The Copenhagen Post: 20-26 January 2012 by The Copenhagen Post

Blam! The office becomes an action flick

‘Hash Lars’ uses Facebook to rail against drug laws

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NEWS

Oops, wrong logo – DF official uses Nazi-themed image in newspaper ad

3 NEWS

Pricey mags Under the Tax Ministry’s proposal, the price of magazines printed outside the EU would jump by as much as 600 percent

10 BUSINESS

After 1,300 Danish employees lose their jobs, the CEO of Vestas may be the next to go

EXPLOITED

Romanian workers imported as cleaners go without pay, face threats and live in deplorable conditions

Nine EU countries downgraded but Denmark still AAA

CULTURE

Brits love ‘Borgen’ Similar to ‘The Killing’, British TV viewers and critics are going wild about their latest Danish import

PETER STANNERS Denmark’s AAA rating may lower interest rates and attract investors but some argue Danish bonds are unattractive investments due to low yields

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ENMARK is now one of only six EU countries to retain the prized triple-A credit rating from top rating agency Standard & Poor’s, after it downgraded nine EU countries last week on Friday. S&P also chose to downgrade the European bailout fund, the EFSF, on Monday night after two of its major lenders, Austria and France, were in-

cluded in the first round of downgrades. But while the downgrades only reinforce the negative outlook for European economies, Denmark might stand to benefit from remaining in the elite triple-A club. “The downgrades aren’t going to dramatically affect the Danish economy,” Jesper Ragnvid, a finance professor at Copenhagen Business School, told Politiken newspaper. “What might happen, however, is that investors will choose to sell French bonds and buy Danish bonds instead. That would lower our interest rates.” John Bo Northroup, the managing director of financial publication Økonomiske Ugebrev, agreed with this appraisal.

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“I am leaning towards the viewpoint that the S&P downgrade in the short term will enhance the safe haven image of little Denmark - even though our currency and the scale of our economy is way too small to serve as a true safe haven. Nevertheless, this should result in lower rates, or sustained low rates, in Denmark.” But while Danish bonds will continue to be regarded as safe investments, the low yield makes them relatively unprofitable, leading Henrik Drusebjerg, a senior strategist at Nordea, to urge investors to scout for more risky investments to ensure profitable returns. “There will come a time where there won’t be much yield left in bonds,”

Drusebjerg told Børsen newspaper. “The question is whether you are going to stick around and recoup the few percent that’s possible or if you will use the drop in interest rates to look at alternatives.” Margrethe Vestager (Radikale), the economy minister, tried to downplay the short-term benefit of Denmark’s retained AAA rating, however, arguing that the future stability of the Danish economy rests in Europe’s hands. “In the larger scheme of things, a drop in Danish interest rates is quite small,” Vestager told Politiken. “It would be better for the Danish economy if the whole of the European economy got back on its feet again so they could afford to buy our products.”

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Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 January 2012 Scanpix

Lil’ soldier boy

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK Vestas lays off 1,300 employees in Denmark The queen of Danish hearts SF: Meeting with the queen a waste of time DF apologises after use of swastika in logo Government looking to renew visa agreements

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Efforts are made to increase the foreign workforce. FIVE YEARS AGO. 45,000 more Danes living in poverty than in 2000. ONE YEAR AGO. It’s proposed that wealthy people should pay for most of their healthcare. CORRECTIONS: Queen Margrethe has spent 40 years on the throne – as far as we know, she’s never been thrown. Nepal ambassador Vijaykant Lal Karna was incorrectly identified as the Chad ambassador As part of the queen’s 40th jubilee on Sunday, this little tyke found his match in a Danish Royal Guardsman – no word on whether he elicited a smile

girls’ list. In 2009 and 2010, it claimed the number three spot and Emma also topped the girls’ list during the 1990s. Consistency is a recurring theme when it comes to naming Danish children. Of the boys’ and girls’ top ten names, only two – Clara and Sofia – were new inclusions from last year.

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.

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Absent prince?

Crown Prince Frederik’s role on the board of directors of Denmark’s Olympic committee, Dansk Idrætsforbund (DIF), came under fire this week when it was revealed that he has only participated in two out of 21 board meetings. Politiken newspaper reported that this runs afoul of rules set forward by

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

both DIF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which states that membership of the IOC requires his participation on DIF’s board. DIF’s chairman, Niels Nygaard, said it was all a misunderstanding and that the crown prince’s participation in DIF was a “right” but not an “obligation”.

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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When it comes to baby names, Emma and William reign supreme. Statistics Denmark has released a list of the most popular baby names from the first half of 2011. William was a repeat winner, having been the top boys’ name in 2010 as well, while Emma is a safe bet to always be near the top of the

Scanpix

Colourbox

Name game

We incorrectly stated the date of the Bodil awards, which are on March 3.

Failed reform

Children and teaching minister, Christine Antorini (Socialdemokraterne), apologised this week for attempts at teacher education reform that she helped put in place in 2007. Antorini said that it is clear after four years that the reforms have not produced improvements in the number or quality

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of teachers. A new report said that the political meddling did not encourage more students to pursue teaching and that those that choose teaching do not study subjects like foreign languages or home economics. Schools say that there is still a shortage of teachers in these socalled “smaller subjects”.

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NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

JUSTIN CREMER Leftist government party says both ministers’ and queen’s time could be better spent

NDER the rules of the constitution (grundloven), the entire cabinet must meet with the queen eight to ten times a year to get a royal signature on laws and proposals. These State Council meetings take roughly an hour, but according to coalition partner Socialistisk Folkeparti (SF), it is a waste of time and a relic of a bygone era. “It takes so much time to read the proposals to each other and hold meetings that have no practical political purpose but take important time from the ministers’ and the queen’s schedules,” said SF political spokesperson Jesper Petersen. Petersen added that the meetings aren’t necessary or relevant in a democracy. “It is the people’s representatives in a democratic society that should decide the laws. Time is running out on any remains of

political power the Royal Family held,” Petersen said. He made the point, however, that his criticism had nothing to do with his feelings for Queen Margrethe. “I have deep respect for the Royal Family’s work, and I wish the queen congratulations on her 40th jubilee. But a discussion about whether the time is best used for both the queen and the ministers is not irrelevant.” Petersen’s suggestion that meeting with the queen was a waste of time was not the first made by an SF official. The environment minister, Ida Auken (SF), created a minor uproar when she said that she was required to meet with the queen more than she thought necessary. She later met with the queen to explain that she meant no personal affront. Meanwhile, more political blowback against the role of the monarchy could also be seen last week on Tuesday when several MPs opted to miss parliament’s tribute to the queen. All 12 MPs representing the far-left Enhedslisten, Zenia Stampe of Radikale

SCANPIX

SF: Meeting with the queen a waste of time Time is running out on any remains of political power the Royal Family held

A total of 14 MPs sat out last week’s parliamentary celebration of the queen’s 40 years

(R), who is the vice-chair of a republican organisation, and Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil of Socialdemokraterne (S) all chose not to be present at Christiansborg. Petersen’s suggestion to do

away with the formal meetings with the queen was roundly criticised by the opposition. “Denmark has 1,000 years of history with the monarch and with state councils. SF

wants to get rid of that to save one hour a month – no respect for history!” Venstre’s Kristian Jensen wrote on Twitter. “The state council represents our history and where we come

from – I think we should celebrate that,” Konservative MP Benedikte Kiær said. “I don’t think it’s a good argument that you need an extra hour a month. SF should say outright that they don’t care about our values and our cultural heritage.” While R spokesperson Marianne Jelved went on record in support of keeping the meetings, S parliamentary group chairman Mogens Jensen said his party is open to looking at the suggestion. “It’s a worthy discussion to look at whether things should be as they always have been or whether there are new ways of organising the way we work,” Jensen said.

DF apologises after using Government looking to renew swastika in newspaper ad disputed visa agreements Member of right-wing party says she mistakenly downloaded doctored image for advertisement in Zealand paper

IGMUND Freud would no doubt have something to say about the slip-up made by Dansk Folkeparti (DF) in an advertisement it placed the weekend before last in Lørdagsavisen Køge newspaper in which the image of a swastika can clearly be seen in the right-wing political party’s logo. Anne Nielsen, a chairman of one of the party’s local associations, has taken responsibility for the gaffe, admitting she took the logo off the internet and didn’t at the time notice anything different from the official DF logo, in which the white letters ‘DF’ are surrounded by two arrows painted as Danish flags. The advertisement was placed in a Køge newspaper to draw attention to a meeting involving the party’s MEP, Morten Messerschmidt, in Faxe. The error was particularly unfortunate, given that Messerschmidt came under fire in 2007 for allegedly giving a Nazi salute at a Tivoli bar. “It is a deeply regrettable mistake for which I apologise,” Nielsen told koegenews.dk, which perhaps understandably was the first to spot the swastika. “Mistakes happen. If I could do it again differently, I would. I

If the Netherlands also refuses the Danes’ request for special treatment, the number of countries whose citizens are effectively banned from coming to Denmark will rise to 30

The justice minister says amendments are on the way to allow Schengen partners to process Danish visas

TV2EAST.DK

BEN HAMILTON

The ad’s creator inadvertently used a doctored version of the DF logo she found online instead of the official version of the logo (below)

I should have been more vigilant. I’m really sorry should have been more vigilant. I’m really sorry.” Carl Christian Ebbesen, the DF’s vice-chairman, also said it was “regrettable”, telling B.T. tabloid that it had been “emphasised very firmly” to Nielsen that she needed to use the party’s official logo in such cases. It would appear that the swastika logo was designed by Ole Wolf, a blogger and cofounder of www.sataniskforum. dk, in May 2006 in a bid to create something that reflected the party’s policies “a little more accurately”.

Disappointed at the time that the DF did not adopt his logo, Wolf told Politiken newspaper he was pleased the party had finally “taken the suggestion”. It remains unclear whether Wolf would own the copyright of his doctored logo, given the possible breach of copyright he committed making the logo. In the past, DF has been careful to distant itself from the Nazis. In 2009 the Copenhagen Post mistakenly referred to the party as national socialists – an error that was quickly criticised by the DF in the national media.

CCORDING to an email sent by the justice minister, Morten Bødskov (Socialdemokraterne), to Politiken newspaper, the government is looking to change a law passed last year that left Denmark without consulates in 27 countries and counting. “The ministry is working on an amendment that will allow our Schengen partners to once again process visa applications for Denmark,” Bødskov told Politiken. The Netherlands is currently considering joining Germany, France and Finland in refusing to agree to Denmark’s demands that all applications for travel be sent to Copenhagen for review. That would leave potential travellers in New Zealand, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago with no way of seeking a Danish visa without travelling abroad, and bring the number of countries whose citizens are effectively banned from coming to Denmark to 30. Last year the Immigration Ministry under Søren Pind (Venstre) changed the law that set out co-operative agreements with other Schengen countries allowing those countries to process visa applications for Denmark under a common set of rules. The new law demanded

PHOTO: COLOURBOX

that all visa applications be sent to Denmark. When Germany and Finland refused to comply, the former VK government cancelled their consular agreements, ending Denmark’s consular representations in 15 countries. France also objected and chose to dissolve its agreement,

effective from January 1. That cancellation ended Denmark’s representation in 12 additional countries. The Foreign Ministry has been expressing concern for months about the effects that the visa restrictions have had on tourism and commerce in Denmark. (RW)

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 January 2012

‘Hash Lars’ battles drug laws through Facebook campaign Ray Weaver Having previously campaigned against media licensing fee, former policeman now takes on “totalitarian” drug laws

ars Kragh Andersen knows that it is only a matter of time before he is arrested. It’s part of his plan. The 31 year-old former Copenhagen policeman has posted pictures of himself selling hash on Facebook and tagged the photos with the names of prominent Danish politicians so that anyone who searches Facebook – for example, for Helle Thorning-Schmidt – has a chance of seeing a picture of ‘Hash Lars’ doing his latest deal. When tax authority Skat recently sent him a letter asking for 12,000 kroner for failing to pay tax on his cannabis transactions, Lars wrote back saying that the government wasn’t getting any of his cash, but he was polite enough to include a small piece of hash with his note. The tax office won’t comment on that specific bit of cannabis, but say that any drugs they receive are turned over to the police. The police, in turn, say that Andersen is currently under investigation. Andersen realises that his actions polarise people. Some see him as a hero. Some wonder if he is crazy, and some think he is a tiresome media whore. He says his actions are acts of civil disobedience against the nation’s drug laws.

“I am actually opposed to drugs, but I believe what people do with their own body is up to them. I prefer an apple, a glass of water and a long run, but the government’s drug laws are wrong and totalitarian,” he said. Andersen started as a trainee with the Copenhagen Police in December 2006. He said that during the early years he enforced the laws as written and did what he was told. After a few years on the streets, however, he began to believe that drug enforcement was doing more harm than good. He says that although they won’t go public, plenty of other officers agree with him. “A lot of cops know that a junkie is not going to quit using just because they bust him and take his drugs away,” Andersen said. “In fact, they are actually encouraging him to commit another crime so he can get more drugs.” Andersen believes that drug laws actually damage society and that prohibition makes criminals out of people who suffer with the disease of drug addiction. He believes the best course is to legalise and regulate the drug trade. In 2009, while still serving in the police, he wrote a piece in the online publication 180Grader.dk in which he said that as a matter of conscience he would no longer arrest people for selling cannabis. He knew his days on the force were numbered. “I went into this with my eyes open. I quit my job 10 minutes before they fired me.”

I am actually opposed to drugs, but I believe what people do with their own body is up to them Openly dealing hash, and tweaking the authority’s noses with it, is not Andersen’s first stab at civil disobedience. Before he became known as ‘Hash Lars’, Andersen was known as ‘Licens Lars’, a vocal opponent of Denmark’s TV licence fee. A television licence (or broadcast receiving licence) is required for the reception of television channels operated by national broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR). The TV licence currently costs 2,260 kroner per year. Andersen has bombarded DR with letters protesting against the fee and has set up a Facebook page, ‘Støt Lars’ kamp mod DR Licens’ (Support Lars’s battle against the DR licence), where he and his nearly 7,000 supporters discuss what they see as an unfair tax. “The state should not be collecting money from citizens to make television programmes,” he said. “State television is something that you hear about in North Korea, not a free society.” Andersen sees Hash Lars and Licens Lars as two sides to the same coin:

Andersen openly sells hash to interested customers on the condition they’re willing to have their photos posted on Facebook. Andersen then tags prominent politicians so that the drug deal will show up on their Facebook pages, as happened to Konservative MP Tom Behnke (see right)

“peaceful lawbreakers” ready to face the consequences of their actions as they fight for change. “The government in Denmark intrudes into its citizens’ lives to a frightening degree. I use civil disobedience to attract attention to the issues, not to myself. I hope one day to work with politicians and citizens to shrink the bureaucracy and lessen its influence.

People should be allowed to make their own choices, good and bad.” Andersen said he is currently working in the private sector and studying law.

Youth unemployment can cripple careers, study shows Young jobless numbers could have a permanent effect on the future career prospects of an entire generation

eing unemployed for long periods as a young adult can seriously affect your chances of integrating into the job market, a new study claims. The Economic Council of the Labour Movement (ECLM), a Danish think-tank, compared the careers of those who were unemployed for long periods in 1994 against those who had a job at the time, and found that those who were unemployed now earn between 50,000 and 56,000 kroner a year less than their peers who were in work. ECLM also claims that the study shows that young people who are out of work for long periods find it much more

difficult to enter and remain in the workforce later in life, with those unemployed in 1994 being far more likely to be unemployed or on early retirement today compared to their then-employed peers. “The long-term unemployed from 1994 have not experienced the same rise in salary as others because they had a bad start in the employment market. And that counts whether you worked in a warehouse in 1994 or were a newlyqualified estate agent,” Mie Dalskov Pihl from ECLM told metroXpress. Despite some criticism from the Confederation of Danish Employers on the validity of the study, Pihl argues that the current generation of youths face a similar future. “Youth unemployment can have a permanent effect on the individuals in question as well as greater society,” Pihl

We can’t just shrug our shoulders and think it’s going to fix itself said. “Both unskilled workers and the newly-educated cannot find work today and we can’t just shrug our shoulders and think it’s going to fix itself. The risk is that many people face an awful start to their careers.” Another recent study by ECLM revealed that 26,000 of the approximately 80,000 young people who have neither been in education or work in the past six months are from ethnic minority groups.

The problems facing ethnic minority groups were backed up by another study by government research organisation AKF, which showed that individuals from these groups were twice as likely to drop out from vocational training as their Danish peers. About 55 percent of ethnic minority students dropped out of their training last year. According to AKF’s integration researcher Hans Hummelgaard, the figures indicate a need for urgent action. “We need to find solutions to get young immigrants and their children involved in something active,” Hummelgaard told Jyllands Posten. “If they don’t get an education, they risk remaining on cash welfare benefits as adults. Jobs that they could have had without an education are leaving Denmark on a daily basis.”

While the social and integration minister, Karen Hækkerup (Social Demokraterne), said the government was working on reforms to lower youth unemployment levels, opposition party Venstre (V) criticised the current government for not making use of the former Venstre-led government’s proposals on how to get youths from ethnic minority groups back into work. Speaking to Jyllands-Posten, V integration spokesperson Inger Støjberg argued the current government could be making better use of wage subsidies and internships instead of removing cash welfare benefits which incentivised working. “The government is heading in the wrong direction by abolishing cash welfare benefits as they have made it less attractive for immigrants to get a job,” she said. (PS)

Online this week Man sexually abused nine children for 16 years A 55-year-old man has been charged with the sexual abuse of nine children, seven of which are his own, over a period of 16 years in eastern and northern Jutland. Prosecutors have released a long list of allegations against the man including forced incest, sadism, and rape. The first allegation concerns his 22-year-old son, whom the father is accused of abusing since 1994, when the child was four.

Another son, currently 17, was allegedly abused between the ages of six and eleven. He and three of his brothers, now aged 24, 19 and 16, were also allegedly forced to rape their now 15-year-old sister. The prosecution claims she was abused from the age of five and was subjected to periods of daily abuse, threats, rape and sexual assault over the course of the subsequent decade.

DF to call for tougher punishments for sex crimes

Chaplains get okay to bless combat soldiers

Several national politicians are speaking out about Denmark’s relatively lax punishments for sexual crimes and the absurdity that rapists and paedophiles can get shorter jail sentences than those convicted of financial crimes. The Dansk Folkeparti (DF) says it will introduce legislation toughening the punishment for those found guilty of abusing children. “We are asking for harsher penalties

Despite the concerns of Church of Denmark bishops, Army chaplains will not be given guidelines for blessing soldiers before going on missions in Afghanistan, the defence minister, Nick Hækkerup, announced on Wednesday. Hækkerup’s announcement came after the emergence of a video of a lieutenant blessing soldiers by making a

and minimum sentences,” Peter Skaarup, DF party spokesman, told Ekstra Bladet. “It needs to be done now.” Lawyer Sysette Vinding Kruse, however, told Ekstra Bladet that she doesn’t think changing the law will solve any problems and that the current statutes provide plenty of leeway to administer harsher penalties to both paedophiles and rapists than they receive today.

victory sign with his fingers and then thumping his chest. According to Thomas H Beck, an Army deacon, the current procedure for blessing soldiers began in 2006 in Helmand province and has developed over time. Today’s blessing to armed soldiers as they leave camp on missions ends with the phrase: “Trust in God, and keep your powder dry.”

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 January 2012

Ray Weaver

Public toilets in Copenhagen soon to be free

Scanpix

Multiple roadblocks stand in way of plans to borrow a reported 10 billion kroner to lower public transport fares

he government is preparing to borrow upwards of 10 billion kroner to improve public transport in connection with its proposed toll on cars entering and leaving the city, according to information obtained by Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Members of the Socialdemokraterne-led coalition confirmed to Jyllands-Posten that a loan for the congestion charge it proposed during last year’s general election could be in the works, but would only say the amount was “in the billions”. One model reportedly being considered to operate the congestion zone is a publicly held company, similar to the one that operates the Great Belt Bridge and the Øresund Bridge. The company would be responsible for obtaining the loan required to subsidise lower fares and expand passenger capacity. The loan would be repaid using the projected 1.5 billion kroner in revenue generated by

According to estimates, congestion makes commutes to the city take nearly twice as long as they should be

the congestion charge each year. Taking such a large loan, however, could put the economy over the EU’s debt-to-GDP ratio limit. The plan to use loaned money on improving public transport could also be hindered by regulations requiring such funds to be used towards infrastructure, not operations. Once potential sources of funding have been identified as early as this week, it is expected that the government will announce how much it expects the charge to be. The transport minister, Henrik Dam Kristensen (Socialdemokraterne), has previously stated that rates will vary

depending on the time of day, and that no toll will be charged during the weekend. In addition, it is likely that public transport fares will be reduced during rush hour. Another alternative reportedly being considered is a rebate system that makes it extra attractive for commuters who today drive long distances to the city. “We need to be careful that we don’t cut prices in areas where people are within cycling distance of the city, so they don’t stop biking and take the bus instead,” Andreas Steenberg, an MP for coalition member Radikale, said. Another of the remaining key details about the congestion zone – its size – could also fall

into place this week after the publication Monday of an environmental assessment report that appeared to find nothing to undermine the government’s position that the zone’s border should be congruous with Copenhagen’s city limits. That position has caused rancour among mayors of towns bordering Copenhagen – including some members of Socialdemokraterne – who claim their roads would suddenly be overwhelmed by cars seeking to avoid the congestion zone. After seeing Monday’s report, Kristensen said it confirmed that traffic would wind up on the motorway, “where cars are supposed to be”. (KM)

Kurdish television network appeals terrorism ruling while Danish government looks to change the law

he fate of the Copenhagen-based Kurdish television network Roj TV remains uncertain. Last week, the Danish court fined Roj TV for supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the EU and the United States. The court said that between February 2008 and September 2010, the TV channel had supported terrorism by broadcasting PKK messages and that it had accepted money from the terrorist group. The station appealed against the ruling and denied charges that it promotes terrorism. Imdat Yilmaz, the director of Roj TV, said that the channel will examine its programming, but that they had no immediate plans to make changes to either its programmes or the way it’s funded. The prosecution had sought to have the station shut down, but the court decided that a loophole in Danish law made that impossible. The decision to allow the

station to continue broadcasting angered the Turkish government, which has for years been pressuring Denmark to yank Roj TV’s licence. Egemen Bagis, the Turkish minister for EU affairs, said in a statement that the court’s decision was “irresponsible”. Ahmet Berki Dibek, Turkey’s ambassador to Denmark, said that now that the station has been judged guilty of promoting terrorism, it should be shut down. The Danish government has promised it will consider drafting new legislation aimed at closing Roj TV. The justice minister, Morten Bødskov, and the culture minister, Uffe Elbæk, issued a joint statement saying that they are looking into drafting a bill that will close any loopholes preventing the closure of media outlets that promote terrorism. The ministers also promised continued co-operation with Turkey. This is the first time that a TV station in Denmark has been charged with having links to a terrorist organisation. The PKK says it is fighting for Kurdish rights and independence and denies being a terrorist group. The armed struggle in southeast Turkey has been going on since 1984 and killed more than 40,000 people.

Public toilets: keep the change

pocketful of two kroner coins or pee in the street,” she said. Rathje said removing the fee will lead to cleaner streets as fewer people will be forced to urinate in public. The council says it will be watching to see if the change leads to dirtier toilets or more vandalism. Switching to free toilets will cost Copenhagen 400,000 kroner each year. The shortfall will be made up by cutting the opening hours of the city’s staffed toilets. Each manned toilet will now be open for one hour less per week. There is no sign that the council’s decision has encouraged DSB to drop the five kroner tariff it imposed on toilets at Copenhagen’s central train station at the start of this year. MetroXpress newspaper reported last week that, according to a restaurant owner at the station, the new charge had so many people bypassing the facility to use the streets that urine was seeping in under the door of his kitchen.

Foreign Ministry cuts off funding for human rights institute after “irregularities” 3.2 million kroner in losses discovered in audit

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Ray Weaver

Scanpix

Battle over Roj TV continues after ruling

o there you are. Calmly strolling the streets of Copenhagen when the kid starts whining: “Dad, I gotta pee.” After the required lecture about thinking about it before leaving the house the next time, you start looking for a public toilet. You hustle the now red-faced and watery-eyed child up to the door of the stall, only to realise you just tossed all of your small change to a busker to thank him for his cracking button accordion version of ‘Take me Home, Country Roads’, leaving you short of the two kroner needed to open the portal of blessed relief. Well, take heart. The City Council has decided to drop the fee on the city’s public toilets. Beginning in January 2013, the days of visitors to Denmark’s capital city rummaging through every pocket for the required coins are over. City Council member Iben Wiene Rathje (Socialistiske Folkeparti) said the change will be good for everyone. “Everyone benefits, especially the homeless women who either have to carry around a

Søvndal said that the embassy closures reflected changing priorities

Iraq embassy to close, plus two in Africa Closing of embassy in Baghdad reflects new priorities and a need to cut costs, FM says

he foreign minister, Villy Søvndal, has announced that Denmark will close its embassies in Iraq, Benin and Zambia, Berlingske newspaper reports. The embassy in Baghdad will be shut down by the end of July. Denmark was one of the first countries to establish an embassy in the Iraqi capital in 2004. Søvndal told Berlingske that the closing of the Baghdad embassy is part of a change in priorities.

“A modern Foreign Services must ensure that Denmark has the right presence to ensure the proper safeguarding of Denmark’s global interests,” Søvndal said. Søvndal also added that the embassy closures were also in part due to the savings efforts the Foreign Ministry has been forced to undertake. The Benin and Zambia embassies will close in 2014 as a consequence of Denmark’s decision to phase out aid to the two African countries. Berlingske reports that the Foreign Ministry has plans to open new embassies in Libya and Myanmar. (JC)

Colourbox

Multi-billion kroner loan mulled Free to pee for city’s congestion zone

he Danish Institute for Human Rights (Institut for Menneskerettigheder) is suspected of “a number of irregularities” that have led to losses of 3,192,000 kroner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated. The accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Coopers went through the institute’s records and found many errors including, according to the Foreign Ministry, “the deliberate transfer of old losses to non-existing projects that were created for this purpose”. The ministry has now cut off funding to the Institute for Human Rights with immediate effect, and the institute has been asked for a thorough explanation. The Institute for Human Rights said in a statement that the 3.2 million kroner in losses, which date from 1997-2008, did not result from a diversion of funds but rather a case of incorrect postings, and that no public funds were misused. “There were gross human errors that neither internal or external controls spotted,” the director of the institute, Jonas Christoffersen, said. “We’ve

The development minister, Christian Friis Bach(shown here on a visit to Myanmar earlier in the month), called the audit’s findings “worrying”

cleaned up the old losses that will affect our current employees, who will be forced to push even harder to cover old losses. But we are now looking forward to fully focusing on human rights instead of an internal clean-up.” The institute’s explanation was not enough for opposition party Dansk Folkeparti (DF), which is demanding that the government removes the institute’s total appropriation of ten million kroner. (JC)

6 News Minorities under-represented in media, study finds Half of stories featuring minorities focus on negative issues

lthough Danes with immigrant background make up more than 10 percent of the Danish population, they represent less than 5 percent of sources quoted in the country’s news coverage, a recent study conducted in part by NyDansk Ungdomsråd, an organisation representing the interests of ethnic minority children, finds. In those rare cases where immigrants are interviewed, they are rarely asked about everyday life in Denmark. Rather than fielding questions concerning taxes or education, minorities are more likely to be asked to comment on crime, social benefits, immigration or forced marriage. Nearly 50 percent of news stories concerning minorities and integration focus on crime and drugs. Samira Nawa, the chair of NyDansk Ungdomsråd, said that reporters needed to make an effort to ask immigrants the same questions they would pose to white Danes. “It is important that journalists understand that if they are taking a poll about something like the congestion charge they need to also interview those who may look a bit different or have an unusual name and not just Mr and Mrs Jensen,” she said. Michael Johnson, also with the NyDansk Ungdomsråd, said the goal of the study is not to distort reality, but to underline that minority Danes are “normal citizens who contribute positively to society”.

20 - 26 January 2012 Peter stanners

Ray Weaver

File photo: Pamela Juhl

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

After 10 years, freesheet Urban bid farewell to its readers last week

Popular freesheet axed as publisher cuts back Kevin McGwin The press tends to only approach minorities in connection with stories about crime or immigration, such as when a group of asylum seekers sought refuge in a Copenhagen church in 2009

They need to also interview those who may look a bit different or have an unusual name and not just Mr and Mrs Jensen “We have no problem with facts,” said Johnson. “We realise that people with immigrant backgrounds are overrepresented in crime statistics, but only a small percentage of immigrants are involved in crime.” The study concludes that while minority men may be under-represented in the Danish press, minority women are nearly non-existent.

Two-thirds of all minorities quoted in the media are men, so immigrant women find themselves in what the study calls a “double minority” position. Nawa said this creates special challenges for minority women. “Many with minority backgrounds have negative expectations, so they cross their arms and avoid talking to the media,” said Nawa. “If society is to become more trusting, both the immigrants and the journalists need to be more open-minded.” The study looked at news stories from the eight newspapers and two TV stations that researchers believe are Danes’ primary sources of news. Radio and the internet were not examined. The survey was commissioned by press association Ansvarlig Presse and Ny-Dansk Ungdomsråd, and compiled and published by Kontrabande.

Drop in ad revenue leads to 87 employees of Berlingske Media losing their jobs

he last edition of free newspaper Urban was published last week on Thursday after its owner, Berlingske Media, announced a series of cutbacks aimed at preparing the company for increasing competition, declining print readership and the increasing popularity of digital media. Berlingske also laid off 87 – or 3.5 percent of its total number of employees – as part of the cuts. An additional 10 unfilled positions were also eliminated. “We need to make sure that the company remains financially strong,” Lisbeth Knudsen, the managing director of Berlingske Media, told Berlingkse Business. Knudsen pointed to declining advertising revenue as the immediate reason for closing Urban. “There’s nothing to indicate that advertising sales for national freesheets

are going to bounce back in 2012, and the market isn’t big enough for three freesheets.” Urban’s closing leaves metroXpress and 24timer, both owned by the Swedish-based Metro International, as the only two freesheets in a field that once counted five such publications. Urban began publishing in November 2001 as Berlingske’s response to the launch of metroXpress. Berlingske, according to Knudsen, is rethinking the Urban brand and said it will return in a digital version in the spring as part of an overall strategy for the company’s future. She said the cuts would allow Berlingske to be able to adopt an offensive strategy to address the challenges the company faced. “We need to be ready to consolidate or make any acquisitions required,” she said. Employees were told about the cuts a day before the closing and entered talks with the various unions. Those negotiations are expected to be completed within the next week.

Greenpeace acquitted of placing trackers on fishing boats Covert action last spring revealed widespread illegal fishing in conservation zones and led to charges being brought against ten

reenpeace was acquitted in a Helsingør court on Monday of trespassing charges related to the placing of GPS transmitters on five fishing boats in the spring of 2010. The transmitters revealed how fishermen routinely entered conservation

zones in the Kattegat, created to protect cod stocks, and resulted in charges being brought against ten fishermen, with one receiving a 50,000 kroner fine and having 260,000 kroner worth of fish confiscated. Despite the fact that GPS data was successfully used to prosecute the fishermen, the fishermen in turn pressed charges against both Greenpeace and one of its members who participated in the action. But the court dismissed those charges, much to the relief of Greenpeace Nordic’s general secretary Mads Flarup Christensen, who was present in

court on Monday. “It is with relief and joy that the judge decided to prioritise the work done by a handful of Greenpeace activists last summer,“ he said after the verdict. “They exposed systematic poaching in cod conservation zones of the Kattegat, which resulted not only in an end to the poaching, but also in starting a political debate that led to increased control of the conservation areas as well as increased sanctions.” The conservation zones were established in 2009 after the collapse of cod stocks in the Kattegat. According

to an EU study released in 2010, the numbers of cod caught in the Kattegat had fallen from between 15-20,000 tonnes annually in the 70s, to under 200 tonnes in 2009. “Cod in the Kattegat is close to extinction,” Hanne Lyng Winter, a marine bilogist with Greenpeace, said in a press release. “The protected area in the Kattegat was created by the Swedish and Danish authorities in a desperate effort to save it. That’s why the fishermen’s systematic poaching was so scandalous.” Four of the individuals charged with illegal fishing have been to court

Greenpeace

Peter Stanners

One of the five fishing boats that Greenpeace tracked using a GPS device

and received heavy fines that they are all appealing against. The remaining six won’t be going to court until the appeals are completed.

Online this week Strong Christmas sales figures give hope for better 2012 Dankort sales reached 30.4 billion kroner last month – a 3.8 percent increase on December 2010 – though inflation of 2.5 percent accounts for part of the rise. Dankort purchases last month rose 2.2 percent over November’s tally, and have grown for the past four months in a row. Since August, Dankort sales are up 5.6 percent. The previous month was a dismal one for retailers. In November, sales

fell 0.5 percent, as worries about the economy and jobs kept consumers out of store aisles – despite falling unemployment and rising exports. “Christmas sales fared better than earlier Dankort figures indicated they would,” Lars Olsen, a consumer economist at Danske Bank, told the Ritzau news bureau, adding that the most recent Dankort figures suggest that spending could grow in 2012.

A third of cancer patients don’t receive needed surgery

Arrests made in murder of 81-year-old

Every year about 900 Danes are afflicted by pancreatic cancer. Three hundred of those are considered candidates for surgery, but according to Politiken newspaper, only 200 of those actually received the operation in 2011. Even with the advances in treating pancreatic cancer with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, surgery is the only effective way of removing the disease. Patients eligible for treatment at

Four Bulgarian nationals have been arrested on a charge of murdering 81-year-old Kirsten Inge Damsgaard. Damsgaard was bound and gagged on her bed while her Herlev flat was ransacked on December 30. Her daughter found her lifeless body on New Year’s Day. Two men, aged 20 and 22, a 19-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl

Rigshospitalet had to wait the longest, in part because more surgeries were performed there than at hospitals in Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg combined. According to a recent study, national cancer cases are on the rise. From 2007 to 2011, the number of patients being treated for cancer rose 20 percent, and the number of patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatments for the disease have doubled.

were arrested last week. Police investigator Charlotte Skovby said that one of the men has lived in Denmark for a year and a half while the other man has been in the country slightly longer. The relationship between the suspects is not known at this time. Photos of the suspects using Damsgaard’s debit card helped police crack the case.

Read the full stories at cphpost.dk

7 Romanian workers systematically exploited in Zealand Cover story

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 January 2012

Petrut Calinescu

Justin Cremer Cleaning employees went without pay, faced threats and lived in terrible conditions

Now back in Romania, the Stoica family (pictured here Natalia Stoica and her brother Vasile) say they were threatened by Forenede Service subcontractor Jimmy Nika, received no payment for their work, and lived in a Helsingør apartment that had no electricity or water Police photo

Private photo

series of investigations by trade union magazine Fagbladet 3F has uncovered the systematic exploitation and squalid living conditions of Romanian cleaners in northern Zealand. According to the magazine, four Romanians were recently employed by Denmark’s second-largest cleaning company, Forenede Service, to clean two daycare institutions and a public school in Rudersdal Council. They worked long hours for a period of six weeks without receiving any pay, and as a result had no money for rent or food, and were reduced to eating trash out of rubbish bins. “We were told that we would get our money and that we shouldn’t complain to anyone,” 37-year-old Daniela Burcea told Fagbladet 3F. “But we didn’t get anything, and I ended up on the streets with my children and all my luggage.” Not until the Romanian workers – Burcea, her sister, and two males – went to the cleaning company’s headquarters in Søborg last month accompanied by journalists from the magazine, did they receive any form of payment for their work. Michael Krogh, an executive of Forenede Service, admitted to Fagbladet 3F that the company had made a mistake in not paying the Romanians but disputed the workers’ claims that they had worked as many as 12 hours at a stretch. He couldn’t, however, account for how many hours they had actually worked. Forenede Service then wrote four paychecks on the spot, failing to account for the hours worked or the pay rate, for a pay period described as spanning “December 7-December 7” (the day of the visit to company headquarters). The Romanians received payments ranging from 3,900-12,000 kroner. Krogh said that the company hadn’t previously made payments because the workers didn’t have the proper papers in order. “I was caught in a dilemma. Either I needed to admit that I had illegal workers or I needed to wait to pay them until their papers were in order,” he told Fagbladet 3F, adding that the company would provide documentation that tax had been paid on the workers’ pay – documentation that he has repeatedly failed to provide. The treatment of the four Romanian workers appears to be anything but an anomaly. In June 2011, Helsingør police found six hungry and broke Romanians living in squalid conditions in a basement flat. According to the Romanian family, they had been held against their will by cleaning firm JD Rengøring, which is owned by Jimmy Nika. Nika for years served as a subcontractor to Forenede Service and had arranged the Romanians’ travel to Denmark by bus on 23 May 2011. “[Nika] offered us coffee and said to us: ‘If you try to do anything, escape or go to the police, you will not make it back to Romania alive. I’ll break your legs,’” 38-year-old Natalia Stoica told Fagbladet 3F of their first meeting with Nika.

The workers were reduced to eating food they found in the trash (above), while many lived in a basement apartment with a non-functional toilet, forcing them to discard used toilet paper in the corner (right)

The Stoica family cleaned schools and daycare institutions in northern Zealand at the promise of a salary of €500 a month. Instead, they received nothing. “Not an [øre],” 49-year-old Vasile Stoica said. The family said they resorted to eating food they found in the garbage of the places they cleaned. The family was placed in their Helsingør flat through arrangements made by Nika. There, they had no running water, no electricity and were overrun by rats. The apartment was shared by as many as eight Romanians at a time. When their family in Romania caught wind of their condition, they contacted the Romanian Embassy, which in turn contacted police to tell them that the Romanians were being held against their will. After being discovered by police, the family then borrowed money from the embassy for a bus ticket back to Romania. Once again, this family’s experience appears to point to a larger system

If you try to do anything, escape or go to the police, you will not make it back to Romania alive. I’ll break your legs at work. Fagbladet 3F spoke with over 20 Romanians who were hired by Forenede Service or subcontractors of the company, including many who were hired by Nika. All received similar promises and treatment. Many received less than the promised €500 monthly salary, and some received no payment at all. Some of the workers reported having their ID papers stolen. According to Trine Mygind Korsby, a University of Copenhagen researcher

who specialises in human trafficking, the treatment of the Romanians points to human trafficking. “There have been some serious situations where, among other things, they have been stripped of their ID papers, been threatened and worked unreasonable hours,” Korsby told Fagbladet 3F. “These are some of the indicators of human trafficking.” The same Helsingør basement flat, which is owned by the Nika family, has been housing Romanian cleaners brought to Denmark by Jimmy Nika since as early as January 2010. Many told Fagbladet 3F about its squalid conditions. “We were 10 people and there was only one toilet. It was a catastrophe,” said 44-year-old Traian Butuc. “We lived five people to a room. We lived downstairs because they wouldn’t let us go upstairs,” 23-yearold Vasile Müller said. “It was so cold that we had to sleep with five to six layers of clothes and our shoes on.”

For his part, Nika denied the conditions were as bad as contended by the June 2011 police report, which said the basement was filled with rat excrement and a strong smell of human waste. “It could very well be that there is a little rat shit here and there,” Nika told Fagbladet 3F, denying that there was any human excrement. “This is a 3.2 million kroner house that is under renovation. I don’t want anyone shitting on my floor.” Despite Nika’s long relationship as a subcontractor of Forenede Service, apparently feeding the company a steady flow of cheap Romanian labour, Forenede Service denied to Fagbladet 3F any responsibility for the living conditions. “Forenede doesn’t have anything at all to do with the Romanians’ living conditions or with anyone else who has lived in a basement,” Peer Krogh, the company’s managing director, told Fagbladet 3F.

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Where was Big Mother when abused kids needed her?

20 - 26 January 2012

The Europeans

E HAVE social workers in a welfare state for a reason: to help those who need help. But when gross violations of people’s rights occur – as were revealed this week in the cases of enslaved Romanians in Helsingør and a group of severely abused children in the northern Jutland town of Skørping – it calls into question whether our social contract with Big Mother is worth its high price. In the welfare state, we trust that the extensive, professional corps of social workers can serve as the first responders once abuse has been exposed. But a more urgent responsibility is to interpret the information passed on to them by teachers, doctors and neighbours in order to stop abuse before it gets out of hand. For the average member of a community, the busybody’s tattling might just be gossip, but for the social worker it could corroborate the concerns of a teacher or a coach. In cases where social workers have all the pieces before them, yet abuse continues for years – as appears to have been the situation in Skørping, as well as the town of Brønderslev, where a man was convicted of similar abuse in December – then it’s time to take a step back and find out whether these are isolated incidents of professional incompetence or whether social workers lack the will or the tools to take action. In the Skørping abuse case, the system apparently got off to a good start: local authorities were reportedly aware that the family fit the pattern for an abusive family. That was in 2005 (or 2006, they aren’t quite sure when). The alleged abuse continued for another five years. Someone obviously didn’t do their job in the intervening years. Pleading its defence, the council argued that one of its reasons for not putting the kids into foster care – despite the children’s school and others expressing concern – was its lack of evidence. Social welfare officials, though, were apparently concerned enough that they asked the police to step in on multiple occasions. Describing their own inability to help the nine children that were allegedly abused over a 16-year period, the police said “they did what they could” and described their collaboration with council authorities on the case as “exceptional”. If this is a prime example of how the welfare state should work, then God help any child out there who is suffering at the hands of an adult – because it looks like their Big Mother can’t.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

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MIKAEL JALVING

HERE PROBABLY isn’t anyone that was really looking forward to Denmark taking over the EU presidency, given the mess the government has made for itself. But since noone can stop the march of time we might as well just make the most of the situation. With this in mind, I sat myself down on a bench at Rødovre Shopping Centre on January 2 and began to read ‘Europæerne’ (the Europeans), Per Nyholm’s two kilo tome of a memoir that I just moments before had picked up on sale at Arnold Busck.

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Minorities underrepresented in media, study finds And in other news, scientists have discovered that rain contains water! HeidiakaMissJibba By website I find it funny, particularly the obvious lack of TV presenters from other ethnic groups – the BBC, ITV, and US television have so many different presenters from different backgrounds, also people with disabilities. Why would the Danish media talk to people who may not give Denmark the ‘feel good factor’, and actually say what it’s really like, for many of us? They have to keep the myth of ‘the happiest place in the world’ going. Rugratzz By website

I will bet a steak dinner, with wine and all the goodies, that she goes out in the 3rd round. Her glory days are over for grand slams. Ziggedwhenishouldazagged By website At which point she’ll be referred to as Polish in the Danish press and by most Danes. HeidiakaMissJibba By websit e Justice Ministry grants sevenyear-old second chance residency The decision was probably made on the basis that it would cost more to deport her. Thorvaldsen By website

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compiled, packed with unruly thoughts, factual knowledge, personal observations and countless idiosyncrasies – all accompanied by Carsten Ingemann’s photographs that fall somewhere between art and kitsch. All day long, the shops had been humming with life, and at one point between 4 and 5pm, I foolishly thought the financal crisis might be over and that hope was still alive. Off I went, Nyholm tucked under my arm, stopping along the way at Terrasse Caféen for a pint and a few pretzel sticks, a cup of coffee and a spontaneous detour to Rødovre Church. The original church was demolished by Sweden’s Karl X Gustav’s occupation of Copenhagen, but another was built on the same site by Frederik III. And it was outside the church, Rødovre’s oldest building, that I had a close encounter with the essence of Nyholm’s EU fascination: that the union has replaced war – European war – with Pan-European peace, even in the states of central Europe. This is true, narrowly speaking, but we shouldn’t discount the role Nato has played. Nor the role the market has played in the spread of a mellower, civil

and materialistic culture that has made peace more profitable than war. And there’s one other thing I feel Nyholm discounts when he’s trying to explain the need for peaceful co-existence: that European history – not just in the 20th century but the past 500 years – is for many countries and their populations a history of loss. And not just for the imperial powers of Spain, the Netherlands and the UK – but just as much the Poles, the Scots and even us Danes, for whom 1864 became a national nadir. The EU is as little a universal explanation for peace as it is a universal solution. As Nyholm notes about Holy Roman Emperor Charles V: “Charles wanted to unite Europe, but Europe didn’t want to be united.” The Holy Roman Empire may have been the closest we’ve ever come to a united Europe, but as once famously stated, it was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. To be continued. The author is a historian, author and columnist. Originally published by JyllandsPosten newspaper.

READER COMMENTS

A week in the life of Caroline Wozniacki

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The presidency is one of life’s dull obligations, and the book seemed to be an appropriate starting point for me, given Nyholm’s intimate knowledge of Europe and his 30-year career writing for Jyllands-Posten. “I don’t understand the opponents of the EU,” he writes. “I find them laughable, grotesque and provincial – unfit for the 21st century.” There I was. Sitting on a bench as one of the unfit, and becoming ever sceptical – no matter how laughable and provincial that might sound in Nyholm’s ears. Surrounded by other euro-sceptics (and maybe even some romantics) so caught up in a book about Europe inspired by a man’s fantasy – and his passionate frustration about the European cacophony that it wasn’t until Paw Sko Matas and Hunkemöller began lowering their gates and the polite but firm guard asked if I shouldn’t be on my way now, which was how I came to think of what constitutional author DG Monrad once called ‘popular peculiarities’ to describe our cultural identity. Before I go on, I should note that Nyholm’s book is fascinating and incredibly handsomely

Some common sense begins to filter into the madness, at last! Now

seriously, who in their right mind would sign legislation that could result in deportation of children away from their parents or in keeping them estranged from their parents? Who in their right mind would even think of trying to enforce it? I mean, you could be heartless enough to do it, but you need to harbour serious personality disorders not to realize that the thing you are doing looks (and is quite) heinous from every angle. Moreover, saying a child is “incapable of integrating” is not only plainly untrue, it actually wanders into the realm of justifications given by disturbed individuals for unspeakable actions. I would NEVER invoke a rule like that, were I involved with any part of residence approval, for ANY reason. loroferoz By website

All they want is more of your money. I’m from Los Angeles, and this little congestion is mostly due to all of the construction constantly going on all around the city. ziggedwhenishouldazagged By website

Well, that’s mighty magnanimous of them. Nice to see that they finally had some sense physically shaken into them, but it’s still a disgrace that such cases ever came up in the first place. Hope we get more positive stories like this in the weeks to come. I would be very, very happy if this was finally stopped. HeidiakaMissJibba By website

There are chances but there is no certainty when it comes to getting a permanent residency. A person should have a good education plus Danish language to support him/herself. Denmark needs educated people, so use foreign students who are studying at a higher education level and give them a chance, as they are already in Denmark. Use them instead of calling people from abroad. I have seen many Bachelor, Masters and PHD students going to other countries because of immigration laws in Denmark. Syed Hassnain By website

Congestion charge is “not perfect” – but it’s coming anyway The issue I have with this whole debate is that after the better part of a decade living in Copenhagen, I have yet to notice it has a congestion problem. A parking problem, yes sometimes and in some places – but congestion? Seriously chaps ... it’s like putting a betalingsring round a small town anywhere else. TheNewTot By website

Government proposes end to ‘points system’ I’ve been here over 6 years now and nothing surprises me. I figure that by now, my expectations have been appropriately set – low. That said, I have been all over the appropriate ministerial websites, and udvalg websites and see not a word about proposed changes. The justice minister hasn’t made a single press release for the year 2012. JwondersY By website

Majority support drinking age

raising

Changing the purchasing of alcohol age to 18 is not going to make a difference whatsoever. Sixteen-year-olds are still going to be getting alcohol from somewhere. They’ll be going to parties with people of the ages of eighteen and above. In fact, by increasing the age, it’s just going to make alcohol seem like an even more desirable object - forbidden fruit and all that. It’s just a waste of time and resources. They should be looking into more important matters than changing the legal age for purchasing alcohol. Fenrisulfrr By website “I don’t believe simply raising the age will be effective. In Australia it is 18 and personally from my experience I believe there is a larger youth alcohol problem there.” M_S_H By website Completely illogical. The government believes that 16-year-olds should have the right to vote, but are not old enough to buy a beer,” says Benedikte. I guess you would have to be rather inebriated to even consider voting for the hapless Konservative, so I understand poor Benedikte’s predicament. George_Moon By website When I was 14 I was finding ways to get my hands on alcohol as were many of my friends, and I think we were drinking a lot more than a 16-year-old, just because it’s so desirable. It’s a waste of time because it’s government time that could be spent on more important things. Fenrisulfrr By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

Pernickety Dicky BY RICHARD STEED 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.”

Is Copenhagen boring? DANIEL VAN DER NOON / WWW.DANIELVANDERNOON.CO.UK

EFORE Christmas, I had planned this column to be a wonderful homage to living here in Copenhagen, entitled ‘12 things I loved about this city’. But having just returned from a short trip to London, I have had a rethink. The colour, diversity and eccentricity of London has made me realise I’ve actually returned to a rather dull, bland and homogenised place called Copenhagen. Where everybody seems to look the same, and originality and individuality are hard to find. So I apologise for not writing about my initial idea and I know the comparison to London is unfair, yet I have to admit, after five years of living here, in my opinion Copenhagen is a boring place to live right now. I know it’s winter, people are gloomy and the best time in this city is spring, but I’m talking about more than just the weather here. What I would like to know is where can you find creativity and originality in this city? Does Copenhagen have an alternative vibrant underground cultural scene, or has everyone who has an ounce of individuality and artistic talent moved to Berlin? Have you ever wondered why Agnes Obel doesn’t live here? I blame the last government squarely for this current state of blandness, caused by encouraging ten years of selfish individualism and for having an unhealthy admiration of America. This onslaught of globalisation has affected all developed countries, but the downside, if unregulated, promotes people to become more obsessed with wealth and materialism. This economic fixation on a throwaway society based on American values has meant that over the last ten years, many more Danes have ended up as identical shoppers, buying the latest trends and fashions and consuming

Where can you find creativity and originality in this city? the same things. The same haircuts, the same Adidas gear, the same iPhone, everyone listening to Medina and Burhan G. It’s so boring and predictable. They even tried to ‘normalise’ Christiania, but thankfully they didn’t fully succeed. Christiania is one of only a few places in Copenhagen that actually has a heartbeat. It’s one of this city’s crown jewels and actually makes Copenhagen a little more interesting and diverse. The only thing I can remember from last year that really made this city an exciting place to live, apart from Christiania’s 40th celebration, was the Distortion street festival, which was fantastic and showed that Copenhagen can have a personality. Maybe I am living in the wrong part of the city? I live in Vesterbro, which is supposedly one of the coolest places to be, yet all I see is white middle-class trendies with cash and a bit of style, but not much else. I guess living in a highly controlled welfare state also has its downsides and makes people less willing to express themselves. But now that we are facing an economic downtown, maybe creativity and individuality will finally return as people start to become a little more inventive and frugal with their lifestyle. Or is it me that is the problem – am I just a boring old fart? Maybe there is a vibrant artistic scene here that is much more than just being about image and fashion and actually has substance and subversion. If so, can someone please enlighten me and point me in the right direction?

CPH POST VOICES

‘STILL ADJUSTING’

‘TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK’

‘MACCARTHY’S WORLD’

‘THE LYNCH REPORT’

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, this time 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.

English-Australian theatre director Stuart Lynch has lived in Copenhagen since Clinton impeached his cigars and writes from the heart of the Danish and international theatre scene. He is married with kids and lives in Nørrebro. Visit his Danish theatre at www.lynchcompany.dk.

10 NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

Foreign magazines to face colossal import levy PETER STANNERS Tax Ministry’s unpopular proposal would force Post Danmark to place 160 kroner import levy on magazines printed outside the EU

Business Review is printed in English in the US, and it will never be printed in Denmark.” According to Dehn, the legislation is a strong move that will probably only reap a modest reward for the Danish government in the form of increased tax revenue – about seven kroner from the sale of a 27 kro-

Magazines printed outside of the EU would increase in price by up to 600 percent PHOTO: PETER STANNERS

HETHER it’s the classic brown envelope of National Geographic, or the bold illustrations gracing the cover of the New Yorker, the arrival of one’s favourite magazine is a monthly highlight in many people’s lives – an event calling for long sessions on the sofa while every word is pored over and slowly absorbed. But you soon might have to pay through the nose for the pleasure if your favourite magazine happens to be printed outside of the EU. A proposal due to come into force on April 1 will abolish the VAT exemption on magazines printed outside the EU to encourage Danish publishers to print their publications closer to home. In the future, consumers subscribing to publications printed outside the EU will have to go to the post office and pay Post Danmark the VAT and a 160 kroner processing fee before you can take it home. National Geographic will go

from a 27 kroner a month habit to 194 kroner – an increase of over 600 percent. T h e law change i s designed to bring printing jobs back to the EU, and it may just have an effect. Danish

publisher Aller admitted to Politiken newspaper on Sunday that it would move printing operations from Norway to Denmark if they lose the VAT exemption. But many are

Open Day, Pre-IB and IB Diploma Are you a grade 9 or grade 10 student? Are you interested in an international education that opens the doors to universities all over the world? Join our Open Day from 8:30 to 13:00 on January 24th 2012 at our new City Campus in Stockholmsgade 59, Østerbro. Lunch will be provided. To sign up for the Open Day, please send a short e-mail to admission@cis.dk NB: Scholarships and fee reductions are available to self-paying families. See our web site for application details and deadlines. For more information, please visit our web site or contact our Admissions Officer, Thomas Nielsen, at (+45) 3946 3315 / admission@cis.dk

worried that Danish publishers have too little time to adapt to the changes by either moving printing operations to Denmark or cutting costs enough to cover a VAT bill that may run into tens of millions of kroner for some medium-sized publishers. Most criticism of the legislation, however, has been directed at the effect it will have on the price and availability of foreign publications. Lauge Dehn runs Nordic Subsription Service, a company that has sold subscriptions to a wide variety of international magazines to Danes since 1969. Some of the magazines they sell – such as National Geographic, Scientific American and Harvard Business Review – are unlikely to ever be printed in Europe and will consequently become inordinately expensive. “I honestly do not understand the purpose of this proposal,” Dehn told The Copenhagen Post. “It will just prevent Danes from getting internationallyrenowned magazines. Harvard

ner magaz i n e that will cost consumers 194 kroner. “Does that make sense? Not to me certainly, and most likely not to any other Danes,“ Dehn added. “I really do not think that the legislators in the rest of Europe could propose something as stupid.” Isabella Smith, the owner of English bookshop Books & Company, is similarly critical of the legislation. Smith sells a range of magazines in her shop,

The main negative consequence will be a loss of cultural diversity brought about by the increasingly difficult access to magazines from outside the EU and while most are published within the EU and will not face price increases, some specialty magazines such as the New Yorker will face the 160 kroner a copy import fee. “It seems shortsighted and out of proportion to punish magazines originating from outside the EU that cannot be printed here, in order to punish

publishers residing within the EU who could print here but choose not to in order to get around the VAT,” Smith told The Copenhagen Post. “The main negative consequence will be a loss of cultural diversity brought about by the increasingly difficult access to magazines from outside the EU, whether it be a non-mainstream magazine from the US or a popular one from Asia and the Middle East.” The law is in the final stages of consultation, but the recent media debate about the issue was only raised after the tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen, seemingly played down the logistical difficulties of implementing the law to the tax committee overseeing the changes. According to Politiken, the Tax Ministry omitted concerns raised by Post Danmark in a document sent by the Transport Ministry on the issue. The redacted document, which the tax committee is using to form its judgement, seems to imply that as long as magazines are clearly labelled with customs slips, there should be no problem. Post Danmark is concerned, however, that magazines will not be clearly labelled. And as they process over nine million foreign magazines a year, they may face an enormous additional workload. “Post Danmark will in principle be expected to check every shipment that appears to be a magazine, determine whether the recipient is private or business, and then estimate the value of the shipment,” Post Danmark wrote in the document sent to the Tax Ministry. “It is a tremendously large task, as Post Denmark will have to check all shipments that are sent from non-EU countries.” Post Danmark added that they expected the proposal to lead to significantly higher costs related to custom charges and staffing as well as an increase in the number of complaints they have to handle. So far the government has made no comment justifying the effect of the law on foreign media, though Nadeem Farooq (Radikale) did tell Politiken that, “if there are aspects of the proposal that have unforeseen consequences, we need to take a look at them.”

The Cure to play Roskilde Festival Brooding rockers to make their first Roskilde appearance in eleven years

ARK BRITISH gothic rock act The Cure have been added to the list of Roskilde Festival performers. The Robert Smith-led ensemble have appeared at the festival before and fans can look forward to classic tracks such as ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Close

To Me’. The critically acclaimed group’s last performance at the show was back in 2001 so they will be looking to make up for lost time. The band has long been popular in Scandinavia thanks to a string of stand-out performances. The stop will be part of the group’s European festival tour, which will begin at Pink Pop in the Netherlands in May and will also include a

stop at Italy’s Heineken Jammin’ Festival. So far the last scheduled stop will be at Rock in Roma in Italy on July 9. Also announced on Wednesday were American hip-hop/ trance/instrumentalist ArrabMuzik and Canadian blues-folk band Cold Specks. The Cure are added to a lineup that already includes Bruce Springsteen, Björk and Bon Iver, among others. (EM)

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

PHOTOS: CLIVE THAIN

Having a ball as Cinders slippers up for the last time

WORDS BY BEN HAMILTON

It doesn’t matter how many jokes you include, the kids are always going to like the pantomime cow the best, and so it came to pass following the final performance of the Copenhagen Theatre Circle’s ‘Cinderella’ at Krudttønden theatre in Østerbro a week last Saturday.

It was a chance to mingle with the fans and bask in the moment, and in the case of Kaan Arici (right) sigh in relief that he didn’t have to spend another evening fighting off the advances of the Ugly Sisters. Just one look at Iven Gilmore (left, who played Mildred Bucket) is all you need to know that not all of the horror permanently etched on his face was acting.

The cast had given another energetic performance. Not least the girls from the chorus: Marija Baranauskaite, who was also the choreographer, Fed- Torval Thronberg as Buttons certainly had the audience on his side. It helps if you stoop down to their level. erica Genovese, Agnieska Labrenz and Timian Ørom Olesen.

Quick, stop Cinderella’s evil stepmother (Veronica It was hot work underneath that cat mask. But worth it Kielsholm-Ribalaygua). She’s had her eye on that enor- for Elke de Roos, who as the impish Grisabella was one of mous sapphire all Christmas. the stars of the show.

Enjoying a well-deserved drink were director Barry McKenna with Stephanie Miles-Carlsen (the Fairy Godmother) and John Shennan (the Ghost of Jack Sparrow).

Siovhan Christensen as Cinderella was a knockout, both as a beauty and as a singer. Her rendition of 2010 Eurovision hopeful ‘Breathing’ was a It was undoubtedly a case of happily ever after for Lucy Schofield (Prince William Charming) and Brendan O’Gorman (Betty real showstopper - maybe they had the wrong singer at that year’s Dansk Bucket), although maybe not together. After all, a girl who played a prince hooking up with a man who played a dame – that would be strange, even by panto’s standards. Melodi contest.

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THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

The queen’s ruby jubilee celebrations included a reception at Town Hall at which she was presented with a gift from the City Council by mayor Frank Jensen. It was 200 napkins – five for every year of her reign – that she designed, and requested, herself, and cost 20,000 kroner. Among the guests was the Swedish king, Carl Gustaf.

‘Father’s Boy’ is an intriguing new Danish play that debuted last week on Friday at the Ved Sorte Hest theatre with Hans Rønne in the lead role as Joseph, the father of Jesus. It’s a strictly non-religious play that looks at the human issues involved in fathering the son of God.

One week on from the queen’s reception for the city’s diplomatic corps, it was parliament’s turn, last week on Tuesday, to welcome the diplomats to Christiansborg. Turkish ambassador Ahmet Berki Dibek catches up with his US counterpart, Laurie S Fulton.

Among the guests was R Spencer Oliver, the American secretary general of the OSCE (the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Parliamentary Assembly, whose headquarters are in Copenhagen, and Irish ambassador Brendan Scannell.

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.

Much Ado About Everything

Maltese chargé d’affaires Deborah Attard Montalto and Indian ambassador Ashok Kumar Attri.

German ambassador Michael Zenner and the former minister for food, agriculture and fisheries, Eva Kjer Hansen (V).

07:45AM: Doors slide open to a terrace revealing a calm and slightly overcast tropical island setting: palm trees sway gently on the fringes of a 20-metre well-kept lawn between a ground floor balcony and the invitingly warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. “Life’s good,” I say to myself. “I’m lucky.” I know I am. A new year has begun. Time to reassess. What can I do better than last year? Be a better husband and father. Seems like a good place to start. Don’t take things for granted – guilty as charged on that score. I’m not talking about suddenly becoming a saint, but time is ticking, the world is changing, I’m getting older, my children are getting taller and stronger, and I wonder what they’ll end up doing with their lives. Something they enjoy and hopefully something creative, I allow myself to ponder. Precious cargo. As I said, I’m lucky. I know I am. My next production will be a

patchwork-quilt of some of the greatest love poetry ever penned by that wizard called William Shakespeare: ‘Shakespeare Unplugged’. I think he would approve of our efforts of focusing on love and the notion of holiday, of getting away from it all, and slowing down to enjoy the now-ness of life. I wonder what he would have made of this tropical paradise on the border between Thailand and Cambodia? (Koh Chang for interested parties.) Would he see the queue at the toast-machine here at the hotel as a sign of our expanding Western waistline’s addiction to white bread? What would he make of the many middle-aged, balding and, more often than not, obese white men walking hand-in-hand with beautiful and much younger Asian women? Would he see the ‘love’ of such liaisons or would he be cynical and wonder how much poverty plays its part? He would have, I’m fairly sure, feasted his eye on the treats provided by

the local nature, the forest landscape, and the food, and he would have liked the Thai people as much as yours truly, dear reader. The term service with a smile springs to my mind as does their obvious adoration of babies and respect for the elderly. Going for a quick dip before breakfast accompanied by birdsong. My family is still in the land of nod. There was once this hairy Scotsman who met this beautiful young Danish woman. They fell in love and had two lovely and healthy lads. They are all enjoying themselves on this tropical island paradise on the other side of the world. I wonder what the day will bring? Life eh? It’s a kind of magic ... ‘Shakespeare Unplugged’ stars Ian Burns, Adam Brix and Andrew Jeffers, and is directed by Barry McKenna. It will run from February 22 until March 24 at Krudttønden theatre in Østerbro. Tickets are available from www.billetten.dk or 7020 2096. Learn more at www.thattheatre.com.

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THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

Bikinis for charity: has there ever been a worthier cause?

New Year Hygge Custom House, Havnegade 44, Cph K; Wed 25 Jan, 18:00-21:00; sign up at www.expatindenmark.com Join Expat in Denmark for their first social event of the new year at Custom House to meet fellow expats. Custom House is situated on the waterfront close to Nyhavn and has a cosy atmosphere. EID promises a night of ‘hygge’ where you get the chance to socialise with both old and new members. This is a great opportunity to meet new friends while enjoying a drink from the bar.

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Super Bowl Party Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Ørestads Boulevard 114-118, Cph S; Sun 5 Feb, 22:00-04:00; members price 350kr/corporate table (for 10) 3,250kr, drinks not included; sign up at www.amcham.dk The yearly highlight for all American football fans is coming closer, so sign up now and spend Super Bowl night in great company, as AmCham Denmark and the Danish American Football Federation (DAFF) are inviting you and your friends to their 2012 Super Bowl Party. The event includes an all-you-can-eat Super Bowl buffet, a free Budweiser beer, a live TV feed on big screens, and the possibility to win two return tickets to the US. You also have the chance to spend the night at the hotel at a special ‘football’ discount. Seminar: Project Management Rambøll Denmark, Hannemanns Alle 53, Cph S; Tue 24 Jan, 18:0020:00; sign up at www.expatindenmark.com Join Expat in Denmark and Rambøll for an intriguing professional network seminar on project management. The speaker at the seminar is Poul Hededal, the director of knowledge and innovation at Rambøll Denmark. The night’s topics will include high performance project management, how to optimise and standardise a process, and how to gain a competitive edge. MALENE ØRSTED

InOut

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NEWS

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STANNERS

Spouse welcome meeting Dansk Erhverv, Slotsholmsgade 1, Cph K; Mon 23 Jan, 10:0013:00; sign up at www.expatindenmark.com Many of the daily tasks and practicalities in regard to settling in a new country will be left to the partner of the international employee to sort out, so this meeting is aimed at them. The speakers are Anette Pilmark from Spousecare, Craig Till from Expat in Denmark and a guest speaker. Learn general information about Danish society, healthcare, Danish courses, how to establish a network, and more. This event is the perfect opportunity for you to get some useful information to make the settling process easier and to meet others in the same situation.

Kickoff: Creating 2012 Copenhagen Business School, Råvarebygningen (building), room 1.20, Porcelaenshaven 22, Frederiksberg; Tue 24 Jan, 18:00-21:00; members free, non-members 150kr; sign up at www.europeanpwn.net/copenhagen or at toniheisterberg@cis.dk Drop the unrealistic resolutions and join the European Professional Women’s Network for a night of inspiration and set your intentions for an amazing year. Stacy and Stephanie from S2 will take you through a process to reflect on the past and get inspired about the future. They will help you set some realistic goals, so you’ll actually see and feel results instead of ending up banging your head against the wall when you yet again don’t achieve what you expected. So if 2012 is going to be the year where you’ll keep your cups full, this fun kick-off event might be the way to begin.

MUSIC FESTIVAL

ILLUSTRATION BY PETER

Pre-Valentine cocktail party Radisson BLU Scandinavia Hotel & Casino, Amager Boulevard 70, Cph – Fri 10 Feb, 14:00-04:30; tickets 275kr (purchase before 31 Jan); 2694 7723 or bukloddenmark@yahoo.com The Filipino group BUKLOD and Casino Copenhagen invite you to their pre-Valentine party at the Casino Ballroom. The night features a live Danish band and DJ Ernesto. Tickets include casino entrance, entrance to the party (20:00-04:00) with a welcome drink, and cocktail/finger foods. It’s also possible to make a donation to the typhoon victims from the Philippines.

COPENHAGEN RENAISSANCE

HAIFA

COMING UP SOON

California dreamin’ – if only. Two of the bikinis that will be on sale for a good cause at CIS this Saturday

MASADA

CIS is located at Hellerupvej 26, 2900 Hellerup. The event takes place on Saturday 21 January at 12:00. Entrance is free. Learn more at www.cis-edu.dk.

TEL AVIV

harity events arranged by schools certainly have their charm. Whether it’s baked goods sales, off-beat performances or the rare chance to openly bribe a teacher to make some sort of spectacle of herself, it’s all good sport in the name of school trips and gym renovations. We’ve all been there, either submitting baked goods of some sort or simply showing up to lend our support. This time the cause seems to be genuinely selfless, as CIS (Copenhagen International School) wants our help to finance a field trip to Peru in order to assist those less fortunate. And all we are asked to do is show up and enjoy a show that promises to be extremely colourful (though perhaps a bit chilly), as it will feature a bikini collection designed and crocheted by a tenth grade student, Emily Falkenberg. It will, of course, help if we purchase the said bikinis – they’d make a charming present, even if summertime still feels an age away. The field trip is aimed at providing assistance to Mama Cocha, a home for neglected and abused children, which was built by CIS in 2008. Sixteen students and three teachers will travel

JERUSALEM

CIS has built a home in Peru for neglected and abused children and is looking for your support via a bikinicharity event this Saturday

to Mama Cocha for a period of three weeks this March. It is a long-awaited trip, as the students have been getting ready for the past two years, having even learned Spanish to improve their ability to communicate with the locals. But the role of the bikinis is more elaborate than one would expect: the idea is that they, the bikinis, will not only raise funds for the field trip but also generate future revenue for Mama Cocha, as there are plans to put them into production and subsequently sell them in Denmark under the fair- trade banner. “My aim for this fashion show is to raise awareness and money to support the children in the Mama Cocha home prior to travelling to Peru in March together with the Team Peru students,” explained Falkenberg. “My goal is to launch a fashion bikini line – the proceeds of which will go directly to the children in Mama Cocha.” Team Peru is one of three charities CIS supports (the others are the Burmese Refugee Assistance Programme and the Charity Club). It’s an extracurricular programme that together with Kiya Survivors, a UK-based charity that provides help to abused and abandoned special needs children in Peru, believes in the concept of “young people helping young people”. Saturday’s event should enable them to continue doing just that.

Photo: Karsten Movang

CLAUDIA SANTOS

Dane unable to obtain family girlfriend reunification for his Thai Catch-22 says residency rules are a

KIDS ON YOU BETT FILM TTH HEE CHILDR ER BELIEVE IT BU STER! EN’S M

Exploiting ‘fat tax’ Supermarkets are scamming guise their customers under the of the new national ‘fat tax’

NEWS | 3

SPORT

Get in or get out

OVIE FEST IS

Is now the time to join the euro, or to run like hell? new National coach Morten Olsen’s job in the contract will keep him Cup. until after the 2014 World

Warrior Jesus from How Christianity borrowed Jesus Norse mythology and branded the to woo as a tough guy in order pagan Vikings

HISTORY | 19

9 771398 100009

Price: 25 DKK

A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the

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Danes abolished, saving some 525,000 mobile and of students. Moreover, stuwith business laptops (VK) govern- the number vious Venstre-Konservative no longer pay administrative phones 3,000 kroner per year. major points: dents will Master’s students look forment. Here are a few of the Not everyone, however, can the state’s fees, and prospective course tuitions Families: VK limited and junk (bør- will have prerequisite ward to a cash infusion. Smokers monthly child support handouts fam- paid. The government will also fund higher on their per food lovers will be taxed necheck) to 35,000 kroner corporations state-supported internship abolished, 1,500 more vices, while international ily. That limit has now been positions. higher tax bills. SRSF plans see get also will will families creation: and meaning that many Infrastructure and job by closing a number of AN YOU HAVE your cake ts. The government will be in- to raise revenue wisdom larger child benefi Some 17.5 billion kroner going back nearly 20 years eat it too? Conventional fertility treatments and infrastructure tax loopholes corporations budg- will also pay for vested over two years in that allowed international says no, but with their first as a new rail line between power, voluntary sterilisations. to escape paying corporate Folkeparti projects, such et plan since the shift of a project to in Denmark Welfare: VK and Dansk Copenhagen and Ringsted, erne-Radikaletaxes (see more on page 15). specialised welfare prothe new Socialdemokrat in the Holbæk motorway, erosion coalition (DF) introduced All told, the spending increases cash benefits widen the Socialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) grammes that reduced the efforts along Jutland’s west as big as the minister Those programmes protection renovations to public hous- new budget are not appear to be giving it a shot. Margrethe the new for new immigrants. of the economy and interior, and going coast, and Many of the elements of orningeliminated Th been Helle now She noted that to be re- have state ing. Prime minister Vestager (R), would like. budget – which is expected all residents in need of has said that these ‘kickstart’ VK under-reported the deficit for 2012, ursday – will forward same welfare Schmidt the jobs new leased in its entirety on Th receive will 20,000 more. But projects will create a time when support making it imprudent to spend increase state spending at The Danish ConstrucEU’s finanincreased. But benefits. Denmark will still meet the and research: from 2012-2013.predicts 10,000. the budget deficit has education despite Higher come from recial responsibility benchmarks, one billion tion Association where the money would The unpopular ‘mulUniversities will get an extra Tax break:meeting deficit, she added. costs as- a personal years to cover mained a mystery. Organise by VK will be the larger items kroner over two timedia tax’ introduced increase A number of the new budget a predicted and sit inin on a class. by the pre- sociated with full-time MBA at CBS reinstate spending cuts made The one-year general managementip, and real-world experience. focuses on leadership, entrepreneurshhear how the MBA can giveprogram meeting internationally diverse a personal mostand ia’s Organise Scandinav Join 0 your career a new dimension. 17:30-19:0 r Novembe 17th Thursday 3815 6022 or callfull-time MBA at CBS focuses on E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk Skills. The one-year general management and Practical Business a personalp,meeting. Entrepreneurshi to organise Leadership, up for the meeting. See more or call 3815 6022 to sign at E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk copenhag encard.co m Copenhagen Business School

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17.5 billion SRSF’s first budget will spend abolish kroner on infrastructure and previous taxes and restrictions

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The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 January 2012

Rugby’s smaller code needs a proper league of its own to prosper Rugby League

Liam Barker Barely three years old, the sport attracts many with the promise of national representation, but not enough to compete with union

or many years, the sport of rugby league has bypassed Danish soil, but all this could be about to change. Currently ranked 28th out of 29 recognised rugby league-playing nations after officially joining their ranks in 2009, Denmark has a huge task on its hand in order to establish itself on the rugby league ladder, but as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. “We are at the foot of the mountain and we will climb it slowly,” promised Danish Rugby League (DRL) official Mark Hewson. A conversation about a scrummage, forward pass and converted try from the fly half will leave the majority of Danes looking completely blank, inquisitive at best. But it seems that whilst the sport of rugby league is never going to be mainstream, its popularity and participation numbers are on the rise. Warren Heilig, the Scandinavian manager of the Rugby League European Foundation (RLEF), is very optimistic that the game can grow in Europe’s northern reaches. “I am so pleased that rugby league is really starting to take hold in Scandinavia and I would like to show my appreciation to the DRL for their dedication to making the sport possible in their nation,” he said. Throughout most parts of the world, league has always played second fiddle to the ‘other’ code, rugby union, a sport with the same objective but a variation of rules. A rugby league world cup can easily slip off the radar unless you come from the north of England, eastern Australia or the little island of Papua New Guinea, whereas rugby union world cups attract a strong media spotlight. This is the same problem in Denmark, where union has been played at an amateur level for over 50 years, al-

Denmark (in black) and Norway gather for a group shot following a game of rugby league nines - an early outing for the national team in 2009

though the DRL’s Hewson is confident that league can make an impression despite union’s head-start. “League has only 13 players making for a faster and more open game with better athletes,” he said. “Union can often be slow and the laws are more complicated, causing a lot of breaks in play. Rugby league is great once people are aware of its existence.” The exposure to the sport of rugby league is minimal in this country but to the trained eye, it is clear the sport incorporates other sports that play a huge part in Danish society. A good handball player, American footballer or soccer player can also make good rugby league players. Unlike rugby union, the emphasis is not as focused on physical prowess and brute force – so players don’t all have to be big and heavy.

One of them, Bjarne Vibe, was part of the recent Denmark line-up that triumphed in the 2011 Nordic Cup played between Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and he is optimistic the sport can become more recognised thanks to the help from foreigners living in the country. “They play a huge role having grown up with the sport from a young age, and with more and more expats in Denmark now, the standard will certainly rise,” he enthused. “Getting consistent participation from Danish people is more important at the moment than kidding ourselves about sharing the field with nations like New Zealand and Australia. Although the standard is significantly low in terms of other recognised rugby nations, I am essentially representing my country in a

sport I have only played for around 12 months and others could do the same. With a lot of hard work, the game can grow. We will be doing what we can to get more people playing the greatest game of all.” Rugby league’s development in Denmark is still at a very early stage – at present it doesn’t even have a league – but it is hoped in years to come that Denmark will join the growing list of nations embracing the sport. Denmark has been given support from the RLEF and more funds to invest in assisting rugby league’s growth. In addition, DRL has signed an agreement to play their home games at Gladsaxe Stadium (a FIFA Category 2 venue) for the foreseeable future, proving that steps are certainly being made in the right direction.

Factfile | World rankings (Jan 2012) 1 Australia 2 New Zealand 3 England 4 Papua New Guinea 5 France 6 Samoa 7 Wales 8 Fiji 9 Tonga 10 Scotland 11 Ireland 12 Cook Islands 13 USA 14 Italy 15 Lebanon

Rugby League

16 Serbia 17 Russia

Factfile | Rugby league

Denmark won the 2011 Nordic Cup thanks to this thumping defeat of Norway

The rules: • Rugby league is often seen as a mix between rugby union and American football. • Similar to the four downs in American football, each team has six attempts (tackles) in which to move the ball to the opponents’ try-line in a bid to score a try. • If no score is made possession of the ball is handed over to the opposing team. • The ball cannot be thrown forward - the only way to advance is to kick or to run with the ball in hand.

Differences to union: • There are 13 players, compared to union’s 15. • Keeping possession of the ball (especially in the tackles) is extremely important. • Rugby league is generally faster. More emphasis is placed on open play and less on rucks, mauls and line-outs – there are less set pieces. • There are fewer laws, and new players generally find it an easier sport to learn.

18 Germany 19 Latvia 20 Norway 21 Ukraine 22 Czech Republic 23 Malta 24 Jamaica 25 Canada 26 Sweden 27 Belgium 28 Denmark 29 Morocco

Sports news and briefs Attacker aid Two Danish football players, Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen and Hannover 96 midfielder Leon Andreasen, who played in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden in which one of their fans attacked the referee, have told Ekstra Bladet tabloid they want to help the supporter pay the fine, which earlier this

month was doubled to 1.87 million kroner. The damages have been calculated to compensate the Danish FA for the loss of earnings endured during a twomatch ban at Parken. “We could even play an international, win it and then the players could abstain from their bonuses,” said Andreasen.

Grand slam debut at 28

Mike takes a hike

Sweet shuttlecock success

Host roasting

Denmark’s number one tennis player (the male one) Frederik Nielsen, 28, qualified for his first ever grand slam at the Australian Open, but was quickly dispatched 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 by South Africa’s Kevin Anderson on Monday. Caroline Wozniacki, meanwhile, breezed through and is next in action on Thursday.

American boxer Mike Tyson has cancelled his appearance at Musikhuset Aarhus on January 24, where he was expected to take part in a talk show alongside Mikkel Kessler. Tyson, who last visited Denmark in October 2001 to fight Brian Nielsen, apparently offered no explanation. All tickets will be refunded.

Badminton’s world number tens, Denmark’s Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter, won the women’s doubles title at the Malaysia Open Super Series on Sunday, beating the world number threes 21-19, 21-18 in the final. The victory underlines Denmark’s strength heading towards the Olympics.

Denmark lost 22-24 to hosts Serbia at the Handball Euros on Tuesday, leaving it with an uphill struggle to qualify for the semi-finals, with games against Poland on Thursday, and then Sweden, the Czechs and Germany to follow. Denmark on Sunday beat Slovakia 30-25, who went on to lose to Poland 24-41.

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 January 2012

Unhappy New Year for Vestas following layoffs Vestas starts 2012 at an all time low – and it could get worse

UST A few short years ago, Vestas was so busy that it was worried about meeting demand. But after closing out 2011 with two straight months of reductions in sales and profit projections, and starting 2012 with cost-cutting moves that slashed 1,300 jobs in Denmark, the world’s largest windturbine maker is now caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty. The company now says that it will only break even for 2011 - down from the nearly two billion kroner profit it predicted in October. Vestas blames the collapse on higher-than-expected production costs, reduced demand, and delays in connecting to wind farms. Investors, citing the company’s bad track record and inability to deliver projects on time, are now calling on management, including CEO Ditlev Engel, to step down. When asked about his future at the press conference announcing the job cuts, Engel said he had no plans to resign. Jakob Pedersen of Sydbank told the Associated Press that confidence in Vestas is “blown

BOTH PHOTOS: SCANPIX

RAY WEAVER

We will evaluate … 2012 entirely on how the political situation evolves completely away”. This is not the first time that Vestas has closed factories. In November 2010, it made similar moves that cost 3,000 jobs in Scandanavia. Some investors and analysts are insisting that the company’s management is the problem. Vestas chairman Bent Carlsen told Jyllands Posten that a lack of faith in the company is “embarrassing for us all”. Anonymous sources have said that senior investors are also seeking a replacement for Carlsen. Vestas is warning that the current round of cuts may not be enough if the Production Tax Credit (PTC) is not extended in the United States. The entire wind industry is calling on US lawmakers to extend the PTC, which grants companies a financial incentive per kilowatt-hour of wind power they generate. “We will evaluate … 2012 entirely on how the political situation evolves,” Engel said.

Last week’s cuts

Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel expressed regret at the cuts, but described them as necessary

The current round of reductions cost 182 US workers their jobs, and Vestas says 1,600 more are threatened if the PTC is not extended. Industry analysts say that the US market has turned into a massive disappointment for Vestas and other wind turbine manufacturers. Amid the gloom, however, some investors believe that a leaner, meaner Vestas will be in a better position to compete in the emerging wind marketplace

Falling house prices set to continue in 2012

CONOMISTS are predicting that house prices will drop a further four to five percent in 2012. Danske Bank’s latest forecast shows prices will drop 4.7 percent, bringing the average value of a 140 square metre house down from 1.66 million kroner to 1.59 million kroner. Despite the continued price drop, 2012 is set to be a much more stable year than last year, which saw the price of an aver-

age home drop by 120,000 kroner. In ten of the 12 months of 2011, house prices fell. According to forecasts, 2012 is set to bring better news for home sellers. “We expect that prices will fall a little longer, but far less than in 2011, and that we will see a little more home sales in 2012,” said Mads Ellegaard, communications manager for the Home estate agent. Ellegaard said that now,

more than ever, people are keen to buy due to the possibility of a 3.5 percent fixed loan rate. He added that buyers see an opportunity to buy property cheaper than it should be. Over the last five years, Danish house prices have been hit hard. In 2006, an average home cost 2.12 million kroner. Currently an average home costs around 1.67 million kroner – a difference of 455,000 kroner. (EKM)

Exchange Rates

and called the company’s latest moves as a turning point. Investors point out that many of the smaller players that started up in the wind turbine industry over the past few years are likely to blow away in leaner times, and customers tend to place orders with the larger firms that seem more likely to survive. Thus, investors still see a lot of value in Vestas. Vestas is scheduled to announce its 2012 orders data in its annual report, which is due

out on February 8. In response to last week’s job cuts, the employment minister, Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne), said that help is available to those who lost their jobs. Thirty-two million kroner has been set aside for regional job centres in Jutland to mentor and retrain workers. Officials in Varde also said that they hoped that some former Vestas workers could find work as part of the current construction boom in the area.

VESTAS announced last week on Thursday that it is laying off 1,300 employees at its facilities in Denmark. An additional 1,000 employees will be cut worldwide. In Denmark, 750 salaried employees will be let go along with 550 hourly workers. Vestas is closing a factory in the western Jutland town of Varde and trimming administrative services in Hammel, Varde, Lem, Ringkøbing and at its headquarters in Aarhus. “I am truly sorry that we have to say goodbye to so many skilled and loyal Vestas colleagues,” said CEO Ditlev Engel, adding that the changes were necessary “in order to prepare for a market with low growth and increased competition”. Following the cutbacks, Vestas will have 5,300 employees in Denmark and around 20,400 worldwide.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK Towards Peace in the Middle East - A New Year, New Promises Gregory Rockson, Founder of Matrix Gregory Rockson is the founder of Matrix, an “action tank” that brings together young entrepreneurs and innovators from groups that have been historically divided to create solutions to some of the challenges their societies face. One of their major initiatives is the Six Days of Peace Initiative. Greg has been invited to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos at the end of January on his Middle East Peace Initiative. We will have the opportunity to hear a preview! The Six Days of Peace is an Israel-Arab initiative which aims at building a strong foundation of dialogue and cooperation between young Israelis and Arabs with the hope of raising a new generation of leaders with a different orientation and socialization. The initiative focuses on three areas of cooperation; business, education and culture.

Australian Dollars AUD

Canada Dollars CAD

Euro EUR

Japan Yen JPY

Russia Rubles RUB

Sweden Kronor SEK

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UK Pounds GBP

United States Dollars USD

Sell

5.80

5.57

7.33

0.07

0.17

0.81

6.04

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5.76

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6.33

6.03

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Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

Date: 18 January 2012

BUSINESS NEWS AND BRIEFS SAS cuts 300 employees

Continental delays

Nice tones

SAS ANNOUNCED Wednesday that they are laying off 300 full-time administrative employees worldwide. At the time of going to press, it was not clear how many Danish jobs would be lost. The airline said the move was being made to reduce costs and CEO Rickard Gustafson characterised them as “necessary”.

THE DECISION by Continental Airlines to use smaller and cheaper Boeing 757s for their Atlantic crossings has led to dozens of delays caused by refuelling stopovers. One flight on January 7 from Copenhagen to Newark had to stop in the remote Canada Bay airport when high headwinds depleted the 757’s fuel.

THE DANISH audio company Libratone was recently honoured at the 2012 International CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics tradeshow. The company’s Libratone Live wireless speakers were given the Best of Innovations Design and Engineering award in the category of personal electronics.

Last year, Gregory was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper. The Global Shapers community is made up of young people between the ages of 20 and 30 with great potential for future leadership roles in society and who have an entrepreneurial track record, having already initiated and delivered a major project or founded a company or organization, exceptionally contributing to serving society at large. He has been invited to attend the Annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where he will participate in a panel discussion on the role of the Millennial Generation. Gregory is a PPIA fellow, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Co-founder of a Storbror, Storsoster, an afterschool mentorship program for refugee kids in denmark and a former board member of the Callaway County United Way Date: Friday, 20th January Venue: Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Copenhagen Event programme: 11:45 Registration & welcome drinks 12:00 Welcome & introduction by Mariano A. Davies, President, BCCD 12:15 Guest speaker - Gregory Rockson 12:40 Questions & discussion 12:55 Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director, BCCD 13:00 Buffet lunch & networking. Non-members are very welcome. Please contact BCCD.

If you would like to attend then please send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58 • official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

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

PARTNERS:

20 - 26 January 2012

SPOUSE: Dolon Roy FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Sjælland QUALIFICATION: Masters in Science(Chemistry), BEd. (Teacher training course). EXPERIENCE: St. John Diocessan School February-May 2005, Kolkata, India. The Assembly of God Church School April-May 2006, Kolkata, India. Disari Public School June 2006-October 2007, India. Research project work Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen University, March-July 2009. LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time work teaching in primary,secondary or higher school level (Chemistry, Mathematics, Science). LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Bengali, Danish (modul 3/modul 5). IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft office. CONTACT: dolonroy2005@yahoo.com. Mob: +45 60668239

SPOUSE: Momina Bashir Awan FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: MBA (Degrees Assessed by Danish Agency for International Education). EXPERIENCE: 4 years of wide experience as Human Resources Analyst in a USA based Pakistani. Organization. Involved in Recruitment of IT personnel for outsourcing, Compensation and benefits planning, Wage analysis, Conduct Training and Development Seminars and Team building. One year of Experience in Telesales of Citibank NA., 6 months of experience in Customer Services in Telecom sector. LOOKING FOR: Jobs in HR and Customer Services LANGUAGE SKILLS: English [Fluent], Urdu [Mother tongue], Hindi [Fluent], Danish [Beginner’s Level]. CONTACT: mominabashir@msn.com, +4571352387

SPOUSE: Himani Kanwarpal FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Århus/ Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Completed Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and communication in the 2005 EXPERIENCE: I worked with Dell International Services India for 1 yr and 5 months as a Technical support agent. Thereafter, I was with SAP Labs from March 2007 till June 2011, where I worked on functional topics like SAP SCM F&R, SAP IS- Retail and SAP SCM APO DP. The profile mainly comprised of customizing and configuring SAP systems and also testing various scenarios. I also conducted training on functional topics and SAP’s automation tool called eCATT. LOOKING FOR: Full Time, part time, intern etc. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, learning Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: Worked with SAP Labs for 4 yrs and 3 months and have functional experience with modules like: SAP IS Retail, SAP SCM F&R, SAP SCM APO DP. Worked with DELL International Services as a Technical Support associate. CONTACT: himani.kanwarpal@gmail.com

SPOUSE: Ieuan Jones FROM: United Kingdom SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen (Will travel if needed) QUALIFICATION: BA Hons and Professional Diploma, Town & Country Planning (Urban Design & 3rd World Development). EXPERIENCE: Over 7 years experience working as a Development Manager for one of the UK’s leading health and socialcare infrastructure companies, developing new health and community buildings. LOOKING FOR: Opportunities to transfer and develop my skills and knowledge in Denmark. Ideally a full time position but I remain realistic and my options are open. I am more than happy to take on a part time role or work placement while I continue with my Danish course. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (Mother Tongue), learning Danish at Studieskolen, Borgergade. IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Promap. CONTACT: ieuandhjones@gmail.com Tel: +45 52 40 07 85

SPOUSE: Katarzyna Szkaradek FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Mental hospitals, voluntary(Ngo) organisations, kindergartens, nurseries, babysitting QUALIFICATION: Ma in Psychology (2008), post graduate studies in psychotherapy (4th year/ 5 year). EXPERIENCE: I am a highly motivated and creative individual with excellent communication skills. From January 2010 till August 2010 I worked independly in private practice. For the last 2 years (January ,2009 -October, 2010) I worked with children (also with special needs -Autism, Asperger, Down syndrome etc) and their families as a psychologist. My duties included organizing games, monitoring children’s development , consulting teachers and parents where appropriate and providing individual therapy. For the last 10 years I was member of NGO organisation and I was a volunteer in Israel, Italy, Portugal and Romania. LOOKING FOR: Internship in mental hospitals, part –time or full time jobs in kindergartens, nurseries, job as a babysitter, voluntary job in hospitals. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English–advance level (C1), Danish – (module 3 /module 5), Polish-native speaker IT EXPERIENCE: MS Windows, basic MS Office, Internet. CONTACT: szkasienka@gmail.com tlf. 50828802 SPOUSE: S.M. Ariful Islam FROM: Bangladesh SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: PhD student (2nd year) in Language Policy and Practice in Aalborg University, MA in Bilingualism, MA in English Linguistics, BA in English. EXPERIENCE: 18 months as a University lecturer in English in Bangladesh. Taught advanced grammar, four skills (listening, speaking, reading & writing), ELT courses, Second Language theories, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics. LOOKING FOR: A position of English teacher/lecturer in English Medium Schools, Colleges and Universities. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Bengali (mother tongue), English (second language), Danish (fluent), Hindi and Urdu (Spoken) and Swedish (basic). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office. CONTACT: Mail: ariful@id.aau.dk, arif401@yahoo.com, mobile: +45 42778296 SPOUSE: Clotilde IMBERT FROM: France SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen Qualification: Master of town planning and development and master of urban geography (Paris IVSorbonne) EXPERIENCE: 5 years in field of town planning and development: - Coordinator in urban project in a semi-public company: supervised a major urban project in Paris area (coordination of studies, acquisition of lands, worked with Planning Development of the Town Council, architects, developers to define the master plan and implement the project...); - Officer in research and consultancy firm (urban diagnosis, environmental impact assessments, inhabitants consultation...). LOOKING FOR: a job in urban project field : planning department of Town Council or consultancy firm in town planning, environment and sustainable development, architecture firm, real estate development company. LANGUAGE SKILLS: French (mother tongue), English (professional usage), Spanish (basic), Danish (in progress). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, Abode Illustrator, AutoCad (basic), PC and Mac. CONTACT: clotilde.imbert@gmail.com SPOUSE: Natalie Griffiths FROM: Australia SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: I have over ten years of experience in production management, sales and marketing in the advertising and media production industry. The past five years I have run my own creative production agency Sonique which I started in 2005 in London. Sonique (www.soniqueltd. com) specialized in audio-visual and digital production for direct clients and advertising agencies, from TV commercials to online corporate videos to virals to radio and music composition for clients including Barclays Bank, Santander, McDonalds, Lexus and many more. I have experience in localizing content and working with translators. Working with these large clients and their agencies, project managing every job from briefing stage through to completion, I have excellent knowledge of processes both agency and client-side. My attention to detail, personal commitment to each job, high standards of quality, creative vision, ability to keep my calm and my humour under pressure I believe make me well-qualified to work on any ad agency team. LOOKING FOR: Project Management, Customer Service, New Business Development, Account Management LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent English. Fluent Italian. Currently studying Danish and at intermediate level. IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office CONTACT: +45 21555823 or natgrif47@hotmail.com for full CV and references. 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: Vivek Kanwar Singh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: All of Denmark QUALIFICATION: 3 Years full time Bachelor in Fashion Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (India). EXPERIENCE: 8 years of experience working in India and Republic of Mauritius with Garment Manufacturing Companies. Worked as a Key Account Manager for many International Brands like: GAP, FRENCH CONNECTION, MARKS & SPENCERS, SAKS 5TH AVENUE, etc.. LOOKING FOR: Full time Job in Textiles, Fashion and Apparel Industry. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent-Writing/Reading), Hindi (Fluent-Writing/Reading), Danish (DU3, Module 2). IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Certified System Engineer (no work experience though). CONTACT: vivekkanwarsingh@gmail.com, Mobile: +45-50179511 SPOUSE: Nina Chatelain FROM: Vancouver, BC, Canada SEEKING WORK IN: Midt- og syd jylland QUALIFICATION: BA courses in english and anthropology, certificate in desktop publishing and graphic design, internationally certified yoga teacher since 1999. EXPERIENCE: Over 7 years experience as the assistant to the director (what would correspond to a direktionssekretær position) at an international university museum where i also was seconded to act as the program administrator – a project management internal communications role – for the museum’s major renovation project. I acted as the director’s right hand and the museum’s communications hub where i had daily contact with the visiting public, community stakeholders, volunteers and students. I have earlier worked as an editor and writer in various capacities, as well as a desktop publisher/graphic designer. LOOKING FOR: An administrative role in a creative company that needs someone who can juggle a variety of projects and use excellent english writing and editing skills LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue) and Danish (fluent comprehension-studieprøven / university entrance exam). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office Package, PC and Apple, have earlier worked with various desktop publishing software, quick to learn new software and systems. CONTACT: nina.chatelain@gmail.com, Phone: +45 29707430 SPOUSE: Lorena Augusta Moreira FROM: Brazil SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Interior Designer. EXPERIENCE: + 3 of experience with interior design and sales of furniture and decoration products. LOOKING FOR: Position in an Organization/Company in the fields of: Interior design, lay-out and organization of vitrines, sales and assistance management. IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft office (word, excel, outlook, access and power-point) access to internet. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), Portuguese (native) and Spanish (pre-intermediate). CONTACT: lorena-augusta@hotmail.com, + 45 52177084 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: Simon Rigby FROM: United Kingdom (originally Scotland) SEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, Fyn or Sjælland (anywhere in Denmark). QUALIFICATION: Secondary High School - 8 ‘Ordinary’ levels & 3 ‘Advanced’ levels achieved. EXPERIENCE: Business Development, Sales & Marketing and Client Relationship Management specialist. 15+ years experience in securing ‘insurance and lifestyle benefits’ contracts with high volume and high consumer numbers within the Affinity Group Marketing sector from a wide variety of distribution channels including banks, financial institutions, large membership affinity groups and employers, credit card issuers and insurers. Highly accomplished and skilled at ‘low cost, high perceived value’ large scale marketing to B2B and B2C target audiences through both on-line and other direct marketing channels. Entire career spent in the banking, finance and insurance sectors the latter of which I have spent in the UK employment of 3 of the top 4 global insurance brokers. A team player and a ‘people person’ with the skills and abilities to easily and comfortably interact with individuals at all levels. Natural problem solver who sees opportunities rather than obstacles. Simplistic and structured approach to finding straightforward and practical solutions to problems. LOOKING FOR: A job within an organisation (financial services or otherwise) where my Sales & Marketing and Key Account managerial skills and experience are fully utilised and where I can provide a sustainable and tangible long term contribution to my new employer as well as to my new country within which I have chosen to permanently live. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue); German (very good); French (good); Danish (basic, but currently enrolled on a ‘Danskuddannelse 3’ language course). IT EXPERIENCE: Word - Advanced user. Powerpoint - Proficient user. Excel - Basic. CONTACT: simon040561@hotmail.co.uk or mobile +45 60 16 80 40.

SPOUSE: Raffaele Menafra FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: A degree as Prevention techniques in Work and Workplaces. EXPERIENCE: I worked 4 years in a rehabilitationclinic. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian (native), English, Danish (currently learning). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office. CONTACT: menafra1@yahoo.it SPOUSE: Francesco Grandesso FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Constructing architect. EXPERIENCE: 4 years at TFF Engineering 2005-2009, 3 years at ADproject 2002-2005. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Italian & Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: AutoCAD 2011. CONTACT: grandessodk@gmail.com, Mobile: 50110653 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: 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: Debjani Nandy Biswas FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Would like to join in kindergarten, School teacher in English, official work in English. QUALIFICATION: B.A., M.A in English literature and language (American, European and Indian). EXPERIENCE: Temporary school teacher in Bongaon, India and involved in social work (handicapped society). LOOKING FOR: A possibility in getting practical experiences in kindergarten or any international school, official work (administration) in English, voluntary work also. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, little Danish (currently learning). IT EXPERIENCE: Diploma in basic computer applications. CONTACT: E-mail: debjaninb@gmail.com, Tel: +45 50219942. 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: Anisha Kanjhlia FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Arhus in Teaching/Training/Administration/Media/Public Relations QUALIFICATION: Post Graduate in Advertising & Communication. EXPERIENCE: 6+ years of professional experience in Training, Customer Service, Promotions, Brand Marketing, Content Analysis and Team Management. Strong experience in planning and executing initiatives. Extensive training experience and influencing skills that will assist me in building a high potential, motivated and an effective team. Hands-on training in soft skills like crucial conversations and people management Branch Manager & Head of Training for Cosmo Aviation Training School in New Delhi, India. Proficient in analyzing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision making and formulating training strategies. LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time in Aarhus. IT EXPERIENCE: Comfortable with all the basic computer knowledge like Excel, Word, Power Point, Internet browsing. CONTACT: anisha.feb@rediffmail.com, P: 4522305837 SPOUSE: Cindy Chu FROM: Hong Kong SEEKING WORK IN: Anywhere in Denmark. QUALIFICATION: MSc in Marketing from Brunel University (West London), B.A. in English for Professional Communication from City University of Hong Kong. EXPERIENCE: 4 years experience on strategy planning in marketing, project management and consumer research. I have 3 years experience working in global research agency as a project manager and a research executive for multinational marketing projects. I worked closely with marketing team for data analysis and delivering actionable insights. I am familiar with working with staffs and clients form different countries. I have also as a PR officer in a NGO for 1 year. LOOKING FOR: Jobs in project management, marketing and PR field. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Cantonese (Mother tongue), Mandarin (Native speaker), English (Professional), Danish (Beginner). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SPSS, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator. CONTACT: chocolate3407@gmail.com, +45 22 89 34 07 SPOUSE: Lorenzo Albano FROM: Venezuela (with CPR number) SEEKING WORK IN: Greater København and Hovedstaden QUALIFICATION: PhD in Physics. EXPERIENCE: I have wide experience as an university lecturer in physics, physics laboratory, mathematics and informatics. I have done research in theoretical quantum optics and quantum information. I have done research and development / programming of numerical methods applied to geophysical problems, such as tomographic inversion and wave propagation, independently and as part of multidisciplinary teams. I have participated in gravimetric and magnetometric geophysical surveys. LOOKING FOR: Short and long term work in education in science and mathematics / research / scientific computing / oil exploration or other geophysical applications. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in Spanish (native), English and Italian. Basic Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: OS: MSDOS, Windows, Linux (Ubuntu), Solaris, incl. shell scripting. Programming Languages: BASIC, ANSI C, C++, FORTRAN. Web: HTML, CSS, Joomla!. Typography: LaTeX2E. Software: Mathematica 7, MS Office and OpenOffice suites, several Windows utilities. CONTACT: lorenzoalbanof@gmail.com. Tel: +45 50 81 40 73

THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE SPOUSE: Mayurika Saxena Sheth FROM: India/USA SEEKING WORK IN: (Copenhagen, Kobenhavn & nearby areas, Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: MCA, PGDMM(MATERIALS), B.SC (COMPUTERS) CERTIFICATIONS: CSTE, CSQA, GREEN BELT SIX SIGMA, TSP/PSP. EXPERIENCE: Eleven years of software development work/IT/BUSINESS experience with prestigious organizations (onsite and offshore): Microsoft, General Electric, Primus Telecommunications (AUSTRALIA), CitiFINANCIAL(USA), ISS and Imany. LOOKING FOR: Full Time Job in IT, Management, Consulting or Business/Financial Field. LANGUAGE SKILLS: ENGLISH fluent, HINDI fluent, DANISH AND SPANISH (Beginner). IT EXPERIENCE: Testing tools like Test Director, Quality Center, Access Server, Product Studio, Polyspace Analysis, .NET testing, Web Page testing, Electronic Appliances testing, development in Winrunner, ASP, HTML, JavaScript, VBScript, Jscript, Oracle, Cold Fusion, SQL, Access, COM/DCOM, MTS, Siebel as well as UNIX, Tuxedo, C, PL/SQL, VB.Net/ ASP .Net, VB.Net. C#. CONTACT: mayurika.s@gmail.com Tel +45 7169 5401 SPOUSE: Chiara Stevanato FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: København or nearby areas QUALIFICATION: Bachelor degree in Physics. EXPERIENCE: Now completing the Master’s degree in Physics at Københavns Universitet. LOOKING FOR: Research in Physics. Research projects related to scientific areas. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Written and spoken Italian, written and spoken English, written and Spoken French, very basic written and spoken Danish (still attending a second level course). IT EXPERIENCE: Operating systems: Windows, Linux. Programming languages: basic C, C++; Python. CONTACT: chiarasteva@gmail.com. Tel: 41681741 SPOUSE: Christina Koch FROM: Australia SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Drama, 1997 University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Experienced actor and voice coach for speakers, with parallel high level experience in written communications. LOOKING FOR: Voice coaching for corporate presenters and speakers, Writing and Communications work, work in theatre organisations. IT EXPERIENCE:Microsoft Office, Office for Mac. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English - Native speaker, excellent written and oral expression. German – good reading and listening skills. Spanish – fluent oral communication, good reading and listening skills. Danish – beginners level speaking and writing skills. CONTACT: Tel: +45 52 77 30 93 Christina@hermionesvoice.com, www.hermionesvoice.com. SPOUSE: Weihua Xiao FROM: China SEEKING WORK IN: Great Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Master in American Studies from University of Southern Denmark. Master in Education and B.A. In English. Diploma of Secretary. Certificate of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from East China Normal University. EXPERIENCE: Work in the fields of education, training, translation, interpretation, administration, Chinese (business) culture consulting. 8 years of full-time English language teacher in China. Work for a global company in Shanghai and Copenhagen as Personal Assistant to General Manager/ Secretary for about 2 years from 2009 to 2010. LOOKING FOR: Chinese Language teacher, translator, interpreter, administrative position. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Chinese, English, basic Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: A good user of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel...). CONTACT: weihua06@gmail.com +45 5048 9667

PARTNERS:

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: Daniel Jones FROM: United Kingdom SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Qualified Teacher Status, UK; Bachelor of Science Degree (1st Class), UK. EXPERIENCE: Enthusiastic, hands on teacher with 8 years teaching experience of Mathematics and Science in UK and International Schools. IB, GCSE and A-Level, including as Head of Department with excellent feedback from pupils, parents and teaching colleagues. LOOKING FOR: Teaching positions in secondary schools; Private tuition; Education related roles. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mother tongue English, fluent in Italian. IT EXPERIENCE: MS-office. CONTACT: daniel_glyn_jones@hotmail.com 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: Jawon Yun-Werner FROM: South Korea SEEKING WORK IN: Healthcare, Hospitals, Elderly/Child Care (in Greater Copenhagen Area). QUALIFICATION: B.A. in Nursing, Masters in Public Health. I am AUTHORIZED to work as a Nurse in Denmark. (have Danish CPR and work permit). EXPERIENCE: 1O years of experience as a nurse and midwife from the prominent hospitals. LOOKING FOR: Any healthcare related jobs (hospitals, clinics, elderly/childcare places). I am open to any shift or day. LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Korean, Danish (Intermediate, in progress, Module 3). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SASS Statistical Software CONTACT: cuteago@yahoo.com +45 30 95 20 53 SPOUSE: Jennifer Bouma FROM: The Netherlands SEEKING WORK IN: Egedal Kommune, Copenhagen 30 km. QUALIFICATION: Managers Secretary, hands on, reliable, structured, self reliant, social, teamplayer). LOOKING FOR: Secretary job. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Dutch, Danish, English, German, French, Italian. IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office ( Word, Excel), Outlook, SAP. CONTACT: jenniferbouma@ hotmail.com

SPOUSE: Barbara Liengaard FROM: Germany SEEKING WORK IN: (Greater) Copenhagen and surroundings. QUALIFICATION: Bachelor degree in Business Administration (Germany/France). EXPERIENCE: Profound 10-years’ working experience in strategic and operational marketing, product/brand and project management from different big globally acting companies (automotive supplier, white goods and medical industry), working/cultural experience from different countries (Germany, France, Spain, U.S.A., U.K., China, Denmark), first working experience in Denmark. LOOKING FOR: A challenging job opportunity in e.g. marketing, product/brand and/ or project management, import/export; preferably in an international-minded working environment or with particular need for German. LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (fluent), Danish (PD3 Prøvebevis), Spanish (good). IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office (Outlook, Power Point, Excel, Word), SAP (CMD-AP). CONTACT: babolz@yahoo.com SPOUSE: Kamali Ganesan SEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, Denmark QUALIFICATION: IT engineer. EXPERIENCE: LEGO systems. LOOKING FOR: IT and Multimedia jobs. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Tamil, English and Danish. IT EXPERIENCE: 3 Years in LEGO systems. CONTACT: anbukamali@gmail.com

FROM: India

SPOUSE: Suheir Sharkas FROM: Syria SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus and the nearby areas of the mentioned cities. QUALIFICATION: MBA–International Management, Bachelor in English Literature. LOOKING FOR: Positions in Organizations/Companies in the fields of: Administration and organization, Event & Project Management, and Assistance Management. LANGUAGE SKILLS: Arabic: Native speaker, English: Fluent (understanding, speaking and writing), German: Fluent (understanding, speaking and writing), Danish: Basic 3.3 (understanding, speaking and writing). IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, Power Point) and web publishing. CONTACT: ssouheir@gmail.com, Tel: 533 721 20

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.

Biotech Job Vacancies Novozymes

Laboratory Technician Global Communication Coordinator Scientist for the Laboratory for production strains Senior Application Specialist Senior Application Specialist - Integration Recovery Scientist

Leo-Pharma

Senior Procurement Manager, IT

Lundbeck

Business Manager Business Manager Student Assistants Regulatory Strategy Leader Statistical Programmer/SAS Programmer – Biometrics Global Brand Manager Experienced Toxicologist – Non-clinical development of Biologic

Rygaards International School Invites experienced, enthusiastic and well-qualified individuals, familiar with and experienced in British-style education, to apply for the following position. Applicants should be lively, energetic and committed professionals. They must also be native English speakers. The job will be for the 20th of February, 2012. Rygaards School has a Danish and an International English-speaking school each teaching its own separate curriculum. Rygaards International School consists of Key Stages 1 – 4 (Years 1 – 11). Rygaards is a Catholic school founded in 1909 by the Assumption sisters. The school has strong ecumenical traditions and welcomes applicants who are interested in actively supporting Christian values. The position is as follows:

Novo Nordisk Scientific Communication Consultant Talent Sourcing Advisor CPO Webmaster - 1 year maternity cover IT Infrastructure/IT Operation architects Mass spectrometry scientist Clinical Reporting Graduate Global Finance Graduate Business Process Graduate European business management graduate Global Marketing Graduate Regulatory Affairs Graduate

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

•

Reception Class Teacher – maternity leave cover

Terms of employment in accordance with contract between The Ministry of Finance and BUPL/FGF (Unions) Applications, including a cover letter and CV, should be addressed to The Board of Governors and sent by e-mail to: The Head of Rygaards International Primary School, Shirley Jacobsen, shirley.jacobsen@rygaards.com. Information about the school can be obtained from our website www.rygaards.com

Closing date for applications: Thursday, 26th January, 2012

culture

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 January 2012

Borgen supremacy: DR reveals the secret to its success Theatre Drama producer claims the key to a good drama is trusting the writer’s “one vision” and sticking to it

layoffs finalised

Mike Kollöffel/DR

Shawn Braberry

ollowing in the footsteps of ‘The Killing’, another Danish thriller portraying a powerful female figure roughing it out in a mostly male-dominated work environment is becoming a huge phenomenon abroad, especially in the UK. For the British debut of DR’s political drama ‘Borgen’ two weeks ago, an astounding 650,000 viewers tuned in – a response that has “amazed” Morten Hesseldahl, the cultural director of DR, according to British newspaper The Guardian. “We thought Borgen was maybe too Danish to travel,” Hesseldahl told the newspaper. “We are amazed and happy it is possible.” Part of the first episode is actually set in London, but this wasn’t a deliberate tactic to woo British viewers, said Camilla Hammerich, the producer of the drama. “It was to appeal to Danish viewers – we had no idea it was going to travel back to the UK later.”

Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen), the central character of Borgen - no, she doesn’t have a Gucci handbag

The reviews in Britain have been universally good. The Daily Mail described ‘Borgen’ as “more addictive than ‘The Killing’” and an “escapist delight”; the Daily Telegraph praised the drama’s “clever characterisation, punchy dialogue and addictive pace”; while The Guardian found it “a fantastically compelling and intricate drama”. The latter – a self-confessed Danophile that regularly praises this country’s artistic output – even sent a journalist over the North Sea to track down the

show’s producer in a bid to learn Denmark’s secret formula for making quality drama. The answer, Hammerich told The Guardian, was to have “one vision” and to stick to it. “We give [the writers] a lot of space and time to develop their story,” she revealed. “The vision of the writer is the centre of attention, we call it ‘one vision’ – meaning everyone works towards fulfilling this one vision, and very few executives are in a position to make final decisions.” In the case of ‘Borgen’,

series, reality has mirrored fiction with Helle Thorning-Schmidt becoming the first female PM of Denmark. “We know the prime minister watches it,” revealed Hammerich. “She finds it entertaining. But she is not always happy with developments in the life of Birgitte Nyborg. Lots of parallels are drawn between Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Nyborg. The series has come under constant scrutiny from political and journalistic quarters. Everything is analysed.”

Hammerich attributed its success to its ability to make the exceptional circumstance of the central character (a politician, Birgitte Nyborg, who unexpectedly becomes the first female prime minister of her country) accessible to the viewer. “Borgen reflects the universal dilemma: is it possible to obtain and keep power and yourself?” she contended. “Are you able to have a career and take care of your family and yourself all at the same time?” Since the filming of the first

he cost-cutting measures at the Royal Theatre, projected to result in the loss of 100 jobs, have now been finalised. As a result, a total of 81 positions have been eliminated. The Royal Theatre announced that the cutbacks include 33 artistic positions: 16 in the opera choir, two opera soloists, one rehearser, 11 dancers, and three actors. Additionally, 18 stage technicians and 30 administrative positions, including five leadership positions, were cut. In a press release, the Royal Theatre said that it had worked hard to limit the total number of layoffs by negotiating deals for some workers to leave their jobs voluntarily. About a third of the cutbacks are happening through contracts not being renewed, planned retirements and the removal of certain positions. The rest have been done through 42 voluntary agreements to leave and 12 layoffs. According to the Royal Theatre, it has offered support to those affected in the form of psychological aid and job counselling.

tv2

Who is ... Julie Zangenberg? The Copenhagen Post text Isak Hoffmeyer

victoria steffensen She is a Danish actress.

Why should I care Fair point. It’s just that if you’re interested in gossip, you might wish to know Zangenberg is currently dating Danish footballer Nicklas Bendtner, who plays in the English Premier League.

‘Den som dræber’, soon to be repackaged with face lifts and boob jobs

States can’t get enough ben hamilton ‘Den som dræber’ the latest Danish drama to be adapted in the US

hile it tends to take the Danish police over 20 years to catch a serial killer, according to its makers, the detective and forensic psychiatrist central characters in Danish TV drama series ‘Den som dræber’ (Those Who Kill) “possess a deep psychological understanding” that guarantees a quick result – usually within one episode. Maybe that’s why an American company has snapped up the rights to make an English-language version, although it probably has more to do with the suc-

cess of ‘The Killing’, which was adapted and shown Stateside last year, and ‘Borgen’, of which an English version is in pre-production. Rights buyer, US media company A+E Networks, which is partly owned by ABC and NBC subsidiaries, has appointed Imagine Television and Fox 21 to co-produce, and Glen Morgan – the screenwriter of numerous TV series and films, including ‘Final Destination’ – has already been signed up to write the pilot and be an executive producer. ‘Den som dræber’ is based on the novels of Elsebeth Egholm, whose career hasn’t looked back since the success of her 2006 novel ‘Nærmeste pårørende’ (Next of Kin), the first of her novels to be translated into multiple languages.

I think I’ve seen her face on TV ... You might have seen her in TV2s julekalender, ‘Ludvig og julemanden’, in which she played a ghost girl, wearing a lot of talcum powder. No, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her on DR1 recently. Nope. You’ve either mistaken her for the newsreader, Lillian Gjerulf Kretz, or the woman who played the reporter in the political series ‘Borgen’, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen. Zangenberg bears a striking resemblance to them, albeit a younger, much cheaper version. Ohh … you’re so cruel I’m sorry, but she does seem to be a little too overtly sexy, forgetting that it’s possible to be both sexy and classy: X factor judge Pernille Rosendahl, for example, looked very sexy attending Zangenberg and Medina’s joint birthday party recently. And she didn’t flash her breasts at anyone. Has she only been in the spotlight recently? She actually made her breakthrough at a very young age,

Quick Crossword

No 380

starring in the Danish film ‘Klatretøsen’ when she was just 13. However, she disappeared from the movie radar in 2004. Why did she come back? She evidently missed the limelight, because since her return she has dated more famous men than you could shake a golden, diamond encrusted stick at. Like who? She had an 18-month relationship with the comiedian Mikael Wulff, but after realising that he’d never make it on to the cover of Se og Hør, she quickly moved on to a brief affair with the more famous singer Rasmus Seebach, and now she’s with the king of gossip, Bendtner. Is that likely to last? Who knows. But B.T. reported in December that Bendtner’d said that his son, his lovely girlfriend and his football were the most important things in his life, and that he’d give them 100% concentration. Hmmm …

Down

Across 1. 4. 8. 9. 10. 11. 13. 14. 16. 17. 20. 21. 22. 23.

Fear (5) Betoken (7) Hide (7) Rank (5) Sole (4) Mockery (8) Forehead (4) Yield (4) Last (8) Head (4) Intellect (5) Obscure (7) Implore (7) Hail (5)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 12. 13. 15. 18. 19.

Shameful (13) Surpass (5) Act (4) Like better (6) Recipient (8) Scrutinise (7) Separation (13) Start (8) Clamorous (7) Climb (6) Sufficient (5) Droop (4)

Post Quick Crossword No 379 Across: 3 Ascertain; 8 Reap; 9 Contented; 10 Callow; 11 Brief; 14 Pupil; 15 Rate; 16 Slain; 18 Corn; 20 Onset; 21 Salad; 24 Lethal; 25 Delighted; 26 Fort; 27 Governess. Down: 1 Precipice; 2 Callipers; 4 Slow; 5 Enter; 6 Tender; 7 Idea; 9 Coils; 11 Brand; 12 Falsehood; 13 Ventilate; 17 Noted; 19 Native; 22 Ashen; 23 Nero; 24 Less.

20 - 26 January 2012

Denmark through the looking glass The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

19 erik henningsen

The financal crises of 1892 forced people to give up their homes and live on the streets

Was the growth of the welfare state actually a warfare defence strategy? It is argued that an ulterior motive of the Danish government’s desire to look after its citizens was to make them feel like a united nation in case of war

response to external threats: namely, the growing power of a united Germany. In order to thwart the destruction of the Danish identity should an invasion occur, Danish civil society should be as strong as possible. To this end, all members of society must feel supported and part of the larger whole. Whether this theory holds water or not is in dispute; however, there is little doubt that the Danish welfare system has become part of the Danish identity. The notion of paying for university, or not receiving government funding to study, is unthinkable to most Danish students – a situation envied by students around the world. By the 1960s, Denmark had started spending around 18 percent of its GDP on social welfare and by the 1970s this had ballooned to almost 30 percent. After the first oil crisis of the 1970s, people began to question the economic viability of the system, leading to a series of tightening measures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The increase in the number of immigrants in Denmark has caused many to question the sustainability of the welfare state, with some arguing that its generous provisions are being abused by the family reunification model. Whether you are in favour of the high-tax/high-support model in use in Denmark is a matter for personal reflection. There’s little doubt that the high tax rate stings, yet most Danes are comfortable in the knowledge that they will be adequately supported should they lose their job or have difficulty finding one. As the economic uncertainty grows, this may well be the time when the Danish welfare system is put to the test.

The standard living surroundings of a poor man – enough to make anyone hit the bottle www. seeiton.dk

ith the Global Financial Crisis continuing to take its toll, and the Eurozone struggling to stay afloat, the welfare systems of European nations have increasingly come under the spotlight. With a predicted rise in unemployment forecast for Denmark, more and more of its citizens will become reliant on the welfare system in 2012. Fortunately, Denmark has long been recognised as a leader in providing social welfare, with a history of supporting its citizens in times of need. As any foreigner working in Denmark will tell you, taxes in Denmark are high. Even if earning a modest salary, close to half of everyone’s income is taken in tax, much of which goes to support the welfare system. While this has long been a source of contention in Denmark, it does mean that the less fortunate are (comparatively) well looked after. As well as free healthcare and education, Danes enjoy one of the largest gross unemployment benefits in the world. The Danish welfare system can be seen as a changing and evolving support structure first initiated in the 1870s. Over the next century, more and more additions were added, and by 1974 the basis of the current system was in place. Following the war with Germany

in 1864, Danish society became largely homogenous. Gone were the majority of the German-speaking southerners, leaving Denmark as a country of largely middle class farmers of nearly identical cultural values. As a result, small groups began to surface, each safeguarding a particular aspect of Danish society. The United Left political party was formed in 1872, initially to provide representation for its largely agricultural constituency. The Danish Women’s Society had been formed a year earlier and the Danish Economic Society was formed in 1873. Together these and other groups began to push for improved social conditions for workers. By 1873, a law had been enacted prohibiting children under the age of 10 from working in industrial factories. Nearly 20 years later, Denmark’s first old age pension came into effect. By 1892, the first of Denmark’s disability pensions was born, providing economic assistance to those affected by illness. In addition, the members of various associations had half their hospital fees paid for by other members. By 1907 unemployment insurance associations received public support, and by 1921 the state started contributing to some unemployment funds. Following a revision of public-funded pensions in the 1930s, the Danish welfare state grew, largely due to the influence of Socialdemokratiet. More power was put into the hands of local councils, which were still funded, though, by the larger state. While the influence of unions and small associations is not in dispute, some theorists have argued that the development of the Danish welfare state was a

www. seeiton.dk

Andy Rugg

With limited space and poor drainage few kids enjoyed a happy childhood

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

t r o p s a y a l p o t t Wan

e l p o e p w e n t e e and m

while you’re in Denmark?

Come to Expat Sporting Sunday on February 12 and try what the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI) has to offer you and your whole family.

All activities are free! You can try: ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

Rough & Tumble Panna Table Tennis What is Your Body Age? The Great Outdoors Yoga for Teens & Adults Yoga for Kids Ultimate Frisbee Flag Football Roller Board Hockey Bhangra Pilates

Register for these activities & learn more at www.cphpost.dk Everyone is welcome! Come and spend an exciting day full of activity and amusement, and meet some of the local sports clubs that you can join.

Expat in Denmark

What: Free sports activities for everyone – adults, teens, tweens & kids When: Sunday, February 12, from 10.00-16.00 Where: DGI-Byen, Tietgensgade 65, 1704 København V (next to Central Station) Arranged by DGI and The Copenhagen Post in co-operation with Expat in Denmark

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper