The Copenhagen Post: October 28 - November 3

Gaddafi’s gone – when will Denmark withdraw?

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28 October - 3 November 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 43

Go on, grow a mo’ – It’s for a good cause

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Church minister: gay marriage soon

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

NEWS

With the debt crisis threatening the union, Denmark is just months away from assuming EU presidency

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Daycare woes Columnist Celia Thaysen on the struggles faced by working parents – especially when a child is ill

OPINION | 9

CULTURE

With rumours swirling about the future of Distortion, organiser Thomas Fleurquin tells us the festival will undergo a rethink

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Buying votes?

There is drama in the national film industry – but not the good kind. An actor “discredits” the Danish Oscar selection committee.

CULTURE | 18

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Big Brother is watching ... and most Danes are just fine with that. Acceptance of surveillance grows, but how effective is it?

Brasserie Degas reopens its doors in a new location presenting once again to all its customers the famous club sandwich and foie gras salad Be satisfied by the charm of delicacy...

Brasserie Degas / Le macaron by Degas - Trommesalen 5, 1614 Copenhagen V - www.brasseriedegas.dk - Tlf.: +45 33 22 28 26

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Week in revieW

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28 October - 3 November 2011 Scanpix

Happy Halloween

The Week’s MOsT Read sTORIes aT CphpOsT.dk Islamists call for ‘sharia zones’ Minister: gay weddings by next year Ombudsman censures Immigration Ministry twice in one week The government of broken promises?

Opinion | Not capable of being integrated?

FROM OUR aRChIVes TeN YeaRs agO. survey results reveal that danish youth are much more in favour of the death penalty than the nation’s elderly population.

FIVe YeaRs agO. Nobel prize-winning german author günter grass is accused of violating danish laws by renting a summer house for 25 years in a row.

Over 300,000 visitors flocked to Tivoli for Halloween, setting an attendance record. The frights continues this weekend – see a list of events on G2

again in Denmark and the eU – but not in the US and Canada (they switch back on november 6). if you’re planning to show up for work on time on monday, don’t forget to “fall back” one hour this Sunday. at least you can cash-in on those 60 minutes of sleep you lost back in the spring.

denmark’s only english-language newspaper Since 1998, The Copenhagen Post has been Denmark’s leading source for news in english. as the voice of the international community, we provide coverage for the thousands of foreigners making their home in Denmark. additionally, our english language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience. in addition to publishing the only regularly printed english-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

Visit us online at www.cphpost.dk

DSB mess

jUSt when things couldn’t possibly get worse for problemridden rail operator DSB, another CeO has walked out.

Christian Roslev announced on monday that he was resigning after less than three months in the job. Roslev was DSB’s third CeO in 2011 alone. he was brought in to put DSB’s financ-

President and Publisher ejvind Sandal Chief executive jesper nymark editor-in-Chief Kevin mcGwin Managing editor Ben hamilton news editor justin Cremer Journalists jennifer Buley & Peter Stanners

es in order following endemic budget shortcuts and a scandal involving illegal government loans. Service reductions and a rash of accidents have further tarnished DSB’s reputation. aalborg University professor anders Drejer called Roslev’s exit, at a time when DSB’s very survival is questioned, “catastrophic”.

editorial offices: Slagtehusgade 4 – 6 DK 1715 Copenhagen V telephone: 3336 3300 Fax: 3393 1313 www.cphpost.dk news Desk news@cphpost.dk 3336 4243 The CPh Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor.

Letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

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Benjamin Franklin invented it and scientists still can’t agree if it’s good for the economy or bad for the body. and the Russians are sick and tired of it and don’t do it anymore. ah, yes, that perennial confuser of clocks – both internal and external – is back. at 3am on October 30 daylight savings time comes to an end

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Fall back

ONe YeaR agO. greenland’s former prime minister Jonathan Motzfeldt dies aged 72. he was by far the country’s most visible and important politician, helping to give greenland its own identity and lessen its dependence on denmark.

Unfair?

the nUmBeR of discrimination claims in Denmark is rapidly increasing, according to figures released by the Ligestillingsnævnet – an independent board set up in 2009 to issue decisions in all forms of discrimination cases. So far this year, a record 136 claims of discrimination have been lodged, surpass-

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ing the 122 cases in 2010, itself a record year. The majority of complaints were related to gender. according to the board, the increase has its roots in the recession. employers, however, said the establishment of the panel has made it easier to allege discrimination and questioned the credibility of some of the claims.

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News

The COpeNhageN pOsT CphpOsT.dk

28 October - 3 November 2011

pM on eU debt crisis: “we have to push”

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he future of the eurozone took a step towards stability on Wednesday afternoon when Germany’s parliament approved the strengthening of the european bailout fund, the efSf. The agreement, in which Germany strengthens the fund with an additional €211 billlion, came before two critical meetings on Wednesday evening (October 26)– a summit of the 27 eu leaders before a meeting of the 17 eurozone countries.

Denmark was only due to attend Wednesday’s summit of 27 leaders – as it has not adopted the euro though the Danish kroner is pegged to it – which hopes to find a solution to the european debt crisis.

Danish PM helle Thorning was already in Brussels on Sunday at another meeting of the

I don’t think that we should try to solve the treaty issues now. First things first. european union’s 27 leaders.

“We have to push – not only the 17 eurozone countries, but all 27 have to agree,” ThorningSchmidt said. “The solution will involve recapitalising, so that the negotiations can continue.

That’s also why we are coming back on Wednesday before the eurozone members meet.”

Germany, among other eurozone countries, is pushing for a treaty revision that would give the eu financial oversight and disciplinary authority over member states that fail to meet certain financial responsibility benchmarks.

But Thorning-Schmidt said that the first order of business

was to save the eu’s banking system and not to get hung up on the details of the eu treaty.

“I don’t think that we should try to solve the treaty issues now. first things first.

Then, at a later point, we can return to the treaty changes,” she said. “But we cannot rule out discussing the treaty again.”

Any changes to the eu treaty would need the agreement of all countries – not just those in the eurozone.

“We would need the agreement of all 27 before we can decide on a treaty change,” the president of the european Council, herman Van rompuy, said following Sunday’s meetings.

Van rompuy explained that along with the recapitalisation, the debt solution was likely to include “limited” changes to the eu treaty, but “not a general overhaul of the institutional architecture”.

“The aim is deepening our economic convergence and strengthening economic discipline,” Van rompuy said.

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all 27 eU states – not just those in the eurozone – must work fast to bolster euro

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with Denmark taking over the eU presidency in January, it could be up to Helle Thorning-schmidt – seen here with French president Nicolas sarkozy – to help lead the eU out of its debt crisis

The Copenhagen Post went to press as the meetings started on Wednesday afternoon, but late reports suggested that Italy’s PM Silvio Berlusconi would an-

nounce plans to reduce their deficit at the meeting of 27 leaders.

Denmark will assume the six-month eu presidency at the beginning of 2012. (JB/PS)

get updates online for the latest news on the eu summit in Brussels, visit our website at cphpost.dk

Broad political backing for better Injection room operator: political indecision will cost lives healthcare for illegal immigrants Emily mclEan during election, coalition parties promised a permanent injection room by end of year

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he GOVernMent’S indecision over plans to set up a permanent injection room for drug addicts may cost the lives of over 100 users, according to Michael lodberg Olsen, the organiser of a mobile injection room.

Astrid Krag, the health minister, last week scaled back the government’s election promise to have a permanent room set up by the end of the year.

“We are in favour of establishing the room, but it must be done at the right time,” Krag told Politiken newspaper.

The government is concerned over the financial feasibility of the room. The Social liberals’ health spokesperson, Camilla herson, said that support for drug users has not disappeared from the government’s radar, but that “we cannot guarantee that a permanent injection room will come on

the budget for 2012.”

There is also legislative uncertainty surrounding the opening of a permanent injection room. last week, the Social Democrats’ health spokesperson, Sophie hæstorp, told Politiken “we are missing a professional to evaluate if a legislative amendment is required”.

Olsen said he finds it hard to understand why the legal and financial issues weren’t ironed out before the election promises were made.

“It’s unbelievable they’ve talked about this for so many years, and now that they have the power to make something happen, they have no idea what to do,” he said.

Since September Olsen has run a mobile injection room as a temporary alternative. he feels the disputes over legalities should be a non-issue.

“If the government fluff around for more than a year discussing legal issues, statistically 150 addicts will die,” he said.

While the mobile injenction room is proving popular – 161 addicts have used it over the past

Illegal immigrants should have access to more than emergency care, proponents say

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The government promised a legal injection room by year’s end

two months - Olsen said it’s not enough. he said he would like to engage in dialogue with politicians, but his main focus must be on keeping the mobile injection room operating.

“Our aim is to secure funding for the mobile room for a year and after that we expect the government to deliver on their promises,” he said.

lleGAl immigrants should be entitled to better healthcare, argue politicians from the Socialist People’s Party (Sf), Social liberals (rV) and red-Green Alliance (el).

In Denmark there is currently only one clinic that treats illegal immigrants, but the health minister, Astrid Krag, supports the move to open more.

“As far as I have understood it, creating these clinics is legal so there is an opportunity to create more like the one in Copenhagen,” Krag told Berlingske newspaper. under the current law, illegal immigrants in Denmark are only entitled to emergency medical treatment that does not cover chronic illnesses such as diabetes, or preventative treatment such as check-ups for pregnant women.

According to Maj Kastanje from the organisation udenfor,

we have a duty to ensure people aren’t dying in our streets which has helped to treat and provide shelter for 100 homeless foreigners, the current situation means illegal immigrants have to wait until their injuries or illnesses are life-threatening before being treated.

“We dealt with a man who had his leg stapled up after surgery,” Kastanje told Berlingske.

“But after the surgery when it was no longer considered an acute health problem, he was given a bar to remove his own staples.”

Kastanje also described cases in which individuals with severe mental health problems were discharged as soon as their condition was judged to be non-critical.

Situations like these may be a thing of the past after leading

members of rV, Sf and el all expressed support to give extra medical support to illegal immigrants.

“We have to start an ethical discussion about whether we are going to reach out to these people,” Özlem Sara Cekic from the Sf told Berlingske.

“I believe we have a duty to ensure people aren’t dying in our streets.”

Camilla hersom from rV said: “People have a need for treatment regardless of their residency status,” adding that she expected the three government parties to agree on better healthcare for illegal immigrants. el spokesperson Johanne Schmidt-nielsen also said she expected the new government to improve care to for illegal immigrants.

Krag said that before a decision could be made, it was necessary to identify how big the problem is.

The exact number of illegal immigrants in Copenhagen is not known, though estimates put the number at anywhere between 1,000 and 5,000. (PS)

ONlINe ThIs week Occupy denmark arrests don’t deter protesters

dane among trio abducted in somalia

400,000 could lose private health insurance

COPenhAGen Police last week on Wednesday arrested eleven people at the ongoing Occupy Denmark protests for engaging in an illegal demonstration in the city’s town hall square. The arrestees were released after roughly an hour in police custody. By the next morning, demonstrators had

three aid workers, including one Dane, have been kidnapped by 10 armed men in northern Somalia. The Danish refugee Council reported on tuesday that the 60-year-old Dane, a 32-year-old American woman and a Somali man of unidentified age were taken hostage while en route to an airport in the So-

the nuMBer of privately insured Danes could fall by nearly half if the centre-left government removes the tax deduction for health insurance plans, according to a new study by health research group DSI. The previous government introduced the tax credit in

already returned to the square, insisting that their protests will continue.

mali city of Galkayo. tuesday’s kidnapping occurred shortly after two women who worked for Doctors Without Borders were abducted from a refugee camp in neighbouring Kenya. Previously, two european tourists were also kidnapped off the Kenyan coast.

Armed Somali bandits were suspected in both the Kenyan cases.

2002 and the number of private health insurance plans grew from 142,000 to 1.1 million. A repeal of the tax credit would mean a tax burden per insured employee of up to 1,000 kroner per year.

DSI estimates this would cause 400,000 to drop their insurance.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

PETER STANNERS SF blames the Social Liberals for scuppering taxes designed to strengthen social welfare

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Deep divisions threaten unity of government

Social Democrats say higher registration costs would lead to more purchases of eco-friendly models

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IFTS IN THE government have become increasingly obvious in recent weeks. The threeparty government spent over two weeks thrashing out which of their respective policies would – and would not – survive in the coalition government. And now as the government’s direction becomes increasingly apparent, the Socialist People’s Party (SF) has had a hard time hiding their frustration.

The focus of SF’s discontent is taxation, or rather the lack thereof. Their joint election manifesto with the Social Democrats (S) proposed a range of new taxes, such as a tax on millionaires, banks and financial transactions, as well as increased levies on tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food. But while drinkers, smokers and fast food eaters will all be paying a higher price for their vices, it’ll be business as usual for banks, millionaires and traders.

The abandoned taxes were to be used to finance new social measures, including better hospital treatment, more teachers in classrooms and cheaper public transportation. These were all policies that had to be abandoned in the new common government policy in order to accommodate the Social Liberals (RV).

Speaking to Politiken newspaper, SF’s political spokesperson Jesper Petersen said the compromise was only going to punish the poorest in society while letting the wealthiest off the hook.

“What it means is that there is less money available for policies that would have created more equality, helped the lowest-paid, and contributed to welfare,” Petersen said.

“We are much more about social equality and improving welfare for ordinary Danes who don’t have access to private services. It’s a fight that will continue in the government. We are more preoccupied with social equality because we are a socialistic party. [RV] aren’t.”

Petersen was joined by a range of politicians from S and SF in attacking RV for drawing the government so close to the centre.

“I would rather see us go into the next election with just an S-SF government instead of an S-RV-SF govern-

‘Gas-guzzler’ tax to cost dearly

While many in his party are upset with concessions to RV, party chairman Villy Søvndal says it beats the alternative

ment,” the Social Democratic mayor of Ishøj, Ole Bjørstorp, told JyllandsPosten. “It would work better because in terms of our views, S and SF are much closer together.”

SF’s chairman of the Greater Copenhagen constituency, Poul Reher Jensen, echoed this view.

“If we want a coalition government where the broadest shoulders carry the most weight, it can’t be together with RV,” Jensen said.

Some SF members have not given up the fight easily however. Last week Jesper Petersen tried to breathe new life into the millionaire tax, stating that even though it was not included in the common government policy, it could still be introduced in a tax reform bill.

That didn’t last long, however. Tax minister Thor Möger Pedersen from SF, prime minister Helle ThorningSchmidt, and Margrethe Vestager, leader of RV and interior minister, all condemned the tax to its grave.

The decision by members of SF to push their own agenda may have further damaged the integrity of an already fragile government, some political commentators have argued. But it may be a calculated risk – a way of reasserting themselves after a poor election that saw them lose seven seats before being included in a government where their policies seem largely overshadowed by RV.

And it doesn’t help when they are also being criticised by the left. Earlier in October, Frank Aaen, the tax spokesperson for the far-left government ally Red-Green Alliance (EL), insinuated that the tax minister had seemingly colluded with RV. “Thor [Möger Pedersen] is again reflecting the views of the RV who don’t want banks to pay more in tax even though taxpayers have helped banks through the crisis,” Aaen told Politiken.

But despite deep divisions within the government, there are some voices trying to maintain unity. Ole Hækkerup, the S legal spokesperson, countered SF’s political spokesperson, arguing that while the government was not able to bring in many of the new taxes, they were still making socially responsible reforms.

“SF think RV have weakened the social profile of the new government,” Hækkerup told Politiken. “Nonsense.

The removal of welfare benefits for low income people [that are blamed for maintaining cycles of poverty] will do more to fight inequality in Denmark than has been done in the last ten years.”

Last week, SF’s leader Villy Søvndal finally entered the debate in an attempt to silence the critics. In a press release he attempted to point out that while the current government isn’t ideal for any of the parties involved, they had no alter-

native but to compromise with RV to form a government.

“There is only one choice: an S-RVSF government or a blue government with [former PM Lars] Løkke at the reigns. Everything else is pure fantasy,” Søvndal wrote. “The biggest differences aren’t between the government parties, but between us and Lars Løkke. We have bid farewell to bloc politics because it’s the only way to take on the large challenges Denmark faces.” “[Løkke] has created a society where inequality has grown, welfare has been let down and where unfinanced tax cuts has jeopardised the economy.”

The public will take some convincing however. A study released last week

by Radius Communication showed minimal support for the SF leader, who was ranked the second-lowest among party leaders in terms of competence and trustworthiness out of the eight main parties. RV’s leader Vestager topped the rankings in both criteria.

While the government’s infighting seemed to have quieted down by the end of last week, the battlelines have clearly been drawn. The question is whether S and SF can convince the public that an unstable centre-left government is preferable to the former Liberal-Conservative party coalition government, which the polls suggest would easily take back power if the elections were held today.

OR MANY Danish motorists, their already expensive vehicle registration is about to get even pricier.

Social Democrat (S) energy spokesperson Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil announced last week a proposed overhaul of the national vehicle tax system that would make it up to 50 percent more expensive to drive ‘gas-guzzling’ vehicles.

All vehicles that do not live up to ‘Energy Class A’ fuel efficiency standards – a minimum 18.2 kilometres per litre for petrol vehicles and a minimum of 20.5 kilometres for diesel vehicles – would have their registration fee doubled.

Under the EU energy label system, all personal vehicles are categorised in seven energy classes – from A to G – based on their fuel efficiency. The Danish Transport Authority reports that nearly 4,000 car models are in categories B-G, while 853 models meet the class A standards. According to Berlingske newspaper, 18 of the year’s 20 highest-selling vehicles are class A. The registration fee proposed by S is aimed at encouraging motorists to trade in their gas-guzzlers for greener models. They say that the money raised through the increased fees would go towards making the most fuel-efficient vehicles cheaper.

“There are so many cool eco-cars that the rest should be phased out,” Rosenkrantz-Theil told Berlingske.

According to Berlingske, S will present the registration fee plan in advance of a debate in parliament next year over new measures to reduce carbon emissions. Although Berlingske reports that there is broad support in parliament for taxing vehicles based on their environmental friendliness, RosenkrantzTheil’s specific proposal has not yet been endorsed by any other parties.

“Until this proposal is clear, we do not want to comment on specific initiatives, so that the car market is not unnecessarily affected,” Thor Pedersen Möger, the tax minister, told Berlingske.

Möger did confirm that the government was pursuing a shift “that will make it cheaper to buy an energy-efficient car”.

The government’s climate plan has a declared goal of cutting the country’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels. (JC)

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news

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pamela juhl

28 October - 3 November 2011

Church officials are decrying the proposal they say will spell the end for the Church of Denmark. new church minister Manu sareen, an admitted doubter in god’s existence, supports the right for gays to marry

Church minister: gay weddings as early as next year Jennifer Buley Non-believing chuch minister wants the change, but clergy say same-sex marriage will be “fatal”

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n just a few months, homosexuals will get the right to marry in the Church of Denmark – they will, that is, if the new church minister has his way.

The government plans to introduce a bill just after the new Year that will allow same-sex couples to hold weddings in the Church of Denmark and be ‘married’ under Danish law. samesex couples are currently allowed to have ‘registered partnerships’, a civil status, but are barred from having marriages and church weddings.

“The first same-sex weddings will hopefully become reality in spring 2012. I look forward to the moment the first homosexual couple step out of the church. I’ll be standing out there throwing rice,” the new church minister, Manu sareen, a social Liberal, told jyllands-Posten newspaper. sareen’s appointment as church minister was one of the more controversial of the new coalition government.

He is a professed religious “doubter”, who before becoming church minister came awfully close to writing himself off the national church regis-

try, in direct protest against its longstanding ban on same-sex marriage.

“I’m not sure that there’s a god, unfortunately,” said sareen. “I wish I could believe it. Then I could say: there’s god and because of him I know what happens after we die.”

But if the minister was uncertain about the existence of god, one thing he was absolutely certain of is that homosexuals deserve the same rights as heterosexuals.

“I have many friends who are homosexuals and can’t get married. They love their partners the same way heterosexuals do, but they don’t have the right to live it out in the same way.

That’s really problematic,” sareen said. “today it would be unthinkable not to have female priests,” he continued. “That’s how it will also be for same-sex weddings.” some local priests, like Henrik Højlund, who is the parish priest of Løsning and Korning and chairman of the Evangelical Lutheran network (ELn), however, disagreed with the minister.

“Lots of people are mistaken in thinking that homosexual weddings are just the next step after female priests. But it is much more consequential and beyond the boundaries for normal Christianity,” Højlund told jyllands-Posten.

“The Church of Denmark is be-

I look forward to the moment the first homosexual couple step out of the church. I’ll be standing out there throwing rice ing secularised right up to the altar in a desperate and mistaken attempt to meet modern people halfway,” he said, adding that same-sex marriages would be “fatal for the church”.

In 1989 Denmark became the first country in the world to legalise civil unions between same-sex partners. But the country stopped short of calling it ‘marriage’ and same-sex couples are still not allowed to have marriage ceremonies in the Church of Denmark.

Polls taken over the years, right up until last week, have consistently shown that around 69 percent of the population supports same-sex marriage in the church. The Danish clergy and politicians have lagged behind popular opinion, however.

A 2004 poll revealed that less than 40 percent of the clergy in the Church of Denmark supported same-

sex marriage – a more than 30 percentage point difference from the general population. Moreover, bills to legalise same-sex marriage were voted down by parliament several times.

But the outlook may be different now that the centre-left has assumed power after ten years in opposition and has appointed a church minister whose beliefs and religious habits more closely resemble those of most Danes.

While sareen doubts the existence of god, he said he still enjoys going to church – albeit on rare occasions – to experience the atmosphere of “spirituality, reverence, respect, and humility: things that are missing in our everyday lives”.

Less than five percent of Danes today attend church services on a weekly basis, yet 80 percent are – like sareen – registered members who pay taxes to support it, but who only rarely attend services. This year alone, the Church of Denmark will receive an estimated 5.9 billion kroner in taxes from its registered members, plus additional taxsupported state subsidies amounting to 130 kroner for every single citizen, regardless of their religious affiliations, sexual preferences, or other beliefs.

Helene Devantié, the chair of Kirketjenerforening, the association for church employees, was willing to allow for same-sex marriages in the Church of Denmark, but only as long

as church employees could choose, on an individual basis, whether or not to serve same-sex couples.

“The churches should have the option of creating local agreements, so that employees who have ethical or moral problems with homosexuals marrying can exempt themselves,” she said.

Devantié’s demand raised questions about whether church employees – public employees whose salaries are paid by taxes – should have the right to refuse service to certain citizens, just because they disapprove of their lifestyles or personal attributes. sareen said church employees who are set against marrying homosexuals would not be forced to conduct samesex ceremonies. “But we must also make it possible for homosexuals to marry in the church,” he added.

Vivi jelstrup, the co-chair of LGBt Danmark, the association for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders in Denmark, expressed approval that sareen and the new government are serious about allowing same-sex marriages in the Church of Denmark.

But she wanted assurances that the law would also change to provide real equality across the board.

“We also want to see the justice Minister laying out the groundwork for gender-neutral marriages,” she told jyllands-Posten.

ONlINe ThIs week shareholder skepticism stalls Iss deal

Flood prone homes a tough sell

Breathing good country air

tHE 44 BILLIon kroner sale of the Danish integrated cleaning and catering solutions company Iss to the British security solutions company G4s is far from a done deal. The sale, announced last week on Monday, is being met with growing scepticism among G4s shareholders.

The terms of the deal require that a minimum of 75 percent of G4s shareholders sign off on the purchase of Iss. “It is hard to

If Your house is in a lowlying area, forget about selling it anytime soon. This summer’s downpours have sent homebuyers fleeing from homes in flood risk areas. More than one out of every three estate agents reports that buyers are passing over homes that face a risk of water damage to avoid the higher insurance premiums that come with them. According to studies by the Danish Association of

CHILDrEn who grow up on a farm are only half as likely to develop asthma or allergies compared to those who grow up in a city, according to a new study.

The study found that children in the countryside are subjected early in their lives to many micro-organisms from the farm, which gives their immune systems more balance. “The result

understand the strategy behind the acquisition,” Carnegie Asset Management portfolio manager Kim Korsgaard nielsen told jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Chartered Estate Agents and the property listings website Boligsiden.dk, more than half of all homebuyers report concern over the risk of flooding when choosing a new home.

shows that being born and raised in the countryside offers a protective effect,” torben sigsgaard told the science website videnskab.dk. “The effect lasts until the person is 20 or 25 years old and probably even longer.” The study also showed that growing up in a city and then moving to a farm as an adult doubles the risk of developing asthma.

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THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

Big Brother is watching – shame he can’t help PETER STANNERS While Danes accept CCTV as an effective way of fighting crime, a study from the UK begs to differ

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VER GET the creepy feeling you’re being watched? Well, maybe not if you’re Danish. A new study conducted by the Danish domestic security agency PET showed that a majority of Danes backed CCTV as a way to improve safety and security.

The unexpected results of the 2,000 person survey were met with enthusiasm by PET. “It’s surprising for us that people find visible security measures comforting,” Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen from PET told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

“We thought cameras and fences would increase people’s insecurity because they would be reminded of terrorism.”

The study, entitled ‘Safety and security in busy spaces’, discovered that people could be divided into three broad categories according to what they felt were the best measures to improve safety and security. Two of these groups - accounting for 68 percent of the participants – believed that visible security measures, such as CCTV, would make them feel safer in public.

The use of security cameras has become increasingly widespread in Denmark, with an estimated 350,000 CCTV cameras installed across the country. The revelation of this trend earlier this year led to several organisations and experts questioning whether Denmark was headed

stalls a camera, however, they must comply with two Danish laws – the video-surveillance law and the data protection law.

These laws place strict limitations on how and where cameras may be placed and for how long the footage may be stored before being deleted.

But more public surveillance is coming to Copenhagen.

At least 30 high-definition cameras have been installed along stretches of the walking street Strøget, while the City Council approved a plan this April to introduce cameras into areas of Nørrebro, especially near apartment blocks. Lars Weiss, a former Social Democrat MP, explained that the cameras would prove useful in identifying criminals.

“We have been contacted by housing associations who want the opportunity to install surveillance cameras,” he told Politiken. “But there are also some areas of town where we are told that witnesses to crimes are hesitant to come forward because of fears of reprisals. You don’t have that problem with a videotape.”

While the study suggests that Danes, for the most part, believe surveillance is benign so long as it is regulated and used to prevent crime, experience abroad questions whether it is really so effective.

A 2005 study conducted in the UK by the Home Office concluded that the introduction of CCTV into town centres and residential areas had a negligible impact on crime, with some areas witnessing an increase in crime after the deployment of cameras. An estimated 1.5 million CCTV cameras are thought

toward a ‘Big Brother’ state.

Among them was the Trade Organisation for Safety and Security.

“It might surprise some, but we think we need to be careful with letting more areas be covered by video surveillance,” the organisation’s CEO Kasper Skov-Mikkelsen told Politiken. “When every year an extra 50,000 new cameras are put up and private individuals don’t have to seek permission from the police or the Danish Data Protection Agency, there’s a need to slow down.”

Another major critic of CCTV has been Jacob Mchangama of conservative think-tank Cepos. He has repeatedly questioned whether security cameras actually make society safer.

“CCTV in airports and metros is unproblematic and can be useful for the police in solving serious crime,” Mchangama told Politiken newspaper in August.

“But if it’s allowed to spread to our streets it can quickly become problematic and create a more paranoid society.”

While PET’s latest study seems to put this concern to rest, Mchangama also pointed out that a major problem with recorded video surveillance is its potential to be used in ways other than how it was originally intended, and that the recorded information of a public’s movements could be abused.

Copenhagen’s residents are not subject to the same level of surveillance as residents of cities such as London, with the majority of security cameras installed by home-owners and business owners rather than by local authorities. Regardless of who in-

The idea of CCTV was far more appealing in theory than it proved in practice

to be operating in the UK. The analysis of the data was filled with caveats, however. For instance, the researchers questioned whether increases in crime (73 percent in one case) were real, or whether they could be attributed to an increase in the reporting of crime after the deployment of the cameras.

Significantly, however, the study also assessed the psychological impact on residents after the deployment of security cameras.

It showed that the number of residents reporting that they felt safe increased by up to 16 percent after cameras were installed. On average, over 80 percent of the Home Office study respondents were happy about the cameras after they were introduced.

But not all of the reports findings were so positive.

“All [of the 13 CCTV] systems [looked at in the study] aimed to reduce crime, yet this study suggests that CCTV has generally failed to achieve this.

Although police-recorded crime has decreased in six out of the 13 systems for which data was available, in only three cases might this decrease be attributable to CCTV,” the study read.

The study also discovered

CCTV increased after the murder of 19-year-old Anton Nije was caught by CCTV cameras in shops on Strøget, leading to the prosecution of a 20 and 21-year-old.

CCTV is still in its infancy in Denmark, though S-train operator DSB supports it after hundreds of dangero u s

that “the idea of CCTV was far more appealing in theory than it proved in practice.” After the installation of CCTV, the public’s approval and perceived effectiveness of CCTV dropped significantly in all of the case studies compared to their thoughts before the installation.

CCTV has been effective in some pivotal cases, however – most notably after the 2005 London Underground bombings and the city riots in August, in which recordings were used to trace and identify the culprits.

In Copenhagen, support for

incidents were aver ted and d o z ens of crimes have been solved since cameras were installed on trains and platforms across the

city.

So while CCTV can provide effective retrospective evidence for crimes, its potential to decrease crime is questionable.

And while people generally feel positive about CCTV before it is implemented, positive feelings tend to drop off quickly after its introduction. Given that London’s over 10,000 cameras cost the Home Office over 170 million kroner to install, the question is whether rolling out cameras across Copenhagen really is a sound investment.

One fourth of university programmes get a ‘D’ Feel at home N ITS LATEST round of Among the problems cited taken aback by the high number in Copenhagen quality checks, the state-run were that the programmes were of warnings.

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Accreditation Council has given 28 percent of all Danish university programmes tested an unimpressive ‘conditional approval’ to continue teaching and rewarding degrees.

The Accreditation Council and its testing operator, ACE Denmark, are responsible for ensuring the quality levels of more than 1,000 Danish university educational programmes. Their most recent review was based on spot-checks undertaken on 138 university programmes over the past year. Significant weaknesses were noted on 38 of the programmes, with the result that their accreditations were only conditionally approved.

The programmes with conditional approval will now have one to two years to fix their weak points. Otherwise, they risk being shut down, reports Berlingske newspaper.

insufficiently grounded in current research, and that students failed to develop an adequate level of academic or technical expertise over the course of their studies.

Eleven of the programmes reviewed were deemed too lenient in their own self-evaluations, internal quality reviews, improvement goals for dropout rates, test scores, intellectual production, and post-graduation employment, the Accreditation Council noted.

The percentage of programmes that earned nearfailing marks was more than double from previous years. Between 2007 and the middle of 2010, the ‘conditional approval’ rate hovered around 15 percent.

Jens Oddershede, the rector of the University of Southern Denmark and chairman of the council of university rectors, was

“It’s surprising that in a single year we have got so much worse at providing high quality educations. That’s something we’ll have to study closer,” he told Berlingske. “It definitely sends the signal that institutional accreditation could get more difficult, but I still believe that the Danish universities are up to the challenge.”

ACE Denmark’s executive director, Anette Dørge Jessen, agreed that the results were noteworthy, but added that it did not mean universities were not doing their job.

“The number is surprising in comparison with earlier years.

But it’s worth noting that the system is meant to provide ongoing quality checks, and that a conditional approval doesn’t necessarily mean the programmes aren’t delivering reasonable instruction,” Jessen said. (JB)

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

7

Exit Gaddafi, with Denmark soon to follow SCANPIX

RAY WEAVER

Concern over whether Denmark and Nato went too far in helping to topple Libyan leader

T

HE DEATH of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi at the hands of the rebels who deposed him marks the beginning of the end for Denmark’s involvement in the months-long civil war in the north African country.

Denmark’s six F-16 fighter jets have played their part in the Nato campaign to enforce a nofly zone over Libya to protect the country’s citizens from Gaddafi’s crackdown on popular protests.

The foreign minister, Villy Søvndal, congratulated Libyans and said that the country is now a step closer to peace.

“We started this operation in order to protect civilians at the request of the UN, and it will end when we are certain that Nato no longer has a role to play,” Søvndal said in a statement.

He underscored that the alliance will remain in the country as long as necessary to monitor progress and ensure that civilians are safe.

The prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, also expressed Denmark’s commitment to continued support.

“I am proud of the efforts

The foreign minister said that Denmark remains committed to protecting Libyan civilians

that Denmark has made to protect the civilian population in Libya,” Thorning-Schmidt wrote on her Facebook page. “And Denmark is ready to continue to support the Libyan people.”

It has been proposed that Nato’s operation in Libya should come to a close on October 31, but its secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, stressed that no final decision regarding a timetable for a

withdrawal had been made.

He echoed the foreign minister’s promise that Nato will continue to monitor the situation and respond to threats against civilians.

Some Nato members have expressed concern that a withdrawal coming so quickly after Gaddafi’s death would send the wrong message. Nato has always insisted that the death or capture of the former leader was

not their goal.

Per Clausen of the RedGreen Alliance told Ekstra Bladet newspaper that he believed it was good that Gaddafi was gone, but called Nato’s involvement “unfortunate”.

In March, the Red-Green Alliance were part of an unanimous vote in parliament authorising the deployment of fighters to enforce a no-fly zone, but later withdrew its backing when it began offering

air support to rebel forces.

After the news of Gaddafi’s death, Clausen said that he feared Nato had become an instrument of regime change around the world and had gone too far in Libya – beyond its original mandate of protecting its civilians.

He felt that Libyan rebels might have looked for a peaceful solution with Gaddafi and his supporters had they not been so sure of Nato’s help removing the

former leader.

Gaddafi’s nearly 42 years in power made him one of the longest-ever ruling leaders in the Arab world. During that time, he used his country’s oil wealth to build schools, roads and hospitals. He also amassed a huge personal fortune, much of which he hid in banks and investments outside Libya.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the US has frozen deposits of more than $37 billion belonging to Gaddafi. The governments of France, Italy, Germany and Britain have frozen another $30 billion. Investigations also revealed that Gaddafi had stashed billions more in countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

The stolen funds were mostly invested by using the names of Libyan government institutions.

The Danish government has iced 1.8 million kroner in assets it says belonged to Gaddafi.

Public broadcaster DR reported that Gaddafi owned property in Denmark valued at nearly 25 million kroner.

Gaddafi’s son, Hannibal, who spent time as a student in Denmark from 2004-2005, was initially reported by Ekstra Bladet newspaper to have been killed during Thursday’s battle.

It was later revealed that Hannibal was not killed, but his brother Mo’tassim did die during the battle.

Soldier deleted “Abu-Ghraib-like” photos SCANPIX

Deleted pics could be missing evidence referred to in military court cases

A

DANISH special forces soldier has revealed in a new book that he deleted a series of pictures possibly depicting prisoners being tortured in Afghanistan in 2002.

The pictures in question could be the ‘missing evidence’ referred to by two trials pending in the Danish courts in which the military is being sued for abetting torture, and a retired military psychologist is being held in contempt for refusing to reveal what she knows.

The missing evidence is a set of pictures saved on the computer of a former military interpreter. Gitte Lillelund Bech, the defence minister at the time the pictures emerged, described them as “Abu-Ghraib-like”.

The special forces soldier, Lars Møller, claims that he was sitting in a tent at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan when he came across a group of pictures on the computer of a military interpreter, identified only as MG. “The pictures were phony and set up,” Møller writes in the book ‘Jæger 200’ (‘Hunter 200’), which comes out this Friday. “I deleted all the pictures and all the files. They were clearly manufactured in order to be used in the wrong way.”

“There weren’t any pictures of torture, but of prisoners with

The pictures allegedly depicted the 2002 torture of Afghan prisoners

by US forces in an American military prison

hoods over their heads. We didn’t trust the interpreter at all, and he was creating a security risk. I simply acted on my own to fix a problem we had right there and then,” Møller told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

The interpreter returned from Afghanistan shortly after the episode in which Møller erased his photo files.

If the interpreter described

by Møller is the same one named in the two pending trials, he then told military psychologist Merete Lindholm about the pictures and allegedly also showed her a CD of the pictures.

The outcomes of the court cases hinge on the photos, which are now missing.

Because they are missing, the Eastern High Court ordered Lindholm, who is now retired, to testify about what the interpreter showed her during his counselling sessions. Lindholm refused, stating that a psycholo-

gist’s pledge of confidentiality to her client is “inviolable” and that testifying would irreparably damage client-psychologist trust for all therapists. She was held in contempt of court earlier this month for refusing to co-operate and awaits possible punishment.

Tyge Trier, the lawyer for one of the plaintiffs said that Møller was wrong to destroy the pictures.

“The right thing to do would have been to take the computer into custody until an investigation could establish if the authorities should get involved,” Trier told Jyllands-Posten.

While Møller maintains that the photographs he saw were a set up, he now wishes he had not deleted them.

“If I knew then what I know now, of course, I would have taken his computer into custody, so that internal affairs investigators could study it.” (JB)

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8

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Beware of CCTV blind spots

T

HE GOOD news about CCTV in Denmark is that the strict regulations all but banning its use have been loosened. The sad news is that it took a tragic event to get this strongly anti-authoritarian people to change their attitude towards video surveillance. Public opinion towards surveillance changed dramatically following the 2008 stabbing of a 19-yearold whose killers were apprehended, and later convicted, using recordings made by a shop camera near the scene of the crime.

Public video surveillance was not permitted at the time, and the incident set off a heated political debate that led to the limited use of cameras in areas prone to violence.

Since then, the regulations for video surveillance have been relaxed even further. But the down side to this development is that with the proliferation of cameras, Danes appear to have come to see them as cheap deterrent to crime, rather than taking up issue with crime’s underlying causes.

Installing surveillance cameras is supposed to help prevent crime and to catch criminals, and police statistics show that, at least in residential areas, they do have an effect: crime rates go down, but only to rise in adjacent areas without cameras.

Even though the jury is still out on the preventative effects of video surveillance, according to a recent survey, 69 percent of the public feel safer when they see video monitors on train platforms or cameras on buses. And, when CCTV images of would-be Copenhagen terrorist Lors Doukaiev helped to secure his arrest, the pro-CCTV argument got even stronger.

One of the arguments against CCTV has been that it is the first step towards the establishment of an Orwellian society. But even before 2008, cameras were a fixture of certain outdoor areas, such as petrol stations, malls and banks. Those images were protected from abuse by regulations preventing them from being recorded and requiring that a watchman be on hand to view them live.

Those guidelines – although slightly looser today – are still in place, which shows that officials are serious about protecting our right to privacy. This focus on the rights of the individual being filmed has been underscored by some absurd cases, such as the jewellery store owner who was charged with violating a thief ’s civil rights for placing surveillance footage of him online.

Such cases show the need to streamline regulations for video surveillance as access to monitoring technology becomes easier, but similar privacy concerns also exist when it comes to fingerprinting and DNA profiling. No-one would seriously consider taking those tools out of the police’s hands, and there’s no reason why the same guidelines can’t be applied to make video surveillance a similar success.

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28 October - 3 November 2011

The day nine Salafists took over the airwaves TAREK HUSSEIN

C

ABINET-LEVEL consultations, a direct threat against democracy and a potential bomb under Danish society – there was no shortage of hyperbole or hackneyed remarks by politicians last week looking to show their indignation in front of an expectant media.

Last week on Tuesday, I awoke to TV2 News and its report about Salafists in Copenhagen, which at that time was getting the same amount of coverage as the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

I don’t intend to get into a discussion about these crazy Salafists, but I will say that as far as I’m concerned, they are a pack of nutters who got lost in the airport and wound up in Denmark instead of Saudi Arabia.

But, any discussion of these Salafists would be lacking if it didn’t take up the very relevant issue of proportionality – or

nalism? Why didn’t they visit Tingbjerg and look into one of the central claims being made by the Salafists?

They didn’t even have to head out there. They could have asked social workers and school officials in the neighbourhood, who would have told them that the group was made up of no more than nine young men with extremist opinions.

It’s easy to get the impression from the media that the majority of Muslims in Denmark are members of such groups, even though nothing could be further from the truth.

The TV2 News report about the Salafists during the 10pm broadcast lasted 2 minutes and 57 seconds, 27 seconds of which went to the president of moderate group Muslimer i Dialog (Muslims in Dialogue), the rest went to the spokesperson for the Salafists. What better example of disproportionality do you need?

The media is our source of news, information and other thought-provoking content. At

Maybe the journalists working that day would rather have been on autumn holiday like everyone else the same time, the media initiates discussions over topics facing society, and these debates can often serve to influence public opinion.

This gives journalists the potential to push an agenda, which only further underscores that they need to be aware of their influence – all the while refusing to compromise their professionalism or critical approach.

I hope that the media will be aware of the influence their coverage has on society – regardless of whether their focus is on Salfists, teenagers or politicians.

READER COMMENTS Islamists call for Sharia zones Allowing sharia law is the first step to subverting the laws and value of a country.

JPNCATH By website Ah, I see. A funny man with a beard will walk up to another man with a beard when he is holding a bottle of bear? Then he will wag his finger and say “you are a very naughty boy”. The other man can reply by utilising his index finger in a more productive way - he can either point this man in the direction of the East, or the direction of the sky. This should be entertaining - I may grow a beard.

Jeg er By website Thanks but no thanks, I don’t want any more self-appointed ‘do-gooders’ looking over my shoulder. It doesn’t matter if they were Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhists - this whole concept is out of line and is to be stopped.

Thorvaldsen By website What is all the fuss about? Why are you guys jumping up and down making an issue out of it?

With all this negative hype that you create with your ignorant reactions, you promote hatred that in turn results in discrimination in the society against a common Muslim who does no harm to anyone. This is a vicious cycle and in the end you create a divide which helps no one and harms everyone. Grow up please and use your brains if you have any.

Brusque By website Ombudsman censures Immigration Ministry twice in one week

www.cphpost.dk

the lack thereof – in the media, which, unfortunately, is a recurrent problem.

The media plays a significant role in today’s society, and seen in that light, we should recognise the impact media coverage has on mass audiences – and that, at least to some extent, it influences people’s opinions.

Given the media’s power, it can’t be reiterated enough just how important it is that journalists abide by the written – and unwritten – rules of the game.

In one of the reports, the spokesperson for the Islamist group ‘Kaldet til Islam’ (Called to Islam) claimed to have over 1,500 sympathisers, and that they had been contacted by any number of concerned residents of the Tingbjerg neighbourhood.

Maybe the journalists working that day would rather have been on autumn holiday like everyone else, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of critical journalism they passed off on their audiences. Whatever happened to thorough, investigative jour-

Immigration is a big problem, immigrants are a huge problem, so no immigration and no immigrants consequently means no problems. I am really fed up with

all this news with immigrants and their unending problems that have nothing to do with our country and our people!

Ing By website Great forum to express your antiimmigrant sentiments, of course, being populated by immigrants who make up the reading audience! Sorry Dane, you’ll just have to get used to immigrants if you want your precious world’s happiest lifestyle to continue, since we seem to be the only ones actively working in your little country.

Until then, you’re welcome. Glad I could help with my taxes!

MissFuzzy By website Once again we see how illiterate, uneducated people dare to associate themselves with once beautiful Denmark, and it is meaningless to discuss anything with immigrants or, how did you call it...? They are having a referendum on mass immigration in Switzerland - hope we’ll have something like that in Denmark as well, because Danes don’t owe anything to anyone. We must concentrate on our nation’s and country’s problems, and we have enough problems without immigrants, so please.

Ing By website Wow, you’re kind of despicable, if you must know, Ing. MissFuzzy By website I am not an immigrant, I am an expat! If I were an ethnic Dane, I’d feel the same way Ing does.

An “immigrant” is someone who leaves their native country with a goal of permanent relocation and, likely, acquiring citizenship. This is just the technical description.

The commonly accepted term of immigrant also implies someone who leaves usually a less well-off country of a different culture hoping for a better life. An ‘expat’

implies a person who temporarily (or permanently) lives outside of their country of citizenship. The modern usage of the term implies this person is a professional or family member of a professional who temporarily resides in a different country for professional reasons. It has little to do with how well integrated and wealthy I may or may not be. If you don’t believe me, ask a group native Danes if they put professionals from western countries temporarily living in DK in the same demographic group as immigrants from non-western countries. The majority will say no. The government doesn’t, and the proof is in the policy. If it didn’t, the 25 percent tax scheme wouldn’t exist.

JFD By website I read so many comments here about immigration by ‘immigrants’ that make no sense at all.

Sentiments like the one Ing expressed are obviously not aimed at professionals working abroad or even ‘love expats’. It is uncontrolled and ‘uneducated/unqualified’ immigration that it is the issue all over Europe. Maybe you should look into some of Europe’s big capitals and see what could be happening to Copenhagen if we ever reach those levels of unstructured immigration.

That is what people like Ing are on about, and if you feel injured by their comments then you are naive or a twit.

PC By website PC, to put it bluntly, you’re an idiot. Danes hating foreigners is bad enough, but you judge foreigners based on their occupation or wealth? It’s been said before and it’ll be said a million times more, without foreigners, or immigrants, you wouldn’t have fast food places open at night, you wouldn’t have long kiosk open-

ing hours or the amount of them, your taxis and buses would go nowhere. and your tax coffers would be much emptier. The people Danes seem to hate so much are the ones doing the jobs Danes wouldn’t ‘lower’ themselves to, and I’d love to see how you got along if you were forced to do the jobs you all seem happy enough to force immigrants to do.

Shufflemoomin By website The govt of broken promises?

Broken promises or compromise?

I think the US government could learn something about negotiation from Denmark.

Flemingtona By website At least they’re not negotiating with DF. Abby Crispin

By Facebook All anyone ever does during the election campaigns is say what they’d like to focus on and would like to be able to do, but straightup promises can’t be made before votes are tallied and mandates are counted. This talk about breaking promises is disingenuous Christina Ackerman

By Facebook It’s the way of the Left: huge promises that cannot be delivered. The gap between what they promise and what they deliver is usually vast. Prepare to be disappointed. And in the midst of the current global crisis, expect to be very disappointed.

Gary Chambers

By Facebook Foreign minister criticises China Did the Chinese take the opportunity to criticise Denmark’s record? If not, what did they say?

Was anybody listening or even interested?

Oldjanus By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

9

So Says Celia

BY CELIA THAYSEN Celia Thaysen is a British love refugee who landed on these shores six years ago.

With below-par Danish, a tendency to tardiness, and a fondness for Marmite, she spends her time fumbling her way through unfamiliar territory as a working mother-of-two with a house in the ‘burbs.

Forget daddy daycare, I need private childcare now! of having a dual income, and singleparent families to support themselves.

Friends from the US and UK often express awe at the level of support we receive here. For all my gripes about the tax system (of which I have plenty), I’ve realised that it’s only once you have kids that you finally see some payback for all those tax kroner. But the Danish workplace has become more demanding, and institutions alone do not and perhaps cannot provide all the answers to childcare.

Denmark is becoming a victim of its own success. With so much emphasis on public daycare and part-time working hours as the solution to parents’ needs, there is presently little or no professional private childcare provision available to families – a service that is becoming an increasing necessity.

When both partners work fulltime in demanding jobs, there is constant pressure on both to juggle work and children. It’s always these parents I see, looking stressed and guilty, scuttling past the staff – ready with their coats on and holding the door open at 4.30pm – to get their kids from daycare. And many cannot rely on grandparents and family to help them out.

Neither does the current system easily accommodate parents wishing to return to work within a year of having a child. For many female business owners, taking a full year off is not an option. And women, who have fought hard to climb the career ladder, now fear that taking lengthy maternity leave will adversely affect their future promotion opportunities.

It is still more likely to be women who take the bulk of parental leave or reduce their working hours to accommodate hectic family life. In 2009, women took 91 percent of all bar-

COLOURBOX

I

T’S EFTERÅRSFERIE, or halfterm break. This wouldn’t ordinarily affect me at all given that both my boys are below school age and their daycare institutions are open during the holiday.

Except that my younger son has rather inconveniently taken ill this week – first with some highly contagious pusfilled sores and then with the flu. And typically, Mr T is away on business.

Of course, my doctor’s surgery has also taken a leave of absence – which brought on a knee-jerk rant at the idiocy of lazy health professionals who assume that just because children are off school, they don’t get sick with the same frequency or severity. But I digress.

So there I was, home-and-not-soalone with work deadlines, being constantly interrupted by my one-year-old, with no back-up childminder. After exhausting my repertoire of distraction tactics, I finally gave up on getting any work done. So I called a friend for a moan.

“Sorry. I’m interviewing nannies for the twins today. Daycare’s too far from the train station. Won’t work out.

No time to chat.”

As my friends didn’t have space for an au pair, and nanny agencies only offered live-in services, they posted ads for daytime help and received just five replies. These ranged from a 63-yearold from Malmö to a 19-year-old who once did a bit of babysitting. A sorry selection of candidates for Mummy’s little angels to be sure.

So where can you find additional childcare when the institutions cannot help?

Denmark is rightly celebrated abroad for its approach to institutional childcare. It’s heavily subsidised and allows two-parent families to pursue careers, with the associated benefits

With a sick kid in the house, our poor columnist has her hands full

selsorlov or parental leave.

If Denmark is to pay more than lip service to its commitment to equal opportunities for women and to promote more women into senior management roles, then the government needs to make this much, much easier. There need to be more viable private and professional childcare facilities to support the institu-

It’s only once you have kids that you finally see some payback for all those tax kroner

tions – not just Auntie Helle found on a noticeboard in the local Netto.

Au pairs may be a solution for the lucky few but this doesn’t suit everyone. There’s also privat børnepasning (privately-arranged childcare), but just be advised that even if you’re fluent in Danish and the tax system, this is a minefield that will test the most patient among you.

The Copenhagen Parents Organisation (KFO) – a political interest group for parents of children in Copenhagen Commune’s institutions – recently commissioned a survey on parents’ views about the enforced summer break at Copenhagen’s daycare institutions. Not only did 90 percent of those interviewed have to look after their own kids during these two weeks, one out of six parents had to take separate holidays to accommodate this.

This does nothing to promote quality time with the family and it is not a sustainable situation.

While Nina Reffstrup of the KFO argues that the priority must be to address the issue of quality at daycare institutions – and this can only be a good thing – this still leaves the question of what support is available to parents outside of daycare opening hours.

Budding entrepreneurs out there take note. I would give my right arm for a direct line to a professional and reliable on-call childcare service to turn to in my hour of need: for those days when you can’t afford to miss that all-important meeting, to help out with days two and three of illness, or to cover when daycare is closed.

And to my doctors, I apologise. In fairness, you are probably not gallivanting around on a fun-filled vacation selfishly ignoring my needs – you are probably at home minding your own kids.

CPH POST VOICES

‘PERNICKETY DICKY’

‘STILL ADJUSTING’

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

‘MACCARTHY’S WORLD’

English by nature – Danish at heart.

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

A proud native of the American state of Iowa, Justin Cremer has been living in Copenhagen since June 2010. In addition to working at the CPH Post, he balances fatherhood, the Danish language and the ever-changing immigration rules. Follow him at twitter.com/justincph

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

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

10 NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

Grow a mo’ and raise some dough PETER STANNERS Moustache-growing fundraiser reaches Denmark, as charity raises money to fund research into men’s health issues

O

N THE LAST DAY of October, hundreds of thousands of men across the world will give themselves a full clean shave. It will be the last time their upper lip will see the sharp edge of a razor until December. As their handlebars, Dalis and Fu Manchus start to take shape, they will be making more than just a fashion statement, they’ll be changing the face of men’s health.

That is the basic idea behind the Movember Foundation (get it?), a charity that encourages men to find sponsorship to grow a moustache for a month to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, such as prostate and testicular cancer. Last year 450,000 men raised over 400 million kroner worldwide.

The foundation has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia.

A group of men gathered in a pub and lamented the loss of the moustache in popular fashion.

So it was decided they would bring the moustache back for

Whenever you meet your friends, you’re forced to explain what you’re doing the month of November. Thirty men compared their moustaches at the end of the first Movember in 2003.

The following year 450 men took part, raising over 300,000 kroner to keep the initiative running. But the key organisers thought there were others who could better benefit from the money, and they ended up giving the money to the Australian Prostate Cancer Charity. It turned out that it was the largest single donation they had ever received.

Movember has been increasing in popularity ever since and has so far raised over 800 million kroner worldwide. The money has been put towards a range of causes, though the main focus is tackling prostate cancer – the third most common cancer among Danish men, with a survival rate of only 30 percent after five years. So far, the funds have contributed to the discovery of 25 different types of pros-

tate cancer and the mapping of its genome, while in the UK specialist nurses are now on call 24 hours a day to help men cope with their diagnosis.

According to the Bill McIntyre from the Movember Foundation, the campaign’s success is all due to some upper lip fuzz.

“The rules are you have to completely shave then just grow the moustache, which means you have to be dedicated,” McIntyre told The Copenhagen Post.

“It’s a tricky first ten days. But whenever you go to a meeting or meet your friends, you’re forced to explain what you’re doing. So by doing all this explaining, the awareness quickly spreads.”

“Growing a mustache is a joy and I think the reason the campaign is so appealing is because you can sit on your sofa and just let it grow. But be warned, there is some pain involved as the itchiness factor sets in after the first week. That’s a pretty serious issue.”

Denmark will officially get in on the ‘80s facial hair action this month as Movember launches a dedicated fundraising website for the country.

“We’ve had loads of passionate emails from ‘Mo Bros’ on the ground who want the campaign to come to Denmark,” Mcintyre said. “It’s all rather exciting to us.”

BCCD lunch meeting, 28 October 2011 Tine Horwitz, Head of the Consortium for Global Talent talking about “The Challenge of Global Talent for Denmark” In addition to outlining the challenges which internationals working professionally in Denmark have identified as the key problems to making Denmark an attractive workplace in which they wish to stay, Tine will elaborate on how the new Danish government has indicated they will seek to work for improved conditions.

Tine Horwitz has been heading up the the Consortium for Global Talent, a new initiative, since it’s set up in January 2010.

The Consortium consists of 19 of the largest Danish and international companies, all of whom aim to attract and retain highly skilled global professionals in Denmark. It’s overall aim is to improve the conditions for foreign professionals and their families and to contribute to making Denmark one of the best places to live in, work and study. To achieve this, the Consortium collaborates closely with the Government, Ministries, public entities, labor organizations, foreign Chambers of Commerce, expat networks, universities, and private initiatives.

Tine has previously worked for the World Health Organisation as a Legal Officer.

Event programme: 11.45 Registration & welcome drinks 12.00 Welcome & introduction by Mariano A. Davies, President, BCCD 12.05 Guest speaker - Tine Horwitz 12.30 Questions & discussion 12.55 Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director, BCCD 13.00 Buffet lunch & networking Date Friday, 28 October 2011 Venue: Conference Suite on 1st floor, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Hammerichsgade 1, Copenhagen K Members are welcome to bring guests at a charge of DKK 300 inc moms. Non-members may attend for DKK 350 inc moms, on request to the secretariat. If you sign up & later need to cancel your attendance, then please let us know by Wednesday 26 October, otherwise you will still need to pay.

You can sign up via the website, send an email to event@bccd.dk or phone 31 18 75 58

• official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Peter

Ben

Dima

Watch the Co’ Po’ grow a mo’ FOUR OF The Copenhagen Post staff – (clockwise from top left) editor-in-chief Kevin McGwin, journalist Peter Stanners, distribution coordinator Dima Paranytsia, and managing editor Ben Hamilton – are participating in Movember this year. Follow the development of their moustaches, and their fundraising, on our community pages and website.

To sponsor any (or all) of them, please head to http://dk.movember.com and search for TheCopenhagenPostKevin, TheCopenhagenPostBen, TheCopenhagenPostPeter and/or TheCopenhagenPostDima. If you’re thinking of participating, simply head to www.movember.org and sign up.

How about a Danish with your Apple?

JENNIFER BULEY

SCANPIX

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

Kevin

Denmark’s prince and princess – plus unofficial Danish royalty – take New York by storm

I

F YOU have a week to spend in New York City, you might want to take a few tips from Prince Frederik and Princess Mary’s tour book. The future king and queen were in New York last week to paint the town red and white.

When the pair weren’t giving television interviews and visiting schools in Harlem and Queens, they were eating jerk chicken in SoHo, watching a NY Jets (American) football game across the Hudson River, nibbling their way through the Union Square Farmers’ Market – Manhattan’s largest – and attending an opening of cool new Scandinavian art (‘Luminous Modernism’ at Scandinavia House).

They also paid a visit to the 9/11 memorial site in lower Manhattan.

Although the sun was shining, New York felt particularly Danish when the prince and princess showed up for the New Nordic Cookout at Union Square where renowned Danish chefs, Rene Redzepi of Noma and Adam Aamann of Aamanns, were standing behind the tables serving up both bites and soundbites.

Frederik and Mary check out a vendor’s vegetables at the New Nordic Cookout event at Union Square

New Yorkers can now get a genuine smørrebrød experience any time, as Aamann just opened his new restaurant serving the traditional openfaced sandwiches in New York’s downtown Tribeca neighbourhood. Meanwhile, uptown at 57th Street, the Danish architect wunderkind Bjarke Ingels was busy building his pyramidal, luxury apartment building.

Later, the princess trekked across the East River to the borough of Queens to visit the landmark of another Dane who made his mark on New York: the 19th-century journalist and social reformer Jacob A Riis, who emigrated from Ribe to

Manhattan in 1870. The Jacob A Riis Neighbourhood Settlement House in Queens was established in 1950 to improve opportunities for inner city children and families. Today the community centre is still going strong, and the foundation arranges cultural exchanges in which urban New York children can get the chance to come to Denmark for a week and learn about Riis’s homeland.

Princess Mary met some Queens residents, listened to stories about the cultural exchanges, and impressed at least a few young aspiring princesses.

Frederik and Mary finished their New York trip on Tuesday.

community

The COpeNhageN pOsT CphpOsT.dk

28 October - 3 November 2011

11

early morning kiwi delight leaves the French crying into their croissants EMILY MCLEAN

“I’ve never felt prouder to be a Kiwi than right now,” yelled one All Blacks supporter after New Zealand tenaciously claimed victory over France on Sunday to become the Rugby World Cup champs. Beginning at 10am (9pm NZ time), NZ and French fans huddled side-by-side with rugby fanatics from every corner of the globe at Østerbro’s South African Bar. With a final score of 8-7, it was the hitherto fortunate French left cursing their luck as the New Zealand side took revenge on the nation that had bundled them out of the cup in 1999 and again in the 2007 quarter-finals. An unforgettable Sunday for those who know that home is where the Haka is.

When an All Blacks fan marries a Frenchman, the rugby will always be a point of conflict. Boasting French passports but describing themselves as Kiwis at heart, the Rabis family found their loyalties torn at times. From left to right, NZ-born Cherry Rabis, with her children Philantha and Christopher Rabis, and French husband Philippe Rabis.

Copenhagen’s South African Bar has been a frequent haunt for fans throughout this year’s Rugby World Cup. With a full house on Sunday though, many were demoted to the ‘cheap seats’, with some even fighting over floorspace – good-naturedly of course, and strictly no tribal dancing posturing.

The boys in black donned the right attire to cheer their side to victory in the ‘Kiwi-bloke’ style. The words “Bugger that” were uttered on more than one occasion from their corner. From left to right: Alex Brayne, Matt Mischewski and Nick Smith.

Despite their lands of origin, and their lack of black attire, all these blokes claimed to be fervent All Blacks supporters. From left to right, Peter Eybe (England), Chrispin Rolt (England), Mike Klein (US), Gareth Evans (South Africa) and Andrew Fleetwood (Australia).

Thirty hot, well-built men running around a rugby field was more than enough reason to see these New Zealanders make an appearance. From left to right: Sabine Skytte Hansen, Nicola Kofoed, Rochelle Klue, Gillian Breckell and Emma Murphy.

By this stage of the game the French were becoming slightly more worried - as seen by the look on Frenchman Fred Chiappini’s face (left). However his Kiwi companion Thomas Orr (right) was all smiles as his side staved off consistent attacks by the French forwards.

It was a day when everyone secretly wished they were a Kiwi. Calling himself ‘Chris the Swiss’ (left), this man quickly became an enthusiastic All Blacks supporter – it was hard not to be when surrounded by Kiwis Ben Hurst (middle), sporting a NZ regional rugby jersey, and Myles Oelofse .

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COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

He may be out of office now, but that hasn’t stopped the former health minister and rice pudding fan Bertel Haarder meeting and greeting the top dignitaries.

Here is he saying hello to South African vic-president Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, The new ambassador of the Ivory Coast is Mina Marie Laurentwho was here on an official visit last week on Monday.

Baldé. Bonjour! Or in the Dioula language: In-i-che!

The extremely busy prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt was on home soil for a change last week and available to welcome her Estonian counterpart Toomas Hendrik on Sunday and Monday.

KUKS celebrated its annual gala last week on Friday at Copenhagen Town Hall. KUKS, the MIX, the ongoing gay and lesbian film festival that concludes on Sunday, included a screening of an Cultural Confederation of Foreign Societies, was founded in 1970 to establish better co-op- Pictured here are (left-right) KUKS president Eleanor Bomholt Israeli film, Eytan Fox’s ‘Mary Lou’, which was attended by one of its stars, Yuval Edelman (left), who eration amongst the Denmark’s foreign cultural societies. About 90 bilateral and multilateral and Mexican ambassador Martha Bárcena, the dean of the diplomatic corps. plays the role of Ziona the Patriot. Pictured here enjoying the occasion is the Israeli Embassy’s deputy societies and international organisations are associated with the organisation. head of mission, Dan Oryan.

AN ACTOR ’S LIFE A resident here since 1990, Ian Burns is the artistic director at That Theatre Company, and very possibly Copenhagen’s best known English language actor thanks to roles as diverse as Casanova, Oscar Wilde and Tony Hancock.

D It turns out that Iraqi ambassador Albert Issa is a man of hidden talents. It is rumoured he will shortly be performing in concert in Denmark, and in the meantime you should track down one of his CDs to find out what all the fuss is about.

There have been some large pumpkins seen around town this week in the build-up to Halloween, but this is getting ridiculous! Tivoli was once again the place to be seen over children’s half-term, which finally concluded on Sunday evening.

URING the rehearsals for our shuffled outside the shop. He was obcurrent theatre production, Ed- viously a tramp as he fitted exactly the ward Albee’s ‘The Zoo Story’, a cliché of how a tramp should look: play that focuses on two strangers at- unshaven, he had a beige raincoat tied tempting to have a meaningful conver- with string around his waist and long sation, I found myself remembering a hair plastered down by the downpour. meeting I once had with a stranger that He gazed in hungrily at the array of had a profound effect on me. fish, pies, saveloys, sausage rolls, pasties, I used to live in pickled eggs and gherManchester and being a kins, but knew he had creature of habit I used no funds to buy any of it. to buy fish and chips That look of resignation every Friday evening. If you can’t see on his face as he began One evening as I left the to turn away compelled terraced house in Leven- the Pennines lad, me to go out and ask if shulme it was absolutely he would like something it’s because it’s teeming down with rain. to eat.

Anyone who has lived in raining, and if you His voice was not northern England will what I expected. It had recognise this as a normal can see them, then the ring of a man who climatic condition: “If it’s going to! was very educated and you can’t see the Pennines very English, possibly lad, it’s because it’s rainfrom Oxford. “That is ing, and if you can see them, then it’s awfully kind of you young man,” he going to!” said as we came back into the sizzling Anyway, I ran to the local fish and shop. He ordered cod and chips as I had chip shop and went into its steamy- and then we stood and started to talk. windowed sanctuary to join the small “Do you read?” he asked. When queue. As I chatted to people who I I said that I loved reading, he smiled vaguely knew as neighbours, a shape broadly and asked me if I had ever read

a book called ‘WE’ by a Russian writer called Yevgeny Zamyatin. I had not, I replied. He recommended that I go to the public library in Manchester and read the copy that he knew they had, as he had just read it himself.

He told me briefly about the story of a supposed Utopian society set sometime in the future where everyone lives in glass houses, wears the same clothes, and are basically worker ants. Sexual intercourse is strictly regulated and restricted to half an hour each week with a stranger chosen by a lottery system relating to the ID number on each citizen’s ‘pink coupon’.

The two main characters in the story manage to fall in love and one line still sticks in my brain (of course I had to go and find it in the library!): “I think I love you” says the man hesitantly during one of their brief encounters.

“In a pink coupon kind of a way.” Now that’s what I call a positive result of taking the time to talk to a stranger. Come in and see ‘The Zoo Story’ dear reader.

See G2 in InOut for more details about the ‘The Zoo Story’, and last week’s edition for a full preview.

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

28 October - 3 November 2011

13

Local netballers bidding to make it three in a row against the old enemy MANDY CHILCOTT A tournament on November 5 gives is a great opportunity for enthusiasts and potential players to learn more about mixed netball, a sport that is rapidly growing, both here and abroad

C

OPENHAGEN’S netballers are currently making preparations to go head-to-head with the Swedes in a local tournament on Saturday 5 November at Bellahøj Hallen in Brønshøj – another challenge in the perennial battle for Scandinavian supremacy.

This time around, it’s a home ground advantage for Copenhagen Netball Club teams as Stockholm netballers make the trek down from the Swedish capital. And while Copenhagen Netball Club is still finalising its player selection, it’s expected that three teams made up of Danes and expats will contest the tournament with one visiting team from Stockholm Netball Club. If it all goes to plan, this could also be the first time that Copenhagen is represented by an ‘all Danish’ mixed team!

This November will not be the first time the Nordic region’s only netball clubs have met.

The first ‘Scandinavian Showdown’ was held in May 2009, coinciding with Denmark’s official welcome of netball as a new sport. At that event, the then newly-established Copen-

hagen club won both a ladies game and a spectacular mixed game. And in 2010, a mixed team from Copenhagen Netball Club convincingly won Stockholm’s International Netball Tournament, beating not only the Swedes, but also teams from Switzerland and Belgium.

The most recent international mixed netball tournament was held in May 2011 in Brussels. Demonstrating another step up in standard and growth for European netball, the tournament included new clubs from France. However, it did not provide Scandinavian rivals Copenhagen and Stockholm with a chance to meet.

So, although netball is a lowcontact, friendly sport (usually) perfect for socialising, it might be expected that the Swedes go all out to win on 5 November.

At 2-0 to Copenhagen so far, it’s about time.

Damien Drew savours the moment following Copenhagen’s triumph at the 2010 Stockholm International Netball Tournament.

COMING UP SOON Why are the Danes the way they are?

Øster Farimagsgade 5 B, 2.1.30 (building 2), Cph K; five sessions every Wednesday, 17:15-19:00, ends 23 Nov; 400kr per person

What in the world does ‘hygge’ mean? Why do all Danes seem so introverted? Find out the answers to all of your burning questions on Danish values and behaviour at this presentation. Hosted by two local anthropologists, Anne Mia Steno and Alexandra Ryborg, the event will begin with a brief introduction to social anthropology and its methods focusing on the central aspects of Danish culture and society. Aimed to provide participants with tools to better understand Danish social life, the course will actively involve the audience in a critical and occasionally ironic discussion afterwards.

Themes will include the meanings of ‘home’ and ‘hygge’ to the Danes, Danish norms and values in the education system, the social and political mobility of refugees and immigrants in Denmark, and social life in Denmark: norms and values regarding how to behave socially. JS Fish and Chip night Fisk & Færdigt, HC Ørsteds Vej 37B, Frederiksberg; returning in November

Due to a problem with the friers, it doesn’t look like this popular evening (traditionally the last

Thursday of the month) will return until November. Fisk & Færdigt’s English owner Simon Longhurst, fishmonger and chef extraordinaire, makes the best fish supper in the city – so watch this space for details. Don’t forget that he also sells fantastic free-range turkeys as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas. BH Bicycle Training Hans Tavsen Park, Hans Tarvsens Gade 40, Cph N; ends 29 Oct, every Sat 10:0013:00; free adm; contact: Cecilie Herløw 2291 5962, registration: ch@drk.dk; www.dcf.dk

Every Saturday Cecilie Herlow offers free bicycle lessons for people with a non-Danish background.

If you can’t make it to Nørrebro, please visit the bicycle club’s website to find out more about the lessons in Amager, Vesterbro, Fredriksberg, Valby or Tingbjerg. EK Storytime Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; every Tuesday 09:30-10:00; Free Adm; for more information check www.booksandcompany.dk/storytime-at-books-company

The popular story time is back after a summer break! Tuesday mornings at the international book café are dedicated to inspiring and captivating the imagination of the little ones. The wonderful storyteller Sara Albers, a teacher and a mother of two young boys, entertains the kids with stories, poems, finger

How to get involved

Copenhagen Netball Club finished third in front of Stockholm in the Brussels International Netball Tournament held in May 2011. Pictured here are (left-right on the back row) Jens Schonnemann, Michael Bryrup (captain), Nicola Kofoed, Mandy Chilcott, Rochelle Klue, Paul Verrenkamp, Anders Ravnsbaek, (front row) Lauren Bowey, Katrin Affeldt, Candy Wong, Helen Belshaw and Rebecca Neale.

Copenhagen Netball Club play a regular mixed netball competition on Wednesday nights at Bellahøjhallen’s Hall 2 from 7.40pm. Newcomers are welcome and can try netball twice for free! To join, simply turn up on a Wednesday night or email the club at copenhagennetballclub@gmail. com. Check out www.netball. dk for more information or sign up to follow local netball on the Facebook page ‘Copenhagen Netball Club’. And in the meantime, come and watch the 2011 Scandinavian Mixed Netball Tournament on Saturday 5 November 2011 between 1-6pm at Hall 2, Bellahøjhallen. Admission is free!

Fact file | Danish netball

While it’s true the men have a physical advantage in mixed netball, who honestly knows a woman who can’t outwit a man when she needs to

plays and small projects. This is a fantastic way to start the day! TK

The best way to get to grips with the game is to play it!

But in short, netball is probably best explained as a polite, low-contact derivation of basketball played with a smaller ball, no backboard on the goal ring (this makes shooting difficult!), and division of the court into zones where only certain players can run. The many rules are designed to involve all of the players in the game and to emphasise strategy as well as athletic ability. This mental aspect is precisely why men and women can play against each other!

While mixed and men’s netball are not yet officially recognised by netball’s overarching international body (the International Federation of Netball Associations), both Copenhagen and Stockholm’s netball clubs depend on the enthusiasm and commitment of their male members to grow the sport locally. The added power, speed and strength of the guys also makes for a spectacular game. Some of these guys are skilled footballers or basketballers in their spare time, so there’s no shortage of testosterone on court!

Exiles top after an Odder rout

Chess for Kids and Teenagers Skakforeningen AS04, Frejasgade 14, Cph N; every Thu, 18:00-19:00; www. as04.dk

Every Thursday the chess club in Nørrebro offers lessons for kids and teenagers (6-16 years), including practical as well as theoretical instruction. Learn more about opening variations, combinationtechniques, basic chess principles and how to make notes on a chess game. Experienced chess instructors will show you the way to success. The first three lessons are free - after that membership at the chess club is 200kr for six months.

EK Children’s Choir

Kristkirke, Enghave Plads 18, Cph V; every Thu, children aged 5-7 years: 15:0015:45, 8-11 years: 16:00-16:45; contact: metteskovmark@gmail.com, 2857 9407; www.kristkirke.dk

After their summer break the children’s choirs at Kristkirke are resuming their practicing hours and welcoming new members. If you are between five and eleven years old and eager to sing, just contact singing teacher Mette Skovmark to get more information. After a little warming up, you will experience the dynamic of singing songs for several voices, a canon or whatever the group is up for. EK

Club captain Dani Thut (left) said goodbye to Exiles in style with a four-try haul

MARGARET FULHAM

E

XILES men’s team moved to top spot on the Division 1 ladder following a comprehensive 68-5 win over Odder in Lyngby on Saturday.

Having suffered a shock defeat in the away fixture against the same opponents last month, in which they surrendered a 20-point second-half lead, Exiles were determined that there would be no repeat this time. Fielding their strongest possible line-up, Exiles hit the lead after five minutes with a well-worked try on the right wing and then followed up ten minutes later with another try to take the score out to 12-0.

From there it was largely one-way traffic for the remainder of the half. Odder launched serious assaults on the Exiles try line in the 30th and 33rd minutes, but in reality these were short-lived counter thrusts against a dominant opponent determined to exact revenge. Exiles ran in a further two unanswered tries to go into the break with a comfortable 24-0 lead.

Despite valiant defending

by Odder, who spent significant time trapped in their own half, the scores kept coming after the break, with the match turning into a ‘testimonial’ of sorts for departing captain Dani Thut, who scored four of

the Exiles’ six second-halftries.

Compounding the misery, Exiles goal kicker Jasper Ritz finally found his rhythm, converting all six to take Exiles to a 68-0 lead with 10 minutes to go.

Odder’s best scoring opportunities came from late penalties as a lack of discipline saw Exiles surrender possession, and more importantly territory, needlessly. One such foray with two minutes to go eventually gifted Odder their first real try scoring opportunity of the half and they took full advantage of it, breaking through to score out wide, cutting the lead to 68-5, which proved to be the final score.

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SPORT

The COpeNhageN pOsT CphpOsT.dk

28 October - 3 November 2011

Tom Schad danish number one Jan O Jorgensen withdraws from quarter-finals with heart problem

h

EADiNG into the Yonex Denmark Open on home soil last week, the country’s badminton players had every reason to feel confident about matching or even surpassing their total of three titles last year. But in the end, the Asian contingent was too strong, leaving Denmark with just the mixed doubles to show for their effort over five days of intense competition that climaxed on Sunday.

The Yonex Denmark Open is one of the five most prestigious events in the sport. All five world champions (men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles) were in attendance, and Danish hopes were running high after winning three of the titles in 2010. Many thought this could be the year that Denmark would begin to challenge China, Malaysia and the other Asian powers for world supremacy.

But in the end only the mixed doubles team of Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen were able to claim gold, while veteran player Peter Gade, 34, and the reigning men’s doubles champions Matthias Boe and Carsten Mogensen each came away with

bronze. The Danish women, meanwhile, went home empty-handed.

Most worrisome of all, defending men’s champion Jan O Jorgensen was forced to withdraw from the tournament in the quarter-finals on Friday.

The 13th-ranked player in the world complained of discomfort in his chest and was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with an inflammation of the heart valves.

“This was quite scary,” Jorgensen told Badzine.net on Saturday. “This is the kind of things that makes you stop and think.”

The 23-year-old Jorgensen has given his heart to Danish badminton, but ultimately it may be his heart valves that cut his career short. He and the ageing Gade have become the faces of the sport, yet both face uncertainty in the coming years. is this uncertainty, as well as the poor showing at one of the season’s most important tournaments, enough to put the future of Danish badminton in doubt?

Not quite. While the Danes did not live up to expectations in Odense, and the men are getting older and the women lagging behind their peers, badminton remains one of the country’s top three most popular sports. it has evolved from a game you play in the garden to a matter of national, and possibly even European, pride. As a small game in a small country, badminton fits. “it’s tradition,” Flemming Bie, the

chairman of Gentofte Badminton Club, said. “The first non-British person to ever reach a final at the All-England Championship was Danish [Jesper Bie in 1938]. Since then Denmark has been one of the best in the world.”

Bie has been chairman of the club for nearly eight years and said that it has over 750 active members, a figure that hasn’t changed since he took over as chairman. Roughly one third of his players are under 19, suggesting the future of Danish badminton is bright. “i think it’s a combination between tradition and structure,” he explained.

“Denmark has always had good players; there are plenty of former world champions to pass on their experience to the younger ones.”

Another reason that badminton is so popular here is that apart from soccer and cycling, it’s probably the most easily accessible sport in the country. The Badminton Association of Denmark estimates that there are over 550 clubs, like Gentofte in the suburbs of Copenhagen, scattered around Denmark, so anyone who wants to pick up a racquet has the resources to do so. Badminton is also not restrictive by age, because it involves relatively little movement, nor weather, because it is traditionally played indoors.

Moreover, it’s important to put Denmark’s struggles in perspective. A gold and two bronzes at the Yonex Denmark Open would not have been disap-

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kings of european badminton disappoint on home soil

Jan O Jorgensen was forced to withdraw due to a heart problem

pointing had the Danes not won three titles last year. Gade’s third-place finish was really not too surprising considering he was seeded fourth in the tournament. And Jorgensen’s inflamed heart valves, while serious, do not appear to be career threatening.

The real question is whether Denmark can challenge the Asians. The continent swept all 15 medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, yet some felt that the Danes could present a challenge.

The answer after last week’s tournament appears to be a no.

That said, Denmark still rules Europe. it has won a gold medal at every European Championship since 1976, and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. Whether or not Danes will upset the Chinese in London next summer is unclear, but one thing is certain: when it comes to European badminton, Denmark is still king.

fact file | Badminton • Denmark currently boasts the fourth best men’s singles player in the world, the third best men’s doubles pair, and two top-10 mixed doubles teams.

• Danes have won every men’s doubles title at the European Championships (EC) since 2000 and every men’s singles title dating back to 1994.

• The women, meanwhile, have won half of the women’s singles and doubles EC titles since 1996.

• At the most recent EC in April 2010, Denmark took gold in four of the five events.

• The Danes have won 176 EC medals overall - 49 more than second-placed England and nearly a hundred more (98) than Sweden, Europe’s next best.

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german opponents rue missed chances to steal a march on fCk in europe

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HiLE ODENSE side OB were soundly thrashed last week on Thursday and now look an unlikely bet to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League, FC Copenhagen scored a last gasp equaliser away at Hannover 96 to keep their chances very much alive.

César Santin’s 89th minute effort, which hit the keeper and rolled slowly into the net, earned the Danes a draw that had looked unlikely given the Bundesliga side’s overall dominance. FC Copenhagen, who earlier in the week had lost their first Superliga game of the season away at AC Horsens, only had two efforts on target and scored with both.

A goal down at half-time, Dame N’Doye drew the Lions level with an emphatic header, only for Hannover to go ahead in the 81st minute with a long-range effort that goalkeeper Johan Wiland was slow to react to.

The result leaves FCK on four points, just one adrift of Hannover and Standard Liège, who were surprisingly held to a goalless draw at home by group minnows Vorskla Poltava. However, despite having played both their rivals away from home, bookmakers rate FCK an 11/4 shot to win the group and their

mike young

final roar a crucial one for indomitable Lions

William Buick caught in recent action on board Lost in the Moment (left)

home interest in Melbourne Cup It was a battling display by FCK to earn a point that could prove crucial

rivals 13/8 joint favourites, with Vorskla Poltava 100/1.

FCK’s next game is against Hannover at Parken on Thursday November 3, followed by Vorskla Poltava (away on December 3) and Standard Liege (home on December 15).

Meanwhile, Group K’s Dutch pacesetters FC Twente made mincemeat of OB in Odense, racing into a 2-0 lead at half-time and eventually easing to a comfortable 4-1 win. OB had previously only lost two of their 16 European home ties, but had no answers to

Twente, who are currently third in the Dutch Eredivisie. The nature of the win does not bode well for the away trip to Twente next week.

The result leaves OB with three points from three games, a point behind second-placed English Premier League outfit Fulham who lost 1-0 to Polish champions Wisla Krakow. OB’s qualification for the knockout stage will probably hinge on their trip to London on December 14, providing they beat Krakow at home on December 1, and Fulham drop points away at Twente. (BH)

T

HE DANiSH citizen William Buick, who is rapidly emerging as one of the most promising jockeys in the horseracing world, has been handed a ride in one of the sports most prestigious horse races, Australia’s Melbourne Cup. Buick, 23, who grew up in Norway, holds Danish and English passports and speaks Danish as his mother tongue. His father, Walter, is a retired Scottish rider who raced most of his career in Norway, and his mother Maria a retired Danish equestrian rider.

The British apprentice of the year in both 2007 and 2008 will saddle up on the 33/1 shot Lost in The Moment in the

33 million kroner race, hoping his steer can go one better than its second place in English group one race the Goodwood Cup. Buick, a rider at the stables of English trainer John Gosden, was chosen after racing legend Frankie Dettori was unable to make the required weight of 53kg. He has won eleven Group 1 wins over the past two years, including English classic race the St Leger, in both 2010 and 2011, and the Arlington Million in 2010.

The Melbourne Cup is traditionally run on the first Tuesday of November – November 1 this year. (BH)

spOrTs News aNd Breifs Brøndby sack coach BRøNDBY has sacked its coach Henrik Jensen after a poor start to the Superliga season. The club from the western suburbs of Copenhagen is currently tenth in the 12-team division after 13 games. A 2-1 defeat to Silkeborg iF at the weekend – the seventh of the season – proved to be the final straw. Jensen, who had been

in charge since March 2010, had been struggling to get results despite the presence of several national team players, including wingers Dennis Rommedahl and Michael Krohn-Dehli. The club has already confirmed that Jensen’s assistant Aurelius Skarbalius will take over until the end of the year.

National team in top 10

sad day for handball

saints eye superkid

ag going strong

THE NATiONAL football side’s recent good form has been rewarded by a big jump up the FiFA world rankings to number ten – a seven-place rise.

Denmark defeated Portugal in mid-October to qualify for Euro 2012 – a defeat that saw the iberians fall three places to number eight.

DANiSH handball was dealt a severe blow over the weekend by the news that Jan Boye, the president of the sport’s federation, has passed away aged just 49. The former mayor of Odense and Olympic referee, who was only elected three months ago, had suffered a massive stroke two weeks ago.

SEBASTiAN Gregersen, a 16-year-old midfielder at Superliga club AGF Aarhus, is reportedly a transfer target of Southampton, the club currently leading the Championship, in England’s second tier league. Gregersen, who spent time at Birmingham City earlier this year, is on a three-year contract at the Aarhus club.

AG COPENHAGEN remain undefeated in handball’s Champions League following a 31-29 defeat of the previously unbeaten Montpellier MAHB over the weekend. The Danish champions led by ten goals at the break, but then survived a French comeback as Montpellier got within one goal in the closing minutes.

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16

THE COPENHAGEN POST THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE

SPOUSE: Margaret Ritchie FROM: Scotland, UK SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: BA Business Administration majoring in Human Resource Management EXPERIENCE: Worked in the field of Education within a Scottish University. 12 years of experience.

Administrating and organising courses and conferences and also worked as a PA to a Head of School. Great communication skills.

LOOKING FOR: Administration work, typing, audio typing, data input. Can work from home.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mother tongue: English, very basic Danish IT EXPERIENCE: A good user of Microsoft Office package, access to internet CONTACT: email: megmagsritchie@googlemail.com tel: 71182949 SPOUSE: Monika Sysiak FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen / eastern Zealand QUALIFICATION: Master degree in Environmental Engineering from Cracow University of Technology. Major in Water Supply, Sewage and Waste Treatment and Water Quality Protection.

Completed one semester in Environmental Engineering at Engineering College of Aarhus.

EXPERIENCE: Internship during studies in designing water supply systems and sewerage systems.

LOOKING FOR: Graduation programme, internship, training, part time or full time job related to mymqualifications.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (mother tongue), English (fluent), Danish (starting).

IT-EXPERIENCE: AutoCAD, MOUSE DHI, MS Windows, MS Office.

CONTACT: EMAIL: monikasysiak@gmail.com; phone: +45 50 43 70 43 SPOUSE: Debasmita Ghosh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmachemistry specialization).

EXPERIENCE: 4 years in Clinical Research (Pharmacovigilance/Safety and Medical Coding) in a leading CRO (Quintiles) and 6 months experience as a lecturer for bachelor degree students in Pharmacy College.

LOOKING FOR: Job in pharmaceutical industry, CRO or any vocation suitable per qualification and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent written and spoken), enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian Languages (Hindi, Bengali, Kannada).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office Applications i:e Microsoft office word, excel, outlook, power point and tools, lotus notes, medical and drug softwares like micromedex and ISIS draw. CDM systems like ds Navigator-Medical coding tool and AERS database.

CONTACT: ghoshdebasmita@gmail.com, Mobile No. +4571488438 SPOUSE: Clémence Arnal FROM: France SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen; Region Sjælland QUALIFICATION: Wastewater/drinking water (processes and treatments, building design, water sampling and pollution rate measurement); environment protection ( river basin management, waste management).

EXPERIENCE: Waste sorting representative (Office “Communauté du Pays d’Aix”, France); Leaks investigation on drinking water networks, Help to communes to deal with their drinking water system, Control operation of individual sanitation systems (Office “G2C Environnement”, France); Drinking water stations security: putting the Antiterrorist security plan in practice, employees security , Distribution network security: determining the cost of a network re-chlorination unit (“Drinking Water” administration of Aix en Provence, France).

LOOKING FOR: Water treatment assistant / engineer.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: French (mother tongue); English (Fluent); Danish (Prøve Dansk 3).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office; AutoCAD (basic); Mapinfo (basic).

CONTACT: clem.arnal@gmail.com / tlf: 23 34 63 22 SPOUSE: Stephanie Bergeron Kinch FROM: USA SEEKING WORK IN: The Copenhagen area.

QUALIFICATION: Several years of experience writing for newspapers, magazines, and Web sites.

M.S. in Media and Communications with focus on social media.

LOOKING FOR: Full-time or freelance writing and communication jobs (copywriting / journalism).

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Native English, Conversational Danish and Spanish.

IT EXPERIENCE: Professional use of on-line social media, Microsoft Excel, PhotoShop, InDesign, Mac and PC operating systems.

CONTACT: www.stephaniekinch.com or http://dk.linkedin.com/in/stephaniekinch SPOUSE: Francis Farias FROM: Venezuela (CPR number) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater København QUALIFICATION: Master in Spanish Studies from Universidad de Cadiz, Spain, as a Spanish Teacher and BA in Teaching English as a Second Language. Diplomas in Digital Photography (from Venezuela and Spain).

EXPERIENCE: 7 years experience as a teacher of English and Spanish at JMV University. Academic translator (Spanish-English/English-Spanish) and freelance photographer.

LOOKING FOR: Spanish language teacher, translator, interpreter, photographer.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (native). Basic Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: Office tools, Photoshop.

CONTACT: carolina1928@gmail.com, +45 50814073 SPOUSE: Lena Schulz zur Wiesch FROM: Berlin, Germany SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen and Capital Region.

QUALIFICATION: Cand. scient. pol. from the Humboldt-University Berlin and London School of Economics.

EXPERIENCE: Seven years work experience from the German Parliament (EU-consultant) and as distinguished research associate at the Humboldt-University (urban planning). Strong analytical and inter-cultural skills. Team-worker.

LOOKING FOR: Jobs in consulting, public administration, politics, NGOs, international institutions or companies.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English, Spanish, French, Danish (all fluently).

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Office, CMS. CONTACT: lenaszw@web.de SPOUSE: Chia-Pei CHEN FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching in corporations, institutions or International schools.

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

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

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

LOOKING FOR: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese (mother tongue), English (Fluent), French (basic), Danish (beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: Word Office, SPSS statistic software, Basic Video and Audio editing, Blog writing.

CONTACT: teacherchen@live.com, Tel: 25 81 65 18

PARTNERS:

28 October - 3 November 2011 SPOUSE: Sarah Andersen FROM: United Kingdom SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: BA Honours Design Management.

EXPERIENCE: Creative and versatile Project manager with experience of working in both agency and client environments on projects including; digital, print and event management. Worked with a range of international clients, including Panasonic and Disney. Previously employed by NMA Top 100 Digital Agencies and D&AD Awards in London. Able to manage projects from concept to production and to meet tight deadlines.

LOOKING FOR: Digital Project Manager or Event Production Manager (full, part time or freelance) LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (native), enrolled for Danish language class.

IT EXPERIENCE: Office, Project, Visio, FTP and CMS. CONTACT: www.sarahandersen.net for portfolio, CV and contact SPOUSE: Rita Paulo FROM: Portugal SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Architect .

EXPERIENCE: I am an architect and I have experience in Project and in Construction Supervision.

In the past 7 years, I have worked mainly in housing, masterplanning and social facilities buildings.

My last employer was a Project and Construction company where I had the opportunity to complement my experience in projects together with construction related tasks, developing myself as a professional.

LOOKING FOR: Job in Architecture or Construction Company.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Native Portuguese, Proficiency in English, Basic user of Spanish and Danish IT EXPERIENCE: Strong knowledge of AutoCad and ArchiCad. Experience in Studio Max, CorelDraw, Photoshop, Office tools.

CONTACT: rita.vaz.paulo@gmail.com, Tel: +45 2961 9694 SPOUSE: Shilpa Lingaiah FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and nearby areas of the mentioned cities.

QUALIFICATION: PG Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (JSS University, India); Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (RGUHS, India). Danish agency for international education has assessed the above qualification and corresponds to Danish Master’s degree in Health Sciences.

LOOKING FOR: Research related to health science, jobs in pharmaceutical industry or new challenging career opportunities.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English(fluent written and spoken),Enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian languages(Kannada and Hindi).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: drshilpalingaiah@gmail.com Tel: +4552742859 SPOUSE: Attila Simon FROM: Romania SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: International Welding Engineer (IWE/EWE), MSc in Welding Engineering, MSc in Flexible Manufacturing Systems, MSc in Quality Assurance of Metallic Structures.

EXPERIENCE: 10+ years experience in designing and manufacturing railway wagons, buses, trolleybuses and their subsystems. More than 7 years international project management experience in these areas. More than 2 years experience in industrial trading and investments.

LOOKING FOR: Transport, railway or welding related engineering job, also project management positions.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent speaking and writing), Danish (intermediate), Hungarian (mother tongue), Romanian (native speaker).

IT EXPERIENCE: Several years experience working with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ProgeCAD and VariCAD. User level of Microsoft Office.

CONTACT: attilon2@gmail.com; tel.: 28316752 SPOUSE: Ying Yuan FROM: China SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Medical Degree & Master in Human Nutrition.

EXPERIENCE: Practiced medicine for 2 years China 2000-200. Conducted a clinical trial for ½ year England 2008. Work in nutrition, pharmaceutical industry, food industry and health secto.

IT EXPERIENCE: I am experienced in Statistical software SPSS and MINITAB, Nutritional software NetWISP/WISP. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese, English and Danish.

CONTACT: yuanying118@hotmail.com, +45 31 36 92 58 SPOUSE: Miss Marta Guerrero FROM: Spain SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of English teacher for Primary Education. Bachelor of Psychologist for Education.

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

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

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

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

CONTACT: martaguerrero13@gmail.com SPOUSE: Vadim Fedulov FROM: USA SEEKING WORK IN: Pre-clinical or clinical/ biotech or academia/ Copenhagen region (100km radius).

QUALIFICATION: Ph.D., Biological Sciences (2008).

EXPERIENCE: 5 years research experience in biotech and 6 years in academic settings. For full experience summary, please visit: http://dk.linkedin.com/in/drvadim.

LOOKING FOR: Position in research, project management, writing, editing, teaching, or new challenging career opportunities.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (native), Russian (native), Danish (completed Module1 at Studieskolen).

IT EXPERIENCE: Proficient in both Mac and PC OS, MS Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint etc.), StatView, Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator).

CONTACT: fedulov@gmail.com and mobile tel: +45 41 83 36 60 SPOUSE: Deepak Kumar Koneri FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: M.Sc in Electrical Engineering specialization in Embedded Systems (Jönköping, Sweden), B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Hyderabad, India).

EXPERIENCE: Worked as Electrical Distribution Design Engineer in Electrical Consultant company for more than 2 years. I was responsible from the start of design definition phase till the implementation phase of individual project.

LOOKING FOR: Full and part time job opportunity in Energy, Robust Electronics design, PCB Design, Thermal Analyst, Design & Modelling of power systems, power optimization, simulation and also in constructional, architectural consulting organization.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (Fluent), Hindi (Mother Tongue), Swedish (Basic) and Danish(Basic, Currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS-Office (word, Excel, Power point, Visio), CFD (Mentor Graphics FloTHERM, FloVENT, Noesis OPTIMUS, Electrical CAD, Assembly Programming (PIC 16f77, 8086,8051), WireMOM, Telelogic SDL-99, C and VHDL. CONTACT: konerideepak@gmail.com, 71561151

SPOUSE: Munawar Saleem FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MBA logistics and supply chain management (Jonkoping University, Sweden) M.Sc. Computer Sciences (Punjab University, Lahore Pakistan).

EXPERIENCE: 4 years, Lecturer in computer sciences.

LOOKING FOR:Full time or part time job in Logistics and Supply.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), Urdu (mother tongue), Swedish (Basic).

IT EXPERIENCE: Proficient in MS Office (word, excel, power point etc.).

CONTACT: libravision3@gmail.com, 71412010 SPOUSE: Pooja Nirwal FROM: New Delhi, India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen and Capital region.

QUALIFICATION: Masters (M. Sc) in Environmental Science, +2 yrs of Exp. as Env. Consultant in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment.

LOOKING FOR: Positions in Consultancies/Organizations/NGOs working in the field of Environmental Science (Climate Change, EIA, Env. Compliance Audits, Solid Waste Management etc.).

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in English, Hindi and Sanskrit, Started learning Danish.

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel).

CONTACT: poojadahiya1@gmail.com, +45 503 904 60 SPOUSE: Malgorzata Tujakowska FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Aarhus and the surrounding area QUALIFICATION: Masters in Ethnolinguistics with major in Chinese and English, Chinese HSK and Business Chinese Test certificates, 2-year long studies at Shanghai International Studies University and National Cheng Kung University,Taiwan.

LOOKING FOR: Working for companies hiring Polish and Chinese employees, teaching Chinese, Polish, Business English, linguistics, translation and interpretation, proofreading, Chinese business and culture consulting, administrative work.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (native speaker), Chinese – simplified and traditional (fluent), English (fluent), German(intermediate), Danish (intermediate-currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office.

CONTACT: Tel:+45 28702377, m.tujakowska@gmail.com SPOUSE: Heike Mehlhase FROM: Berlin, Tyskland SEEKING WORK IN: A job opportunity in Copenhagen (administrative position, research assistant or psychosocial care).

QUALIFICATION: MPH, Master degree in Psychology, Lerntherapeutin.

EXPERIENCE: Five years experience in psychological research andchild psychology.

LOOKING FOR: Looking for: a position to expand my experience where I can use my excellent organisational, social and communication skills.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (fluent), Danish (Module 2).

IT EXPERIENCE: I am proficient in software such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software and basicgraphic editing programs (Microsoft Office, Open Office) plus statistical software (SPSS).

CONTACT: heike@mehlhase.info SPOUSE: Mohammad Ahli- Gharamaleki FROM: Iran SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master degree in chemical engineering.

EXPERIENCE: 5+ years as a chemical engineer in R&D oil/gas projects as a team leader or member in Iran.

LOOKING FOR: A position in an Intrnational company to expand my experience and expertise.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Azeri (native), English (fluent), Farsi (fluent), Arabic (good), Turkish (good), Danish(beginner).

IT EXPERIENCE: Professional (MATLAB, Hysys, Aspen plus, Auto Cad, others (Office, Minitab).

CONTACT: mohammad_ahli@yahoo.com, (+45) 71 63 12 85 SPOUSE: Lillian Liu FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Marketing/Public Relations.

QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Foreign Language and Literature (Major in English, and minor in French) EXPERIENCE: 5+ years of professional experiences in Marketing and PR. I am a dynamic and creative marketing communications talent with substantial international working experience in large corporation and in agencies, possessing Integrated Marketing Communication ability.

Proficient in analyzing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision-making and formulating marketing communication strategies. Familiar with brand image build-up, channel marketing, media communication, issue management, etc. Possess in-depth understanding/knowledge of APAC market and Chinese culture.

LOOKING FOR: Marketing jobs in Jylland.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mandarin Chinese, English, Danish, French.

IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with Windows O/S and MS Office.

CONTACT: sugarex@hotmail.com SPOUSE: TEJA PRIYANKA FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MBA in Finance and marketing , bachelor in Biotechnology.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Telugu(mother tounge), Hindi, English, Danish(biggnier).

IT EXPERIENCE: Familier with Microsoft office(word, excel,powerpoint,access, ), photoshop.

CONTACT: teja.priyanka.n@gmail.com SPOUSE: Vidya Singh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen, Odense, Arhus, Aalborg or nearby areas.

QUALIFICATION: Master in Computer Management, Bachelor of Science, Certified Novell Engineer, Microsoft Certified Professional.

EXPERIENCE: Total 8 years (4 year in telecommunication as customer care + 4 year as HR recruiter consultant).

LOOKING FOR: HR (Trainee/Assistant/Recruiter/consultant), Customer service, office work, IT LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi and Danish (currently learning).

IT EXPERIENCE: MS-office, Hardware, Networking, Intranet and Internet.

CONTACT: vidya.singh37@gmail.com, Mobile: +45 71443554

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

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

EMPLOYMENT

The COpeNhageN pOsT CphpOsT.dk

28 October - 3 November 2011

17

invites applications for tHe folloWing positions sen teacHer for tHe primary scHool resource team Hellerup campus

receptionist/administrative officer, part-time city campus

Applications are invited for a fixed-term part-time (80%) position of one term as SEN (special educational needs) teacher for the Primary School Resource Team at Copenhagen International School. The position will start in January and run until the end of June 2012. The successful applicant should be a qualified teacher with a further specialisation in the field of special needs.

This position involves working on Reception, with the Counseling Department and IB Coordinators. Working hrs between 8:00- 13:30, Mon - Fri.

We are seeking a candidate with the following qualities: • A strong commitment to the education of students with learning differences • Strong interpersonal and communication skills • Good organisational skills • Excellent pedagogical skills • A strong work ethic • Strong collegial relationships • A willingness and commitment to contribute to the greater school community The successful candidate will be an individual who can demonstrate professionalism in its broadest sense.

Interested candidates should email a letter of application, CV and contact details of three current referees to: Mette Trock-Jansen at mtj@cis.dk

applicants should have: • Excellent organization and time management skills • Fluency in English and Danish • Excellent IT skills • Enthusiasm, energy and a sense of humour • Great interpersonal and communication skills Experience working in a teaching and learning environment would be an advantage. Candidates should email the information requested below to Dr. Caroline Brokvam, Senior School Principal, attention Lesley McDonald LesleyMcDonald@cis.dk application should include: • Letter of Interest • Current CV (not to exceed two pages) and photo • References (total of 3, one being immediate supervisor)

maternity cover - early years assistant for kindergarten Hellerup campus This is a temporary full-time position to cover a maternity leave and will be starting in January 2012.

Copenhagen International School is looking for a compassionate, committed and creative early-years-educator to join the highly professional Kindergarten team in the Primary School at the Hellerup Campus. The successful candidate should be qualified to work with children between the ages of 5 and 7 with a strong background and experience in early years’ education and with a minimum of two years of experience working in an early years programme.

We are looking for an early years’ educator who • has a caring and nurturing approach with children • is organized and demonstrates effective classroom practice • has a strong work ethic can demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively • preferably has knowledge and experience of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Interested candidates should email a letter of application, CV and contact details of three current referees to: Mette Trock-Jansen at mtj@cis.dk

Help desk tecHnician, part-time city campus The Help Desk provides ICT support to faculty, staff, and students of the school, on both Mac and Windows platforms. Working hrs between 8:30-13:30, Mon-Fri. For a detailed job description please see the school website www.cis.dk.

The successful applicant will be solutions focused and service minded, have the ability to work under pressure, prioritise requests and manage time efficiently. An excellent command of both written and spoken English is required. Great communication skills, patience, and a friendly and calm manner are vital.

Experience working in a teaching and learning environment would be an advantage. Candidates should email the information requested below to Dr. Caroline Brokvam, Senior School Principal, attention Lesley McDonald LesleyMcDonald@cis.dk application should include: • Letter of Interest • Current CV (not to exceed two pages) and photo • References (total of 3, one being immediate supervisor)

tHese positions require tHe applicants to Have a Work permit for denmark. applications for all positions must be received by november 30, 2011, HoWever We reserve tHe rigHt to fill tHe positions at an earlier date.

Hellerupvej 22-26 2900 Hellerup T +45 3946 3311 www.cis.dk

Biotech Job Vacancies Leo Pharma

Head of Section for International Medical Department Demand Planning Analyst

ASSIStANt PrOgrAMME MANAgEr International Media Support (IMS) is seeking an Assistant Programme Manager to support the programmatic, financial and administrative aspects of its media support activities in countries affected by conflict, humanitarian insecurity and political transition. The position lies within the Department for Asia, Africa and Latin America at IMS headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Competencies, skills and experience: • • • • • •

Strong experience in administration/ budgetary programmes and software, in cluding the Windows Office Package.

Good knowledge of project implementation, administration and financial control.

Interest in working with media support and development aid.

Interest in working in countries affected by conflict and humanitarian insecurity.

Relevant educational background.

Fluency in English. Knowledge of French and/or Spanish an asset.

For further information about IMS and the position, please visit www.i-m-s.dk or call Lis Jespersen, HR coordinator at +45 60127801 Application and CV in English should be sent to: Job Applications, International Media Support, Nørregade 18, 2nd Floor, DK-1165 Copenhagen K, Denmark or by e-mail to jobs@i-m-s.dk no later than 31 October 2011. Kindly mark the application ‘’APM AALA’’ in the subject header.

International Media Support (IMS) is an international NGO based in Copenhagen. In more than 40 countries worldwide, IMS helps to strengthen professional journalism and ensure that media can operate in challenging circumstances.

Lundbeck

Research Scientist in the Department of Drug Metabolism IT Specialist to manage Data Warehouse Regulatory Affairs Specialist Transporter Scientist within the DDI section in the Department of Drug Metabolism System Responsible - Building

Novozymes

Strategic Communications Consultant QC Chemist

Novo Nordisk

Global Medical Director Global Medical Affairs HR Business Partner to Device R&D Safety Surveillance Adviser Senior Safety Surveillance Adviser Microbiology expert HR Analyst - temporary Value Communication Manager Research Scientist Project coordinator for grant administration Future Devices Global Product Manager Device Global Product Manager Records manager with good communication skills Senior Scientist/Principal Scientist NovoMix® Global Product Manager /S Associate/Principal to Novo Seeds Specialist for Haemostasis Potency assays Post Doctoral Researcher

IMS values pro-active colleagues who are able to operate in a flexible and dynamic working environment. IMS believes that personal commitment and the ability to build successful relationships with local partners is vital.

For more information and other job vacancies visit our webpage www.cphpost.dk/jobvacancies

Stockholmsgade 59 2100 Copenhagen Ø T +45 3946 3309 www.cis.dk

18

culture

The COpeNhageN pOsT CphpOsT.dk

28 October - 3 November 2011

distortion founder wants to make it more community-focused and cost-effective peteR stanneRs

peter stanners Festival organiser Thomas Fleurquin said that while no concrete plans have been made, the idea is to make the festival more local and take the big parties away from the small streets. Oh, and also less techno

I

T SeemS that the popular summer street festival Distortion is a victim of its own success. As The Copenhagen Post reported after this year’s festival, its surging popularity – over 100,000 people attended the street parties on each of the four days – has placed a huge strain on the Copenhagen neighbourhoods in which it takes place.

According to festival organiser, and former Copenhagen Post employee, Thomas Fleurquin, rising clean-up costs and oppressively large crowds means the festival needs a rethink.

“We want to make it more local,” Fleurquin told the Copenhagen Post. “What we will try and focus on in the small streets is getting more local shops involved to create a more local vibe and create a different atmosphere that represents each neighbourhood.”

Speculation about Distortion’s future started immedi-

Thomas Fleurquin founded Distortion shortly after helping to establish The copenhagen Post. The first edition marked the second anniversary of InOut.

ately after this year’s festival, though the topic has received increased attention in recent weeks after Danish media reported that the City Council was going to ‘ban’ Distortion from using the narrow inner city streets to hold parties.

“The inner city and streets such as Studiestræde have been a focal point,” Pia Allerslev, the deputy mayor for culture, told Politiken newspaper in late Sep-

Who is ... Iben hjejle? victoria steffensen She is a Danish actress telly or film?

She’s dabbled in a bit of both.

She was in the popular TV police series ‘Anna Pihl’, but is perhaps best known for her comedy roles in Langt fra Las Vegas and Klovn.

“As my cV notes, I’m the one who votes”

T

HomAS magnussen, a 33-year-old actor and member of Denmark’s oscar selection committee, sought work with two of the three directors whose films were shortlisted to be the 2011 Danish oscar candidate, reports Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Three movies competed for the right to become the country’s bid for best foreign film ‘Dirch’ by martin Zlandviet, ‘A Family’ by Pernille Fisher Christensen, and ‘SuperClásico’ by ole Christian madsen – ahead of SuperClásico being chosen.

Both Christensen and madsen, the eventual winner, received a job application from magnussen before he delivered his vote as one of the eight members of the committee, and it was clear in the application that magnussen sat on the com-

city, but they don’t want a big crazy hardcore stage on a small street les than six metres wide.

We don’t want that either anymore.”

This year’s festival suffered for a number of reasons. Crowd numbers were up at the street parties, while too few people attended the evening Club Clash events, which were dominated by techno and dance music that didn’t captivate the audience.

mittee. magnussen is best known for his role in a humourous advert for the stress-relief service frastresstiltrivsel.dk in which he’s asked by his boss how he’s feeling and, instead of saying “Fine”, unburdens a long list of complaints. magnussen has also appeared in several films and plays, in Denmark and abroad. magnussen’s agent Ann Wessel, who sent the applications “to a large number of casting agents and directors” on behalf of the actor, said the information was “only intended to profile” her client, and that she “didn’t even consider that it could be misinterpreted”.

Danish Film Institute chief executive Henrik Bo Nielsen, a fellow committee member, said the applications were “unacceptable”.

And film … ?

This is where most have probably caught a glimpse of her. She played a leading role in the Hollywood dramatisation of Nick Hornby’s popular novel High Fidelity (2000), in which she starred alongside John Cusack.

She must have been hopeless, because I haven’t seen her in any Hollywood films since.

Hold on right there! She received a lot of critical acclaim for that role and has appeared in quite a few more films afterwards.

What other english-speaking films?

I’m afraid her CV is full of nearmisses and might-have-beens on the international scene. She was offered the chance to audition for a part in ‘Lord of the Rings’, but felt she’d be away from her family for too long. She was also offered a part in ‘The Constant Gardner’, but lost it when German financial backers threatened to back out after finding that a non-German would be playing a German character!

DR/BjaRne BeRgius HeRmansen

søRen KnuD

Casting a shadow over the Oscars

tember. “It would make sense to give them a breather. I like that Distortion moves around different city neighbourhoods, and it would be an idea to see if Distortion could move somewhere else.”

But according to Fleurquin it’s wrong to assume that the City Council no longer wants Distortion in the city.

“The thing is they don’t want us to move out of the

massive costs for cleaning up Fleurquin’s vision is to the streets and providing toilet make the festival more lofacilities combined with low cal, with a limitation on the ticket sales led to a loss of about amount of DJ and techno cul1,000,000 kroner. ture in the streets, while also Fleurquin also conceded appealing more to the 30 plus that the turnout to the Club audience. But it might be too Clash events might have been much to ask for. affected by their placement in “How local it can actuthe Brown Kødby. While most ally get, when there’s a 100 to Copenhageners know about 200 percent increase every year the White Kødby coming from out(most just call it side the neighKødbyen) with bourhood, is difits trendy bars ficult to say. But and restaurants, we’re trying to its more indus- how local it can make it a more trial neighbour, and downactually get, when local the Brown Kødby, tempo party on is virtually un- there’s a 100 to 200 the streets,” he known and many said. people got lost percent increase “It’s getlooking for the every year coming ting harder and party. harder to get peo“It was a mis- from outside the ple over 30 intake putting the neighbourhood, is volved because as final party beside soon as there are Kødbyen.

But difficult to say. too many crazy that’s because we young people, thought that if we wrote clearly they don’t want to come. It’s a in all our communications that big problem. And another big it was the Brown Kødby, peo- problem is money. If we had ple wouldn’t mix it up with the enough money we could have White Kødby. But nobody real- something for everybody.” ises the difference between the Fleurquin’s next meetWhite and the Brown Kødby. ing with the City Council is We’re stuck-up Copehageners planned for November. Until who live here – to us it’s obvi- then, he and his team will have ous. We didn’t think for a sec- to find a way to make one of ond that people wouldn’t know europe’s largest street festivals the difference.” please everyone – somehow.

text 32 The Copenhagen Post Quick Crossword No 369 No 369

Is there nothing positive?

Actually, she had a role in the 2008 film ‘Defiance’, which starred Daniel Craig. In fact, I coincidentally saw this film when it was shown on Danish TV a few weeks back, and it is a credit to Hjejle’s acting ability that I didn’t even realise there was a Dane lurking in the central european forest.

Family?

She has a son, emil, and recently split with comedian Casper Christensen after a seven-year relationship.

Any awards?

Yep, she is yet another person featured in this column that has been awarded a tackily named ‘Shooting star’ honour in Berlin.

Is she still considered a shooting star?

Her star, on the international scene anyway, was fabulously bright and set for the heavens, but seems to have fizzled and burnt out, although it has reportedly been spotted hovering above a small village in northern Jutland.

Across 7.

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Parry (5) Quiver (7) Careful watch (7) Assign (5) Gambler (10) Backward (10) Slip (5) Obscure (7) Disperse (7) Decorate (5)

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Three-sided (10) Ghost (5) Too (4) At rest (6) Exhaustive (8) Skill (7) Horrific (10) Quality (8) Temporary substitute (4-3) Haunt (6) Automaton (5) Sad to say (4)

Post Quick Crossword No 368 Across: 1 Allocates; 8 Nil; 9 Extravagant; 11 Augment; 12 Torso; 13 Untidy; 15 Detour; 17 Amiss; 18 Orchard; 20 Transparent; 22 Ore; 23 Relatives.

Down: 2 Lax; 3 Chase; 4 Traits; 5 Startle; 6 Interrogate; 7 Flavoured; 10 Tight-fisted; 11 Adulation; 14 Despair; 16 Morsel; 19 Chart; 21 Nee.

28 October - 3 November 2011

DENMARK THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

19

How little old Denmark oversaw territories in India, Africa and the West Indies Like Britain, and many other European countries, the Danes established India Companies in the 17th century to exploit resources in far-off lands

W

Fort Dansborg stood as a symbol of Danish colonialism in India for over 200 years

combination of luck and resilience that the colony managed to survive. At one point disease and desertion decimated the Danish garrison so much that only one Dane survived. After it became clear that the colony was commercially failing, unwilling to lose face, the Dan-

PIETER ISAACSZ

HILE much has been written about the famous British East India Company, few realise that the British version was one of many private European companies responsible for establishing colonies around the world.

The French, Portuguese and Dutch had their own versions as did Denmark, with the Danish East India Company and Danish West India Company responsible for claiming parts of the Caribbean, India and Africa, first for profit and then for the crown.

It is a testament to the power of capitalism that private companies could actually conquer and settle whole territories. This is exactly what the East India companies and their many variants did. Even at the time, the actions of these companies caused concern to their national governments, eventually leading to their dissolution or nationalisation. The concern was well warranted. If you can imagine

Nike raising its own army in order to invade Indonesia, simply to gain better trading conditions, you get an idea of what these companies did and the profits they reaped in doing so.

The Danish East India Company was established in 1616. Following approval by Christian IV, it focused on exploiting the lucrative trade opportunities that India offered. After taking some years to raise the necessary capital, the company was ready to send forth its first expedition. A small fleet consisting of four Danish vessels left Copenhagen in 1618.

Although Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) was the intended destination, hostility from the Portuguese led to the 24-year-old Danish captain, Ove Gjedde, taking the fleet to the Coromandel Coast instead. In October 1620 he arrived at the court of the Nayak of Tanjore. After successfully negotiating a trading partnership with the local ruler, the Danes were given permission to erect Fort Dansborg in the town of Tranquebar.

Nestled on the south-eastern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Tranquebar would become the home of the Danish colonial governor, known as the ‘Opperhoved’. Due to the relatively small size of the Danish colony and lack of merchant vessels, the colony failed to prosper and it was only through a

ESBEN AGERSNAP

ANDY RUGG

ish crown took possession of the colony in 1779 before selling it to Britain in 1845.

Like its sister company in India, the Danish West India company was a private corporation designed to extract maximum profit from the weakness of the local population. The company was formed in 1659 and began operating on the islands of St Thomas (1672), St John (1718), and St Croix (1733), a group today known as the US Virgin Islands.

These small Carib- bean islands, known as the Danish West Indies or Danish Antilles, would provide a steady flow of income from the sale of sugar, becoming part of the infamous ‘triangular trade’ that would see slaves transported from Africa to colonies in need of labour.

Despite benefiting from the slave trade, the Danish colonies in the Caribbean did not maintain their profitability, leading to the Danish government assuming control of the West India Company in 1754.

After unsuccessfully attempting to revive it, the company was liquidated in 1776, leaving the islands as a strain on the crown purse until they were sold to the United States in 1917.

Another area of Danish colonial profiteering came in the form of the ‘Danish Gold Coast’, an area of modern day Ghana. In 1663 the Danish West India Company made its presence felt along the coast, eventually seizing key forts from arch rival Sweden. After renaming one Christiansborg, the Danes soon built four more, of which Fort Fredensborg was of key strategic importance. After some more trouble with the Portuguese, the Danes focused on the Volta River delta, soon dominating the region and its lucrative slave trade.

By controlling key slave ports and by having Caribbean colonies in which to use the labour, the Danish West India Company enjoyed some years of profitability; however, as the emancipation movement gained momentum this soon ended.

The forts were eventually sold to Britain in 1850.

As protests continue around the world against corporate greed, it pays to remember the bad old days when companies not only lived for profit but employed armies in order to extract them. While it’s true that private companies continue to exploit foreign workers under the guise of globalisation, we should be thankful that at least some of their powers have been curbed, even if their motives remain the same.

WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM

Christian IV approved the founding of the Danish East India Company, and also of lacey lapels

Fort Fredensborg in Ghana – it had an enormous flag

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