Freedom of the press never extended to the front lines of an active war zone.

Autonomous reporters (even if they only are that, which isn’t safe to assume) wandering around on battlefields can cause all kinds of issues for everyone involved.

relatively homogenous

Some may be surprised by the cultural diversity this rather small country packs:

It has four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although most Swiss are German-speaking, national identity is fairly cohesive, being rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy,[15][page needed] and Alpine symbolism.[16][17] Swiss identity transcends language, ethnicity, and religion, leading to Switzerland being described as a Willensnation (“nation of volition”) rather than a nation state.[18]

Due to its linguistic diversity, Switzerland is known by multiple native names: Schweiz [ˈʃvaɪts] (German);[f][g] Suisse [sɥis(ə)] (French); Svizzera [ˈzvittsera] (Italian); and Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ, ˈʒviːtsʁɐ] (Romansh).[h] On coins and stamps, the Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica — frequently shortened to “Helvetia” — is used instead of the spoken languages.

I also think the local traditions differentiating down to single villages are more important and alive than in other countries.

But yes, “national identity is fairly cohesive”, maybe you meant that.

“And, as Putin said yesterday, one of the tasks was to demilitarise Ukraine. In fact, this task is largely completed. Ukraine is using less and less of its weapons. And more and more it uses the weapons systems that Western countries supply it with.”

Ah, the subtle differences between demilitarization and upgrading to NATO standards.

If his statement had ever anything to do with reality. Probably just feel-good words directed at the domestic audience.

Cities worldwide are hostile to cyclists

They aren’t all the same. See, of the 20 most bike friendly cities, the top 4 are in the Netherlands.

Which of course is because they have started to invest in excellent bike infrastructure decades ago, and made it a priority. So it isn’t really putting the burden on people. I wouldn’t expect people to bike in a hostile environment. But I hope we create friendlier environments.

Riding a bike to work for me would take 3 hours. Not everyone fits in the same mold.

Then we are mostly talking about other people. Most car trips are so short in distance, they could easily be done by bike.

YouTube: Not Just Bikes - Why Canadians Can’t Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)

how do we make winter more amenable to cycling?

See chapter 5: ‘Second: proper winter maintenance’.

Aside from emissions, cycling is also healthier, safer, more pleasant for everyone else.

I see it less of a question of “where to put the blame?” as more “in what environment we want to live?”.

Cycling puts also less money in the pockets of bigger polluting companies, and you can still blame them on the ride for all the good reasons.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”, they said :(

To pull more of the article into the comment section:

The Republican Study Committee (of which some three-quarters of House Republicans are members) on Wednesday released its desired 2024 budget, in which the party boldly declares its priority to eliminate the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, from the School Lunch Program. Why? Because “CEP allows certain schools to provide free school lunches regardless of the individual eligibility of each student.”

Of note is that the CEP is not even something every school participates in; it is a meal service program reserved for qualifying schools and districts in low-income areas. The program enables schools that predominantly serve children from low-income backgrounds to offer all students free breakfast and lunch, instead of means-testing them and having to manage collecting applications on an individual basis. As with many universal-oriented programs, it is more practically efficient and, as a bonus, lifts all boats. This is what Republicans are looking to eliminate.

It’s the kind of provision that many would want every school to participate in. Why not guarantee all our children are well fed as they learn and think about our world and their place in it, after all?

No one was saying cost was not an option but it was a ludicrous cost

Yes, the “fuck you price” as a vlogger recently called it. A price you put up if you actually don’t want to make business with someone, but can’t say that openly without losing face. So you put up a price no one in their right mind is willing to pay to get what you want (they leave), without technically excluding anyone, so you don’t lose face. Glad how this backfired.