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The start of May promises to be lousy, but soon the sleet (we know!), frosty morning and rain will give way to a warmer than average summer
The new citizens of Denmark, all 2,200 of them, were waving their Dannebrogs at Christiansborg on Sunday with a new sense of belonging
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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH VOL 19 ISSUE 15
CPHPOST.DK 22 - 28 April 2016
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CLIM BING THE KORE AN LADD ER
NEWS Vesterbro is getting its own foodie market
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NEWS
Roskilde terror threat Volunteers trained to be vigilant to avert attacks
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Swedish nationalists patrolling Øresund to keep refugees out Border controls delaying commuters, but not doing enough to stop human smugglers, complain vigilantes
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the road and rail border checks. Can’t live together ACCORDING to Dennis Ljung, the group’s founder, there are few coastguards active in the waters, and the vigilantes are often left to impede the progress of the smugglers with their boats. “Swedish and Norwegians can’t live together with Islamic people,” he told RT. “It’s not going to work.”
sibility of merging their separate border controls to reduce the travel time between the countries, which has increased by a full hour due to three lengthy stops on the journey. The justice minister, Søren Pind, has met his Swedish counterpart, Anders Ygeman, to discuss the option of having just one border control located at Copenhagen Airport, thus eliminating stops at Hyllie and Malmö.
Three lengthy stops MEANWHILE, Denmark and Sweden are looking into the pos-
Mostly not working IN RELATED news, the Confederation of Danish Employers
(DA) has revealed that 88 percent of refugees who obtained a residence permit in 2013 were on public benefits two years later. Just 4.2 percent of refugees of a working age who received a residence permit in 2013 had found a regular job, while 5.3 percent were taking an education and 2.5 percent had started their own business. Nevertheless, there is hope the recent three-party deal will make it easier for refugees to find work, and the DA survey reveals the vast majority of companies are keen to employ them. (CW/RW)
Thank God It’s … Fab
GROUP of nationalist vigilantes from Sweden are patrolling the Øresund in speedboats to monitor the 5km stretch between Denmark and Sweden in an effort to prevent illegal immigration. Nationell Framtid (National Future) complains that coastal border guards are not doing enough to stop the refugees and migrants attempting to bypass
The same everywhere, and that’s its beauty
Trinket time at Tivoli
Westeros in Vesterbro
Lowest child inequality
Denmark at war
A FLEA market at Tivoli this Sunday will be selling all manner of memorabilia, including costumes, keychains and even hearts from its festive heart tree. Everything will be sold on a first come, first served basis between 11am and 4pm in the Lumbye Salen area. “We’re just not very good at throwing things out,” said Tivoli spokesperson Torben Plank.
THE GAME of Thrones exhibition ‘The Hall of Faces’ arrives in fortress Copenhagen next month where it will be setting up camp at Øksnehallen from May 7-10. The attractions include props, costumes, a chance to pose with Arya Stark’s legendary sword ‘Needle’, and having your face put in the Hall of Faces via an app. Entry is free of charge.
DENMARK has the lowest level of inequality among children, according to UNICEF’s latest Innocenti Report Card that evaluates children’s living conditions in 41 EU and OECD countries. The results comprise data based on the inequality of income, educational achievement, self-reported health, and life satisfaction. Israel and Turkey ranked lowest.
ON TUESDAY, a parliamentary majority voted in favour of sending both ground and air forces to fight Islamic State in Syria and Iraq after a five-hour long session. In joining the US-led international coalition, Denmark will send F16 fighter jets, special forces and a C-130J transport aircraft carrying 400 Danish soldiers to Syria.
COMMUNITY US transport secretary tours capital’s bike lanes
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ONLINE THIS WEEK FROM 2019 to 2027, the number of Copenhageners over the age of 80 is expected to increase, predicts City Hall, which is accordingly aiming to provide 1,000 new assisted living residences built for the elderly by 2029. Currently, the capital has the lowest average age in the country at 35.9 years old, but that is about to change.
Driverless car trial COPENHAGEN Municipality is looking into the possibility of a driverless car trial in the Nordhavn district, the home of the EnergyLab Nordhavn project, a growing urban lab that aims to document how electricity, heating, energy-efficient buildings and electrical transport can be merged into an intelligent, flexible and optimised energy system.
More flood protection
Housing shortage A NEW REPORT from City Hall has revealed that some 45,000 new households are needed in the capital by 2027. The report showed that the population in Copenhagen is expected to grow rapidly by an additional 100,000 people over the next ten years due to more people being born in the capital and more people moving in from abroad.
Three men were slain in a flat in Frederiksberg in November CHRISTIAN WENANDE
T
HE POLICE have over the last week arrested 11 people in connection with the triple homicide that took place in Frederiksberg late last year. Eight have been charged and five have connections to the Bandidos biker gang. The charges include murder, aiding and abetting in murder and violation of the weapons law. The other three were released after giving statements. All over Zealand THE POLICE targeted 13 specific addresses across Zealand to make nine of the arrests on Monday, after days earlier picking up
THE ANNUAL cleaning of Copenhagen Harbour and the city’s canals has netted an impressive array of rubbish, according to harbour operator By & Havn. Since March, divers have found 90 tonnes of rubbish, including bicycles, shopping carts, cafe chairs, traffic cones, signs, tractor tyres, walkers and, in once case, a money safe.
Cargo bike race for Mum
The police executed a 13-raid operation across Zealand on Monday
two men in Greater Copenhagen, who they charged with supplying a handgun and ammunition used in the shooting. Suhaib Jaffar, 23, Mike
Vinther, 24, and Philip Rasmussen, 19, were found murdered in an apartment on Christian Paulsens Vej in Frederiksberg on November 11.
THE CAPITAL is staging a 7 km cargo bicycle race to mark Mother’s Day at 11 am on May 8, although the first across the finish line won’t win anything. Instead awards will be handed out according to appearance and team spirit. Organised by the jeweller Pandora, there is only one rule: the cyclist’s mother must be in the cargo box. Entry costs 75 kroner.
Vesterbro to get its own foodie market Run-down shopping centre to get a long overdue facelift CHRISTIAN WENANDE
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NEW VESTERBRO food market with upwards of 80 stalls will function as a blend of Copenhagen Street Food and the Torvehallerne food market, selling fresh goods, specialties and street food. ‘WestMarket’ will open at the redeveloped Toves Galleri shopping centre (Vesterbrogade 97) in the autumn once work has been completed to let in more light, incorporate a higher ceiling and give it a more appealing façade. Like TriBeCa “LIKE TRIBECA in New York, Vesterbro attracts young people, creatives and folks who enjoy life,” a promotional document
Tourists and hedonists will soon have another reason to visit Vesterbro
explained. “They love the relaxed and more informal atmospheres in town.” “And now, with WestMarket,
they will get an offer where they can shop, eat, drink and meet with friends and acquaintances in one location.”
Stall spaces will range from 12.5 to 40 sqm in size, with the smallest ones costing 11,040 kroner per month.
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What a load of rubbish
ISTOCK
CITY HALL has green-lighted 11 projects worth almost 400 million kroner that aim to better protect the capital from flooding. The project will protect some 80,000 households against the type of flooding that caused billions of kroner in damages in recent years. The 11 projects are focused on medium to high-risk flood zones.
Eight charged in triple murder case SIMON WEDEGE PETERSEN
More elderly on the way
22 - 28 April 2016
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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
22 - 28 April 2016
Born in Denmark, at home in South Korea, heart and Seoul! MIN JUNG KIM
T
HIS MAN learned 11 languages in three months,” the Google ad proclaims. And it’s true: with hyperpolyglots comes a lot of hyperbole. You click on the link and discover they were all related to two he already knew. And none of them were Korean! In the case of Sofie Brodersen, an Aarhusian polyglot who already spoke five languages, her mastering of the East Asian tongue was more than another notch on her lingual ladder, it was a necessity. Her husband, Stig, is a Korean adoptee, but doesn’t speak the language, and this motivated Brodersen to start browsing YouTube for online learning materials. Once she started, there was no looking back, as textbooks were ordered and her original incentive to help hubby soon became a secondary one. “In the beginning I wanted to learn the basics and teach them to him as well, and I did succeed in teaching him basic phrases,” she told the Copenhagen Post Weekly. “But I’ve mainly learned Korean for myself!” Contest winner, media star IT IS NO exaggeration when Brodersen professes to having a “love affair” with the Korean language, and this really blossomed last year when she won a speech contest organised by the South Korean Embassy in Denmark. “I fell completely in love with Korean, there is no doubt. It’s an ongoing love affair” she said. The success brought her unexpected fame in South Korea as the Danish woman who had learned the language to teach her husband. The mainstream media – including the Yonhap News Agency, the Chosun Ilbo and the Korea Joongang Daily – jumped on the story, generating traffic for her blog, sofietokorea. com, where she shares her tips for learning Korean. The turnaround BRODERSEN has always felt
SOFIE’S TIPS FOR LEARNING KOREAN
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Introducing Sofie Brodersen, a student who taught herself the East Asian language via YouTube and podcasts
• Exposure is key, for example watching TV dramas, texting with friends, and listening to podcasts and audio books. • Read books in Korean that you have already read in Danish or English • Find a language exchange partner to spur you on. • Practise in your own company: “It’s just a matter of getting words out of your mouth, it doesn’t matter if you are talking to someone or not.” ‘This is so amazing, I love being here and I could see myself living here,’ so I said: ‘Why don’t we?’” Brodersen has since landed a job in Seoul working as an exchange professor from Aarhus University. She starts in August, and her husband has even changed his tune about learning the language, stating he intends to learn it when he arrives.
