The Copenhagen Post: September 2 - 8

New Aarhus slogan raises eyebrows

Saving the world one bike at a time

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10

George Michael stands the test of time

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Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk

2 - 8 September 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 35

SCANPIX

NEWS

Shooting near Vesterbro mosque during Eid leaves one dead

3

Arctic strategy is a missed opportunity Greenpeace Nordic’s executive director says Denmark should have pledged further protection

OPINION | 8

SPORT

Caroline Wozniacki and her golfer boyfriend go gaga in public

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Danish bands finding increasing success abroad Music acts like Medina, Ice Age, Turboweekend and Oh Land are hitting it big outside the small country’s borders

CULTURE | 18

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It’s on (finally)! Election’s first week offers plenty of twists PETER STANNERS New political alliance emerges that could put an end to 10 years of Danish People’s Party influence

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WEEK into campaigning for the 2011 general election, polls show the September 15 vote is the opposition’s to lose. The left-of-centre – or ‘red’ – bloc has a clear lead over the centre-right ‘blue’ bloc in most polls, which would bring the Social Democrats back into power after ten years in opposition.

While the economy has dominated most debates, the partisan politicking of the past decade has also emerged as a key issue.

The current ruling alliance between the minority Liberal-Conservative government and the right-wing Danish People’s Party, has represented a break from the traditional consensus seeking in parliament, leading to legislation passing narrowly, often by only a few votes.

But a major development this week saw the Conservatives and the centrist Social Liberals seek to put an end to the partisanship by forming a partnership that would, in Conservative leader Lars Barfoed’s words, “ensure a constructive dialogue across the middle”.

Despite driving a wedge between the three ruling alliance members, political experts suggest the ConservativeSocial Lib partnership could mean a way back for the Liberal Party.

Should the prime minister’s party

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rally, Lars Løkke Rasmussen could potentially form a new government with the Conservatives – as is now the case – but with support from the Social Liberals and the Liberal Alliance, a fiscally liberal party, instead of the Danish People’s Party.

The anti-immigration, though socially liberal, Danish People’s Party has been a key political player since the Liberals came to power in 2001, casting decisive votes for government legislation in exchange for concessions on tighter immigration legislation.

With their support no longer necessary, it is likely many of the divisive immigration reforms of the past 10 years will be revisited. Both the Social Liberals and the Conservatives have already announced they would seek to

adjust legislation to make it easier for highly skilled workers to immigrate.

Most polls, however, point to a Social Democrat-Socialist People’s Party government, with Helle Thorning-Schmidt becoming the nation’s first female prime minister. The two parties, however, do not appear to have a majority and would need to draw on the support of the Social Libs and the surging left-wing RedGreen Alliance for support.

More election coverage inside For a closer look at the Social LiberalConservative alliance, an overview of the prevailing issues, and a profile of the opposition parties, see pages 4-5.

For election opinion and analysis, see pages 8-9.

Welcome Reception and

Copenhagen Expat Fair Meet more than 50 clubs and associations

13 September 2011 Copenhagen City Hall

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Week in revieW

The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

2 - 8 September 2011 Niels sigaard

No borders

The Week’S MoST Read SToRIeS aT CphpoST.dk The next royal baby is on its way Mr. assimilation sets the record straight election on for September 15 Man killed in shooting outside mosque Royal Theatre releases ballet cocaine report

FRoM oUR aRChIVeS Ten YeaRS ago. Laziness temporarily sweeps the nation, as bicycles become less popular than cars, hurting denmark’s reputation as a cyclist haven.

FIVe YeaRS ago. The beloved danish horse chestnut tree comes close to extinction. The culprit is a moth’s larvae from Macedonia that causes a large number of the trees to be cut down. one YeaR ago. an official death list is released by al-Qaeda, threatening three danes involved in the Mohammed cartoons SATUrDAY: A crowd of nearly 200 braved the rain to attend kærlighed Uden Grænser’s (Love without borders) Love Fest at vor Frue Plads

quarter figures showed a decline in GDP. Combined with declining growth rates in the fourth quarter of 2010, this meant the country met the official definition of economic recession.

The revision to the first quarter figures, however, mean the country was never actually in a recession.

denmark’s only english-language newspaper Since 1998, The Copenhagen Post has been Denmark’s leading source for news in english. As the voice of the international community, we provide coverage for the thousands of foreigners making their home in Denmark.

Additonally, our english language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience.

In addition to publishing the only regularly printed english-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

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Africa Now!

A nAtIonAl charity drive that culminated in a telethon broadcast simultaneously on Dr and tV2 on Saturday evening raised exactly 110,013,903 kroner in humanitarian aid for the horn of Africa. The two stations collaborated with 12 charities – including the red Cross in Denmark, DanChurchAid, Doctors

President and Publisher ejvind Sandal Chief executive Jesper nymark editor-in-Chief Kevin McGwin Managing editor Ben hamilton news editor Justin Cremer Journalists Jennifer Buley & Peter Stanners

without Borders and Save the Children – to collect money for the Afrika nu! (Africa now!) campaign. The amount collected was a record for telethons in Denmark. The star-studded show included performances by a number of Danish artists and entertainers, such as rasmus Seebach and nik & Jay.

editorial offices: Slagtehusgade 4 – 6 DK 1715 Copenhagen V telephone: 3336 3300 fax: 3393 1313 www.cphpost.dk news Desk news@cphpost.dk 3336 4243 The CPh Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor. letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

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Growth figures released on wednesday by Statistics Denmark show that the economy grew by one percent in the second quarter of the year. Meanwhile first quarter figures were revised up. taken together, the pair of announcements officially put an end to the country’s sixmonth recession. Initial first

scaNpix

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Growth

Cleared

the forMer managing director of DSB has been cleared of any role in financial irregularities after an investigation by the company. Søren eriksen was fired after allegedly transferring 80 million kroner in state subsidies from DSB to the private subsidiary DSBfirst. But a report has cleared him of any wrongdo-

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ing. Berlingske Business, who managed to attain a copy of the report, reports that it was completed several months ago but the company has since tried to keep it quiet. eriksen’s departure was criticised at the time when it was revealed that the decision to fire him was not made by the full board of directors.

Layout and design Justin Cremer Aviaja Bebe nielsen logo by rasmus Koch The Copenhagen Post accepts no responsibility for the content of material submitted by advertisers.

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All rights reserved. reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited by law.

News

The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

2 - 8 September 2011

Peter StannerS Clinic offering medical services to illegal residents saw only two patients on its opening day

peter stanners

despite slow start, clinic organiser optimistic

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uCKed away in the corner of a quiet courtyard off revenstlowgade beside the central station is a private health clinic. Its clients aren’t wealthy or famous, but you still need to be special to be seen. The clinic only takes in people who – for whatever reason – are illegally residing in denmark. In fact, it’s the only place in the country where they can be treated.

Vibeke Lenskjold from the red Cross in denmark, which runs the clinic, invited The Copenhagen Post to take a look around on Monday. Sitting in the reception of the clinic, she explained that while some politicians were outraged at the opening of a health clinic for illegal immigrants, the only thing the red Cross in denmark cared about was helping people who needed medical attention but weren’t receiving it.

“It’s at the heart of what we do – humanitarian help for people in need. We don’t care who they are; if they need help they must have it,” Lenskjold said.

Monday was only the second day the clinic had been open and so far they have had just two patients. One was a pregnant woman who was worried about where she was going to give birth, the other an elderly danish man who had been out of the country and was not registered with a doctor. despite the low turnout, Lenskjold believes more will come.

“After someone has come, they will tell other people that they can trust it. So word of mouth is a very important way to spread the word and make sure people know it’s okay to be here.

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refOrM of the student stipend system (Su) will leave 12,100 students almost 50,000 kroner lighter in the pocket apiece, Politiken newspaper reports.

The government hopes to add a billion kroner to its coffers by changing the student stipend system that provides students with grants to live on while they study.

The change will see one year of support cut in order to encourage students to finish their education quicker, saving the government about 250 million kroner a year.

And the government hopes to generate 750 million kroner in taxes from the increased labour force.

According to new calculations carried out by the education Ministry, the tightening of the system will negatively affect about 38 percent of students.

“There is no foundation for the belief that young people will suddenly change their behaviour,” Magnus Pedersen, the chairman of the National union of Students, told Politiken. “On the contrary, if you cut Su, the students will become even more delayed,” he said, arguing that reduced Su will mean more students will take side jobs to pay their way through school, thus taking them longer to complete their education.

But education minister Troels Lund Pedersen disagreed. “every time we change the behaviour-regulating mechanisms, people stay interested in finishing on time. So I’m of the opinion that when you know you need to be finished within five years, you finish in five years,” he said. (PS)

Vibeke Lenskjold of the Red Cross in Denmark says accusations that the clinic would increase illegal immigration are unfounded

who come to them.

“We only offer health support. That’s why we’re not out talking to people because then other laws apply to us. We don’t offer them any food or anything – a cup of coffee while they wait but nothing else.”

At the moment, only one doctor and two nurses staff the clinic during its opening hours, though another doctor will take up residence in the second consultation room within a few weeks. A third room will eventually house either a dentist or a physiotherapist.

The clinic is also building a small laboratory where the staff can test the patients’ blood and urine. And should the patients

need any medicine, the doctors can hand it over directly, though Lenskjold hastened to add they didn’t stock anything strong, such as morphine.

But not all illegal immigrants live in Copenhagen, and should one living in Jutland need some care, the trip is both long and expensive. Lenskjold hopes, however, to build a network of doctors across the country to deal with this issue. So far in Copenhagen she has 13 doctors signed up, and interest outside the capital is starting to grow.

While the chief of Copenhagen Police has told Lenskjold he is not interested in stopping them from doing their work, there is still an active political

voice that believes providing these types of facilities for illegal immigrants will only encourage more to make the trip.

But Lenskjold dismisses this with a quick shake of her head. experience in Sweden and Norway – both of which have similar clinics – has shown no increase in illegal immigration after the opening of the clinics. And treating them may even allow them to move on.

“I believe that when people are healthy and feeling well they are able to travel. So if we can’t cure them, then we end up having to keep them in denmark,” she explained. “Only healthy people are able to act and take action in their own life.”

Three charged in mosque shooting death

Feel at home in Copenhagen

scanpix

police suspect the eid shooting in Vesterbro stems from an argument between shop owners

Students may suffer under stipend reform

We don’t care who they are; if they need help they must have it

I believe the first few weeks we’ll only see a few patients and then they will start coming.”

Two weeks ago Lenskjold’s team called a meeting of leaders from homeless shelters, letting them know about the service and handing out leaflets in 16 different languages for them to distribute.

“They meet the target group, not me. We don’t go on the street to try and talk to them. The other social services meet them and can give them a flyer and tell them what we offer,” Lenskjold said, explaining that while a private clinic may treat whoever they want – regardless of their legal status – they stick to treating patients

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hree men have been charged in connection with the shooting death of a 24-year-old man outside a mosque in the Vesterbro district.

Police hoped to formally charge all three Wednesday, but said that one of the suspects – a 26-year-old man they say fired the fatal shots – remains in serious condition at a hospital in Malmö, Sweden with bullet wounds.

The suspect’s father, who is also facing charges, was shot in the incident that saw about 20 bullets fired from multiple weapons. As of Wednesday, he was still in the hospital but had been questioned by police.

The third suspect, a 47-yearold man, pleaded innocent to the charges of possession of a

Hotel Apartments As many as 20 shots were fired outside the Muslim Cultural Institute

weapon and attempting to destroy evidence.

Initially, police were investigating the incident as a possible gang-related shooting, but it has since been established that the incident is related to a conflict between rival factions of convenience store owners.

It was also announced that the victim, who had recently opened a convenience store, had

been sentenced to five years in connection with the 2004 stabbing of an American exchange student in Copenhagen.

An autopsy revealed that in addition to multiple gunshot wounds, the victim also had a number of stab wounds.

In addition to the three facing charges, an additional four men are being sought for questioning by the police. (KM)

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ELECTION 2011

The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

2 - 8 September 2011

election 2011: It’s the economy, stupid

Kevin McGwin

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Collaboration with Social Liberals seeks to minimise influence of far left and right

Scanpix

Conservative gamble would reshuffle political deck

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N aN eFFOrT to put an end to ten years of political partisanship, the Social Liberals and the Conservatives shook hands this weekend on a pledge to co-operate more during the next four years.

The closer alliance between the two parties, which are supporting different candidates for prime minister, would drag parliamentary politics back to the centre, according to their two leaders, and serve as a way to minimise the influence of parties on the far right and far left.

“Denmark is facing a situation where neither the left nor the right has the answer,” Social Liberal leader Margrethe vestager told public broadcaster Dr. “The answer is for parties to seek broad alliances.”

For the Conservatives, the move amounts to a spurning of the Danish People’s Party (DF), which has been a key ally for the minority Liberal-Conservative government since it came to power in 2001.

Conservative leader Lars Barfoed recognised that the party now risked losing the support of the DF, as well as its own

Barfoed and Vestager, seen here during a press conference on Sunday, are said to have been meeting in private for several months

place in the cabinet. But he said the party was no longer interested in “sitting in the corner of parliament”, unable to make headway on lowering taxes and other key issues. “a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for the centre-right that will be put to work. It is my obligation to seek to gain influence with the seats we have,” Barfoed told Politiken newspaper in an interview on Sunday. “I will seek influence, even if we have a Social Democrat-led government.”

The Conservative move put the DF on the offensive, and saw party leader Pia Kjærsgaard launch a vicious attack on the Barfoed-vestergaard alliance during a party leaders’ debate

on Sunday.

With the government trailing in the polls, some election watchers have suggested that by announcing a turn towards the centre, the Conservatives have made a final break with the DF. It is also being interpreted as a sign that Barfoed has already conceded the election to the opposition.

But Barfoed said the move was inspired by the Social Liberals’ decision earlier this year to break with the opposition and support ending the statefunded early retirement programme. according to reports, the two leaders began meeting privately earlier this year and the idea of an alliance emerged a few weeks ago.

partnership crosses signals on Immigration Ministry suggestion JuST TWO days after announcing a cross-party partnership, members of the Conservative and Social Liberal parties appeared unified on a suggestion to eliminate the Immigration Ministry – at least for a few hours.

On Tuesday morning, the parties announced a proposal to eliminate the ministry, with Naser Khader from the Conservatives explaining that Denmark needed to improve its international image if it is to attract foreign businesses and workers.

