VÆRNEPLIGT
The obligation to do værnepligt ("national service") is part of the Danish constitution. However, both the number of young men doing it and the length of time they do it for, have fallen sharply in recent years. In particular, there are now so many volunteers that it is almost completely non-compulsory. My elder son did it for four months a couple of years ago, since it paid him a good wage, and - being sporty - kept him fit. But I don't think he thought, even at the time, that he was contributing much to Denmark's future defence. What he did learn was that the way to get on in the army is not to have any original thoughts or ideas whatsoever.
Now we are in the middle of hard economic times, and the Defence Ministry has to find kr.2,7 billion in savings; abolishing the expensive and inefficient værnepligt is an obvious target. Because of its place in the constitution, abolition is in fact not possible without a referendum. Politicians are therefore looking to "suspend" it in the first instance.
Britain has not had compulsory national service since the end of the 1950's. If there are enough volunteers, then that is a much better way to recruit. Volunteers tend to be both more motivated and to stay for longer, thereby giving a better return on the investment in their training. Certainly the British Army has a good reputation amongst the world's defence forces.
Some right-of-centre Danish politicians are beginning to foam at the mouth at the supposed weakening of Denmark's defences. Yet the fact remains that Denmark would be very hard pressed to defend itself against anybody, without help from its NATO allies. Recognising that, and reshaping defence priorities to reflect the reality, is a sensible way forward. Værnepligt should go.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Monday, 8 October 2012
THE RED CROSS
The International Committee of the Red Cross, to give it its official name, sprang from the writings and ideas of the Swiss businessman Henri Dunant. In 1859 he happened to witness the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in Italy, and was appalled by the casualties and lack of medical facilities for the wounded. He pushed hard for national voluntary relief agencies that would look after wounded soldiers, and for a system of international treaties that would protect both them and medical personnel. The latter eventually resulted in the Geneva Conventions, which still govern human rights in time of war.
Yesterday was the annual collection day for the Danish Red Cross society. Since my wife is chairman of the local branch, it would be difficult for me not to participate; but I would be happy to do it anyway. The Red Cross is often associated with work in war zones, but it also does a lot of things domestically. Integrating refugees and helping their children with homework, visiting lonely people, running a second-hand clothes shop, helping people in the process of dying, and much else.
My route took me to the most rural parts of what is quite a rural area, where houses are not just set back from the main road but are up to a kilometre up a dirt track. I quite like this route, since it gives me the opportunity to see at first hand how much is going on in the local renovation market, as people turn run-down farmsteads into modern dwellings. Not everyone was at home, and of those that were, not everyone contributed; but most people did, even if it was just with a few coins. My wife was pleased with the end result.
In these straightened times, charities are finding it difficult to raise money. But the Red Cross seems to be an organisation that is much appreciated. And not just by me.
Walter Blotscher
The International Committee of the Red Cross, to give it its official name, sprang from the writings and ideas of the Swiss businessman Henri Dunant. In 1859 he happened to witness the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in Italy, and was appalled by the casualties and lack of medical facilities for the wounded. He pushed hard for national voluntary relief agencies that would look after wounded soldiers, and for a system of international treaties that would protect both them and medical personnel. The latter eventually resulted in the Geneva Conventions, which still govern human rights in time of war.
Yesterday was the annual collection day for the Danish Red Cross society. Since my wife is chairman of the local branch, it would be difficult for me not to participate; but I would be happy to do it anyway. The Red Cross is often associated with work in war zones, but it also does a lot of things domestically. Integrating refugees and helping their children with homework, visiting lonely people, running a second-hand clothes shop, helping people in the process of dying, and much else.
My route took me to the most rural parts of what is quite a rural area, where houses are not just set back from the main road but are up to a kilometre up a dirt track. I quite like this route, since it gives me the opportunity to see at first hand how much is going on in the local renovation market, as people turn run-down farmsteads into modern dwellings. Not everyone was at home, and of those that were, not everyone contributed; but most people did, even if it was just with a few coins. My wife was pleased with the end result.
In these straightened times, charities are finding it difficult to raise money. But the Red Cross seems to be an organisation that is much appreciated. And not just by me.
Walter Blotscher
Saturday, 6 October 2012
CREMATION
I went to the funeral this afternoon of a local man. For many years he had been the treasurer of the local cinema, which is how I knew him.
He was cremated, which is still a bit unusual in Denmark, at least out in the countryside where I live. And rather different from how it proceeds in the U.K. My stepfather and my brother were both cremated, and the service was the same. We assembled at the crematorium, the service was held in the chapel, and then the coffin disappeared behind a closed screen into the incinerator round the back.
Here, the service was in the local church. That included the traditional "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" speech, which would normally take place at the graveside, the priest merely putting a small amount of earth on top of the coffin by the altar. Afterwards, the coffin was taken to the hearse at the church gate, while the mourners followed. The car then drove off to the incinerator in Odense, some 30km away. Nobody, not even the immediate family, went with it.
On the way home, I puzzled over why the ritual should be different. Perhaps it is because the Danish Lutheran church is a state church, in which most (in olden times, all) people are automatically registered, and which is still financed by an extra levy on the state income tax. Two hundred years ago, everybody would have been buried in the local churchyard after a service conducted by the priest. Cremation may now be allowed, but old habits die hard.
Walter Blotscher
I went to the funeral this afternoon of a local man. For many years he had been the treasurer of the local cinema, which is how I knew him.
He was cremated, which is still a bit unusual in Denmark, at least out in the countryside where I live. And rather different from how it proceeds in the U.K. My stepfather and my brother were both cremated, and the service was the same. We assembled at the crematorium, the service was held in the chapel, and then the coffin disappeared behind a closed screen into the incinerator round the back.
Here, the service was in the local church. That included the traditional "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" speech, which would normally take place at the graveside, the priest merely putting a small amount of earth on top of the coffin by the altar. Afterwards, the coffin was taken to the hearse at the church gate, while the mourners followed. The car then drove off to the incinerator in Odense, some 30km away. Nobody, not even the immediate family, went with it.
On the way home, I puzzled over why the ritual should be different. Perhaps it is because the Danish Lutheran church is a state church, in which most (in olden times, all) people are automatically registered, and which is still financed by an extra levy on the state income tax. Two hundred years ago, everybody would have been buried in the local churchyard after a service conducted by the priest. Cremation may now be allowed, but old habits die hard.
Walter Blotscher
Friday, 5 October 2012
FACEBOOK (2)
Facebook now has over a billion active users. That's a fair chunk of the world's total population, though the company's popularity is not evenly distributed. While in North America and Australia, more than 40% of the population are members, and in Europe almost 30%, Facebook is heavily outgunned in places such as Russia and China by local alternatives. VKontakte in Russia, for instance, has 100 million members to Facebook's just seven million.
Having said that, a billion customers is still pretty good for a company that started less than a decade ago. And all the indications are that that customer base will continue to grow in the future, as Africa and Asia get more and more hooked up to the internet. It's just a pity that I still don't really get Facebook.
Walter Blotscher
Facebook now has over a billion active users. That's a fair chunk of the world's total population, though the company's popularity is not evenly distributed. While in North America and Australia, more than 40% of the population are members, and in Europe almost 30%, Facebook is heavily outgunned in places such as Russia and China by local alternatives. VKontakte in Russia, for instance, has 100 million members to Facebook's just seven million.
Having said that, a billion customers is still pretty good for a company that started less than a decade ago. And all the indications are that that customer base will continue to grow in the future, as Africa and Asia get more and more hooked up to the internet. It's just a pity that I still don't really get Facebook.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday, 4 October 2012
SPELLING
It's official. The word that Danes have most trouble spelling is "af sted", meaning away (as in go away).
I am not so surprised. The f is silent, and the d sounds like the th in "the". But the most difficult thing is that it is made up of two smaller words, af (from) and sted (place, as in the older English word stead). When you say it in Danish, it is impossible - even for Danes - to hear whether it is one word or two.
It's often written as one word, but the correct spelling is as two. That's also official.
Walter Blotscher
It's official. The word that Danes have most trouble spelling is "af sted", meaning away (as in go away).
I am not so surprised. The f is silent, and the d sounds like the th in "the". But the most difficult thing is that it is made up of two smaller words, af (from) and sted (place, as in the older English word stead). When you say it in Danish, it is impossible - even for Danes - to hear whether it is one word or two.
It's often written as one word, but the correct spelling is as two. That's also official.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
IT STRUGGLES
Readers of this blog will know that I am no IT-expert. Two things have confirmed that in recent days.
The first was Google's decision to support blogger.com only through their Chrome browser. Although I have Chrome on my computer, it is not my browser of choice; so I often unconsciously go into the wrong browser when I write my blog posts. The effect of this is that sometimes posts get published with only the header and footer, and without the text body in the middle. As happened with this one, I think.
The second is my struggle to master an iPad, which is a new experience. Apple's way of doing things is completely different from the Windows system that I have worked with for the past 20 years. Luckily, my 18-year old daughter has a much better intuitive understanding of the i world than I do. She has just managed to help me make a video on my iPad, that I have to admit I am rather pleased with.
Walter Blotscher
Readers of this blog will know that I am no IT-expert. Two things have confirmed that in recent days.
The first was Google's decision to support blogger.com only through their Chrome browser. Although I have Chrome on my computer, it is not my browser of choice; so I often unconsciously go into the wrong browser when I write my blog posts. The effect of this is that sometimes posts get published with only the header and footer, and without the text body in the middle. As happened with this one, I think.
The second is my struggle to master an iPad, which is a new experience. Apple's way of doing things is completely different from the Windows system that I have worked with for the past 20 years. Luckily, my 18-year old daughter has a much better intuitive understanding of the i world than I do. She has just managed to help me make a video on my iPad, that I have to admit I am rather pleased with.
Walter Blotscher
Monday, 1 October 2012
LUKKELOVEN
Denmark woke up to a new era this morning, as the abolition of the Lukkeloven ("Closing Law") came into effect. This was the law that regulated the hours that shops and supermarkets could be open. Like most regulations of that ilk, they were complicated and slightly irritating. However, from today, a shop can open 24/7 all year round if it wants to. The only exceptions are 13.5 public holidays; but even there, the exception can be waived, if the shop's turnover is less than kr.32m (roughly £3.5m) a year.
My local Netto supermarket has already taken advantage of the looser regime, and will now open 8am - 10pm seven days a week. Beforehand it used to close much earlier in the evening, and was not always open on Sunday. So the new rules give me a much greater choice.
Apart from the increased options available to consumers, the main winners from the change will be youngsters under 18, whom the supermarkets will hire to man the check-outs, since they are cheap. However, since longer opening hours are unlikely to lead to more purchases of vegetables, the effect on retail businesses is likely to be some sort of cannibalisation. Bigger supermarkets will probably win at the expense of smaller ones; but rural supermarkets may also win at the expense of big city ones, since people will be able to shop closer to home, and queues/parking are easier.
If the economic effect is uncertain, the legal effect is not. This is a liberalisation that won't be reversed.
Walter Blotscher
Denmark woke up to a new era this morning, as the abolition of the Lukkeloven ("Closing Law") came into effect. This was the law that regulated the hours that shops and supermarkets could be open. Like most regulations of that ilk, they were complicated and slightly irritating. However, from today, a shop can open 24/7 all year round if it wants to. The only exceptions are 13.5 public holidays; but even there, the exception can be waived, if the shop's turnover is less than kr.32m (roughly £3.5m) a year.
My local Netto supermarket has already taken advantage of the looser regime, and will now open 8am - 10pm seven days a week. Beforehand it used to close much earlier in the evening, and was not always open on Sunday. So the new rules give me a much greater choice.
Apart from the increased options available to consumers, the main winners from the change will be youngsters under 18, whom the supermarkets will hire to man the check-outs, since they are cheap. However, since longer opening hours are unlikely to lead to more purchases of vegetables, the effect on retail businesses is likely to be some sort of cannibalisation. Bigger supermarkets will probably win at the expense of smaller ones; but rural supermarkets may also win at the expense of big city ones, since people will be able to shop closer to home, and queues/parking are easier.
If the economic effect is uncertain, the legal effect is not. This is a liberalisation that won't be reversed.
Walter Blotscher
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