“It’s not that Danish people are rude or anything, but I really felt that Korean people go that extra mile to make the others feel comfortable … and I like that a lot”
Sofie’s admirers included South Korean ambassador Young-sam Ma (top) and her hubby Stig
strangely drawn to South Korea, and ahead of the couple paying their first visit to the country together in 2014, she was the driving force. “Since I love my husband, of course I was interested in his background even though he didn’t find it very significant,”
she said. “He didn’t really have this wish to go – he wasn’t that curious. I sort of talked him into going.” Her husband had previously been there when he was nine, and it left a less than brilliant impression – possibly because he and his family mostly stayed
in the countryside. “I think he was a bit biased that they eat nothing but kimchi soup and rice – even for breakfast,” she joked. “But he soon realised Seoul is actually super cool and very modern. He didn’t really remember any of that. And he was just:
A different culture BRODERSEN has observed many differences between Denmark and South Korea – particularly the way life is so fast in the Asian country, but people still managed remain friendly and kind. “It’s not that Danish people are rude or anything, but I really felt that Korean people go that extra mile to make the others feel comfortable … and I like that a lot,” she said. But despite the contrasts, Brodersen knows she is making the right decision. “In a strange way even though it felt completely different from anything that I was used to,” she said. “It just felt like home.”
NEWS
22 - 28 April 2016
Shocked by Sudanese deaths DDG
Danish Refugee Council still evaluating situation following deaths of two of its employees CHRISTIAN WENANDE
T
WO EMPLOYEES of the Danish Demining Group (DDG), which operates in the Yei region of South Sudan, were shot dead by unknown gunmen last week. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), which oversees the DDG’s operations, has accordingly ceased all activities in the region. The Sudanese workers were on their way to a work site when they were ambushed on the road. Five other DDG employees in the vehicle escaped unharmed. It remains unclear why the attack occurred. Dangerous territory “WE’VE STOPPED our activi-
Demining was already dangerous enough
ties,” Christian Jacob Hansen, the divisional head of the Danish Refugee Council, confirmed to Metroxpress. “We’ve done so in order to get to the bottom of the specific circumstances of the situation.” The Danish Refugee Council has been operating in the area that is now South Sudan since
2005. DDG followed suit in 2006. Over 50 aid workers have been killed in South Sudan since the civil war broke out about two years ago. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since then and around a million have been forced to flee their homes.
ONLINE THIS WEEK
Elite aid record
ANJA RINGGREN Lovén, a Danish orphanage owner whose Facebook post about saving a malnourished Nigerian child went viral earlier this year, has told DR she fears the Nigerian government will close the orphanage and “kill all hope to shut the story down”. Lovén helps abandoned ‘witch children’ – those believed to be possessed by evil spirits.
DENMARK is one of six nations that lives up to the UN target to donate over 0.7 percent of its GNI in development aid. Sweden (1.40) gave the most, followed by Norway (1.05), Luxembourg (0.93) Denmark (0.85), the Netherlands (0.76) and the UK (0.71). However, about 30 percent of the total is spent in Denmark. Just eight years ago, that figure was 2 percent.
Siphoned off for salaries
NY court case begins
UP TO 4.2 million kroner in Danish development assistance has ended up in the wrong pockets, according to Altinget. The money was earmarked for building schools in Afghanistan, but instead ended up paying salaries. The Foreign Ministry has replaced the missing funds, but noted that has a zero tolerance policy about such cases.
THE CASE of Malthe Thomsen, 24, the Dane falsely accused and then jailed on charges of paedophilia in New York in 2014, has been adjourned until June. Thomsen, who is seeking damages of 48 million kroner, has said the money isn’t an issue and that his mail goal is forcing changes to the criminal justice system.
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ONLINE THIS WEEK Big 20 for homeless rag
Trained to deter terror
Dane a ‘most wanted’ FRAUDSTER Kurt Henningsen Schmidt, who is wanted in connection with a 1.3 million kroner case, has been placed on Europol’s most wanted list for European fugitives. He joins the only other Dane on the list, ‘The Jaguar’ – taxi driver killer Ahmad Isaac Rahma, whose daughter Jasmin won the 2014 edition of ‘X Factor’.
Rural exodus
Prince consort no more PRINCE Henrik of Denmark, the husband of Queen Margethe II, will stop using his official title ‘Prince Consort’ – a moniker he fought for and won in 2005 when he was prohibited from officially using the title of king. Prince Henrik, 81, recently retired from his royal duties, and the Royal House told Ekstra Bladet “it better suits his current situation”.
Right-turn green light
Arson at school A SUNDAY evening fire at Tilst School near Aarhus was deliberately started, according to East Jutland Police. They believe a window was broken and liquid was then poured through and set alight. The fire was quickly extinguished and there were no injuries. Ten classrooms suffered serious smoke damage.
ONLINE THIS WEEK
JENS DIGE / ROCKPHOTO
HOMELESS monthly newspaper Hus Forbi is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. Inspired by New York’s Street News (1989) and London’s The Big Issue (1991), 90,000 copies are sold every month by around 2,200 sellers (up from 625 in 2011) – mostly outside supermarkets and stations. It costs 20 kroner, of which 10kr goes to the seller.
22 - 28 April 2016
“Two snipers, 12 o’clock”
Roskilde Festival’s volunteers will this year be extra vigilant in the face of a potential attack LUCIE RYCHLA
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ITHOUT its 25,000 volunteers, the Roskilde Festival would struggle to put on a show, but this year they are being asked to play an even more vital role, reports the
DR radio station P4. The volunteers are attending evening courses organised by the Danish intelligence agency, PET, where they are learning how to spot suspicious people as part of the festival’s efforts to protect guests from potential terror attacks. Increased security “PET IS making sure our vol-
unteers know what to do when they see something unusual,” Morten Therkildsen, the head of security at Roskilde Festival, told P4. “We always have to be better [at providing security], and this year there will be some small changes because we have decided to increase security at events to prevent terror attacks.”
Warmer than average summer predicted See out two more weeks of sleet and rain, and sunnier climes will take over, promises DMI
been waiting for spring to start. However, first they will have to ride out two more weeks of bad weather, as rain and even sleet moves in this weekend, bringing overnight frost to some places.
than average temperature – a full degree above normal throughout the period. “A high pressure system will build up west of the country starting in June, resulting in a dominant northwesterly or northerly airflow over the country, creating the opportunity for a dry and sunny period,” explained DMI.
MORE DANES are leaving their rural homes for the city, according to Nykredit bank. Between 2010 and 2016 the population of urban Copenhagen increased from 1,181,239 to 1,280,371 people while the rural districts’ population fell from 728,882 to 695,306. Some 38 percent of all Danes live in a large city – a 6 percentage point increase on 2010.
ONG-TERM predictions from national weather service DMI project there could actually be a summer in Denmark this year, which comes as a surprise to those who have
L
Full degree warmer IN MID-MAY, the weather will improve, bringing more sunshine, less rain and warmer
Funen-Zealand delays
More pollution scrutiny
Sex video concerns deepen Speed controls in force
COMMUTERS travelling in Funen and Zealand face delays and cancellations due to rail maintenance during two periods in May. According to rail operator Banedanmark, no trains will travel between Odense and Roskilde from May 4-8 (Ascension Day bank holiday weekend) and between Odense and Nyborg from May 13-17.
THERE should be more public scrutiny of the companies that could potentially cause pollution, agrees a majority in Parliament, who have called for stricter rules and an explanation from the government regarding an environmental disaster in Frederica in February that saw 12,000 tonnes of fertiliser and 2,266 tonnes of oil released into the sea.
STUDENTS at Horsens Statsskole in east Jutland willingly participate in sexually explicit ‘initiation’ rituals to become a member of the school’s party committee – many of which have been videoed and shared via social media. In one clip, a boy had a dildo kicked up his back passage, while another showed boys shaving one another’s pubic hair.
RAY WEAVER
NATIONWIDE speed controls will be out in force until Sunday as part of the Council for Traffic Safety’s campaign ‘Sænk farten – en lille smule betyder en hel del’ (‘Reduce the speed – less is more’). Over 60 percent of drivers in rural areas drive above the speed limit. Nearly half of all traffic fatalities in 2014 involved a speeding vehicle.
FOLLOWING a two-year trial, the Transport Ministry has given its approval for right-turns at red lights for bicycles at selected intersections. The trial, which lasted from 2013-2015 and involved right-turns being permitted at red lights for bicycles at 33 crossroads around Denmark, led to 30 percent more right-turns but no increase in accidents.
No weapons for soldiers SHOULD Parliament approve a proposal for soldiers to help out the national police in certain matters, they will not be permitted to carry weapons, Danish Defence has decided. However, the army’s commander in chief, Major General Hans-Christian Mathiesen, worries this could lead to them being “exposed to undue risk”. His concerns were echoed by other military leaders.
Age limit to be lowered PARLIAMENT is expected to allow 17-year-olds to practise their driving in the company of an adult licence holder, but like in Germany they will have to wait until they’re 18 before they can get a licence. The limit for any kind of driving in the majority of European countries is 18. The age limit for smaller motorcycles will be reduced from 18 to 16 and scooters from 16 to 15.
Are their days numbered? PHONE numbers will become obsolete within the next five to ten years, according to Torben Rune, a telecom analyst at consulting firm Netplan. An internet profile or even email address will replace having to remember a bunch of numbers, he told Søndagsavisen. Other experts concurred and even said that phones could be eliminated today if need be.
NEWS
22 - 28 April 2016
Don’t pay through your nose!
ONLINE THIS WEEK OVER THE past year there have been almost 2,000 confirmed cases of the sexually-transmitted disease gonorrhoea – up from 600 cases in 2010. Prevalent among the younger generations, it is increasing after several decades of stability – mostly due to caution due to the fear of HIV. Symptoms included a burning sensation during urination.
Gold in them hills A RARE luminous moss, schistostega pennata (goblin gold), has been discovered on rocks near the small hamlet of Tejn on Bornholm – the first sighting of the delicate plant since 1980. “It’s great fun when you find something so rare,” selfconfessed plant nerd Tino Hjort Bjerregåård told TV2 Bornholm.
