quarta-feira, 4 de novembro de 2009
Natal
Okay
terça-feira, 3 de novembro de 2009
Want citizenship? Forget it
Want citizenship? Forget it
By Michala Clante Bendixen, member of the Committee for Underground Refugees
Most Danes take their citizenship for granted. But if you or your parents weren’t born in Denmark, obtaining citizenship can be an impossible dream, even if you’ve spent your whole life here. Very few people realise just how strict the rules for naturalisation have become over the past few years. Without comparison, Denmark now has the toughest demands in Europe.
We have reached a point without much debate where a number of people will never become ‘true Danes’ with full rights, no matter how big an effort they make, or how long they have lived in the country. The required levels for language skills and economic status, plus knowledge of Danish culture and history, are so high that many ‘old’ Danes wouldn’t pass the test. Even members of the Danish parliament have failed the test when they tried it for fun.
A certain amount of language skills and knowledge of the country seems a reasonable prerequisite for a Danish passport. But it is hard to argue for demands that many will never be able to meet. Nine out of ten of the newly arrived refugees from Burma will never pass the language test according to a survey by the Danish Refugee Council. And these are refugees hand-picked for their integration potential.So what are the demands exactly? As explained below they include having lived a certain number of years in Denmark, being able to support oneself, having a clean criminal record, passing a language exam as well as a multiple choice test on culture and history, and finally signing a statement.
Firstly, you must have been living, legally, in the country for the past nine years, without interruption. Then you must prove that you have been able to support yourself for four of the last five years, and have no debts to the state. You also have to give up your present citizenship as Denmark doesn’t accept dual citizenship.
A conviction for a minor crime can postpone it for several years, and the citizenship is completely out of the question if you have ever had a conviction for more than 60 days. And regarding the proportions I have found an example where the possession of 0.7g of hash will postpone your citizenship by 11 years, on top of the nine you already had to wait.
Last winter the new, and tougher, version of the naturalisation test (Indfødsretprøven) was introduced, and barely 25 percent passed it. In it you have 45 minutes to answer a minimum of 32 out of 40 multiple choice questions correctly. The questions can be about the European Parliament, the population groups in the Viking age, the year a certain Danish political party was established, the name of a Danish sculptor etc. Basically, these are questions that only one third of the ‘original’ Danish population can answer correctly, namely the ones with higher education degrees. Besides, the questions are completely irrelevant with regards to daily participation in Danish society.
Then there are the language skill requirements: only graduating from the highest level of Danish known as ‘Danskprøve 3’ gives access to citizenship. Individual teachers will determine which of the three levels you fit into, and you will only be placed on level 3 if you already have an education or about nine years of school attendance from your home country, and if you show promising abilities for future learning – the levels are parallel courses and you cannot rise from one to the next. The course has to be completed within three years.
Last but not least, you have to sign a statement saying that you will respect Danish law, not beat your wife and children and respect Danish democracy. Native Danes, like myself, have never agreed to this in writing – why is it assumed that new citizens may be more violent or hostile to society than existing ones?
Denmark now has the toughest citizenship demands in Europe. Most countries have no language test and have a much shorter time limit for application. In Sweden, for example, refugees can apply after only four years. Many countries encourage newcomers to become citizens because they see it as a way not just to improve integration but also to encourage an active and responsible participation in society. Most other countries also accept dual citizenship, for similar reasons.
The demands are also contrary to international conventions, as two leading NGOs have pointed out to the government. We have agreed to ease the way to citizenship for refugees and stateless people. Yet we are doing the exact opposite. The fact is that the demands are discriminatory, especially as refugees have a much poorer chance of learning Danish and getting a foothold on the labour market since many are traumatised and have neither an existing network to rely upon, nor appropriate job experience. Women are particularly subject to this discrimination because many arrive with less education and less work experience than men. Basically, an illiterate woman has no chance of ever obtaining citizenship.
The procedure in itself is also quite unique. Naturalisation is not a right, even if you fulfil all the demands. It is seen as a gift from the Parliament, as described in a dusty chapter of the Danish constitution. Unless the Police Intelligence Service are suspicious of you, your name will appear on a list which a parliamentary committee has to approve. According to esteemed lawyers, this procedure is against the Danish Law of Administration.
How can we demand that newcomers speak better Danish, be more industrious and better informed than the average citizen? My mother-in-law only went to school for six years and is dyslexic. An alcoholic on incapacity benefits is not self supportive. Yet they are all Danish citizens, with a passport and the right to vote.
The sad paradox is that it was Dansk Folkeparti who suggested all these new demands, yet surveys show that their voters would be the last ones to pass the test if they had to. Rather, the Danes with the highest level of education and income are the most positive about immigration.
Having the option to obtain citizenship in the country in which you live is important for the sense of belonging and taking an active part in society. It is about having influence and being protected by the country to which you belong. It is also about having a passport to enable you to travel freely. It’s about voting and applying for jobs.
Refugees have a special need to create bonds with their new country as they may never be able to return to their home countries, and most of them feel a deep and sincere gratitude for their asylum. So why not welcome them for real when we have already given them a residency permit?
The tough demands originate from the idea of assimilation rather than integration. I am convinced that each applicant wants to make an effort to prove their attachment to Denmark. However, when it becomes too difficult, the overall effect will be poorer integration and further division between the different ethnic groups.
terça-feira, 27 de outubro de 2009
Mais e mais sobre o idioma Dinamarquês
Danish dialects thriving
University researcher’s new project refutes the myth that the country’s dialects are dying out
University of Southern Denmark researcher Michael Ejstrup’s PhD project on dialects shows that people living in the west may still have trouble understanding those in the east of Denmark.
Dialects, according to Ejstrup’s research, are not dying out as popularly perceived.
The doctoral candidate’s investigation focused mainly on vowel sounds. The way in which people articulate vowels revealed where they were from, Ejstrup explained.And according to his investigation, the Danish dialects appear to be thriving.
Ejstrup recorded the speech of 39 people from Skjern in western Jutland, Sønderborg in southern Jutland, Nyborg on Funen, Næstved in southern Zealand, Copenhagen and Rønne on Bornholm.
Each person had lived in the same place their whole life and was aged between 20 and 45 years old.
Ejstrup said there were many more vowel sounds in Danish than the nine alphabetical ones. Copenhageners used about 42 distinct vowels sounds, while a western Jutlander used up to 53.
He said there was a fear in Denmark that dialects were dying out. This, he believed, stemmed from children not speaking like their grandparents. But regional dialects remain even if they are not inherited, Ejstrup’s research shows.
segunda-feira, 19 de outubro de 2009
Trabalho na Dinamarca 2
Pessoas,
Expats in Denmark
quarta-feira, 2 de setembro de 2009
"Aula" de Dinamarques
terça-feira, 12 de maio de 2009
Temperos
Português - Dinamarquês
---------------------------
açafrão - safran
aipo - selleri
alho - hvidløg
azeite - olie
cebola - løg
cebolinha - Pibeløg
coentro - koriander
colorau - paprika
cominho - spidskommen
cravo - nellike
cravo-da-índia - fed
canela - kanel
erva-doce - fennikel
escabeche - escabeche
gengibre - ingefær
gergelim - sesam
hortelã - mynte
menta - mynte
mostarda - sennep
noz-moscada - muskatnød
orégano - oregano
páprica - paprika
pimenta - peber
pimenta-do-reino - peber
pimenta-malagueta - chili peber
raiz-forte - peberrod (wasabi)
sal - salt
salsa - persille
salsinha - persille
tabasco - Tabasco
tomilho - timian
vinagrete - vinaigrette
quinta-feira, 7 de maio de 2009
Onde comprar
Select Shopping: Læderstræde
Læderstræde,Cph K
The longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe and a highway for tourists, Strøget is not the street to hit if you’re looking for boutique shops and Copenhagen charm. That said, some of the side streets that run off this main shopping artery are fantastic if you want a relaxed and more unique shopping experience. Læderstræde is one of these streets. It connects to Amagertorv and runs parallel to Gammel Strand, which lies alongside the canal.