“It’s incredibly important that we see immigration as an

essential future resource,” Khader told Berlingske newspaper.

“There are some people who choose to move to Denmark but there are others who avoid it, so it’s enormously important that we make it as easy as possible to attract them.”

The proposal called for the Immigration Ministry’s responsibilities to be redistributed across other ministries. While a concrete plan was not proposed, initial suggestions included moving immigration policy responsibilities to the employment Ministry and forwarding asylum regula-

tion to the Justice Ministry. however, just hours after Khader and Mikkelsen made the media rounds promoting the idea, Conservative party leader Lars Barfoed said he does not support the suggestion to eliminate the Immigration Ministry.

The Social Liberals, however, still stand by the suggestion.

“We propose abolishing the Immigration Ministry because you can not lump all foreigners together. It was a mistake to create the ministry,” said the Social Liberals’ vice-chairman, Morten Østergaard. (PS/JC)

a brief guide to what politicians will and won’t be spending their campaign time on here are three things that matter in this election: the economy, the economy and the economy. after posting an 82 billion kroner surplus in 2006, Denmark now faces a 121 billion kroner deficit. With this in mind, most political debate these days relates to the economy, either directly (how are we going to fix it) or indirectly (can we afford better social services). even before the election was officially called, the government and the opposition had unveiled duelling plans for growth, job creation and freeing up the moribund housing market.

For the government, economic salvation will come through fiscal responsibility (further cuts), while the opposition would spend its way to growth through borrowing (what the government derides as financing “debt with debt”). The opposition is also asking people to work an extra hour a week in order to generate increased tax revenue and increase productivity.

But while the economy will be the star of the 2011 election, there are a number of other issues that will play important supporting roles: Welfare: as much as a vote of confidence for the bloc Danes believe can best manage the economy, this election is also a referendum on the shape the welfare state has taken. While much has been done to improve public services such as healthcare, other areas such as eldercare, childcare and schools, have faced noticeable reductions in service levels. although many of these are municipal responsibilities, it will be up to national candidates to convince voters that they can ensure the health of the welfare state.

Partisanship: While anders Fogh rasmussen may have hoped to create a broad coalition when he came to power in 2001, the

electoral reality saw him form a minority coalition with the Conservatives that was forced into a marriage of convenience with the Danish People’s Party (DF).

Since then, most legislation has been passed by a narrow majority, and without votes from the opposition. This represents a break from the consensus-seeking that traditionally characterised Danish politics. Detractors say it has resulted in partisanship and given the DF too much influence. The Social Liberals, Social Democrats, Liberal alliance and most recently the Conservatives have all called for more consensusseeking and less bloc politics.

Regional councils: Does the country need a level of government whose primary task is to manage healthcare? In 2007, then-interior minister Lars Løkke rasmussen masterminded the municipal reform that saw the country’s 16 counties replaced by five regional councils. after the DF in august questioned the continued existence of regional councils, rasmussen declared himself willing to scuttle his own creation. Instead of eliminating regional councils, the opposition would give them a larger role, such as co-ordinating regional development, and possibly allowing them to collect taxes.

Congestion charge: The proposal to charge drivers to enter and leave Copenhagen was floated by the opposition prior to the start of the election. The Liberal-Conservative government, as well as the Social Liberals and the DF, have rejected the idea. although a sidelight to the key issues, the either-or reactions have caused a minor policy skirmish to explode into a discussion of fundamental political views.

Immigration: One of the most divisive issues of the elections in 2001, 2005 and 2007, the immigration issue has been less of an issue in this year’s election. On Monday, however, the discussion flared up again following the DF’s suggestion that Denmark further tighten its controversial border controls and operate asylum cen-

tres in africa and the Middle east rather than in Denmark. Preelection debate has also focused on how the strict regulations could be fine-tuned to make it easier for foreign spouses and highly-skilled foreign labour to come to Denmark.

FIve ISSueS we’re probably not going to hear candidates talk much about during the campaign: EU issues: The prospect of a referendum on Denmark’s exemptions – not least from the euro – is always lurking in the background, but with the economy overshadowing everything else, Brussels seems more distant than normal right now.

Borders: The government’s agreement earlier this year to reestablish permanent border controls invoked ire throughout the continent. With the furore dying down, little is being said about an agreement that the opposition never took a clear position on.

Early retirement: another hotbutton issue earlier this year. The plan to eliminate the state-funded early retirement programme has been caught up in the overall discussion about economy, but little is being said about what its post-election fate would be.

Climate: These days, saving the climate is as much a matter of ‘green growth’ as it is preventing the arctic from melting, and discussions about the issue are carried out in the shadow of the overall economic situation. Both sides agree that the country can’t afford not to invest in sustainable energy, but blame each other for the lack of progress.

Foreign policy: Broad support for Denmark’s military contributions to missions in Iraq, afghanistan and now Libya rule out any heated discussions about the issue. Terrorism remains as much of a domestic concern as foreign policy, particularly after the Mohammed drawings and Norway massacres, but as an issue it is taking a backseat. (KM)

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ELECTION 2011

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

2 - 8 September 2011

THE DANISH Parliament (‘Folketinget’) consists of one chamber with 179 seats – 175 seats in Denmark and two each for the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Of those seats, 135 are distributed through proportional representation in the 10 constituencies. An additional 40 seats are allotted based upon the total distribution of votes – though only parties who gain two percent of the overall vote gain a seat.

Denmark tends to have a high election turnout, between 80 and 90 percent. Voters have two options when casting their ballot. They can either vote directly for a specific party candidate – a personal vote – or they can vote for the entire party – a party vote. Party votes are distributed between party candidates either according to the order they appear on the party list or according to how many personal votes they gained, depending on the preference of the party.

If the government loses its majority in the election, the formation of a new government takes place in a process called the queen’s round (‘dronningerunde’). Each party leader consults with the queen, who then chooses someone to lead negotiations. If a majority does not oppose the government that the negotiator proposes, then a new government is formed with the negotiatior usually selected as prime minister. If a majority opposes the proposed government, a new round of negotiations starts. In 1988 it took four rounds before a government was formed.

The parliament is elected for four years but can be dissolved by the prime minister at any time.

It holds its meetings at Christiansborg Castle in central Copenhagen.

The letter associated with each party indicates their place on the ballot. The choice of letter has to be agreed with the electoral commission.

ELECTION

Party profiles: The Opposition Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) Leader: Helle Thorning-Schmidt 2007 Results: 45 seats (-2); 25.2% If the Social Dems hope to return to power after 10 years in an unfamiliar role as opposition, Helle Thorning-Schmidt must convince voters that she can lead the country. Voter doubt contributed to her loss in 2007, but this time around most polls show the left-of-centre with a solid lead over the incumbents on the right. Still, doubt remains over their economic plan, which relies on lengthening the workday by 12 minutes, and most voters say they place more trust in the government’s ability to run the economy. Expect the Social Dems to attack the Liberal-Conservative government for dismantling the welfare state.

Key issues: economic growth, shoring up the welfare state Weakness: leadership; economic policy

Social Liberals (Det Radikale Venstre) Leader: Margrethe Vestager 2007 Results: 9 seats (-8); 5.1% The centrist Social Libs may no longer be certain of getting cabinet seats should the leftof-centre win, but that doesn’t mean the party will be without influence on a new government. Likely to play same role as kingmaker and key ally for a minority Soc Dem-Socialist People’s Party minority coalition as Danish People’s Party plays for the incumbent Liberal-Conservative coalition. After a disastrous 2007 election, the Social Libs reiterated their historic position as a centrist swing party when it broke with the opposition to pledge the decisive votes that helped kill the national early retirement plan. The blue bloc parties will seek to drive a wedge between the Social Libs and the rest of the left, while the Social Libs will seek to position itself as political bridge builders.

Key issues: economy, education, immigration, ending political partisanship, congestion charge for Copenhagen Weaknesses: strained relationship with Social Dems and SF

Socialist People’s Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti) Leader: Villy Søvndal 2007 Results: 23 seats (+12); 13% Will the big winner in 2007 be able to repeat on September 15?

The Socialist People’s Party (SF) more than doubled its seats in the last election. And even though the party is poised to surpass the Danish People’s Party as parliament’s third largest, this time around, only cabinet seats will suffice. The SF replaces the Social Libs as the Social Dems’ coalition partner of choice and, should the two parties form a coalition government, Søvndal is likely to become foreign minister, while his lieutenant, former Communist Party member Ole Sohn, will probably get the nod as finance minister. During the election, expectthe SF to attack the current government’s record on welfare and its reliance on the Danish People’s Party to narrowly pass legislation.

Key issues: jobs, schools, healthcare, climate Weakness: economic policy; worries they would raise taxes

Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) Leader: Collective leadership Spokesperson: Johanne Schmidt Nielsen 2007 Results: 4 seats (-2); 2.2% Depending on how close the election is, the Red-Green Alliance may wind up with the final seats required for the left-of-centre to form a majority. Although the party, the furthest to the left of any party in parliament, often opposes Social Dem legislation, it would not withhold its support for a Social Demled government if doing so would let the centre-right remain in power. Polls project the party to double its representation in parliament, which could make it all the more decisive come election day.

Key issues: rolling back strict immigration regulations, better unemployment benefits, hospitals, climate Weakness: far-left profile, internal divisions

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Candidate Q & A: Henrik Dam Kristensen The Social Democrats’ party secretary general Q: What do the Social Democrats stand for?

A: First of all, the Social Democratic party is the party that created the welfare society so that ordinary people could have a social security net and could provide healthcare for their children – all of these are key aspects of Social Democrat policy.

The most important value of the Social Democrats is again the creation of the welfare state – whether they can get a job or an education. If I was a Conservative or a former Communist and you asked me this question, there would a different story. But as a Social Democrat, I am about taking care of our citizens, to give a chance to those people who may not necessarily have that opportunity. It is this way of thinking, and all that comes along with it, that is at the centre of our policy-making.

Q: Why should voters cast their ballot for the Social Democrats?

A: Our main message would be about the welfare state, but the other big issue will be the economic part of things. The question for this upcoming election will be who can best tell the Danish people that we will have a stable economy. This is a particularly pertinent question when the possibility of a change in government is raised. Other discussions will be centered around refugees and integration policies.

Q: What are your key issues for this upcoming election?

A: Internationally, you could say that in Denmark we have a long tradition about having a big majority behind the international politics such as the EU and the UN. I think one of the big issues in the coming days is our relationship with the European Union, especially with the four opt-outs [exemptions from common justice, defence and citizenship policy, as well as adopting the euro]. It will be important in the upcoming years for Denmark to give up these reservations as we are not part of the decision-making process in these areas, particularly in the areas of justice and refugees.

This lack of participation is bad for Denmark.

GRAPHICS BY JUSITN CREMER & AVIAJA BEBE NIELSEN

How does it work?

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News

The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dk

aarhus gets new slogan

colourbox

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denmark’s second city spent one million kroner on an english slogan to attract investment

a

The Danish strategy puts the North Pole on the kingdom’s horizon

arctic strategy seeks balance between resources and environment Peter StannerS Foreign minister pledges to turn north pole into a nature reserve

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ENmARk will make a claim for the North Pole and seek to exploit mineral and fossil fuel reserves in its Arctic territory, the Foreign ministry revealed this week as it published the kingdom of Denmark’s nineyear Arctic strategy.

But while the foreign minister, Lene Espersen, stated in an interview that Denmark would set aside the North Pole as a nature reserve, the claim was absent from the report.

The ‘Strategy for the Arctic 2011-2020’ outlines how the kingdom of Denmark (Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands) will deal with oil and gas exploitation and trade opportunities, as well as security issues created by receding sea ice.

“We must do everything in our power to confront and adapt to these challenges and seize the opportunities in a resourceful and productive manner,” Espersen said.

“The region will undergo profound changes due to global warming in the short term, and these changes are forcing us to act now.”

Espersen was upfront about Denmark’s willingness to exploit the potential natural resources

in the Arctic, stating that the country was prepared to sell the prospecting rights to its territorial waters.

Prospectors must adhere to high environmental standards, however, with the report stating, for instance, that “[oil] exploration must always live up to best practices in the industry”.

“It is important for the governments of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands that the local communities will benefit from any future surge of activity in the region, but we will not accept that the fragile environment in the Arctic will be put at risk,” Espersen said.

The report also outlines how Denmark will make a claim for the North Pole by the end of 2014 – the deadline for the five states with territory in the Arctic to make claims to the UN. The territorial waters of the five Arctic powers – Norway, the US, Canada, Russia and Denmark – extend into the Arctic Ocean, and although the North Pole currently lies in international waters, it could be granted to one of the countries should they prove it lies within 200 nautical miles of their continental shelf.

During an interview with public broadcaster DR last week on Tuesday, Espersen said that Denmark would not seek to exploit the area should it be granted the territory by the UN. “We agree that in an ideal world the area of the North Pole would be made into a common

nature reserve.”

Greenpeace, which temporarily halted oil exploration in Greenlandic territorial waters both this summer and last, was critical of the strategy, however.

“It would be such a shame if Denmark went ahead and made a land grab. It would trigger a land rush,” mads Flarup Christensen, the executive director of Greenpeace’s Nordic office, told The Copenhagen Post.

Christensen did concede that Espersen’s comments in the interview were a positive step, though he did question why it was at all necessary to make the claim.

“The [international waters around the North Pole] should be kept as a protected reserve. It would be no-one’s loss because no-one has it at the moment and no-one has planned to use it,” he said.

“I think we’ve achieved something given that Greenlandic Premier kuupik kleist and Lene Espersen have stated that if Denmark is granted the North Pole, it would set it aside,” he added.

“But it’s worrisome that it doesn’t appear in the strategy.

We’re concerned it would be less likely that Denmark would give the North Pole back to common good if it is given it in the first place.”

Instead, Christensen suggested that the North Pole be set aside before countries made their claims, as was the case with Antarctica.

see page 8 for an op-ed on the Arctic strategy by the executive director of Greenpeace Nordic, Mads Flarup Christensen

“We see it as a step forward that it’s being put on the table, though we don’t think it is heartfelt by Denmark. It’s an escalation of conflict and not what the Arctic needs.”

Controlling the North Pole has wider implications than oil and gas exploration, especially given that, with a sea depth of 4,000 metres and limited oil and gas reserves, the sea surrounding the North Pole would be prohibitively expensive for prospectors to operate in.