It’s already blocked up enough during allergy season
ISTOCK
Gonorrhoea growing
ONLINE THIS WEEK Tiger caves in – kind of TIGER, following pressure from Norwegian consumer rights organisation Forbrukerrådet, will stop selling low-quality lip balms and other products containing endocrine-disrupting parabens by the end of April. However, it won’t recall the products, stressing all the ingredients meet EU standards.
RAY WEAVER
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ATIONAL weather service DMI says this year’s birch pollen season could be a rough one, and it has been in full swing since Monday in the east of the country. Given that 20-25 percent of Danes suffer from at least one sort of seasonal allergy, many will be heading to the shop for over-thecounter meds to knock back the symptoms. But that may not be the most cost-effective solution.
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“I’d only just got over the influenza”
especially if the sufferer chooses generic drugs in large packages. Small packages of brand name drugs often cost as much as six kroner per tablet in shops, while generic drugs in large packages at the pharmacy can cost as little as one kroner per tablet.
Vast cost difference A NEW STUDY by Apotekerforeningen for Metroxpress reveals that allergy medications cost less than a third of the price if purchased at the pharmacy –
Same medicines “IT IS THE same medicine you can get at the pharmacy,”
said Apotekerforeningen health director Birthe Søndergaard. “It costs less, and a professional pharmacist can help you find the best way to treat your allergies.” “The price differences are huge,” said Astma-Allergy Danmark’s deputy head, Anne Holm Hansen. “Especially because we know that the less expensive versions are basically just as good as the expensive ones.”
Massive bridge deal DANISH engineering firm Cowi and architects Dissing+Weitling have teamed up to win a 36 billion kroner contract for a 24 km bridge project in southern China linking the two cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan in the Guandong province. The duo previously teamed up for the Great Belt Connection in Denmark.
Malaysian tech deal
Ducks 1, Windfarm 0
Wobbling away
Counting the beavers
Cancer screening success
DANISH pumps, filters, feeding tech and measuring equipment will help Malaysia’s fishing industry become more environmentallyfriendly and efficient, the food and environmental minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, confirmed last week on his tour of Southeast Asia. The country’s use of traditional earth dams leads to many fish dying, and the new tech will enable it to recycle water and improve conditions. The Malaysian aqua culture sector generated fish worth 4.8 billion kroner last year, and production is expected to triple within the next five years. Larsen also visited Indonesia and Singapore. (CW)
THE WELFARE of the common scoter, a black duck, has caused Parliament and other parties involved to drop the idea of a windfarm off the coast of Sejerø, an island near northwest Zealand. Both bird watchers and politicians are rejoicing at the cancellation of plans for 350 large wind turbines within view of Sejerø’s picturesque coastline. “The turbines scare the scoters and would chase them away from some of their primary feeding grounds,” Lasse Braae, the head of the Zealand branch of the Danish Ornithological Society, told DR. (RW)
THE ENORMOUS quantities of water pouring from the melting Greenlandic ice sheets may be causing Earth to wobble more on its axis and its poles to shift, the University of Texas has told Scientific American. Along with the changes in mass at the poles, when the extra water evaporates from the oceans, a large part of it falls over the mainland, where it is collected in lakes and underground. A dramatic shift occurred around the year 2000, when the North Pole turned east, and the university’s geophysicist warns the shifting axis could add to the effects of climate change. (RW)
APPARENTLY the beaver is not just a work horse in terms of building dams, it’s industrious in the ‘bedroom chamber’ as well. Since its 1999 reintroduction into the wilds of Jutland a thousand years after being hunted to extinction, the number of semi-aquatic rodents has grown from 18 to well over 200. A sighting last year near Jammerbugtens Golf Club in Fjerritslev proves that some of them have already travelled 100 km from their initial release point at Klosterheden Plantage near Struer. Last week, 130 volunteers signed up to help the nature authorities count them. (CW)
A 2014-2017 NATIONWIDE cancer screening program for colorectal cancer for citizens aged 50-74 has been a success, reports DR. Figures from Region Midtjylland (Central Denmark Region) show that two out of three people have submitted a stool sample for examination, and thanks to that more cases of early-stage cancer (often referred to as bowel cancer) have been discovered – 53 percent of all cases compared to 26 percent pre-2014. Men are less eager to submit their stool samples and more likely than women (7.9 to 5.4 percent) to be referred for further examination. (LR)
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ONLINE THIS WEEK
22 - 28 April 2016
FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK
The day the bile rose
Drawn in dream group
DANISH fans of AC/DC have taken to social media to say they want a refund following the news that Axel Rose is replacing lead singer Brian Johnson on the band’s tour, which includes a concert at Ceres Park in Aarhus on June 12 that sold out in 35 minutes.
DENMARK has been drawn in the same group as the hosts Brazil, South Africa and Iraq in the 2016 Olympic Games football tournament. National team coach Niels Frederiksen is confident his team will advance to the quarters.
Refn’s third nod
Donkey at the reins?
NICOLAS Winding Refn’s film ‘The Neon Demon’ has been nominated for the Cannes Palme d’Or – the third time one of his films has been shortlisted for the award following ‘Drive’ in 2011 and ‘Only God Forgives’ in 2013. Refn won the Best Director Award for ‘Drive’.
TONY ADAMS has been linked to the vacant coaching reins at Brøndby IF. The former Arsenal and England legend is currently the sporting director at Azerbaijani club Gabala, which confirmed the Superliga outfit’s interest. Brøndby’s interim coach is Auri Skarbalius.
Will the ghost come out?
The beat goes on
A BRITISH student will sleep the night of April 23, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, at Kronborg Castle after winning a competition listed on Airbnb. Her winning entry was written in iambic pentameter. US ambassador Rufus Gifford finished runner-up.
WHILE Lukas Graham may be topping the US charts, the Danish band Volbeat has sold over half a million copies of their 2010 release ‘Beyond Hell/Above Heaven’, earning themselves a gold record. It takes Volbeat’s total record sales in the US to over 1 million.
CHRISTIAN WENANDE
T
HE SPORT of basketball has largely focused on the recordbreaking run by Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors and the retirement of the Kobe ‘The Black Mamba’ Bryant this year. But there’s plenty of drama on the hardwood in Denmark too where the best-of-seven national championships just tipped off on Monday night. And this year, it’s an all-Jutland affair. In a bid to dethrone the reining champs Horsens IC, the Bakken Bears – based just 50
km away in Aarhus – convincingly won Game 1 in Horsens by a score of 88-66. Bear necessities THE BEARS have been a dominant force in Danish basketball since the start of this century. Since 1999, the club has won 12 national titles, including four of the last five. But Horsens are the regular season winners, so it’s far from over. The remaining games are on April 20, 25 and 28, and May 2, 5 and 9, alternating between the Vejlby Risskov Center and Forum Horsens.
FOOTBALL: DANSK CUP SEMIS (M) THU 21 APRIL, 20:00 AGF VS AAB CERES PARK & ARENA, AARHUS
CANOE/KAYAKING (M/W) SAT 23 APRIL, 10:00 SPRING REGATTA BAGSVÆRD SØ, BAGSVÆRD
RUN: HALF-MARATHON (M/W) FRI 22 APRIL, 09:30 3600 MARATHON #5 10 & 31 KM RACES SKIBBY, ØSTERGADE 1, ZEALAND
RUN: CHARITY RACE (M/W) SUN 24 APRIL, 09:30 YOURUN FOR CHARITY 5 & 10.549 KM RACES SØREN KIRKEGÅRDS PLADS, CPH
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THIS WEEK’S DATES APRIL 22: NOTHING TO DO WITH BEDE
STORE Bededag (Great Prayer Day) – which falls on the fourth Friday after Easter Sunday – for most lay folk means a lie-in and no emails, but today’s date holds a bit more historical significance than just that. The date was first entered into the statute book in 1686 and combines a collection of smaller Christian holy days of obligation into one. To mark the occasion, wheat buns are eaten – this harks back to a time when the local baker would have shut up shop on the Friday and so only the wheat buns would have been resilient enough to be reheated.
APRIL 23: FIRST FEMALE MINISTER
NINA BANG, the first female minister in Denmark, was appointed on this day back in 1924. The then prime minister, Thorvald Stauning, chose her to be his minister for education. She was notorious for her forceful no-nonsense approach, often being referred to as “the only real man in the government”.
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BUSINESS
22 - 28 April 2016
Deal with Mexico confirmed ONLINE THIS WEEK
M
EXICO and Denmark have signed a co-operation agreement in connection with the state visit of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto this past week. The seven-point deal included provisions on diabetes, human rights, energy and Lego. “Danish companies traded with Mexico for a value of almost 4.4 billion kroner last year and the commercial interest is on the rise,” said PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen. “We need to utilise that momentum.” Huge potential ACCORDING to a report from the Foreign Ministry, Danish exports to Mexico could potentially increase by 1 billion kroner over the next few years. Measured in economy, Mexico is the second largest nation in Latin America and was
EDGAR ALBERTO DOMÍNGUEZ CATAÑO
Announcement comes as president pays state visit
President Enrique Peña Nieto
Denmark’s 28th largest export market in 2015 – a 51 percent increase compared to 2011. It has a population of over 120 million people, a growing middle class and an open freetrade based economy that is growing and in close proximity to the USA and the rest of Latin America. (CW)
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FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK
Nordea facing boycott
IT student shortage
High-level Chinese talks
SEVERAL municipalities are considering terminating partnerships with Nordea after revelations of the Panama Papers showed that the Nordic bank has helped customers to establish tax havens. However, it could be hard for the municipalities to drop Nordea because the bank has contracts with the towns involved. Frederiksberg is among the municipalities examining the possibility.
THE BUSINESS community wants more public school students to learn IT in regular classes to address the shortage of specialists. Dansk Industri and Dansk Erhverv call it a “major problem” that most students do not receive instruction in IT unless they choose to study it at university. There are currently 3,000 IT jobs standing vacant in Denmark, and that figure is expected to grow.
