Art & Money

Love the circumstances! This was the piece of advice given by self-taught artist, poster designer, scenographer - and much more - Per Arnoldi, when I interviewed him as part of my interview project. He has held worldwide expositions, successfully mixing art and money. Whether in hardship og success the piece of advice paradoxically stays the same: Just love it (and live with it). Probably easier to say after a lifetime of lucrative production and positition. But hey, just love the circumstances. Anyway.

For further information about Per Arnoldi, current exhibitions, picture downloads, please see:
http://www.arnoldi.dk/
http://www.nivaagaard.dk/?Home%26nbsp%3B

http://www.nivaagaard.dk/?Presse:Arnoldi%2C_fotomateriale

Women In Power

Today Anne Vang, a young political science student and a citizen representative in the Copenhagen City Council for The Social Democrats (A), received the Nina Bang prize for her political influence. The Nina Bang prize was conceived by former Social Democrat and Minister of Cultural Affairs, Jytte Hilden. And several present and former Social Democrat women were present at the event. Among them Lord Mayor Ritt Bjerregaard, vice president of the parliamentary group of the party, Mette Frederiksen, and spokes person in the Danish parliament for education, Christine Antorini. The two latter former Nina Bang prize honoraries.

The prize was named after the first woman to be elected to public office in the Copenhagen city hall in 1913, and the world's first appointed minister in The Social Democrat government under Thorvald Stauning in 1924. The event took place at the KVINFO centre, a research centre about women's history, litterature, and gender equality. At least prizes will make these women visible. To men who find it difficult to see them for appointments.

For further information see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/surrounded-by-women.

The Difference Is the Byline

Writing one-sidedly is not difficult, nor rejectable. People do that all the time. Even journalists - working in communication and information positions. That's all good and fine. But to camouflage information and advertising as articles is something quite different. The difference is the sender. The difference is the byline.

Niche Integrity

People don't want to pay for news. They just want to be roughly informed. Hence the market of free newspapers. Hence the internet news publications. As a journalist, I can get well-paid offers writing one-sidedly about different issues. Or not. This brings me to today's journalistic paradox: why do so many uncritical magazines and publications emerge that employ journalists - where they could simply do with information people? Why do journalists occupy information people's positions at all? And why do information people occupy journalistic positions? An upside-down media world. Riding on a wave of ignorance.

Only those who truly want to get educated and wiser after reading news are willing to pay for a niche publication. Such are the conditions. And today's radio show about people and the media - people in the media, Mennesker og Medier with DR journalist Lasse Jensen, debated this with editor in chief of the weekly letter of Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen, Erik Rasmussen. Much like its counterpart - the weekly letter of Ugebrevet A4, published by the union and labour market player of LO - the weekly letter focuses on societal, economical, and political issues with thorough analyses each week. And has a readership of politicians, decision makers, and media people. The publication is not free - it is actually quite costly, with special offers for students. But some people are willing to pay for knowledge. Still.

Political Mice

When the cat's out the mice play on the table. Yesterday Simon Emil Ammitzbøll manifested himself through a vacant point of view. Formerly a Social Liberal (B), now more of a centered, constitutional liberal outside of parties after a nasty break up with party leader Margrethe Vestager, he had a political win through a niche political project: his suggestion to allow homosexual couples to adopt children on an equal basis as the rest of us won a majority vote in the Danish parliament. Even as a majority vote outside of the sitting government of The Liberals (V) and The Conservatives (C) and its supporting Right wing party (O). Simply because the joint opposition of The Red-Green Alliance (Ø), The Socialist People's Party (F), The Social Democrats (A), and The Social Liberals (B) gained support from six wild mice playing on the table, mainly Liberals voting against the government parties. Good for them. Good for Simon Emil Ammitzbøll. Good for the homosexual couples.

For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:

http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics

Tongue-tied and Slippery

Calling Naser Khader! Thank you for finally bursting the news. You know I was in on the rumour of your conservative shift weeks ago - but I chose not to follow the story, because you kept it zipped. Tongue-tied and slippery. This is the paradox of assuring backing for your story: you end up losing the story. Maybe this is why we see so many 'rumour dogs' in the industry? Not that easy being a fair journalist...

A Cat and Dog Press Conference

Today at the weekly press conference at the Prime Minister's Department practically every journalist had come to confirm the rumours about Anders Fogh Rasmussen's, The Liberal Party of Denmark (V), candidature for the upcoming position as the NATO Secretary General - or the like. And again today he wouldn't respond to hypothetical questions. The same adroit cat versus lethargic dog game as always.

What did happen - and what was reported by the Prime Minister was good news for the economically drained: as of June the public special retirement funds will be released for payment. And good news for the municipalities. Since the government plans to ease on the fixed ceiling for the initial expenditures for construction in the municipalities - i.e. for schools, nurseries, homes for the elderly. Good news from the viewpoint of particularly the opposition, first and foremost The Social Democrats (A), The Socialist People's Party (F), and The Red-Green Alliance (Ø). Although they would probably have preferred making this announcement themselves. But such is the paradox of being in opposition to an adroit cat.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen also commented at length about the gang violence in the streets of Copenhagen, with wild shootings of particularly immigrant youth gangs and Hell's Angels - fighting over the narcotics market. He condemned these shootings and violent attacks in strong terms, suggesting a government plan to stop these. Primarily through extended police presence in the streets, tougher punishment, extended possibility of expulsions, extended possibility of phone tapping, tougher parental injunctions - for instance liability to pay for damages - and extra preventive meassures to help immigrant youths out of the gangs. This will no doubt please the tough-on-crime government party of The Conservatives (C) and the supporting party of The Danish People's Party (O).

And as pointed out by a member of the press, there was even good news for Anders Fogh Rasmussen himself: He is soon to become a grandfather, and is looking forward to this new multitasking duty. All in all something for everybody. Except for the dogs.

For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics

An Off-Beat Film Producer

How do you become a successful film producer? You start by playing drums with limited talent. Today I interviewed the Zentropa film producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen. Believing in his own talent, he thought he would become a jazz drummer. After losing a fortune, he then got into the film industry by way of making video segments of Danish hit bands, just as the concept of music videos was new.

He found his talent, and more than twenty years later he found himself breathing through Cohibas and running the Zentropa film company, artistically headed by film director Lars von Trier - internationally known for Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Europa among others. And for initiating the whole Dogma concept, where films were stripped from artificial effects down to an absolute essential minimum of natural light and sound.

Today, the off-beat producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen runs the company of Zentropa with a soft heart and hard head. He has introduced singing in the company in the morning, but is known for firing employees through text messages. He will play the drums on special occasions with friends - just for the love of it. Off-beat and with limited talent.

Compromise And Barter

I joined a group of journalists covering environmental and energy issues on a tour to the European Parliament and the European Commission this week. The talks were very informative - although everything seems to await the trialogue negotiations between the council, the parliament, and the commission end of March. And the pending white book on the issues this April. But what can you do as negotiator if you've bartered until the early hours of the morning - and then some East block representative wakes up and says Njet?

Environ-Mentally Speaking

Brussels looks the same as always: charming and ugly at one and the same time, with the wonderful narrow town houses, modern prestige buildings, and what seems to be permanent building sites all over the inner city. Such are the environmental conditions, and paradoxically no one is bothered by environment in the aesthetic sense of the word. Even European Parliament representatives joked about the ever redundant city plan.

A 20/20/20 Vision

Most people know what a 20/20 vision means - but environmentally speaking here comes the '20/20/20 by 2020 vision' from Brussels: it means that by 2020 there should be a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (CO2), a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency, and a 20 percent share for renewable energy sources in the EU energy mix.

An example of the scoring points through the CO2 quota system and the energy mix was given: if the Danish energy company of DONG were to construct a wind mill energy plant off the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea - there could be scoring points along all three elements of the 20/20/20 vision. The company of DONG will score on the CO2 emission quota system. The Bulgarian state will score on the renewable energy goals. And the Belgium state could buy the renewable energy from the Bulgarian state through the inner open market in Europe - thus scoring on energy efficiency, because they could potentially buy the energy cheaper than would be the case if they were to build the energy plant themselves. And presto: the 20/20/20 vision is realized. Strengthening the whole European region in obtaining the overall UN goals from the Kyoto agreements.

Spring Package 2.0

So now the Spring Package 2.0 tax reform is realised - through the joint efforts of one side of the parliament, with The Danish People's Party (O) as the warrant for reliefs in the bottom taxes. The Socialist People's Party (F), The Socialdemocrats (A), The Danish Social Liberal Party (B), and Liberal Alliance (Y) gradually fell like flies over a period of only a couple of days. Paradox: Wonder why the sitting government didn't want to assure a broad compromise across the parliament, when it comes to long term tax reforms that will stretch beyond the current government period? Democracy is truly difficult.

For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics