Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Discovering all the cheat

The photographs were taken in Luukki on May 1st.

Today I thought about #covfefe. Perhaps it means уходить in Russian?

So far this year I have got 2,523 km riding the bicycle, and 653 km since the beginning of May.

(Posting title is from the poem Angellica’s Lament by Aphra Behn.)

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

When lightning strikes it’s safer to ride

The photograph was taken on May 1st in Luukki.

This evening I spent some time at Linnanmäki amusement park with the children. The weather was cool, 11 °C, and at 7 pm it started to rain, but it was fine nevertheless.

(Posting title is from the poem A Way of Being by Barbara Guest.)

Monday, May 29, 2017

The image comic, as I might have known

The photographs were taken on April 30th.

It is getting colder. Today we had 17 °C in the afternoon, and for tomorrow the weather forecast promises 14 °C. Well, at least it isn't too hot for commuting by bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem Duncan by Thom Gunn.)

Sunday, May 28, 2017

You know I got to flow on

The photographs were taken on April 30th.

Looking at the United States, one must wonder about the mafia-type structures which are becoming more and more apparent. Trump is completely immersed in this rot and dirtiness, as well as the Republican Party. Where is the land of freedom and opportunity these days?

Another thing which is apparent about the corruption is how the United States has turned away from the motto "In God We Trust". Trump and his minions, as well as the leaders of the Republican Party, appear to me as an antithesis of the Christian values written in the Bible.

I'm not religious and not especially knowledgeable about the Bible, but those values that to me seem to be the most enduring content of the book are not to be found in the leaders or the politics of the party. Of course, the book was written by humans and thus is far from perfect, but still I think it doesn't take a genius to understand what the book is about. It is not about those in power trampling, oppressing, persecuting, tyrannizing, repressing, and bullying the people.

Trump and his minions are worshipping money, fame, and power. To me they are non-Christian. Or perhaps "anti-Christian" is the most appropriate term here.

(Posting title is from the song Freestyler by BomFunk MC's.)

Saturday, May 27, 2017

And let me see things as they used to seem to me

The photographs were taken in Petikko on April 30th.

In five days I got 11 1/2 hours of exercise, enjoying the landscape of late spring and early summer. Today I'm planning to take it a little easier. During the winter my weight got up 5 kg, but now it is coming nicely down again.

Yesterday I wrote about the danger and stupidity of Trump and his administration. When I woke up this morning and read the news about Jared Kushner and the back-channel to Kremlin, I wasn't greatly surprised, but still, this is quite something. It fits the wider picture of the Republican Party.

I'm more and more convinced that the prevailing attitude among the leadership of the party (and many of the voters) is quite similar to the slave-owners. Take away all benefits from the poor, the sick, the children, the elderly, the women... The party belongs to the rich, white, and male, i.e., those who are in the "owner of the slaves" position.

I'm currently reading the book Underground Airlines, a thriller by Ben H. Winters: "It is the present-day, and the world is as we know it: smartphones, social networking and Happy Meals. Save for one thing: the Civil War never occurred." The book makes me shudder, but I just have to keep on reading.

(Posting title is from the poem Falling Water by John Koethe.)

Friday, May 26, 2017

In close-ups now, you can see it in every face

The photographs were taken on April 29th at Vaakkoi.

This morning I walked for almost three hours. I started from Siikajärvi in Nuuksio, going across swamps and hills, not always following paths. I saw a pair of Gavia stellata, at their nesting lake.

Once in a while I think about the mass distraction that is happening in the world. The Orange One is more dangerous than I understood earlier, and also much more stupid.

(Posting title is from the poem The Mill-Race by Anne Winters.)

Thursday, May 25, 2017

We have a dreamer of dreams among us

The photographs were taken on April 29th at Vaakkoi.

This morning I walked for over two hours, starting from Hindsby at Sipoonkorpi National Park. There were plenty of spring flowers to enjoy. However, I forgot the LX100 camera at home, so I had to use the iPhone for taking photographs. After a while I got used to it, even though I was missing the convenient controls and the wide-angle view.

I watched the movie Django Unchained. Something was quite familiar, and it took a while until I realized that the behavior of the slave owners is very close to certain politicians who are now in leadership positions in the United States. If you want to avoid becoming a slave, it is critically important to #resist.

(Posting title is from the poem Itinerary by James McMichael.)

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

More light came in, opening out like a fan

The photograph was taken on April 25th in Turku.

Should I write something about the Trump sinkhole? Perhaps it is enough to note that fortunately there are people with courage and understanding who can put a stop to the bullying, whining and scamming that is perpetrated by the Orange One.

(Posting title is from the poem History of My Heart by Robert Pinsky.)

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

It was as if somebody else did it...

The photographs were taken on April 25th in Turku.

Today I commuted by bicycle, and had a couple of hours of orienteering practice with colleagues. A lot of exercise for one day.

Maybe it is because of being tired, or for some other reason, but I really loathe to think about what Trump is doing. He is destroying the United States so completely that little of the previous greatness will remain.

(Posting title is from the poem Herbert White by Frank Bidart.)

Monday, May 22, 2017

So the whole world could see

The photographs were taken on April 22nd, during snowfall.

Each morning I check the news to see whether WW3 has started. I miss the times when we had sane people in charge. However, as long as people keep on doing what they can to #resist things will change for the better.

(Posting title is from the poem The Venus Hottentot by Elizabeth Alexander.)

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Who sees my crooked smile

The photographs were taken on April 22nd at Timmermalmi nature protection area.

Yesterday I got muscle cramps while walking. I think I need to rest today, as I haven't had a rest day from exercise. The previous week I got 14 hours of exercise, and this week 10 hours.

(Posting title is from the poem Station by Maria Hummel.)

Saturday, May 20, 2017

While every neighbour’s eye was fixed on me

The photograph was taken on April 22nd.

This morning I walked for over two hours, exploring Timmermalmi nature protection area. The weather was warm, 18 °C, and birds were making a racket.

If someone would have written two years ago a novel or a movie script about what is being revealed about Trump, nobody would have believed:

  • The family* and people in key positions in the campaign have been engaged in massive money laundering, through various intermediaries and places such as the Cayman Islands. Billions of dollars from Russia etc. have been passed through these people.
  • The campaign colluded with Russia in the election, coordinating the efforts through intermediaries such as Flynn, Manafort, etc.
  • Russia is engaged in a massive effort to spread falsehoods about people critical of Trump, using advanced data analytics for precise targeting of propaganda on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. This effort is carefully coordinated, for example using Trump's tweets as magnifiers of propaganda.
  • Trump and people close to him have shared classified information with Russia, and made policy decisions advancing the interests of Russia.
  • Also, people close to Trump have been engaging in policy decisions which will in longer term destroy the environment, crush the education system, and wipe out health care in the United States. One example of this is denial of climate change, benefiting the oil industry, and thus Russia.
  • Not to forget the hundreds of lies Trump alone has told since January, or other such "minor" details, which are just the tip of the iceberg of the disinformation campaign going on.
  • Also, there is the case of emoluments, i.e. the president taking money and other benefits from foreign states.
  • When facts about the wrongdoings have been leaking, Trump and his people have engaged in measures which are clearly obstruction of justice.

It is good to see that New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal etc. have woken up and are writing about the revelations. Even better is the work done by activists and "citizen journalists", who often reveal information about Trump and his minions weeks or months before it has been verified by more official sources.

* Here I use the word "family" in a meaning that is familiar from mafia movies.

(Posting title is from the poem A Disappointment by Joanna Baillie.)

Friday, May 19, 2017

And before you can be quiet, polite and unnoticeable

The photographs were taken on April 22nd.

I got eight hours of exercise in five days, commuting by bicycle. So far this year I have got 2,312 km riding the bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem McDonalds Is Impossible by Chelsea Martin.)

Thursday, May 18, 2017

To be a child is to see things and not know them

The photograph was taken on April 22nd.

One can't help wondering about Trump. You could say that he is like a small child who whines about everything, except that the children I have known are much better behaved. Also, one should not think about him as a child, because he is extremely dangerous. Nothing is for him too perilous, too hazardous, too risky, or too unsafe. Also, not to forget, he is treacherous, and slippery like an eel.

(Posting title is from the poem The Third Hour of the Night by Frank Bidart.)

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

With such a wistful eye

The photographs were taken on April 18th at Velskola.

(Posting title is from the poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.)

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

From higher to a lower

The photographs were taken on April 18th at lake Kattilajärvi.

Oh my! It is unbelievable what is happening with the tiny-handed leaker of a formerly great country. He is sad, silly, and stupid. And not only that but also bonkers, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, demented, flaky, fool, loco, loony, loopy, lunatic, mad, nutbag, potty, reckless, and wacky.

(Posting title is from the poem A Test of Poetry by Charles Bernstein.)

Monday, May 15, 2017

Methinks I see some crooked mimic jeer

The photographs were taken at Velskola on April 18th.

Last week I got 14 hours of exercise. I should take a rest day, but the weather forecast promises rather nice weather for commuting by bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem Idea 31: Methinks I see some crooked mimic jeer by Michael Drayton.)

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Exhausted eyes peering, then swiveling away

The photograph was taken on April 16th.

Yesterday I visited the Kytäjä-Usmi outdoor area in Hyvinkää, walking over four hours up and down hills. This time I explored the northeast part of the area, walking along and across river Vantaa, which is quite narrow this far north. I carried provisions with me, taking a short break for eating and drinking, so I didn't get very tired. Many places felt familiar, until I realized that I was either thinking of another part of Kytäjä-Usmi with similar characteristics, or another place altogether. I have visited Kytäjä-Usmi once or twice each year, and should remember to do it again at some point. So far I haven't seen Gavia stellata which is said to be nesting there.

(Posting title is from the poem Danger of Falling by Patricia Goedicke.)

Saturday, May 13, 2017

I look up when I walk

The photographs were taken at Oittaa near lake Sorlampi on April 15th. Today I'll be out and walking. There might even be Gavia stellata.

(Posting title is from the song Ue o Muite Arukō by Kyu Sakamoto.)

Friday, May 12, 2017

To find the sunlight hidden at the tip

The photographs were taken at Oittaa on April 15th.

In five days I have got over eight hours of exercise. So far this year I have got 2,142 km riding the bicycle. Tomorrow I'm planning to take a long walk, maybe five hours in all.

The Trump train is derailing. It may be too late to leap away and avoid the crash.

(Posting title is from the poem A Short Story of Falling by Alice Oswald.)

Thursday, May 11, 2017

It is the signal to go straight

The photograph was taken at Oittaa on April 15th.

I have been thinking, once again, about the stupidity of the Twittler with tiny grasping hands. The United States seems to be in free fall towards anarchy and/or dictatorship. But as they say, "I have fallen 29 floors and it doesn't hurt yet".

(Posting title is from the poem Falling by James L. Dickey.)

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Look at how you've spent your life

The photograph was taken on April 14th.

The temperature dropped to -3 °C during the night, and snow covered the ground outside the house in the morning. Fortunately the roads were dry, so it was not slippery when commuting by bicycle.

What is slippery is the leadership in the United States. One thinks that matters can't get any worse, and then they get. Where are the people with courage to #resist and to stop the endless stupidity of the Twittler?

(Posting title is from the song Perfect Crime by Guns N' Roses.)

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Too much to figure out

The photographs were taken on April 14th.

This afternoon it was snowing when I was commuting by bicycle. Parts of the road were wet, parts dry, as the snow showers were quite localised. While riding the bicycle I started thinking about health, of the last time I was on sick leave from work, and I didn't remember when it was. Several years ago I guess.

(Posting title is from the song Statistician's Blues by Todd Snider.)

Monday, May 8, 2017

Paralelo-lelo-gram

The photograph was taken on April 14th.

The weather in Finland is 20 °C colder than it was this time last year. We got some snowflakes today, but the snow didn't stay on the ground, melting away straight away.

(Posting title is from the song Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs.)

Sunday, May 7, 2017

On an imaginary axis spun

The photographs were taken on April 12th in Helsinki.

This morning I walked for two hours in Petikko, seeking signs of spring. The weather is getting colder, but it wasn't yet freezing.

(Posting title is from the poem Mathematics by Van der Graaf Generator.)