YANG JIECHI, the Chinese state councillor, visited Denmark over the weekend, meeting with the foreign minister, Kristian Jensen, and also PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen. Jensen said that Denmark hopes to maintain the momentum in co-operation with China in the areas of education, science and technology, tourism, energy, food and drug safety, financial regulation, and green growth.
Danske Spil to be sold?
Ryanair not paid yet
B&O lay-offs
THE GOVERNMENT is considering selling its Danske Spil gambling operation, including its online betting, poker and casino business, while holding onto the state lottery business. Estimates suggest the state could earn up to 4 billion kroner from the sale. Some politicians are opposed to the sale, questioning whether the amount would reflect what Danske Spil earns the state every year.
TRAVEL authority Trafik og Byggestyrelsen has ordered Ryanair to pay partial compensation of 8,000 kroner to a family whose plans were disrupted by the airline’s decision to close its Billund operations over a month ago, but the family is still waiting. Some 16 members of the family were offered other flights, but instead asked Ryanair to pay the difference for more expensive tickets.
BANG AND Olufsen has laid off 55 employees as part of its new partnership with the South Korean giant LG Electronics that should save the Danish electronics manufacturer 200 million kroner a year from 2019 onwards. Some 47 were based at its H&Q in Struer in west Jutland. Meanwhile, it intends to hire up to 30 software engineers in Struer and at its business department in Lyngby.
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BUSINESS OPINION THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
TINY MAERSCHALK LIVING IN AN EXPAT WORLD Belgium’s Tiny Maerschalk, who has worked for the International Community networking platform since its foundation in 2008, knows how it feels to settle in a new country. Dedicated to improving conditions for new arrivals, here she shares her insights about the business issues that mean the most to internationals in Denmark.
Parking your baby TRUST is also the reason why Danes feel safe when walking the streets at night or parents without any concern park their prams – with their baby still in it – outside a café or shop. Even though it is the second time I have had a baby in Denmark, I
As the chairman of the Medicon Valley Alliance – the gold-labelled Danish-Swedish life science cluster organisation – Søren will address current trends and challenges in the sector. Away from the alliance, he is responsible for Novo Nordisk’s global R&D-based PhD and post doc programs, as well as research, innovation and educational policy.
Contrary to neighbours THE LACK of strategy, focus and political ‘support structure’ is contrary to not only other industries – such as agriculture and the maritime industry, which used to dominate Danish industry and still have their own ministry or ministerial agency – but also to developments in neighbouring countries like Sweden and the United Kingdom. These two countries have put life science and it’s investments at the very top of the political agenda. They are both in the process of designing and applying coherent national life science strategies to balance healthcare
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SØREN BREGENHOLT THE VALLEY OF LIFE
still cannot do this. I have now reached the stage when I can leave my daughter outside at a friend’s house, but only if I can still see the pram. I have grown up in a society with a lower level of trust, so adjusting to this level of trust seems impossible. I have little worry walking home alone at night, but I doubt I’ll ever reach the same level of trust when it comes to my children. Trust = work happiness HOWEVER, at work it is a totally different story. I really enjoy the high level of trust in the workplace. The Danish/ Scandinavian leadership style is characterised by being humanistic, empowering and trustful. You are given the responsibility to solve the tasks at hand in the best possible way rather than obeying strict orders. Your manager trusts that you have the qualifications to find the best
And you can always trust the weather ... to be bad
solution and way of execution, and the level of control is low – it did not take me long to adjust to this way of working. Trusting in surveys too? I ONCE heard a professor say that the high level of trust is one of the most significant explanations behind the high levels of happiness in Denmark – as you might know, Denmark has
topped the World Happiness Report several times and reclaimed the crown in the 2016 edition. You can also question surveys like these, and even though I’m not as trusting as the Danes, I’m happy to be on maternity leave in a country where trust and happiness walk hand in hand. Maybe I’ll try and leave my daughter unguarded for just a little while tomorrow.
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N
O SINGLE industry is contributing more to the national economy than life science. However, Denmark neither has an integrated national life science strategy nor a government agency with the explicit mission to ensure that the success continues.
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B
EING ON maternity leave really highlights the level of trust in Danish society. Generally, I have slowly adjusted to the high level of trust that permeates Danish society, but still find myself being more sceptical than most Danes – especially when it comes to the safety of my children. International surveys show that Danes are some of the most trusting people in the world. Trust is actually one of the prime Danish values, whether it’s trust in the system, administration, police, politicians, last but not least, in each other.
22 - 28 April 2016
budgets and educational expenditure, with the enormous growth potential of a future orientated industry – one that depends on R&D investments, access to relevant skills and competencies, and public-private partnerships. Clout of George Foreman IN THE UK, the current and former Conservative-led governments have a national minister for life science named George Freeman. And he’s not a backbencher who has been waiting for his turn for decades, but an experienced professional with an impressive track record and a 15-year career across the life sciences sector working with hospitals, clinical researchers, patient groups and biomedical research companies to pioneer novel healthcare innovations.
Working hard, but where’s the state backup?
More than a co-ordinator IN SWEDEN, the responsibility for the national life science
strategy has been placed in the hands of a man called Anders Lönnberg, who was appointed national life science co-ordinator. The title is misleading as Lönnberg is much more than a ‘co-ordinator’. His appointment is the result of focused political dedication and investment. He is, similarly to the UK minister,
a professional with substantial industrial experience, as well as employment at governmental offices, who now heads an ambitious group of top experts from the public and private life science sectors. I sincerely hope we find such a job for of this soft a profile in Denmark as well.
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CAREERS ADVICE
22 - 28 April 2016
S
21st Century Alchemy is a weekly Q&A column for career-minded professionals, entrepreneurs and small businesses written by David Parkins, a business (re)development specialist, company culture strategist, career coach, and IMCSA speaker (ep3.dk).
EVERAL weeks ago, I suggested that a department supervisor should limit the staff’s political talk to personal time. On further reflection, I entirely disagree with my advice and humbly apologise. The conventional wisdom of avoiding controversial discussions (including politics) is safe, but will never create a vibrant and dynamic 21st Century workplace. And the articles I write are meant to question traditional perspectives by doubting accepted beliefs and challenging reactions (i.e rethink what you’re thinking). So there’s no room in this column for an old-fashioned mindset.
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DAVID PARKINS 21ST CENTURY ALCHEMY
Just like sport REGARDING political debate at work, some are as fanatical about politics as others are about sports (they’re often both – they’re just fans of any competition). They couldn’t be quiet about politics at a bar, at a funeral and especially at work. If there was a policy on politics, they’d even debate that. I’m the exact opposite. You won’t see my Facebook page filled with posts or shared posts on any presidential candidate or political issue. It doesn’t mean I’m uninformed or don’t have an opinion. I just don’t share it with everyone – at work or anywhere else.
opinions included. The people who hotly debate these issues are passionate, and that passion is a fire that should never be quenched. If you tell them to not burn so brightly, then sooner or later, their passion for work will also fade. Imagine working eight hours a day, five days a week for months and years, and the only thing that fills your time (besides the work) is shallow, bland conversations between people who know nothing about each other. It’d be unbearable. It’d be like holding your breath until you left work.
Killing their passion NEVERTHELESS, I believe a company culture that encourages debate is critical to employee engagement and fosters a healthy workforce. If you expect the best from your staff, then they need to be themselves – political
Ground rules! SO, BRING your controversial and potentially unpopular views to work! Just make sure there’s a mutual agreement on some ‘ground rules’. Here are my suggestions. Embrace diversity – If you
If you change one thing from your past, what would it be (regrets, unfulfilled dreams etc)? Why they’re asking – They’re looking for two things: an honest self-assessment and reflection on your potential shortcomings in your life; and whether you have a history of adjusting to reach your goals. They might also be fishing to see if there’s any unfulfilled passions that may distract you from your work.
goals or has no regrets (if you have, then they’ll think you have no ambition, vision, or growth potential). But whatever you say, it should be genuine but something that hasn’t significantly impacted on your career development. Though you can’t change the past, you can learn from it and apply this understanding in the present to having a great future (directional not positional) – that the unfulfilled dream will be fulfilled and that this opportunity is part of that because … (Be specific. Be concrete. Use examples).
How do you answer – No-one has ever completed all of their
I’m a department manager and
I’m interested in an employee (different department). We’ve had lunch together several times, but due to laws and workplace restrictions, I’m not sure if I should ask him out. How can I do this without risking my job? I’d say there’s no harm in asking (consult HR), so just see what happens. But don’t push if there’s resistance. If things do progress, tread carefully (maybe explicitly agree to a contingency ‘plan’). Hope for the best but remember that relationships can end, a partner can become an expartner, and an angry ex could become a lawsuit.
HAVE YOU RUN OUT OF IDEAS? STRUGGLING FOR INSPIRATION? NEED SOME MOTIVATION? PLEASE SEND YOUR CAREER OR COMPANY QUESTIONS TO CONTACT@ EP3.DK OR @EP3DK.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS INTERVIEW QUESTION
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WORKPLACE QUESTION
Inhabit your workplace like you would your home and you’ll reap the benefits
honestly believe that ‘diversity’ matters, then you must include political diversity (it’s also the law in Denmark). If someone has a different opinion, accept it or admit you’re a law-breaking hypocrite. Communication is two-way – Like any conversation, debate is a two-way street. If you want to be heard, you need to learn to listen. Ask what they believe and why, but keep your personal judgments to yourself. This is what they believe, so respectfully listen, even if you don’t agree. Control your temper – Fans are fanatical, and so are politicos. This means strong emotions and strong opinions, but it doesn’t excuse bullying. Disagree, but with restraint. You’re not wild animals but mighty warriors of the workplace. Work comes first – Political debate can go viral. If it does, take a break. You’re at work to
get results for your customers and your company. That’s everyone’s bottom line. Politics matter IN THE US, the political season has arrived and will only get hotter as the election approaches. But when it’s all over, differences in opinion and debate will remain. If you want to create the kind of environment where the best employees bring their best and where the best ideas can be discovered and developed, everyone will need to have the freedom to talk – and also the safety and respect to be heard. Talking about what matters to you not only reveals who you are, but also allows you to bring all your passion to work. Politics matter and is an exciting and vital part of an individual’s personality that should never be left at the office door.
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OPINION
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
22 - 28 April 2016
Denmark is at war – again
F
OLKETINGET, the Danish Parliament, on Tuesday decided to support the ongoing fight against Islamic State.
This means business JÆGERKORPSET is an elite unit that has been active on special operations over the years – in Afghanistan for example. In 2007, details about clandestine operations in Iraq were leaked to the press, and in 2009, a former soldier published a book about it that the top brass tried to stop. It consequently cost the chief of defence and the minister of defence their jobs because of the primitive handling of the situation. It also resulted in a lot of unwelcome attention being paid to the armed forces. Jægerkorpset is well trained and experienced. Former soldiers are now running security companies and have successfully protected Danish ships against pirates in the Red Sea. However, it is the first time Jægerkorpset has been deployed in numbers. This indicates that Danish politicians are getting more steadfast in their wish to fight terrorism. Even though
Prospects of the City
many warn that participation will attract terror attacks to Denmark.
As the author of the 1995 essay ’Victim of Welfare. An Essay on State and Individual in Denmark’ and 2011 novel ’Wagon 537 Christiania’, Per Smidl is no stranger to controversy. After 12 years of self-imposed exile in Prague, he is back in his native Copenhagen, a city he will always have a unique perspective on.
IS must be stopped ONE GOOD reason is that IS is responsible for the stampede of refugees coming in from Syria that has almost destabilised the European Union. Not only is IS endorsing mad terrorists worldwide, it is also apparently making money out of smuggling refugees and migrants to Europe. They stop at nothing and have to be stopped. Points of contention IN FOLKETINGET there is an ongoing debate about the release of all the documents concerning the decision to participate in the second war in Iraq more than a decade ago. The purpose is to investigate whether or not Parliament was fooled into the decision by false or misleading statements from the former prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. It seems that Liberal Alliance, the most vocal party, hasn’t even received the documents that have been declared unconfidential! They were however part of the vast majority that on April 19 took the decision, with only 19 votes against (from Enhedslisten, Socialistisk Folkeparti and Alternativet ), to go to war. The dinner speech joke is that Denmark is a nice, small and harmonious country because we figured out that losing wars was a good way of cutting ourselves loose from the Swedes, Norwegians and Germans. This war, though, is one we have to win. (ES)
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Ground troops too DENMARK’S support for the US-led international campaign includes a team of well-groomed F-16s and a good old Hercules transporter. And we’re also contributing boots on the ground. A Jægerkorpset (rangers) contingent will be part of the package and go into action under US co-ordination. This time the activities are not restricted to Iraq, but will also include operations in Syria.
PER SMIDL
As it’s locally known: Ismael-gade
I
N WHICH the prospector spots a face from the past and is reminded how it is fit for man to face his existence. Blast from the past STROLLING down Istedgade in the sun and studying the faces along the way, I reached the corner of Gasværksvej and … stopped. There he was: Ismael the old, nay immortal Turk who until four or five years ago ran a combined junk and barbershop on Eskildsgade. The one-stop shop … ISMAEL’S shop was there when I moved to Vesterbro in 1986. It was from him that I bought the things I needed for my new apartment: a red telephone, a radio, pots and pans, glasses, knives and forks, a tea-cosy. You name it – Ismael had it … somewhere! Not that you’d always find what you were looking for in the mountains of junk he had amassed. Once upon a time there’d been a system, but it wasn’t long until the sheer volume made it impossible. A bell announced to Ismael
when there was a potential customer in his shop. And sometimes he would appear to see who or what it was. But normally he’d stay where he was, somewhere in the mountains of junk. If you needed to pay him for a toaster, you had to holler his name. And then there’d be a sound and he’d materialise. You’d ask the price, but Ismael would not answer and instead produce some knick-knack from somewhere and ask you if you wanted to own that item too. A bargain would be struck, and I would walk away with something I had not known I needed plus the something I had wanted. It had cost almost no money. … that crops your locks I LIKED Ismael’s place, and when he put up a handwritten sign that he would cut your hair for 40kr, I’d go for that purpose too. If Ismael was not an accomplished barber, he certainly knew how to use his machine. The one hairstyle he mastered was the crew-cut. You had the choice between three, six or nine milimeters. I usually chose six,
and while he cut my hair we’d talk about stories from the Bible. Call me Ismael THERE Ismael was, right before my eyes. Not being able to pay the rent in gentrified Vesterbro, he lost his shop several years ago, taking to the streets to collect empties to get the pant. But it wasn’t long before he’d developed the business. His wares can still be found on the pavement – this time in a supermarket cart. Far from feeling sorry for him, I felt admiration for his endurance, imagination and spirit – for his refusal to give up. Almost 80 years old by now, unshaven and with a hat pulled down over his ears, this old indomitable scavenger – by his very presence – is giving the middle finger to both death and gentrification. His presence admonishes the passers-by that not only is Ismael Son of God still there to be reckoned with, but that he plans to stick around for as long as it takes to teach this deluded world to give up its moaning, put up a fight and reap the joys of no surrender.
OPINION
22 - 28 April 2016
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KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN
The Director’s Cut Born and raised in Denmark, Kirsten jumped ship in her early 20s to spend the next 12 years living in New Zealand. A physiotherapist, acupuncturist, yogini and foodie, she has a passion for life and wellbeing. After a few stints back in the motherland, Kirsten is once again back living in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
‘Mere te’ Vicar? DARREN MCCALLIG
The Director’s Cut DAVID NOEL BOURKE
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Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD
Brick by Brick STEPHANIE BRICKMAN IN 3 ISSUES
Under the Raydar RAY WEAVER The ingredients are the same the world over, but not the freshness
T
WELVE years ago, trends and social currents between countries appeared to have more variation. Information didn’t travel as fast as it does now, and it showed. I remember calling Denmark (via dial-up) from New Zealand in the early 2000s, laughing as I recounted how Kiwis didn’t rake up their garden leaves – they used a funny machine to blow them from one spot to another! (enter: the leaf blower). But it’s not funny anymore as everyone has one now. Boo. Quite the decade WHEN I finally moved to New Zealand in 2004, the internet did exist and the mobile phone had been around for a substantial number of years. However, it was before the invention of the smartphone, the world domination of social media and the epidemic of #everyboringselfindulgentmoveImake. Watching TV at my mother’s house in Denmark over Christmas I realised, after hitting the mute button by mistake, that I could just as well be watching New Zealand TV! Everyone there is also busy trying to become master chefs, pop stars, home
improvement specialists – or the bride/groom of a ‘successful’ singleton. And don’t forget the news channels that tend to be death and misery wherever you look. Health and diet trends have spread around the world at a record speed too. Your average petrol station in Copenhagen now stocks Paleo snacks sitting in special Paleo sections (you wouldn’t want cross-contamination with less elite foods) and, as if by invisible global consensus, quinoa and chia seeds have become prolific star ingredients in most cafe meals. Although they’re not quite as prolific as crossfit gyms, eyelash extensions worthy of a drag queen and training for a casual ironman. Zombie nation’s here! TECHNICOLOURED fashion icon Iris Apfel famously complained there is too much sameness in the world today. Minutes after the latest red-carpet event or tweet by an (endorsement) inspired celebrity, women around the world can sweep their hair into the do of the moment as they trawl the internet for where to buy whatever the flavour of the hour is wearing. The hipster phenomenon is
a funny example of how trends move today. Ironically, it was supposed to be an original movement, born out of disdain for all things mainstream. But the innumerable beards, leather satchels, checked shirts, gelled moustaches and tattooed appendages prove that nothing is immune to modern day’s massscale sharing and adoption of whatever is popular! No-one’s immune AS I RECENTLY bought an Antipodes lip balm, a Trilogy moisturiser and a Sistema Tupperware box (all New Zealand products) from general stores in Østerbro. I thought about how almost any brand and product is becoming available almost anywhere today. The New Zealand Herald recently announced that H&M has confirmed the opening of a store in New Zealand in 2016. Surely IKEA is not far away either. Now you too, NZ, can be cheap, functional AND fashionable! Whether it’s about the latest weed-turned-superfood, lawnmowing equipment or adult colouring-in book – it’s sure to soon be in a store near you!
Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE IN 4 ISSUES
An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS
You’re Still Here KELLY DRAPER IN 5 ISSUES
Fashion Jam JENNY EGSTEN-ERICSON
Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU
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COMMUNITY
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
22 - 28 April 2016
ABOUT TOWN
PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD
The queen celebrated her 76th birthday on April 16 with some traditional waving to her adoring subjects from a balcony at Amalienborg Palace, where other members of her now quite extensive family joined or followed her. Among them was a beefier looking Prince Christian (centre, right), who is now 10, and a lankier looking Prince Nikolai (centre right, left), the son of Prince Joachim, who is now 16, just two years away from national service – possibly in the navy?
The Argentine Embassy celebrated World Malbec Day with a reception that included tango and wine tasting. Among those in attendance were (centre: left-right) Argentine charge d’affaires Marcelo Pujo, Spanish ambassador Enrique Pastor de Gana and Chilean ambassador Flavio Tarsetti Quezada; and (right: left-right) Venezuelan ambassador Aura Mahuampi Rodriguez de Ortiz, Pujo, Cuban ambassador Yiliam Sardinas Gomez and Brazilian ambassador Carlos Paranhos
Indian ambassador Rajeev Shahare (left and right) was the host of a reception at Asia House on April 24 to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of Doctor BR Ambedkar (left, in photo), an eminent social reformer who died in 1956. Among the guests were (centre: left-right) Ulla Håkansson, the administrator at London Toast Theatre, HamletScenen CEO and artistic director Lars Romann Engel, and acclaimed actress and director Vivienne McKee; and (right: right in red tie) Asia House chairman Carsten Dencker Nielsen
Austrian ambassador Ernst-Peter Brezovsky (centre) was among those present at the Karen Blixen Museum for the visit of the queen on April 12
The meeting of the Danish-Australian Business Network at Banksia restaurant on April 13 was a success. Among those in attendance were Australian ambassador Damien Miller and network leader Lauren Morrissey
French ambassador François Zimeray (left) was among the guests at the opening of the Glyptoteket’s new exhibition, ‘Gaughin’s Worlds’, which will continue until August 28. Pictured with him is Glyptoteket director Flemming Friborg
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22 - 28 April 2016
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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
N APRIL 18, Anthony Foxx (bottom left, right), the US secretary of transport, visited Copenhagen to get inspiration from the ‘best cycling city in the world’. He was joined by Danish counterpart Hans Christian Schmidt (bottom right, left) and Klaus Bondam (top right, right), the head of the
22 - 28 April 2016
OUT AND ABOUT
Danish Cyclists Federation, and taken on a bike tour of the city from Kalvebod Brygge to Islands Brygge. Also present were city mayor Frank Jensen (bottom left, centre), US ambassador Rufus Gifford (top right, left) and the mayors of Austin, Portland and South Bend. And no tour could
be complete without cycling ‘Cykelslangen’ (the cycle snake – bottom centre). “It’s nice to grow up and live in an areas that is a nice, easy and comfortable place to go cycling,” enthused Bondam. “We have now 360 km of separated cycle lanes that make it safe to go bike and then children can
ALESSANDRA PALMITESTA
O
COMMUNITY
learn from the young age to go to kindergarden with their parents by bike. This is the culture and they continue to go also when they grow up.” Foxx agreed. “The younger generation are making different choices about transportation,” he said. “They are much more into
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A whole Sunday dedicated to tasting and learning about wine – particularly the differences between grapes, countries and production methods! Mingle with producers, importers, connoisseurs and wine lovers (April 24, 10:00-18:00; Kødbyens Mad & Marked, Flæsketorvet, Cph V)
Forró Copenhague is launching its first festival! The most popular genre of music and dance in northeast Brazil is the star of three days of intensive workshops and parties, with live music, DJs, shows and many forrozeiros (April 22-24, 12:00-23:00; different locations; forrocphfestival.cris.dk)
The Copenhagen Post and its columnist David Parkins (21st Century Alchemy, see page 11) are co-hosting a free workshop where you can learn about why you do what you do in your career (May 2, 17:00; International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, Cph V; register at billetto.dk)
It will be ‘electrifying’ at Studenterhuset at this 50s event! Dress up like you’re in ‘Grease’ to hit the dancefloor and enter competitions with great prizes (April 23, 20:00; Studenterhuset, Købmagergade 52, Cph K; 50 kr incl 1 Pina Colada or beer; facebook.com)
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Directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Salgado, this biodoc about Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, famed for documenting disadvantaged societies, will be shown with English subs (April 24, 18:00; Trampoline House, Thoravej 7, Cph NV)
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COMING UP SOON
the shared economy, cycling and walking. They want to live in a liveable community. We have to plan for them!” After the bike tour, Foxx and Schmidt signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (bottom right), an agreement for the two parties to collaborate on transport agendas. ALESSANDRA PALMITESTA
Sample delicious cocktails, wine, delicacies, exciting workshops and cooking demos at the opening of Illum Rooftop (April 28-30, 10:00-22:00; Illum, Østergade 52, Cph K; book at dinnerbooking.com) ALESSANDRA PALMITESTA
SCHOOLS
22 - 28 April 2016
RygaardsRygaards International School International School Invites experienced, enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers, familiar with and expeInvites experienced, enthusiastic and well-qualified individuals, familiar rienced in British-style education, apply for the following education, teaching position. Ap-the with andtoexperienced in British-style to apply for plicants should be lively, energetic and committed professional teachers who have following position. Applicants lively, and committed professionals. a desire to contribute to the Primaryshould Teambeand theenergetic community spirit of Rygaards. They must also be native English The job will be for February, They must also be native English speakers. The job willspeakers. be for August 2016. 2013.
Rygaards is a Catholic school, founded in 1909 by the Assumption sisters. The school Rygaards School has a Danish and an International English-speaking has strong ecumenical traditions and welcomes who are interested in school each teaching its own applicants separate curriculum. Rygaards International actively supporting Christian values. School consists of Key Stages 1 – 4 (Years 1 – 11).
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Rygaards a Catholic school founded in 1909 by the Assumption sisters. Rygaards School has a Danish andis an International English-speaking school each The school has strong ecumenical traditions and welcomes teaching its own separate curriculum. Rygaards International School consists applicants of Key who are interested in actively supporting Christian values. Stages 1 – 4 (Years 1 – 11). The position is as follows:
The teaching position is as follows: ✓ A KS1 Primary Class Teacher with a combination of other subjects such as Music, • Teacher’s Assistant for Reception Class. This/or is aSpecial temporary position. Gym, Swimming, Religion and Needs. Terms of employment in accordance with contract between BUPL and Applicants should be able to demonstrate: Danmarks ✓ Excellent classroom practice using a range of Assessment for Learning strategies Privatskoleforening. to monitor ongoing progress in learning. Applications should be addressed to The Board of Governors and sent ✓ Have high expectations by and an ability to challenge allInternational the children through e-mail to: The Head of Rygaards Primary School, Shirley planned differentiation and clearly articulated learning objectives. Jacobsen, shirley.jacobsen@rygaards.com. about the schooltheir can be ✓ Be enthusiastic and teach in a way that inspires theInformation children and celebrates obtained from our website www.rygaards.com achievements and abilities. Closing date applications: 26th 2012 Terms of employment in accordance with for contract between TheNovember Ministry of Finance and LC (Teaching Unions)
Scan code or find CphPost App on:
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Applications should be addressed to The Board of Governors and sent by e-mail to: The Head of Rygaards International Primary School, Mrs. Shirley Jacobsen, shirley.jacobsen@rygaards.com. Information about the school can be obtained from our website www.rygaards.com
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: FRIDAY, 22ND APRIL, 2016. Rygaards International School • Bernstorffsvej 54 • DK 2900 • Hellerup • Tel: +45 3962 1053 / +45 3962 1081 • www.rygaards.com
LANGUAGE INSTRUCTIONS - CULTURAL COACHING
quarter century experience in teaching Danish / English offers personal timeAre you a foreigner in Copenhagen? Do you flexible instruction. need to improve your social skills/ interaction? Contact: pan.smidl@gmail.com Danish novelist with masters in English and Phone: 3322 6021
www. of ag.dk
ANIMATION FASHION DESIGN ART WRITING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 10TH. GRADE DESIGN-HF ART & CULTURE
• High Academic Standards • Christian Ethos • Conveniently located in Hellerup For further information, see our webpage or phone the Admissions Officer on 3962 1053
www.rygaards.com
THE PLACE FOR
C RE ATIVE PEOPLE Odense Fagskole - Ørstedsgade 28 - 5000 Odense - Tlf: (+45) 66 12 21 45
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SCHOOLS
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
22 - 28 April 2016
Copenhagen opens food house for little chefs LUCY RYCHLA
L
AST FRIDAY, Copenhagen Madhus (house of food) officially opened Denmark’s first permanent culinary school for children. Over 100 guests, including the lord mayor, Frank Jensen, and the children’s food expert Helle Brønnum Carlsen came to celebrate the occasion. Kødbyen location BØRNENES Madhus is located in Kødbyen, the meatpacking district of Vesterbro, and aims to teach children various cooking skills and help them understand the flavours of various fresh ingredients. The facility consists of two
professionally equipped indoor kitchens, an outdoor kitchen and a mobile fireplace. It’s open to children from kindergartens and public schools in the capital, and young people can also use the facilities as part of their after-school activities. For healthier kids ACCORDING to Anne-Birgitte Agger, the head of Copenhagen Madhus, an increasing number of young Danes do not know how to use the kitchen, how to cook or use raw produce. “Here, children get the opportunity to learn about food and improve their kitchen skills, which will help them develop a more natural and practical relationship to food and meals,” said Agger.
“We know that children who cook live healthier lives, and our goal is that children and young people in Copenhagen become even better cooks than their parents.” Quite the volume BØRNENES Madhus has evolved as part of Copenhagen Madhus, an independent foundation established by the Copenhagen in 2007 to improve the quality of meals offered to the public. This year, Børnenes Madhus expects to receive up to 18,000 visitors, hosting 522 courses for children from public schools, 71 arrangements for kindergartens and 175 after-school cooking courses.
Copenhagen Mayor Frank Jensen was among the guests
ØIS science project: educating critically-thinking global citizens
Ø
STERBRO International School in Copenhagen is organising an innovative science project that aims to teach students to become critically aware as global citizens of the ethical implications of using science and technology. The interdisciplinary project combines the syllabuses of biology, chemistry and physics and will run for a week from May 9-13. All interconnected DURING this period, all science students from grade 11 (ages 16-18) will form small groups and work together to-
wards a specific goal. “The idea is for the students to understand the relationship between different science disciplines and to develop and apply 21st century communication skills in the area of science,” Anita Vanessa Ponce, the head of the science department at ØIS, told the Copenhagen Post Weekly. “Many students love one science subject, but hate the others. What they don’t realise, however, is how closely these subjects are interconnected.” Helping globally STUDENTS will choose their
own topic from a selection of general themes, such as ‘sustainability’ or ‘water’. At the end, they will showcase what they have learned about science and modern communication in a practical way and how their knowledge can help the global community. “Students can create new websites, informational videos, or blogs,” Ponce noted. “Many of these group works yield really cool inventions.” This science project is part of the curriculum at Diploma IB World Schools, and some of the schools work on it together. (LR)
Aiming to make students more aware of the ethics of using science
The Old English Pub COPENHAGEN
TAPAS MENU A delicious selection of our most popular tapas
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For reservation call 33 32 44 77 info@biscaya.dk
14 Tapas in 5 servings
Jernabanegade 4-1608 KBH V. www.tapashuset.com
wildkiwipies.com
Toftegårds Alle 43, Valby 2500
COMMUNITY
22 - 28 April 2016
Danish flags out in force to salute the class of 2016
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PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD
Some 2,200 new Danish citizens were invited by Parliament on Sunday to celebrate their new status as tried-and-true Danes on National Citizenship Day. It was a boisterous occasion enjoyed by all
The immigration minister, Inge Støjberg, was in popular demand
Once again, everyone wanted a selfie with the prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and some were prepared to grapple if needed – is that what they call a head Løkke?
As was Parliament’s speaker, Pia Kjærsgaard, who never misses these occasions
It was Copenhagen calling for these kids from Zimbabwe
And what an occasion is was. They had cossacks, dancing matryoshka dolls and girl power!
Whole families were making the big step together
But there’s only so much flag-waving one can do on these occasions
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RESTAURANT
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
22 - 28 April 2016
Thank goodness it’s … Thursday, but you wouldn’t know it TGI FRIDAYS
sports, there is a strong family feel about the place.
Højbro Plads 5-7, Cph K; open daily 11:00-24:00; starts 59-89kr, mains from 119kr, burgers from 139kr, steaks 259kr, desserts 149-89kr ALEX JAMES
D
INING at TGI Fridays is family-friendly food at its best. While clearly a chain restaurant, we got the feeling from the staff and surroundings that we were in a laid-back, bubbly environment, and that they were happy to have us. Meanwhile the menu was full of choice, strong flavours and feel-good vibes. Fun family atmosphere OUR WAITRESS Maggie was fantastic – always on the go and happy to help. With tailored recommendations and a winning smile, Maggie really enhanced our dining experience. Thursday night was improved beyond belief, creating that classic Friday feeling – enabling us to relax, smile and let the good times roll. Atmosphere is always crucial, but at massive restaurants like this, it can be hard to achieve – especially during the early evening. But with constant sport on the giant television screens and feel-good pop songs playing all night long, TGI Fridays does its best to manufacture a bubbly and vibrant environment to enjoy your meal. The real miracle of this atmosphere is that despite the combination of alcohol and
Simple yet effective THE FOOD is never going to be Michelin star quality. But it provides good, honest dishes – and in bountiful portions. In particular I would recommend ordering from the grill. The New York strip that I ordered was cooked to perfection (rare) and was of a very good quality, while the fries that came with it were better than most in Copenhagen. The food is typical barbeque fare – simplicity and big bold flavours is the name of the game. And for my dessert the Oreo Madness was a decadent ensemble of chocolate, ice cream and fudge sauce. If you arrive looking for the cheese board, I would probably search elsewhere. But if you want to satisfy that sweet tooth, then go full steam ahead! Cocktails all the way THE COCKTAILS are the real stars of the show. Lots of restaurants say they also operate as a bar – and most places that do will let you down. TGI Fridays is not most places, and the drinks we had were fantastic. If I closed my eyes, the Barbados Rum Punch took me to Hawaii – and aided by a rare ray of April sunshine in Copenhagen – it was like I was really there. Later on in the evening the Cosmo Noir was a wacky take on the classic ‘Cosmopolitan’, while maintaining delicious flavours. And there is so much variety.
During the time we were there, we must have sampled at least eleven drinks, and we hadn’t even made a dent in the menu! The same applies to the food: it must be a fussy-eater’s parent’s dream, given the amount of choice available. And of course
that is another advantage this restaurant has: the ability to produce the same consistently good quality across the globe. The simple truth is that with TGI Fridays, you know what you are going to get. And it is good.
Unless stated otherwise, the meals in these reviews are paid for by the venue. Unlike other American dining behemoths, you feel truly welcome here – having a bad time is not an option. The atmosphere is vibrant, the staff are friendly and the food packs a punch.
A U ST R A L I A N R E STA U R A N T Live Music
7 nights a Week
Pool room and darts
Sunday Roast
Served all day
BOOK YOUR TABLE
BOOK YOUR TABLE MONDAY TO SUNDAY – 1600 – 2300 MONDAY TO SUNDAY – 1600 – 2300 AT www.reefnbeef.dk OR CALL 33 33 00 30
AT www.reefnbeef.dk OR CALL 33 33 00 30
Reef N’ Beef | Jernbanegade 4 | 1608 Copenhagen V Reef N’ Beef | Jernbanegade 4 | 1608 Copenhagen V
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INOUT: WHAT’S ON
22 - 28 April 2016
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
Copenhagen Sakura Festival, Langelinie Park, Cph Ø; Saturday/Sunday 30 April, 1 Mayl, 11 -16:30; sakurafestival.dk PETE STREADER
IN 2006, a couple of hundred Japanese cherry trees were presented to Copenhagen Municipality by the Danish Honorary Consul in Hiroshima as a symbol of friendship between the land of the rising sun and the land of the occasional sun. Since 2008, people have been meeting under the cherry blossom trees for the traditional Japanese picnic festival of Sakura. To enjoy this colourful Japanese version of hygge, families and friends get out their blankets in the shade of the pink and white blossoms, surrounded by a cheerful celebration of Japanese culture.
COOP FOOD DAYS April 23-24; Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5, Cph S; adults: 100kr, under14s: 60kr, half price for Coop members; coopmaddage.dk FOOD, glorious food! Coop Food Days is serving up a weekend of culinary delights. Celebrity cooks include Mette Blomsterberg, queen of the Dessert, and the
legendary Chili Klaus talking fondly about his affinity for the hot stuff. For those wanting to satisfy their taste buds, there are plenty of hands-on workshops for an extra price: learn how to stuff your own sausages or let kids create their own pizza or make fun figures from fruit and vegetables. If you only want to fill your bellies, there are plenty of stands selling all kinds of food. (PS)
ALLEN STONE Mon 25 April, 20:00; Pumpehuset, Studiestræde 52, Cph V; 165kr ALLEN Stone’s old school soul music arrives with a serious musical pedigree, having collaborated in various guises with Benny Cassette, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Miles Davis’s keyboardist Deron Johnson.
JOHNNY CASH ROADSHOW
Wed 27 April, 18:00, Slagthuset, Jörgen Kocksgatan 7A, Malmö; 395kr; johnnycashroadshow.com This theatre show celebrates the life and work of legendary Johnny Cash. With a full live band and Clive John as ‘The Man in Black’, the show is a success all over the world! (AP)
FESTIVAL
48-HOUR FESTIVAL
April 29-May 1; various locations in Cph N; free adm; 48timer.com Experience 48 hours of non-stop creativity. The old working-class area of Nørrebro becomes a hotbed of activity with more than 50 happenings such as concerts, art and much much more. (PS)
MARKET
FLEA MARKET, ISLANDS BRYGGE
April 24, 10:00-17:00; Kulturhuset Islands Brygge, Islands Brygge 18, Cph S; kulturhusetislandsbrygge.dk The popular Islands Brygge market will be packed with people having a spring clean-out of their stuff. Only 150kr per stall if you fancy your hand at selling. (PS)
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MUSIC
With three albums to his name, it seems Stone has fine-tuned his songwriting to devastating emotional effect. Shying away from popular music trends, he is a self-confessed fan of traditional musical tones, and Radius, his latest album, utilises personal experiences concerning depression and his love life. Fans of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye should take a look at Allen Stone’s world-weary soulful voice this April. (AJ) ISTOCK
WHEN REALITY MEETS FANTASY
April 15-Oct 23, 12:00-17:00; Rudolph Tegner Museum, Museumsvej 19, Dronninmølle; 50kr; rudolphtegner.dk Henrik Sylvest has spent a year taking photos that capture the essence of a journey through the museum’s noted statue park and the result is an exhibition to celebrate its 100th anniversary. (DD)
PICK OF THE WEEK
ELLA NAVARRO
ART
RAMBLERSEN
DON QUIXOTE
April 30-May 25; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 75595kr, kglteater.dk; 150 mins Based on Cervantes’ masterpiece, Don Quixote’s entertaining Spanish themes are brought to life on a ballet stage by choreographer Nikolaj Hübbe set to Ludwig Minkus’s thrilling music. (AP)
HENRIK STENBERG
BALLET
The program for both days is packed. An energetic display of Japanese drumming starts off the proceedings. Martial arts re represented and there are plenty of chops, kicks and throws for those with a passion for karate and judo. There are also kendo demonstrations for those who like the steely swish of blades. Both days end with the customary group Bonodori circle dance. The kimono fashion show is a yearly tradition, as are the tea ceremony, haiku recitals, ink wash painting and ikebana flower arranging. The grounds will quite probably be full of teenagers dressed up as their favourite manga cartoon characters, just to add a surreal touch to the events. Spring has sprung and the cherry blossoms are in bloom – so put down that sudoko puzzle and head for the waterside location of Langelinie and turn a little bit Japanese.
HASSE FERROLD
SAKURA FESTIVAL
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INOUT:FILM
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
Like its father ‘Lantana’, an assured drama from Oz MARK WALKER FILM EDITOR
THE DAUGHTER Dir: Simon Stone, Aus drama, 2015, 96 mins; Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto, Odessa Young, Ewen Leslie, Paul Schneider PREMIERED APRIL 21 PLAYING GLORIA & VALBY BIO
O
NE OF the main strengths of debutant Simon Stone’s The Daughter is its heavily atmospheric sense of place. Swapping Henrik Ibsen’s 19th century Oslo setting from The Wild Duck (on which this is loosely based) to a rural logging town in contemporary Australia, underpins the timeless nature of these events that could easily be transposed anywhere, anytime. The father’s in no rush A DECEPTIVELY gentle opening conceals the drama’s operatic destination. A hunter (Rush) in his 60s fires a rifle and clips the wings of a duck. Another man of a similar age, Walter (Neill), takes that duck and nurses it back to health. What then follows is a story that details the ways in which the families of these two patri-
AT CINEMAS
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22 - 28 April 2016
HEN IT’S the likes of War of the Worlds, Independence Day, Mars Attacks – who doesn’t love a big, bloated Hollywood alien invasion movie? In the case of The 5th Wave, it would appear … no one. In an attempt to dethrone Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen as queen of young adult fiction, Chloë Grace Moretz of Kick-Ass protects her younger brother on an Earth now decimated by alien attacks. Unfortunately, only Batman v Superman has earned a critical reception as icy this year. Based on a Henrik Ibsen play, The Daughter is an Australian drama following a man who returns home to a small town after many years to unearth a family secret. As he tries to right the wrongs of the past
archs are inextricably linked. ‘The Hunter’ is Henry, a man of some stature, whose family has been employing the small community for a century at their logging factory – although we witness this era come to an end as the plant is forced to close. Walter, on the other hand, has done time for embezzling company funds. His son, Oliver (Leslie), works at the hunter’s plant. Both Walter and his son live together with his son’s wife (Otto) and their teenage daughter, Hedvig (Young). The son’s homecoming THE NARRATIVE wheels are set in motion when the hunter’s son, Christian (Schneider), returns home from the US, after many years, for the occasion of his father’s imminent marriage to a much younger woman. For Christian, whose mother killed herself and whose own wife is now leaving him, this marriage conjures conflicted feelings. When he’s reunited with Oliver, his close childhood friend, he’s welcomed into that man’s family with open arms. However, confronted by the warmth and love in Walter and Oliver’s family, which so sharply contrasts with his own, Christian’s jealousy unleashes a long-guarded secret which promptly starts to unravel both families with tragic consequences.
The mother’s ‘Lantana’ ASIDES from the country of origin and the casting of Geoffrey Rush, there is a tonal resemblance to 2001’s Lantana. The photography is similarly stylised: quietly assured without ever being showy. There is no homicide, however, as this is a drama of a more ordinary nature, albeit heightened. The universality of themes related to familial dysfunction, and the betrayal of trust, work both for and against The Daughter. Although immediately engaging, the pitfalls of em-
he ends up destroying the present for everyone else. See our review this issue. The other big release this week, Mr Holmes, is being screening exclusively over at Cinemateket. Starring Ian McKellen, the titular detective, now retired, is struggling with dementia and haunted by the memory of a woman from his final case. Released in the UK almost a year ago, the film received positive reviews. It’s screening at Cinemateket every evening from today (21st) at different times, so check the program for details. The film is accompanied by a series of old Sherlock Holmes classics – think Basil Rathbone and try 40 years earlier. Among the films is a double bill from the turn of the 20th century, the only surviving Danish Sherlock short (of which there
were 12), and the British feature Sherlock Holmes from 1916. The screening is on Tuesday at 19:00. This weekend, ‘Danish on a Sunday’ – the bi-monthly screenings of Danish films with English subs – presents 1989 from Anders Østergaard, the director of the Oscar-nominated Burma VJ. With innovative use of archive footage, the film follows Hungarian technocrat Miklos Neméth as he rises through the ranks to become prime minister. The film starts 14:15 and an extra 40kr will get you coffee and a pastry (dfi. dk/Filmhuset). Finally, Huset concludes its Men Behaving Badly series with bad boy Klaus Kinski as the landlord from hell. Crawlspace screens on Wednesday at 19:30 and tickets cost 50kr at the door (huset-kbh.dk). (MW)
“Who the hell hired David Helfgott to play the organ? There’s nothing I hate more than wounded ducks.”
ploying well-worn themes, without (presumably) an author’s grounding in personal, first-hand experience is that they form a breeding ground for tired tropes and generic dialogue. This is true here during several scenes of familial conflict in which lines such as “You never understood me” or “Please, it’s not what you think!” are used with such frequency that Stone’s melodrama veers perilously close to soap opera. Fortunately for Stone, for the most part, his well-chosen cast can conceal inadequate writing with knockout performances.
The Daugher’s ... muddled SCENES with less obvious agendas, for example between Hedvig and her father, are charming in their playfulness, while others, overly concerned with reaching a predetermined plot point, come at the cost of their believability. Portions of dialogue are rendered awkward and forced. Nevertheless, the actors are usually up to the challenge of nailing the emotional truth of their predicament so that Stone’s intentions are made clear, even if his execution is sometimes muddled.
Danish on a Sunday: ‘Bridgend’ – Sunday 8th May Sara and her dad Dave move to a small Welsh village haunted by suicides among its young inhabitants. Documentarist Jeppe Rønde’s fictional debut. We present some 50 films with English dialogue or subtitles every month. See what’s on at cinemateket.dk CINEMATEKET / GOTHERSGADE 55 / CINEMATEKET.DK
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22 - 28 April 2016
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
RSC.ORG.UK
SHAKESPEARE LIVE! SVT2, SAT 21:30
PICK OF THE WEEK
W
HETHER you’re a Marlovian, Baconian, Oxfordian, there’s probably a part of you that secretly hopes the BBC’s transmission of Shakespeare Live! will be marked by a few mishaps worthy of the Bard’s comedies, and the tragedies too – a thespian pursued by an actual bear would be a nice touch for example. Two things are guaranteed on such an occasion with the BBC:
If this is what they came up with for the promo shot, then the actual event could be spellbinding
HOW MANY mockumentaries have been made since The Office? Then again Family Tree was created by Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnell!), one of Ricky Gervais’s all-time heroes, so I guess we’ll let him off. Starring Irish star and Hollywood bit-part actor Chris O’Dowd in the leading role, it must be overwhelming for O’Dowd to feature in more than one scene for a change.
Given some of Guest’s recent work, it’s likely that in years to come some will question whether he authored his earlier scripts. In similar vein to mark Shakespeare’s deathday, Last Will and Testament (DR3 Sun 19:00) explores the authorship of the Bard’s plays. Still missing the UK after that? Then watch Angry, White and Proud (DR2 Mon 19:55) and you will never want to go back. Its bigotry
and ignorance slap you round the face faster than you can scream “hygge”. Elsewhere, My Transgender Summer Camp (DR2 Sun 19:15) will divide opinion; the first of four Eurovision entry wrap-ups (SVT1 Tue 20:00) will divide the field; and The Profit (TV3+ Sun 23:45), back for a third season will combine The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den. ALEX JAMES
The kids are most definitely not alright ...
SVT2, Wed 20:30 Family Tree
TV3 S2, Sun 17:10 EPL: Leicester City vs Swansea City
FILM OF THE WEEK SVT1, Sat 23:10 Much Ado about Nothing
DR2, Fri 20:00 August: Osage County
K5, Mon 21:00
The Company Men
AU.EUROSPORT.COM
K6, Sat 18:00 FA Cup semi-final: Everton vs Man United
including “delicate character comedy to sight gags to grossout humour”. With a Metacritic score of 69, it is backed by quality writing, so it’s no surprise to learn that this ten-episode American vacation comedy has been renewed for a second season. . ALEX JAMES
RONNIE MACDONALD
SPORT OF THE WEEK
THE DETOUR is the brainchild of husband and wife duo Jason Jones and Natalie Zea and follows a seemingly simple family vacation gone wrong. Starring Jason Jones (The Daily Show), Entertainment Weekly praised the diversity of the jokes on offer,
ØYVIND VIK
IT’S FA CUP semi weekend, as Everton take on Man Utd and Crystal Palace play Watford (K6, Sun 16:55), but it’s difficult to look beyond the EPL as the Foxes play the Swans followed by Tottenham vs WBA (TV3 Sport 2, Mon 20:55). Elsewhere, the World Snooker Champs continue on Eurosport, as does the CL (3+, Tue & Wed 20:40) and we’ve got the London Marathon. (BH)
although they brightened up when the camera came out
luvvies and misfits. Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and Akala, the rapping founder of the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company, will be doing their best to remind us why this man of letters was so important, a full four centuries after his death. To be or not to be, innit. Presenting the proceedings from Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon is David Tennant, an admirable Hamlet in his time who found fame with Dr Who. It remains to be seen how much light he sheds on Mr Who. BEN HAMILTON
ALSO NEW
THE DETOUR
COMING SOON
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Eurosport, Sun 10:00 London Marathon
BEFITTING of the Bard’s big day, Much ado about Nothing is a modern retelling by Joss Whedon (Buffy, The Avengers). August: Osage County, The Company Men and Before the Devil knows you’re dead (DR2, Fri 23:05) are all meaty dramas Wills would have approved of, but the same can’t be said of Grand Piano (DR3, Fri 22:35) in which Phone Booth meets Shine. (BH)
Are you looking for an exciting summer of activity, friendship and exploration? ØIS Summer Enrichment Program offers seven weeks of programs taught in English. CARE Program: June 27 – August 12, 2016; 8.30am – 4.30pm Mon-Fri. For children from ages 3 to 10. Open play group in English for children of all nationalities Offers a variety of activities including sports, crafts, games and cooking
CAMP Program: June 27 – August 12, 2016; 9am – 3.30 pm, Mon-Fri. Workshops for students from ages 6 to 12. Choose between:
English Language Camps (also available for Students up to 17 years old) Hands on Music! Art & Crafts Science Camp Details and online Enrolment at www.oeis.dk/enrichments Viva Mexico! The Science of Baking For inquiries, please contact the Program Coordinator: I love Japan Ms. Chiara Giani cg@oeis.dk Sports Camp
Move to DK
Your practical guide when moving to Denmark
COPENHAGEN TALENT BRIDGE is initiated by Copenhagen Capacity in collaboration with: Aalborg University, Copenhagen • Technical University of Denmark • IT University of Copenhagen • The Think Tank DEA • Frederiksberg Municipality • Copenhagen Business Centre, City of Copenhagen • Cph Volunteers • CPH International Service, City of Copenhagen • International Staff Mobility, University of Copenhagen • Center for Internationalisation and Parallel Language Use • WorkinDenmark East • Vaeksthus Copenhagen • SpouseCare • Danish Agency for Labour Retention and Internatinonal Recruitment • The Capital Region of Denmark