What he said

Krugman gets it right, as usual.

After Massachusetts, Democrats were looking for leadership; they didn’t get it. Ten days later, nobody is sure what Obama intends to do, and his aides are giving conflicting readings. It’s as if Obama checked out.

Look, Obama is a terrific speaker and a very smart guy. He really showed up the Republicans in the now-famous give-and-take. But we knew that. What’s now in question isn’t his ability to talk, it’s his ability to lead.

If you haven't seen the videos of President Obama taking the Repug leadership to task at their own retreat, they're well worth it: here and here.

Copenhagen's bike-friendly streets

I was in Copenhagen for most of December, and was amazed at how many folks ride their bikes there, even in the snow and sub-zero weather.



This video (via StreetFilms.org) shows a lot of the amazing technological innovations the city has implemented to make cycling safer and easier. It also has a few shots of the so-called "cargo bikes" — front-loader bikes that people in Copenhagen use to transport everything from their groceries to their kids. I found them to be very funny.

The numbers speak for themselves: 37% of daily commutes are done by bike in Copenhagen; while 55% of all trips in Copenhagen are made by bike.

This is exactly why I'm a member of the San Francisco Bike Coalition — if they can do it in Denmark, we can sure as hell do it here! Of course, in Denmark the most they do to lock up their bike is a little bolt that goes between the spokes of their rear wheel. That's what tripped me out the most — in San Francisco your bike would be gone in 5 minutes if you don't secure it to something. But I still think that with the right city planning, we can get to Copenhagen levels of bike riding.