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STICKY POST

Where are you from?


Welcome to my place, a place of a keen amateur photographer. Please feel free to look around.

You are very welcome to comment on my posts if you feel like it, but please don't be rude to the other bloggers that hang around here.

Please leave a message here in my guest book, and tell me where you're from. There have been bloggers here from all over the world. :happy:

The Art of Writing...

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...Or: How a writer gets inspired...

Will Economic Crisis hit Denmark?

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Experts are predicting the recession that has hit the US will be felt in Denmark starting as soon as next year.

It is apparently still true that when the US sneezes Europe catches a cold, as both the Danish Bank Nordea Bank and the International Monetary Fund believe a weakening British pound and an waning US dollar will hamper the world's economy, and Denmark will not be spared.

A new analysis indicates that several other factors have also contributed to a bleaker economic outlook for the next two years: the bottom of the Danish housing market having fallen out, American consumers are shutting their pocketbooks, an ailing stock market and rising food and fuel prices.

Nordea still predicts a growth of 1.5 percent of GNP in 2008 - and that is only half that of 2007. By 2009, the bank says growth will have slowed to 0.9 percent. Predictions from IMF are even more grim, as they forecast only a 0.6 percent growth by 2009.

The sluggish growth will be felt on the job market, as a serious increase in unemployment. :frown:

As of March 1st 2008 - Statistic Denmark's most up-to-date figures - unemployment was at an all-time low of 55,400, or just 2 percent.




*Saves a little extra for a rainy day*

Orchid

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Orchid comes from Greek mythology, Orchid = Orkhis.

In Greek mythology, Orchis was the son of a nymph and a satyr. During a celebratory feast for Bacchus, Orchis committed the sacrilege of attempting to rape a priestess, resulting in his being torn apart by wild beasts, then metamorphosing into a slender and modest plant.


I know the story is not pretty, but at least the flower is. :happy:

Carnival in Copenhagen

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I could hear the drums long before I could see anything. The sound went right through me like a deep pulse beat. I jostled my way closer, I wanted to see it all from the beginning. Suddenly I saw feathers above the crowd. They were here. The carnival parade!

Whitsun is closely connected with Carnival in Copenhagen, and has been since 1982, where the first big carnival took place here. It was started by the English painter John Little, who had seen the carnivals in the Caribbeans, and loved the cheerfulness it expressed. He founded the organisation "Carnival in May", which arranged the carnival the following years.

"The street is the stage and you are the performer!" - was the slogan back in 1982 when it took place for the first time. Copenhagen was a mess after the giant festival: Broken bottles and garbage everywhere. A huge amount of money was spent on cleaning up the streets. 12 years after, in 1993, the organisation "Carnival in May" went bankrupt.

A new organisation took over in 1994. At the same time the carnival was moved from the centre of Copenhagen to a huge park in another district of Copenhagen, and it changed so it was mostly the groups that was dressed up. The new organisation called themselves "Carnical in Copenhagen", and has arranged it until last year, where they gave up as well.

Now, in 2008, "Team Karneval 08" has taken over. It will be interesting if this is going to be the last carnival in Copenhagen. I hope it isn't! The concept has changed from being a people's festival where many people dressed up, into some giant parades with artists and dancers from all over Europe, but I love it.

The First Bee

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The weather has been amazingly good for some days now. Sunny and warm, just the way I love it! :happy:
I went for a walk in the park the other day, and the tulips sure look like they enjoy the sun as well:

After having toddled along for a while I suddenly saw something that made me very happy: A bee! The first proof that macro season has started! :yes: He is cute, right? - And greedy too, look at all that nectar he collected already!
He didn't like the flash much though; he kept moving to another flower each time it went off! :D

Coca Cola vs. Pepsi

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I must confess: I have been a fan of Coca Cola, but it's years ago. This cola thing, it's like a religion. It is as if you can only be fan of one brand. And I have converted. Now I only drink Pepsi Max.

First of all, I like the taste much better.
And now I know why. I saw this sign on the street the other day:


Does this bottle look as if it contains half a urine test or what!?

P:

Cheating Restaurant

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I went to an Italian restaurant the other day, nothing fancy, just a plain restaurant where they serve both pizzas and pasta. I paid with my Visa-card, 251 Danish Kroner (~33 Euros). I wasn't really impressed about the waitress so I decided not to tip her. - This is common in Denmark, tip is included, but you tip if you think service is extraordinary.

I checked my account a couple of days later, and got very surprised to see that the restaurant had drawn 276 Danish kroner (~36.5 Euros) from my account. 3.5 Euros more than I should have paid.

There are two options, as I see it.

1. The waitress decided for herself that she deserved a tip, and took extra money from my account to get it

or

2. The restaurant-owner systematically cheats the costumers by taking extra money from the cards. The smart thing about doing it this way is that he only takes such a small amount that most people wouldn't want to bother to get back.

No matter what the reason is, it's fraud.

So I went to the bank and filled out some papers, that forces them to contact the restaurant and hear their version of the case. And I concider writing a letter about it in the local papers. As I have mentioned before, there is nothing shops fear more than bad press and loosing money.

I know it is only 3.5 Euros, but it's not about the money, it is the principle!

ParadIS ~ ParadICE

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In Denmark we have a chain of ice cream shops called ParadIS (ParadICE). They make very tasty icecream, and they say that they only sell icecream produced the very same day. That turns out to be a modified truth.

It occurs that ParadIS systematically use the ice cream from previous days in today's production. It is common that 20% of the "new" ice cream are yesterday's leftovers. Twenty percent!

Does it matter? A day more or less can't make a difference? Yes, It matters! One: If some part of today's ice cream will be blended in tomorrow's ice cream and some of tomorrow's ice cream will be blended in the next day's and so on, it means you can end up with something that have be frozen more times than I like to think of. And two: Don't tell me it's from today when it's obviously not!

Shame on you, ParadIS. I am through with you!

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