The Danes will soon confront terrorism in their front rooms. A new sitcom, The Terror Cell, follows the lives of terrorists conspiring in Denmark. The main characters include:
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Money could very well be the root of all evil — though in the latest study of corrupt countries, it's actually the lack of money that sparks trouble. The new report by Transparency International found that in two-fifths of the world's nations, corruption continues to intensify — a trend that can be traced to economic realities. In the countries found to be the most corrupt, 40 percent are classified by the World Bank as low income.
Transparency International's rankings range on a scale from 10 (on the up-and-up) to 1 (rampant corruption).
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The world is happier — thanks to economic growth, democracy, and social tolerance, according to the World Values Study. The findings contradicted the assumption that regardless of changing variables, happiness remains constant.
The researchers credit relative quality of life improvements for the global rise in happiness; for example, low-income societies like China experienced economic growth while developed societies saw a rise in equality and tolerance.
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A Danish television station held a “Miss Headscarf 2008” beauty contest to show “cool Muslim women who often make up a very fashion-conscious and style-confident part of the Danish street scene.” The hope behind the pageant was to quell the controversy over calls for a ban on Islamic dress in public and foster healthy debate.
One behind the pageant says, "We would like to contact all the Muslim women who are seldom heard in the debate but are often just as preoccupied with fashion and beauty as other women." Entrants in the pageant don't have to be Muslim, they just need to submit a photo of themselves wearing a headscarf. One of the contestants in her video says, "It's about the time the media talked to us, and not about us all the time."
Not everyone thinks it's a great idea. To see why not, the BBC video of the story, and the winner, .
This idea is widely criticized by Islamic traditionalists, one of whom, a spokesman for the Islamic Society, said: “I strongly advise the girls to shun the competition," and went on to compare the women competing to nuns competing in a beauty pageant.
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Bomb Blast at Danish Embassy in Pakistan Kills Eight
According to the Telegraph: "A suicide bomber has attacked Denmark's embassy in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, killing up to eight people and leaving dozens more injured. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the blast came within weeks of al-Qa'eda number two Ayman al-Zawahri calling for attacks on Danish targets in response to the publication of caricatures in Danish newspapers depicting the Prophet Mohammed."
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The birthplace of the Ikea flat-pack also finds itself home to some pretty controversial ads. Unlike its Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden does not ban advertisements insulting to women. Considering advertising a form of free speech, Sweden allows sexist images — such as nurse lying on a bed with male underpants covering her face.
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I always thought the United States was associated with wealth and stability. Well, apparently not according to the latest rankings of country stability and prosperity. The US is ranked 22nd, with a still respectable score of 93 out of 100, coming in behind Ireland, Portugal, Denmark, Australia, and France, to name a few.
Iraq just escaped the bottom ten, thanks to the high number of foreign troops and high level of oil revenue.
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I don't know too many houses that don't contain an Ikea doodad or two (hundred, in my case) but I had no idea that I was disrespecting my Danish heritage with my love of the ISERUD. So the story is this: the Danes are accusing Swedish home-furnishings giant Ikea of cultural imperialism because in the wacky Ikea naming scheme, it turns out all of the doormats, floor coverings, and less-than-glamorous items are given Danish names, while the fancy things like beds and sofas are all Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish names.
The Danes claim Ikea is walking all over them.
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When the Volkswagen Fox launched a few years ago, the Hotel Fox in Copenhagen, Denmark, invited 21 international artists to outfit and design 61 rooms as they saw fit. The designs that emerged ranged in style from fairytale fantasy to cool modern art. Artists such as Miami's Friends With You and Australia's Rinzen worked to create rooms that would truly transport visitors from the everyday workaday world to a vacation fantasy realm.
Besides the amazing rooms, the hotel also features a bar and restaurant that work together to pair signature cocktails with healthy and innovative food.
Just as the Egg Chair celebrates its 50th year, it's only fitting that an equally delightful, yet derivative, design come to shore. Welcome the Lobster Chair (inquire for price). Created by yet another Danish firm, Lund & Paarmann, "Lobster" looks suspiciously similar to Mr.
