The Copenhagen Post, June 30 - August 17

TAKE YOUR

FREE PAPER

INOUT

SUPPLEMENT

Museums, music and mum’s favourites – for art, performance and events, pick up the Visit Post!

Ten days, touching on a thousand concerts, this summer’s major event: the Copenhagen Jazz Festival

INSIDE

19-21

INSIDE

INSIDE

ARTRADE

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 20 ISSUE 09 30 June - 17 August 2017

NEWS Plans to build walkway above forest canopy unveiled

2

NEWS

A nation expects Fuglsang is fifth favourite to win the Tour de France

9

VIRTUALLY A REALITY 4-5 The best things in life are pretty affordable

FOOD & DRINK Bringing Chinese spice to the city’s street food scene

16 HISTORY

Tracing Roskilde’s roots How two teenagers inspired

by Woodstock founded the festival

18 PRINT VERSION ISSN: ONLINE VERSION ISSN:

2446-0184 2446-0192

9 771398 100009

Denmark named the best country in the world to live in, while its capital keeps on getting cheaper for expats

T

HE RELEASE of two surveys within hours of each other on June 21 left many expats with the same conclusion: not only does Denmark offer the best quality of life in the world, but it is good value if you live in its capital.

Stamp of quality ON THE annual Social Progress Index (SPI), Denmark ranked first among 128 nations for its quality of life. Finland, Iceland and Norway took the next three places.

The Danes scored 90.57 out of 100 overall, ranking first in the main category ‘Basic Human Needs’ in which it topped

the charts for its ‘Low Level of Violent Crime’, ‘Political Rights’, ‘Freedom of Expression’, ‘Lack of Corruption’ and ‘Nourishment’.

It also ranked second for ‘Access to Information and Communications’ and third for ‘Personal Safety’.

However, the index also pointed out several areas that Denmark was under-performing in, such as ‘Religious Tolerance’, ‘Life Expectancy’ and ‘Freedom of Religion’.

Cheaper than before ACCORDING to Mercer’s annual Cost of Living Survey, Denmark is the world’s 28th most expensive city to live in for expats. Just two years ago, it ranked at number 15.

However, the Danish capital does have the highest cost of living in the Nordics, finishing

ahead of Oslo (46), Helsinki (88) and Stockholm (106).

Angola’s capital Luanda has the highest cost of living in the world, followed by Hong Kong, Tokyo, Zurich, Singapore, Seoul, Geneva, Shanghai, New York City and Bern.

Still the best for bikes IN RELATED news perhaps, Copenhagen has held onto its title as the world’s most bicyclefriendly city title according to the latest Copenhagenize Index.

Utrecht in the Netherlands has moved past Dutch rival Amsterdam to take second place.

The index commended the Danish capital’s “whopping 16 new bridges for bicycles (and pedestrians) built or under construction”, of which eight have opened since the last index in 2015. (CPHPOST)

Highest permit fee EXCLUDING the UK, Denmark charges non-EU citizens the highest fee in the EU for a permanent residence permit, according to CupoNation. The permit costs 5,760 kroner – a lot more than Sweden (760) Iceland (801), Finland (1,390) and Norway (1,641). The most affordable is Hungary’s, which costs 242 kroner, while the UK charges 10,000 kroner.

Drumroll for Lars METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich is getting some metal dished out to him for a change, and it’s with royal approval.

Crown Prince Frederik recently visited the musician in San Francisco to hand the musician the Order of the Dannebrog on behalf of Queen Margrethe.

Ulrich joins celebrities such as Sofie Gråbøl and Thomas Vinterberg as a recipient.

OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE OUT 17 TH AUGUST HAVE A BRILLIANT SUMMER!

2

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Climbing a stairway to heaven

ONLINE THIS WEEK FIVE NEW towers inhabiting the site of the old Scala building on Axeltorv near Tivoli, which range in height from 28 to 61 metres, opened on June 20. The 23,000 sqm Axel Towers took five years to construct and will mostly consist of office space, although Michelin-starred AOC is expected to move in later this year. The towers are principally clad in copper and zinc.

Lego ship docks in THE WORLD’S largest Lego ship, a model of a DFDS ferry built to commemorate that company’s 150th anniversary, recently arrived in Helsingør, where it can be viewed in the town’s former shipyard until August 20. Consisting of 1,015,000 Lego bricks, it is over 12 metres long and weighs almost three tonnes.

University slips in rankings THE UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen (KU) has fallen from 68th to 73rd in the 2018 QS World University Rankings.

However, the placing ranks KU 22nd among universities located in non-English speaking nations. The Technical University of Denmark finished 116th, Aarhus University 119th and Aalborg University 379th.

Walkway proposal would enable visitors a bird’s eye view of a forest canopy and gorgeous nature

H

OW ANCIENT man must have stared into that forest canopy of slender branches, teeming with birds and other wildlife, and wondered what it would be like to walk amongst it ... like a god.

Well, thanks to the outdoors activities centre Camp Adventure, you’ll soon be able to follow a 600-metre pathway through a forest near Næstved in southern Zealand.

Close to the capital LOCATED in Gisselfeld Klosters Skove within an hour’s drive of Copenhagen, ‘Camp Adventure – The Treetop Experience’ affords visitors a 360-degree view of an area of outstanding beauty that includes lakes, creeks and wetlands.

The design by architects EF-

ØSTRE Gasværk theatre in Østerbro has confirmed a 38 million kroner renovation that will start early next year and be completed by the summer. The work will address issues such as its technical limitations, worn interior and uncomfortable seating. Østre Gasværk began life as a gas depo in 1833 and only became a theatre in the late 1970s.

I

T IS COMMON knowledge within City Hall that a majority on the municipal council backs a proposal to build a skyscraper at a site on Oceankaj in Outer Nordhavn despite legislation prohibiting tall buildings close to the harbour water. So it’s goodbye Copenhagen as we know it, and hello New York!

Multi-coloured Mermaid

New cruise info centre COPENHAGEN Municipality has opened a tourist information centre opposite the cruise terminal on Oceankaj where 129 ships are expected to dock this summer. The busiest terminal for cruise ships, Langelinie, is expecting 162 arrivals.

Denmark is starting to resemble the Star Wars planet Yavin 4

FEKT, which takes great care not to disturb the arboreal environment, includes plans for a 45-metre observation tower,

an aviary, spiralling ramps, and stop-offs for leisure and educational activities.

Skyline set to change forever Tall tower would welcome incoming seafarers in a similar fashion to New York’s Statue of Liberty

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE LITTLE Mermaid was on June 14 doused with blue and white paint, just two weeks after being turned red. While the first redesign was a protest against Faroese whale hunting – a statue of ‘Matador’ creator Lise Nørgaard in Roskilde received similar treatment – the second was a plea to release Abdulle Ahmed, a detained Somali.

BEN HAMILTON

STEPHEN GADD

Facelift for theatre

EFFEKT.DK

New towers open

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

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Even bigger plans JUST WEEKS after BIG architechture group submitted plans for a 280-metre tower as part of a theme park on the site, a consortium of unknown identity has tabled a bid to build two sail-shaped skyscrapers 330 and 190m tall at the same location.

The taller tower of the 283,000 sqm Great Northern project, which would include parking facilities and a shopping centre as well as office and residential space, would exceed the current Outer Nordhavn limit by 50 metres.

Ghetto for the rich UNDER current legislation, set out by City Hall, Outer Nordhavn is an area that can only be built on in 2027 at the earliest, and Morten Kabell, the city’s deputy mayor for technical and environmental issues, is believed to be firmly against making Nordhavn an exclusive and expensive district.

However, while he has told media that he is in favour of affordable housing and no more ghettos for the rich, a City Hall majority would appear to be in place to make it a reality.

Fixing a problem VESTERBRO’S drug injection rooms have been hailed a success after it was revealed that 643 people have been treated for overdoses in the two fixerums since 2012 without any fatalities. The rooms cost the municipality 32 million kroner per year to run.

Buggy brekky THREE city branches of Danhostel have started offering a breakfast buffet that includes insects. Among the dishes are muffins made from flour ground out of worms, baked wax moth larvae with paprika, and grasshoppers prepared with lime.

Wakey, wakey RED BULL Cope’n’waken attracted 15,000 spectators to Frederiksholms Kanal in the city centre on the weekend of June 17-18. International wakeboarders performed tricks along a 130-metre course.

To subscribe – email subs@cphpost.dk

Founded in 1998

by San Shepherd All rights reserved.

Published by cphpost.dk ApS. Printed by Dansk Avistryk A/S

Fredensborg located in 00 northeast Zealand To advertise –iscall 93 92 74 or email sales@cphpost.dk

To tell us your story – call 93 93 92 01or email news@cphpost.dk For all other inquiries – email info@cphpost.dk

Ejvind Sandal

Dorthe Elkjær

Hans Hermansen

Ben Hamilton

Christian Wenande

Stephen Gadd

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ADMIN MANAGER

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

MANAGING EDITOR

NEWS/LAYOUT EDITOR

JOURNALIST

Marin Milosavljevic DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

NEWS

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

ONLINE THIS WEEK Helping shaken Greenland

FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Not everyone welcome

www.cis.dk

HASSE FERROLD

PIXABAY

Natural disaster is a national tragedy

Crown princes Frederik and Naruhito

DENMARK is providing aid to Greenland following an earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter Scale.

The subsequent tidal wave, rock slides and flooding killed four people and destroyed a number of homes in a remote hamlet 30 km from the village of Nuugaatsiaq on June 17.

NARUHITO, the future Japanese emperor, and Polish PM Beata Szydlo have both visited Denmark in recent weeks – a trip Khalid Yasin, an American living in England, and Muhammad Raza from Pakistan won’t be making as they have been added to the banned preacher list.

Failing families

Macron praises Denmark

THE COUNCIL of Europe has produced a report criticising Denmark for putting up too many barriers in front of refugees trying to acquire family reunification. It lamentded that Denmark no longer financed their transport costs, signalling out long processing times – often up to 14 months in length – and financial barriers.

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has praised the flexicurity of the Danish job market, calling it an “inspiration”. Upon a visit from Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen on June 7, he said: “People feel secure and don’t go round worrying about losing their jobs, and by the same token companies are not afraid to take chances.”

Regime sales exposed

NGOs warned over Med

THE BBC and Information report that Danish-British company BAE Systems Applied Intelligence has been given permission by the Danish state to sell mass surveillance tech to oppressive regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. The permit was granted following a business conference in Saudi Arabia that the Crown Prince Couple attended.

GOVERNMENT party Venstre wants to strip Danish aid funds from NGOs that take part in rescuing migrants and refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean via boat – a point of view shared by the EU border agency Frontex, which claims the rescue missions encourage more crossings. Last year alone, 181,000 attempted the crossing from Libya.

Policy strategy outlined

LGBT arrest concerns

THE GOVERNMENT has presented a new foreign and security policy strategy for 2017-2018. The strategy encompasses all aspects of Denmark’s foreign policy, stressing the need to react well to Brexit and Donald Trump’s accession, increase the defence budget, and tackle cybercrime, while upholding freedom and free trade.

A DANISH woman who took part in a gay pride march in Istanbul on June 25 was detained by Turkish police, Ekstra Bladet reports. Both Copenhagen Pride and Socialdemokratiet MP Lars Aslan Rasmussen have urged the Foreign Ministry to take action. “It is dangerous to be imprisoned in Turkey just now,” worried Aslan.

Terror link unacceptable

Model prescribed water diet

THE FOREIGN Ministry insists WATC, a Palestinian NGO, repays aid money obtained from the Danish state after it was established that it named its women’s centre in Burqa after a female terrorist, who it regards as a role model. “Danish taxes must not be used to promote terrorism,” said the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen.

THE HEALTH minister, Ellen Trane Nørbye, has asked French fashion company Louis Vuitton to explain why it axed a Danish model because she was “too big”. Ulrikke Louis Lahn Høyer, 21, was also told to drink only water for 24 hours. In her letter Nørbye underlined ethical guidelines aimed at curbing unrealistic beauty ideals and eating disorders.

Magicians aren’t magic, our teachers are Aha moments – that’s what our teachers create every day. Just ask our students. They all have stories to share: about individual attention, about being challenged academically and about teachers going the extra mile.

At CIS we are fortunate to have the means to recruit the best. From Pre-K to grade 12, our teachers are all very skilled, experienced and committed to their students: They could teach anywhere in the world, and they chose CIS. We are proud of that because a school is defined by its teachers, and those magical moments of learning that make a good school great. To learn more please visit cis.dk

3

4

COVER

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Goggle me up Scotty! This is the final frontier TIVOLI

IDFA

GAMING THE ENTERTAINMENT industry stands out as one of the earliest and strongest patrons of VR, generating some of the technology’s most ardent supporters and enabling constant innovation.

The new medium holds obvious potential for video games, and few institutions know it better than Unity Technologies. Founded in Copenhagen in 2004, its Unity game engine is well known in the gaming industry as a cross-platform interface for game development.

Today, 70 to 80 percent of all VR applications are built on the Unity engine.

Escape Copenhagen, which offers real-world room escape challenges, is a local early adapter. Its new experience, ‘Cosmos’, uses VR headsets to put guests on board a stranded space station, tasked with getting to safety from within the depths of the defunct vessel.

THEMEPARKS Making inroads in the world of VR in entertainment, business, healthcare and beyond AARON HATHAWAY

M

ANY LOOK to the stars in wonder of the vast, unexplored dimension – a space that holds as much potential as it does mystery.

But others might argue that there’s a more modern, even less familiar space to be conquered – a digital space tucked inside a pair of virtual reality (VR) goggles.

The digital frontier VR IS THE digital frontier.

Its advancement explores a dynamic new dimension that offers seemingly endless possibilities for creative development and an unprecedented degree of immersion in the medium.

The nascent technology has found many enthusiastic hosts in Copenhagen, and the growing community is busy exploring the potential of VR in entertainment, business, healthcare and beyond.

A community affair IN COPENHAGEN, hobbyists, startups and interest groups frequently come together to discuss and develop the technology, both for recreation and business.

HIGH STREET WHILE most establishments in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District are in keeping with its rich history, Khora breaks the mould. When it opened in February 2016, it was as the first VR shop in the world. For Morten Haulik, a VR expert at Khora, the goal is to introduce the rest of Copenhagen to the great new digital unknown.

Fostering a dialogue OPEN TO the public for free trials of the latest VR tech, Khora aims to foster community dialogue about the functions and future of VR. They visit nursing homes and host school groups, working to extend cutting-edge innovation beyond their insular world.

“The idea was to create a place where people who normally aren’t high-tech could get the possibility of shaping the technology that’s going to change the world so much,” Haulik said.

Identifying key fields KHORA’S 16 developers experiment with and support VR applications in new industries, as well as key fields such as education, healthcare and business.

With the right technology,

a pair of VR goggles could let a user explore interactive models of molecules, follow along with or rehearse a surgery, or test drive the latest Volvo. In the right hands, a VR headset could be a boardroom, a lecture hall, a showroom or a planetarium.

“When people say VR they think about porn or computer games or something, but you can really reach deeper with VR, because it’s literally whatever you can imagine,” Haulik said. “It’s like dreaming with open eyes.”

Operating in a hotspot FOR HAULIK, Denmark’s small size and enthusiasm for new tech makes it a hotspot for VR. Khora works regularly with Copenhagen businesses, helping them to explore applications of VR within their fields.

“Living in a small country is perfect because it’s super easy for us to get into contact with some of the big businesses where we think it would make sense to incorporate VR,” said Haulik.

“Ideas spread quickly and we can also quickly get input from all these different sectors, so we’re out talking to the people who are going to use our products and having a clear and normal dialogue with them.”

OTHER applications of VR have gone even further – like putting it on a rollercoaster.

Will Gurley, a designer at Tivoli Gardens, led the park’s recent initiative to equip its ‘Dæmonen’ rollercoaster with an original VR experience. The project debuted on Tivoli’s opening day this spring after a year-long development process.

Its debut established the ride as Scandinavia’s only VRenhanced rollercoaster – one of only a handful scattered across Europe and the US. A breakneck odyssey RIDERS opting for the optional VR experience don a set of custom Samsung Gear headsets, kitted out with speakers and safety harnesses. Barrelling along the ride’s loops becomes a breakneck odyssey through a fantasy world styled after a traditional Chinese ink painting, racing through valleys and over waterfalls on the coattails of an enormous crimson dragon.

The twists and turns of this narrative are perfectly synced with the coaster’s real-world motion, producing a unique and wholly thrilling experience that brings VR’s sensory engagement to an entirely new level.

Immersiveness is key “ONE OF VR’s real opportunities is its immersiveness,” Gurley said. “You can really create a more complete environment than the one that you’re in, and you can take people somewhere that they’ve never been.”

Though combining a VR headset with a rollercoaster might seem like a recipe for nausea, Gurley said the digital experience actually helps ease the fear and comfort of riders – many of whom are trying VR for the first time.

“A lot of people on rollercoasters over-anticipate and have a lot of anxiety about what’s happening ahead, but when you’re in a different type of visual space, it’s really up to the story to guide you,” Gurley said.

Just the beginning ESPECIALLY for a park like Tivoli, which has little space in which to build new attractions, VR represents a way to expand the park’s offerings.

By expanding into the digital realm, Tivoli can use VR to add layers of interest onto existing attractions.

Though no specifics are available yet, Tivoli is looking into further applications for VR in the gardens.

COVER

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Assessing the impact LOCAL VR incubator CopenX is another example of the city’s fascination with the digital frontier. CopenX founder Therkel Sand Therkelsen discovered the technology while visiting SXSW in Austin, Texas. Then working with the primordial Oculus Rift headset, Therkelsen knew he had to do something with the technology. Now, CopenX works to promote workshops, speeches and consultancies connected to VR. “We really want to facilitate the dialogue on how this technology is going to impact everything we do in years from now – both the possibilities, but also the ethical dilemmas arising from using these technologies,”

Therkelsen said.

September summit THERKELSEN is arranging the second annual CopenX Summit in September, a four-day conference in Carlsberg Byen that seeks to bring leading figures in the VR industry together to discuss its progress, its present and its possibilities. The summit consists of two days of closed workshops and speeches, followed by a public technology exposition over the

ART

Shopping from afar OTHERS in Copenhagen’s art community are also taking to the technology, albeit in different ways.

The visual artist Eric Prince, the owner of Prince Gallery, began experimenting with VR in October of 2016 as a platform to display and sell artwork. Now, Prince and his partner Casper Fabricus are developing the project as a browser-based e-commerce platform.

The platform aims to make highresolution, interactive models of physical objects available through a web browser, both on mobile as well as PC. Designed largely for online marketplaces, users can slip on VR goggles and remotely inspect physical

Needs to be sampled “PEOPLE have an idea of what VR is, but you have to try it before you really understand it, and you can do that at CopenX,” Therkelsen said. “You can try some of the greatest new ways to tell stories and navigate in a digital environment.”

VR’s poten-

wares in full scale and detail – testing how a painting might suit one’s living room, for example, or checking out a new sofa without ever visiting the store.

Prince and his partner Casper Fabricus are launching the project, possibly as early as this October, to explore VR’s capability to recreate real-life objects in the digital realm.

tial has already seen widespread and successful innovations, making the biggest waves in gaming, entertainment, healthcare, journalism and, of course, porn.

Part of CopenX is giving exposure to all possible VR FILM applications MAKROPOL is a Copenhagen- – as such, the based art collective working to weekend expo explore the relationship between art will put VR and tech. Founders Johan Knattrup healthcare Jensen and Mads Damsbo began demos side experimenting with VR to pursue by side with film projects shot from a first person cutting-edge perspective, and it quickly became VR pornogtheir main focus. raphy.

“The sensation of embodying This broad a fictional character of our own perspective making was sensational,” explained emphasises Damsbo. “Everything we have done VR’s promissince has revolved around this first meeting with our virtual alter-egos.”

Our next new medium FOR PRINCE, this functionality has wide-ranging benefits: “It’s transforming how humans will interact, do business, everything. We can put a million-dollar electron microscope in front of us right now. The uses go as far as the imagination will take you.”

While using VR as a means to display and sell art, Prince is also working to create artistic experiences from inside the VR goggles. A show at Prince Gallery in August will see visitors enter a blank-walled gallery, with only a headset in the centre of the room. Entering this digital space triggers a jarring new experience, witnessing a virtual headless swan scrambling about the room in wild death spasms.

“This is the next new medium for art,” Prince said.

Absolute control THE PAIR worked with CPH:DOX to produce VR:LAB in 2015, bringing 20 Nordic artists and producers to a 10-day workshop. Since then Makropol has produced VR-based works such as ‘Doom Room’, a macabre, surreal journey in which viewers experience their own death and subsequent procession to the afterlife through a nightclub-flavoured fever dream.

“For us it has unlocked a simple and effective tool of having absolute control over our audience,” contended Damsbo. “It seems that VR gives audiences many degrees of freedom, but in reality the possibility to control and design a unique and immersive experience that is highly customed to the individual viewer is the actual beauty of the medium.”

ing future across the industries.

Looking forward, Therkselsen believes that Copenhagen could play a great part in the future of VR due to its tech-forward bearing and traditions in storytelling.

All set to capitalise “WE HAVE a strong history in narratives through our film industry, and we have a strong tradition with the gaming industry,” Therkelsen said.

“These are some of the core elements within VR, and if we can transform the storytelling skills in traditional media to this new platform and understand the new elements VR offers, I think we’ll have an advantage here in Copenhagen.”

SHORT CIRCUIT

THE SEEMINGLY infinite creative possibilities of VR have not gone unnoticed by the art world. Acute Art, a collaboration between leading contemporary artists Jeff Koons, Marina Abramovic and Olafur Eliasson, aims to support and develop VR as an artistic medium. It represents a noteworthy international effort to explore VR in art – and Copenhagen’s own artistic community has taken to the new technology as well.

weekend.

This year, Therkelsen is working to make CopenX Summit a more international affair, bringing in speakers and audiences from other VR hotspots like Berlin, Helsinki and Amsterdam. Therkelsen anticipates around 30 speakers, with some 500 guests attending the closed conferences, and an additional 2,000 coming for the weekend expo. For Therkeslen, one fundamental goal is working towards greater exposure to VR in the community.

COPENX

AR + VR + 360 began in 2014 as a local network for VR enthusiasts. The group now consists of some 750 members, with regular meetups to exchange ideas and build connections over augmented reality, VR and 360° video. From interested students to seasoned industry professionals, the group emphasises the diverse cross-section of Copenhagen’s VR community.

5

6

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Relations hit by Iceberg

‘Martin’ can travel THE HIGH Court has ruled that a Dane known as ‘Martin’, 32, who fought with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces at Kirkuk in Iraq against Islamic State, can hold onto his passport. It had been previously confiscated due to his involvement in an overseas conflict. Martin’s good behaviour in Denmark was taken into account.

Benefit battle boost MORE NON-WESTERN immigrants on benefits are finding work, according to Danmarks Statistik. Of the 25,000 who have been in Denmark for less than seven years, 2 percent are now employed, compared to less than 1 percent in 2015. Experts praised reforms such as the dual lowering of the integration benefit amount and benefits ceiling.

Is democracy dead?

ACCORDING to Danmarks Statistik, 46 percent of the people in attendance at Folkemødet on Bornholm over the June 1618 weekend believe democracy has weakened in Denmark over the past ten years. Just 10 percent said it had got stronger.

The survey also revealed that 38 percent were prepared to save more in their pension to leave the labour force earlier.

Crimes and misdemeanours Some are more frowned upon than others!

BEN HAMILTON

A

S THE TITLE of a Woody Allen film observed, there are crimes, and there are misdemeanours – and it should be seen as a sign of progress that the latter’s list grows as a society evolves.

In fact, only three of the Ten Commandments are actual crimes today – or at least in countries where stoning is prohibited. Nevertheless, unspoken laws can make or break a society.

Paying extra to skip the queue, failing to recycle, wasting food and smoking might not be illegal, but they’ll earn you a few frowns from your neighbours – you can be sure of that.

Queue as the Danes queue THE AMUSEMENT park Legoland has drawn criticism for a system that allows the children of wealthy patrons to pay extra to skip queues for rides.

An entrance ticket to the park costs 339 kroner, but for an additional 599 kroner guests don’t have to wait in line to enjoy eleven of the park’s most popular rides.

Legoland was surprised by the criticism, arguing that it has had the system for a long time. Only an estimated 1 percent buy the special tickets, and they’re mostly foreigners – a clear indication that this is not behaviour befitting of the Danes!

Recycling repercussions THE DANES are getting better at recycling, according to the environmental protection agency Miljøstyrelsen.

Denmark has a goal of recycling 50 percent of its household waste by 2022, and the recycling of seven types of waste encom-

ONLINE THIS WEEK Hurtling around STEPHEN CHARLES THOMPSON

AN ITALIAN national based in Copenhagen, whose dog has been sentenced to die by the authorities after it bit a man trying to stop it fighting, is grabbing international attention and sympathy. Iceberg is a Dogo Argentino, a banned breed, but it had no problems entering the country in the spring via the proper channels.

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Prayer room debate

41.7 percent THC? That will do

passed within that goal (organic, cardboard, paper, glass, metal, plastic and wood) increased from 27 percent in 2013 to 33 percent in 2015.

But overall, household recycling fell a long way short of the overall figure, which stood at 69 percent in 2015. More frowning is needed!

work hours.

Its hospitals are already smoke-free, but the region now wants all its workers to adhere to the no-smoking policy, contending that its buildings should set an example in terms of responding to the harmful effects of tobacco.

Smoking with stigma THESE days the only company smokers can be certain of is stigma, and Region Mid-Jutland is hammering in their final nail, looking to become the first regional authority to ban public workers from smoking during

Begging no pardon AND FINALLY, here are two misdemeanours that have become crimes in recent years: begging and buying cannabis oil.

A large majority in the Danish Parliament has voted for stricter laws against begging.

Anyone caught could face an immediate two-week period of imprisonment, with no necessity for the police to give them a preliminary warning.

While cannabis oil, which is commonly used to treat chronic conditions, has never been more popular. The police confiscated almost 1,000 containers of cannabis oil in May and June – over twice as many as the 408 taken over the whole of 2016.

The oil, which is increasingly making its way into Denmark in packages sent from abroad, is illegal because it contains the psychoactive component THC, the ingredient in cannabis that makes you high.

The by-product is scorn DENMARK is also making inroads in the area of food waste thanks to the increased participation of retailers, which discount foods that are close to exceeding their expiry date, and apps that advise the public on using leftovers.

The food and agriculture minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, has committed 3.3 million kroner to a new pool to reduce food waste following the success of a similar initiative in 2016.

The government is also organising a summit entitled ‘World Food Summit – Better Food for More People’ in Copenhagen from August 24-25.

DENMARK’S three emergency helicopters, which are based in Skive, Billund and Ringsted, took part in more than 3,500 missions in 2016 – an increase of 40 percent on the year before, according to Danske Regioner.

The helicopters primarily serve citizens who are located a long distance away from specialised treatment.

THE ISSUE of prayer rooms at schools continues to prove controversial. A governmentissued communication details the potential problems involved in their use, but stresses that it does not want to ban them outright. Some students have been made to feel uneasy using them. DF would like to see them banned.

Rise in LGBT weddings FIVE YEARS after LGBT people were granted the right to get married in a church, figures from Danmarks Statistik show that more than ever are embracing the option – and especially lesbians. Some 105 couples got hitched in 2016 out of a total of 416 who have wed since 2012. Only a minority of priests remain opposed to the weddings.

Posties pulled in Odense POSTNORD suspended deliveries to the vulnerable Odense district of Vollsmose in mid-June following several instances of postal workers being threatened.

In one case, a van was broken into, and in another, a worker was told: “We are watching you.

We know when you come, so stay away.” Deliveries resumed a few days later.

Funding for fathers

A fifth are lonely

Farewell far right

Lidl’s got a new bag

War on gangs in Aarhus

THE NORDEA Foundation has allocated 10 million kroner to its ‘Father for Life’ initiative, which from January 2018 will help new fathers access networks, training programs and play centres.

New fathers are prone to anxiety, loneliness and postpartum depression. In Denmark, men get two weeks’ paternity leave, but can share 32 with their partner.

SOME 18 percent of Danes are so lonely it impairs their ability to socialise, according to a SFI survey on behalf of TrygFonden.

The survey of 2,292 people aged 18-70 revealed that 4 percent are struggling with problems so big they don’t feel part of the community anymore and often feel they are being looked down upon.

DANIEL Carlsen, the leader of the nationalist party Danskernes Parti, has retired from politics aged 27. As a consequence, the political leadership has decided to disband the party that Carlsen led since its foundation in 2011.

Danskernes Parti needed 20,109 signatures to stand for Parliament, but only managed to get 5,685 in six years.

LIDL IS phasing out plastic bags from all its shops in September – the first supermarket chain in Denmark to do so.

Instead it will provide FSC-certified paper bags. Meanwhile, a SuperBrugsen on Copenhagen’s Nørrebrogade is already selling maize-based biodegradable bags, as is a health shop in Frederiksalle in Aarhus.

THE POLICE in Aarhus have set up stop-and-search zones in the city in the wake of the increasing number of gangrelated shootings taking place.

The zones cover the areas of Brabrand, Grimhøj and Skjoldhøj and into Åbyhøj, and they came into force on June 25 and will remain in effect until July 24.

NEWS

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

ONLINE THIS WEEK

FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Traffic chaos expected

Serial nut loosener at large SIMON LANGKJÆR

PIXABAY

Gridlock, queues, replacement buses

Victim’s pic a stark warning

TRAVELLING by planes, trains and automobiles will be severely disrupted in July. Some 100,000 passengers are expected every day at Copenhagen Airport until July 14. Urgent work on the railways will slow services. And Copenhagen has roadworks planned on many of its main roads, including Amager Boulevard and Dronning Louises Bridge. In addition, 30-minute queues are expected at the German border controls, which will continue until at least July 11.

THE POLICE believe wheel lug nuts are being deliberately loosened on cars.

In June there were 38 cases reported in Denmark. In some cases drivers were seriously injured. The police advise all motorists to check their lug nuts before driving. It is also believed bicycles are being tampered with. In late May, a young Dane broke his nose, lost a tooth and got concussed after falling face first onto the asphalt after his front wheel came off.

Remote-controlled boat

Kystbanen disruption

A CAPTAIN from the global towage operater Svitzer was able to remotelyoperate a 28 metre-long tug through Copenhagen Harbour, dock and undock at a quay, and turn the ship 360 degrees. The technology, which has been developed by Rolls-Royce in co-operation with Svitzer, could become an industry standard by 2020.

BETWEEN July 24 and August 6, the coastal rail line between Helsingør and Rungsted Kyst stations is being shut down to carry out summer repairs. A replacement bus service will add 10 minutes to the journey between the stations, promises rail operator BaneDanmark.

The work should ensure trains can speed up on the Kystbanen line in the future.

H-car testing ground

Unmanned train aim

DENMARK has been picked to test a new hydrogen car, the Honda Clarity.

Five families will test the cars over the coming months. Honda hopes that hydrogen (along with electric and hybrid) cars could replace petrol and diesel cars (a third of its output by 2020), but high prices (around 500,000 kroner) and just 11 charging stations in Denmark pose a challenge.

THE TRANSPORT minister, Ole Birk Olesen, has informed Parliament that a switch to driverless S-trains by 2030 would lead to more affordable, frequent and punctual trains in Copenhagen, without compromising on safety or requiring significant investment in the capital region. Olesen proposes a pilot phase on the Hellerup to Ny Ellebjerg F Line.

Rail privatisation looms

Sucks in the city for taxis

THE TRANSPORT minister, Ole Birk Olesen, is strongly considering a gradual privatisation of the rail network, starting with the S-Trains. Consultancy firms McKinsey & Company and Stuensee & Co claim the state could save 3.1 to 4.0 billion kroner per year by 2030. DSB currently receives 4.3 billion kroner per annum.

THE HOTEL industry association Horesta contends there aren’t enough taxis in Copenhagen. Establishments such as Hotel d’Angleterre and Hotel Kong Arthur claim their guests are being forced to wait up to an hour, as do many cruise ship visitors when they dock. Since 2009, the number of taxis in the city has fallen by 450 to 1,891.

7

8

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Cleantech rep under threat

ONLINE THIS WEEK Disease alert

ONLINE THIS WEEK German energy deal THE DANISH and German energy ministries have agreed a deal that should enable Nordic producers to export five times as much energy to Germany by 2019 – rising gradually from 200 to 1,100 MW. In the past when Nordic producers were able to produce cheaper power than their German competitors, they were unable to access the German market.

PIXABAY

CASES of type 2 diabetes and the chronic lung disease COPD are expected to soar by 2030 (up to 430,000 and 250,000), according to the Statens Institut for Folkesundhed. In related news, a study suggests increased vitamin D intake can boost the immune system, thus combating infections such as tuberculosis, which affected 312 Danes in 2014.

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Literal brain drain

First biosphere reserve

AARHUS University and Region Midtjylland are no longer willing to house their collection of almost 10,000 brains in the cellars of Risskov psychiatric hospital. Collected from psychiatric patients between 1945 and 1982, some precede the use of psychotropics, and it is believed they can provide unique insight into the entire spectrum of mental illness.

UNESCO has confirmed the chalk-white cliffs of Møn and its surrounding islands and waters (45,118 hectares in size) as Denmark’s first biosphere reserve. Such reserves are learning places for sustainable development where the aim is to reconcile biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Big baby, big brain A STUDY of 4,700 Danes born between 1959 and 1961 has discovered a connection between the weight of humans at birth and their intelligence later in life.

The research showed that Danish babies who had a birth weight between 3.5 and 4 kilos grew up to become the most intelligent adults. A normal birth weight is 2.5-4 kilos.

Obese mums pass it on A STUDY carried out on mice that involved the universities of Aarhus and Copenhagen indicates that inflammation could be a contributing factor to children born to obese mothers getting fat themselves, reports Videnskab. dk. This is the first study to suggest that obesity might be passed on to the next generation.

Mapping the fightback THE UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen was among the contributors to a new map of the world’s 846 terrestrial ecoregions, an effort by Washington DC-based RESOLVE to draw attention to critically threatened animals and plant species that risk having their habitats destroyed.

Oh sunny days, but for how much longer?

Denmark likely to lose top position in index following 2016 budget cuts

innovation.

DI points out that the 2016 budget law stripped 1.4 billion kroner from research and education, contending that the frameworks “are far from good enough”.

“We invest far too little in research and innovation, and therefore too little in companies that in the future can generate growth and employment in Denmark,” it continued.

Plenty of know-how STILL, there’s no denying that Denmark has a lot of green technology knowledge to share, and in early June it confirmed it will create a platform to demonstrate how its greentech companies have solved problems in the past.

Over the next few years, billions of kroner will be invested in transforming the world’s cities so they live up to new and future climate agreements.

Not enough investment HOWEVER, according to Dansk Industri (DI), and a report from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Denmark’s trailblazing ways are under siege thanks to cuts in research and

Finland leading the way THE WWF cautions that while Denmark was ranked first in the GCII, the report was based on data from 2013-2016, noting that it has “since cut its cleantech R&D budget by half ”.

Second-placed Finland – along with Sweden, France, Canada, the US and Israel – looks to be in a far better position to engage in cleantech in the future, according to the WWF.

Overseas interest DENMARK’S national green branding organisation, State of Green, already receives many international visitors interested in learning more and developing contacts with Danish organisations.

In the long run, hopes State of Green, the co-operations will pave the way for the setting up of international partnerships that will benefit Danish firms. (CPH POST)

Blow and wash

Ghost nets: real or not?

Customised diets

THREE out of four adult Danes sometimes, rarely or never visit the sink after blowing their noses, according to a YouGov survey for BTMX. The council for better hygiene warns that this will accelerate the spread of bacteria, causing colds, influenza and pneumonia. It was, it said, almost as harmful as having excrement on your hands.

THE WORLD Wide Fund for Nature has urged Danish politicians to focus more on the problem of ghost nets – the drifting remnants of lines and nets that often cling to wrecks and reefs and trap marine life.

However, the Danmarks Fiskeriforening association dismissed the concerns, saying there were very few reports in Danish waters.

RESEARCHERS from the University of Copenhagen have devised a simple blood test that can reveal which diet will be most conducive to weight loss on an individual basis. Testing for blood sugar levels can help doctors offer better and more targeted advice to patients needing to lose weight and sustain that weight loss.

D

ENMARK has topped the 2017 Global Cleantech Innovation index (GCII), underlining its credentials at developing green energy technology, ahead of Finland, Sweden, Canada and the US. Fifth in the last index, Denmark was commended for the amount of capital it raised by cleantech funds, the number of its cleantech organisations, and its commercialised cleantech, including its cleantech exports and number of renewable energy jobs.

Miracle transplant A LIFE-SAVING transplant operation in the UK has given a young Rigshospital patient a restored thymus, a glandular structure that regulates the immune system. The boy, whose immune defence capacity has since risen to 75 percent, is just one of 12 European children to receive the experimental transplant surgery, reports Videnskab.dk.

Bluefin’s back, bees flee DTU RESEARCHERS are appealing to the public to help them understand why the bluefin tuna has come back after a decade’s absence. In related news, a survey by the Danmarks Biavlerforening beekeeper association claims populations are declining for the fourth year in a row. Every fifth community died last winter.

Bacterial diet treatment A SOLUTION to obesity might be to change the makeup of your intestinal bacteria, new research indicates. The study, in which the University of Copenhagen participated, has increased our understanding of exactly which bacteria cause obesity and which ones keep you slim, reports Videnskab.dk.

NEWS

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Will Denmark erupt in birdsong?

ONLINE THIS WEEK British Isles flavour FC COPENHAGEN has drawn Slovakian champs Zelina in the second qualification round of the Champions League (the legs: July 12 and 19). Meanwhile, Lyngby and FCM’s opponents in the Europa League first qualification round are Welsh outfit Bangor City and Irish team Derry City, while Brøndby have a bye.

ONLINE THIS WEEK ASTANA

Jacob Fuglsang is fifth favourite to win the Tour de France

F

LOSSES to Italy and Germany ensured Denmark exited the Under-21 Euros in Poland after two games. A 4-2 defeat of the Czechs in their final game was scant consolation.

OR DANISH cycling fans eagerly anticipating the upcoming 2017 edition of the Tour de France (July 1-23), there’s good news ... and some bad news.

The good news is that Denmark’s best all-rounder, Jakob Fuglsang (which translates as ‘birdsong’) has been handed the co-captain duties by his Kazakh team Astana (along with Fabian Aru) and is currently the fifthfavourite (best price 20/1, as short as 10/1 with some firms) – behind only Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador – to win the gruelling race.

Depending on their performances in the first week, Astana will likely pinpoint either Fuglsang or Aru to lead their charge for the duration of the race.

Fuglsang, who long played second fiddle to Vincenzo Nibali, looks to be in scintillating form as of late, winning a prestigious French road race, Critérium du Dauphiné, in early June.

Slim pickings THE BAD news is that this year’s edition will be thin on Danish participation with just three riders taking part – a steep decline from the seven who made up the Danish delegation last year.

Aside from Fuglsang, young talent Michael Valgren is gearing up for his third Tour de

A bridge too far

Country boy in the city

Century for creative genius More than Moomins

An Ocean of rain WILL THE Roskilde Festival, which last week sold out of all its partout tickets, be wetter than NorthSide in Aarhus?

Some 28 mm fell in just hours on its opening day on June 9, but a similar amount is forecast for June 29-30. Among NorthSide’s opening day acts were Frank Ocean and Saveus.

Over and out

9

Perry, Nelly and Kelly CONFIRMED concerts in June included: Machine Gun Kelly (Oct 19, Vega), Nelly (Oct 30, Vega), Migos (Aug 17, Tap 1), Tower of Power (Oct 25, Amager Bio), Harry Styles (19 March 2018, Royal Arena) and Katy Perry (8 June 2018, Royal Arena).

Sitting third DENMARK beat Kazakhstan in its 2018 WC qualifier on June 10, leaving them third on ten points, six behind Poland and level with Montenegro with an inferior goal difference.

Next up is Poland at home on September 1, followed by a trip to Armenia three days later.

Yellow is a good omen, unless he’s sings like a canary about drug cheats

His previous best finish in the Tour de France was seventh in 2013 after Nibali dropped out and he became the team’s captain.

France – also for Astana – while grizzled veteran Lars Bak is saddling up for his ninth edition of the race, this time for Lotto-Soudal.

A number of prominent Danish riders didn’t make their respective teams’ final race rosters. But there is a silver lining.

Young stars like Magnus Cort, Christopher Juul-Jensen, Søren Kragh Andersen, Mads Pedersen and Mads Würtz Schmidt are turning heads with strong performances and could well add numbers to the Danish delegation at Le Tour next year.

Jimi would be proud MIKKELLER has been ruffling feathers with a label design for its ‘Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy’ IPA. It depicts Putin kissing Trump, and the proceeds of an auction of four bottles will be donated to the Russian LGBT Network in support of Chechen gay rights.

Remembering ‘92 CHRISTIAN WENANDE

FINLANDS NATIONALGALLERI

MOGENS ENGELUND

BRETT PERKINS

ISTOCK

“It’s left, right?”

California to Copenhagen

An icon written by an icon

Family girl at heart

Few will forget Faxe’s opener

A BRITISH tourist visiting Copenhagen in June got more than she bargained for when she took a wrong turn and ended up in Sweden. Travelling along the Øresund Motorway in a bid to reach the Blue Planet Aquarium located in Amager, she missed the last turn and found she could not turn back. Accepting her fate, she passed over the Øresund Bridge.To make matters worse, the car was an electric hire vehicle, and it was touch and go whether she would make it to the end of the 16 km bridge after the battery fell below 10 percent. (PS)

IT’S NOT often that you’ll hear the distinctive twang of country music in the middle of Copenhagen. If you do, then, there’s decent odds that it’s coming from singer-songwriter Brett Perkins, the long-time organiser of the Copenhagen Songwriters Festival (Aug 29Sep 3). A Southern California native, Perkins has been making music in Denmark since the late 1990s, where he has helped to foster growth and involvement in Copenhagen’s independent music scene.

CPH POST caught up with him to find out more. (AH)

THERE are some things in life that Danes can never get enough of. But as much as they love alcohol and dark clothes, they can only come a distant second to ‘Matador’, the nation’s most beloved television series.

‘Matador’ is integral to the self-understanding of modern Danish society and something that Danes never seem to get bored of – all thanks to Lise Nørgaard, the brilliant creator and co-writer of the series, who celebrated her 100th birthday on June 14. Few can deny the indelible impression the author has made on Denmark. (SH)

ALTHOUGH known to most people as the creator of the magical fantasy universe of Moominland, the exhibition of Tove Jansson’s work at Kunstforeningen has been arranged to give equal weight to her work as an artist. And very impressive her paintings are. One large room at the exhibition is devoted to them. There are several pictures of the family – who were extremely important to her – as well as a number of self-portraits in styles ranging from surrealism to modernism and the more lyrical style of her later years. (SG)

THEY WERE the team who weren’t even supposed to be there, but ended up going all the way. They’re perhaps one of the best Cinderella stories in sports history – a tale well worthy of measuring up to the very best exploits of Hans Christian Andersen. Yes. They are the strong, brave and few from the legendary Euro 92 team.

And on June 26, 25 years after shocking World Cup holders Germany in Gothenburg, the public once again gathered in Rådhuspladsen to applaud the likes of Peter Schmeichel and John ‘Faxe’ Jensen. (CW)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

10 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE HARD Rock Café made a post-tax loss of 14 million kroner in 2016. Before moving from Tivoli to a location in Rådhuspladsen obscured by the ongoing Metro work in 2015, it made a profit of 2.3 million.

The Metro work should be completed by next year. For the time being, it remains in between a rock and a hard place.

Corporation tax warning DANSK Industri has warned that overseas investors will increasingly opt for Sweden if Denmark doesn’t cut its rate of corporation tax. Sweden’s latest cut will lower its rate from 22 to 20 percent from July 2018.

Favourable for business and jobs Employment prospects booming in apps and across the Øresund

War on laundering IN THE wake of the Panama Papers and other high-profile cases, a cross-party majority in Parliament has agreed on a number of initiatives to combat money laundering and bank fraud, which will require banks to keep a closer eye on customers and transactions.

D

ENMARK is the most favourable place to do business in Europe, according to a EuCham ranking of 45 of the continent’s countries that the Nordics dominated, taking the top five places.

Denmark was judged by the NGO to have 86 percent of the ideal conditions, and it ranked number three in the world, behind New Zealand and Singapore.

A SURVEY of Dansk Industri’s company members reveals that 65 percent are active users of social media that primarily use it for marketing and advertising. Some 36 percent say that social media has made it cheaper to advertise the company and recruit new staff.

30,000 new jobs IT WOULD appear this is paying dividends, as a report from the Nordic consultancy Copenhagen Economics predicts the app industry could bring in 30,000 new jobs over the next five years.

However, the current share of related jobs – including the number of IT developers – will need to be doubled, according to Mette Lykke, the founder of fitness app Endomondo.

The business authority, Erhvervsstyrelsen, estimates Denmark will lack 19,000 IT

Brexit scenarios grim

Better deal for cleaners

Active on social media

ONLINE THIS WEEK

PIXABAY

In between a rock …

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Pension shake-up No, they’re right. Start believing!

specialists by 2030. In particular, more women are needed.

THE GOVERNMENT and Dansk Folkeparti have found a majority to restructure the pension system to make it more attractive for people to defer their retirement, as well as assisting them in saving up for their later years. The restructuring should be complete by 2023.

ply, News Øresund reports.

Scania shortage MORE JOBS could also be on the horizon in Scania in southern Sweden, according to a survey by the Arbetsförmedlingen labour exchange, which expects several industries – such as the health service, education and IT – to struggle to find qualified applicants.

Arbetsförmedlingen expects an extra 12,500 jobs to be created in 2017 and 9,600 in 2018. Additionally, cooks, bus drivers, construction workers and craftsmen are in short sup-

Spouse success BACK HOME, Denmark is fighting to hold onto its own highly-skilled workers, and it is becoming increasingly successful at finding jobs for the workers’ spouses.

Dansk Industri particularly applauds the Career Mentoring Programme run by the Lyngby-Taarbæk City of Knowledge and Urban Development, which finds jobs for 57 percent of its participants within six months of completion. Just 21 percent remain unemployed. (CPH POST)

The David Brent way

Sri Lanka hires COWI

Cool ones in Chicago WARPIGS, a brewery/restaurant founded in 2015 by US brewery Three Floyds and Mikkeller that has a venue in Kødbyen, is marketing three of its beers in Chicago, fuelling speculation it could soon open a brewpub in the Windy City.

Restructuring Skat

SKAT

COGDOGBLOG

PENTIA

PUBLIC HEALTH IMAGE

PIXABAY

No bacon to bring home

Cleaning under the table

Monopoly on a Monday!

Sri Lanka not wasting the chance

No more darling jokes

AS NEGOTIATIONS start to define the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU, an analysis by the University of Copenhagen has tried to put a price on the effect it will have on Danish food exports to the UK. The analysis examines the consequences for trade using two scenarios. The first one assumes that a free trade deal has been made between the EU and the UK, and it predicts exports to Britain will fall by 48 percent. The second allows for no deal being made and consequently trade between the EU and the UK taking place under WTO terms. (SG)

SIMILAR to Uber and Airbnb, but more respectful to the people who do the actual work, the newly-launched Danish startup Hilfr has come up with an unconventional concept that looks set to be a success. It provides a platform and a market that connects people who want to render their cleaning services and those who want to hire cleaning help. What makes Hilfr different is its commitment towards ensuring that the cleaning assistants get competitive wages. In short, the company refuses to compete on poor working conditions. (SH)

THE VIEW has always been that ‘work and play don’t mix’, but it appears that they can and do. As proof of this, global research and consultancy organisation Great Place to Work has just awarded a special Culture of Fun prize to the Danish IT consultancy company, Pentia.

Along with hundreds of other companies, Pentia took part in the yearly survey carried out by Great Place to Work in which employees filled out a comprehensive anonymous questionnaire to evaluate levels of trust, pride in the company, and fellowship in the workplace.

(SG)

IT’S A WONDER what a ski slope will do. The completion date of the winter sport-friendly combined heat and power wasteto-energy plant Amager Bakke has been stretched from 2017 to 2018, but give the media a few slalom ski poles and a smoke ring machine, and everyone’s purring about how Denmark is a world leader in waste management. Sri Lanka has certainly been listening, as officials have enlisted Danish consultancy COWI to provide solutions to the Indian Ocean island nation’s unsustainable waste practices. (PS)

IT’S BEEN tough for Denmark’s tax authority in recent years. From a missing 100 billion kroner to incorrect property evaluations, SKAT has been embroiled in scandal after scandal, and now the government has revealed that SKAT will be shut down and divided into seven separate authorities by 1 July 2018. Each authority will have a head that refers to the Tax Ministry. “It’s not a criticism of the individual worker, but rather of a system that has failed to deliver in the critical areas,” its minister Karsten Lauritzen told Berlingske. (SG)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

BUSINESS OPINION

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

NEIL SMITH DANISH CAPITAL IN 2017

tral budget, finance minister and perhaps even bonds. Eurobonds have previously been anathema to the Germans – but this month Chancellor Angela Merkel made comments about opening the door to a central budget.

This is important for two reasons: firstly, it is a big step in itself; secondly a logical consequence of a central budget is centrally-issued bonds (Eurobonds), as it would be politically easier to raise money this way than from contributions from each country’s finance ministries.

B

Euro shakes growing FOR DENMARK the danger is that deeper integration of the Eurozone means that its 19 countries become synonymous with the EU itself – this risk is heightened

by Brexit given that the UK was by far the biggest EU economy outside of the Eurozone.

There is a real risk, therefore, of EU policies being designed to favour (in either principle or practice) the other EU countries. If this sounds unfair, then the EU could reply that all countries currently outside the Eurozone have a legal obligation to join – except Denmark.

Eurozone shake-up FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly made it clear that he wants the Eurozone to look more like a traditional currency area, with a cen-

A friend in France IN ANOTHER sense, President Macron’s election is much better news for Denmark. The EU has typically been divided between an open market northern European mentality (including Denmark and the UK) and a more dirigist southern Europe. Typically, France would be the leader of this group and Brexit could tip the balance in their favour.

This is countered by the fact that Macron is not a typical French politician and has openly called for deregulation in the French economy. This should help ensure that the internationalist, free markets voice remains strong in the EU despite the UK’s departure.

Neil is a Scottish-educated lawyer with 15 years’ experience in corporate structuring and general commercial matters. Based in Copenhagen, he primarily advises on international deals. Out of the office his interests include sport and politics. His column explores topical international financial and economic issues from a Danish perspective.

REXIT only got a short airing at the recent European Council, with British Prime Minister Theresa May told that her proposal on the rights of EU nationals should be presented to the commission’s designated negotiator.

In a subtler way, however, Brexit was omnipresent. With the unprecedented shock of a member leaving and a new, reformist president elected in France (partly as a counter?), countries are now contemplating what was previously unthinkable, and the debate as to the consequences going forward is well and truly under way – with important consequences for Denmark.

11

LEAPFORCE AT HOME INDEPENDENT AGENT DANISH (DENMARK) POSITION TYPE Independent Contractor

JOB DESCRIPTION This position is restricted to current residents of Denmark that are fluent in written and verbal Danish.

This is a PERSONALIZED SEARCH ENGINE EVALUATOR position. As a Personalized Search Engine Evaluator, you will be given tasks that are generated from your personalized content based on your Google account linked to your Gmail address that you use to register with Leapforce. Ideal candidates will be highly active users of Google’s search engine and other products; use Google Play at least once per week; use Google+ more than once per month and have more than 11 people per circle and have a Gmail account with web history turned on.

Some projects require that candidates use an Android smartphone or iPhone, not provided, to complete the evaluation work. Only Android smartphones and iPhone’s are acceptable, tablets and other smart devices do not qualify at this time.

Leapforce is looking for highly educated individuals able to read and write using Danish for an exciting work from home opportunity. Applicants must be self motivated and internet savvy. This is an opportunity to evaluate and improve search engine results for one of the world’s largest internet search engine companies.

Search Engine Evaluators will need to combine a passion for analysis, understanding of various online research tools and in-depth knowledge of the Danish language and culture. Applicants must be detail oriented and have a broad range of interests.

Ideal Search Engine Evaluators will possess the following skills

PIXABAY

Have in-depth, up-to-date familiarity with Danish social culture, media, and web culture ■ Excellent comprehension and written communication skills in English and Danish ■ Broad range of interests, with specific areas of expertise a plus University degree or equivalent experience (degrees in-progress are acceptable). Advanced degrees a plus ■ Excellent web research skills and analytical abilities.

■ Ability to work independently under minimal supervision ■ Possess a high speed internet connection (DSL, Cable Modem, etc.)

■ Use of an Android phone version 4.1 or higher, Windows phone version 8.1 or higher, or an iPhone version 4s or higher.

■

Search Engine Evaluators provide feedback on search engine results by measuring the relevance and usefulness of web pages in correlation to predefined queries, by providing comparative analysis of sets of search engine results and various other techniques.

All candidates are required to take and pass a qualification exam before becoming a Search Engine Evaluator. There are three parts to the exam: a theoretical component and two practical components. Supplied study materials can be used during the exam.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer more than one Search Engine Evaluator position per household.

Brexit has changed the roadmap forever

CONTACT: CATHERINE HUYNH - catherine@leapforce.com

12

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

DARREN MCCALLIG

SALES INTERN

‘Mere te’ Vicar?

THE POST IS LOOKING FOR A SALES INTERN TO SUPPORT THE SALES TEAM

As the Irish-born vicar of St Alban’s Anglican Church, Darren has a congregation of over two dozen different nationalities (st-albans.dk). Celebrating diversity and building inclusive community are his divine aspirations.

And yes – he enjoys a nice cup of tea.

Responsiblities include the following: ■

You will be assisting the team with various tasks including face to face selling, administration, ad sales, home page, events, etc.

■

We are looking for a candidate who has completed or is

AALBORG STIFT

currently pursuing a degree or has experience in sales.

■

You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. A knowledge of Danish is an advantage.

■

You should be able to work approximately 20 - 30 hours per week.

■

You should be an enthusiastic team-player with the ability to work independently at times.

Please send your application and CV to hans@cphpost.dk noting Sales Intern in the subject line.

The Copenhagen Post is Denmark’s leading source for news in English. In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in Denmark, we also provide a special supplement division of our newspaper and online news.

Full house! Must be a confirmation

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT US AT: WWW.CPHPOST.DK

Learn or improve Danish!

Private experienced graduated teacher.

All levels. Free test.

Please contact Karen Berg at LinkedIn or mail: Linguacare@gmail.com

free guided tours JuNe – July – august suNday iN daNish saturday iN eNglish at 1 pm

www.davidmus.dk

T

HE MONTHS of April, May and June are, by tradition, the confirmation months in Denmark. All over the country, tens of thousands of young Danes and their families troop into churches to celebrate this milestone in their young lives.

Confirmation in the cake?

FOR THOSE new to Denmark, it can be quite a shock to see just how elaborate and extravagant these events can be. Some say the celebrations are more like weddings than … well, weddings. After all, the post-ceremony party will typically involve carefully arranged seating plans, lengthy speeches, specially written songs, generous gift-giving and – at the centre of it all – someone in a white dress or a new suit.

Indeed, according to research

by Nordea Bank, the average Danish family will invite almost 40 guests to a confirmation dinner and spend over 30,000 kroner on the food, presents and party clothing to celebrate their son or daughter.

There is also a non-religious equivalent of the church ceremony for those who prefer that

option. Called a ‘non-firmation’, it basically includes all the quasiwedding elements listed above – just without the visit to the local parish.

Finally, you could even say that confirmations have a ‘honeymoon’ equivalent. It’s called ‘Blue Monday’ and it’s when the newly-confirmed take a day off school and do their best to spend the cash gifts they have just received on a day’s shopping and entertainment.

A mini United Nations HERE AT Saint Alban’s Church we too have celebrated some confirmations in recent weeks.

For us, the truly remarkable thing about this coming-of-age ceremony was the diversity of the candidates. This year we had seven people being confirmed and no two had the same national or cultural background.

With roots in Australia, Britain, Denmark, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Uganda and the United States, the group of seven were something of a mini United Nations – topped off by the fact that the visiting bishop was Burmese-Scottish and the priest is Irish!

Being in a position to affirm

and celebrate such wonderful diversity is something we are very proud of at Saint Alban’s. With almost 30 different nationalities represented in the pews Sunday

by Sunday, we are striving to build meaningful community not simply with those who are most like us, but with everyone who walks through the open doors of the church.

In a world where suspicion and fear of the ‘other’ appears to be on the increase, such a witness to hospitality and inclusion is needed more than ever..

A common affirmation IN FACT, the newly-confirmed candidates were given exactly such responsibilities by the bishop at the end of the ceremony. In a section of the ritual known as ‘the Commission’, the group of seven were asked to treat others with respect and to love their neighbours as themselves. They were also given the task of defending the weak and working for peace and justice in the world.

I dare say that all of us – whether confirmed or ‘nonfirmed’ – can commit ourselves to those high ideals.

OPINION

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

VIVIENNE MCKEE

13

NEXT ISSUE

Crazier than Christmas Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. Over the last 34 years, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

PAUL RICHTER/FLICKR

IN 2 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD The voices of ‘amlet, ‘oratio and Olivier echo through its halls

T

HERE IS something rotten in the state of Denmark.

I have cause to utter this Shakespeare quotation as, during these summer days, I have to struggle with situations brimming with conspiracy, corruption and revenge – and that’s before I even get out of my car!

My destination is Kronborg Castle, and I use my daily 45-minute car journey from Frederiksberg to practise my lines for the role of Queen Gertrude in this year’s international production of ‘Hamlet’, a run from August 1-19 that will be followed by a world tour.

Where rot sets in I CAN TELL you it is rotten to be a mother, especially when you are Prince Hamlet’s mother who has to deal with a moody son mourning his dead father and plotting bloody revenge. It is even more rotten to be a wife, when you find yourself wedded and bedded by the man who murdered your previous husband. And it is certainly rotten to be a queen when your power dwindles due to guilt and depression.

And what could be more sinister and rotten than to play

out this grim series of events in the shadow of a castle populated by vengeful, rotting ghosts and fired by deep passions?

All the greats ON THE other hand, what could be more thrilling than performing in a new production of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy at Hamlet’s Castle?

The UNESCO heritage site is a unique place where fact and fiction blend and where every summer actors flock to perform in the renowned Shakespeare Festival.

Jude Law, Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier are just a few of the Hamlets who have declaimed “to be or not to be” in the castle courtyard, and this year our Hamlet, the young Danish-English talent Cyron Melville, will be storming about full of angst on a brand-new stage built beneath the ramparts before the castle itself – a magnificent backdrop.

Sweden, seagulls, sublime ROTTEN though the story is, the sublime words of Shakespeare’s original verse are a joy.

We actors agree that the more we speak them, the clearer it be-

comes why this play is regarded as the greatest work of English literature.

And if that was not enough, it is nothing less than magical to arrive at the castle before the performance, as the light fades and seagull cries fill the air. Audiences who arrive early enjoy picnics with the sea beneath them and Sweden seemingly an arm’s length away. When the play has finished, it is wonderful to walk back along the path beside the dark water of the moat reflecting the light from burning torches.

Bonding over the Bard THERE may be something very rotten in the state of Denmark, but only within the fictional world of theatre. People come from all over the world to attend the Shakespeare Festival where bonds of friendship are created. Summer at the castle is an unforgettable experience – even for a harassed mother, wife and queen.

As Gertrude says to her son in the play: “Hamlet, cast thy nighted colours off and with thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.”

IN 3 ISSUES

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

Fashion Jam JENNY EGSTEN-ERICSON

IN 4 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

14

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

30 June - 17 August 2017

ABOUT TOWN

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

Italy and Russia both recently celebrated their national days, while the Czech and Pakistani ambassadors are bidding farewell to these shores. Following the Italian Embassy’s celebration on board the Costa Favolosa on June 3, the Italian Cultural Institute (left) followed up with its own gathering three days later, which Italian ambassador Stefano Palmas was delighted to attend. On June 9, it was Russia’s turn at the residence of ambassador Mikhail Vanin. Among those gathered were (centre left: left-right) Greek ambassador Efthalia Kakiopoulou, Egyptian ambassador Salwa Moufid, Vanin, Macedonian ambassador Naim Memeti, Israeli ambassador Barukh Binah and Brazilian ambassador Carlos Paranhos. On June 15, Czech ambassador Jiri Brodsky and his wife (centre right) welcomed guests to his residence to enjoy music and good Czech beer. His next posting is in Mongolia. And in late May, the departing Pakistani ambassador Masroor A Junejo and his wife (right) welcomed guests to his residence in Hellerup, where he received a gift from the Danish Foreign Ministry

Moroccan ambassador Khadija Rouissi (left) was proud to show off some of her country’s gorgeous tea sets at Africa Day at Frederiksberg City Hall on May 23. Among those in attendance were (centre left: left-right) Saudi ambassador Fahad Alruwaily, Ugandan ambassador Zaake Kibedi, the dean of the African Diplomatic Corps, special guest Karen Ellemann, the minister for equality and Nordic co-operation, and Ivory Coast ambassador Mina Balde Laurent, the overall dean of the Diplomatic Corps. Among the other ambassadors displaying their country stands were South African ambassador Zindzi Mandela (centre right) and Niger’s ambassador Amadou Tcheko (right)

Africa wasn’t the only continent in the spotlight as Asia has had an extremely busy June with Hong Kong, Thailand, and Nepal leading the way. The Denmark-Hong Kong Trade Association and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London co-hosted a celebration at Asia House on June 1 to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at which Hongbo Hu (left: left), the deputy Chinese ambassador, gave a speech. The Nepal Expo Travel and Trade Fair (centre left) at DGI City on June 16-18 was a colourful affair. Thai ambassador Vimon Kidchob (centre right, in black) was among the many attendees undeterred by the rain at the Thai Festival at Islands Brygge on June 24. Meanwhile, Nepal’s new ambassador (right) is Yuba Nath Lamsal. Swagatam!

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (centre, see page 3) dropped in at Kronborg Castle to see Hamlet Live, where he posed for a photo with castle administrator Erik Als and the actor playing Polonius, the one and only Ian Burns

Popular British actor Andrew Jeffers (left), who Crazy Christmas fans might recognise as The Dame, was at the premiere of his new film ‘Den Bedste Mand’ at Imperial Cinema on June 15 along with main star Mikkel Boe Følsgaard

Linda Thomas-Greenfield (right), a former assistant US secretary of state, was among the speakers at the BCCD event ‘The Age of Sustainable Innovation’ at the Clarion Hotel on June 21 (learn more at cphpost.dk)

COMMUNITY

30 June - 17 August 2017

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

D

URING European Youth Week in early May, young people from all over Denmark converged on Ishøj to take part in events aimed to promote active youth lifestyles through sports, democracy,

and informal learning.

The seven-day project’s goal was to introduce young people from Denmark to the Erasmus + program and how it can shape their future.

Among the activities, the

7

5

6

4

2 How well do you know Copenhagen? Pretty well, right? But how observant are you of its urban landscape?

There aren’t any professions more observant than photog-

raphers – well, maybe a fiction novelist, or a municipal buildings inspector … and yes, definitely a spy – so who better to turn to for a compilation of some of Copenhagen’s lesser known landmarks?

Rita Maria (ritagraphy.com) is a resident of both Copenhagen and San Diego who works in experimental documentary photography and is particularly inspired by the psychedelia

KONTRAFAME

Since the summer of 2002, the people of Copenhagen have been able to bathe in their harbour. The crystal clear water not only beats off the heat, but also refreshes the mind and body (Mon-Fri 07:00-19:00, from 11:00 on weekends; Islands Brygge & Copencabana; free adm) EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

MIKEGI

Everyone is welcome to participate in this swimming competition around Christiansborg Castle. Participate individually or in a team (Aug 26; 09:00-14:00; Black Diamond, Cph, K; 395-525kr; copenhagenswim.com)

Release your feel-good endorphins with swing, salsa, tango and rumba under the beautiful summer skies at Summer Dance (ends July 23, Mon-Thu 19:00-22:00; Fælledparken, Cph Ø; free adm; sommerdans.dk)

Get your glow sticks ready, dress up in your brightest clothes, and bring your friends to the Full Moon Party (Aug 19, 14:00-03:00; Halvandet, Refshalevej 325, Cph K; 160-289kr; fullmooncph.dk)

of the late 1960s.

So take a look and try to identify these city landmarks when this post goes on Facebook. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be a prize! DAVE SMITH

EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

COMING UP SOON

The Afro Dress-up Festival brings Africa to Copenhagen.

It will not only educate people about the beauty of African culture but also provide entertainment and displays of Afro jewels, bags, shoes and fabrics (July 1216, 11:00-23:00; Rådhuspladsen; free adm)

The Copenhagen Summer Festival is a must-go event that presents classical chamber music played by young, emerging artists who could be the stars of tomorrow (July 30-Aug 10; Charlottenborg Festsal, Cph K; 720kr; copenhagensummerfestival.dk)

Heat & Heart’s vinyasa yoga workshop is a sweet combination of meditative flow, hands-on adjustments and heart-openers (Aug 12, 14:30-17:00; Yogafactory, Strandvejen 209, Hellerup; 350kr; yogafactory.eu)

EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

CHEVANON

EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

Enjoy non-stop party music and meet awesome people at the Ourdio Beach Party on Amager beach (July 28, 17:00-23:00; Amager Strandpark, Italiensvej 15, Cph S; free adm)

DAVE SMITH

PHOTOS: RITA MARIA, @TRAVELDELIC, RITAGRAPHY.COM

G

European Youth Week was co-ordinated by Raymond Andrews (centre right: right) with Erasmus +, Ishøj Ungdomsskole and UngeNET.

rational Skype chats, including one with home-grown animator Chris Ebenings, who helped make ‘The Lego Movie’ and its spin-offs; and paid a trip to Labour Day in Fælledparken on May 1 (left and centre).

3

1

IVEN that the summer holiday’s here, we thought we’d play a game – the kind a hungover teacher improvises because he couldn’t be bothered to do a lesson plan down the pub.

youngsters went go-karting at Ishøj Motor Center (centre left: where the youngsters not only learned how to race a car, but build one); produced music with Beatzbank; let off steam with Sports 4 Life; had inspi-

15

PHOTOS: EUROPEAN YOUTH WEEK

OUT AND ABOUT

HAVEN Festival brings you beer, music, food and art.

Watch renowned chefs showing off their culinary mastery (Aug 11-12, 12:30-23:59; Refshalevej 151, Cph K; 1,290kr; havenkbh.dk) SARAH B HAIDER

16

FOOD & DRINK THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Year of the Dumpling: Bringing Chinese twists to Danish staples KEWEI’S KITCHEN Flæsketorvet, Kødbyen, Cph V; opens July 1, from 10:00 BEN HAMILTON

M

Y EAST London football pal looks disappointed.

“I’m losing weight,” he complains. “I can’t find a decent Chinese or Indian anywhere.”

The sacrifices we make moving to these fair shores! The tales these pages could tell!

Take Chinese national Kewei Zhao. If you thought forgoing the Peking Duck on Barking Road was hardship, try dealing with the loss that comes from missing the real thing.

Kewei concedes there are a number of establishments around town – particularly Magasasa, which has branches in Vesterbro and Amager – making a valiant effort, but with total control over her street food menu ahead of opening Kewei’s Kitchen on July 1 this summer, the Great Wall could soon be a mere stone’s throw away.

In the land of dragons KEWEI’S surname means ‘to look for’ in Mandarin, and she has duly sought inspiration from other cuisines to reinvent staple favourites in her new homeland with a Chinese twist.

Growing up in the bitterly cold northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang (black dragon river), where winter temperatures often sank to minus 25 degrees Celsius, the prevailing nature of the food was sustenance.

“The people wanted something that was substantial and hearty to help them get through the winter,” she told CPH POST. “Food that left you with a warm feeling in the stomach.”

But Kewei is also influenced by the various Chinatowns she has visited on her extensive travels, particularly in London.

Gently does it “IT’S REMARKABLE how many Danes have never tried Chinese food before,” Kewei tells us at a special tasting session to preview her 2017 summer menu.

Maybe that’s why everything seems so accessible and suited to local palates. There are no chicken feet or pig ears in sight, only items you’d find on any north

European line-up: leverpostej (liver pâté), knödel (dumplings) and pork.

In fact, the chilli oil-infused live pâté is served with soldiers – the wedges of buttered toast that generations of Anglophone children are brought up on – along with cucumber pickle. There are murmurs of approval from the assembled throng, although not from my children, as they are warned it might be too hot for them, and they soldier on (if you catch my drift).

If truth be told, the heat is skillfully worked in, appreciated more in the swallow than the bite, but the whole dish seems a little pointless, so it’s no surprise to subsequently learn it won’t be on this summer’s menu. Brownie points from the Danes for trying though!

Food for the soul THE TIDE turns with the dumpling, an easy-to-manage flattish number that delivers on the aforementioned sustenance along with taste.

Kewei, an employee at the Gao dumpling bar on Blågårdsgade, has dispensed with the usual meat or egg fat content and opted for mozzarella. The result is like nothing I’ve tasted before.

No heat this time, this is homeotherapy for the soul, and the kids want more. I gesture over my shoulder and tell them to get in line.

Light lunch to go THE COLD noodle salad more than addresses their disappointment. There’s something about noodles that kids inherently like

– despite their worm-like appearance – and no amount of chilli (or house special sesame) oil is going to put them off this baby.

Chicken and noodles oozing with flavour, complemented by fresh cucumber, carrots, spring onions and (in a starring role) coriander make every mouthful a pleasure that no diner will want to end.

Is it fodder fit for freezing fishermen? Probably not, but on a summer’s day out in Kødbyen, it’s the ultimate light lunch to go.

Egg-xact timing SUSTENANCE returns via the pork belly. Slow-cooked for two hours, it is worth the wait. Taiwanese-inspired this time, it is served on rice with a soft-boiled

egg infused in tea and soya sauce that is so perfect it must have been timed by Quartz.

In fact, let’s take that comparison further. These eggs are so perfectly formed, they’re Faberge jewels – breaking into them seems wrong somehow.

While the pork belly makes my counterpart gurgle with delight, if that’s not too off-putting a concept for you to buy into.

Kewei has heard it all. Slurping is an integral part of showing your appreciation in her homeland. But don’t, whatever you do, blow your nose at the table, or forget to return a toast.

After all, if Denmark wants to truly embrace Chinese food, the least it could do is adopt a few of its customs. And checking out Kewei’s Kitchen is a splendid start.

MARKETPLACE & SCHOOLS

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

17

www.of ag.dk

ANIMATION FASHION DESIGN ART WRITING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 10TH. GRADE DESIGN-HF ART & CULTURE

Learn or improve Danish!

Private experienced graduated teacher. All levels.

Free test.

Please contact Karen Berg at LinkedIn or mail: Linguacare@gmail.com

THE PLACE FOR

C RE ATIVE PEOPLE Odense Fagskole - Ørstedsgade 28 - 5000 Odense - Tlf: (+45) 66 12 21 45

18

HISTORY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Triumph, tragedy and revelry: A brief history of the Roskilde Festival ALL PHOTOS: ROSKILDE FESTIVAL (UNLESS SPECIFIED)

Those currently enjoying the music are enjoying a tradition that started way back in 1971 AARON HATHAWAY

R

Book 1: Genesis IN 1971, GYMNASIUM students Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Møller, then 17 and 18 years old, planted the seeds for today’s Roskilde Festival. Inspired by festivals such as 1969’s Woodstock, the pair sought to bring a similar experience to Denmark.

Then called the Sound Festival, the event took place over two days in late June, with only a single stage. Its focus was rock music, and artists such as Gasolin, Povl Dissing and Alrune Rod attracted 10,000 guests on each

STIG NYGAARD/FLICKR

OSKILDE reigns as the heavyweight champion of Nordic festivals.

High-profile line-ups and military-grade organisation support an annual crowd pushing 130,000 revellers. For one sweet week, the Roskilde Festival is the fourth largest city in Denmark. Its grounds cover a sprawling 2.5 million square metres, its artists spread across nine stages, and its operating budget pushes 200 million kroner this year.

It might come as a surprise, then, that this musical titan started off as two high school students’ pipe dream.

FACTFILE • Roskilde’s iconic Orange Stage was purchased from England 1978, where it had previously been used by the Rolling Stones as part of a European tour Quintessential Roskilde: Piggy-backs, skinny-dipping, camping and kissing

modern form. In 1973, the event adopted Roskilde Festival as its official name. By 1980, the total attendance climbed to 50,000 guests. 1985 put the number of featured artists at 53, including Britain’s The Clash.

Even then, Roskilde was just getting started.

The years haven’t been kind to headliners Grease Band

of the days. However, a ticket price of only 30 kroner left the festival short of breaking even, and the boys were forced to pay for some of the expenses out of their own pocket.

Each summer thereafter saw the festival picking up steam, slowly adding components of its

The teenage years ROSKILDE Festival saw unprecedented growth in the 1990s, bringing it ever closer to its modern form. The festivities extended to a four-day event, incorporating eight stages. The artist tally was 149 by 1995, and the decade brought in some of

its most distinguished guests yet: Bob Dylan, Aerosmith, Ray Charles, Radiohead and Nirvana, among many others.

By the turn of the millennium Roskilde towered above its competitors as the largest rock festival in Europe, with half of its guests coming from beyond Denmark. At this point, ticket prices had climbed from 1971’s paltry 30 kroner to a hefty 810.

Disaster strikes IN 2000, TRAGEDY befell the Roskilde Festival. During a performance by Pearl Jam, a swarming crowd caused a group of audience members to lose their footing, falling onto one another and quickly piling up. Though the performance stopped and security rushed to the scene, it was too late – nine concert-goers lost their lives crushed in the pile-up, with an additional 26 injured.

The incident led to significant safety reforms at major festivals across Europe, and Roskilde continues to practise an extensive health and safety assessment every year. Today, a memorial site stands on the festival grounds, and Pearl Jam paid tribute to the victims with lyrics in their song ‘Love Boat Captain’.

Roskilde: The modern era THE 2000S saw continued growth on all fronts, and Roskilde Festival began to expand performances beyond rock music. Rock and metal icons such as Queens of the Stone Age, Rammstein and Judas Priest were joined by hiphop giants like Kanye West, the Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg.

Meanwhile, the big names got even bigger thanks to the likes of Prince, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Rihanna.

Recent years have seen Roskilde Festival grow to unprecedented levels, including a greater breadth of musicians than ever before. American folk songs, Brazilian samba, German techno and many more join the week’s soundscape – now an eight-day affair.

The festival has in recent years begun to expand its focus on social good, environment and sustainability. To date, the festival has donated some 320 million kroner to charity, having operated as a non-profit since 1972.

The festival deploys an armada of 200,000 waste bins to collect trash and an estimated 8 million recyclable items. This year, 90 percent of the food sold at the festival will be organic.

• Festival-goers will are expected to consume around one million liters of beer during the course of the week. About 200,000 liters of that beer was produced from malting barley fertilized with 100,000 liters of urine collected from 2016 Roskilde guests, thanks to an initiative by the Danish Agriculture and Food Council • On average, each attendee spends around 4,700 kroner during the festival • Revelers go through around 4,500 kilometers of toilet paper • Roskilde Festival is put on by only 50 paid employees – the rest of the work is done by an impressive force of 33,000 volunteers • Roskilde is resource-friendly - on average, attendees use just one fifth of the average Dane’s weekly water usage • In 1995, Roskilde Festival got its very own train station - which makes sense, as 60 percent arrive by train For many, Roskilde is the year’s highlight – an unbridled streak of revelry, artistry and good company. The festival kicked off on Saturday June 24, with a Viking party (complete with mead and period music) and will run until Saturday July 1.

INOUT: MUSEUMS CORNER

30 June - 17 Aug 2017

Embrace the spirit of Denmark past, present and yet to come DENISE ROSE HANSEN

O

UT-OF-CITY grounds offer the scale and bountifulness imperative to big experiences for young adventurers.

The diverse seaside of

Roskilde Fjord, the picturesque countryside of northern Zealand and the home of Hamlet are all easily reachable destinations that guarantee memorable days out.

Furthermore, this edition of Museums Corner has a strong Scrooge flavour, as it offers us an excellent opportunity to embrace the spirit of Denmark past, present and yet to come.

Sojourn like Scrooge!

LEARN about Denmark’s history – whether it’s more about the Vikings in Roskilde or how people lived during the late Medieval era via a trip to Frilandsmuseet.

Discover more about its future at the robotics exhi-

19

bition at the Museum of Science and Technology and in the House of Inventions at Experimentarium.

Copenhagen Museums & Attractions

BEND YOUR MIND Experimentarium, Tuborg Havnevej 7, Hellerup; open 09:30 most days, until 17:00 Fri-Wed, until 20:00 on Thu; over-12s: 195kr, under-12s: 115kr; experimentarium.dk

C

ALLING all aspiring scientists and inquirers, so listen up Einstein and Tesla fans!

Experimentarium in Hellerup,

only 15 minutes from Copenhagen city centre, is a nerve centre of science and thought-provoking encounters. Its brand new venue designed by the CEBRA architects opened in January 2017, creating new grounds for experimenting with science and technology in a fun, dazzling and cutting-edge environment.

The House of Inventions is your

chance to explore four worldchanging inventions, while the Tunnel of Senses will enable you to discover something new about yourself and how you see, feel, listen and smell. In short, Experimentarium is the place to play, learn and, not least, experiment.

WHERE HISTORY COMES ALIVE Frilandsmuseet (Open Air Museum), Kongevejen 100, Lyngby; open Tue-Sun 10:0017:00 until Aug 13; 65kr, under-18s: free adm; natmus. dk/museerne/frilandsmuseet

T

HE OPEN Air Museum in Lyngby just north of Copenhagen is one of

the largest and oldest open-air museums in the world. Here, history is alive as the rolling landscapes, gravel roads and furnished homes of the distant past remain untouched. All the farms and houses are original buildings that have been measured and dismantled at their original locations before being

reconstructed at the museum.

The expansive outdoor museum comprises more than 50 buildings, spanning three centuries from 1650 to 1950. The lush gardens and crisp countryside air will revitalise and prep you for more city escapades.

SETTING SAIL TO PLUNDER Viking Ship Museum, Vindeboder 12, Roskilde; open daily 10:00-17:00; 130kr, free adm for under-18s; vikingeskibsmuseet.dk

S

PEND A day as a Nordic seafarer from the 10th century at the Viking

Ship Museum in the beautiful surroundings of Roskilde Fjord. In the workshops, you can decorate Thor’s hammer or your own shield with paint made from beer, strike your own silver coin and wear it as a necklace, or make jewellery from lovely glass beads. To fully take in the

surrounding landscape, join the Vikings on a voyage across Roskilde Fjord. Don’t forget to help out with the rowing, setting sail and looking out for new territory to be conquered!

RENAISSANCE ROBOTS

CARLSBERG FRIDAYS

Danish Museum of Science and Technology, Fabriksvej 25, Helsingør; open Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00 (open Mon during July); 90kr, free adm for under-18s; tekniskmuseum.dk

Visit Carlsberg, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 11, Cph V; open Friday 16:00-22:00; free adm; visitcarlsberg.com

T

HE DANISH Museum of Science and Technology is located in the town of Helsingør, known in English as Elsinore, not far from Kronborg Castle where William Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’ is set. But here there is no time for royal dramas of the past: rather, let’s look to the future, as stories of the first technical inventions pave the way for

new ideas. At the permanent exhibition ‘Industry – from crafts to robots’ you can check out the latest industrial robots and make your own machine. For diesel lovers, the grand collection of vehicles, including the world’s oldest car and classic Danish Nimbus motorcycles, will certainly make the heart beat faster.

T

HE SUN has warmed up Visit Carlsberg’s cobblestones and the brewers have made sure that there’s cool beer in the bar – that can only mean that it’s time for Copenhagen’s ‘hyggelig’ Friday bar to open at Visit Carlsberg in Valby.

Every Friday in June, July and August, the Carlsberg bartenders are ready behind the bar with cold beer for you to sink under the old brewery’s iconic chimneys. The chefs have fired up the grill and a DJ will

be spinning the coolest chill-out lounge vibes in the courtyard. The atmosphere is laid-back with table football, cool music and probably the best beer in the world – Carlsberg Fridays is the perfect way to warm up for your Friday evening. Cheers!

FOR MORE INSPIRATION FROM THE MUSEUMS, VISIT COPENHAGEN MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS AT CPHMUSEUMS.COM

K

20 INOUT: MUSIC

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Aug 7, 20:00, Telia Parken; 550kr PHILIP SAVILLE

IF YOU ever thought this musician would go quietly into the history books you would be mistaken. Few artists have established a musical legacy as impressive as the British-born singersongwriter. And to think it has been an incredible 27 years since the performer first joined the renowned pop-group Take That and then 22 years since he left them to play football with Oasis at Glastonbury.

The best-selling British solo artist is heading back to Copenhagen and is sure to dazzle fans with his recordbreaking compilation of songs.

Timeless classics ‘Angels’ and ‘Mil-

ARTIST’S FACEBOOK PAGE

ROBBIE WILLIAMS

30 June - 17 August 2017

lennium’ together with energetic and charismatic hits ‘Let Me Entertain You’ and ‘Feel’ ensure Danish fans will be singing along to every word.

Williams recently made an astounding comeback after taking a break from performing amid reports in 2011 he had been battling drug addiction and depression.

The stadium tour, ‘The Heavy Entertainment Show’, will be supported by synth pop duo Erasure. The 1989 Brit Award winners for Best British Band stand out as a welcome addition to what looks set to be an incredible pair of live performances this summer.

If you require any more convincing, just check out the star’s accolades.

His astounding collection of 18 Brit Awards establishes Williams as the most successful artist in the history of the awards.

POP

METAL

PARAMORE Wed July 12, 19:00; Vega; 450kr A PERMANENT fixture of the alternative rock scene since 2004, the Tennessee pop-punk band Paramore have of late managed to break into mainstream music.

For over a decade front girl Hayley Williams has wowed dedicated crowds with her ever-changing hair colour, emo-inspired lyrics and enthusiastic charisma on hits such as ‘Ain’t It Fun’

and ‘Ignorance’.

The band shot to fame in 2005, drawing inspiration from major influences ranging from No Doubt to Jimmy Eat World.

Ex-original guitarist Zac Farro is rumoured to be rejoining the line-up in time for the performance, following his departure in 2010 due to disagreements regarding the direction of the band.

Attendees can look forward to popular classic hits coupled with new releases from their fifth studio album, After Laughter. (PS)

Aug 2, 20:00; Vega Vesterbro; 480kr FOR THOSE of you who missed out on Metallica at the Royal Arena, heavy thrash-metal band Megadeth might be a viable alternative to getting your fix of energetic headbanging.

Fronted by former Metallica original lead-guitarist Dave Mustaine, the prominent band began their career as far back as 1983, stunning crowds

MAC DEMARCO

Aug 9, 20:00; Den Grå Hall Christiania; 270kr Canadian singer-songwriter Mac Demarco’s international presence has exploded since the release of his latest studio album, This Old Dog, featuring his unique style of folk rock, laid-back guitar compositions and self described ‘crisp 70s style’. Given the whirlwind success of this 27-year-old, fans can expect an unforgettable evening of creativity. (PS)

ALT ROCK

DANIEL LANOIS

Aug 10, 20:00; DR Koncerthuset; 290kr The summer of 2017 is delivering to the stage the multi-talented songwriter, producer and singer Daniel Lanois, the man behind the production of acclaimed big name albums for the likes of U2, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. The 67-year-old’s successful solo career consists of a total of 16 albums and muchrevered live performances. (PS)

INDIE

INTERPOL

Aug 27, 20:00; DR Koncerthuset; 470kr On the 15-year anniversary of their debut album Turn On The Bright Lights, the New Yorkbased rock band will be making a long awaited return to the stage with hits including ‘Leif Erikson’ and ‘Who Do You Think’. The stylish indie-underground band will certainly appeal to steadfast fans as well as alternative punkrock admirers. (PS)

ARTIST’S FACEBOOK PAGE

SINGER-SONG

three years later with their first major label album, Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? Megadeth have an impressive collection of songs in their arsenal, place a strong focus on controversial complex political themes.

With over 50 million records sold, the thrash-metal group helped write the book on this genre alongside prominent metal legends Slayer and Anthrax.

The controversy surrounding the band’s lyrics and music videos has done little to suppress the rise of this major player. (PS) ARTIST’S FACEBOOK PAGE

HERBIE HANCOCK

July 13, 20:00; DR Koncerthuset; 495kr If jazz is your thing, don’t miss this multi-award winning legendary jazz musician whose accolades include the Miles Davis Quintet and successful albums produced by legendary jazz label Blue Note.

The Chicago-born artist was a longstanding member of the Headhunters and contributed to the production of the first jazz album to go platinum. (PS)

MEGADETH

EMILIOHERCE

JAZZ

JURVETSON

JAMIE CULLUM

July 16, 20:00; DR Koncerthuset; 495kr He’s been nominated for three Brit Awards, a Golden Globe and a Grammy, and this August the extraordinary jazz-inspired musician is embarking on his 2017 European Tour. The twicecrowned GQ Man of the Year promises to bring his unique flair and unmatchable talent to the CPH Jazz Festival this summer. (PS)

BLOGTURISTICO

JAZZ

METALMANIA 2008

FRANCISCO CASTRO

POP-PUNK

PICK O

INOUT: KIDS

30 June - 17 August 2017

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

SPECTACLE

LEO’S LEGELAND open daily 10:00-19:00; Industribuen 5F, Ishøj; 145kr for under-18s, free adm for adults; leoslegeland.dkr SARAH B HAIDER

THIS SUMMER, Leo’s Legeland comes to Ishøj with lots of fun-filled games and activities for kids of all age groups.

HUNDESTED SAND SCULPTURE FESTIVAL

Whether you want to dive into the sea of balls or climb the spider’s web, test your jumping skills on the trampolines, or play real sports like football, hockey and basketball, the playland is full of options for you!

What’s more, you can celebrate your birthday at the playland with a themed party and enjoy various games and activities with your friends and family.

And make sure you visit Leo’s café and restaurant and treat yourself to a nice meal.

ongoing, ends Sep 17, daily 10:00-19:00; Kajgaden 7, Hundested; 45kr, under-11s: 20kr, under-5s: free adm; sandfestival.dk BUCKETS and spades at the ready, as it’s time to revisit the International Sand Sculpture Festival in Hundested.

The sculptures represent Danish as

FESTIVAL

FILM

screenings Wed-Thu 13:50, Fri-Sat 15:10; Gl Kongevej 10, Cph V; under-13s: 99kr, over-13s: 150kr; planetariet.dk STIMULATE your scientific imagination and knowledge with this new film from the National Geographic Channel.

The film shows how science and technology make the invisible visible

and how it affects our lives in ways we find hard to imagine.

Learn about different phenomena that take place too slowly or too fast for the human eye to see, and discover what lies hidden in invisible light rays.

Everything in this film is recorded with special recording techniques that have never been seen on the big screen before.

To listen to the English narration of the film, headphones are available at the ticket booth for 20kr. (SBH)

SPECTACLE

Open daily 11:00-21:00, Copenhagen Contemporary, Trangravsvej 10-12, Cph K; 75kr, free adm Tue 11:00-13:00 & for kids COME AND witness Timekeeper, an enchanting installation by artist Sarah Sze. The installation explores the origin of the moving image and reflects the endless flow of information that we

JAZZ FOR KIDS

July 10-14; most shows 11:00 or 13:00; Lindevangsparken, Frederiksberg; free adm Jazz singer and songwriter Kira Martini and her big band are among the performers of special jazz concerts for kids, featuring brand new children’s songs based on Kira’s own childhood stories. (SBH)

ACTIVITY

FAMILY RUN

Aug 27; Charlottegårdsvej 4, Hedehusene; free adm to children’s race; hedelandsdysten.dk Come and join Denmark’s most family-friendly race in which you can compete against your friends, parents and siblings in a 5 km race. For serious adults, there are 10 and 21 km races. (SBH)

CABARET

UNCLE SHRIMP

July 19, 13:00; Bakken, Dyrehavevej 62, Klampenborg; free adm Bakken invites you to a children’s entertainment show featuring some of the biggest stars from Ramasjang. Enjoy the humour of Uncle Shrimp along with musical performances that your entire family can sing along to. (SBH)

BAKKEN.DK

MUSIC

absorb every day.

The exhibition is particularly interesting for children as they can become enthralled by a spectacular display of blinking monitors and outstanding image projections on the walls.

Timekeeper is a shimmering and clicking universe of objects organised by a special system.

The exhibition is not only pleasing to the eye but also helps young minds understand how science and art can be amalgamated together to produce remarkable displays. (SBH) OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

MARIONETTE THEATRE

ongoing, ends Aug 20, 14:0015:00, every day except Mon; free adm; marionetteatret.dk The poetic puppet show When The City Sleeps will tell you what happens in the city when everyone is asleep. The show is for kids 2 years and up and can be understood by everyone, regardless of the language they speak. (SBH)

TIMEKEEPER

BY SARAH SZE

JENS THEKKEVEETTIL

PUPPETRY

MARIONETTEATRET.DK

BAKKEN.DK

WORLD SANTA CLAUS CONGRESS

ACTIVITY

SPECTACLE

FILM: ‘THE WORLD WE DO NOT SEE’

July 24-27, 10:00-16:30; Bakken, Dyrehavevej 62, Klampenborg; free adm; bakken.dk Meet more than 100 Father Christmases from different countries as Bakken celebrates the 60th anniversary of the World Santa Claus Congress. Meet Santas from Japan, Germany, the US, Denmark and more. (SBH)

© SARAH SZE

FESTIVAL

well as international historical events from the last century.

Though the event is suitable for all ages, it is specially informative and entertaining for children as they will not only learn about art and history but also have a chance to play in the sandboxes, get their creative juices flowing and build their own sand sculptures!

The site offers a huge area for children where the whole family can engage in various activities and have fun. (SBH)

ARTIST’S FACEBOOK PAGE

TORSTEN DETTLAFF

FESTIVAL

SPECTACLE

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

FUN

21

22

FILM

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

30 June - 17 August 2017

House prices in Troy, Stalingrad and Gallipoli are soaring BEN HAMILTON

A

S THE TRUE extent of the Grenfell Tower atrocity billowed out over Britain and beyond, an eloquent local explained to media how the Notting Hill Gate community was made up of countless layers, but ultimately divided by class.

Among the outsiders to blame for this division were people who “buy in because they’ve seen the movie”.

Portobello mush NOW, NO arguments with that sentiment here, but was this man seriously suggesting that a few exteriors of Portobello Market, a lovey-dovey bench in a private communal garden and a group of abhorrent friends were enough to persuade people to move to this central London district. Yes! People really are that stupid, and the same will probably be true of Hampstead (44 on Metracritic; released Aug 10) in north London.

Notting Hill’s Brit meets Yank romcom plot would appear to be the blueprint that director Joel Hopkins intends to base most of his films on, as long as the main male character has lost everything but their lovability. In the case of a perfectly cast Dustin Hoffman in Last Chance Harvey it was his job and his daughter. In Brendon Gleeson’s case in Hampstead, it is his house, which is why he’s living rough on the heath. Fortunately, Diane Keaton can see the wood for the trees.

Spirit like Harold Shand NOT SURE that Christopher Nolan’s war film Dunkirk (Not Released Worldwide; July 20) is going to lead to soaring house

prices on the north coast of France. If aerial bombardments turn you on, you’d be better off moving to 1944 Dresden, although Dunkirk is strictly PG, which is just as well given that Harry Styles is on board alongside a cast that also includes Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance.

Nolan rejects the category ‘war film’, telling media it is one of ‘survival’ – among his cited influences are Alien, Speed and The Battle of Algiers. Dialogue is apparently limited, so it’s just as well that the dependable Hans Zimmer is scoring the film, while Interstellar cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is also on board.

Franchises of the future NOBODY’S rehired Andrew Garfield for Spiderman: Homecoming (NRW; July 6). In fact, he got replaced in a Marvel movie in which Spidey made a cameo.

The spin on the web suggests the fans of the masked freak are hard to please – and I’ve got a suggestion regarding how to appease them. Stop making these films!

Or at least from 2019 onwards, as a sequel – or will that be reboot, prequel or franchise-family spin-off – has already been announced.

Overall, though, this summer’s short of sequels, with only War for the Planet of the Apes (NRW; July 6) and horror yarn Annabelle 2 (NRW; Aug 10) among the field, while grimsounding The Emoji Movie (NRW; Aug 3), Charlize Theron’s take on 007 role in 1980s Berlin in Atomic Blonde (68; July 27) with strong support from James McAvoy, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Brendan Gleeson is homeless, but somehow looks like cinema’s most futuristic looking man, Rutger Hauer

(NRW; Aug 3) are franchises waiting to happen.

The latter is the sequel Luc Besson would have made 15 years ago had The Fifth Element not seriously questioned his ability to deliver box office gold. Since then he’s been rebuilding his commercial clout by writing numerous franchises. That’s right, we can probably blame the very existence of the likes of The Transporter, Taken and Taxi on T5E failing to appeal to audiences.

Set in the 2800s (five centuries on from T5E), this is another race against time to save humanity against colourful, freaky backdrops, with dare-we-say-it a more likeable cast than the last time, including Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke and Hollywood’s most futuristic looking man, Rutger Hauer.

Positive tulip speculation CURIOUSLY Valerian’s main stars, Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, both also feature in Tulip Fever (NRW; July 13), the story of a married woman’s affair with an artist – a similar plot to

The Illusionist, but without the crap magic. With supporting actor Oscar heavyweights Alicia Vikander and Christoph Waltz on board, and in truth a marvelous mostly British cast in support, this could be the escapism from the torrential rain you’re looking for.

Opting for a historical drama is probably your best bet over the next seven weeks. The Lost City of Z (78; Aug 10) is the story of the disappearance of the British explorer Percival Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam succeeding in putting his outing as King Arthur behind him) on the Amazon in the 1920s.

Above everything, it is splendidly shot thanks to the input of the director of photography Darius Khondji, who has previously worked his magic on the likes of Se7en and Delicatessen.

Go with steady Stewart ELSEWHERE, there’s a whole load of films that have given originality a wide berth. In Wish Upon (NRW; July 13) a girl discovers something that she only

needs to rub and it will give her whatever she wants – no, it’s not what you’re thinking.

Midnight Sun (NRW; Aug 3), a sheltered girl’s romance with a hunky fellow teen, is kicking itself that it didn’t make it out ahead of Something, Something, which has a near identical plot, while Girls Night Out (NRW; July 20) sounds like a blatant rip-off of Bridesmaids.

Continuing with the missable fare are the documentary Whitney: Can I be me (65; July 26); cartoon Bigfoot Junior (NRW; July 27); and All I see is you (41; Aug 10), in which a blind woman regains her sight and finds out her husband is John Merrick.

This leaves Kristen Stewart’s latest vehicle, Personal Shopper (77; July 6), which has decent reviews despite having a plot that sounds like it’s two different films sellotaped together.

Yes, a story in which the poor are exploited to improve the appearance of the rich – the story of Grenfell Tower all over again.

Worldwide moving and Relocation Solutions

Worldwide Moving

Copenhagen

Immigration & Home Search

Aarhus

Aalborg

Odense

Free Online Quote

Hillerød

Stockholm

Furniture Rental Service

Phone +45 70 221 226 The international brand name of MØBELTRANSPORT DANMARK

inquiries@aspiremobility.com

aspiremobility.com

INOUT:TV

30 June - 17 August 2017

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

BOSS TWEED

WEINER SVT2, JULY 3, 22:00

TOP PICK

IT’S NOT uncommon to see politicians come unstuck, but rarely has it been captured as precisely on film as Weiner. Appraised as “the best documentary about a political campaign ever made”, the film (84 on Metacritic) takes us behind the scenes of Anthony Weiner’s campaign to become the Democrat mayor of New York City in 2013 as a major scandal takes hold.

The ‘We want Weiner’ sign-posts at Pride weren’t about him

THE HEAVYWEIGHTS are out in force to lend their gravitas to the narrations of some godfearing documentaries.

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (SVT2; July 11, 20:00) has its work cut out to compete with the myriad of deities who feature in Rome: The World’s First Superpower (SVT2; July 4, 18:00), but Morgan might fancy his chances against its narrator Larry Lamb, err … the geezer who played Ar-

COMING SOON The boys are having a ball

chie in Eastenders.

Staying in Britain, many felt Home Fires (SVT1; July 14, 18:30), a series about working ladies in a rural area during WWII, shouldn’t have been axed, while The C Word, the true story of a woman (Sheridan Smith) with cancer, had no such worries – no spoilers but there’s no sequel.

Elsewhere, Joan Rivers – don’t start with me (SVT1; July 9, 22:25) recalls one of TV’s

feistiest performers; Professor Green: Suicide and Me (DR3, July 5, 17:10) follows a British rapper’s quest to discover why his father killed himself; we’ve got S3 of British sitcom Last Tango in Halifax (SVT2; July 12, 20:00) and S12 of Keeping up with the Kardashians (TV3; July 6, 20:00); there’s another chance to see the miniseries The Great Fire (DRK, June 30, 21:00) and Football Fight Club (DR3; July 5, 17:10). (BH)

SVT1, July 14, 18:30 Home Fires

Ahead of the July 5 release of Snowfall, there are high hopes that John Singleton will again deliver on the promise he showed in his 1991 debut, Boyz n the Hood, which has since only appeared in fleeting moments.

Snowfall takes us back to early 1980s LA where a crack epidemic has broken out, radically impacting its culture. The

story revolves around three characters: a street entrepreneur in search of power; a Mexican wrestler turned gangster pursuing the American dream; and a black sheep from a well-known family trying to escape his dad’s influence. It sounds promising.

Less so is Will, which revolves around the life of William

Shakespeare. Released on July 10, it appears to have all the bad elements of Shakespeare in Love.

Time will tell, we guess.

Among the series already released, Cardinal (71 on Metacritic) is based on Giles Blunt’s novel Forty Words for Sorrow, but subtly shifts away from the original plot. It follows a detective who is removed from a missing

child case he can’t leave alone.

Scottish noir series Loch Ness (67) is described as ‘overplotted’ by some critics, but while there isn’t anything new on the table, the fine performances earns the series some points.

Meanwhile, female wrestling drama GLOW (81, out on Netflix, previewed last issue) is the find of the summer! (SBH) FILIP BOSSUYT

MAIDEN VOYAGE

TOP SPORT TV3 Sport 1 & 2, July 3-16 Wimbledon

Viasat channels, July 20-23 British Open golf

TOP FILM DR2, July 7, 20:00 The Book Thief

Directed by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, Weiner opens our eyes to the grim realities of the political world and shows how the media distracts the audience to focus on what sells: gossip, scandal and the private lives of public figures.

Weiner is not interesting because it revolves around the life of a politician, but because it portrays the struggle of a man who makes mistakes and then seeks to save his marriage as well as his political career.

SARAH B HAIDER

ALSO NEW

CARINE06

NO FOOTBALL … unless you include the finals of the Confederations Cup (DR3, July 2, 19:50) and Under-21 Euros (Eurosport, June 30, 20:45), followed by the Women’s Euros (DR1, July 16-Aug 6). Elsewhere, we’ve got Wimbledon, British Open golf, F1’s Austrian and British GPs (3+, July 9 & 16, 12:30), and the Tour de France. (BH)

23

Zulu, July 15, 23:05 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

DRK, July 13, 21:30 The Little Death

TV2, July 1-23 Tour de France

AMID THE dross that schedulers reserve for July – TV3 is the worst culprit – we’ve found three films worthy of your time. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a solid second outing for the rebooted franchise, The Book Thief is a charming WWII drama about a Jewish girl surviving in Berlin, while suburban fetish in The Little Death offers more evidence of Australian film’s revival. (BH)

24

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Do you know what to do if you find yourself caught with your hair in the postbox?

Take a Danish course at Studieskolen and find out Studieskolen’s courses are designed for everyone who wants to make fast progress with their Danish language skills. For beginners, the pros and everyone in between. Come to class up to four times a week in the heart of Copenhagen and you’ll no longer be treading in the spinach (as they say). Read more about the origin of different Danish expressions and how to use them at studieskolen.dk.

Follow us /studieskolen

30 June - 17 Aug 2017