Stilleben
Læderstræde 14, Mon-Thurs 11:00-18:00, Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 11:00-16:00; 3391 1131
Kitch Bitch
Læderstræde 30, Mon-Thurs 11:00-18:00, Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 11:00-16:00; 3313 6313
Gottschalch Antiques
Læderstræde 13; Tues-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-13:00; 3312 1910
Wettergren & Graunmann
Læderstræde 5, Mon-Thurs 11:00-18:00, Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 11.:00-16:00; 3313 1405
Erik Sjødahl
Læderstræde 11a, opening hours vary
Read the full reviews of each store in this week's In & Out guide.
quinta-feira, 30 de abril de 2009
Clima
Pois bem. Ano passado eu estava no dia Primeiro de maio e estava feliz por poder por minha calça pra cima e curtir o sol. Este ano, por algum milagre que nao acontecia ha algum tempo, deste marco está fazendo sol.
Não sou supericioso mas falar de mais dá azar, então preferi não comentar (tah... tah... tah bom, fo preguiça mesmo, mas to pensando em postar isso faz tempo);
Pois bem, esse ano eu queria marcar duas coisas bem importantes: uma semana antes da pascoa eu já estava aproveitando o sol E hoje é a primeira noite que durmo - ou tento dormir com a janela dormindo aberota.
Abs e boa noite - pra quem é de boa noite.
quarta-feira, 11 de março de 2009
Expat in Denmark
Giving foreign employees a warm welcome and a social network is seen as the best way to keep them in Denmark for the long-term
A 4.5 million kroner initiative aimed at retaining foreign professionals living in Denmark was unveiled by the Business and Economy Ministry today. The network, the first publicly funded organisation of its kind in Denmark, will be operated by a consortium that consists of The Copenhagen Post, the Danish Chamber of Commerce and the Danish Bankers Association.
The network, known as the National Network for Foreign Employees, is part of a wider multi-million kroner national strategy to increase awareness of the country internationally and will aid foreign professionals and their companies navigate the relocation and integration process.
According to Business and Economy Minister Lene Espersen, doing this will lead to more foreign professionals staying in Denmark for longer periods of time by helping them and their spouses to deal with practical issues associated with living here.‘A lot of companies have problems retaining foreign professionals because Denmark isn’t really geared to attracting people from abroad,’ Espersen said. ‘Denmark has a lot to offer, but we need to be better at showing that to foreigners and helping them so they feel like staying.’
The Copenhagen Post was chosen to be a part of the consortium that was granted the tender to operate the network given its role as a source of information for and about the expatriate community.
‘It’s great that public officials are finally recognising that we need something like this,’ said Jesper Nymark, chief executive of The Copenhagen Post. ‘We’re glad to be a part of it, but really it’s just important that it gets done, otherwise people will find some place else where it is easier to live.’
The centrepiece of the network will be the website expatindenmark.com, which has been offering advice and news for expats since last year. Over the next two years, the Expat in Denmark network will add a number of new activities that will include an on-line helpline, regional and local networks and programmes to help spouses find work.
In addition, the network will also organise professional and social events and serve as a clearing house of information for companies and public officials seeking to hire and retain foreign professionals.
Despite continuing job losses in 2009 and into 2010, Espersen described the network as a way of ‘thinking ahead’ in order to head off a situation that could see as many as 40,000 unfilled highly skilled jobs by 2015.
‘We need smart, qualified people from abroad, but more than that we need them to stay here,’ she said.