The receding sea ice, however, will see the opening of the Northeast and Northwest passages, which provide shortcuts between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for both merchant and military vessels.

As a result of these changes, the five Arctic powers signed the Ilulissat Declaration in 2008, committing themselves to resolving issues regarding the Arctic through negotiation.

Russia and Denmark are believed to have the strongest claims to the North Pole. In 2007, Russia showed its ambition to stake a claim by planting a Russian flag on the ocean floor at the pole using a small submarine.

ARhUS has scrapped its old Danish slogans ‘the city of smiles’ (‘smilets by’) and ‘knowledge, pulse, roots’ (‘viden, puls, rødder’) and replaced them with an English one: ‘Aarhus.

Danish for progress’.

Two British companies – Goosebumps Branding Agency and Global Cities – spent six months developing the new slogan and graphic identity of Denmark’s second largest city, which will now be used to market it abroad.

The goal of the branding project – which cost Aarhus City Council one million kroner – was to improve the city’s chances of attracting international businesses, researchers, employees, students and visitors in order to fulfill its growth targets.

“It’s absolutely necessary in the coming years that Aarhus improves its international profile outside of Denmark,” Aarhus mayor Jacob Bundsgaard told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

In a statement, Niels milling of Dansk Erhverv wrote: “A clear profiling of Aarhus will significantly strengthen Den-

[it] should have been ‘aarhus. english for Århus’ mark’s ability to market itself internationally.”

“It has been brave and clever of Aarhus to seek expert advice from outside of Denmark.

Aarhus shouldn’t differentiate itself from Copenhagen and herning, but from London and Gothenburg” he added.

The rebranding has stirred enormous online debate, with many criticising the decision to spend a million kroner on getting an English slogan.

Jeppe from Aarhus, commenting on an article in Politiken newspaper, wrote: “Get your act together Århus Council.

One million for such a fiasco.”

And after the city’s controversial decision to change its spelling from ‘Århus’ to the more internationally accessible ‘Aarhus’, Twitter user Perbanden wrote the slogan “should have been: ‘Aarhus.

English for Århus’”. (PS)

anorexia doctor accused of violating his patients

a

50-yEAR-OLD doctor who specialises in the treatment of anorexia is being accused of sexually assaulting five of his patients.

The accusations include taking nude photographs of the girls and forcing them to use sex toys.

The doctor, who worked at Rigshospitalet, admited that he took the photographs but claimed it was part of his alternative treatment methodology.

“Anorexic patients generally speaking have a hard time accepting how they look naked.

That’s why I took a number of photographs of genitalia to get them adjusted to seeing them,” he said last week in court according to metroXpress newspaper.

The doctor admitted, however, that he went too far when he made a patient use sex toys during a treatment session at the patient’s home.

“She was having a hard time with her sexuality and with her

genitalia. It was to get her to feel better about her body,” he said.

The doctor denied that he violated another of the girls, saying: “She’s saying it to get attention. She has previously cut herself as a form of self-abuse.”

Among the evidence are over 600 photographs that the police found on the doctor’s computer, though the doctor claimed the photographs were either deposited on his computer through a computer virus or were already on the hard drives of computers he salvaged from the street.

Three of the girls who testified last week claimed the doctor forced them to sign contracts and fake debt letters to force them into staying in treatment with him as well as statements allowing him to take photographs of them naked.

“I just wanted to be healthy so I did what he said,” said one of the girls in court.

The case is ongoing. (PS)

online This week Teens continue to light up WhILE the number of adults who smoke is gradually dropping, the rate of teenage smoking is holding steady. Since 2006, the number of 15-year-olds who smoke every day has remained at eleven percent for boys and ten percent for girls, according to a new study by the National Institute of Public health (SIF). Three

percent of all 13-year-olds smoke every day, the study found. “We ought to be seeing a drop in the number of 15-year-old smokers, but it doesn’t surprise me that it’s not happening, because there hasn’t been any particular effort to make it happen,” SIF’s research leader, Pernille Due, told Politiken newspaper.

25 million kroner scam lands four in jail

Father charged in burnt car case

FOUR mEN were jailed last week for their involvement in a multi-million kroner scam involving a contracting firm in Rødovre. According to the police’s gang unit, Task Force East, the four men – one of whom is a member of the Bandidos biker gang – cheated the state out of 25 million kroner in unpaid tax.

ThE DANISh father of two girls, discovered burnt to death in the backseat of a car near Berlin, is now being charged with murder after an autopsy revealed they had been sedated with sleeping pills. The father, who is still in hospital being treated for extensive burns, claimed the deaths were acci-

The company had carried out a long list of skilled and manual labour work for businesses that included Nordea Ejendomme and Banedanmark. The police’s raid uncovered jewellery, cars, expensive furniture, art and about a million kroner in cash. A loaded gun was also found at the residence of one of the men.

dental. But a reconstruction of the car fire by German police has exposed problems with the father’s story. “The results contradict what the father has said,” a state prosecutor, Tom köpping, said according to Politiken. “We doubt there was an accident and are now treating the case as a double murder.”

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OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Election 2011: May the best leader win

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ETWEEN now and September 15, it’s unlikely that politicians will use much time speaking about anything except the economy. Whether the talk focuses on economic stimulus plans, getting housing sales going again or whether green energy creates jobs, the candidates will be out there trying to convince voters that their party has the cure for the country’s economic ailments.

Unfortunately, in the case of the two candidates for prime minister, the more they talk, the less likely they are to win. According to a recent Megafon/Politiken/TV2 poll, neither has the support of a majority of voters when asked which candidate they believe can best manage an economic downturn.

That’s a worrisome vote of no confidence at a time when the state is facing abysmal budget shortfalls and a sputtering world economy. But even more worrying, the two leading candidates also struggling with slumping voter confidence in their overall ability to lead.

As the current prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen should have the advantage of claiming he has steered the nation for the past two years. However Rasmussen was appointed, not elected, to the office, and must spend time establishing himself as something other than Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s replacement.

Although the veteran politician and former cabinet member has proven in the past he is electable at the local, county and national levels, whether voters approve of a chummy politician occupying the office of prime minister remains to be seen.

Fortunately for Rasmussen, his primary opponent, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, is also struggling just as hard to convince voters she can lead. Ahead in most polls and facing a worn-out opponent, the Social Democrat-led opposition should have already removed all doubt that they could win this election long ago. And while the talk around the dinner tables is no longer focused so much on whether the Social Democrats are a credible alternative to the Liberal/Conservative/Danish People’s Party bloc, people still question Thorning-Schmidt’s credibility.

With neither Rasmussen nor Thorning-Schmidt sweeping the nation off its feet, it isn’t difficult to understand why the leaders of the Conservatives and the Social Liberals were able to do just that this past week. By taking the initiative to set aside political differences and instead focus on common ground, they showed the type of leadership their own leaders could learn from.

Their political panache won’t translate to electoral victory, but by thinking positively and acting boldly they appear to have captured voters’ hearts, and that’s something that can turn any politician into a success, regardless of their shortcomings.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

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2 - 8 September 2011

Missed opportunities in the Arctic signals its intention to go “all in” and grab every resource it can already inside the kingdom’s territory, and confirms its ambitions for the Arctic Ocean, including the area around the North Pole that presently belongs to no-one – an area where no-one lives that is also known as the High Arctic. The kingdom has missed an opportunity to show the world what the future of Arctic could look like.

The kingdom could have pledged to ensure that the ArcMADS FLARUP CHRISTENSEN tic achieves proper protection.

It could have shown that the only right thing to do would be HE FOREIGN minis- to consider the High Arctic as a ter, Lene Espersen, the common global good, recognispremier of Greenland, ing the area’s fragile and sensitive Kuupik Kleist, and his nature, an area which is slowly Faroese colleague last week pre- opening up as man-made global sented the Kingdom of Den- warming causes the sea ice to remark’s new Arctic Strategy. cede. It could thereby have conDespite being presented in beau- tributed to putting the brake on tiful surroundings at the North- the military arms race that has Atlantic house in Copenhagen already started in Arctic. It could where also Greenpeace, the have signalled that it is unwise world media and ambassadors to let oil and other extraction were present, the strategy was, as industries rush into Arctic befeared, a huge disappointment. fore we are completely certain The strategy has its positive what can be done in a safe and elements for sure, including in- sustainable manner and what creased efforts to control fishing cannot. The High Arctic should and more robust search and res- be protected through treaties, cue capabilities, but overall the which is the same way Antarctica kingdom is missing a fantastic has been protected for the past opportunity to steer the devel- past 50 years. The only sustainopment in Arctic in a more sus- able direction would be a full tainable and peaceful direction. ban on any industrial activities With this strategy the kingdom (oil exploration, mining and in-

T

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In a warming world, it is unwise to allow oil companies to go looking for even more oil This is unfortunately very far from the direction laid out in the strategy. Instead, the kingdom pledges to do its utmost to prove that it has the right to the North Pole, and therefore also the right to any resources that might lie below the seabed or swim around in the ocean. This is where the root of the problems lies. By going in this direction we can expect other countries to follow suit in a historic battle between the Arctic states and looming industries. It will be a battle dominated by the hunt for resources, where any claims for protection and temperance will be disregarded.

In a warming world, it is unwise to allow oil companies to go looking for even more oil and gas in the most fragile areas of our planet, which have no infrastructure to manage the accidents that will inevitably occur, where the sun doesn’t shine for months at a time. Neither our global climate nor the Arctic environment can afford it.

The day after the launch of the strategy, Lene Espersen announced that should the North Pole become Danish, she would work to ensure proper protection of the area. Although this could be a positive sign, it is difficult not to see it as just a hollow statement, as there is not a single mention of it in the strategy and was not followed by any details about what she actually meant by it.

The Low Arctic is inhabited by millions of people. And in our own kingdom more than 50,000 Greenlanders live in the Arctic.

We in Greenpeace recognise that the people of the Arctic have the right to economic development and a right to govern their use of natural resources. But as with all other nations, the countries of the Arctic must ensure that this development is sustainable and takes into consideration the implications for nature and for other countries.

The author is the executive director of Greenpeace Nordic

READER COMMENTS Mr Assimilation It seems more than a little arrogant and selfish to say that they only want people in this country that can do something good for them.

So someone immigrates here and wants to put their kids through school, this isn’t okay with this guy because the kids aren’t contributing anything? That’s how he makes it sound. Every time this buffoon opens his mouth, he makes it worse. He’s Denmark’s answer to Price Phillip. Hopefully someone will shut this fool up sooner rather than later.

Shufflemoomin By website Let’s hope Mr Pind is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.

Djeep By website

facebook.com/copenhagenpost

dustrial fishing) in the waters off the High Arctic and a network of protected areas in the Low Arctic, complemented by a strict legal and political framework. The ban and the protected areas will ensure that the ecological integrity of the Arctic is maintained on an environmental and social sound basis.

Everything Pind is saying is really just common sense - why should Denmark accept immigrants who can’t contribute and don’t wish to become truly Danish. Everyone knows multiculturalism doesn’t work, so if immigrants want to come to Denmark, they should be expected to embrace Danish culture. If they can’t do this then perhaps they should look elsewhere. vb By website Denmark has been a rich country with a nice quality of life, so it has every right to try to stay that way. Yes, it sounds selfish but very justifiable. We can only be charitable as long as we have

enough for ourselves. No-one can feed the poor of the whole world and not everyone is Mother Teresa. Basically if Denmark is a nice country then it does not mean it should open its borders and let every Tom, Dick, and Harry in.

Makes perfect sense.

Brusque By website OMG, did he say that? That is scary! I ALWAYS compare Danes to hobbits. It first struck me a couple of years after I arrived here.

This place is The Shire. Completely.

Heidi Patterson

By Facebook I don’t know this guy at all, so I’m quite unbiased here. I think he gives some valid points – Denmark is a small country and people might feel like their identity is threatened by the immigration.

So to some degree I understand the idea of assimilation. Personally I consider myself cosmopolitan but if someone had lived all his life in one country, helped to build it, has a connection with its culture, he might become frustrated when he sees that there is so many people coming in who not only avoid assimilation, but often openly demand the changing of local values.

Marcin Kreczmer Kalpataru

By Facebook I think Mr. Pind is a provocateur.

I don’t agree with him, but I know what he wants to say. Assimilation is just a bad word to use;

integration makes more sense, we all have to integrate in some way, but it doesn’t mean that we have to give up our own culture, just respect the culture in the country where we live. I’ve heard that Danish people are some of the best to adjust to other cultures when they are in foreign countries.

Fabiola López Alvarado

By Facebook Royal baby on the way I wonder if Danish taxpayers really need Joachim and his family?

How big is his international recognition? It is important to add that his former wife also receives apanage from Danish taxpayers.

I think that he generates more costs than his elder brother who is going to be a king one day. I find it very funny that on the one hand Danish government makes it extremely difficult for Danes to marry foreigners and on the other hand their royals import wives from abroad only.

Amber By website And just think, this welfare bratto-be is only 1/8 ethnic Danish.

Where is Pia Kjærsgaard when you need her?

JFD By website Countries need great symbols.

America has the Statue of Liberty and Denmark has a monarchy. I know it´s hard to understand for for basic people with basic intelligence who only care about eating

meatballs with ketchup!!! magic1964 By website Congestion charge Great idea - let’s make it even less attractive for those who work in CPH by potentially reducing their annual income by 11,000 kroner because they choose to drive a car to their workplace (it might even be a necessity for them).

Thorvaldsen By website Quit complaining - 99 percent of the people who drive into the central area are so selfish that they should be prohibited from both owning a car and driving.

2830 By website Trashing the city Many years ago I emigrated from Denmark, but I have been coming ‘home’ almost every year and love to be here. But I am appalled at the unbelievable amount of ugly graffiti and trash and more trash everywhere - from the airport train ride all the way to town, and just about everywhere in town. Why is it that I see practically none of this in Stockholm, Oslo, or Helsinki, which are super clean? And why is Copenhagen and its population content with this sorry state of affairs? I am beyond embarrassed when showing my friends around this otherwise glorious city, and it makes me a very melancholy Dane.

John Pedersen By letter

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

2 - 8 September 2011

9

Still Adjusting

BY JUSTIN CREMER A proud native of the American state of Iowa, Justin Cremer has been living in Copenhagen since June 2010. In addition to working at the CPH Post, he balances fatherhood, struggling with the Danish language and keeping up with the everchanging immigration rules. Follow him at twitter.com/justincph

You wanted an election, you got one SCANPIX

W

ELL, LARS LØKKE Rasmussen finally did it. After proving pundits wrong time and time again, the prime minister finally called an election last week on Friday.

You could almost feel the collective sigh of relief from the nation’s press corps. After all, Rasmussen has been making fools of them for the best part of a year now.

After a round of high-profile debates kicked off 2011, everyone was certain there would be a spring election. The only question, apparently, was whether it would take place before or after the Easter holiday.

When that milestone came and went without an election declaration, the chattering class then speculated that the heated debate over the efterløn programme would usher in the election.

Logical thinking, but no such luck.

The next suspected date was the summer holiday – would Rasmussen call an election before the lengthy break, or wait it out in the hope of spending one last summer basking in the glory – if not the sun – of being the nation’s leader?

When he chose the latter and parliament adjourned in mid-June, the rumour mill quieted down a bit – due in no small part to the fact that those who routinely need to fill column inches and air time with unfounded speculation had joined half of the country by going somewhere where the sun actually did shine.

After summer had come and gone – what, you don’t remember that one day when it actually felt like summer? – election speculation once again reached a fever pitch. Reports were rampant that last week on Tuesday would finally be the big day. But after that day ended as so many others had, with Rasmussen

The moment the speculation stopped: Lars Løkke Rasmussen calls the election

staying mum on an election, the commentators had to once again eat their words and chew on a new prediction. It didn’t take long. Suddenly everyone was certain it would happen on Thursday – at 4pm to be precise. Wrong again.

Then, early in the morning on Friday August 26, it finally came. News of the prime minister’s press conference quickly spread online before a tiredlooking Rasmussen strode to the podium and put an end to all the conjecture.

You can hardly blame Rasmussen for waiting as long as he did. Nearly every poll has shown the opposition in the lead, so it’s easy to understand that he would want to wait it out as long as possible in the hope that his rival, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, would be beset by scandal, put her foot in her mouth, or

‘Der bliver aldrig valg, ever’ doesn’t seem that bad when compared to ‘There will always be an election, forever’ otherwise stumble enough to affect the polls. He nearly got his wish a year ago when the Social Democrats’ leader became enveloped in a controversy over the amount of taxes paid by her Brit-

ish husband. In retrospect, Rasmussen may be kicking himself for not acting then. Yes, it would have been seen as a cold and calculated political move, but that’s largely how this prolonged waiting game has been viewed.

Clearly the wait was vexing. A popular blog even sprouted up entitled ‘Der bliver aldrig valg, ever’ (There will never be an election, ever) with photoshopped images of Rasmussen declaring the election would never come.

Personally, I found all this speculation quite amusing. I rather like the notion that the prime minister can gauge which way the political winds are blowing and call an election whenever it suits his fancy. As an American, this means of electing a nation’s leader seems so liberated and, well, European

when compared to the first-Tuesdayof-every-fourth-November model I’m accustomed to. And while a flexible election date can lead to political instability, the set date of the American model leads to gridlock, posturing, and constant campaigning. ‘Der bliver aldrig valg, ever’ doesn’t seem that bad when compared to ‘There will always be an election, forever.’

Whereas in Denmark, there were no physical signs of an election until campaign signs went up in a flurry following Rasmussen’s announcement, in the US many haven’t come down since the 2008 election (I’m looking at you, Ron Paul supporters). And already in my home state of Iowa, which hosts the nation’s first presidential election contest in the form of caucuses, my family and friends can hardly leave their houses without bumping into Republican presidential candidates. Nevermind that the election is still 14 months off, and the caucus itself is not until February, the election is already in high gear as GOPers compete to out-Jesus and anti-science each other to get their party’s nomination.

So while here we may have grown impatient waiting for Rasmussen to pull the trigger, at least we don’t have to deal with months and months of following the mind-blowingly ridiculous statements of nutbags like Michelle Bachmann, or witness the sorry state of affairs in which an evolution-doubting secessionist like Rick Perry suddenly becomes the frontrunner for one of the nation’s two political parties.

Still, after months of talk, a threeweek election seems a bit anti-climatic.

But I’d rather have a short, intense election that I never thought would come than a long, dragged-out one I never thought would end.

CPH POST VOICES

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

‘MACCARTHY’S WORLD’

‘SO SAYS CELIA’

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

Born in 1942 on the Isle of Wight, Englishman Frank Theakston has been in Copenhagen 32 years and is on his second marriage to a Dane. Frank comes from a different time and a different culture – which values are the right ones today?

Clare MacCarthy is Nordic correspondent for The Economist and a frequent contributor to The Financial Times and The Irish Times. She’ll go anywhere from the Gobi Desert to the Arctic in search of a story. The most fascinating thing about Denmark, she says, is its contradictions.

Celia Thaysen is a British love refugee who landed on these shores six years ago. With below-par Danish, a tendency to tardiness, and a fondness for Marmite, she spends her time fumbling her way through unfamiliar territory as a working mother-of-two with a house in the ‘burbs.

English by nature – Danish at heart.

Freelance journalist Richard Steed has lived in Copenhagen for nearly five years now. “I love this city and want Copenhagen to be a shining example to the rest of the world.”

10 News Biking for a better world The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

Two danes hope to bring bicycle culture to africa to tackle poverty and improve lives

d

Instead of recycling and moving a physical commodity, we wanted to export knowledge about the bicycle industry found in early 2007.

But they quickly ran into problems. after sending their first shipment of 40 bicycles to Sierra Leone in December 2007, they realised that they would have a hard time covering the costs of collecting and shipping them to africa.

“That shipment made it clear that we would never be able to finance the business through the sales of the bikes.

We became aware that we needed to create a business in Denmark,” Bonefeld said. to generate revenue they opened a bicycle rental shop on tuesensgade in Copenhagen in april 2008. The store was a success, turning over two million kroner in 2009, and buying them time to figure out the best way to make an impact with their bicycles in africa.

“We could see that if we really want to make a change we needed to set up a bicycle industry in africa. That created a huge change of focus. Instead of recycling and moving a physical commodity, we wanted to export knowledge about the bicycle industry.”

While they worked on developing the idea they moved from success to success, providing 770 rental bikes for the VeloCity 2010 bicycle conference and selling custom-built company bicycles to Novo Nordisk and bicycle trailers to Ikea.

The company bikes and trailers – made out of steel and manufactured to withstand the rough african climate – will be sent to africa after a few years, while the trailer will be converted to carry patients to hospital in areas that lack ambulances.

This summer Baisikeli opened another shop by Dybbølsbro station. Here they rent and sell second-hand bikes, manufacture and develop new types of bicycles – like simple cargo bicycles and bicycles for the disabled – and run a café that acts as a hub for bicyclists.

“The objective is to make a model or mother shop that we can copy so all the processes are taken into our workshop in Mozambique. The plan is that the staff here will teach the staff in Mozambique to do the same job as them,” Bonefeld explained Their final plan cleverly circulates knowledge and goods between africa and Denmark.

Second-hand bicycles and Danish staff with the know-how are brought to Mozambique where they build a store and train local workers to sell and repair the bicycles. New bikes are also manufactured in the african workshop, which are then sold both in africa and Denmark.

In the second stage, photographs and videos of western customers bicycling on africanbuilt bicycles are used in africa to market the product – the idea being if they’re good enough for europeans and americans, then africans will warm even more to them and in so doing reinforce

Over 3,000 second-hand Danish bikes have been sent to Africa by Baisikeli since 2008

their market.

So far Baisikeli has sent over 3,000 bicycles to africa, some of which are being used by dairy and coffee farmers to transport greater volumes of their goods to factories and distributors, increasing their salaries and stimulating local economies. It’s a clever, unpatronising and effective idea that sees developing sustainable markets, rather than merely providing food and medicine aid, as the best method to foster a longterm solution to poverty.

Baisekeli opens the café at its workshop at Ingerslevsgade 80-90 by Dybbølsbro station to the public on Saturday, September 3.

peter stanners

o you take the car, train or bicycle to work?

We have so many choices getting from a to B that it’s hard to imagine that for many people walking is the only real option. and our own two legs can only take us so far. In africa, this is the reality for millions of people and, as a result, their ability to access health care, education and employment is severely limited, trapping them in cycles of poverty and ill health.

But Danish bicycle company Baisikeli – Swahili for bicycle – is hoping to change that. This october they are setting up a workshop in Mozambique to sell and repair second-hand Danish bicycles, as well as manufacture bicycles for the global market.

They are a business – unsupported by the government or charities – that has already sent thousands of bicycles to the continent to help foster social change by creating a sustainable bicycle culture in africa.

It all started when Niels Bonefeld visited a small village in the mountains of tanzania in 2005. among the people he met, owning a bicycle was more than a lifestyle choice. Bicycle owners could access education and healthcare as well as increasing their income by improving their range and speed. Bonefeld knew his housing association scrapped about 400 bikes a year, so the potential resource in Denmark must be huge he thought.

Discovering that about 400,000 bicycles are discarded each year in Denmark, he approached his cousin Henrik Smedegaard Mortensen – who was studying at the social entrepreneurship school kaospilots – about getting their hands on some of these bikes and sending them down to africa. But while Mortensen thought the idea was brilliant, they had different thoughts about how to go

about it. “at the time I was thinking in a more businesses mindset that you could make money by sending the bikes down and selling them,” Bonefeld said. “But Henrik wanted to give them away. So we had a conflict but we both had a point. So we decided to combine the business and the social idea.” after developing a business plan, Bonefeld was accepted onto the tV show ‘Denmark’s Best Idea’ (Danmarks Bedste Idé) on tV2 in 2006 where he pitched his idea to a panel of business experts and entrepreneurs. While he didn’t win the show, his idea clearly made an impact on insurance company Codan who agreed to sell Bonefeld their stock of bicycles that had been reported stolen, replaced and subsequently

Baisikeli

Peter StannerS

2 - 8 September 2011

Baisikeli founders Henrik smedegaard Mortensen and Niels Bonefeld (left and right) stand with their custom bicycle – built to withstand the harsh African climate – outside the new Baisikeli café and workshop by Dybbølsbro station.

onlIne ThIS week

RaCCooN dogs – that may harbour tapeworms and rabies – are threatening to cross the Øresund from Denmark into Sweden, posing a serious risk to Swedish wildlife. a prominent Nazi, Hermann Göring, introduced two pairs of the creatures into Latvia in the 1940s. They have since colonised most of eastern europe – devastating populations of amphibians and ground-nesting birds – and are now poised to cross into Sweden.

tHe DaNISH fraud squad raided Parken Sport & entertainment, owners of FC Copenhagen, on tuesday as part of its investigation into insider trading at the company.

Flemming Østergaard, the company’s former chairman, also had his home in Skodsborg raided by the fraud squad, who were looking for evidence of stock manipulation while he was at the company. Current managing director Donald Hørsholt is also being investigated for his part in a large-scale buyback of stock in 2007 and 2008 that may be in violation of the Securities act.

“It has to do with the significant volume of purchase of their own shares,” prosecutor Hans Jacob Folker told Berlingske newspaper.

tHe PoLItICaL approval process that could lead to the construction of a multi-purpose arena in the Ørestad district got underway last week. The construction of the 15,000-seat arena will be managed by a partner company created by the city in collaboration with property investment fund Realdania. They are each to pay 325.25 million kroner into the new company for the construction of the arena on land owned by city development firm CPH City & Port (By & Havn). The indoor arena would be significantly smaller than Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium and has a retractable roof that allows it to host indoor events.

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Multi-purpose arena construction nears approval

wikimedia commons

parken suspected of insider trading

Suspicion first started to mount in early 2009 after it was revealed that the company had bought back 265 million kroner worth of its own shares in 2008.

The FSa subsequently reported Parken Sport & entertainment to the fraud squad in august 2009 for manipulating its share price.

aeG

Swedes fear coon invasion

But it is expected to fill a gap between Parken’s 55,000 seats and a number of smaller facilities in the area that seat less than 10,000. efforts to build such a facility in Greater Copenhagen have been underway for 12 years.

Read The full SToRIeS aT CphpoST.dk

community

The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

2 - 8 September 2011

11

a night of boisterous rapport and whisky galore Photos Clive thain & Words Ben hamilton

Watch out ladies, because as they say, whisky makes you frisky – and as propositions go, invariably risky – although Arne Runge already has his arms full so it’s safe to say he’s already spoken for. Arne was one of many who attended World Wide Whisky at the international bar Café Globen on Turesensgade last week on Friday for an evening of tastings, lectures and bonhomie.

Clearly enjoying the generous measures are (clockwise from top left) Christophe from France, Benny Hjertaas from Norway, Mike Shorter from the US and Sam Zakrzewski from the UK.

Per Danielsen from Café Globen and Arne Runge caught here during the chorus of Whisky in the jar: “Whack for my daddy’o, there’s whisky in this bar,” they adlib.

Whisky: the water of life … or death if you drink a bottle a day

You won’t find the answers in a bottom of the glass! Benny Hjertaas begs to disagree

Sam Zakrzewski gets another to go with his chaser

I can’t feel my feet

Whisky expert Rom Thomsen elucidated his audience with information on a number of subjects including the secrets of the single cask and the art of distillation. Here he is pictured with loyal friend Elmer T Lee, a bourbon from Kentucky.

How much if I down this in one?

12

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

2 - 8 September 2011

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

The Ukrainian Embassy celebrated the 20th anniversary of its country’s independence last week on Thursday with a concert at Christians Kirke featuring the Kiev Piano Duo and Danish pianist Elisabeth Holmegaard Nielsen. Pictured here are (left-right) Russian ambassador Teymuraz Ramishvili, Denmark-Ukraine Society chairman Ivan Nester, Nielsen, Ukrainian ambassador Mykhailo Skuratovsky, and Tatiana Nielsen of the Danish-Ukrainian Business Group.

Earlier in the week, the Baltic embassies had hosted an event entitled to celebrate the resumption of diplomatic ties with Denmark at the University of Copenhagen.

Pictured here (left-right) are the four speakers: Lithuanian history professor Egidijus Aleksandravicius, former Danish foreign minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former Estonian prime minister Mart Laar and the former Latvian minister for integration affairs, Nils Muiznieks.

Royal Danish Academy of Music student Elisabeth Holmegaard Nielsen, 18, who will be Denmark’s representative at this year’s International Steinway Festival in Hamburg, is a rising star on the concert circuit.

Sunday was a day of celebration for the Baltic States as they marked the 20th anniversary of their independence at a function at Amalienborg hosted by Crown Prince Frederik. Pictured here are (left-right) Latvian foreign minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis, Danish foreign minister Lene Espersen, the Crown Prince, Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet and Lithuanian foreign minister Audronius Azubalis.

In keen attendance on the front row are (left-right) Dean Ralf Hemmingsen from the University of Copenhagen, Muiznieks, Foreign Policy Society director Klaus Carsten Petersen, Laar, Latvian ambassador Gints Jegermanis, Lithuanian ambassador Rasa Kairiene, the soon-to-be announced Estonian ambassador Katrin Kivi, the former foreign minister Mogens Lykketoft and Aleksandravicius.

Home sweet home in Hellerup Our community editor, Victoria Steffensen, lives in Hellerup, the home of so many international schools, families, companies and embassies, and undoubted heartland of the expat scene. And although her kids don’t go to an international school and she couldn’t tell you where her closest embassy is, Victoria proves your home is where your heart is – in her case, in Hellerup.

She has not been presented to the queen yet, but Katrin Kivi (left), pictured here with compatriot Mart Laar, will shortly be confirmed as the new ambassador of Estonia. Tervist!

Already campaigning well before the announcement of the general election was Socialist People’s Party leader Villy Søvndal at Pride. Good to see he managed to get hold of a red flag.

Soon after moving to Denmark, I started to take my first tentative steps into the Danish language. Shopping on our local high street in Hellerup, I asked a salesperson in a clothes shop if she could speak English: “Kan du tale Engelsk?” I was very pleased with myself and my Danish … until I left the shop.

“You shouldn’t say that,” my husband said as we left the premises. “Of course they can speak English! They’ll think you think they’re stupid.” It turned out to be the first of many language faux pas. After all, I’ve spent far too many summer holidays in France, where you really can’t assume that a shopkeeper understands or wants to understand a word of English.

I moved to Denmark, around 10 years ago, straight after a four-year stay in the city of Zürich. I was embarrassed to admit that, after living in a German-

speaking area, I had left Switzerland with a very limited knowledge of the Teutonic tongue. Moving to Denmark, I was determined to do better. Of course, my situation was now a very different one: I had moved to my husband’s home country - this was the country where my new relatives were from. Obviously I needed to speak the language.

So, as soon as my daughter had secured a place in daycare, I enrolled myself at the Hellerup Sprogskole.

I have to say, I loved being in language school. Language schools are a successful example of integration: how well we would all get on, if politics weren’t involved. I had classmates from Italy, France, Iraq, and the US, just to name a few. And we all got on so well.

Soon I had learned the Danish language basics; I had practiced in class – now I

In defence of my fellow mother tongued English speakers, I have to say that it is difficult to speak Danish.

just needed to practice in the real world …

In defence of my fellow mother tongued English speakers, I have to say that it is difficult to speak Danish.

Not just because of the challenging grammatical rules or the tongue twisting pronunciation. No, simply because the Danes like to speak English. As my Danish husband explained, Danes grow up with the knowledge that very few other members of the world’s population speak their tongue, so they need to have a good standard of English. I don’t know how many shops I went into, beginning the conversation in Danish, only to have a reply in English.

It takes a brave person to say ‘I would prefer to speak Danish’, knowing full well that the 16-year-old they’re speaking to speaks near perfect English. So, not being very brave, I gave up. Shame on me! It took a long time but, one day, I made the change with ‘Jeg vil hellere snakke Dansk’ (I would prefer to speak Danish). And it worked – the more I spoke, the better I became. So, if you’re here for the long haul, persevere with Danish and snak, snak, snak.

13 Just like uni ... but this time the campus is the whole city COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

2 - 8 September 2011

The annual Expat Fair gives internationals a chance to learn about clubs that will undoubtedly broaden their social horizons

A

ll of the ‘freshers’ are excitedly gathering in the main hall, looking at the displays of the various extracurricular clubs they might be joining. But this isn’t the first day at university, it’s the Expat Fair at City Hall on Monday September 13, and the stakes are much higher than what you’re going to do when you’re not playing pool down the student union.

For new arrivals to the city, the decision to join a club will affect their social life in this country more than any other – yes, even more than which pub you make your local. Because along with your colleagues and family, the fellow members of your club are the people you will see the most of during your time in Denmark.

And it’s a great way to integrate, because even if you choose a club with really obvious links to one particular country, you’ll still probably find that Danes account for close to half the members.

And if you fancy going the whole hog and turning native, there are a number of Danish clubs present, including Amager Volleyball Klub and Falcon Basketball Club (football), which are really friendly to foreigners speaking another language (providing it’s English!) – after all, they’re excited at the prospect of adding some international flair to their talent pool. You

could be the next Wilson Kipketer.

Around 40 clubs will be present at the Expat Fair, covering a wide selection of sports suitable for all ages, sizes and abilities; a varied selection of hobbies including parkour and paintballing; dance classes for ballet, Capoeira and Bollywood, plus drama courses for children; and a number of adult education course providers – a reminder that Danish classes aren’t the only good reason for going back to the classroom.

In an interview with The Copenhagen Post last year, British ambassador Nick Archer revealed that he wholeheartedly endorsed the initiative. “In any place it is important to ‘fit in’ so to speak, to find other people that you have something in common with,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be your nationality; it can simply be finding someone who shares an interest with you, such as football or art.”

The Expat Fair is the brainchild of Spousecare, an organisation that looks after the needs of the spouses and families of professionals who relocate to Denmark. It recognises that when a placement fails, in 67 percent of cases it is due to spousal or family reasons, and that this is also the primary cause of professionals not taking the job in the first place – in 78 percent of all cases.

Spousecare is organising the threehour fair in collaboration with Copenhagen City Council, the University of Copenhagen, the Capital Region, the Ministry of Integration, Expat in Denmark, Nordea, and The Copenhagen Post.

It begins at 15:30 on the spacious ground floor of City Hall, which is

COMING UP SOON

Sports Festival in Frederiksberg

700 years of immigration

Frederiksberg-Hallerne, Jens Jessens Vej 20, Frederiksberg; Sat 3 Sep, 12:0021:00; free adm

Reformert Kirke, Gothersgade 109-11, Cph K; Sat 3 Sep, 13:00-15:00; adm: 50kr; registration: janssen.cph@gmail.com

Frederikberg‘s sports clubs have an open day to get you acquainted with the district‘s manifold sporting opportunities. The festival includes a demo by a roller hockey club, the CBS Sport Panthers, and also info about taking part in gymnastics, handball, football, hiking, basketball and rugby - and live music from the Copenhagen Big Band.

This tour for German-speakers looks at the German roots of the city. Hanseatic merchants, northern German royalty, military and scientists – all of them left traces that are still visible today. Please register in advance.

Vegetarian Saturday Gammel Torv, Cph K; Sat 3 Sep, 13:00-17:00; free adm; www.vegetarisklørdag.dk

Make the world a better place by eating vegetarian dishes every once in a while. You don`t have any recipes at home? Than stop

by Gammel Torv, where the friends and devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON in Denmark) invite the entire city to a blissful vegetarian foodtasting .

Deafshoot Vesterbros Torv, Cph V; Sat 3 Sep, 09:00-22:00; free adm; 3524 0912; www.deafshoot.ddu.dk

Deafshoot Copenhagen is a photo marathon especially for the deaf, hearing-impaired and those wearing hearing devices, between the ages of 14-30. Take 12 photos in 12 hours – on your own or in a team.

Cinderella auditions

Østerbro International School, Præstøgade 17, Cph Ø; Sep 10 & 11, from 10:00; sylvain_verdier@yahoo.fr

Following on from the enormous success of their Christmas play last year, the Copenhagen Theatre Circle are putting on a musical version of Cinderella, and here’s your chance to get involved. Email Sylvain to arrange an audition time and find out more info. The play itself will run at Krudttønden from 15–23 December and 3-7 January.

Ceramic Monday Keramik Skolen, Dag Hammerskjölds Allé 3, Cph Ø; starts Mon 5 Sep, ends 21 Nov, 11x Monday 17:00-20:40; material cost: 500kr; www.keramikskolen.dk

The ceramics school on Dag Hammerskjölds Allé offers you the possibility to forget about your busy working day and put all your energy into creating unique ceramics on a unique eleven-lesson course.

If you can’t make it on Monday evenings, there are also options on Tuesday and Wednesday.

PHOTO: CLIVE THAIN

BY BEN HAMILTON

Last year, hundreds flocked to City Hall for handshakes and pancakes.

located close to Tivoli in the centre of the city at Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square). At 16:00, the employment and integration mayor, Anne Mee Allerslev, will give an official welcome to the city,

If you’re not fulfilling your potential at work, this European Professional Women Network workshop might be the solution you are looking for. Learn to be true to yourself and to identify the skills and competencies required to bring out your best ‘u’ in your workplace. Or get some help to recognise what’s holding you back and develop the skill and strategies to overcome them. In addition you can create a map necessary to achieve your business visions.

Football World Cup – in Denmark!

Skyttegade, next to Rantzausgad, Cph N; Sat & Sun, starts at 12:00 each day, final Sun 16:00

Play31 is organising a 32-nation, four-a-side international football tournament in Nørrebro to coincide with the food event International Days –Taste the World 2011 (see G8 in InOut).

It’s too late to register a team, so all you can do is turn up and support your country ... providing they’re playing of course. Among the nations being represented are Somalia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ireland, Palestine, Denmark (a team of celebs apparently) and pre-1993 Czechslovakia.

BY EVA KORTE

Hall pancakes, which will be served following the presentations, and to register your attendance at www.kk.dk/ cphinternational.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF OF BRITISH CHAMBER COMMERCE INDENMARK DENMARK COMMERCE

The truth about confidence – turning up the ‘U’ factor UCB offices, Arne Jacobsens Alle 15, Cph S; Wed 7 Sep, 18:30-21:30; non-members: 150kr; www.europeanpwn.net

followed by an address from Niels Nygaard, the president of the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark.

And don’t forget the famous City

Cloud Computing This “on the way home” event features presentations from two Danish-founded companies, Tradeshift and e-conomic, that have embraced “cloud technologies” and are offering their Software as a Service (SaaS).

This event will give you the chance to learn: • •

How e-conomic’s strategy has put them on a strong course to become the biggest accounting system for small businesses in Denmark.

How the emergence of Cloud technologies allowed the founders of Tradeshift to start a high growth company in the middle of the financial crisis and how their new disruptive business model lets them offer their services at a fraction of the price of traditional e-invoicing & supply chain management software.

is a social network for business that allows anyone to exchange invoices for free. Tradeshift was founded 18 months ago and now employs nearly 50 people with 18 different nationalities. The company has been funded by PayPal and Notion Capital and offers large enterprises the ability to connect to their entire supply chain with electronic invoicing. Customers include TDC, COOP, Stark, DSV and the National Health Service in England. is one of the fastest growing online accounting systems and was one of the first companies to succeed with Software as a Service. e-conomic is a web-based innovative accounting system that exploits the opportunities of the Internet for easy-to-use, flexible and secure accounting solutions. e-conomic constantly endeavours to develop, improve and adapt the application to match technological development as well as the individual client’s needs – regardless of the size and industry of the business.

Programme – Wednesday September 7 16:00 Registration 16:30 Cloud technologies and social media – changing the way we do business 16:50 Building the world’s largest business network – e-invoicing and more with Tradeshift 17:10 From e-invoicing to online accounting – lowering barriers for SMEs with e-conomic 17.30 Panel Discussion Location: Tradeshift, Nørregade 36B, 3rd floor, 1165 Copenhagen K Directions: 50 meters from Nørreport Station on the left side of Nørregade. Look for the neon sign for Sømods Bolcher (famous Candy factory appointed by the Royal Court) Parking: Use the parking garage at Israels Plads You can sign up via the website, send an email to event@bccd.dk or phone 31 18 75 58.

This event is free of charge for members / 125 DKK inc MOMS for Nonmembers.

• official media partner

14

sport

The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

2 - 8 September 2011

scanpix

ouch! and to think FCk were one of the top seeds Bjørn born again at 40

FCK’s Morten Nordstrand shows the fighting spirit his side will need to get through

Ben Hamilton

avoid teams with strong European pedigrees, like last year’s CL quarterfinalists Tottenham Hotspur and the 2010 Europa League champions, Atlético Madrid.

But Belgian outfit Standard Liège, German club Hannover 96 and Ukrainian side FC Vorskla Poltava will be no pushovers.

OB, meanwhile, were one of the third seeds and have been drawn against Dutch team FC Twente, 2010 runners-up Fulham and Polish side Wisła Kraków.

Not joining the pair in the draw were Danish Cup winners FC Nordsjælland, who lost 2-1 away to Sporting Lisbon last week on Thursday night following a 0-0 draw in their first leg in Denmark.

The Europa League group stage kicks off on September 15 and concludes on December 15.

no minnows for either danish club in europa League group stage

T

he opponents of FC Copenhagen and OB have been confirmed in the group stage of the Europa League, and the draws are tough with no obvious whipping boys in either of the team’s groups. All six opponents ply their trade in leagues whose national teams regularly qualify for major international tournaments.

FCK were one of the top seeds in a draw that saw the creation of 12 groups of four teams each, from which the top two will qualify and join the eight sides who finish third in the Champions League groups in the 32-team knockout stage.

They have therefore managed to

FCK’s oppoNeNts

oB’s oppoNeNts

standard Liège are clearly on the ascendancy after an extremely disappointing 2009-2010 season as defending champions in which they finished eighth. Last season, while they only just scraped into the play-offs in sixth place, they came good when it mattered to finish second and also won the Belgian Cup. Nevertheless, they now have a new coach, José Riga, recruited from RCS Visé, a lower league club that won promotion to the second division under Riga last season.

Standard Liège are currently fourth in the Jupiler Pro League.

FC twente finished just two points shy of Eredivisie winners Ajax last season. But since then their coach Michel Preud’homme, the former Belgian national keeper who David Platt scored against in Italia ’90, has deserted them to take over at Saudi outfit AlShabab Riyadh. His replacement Co Adriaanse failed to guide them into the Champions League group stage, losing 5-3 to Benfica over two legs.

However, their league form remains strong and they so far have a 100 percent record after three games.

Hannover 96 are complete novices in Europe – this is their first qualification for 19 years – but their coach, Mirko Slomka, is not. He guided FC Schalke 04 to the semis of the 2006 UEFA Cup and oversaw a second place finish in the Bundesliga a year later. Their fourth place finish in the Bundesliga last season surprised everyone, except for Slomka, particularly as in the previous eight seasons they had never before finished in the top seven. Hannover, who play in a 49,000-capacity stadium, narrowly avoided relegation in the 2009-10 season – Slomka’s appointment as coach in January of that season was crucial to their survival.

Fulham, eighth in the English Premier League last season, actually qualified for the Europa League - which they made the final of in 2010 - courtesy of their fair play record. This season they have a new coach, Martin Jol, formerly the manager of Ajax and Tottenham, who has inherited a squad more than capable of making an impression in the tournament. Fulham have made a poor start this season, with one draw and two losses in their first three games.

FC Vorskla poltava finished sixth in the Ukrainian Premier League last season. First promoted to the country’s top flight in 1997, they have remained there ever since, qualifying for Europe on three previous occasions, but never making it beyond the first round before.

Best odds: Hannover 6/4, FC Copenhagen 5/2, standard Liege 11/4, Vorskla poltava 20

Wisła Kraków are the current Polish champions - last year’s Ekstraklasa title was their eighth title since 1999.

However, European success has too often eluded them - their best performance during this period of domestic domination was a fourth round appearance in the 2003 UEFA Cup. The Kraków side are currently seventh in this year’s championship after two wins and two losses.

T

here is a perceived wisdom in the world of golf punditry to bet on two types of player: the first-time father and recent inductees into the ‘Big Four-O’ club, which might explain the current form of Thomas Bjørn, 40, who on Sunday held his nerve to win the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland after a five-man play-off.

After finishing level with Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, South African George Coetzee and England’s Mark Foster, Bjørn eventually secured victory at the fifth extra hole with his third birdie of the showdown.

“I think when you set out in a play-off with five guys, you’re almost a little bit too relaxed because it takes a lot for it to go your way,” he told media afterwards.

“But as we got rid of one at a time, all of a sudden it became very hard.

But the way I played the last three play-off holes, I can’t be more proud.”

Bjørn, who has now won 18 career titles – 12 on the European Tour – earlier in the year won the Qatar Masters just two weeks before his 40th birthday, before courageously returning to Sandwich, the scene of his 2003 British Open meltdown, to finish fourth.

Bjørn’s win sees him rise 11 places in the world rankings to number 59.

Best odds: Fulham 6/4, FC twente 13/8, Wisla Krakow 10, odense 11

normal service resumes following pakistan’s squashing new beaus! Rory’s got a new birdie

d

a

Kristian Frost olsen, Morten sørensen and rasmus Nielsen savour the moment

in the Malaysian Open and ranked 23rd in the world, had been saved in case there was a decider. But he hadn’t reckoned on the world number 65, Kristian Frost Olsen, who produced the performance of his career to beat him 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9.

The Pakistan manager, Wing Commander Irfan Asghar, bizarrely blamed the warm weather. “I thought my boys were not fit enough to compete against those boys, especially in those warm and humid conditions,” he told the World Squash Federation’s website.

Danish coach Francesco Busi, meanwhile, was euphoric. “Morten

played an amazing game to level the tie and the whole team played with heart,” he said “I could not be any more happier.”

He was right because within 24 hours he was packing his bags. Sixth seeds India made mincemeat out of Denmark in the final 16, beating them 2-0. Sørensen, clearly suffering after his marathon comeback the day before, only managed to win 15 points, while Olsen was despatched in four sets.

Nevertheless, Denmark will take heart from its improved showing in a sport that is set to make its Olympic debut in 2020. (BH)

s if it wasn’t obvious, Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy last week finally confirmed they are an item at the New Haven Open in Yale, which the Dane went on to win for the fourth time in a row.

In a scene resembling an episode of comedy series ‘Kløvn’, the Northern Irish golfer was cornered by Ekstra Bladet tabloid in a training facility where he was using a treadmill, and he good-humouredly agreed to answer some of their questions.

The toe-curlingly embarrassing interview, in which the phrase “good friends” was used three times, finally ended when he responded “Yes” to a

question supplied by an American reporter present: “Is it okay to say you are here because of Caroline, your girlfriend?”

Wozniacki later confirmed the news following her 7-5, 6-3 defeat of Christina McHale in the quarter-finals, the same player who beat her in Cincinnati the week before.

“We are together – he’s my boyfriend, yes,” she said. And like McIlroy, she referred to how they have a lot in common as young sports stars who are in similar positions in their respective sports, which have a lot of similarities: four major tournaments, punishing schedules etc.

But she went further than her boyfriend. “He is sweet, quiet and down to earth,” she said. (BH) scanpix

enmark may have only made the last 16 of the WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship, but they left with their heads held high after knocking out one of the traditional powerhouses of the men’s game, who in the history of the tournament had never failed to advance beyond the group stage before.

Pakistan might not be the dominant force it once was when Jahangir Khan ruled supreme as world number one in the 1980s, but few were expecting anything other than a routine victory for the world number 12s in their final group game last week against minnows Denmark in the championships in Paderborn, Germany – a best-of-three clash both teams needed to win to advance to the last 16.

And when Waqar Mehboob went two sets up in the second rubber, after Yasir Butt had won the first, everything appeared to be going to plan for the Pakistanis. Former pro Morten Sørensen, who just 12 days beforehand had been on holiday in the south of France when he received his first call-up to the national team since 1999, had other ideas.

The 32-year-old bounced back to take three sets on the trot to tie the contest.

Still, Pakistan’s number one player, Aamir Atlas Khan, a recent runner-up

Couple’s confirmation fails to distract Woz from winning US open warm-up

www.worldsquash.org

danes despatch heavyweights before succumbing to India at world champs

Why do birdies suddenly appear every time you are near?

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

2 - 8 September 2011

15

NATIONALBANKEN.DK

MORTEN W LANGER, ØKONOMISK UGEBREV

Co-signing for banks’ risky loans could exceed Nationalbanken’s mandate and leave state short on funds

SCANPIX

Central bank’s helping hand scrutinised Nordea to cut 2,000 jobs

I

n what experts are calling an “undemocratic” manoeuvre, the central bank, Nationalbanken, has unveiled a wide-ranging initiative aimed at shoring up the banking industry. The move, however, could leave the state with a multi-billion kroner bill on its hands.

The initiative, which would expand banks’ collateral basis as a way to improve their access to liquidity, will come into effect on October 1. Industry experts fear that once it is in place, Nationalbanken could find itself taking over responsibility for bank’s shaky loans.

Finn Østrup, a financial law specialist at the Copenhagen Business School, likened the change to a “blank cheque” signed by central bank governor Niels Bernstein.

Nationalbanken announced that the expanded collateral basis would apply to “good quality” bank lending, but according to Østrup, “good lending can turn into bad loans”.

“It’s a dangerous path they’ve set out on,” he said.

As an institution with broad independence from parliament and the government, Nationalbanken is free to set its own policies, but Ove Kaj Pedersen, also of the Copenhagen Business School, said that it had overstepped

All is calm in front of Nationalbanken, for the moment

its bounds by creating a situation that could wind up leaving the state footing the bill.

Even though the final shape of the initiative has yet to be determined, it is already clear that it will see the state potentially playing a far larger role than in the three similar agreements passed by parliament since the credit crunch took hold in 2007.

Nationalbanken points out that expanding the banks’ collateral basis is a measure that has been implemented in other countries, but those measures were not put into place until the banking system was close to collapse.

Even though the Nationalbank is independent of the state, much of its profits are handed over each year to the treasury. Over the past five years, it has contributed 12 billion kroner to the state’s finances, out of a total profit of 26 billion kroner during the period.

That revenue is calculated into the national budget, and should the amount be lower than expected, it would leave the government with a hole in its finances.

Being able to transfer some of their potentially risky loans to the central bank was also a feature of the first three bank agreements. Being able to do so benefits banks and their shareholders.

But even though the practice could be bad business for the taxpayer, there is little doubt among insiders that some measure to prop up the industry is necessary. Prior to the election being called, the government had been hesitant to make such a decision, fearing the political consequences.

While Nationalbanken’s move relieves some of the pressure on the government to act, late last week the elements of a new bank intervention were announced by parliament.

The Danish bank intends to cut 2,000 jobs in order to maintain profitability

Bank intends to cut workforce mainly through voluntary redundancies

D

anish bank Nordea intends to fire 2,000 employees across Scandinavia by the end of 2012. The move is expected to cost about 650 Danes their jobs.

The bank made the announcement on Monday, stating that the job cuts were necessary in order to maintain profitability.

According to Nordea’s managing director, Christian Clausen, increased regulation of the financial sector has eroded the bank’s profits and forced it to become more cost-efficient.

“It’s never easy to increase efficiency. But we are acting proactively from a strong position,” Clausen told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Inspiring curiosity and understanding Most days Mohammed Husary devotes his energy to managing a successful business enterprise in one of the Middle East’s most modern and progressive Muslim countries – the United Arab Emirates. But when his regular workday is done, he turns his attention to another passion – developing and implementing an information campaign in European newspapers that he hopes will help dispel the many myths non-Muslims believe about Islam.

“It’s upsetting to read news articles and stories that fuel stereotypes of Muslims as intolerant terrorists. Islam is a religion that promotes peace and tolerance and I am trying to use my personal resources and efforts to help the general public appreciate the true nature of my religion,” says Husary, a devout Muslim living in Dubai, At the turn of the millennium, Husary and his brothers along with two partners launched UAS, a thriving Dubai-based business that provides flight services across the globe, it ranks today among the world’s top five flight support companies.

Husary’s success in business has enabled him to pursue a number of activities that he believes can help improve understanding of Islam among non-Muslims. In 2008, troubled by global incidents that Husary felt were tarring Islam’s image, he began implementing an information campaign in select European newspapers that he hoped would help change attitudes and help enlighten westerners about Islam. It’s a task he continues to expand upon today.

“In many ways, I feel helping to improve global understanding of Islam is my real work,” says Husary, adding that he is always

amazed and grateful for the numerous people he has met while traveling this path that are eager to use their skills and talents to help him because they believe in what he is doing.

“I am deeply passionate about my faith and I believe if I have been given the means to make a positive difference, I have a responsibility to do that,” he adds, noting that he also tries to live his faith and be an ambassador for Islam through his daily actions and words.

Mohammed ‘s favorite passages from the Quran are:

“O mankind! Lo! We have created you from male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct.”

(Al-Hujorat: 13)

“This teaching inspires me more than any other because it reminds Muslims that Islam is a universal and tolerant religion. It acknowledges that although there are many different nations and tribes, we must make efforts to know and understand all peoples and our conduct towards others must always be positive and good.”

To read more go to

www.islamgate.org

“By taking early steps to increase profitability, we can better secure our good rating, competitive funding and thereby improve our chances of offering clients products and services for the right prices. The alternative, to wait and see, is not an option.”

Nordea is currently negotiating with trade unions across Scandinavia about the decision to reduce its workforce, with talks expected to last until November.

Nordea hopes to reduce employment costs through voluntary redundancies.

Its Swedish and Finnish branches are expected cut up to 650 positions each, while in Norway about 300 people are expected to lose their jobs.

Nordea employs 34,000 people.

(PS)

Get a chance to win a trip to

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one of the most open and modern Muslim cities in the Arab world

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Free access to 65 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

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Send ansøgning og CV til hans@cphpost.dk mærk emne linje: Opsøgende salgskonsulent For mere information kontakt venligst Hans Hermansen, hans@cphpost.dk, tel.: 3336 3300

3888 3233 info@iasprog.dk www.iasprog.dk

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Intern

Rygaards International School Invites experienced, enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers, familiar with and experienced in British-style education, to apply for the following teaching position. Applicants should be lively, energetic and committed professional teachers. They must also be native English speakers. The job will be for October 2011.

The Copenhagen Post is seeking an Intern.

Rygaards School has a Danish and an International English-speaking school each teaching its own separate curriculum. Rygaards International School consists of Key Stages 1 – 4 (Years 1 – 11).

You will be assisting with various tasks including administration, events and customer support.

Rygaards is a Catholic school founded in 1909 by the Assumption sisters.

The school has strong ecumenical traditions and welcomes applicants who are interested in actively supporting Christian values. It would be an advantage but not a requirement that the applicant be willing to teach in the Catholic Religion Programme.

We are looking for a candidate who has completed or is currently pursuing a marketing-related or other relevant degree. You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and be able to work daily for approximately 20/25 hours per week. You should be an enthusiastic team-player with the ability to work independently at times. It would also be an advantage if you have a driving license.

The teaching position is as follows: • Junior trained Year 4 class teacher for a position in the Primary School.

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Terms of employment in accordance with contract between The Ministry of Finance and LC (Teaching Unions) Applications should be addressed to The Board of Governors and sent by e-mail to: The principal of Rygaards International School, Charles Dalton, charles.dalton@rygaards.com. Information about the school can be obtained from our website www.rygaards.com

The internship is unpaid.

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

Free access to 65 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

See more at copenhagencard.com

For more information please contact Hans Hermansen, hans@cphpost.dk, tel.: 3336 3300

THE COPENHAGEN POST 2 - 8 September 2011 SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE SPOUSE: Pooja Nirwal FROM: New Delhi, India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen and Capital region QUALIFICATION: Masters (M. Sc) in Environmental Science, +2 yrs of Exp. as Env. Consultant in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment LOOKING FOR: Positions in Consultancies/Organizations/NGOs working in the field of Environmental Science (Climate Change, EIA, Env. Compliance Audits, Solid Waste Management etc.)

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in English, Hindi and Sanskrit, Started learning Danish IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) CONTACT: poojadahiya1@gmail.com, +45 503 904 60 SPOUSE: Kaewkarn Kanchanavipu FROM: Thailand SEEKING WORK IN: Sales, marketing, project management, business processes, supply chain, HR and general management functions QUALIFICATION: M.Sc. International Business and Trade , School of Business Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Bachelor of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Certificate of Exchange Studies in Business Administration Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Austria; Certificate of Completion in STEPS, Saitama University, Japan EXPERIENCE: Three-year professional experience in sales, marketing, business development and project management. Proven record of achieving high performance in multiple markets: Norway, Sweden, Japan and Thailand in various industries. Able to devise and implement coherent organization strategies whilst improving internal process and procedures within a demanding environment, project deadlines and budgets. Area of expertise & experience: Operational management, sales, marketing, business development, project management, recruitment, customer service and administration.

LOOKING FOR: A challenging position that will utilize my skills and offer opportunities for future development as well as wish to make a significant contribution to the organization.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Japanese, Thai and novice Danish IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office CONTACT: Tel: +45 50 398 555 Email: kaew.crystal@gmail.com SPOUSE: Raffaele Menafra FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: A degree as Prevention techniques in Work and Workplaces.

EXPERIENCE: I worked 4 years in a rehabilitationclinic LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian (native), English, Danish (currently learning) IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office CONTACT: menafra1@yahoo.it SPOUSE: Steffen Schmidt FROM: Germany SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Structured Finance Proffesional LOOKING FOR: A challenging finance position in Copenhagen (preferable within Corporate Finance…)

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (native), English (business fluent) IT EXPERIENCE: MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint CONTACT: beffenmidt@gmail.com SPOUSE: Geet Shroff FROM: Bangalore, India SEEKING WORK IN: Midtjylland / Copenhagen / Odense QUALIFICATION: Bachelor’s degree in Communicative English from Bangalore University, India.

EXPERIENCE: 8+ years of experience as Senior Copy Writer, Assistant Manager – Marketing Communications, Executive – Customer Loyalty & Communication, Customer Service Associate respectively. Through these years, I have developed content, handled complete marketing communications, organized numerous corporate (internal & external customer), private and institutional events ranging from 50 to 1000 people and also handling special projects that have included training & internal communication campaigns.

LOOKING FOR: A Corporate or Marketing Communication (Internal or External) position or that of a Copy Writer at an advertising agency or a corporate house. Also open to a position at an event management company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Danish (Beginner) IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office, Adobe In Design CS3 (Basic) CONTACT: geet_shroff@yahoo.co.in +4550834024 SPOUSE: Miss Marta Guerrero FROM: Spain SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of English teacher for Primary Education. Bachelor of Psychologist for Education.

EXPERIENCE: Over the past five years I have worked in a Primary School in Barcelona as English teacher for children from 6 to 11 years old. Moreover, last year I gained experience teaching Spanish, as a foreign language, in the UK. I also have some experience teaching adults.

LOOKING FOR: Full time position as Spanish or English teacher in a Kindergarden, a Primary School or in a High School.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Spanish and Catalan (mother tongue). English (fluent speaking and writing).

IT EXPERIENCE: A good user of all the basic computer knowledge (Word, Excel, Power Point,...) as well as blog and web publication and maintenance.

CONTACT: martaguerrero13@gmail.com SPOUSE: Vivek Kanwar Singh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: 3 Years full time Bachelor in Fashion Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (India) EXPERIENCE: 8 years of experience working in India and Republic of Mauritius with Garment Manufacturing Companies. Worked as a Key Account Manager for many International Brands like: GAP, FRENCH CONNECTION, MARKS & SPENCERS, SAKS 5TH AVENUE, etc..

LOOKING FOR: Full time Job in Textiles, Fashion and Apparel Industry.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent-Writing/Reading), Hindi (Fluent-Writing/Reading), Danish (DU3, Module 2).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Certified System Engineer (no work experience though) CONTACT: vivekkanwarsingh@gmail.com, Mobile: +45-50179511

Make the most of your foreign employees – help their spouses find jobs Companies that hire foreign employees often find that it can be difficult for them to settle in if their family doesn’t feel at home here. A job for an accompanying spouse can be a decisive factor in whether that happens.

Workindenmark partners with companies ranging in size from major global companies to small companies hiring their first foreign employee.

We try to make it easier for public and private sector employers to find the right candidate for the job – and to make sure that they make the most of their new employees.

We offer new employees a welcome packet that includes information relating to their stay. We can often provide assistance in the employee’s native language.

We also invite companies to participate in Partner Link, our nationwide job bank for spouses.

Partner Link’s goal is to help companies retain foreign employees by helping their spouses find career opportunities here.

PARTNERS:

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK SPOUSE: Dr Bev Sithole FROM: Australia SEEKING WORK IN: Social science research, project management, proposal writing and project evaluations.

QUALIFICATION: PhD Applied Social Sciences; MSc Environmental Science; BA Hons Geography; Experiences in application of Participatory Approaches; Familiar with various project proposal writing frameworks.

EXPERIENCE: I am an experienced social scientist with interdisciplinary training and am also an experienced participatory research, planning and evaluation practitioner. I have worked on governance of natural resources and community development issues in southern Africa and Northern Australia for over 15 years. I have been team leader on a number of research and evaluation projects. I spent more than five years managing projects and writing project proposals involving many organizations [ in the Stockholm Environmental Institute, Sweden) and in the Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor, Indonesia and most recently at LIFE, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.]. I am an experienced communicator and facilitator.

LOOKING FOR: Short term or long term work in research, project management or proposal writing. Can deliver training in participatory approaches.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English IT EXPERIENCE: Basic computer skills.

CONTACT: Telephone. HP 27834333 Email: bev.sithole@gmail.com SPOUSE: IEUAN JONES FROM: UNITED KINGDOM SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen (Will travel if needed) QUALIFICATION: BA Hons and Professional Diploma, Town & Country Planning (Urban Design & 3rd World Development) EXPERIENCE: Over 7 years experience working as a Development Manager for one of the UK’s leading health and socialcare infrastructure companies, developing new health and community buildings.

LOOKING FOR: Opportunities to transfer and develop my skills and knowledge in Denmark. Ideally a full time position but I remain realistic and my options are open. I am more than happy to take on a part time role or work placement while I continue with my Danish course.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (Mother Tongue), learning Danish at Studieskolen, Borgergade IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Promap CONTACT: ieuandhjones@gmail.com Tel: +45 52 40 07 85 SPOUSE: Himani Kanwarpal FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Århus/ Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Completed Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and communication in the 2005 EXPERIENCE: I worked with Dell International Services India for 1 yr and 5 months as a Technical support agent. Thereafter, I was with SAP Labs from March 2007 till June 2011, where I worked on functional topics like SAP SCM F&R, SAP IS- Retail and SAP SCM APO DP. The profile mainly comprised of customizing and configuring SAP systems and also testing various scenarios. I also conducted training on functional topics and SAP’s automation tool called eCATT. LOOKING FOR: Full Time, part time, intern etc.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, learning Danish IT EXPERIENCE: Worked with SAP Labs for 4 yrs and 3 months and have functional experience with modules like: SAP IS Retail, SAP SCM F&R, SAP SCM APO DP. Worked with DELL International Services as a Technical Support associate.

CONTACT: himani.kanwarpal@gmail.com SPOUSE: Katarzyna Szkaradek FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Mental hospitals, voluntary(Ngo) organisations, kindergartens, nurseries, babysitting QUALIFICATION: Ma in Psychology (2008), post graduate studies in psychotherapy (4th year/ 5 year).

EXPERIENCE: I am a highly motivated and creative individual with excellent communication skills.

From January 2010 till August 2010 I worked independly in private practice. For the last 2 years (January ,2009 -October, 2010) I worked with children (also with special needs -Autism, Asperger, Down syndrome etc) and their families as a psychologist. My duties included organizing games, monitoring children’s development , consulting teachers and parents where appropriate and providing individual therapy. For the last 10 years I was member of NGO organisation and I was a volunteer in Israel, Italy, Portugal and Romania.

LOOKING FOR: internship in mental hospitals, part –time or full time jobs in kindergartens, nurseries, job as a babysitter , voluntary job in hospitals.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English–advance level (C1), Danish – (module 3 /module 5), Polish-native speaker IT EXPERIENCE: MS Windows, basic MS Office, Internet CONTACT: szkasienka@gmail.com tlf. 508 288 02 SPOUSE: Isabel Douglass FROM: San Francisco-USA SEEKING WORK IN: Music Education QUALIFICATION: BA in Music EXPERIENCE: 10 years of internationally touring performances and 7 years of accordion teaching experience.

LOOKING FOR: I offer piano accordion lessons to individuals and small groups. In the courses students will learn a repertoire of songs ranging in styles including French musette, Argentine Tango, and Klezmer while strengthening there technique and understanding of music theory.

Please visit www.myspace.com/isabeldouglass to learn more about me.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Native English Speaker CONTACT: isabeldouglass@gmail.com Phone: 60653401 SPOUSE: Andrea Heilmann FROM: Germany (Marburg) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Communications Manager & PR Consultant EXPERIENCE: I successfully work as Communications Consultant for a global company and have more than 10 years of experience with company communication and public relations as well as event management, executive assistance and project coordination. I also have a strong crosscultural understanding since I always worked with different cultures from all over the world.

LOOKING FOR: Communications, Public Relations or Event Management job LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), German (native) IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook; Lotus Notes; CMS; Acrobat Writer; PaintShop Pro CONTACT: andrea_heilmann@web.de, cell phone +49 160 3534209

Please contact us to learn more about what Workindenmark can offer you.

Workindenmark WEST Nordhavnsgade 4-6 8000 Århus C Tel. +45 72 22 33 60 Fax +45 72 22 33 77 E-mail: west@workindenmark.dk

Workindenmark EAST Skagensgade 37, 1.

2630 Høje Taastrup Tel. +45 72 22 33 00 Fax. +45 72 22 33 15 E-mail: east@workindenmark.dk Workindenmark SOUTH Dannebrogsgade 3 5000 Odense C Tel. +45 72 22 33 30 Fax +45 72 22 33 44 E-mail: south@workindenmark.dk

17

SPOUSE: Mayurika Saxena Sheth FROM: India/USA SEEKING WORK IN: (Copenhagen, Kobenhavn & nearby areas, Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MCA, PGDMM(MATERIALS), B.SC (COMPUTERS) CERTIFICATIONS: CSTE, CSQA, GREEN BELT SIX SIGMA, TSP/PSP EXPERIENCE: Eleven years of software development work/IT/BUSINESS experience with prestigious organizations (onsite and offshore): Microsoft, General Electric, Primus Telecommunications (AUSTRALIA), CitiFINANCIAL(USA), ISS and Imany LOOKING FOR: Full Time Job in IT, Management, Consulting or Business/Financial Field.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: ENGLISH fluent, HINDI fluent, DANISH AND SPANISH (Beginner) IT EXPERIENCE: Testing tools like Test Director, Quality Center, Access Server, Product Studio, Polyspace Analysis, .NET testing, Web Page testing, Electronic Appliances testing, development in Winrunner, ASP, HTML, JavaScript, VBScript, Jscript, Oracle, Cold Fusion, SQL, Access, COM/DCOM, MTS, Siebel as well as UNIX, Tuxedo, C, PL/SQL, VB.Net/ ASP .Net, VB.Net. C#.

CONTACT: mayurika.s@gmail.com Tel +45 7169 5401 SPOUSE: Barbara Liengaard FROM: Germany SEEKING WORK IN: (Greater) Copenhagen and surroundings QUALIFICATION: Bachelor degree in Business Administration (Germany/France) EXPERIENCE: Profound 10-years’ working experience in strategic and operational marketing, product/brand and project management from different big globally acting companies (automotive supplier, white goods and medical industry), working/cultural experience from different countries (Germany, France, Spain, U.S.A., U.K., China, Denmark), first working experience in Denmark.

LOOKING FOR: A challenging job opportunity in e.g. marketing, product/brand and/ or project management, import/export; preferably in an international-minded working environment or with particular need for German.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (fluent), Danish (PD3 Prøvebevis), Spanish (good) IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Outlook, Power Point, Excel, Word), SAP (CMD-AP) CONTACT: babolz@yahoo.com SPOUSE: Chia-Pei CHEN FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching in corporations, institutions or International schools.

QUALIFICATION: A certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language. A degree in Social Science discipline. Continuously participation in training program (organized by Beijing Hanban of CHINA and CBS) to teach Chinese to foreigners in western context. Enrolment to distance Chinese teaching education system that keeps professional Chinese teachers resourceful.

EXPERIENCE: I am a certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language to foreigners.

And I have started teaching Chinese with English in my class for 2 years. I design suitable materials to teach Chinese with different phonetic systems (PinYin for China and HongKong, and Mandarin Phonetic Symbols for Taiwan) as well as to interpret differences between simplified and traditional Chinese characters. My past positions were Chinese language-related, such as: reporter, translator and social science researcher. Students who I taught before regard me as a sincere, discreet teacher who helps learners to progress in short time.

LOOKING FOR: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese (mother tongue), English (Fluent), French (basic), Danish (beginner) IT EXPERIENCE: Word Office, SPSS statistic software, Basic Video and Audio editing, Blog writing CONTACT: teacherchen@live.com, Tel: 25 81 65 18 SPOUSE: Cindy Chu FROM: Hong Kong SEEKING WORK IN: Anywhere in Denmark QUALIFICATION: MSc in Marketing from Brunel University (West London), B.A. in English for Professional Communication from City University of Hong Kong EXPERIENCE: 4 years experience on strategy planning in marketing, project management and consumer research. I have 3 years experience working in global research agency as a project manager and a research executive for multinational marketing projects. I worked closely with marketing team for data analysis and delivering actionable insights. I am familiar with working with staffs and clients form different countries. I have also as a PR officer in a NGO for 1 year.

LOOKING FOR: Jobs in project management, marketing and PR field LANGUAGE SKILLS: Cantonese (Mother tongue), Mandarin (Native speaker), English (Professional), Danish (Beginner) IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SPSS, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator CONTACT: chocolate3407@gmail.com, +45 22 89 34 07 SPOUSE: Attila Simon FROM: Romania SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: International Welding Engineer (IWE/EWE), MSc in Welding Engineering, MSc in Flexible Manufacturing Systems, MSc in Quality Assurance of Metallic Structures EXPERIENCE: 10+ years experience in designing and manufacturing railway wagons, buses, trolleybuses and their subsystems. More than 7 years international project management experience in these areas. More than 2 years experience in industrial trading and investments LOOKING FOR: Transport, railway or welding related engineering job, also project management positions LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent speaking and writing), Danish (intermediate), Hungarian (mother tongue), Romanian (native speaker) IT EXPERIENCE: Several years experience working with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ProgeCAD and VariCAD. User level of Microsoft Office CONTACT: attilon2@gmail.com; tel.: 28316752 SPOUSE: Dolon Roy FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Sjælland QUALIFICATION: Masters in Science(Chemistry), BEd.(Teacher training course) EXPERIENCE: St. John Diocessan School February-May 2005, Kolkata, India. The Assembly of God Church School April-May 2006, Kolkata, India. Disari Public School June 2006-October 2007, India.

Research project work Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen University, March-July 2009 LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time work teaching in primary,secondary or higher school level (Chemistry, Mathematics, Science) LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Bengali, Danish (modul 3/modul 5) IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft office CONTACT: dolonroy2005@yahoo.com. Mob: +45 60668239

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE WHY: The Copenhagen Post wishes to help spouses looking for jobs in Denmark. We have on our own initiative started a weekly spouse job page in The Copenhagen Post, with the aim to show that there are already within Denmark many highly educated international candidates looking for jobs.

If you are a spouse to an international employee in Denmark looking for new career opportunities, you are welcome to send a profile to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible.

18

culture

The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

2 - 8 September 2011

danish bands hiting the road in greater numbers Music acts Medina, Ice age, Turboweekend, and oh Land leading the charge

T

he following months will see Danish bands hitting the road in search for international recognition, heading as far as Canada and the United States. Many reasons explain this big leap from their homeland and the rising popularity of Danish artists overseas and in the rest of Europe. For the past decade, eyes have been driven towards Scandinavian cultural hubs for their fashion- forward style, trendy way of life and innovative society. With artists from around the world creating a niche in Denmark, and the country being repeatedly praised for its design creations and quality of life in fashion and travel magazines – “Great Dane!” shouts the cover title of the August edition of Canada’s national enRoute magazine – word has it Denmark is the new place to be or, at least, want to be.

Such a trend has had a direct impact on the Danish music industry.

National musical acts have been changing their touring plans, abandoning Denmark for more exotic destinations.

In August and September, singer/songwriter Agnes Obel is heading to Spain, indie group Treefight for Sunlight to England, while rock band Turboweekend is playing in Poland. Danish punk group Ice Age and pop princess Oh

Land are even crossing the pond to the States and to Canada.

The reason for their leap is clear – they do it because they can.

“If you look at the number of successful Danish bands in foreign countries, it has exploded. There have never been so many Danish bands who are involved in international markets and who get deals with foreign record labels”, Thomas Rhode, headdirector of Music Export Denmark, which is responsible for helping Danish musicians in foreign countries, told Urban newspaper.

According to international critics, the quality of Danish music has improved.

“When it comes to new music, Denmark is one of the most exciting places in Europe right now,” said British magazine The Line of Best Fit last September, while Neil McCormick from the UK’s Daily Telegraph said “Turns out there is more to Danish music than ‘Barbie Girl’”. Pitchfork media, meanwhile, called teenage punks Ice Age a “refreshing and extraordinary debut”.

Rhode refers to this rising popularity as the Danish Music Wave, which is currently overtaking the one in Sweden, with Danish pop singles like Medina’s ‘Addiction’ taking over foreign dancefloors.

“We are no longer Sweden’s little brother. Danish bands have been more confident and more willing to conceptualise themselves. They have been trying to work harder,” Lisa Marxe – manager of the bands When Saint Go

Hans Jørn storgaard andersen

Valerie Mathis

Medina’s ‘Addiction’ taking over foreign dancefloors.

Machine, Oh No Ono and Treefight for Sunlight – told Urban.

“Denmark is the new Sweden,” declared Germany’s Piranha magazine.

Danish artists Realistically know they need to export themselves and their music. The country is simply too small – which makes it difficult for fulltime bands to make a living.

“You used to be only able to earn your money from record sales, but now you need to do concerts, radios and smaller channels,” said Rhode. With

such a small public, a success story in Denmark is not guaranteed to pay rent, whereas one in Germany, where the population is 16 times larger, is.

For emerging Danish bands, travelling short distances to nearby countries like Austria and Switzerland is no big risk, especially if it means the opportunity to break into smaller music markets that are not as tough as the ones in the UK or in the US. Also, more concerts mean more money and a larger safety net to fall back on.

It is obvious that Denmark’s new international recognition is not enough to take its artists to the top. The slope is still a steep one in neighbouring countries, and more so across the ocean, particularly in the current economic crisis – but the possibilities are still there.

The country can only hope that it’sNew Music Wave is here to stay – and that comments such as “Danish Music is Cool as F**k” (New Musical Express) will continue to populate tabloids and magazines.

text 23

He is the rather rich part-owner of a jewellery brand, and the man who didn’t get married to movie star Tara Reid.

Which jewellery brand?

Shamballa

Yang Jingzhong, Xinhau news agencY

S

candinavia’s largest jewellery and watches fair closed here Sunday, having showcased minimalist and provocative Nordic luxury designs.

Some 200 jewellery manufacturers, designers, goldsmiths and watchmakers featured at the tenth annual Copenhagen Jewellery Fair. Top brands provided a glimpse at the most important jewellery trends for the autumnwinter season.

“The Copenhagen Jewellery Fair is strategically the most important event in Scandinavia,” said Christoffer Ritzau, the Executive director of The Copenhagen Jewellery Association, which organises the fair.

“A number of new and interesting exhibitors, both national and international, have found their way to Copenhagen,” he told Xinhua at the four-day long event, held at the Bella Center.

The spirit of Nordic jewellery design is its minimalism. It is best

recognised by its simple form, enhanced by the use of basic shapes and the monochromatic palette of primary colours. It also has a tradition of using art Deco elements and injecting old silverware with new vitality.

A classic example is Danish luxury goods brand George Jensen, makers of high-end silverware since 1904, and still renowned for its watches, bracelets, armbands and rings, as well as its luxury lifestyle products.

However, at the jewellery fair, it was goldsmith Frans Middelhoek from the Netherlands who walked away with the Brand New Copenhagen Award, the fair’s top prize for innovative design by a young designer.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Christina Larsen of Denmark picked up the Bella Nordic Jewellery Award for best goldsmith in the Nordic region, beating a field of 10 competitors.

The Copenhagen Jewellery Fair is the biggest international trade event in the Nordic region dedicated to the jewellery and luxury fashion accessories industry.

uhhh … never heard of it.

Don’t worry. It just means that you’re not ridiculously rich nor part of the Hollywood A-list.

What do you mean?

Shamballa jewellery has been worn by, amongst others, Jay-Z, Gwyneth Paltrow and Boris Becker. Starlounge.dk wrote in April that Lillelund had given his “good friend” Justin Bieber two bracelets valued at 10,000kr after Bieber’s concert in Herning.

So what do they make?

Very pretty stuff, actually. Although, it is very expensive, and you can actually make something which looks much the same (in my view, of course) using a jewellery kit from Panduro.

But doesn’t their jewellery hold a special meaning?

Yes it does. According to their website the pieces “welcome the memory of our infinite love and deep-rooted compassion towards ourselves and others”. english is not my mother-tongue, so what exactly does that mean?

colourbox

li Mu

nordic design sparkles at fair Who is ... Michael Lillelund? The Copenhagen Post Victoria steffensen Quick Crossword

No 360

English is my mother tongue, and I can honestly tell you that it means absolutely nothing.

Actually, it sounds very inspiring.

Maybe you should look at their website www.shamballajewels. com. You’ll find plenty more of that inspirational drivel there.

So what’s that about his nonmarriage?

The gossip columns recently reported that he had married his girlfriend, Tara Reid, an actress whose ability to attend loads of parties - and get very loaded - is likened to Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan. She has starred in, amongst other things, ‘American Pie’ and ‘The Big Lebowski’. She meanwhile decided to spend her honeymoon in the series of ‘UK Celebrity Big Brother’.

So he didn’t marry her?

No, Lillelund and Reid had been an item, but they broke up in February of this year. He told journalists that he was in the US with another girl at the time in question, and not on a Greek island getting married to Reid. He did, however, tell starlounge.dk that if Reid had indeed got married, he wished her all the best.

Across 1.

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Loving (12) Abate (3, 2) 144 (5) Equip (3) Life (9) Shrewd (6) Wail (6) Story (9) Dine (3) Darkness (5) Journal (5) Intrepidity (12)

Down 1.

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Proper (12) Sever (3) Mar (6) Bargain (9) Prickle (5) Showy (12) Gentle (5) Remover (9) Foe (5) Centre (6) Rascal (5) Idiot (3)

Post Quick Crossword No 359 Across: 4 Captive; 8 Annual; 9 Affable; 10 Choice; 11 Untrue; 12 Resolute; 18 Retrieve; 20 Gemini; 21 Claims; 22 Deposit; 23 Etcher; 24 Message.

Down: 1 Mascara; 2 Endorse; 3 Rascal; 5 Affluent; 6 Traits; 7 Valour; 13 Uprising; 14 Delight; 15 Dessert; 16 Serene; 17 Pilots; 19 Relate.

2 - 8 September 2011

Denmark through the looking glass The Copenhagen poST CphpoST.dk

19

how high heels convinced Lili to give up her willy Alexis KunsAK

T

he world’s first official gender reassignment surgery took place in Germany on 5 March 1930, when the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener chose to become Lili Elbe. Afterwards Elbe wrote her version of the story in her autobiography, published with the title ‘From Man to Woman - Lili Elbe’s Confession’. Her story is receiving wider attention at the moment as the inspiration for American author David Ebershoff’s novel ‘The Danish Girl’ (2000), with a movie starring Nicole Kidman as EinarLili on the way.

Wegener was born in Vejle in 1882.

She later recalled that she was a feminine boy who enjoyed the same kinds of crafts and activities as the women in her family.

Initially, however, the young man never had any early doubts about his sexuality and fell in love with Gerda Gottlieb, a fellow student at the art academy in Copenhagen. In 1904 they got married and were inseparable. They moved to Paris together in 1912 and Gerda Wegener became a successful illustrator for Vogue and other big-name fashion magazines.

Had his wife not been an artist, it’s doubtful whether Lili would have ever

come into being. An actress who Gerda was drawing a portrait of was late for their appointment, so her husband stepped in to replace her, slipping on a pair of stockings and heels to pose instead.

According to Lili’s autobiography, when the actual woman arrived and saw Einar Wegener in her clothes she was thrilled. “You are gorgeous! You are much better looking as a woman than as a man. I am sure you were a woman in a previous life … unless nature is guilty of a small mistake.” Einar felt comfortable in women’s clothing and being Lili allowed him to let loose at parties and have fun. During carnival season he loved to dress up as Lili and get lost in the crowd.

Gerda used Lili for her fashion illustrations, painting her as a distinctive almond-eyed beauty.

Slowly Lili developed into a complete personality and became much more than a role Einar adopted for fun.

Lili had “her own acquaintances and experiences and habits, which had nothing at all to do with me”, Einar wrote in a letter at the time.

Gerda supported Lili through the whole ordeal, and often introduced her to people as her sister. But the psychic split between being Lili and Einar was

it’s a queen! But something in lili’s expression suggests she’s not so sure

too much for Einar to bear. He was often tired and depressed, and regularly got terrible nosebleeds.

Doctors dismissed his problems as hysteria or repressed homosexuality, and Einar was close to suicidal when a friend of the couple arranged an examination for him at Magnus H i r s c h f e l d ’s Institute für Sexualwissenschaft (Sexual Research) in Berlin.

The German doctor and sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld had founded the institute in 1919 as a research facility, being himself an early defender of gay rights. After years of working with those between established genders, Hirschfeld invented the term ‘transsexual’ to describe people who did not feel at home in their born gender.

An examination of Einar found he was well suited to gender reassignment

surgery, because in addition to his male organs, he had partially developed female ones. This kind of surgery was still in an experimental phase and did not focus on hormones but on the necessary physical changes. Hirschfeld supervised the first surgery, during which Einar’s testicles were removed.

Lili succeeded in changing her name and gender, and received a new Danish passport with her new gender.

She took the name of the river in Dresden where several of the later surgeries took place, the Elbe. The case received a lot of attention in Denmark, and Gerda and Einar’s marriage was officially invalidated in 1930.

After becoming a woman, Lili was not content in her new gender. She became paranoid, believing she had murdered Einar and was being stalked and

You are gorgeous! You are much better looking as a woman than as a man. I am sure you were a woman in a previous life … unless nature is guilty of a small mistake.

hunted because of her story. Gerda Wegener moved to Italy and remarried, while Lili moved back to Denmark in confusion.

Eventually she went public with her gender change, which gave her some relief when the sensation caused Einar’s paintings to sell extremely well. Lili herself did not paint - only Einar was the artist. Women she had never met wrote her glowing letters, relating to her story about being trapped between genders. In her book Lili wrote that she hoped she had “perhaps succeeded in building a small bridge over the gulf that otherwise divides men and women”.

Four more operations followed in order to realise Lili’s strong desire to become a mother. The last surgery was carried out in 1931, but weakened Lili so much that she was never again able to get out of bed, and she died shortly afterwards in Dresden.

The cause of death was determined to be “transplant rejection” - the fatal surgery intended to transplant a uterus, so that Lili could have children.

She had already written about her experiences, and these were published shortly after her death in 1931. The film ‘The Danish Girl’, providing it can find a director, is due out next year.

only ‘einar’ could paint – which was convenient for lili during carnival season

The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dk

Welcome Reception and

Copenhagen Expat Fair Meet more than 50 clubs and associations

13 September 2011 Copenhagen City Hall LIVE

3:30 pm – 6:30 pm ~ Copenhagen Expat Fair Joining a sports club or any leisure activities is a great way performances to meet Danes and fellow expats.

Denmark is a country with many clubs and associations.

At the Copenhagen Expat Fair, you have the chance to talk to members from various clubs and associations from the Greater Copenhagen Area about what they can offer you and your family and how to sign up.

4:00 pm ~ Official welcome by Anna Mee Allerslev, Mayor of Employment and Integration.

The City of Copenhagen and Mayor, Anna Mee Allerslev, would like to welcome you officially to Copenhagen.

Also, we are happy to announce The President of The National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark, Niels Nygaard as our guest speaker.

After the two presentations, the world famous "City Hall Pancakes" will be served.

Many kind regards, City of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Post and Spousecare Please enter through the Main Entrance facing Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square)

Win a club membership up to 1000 kr.

Please register at: http://www.kk.dk/cphinternational

We look forward to seeing you!

Supported by:

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper