New normal: It’s safe to say that this hasn’t been a good week for Danske Bank. First, public broadcaster DR aired the lasted episode of its news documentary series ‘Sikke en fest’, in which it detailed that the bank nearly collapsed in 2008 before being saved with taxpayers money as a part of the Bankpakke 2 rescue package. Then, the bank’s new ad campaign, ‘New Standards’, in which it attempted to show its role in a changing world, appeared to backfire. It came under fire for callously exploiting imagery from the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement, and spoofs of the campaign flooded the internet. You can see a sample of them at newnormalnewstandards.tumblr.com. (UPDATE: Danske Bank has now pulled the #Occupy image)
Ban backlash: The government’s decision to drop a proposed ban on sex purchases has led to a backlash. Socialdemokraterne’s executive committee has been speaking out against the decision championed by its own ministers. Furthermore, when the government voted against the ban, it pointed instead to its efforts to help women out of prositution through its 46 million kroner Projekt Exit Prositution. However, Politiken newspaper reported that those millions are only being spent on helping about 100-150 of the nation’s estimated 3,200 prositutues to leave the business and that the project thus far hasn’t been in touch with a single sex worker.
School reform: As a key element in the government’s proposed reform of the public school system, students will have 510 extra hours of education from the time they enter school until they reach the ninth grade. The reform would see the minimum hours of learning rise from 6,960 to 7,470. That is expected to affect several councils, who already have financial difficulty hitting the current minimum. The reform – the details of which are still being drafted – also aims to minimise the importance of children’s social backgrounds when it comes to receiving a quality education. It is said to have been inspired by similar success in Ontario, Canada.
First from a legend: The very first book written by HC Andersen, entitled ‘Ungdomsforsøg’ and written under the pseudonym Villiam Christian Walter, was sold on Tuesday as part of a collection of over 60 rare Andersen books. A foreign private collector bought the collection for 620,000 kroner.
CPH Post Word of the Week: Opgradere (verb) – Upgrade. Where you heard it: On the day after this publication went to press, Denmark voted to upgrade Palestine’s UN status from ‘observer’ to ‘non-member state’. Norway and Sweden also voted in favour.
Last week's top read stories:
1. Cold Danes need to warm up to expats, panel says
3. Police hunt for fourth stabbing suspect
