the copenhagen post, june 03-09

20
NEWS When it’s skin-flauntingly warm, it’s too hot for some to handle 3 BUSINESS No more time extensions! e days of waiting forever for planning permission are over 7 COMMUNITY Kindred spirits Hard not to feel at home in the Italy of the North CAREERS ADVICE In the Green Card Scheme fallout, where are all the Danes? 9 21 DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 19 ISSUE 21 3 - 9 June 2016 Denmark among most competitive nations in the world Nations rises two spots to number six, despite being the worst for tax CHRISTIAN WENANDE D ENMARK has moved up two spots to sixth in the new edition of the Year Competitiveness Yearbook for 2016 published by the Swiss business school IMD. China/Hong Kong was ranked the most competitive nation, fol- lowed by Switzerland, the US, Singapore and Sweden. Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada completed the top 10. Good leadership PART OF the success has been attributed to Danish company leadership being rated the best in the world, while high taxes prevent an even better place- ment in the index. “Danish companies’ leader- ship practice is among the world’s best according to the report, and we have good reason to be happy about the Danish authorities in a number of areas, including en- vironment, health and justice,” said Kent Damsgaard, the deputy head of industry advocate organi- sation Dansk Industri. High tax hindrance THE AREAS that hamper Denmark from performing even better on the index include its heavy tax burden, for which it was ranked the least competitive in the world. Damsgaard contended that low growth, slow productivity growth and a difficulty attract- ing investment from abroad continue to stifle proceedings, as does the ability to recruit the required workers. “It’s good that we are ranked so high in a number of pa- rameters, but a chain is never stronger than its weakest link,” said Damsgaard. 9 771398 100009 Price: 25 DKK PRINT VERSION ISSN: 2446-0184 ONLINE VERSION ISSN: 2446-0192 DENMARKS LARGEST CARSHARING PROVIDER TRY I MONTH FOR 0 KR. See more at letsgo.dk Free registration NEWS This issue will hit streets sparkling clean thanks to the clean-up efforts of the Distortion street parties. But are all their other efforts paying off for the future? 2 SUPPLEMENT Relocating to Denmark? Follow our basic guide to adjusting to life in Denmark, and make your move that much easier INSIDE TURNING DANISH – I REALLY THINK SO 4 Denmark “anti-Russian” RUSSIAN ambassador Mikhail Vanin has once again suggested that Danish hostility towards his home country is misplaced. Vanin, who last year suggested Danish warships could be nuked, told Politiken that Den- mark “is always leading the way in every anti-Russian campaign”. Denmark plans to station 150 troops in Estonia to beef up NATO’s defence against Russia. Couldn’t be sounder, Odder A GROUP of friends from Odder, Jutland have gone viral after helping their wheelchair- bound handicapped friend scale the highest peak in northern Eu- rope. Jacob Riis-Nielsen, 15, has cerebral atrophy, which means he can barely move. Neverthe- less, his friends carried him all the way up the 2,468-metre Galdhøpiggen mountain in Norway. Sixth border extension DENMARK has extended its temporary border controls with Germany for a sixth time – on this occasion until November 12, the immigration minis- ter, Inger Støjberg, confirmed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Støjberg has been accused of misleading Parliament on the amount of Danish development funding being spent on asylum expenditure. Stiffer rape penalties CONVICTED rapists face stiffer penalties following Par- liament’s approval of a bill to lengthen the standard sentence by 12 months to three and a half years. However, there was some opposition to the bill because it also included provisions to increase punishments for those who make false rape accusations. Many fear it will lead to fewer victims coming forward.

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Page 1: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

NEWS

When it’s skin-� auntingly warm, it’s too hot for some to handle 3

BUSINESS

No more time extensions!� e days of waiting forever for planning permission are over

7

COMMUNITY

Kindred spiritsHard not to feel at home in the Italy of the North

CAREERS ADVICE

In the Green Card Scheme fallout, where are all the Danes? 9

21

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 19 ISSUE 21 3 - 9 June 2016

Denmark among most competitive nations in the worldNations rises two spots to number six, despite being the worst for tax

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

D ENMARK has moved up two spots to sixth in the new edition of the Year

Competitiveness Yearbook for 2016 published by the Swiss business school IMD.

China/Hong Kong was ranked the most competitive nation, fol-

lowed by Switzerland, the US, Singapore and Sweden. Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada completed the top 10.

Good leadershipPART OF the success has been attributed to Danish company leadership being rated the best in the world, while high taxes prevent an even better place-ment in the index.

“Danish companies’ leader-ship practice is among the world’s

best according to the report, and we have good reason to be happy about the Danish authorities in a number of areas, including en-vironment, health and justice,” said Kent Damsgaard, the deputy head of industry advocate organi-sation Dansk Industri.

High tax hindranceTHE AREAS that hamper Denmark from performing even better on the index include its heavy tax burden, for which it

was ranked the least competitive in the world.

Damsgaard contended that low growth, slow productivity growth and a di� culty attract-ing investment from abroad continue to sti� e proceedings, as does the ability to recruit the required workers.

“It’s good that we are ranked so high in a number of pa-rameters, but a chain is never stronger than its weakest link,” said Damsgaard.

9 771398 100009

Price: 25 DKK

PRINT VERSION ISSN: 2446-0184ONLINE VERSION ISSN: 2446-0192

denmarks largest carsharing provider

try i month for 0 kr.See more at letsgo.dk

Free registration

NEWS

This issue will hit streets sparkling clean thanks to the clean-up e� orts of the Distortion street parties. But are all their other e� orts paying o� for the future? 2

SUPPLEMENT

Relocating to Denmark? Follow our basic guide to adjusting to life inDenmark, and make your move that much easier

INSIDE

TURNING DANISH – I REALLY THINK SO 4

Denmark “anti-Russian”RUSSIAN ambassador Mikhail Vanin has once again suggested that Danish hostility towards his home country is misplaced. Vanin, who last year suggested Danish warships could be nuked, told Politiken that Den-mark “is always leading the way in every anti-Russian campaign”. Denmark plans to station 150 troops in Estonia to beef up NATO’s defence against Russia.

Couldn’t be sounder, OdderA GROUP of friends from Odder, Jutland have gone viral after helping their wheelchair-bound handicapped friend scale the highest peak in northern Eu-rope. Jacob Riis-Nielsen, 15, has cerebral atrophy, which means he can barely move. Neverthe-less, his friends carried him all the way up the 2,468-metre Galdhøpiggen mountain in Norway.

Sixth border extensionDENMARK has extended its temporary border controls with Germany for a sixth time – on this occasion until November 12, the immigration minis-ter, Inger Støjberg, con� rmed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Støjberg has been accused of misleading Parliament on the amount of Danish development funding being spent on asylum expenditure.

Sti� er rape penaltiesCONVICTED rapists face sti� er penalties following Par-liament’s approval of a bill to lengthen the standard sentence by 12 months to three and a half years. However, there was some opposition to the bill because it also included provisions to increase punishments for those who make false rape accusations. Many fear it will lead to fewer victims coming forward.

Page 2: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

2 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016NEWS

Distortion royally pleased then peeved

Party organiser delighted with brewer, but uber-annoyed with City Hall

A T THE TIME of going to press, it looked a safe bet that the Distortion festival

– which started on Wednesday with its � rst city district party, ahead of taking over Vesterbro on � ursday – will reclaim the streets next year.

At the beginning of April, Distortion had been less hope-ful, warning that would need to sell 10,000 of its 100 kroner voluntary donation wristbands to a� ord the street parties next year.

But late last week, a saviour surfaced. � e brewing company Royal bought 4,000, and Distor-tion founder � omas Fleurquin was quick to con� rm that the

2017 Vesterbro party was now secured.

Uber frowned uponHOWEVER, it’s not all been good news for Distortion, as a political majority in Copenha-gen wants to pull 70,000 kroner in � nancial support due to its association with Uber – the equivalent of 700 wristbands.

“It is a problem if municipal

support goes to an organisation that works with Uber,” Social-demokraterne councillor Niels E Bjerrum told DR.

“It allows municipal tax money to indirectly promote a callous business concept like Uber.” (RW/CW)

Bus operator targets ticket cheatsSimilar employment of guard � rm has paid dividends in Aarhus

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

B US OPERATOR Movia has hired a private security � rm G4S to tackle ticket

cheats in the capital region fol-lowing revelations that 2.66 percent of the passengers on its buses rode illegally last year.

Movia told Metroxpress that the increased visibility of the guards will create a preventa-tive e� ect. It expects that the move will triple its 2016 income from � nes from an originally-budgeted 8 million kroner to 23.4 million kroner.

Apeing AarhusA SIMILAR initiative in Aarhus already has a proven track record. In 2013, Midt-tra� k bus operators hired a guard � rm and the percentage of passengers without a valid ticket fell from 3.32 percent in 2012 to 1.67 percent this year.

Hiring the guard firm has also increased its in-come from ticket sales. Cash ticket sales increased by 5.4 percent from 2012-2014 and sales of the now-retired ‘Klippekort’ and periodical tickets – such as the monthly pass – shot up by almost 10 percent.

Fredensborg is located in northeast Zealand

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Editorial o� ces:International House,Gyldenløvesgade 11,1600 CopenhagenDenmark

Founded in 1998 by San ShepherdAll rights reserved. Published by cphpost.dk ApS. Printed by Dansk Avistryk A/S

Tila Christiansen KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER

Johan KarpantschofLAYOUT EDITOR

Dorthe ElkjærADMIN MANAGER

Ben HamiltonMANAGING EDITOR

Ray WeaverJOURNALIST

Meena KrishnamurthiIT MANAGER

Christian WenandeNEWS EDITOR

Ejvind SandalPUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hans HermansenCOMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Cannabis crackdownA TASK Force Pusher Street operation targeting canna-bis smokers in Christiania on Monday charged 90 people with possession and a further 40 with driving under the in� uence. Co-penhagen Police said the arrests were a clear warning to people who drive after smoking a joint. “� at is a really bad idea,” it said.

More Americans in townTHE NUMBERS of Ameri-cans arriving in the capital is booming thanks to the increase in direct � ights to the capital, reports Copenhagen Airport. SAS, for example, recently opened a new route to Boston with another to Miami due to start in September. New York, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco and LA are also easy to travel to.

New university squareTHE AP Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation has made a large donation to the University of Copenhagen for the construction of a new square at the university’s southern cam-pus in Amager. � e 19,000 sqm square, which is scheduled for completion in 2018, will have parking for over 2,000 bicycles.

Refugees cross bridgeFIVE TEENAGE refugees walked across the Øresund Bridge to Sweden on May 12, the Swedish police have con� rmed. � ey were met on the Swedish side and taken to the immigration authorities. Southern Swedish Police criti-cised their Danish counterparts, saying it was their responsibility to stop them. Some 55 people have already tried crossing by foot this year.

ISTOC

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THO

RBJØRN

FESSEL / DISTO

RTION

“Dude, use this map of Copenhagen and start walking!”

Could these be the warmest ever Distortion street parties?

ONLINE THIS WEEK

More arson in NørrebroA NUMBER of small � res have once again been deliberately set in the Nørrebro district – this time last week on Wednesday night in the vicinity of Nørre-broparken. � e pattern of the arsonist was similar to the one who set three � res on the night of February 17.

Police relocation bonusesIN A BID to address a short-age of o� cers in Copenhagen and south Jutland, the national police force is o� ering anyone prepared to relocate a healthy bonus of between 30,000 and 60,000 kroner.

Page 3: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

33 - 9 June 2016NEWS

A nation divided by ‘neger’Few agree on what it means, but the majority reject common usage

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

D ANSK FOLKEPARTI’S foreign a� airs spokesper-son Søren Espersen kicked

o� yet another round of the contentious 'neger' debate last week when he called President Barack Obama the “første 'neger' president”.

While some Danes concur that ‘neger’ means negro, oth-ers disagree, and they were quick to support Socialdemokraterne politician Jeppe Kofoed when he translated 'neger' as 'nigger' in a critical tweet in English.

“DF would be happy to pay for an English course for Jeppe Kofoed,” Espersen wrote on Twit-ter. “He just needs to sign up.”

However, his tone changed as the fallout grew, and he later apologised – possibly because he’s scheduled to visit Washing-ton DC in September

Revealing demographicsA SURVEY swiftly followed in

the media, and it emerges that 24 percent of Danes prefer to use the word ‘neger’ when describ-ing someone of African heritage.

According to the YouGov sur-vey for Metroxpress, 35 percent favour afrikansk (African), 23 percent use 'sort' (black), 9 per-cent opt for 'farvet' (coloured), 8 percent chose none of the above and 4 percent didn't know.

It is particularly men who are

at ease using ‘neger’, with 29 per-cent preferring it, compared to 19 percent of women. Only 15 percent of Danes under 30 use the word.

Our choice of political party also has an impact. While just 4 percent of Radikale voters use the word, 23 percent of Social-demokraterne voters and almost 50 percent of DF supporters prefer it.

Those summer night bluesLoud music and lewd behaviour can get you in trouble in the heat

RAY WEAVER

T HE SOUNDS of noisy gar-den parties and graduating students, loud music and

even sex can often be heard echo-ing through the summer nights. But too much fun can also result in a visit from the local police and a � ne of up to 1,500 kroner.

“We get reports of garden

parties going on a bit too long: de� nitely longer than when the temperatures are below freezing,” Southern Jutland Police watch commander Mads Leervad Dammark told Ekstra Bladet.

“It is a di� cult balance, but we may be a bit more tolerant of a louder garden party at 11 pm on Saturday than we would on a Tuesday night at midnight.”

No screaming please!COMPLAINTS about loud

lovemaking are also common – whether it’s open-air or through an open window.

In the case of the former, Damman tends to come too late. “It’s rare that we get there in time,” he said. “He’d have to be pretty good to have gone on that long.”

And in the case of the latter, it’s purely a volume issue. “If the windows are open and they are screaming, we have to ask them to stop.”

ONLINE THIS WEEK

All smiles in AarhusAARHUS, the ‘City of Smiles’, has been named among the top 10 hottest travel destinations in Europe by the travel guide Lonely Planet. Looking ahead to next year when the Jutland city will be the European Capital of Culture and European Region of Gastron-omy, the publication applauded its “cool-cat neighbourhoods, head-turning architecture and culinary wizardry”.

Warmest May this centuryNATIONAL weather forecaster DMI is expected to con� rm that this past month was the warmest May since 1993. Its predicted average temperature of 12.8 de-grees would leave it 0.1 shy of 1993, 0.6 short of 1947, and a whole degree cooler than 1889. � e normal average is 10.8. � e hottest temperature of the month was 26.9 on May 22.

Avoiding the toiletDESPITE the austerity cuts, Esbjerg Municipality intends to allocate 700,000 kroner to making its schools’ toilets cleaner following reports that children are not using them. � e kids would rather wait until they return home instead of negotiating the faeces, urine and paper routinely found on the � oor of the toilets.

Peeping coachTHE COACH of the Dan-ish national orienteering team competing in the European Championships in the Czech Republic over the weekend was sent home a day early after be-ing accused of using a hidden camera to � lm female athletes in ‘bathing and sleeping’ situa-tions. A police investigation is underway. All the athletes have been o� ered counselling.

Royals ease fearsTHE ROYALS have responded to a poll conducted by Megafon for Politiken that found 70 per-cent believe årpenge, the annuities received from the state, should not be given to Prince Joachim’s four children. Of the eight grand-children of the queen, they stated, only Prince Christian, the future heir to the throne, will receive årpenge, which amounts to a total 100 million kroner a year.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Island for saleANOTHER of Denmark’s 406 islands has been put up for sale – this time for 23.5 mil-lion kroner. � e 100-hectare island of Egholm, situated o� the coast of west Zealand near Skælskør, includes a 626 sqm house and three summer homes. � e island, for sale via the Boliga website, has been owned for the past 30 years by a company.

More gap yearsGAP YEARS between high school and university are in-creasingly popular, reports Politiken. According to Statis-tics Denmark, 77 percent take them – a marked increase since 2013. � e rise is attributed to the increased di� culty of get-ting admitted to university and � nancial incentives to complete your studies as quickly as pos-sible once you’re there.

O� ce pests are rifeA STUDY by the Economic Council of the Labour Move-ment has revealed that every fourth woman in Denmark has experienced sexual harassment, threats of violence or bullying at work over the past year, along with 16 percent of men. � e high incidence is blamed on a prevalent ‘this is the tone at this workplace’ culture that leads to complaints being dismissed.

Teachers attackedFOLLOWING a reprimand for � ghting with another pupil, a 15-year-old student returned to Hedensted school in Jutland last week on Friday and attacked two teachers – all in the presence of his mother. He interrupted classes and then punched, kicked and allegedly spat on the teach-ers. � e school then called the police.

Blogger freed in BahrainA DANISH blogger and activ-ist, Zainab al-Khawaja, who was jailed in March in Bahrain along with her one-year-old son on charges that included anti-government and anti-monarchy activities has been released from prison. Prosecutors claim the daughter of activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has been let o� for “humanitarian reasons”.

Violence at homeONE OUT of six Danish children has been subjected to physical violence in their home during the past year, and one in 12 has su� ered verbal and psychological abuse, according to the national centre for social research, Det Nationale Forskn-ingscenter for Velfærd. Some 12 percent never or almost never have anyone to talk to about it. � e numbers represent a slight decrease on 2010.

Supporting innovationKRISTIAN Jensen, the foreign minister, concluded his at-tendance at the Humanitarian World Summit in Istanbul last week by committing 2 million kroner to a new international network to develop innovation in emergency areas. � e Global Alliance for Humanitarian Inno-vation will include a wide range of global, regional and national participants, including Danish companies Blue Town and Icono.

Licence limit loweredA MAJORITY in the Danish Parliament on Tuesday gave 17-year-olds the right to get a driving licence. However, they can only practise in the com-pany of a driver over the age of 30 with a clean licence history. Previously the age limit was 18. � e minimum age for taking the moped driving exam was also lowered, from 16 to 15. How-ever, it is uncon� rmed when the new law will take e� ect.

Some 24 percent of Danes would say she is a ‘neger’

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Page 4: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

4 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016COVER

Wakayama Roligans: Denmark’s biggest fans abroadBorn in the Japan, this empire’s sun shines all day long for Denmark

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

T HE SEED was sown on 1 June 2002.

Denmark and Uruguay were battling it out in their opening 2002 World Cup game in Ulsan, South Korea. � e score was deadlocked at 1-1 with just seven minutes remaining in the Group A match.

Suddenly there was an open-ing. Martin Jørgensen crossed in for Jon Dahl Tomasson to glance a magni� cent header past the rooted Uruguayan keeper o� the underside of the cross bar. � e Danish fans exploded in joy and shouts of ‘Kom så Danmark!’ echoed across the stadium.

But the joyous moment was not exclusive to the Danes. Some 553 kilometres away in Wakayama, Japan, a small group of Japanese fans were also in the midst of wild celebrations. � e Wakayama Roligans, Denmark’s most famous fan group abroad, had been born.

Echoes of 2002WELL, actually, the seeds were sown a few weeks earlier during the lead-up to the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, when the Danish team was staying in Wakayama during a training camp building up to the tournament.

“We made a cheering squad and I became the leader of it,” Keiji Shinke, the energetic head of Wakayama Roligans, told the Copenhagen Post Weekly.

Today, the fan group has swelled to include upwards of 80 people from all walks of life. From Yoshinobu Nisaka, the governor of Wakayama, to a 98-year-old grand old lady and ten-year old kids, the fan group is relentless in its support of the red and whites.

Shinke leading the wayONE QUICKLY understands why when introduced to Shinke. Ever equipped with a Danish � ag and Viking fan hat, and constantly bellowing “Kom så Danmark!”, the man an exaber-ant character oozing passion and spirit.

“� e most important reason for us starting to support Den-mark was that the team was very

friendly during their stay in Wa-kayama. Players like Tomasson and Sørensen were quick to say hi, smile and wave back at us,” said Shinke.

Freddy Svane, the Danish ambassador to Japan who of-ten meets with Shinke and the Wakayama Roligans, hailed the group for their undying passion.

”About 40 or 50 of them meet once per month for din-ner and celebrate Denmark with this football fan spirit, and they are true ambassadors,” said Svane.

“Mr Shinke is the man in charge and he is doing a fan-tastic job. Every time I come to Wakayama or he comes to Tokyo he brings a massive Danish � ag and shouts ‘Kom så Danmark!’ He is all in for Denmark and Danish football.”

Kirin Cup comebackTHE WAKAYAMA Roligans will have even more to shout about next week. Missing out on Euro 2016, the Danish team is back in Japan to take part in the Kirin Cup. No need to tell Shinke. He’s knows the score.

He has already acquired some 2-3,000 posters with the Danish � ag, and on the back side the national anthem is printed.

“It’s typically Japanese in the sense that if they have an interest in something, they go all in. � ey wear the right gear, know the right names, they sing the songs. And they know more about the Danish national team than I do,” said Svane.

“It’s part of the culture. Whether its football, chess or painting – or whatever it might

be. If they have a passion for something, they work on it 24-7. � ey are a loyal group and never ever give up.”

Pure dedicationINDEED. Recently, the Danish Superliga club AGF Aarhus’ fan site, Morethanaclub.dk, collect-ed over 7,000 kroner from AGF fans to pay for plane and train tickets for Japan’s biggest AGF fan, Kousuke Tobe, to come and see his favourite team play for the � rst time in Aarhus.

Tobe started following AGF in 2002 aged just 12 after seeing club legend Martin Jørgensen play for Denmark during the World Cup. Jørgensen played for Italian out� t Udinese at the time, but that didn’t prevent Tobe from � nding out where it all started for the former mid-� elder.

When Jørgensen surprised Tobe while he was being in-terviewed before the match in Aarhus, he nearly fell over in shock and momentarily seemed to lose the power of speech.

Denmark’s best ever player Michael Laudrup is another Dane who is still remembered fondly in Japan. Svane contend-ed that Laudrup was a kind of ice-breaker in a footballing con-text when he went to Japan to play for Vissel Kobe for a season in 1995. � ere are Japanese fans who still follow Denmark to this day because of Laudrup.

Hero on the high seasTHANKS to the close relation-ship between the fan group and the football team, Wakayama certainly has a potent Danish connection. Over the past 14

years the city has even hosted an annual ‘Komsa Danmark’ football tournament. But actu-ally, an unlikely link between the city and Denmark has existed for almost 60 years.

In 1957, Johannes Knudsen wrote himself into Wakayama hearts and history. � e Dane was on his maiden journey as the chief engineer on the Mae-rsk-owned ship Ellen Maersk, when the tanker spotted a small Japanese � shing boat ablaze o� the coast of Wakayama.

Ellen Maersk lowered a lad-der to save the � sherman, but he was too exhausted to climb up. Knudsen instead climbed down to fetch him, but unfortunately both he and the � sherman ended up losing their lives.

� ere is still a bronze statue of Knudsen in Hinomisaki Park near the town of Gobo, located just south of Wakayama, com-memorating his heroism that day all those years ago.

Help from DBUSHINKE said that the Wakay-ama Roligans expect to travel to watch both games Denmark play in. � e � rst will be in Aichi on June 3 (see page 23 for details), while the � nal and bronze games will be played on June 7 in Suita. � e group is planning to take a 30-man bus to Suita, some two hours away from Wakayama, and they may get some help from the Danish football association DBU for the game in Aichi.

Jakob Wadland, the head press o� cer with the Danish national team, revealed that the DBU were trying to sort out some tickets for the Wakayama Roligans. � eir support has not

gone unnoticed.“It’s not something we usu-

ally experience during our world travels. It’s very unique to Japan, and there is no doubt that it is very special.”

“It’s important, it’s fun and it’s good for the team to see that we have an unusual following. It’s very nice to have that support. It generates a good atmosphere in the squad, and it makes them feel interesting.”

Con� icting loyaltiesHOWEVER, there’s a slight hitch for Shinke and company. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Denmark played Japan in the group stage, which really tested the loyalties of the fan group. Ul-timately, national emotions won out for many, and so did Japan, knocking Denmark out of contention.

A similar situation could eas-ily arise next week.

Denmark take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in one semi-� nal, while Japan face Bulgaria in the other. Depending on the results of those games, the Danes could very well run into the hosts in the � nal or in the battle for third. As was the case in 2010, Shinke hopes for a draw.

Shinke, who has been to Den-mark twice, said he would love to make it to Rio to cheer on the Danes during the Olympic Games, but he may have to settle for watching it on TV if he can’t get a ticket.

But wherever he may � nd himself this summer, there is little doubt that he and the Wakayama Roligans will be shouting: “Kom så Danmark!”

Keiji Shinke pictured with Freddy Svane (left: left), the Danish ambassador to Japan, and by the statue dedicated to Johannes Knudsen

Page 5: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

53 - 9 June 2016NEWS

Thousands killed by mistake

Patients are duty-bound to report errors to improve the system, argues safety group

SHIFA RAHAMAN

A CCORDING to � gures released by the Danish Society for Patient Safety,

between 1,200 and 3,000 peo-ple die due to medical errors

and injuries sustained during improper hospitalisation in Denmark every year.

Over half of those deaths could be preventable if patients were guaranteed optimal treat-ment, reports Berlingske.

Fix the systemCAMILLA Hersom, the chair of Danske Patienter, has called

upon the medical community to � x what she believes are prob-lems with the system of reporting medical errors in the country.

However, she also believes pa-tients need to act. “� ey should report errors if any occur,” she told DR. “We need to change the system so we are able to fol-low up and � x mistakes more e� ciently.”

New Viking fortress opens

ON MONDAY afternoon, Queen Margrethe II opened the recently-discovered Borgring Viking fortress to the public. � e fortress, which is located in a � eld in Vallø and remained hid-den for over 1,000 years before being discovered in 2014, will enable the public to learn more about its history and the exca-vation. It will include a new welcoming centre with an exhi-bition and viewing platform, and over 30,000 visitors are expected to visit the site this summer. Visi-tors can peruse Viking artefacts, watch a virtual reality � lm and look on as onsite archaeologists unearth an important part of Danish history. (CW)

Green delegates in town

NEXT WEEK (June 6-7), lead-ers and delegates from 35 nations will descend on Copenhagen to take part in the 2016 Global Green Growth Forum (3GF). � e annual summit generates innovative co-operations and come up with green solutions focusing on energy, food waste, climate change and sustainable cities. � e three areas that this year’s summit will focus on are: the green transition of energy systems, cities being the driving force for the green transition, and the optimal utilisation of natural resources. 3GF was established by the Danish government in 2011 in co-operation with South Korea and Mexico. (CW)

Atomic waste threat

THE GERMAN state of Schleswig-Holstein is planning to store atomic waste at Balz-ersen, near the Danish border. Some 35,000 tonnes generated from the dismantling of two of the state’s nuclear power plants, Krümmel and Bruns-büttel, will be dispersed at seven sites, of which Balzersen is one. � omas Andresen, the mayor of Aabenraa in Denmark, told Flensborg Avis that “if we want to co-operate across the border then there is a clear expectation that we inform one another”. � e waste is deemed to be of a lightly radioactive character, such as material from the car-parks and buildings. (CW)

More report symptoms

SINCE DR reported that 64 former employees of Siemens had su� ered from chronic ill-nesses like asthma and eczema – allegedly as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals during their period of employment – 120 more current and former em-ployees of Siemens and Vestas have informed the trade union 3F they are also worried. Politi-cians, together with the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), are now calling for a phone hotline to enable more to come forward, reports DR. � e toxic chemicals in question are epoxy and isocyanates – allergens on the EU’s list of carcinogenic substances. (SR)

Prescriptions ceiling

THE PRICE of prescription med-ication will remain unchanged until 15 December 2018 thanks to a new agreement between the municipalities organisation Kom-munernes Landsforening and the pharmaceutical industry. Metrox-press reports that many believe the measure is a step in the right direc-tion and will lead to more peace of mind for Danes who regularly purchase pharmaceuticals. In the past, price regulations were decid-ed on the basis of changing salaries and in� ation. � is new agreement changes all those rules, as the price ceiling cannot be raised at all – un-less, in rare cases, an exception is sought and granted by the Health Ministry. (SR)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEKCleaner watersTHE EU’S latest ‘State of Bath-ing Waters’ ranks Denmark at a record-high ninth, up three places from 2015. Some 85.7 percent of its bathing sites were awarded the highest mark for quality, while 98.3 percent were deemed satisfactory. Only 0.6 percent were judged ‘poor’, down from 1.6 percent last year.

Eldercare workingA CAPITAL Region initiative that involves elderly patients be-ing taken home by hospital sta� is increasingly popular, according to KORA. Sta� are able to assist patients regarding their medicine intake and ensure their homes are in a reasonable state. About 3,000 patients are helped home every year.

Microalgae solutionRESEARCHERS from the Department of Plant and Environ-mental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen are developing GM microalgae to produce the complex, molecules that make up the expensive parts of medication. � e method is made possible by introducing P450 cytochromes – a type of enzyme.

Tackling diabetesCOPENHAGEN Municipality is opening a new diabetes centre in Vesterbro in July in a bid to address why poor people with non-Danish backgrounds and a low standard of education are the most at risk of contracting the disease. � e Danish Diabetes Association is also onboard.

KU’s green successTHE UNIVERSITY of Copen-hagen’s ambitious green strategy, on which it has so far spent 110 million kroner, is bearing fruit. It has reduced its CO2 emis-sions by 48 percent over the past decade, while its energy consumption has dropped by 32 percent, saving it 35 million kroner on its annual energy bills.

Better heart attack oddsPEOPLE who su� er heart at-tacks in public now have a 24 percent chance of surviving, according to Dansk Hjertesto-pregister, which attributes the improvement to the Danish people’s � rst aid skills and their use of de� brillators. In 2002, the survival rate was under 10 percent.

FULL STORIESAT CPHPOST.DK

Not exactly inspiring in digital

“I wish there was more we could have done” ... “You’ve done quite enough”

Eco-friendly, do not Trump-dry New border concerns Situation is worsening “How much?!”

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Page 6: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

6 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016NEWS

Danish ladies face key Euro ties

S INCE THE men’s national football team were unable to qualify for Euro 2016 in

France, it’s left to the ladies to show them how it’s done.

� ey will strive to do so this week with two home matches against Slovakia and Poland on June 2 and 7, with both matches kicking o� at 19:00 at the Energi Viborg Stadium in Viborg.

Well placed to qualifySWEDEN tops Denmark’s Group 4 and looks set to win it easily, but the red and whites could qualify as one of the best six runners-up.

� e Danes are third with sev-en points from four games, two points behind Slovakia with two games in hand. Poland, fourth, with seven points, have played a game more.

FOOTBALL: EURO 2017 (W) THU JUNE 2, 19:00DENMARK VS SLOVAKIAVIBORG STADION

CRICKET: DIVISION 1 (M)SAT JUNE 4, 11:00SVANHOLM VS SKANDERBORGBRØNDBY STADION

CYCLING RACE (M/W)SUN JUNE 5, 10:00MENY VM STAFETTENGEELS BAKKE, HOLTE

US FOOTBALL: DANISH LEAGUE (M)SUN JUNE 5, 14:00HERLEV REBELS VS HORSENS STALLIONSHJORTESPRINGSKOLEN, HERLEV

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Simon but no GarfunkelIT WILL be worth crossing a bridge over troubled water to watch Paul Simon perform at the Aalborg Congress and Culture Centre on October 29. Miss out and you’re left with the sound of silence. Tickets cost 345-795 kroner.

Feed the beast indeedA US REMAKE of the 2014 Danish TV series ‘Bankerot’ is making its premiere on AMC on June 5. ‘Feed the Beast’ stars David Schwimmer and Jim Stur-gess. Original series producers Henrik Ruben Genz and Malene Blenkov are executive producers.

Roskilde selling fastTHE ROSKILDE Festival (June 25-July 2), which has already sold out of single day tickets for Friday July 1 and Saturday July 2, has warned that it will soon sell out of its 80,000 full-festival tickets. � e tickets cost 1,995 kroner.

THIS WEEK’S DATES

JUNE 5CONSTITUTION DAY

CONSTITUTION Day which commemorates the signing of the Danish constitution in 1849 by Frederik VII. Known to Danes as ‘Grundlovsdag’, or independence day, it marks the establishment of Denmark as a constitutional power. Today the event is celebrated by political speeches and talks up and down the country. For the � rst time this year, Radikale is hosting an event in English at Revymuseet in Frederiksberg.

JUNE 8DENMARK’S PEASANTS REVOLT

ON THIS day in 1441 a peasant rebellion in northern Jutland was crushed by King Christopher III. Discontent over rising taxes sparked a 25,000-strong uprising led by Henrik Reventlow against the nobility. Facing a vastly su-perior army, Christopher o� ered to pardon those who decided to go home, and the islanders from Mors and � isted promptly withdrew, leaving the rest of the uprising to be defeated at St Jor-gen’s Hill.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Lone Star’s one and onlyDUST OFF your Tony Lama boots and Stetson as country legend Kris Kristo� erson, 80, is performing shows in Odense, Aarhus and Copenhagen on September 9, 10 and 13. Tick-ets cost 375 kroner.

Frank’s the new blackFRANK Underwood would be pleased with how this vote turned out as Danes have named ‘House of Cards’ as their most popular show on Net� ix. In a poll conducted by YouGov for Metroxpress, it won 24 percent of the vote. ‘Orange is the New Black’ was second.

Organic beer dealTHE SMUKFEST festival has con� rmed it will only sell or-ganic beer on tap this year after signing a deal with Royal, and that it be more expensive than in 2015. Regular beer will still be sold, but only in bottles and cans. Last year, the festival sold 180,000 litres from its taps.

Page 7: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

73 - 9 June 2016BUSINESS

Building permit overhaul

Municipalities con� dent they can make well-informed, quick decisions

LUCIE RYCHLA

A NEW DIGITAL tool designed by the Danish engineering company

COWI will enable municipali-ties to quickly issue building permits for house garages, terrac-es and home extensions, reports Berlingske.

� e digital maps allow mu-nicipal employees to inspect an area without having to go there personally.

Already tested in the mu-

nicipalities of Silkeborg and Middelfart, it will be gradually introduced in 14 more.

Better than Google!COWI CLAIMS it o� ers bet-ter quality photos than Google Street View, and that it takes photos more frequently.

“� e overriding di� erence is that we cover everywhere, pho-tographing every street in the same year,” Lars Flemming, its marketing manager, told Ber-lingske.

“We take photos of all the state roads, municipal roads and private roads, and we cover all the areas with summer-houses.”

So that’s Colonel Mustard with the theodolite in the extension

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ONLINE THIS WEEKJobless numbers fallingTHE EMPLOYMENT rate in 32 of the 46 municipalities in the Øresund Region increased between the � rst quarter of 2013 and the fourth quarter of 2015. Copenhagen’s rate increased by 6 percent, double the national average. In March, Denmark’s unemployment rate was 4.2 per-cent – its lowest level since March 2009. According to LO, munici-palities with negative job growth need to attract more families.

Crying in their milkARLA IS o� ering Swedish farm-ers just 2.30 Swedish krona per litre of milk – a price unheard of since the 1980s. � ere is a glut of milk worldwide, and the Russian trade embargo is being felt throughout the milk industry. Exports to China have also fallen. � e EU recently dropped limits on how much milk member countries can pro-duce. Dairy farmers throughout Europe are considering shutting down.

Eyes on KenyaTHE ENVIRONMENT and food minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, last week signed a food-related co-operation agreement with Kenya to boost the east African nation’s ability to pro-duce more fresh fruit, veg and dairy products. Kenya recently shot up 28 places in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. Danish exports to Kenya in 2014 were worth 222 million kroner.

Tiger tames the BritsTIGER is currently one of the UK’s fastest-growing busi-nesses. Total sales in the UK rose by 69 percent last year as it opened 31 new stores, taking its total number of locations in Britain to nearly 80. � e UK has accordingly jumped past Denmark and Italy to become the largest market for the group. Analysts believe that Tiger can be as big a success in Britain as its fellow Scandinavian chain Ikea.

Pulled up for lyingTHE POWER company Syd Energi, the owner of telecom-munications company Stofa, has been criticised by the Danish consumer ombudsman for lying to its customers. Syd Energi mis-led consumers by advertising that its prices for electricity were less expensive than those of its com-petitors. � e claim turned out to be false. Syd Energi acknowledges the criticism and claims it has corrected the problem.

Joy at the themeparksMOST OF the country’s amusement parks have expe-rienced solid growth over the past � ve years, according to Me-troxpress. One of them, Djurs Sommerland, has doubled its visitor numbers since 2007 to a record 800,000 last year – thanks in part to heavy investment of 300 million kroner in new rides. Many of the other parks are also investing heavily – not just in rides but in training seasonal workers.

FULL STORIESAT CPHPOST.DK

Page 8: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

8 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016BUSINESS OPINION

SØREN BREGENHOLT

THE VALLEY OF LIFE

As the chairman of the Medi-con Valley Alliance – the gold-labelled Danish-Swedish life science cluster organisation – Søren will address current trends and challenges in the sector. Away from the alli-ance, he is responsible for Novo Nordisk’s global R&D-based PhD and postdoc programs, as well as research, innovation and educational policy.

TINY MAERSCHALK

LIVING IN AN EXPAT WORLD

Belgium’s Tiny Maerschalk, who has worked for the International Community networking plat-form since its foundation in 2008, knows how it feels to settle in a new country. Dedi-cated to improving conditions for new arrivals, here she shares her insights about the business issues that mean the most to internationals in Denmark.

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A BOUT HALF a year ago my second daughter came into the world. I really en-

joy the daily symbiosis with my baby daughter and time is truly � ying at the moment. Soon I’ll be back in the o� ce at Interna-tional Community and everyday life will be turned upside down once again.

However, I look forward to starting to work again, and un-like a few of my international friends, who are used to other childcare models back home, I have never thought about not going back to my job. In Den-mark almost all mothers go back to work due to the � exible work culture and childcare system, so it just never crossed my mind to stay at home for good.

Dual income societyDENMARK is considered a dual income society and the childcare system for children aged 0-5 (preschool) is highly

prioritised in Denmark, so both parents can work. In fact, all children are guaranteed a spot at a daycare institution, although it can take a few months to get one secured.

Quality wise, parents are gen-erally satis� ed with the childcare institutions in Denmark and rate them higher than in any of the other Scandinavian countries. Personally we are satis� ed with our eldest daughter’s kinder-garten and feel that we get our money’s worth.

A few facts for the uniniti-ated: the childcare programs and the price vary depending on the municipality, if it’s public or pri-vate and whether or not lunch is included. In 2013 the average price for enrolling children aged 0-3 at a public nursery was 2,800 kroner per month. � is amount is reduced at kindergarten (ages 3-6) and you get a price reduc-tion if you enroll siblings at public institutions.

Good work-life balanceMOREOVER, daycare cen-tres are usually open from early morning until late afternoon, leaving plenty of time to bring and pick up your children. � e long opening hours lead to another discussion about the looong days some children spend in daycare. Personally, we are able make the best of it due to the � exible workplace culture, which means we can both work

and spend valuable time with our children as long as we plan ahead.

Denmark prides itself on having a healthy work-life bal-ance, and the childcare model supports that. Understandably, the welfare model, the � exible working conditions and child-care facilities are all key aspects when international employees decide to come here to live and work – and major reasons why I have been here for 15 years!

Denmark’s system means she needn’t be on her own all the time

D EAR LIFE science stu-dents.

No matter whether you are a student of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Business School, neighbouring Lund University or the University of Malmö – or another university for that matter – you’ve already made a clever career move choosing life science.

No other industry has so much to o� er in terms of in-spiring professional challenges, promising job opportunities and, last but not least, the opportu-nity to help patients around the world.

Exciting times aheadSUMMERTIME is approach-ing, which means that for many of you it’s time for exams and that quite a few of you will re-ceive your degrees in the months to come.

As a life science professional with two decades of hands-on experience in life science R&D, I understand why you are ex-cited. You are standing on the doorstep of a regional life sci-ence industry stronger than ever before. Consequently, the demand for talented life science R&D students like yourselves is unsurpassed. We need you!

Crucial connectionsMOREOVER, we need not only you. We also need the best and the brightest of your classmates – whether they are Danish, Swedish or international students. If you went abroad during your education (we as-sume you did), we also need all the suitable fellow students you have met during your studies abroad.

We need foreign talents to come, stay, inspire and contrib-ute to the further development of the life science cluster, Medi-

con Valley, and we need you students to spread the word and help attract and recruit your fu-ture colleagues!

A vital clusterI WANT to use this opportunity to wish you the best of luck with your exams; it will open doors to a whole wide world of ground-

breaking life science R&D. If you want to conquer the

world of life science, you might as well start right here! You are after all living in one of the most vital life science clusters in northern Europe, so why not take advantage of it?

Enjoy the summer and see you soon.

Keeping his eyes on the prize

Why Innovation?

Danish Capital in 2016

Mind over Managing

Business needs Talent

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Page 9: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

93 - 9 June 2016CAREERS ADVICE

S INCE I’M employed by both companies and in-dividuals, I tend to avoid

being political by hiding behind the façade of professional neu-trality.

Passive endorsementBUT THIS recent debate on the GREEN CARD SCHEME has really got under my skin – most particularly how there aren’t a lot of Danes standing beside the immigrants, which makes me wonder …

“What are we willing to tolerate?” As a society, are we passively encouraging politi-cal bullying because it doesn’t directly a� ect us? Are we the ones who stand at a distance, watching the victims publically paraded in humiliation, unwill-ing to get our hands dirty and silently supporting the erosion of human rights?

� e same as youAS YOU have no doubt already � gured out, I’m an immigrant, which these days feels like a bad word or a crime. But immigrants AREN’T social pariahs, we don’t have anti-social tendencies, and we’re not trying to change Danish society and undermine time-tested values that are a part of Danishness (NFS Grundtvig’s Danskhed).

And while I’m no spokesper-son for all immigrants, it isn’t di� cult to imagine that what immigrants want is what every-one wants: to be treated like a human being. None of the im-migrants are claiming rights, but no-one should ever have to

– there are some things that we should never need to ask for, but should be provided.

What everyone wants, immi-grants included, is to be able to work in a role that looks more like a career than the menial la-bour that no-one wants to do. Despite what you may think, the taxi driver with two engineering masters would rather be a profes-sional engineer than driving you to the airport in the middle of the night.

We want to make an income so that we can pay our taxes, buy our groceries, and put a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs. We want to provide a life for our family that is at least the same and hopefully better than the life we had before we came here regardless of whether it was from the USA or Syria, Iran or Japan. And above all, we want to be functional members of society like every other person.

Dehumanised, undeterredSCRAPPING the Green Card Scheme (even the thought of it) is putting the blame on the im-migrants who paid to come here, who’ve worked hard to integrate and, if they’ve been fortunate, continued to work hard at the humdrum jobs that they could get, all the while doing their best to learn the language and navigate the gauntlet of every societal and governmental hurdle in the way.

But none of us choose to be unemployed – including im-migrants. Seriously, who does?! Five years ago, it wasn’t part of my grand plan to immigrate to

Denmark, destroying both my career prospects and downgrad-ing my hard-earned education to worthless pieces of paper. � at wasn’t my vision, but sadly that’s my reality.

Unemployment dehuman-ises as the individual’s identity and values slowly evaporate, as they become a number, failure and defect, as they’re labelled unproductive, desperate, wish-ful, delusional, depressed and poor – separated and isolated because they were ‘unwilling’ to integrate with ‘respectable society’. Being unemployed is to be silently erased; it’s on a par with being homeless, mentally-ill or addicted.

Valuable assetsEVERY single immigrant has had real life and work experience. � ey now possess professional and world perspectives that are unique and potentially enlight-ening to any Danish business desiring to be more than a mom and pop � shmonger on the rocky shores of this little island.

It’s obvious that nearly every Dane speaks English, yet nearly every immigrant speaks it better, so instead of focusing on how to disqualify the masses – think-ing of the million or so expats and immigrants as liabilities and burdens – start thinking of them, of us, as untapped resources that can be easily utilised.

And remember that every immigrant you hire is desperate – desperate to work, desperate to stay in a country that apparently doesn’t want them and desperate to care for their families.

Embrace themIF YOU don’t want immigrants to be tax burdens, then employ them and transform them into assets. But don’t think of them as 2-for-1 discount workers who are not worthy of a living wage. Don’t prey upon their circumstances. It’s immoral and inhumane – two characteristics not found under the de� nition of Danishness.

And what will you get in re-turn? You’ll never � nd a more dedicated and hardworking in-dividual than the one who’s been unemployed or under-employed in brainless bullshit for years. And as every business leader al-ready knows, you can teach skills but you can’t teach character, you can’t teach work-ethic, and you can’t teach loyalty.

DAVID PARKINS21ST CENTURY ALCHEMY

21st Century Alchemy is a weekly Q&A column for career-minded profession-als, entrepreneurs and small businesses written by David Parkins, a business (re)devel-opment specialist, company culture strategist, career coach, and IMCSA speaker (ep3.dk).

HAVE YOU RUN OUT OF IDEAS? STRUGGLING FOR INSPIRATION? NEED SOME MOTIVATION? PLEASE SEND YOUR CAREER OR COMPANY QUESTIONS TO [email protected] OR @EP3DK.

A foreign passport should be an asset to any CV

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DURING the next few weeks, I’ll be shifting to more practical matters like job-seeking, letter writing, resume structuring, interviewing and negotiation.

I also hope to inspire you a little as you face the abyss separating you from mean-ingful employment (or your next job).

I hope that as you read the column you’ll feel a little more encouraged, a little better equipped and whole lot more empowered.

And if you have any ques-tions, please send them in. I’d be happy to respond.

Page 10: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

10 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016OPINION

PER SMIDL

Prospects of the CityAs the author of the 1995 essay ’Victim of Welfare. An Essay on State and Individual in Denmark’ and 2011 novel ’Wagon 537 Christiania’, Per Smidl is no stranger to controversy. After 12 years of self-imposed exile in Prague, he is back in his native Copenhagen, a city he will always have a unique perspective on.

I N WHICH the prospector welcomes the bright prospect of the summer and frets at

the sinister prospect of the gov-ernment’s projected limitations of freedom and expression in Denmark.

Imminent strangleholdON MARCH 30, Danish PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced his government’s intention to “criminalise expres-sions that undermine Danish legislation and values”. Consid-ering the grave implications of such counter-constitutional legis-lation – not just for the religious extremists (who are purportedly the target of the new law), but for the public at large and the coun-try’s creative writers in particular – the outcry has been modest.

It is not the purpose of this article to remedy the situation but rather to alert the country’s population of foreign residents to a fundamental change in Dan-ish legislation that – when passed through Parliament – will work to lessen the constitutional gap between the democratic king-dom of Denmark and the world’s

declared totalitarian regimes.I expressly say ‘when’ this

piece of legislation becomes law since the three largest par-ties in Parliament (Venstre, Socialdemokraterne and Dansk Folkeparti) all support it and will vote to approve it.

Parklife paradoxCYCLING one warm and sunny day along Islands Brygge, taking in the throngs of people sun-bathing, swimming and enjoying themselves in a spot where until a few years ago such beach life was forbidden (both because the water was polluted and because the physical conditions for it were not yet there – nowadays it is even possible to play beach volleyball!), I could not help being hit by a telling paradox.

While the physical condi-tions for living a good life in this day and age in Copenha-gen are improved tremendously (for the moneyed class at least), the mental conditions for life and its spiritual expressions are structurally and systematically (proportionately too?) under-mined and in e� ect worsened.

Never yoursWHEN THE new legislation is in place, the citizens of Den-mark will be free to sunbathe and swim in places where it was formerly forbidden, but asked to shut up on forums where they were previously permitted to speak.

What the Danish state whis-pers in every one of its citizens’ ears from now on will be: “Go for a dip o� the key at Islands Brygge and enjoy the wind and the sea against your skin, but don’t say out loud what you � nd is wrong with your workplace, the public institutions and the Danish state’s democratic ideology. Earn your money in any way you like, even if it means speculating in quick and work-free pro� t, consume mate-rial things and services to your pecuniary heart’s and belly’s content, but don’t ever publicly demonstrate that you have an independent mind and a cor-responding need and longing for spiritual liberty. From now on, you will be punished for that. � e Bill of Rights was never yours.”

Idly living the life of Riley under the watchful eye of George Smiley

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Not so much is rotten …I N THE FIRST quarter of

2016, Denmark has seen an increase in its GDP of 0.5

percent. It may be adjusted later, but up front it is a signi� cant step in the right direction.

Interestingly, it has been cal-culated that the increased cost of handling the refugees and migrants at the present level amounts to just 0.1 percent of the GDP. Gone are the bleak predictions that these expenses would jeopardise the welfare system.

Assuredly competitiveON TOP of that, Denmark has been con� rmed as number six in the World Competitiveness Yearbook – just a place behind Sweden after an improvement of two places. � e yearbook applauds Denmark’s legal ro-bustness, absence of corruption and general equality.

� e government’s ambitious green policy and the current quality of research and sci-ence in the country, despite the recent austerity cutbacks, have also played a large role, although it remains to be seen what happens to the PSO tax. It has been declared illegal by the EU Commission and has to be restructured. It may be funded directly by income tax instead of a tax on energy. � is would jeopardise the tax ceiling policy so what the end result will be is not clear.

� e World Bank’s ‘Doing

Business Report’ placed Den-mark at number three in its competitiveness rankings, call-ing Denmark the best country in the world to do business in.

While the World Economic Forum rated Denmark at num-ber 12, although it was a close race with other western Euro-pean countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland.

Not a bad outlookALL IN all, the conclusion is that it is going relatively well for the kingdom.

A sign of optimism this week was the signing of conditional construction contracts of the biggest ever infrastructure pro-ject between Denmark and Germany. � e Fehmarn Link will cost 30 billion kroner. For-mal German approval has not yet been issued, but Chancellor Merkel has nodded enough to suggest it is a done deal.

� e improvement of tra� c is expected to be massive. Not only Denmark, but all Scandinavia will bene� t from it. Meanwhile, an upgrade of the Danish railway system will introduce new lines and eliminate other bottlenecks.

Infrastructure projects tend to exceed their budgets, but are normally pro� table in the end!

All in all, we can conclude that the state of Denmark is in better shape than when Shake-speare gave his opinion in 1603. (ES)

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Page 11: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

113 - 9 June 2016OPINION

KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

A Dane AbroadBorn and raised in Denmark, Kirsten jumped ship in her early 20s to spend the next 12 years living in New Zealand. A physiotherapist, acupuncturist, yogini and foodie, she has a passion for life and wellbeing. After a few stints back in the motherland, Kirsten is once again back living in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

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S O, AS SUMMER is sup-posedly approaching in the Northern Hemisphere,

winter is supposedly approach-ing in the Southern Hemisphere. It appears, though, that we are getting to a point where neither winter nor summer is anything like what they used to be – re-gardless of where in the world you reside.

Heatwave … againNOT MANY weeks ago I was having conversations with friends and relatives from the Motherland groaning about the cold weather – hail was the topic du jour. And whilst spending Christmas 2015 in Copenhagen, I and fellow inhabitants of Den-mark experienced the warmest December ever recorded.

Meanwhile, ‘autumn heat-wave’ made it into the headlines in the New Zealand Herald after the month of May recorded tem-peratures a whole 1.5C hotter than average. I and most other Aucklanders have been sel� shly loving the milder onset to ‘win-ter’ – yet a part of me is deeply concerned at the greater impli-cations of this wider-ranging issue.

Ugly truthACCORDING to NASA’s cli-mate change website (climate.nasa.gov), the ten warmest years since 1880 have occurred in the last 12 years – all as a result of human factors. � e common denominator is the large-scale disruption of nature’s balance. Practices of disastrous propor-tions include: over-� shing, mass scale agriculture, depletion of land and fresh water, mass-scale livestock farming and meat pro-duction, which have exploded in the last 50 years and expected to rise (USA and China: we can seeeee you).

But apart from lots of fancy conferences on the subject – what is actually being done? Are the biggest contributors to this eventual-but-certain-

planet-destruction issue being addressed? And are plans of action big enough to make a signi� cant change being carried out as we speak?

Who should do what?ACCORDING to researcher and global depletion expert Dr Richard Oppenlander, the author of ‘Food Choice and Sustainability’, the meat pro-duction industry in its entirety is the biggest contributor to global warming. China and the USA are the biggest consumers of meat in the world with one fourth of the world’s total meat production going to China.

According to Oppenlander, a failure to include develop-ing countries – and emission heavyweights – such as China, Mexico, India, Brazil and South Korea equally in major global climate change initiatives has caused unnecessary delays to sig-ni� cant action. Discrepancies in the extent of the requirements

imposed on various countries due to � nancial impact has left nations divided. And as we bicker on about moolah, Earth is getting ever closer to irrevers-ible disaster.

Ignorance 1, Earth 0WITHOUT discounting in-dividual responsibility-taking, which is crucial, we as individu-als can recycle, save water, eat primarily plant-based diets and drive hybrid cars all we want, but we won’t get far unless the heavyweights contributing to this issue start pulling their heavy weight.

Our planet is about to cark it from irreversible damage that we in� icted on it. And if the current level of human consciousness continues – it will actually cark it while politicians argue and big corporations and governments give in to greed, as we sit back in our cosy living rooms watching ‘� e Kardashians’, obvivious to the dire straits we are really in.

“For those of you unsure whether it is Fahrenheit, you’re all morons”

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‘Mere te’ Vicar?DARREN MCCALLIG

The Director’s CutDAVID NOEL BOURKE

Fashion JamJENNY EGSTEN-ERICSON

Straight UpZACH KHADUDU

Under the RaydarRAY WEAVER

Crazier than ChristmasVIVIENNE MCKEE

Straight, No ChaserSTEPHEN GADD

Brick by BrickSTEPHANIE BRICKMAN

An Actor’s LifeIAN BURNS

You’re Still HereKELLY DRAPER

Page 12: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016COMMUNITY12

ABOUT TOWNABOUT TOWNPHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLDPHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

The latest meeting of the International Club Copenhagen paid South Korean ambassador Young-sam Ma (centre) a visit at his embassy and residence for what was called an ‘after-hours get-together’ on May 30. The visit, co-ordinated by ICC president Hasse Ferrold (left: centre), included a guided tour around an exhibition at the embassy in honour and commemoration of the Jutlandia, the Danish hospital ship that assisted UN Soldiers and civilians during the Korean War. And then later at his residence, the ambassador gave a speech on Korean-Danish relations and hosted dinner

Norway celebrated its national day on May 17 with a midday service at Vår Frelsers Kirke followed by a party attended by close to 5,000 people. Among those present (centre) were Norwegian ambassador Ingvard Havnen (left) and Bertel Haarder, the culture minister (right)

The diplomatic corps were out in force for the Women Deliver conference (May 16-19). Among those present were South African ambassador Zindzi Mandela (left: third right); Indian ambassador Rajev Shahare (centre: third left) and Dutch ambassador Henk Swarttouw (right: left), who is pictured sitting next to Máxima, the queen of the Netherlands

Moroccan ambassador Raja Ghannam (centre right) and Armenian ambassador Hrachya Aghajanyan (left) were among those present at the UN City for the visit of Zohrab Mnatsakanyan (right) the president of the UNOPS executive board

French ambassador Francois Zimeray (second left) was among those present as his fellow countryman, the retired Prince Henrik, carried out a rare public duty to inaugurate new classes at the French school, Prins Henriks Skole, in Frederiksberg

German ambassador Claus Robert Krumrei (left) was at hand to present Bayer Denmark’s Scottish managing director Marion McPherson with the German Company of the Year award, as chosen by the German-Danish Chamber of Commerce

Page 13: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

133 - 9 June 2016MARKETPLACE

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THEORY AT GENTOFTE STATION

Living Church is an international church family – a visionary congregation with a genuine passion for God. Our worship is joyful and vibrant. You will find a church family and a home with us.

Femagervej 39, 2650 Hvidovre (Close to Hvidovre Station)For more information see: www.levendekirke.com; facebook.com/levendekirke

Sunday Service 12:00 with Children’s Church (ages 2-14); Home Groups Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

St Alban’s ChurchThe Anglican (Episcopal) Church in Denmark

Sung Eucharist with Sunday School Followed by refreshments

Sunday Service at 10.30

Mid-Week Service of Holy Communionon Wednesdays at 10.30

We are on Churchillparken, half way between the Little Mermaid and Amalienborg.

www.st-albans.dk

A lively, diverse and inclusive Christian community of adults and children from every corner of the world

We look forward to welcoming you!

Studiestræde 611554 København VCall us: 33 11 07 15

Studiestræde

DentistsKeep your good habits Keep your good habits

check your teeth in CPHWe are former expats caring

for your lovely We speak several languages:

English German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-German

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English German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-GermanEnglish German Swedish Danish Norwegian Swiss-German

Does Christian Science really Heal Sickness and Sin?

Lecture by John Adams, CSB New York, USA

Saturday April 9th 2016

3:00 p.m. in English and 4:30 p.m. in Danish (free entrance)

Hotel Imperial – Vester Farimagsgade 9, 1606 CPH V

John Adams is an international lecturer, teacher andpractitioner of Christian Science. He was healed of serious drug abuse by studying Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary

Baker Eddy. This started his healing mission.

THE LECTURE IS SPONSORED BY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST IN COPENHAGEN - KRISTENVIDENSKAB.DK

Join the American Club in Copenhagen, and take part in our exciting and interesting events and

excellent networking opportunities!

This is a great way to meet others from the international community in Copenhagen!

For further information: www.americanclub.dk or contact Vibeke Henrichsen at 3961 7375

MEDITATION

yoga.dkKøbmagergade 65

Tel. 33 34 35 36

MEDITATION

May 25 - June 9 meditation course with

Swami Janakananda

Page 14: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016COMMUNITY14

The head of the Syrian National Ensemble, composer and oud player Maher Mahmoud, is performing at Global Copenhagen with other musicians from the Music Institute in Damascus (June 3, 21:00; Global Copenhagen; Nørre Allé 7, Cph N; 70-90 kr; billetlugen.dk)

Trampoline House and the University of Copenhagen are hosting the 4th edition of ‘Be.Bop’, a conference about African musical legacies and colonial inequalities (June 5-7, 11:00-17:00; Thorasvej 7, Cph NV & Njalsgade 120, Cph S; free adm)

Have you ever dreamt to draw from a live model? Once a month the Classical Drawing School of Copenhagen gives you this chance, and you don’t even need to be a professional artist! (June 6, 19:00; Klassisk Tegneskole, Ærøvej 1, Frederiksberg; 50 kr; klassisktegneskole.dk)

Live music and swing moves! The Rhythm Baby Makers, a Swedish band from Uppsala, play hits from the roaring 20s and tumultuous 30s (June 8, 18:00; Kølsters Tolv Haner, Rantzausgade 56, Cph N)

Cafe Retro’s southern Europe event will serve you sangria, summer reds (tinto de verano) and chilled a� ogato while the dance� oor beats Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek vintage vibes (June 2, 17:00-23:00; RETRO Nørrebro, Cph N)

For this occasion, the creativity of several markets will � ll up the street, while various food trucks will bring their specialties and good live music will entertain visitors (June 4, 08:00-17:00; Stefansgade, Cph N)

KB.DK

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ALESSANDRA PALMITESTA

CO P E N H A G E N E R S were invited to become more familiar with one

of Asia’s most populous countries last weekend at the Indonesia Bazaar and Cultural Festival held at the country’s embassy.

On a day of non-stop fun and excitement, one event led to another, including live

traditional music by mu-sic groups from Sweden and Germany, Balinese dancing performed by Ni Nyoman S Amandari from Aarhus (cen-tre left), Indonesian martial arts performances, traditional wedding ceremonies and more.

Not only was it an audio-visual feast, the festival also

o� ered various Indonesian delicacies to satisfy your taste-buds: fried rice nasi goreng, colorful kue tampahan mini cake … you name it!

� is annual event aims to promote friendship between Denmark and Indonesia. Also, Indonesian people take the opportunity to express their love towards the home-

land thousands of miles away. Ambassador Muham-mad Ibnu Said (central left) along with his fellow coun-trymen passionately sang the song ‘Indonesia Pusaka’, a patriotic song celebrating the independence of Indonesia, after which they all shouted Merdeka! Merdeka (independ-ent/free – although some

passing French people did ini-tially look alarmed)!

Also present (right) was Hans Toft, the mayor of Gen-tofte Municipality (centre right), South Korean ambas-sador Ma Young Sam (central left), and Jorge Teixeira de Sampayo (left), the deputy head of mission at the Portu-guese Embassy.

COMING UP SOONJUNYI QI

OUT AND ABOUT

CIS

COPENHAGEN Interna-tional School (CIS) held its annual market festival ‘Spring

Fair’ on Saturday May 21 and this year’s theme was rodeo.

Children and parents en-

joyed a full day of games, performances, homemade piñatas and a contest to make

the best chilli con carne. Everyone could join in and

get a chance at winning great

prizes that included the ‘rector of the day’ award, a piano and a pilates class. LUCIE RYCHLA

JUN

YI QI

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Page 15: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

153 - 9 June 2016SCHOOLS

For further information, see our webpageor phone the Admissions Officer on 3962 1053

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Page 16: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

16 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 2016

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COMMUNITY

How a special relationship has developed with the Italy in the southMore than bilateral relations, the friendship is rooted in humanity

ALESSANDRA PALMITESTA

S INCE THE Danes them-selves like to refer to their country as the ‘Italy of the

North’, there is no doubt they fell in love with an image of Italy that is associated with something positive.

Danes have always been fascinated by Italian lifestyle, culture and goods. As a result, bilateral trade relations be-tween Denmark and Italy are extremely dynamic. Regardless of the � nancial crisis, exports have remained steady at 5 billion euros – in both directions.

“We are satis� ed and excited spectators of the vibrant interac-tions between the two countries, thanks to tourism, trade and cross-investments,” Italian ambassador Stefano Queirolo Palmas told the Copenhagen Post Weekly at his residence near Amalienborg.

“It is an ancient, traditional and consolidated relationship between two member countries of the European Union, and bi-lateral relations are particularly dynamic.”

A pleasant invasionITALY remains a favourite holi-day destination amongst Danish tourists. Between 600,000 and 650,000 Danes spend at least � ve days there every year – roughly a ninth of the entire population.

“It is a discreet and very

pleasant invasion: a tourism of quality that seeks not just the art cities, but original destinations, reviving forgotten small villages that are often depopulated,” said Palmas.

“It is a very loyal form of tour-ism. Once Danes fall in love with a place, they help to bring it to life by buying a property, bring-ing an intimate circle of family and friends and forming little colonies. It is a kind of tourism with an added value that has bene� cial e� ects.”

A virtuous circleALTHOUGH the reverse � ow is much lower – only 45,000 to 50,000 Italians visit Denmark every year – the Italian presence in the country is getting stronger, especially in agribusiness.

Since 2009, Italy has been number one in Denmark, and consumption continues to grow year by year.

“We are witnessing an excep-tional dynamism,” continued Palmas.

Børsen, the old stock ex-change in Copenhagen, hosts big events like Barolo & Friends and Barolo & Brunello, and every time the ticket price is more expensive and the queue longer.”

In November, the high-quali-ty grocery store chain Eataly will open a store in the basement of Illum, which is currently being renovated by Italian craftsmen.

“It will please Danes looking to replicate their Italian experience on their last trip, who are already anticipating their next one,” he said. “It’s a virtuous circle.”

Foul-weather friendPALMAS was keen to stress how trade between the countries is steady and based on long-term investments. For example, the Danish business community kept its faith in Italy during the di� cult times of the � nancial crisis.

“Recently, Maersk has in-vested several hundred million in a new hub for refrigerated merchandise to be sold in the western Mediterranean, and at Vado Ligure, near Genoa, in a dock mooring, which is the only one in Italy for the enormous container ships of the latest gen-eration,” he enthused.

Additionally, Carlsberg, Dan-ish Crown, Arla and Vestas all have substantial interests in the country.

Likewise, there are signi� cant direct foreign investments by Italian groups in Denmark, in-cluding Cementir Holding grey cement subsidiary Aalborg Port-land, which is a big employer in the north Jutland city; Grimaldi Group, which has made a huge investment in road construction in the area around Esbjerg; and Technogym, which controls 60 percent of the � tness machine market.

Building the futureTHE ITALIAN community in Denmark has more than doubled in the last � ve years – primarily due to a � ow of specialists and researchers who occupy positions within academia, private research and think-tanks. � e intense ex-change of highly-skilled human

capital is evidence of strong sci-enti� c collaboration.

“Italian-Danish co-operation in scienti� c, cultural, academic, and technological � elds is like a small probe that will show us how the world will be in 20-30 years,” said Palmas.

“� ese sectors will make the future one of not only bilateral relations but of humanity.”

Sharing a common heritageTHE RESIDENCE of the Italian ambassador is an his-toric investment located close to Amalienborg. It is open to guided tours and, surprisingly, it is also possible to rent the dining hall – even for private celebra-

tions – providing the catering is Italian cuisine!

“We think that we are more curators rather than owners and more caretakers than residents of a common heritage that de-scribes the parallel development of the two countries over the past 300 years,” explained Palmas.

On June 2, Italy will celebrate its Republic Day, and the Italian Embassy has planned multiple celebrations at six di� erent Dan-ish locations in Copenhagen, Århus, Odense, Esbjerg, Aalborg and the Faroe Islands.

In this way, Italy will dissemi-nate its culture, foster tourism and captivate an even larger enthusiastic audience.

Ambassador Palmas pictured with Greek counterpart Eleni Sourani

HA

SSE FERROLD

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173 - 9 June 2016COMMUNITY

Switching on the beer nozzles at the industrial estateDAVID MCQUILLING

It’s hard to make drinking on an industrial estate look in any way respectable, but somehow Danske Ølentusiaster have managed it with the Copenhagen Beer Festival. Taking place from May 19-21 at Lokomotivværkstedet – a massive former railway shed in the south of Copenhagen – the beer festival attracted over 60 brewers and an untold number of guests keen to sample their wares.

Danish girls Christina Rasmussen, Anna Nielsen, Elise Bach and Kisine Feldunt disposing of one of their ten samples

US honeymooners Craig and Maria Scutro: over the moon, and is that a honey-fermented brew?

American heroes Trey Astbury, Amit Jagwani and Josh Buma. Something tells us this wasn’t their � rst beer festival

Hats o� to the dedication at the Schiøtz stand. No surprise to learn they do a great IPA!

These three are known as The Mayor, The Psychopath and The Nun. And there were rumours of a seven-foot panda on the looseWho nicked my pint?

A little corner of Somerset set out its stall with The Cider House – headed by Somerset native Duncan McArthur (right) and his wife Rikke Høst (left) – serving up all manner of premium ciders imported from his homeland accompanied by a substantial block of mature cheddar.

The size of the venue thinned the numbers of those guests out somewhat and made the event look slightly less spectacular. However, they all gathered round to watch this group of men making very loud noises whilst pouring liquid nitrogen into a keg

Page 18: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 3 - 9 June 201618 INOUT:FILM

AT CINEMAS

COWABUNGA dudes. You might not have been feeling the Michael

Bay-produced Ninja Turtles movie from a couple of years back – certainly very few people outside Hasbro toy manufac-turers were. � is week there’s a slice of sequel pizza in the oven: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out of � e Shadows. Can the heroes in a half-shell right the wrongs of their previous outing? Anyone care?

Also out this week is the weepy Me Before You starring Khaleesi herself (Emilia Clarke) – albeit without her dragons. � e � lm has still been draw-ing some � re, however, for its alleged contrivances in depict-ing the disabled lead character. � ose eager for a sni� e should note the � lm has earned only

lukewarm reviews thus far. Worth mentioning, if you

happen to read Danish sub-titles, is Hsiao-Hsien Hou’s � e Assassin. � e � lm has had critics fawning over its photography, its martial arts choreography and slow-burn political drama since its screen-ing in Cannes last year. It’s showing in Denmark at selected cinemas including Grand Te-atret and Empire Bio.

� is week’s � nal release is Jodi Foster’s fourth feature as director, Money Monster, which is reviewed this issue.

Over at Cinemateket, there’s a retrospective for the Polish master Krzystof Kieslowski that will run over the next cou-ple of months and kicks o� tonight (2nd) at 21:45 with the morally complex, multi award-winning indictment of capital punishment, A Short

Film About Killing. � at’s followed on Sunday at 19:15 by the brilliant Blind Chance – which was less successfully re-made as Sliding Doors.

� ere’s also a fascinating se-ries on Iran 1960-90, which attempts to reveal this period of the country’s unknown cul-tural history through a program of rare � lms throughout June. Mostly presented with English subs, things kick o� on Saturday with two � lms by celebrated di-rector Abbas Kiarostami: Where is the Friend’s Home? at 14:15 and � e Journey at 21:00 (d� .dk/Filmhuset).

Alternatively, if you prefer crass over class, you can head over to Huset (huset-kbh.dk) on Saturday at 19:30 and enjoy ‘70s schlockfest Squirm – in which millions of man-eating worms take over rural America. (MW)

CINEMATEKET / GOTHERSGADE 55 / CINEMATEKET.DK

‘LAMPEDUSA IN WINTER’DOCUMENTARY OF THE MONTH JUNE 2nd-8th. A tiny community at the island of Lampedusa is engaged in a des-perate fight for dignity and solidarity as it has become the African gateway to Europe.We present some 50 films with English dialogue or subtitles every month. See what’s on at cinemateket.dk

Has its moments, but even Nell had more to say

MONEY MONSTER

Dir: Jodie Foster; US thriller, 2016, 98 mins; George Clooney, Jack O’Connell, Julia Roberts, Dominic West, Giancarlo Esposito, Caitriona Balfe

PREMIERED JUNE 2PLAYING NATIONWIDE

W E’VE SEEN a lot of money mov-ies of late: Martin

Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Adam Mckay’s The Big Short, HBO’s Too Big to Fail and the excellent 99 Homes that honed in on cor-ruption within the housing market.

Jodie Foster’s Money Mon-ster is closest perhaps to the latter in that it sympatheti-cally champions the plight of the average Joe, but does so by taking a more reduc-tive perspective on the evils that corporations, bankers and stock brokers do. Not specifically about the crash, it trains its sights instead on ‘the system’, being rigged as it is to benefit the lawless 1 percent.

Delivery for Mr Gates!IN A LIVE television program called ‘Money Monster’ on a network that apes Fox News, Lee Gates (Clooney) advises viewers which stocks are hot or not – when to buy shares and when to sell them. He does so in the manner of Sean Hannity with a comedy wardrobe that he uses for hip-hop dance skits and the like. It’s deliberately painful to watch.

� e work environment is such that the show has a high turnover of sta� – even his long serving director (Roberts) has had enough of him and taken a job with a rival net-work, without telling him.

Today’s show is differ-ent however. This broadcast is interrupted by Kyle (O’Connell), who as a de-livery man sneaks onto the set carrying a gun and an explosive vest loaded with Semtex.

Taking Gate’s advice from a previous broadcast, Kyle had used all his savings to buy shares in a company called Ibis that immediately lost their value – and left him penniless.

Forcing Gates to wear the vest and holding him hostage live on air, Kyle de-mands answers about what happened to his money.

Good delivery from our JackALTHOUGH the film is contemporary, there is a distinctly ‘70s vibe to the energy and photography that recalls classic cinema of that period such as Dog Day Afternoon and, in particu-lar, Network. The cast are all generally good – and it’s great to see Roberts on form again. She does a lot with what little she has to work with, which is mostly react-ing to the unfolding events.

However, it’s O’Connell (Unbroken, ’71) who steals it. Fired up and full-blooded, the young Derby

lad continues to forge an impressive path through Hollywood. Sadly so far though, the films tend to be less deserving of him than he is of them.

Didactic delivery all roundTHE FILM’S material is expertly handled; the over-all sweep of the story is well structured (if doggedly conventional) and it is per-formed well.

But yet crucial elements are lacking. � e dialogue is di-dactic, often telling us what is going on and what is about to happen.

� e characters lack � avour too. � ey voice their thoughts out-loud – and while a cast and director of this calibre can (and do) still make a scene � y, they can’t make it soar.

Money Monster is at times affecting, sporadically witty and skips along at an engag-ing pace – but it’s sloppy with its credibility.

It simply doesn’t have the substance or complexity to rival its contemporaries as social commentary nor does it deliver a thriller punch that might sustain its life be-yond this cinema run.

MARK WALKERFILM EDITOR

It’s like that scene from Syriana ... minus the tension, intrigue and moral ambiguity

Page 19: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

3 - 9 June 2016 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK 19INOUT:TV

TOP GEAR BBC ENT, EP 1: FRI 22:00; EP 2: TUE 22:00

THE RETURN of the post-Jeremy Clarkson Top Gear has been eagerly anticipated

given that it features a brand-new presenting line up – with mo-tormouth Chris Evans taking the lead and actor Matt LeBlanc bringing up the rear.

Admist rumours of a feud between the two co-stars and an inordinate amount of pressure to deliver, the � rst nerve-strewn epi-

sode was greeted with a mixed bag of reviews after airing on Sunday.

Some of the unforgiving twit-terati have eloquently branded it ‘� op gear’ and one particularly merciless Guardian reviewer de-scribed it as “so boring it barely exists”.

Episode one – which sees Ev-ans and LeBlanc driving Reliant three-wheelers from London to Blackpool – might just be early teething problems though as the new cast � nd their grounding, independent of their former pre-decessors’ shadow.

DR1, Fri 21:25 Taken 2 SVT4, Fri 00:10 The Courier DR3, Wed 22:00 Henry’s Crime

WHEN Taken 2 is the week’s most acclaimed � lm on IMDB, you know you’re in trouble. With 4.5, � e Courier, a crime thriller starring Mickey Rourke, might have the site’s lowest ever score. � ey’ve got strong competition from Henry’s Crime (any relation to the Henry’s Dream festival?) that stars Keanu Reeves as a man who wants to rob the bank he was falsely accused of robbing. (BH)

ROOTSTHE NEW eight-hour mini-series reboot of the popular novel by Alex Haley – a New York Times bestseller – is set to reinvigorate one of the most well-known slave stories in recent American literature.

Available on HBO Nordic since Tuesday, it’s a brutal tale of how one man, Kunta Kinte (Mal-

chi Kirby) – shackled deep in the galleys of a slave ship – journeys from de� ant African warrior to downtrodden american slave, and how his family lineage is irrepara-bly a� ected thereafter.

Although uncomfortable viewing at times, its theme of re-sidual hope promises to uplift the series’ new generation of viewers.

FANS OF Game of � rones might see some irony in Richard Mad-den succeeding onscreen dad Sean Bean as Mellors the wheelbarrow pusher in another feature-length drama version of Lady Chatter-ley’s Lover. Kings of the north!

Northern England is one of the settings for the return of Top Gear, but Chris Evans has resisted the urge to recruit his old pal Gaz-za. Given their fondness for the lash, it would have only ended up with more cars in the lake.

Gazza’s been busy co-produc-ing the 2015 biopic Gascoigne, and it’s a “vanity project” about the 1990 World Cup, accord-ing to the Daily Telegraph that completely ignores his story of “self-destruction and victimisa-tion, of exploitation and venality, of cruelty and penury”.

Lemmy meanwhile remem-bers the Motorhead frontman who passed away earlier this year. Made in 2010, it documents his contribution to music.

Elsewhere, we’ve got S2 of For-bryldsen rip-o� Shetland (DR1, Mon 22:30); US sci-� series Stitchers (K5, Sun 20:00) and � e Whispers (K5, Sun 21:00) are mostly absurd; David Guelta (SVT2, � u 22:50) is in charge of the Euro 2016 warm-up; � e Fear of 13 (DR2, Tue 20:45) and Lyme Disease – a Silent Epidemic (DR2, Tue 23:05) will give you the creeps; and Her Majesty’s Prison: Aylesbury (TV2, Sun 00:05) is strictly an inside job. (BH)

Eurosport, Sat & Sun 15:00 French Open � nals K6, Thu June 2, 20:30 England vs Portugal

IN THE calm before the storm that is Euro 2016 we have a quiet week of sport that kicks o� with England vs Portugal. Just hours later, Denmark is starting its ‘Eu-ros’ – the Kirin Cup over in Japan (see page 4) – with a game against Bosnia. K6 is showing delayed coverage. Elsewhere, we’ve got the � nals of the French Open and the X Games (all week on DR3, from Fri 23:00). (BH) K6, Fri 19:10 Kirin Cup: Bosnia vs Denmark

ANNA CLARKEFollowing in the footsteps of ‘Cuckoo’ and ‘Episodes’, US/UK collaborations are all the rage

SVT1, Sat 22:30 Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Establish he’s a warrior and not to be messed with and ...

PICK OF THE WEEK

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COMING SOON

FILM OF THE WEEK

a love interest (slavery’s insu� cient for Trump voters)

THEFA

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SPORT OF THE WEEK

Page 20: The Copenhagen Post, June 03-09

Intensive summer courses July 4th – July 15th

Bernstorffsvej 20, 2900 HellerupKlampenborgvej 221, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby

T 3946 3050W sprogcenterhellerup.dk

WANT TO SPEAK DANISH THIS SUMMER?