Thursday 8 May 2014

How to celebrate Eurovision victory, or defeat, in Copenhagen





  • This year's annual Eurovision song contest is being held in Copenhagen

  • The Danish capital is increasingly famed for its nightlife

  • Denmark is celebrating the 25th anniversary of legal same-sex civil partnerships. It was first country to permit them




(CNN) -- Eurovision -- the curious annual song contest that sees a continent united around its televisions for an evening of high-energy songs, spangled costumes and ill-advised drinking games -- is once more upon us.


Founded in 1956, it was intended as a way to bring together once-warring nations through the innocent medium of pop music.


It hasn't necessarily ended the rivalries (the voting-based results system is notoriously territorial), but for the hundreds of millions watching on TV, Eurovision is a well-rehearsed, almost comforting routine.









The annual Eurovision contest sees a continent united for a night of high-energy songs, spangled costumes and ill-advised drinking games. This year's Grand Final takes place in Copenhagen on May 10. The annual Eurovision contest sees a continent united for a night of high-energy songs, spangled costumes and ill-advised drinking games. This year's Grand Final takes place in Copenhagen on May 10.



Winners can whoop it up in the bars and nightclubs -- such as Culture Box -- of the city's Meatpacking district.Winners can whoop it up in the bars and nightclubs -- such as Culture Box -- of the city's Meatpacking district.



Losers may want to miss out on Amass restaurant, not just for the minimalist atmosphere, but for the menu of lamb's head with whipped brain and stuffed eyeballs.Losers may want to miss out on Amass restaurant, not just for the minimalist atmosphere, but for the menu of lamb's head with whipped brain and stuffed eyeballs.



Among those facing disappointment: Latvian band Aarzemnieki, whose "Cake to Bake" song didn't make the grade. Perhaps because, like lamb's head-based dishes, it was a little tough to digest.Among those facing disappointment: Latvian band Aarzemnieki, whose "Cake to Bake" song didn't make the grade. Perhaps because, like lamb's head-based dishes, it was a little tough to digest.



Louise Welsien and Luise Jensen from Copenhagen are among those getting married on the sidelines of Eurovision. Same-sex civil ceremonies are 25 years old this year in Denmark.Louise Welsien and Luise Jensen from Copenhagen are among those getting married on the sidelines of Eurovision. Same-sex civil ceremonies are 25 years old this year in Denmark.



The bearded drag alter ego of singer Tom Neuwirth is this year's entry from Austria. The contest has always reveled in its irrepressible camp side.The bearded drag alter ego of singer Tom Neuwirth is this year's entry from Austria. The contest has always reveled in its irrepressible camp side.



If losing is too much, hop on a bike and keep riding until you reach the airport -- the cycle tracks head all the way out there.If losing is too much, hop on a bike and keep riding until you reach the airport -- the cycle tracks head all the way out there.



She may be underwhelming but she offers the perfect place to contemplate Eurovision success -- or failure.She may be underwhelming but she offers the perfect place to contemplate Eurovision success -- or failure.




Bright lights of Eurovision



Copehnagen for Eurovision winners and losersCopehnagen for Eurovision winners and losers



It's less comforting, however, for the competitors and fans dispatched to an unfamiliar city -- this year's Grand Final will be held May 10 at the B&W Grand Ballroom in Copenhagen -- to uphold or betray national honor with only leotard-clad backing dancers for company.


Copenhagen: 10 Things to know before you go


Help is at hand, though.


Herewith our insiders' guide to maximizing post-Eurovision joy, or minimizing sorrow, in the Danish capital.


Drinking and dancing


Copenhagen is compact for a major capital, with a shade over half a million inhabitants, but it's increasingly famed for nightlife, especially in the Meatpacking District -- just like the similarly scenester-filled area of New York -- near the central station.


Here the nightlife concentration is sufficiently dense to allow disgruntled central European crooners to stumble from bar to club.


For those determined to dance, locals suggest KB18 (Kodboderne 18; +45 33 313 933), or Culture Box (Kronprinsessegade 54; +45 33 325 050).


Slightly closer to the contest's harbor-side venue is the dingy but welcoming Eiffel Bar (Wildersgade 18; + 45 32 577 092) in Christianshavn, a possible home-from-home for this year's face fur-fixated French entry, Twin Twin.




Cycling Copenhagen: Greener than Eurovision.

Cycling Copenhagen: Greener than Eurovision.



The walls are covered in Parisian iconography and the beer is dirt cheap.


The more adventurous could venture to one of the city's most defiantly hip nightclubs, Sunday (Lille Kongensgade 16; +45 53 668 228), which boasts an in-house team of Thai transgender dancers and a mission to -- their words -- "push the borders of wicked indecency."


Eating


Enough about Noma, already.


The seashore-foraging, micro-herb-arranging repeat winner of the best restaurant in the world crown is undeniably astounding.


But the chances of getting a table are roughly the same as Portugal's prospects of ever winning Eurovision (this year's entrant, Suzy, was kicked out in the semi-finals, adding to half a century of failure).


Perhaps off limits too are various offshoots such as Amass, run by a former Noma head chef, or Bror, where the specialty is braised lamb's head with whipped brain and stuffed eyeballs -- which sounds almost as tricky to digest as Latvia's saccharine Eurovision entry.


Danish restaurant Noma named the world's best


A better bet is smorrebrod, the traditional Danish open sandwiches that are escaping their lunchtime roots and entering the world of fine dining.


Smorrebrod and 10 more new American sandwich heroes


Many of the better known outlets tend to be booked up, but you can try Dyrehaven (Sonder Boulevard 72)off Vesterbro in the city center, which doesn't take reservations and attracts a fashionable crowd.


For more basic fare still, there's always Copenhagen's many and famous hot dog stands.


Harry's Place (Nordre Fasanvej 269) is a little ways outside the center, but locals make the trip for both the sausages and the trademark chili sauce, known as krudt -- the Danish word for gunpowder.


Same-sex marriage


Not for everyone, obviously, and arguably a little hard to arrange on a night out.


Nevertheless, this is one of the Eurovision-based attractions promoted by Copenhagen officials.




On the rocks? Seek out the Little Mermaid.

On the rocks? Seek out the Little Mermaid.



Throughout the Eurovision weekend the city is encouraging any couples to tie the knot.


Ceremonies can be held on a specially arranged "wedding boat" cruising the harbor.


The marriages are intended to mark both the 25th anniversary of same-sex civil partnerships in Denmark -- the first country in the world to permit them -- and Eurovision's open-minded reputation.


With its focus on flamboyant acts and tight sequined outfits, the contest has always had a decidedly camp air, a reputation sealed when Dana International, an Israeli transgender woman, won in 1998.


Her mantle has been passed this year to Austria's entrant, Conchita Wurst, the bearded drag alter ego of singer Tom Neuwirth.


Cycling


Something of a Danish cliche, perhaps -- the city has one of the highest rates of bike use in the world -- but stick with us, because Eurovision 2014 needs all the environmental help it can get.


Most bike-friendly cities in the United States


This year's event had proudly branded itself the greenest contest ever -- until newspapers discovered electricity for the venue itself is being provided by 26 very large, very smelly diesel generators.


Contestants can pedal serenely away from the fumes, and the humiliation of being beaten by Malta's Mumford and Sons-lite entry, Firelight, on Copenhagen's famous network of segregated bike lanes.


Organizers are laying on fleets of bikes for Eurovision use, and the city is littered with rental shops. (Rent A Bike Copenhagen, Adelgade 11; +45 32 12 50 50 and Gasværksvej 5;+45 50 32 11 00).


For those feeling particularly homesick -- or humiliated -- the city's airport, only about six miles from the center, is connected by yet more of those ubiquitous bike lanes.


The Little Mermaid


While arguably the most iconic symbol of Copenhagen, the bronze statue of Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale character is underwhelming in real life, standing little more than a meter tall.


Five places to find mermaids


Her harbor-side location, however, is restful -- the perfect place to sit and contemplate what might have been had the seams on the lead dancer's costume held together a little longer.


It's a place to consider also that even if Copenhagen's attractions aren't enough, things could have been much, much more sedate.


The capital won its bid to host the event against a series of notably smaller Danish locations.


Among them was Herning, a city on Denmark's Jutland peninsula whose tourist information board lists "libraries" as among the chief attractions.


Peter Walker is a journalist based in the UK. He spent some of his formative years in Denmark.



