Occupy Denmark

Occupy Denmark held on 15 October 2011 a demonstration at City Hall Square [Rådhus Pladsen] in Copenhagen in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.

Photo: Flickr (set of pictures)

Too many bikers in Copenhagen

In Copenhagen – one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world in which 36% of its inhabitants cycle to work or school, and which has committed to increasing that figure to 50% by 2015 – there are controversial voices coming from unexpected places.
According to the Danish Cyclists' Federation and Wonderful Copenhagen, the official tourism organisation for Denmark, the sheer success of the drive to get more locals and tourists on bikes is creating a dangerous, intimidating and unpleasant climate for cyclists in the city.
"In Copenhagen, we have quite extraordinary problems around cycling congestion," said Aneh Hajdu, of Wonderful Copenhagen. "I don't take my children on their bikes into Copenhagen at rush hour any more. It's too dangerous and scary. I just wouldn't risk it."

As numbers increase in the cycle lanes, says Hadju, so behaviour deteriorates, with jostling and cutting-up becoming more frequent. "The locals rush past the foreigners, who are often uncertain on their bikes and going slowly," she said. "The locals get impatient and therefore become more threatening."

Even to an untrained eye, it is immediately obvious that the city is struggling to cater for its growing number of cyclists. It is already near-impossible to find cycling parking places near main stations...

So what happens when the critical mass of cyclists grows faster than the government can improve their uban environment?
In rush hour, there are enormous numbers of cyclists fighting for space on Copenhagen's bike paths, which become cramped and packed.
"As numbers grow and they fight for space, cyclists are becoming more aggressive and reckless in traffic. I increasingly see people bringing themselves and others into dangerous situations," "They break the laws and use their bikes in completely reckless ways."

More at The Guardian

National Geographic - Megabridges Denmark To Sweden

Bathroom rules

This sign is on bathroom door at Hard Rock Cafe in Copenhagen.

Danish drivers stumped by secret rules

Danish drivers have protested after Copenhagen ruled that large sections of its traffic rules were secret in defiance of rulings that wardens must explain why they have issued parking tickets.

Traffic wardens in Denmark’s capital have refused to tell parking offenders what rules they broke.
Following numerous complaints from motorists the Danish Broadcasting Corporation requested and received a 110 page document spelling out how traffic wardens should behave and how and when they should issue tickets.
But key sections of the guidance, including the pages concerning the rules setting out the circumstances for issuing tickets, had been blanked out by the Copenhagen parking authority.
Traffic wardens claimed that if drivers became aware of the information they would lose respect for traffic law and probably try to work around the rules.
The parking authority also insisted that it wanted to prevent wardens getting into long or semantic arguments with motorists about the small print of regulation.
Finally, the authorities declared that parking rules were “exempt” from freedom of information laws because “it is necessary for the protection of significant considerations regarding the implementation of public control”.
The “secret” rules are thought to relate to information on recommended observation times for wardens, advice on how to make the judgement for issuing a ticket and the required positions of parked vehicles.
The authorities have ignored a ruling from Hans Gammeltoft Hansen, Denmark’s parliamentary ombudsman, who said the rules “did not justify secrecy”.

Source: The Telegraph

World's most expensive cities 2010

If you think $43 is too much to pay for lunch, you shouldn't live in Oslo. According to "ECA International", a global human resources company, that's how much an average lunch costs in Norway's capital. But Oslo is only the second-most expensive city on ECA's ranking of 399 global locations. And while the price of an average lunch in Tokyo is a comparatively modest $17.86, other costs, such as a $22 movie ticket and an $8.47 kilo of rice, earn it the dubious honor as the world's most expensive city.

8. Copenhagen, Denmark

Rank in 2009: 7
Food: Lunch at a restaurant: $36
Can of beer from grocer: $2.10
One kg of rice: $4.85
One dozen eggs: $6.99
Entertainment: Movie ticket: $15
Appliances: Washing machine: $1,196

A 2009 "survey" of 73 international cities by UBS found that employees in Copenhagen have the highest income. Places with higher salaries often have higher prices, but residents here enjoy good living standards overall. Some examples of the cost of living: Renting a DVD costs about $8 per night, a pair of women's jeans is more than $150, and a one-way ticket on public transport costs about $3.70.

Source: Yahoo finance

Street View Available in Denmark

Street View imagery is already live in Sweden and Denmark.
You can see the streets in Copenhagen:
1. Nyhavn
2. Frederiks Kirke (Marmorkirke)
3. Rådhus Pladsen (Copenhagen City Hall)

...and in Sweden:
1. Turning Torso (Malmö, Sweden)
2. Øresund Bridge
3. Storkyrkan
4. Riddarhuset, Stockholm

U.S. Constitution vs. U.N. Treaty

For my U.S.A. readers:

Lord Monckton of England, who is a man made global warming (MMGW) critic, recently made a speech (video and transcript) regarding a climate change treaty (Copenhagen Treaty) which he believes Obama will sign at the UNFCCC in December 2009. According to Lord Monckton this treaty will subjugate America to Communist rule and will transfer American wealth to third world countries.

While Monckton is a hero for promoting truth about MMGW, and claims to have been involved in the funding of a lawsuit against showing Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” movie to British school children that resulted in a mandatory disclaimer of the movie when shown, Monckton has misunderstood a few facts about the Copenhagen Treaty.

Read more at infowars.com

Mosque in Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s first mosque will be a blue dome structure in the Nørrebro district after the City Council voted in favour of approving a district plan for its construction.
The council voted for a 2000 sqm former machine factory on Vibevej Road to be transformed into the 32m tall place of worship for the city’s Muslims.
The building’s frontal facade will be 13 m tall, while the blue dome stretching another 24m up. The mosque will also have two minarets at a height of 32 m.
The minarets will be largely symbolic as they will not be used to call people to prayer, reports TV2 News.
The building will include a prayer room, amphitheatre, conference centre, library and housing quarters for visiting imams.
The project is being organised by the Ahlul Bait Association and is expected to cost about 50 million kroner, which will be funded through private donations.
‘Copenhagen has a cathedral, a Russian church, a synagogue and of course we should also have a new mosque. I hope it will be a place that’s full of life and inviting to show that Copenhagen is a diverse city,’ said Klaus Bondam, head of the city’s technical and environmental department.
Source: Copenhagen Post


Further References:

1. SIAD/SIOE Demonstration Against Copenhagen Mega-Mosque; Overview and Event Report (link)
2. Moske snart i København (link in danish)
3. NO Grand Mosques in Danish Cities! (link)
   
4. Danish far-right launches anti-mosque campaign (link)
5. Barking up the Wrong Tree (link)
   
6. The Hijra (link)
7. Review: "Modern Day Trojan Horse: The Islamic Doctrine of Immigration" (link)

Violence and Racism in Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Source: Erasmus Denmark, Herning

Wonderful Copenhagen