That means it’s being piped across the internet – there’s no download,” explains Prince, who built the platform himself using open-source technology. “It’s exciting because it’s the future. This is real-time spatial computing.” VR PR THAT’S all very well, but why look at a painting through a headset rather than the real thing? For Eric the question misses the whole point of VR. “You could say it's much better in person. And I would agree! Except for if it's a 3D piece of art like ‘Dead Star’, which will only ever exist in this medium. So real-time 3D art is a whole new genre.” Accessibility is another major selling point: If you’re sick, disabled, unwilling to travel, or if a pandemic prevents you from going out, VR can bring experiences to you. Of course, VR is bigger than art, as Prince recognises. “But I believe in art and culture. Art is a universal language: anyone can look at the Mona Lisa, or the Statue of David, and you don't have to speak Italian to understand it. ArtXR can bring that experience to everyone in high fidelity.” Helping artists get exposure THAT’S what makes ArtXR unique – it’s one of the first, if not the first 3D platform of its kind specifically for artists. For Prince, the platform’s potential to record the zeitgeist is particularly exciting: “We can also archive art using this software. We're making the Al-
PRINCE GALLERY
In a basement atelier on an unassuming side-street in Copenhagen city centre, contemporary artist-run space Prince Gallery is preparing to launch its new show. But it will be no ordinary opening party
exandria library of the future – scanning and documenting a much more accurate depiction of what art movements are actually doing right now.” But beyond exposure, exhibiting and archiving, ArtXR can also function as a trading platform for artists to sell their digital art. Hold on, selling digital art? THAT’S right. Maybe you’ve read about Grimes getting paid millions of dollars for NFTs, or that the founder of Twitter sold an autographed tweet as an NFT for close to 3 million dollars. Perhaps you’re wondering: how can I, as an artist, get a piece of this pie? When art is exhibited on ArtXR, it’s ‘tokenised’ – ‘turned into’ an NFT (non-fungible token). That means it’s registered on a type of database called a blockchain, which is a permanent, decentralised record. An artist with a tokenised work on ArtXR has a ‘smart contract’ linking them to the art. If royalties are written into the contract, then when their work is sold as a digital object – even if it changes hands multiple times – they get paid. “This technology is actually allowing artists to make a living!” laughs Prince, who suddenly seems every bit the painter and independent gallery owner, rather than the Silicon Valley hotshot. “I think it's going to add transparency to art sales – which is sorely needed. But it’s up to you if you want to sell work as an NFT on the platform. That's the beauty of this: it is what you want it to be.” Currency of the future ANOTHER bonus: NFTs on ArtXR are minted on a green cryptocurrency called XDai – a so-called ‘stable coin’ whose value is tied to the US dollar, immunising it from the headline-grabbing fluctuations of Bitcoin and Etherium.
Woah ... and it also gives you Superman's X-Ray vision?
In plain English, to mint or create cryptocurrency, you need computing power – a lot of it. For example, in 2017, computing resources dedicated to mining Etherium used the same amount of energy as all of Iceland. But XDai relies on newer technology that uses 1 percent of the energy of Etherium. While Etherium will take time to switch to a greener system, ArtXR is ahead of the curve. “We’re using the most ecologically affordable non-fungible token for our tokenised works,” says Prince. In it for the long-haul “USING a stable coin proves that we're not in it for the short, speculative business side, we're in it for the long-haul archival side,” he continues. “Business may be slower, but I don’t care. I know that this is the future.” If it sounds, well, ground-breaking, it’s because it is. “I think ArtXR is one of the first in the world to marry the full immersive 3D experience with the blockchain system and NFT format for the purpose of exhibition, archiving and trading. I haven’t found anyone else doing exactly what we’re doing yet,” says Prince.
nology terms. “It’s still early tech,” confirms Prince. “And my platform is an independent project. It’s still small.” But ultimately the whole internet will shift over to 3D, so Prince doesn’t feel he’s competing with other platforms. “To me it’s simply let’s make the coolest technology possible,” he says. Surprise! SO, THAT’S what visitors to ‘Dead Star’ can expect: the embryonic stage of the next whole information kick of humanity. Talking to Prince is a bit like looking into a crystal ball. “When the iPhone is replaced with a pair of XR glasses, we’ll be sitting here with our little glasses on and I’ll go ‘Look at that picture right there’. You'll look up and it'll be a real-time digital effect.” If the Prince Gallery show is anything to go by, that reality may not be as far off as you think.
DEAD STAR - ‘Dead Star’ opening party: Friday 1 October, 16:00-19:30 Exhibiting October 1-31 - Visit Prince Gallery at Hauser Plads 16A , Cph K
The next frontier OF COURSE, to experience it - Contact the gallery via info@ you still need a headset. So far, princegallery.dk 1.87 million Oculus sets have been sold … small-fry in tech- - Learn more @princegallerycph
POLITICS
1 - 14 October 2021
ONLINE THIS WEEK
PM singles out immigrant women PIXABAY
Inger’s trial ongoing
ONLINE THIS WEEK
THE IMPEACHMENT trial of the former immigration and integration minister, Inger Støjberg, is ongoing at Eigtveds Pakhus. Støjberg stands accused of illegally separating asylum-seeker couples in 2016 in cases when one of the partners was under the age of 18. It is scheduled to end in December.
Men in Black are back THE MEN in Black movement resumed its weekly demonstrations outside Parliament at Christiansborg Slotsplads on September 10 – the very day on which all corona restrictions were discontinued. The group’s main concern is that the government has used the pandemic to increase surveillance of the public.
Nurses still protesting THE GOVERNMENT intervened to end the nurses’ strike in late August, but many have continued to stage walkouts in September in defiance. For example, at Rigshospitalet, many nurses have been refusing to work three days a week between 07:45 and 08:45. In related news, the Capital Region saved 59.3 million kroner in unpaid wages as a result of the strike, reports Radio4.
Close shave for Uffe DENMARK’S political world came close to sustaining its first high-profile fatality from COVID-19 in August. The former long-term foreign minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, the 79-yearold father of Venstre leader Jakob, would have probably died had he not been vaccinated.
No porridge for Paludan ON SEPTEMBER 2, the Eastern High Court found Rasmus Paludan guilty of racist and insulting statements but mitigated his previous sentences, suspending his three-month prison term and reducing a fine from 30,000 to 5,000 kroner. Among the 14 charges upheld was his claim that a Somali woman was a prostitute during a demo in Nørrebro.
Pernille cleared ON SEPTEMBER 9, Helsingør Court acquitted Nye Borgerlige leader Pernille Vermund of libel charges. The politician had included a link to a blog on her Facebook page, which accused fitness coach Mahmoud Loubani of having terror links. The court recognised that Loubani had a right to raise the matter, so neither will have to pay costs.
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Sweet day for Papa PM clarified that rule is aimed at non-Western women
Mette Frederiksen wants women with non-Western backgrounds to work 37 hours a week to earn their benefits, but is it all posturing ahead of negotiations that always tend to see such plans heavily diluted by compromise? BEN HAMILTON
T
HE UK MIGHT have the fallout of Brexit to deal with, but that didn’t stop the affairs of Denmark grabbing its fair share of headlines on September 8. ‘Denmark tells some migrants to work for benefits’ was the best read story on the BBC website for most of the day. It was even more popular than the Spanish bishop whose fallen head-over-hills for a writer who specialises in erotically charged Satanism. Give or take a few words THE STORY is more or less correct, if you substitute ‘Denmark’ for ‘PM’s party’ and ‘tells’ for ‘warns’. The ‘directive’ is part of a reform proposal, ‘Denmark can do more 1’, submitted by PM Mette Frederiksen that will need the backing of a majority of MPs. And that isn’t going to happen until the government makes countless compromises. More cunning than Baldrick ANNOUNCING the propos-
al is both a transparent and slightly cunning way of doing business. It’s giving your left-wing allies a head’s up before they sit down at the table. And it’s also signalling to Socialdemokratiet voters that this is what the party would do if it commanded an absolute majority by itself – you know ... like in Nazi Germany. And it's also signalling to any potential asylum-seekers out there to give Denmark the widest berth possible. Non-Western backgrounds SO YES, PM Frederiksen did warn migrants in Denmark that some of them will be required to work 37 hours a week in order to receive welfare benefits. And she did say the rule is primarily aimed at women from “non-Western backgrounds" living on benefits. "We want to introduce a new work logic so people have a duty to contribute and be useful, and if they can't find a regular job, they have to work for their allowance," elaborated Frederiksen. "It is basically a problem when we have such a strong economy, and the business community demands labour, that we then have a large group, primarily women with non-Western backgrounds, who are not part of the labour market.”
Butts off the beach x2 SOME 60 percent of women from the Middle East, north Africa and Turkey are unemployed, her aides explained. The employment minister, Peter Hummelgaard, added that the jobs could include picking up cigarette butts off the beach. You can almost see the Socialdemokratiet voters, of which a fair number voted for far-right party Dansk Folkeparti in the 2015 General Election before switching over in 2019, nodding their heads in approval. But don’t worry! DF’s party in the mirror, Enhedslisten on the far-left, has already condemned the plans as “state-supported social dumping”. Order will be restored when they come together around the table.
DENMARK CAN DO MORE 1 - Increase share taxation from 42 to 45 percent for gains over 56,500 kroner - Lower ‘dagpenge’ rates for non-providing graduates under 30 - Obligatory 37 hour-a-week ‘activation’ for certain work-ready ‘kontanthjælp’ benefit receivers - Increase in amount that students can earn while on SU to encourage more to work while studying - Invest 4.5 billion kroner every year in green investment and resources aimed at reaching the 2030 climate goal - Invest 2.5 billion in education and 1 billion in R&D
FOR KONSERVATIVE leader Søren Papa Poulsen, the former justice minister, September 1 was a day to savour, as the Supreme Court upheld the ban of the street gang Loyal to Familia − an initiative he launched during his time in office. Since its foundation in 2012, members of the gang have been sentenced to a total of 1,409 years in prison.
NemKonto fiasco GOVERNMENT agency Digitalstyrelsen has come under fire for repeatedly ignoring warnings regarding how the NemKonto − the bank account designated to receive salary, benefits etc − has made it easy for fraudsters using keyloggers at public libraries to steal millions off Danes by accessing their NemID details. The warnings started in 2016, but nothing was done until recently.
Radikale's new chair RADIKALE has elected Mikkel Irminger Sarbo to replace Svend Thorhauge as its new national chair. He pipped the deputy chair, Clara Halvorsen, and a third candidate, Christian Holm Donatzky, to the post. In Radikale, the national chair is separate from the political leader, who remains Sofie Carsten Nielsen.
PM strong on asylum AT THE UN General Assembly on September 24, PM Mette Frederiksen criticised the global asylum system. She said the current system is not able to tackle the challenges being faced. Her government, she added, will work towards better solutions that will eventually bring “safe and neat” migration.
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NATIONAL
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
ONLINE THIS WEEK
THE THREE children of convicted fraudster Britta Nielsen are currently at Østre Landsret appealing against the prison sentences they received at Glostrup Court in July 2020 for their complicity. They reject the notion they knew where their mother obtained the vast amounts of money she funded their lives with. A judgment is expected on October 5.
Ever-moving Danes ON AVERAGE, children have moved once by the age of 5, twice by the age of 15, and three times by the age of 20, according to Danmarks Statistik. By the age of 35, the average Dane has moved 9 times on average, and one in 20 has moved at least 20 times.
More two-car families ACCORDING to new figures from the Tax Ministry, more families are getting a second car – and it’s often an environmentally friendly option. The number of families with two or more cars rose from 400,000 in 2015 to 500,000 five years later. Some 25 percent who purchased a second car in 2020 went with a green car.
How active is your hood? A NEW UNIVERSITY of Southern Denmark report, 'Danmark i Bevægelse' (Denmark in motion), maps how active the people of Denmark are on a daily basis. Even though every third Copenhagener runs every week, the most popular daily exercise is not jogging, but walking the dog. Langeland might be the laziest area, as only 10 percent go for a weekly jog.
School patrol hostility ACCORDING to a 2019 survey conducted by Epinion for the road safety council Rådet for Sikker Trafik, 38 percent of children on school patrol have experienced hostility from motorists whilst performing their duties. While 98 percent of motorists say they respect the work of the youngsters, only 75 percent feel their peers do the same.
‘A star’ performance for corona
ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY
Britta’s kids in court
1 - 14 October 2021
Low infection rates, third jabs on the way and commendable efforts to get reluctant youths vaccinated CHRISTIAN WENANDE
C
OMPARED to many other countries around the world, Denmark is performing admirably in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, ‘Everyday life with increased preparedness’, a new report from an expert group appointed in May, has brought ten recommendations pertaining to the future handling of COVID-19 (see factbox). “We can’t say that it is completely over with. There is still a risk of new more contagious and serious mutations, and the global rollout of vaccines is far on the horizon,” explained the head of the group, Professor Torben M Andersen from Aarhus University.
Better at hygiene now! FAR FROM resting on its laurels though, the country has improved its hygiene, according to a Norstat study for Sundhedsstyrelsen. We are washing our hands more, being more careful about where we cough or sneeze, and better at distancing. Among the findings, 18 percent say they are more likely to work at home should they have illness symptoms, 85 percent agree that good hygiene is important to limit the spread of corona, 72 percent agree that they now wash their hands more thoroughly, and 79 percent now keep more distance from others in public.
Denmark has earnt the right to be visible here!
Some 22 percent of parents say they are more likely to keep their children home should they have illness symptoms and 28 percent say they now pay more attention to their kids’ hand hygiene. Only 7 percent say they have not changed their behaviour. Look what popped up! SO IT’S no surprise to see that infection levels have returned to the same low levels as July. September 13 was the last time the numbers exceeded 400. In the last week of August, they were regularly higher than 800. The hospitalisation rate has fallen below 100 again, although vaccination rates have stalled somewhat – particularly among
young people from vulnerable neighbourhoods. Valiant efforts have been made to set up pop-up centres at schools, concerts and even supermarkets. Some 16 of the country’s 19 Bilkas have one, as well as several Føtex outlets. No appointment is necessary. With expiry dates to worry about, the authorities have started administering third jabs to the most vulnerable segment of society: the elderly. Between late December and the end of August, 9,253 cases were registered among people who had been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks – 0.23 percent of the total. A further 1,613 were infected before they were fully covered.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS - A basic level of epidemic management that balances epidemic control, societal economy, public health, freedom and well-being - An emergency preparedness that supports a swift escalation of efforts should infection rates increase rapidly or new mutations appear. - Increasing and maintaining high vaccine coverage - Managing the declining effect of vaccines - Monitoring and gaining knowledge of the epidemic’s development - Continued focus on infection prevention and testing - Adapting epidemic management in case of multiple epidemics - Adapting epidemic management to reflect new knowledge relating to after-effects - Early warning regarding new mutations - Effective categorisation of new virus mutations
Dog bites costlier
Good wine harvest
Trouble at sea
DESPITE fewer reported dog bites in Denmark this year, the amount paid out in compensation rose from 25 to 28.5 million kroner, according to Forsikringsoplysningen. In total, there were 6,507 dog bites reported to insurance providers in 2020. The average claim pays out 4,400 kroner.
THE INDIAN summer helped Danish winemakers to have a good harvest this year. Hedegårdens Vinavl in Skødstrup, just north of Aarhus, expects to yield 50 percent more grapes than normal. Among Denmark’s best known native grapes are the hardy white Solaris and the red Cabernet Cantor.
THE PANDEMIC has resulted in more people heading to the seaside – and getting into trouble. While the emergency services performed 431 rescues at sea in 2019, this rose to 642 in 2020 and 410+ so far in 2021. Lifeguards have also been busy helping swimmers caught out by strong currents this year.
Gold rush in Jutland ALMOST a kilo of gold jewellery dating back 1,500 years has been unearthed in Jutland. The gold was discovered by a private citizen last December not far from the famous Jelling Stones. At 945 grams, it is one of the biggest gold hauls ever discovered in Denmark. It will be displayed in a Viking era exhibition organised by Vejle Museums early next year.
Rise in homeless numbers HIGH RENTS and a lack of help from the municipalities have been blamed for the increasing number of homeless people over the last 50 years, according to a Vive study. Older people are particularly vulnerable. Over the last decade the number of homeless people over the age of 60 has increased by 76 percent.
More changing names DANISH people changed their christian names more in 2020 than in previous years, reports Danmarks Statistik. Between 2015 and 2019, there were on average 4,600 name changes every year. But in 2020, there were 5,932. The rise is partly due to an increasing number changing their name in accordance with identifying as a different gender.
World record #6 ROSA PEDERSEN now has six world records after smashing the high jump mark in the 90-94 age category with a leap of 86 cm. The gallivanter from Greve holds the world records for the javelin and shot put in the 85-89 bracket, and for the long and high jump in both age groups.
Rise in sickies YOUNG people are increasingly calling in sick at work, according to a number of different surveys, reports Fagbladet FOA, the news outlet for public sector workers. The number of people under the age of 30 who called in sick between 2017 and 2019 rose by almost 14 percent. The sectors most affected are education, health and social.
INTERNATIONAL
1 - 14 October 2021
ONLINE THIS WEEK
COPENHAGEN is the fifth most expensive city in the world for overnight stays, according to Cheaprooms.co.uk. Its cheapest double room is 83 UK pounds. Only Zurich (113), Hamburg (95), Milan (92) and Reykjavík (91) are more expensive. Istanbul (15) was the cheapest, followed by Riga, Prague, Moscow and Krakow.
Prestigious Indian visit THE VISIT of India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to Denmark over the weekend of September 4-5 raised expectations that Denmark is further strengthening ties with India – particularly in the climate arena, where it is helping with India's green transition. The countries signed a strategic partnership in 2020.
Barbed wire for Lithuania DENMARK has sent 15 km of barbed wire fencing to Lithuania in an effort to help curb the flood of irregular migration taking place along its border with Belarus. Over 4,000 have fled into the Baltic country this year – up from 81 in 2020. In response to EU economic sanctions, Belarus no longer prevents migrants from passing over.
Ingels to design super city THE PROPOSED US city of ‘Telosa’ will be as diverse as New York, as safe and clean as Tokyo, and as welfare and sustainability-friendly as Stockholm. With such credentials, only one architect could design this brainchild of billionaire Marc Lore: Denmark’s Bjarke Ingels. Telosa is expected to have a population of 5 million people by 2050.
Repatriation criticised THE GOVERNMENT has come under fire for its plan to repatriate a Danish woman with dual citizenship, along with her three children, from a prison camp in Syria. The lawyers of several women with children in a similar situation, who have had their Danish citizenship stripped away, have called the government out for double standards.
ONLINE THIS WEEK DENNIS LEUNG
Fifth most expensive
Tumbledown: 20 years on from 9/11 Coming just days after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, this was the most poignant anniversary yet CHRISTIAN WENANDE
F
OR A GREAT number of people, 11 September 2001 was one of those rare days that they will always remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Or rather, SAW the news. Older generations no doubt experienced something similar when JFK, MLK and John Lennon were killed. But those images of 9/11 seem to hit harder – the haunting images in New York City forever seared into the mind.
PM’s recollections IT’S NO different for PM Mette Frederiksen, who released a statement on the 20th anniversary of the tragic day when 3,000 people lost their lives in the twisted carnage of the Twin Towers. “Today is one of those few days that everyone will remember decades later. Twenty years ago, an ordinary day that was split in half by terrorists. The Twin Towers in New York collapsed. The Pentagon attacked. Thousands of innocent people were killed. The world changed,” she wrote on Facebook. “Today is an important reminder about what we have been fighting for the last 20 years. Against terrorism. And for the values we believe in: Democracy. Equality. Freedom. Community.” The timing of the anniversary, coming so quickly after the Taliban taking back control of Afghanistan, was not lost on the PM. “Currently, we now see a
The NYC skyline 4 April 1973-11 September 2001
deeply unfortunate situation in Afghanistan. That must lead to reflection,” she said. “But the fight against terror has not been in vain. Today we remember the victims of September 11 and all the brave people who have thrown themselves into battle against the cowardly nature of the terrorists over the past 20 years. My warmest thoughts and respect to all of you and your loved ones.” Fair play Berlingske! AS ONE would expect, 9/11 was the key element of the news day in the Danish media on September 11, and this was mirrored on the covers of most major newspapers. Perhaps the most valiant attempt, perhaps drawing inspiration from Frederiksen’s call for reflection and the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, was Berlingske newspaper’s incorporation of September 11 into a massive domino
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effect with the 11 representing the Twin Towers, followed by lines and lines of 1s waiting to tip over. The cover was simple, albeit likely considered contentious by some, and striking. In truth, the domino situation depicted had been in motion long before 9/11. And the bricks will no doubt continue to topple long into the future, in spite of the recent Afghanistan exodus. Still, Berlingske’s cover won’t be forgotten any time soon.
Paid to accept interpreters DENMARK has been paying the UK to accept interpreters who helped their forces in Afghanistan. According to Berlingske, the amount covered how much it would cost the UK to evaluate their documents and integrate them, along with the cost of five years of social benefits. Up until June, just five Afghan interpreters had been granted asylum in Denmark out of 139 applicants. In total, 195 interpreters assisted Denmark during the war in Afghanistan.
Among the most luxurious COPENHAGEN is the world’s 19th most luxurious city, according to a ranking by money. co.uk topped by Paris. The ranking counted the number of 5-star hotels, Michelin-star restaurants and designer stores in Copenhagen, calculating that it has 0.86 luxury venues per square km. Phuket, Brussels, Geneva and Cannes completed the top five.
World’s fourth best city COPENHAGEN is the world’s fourth best city, according to the International Time Out Magazine, which isn’t bad, as in 2019 it did not feature in the top 48. It rated highly for environmental issues, bicycle infrastructure and its relaxed vibe. The top ten were San Francisco, Amsterdam, Manchester, Copenhagen, New York, Montreal, Prague, Tel Aviv, Porto and Tokyo.
Foreign aid shake-up
Fast-tracked deportations
PM promises climate aid
Loses out to neighbour
SINCE Parliament passed new legislation this spring to shorten prison sentences handed out to foreigners to quicken their deportation, over 25 have been shuttled out of the country, according to the Immigration Ministry.
BY 2023, DENMARK will be donating 3.8 billion kroner in climate aid to the UN annually, promised PM Mette Frederiksen at a recent meeting with the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, in Glasgow. The pledge represents a 42 percent rise on 2021.
FOR THE last ten years, the Arctic isle of Oodeaq has officially been the northernmost island on Earth. But that was before Danish geographer Morten Rasch discovered an isle a further 780 metres north, measuring just 30 by 60 metres.
IN THE 2022 budget proposal, Parliament outlined a comprehensive reform of Danish foreign development aid, committing more funds to climate-friendly projects and migration initiatives in support of ‘fragile states’. A third of all aid will be green by 2023, while 3.5 billion kroner more will be allocated to “efforts within migration and in fragile states” in 2025.
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SPORT
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Cigars for Qatar: Denmark smoking it! FACEBOOK/LANDSHOLDET
Tauson up to 52
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CLARA Tauson, 18, won her second WTA tournament of the year on September 19, beating Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the Luxembourg Open to move up the world rankings to 52. Tauson, the last player to beat US Open champion Emma Raducanu, was criticised by Mats Wilander for not showing enough anger in her defeat to Ashleigh Barty in New York.
King of the trots at 71! HARNESS racer Steen Juul has won his 11th Dansk Trav Derby at the age of 71! Continuing a run that started in 1983, Festival Of Speed’s win was also his ninth as trainer.
Sepp calls it a day at 81! FORMER Danish national team coach Sepp Piontek has retired from football at the age of 81! The German, who helped turn around Denmark's fortunes in the 1980s, had coached the Denmark Old Boys team for two decades. Piontek said farewell in style with a 13-0 victory.
Ice hockey team qualify THE DANISH ice hockey team will compete in their first Winter Olympic Games in February after qualifying ahead of Norway, South Korea and Slovenia in a four-side qualification group. The games start in Beijing on February 4.
New handball head DANISH Handball Association general-secretary Morten Stig Christensen, 62, has replaced Per Bertelsen as chair of the association on a one-year term. He has been charged with modernising the structure of the game in Denmark.
DANISH golfing twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard, 20, made history over the turn of the month, becoming the first siblings to win back-to-back European Tour tournaments. First off, Rasmus won the Omega European Masters on August 29 – his third tour victory since turning pro – and then Nicolai won the DS Automobiles Italian Open a week later.
Three Paralympic golds
Djokovic hails “future star” NOVAK Djokovic hailed Holger Rune as a “future star” following his four-set defeat of the 18-yearold Dane in the first round of the US Open. The world number 145, who grabbed headlines by turning up with his kit in an IKEA bag, will take a break from the national team to focus on breaking into the world top 100.
Golfing twins write history
Man of the match Thomas Delaney would be the first to admit this has been a team effort
Nothing can seemingly stop the national team from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup CHRISTIAN WENANDE
U
SUALLY when Denmark qualifies for a major tournament, it comes down to a final winner-takes-all game. But that doesn't seem to be the case this time. Following a 5-0 drubbing of Israel at Parken Stadium on September 7, the Danes sit more comfortably than ever before in qualification. With just four games remaining, Denmark lead Group F with a commanding seven-point cushion over Scotland in second.
They need just two more wins to be group winners and automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Two of the last four games will be against the Faroe Islands at home and Moldova away, so six wins from six looks more than achievable. Unique statistics IT'S AN impressive six wins in as many attempts for the Danes now, and they have yet to concede a single goal, wracking up a goal difference of +22. Perhaps even more eye-popping is that the team is getting goals from pretty much everyone aside from ... well ... Kasper Schmeichel.