Borger: Dems mistake on Benghazi





  • Gloria Borger: Republicans in Congress name a committee to investigate Benghazi

  • She says Democrats would make a mistake if they go through with boycott of panel

  • Political subtext of Benghazi probe is GOP effort to get voters to turn out in November, she says

  • Borger: If Democrats skip the hearings, they lose their influence, access to evidence




(CNN) -- No doubt about it, Republicans have latched on to a red hot potato when it comes to the controversy of who-did-what-when in Benghazi.


The awful story of a terrible embassy attack, a botched aftermath and finger-pointing about what more could have been done has already been the subject of an exhaustive internal State Department investigation and congressional hearings.


And the truth is that mistakes were made, everyone is somehow to blame and four people are dead who should not have died. It's a terrible mess.


It seemed to be settling down a bit until last week. That's when the State Department -- after a request made under the Freedom of Information Act -- released a memo by a senior White House adviser that tried to "underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader policy failure."



Gloria Borger


Republicans cried foul, especially when the White House offered the weak explanation that the e-mail was not specifically about Benghazi but rather about the "general dynamic" of the Muslim world at the time. Never mind that it was written as then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice was about to go on Sunday shows to discuss the event.


So now comes a congressional inquiry -- a new panel with 7 GOPers and 5 Democrats. This time, it's the Democrats who are crying foul, and they're threatening to boycott the committee. I get it: They believe it's a witch hunt, and they don't want to participate. Why legitimize it? Why give it more credence? Why play into GOP hands?


Here's why: If you don't participate, you can't defend. And if you can't defend -- or explain -- you lose. It's as simple as that.





New Benghazi committee pursuing Clinton




Smoking gun or partisan nonsense?

This is what's truly going on. This is a short-term political play by Republicans that, they hope, could also have some long-term implications for Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate in 2016. After all, this happened on her watch as secretary of state. That job is one of the major line items on her resume. If the public's assessment of that tenure is called into question, then the value of that job experience is diminished.


But there's a more immediate political play here. Midterm elections are occasions for partisan mobilization, plain and simple. In presidential years, the candidates are about the business of persuading independent voters to give them a shot.


In midterm elections, it's about the partisans. Of the 40% of the electorate that generally shows up, almost no one is up for grabs. Candidates just need to get their party's loyalists to turn out.


For Republicans, Motivator No. 1: Obamacare (or Obama). Motivator No. 2: Benghazi (or Hillary). So long as the economy keeps chugging along nicely, these issues become even more paramount.


Sure, there's a danger of overreach. There always is. (See: Bill Clinton and impeachment.) But Republicans aren't worried about that now, because their partisans are, well, partisan. This is a play for November.


In presidential elections, there's often a huge public appetite for a more forward-looking and affirmative candidate with a plan and a positive message and vision. But midterms are different. They're about partisan bloodletting.


So if the Democrats decide to boycott the committee, it's at their own risk. They will lose out on the conversation, no matter how silly they think it is. They will be uninformed about witnesses, strategies, subpoenas.


As Democrats learned during their participation in the "Fast and Furious" investigation, access to documents is a plus. You can play the game the way you want, leak what you want, tell your own narrative with the facts as you see them. No storyline left behind.


If the Democrats boycott, they may see themselves taking the high road. Trouble is, it could lead them nowhere.


Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion .


Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion .



'Anti-gay' remarks surface





  • David Benham was quoted as making remarks against homosexuality

  • There is video of him outside of an abortion clinic

  • Pair said: "If our faith costs us a television show then so be it"




Watch the Benham brothers when they join Erin Burnett on 7 p.m. ET Thursday on CNN.


(CNN) -- Twin brothers David and Jason Benham have lost their opportunity to host their own HGTV show.


The brothers ran afoul of the network after the site Right Wing Watch published a post about the pair, labeling David Benham as an "anti-gay, anti-choice extremist" for reportedly leading a prayer rally in 2012 outside of the Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte, North Carolina.


The site posted a recording of Benham talking to a talk show host about "homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation" and "demonic ideologies" taking hold in colleges and public schools.


Benham also discusses the fight for North Carolina's Amendment One, which involved a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state constitution.


The Benham brothers were the planned stars of the HGTV show "Flip It Forward," set to premiere in October, in which they would have helped families purchase homes they otherwise could not afford. An April press release described the planned show this way: "After a decade of flipping houses for profit, brothers David Benham and Jason Benham now help families buy the homes they never thought they could afford. In each episode, the guys help a deserving family find a fixer-upper and transform it into their forever home - with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry between the brothers along the way."


But after the post went public, HGTV tweeted, "HGTV has decided not to move forward with the Benham Brothers' series."







The pair responded with the following statement:


"The first and last thought on our minds as we begin and end each day is: have we shined Christ's light today? Our faith is the fundamental calling in our lives, and the centerpiece of who we are. As Christians we are called to love our fellow man. Anyone who suggests that we hate homosexuals or people of other faiths is either misinformed or lying.


"Over the last decade, we've sold thousands of homes with the guiding principle of producing value and breathing life into each family that has crossed our path, and we do not, nor will we ever discriminate against people who do not share our views.


"We were saddened to hear HGTV's decision. With all of the grotesque things that can be seen and heard on television today you would think there would be room for two twin brothers who are faithful to our families, committed to biblical principles, and dedicated professionals. If our faith costs us a television show then so be it."


There is also a YouTube video of David Benham speaking at a "celebration" of a closing of an abortion clinic in 2013. Website GlobalFlare.com, which emphasizes "positive news and entertainment," called it a "smear campaign" against the brothers. The organization Faith Driven Consumer, which started a campaign in support of Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty," has launched #FlipThisDecision, a petition aimed at reinstating the HGTV show.



'Duck Dynasty' star stands by beliefs





  • Willie Robertson told CNN's "New Day" he believes the Bible

  • His wife says her father-in-law "is about God's love"

  • The pair say they would be fine if their show ended




(CNN) -- As season 5 of "Duck Dynasty" wraps up, co-star Willie Robertson is not backing down from either his faith or the controversy those beliefs helped stir.


His father, Phil Robertson, was suspended from the family's hit A&E reality show in December amid the uproar over remarks he made about race and sexuality in a GQ magazine interview.


Willie Robertson and his wife, Korie, spoke to CNN's Kyra Phillips in an interview that aired Wednesday on "New Day."


"(Phil) made Christmas very interesting for us," the younger Robertson joked.


New Day: Before season finale, a behind-the-scenes look at 'Duck Dynasty'


Robertson said he believed the GQ interviewer already "had what he wanted to put, and he was specifically asking this and that."


"Phil just said what he thought, what was on his heart," his son said. "He did some paraphrasing there."


The "Duck Dynasty" patriarch paraphrased a verse from Corinthians and said, "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."


The younger Robertson told CNN, "I believe what the Bible says."


"You have to read the Bible and make up your own mind," he said. "You have to decide, and God will ultimately decide then. We don't profess to be God, and we certainly don't profess to be perfect. Because we have our own sins that we deal with."


"Anybody who knows (Phil) ... any gay, straight, black, white, anybody who knows Phil knows that he is about love and his message is about God's love, God's grace and his forgiveness, ultimately," Korie Robertson added.


The couple appear in the new film "God's Not Dead," which, according to Entertainment Weekly, was a surprise hit with its recent opening weekend. It earned $8.6 million in only 780 theaters.


The Robertson family is halfway through filming season 6 of the show, which has brought in millions beyond the success of its duck call business.


But "Duck Dynasty" ratings have slipped since the controversy. And if it all ended tomorrow, both the fame and the TV show, the couple says, the family would be just fine.


"We were able to use that platform to get out God's message, and if it ended right there, it ended right there," Willie Robertson said. "I felt like that was pretty much what God prepared us to do."



Melinda Gates: Kidnapping Nigeria






A woman attends a demonstration Tuesday, May 6, that called for the Nigerian government to rescue nearly 300 schoolgirls who were kidnapped last month in Chibok, Nigeria. The girls were taken by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sin."A woman attends a demonstration Tuesday, May 6, that called for the Nigerian government to rescue nearly 300 schoolgirls who were kidnapped last month in Chibok, Nigeria. The girls were taken by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sin."

Abuja Hosea Sambido, a leader in the Chibok community, speaks during a rally in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 6, pressing for the release of the abducted girls.Abuja Hosea Sambido, a leader in the Chibok community, speaks during a rally in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 6, pressing for the release of the abducted girls.

Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, Nigeria's top military spokesman, speaks to people at a demonstration on May 6.Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, Nigeria's top military spokesman, speaks to people at a demonstration on May 6.

Women march Monday, May 5, in Chibok.Women march Monday, May 5, in Chibok.

People rally in Lagos, Nigeria, on Thursday, May 1.People rally in Lagos, Nigeria, on Thursday, May 1.

Police stand guard during a demonstration in Lagos on May 1.Police stand guard during a demonstration in Lagos on May 1.

Protesters take part in a "million woman march" on Wednesday, April 30, in Abuja.Protesters take part in a "million woman march" on Wednesday, April 30, in Abuja.

Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Nigerian education minister and vice president of the World Bank's Africa division, leads a march of women in Abuja on April 30.Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Nigerian education minister and vice president of the World Bank's Africa division, leads a march of women in Abuja on April 30.

A woman cries out during a demonstration Tuesday, April 29, in Abuja with other mothers whose daughters have been kidnapped.A woman cries out during a demonstration Tuesday, April 29, in Abuja with other mothers whose daughters have been kidnapped.

A man weeps as he joins parents of the kidnapped girls during a meeting with the Borno state governor in Chibok on Tuesday, April 22. A man weeps as he joins parents of the kidnapped girls during a meeting with the Borno state governor in Chibok on Tuesday, April 22.

Mothers weep during a meeting with the Borno state governor on April 22 in Chibok.Mothers weep during a meeting with the Borno state governor on April 22 in Chibok.

Four female students who were abducted by gunmen and reunited with their families walk in Chibok on Monday, April 21.Four female students who were abducted by gunmen and reunited with their families walk in Chibok on Monday, April 21.

Borno state governor Kashim Shettima, center, visits the Chibok school on April 21.Borno state governor Kashim Shettima, center, visits the Chibok school on April 21.








1



2



3



4



5



6



7



8



9



10



11



12



13








  • Melinda Gates: Kidnapped girls in Nigeria reflect long use of women misused in conflicts

  • She says Boko Haram justifies actions as Islamic; this insult denounced by Muslim leaders

  • She says group thinks women are merely property; these ideas affect Nigeria's prosperity

  • Gates: Outcry over girls shows many know empowered women are key to a nation's fortunes




Editor's note: Melinda Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.


(CNN) -- I think of myself as an "impatient optimist." There are times, however, when it's harder to muster the optimism, and the impatience takes over. That's how I felt when I read about the hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremist group Boko Haram to be married off or sold into slavery.


It's difficult to pinpoint the worst aspect of this atrocity. And it's pitiful that this is nothing new. Treating women as spoils or weapons of war has been a common practice for thousands of years.


Boko Haram has sought to justify its actions as consistent with Islamic teachings, and this is an insult. Many influential voices in the Muslim world have rebuked the group's actions. (To cite just one example, Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam's most prestigious theological institutions, said the kidnappings "completely contradict Islam and its principles of tolerance.")



Melinda Gates


It's frustrating that the Nigerian government, despite an intensifying effort to find the girls, has been unable to locate them. And it's horrifying that hundreds of girls, their parents and thousands of their relatives are living each passing moment in escalating fear -- with no idea whether they'll ever see each other again. My heart breaks for these mothers and fathers.


But perhaps the most awful part of the story is that Boko Haram stands against a better future for ordinary Nigerians.


Boko Haram is committed to the idea that women are the property of husbands and mere instruments of reproduction. They are particularly opposed to the idea that girls ought to be educated, which is why they target schools.





Village slaughter blamed on Boko Haram




Clinton: Nigeria must find missing girls




Village slaughter blamed on Boko Haram

In fact, when girls are educated and free to pursue their passions, they contribute more to a thriving society. When women have a voice, they raise it to demand a life that is greater than what they've been told they have a right to expect. And these demands change the future for everyone.


Nigeria has a population of 170 million. Its economy is the largest on the African continent. The future holds nearly boundless promise, as represented, in part, by the fact that the World Economic Forum is meeting in Abuja right now. But if the country's 85 million women and girls don't have the opportunity to seize their potential, then neither will Nigeria.


There are countless examples of places around the world where women and girls are gaining power and autonomy, where the future looks brighter because women and girls are slowly wiping away the old gender norms.


The impressive outpouring of support for the girls -- both within Nigerian communities and around the world -- is an encouraging sign that most people want the version of the future that empowered women and girls will create, not the version that Boko Haram is trying to impose.


It doesn't help the Nigerian schoolgirls now, but thinking about the women and girls everywhere who are strong and getting stronger is one way to maintain some of the optimism that must go along with our collective impatience.


Let's #BringBackOurGirls


Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion .


Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion .