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Tuesday 16th 30F outside, 53F indoors. Overcast with a national fog warning as milder air moves in. Rain this afternoon. A dusting of snow lying from yesterday. Though not remotely the promised 10cm/4". A walk to the lanes. Slush on the roads in places.
Later it reach 35F. With rain in the late afternoon making a dent in the remaining snow. The temperature indoors is 60F now. Far more comfortable.
Yesterday I mentioned how the Danish superstores are profiting from the lockdown of small businesses. Because they sell food, the superstores are allowed to stay open and to sell their whole range of goods.
One could easily argue that the superstores now enjoy a TOTAL monopoly. As well as zero competition on pricing and service. Well, not content with their exclusive advantages, they are now hiding their former, specialist "competitor's" windows with their own [superstore] goods. The corridors in the malls, which they completely dominated, even before the Jinping Plague, are now full of racks of superstore clothing. Small businesses tried opening yesterday. In protest at the [narrowly targetted] continuing lockdown. They were fined!
Meanwhile the world's eJuggernauts are maintaining their global dominance by buying any startups which might compete with their global monopolies. Not content with their monopolies in the West they are aiming to completely dominate Asia and Africa now. eGroceries are the next big thing. So the existing monopolies [like Amazon] are fighting it out in the courts to become total monopolies there.
Affordable electric cars are still largely vapourware. The former "toxic" vehicle monopolies are investing in startups and buying them up. To save money and a wasted decade on EV research. Because they didn't believe that governments would actually call their bluff and ban their filthy technology.
Now they are all desperately playing catch-up. Smaller car makers cannot possibly compete on research funding. So are unlikely to be able to compete at the affordable end of the eV market. Tesla broke the market and is only now, slowly expanding downwards in price. After proving how utterly uncompetitive the IC engine is against their upmarket, family saloons.
The Danish government is planning to spend a few millions on Copenhagen cycle paths. National cycle paths will get a pittance to "upgrade." Perhaps they could persuade the local councils to sweep the existing cycle paths to bring them back into normal use? I have repeatedly referred to them as linear compost heaps for over a decade now. No doubt the unused, narrow, sweeper machines have long rusted away.
There is an old railway track running diagonally across Fyn from Assens in the SW towards the dominant city of Odense. Which track sees only a few hired pedal trolleys in the summer.
There aren't any real cycle paths to speak of in the whole area. Just a few white lines marking the cyclist's rightful pace in the filthy gutter.
The old Assens-Tommerup, railway track would provide a direct route for literally miles and pretty miles towards the centre of the island. The arrival of the increasingly popular electric bikes would make a daily commute from Assens to Odense quite practical. Think of the reduction in polluting cars that might cause?
Nah, they'd make it ultra narrow gauge. To allow for horses to kick puncturing, flint sand all over the cycle path. All part of the "inclusivity" drive. Just as they did with the ultra narrow gauge, Ringe cycle path. Where it is impossible to pass and you have to stop if something comes towards you. So much potential. So few brains applied.
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