The Israel game was an example of that, with the five goals coming from different players (Yussuf Poulsen, Simon Kjær, Andreas Skov Olsen, Thomas Delaney and Andreas Cornelius). In fact, no less than 16 players have contributed to the 22 – a testament to the depth of the squad and an underscoring that everyone contributes. The Danes can secure a very early World Cup qualification berth already next month, when they take on Moldova away on October 9 and then Austria at home three days later. They'll wrap up play against the Faroes at home and Scotland away in November.
Teens on the move
Fuglsang changes team
Danish teams off to fine start
A LOT OF Danish teens have been on the move this summer. Leading the way, Kamaldeen Sulemana has swapped FCN for Stade Rennais in a deal potentially worth 150 million kroner. Mohamed Daramy has joined Ajax from FCK for 100 million, Jesper Lindstrøm has left Brøndby for Eintracht Frankfurt for around 50 million, and Vejle sold Wahid Faghir to Stuttgart for around 50 million. Old-timer Mathias 'Zanka' Jørgensen, meanwhile, has left Fenerbahçe to join Brentford.
JAKOB Fuglsang, 36, has left Astana, his team for the last nine years, to join Australian outfit BikeExchange. Fuglsang broke his collarbone in a crash in late August. In other cycling news, Magnus Cort won the Combativity Award in this year's Vuelta a España after winning three stages, Johan Price-Pejtersen won the Under-23 European Single Start in Italy, and Kasper Asgreen finished fourth in the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships.
ALL FOUR Danish football teams are off to a decent start in their European group campaigns. FC Copenhagen were the only team to win, 3-1 away to Slovan Bratislava, while Brøndby (0-0 vs Sparta Prague), Randers (2-2 vs AZ Alkmaar) and FC Midtjylland (1-1 vs Ludogorets) all avoided defeat. The results mean that Denmark moves up one spot past Israel into 22nd in the UEFA coefficient ranking, with Sweden and Norway just ahead.
DRESSAGE star Tobias Thorning Jørgensen, 21, won a double gold at the Paralympic Games, and Lisa Gjessing also triumphed in the taekwondo. The three golds were Denmark’s most since 2008, helping it to 40th place in the final medal table, 10 and 11 places better than 2012 and 2016, well ahead of Norway (47), Sweden (50) and Finland (52).
Hjalte still in contention WITHIN a day of being let go by the 53-player Houston Texans main squad, Hjalte Froholdt, 25, was rehired by the NFL side’s 16man practice squad. This means the Dane might be eligible to play in games should injuries permit it. The NFL season started on September 10.
Dreyer's delightful debut ANDERS Dreyer scored a hattrick on his debut for Russian side Rubin Kazan following his move from FCM for a fee rumoured to be 55 million kroner. In other news, Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite is likely to be out for four months following the news he requires surgery on his knee.
Boost for Parken COPENHAGEN Municipality has committed 2 million kroner to helping the DBU ruling football body move its HQ from Brøndby to Parken, the home of FC Copenhagen and national stadium. In related news, the municipality will spend a further 1 million kroner on investigating the feasibility of increasing Parken’s capacity – possibly to 50,000.
1 - 14 October 2021
ONLINE THIS WEEK HBO Max launching HBO MAX is launching in Denmark on October 26. Its arrival, which will coincide with the phasing out of HBO Nordic, will mean that viewers in the Nordics, and also Spain and Andorra, will be the first in Europe to try out the revamped streaming provider. Ahead of the launch, HBO Max will be conducting a virtual event to showcase its new content.
Churchminister“unchristian” THE NEW church and culture minister, Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, has ruffled feathers after a picture emerged of her dressed up as a seeress. The photo was taken by artist Jim Lyngvild for a series that includes nine other well known Danish women dressed up as Viking era shamen. Several priests and politicians deemed the photos ‘unchristian’.
Queen gets Blixen nod QUEEN Margrethe II will design the sets for Bille August’s adaptation of Karen Blixen's short story 'Ehrengard'. The Danish monarch has a long track record designing sets for the stage. The film will be produced by Netflix.
Nørrebro’s new mural ACCLAIMED Chilean mural artist Inti Castro has unveiled a 15-metre depiction of a young woman carrying a baguette at Skt Johannes Kirke in Nørrebro, just around the corner from Sankt Hans Torv.
CULTURE
The patter of John and Yoko Unique 1970 recording of world’s most famous couple sells for a bomb at Danish auction house
O
Imagine the possibility! FOR ALL their music, in-bed peace protests and art film collaborations, a great proportion of Lennon and Ono’s life together was spent trying to track down her former husband Anthony Cox and their five-year-old daughter Kyoko. In late 1969, they quietly travelled to Denmark on an unannounced visit to find them holed up at a remote farmhouse near the north Jutland town of Thy. Days later the story broke
Grasp the chance THE ROSKILDE Festival has thrown its backing behind a new festival aimed at inspiring sustainable change in everyday life. GRASP will consist of 70 events and be held in Roskilde from November 18-20. Among the performing bands are Efterklang and Den Sorte Skole. Festival passes cost 995 kroner.
BEN HAMILTON
N TUESDAY, a very special lot was sold by Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers. An audio recording of John Lennon from January 1970, just months before the Beatles split up, fetched 370,000 kroner – far in excess of its estimate of 200,000 to 300,000 kroner. The recording was made by four school boys who interviewed Lennon and his new wife Yoko Ono at a remote location in deepest Jutland. And while it includes a song that was never published, its biggest highlight has to be a recording of Lennon and Ono dancing around the Christmas tree, audibly humming along to some Danish classics!
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New culture body
The Danish Xmas tree they danced around
in local media, and within 24 hours the area was under siege. Jesper Jungersen, a 16-year-old Dane living in the area, knew this was too good an opportunity to miss. Icestorm karma IF THIS was an American film, the kids wouldn’t have got permission from the headteacher at their school, Skovgårdsskolen near Brovst, and just sneaked off under some pretence to interview the “filthy long-hairs’, but this was Denmark, and their plans were utterly endorsed. They paid a local van driver 30 kroner to take them to the isolated farmhouse where a press conference had been called for 5 January 1970, but a last minute change of location, to a venue 70 km away, and an unexpected
blizzard, delayed them somewhat. It turned out to be to their advantage. Come together CONFRONTED by the late schoolboys, Lennon and Ono were only too happy to oblige them with a lengthy, informal interview that includes fragments of two songs: ‘Give Peace a Chance’, the couple’s mantra of the moment, and the unpublished ‘Radio Peace’. The interviewer, Karsten Højen, went on to write an article about the interview in his school magazine, which was also included in the lot. Since 2002, the tape of the recording had sat in a bank vault waiting for a rainy day.
SIX DANISH cultural institutions – Danske Koncert- og Kulturhuse, Danmarks Biblioteksforening, Danske Ensembler, Orkestre og Operainstitutioner, Dansk Teater, and Dansk Live og Organisationen Danske Museer – have joined forces to form Dansk Kultur, an association to strengthen the voice of Danish culture.
Ed Sheeran concert BRITISH pop star Ed Sheeran has confirmed he will be playing in Øresundsparken in Tårnby in August next year. A 360 degree stage is planned, enabling a crowd capacity of 40,000. Tickets went on sale on September 25.
Another round begins THE DANISH Film Institute has drawn up a shortlist of three films to represent Denmark in the 'International Feature Film' category at the Oscars: 'Flugt' (‘Flee’), 'Margrete den første' ('Margrete – Queen of the North'), and 'Skyggen i mit øje' ('The Shadow in My Eye'). The selection will be announced on October 25.
10 SCIENCE
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STATENS Serum Institut has reported the lowest number of Hepatitis C cases this century. Numbers peaked at 425 in 2007, but last year there were only 165. The improvement was attributed to improved treatment and less intravenous self-medication. It has been obligatory to report an infection with Hepatitis C to the health authorities since 2000.
Favouring cannabis AFTER a study conducted in 2018 revealed that more Danes are favouring cannabis over painkillers and antidepressants, a more up-to-date study carried out by scientific magazine Harm Reduction Journal has reached similar findings. Respondents claim that cannabis has less side-effects than their actual medication.
GM food approval THE EUROPEAN Union has legalised genetically modified wheat, soya, rapeseed and cotton within EU member states. The decision came as a surprise to many, as the EU had been in denial for a long time regarding any potential legalisation.
Largest PtX facility SWISS energy company H2 Energy Europe plans to invest a multi-billion-dollar amount into building Europe’s largest PtX facility in Esbjerg. Once it's running in 2024, it will turn green energy into hydrogen for land transport purposes. It will also create 200 to 300 jobs.
More bluefin tuna AFTER a disappearance of more than five decades, the bluefin tuna has re-emerged in Danish waters. The tuna had been off radar since the 1960s, but since first being sighted in 2017, the count had risen to 116 in 2020.
More motorway fences DANES are willing to pay a little bit extra to ensure the country's motorways are entirely fenced off, as they believe it would reduce the number of deer accidents.
The municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg have been quick to take action LENA HUNTER
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N MAY 2021, the environment minister, Lea Wermelin, made a proposal to give local authorities the ability to designate zero-emission zones in Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, and the Capital Region pair have been quick to take action. Copenhagen and Frederiksberg have set out an implementation consisting of three phases. Since July 2020, buses and trucks not registered before October 2009 weren’t allowed in the zones. From July 2022, the same will apply to buses and trucks not registered before January 2015. And from 2025, vans not registered before September 2016. Checks will be carried out using number plate recognition systems, which will be installed in the areas concerned. Violations will result in fines of 12,500 kroner for lorries and buses, and 1,500 kroner for vans.
ONLINE THIS WEEK OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Low Hepatitis C rate
Cleaner city centres within reach
1 - 14 October 2021
THANKS to recent legislative changes, the Danish regions will invest 5 million kroner per year into the country's three forensic institutes for research into hereditary diseases and premature death. The funding will enable more autopsies on individuals who died "unexpectedly and suddenly, often before the age of 50".
Laser advantages
The future is almost here
lution. It also promotes the single use of electric cars, without restricting travel for local residents, by finding alternatives. Some automotive interest groups had called for a gradual introduction. "It is far too early and disproportionate to have zero-emission zones that would exclude 98 percent of motorists," contended Dennis Lange, the chief consultant of FDM, a motorists’ association, who has called out for “a symbolic policy that will have no measurable effect on pollution”.
Sudden death research
lution in diesel engine exhaust. Support and financing schemes would be offered to the HDV operators to enable them to acquire such technology. The Danish authorities require labels to be affixed to all heavy-diesel vehicles – domestic and foreign.
Motorists not happy IT IS ARGUED that such action aims to help reduce the thousands of premature deaths caused by pol-
Help for HDVs HEAVY-DUTY vehicles (HDVs) must either meet the stipulated Euro standards (EURO 4) or install particulate filters that must remove at least 80 percent of the particulate pol-
Top of the Nordics IN RELATED news, the number of alternative fuel vehicles in Denmark has risen by an average 67 percent every year over the last decade, placing it ahead of Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland and sixth in Europe, according to a Uswitch.com analysis. Ten years ago, it had just 301 vehicles. Today it has 57,547. The Swiss Investment Bank UBS predicts that electric cars will account for 20 percent of all new vehicle sales by 2025.
Robotic breakthrough
Treating heart failure
Detecting brain tumours
THE ROBOTICS lab at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) has confirmed that it has completed the finishing touches on a robot that can communicate with people. SDU’s robot has been programmed to undertake tasks within the care sector. However, its field of duty is expected to grow with its learnings.
A TRANSNATIONAL study involving Denmark has established that the influenza vaccination is an effective way of treating a patient suffering from heart failure. The vaccination led to a 41 percent reduction in deaths when it was administered to a patient with congestion of the heart within three days of their diagnosis.
AN ODENSE University Hospital study concludes that injecting a child with an amino acid trace element improves the chances of a scan detecting dangerous brain tumours. The injection enables the scan to more accurately distinguish between benign and malignant tumours. Brain tumours are the deadliest kind of tumours among children.
Be kind to Mr Mole
More infants infected
Energy island backing
WITH AUTUMN here, there are more moles around. However, experts warn it is a mistake to kill them. The best way to limit the damage is to endure the first mole that arrives, as the animals tend to be very territorial. It is better to simply flatten the molehills and be thankful there are not more.
IT IS BELIEVED that Respiratory Syncytial Virus, an infection that makes it hard for infants to breathe, is booming right now due to lower immunity levels caused by corona. In week 34, there were 510 cases alone. Half of all kids get it by the age of two. Fatalities are extremely rare.
A POLITICAL majority has approved plans to establish the world’s first energy island in the North Sea. The next step is for the state, which will own at least 50.1 percent of the project in a bid to foster a flourishing public-private sector partnership, to agree on the tender process.
A STUDY carried out by DTU scientists concludes that the Fano laser beam has fundamental advantages. Just a few micrometres in width, the laser is impossible to spot with the naked eye.
Strong dementia link RESEARCHERS have documented a link between noise from traffic and an increased risk of dementia. The risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s are 18 and 27 percent higher when subjected to over 55 decibels of traffic noise over long periods of time.
Huge fall in emissions HOUSEHOLD CO2 emissions fell by 12 percent during the COVID-19 Crisis, according to Danmarks Statistik. It was the biggest annual decline since 1990. Overall, the emissions have decreased by 36 percent since 1990.
Take it more seriously! SØREN Brostrøm, the head of the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority, has called for better practice concerning the treatment of necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease whose symptoms are often overlooked. The disease can be fatal if left untreated. The most common symptoms are grave pain in the affected area, fever, shivering and vomiting.
Return help to bingers AROUND 45,000 people in suffer from Binge Eating Disorder, and up until three years ago therapy was available. However, since its withdrawal in 2018 due to budget concerns, it is feared that many sufferers are going untreated.
1 - 14 October 2021
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“It’s a leave of your senses!”
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Big employers
BUSINESS
SOME 21 percent of employees in the private sector worked for companies based abroad in 2019, according to Danmarks Statistik. The over 8,000 foreign companies made up just 3 percent of companies, but employed 322,000 people, accounting for 27 percent of the 2019 turnover in the private sector.
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Refugee solution HORESTA anticipates strong interest in newly-arrived refugees, as there are not enough job-seekers to cover the vacancies in the hotel and restaurant sector. Horesta consultant Kristian Norgaard told TV2 that four out of ten companies are turning down jobs due to staff shortages.
Economy booming
East African Innovators
ACCORDING to a governmental prognosis from August 30, the economy will have grown by 3.8 percent by the end of the year, and then by another 2.8 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, the employment rate is at an all-time high according to July figures. Some 51,000 more people have jobs compared to before corona.
THE DEVELOPMENT minister, Flemming Møller Mortensen, recently presided over a debate day organised by the UN World Food Program WFP and DTU, which invited four entrepreneurs part of the Next Generation East African Innovators scheme.
Indexes jumping AUGUST saw a 1.8 percent rise in the consumer price spike and a 12.8 percent jump in the producer price index for goods, according to Danmarks Statistik. They were the biggest month-on-month increases since December 2012 and September 2008 respectively.
Maersk confirms acquisition MAERSK ACQUIRED HUUB, a Portuguese cloud-based logistics startup that specialises in technology solutions for B2C warehousing for the fashion industry. In related news, Danish biomass boiler manufacturing company Burmeister & Wain Energy has been acquired by Berkes, a Uruguayan engineering firm.
Daddy can expect more home time in the future
Blue bloc furious that government’s proposed parental leave allocations look set to be adopted CHRISTIAN WENANDE
L
IBERAL Alliance (LA) is dismayed by the new rules set out in the government’s proposal for a more equal allocation of parental leave, which penalises couples if the mother or father is unable to take eleven weeks off work. Previously, in addition to the father getting two weeks and the mother 18 (including four leading up to the birth), couples were given 32 weeks to share as they saw fit. But now each partner must take 11 weeks, with the remaining 13 shared, meaning the
maximum a mother can take is 41 weeks. Previously it was 50. A new EU directive, which forces EU countries to earmark at least nine weeks of paternity leave to both parents, is due to be implemented by the end of 2022 at the latest. LA: Hijack in progress LA SPOKESPERSON Alex Vanopslagh argues it is not an area that should be “hijacked by gender equality policy". “There should be no earmarking at all. It must be completely down to free choice, so that the child is the one in focus. You might have grandparents who need to have a share of the leave,” he reasoned to DR. “This is not about career women being able to realise themselves. It is about children having a safe
and good time with the family.” Dansk Folkeparti leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl could not imagine a deal more “condescending to Danes”, he wrote on Twitter. No support from Venstre KONSERVATIVE and Nye Borgelige are also against the proposal, which is thought likely to pass with the help of the government’s red bloc allies and Venstre. “Basically, it is really good for children, as they have the opportunity to be with both their mother and father,” said Venstre spokesperson Fatma Øktem. Meanwhile, Majbrit Berlau, the deputy head of the Danish Trade Union Confederation, applauded a proposal that “strengthens women in the workplace”.
Poor job advertising DANISH companies are hopeless at advertising jobs on pan-European job databases. Despite a huge abundance of jobs, and 14.6 million unemployed people in the EU, many fail to take advantage of freedom of movement. Just 2,902 jobs in Denmark are currently posted on the EURES database, compared to 38,814 vacancies in Norway and 60,000 in Sweden.
End of the line NORDSTROM Invest filed for bankruptcy on September 7. The energy trader is reported to be the victim of a rally in energy prices across Europe. In other business news, Vesterbro bike company Butchers & Bicycles has announced a collaboration with architect Bjarke Ingels.
12 BUSINESS FEATURE THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
Being taken seriously at 18 with Denmark’s answer to Richard Branson Since starting his website design business at the age of 16 during the early days of the pandemic, Oscar Nihrane has had his sights set on commercial success MARIESA BRAHMS
O
SCAR NIHRANE is not quite your average web consultant. What makes him stand out among the multitude of self-established business people in a city like Copenhagen is his surprisingly young age of 18 and how little time it took him to take matters into his own adolescent hands and make his mark. His business, which helps companies to make their websites more appealing and suitable to both the contemporary needs of customers and their individual business-models, emerged in March 2020 when COVID-19 took a hold in societal life. When the pandemic hit, and restrictions had most of us working from the dining table or comparably improvised settings at home, students at efterskole, the Danish equivalent of boarding school, were sent back to their parents’ homes. However, online classes and homework didn’t adequately fill the surplus of time Oscar suddenly had on his hands. Programmed to succeed “BEFORE the pandemic I remember getting more and more upset calculating the hours wasted in school; just sitting in class wasn’t really for me. Especially since the way we are taught is not the most time-efficient one,” recalled Nihrane. “And although I was really interested in learning about history and chemistry, I actually really enjoyed attending classes remotely.” Working from his parents’ place, Nihrane finally got to dedicate more time to a learning program he had recently purchased. Under the patronage of its US initiator Tai Lopez, a millionaire and professional Jack of all trades, the program taught Nihrane everything he needed to know
about starting a business with little to no money or experience. “I like Lopez’s proactive approach to life. Whatever you want, you have to work for it,” he enthused. A second online program duly followed, which was not so much focused on preaching the right mindset but rather more about business itself, and an idea started to materialise in Nihrane’s mind: website design. Scaling Mt Bureaucracy IT TURNED out that starting a business at the age of 16 comes with a whole lot of bureaucracy and waiting time. Nihrane spent four months waiting to get final permission from the Danish authorities to start his business. On his way past the bureaucratic gatekeepers, Nihrane had to present a business plan and fill out questionnaires. “I am very proud that in the end I was permitted to start my business. A friend of mine went through the same procedure and got turned down,” he added. Meanwhile, he was busy drumming up business. “I had clients before I officially started my business. I’d contact companies via LinkedIn and ask them whether they’d like to eventually get some help with their websites. That turned out to be very effective and people were, in fact, interested in my advice,” he said. Age: the first frontier AGE WAS less of a hurdle when dealing with businesses. “I don’t let my clients know my age, but they don’t even ask anyhow. In the end, it’s not about age but skill, and I have come up with my own way of expressing myself and how companies can benefit from me,” he said. “They didn’t even care about my age. Although a continuous deal-breaker was that I did not have my own business but only my private bank account. Obviously, that’s not very professional.” DNA of an entrepreneur NIHRANE wakes up early every
Oscar winning at it all
single day: at 04:00 to be precise. “I like to get ahead of my daily tasks. And I have many of them. I go to school, then I have my business, a workout routine and my family and friends to catch up on,” he said. Nevertheless, despite his success, this business is just one step on the ladder for Nihrane. “Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy working with web design. But what I like even more is to keep learning and improving. In the end, I just want to afford a good lifestyle, and I believe that you have to work hard for it.” That settles the question why he wakes up at 04:00 every day then! Stutterer’s route to success THE NOW 18-year-old prefers to keep business talk outside the family circle. This is not rooted in mistrust or the fear of being viewed as arrogant, but rather a question of right timing. Needless to say, Nihrane has a strong work ethic and a well-suited mindset that has come along with a steadily growing self-awareness. But it hasn’t always been that way. Nihrane recalls an intimate dinner party where he and four other members of his family celebrated his mother’s birthday. Talking aloud made him stutter and feel uncomfortable. At that point, he wouldn’t have thought he’d be pitching his ideas to accomplished CEOs a few years later.
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STARTUP COMMUNITY Thomas (@thomas_hors) is the former co-founder of Startup Guide – The Entrepreneur’s Handbook and a former startup scout for IKEA Bootcamp. He is currently the COO for Tiimo, a Danish startup delivering an assistive app to kids with ADHD, autism and brain damage. He is also a limited partner and investor in The Nordic Web Ventures, which invests in early-stage Nordic startups.
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ETTING funding for your business is no walk in the park. For many entrepreneurs, capital is essential for keeping their business dreams alive. Today we will look at the differences between a Business Angel (BA) and a Venture Capitalist (VC). Here is what you should know! Business Angels A BA (or angel investor), in essence, is anyone who is willing to put time and money into you and your company/idea. They typically have some common traits. They can come from any background, but they are often former successful entrepreneurs or business people with a minimum $1 million net worth. They invest with their own money – and this is an important difference from VCs. Most BAs are motivated by three things: 1) the potential
CARLOS MONTEIRO GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE
Venture Capitalists THIS IS an entirely different beast.
Which 'pig' is right for you?
if things don’t go well. They need to find the next unicorn (billion dollar company) and they need you to believe that you are that unicorn if they invest many millions in you! So only raise money from VCs if you have to. No matter who you raise money from, always ask yourself: do you really need it? Could you achieve the same without it? Really think it through, and know who and what you are committing to. Good luck!
She and her (Brazilian) friends were talking before the hot yoga class started when an elderly gentleman suddenly said: "Shut up!" She and her friends were startled and went on radio silence mode instantly. Was he rude? Perhaps. But he also drew a line and established clear limits.
Rude or to the point? HERE’S a story that a Brazilian living in Sweden shared on Insta recently.
Depends on your culture HISTORICALLY speaking, Brazilians tend to avoid confrontation. In Scandinavia, and even more so in the Netherlands, people embrace confrontation. It is part of their culture to be brutally direct. That may sometimes come across as ‘harsh’ or even rude, but it all depends on where you come from. Speaking about and debating culture is fascinating. In a
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Carlos started a business through denmarkbrazil.com, but while his blog survives, he has left for pastures new and is now the founder of EVOLVE, a provider of innovative marketing solutions to tech and retail commerce companies. Carlos seeks to inspire many on a vast range of topics, from digital transformation and mental health to the future of work in the 4th industrial revolution.
VCs are different from BAs in many ways: 1) you are now dealing with a firm specialised in startup investments, 2) they typically invest at a later stage when the business has more traction, 3) they invest higher amounts of money, and 4) they have much higher expectations and are more demanding. The single biggest difference is the fact that VCs invest other people’s money. VCs raise money from pension funds, corporates and high-net-worth individuals – often hundreds of millions of dollars (to invest that in around 20-25 companies) – and are tasked with creating a high return. This means they operate in an extremely competitive environment, and this makes them more disciplined, more demanding and more aggressive. As the amount of money rises, so do the stakes and VCs will demand more control than BAs and intervene more
PIXABAY
W
HEN YOU live abroad for so many years, it is pretty weird: like you’ve developed a third identity. It is like being able to see both worlds from above (or the outside), and that is incredibly valuable as we can understand different POVs. I find that I have become a lot more open. I often ask myself: Why do things happen in such a way here? What can I do about this or that? What are the norms here? And how about unspoken norms? Because what is right in Denmark may be perceived as different in my home country. And the contrary is also true.
of big returns by investing in a company very early, 2) the chance to give back to the entrepreneurial community, and 3) the chance to invest in and mentor new entrepreneurs. Because BAs invest during the earliest stages of a company/ idea, they take on a greater risk, because your idea and ability to execute is less validated. They also know that they might not get a return on their investment for a long time. Unlike VCs, they don’t have a lot of terms when they invest. This is all in your favour as an entrepreneur and a good reason to go for an angel investment. Be aware that BAs typically invest smaller amounts of money: from $20,000-200,000. So if you need a lot more than that, you need more than one – or a VC.
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PIXABAY
THOMAS HØRSTED
BUSINESS OPINION
It's a hotchpotch of different cultures out there!
borderless world where we can work with people virtually from any country, it is a tremendously important topic. Exchanging POVs AS FOR the Brazilian lady, we exchanged messages, and I
shared my POV. Being perceived as rude can sometimes have a lot to do with your background and what you consider to be right or wrong. I would love to hear your take on how you deal with different cultures and POVs?
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14 OPINION
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
This is democracy at work
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FTER 16 years in office, German Chancellor Mutti Merkel is retiring. We will miss her. She made the EU a stable place to live through financial crises, COVID-19 and an American president who annoyed her.
Hell-bent on assimilation IT IS WORTH remembering this example at a time when the majority of Danish political parties are competing on how to make immigrants Danish – not just into Danish nationals with a different culture, but wholly Danish. It seems the mutual respect is sorely missing. Political hardliners – like Dansk Folkeparti immigration spokesperson Martin Henriksen, who was re-elected as a board member at the party conference over the weekend of September 18-19 – are arguing for even harsher measures. And the ongoing Inge Støjberg trial is another eye-opener! Built a future, not fences AT A TIME when people are risking their lives in miserable boats to cross the Mediterranean, or marching through the moun-
Local but more international IN NOVEMBER, we will elect local councillors to serve a fouryear period. It will be interesting to note how many candidates with a non-Danish background will contest the seats. Romania, for example, which has seen a large number of its nationals come to Denmark over the last 14 years, has 15 candidates running in the municipal and regional elections. High participation is expected, and the political parties have identified eligible foreign voters (residents of four years, along with anyone from the EU, Norway or Iceland) to be important participants in the political debate – especially in cities with vulnerable neighbourhoods. Accordingly, many are campaigning to mobilise these partly-marginalised citizens. Respect is the key word – mutually by the way – for a better world and democracy. (ES)
Early Rejser Adam is a nanny, a multi-sports fanatic and a budding ultra runner. He was faster off the mark than his fellow Brits, quitting England for Denmark moments before they voted to stay out of Europe. When he isn’t caring for kids, screaming at a screen or tearing up his feet, he writes unsettling poetry and prose.
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OOKING down at the smooth gums of our young son, I pity the fool for the pain he’s due. Not the bite of erupting teeth or the sting of wobbling ones, but the pain of realising, once he’s got his ‘permanent’ set, that he’ll lose some of those too, and only death will spare the rest from decay. Perhaps he’ll be consoled by the explanation of this latter fact – we take the bacteria that eats our teeth with us when we go. Pain aside, the loss of baby teeth can be positive for kids if they associate the process with becoming like the grown-ups they look up to. For parents it’s often bittersweet: the start of a long goodbye to a childhood they wish would last a little longer. Perhaps it’s the desire to extend the magic of those early years and lessen the child’s ordeal that explains The Tooth Fairy. It seems like kindness to tell tall fairy-tales that give ugly ordeals a pretty veneer. But veneers can crack and fade in ways that damage the thing they’re meant to protect. You can’t handle the tooth A GOOD lie limits the people who can expose it. When all the world’s adults and many of its children can, with the slip of a tongue or the cruelness of youth, shatter the lie you’ve made your child believe, is it worth telling? The potential costs are obvious. Humiliation and grief aside, your child, depending on how the lie’s been told, may lose trust in you – the one they trusted most – maybe for a moment, maybe forever in undetectable ways that extend beyond you.
PIXABAY
An example to us all WE ARE proud of our border with Germany. Often called the world’s happiest, minorities live on both sides in harmony with each other and the indigenous population – a result of the 1920 reunification and war of 1864, despite the Occupation of 1940-1945. Their presence teaches us that integration is not about an erosion of cultural differences but of mutual respect. The Danish minority in Germany even campaigned for a seat in the Bundestag in Sunday’s elections, and they recently provided the minister for education in the Landestag in Kiel.
tains of Afghanistan because they missed the last plane out of Kabul, it is not rocket science to conclude that humanitarian help is more important than building fences. The irony is that we are building fences – ostensibly to prevent wild boar, even though they bypass the barrier by swimming – at a time when we badly need workers. Europe is no longer delivering under the free movement of labour. Controlled immigration is the way forward. We ideally need 25,000 prospective Danes every year with the skills and minds to integrate into the labour force. And then, on top of that, a fair number of UN quota refugees. But that will not be tomorrow or the next day. Eventually, hopefully. Besides, if we can’t stop the boar, then what’s the point of building fortifications that intelligent humans will eventually bypass.
ADAM WELLS
True path for a steady ship: a guiding finger is all they need
All children react differently, and the impact of someone pulling back the curtain to reveal no-one can’t be predicted or measured. When the reveal also serves as a curtain-call for a whole cast of magical characters, from Santa to unicorns, and the miraculous possibilities they represent, the cost becomes absurdly huge. And the potential benefit? In the Tooth Fairy’s case, it’s that your child learns to seek comfort in cash and fantasies. The truth is more rewarding. Instead of turning them to external, supernatural power for comfort, the truth empowers them by teaching that discomfort is an essential part of life. It’s the part that makes us strong enough to handle it. The reward for discomfort isn’t material, it’s the strength it gives us, and the meaning it gives to life’s comforts. That might sound Spartan, but this is Sparta. Monster lies REGARDLESS, lying makes little sense given that whether something is real has little bearing on a child’s ability to
imagine it so. Would ‘knowing’ that wizards are real add anything healthy to their thrill of losing themself in the Harry Potter universe? Would it be better if they seriously thought their next school might be Hogwarts? Is belief an upgrade on imagination? Kids love Halloween. It doesn’t cross our minds to enhance their excitement by convincing them witches and werewolves exist. We foster belief in benevolent beings but assure children that monsters aren’t real. How do such lopsided lies prepare kids for a world full of monsters that look like men and fibs that look like facts? I’ll tell my boy about Santa and The Tooth Fairy – the history and traditions. The power of stories doesn’t come from whether they’re literally true, but from the truths they reveal. The magic of childhood doesn’t come from believing specific fictions are true, but from being able to make anything you choose to feel real to you. I pity our son for the pain he’s due but, when it comes, he’ll be nobody’s fool.
OPINION
1 - 14 October 2021
VIVIENNE MCKEE
Crazier than Christmas Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. For the last four decades, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.
Nobody did it better than Roger Moore
I
SN’T IT great that we are returning to the theatres and festivals and museums and sports events?
Leaving the misery behind LIKE ALL theatre companies worldwide we were forced to cancel our whole 2020 season. This year, we have decided to go ahead with our 2021-22 season, including our popular Crazy Christmas Show at Tivoli. After months of idleness and boredom during Lockdown, I was suddenly faced with the challenge of writing a new comedy script. One thing was certain: I wanted to whisk audiences away from cold Denmark, and the fear of further Covid restrictions, and transport all of us to a warm, nostalgic world of sunshine and snap-happy music. Pearl of the Sunshine State WHEN I write a script for the Christmas show, I always start by deciding where it will take place and in which decade or century.
Our last show, ‘The Three Brexiteers’, was set in 18th century France, where a zip wire-flying Boris Johnson turned up. For the previous year, it was the 19th century as we went around the world with Phileas Fogg, meeting up with Putin and Trump in the Wild West along the way. Well – it is a crazy show! So where and when should I set this year’s show to help us escape from today’s miserable pandemic and politics? I flipped open a travel magazine and saw a sandy beach and a soaring luxury hotel. Of course, where better than Miami – much loved by sun-seekers, celebrities, criminals and Trump supporters? And surely, to avoid the latter, the best decade for all of us old enough to remember and young enough to enjoy was the exhilarating Eighties. We all ♥ the 1980s IN MY MIND, the Eighties was a time of both innocence and excess. A decade of big
hair, big shoulders, lycra, leggings, gadgets and gameboys. A time when young people still talked to each other, instead of burying their heads in their mobile phones or sitting at home hunched over their computers. We had TV shows with family values like ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘Soap’, soaps like ‘Dallas’ and ‘Dynasty’, movies like ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’ and action-packed series like ‘Miami Vice’ – iconic in every way, from its groundbreaking fashion to terrific music. And what about the pop stars in their prime: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tina Turner and Prince? Nobody did it better! THE BOND films are a good yardstick to judge cultural movements because they have been around for six decades. Today’s Bond films are grim and complicated. Daniel Craig scowls his way through them with no funny lines or implausible gadgets. Roger Moore, in the Eighties, grinned and quipped through comedy capers with gadgets (and pussy) galore! Even the titles say it all: compare ‘No Time to Die’ (yawn!) to ‘Octopussy’ (haha!). So ‘The Eighties’ is my decade of choice for this year’s show, and I guarantee you will wallow in nostalgia when you hear the songs and laugh at the costumes from those neon-bright years. And regards the title? Well, what would you say if I stated the obvious – that the past few years have been tough to the extreme. I think you’d say: “Tell Me About It!“ See you in Glassalen!
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A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN
Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER
16 LIFESTYLE: BEAUTY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
A
BARBARA MENSAH ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL London-born Barbara Mensah, a professional international makeup artist for 12 years (and lash stylist for four), relocated to Copenhagen in 2017, where she is the owner of the Barbara Mensah Beauty Studio. The cosy, chic studio provides a welcoming, comfortable space for clients to spend their time getting glammed and pampered for all special occasions.
S A MAKEUP artist of over 11 years, it's always a huge satisfaction to change a person’s look and often even their outlook. To me, everyone is beautiful and everyone can also be transformed to look even more glamorous. I guess that’s why we are often referred to as the ‘glam squad’ – we literally transform people for a living. Makeup artists are a very important part of any shoot and without us the shoot and final image simply feels as though a part of the jigsaw is missing. I love being able to show people just how beautiful they are. Magic behind the scenes HAVE YOU ever wondered what or who goes into creating the beautiful images you see on the front pages of some of your favourite magazines: the teamwork that goes into creating a beautiful bride’s images on a bride’s wedding day, or the efforts behind the scenes to create those glossy, glamorous, picture-perfect images on social media? Producing such images requires a merger of a team of extremely talented and professional people. Often these team members are overlooked, undervalued and forgotten about once the images are released. In this edition of All Things Beautiful, I’m going to break down the team of professionals ‘behind the scenes’ who are responsible for getting those wow images we all love to look at. THE MAKEUP ARTIST Makeup applied by a professional mua (makeup artist) is so important on a photoshoot. The mua is responsible for the visual transformation of the model or client. The mua understands evening out skin tone, how to hide blemishes, and how to perform colour correcting, contouring and highlighting. If clients are left to do their own makeup, photographers are often left with ghostly appearances and more editing work afterwards. THE HAIRDRESSER/HAIRSTYLIST The hairdresser/hairstylist is an integral part of the team. This stylist will consult with and advise clients on what is the best direction to take their creation. All the great stylists are up-to-date on what the latest trends are. Photoshoots tend to bring out the best of their talents, as they unleash a wave of creativity in their designs – both the cut and the vision. CATALINA DUMITRASCU
THE FASHION STYLIST The role of the fashion stylist is to stay on top of all the latest trends within fashion so they are able to dress clients according to their needs. A good fashion stylist is in tune with the client’s style and current image, and it’s often where they draw some direction and inspiration. On a set of a shoot the stylist communicates the fashion vision to the client in a way that is easily understood – and also to the makeup artist, photographer, hairstylist and a creative director if there is one. The fashion stylist is responsible for ‘pulling’ the best clothes and accessories that are eye-catching on the shoot. The best-known stylists are very well connected to some of the biggest fashion brands, designers and boutiques, from where they are able to borrow or rent out the items needed for a successful session.
MAJA DE SILVA
THE CLIENT The client in many ways is the person who sets the tone for how the whole photoshoot proceeds. It’s super important that the client is understood and that their needs and wants in terms of their vision are met. Therefore as a client, it’s important to have an idea of what you want to achieve from the shoot. On the flip-side, it is an underlying principle that the team understands what the client is trying to achieve.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER The photographer on set is the key player and often also the person who does the editing and retouching to create those fabulous final images, as well directing models and the crew. The photographer is responsible for taking clear, artistic and striking photos, which should align with what the client wants. Photographers on set have to make sure there's correct settings in the backdrops and lighting. If a hair is out of place, or a lipstick has smudged, or if a dress has moved out of place and needs to be adjusted, you can depend on the photographer to take swift action.
LIFESTYLE: FOOD
1 - 14 October 2021
TASTE-BUD Claire Tsang (clairesmile.com) was born and raised in Hong Kong, moved to the UK in her late teenage years, and then moved to Copenhagen to finish her education in visual communication, where her spontaneity has earned her the title ‘Slasher’. Not only is she a graphic designer (@clairesmile_dk), but she also works as a party planner, Zumba instructor (FB: Zumba Fun Claire) and podcaster (@ omg_itsstillwednesday)
O
VER THE next two to three weeks we are going to see a lot of pumpkins in the supermarkets! But remember to stock up well in advance of Halloween, as they can be hard to find in the last week of October. It can be a bit overwhelming cooking with such a big vegetable, but once you’ve got someone to carry it home for you, and deseeded and chopped it into pieces, then you are ready to roast, fry or puree it and use it in a few budget-friendly, hearty meals. Use it in salads, soups and, of course, sweets: pancakes, muffins, pumpkin pie or even in your smoothie. And when you are done with the flesh, you’ve still got the seeds, which are full of protein, as well as magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. However, that requires quite a bit of patience, which I only have a spoonful of, but if you have time for it, there are great tutorials on how to shell the seeds online.
ing, comfort food. Pumpkin pie was the first thing that popped into my head, but who am I kidding? The chance that I’d actually make a pumpkin pie is 0 percent. It’s a bit old school; I want to feel inspired by new ways to cook pumpkin, and I haven’t seen many places that serve pumpkin dishes or dessert. The exception is my sweet Japanese baker friend Keiko (@keikoscakesforhappiness), who supplies cake and dessert catering to cafes and restaurants. Together with Kiosken på Odden, she was having a pop-up event at Studio X Kitchen (Dronningens Tværgade 50, Cph K) and guess what was on their menu? Pumpkin crème caramel, Keikostyle pumpkin pie, and pumpkin and chocolate roll! Don’t point your spoon at me! PUMPKIN pies don’t come better than this. Buttery shortbread crust, the freshness of Keiko’s purée, all topped off with thin slices of pumpkin that add a little texture .. you can taste the love in Keiko’s baking, and I’m not exaggerating. Keiko steamed the pumpkin to get the pure flavour out, rather than using canned pumpkin puree or roasting it, as the flavour can get slightly bitter due to the caramelisation, she explained. Like the Danish roulade, Swiss roll can be found in all Hong Kong and Japanese bakeries, but with a much fluffier cake base and less sugary. With Keiko’s version, pumpkin and chocolate roll, she filled it with pumpkin custard that I could just eat a bowl of! My favourite was the jiggly pumpkin cremé caramel. Let’s just say this is not for sharing, so don’t even try sticking your spoon close to it! The amount of pumpkin was just right, so it didn’t ruin the pudding’s texture, but it was still enough to recognise the pumpkin.
Time to pimp some pumps SWEATER weather is approaching, so the logical choice for a recipe to go with this column might have been some heart-warmNEXT ISSUE
Bowl-licking broth ENOUGH sweet talk! Back in the days when I was living in Hong Kong, I had the privilege of experiencing a ‘bowl licking, could not get enough of it’ pumpkin soup, so I thought I’d recreate it for a noodle dish. It’s budget-friendly and can IN 2 ISSUES
Style Stil
Mental Kinda Health
easily be converted into a vegan version. I used my leftover roast chicken from the night before: bones for the broth and meat for the topping. I always get the whole freerange or organic chicken when it’s on offer: 60 kroner stretches into three meals easily but that would be another article, another day. In this recipe, I used vermicelli because it’s fast, less filling and it sucks up all the soup or sauces. For a vegan version, replace chicken broth with veggies and meat with tofu. Vermicelli, tofu and enoki mushrooms can be found in most Asian food stores. For wine lovers, this dish would pair quite well with a dry Riesling. Let’s see what you’re doing with pumpkin this year. Share your thoughts and ideas with us #cphpost. Video tutorial on @omg_itsstillwednesday. Happy Autumn!
PUMPKIN NOODLE SOUP - For the broth, place in a saucepan the bones of a roasted chicken, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 tomato, peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of Miso paste and a secret ingredient: a piece of pork fillet, but it’s optional. - Add enough water to cover all the ingredients and simmer for 60-90 minutes. Alternatively, you could use stock cubes for the broth, but it won’t be as good. - Towards the end, throw your pumpkin (chopped into large portions still with the skin on) on top, so it’s half steamed, half boiled. - When the pumpkin skin is soft, fish them out and blend them into a paste. Mix the broth and pumpkin paste, season and simmer for 10-15 minutes. - Pour over prepared noodles, top with shredded chicken, steamed spinach, soya sauce, sesame oil and Enoki mushrooms. - If you like it spicy, add fresh chilli or chilli powder on top for a bit of a kick. IN 3 ISSUES
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What a Wonderful World
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAIRSMILE
CLAIRE TSANG
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18 COMMUNITY
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
ABOUT TOWN
1 - 14 October 2021
PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD
Romanian ambassador Mihai-Alexandru Gradinar (left), the dean of the diplomatic corps, and his wife (right) were among the guests of South Korean ambassador Sang-jin Park and his wife at a reception at their residence in Charlottenlund on September 24 to mark the South Korean National Day – the conclusion of a week’s worth of events called Korea Week that began on September 17
One of the highlights of Korea Week was an exhibition on fermented food held at the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel on September 21. South Korean ambassador Sang-jin Park (right) was present to oversee various demonstrations, including the obligatory class on how to make kimchi. Other events in Korea Week included a travel exhibition, a movie screening and a lecture about the Korean Wave
Serbia ambassador Jasmina Mitrovic-Maric (right) was among the guests on South African Heritage Day on September 23. South African ambassador Fikile Sylvia Magubane (centre right) oversaw proceedings at her residence in Charlottenlund
Pascal Hector (right), the ambassador of Germany, and his wife were among the guests of Indonesian ambassador Dewi Savitri Wahab (centre) at a reception to mark the 76th anniversary of the Indonesian National Day at her residence in Charlottenlund on September 6
All good things must come to an end! Queen Margrethe II’s disembarkation from the Dannebrog at Copenhagen Harbour on September 14 marked the official end of another summer aboard the royal yacht
Why Not Theatre Company enjoyed a successful premiere of its new play, 'Happy Days' by Samuel Becket, at Teatret ved Sorte Hest on Vesterbrogade on September 3. The play ran for three weeks
1 - 14 October 2021
COMMUNITY
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Saudi Arabian ambassador agrée Sahal M Ergeosous (centre) welcomed the diplomatic corps to Hotel Scandinavia Copenhagen to celebrate his country’s national day on September 24. Among those present were Turkish ambassador Ugur Kenan Ipek (left) and Greek ambassador Nikolaos Kotrokois (right)
The Saudi ambassador agrée only arrived in Denmark this month, but he already knows the fast way to a Danish heart is to serve good cake. Pictured with him and his Turkish counterpart are UAE ambassador Fatema Almazrouei (centre left) and Delara Haulund Christensen, a representative from the Danish Foreign Ministry (left)
British ambassador Emma Hopkins (right) was among the guests of Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Vydoinyk at the celebration of the Ukrainian National Day in Kongens Nytorv on September 8
UAE ambassador Fatema Almazrouei (right) was among the guests of Philippines ambassador Leo Herrera-Lim (left) at a reception to mark the 75th anniversary of the commencement of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Denmark, which was held at Sølyst on September 23
Among the dignitaries present at the premiere of the musical ‘Atlantis’ at Tivoli on September 10 was Vivienne McKee, the founder, creator and star of the Crazy Christmas Cabaret. This year’s show starts at Tivoli on November 16
Icelandic ambassador Helga Hauksdottir (left) proudly welcomed her compatriot Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir to a reception at her residence on September 2 to honour the artist’s exhibitions in Odense and Copenhagen
20 COMMUNITY
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
Proof that Denmark has emerged from corona with its spirits high ALL PHOTOS: HASSE FERROLD UNLESS STATED
PHOTOS: HASSE FERROLD
The total attendance was 79,000+ runners, with many more watching from the sidelines as members of the public raced over distances of 1 km, 5 km and 10 km. No distancing, no masks, no limit to the joy. This was a signal to the rest of the world that life can return to normal after corona. And leading by example in the capital was the event’s creator and orchestrator, Crown Prince Frederik, who (of course) opted for the 10 km race
Most 53-year-olds would have chosen a kinder option, but as his military record in the Danish equivalent of the Marines testifies: ‘Freddie the Frogman’ has never shied away from action
Crown Princess Mary meanwhile was rallying the troops in Aalborg, where she delighted many by posing for selfies after the race – even operating the phone on this occasion!
SCREENSHOT
The nightclubs are open, facemasks are no longer required on public transport, and impatient shoppers are jumping the queue again in the supermarkets. Yes, Denmark is pretty back to normal. But if you needed further confirmation, you’d only need to head to Copenhagen/ Frederiksberg, Odense, Aalborg, Sønderjylland and Bornholm on September 12 to witness a timely rendition of the Royal Run
It was an opportunity for many internationals to join in too, including the staff of the UAE Embassy, who were joined by Hans Hermansen (left), the CEO of CPH POST, on what was a memorable occasion for all those involved
The next Royal Run will take place on 6 June 2022, a Bank Holiday Monday in Denmark
1 - 14 October 2021
COMMUNITY
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Longest awaited housewarming in history, but worth the wait for migrants MARIUS ROLLAND
The MigrantCenter in Nørrebro could finally celebrate its housewarming on Saturday 18 September. The centre, which opened at the end of 2019, organised the event under the pillars of welcome and solidarity. Migrants and volunteers came together to share experiences and stories between the pavements of Bregnerødgade, as convivial exchanges brought the project back to life after one and a half years of a restrictive pandemic
MigrantCenter manager Zahra Roustamova explained the central objective: "Foreign and Danish workers must have the same conditions in the labour market. We fight against social dumping. When migrants come here, you can see the desperation in their eyes. So we try to make them feel better and that brings us satisfaction. Of course there are political aspects, but we will always be a humanitarian organisation. I don't think it's a question of changing the law, it's about thinking and consideration”
David, one of the 15 volunteers, has helped migrants to make friends in the labour market. "I saw how they were handicapped by their foreign status. They are more likely to be exploited,” he explained. For David, the aim of MigrantCenter is to welcome people who have had bad experiences and give them information and solutions. "I hope that MigrantCenter will be able to connect the diasporas and become the intermediary of reference for these populations in the Danish labour movement. We are a translator for them”
According to MigrantCenter board member Morten Goll (pictured), it must be ensured that "everybody in the Danish market will get fair treatment”. Even though the pandemic posed a big threat to its future, Morten is pleased with the strength MigrantCenter has shown: “We opened in the middle of the corona period. I am proud that the project is still in place because it was discouraging to think that nobody would need us because migration was reduced, there was less job hunting and most people were working at home"
Pablo from Portugal and Ryan from Indonesia came along out of curiosity. They wanted to meet fellow migrants and to understand what this association can concretely do for people like them. "Navigating the rules for non-Danish people is quite difficult: you can easily be in a bad situation. We have a lot of challenges,” they said
Tuhaf’s lead singer Berrin Baş (right) was highly motivated to perform: "When I was a little girl I was already familiar with this kind of initiative, so it was really important for me to come here today. My parents emigrated to Denmark from Turkey in the 1970s, and we play music that embodies eastern cultures and European rock. That's what inspires us”
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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
ART REVIEW
1 - 14 October 2021
23
Holte! ... for modernism and the seductive lure of the machine MÉCANIQUE MODERNE ongoing, ends Jan 9; Gl Holtegaard, Attemosevej 170, Holte; entry 65kr, students 55kr, under-18s free adm
STEPHEN GADD
T
HE CURRENT exhibition at Gammel Holtegaard focuses on three artists, all part of the avant garde, who were fascinated by mechanical things in all of their manifestations. In the 1920s, Paris was the place to be for up-and-coming young artists. Bursting with creativity, The ‘City of Lights’ shone brighter than ever, attracting people from all over the world. One of the prime movers in avant garde art, Fernand Léger, had recently set up his Académie Moderne, and Danish artist Franciska Clausen became one of his pupils, as well as his lover for a time. Gösta Adrian-Nilsson from Sweden (known by his artistic name GAN) also met, worked with and was inspired by Léger and had a studio nearby. Hi-tech admiration SINCE the beginning of the 20th century, modern artists had become increasingly fascinated by machinery, mass consumption and images of consumer goods. Technology was not only a marvel in itself, as it also provided a rich imagery of wheels, screws, ropes, steam, chains and movement. It might be thought that this enthusiasm would have waned somewhat when the exhibited artists were exploring this field, as the First World War had only just ended – with its highly mechanised slaughter responsible for at least 9 million military deaths and around 20 million severely wounded or crippled. Léger had even witnessed this at first-hand in the French Army. But the 1920s were also about reconstruction, progress, putting the recent past behind – and just revelling in the joy of living. The roar of the 20s CLAUSEN’S work from this period contains many references to machinery in the dynamic use of colour, form and rhythm, while GAN was fascinated by speed and the way people lived in the modern city. The exhibition is shown in six rooms, each with its own theme, starting with ‘The Rhythm of the City’. In GAN’s picture from 1918 of a military parade, ‘Vaktparaden’ (parade of guards), you
can almost hear the trample of horses' hooves and the military band playing as it moves through the throng of spectators. In the same room, Clausen’s ‘From Rue Delambre’ (1925) is a perfect example of how to simplify architecture down to the bare essentials of squares and oblong blocks of colour. In 1923-24, Léger and American director Dudley Murphy, with input from Man Ray, made a film entitled ‘Le Ballet Mécanique’ celebrating the machine and the city through bursts of disparate images and objects that rush past with all the energy of a modern city. Similar themes were later to be explored by Fritz Lang, Dziga Vertov in ‘Man With A Movie Camera’ and ‘city’ films such as ‘Berlin – Symphony Of A Great City’ by Walter Ruttmann. Screws, wheels, machines IN ‘KØKKENSTILLEBEN’ (kitchen stilllife) (1924), Clausen transforms objects from everyday life – such as saucepans, coffee machines and kitchen utensils – into geometric shapes, using them as a jumping-off point to investigate form and colour. In an essay from 1949, Léger writes “to me the human body is no more important than keys or bicycles … they are the valuable plastic objects I can use as it suits me”. Clausen’s ‘Skruen’ (the screw) from 1926 places the spiral right in the centre of the picture like a figure in a portrait, as if to anticipate Léger’s statement.
GAN was obviously inspired by German artists from Der Blaue Reiter school, such as Franz Marc and Kandinsky. His treatment of the horses in ‘Cowboy och häster’ (cowboy and horses) (1918) is clearly a nod to Marc. His human figures are also reduced to geometric shapes and blocks of colour: for example the man shown taking a bath in ‘Bains’ (baths) (1923) and the matador being trampled by the bull in ‘Tjurfäkting’ (bullfighting) (1933).
Taking an early bath (Canica Kunstsamling, Oslo)
Into the world of dreams THE EXHIBITION then takes a turn away from the machinery of the title and enters the world of surrealism. Here, the sub-conscious and the dream world takes over. GAN’s works in particular show similarities with the work of Dali. The final section is really a pointer to the future, as these artists began to grow in different directions, and their work is increasingly divergent from that of their mentor Léger. Clausen, who in in 1929 was a co-founder of the group of artists called Cercle et Carré (circles and squares), leans towards pure geometric abstraction and non-figurative painting. This also includes other modernists such as Mondrian and Robert and Sonia Delaunay. GAN’s work also becomes more abstract, as can be seen in the picture ‘Plangeometrisk målning’ (plangeometric painting) from around 1930. To sum up, although this exhibition doesn’t quite seem to ‘do what it says on the tin’, it hardly matters, as it is a fascinating look at an exciting and dynamic period of modern art. The work of GAN in particular was new to me and I was very happy to make his acquaintance.
Why is the emperor hungover?
Thanks to
Who is playing first violin? How do you make a bronze statue? The turn of the screw (Museum Salling Kunst)
Another work by Clausen, ‘Studie til Karaflen’ (Study for the carafe) (1927), explores the play of reflections on the surface of a humble carafe. This mundane object has been transformed into a series of geometric shapes, but still remains recognisable for what it is. Not alone THESE artists did not just exist in a vacuum, and the influences of other artists and schools are plainly visible in some of their works.
Get answers to questions you never thought of asking. Join us on a journey back in time and experience art with all your senses. glyptoteket.com/listen
Glyptoteket
24 PERFORMANCE REVIEWS THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
Stunning rendition of ‘Hamlet for actresses’ Sharp commentary, overambitious narrative LENA HUNTER
D
««««««
IRECTOR Peter Dupont Weiss has defied Beckett’s direction of a “trompe-l’oeil backcloth to represent unbroken plain and sky receding to meet in far distance”. Instead he gives us a stage markedly less cinematic: a dark, claustrophobic space – all foreground. The comfortless vista of surrounding blackness taps the primal brain response in a way a trompe-l’oeil never can, conjuring conflicted feelings of barren isolation and asphyxiating confinement. These aesthetics are in line with the production’s overall approach. While the natural sparsity of Beckett invites embellishment, Weiss has resisted. Stunning delivery AGAINST the arid scene, Sue HansenStyles’s delivery as Winnie, in a role described by Dianne Wiest as “the Hamlet for actresses”, is stunning. She traverses Beckett’s notoriously elliptical script with tones that sink and soar – oscillating from girlishly shrill to deep gravel-coarseness.
THEATRE
In a performance that is almost entirely static, Hansen-Styles’ register and range constitute a physical, fluid presence. A central challenge in performing 'Happy Days' is the micro-pacing between utterances. Halt for too long and momentum is lost, but halt too short and all suspense is lost. It’s a line that Hansen-Styles toes perfectly. Her supple delivery is pregnant with a carefully calculated tension that never breaks, steering us to pity and admire Winnie in measures that allow Beckett’s mordant humour to shine.
feminine octagon ««««¶¶
T
HIS IS a play that gives a lot and so can’t help but overreach itself. It’s a barrage of references, light, music, dialogue and various performance formats. Though the overall message is muddy, the whole is made up of individual moments that shine: most notably when Mary Shelley (Gertrud Magnusson) shares her ‘essence’ with Flower (Liff Monica Thomsen) as a form of contactless intimacy. It’s a touching rumination on the physical language of human closeness – accentuated by Magnusson’s use of sign-language. Not only is it refreshing to see deaf representation in mainstream performance art, it enriches the question at the crux of the play of how we connect and communicate. Furthermore, the age difference between the two women encourages reflection on what society deems ‘acceptable’ in non-binary relationships – especially considering their bond is one of the most authentic in the production. Likeable cast DESPITE the outlandishness, all the char-
THEATRE
FEMININE OCTAGON
ROBIN SKJOLDBORG/MIKE TYLAK
Happy Days
acters are very likeable … which helps the audience to keep a hold on Amy Gijsbers van Wijk's slippery plot. Of course, there’s an element of that to be expected in a play that openly challenges Aristotle’s beginning-middle-end narrative theory. 'feminine octagon [or Aristotle can eat me]' is well performed, with great enthusiasm and infective energy, while the momentum leaves little time to dwell on imperfections. The ideas it conjures are complex and multifaceted – admirable conquests … but the thrown together nature of the narrative dilutes some otherwise very powerful reflections on the experience of femininity. (LH)
Take five and figure it out a bit more! Why are we all sitting in the dark? BEN HAMILTON
I
«««¶¶¶
T’S THE voice. Booming. Majestic. Can’t see him, but he’s everywhere. Italian name, somehow familiar. He’ll go far, that kid. Splits and repeated twirls from the gents, high-kicks and luscious curls from the ladies. But there are too many lifts, perhaps, and not enough grit. It’s like a MGM film about gangsters and their malls: if only something would shock the blazers and frocks in the expensive seats, but it’s all too sanitised, like the world these songs would have us believe existed.
BALLET
through the second half is a highlight – like it’s the product of some genuine collaboration between orchestra and dancers. Percussion informs their steps, like they’re dancing to the beat, and the musicians feed off their energy. It's the only time the music could legitimately be described as jazz.
PIQSELS.COM
COSTIN RADU
Come Fly With Me
English Speakers «««¶¶¶
M
OST OF the duration of this 75-minute pre-recording was endured in the dark. For a similar experience, you could just sit at home and listen to the podcast with your eyes closed. A little dizzying OF COURSE, at home, it would be hard to surround the audience with ten speakers, each with their own light display and performer. Five minutes into the performance, the actors start to count to ten in different variations of old Norse, charting the development of the language into modern day English. As the voices circumvent the room, the effect is thrilling, albeit a little dizzying.
AUDIO Perhaps the subject matter is too good to belittle with cheap laughs. The circulatory delivery of the actors is so powerful at times, it’s like we’re hearing our ancestors utter these common-place words for the very first time.
Perfect for the pandemic SARA HAMMING should be applauded Rare highlights SURE, the voice is everything … but it’s for her creation, but I’m not sure this the show’s biggest constraint. Dancing staging is worthy of a trip to the theatre. to the well-known lyrics is too safe, like The subject matter is thought-provokthey're just plodding along. The orchestra ing, but at no point did it feel like the stays on track and so do the dancers. audience was as gripped as they might Limited synchronicity Not for the squeamish Only instrumentals allow them to BUT REALLY, it’s a cast of too many NINE OR other ten words are given the be by a visual display. breathe. The first half has one, the second that offers limited synchronicity. same treatment as the numbers. There This was one performance that needn’t half three, you do the maths. Even Idi Amin didn’t get a less deserved are insights and music, and occasional have waited for the lifting of the restrictions. (BH) The Take Five instrumental midway ovation than this. moments of humour, but not much. THE FULL VERSIONS OF THESE REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND AT CPHPOST.DK
EVENTS
1 - 14 October 2021
25
The Visit
Concert: Sulka
Events at Gravens Rand
Concert: Eivør
Clap your hands say yeah
Oct 29-Nov 27, Mon-Fri 19:30, Sat 17:00; Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, Cph Ø; 175kr, teaterbilletter.dk, The team from That Theatre are taking us back to 1857 to the very home that Charles Dickens lived in. Director Barry McKenna and lead actor Peter Holst-Beck have penned an imagining of what it was like when HC Andersen came to visit and ended up staying for six weeks. First performed in the spring of 2020, but cut short by the pandemic, this is a chance to see a very special performance that CPH POST awarded six out of six stars to. That Theatre artistic director Ian Burns takes on the role of Dickens.
Oct 1, 20:00; Studiestræde 52, Cph K; 150 kr, pumpehuset.dk The 21-year-old rapper is at the top of the Danish rap scene. Her debut album ‘Epoker’ proved her technical writing skills. Sulka is directly reminiscent of classic rap, but manages to take the listener into a dizzyingly lyrical world that sometimes borders on poetry. The tone oscillates between softness and harshness. (MR)
Gravens Rand, Søndre Fasanvej 24, Frederiksberg; open week days from 13:00; weekends from 12:00, closes at 02:00 Fri & Sat After their opening on September 26, the Anglophone team at the pub Gravens Rand are busy planning the schedule for this October. Make sure to note October 12 as quiz night and October 30 as the Halloween Party. Each Sunday, there are acoustic sessions from 15:00. Look out for our feature in the next issue. (MB)
Oct 5, 21:00; Store Vega, Enghavevej 40, Cph V; 1,570 kroner, viagogo.com The Faroe Islands’ answer to Björk will perform her latest album ‘Segl’, which was released in 2020, at Vega. A mix of jazz, folk, rock, and country performed by a soprano voice in English, Faroese, and most other Scandinavian languages, it is inspired by the singer's native landscapes. The last time Eivør Pálsdóttir came to Denmark was last year in Aarhus. (MR)
Oct 13, 20:00; Hotel Cecil, Niels Hemmingsens Gade 10, Cph K; 1,198kr, eventworld.co The New York indie rock and pop band will be performing their latest album ‘New Fragility’. (MR)
Peace Day Conference
Dairy-inspired menu
Oct 8, 12:30-16:00; Kosmopol, 44 Fiolstræde Cph; free adm; eventbrite.dk The event aims to highlight solutions to foster a global environmentally friendly real estate sector, and to take "the inevitable path to decarbonisation". Several innovative companies will be present to present promising alternatives that guarantee a more responsible future. (MR)
Oct 31, 15:30; Restaurant 56 Grader, Krudtløbsvej 8, Cph K; 575kr, restaurant56grader.dk Installed in an old ammunition building from 1744, 56° will welcome you in Shakespeare’s language for a culinary encounter with dairy products. While head chef Jake Vousden will cook a menu of four different dishes, enjoy English-language presentations of the products – organic eggs, fresh cheese, milk, full fat yoghurt, dairy cow – which have all been produced from animals at the Søtoftes Jordbrug & Gårdmejeri farm in Ringsted. (MR)
English Comedy Night TBC in Oct. 19:00; Copenhagen Admiral Hotel, Toldbodgade 28, Cph K; 125kr, only online advance sales via billetto.dk CPH POST columnist Adrian Mackinder returns to host another night of English language comedy.
CPH Conker Championship Oct 9, 14:00; Charlie’s Bar, Pilestræde 33, Cph K; free adm The tradition of the conker game continues. Everyone is invited to try to break each other's nuts. (MR)
Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Oct 7-Feb 27; Glyptoteket, Dantes Plads 7, Cph V; 85-115kr, glyptoteket.dk This is the biggest exhibition dedicated to Danish sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen since 1946. Learn about the adventurous life of a female artist in what was then a male-dominated profession. (MB)
Christiania 50 år ends Nov 14; Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Kongens Nytorv, Cph K; 90kr, kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk Since Christiania was first proclaimed in 1971, it has been half a decade. That’s enough of a reason to celebrate its art and posters in the halls of this Charlottenborg art museum. (MB)
Buster Film Festival Sep 27-Oct 10; various venues; buster.dk The festival offers a wide range of films to children, from toddlers to teens. From Ireland to India, from history to climate and from fiction to documentary, the event has no limits. Expect ames, rock for kids, dance and many other fun events. (MR)
Art Hub Exhibitions ends Oct 31; Thoravej 29, Cph NV; arthubcopenhagen.net After moving into their new crib in Thoravej, Copenhagen’s art hub are making their debut with an exhibition featuring a fair number of artists with political installations. (MB)
Globe Quiz Oct 7 & 21, 19:15; Globe Irish Pub, Nørregade 43-45, Cph K; 40 kroners per person Game night’s on at this pub Nørregade! Gather your four best informed friends and secure a spot in the pub before they’re all gone. The winners will be awarded 1,000 kroner, and there are plenty of spot prizes too. (MB)
Verden er I dig Sep 30- Jan 16; Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Kongens Nytorv 1, Cph K; 90kr, kunsthalcharlottenborg. dk A ‘doctor’ from the city’s medical museum is making a house call. In his luggage he carries an exhibition featuring both historic and contemporary art. The visitors will get a glimpse into how our bodies are linked to the world around us. (MB)
Nordatlantiske Filmdage Sep 30-Oct 10; Nordatlantens Brygge, Strandgade 91, Cph K; 60kr, nordatlantens.dk Alongside its Danish language movies, this north Atlantic film days event also has something up its sleeves for English-speakers. Visitors can experience Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Island while in Copenhagen. How convenient! (MB)
Concert: Baest Oct 9; 21:00; Studiestræde 52, Cph K; 170 kr, pumpehuset.dk The death metal band formed in 2015 in Aarhus will perform their latest album ‘Necro Sapiens’. With two GAFFA Awards received earlier this year, Baest are one of Denmark's most promising metal names. They are known for their furious, energetic sound. (MR)
Kennedys Quiz Oct 4, 19:30; Kennedys Bar, Gammel Kongevej 23, Cph V; 25kr, four per team The winners get 800 kroner and there are plenty of spot prizes.
Blabla language exchange Oct 7, 19:30-22:00; various locations in Cph; online; free adm “Exchange your language, meet new people, make friends, travel the world.” In the bars of the Danish capital, expatriates will be able to gather around what brings them together: their languages. In 2021, the community is active in more than 100 cities around the world. (MR)
Robin Hood Oct 8, 16:00; Glassalen, Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3; 185-345 kr, billetter.eventryrteatret.dk In the heart of Tivoli's Glassalen, the children’s play Robin Hood is taking centre stage. Although it’s in Danish, young ones invariably speak both languages, so don’t deny them the pleasure of seeing this. After all, it can’t be worse that Lionel Bart’s ‘Twang!’ (MR)
Concert: RA The Rugged Man Oct 1, 21:00; Sydområdet 4B, 1 sal, Cph; 220kr, loppen.dk The American rapper from Long Island returns to Europe after releasing his last album in 2020, ‘All My Heroes Are Dead’. As one of the most intriguing figures in US rap, he has collaborated with the greatest: Mobb Deep, Biggie and the Wu-Tang Clan. He will be joined on stage by Milez, KCL and SkyggeSiden. (MR)
King of Dinosaurs ongoing, ends Dec 31; Natural History Museum of Denmark, Oster Voldgade 5-7, Cph K; 50105 kroner, snm.ku.dk It’s probably everybody’s childhood dream to see a T-Rex. Four metres high, 12 metres long and 66 million years old, ‘Tristan Otto’ is one of the most complete T-Rex fossils in the world. In resplendent black, and almost all his teeth intact, there’s no disputing that this is the ‘King of Dinosaurs’ exhibited in all its skeletal glory.
Infinite Deep ends Jan 16; Nikolaj Kunsthal, Nikolaj Plads 10, Cph K; 40kr CURATOR Christian Nørgaard had exclusive access to David Lynch's photo archives to make this exhibition. It’s tailor-made to fit in with the gothic style of Nikolaj Kunsthals Øvre Galleri og Tårn. The church tower dates back to the 16th century. (NJB)
CPH Architecture Festival Oct 7-17; across the city; 0-95 kroner, dfi.dk In this year’s edition of the Copenhagen Architecture Festival, visitors will be confronted with questions around empathy and sustainability in architecture and city planning. (MB)
26 ON SCREENS
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
1 - 14 October 2021
How streaming has taken the shackles off screenwriters BEN HAMILTON
A
FEW YEARS ago, we realised we couldn’t survive as a weekly newspaper. Monthly didn’t cut it either. Ideally, we’d publish fortnightly during the sunlight months, monthly during the darkness, but who are we trying to kid … the answer I normally give to how often we publish is “When we feel like it”. We’re neither bound by subscribers nor regular advertisers, so if we need to postpone an issue because it makes sound economic sense, we’ll do it. Still, many aren’t convinced. “No, really, how often do you publish?” they say quizzically, as if this is the most unregimented thing they’ve ever heard. As long as they feel like ANYHOW, I’m glad to see that TV shows are increasingly not playing by the rules either. The chapters of a novel aren’t uniformly the same length, so why should episodes be – particularly as most shows are only streamed, and many just dumped by the season. While the likes of Game of Thrones have been releasing movie-length episodes since the days of The X Files, a new trend is emerging for short ones too. It means stories can be told at the right pace with no pressure to trim down perfection or flesh out the mundane. The Underground Railroad
(Amazon Prime; a whopping 92 on Metacritic), a fantasy series grounded in the harsh reality of the US slavery era, has an episode that is just 20 minutes long (others are as long as 77); South Korea’s answer to Battle Royale and The Hunger Games, Squid Game (Netflix since Sep 17; 80), has one timed at 32 (max: 63); and Nicole Kidman vehicle Nine Perfect Strangers (Apple; 53) has a range of 42–55 minutes. Squids in, one of the best OF THOSE three, Squid Game is the safest bet. While episode two was a little laboured, and the conclusion too well sign-posted, the rest provided some of the most exhilarating television of the year so far. Nine Perfect Strangers has its moments, but peaks midway, not unlike the LSD trips most of the characters are on. While The Underground Railroad is one of those shows so well reviewed, you’re afraid finding it boring will expose you as a Philistine, although at least you knew, unlike most Americans, that the railroad was metaphorical … right? Seriously, we thought slavery was ample material enough, without the need for the fantasy. Finally, just like Squid Game, LA-set series On the Verge (released on Sep 6) was criminally not promoted by Netflix Danmark last month. Created by and starring Julie Delpy, who has divided opinion since the Before films, this feels like the
most grounded comedy in ages despite the Tinseltown-related antics of the leads: four mothers whose eldest kids are on the verge of puberty. They’re hard to like, but the situation is often so inspired, it’s hard not to laugh yourself silly. Not bad, but a little frayed MOVING on to October, we’ve got a fair number of decent shows returning, including Succession (S3; Oct 18), Frayed (S2; Sep 30), Insecure (S5; TBC) and Curb your Enthusiasm (S11; TBC) on HBO Nordic soon to be HBO Max (from Oct 26); Baptiste (S2; Oct 14) on CMore and … er … we said decent. You (S3; Oct 15) is returning to Netflix; and We’re Here (S2; TBC) and Love Life (S2; TBC) to HBO – the latter with a new lead who only occasionally runs into the annoying Anna Kendrick character. Of the new shows, miniseries Dr Death (Oct 5; CMore; 75) and Maid (Oct 1; Netflix) look too gritty to be lightweight, Kevin Durant-inspired basketball series Swagger (Oct 29; Apple) looks inner-city enough to have the necessary balls, and apocalyptic pairing Invasion (Oct 22; Apple) and The Bite (Oct 21; CMore) too shitty-looking to take seriously. Ditto Chucky (Oct 31; CMore). We’re hopeful German series The Billion Dollar Code (Oct 7; Netflix) will deliver with the true story of two IT specialists
'Squid Game' is already one of Netflix's most popular ever shows
who had to go to court to get what was rightfully theirs as the inventors of the Google Earth algorithm. We tried to google for more information but ... Is Eva a paedo then? MEANWHILE, over in movie land, The Last Duel (61; Oct 14) reunites Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as screenwriters 25 years on from Good Will Hunting, with Affleck taking more of a backseat with the acting as a creepy lookin count. Medieval French knights Damon and Adam Driver come to blows over Jodie Comer in this Ridley Scott caper. It looks a bit ridiculous. Less so is Shiva Baby (79; Oct 7), which evolved from a short about a Jewish girl running into her sugar-daddy at a funeral. It looks hilarious. The lead in the musical Dear Evan Hansen (39; Oct 21), about a schoolboy who pretends to be the only friend of a classmate who kills himself, is 28, but we decided not to dedicate
a whole column to rant about how teenage boys feel inadequate comparing their bodies to much older actors playing their age group. And to think this film addresses teen suicide. But is it healthier than the raft of grizzly films in the build-up to October 31: from Venom 2 and Halloween Kills (both Oct 14) to Run Rabbit Run and The Devil’s Light (Oct 28)? We don’t know, as horror producers rarely let critics see their films in advance. Finally, we know we should love the pastel palettes of auteur Wes Anderson, but it’s always a fine line with him: between paradise (Rushmore etc) and purgatory (The Darjeeling Limited). Newspaper love letter The French Dispatch (82; Oct 21) looks pretty palatable, though. It celebrates a yesteryear when the media really listened to its readers, as opposed to today, when incredulousness is the best we can hope for.
danish on a sunday english subtitles In October and November we screen the Danish hit films 'Shorta', 'Erna at War', 'I Walk' and 'Love Child' with English subtitles.
See what’s on at cinemateket.dk or visit us in Gothersgade 55.
ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT, ALK You will take an active part in integrating sustainability in our business processes across the globe. Location: Hørsholm Deadline: 11 October 2021 Louise Krüger Kofoed, Contact: Director, Sustainability, lkfdk@alk.net
MECHANICAL LEAD ENGINEER, ENABL
You will be responsible for the mechanical aspect of our development projects, where you will be influential in the design and functionality of our customer solutions – from the conceptual phase to the final result. Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 1 November 2021 Steen Gabs Pedersen, Contact: Technology Engineering Manager, +45 29 10 36 09
CONTRACT ADVISOR, ØRSTED You’ll help us digitalise our contract template landscape and be the link between our legal department and our Procurement specialists by providing legal advice across our contract portfolio.
Location:
Gentofte
Deadline:
24 October 2021
Contact:
Simone Holst Nansen, Contract Advisor, +45 99 55 91 17
Junior level starter with an eagerness to continue your learning and development within a role that offers you the opportunity to test, learn and implement. Location: Hedehusene Deadline: 11 October 2021 Paolo Formenti, Talent Attraction Contact: and Employer Branding Manager, paolo.formenti@rockwool.com
To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact: info@englishjobdenmark.dk or call 60 70 22 98. For more information about what we can offer: https://englishjobdenmark.dk/
ENGLISH JOB DENMARK
You will take charge in delivering change management and communication activities to maximise change adoption – ultimately resulting in the realisation of Global Business Services’ objectives. Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Alexander Kirk, Contact: Global Recruitment Manager, alkir@pandora.net
VISUAL COORDINATOR, URBAN OUTFITTERS (128183) SENIOR ANALYST (PROJECT ACCOUNTING), ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, CACTUS
You will be responsible for timely billing of invoices post coordination with Project Manager and business. And, work with the team to set appropriate internal financial control for maintaining contracts, SOW etc. and support for all audit related queries.
EMPLOYER BRAND COORDINATOR, ROCKWOOL
ERP CHANGE MANAGER, PANDORA
Location:
Remote
Deadline:
11 October 2021
Contact:
careers.cactusglobal.com/
PROJECT ASSISTANTS LEARNING TO DRIVE GLOBAL STRATEGIC PROJECTS, DSV
Want to start your project management career in a leading global logistics company which has an award-winning sustainability agenda and a very ambitious project portfolio? Location: Hedehusene Deadline: ASAP Bjarke Vest Petersen, Contact: Senior Manager, +45 61 94 46 30
Lead the execution of all visual projects in store, delivering a customer store experience that is inspiring, dynamic and entertaining for our customers. Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP +45 33 17 05 00 Contact:
HEAD OF M&A, CONSCIA
You will be responsible for Conscia’s M&A strategy supporting the overall development, growth and business strategy. Location: Copenhagen (flexible) Deadline: ASAP Martin Møller, Contact: +45 23 84 71 33
EXPERIENCED DIGITAL UX DESIGNER, EPOS
Do you want to build and execute on digital UX principles for EPOS Audio and Video solutions? Can you contribute with solid experience in designing user experiences, a broad set of competences and a strong diverse toolbox? Location: Ballerup Deadline: 13 October 2021 Ken Johannesson, Contact: Head of Front-End Innovation, +45 56 18 03 55
Working together with internationals and companies to better understand the needs of one another. The Welcome Group has created this page and provides additional services, including an online community supporting employment for internationals on Facebook.
Cecilie Manz
The Needle in the Haystack September 17 – January 9, 2022 What considerations, doubts and thoughts go into good design? Visitors can explore all this and much more when one of Denmark’s most renowned designers, Cecilie Manz, opens the doors to her design universe.
dac.dk