Denmark – the cancer country

Denmark has been named as the world's cancer capital, with some 326 people in every 100,000 developing the disease each year.

One reason why Danish people seem to be particularly susceptible to cancer is that its record of diagnosing the disease is so good, meaning that more cases are picked up by the country's doctors than in most other parts of the world.
But there are also lifestyle factors which could be having an influence on the figures reported by the World Cancer Research Fund from the World Health Organisation.
A larger than average proportion of Danish women are smokers, while the country also has high levels of alcohol consumption, both of which have been shown to increase the risk of developing cancer.
The figures show that high-income countries tend to have higher rates of cancer than less developed parts of the world, with 13 European countries, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand among the top 20 states for overall cancer rates.
This is likely to be due in part to better diagnostics in developed countries, but the tendency of wealthier populations to be more obese, consume more alcohol and get less exercise are also a significant factor.

From The Telegraph (with comments)

Turk beaten by guards in Danish prison dies

Ekrem Şahin, a 23-year-old Turkish inmate who was serving a two-year sentence in Denmark’s Kolding Prison passed away after he was severely beaten by prison guards and went into a coma.

Şahin, who was sentenced to two years on charges of robbery, was beaten by nearly ten prison guards after he refused to be transferred to another prison. His heart stopped after the incident and he was taken to the Odense University Hospital. His heart began beating following the doctors’ efforts but he remained in critical condition. Şahin died at the hospital on Saturday [Jan. 15th].

The Danish police, who earlier called the event resulting in Ekrem Şahin’s coma, “an ordinary, everyday event,” took action after the incident hit the Turkish press and the Turkish Embassy got involved. The Danish police have launched a widespread investigation into the incident in order to prevent it from escalating. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has also been following the incident.

Source: Today's Zaman

Quickies

1. Iraqi religious leaders to meet in Denmark (The Gulf Today)

2. Danish opposition demands answers on overflight leaks (AFP)

46% of expat foreigners don’t feel wanted or welcome in Denmark

Well-educated foreigners leave Denmark due to not being fully capable of settling properly. The reason usually mentioned is that they have a strong difficulty in becoming a part of the community, and building a social network. Families become isolated and are unable to find their “place” here.
However, many people mentioned that not only do they struggle with integrating they also feel that they are not wanted in the country. That was the trigger to look more closely into this topic and served as the motivation for conducting this survey and to determine if the related experiences of not feeling welcome were singular and only the experience of a few or if it is the experience of many. By examining the experience of a large number of people it is my hope that problems can be identified and solutions found to help bridge the gap between Danes and the international community.
The result: 46% of the participants don't feel welcome versus 26% who do. 28% gave a neutral answer. Considering that 98% of the 703 survey participants are well-educated, this is a very worrying result especially as Denmark claims the need for well-educated work-force from abroad.
The result of the survey gives a strong signal that there seems to be a problem, that foreigners don’t feel wanted here. This is not only unpleasant for the foreigners themselves and can influence them to leave the country (which in fact many do), but it can also have serious consequences for Denmark and its economy.
Openness, friendliness, “hygge”, and treating people equally is the Danish way.
Or do we have to say “was” the Danish way? Considering the results of the survey, many foreigners don’t seem to experience these Danish qualities. Hopefully they will not get lost in the current focus of protecting Denmark.

From Worktrotter (including very interesting comments)

Fraud investigation rocks Danish university

Neuroscientist quits after accusations of academic misconduct.

A high-profile neuroscientist in Denmark has resigned after facing allegations that she committed research misconduct and misspent grant money. Meanwhile, the administration at the university where she worked has been accused of ignoring her alleged misdeeds for the better part of a decade.
Milena Penkowa, a 37-year-old researcher who was lauded in 2009 by the Danish science ministry, denies all the accusations against her and stands by her work, but left her post as a full professor at the University of Copenhagen in December.

In an open letter released on 22 December 2010, 58 Danish scientists have called for a transparent review of the alleged misconduct, which spans much of Penkowa's career. Details were first reported by the Danish newspaper Weekendavisen.

The university contends that it dealt with that incident adequately, and that more recent allegations of misconduct are being handled by the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, which is independent of the university.

"A parallel internal investigation aiming to uncover other possible suspicions about scientific dishonesty would create confusion," said University of Copenhagen chairman Nils Strandberg Pedersen in a statement.

Penkowa has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers, and her research focuses on brain-repair mechanisms and the role of a metal-binding protein called metallothionein.

Penkowa climbed the ranks of academe quickly, becoming a full professor in 2009. Last year, she was named an elite young researcher by the Danish government. The IMK General Fund, a private foundation that funds medical research, awarded her 5.6 million Danish kroner (about US$1 million) in funds.

More at Nature

Danish grandfather

Quickies

1. Is it better to bring up kids in Denmark? (link)

2. Denmark Gives Away 2% of GDP to Carbon Credit Traders (link)